A Patriarch

Recently someone challenged me to describe, "A Patriarch." Here is my current thinking on this subject. Needless to say, I broke it down in 5 major categories of LIFE, MARRIAGE, FAMILY, WORK, CHURCH. I would love your ideas around this too.

LIFE:

1. A man who has a deep, intimate personal relationship with God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (Deut. 6; John 17)

2. A man who delights in and meditates on God’s Word day and night. (Psalm 1)

3. A man who abides in/remains in Christ and bears much fruit. (John 15)

4. A man who walks in and lives by the Spirit and does not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. (Galatians 5)

5. A man who understands that he is perpetually opposed daily by three enemies: the world, the sinful nature/flesh and devil. (1 John 2)

6. A man who is full of positive emotions like love, joy, peace, faith and hope. He resists negative emotions like anger, wrath, jealousy, and hate. (Galatians 5)

7. A man who cares for his body as a temple of the Holy Spirit through proper diet, exercise and rest. (1 Cor.6)

MARRIAGE:

8. A man, who loves, serves and leads his wife, as Christ loves the church. (Eph.5)

9. A man, who earns, gives, saves, invests and spends wealth wisely. (Proverbs)

FAMILY:

10. A man, who has taught, modeled and prayed for his family and enjoys great relationships with his children and grandchildren. (Deut.6)

11. A man who honors his father and mother and cares for them all the way to the end. (Eph.6)

12. A man who watches over his extended family; sisters, brothers, nieces and nephews. (1 Timothy 3 & 5)

WORK:

13. A man who knows his work is a gift from God and that he serves the Lord Christ. (Colossians 3)

CHURCH:

14. A man who knows and participates with Christ as He builds His Church. (Eph.5)

15. A man who mentors and invests in the next generation behind him. (2 Tim.2)

16. A man who enjoys deep, open, honest and safe friendships. (Prov.17.17)

17. A man who has determined, by the grace of God, to finish his race well, strong and with joy. (John 17, 2 Tim.4)

I want to be this kind of man. You?

1 Cor.13 Love Contrasted To Sin

I have always been impressed with the “Love Chapter” in 1 Corinthians 13. I recently did an exercise that brought these truths into sharper focus. I simply contrasted the characteristics of LOVE and the opposite, SIN.

LOVE is…	SIN is…
Patient	Impatient
Kind	Unkind
Does not envy	Envies
Does not boast	Boasts
Not proud	Proud
Not rude	Rude
Not self-seeking	Self-seeking
Not easily angered	Easily angered
Keeps no record of wrongs	Keeps record of wrongs
Does not delight in evil	Delights in evil
Rejoices with the truth	Rejoices with lies
Always protects	Never protects
Always trusts	Never trusts
Always hopes	Never hopes
Always perseveres	Never perseveres
Never fails	Always fails

As I studied these two lists, I saw how SIN in me often wants to act and behave like the right hand column. It is not me, but SIN in me. This “beast” must always and only be controlled by the Holy Spirit. How are you doing these days? Are you allowing the LOVE of Christ and the Spirit flow in and out of you? Or are you being controlled more by SIN and your sinful nature? It is our choice. Choose LOVE. Choose LIFE.

Bud Hinkson - My Spiritual Father

19 years ago today, Bud Hinkson departed from the earth at the age of 58. I was 38 when he died. His life and ministry and death have forever marked my life on the earth.

I first met Bud when I was 14 years of age on November 3, 1968. I remember the night well for that was the night Bud led me to Christ...the night He told me that God loved me, sent His Son, Jesus for me, and desires a relationship with me. I responded in simple faith and told God I would love to know Him personally. That was almost 43 years ago and one decision I will never regret.

I have been thinking about the characteristics of Bud and some of the fingerprints he put on my life. Bud was manly, athletic, intense, focused, penetrating eyes, loved God's Word, memorized books of the bible like 2 Timothy in multiple languages, a missionary, discipler of men, leader of leaders, (recruited over 300 staff for Campus Crusade in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union), loved me, counseled me at critical junctions in my life...and much more.

As a result of his influence on my life, I too have come to love the Word of God and want to engage with it every day of my life. I, too, want to be a leader and developer of men. And most of all, I want to finish my race with joy...completing the work and task that God has given me to do.

Thank you Bud...forever. I look forward to our reunion.

The Gift of Being Yourself

Today I was reading 1 Cor.12.18...

"But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be."

This verse reminded me of how much I have wanted to be someone else for a lot of my life.

I thought about when this first started for me. It feels like it was in Bible College. I had heard men like Chuck Swindoll in 1975 and thought, " I want to be like him."...teaching the Bible in an accurate, practical and compelling way.

I graduated in 1976 and heard of John MacArthur, who was the pastor of a 10,000 member church. I thought, I want to be like him...leading a big church.

I was in business from 1980-1985 and wanted to be like the big guns in Orlando...men like Bill Heavener and Jim Seneff who have gone on to be multi-millionaires.

In 1992, I heard of Bill Hybels, and ever since I saw Willow, I thought, "I want to be like Bill."

A thoughtful counselor and friend once asked me, "what does Bill have that you think you want?" I will never forget that day and that question.

On 04.04.04, I turned 50. Some friends of mine gave me the book, "The Gift of Being Yourself," by David Benner. It was on that day that I really started to discover and recover my "True Self."

I recognized that God gave me the gifts of Leadership and Exhortation and wanted me to use them by Him and for Him. It was a day that started to set me free.

What about you? Do you like where the Lord has placed you in His Body? He has created you on purpose for a purpose. Stop living in the False Self and begin discovering and living in your True Self. It makes all the difference in this world.

Finally glad to be me and be placed in the Body exactly where Christ wants me to be.