This morning, I cease to be amazed at the far-reaching effects blogging can have for ministry. Of course, I do realize some people visit this blog for the sole purpose of parsing the words they read in order to build an argument against the validity of my teaching. But so very many others come here to be stretched, challenged and enriched in their quest for Christlikeness.
So many of you have blessed me in the last month by sending me books from my Amazon Wish List as gifts. From long-time friends and family to completely unexpected sources, your gifts have blessed me and I sincerely, deeply appreciate them all. I hope in some way my personal study and walk with the Lord, as I share it here, will continue to bless you as much as your friendship blesses me.
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Busy day today and tomorrow prep'ing to speak at the Texas Weekend Family Encampment. The TFWE is sponsored by the Early, Texas church and is held each April at Lake Brownwood.
I am excited to spend a couple of days with Mandy and the girls, having fun, meeting people, seeing old friends, and hopefully spreading the good news of the empowering presence of Jesus to help us "Press On!"
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Tom Wiles served a stint as university chaplain at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix. A few years ago he picked me up at the Phoenix airport in his new Ford pickup and whisked me away to keynote a leadership conference at the university. Since I was still mourning the trade-in of my Dodge truck, we immediately bonded, sharing truck stories and laughing at the bumper-sticker truism: "Nothing is more beautiful than a man and his truck."
As I climbed into his 2002 Ranger for the ride back to the airport a day later, I noticed two big scrapes by the passenger door. "What happened here?" I asked.
"My neighbor's basketball post fell and left those dents and white scars," Tom replied with a downcast voice.
"You're kidding! How awful," I commiserated. "This truck is so new I can smell it."
"What's even worse is my neighbor doesn't feel responsible for the damage."
Rising to my newfound friend's defense, I said, "Did you contact your insurance company? How are you going to get him to pay for it?"
"This has been a real spiritual journey for me," Tom replied. "After a lot of soul searching and discussions with my wife about hiring an attorney, it came down to this: I can either be in the right or I can be in a relationship with my neighbor. Since my neighbor will probably be with me longer than this truck, I decided that I'd rather be in a relationship than be right. Besides, trucks are meant to be banged up, so I get mine initiated into the real world a bit earlier than I expected."
Tom's wisdom has stayed with me. How many times have I sacrificed bring "in relationship" for the personal satisfaction of being "in the right"? How many times have I won the argument, but lost a friend or damaged a heart? (Leonard Sweet, Out of the Question...Into the Mystery, p.91-92).
