Overwhelmed?

Yesterday was a heck of a day I tell you. Several days ago a writer from AOL.com interviewed me for an article they were doing on entrepreneurs who had become millionaires, and yesterday they posted it on AOL’s home page. I was not prepared for the response, nor was my wife or staff. The writer wrote me early yesterday morning and told me that my article already had over 120,000 hits; he added, “People love a good redemption story”.

At one point I was literally getting so many e-mails that my inbox looked like a spinning dial on a gas pump registering e-mail after e-mail after e-mail for hours on end. My other websites for Miracle on Luckie Street and Honey Lake Plantation were mentioned in the article and nearly crashed from the activity. Our phones were ringing off the hook. My wife came into my office and said, “I’m overwhelmed!”

I said, “I am too”. We went for a walk down to peaceful and serene Honey Lake just to get away from the mayhem for a moment of calm. It was akin to a couple of ostriches sticking their heads in the dirt to avoid the stress. When I got back to my office, several hundred more e-mails and a raft of phone messages awaited me.

Although we were both literally exhausted from the day’s activity, we had a dinner commitment that evening, so later we met up with some friends at a nice restaurant. One of them asked me how my day went and I began telling her about this unbelievable experience. She asked me what all the e-mailers and callers wanted.

Hmmm… I thought about it and told her that the overwhelming majority of them simply wanted help.

Many were homeless and hopelessly addicted to alcohol and/or drugs and needed assistance in combating their demons; hundreds wanted me to give them money; others had an invention or idea for a multi-million dollar business and wanted me to tell them how to make it become a reality; several wanted me to come speak at their convention, church, or other event; some were very discouraged with life and borderline suicidal and just wanted to talk to me; others were mad at God and blamed Him for everything that had ever gone wrong in their lives; there were also several who wanted to thank me for offering my testimony because they were inspired; and then there were a few who viciously attacked me for being a “dishonest Christian” with an ulterior motive of “scamming” people about a “God who does not exist”.

How did all this make me feel?

Helpless.

Yikes! How can I call or write 2500 people today? I can’t respond to all of these people personally, even if I worked 24/7; there are simply too many of them and more came in last night. To make matters worse some of them added the caveat to their e-mail or phone message, “If you are the Christian that you claim to be, then you will call me”.

If I don’t call them, God will get a bad rap? So I’m thinking this morning, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”. Okay…………………………..

Now half of my day yesterday was also devoted to a writer for Florida Trend magazine for a feature article on me for the May issue that will likely start a new flood. Also we scheduled a local television show that is featuring me for one of their segments. I booked speaking engagements throughout the year. I’m also counseling several teenagers and adults who have come to me privately. Over the weekend I spent two and a half hours giving an interview to a lady in London that wants to do a television documentary on my life. And I mustn’t forget the radio interview that I have to do between 10 p.m. and midnight, (I get up at 2 a.m.) Tomorrow night I meet with some movie producers. Oh yeah and there is that little $30 million dollar project to build our resort and spa that must be managed. Oops I better not forget my middle son’s software company that is really building momentum and needs a little tweaking to the old website. And gosh I need to write Words for the Day for today. And, and, and, AIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!! ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

Okay I feel better now. Thank you God for all of these opportunities. I am determined just to take things in stride and do as much to further Your kingdom and I praise Your holy name for honoring me with a chance to make a difference in someone’s life.

Yes I get tired and discouraged especially when I read negative and even vicious feedback, but let me tell you brothers and sisters, I have received a letter from a gentleman who was planning his own suicide and turned from it because of a WFTD that I wrote. I have seen one gentleman who was seriously addicted to drugs and alcohol that heard me speak and turned to Jesus and away from drugs and alcohol and has now enrolled in Bible College. I have seen hardened inmates with tears streaming down their faces as the Holy Spirit convinced them that they needed to change direction. And best of all I have seen countless people trust in the Lord as their Savior and I know that I know that they will now be spending eternity in heaven.

It’s hard and it’s hard all of the time, but it is worth it to make a difference; especially in someone’s eternal life.

We might get tired and discouraged, but we have to keep our eye on the goal line in order to score. I would add to the poem below that the verse, “I can do all things through Christ” means just that. We should give it 100% and when the battle gets too fierce rely on Christ to carry us over the goal line while we rest up enough to hit the ground running again with gusto. Don’t worry about the small stuff in life; just do the best we know how and leave the rest up to God’s capable hands.

DON’T QUIT
When things go wrong , as they sometimes will, When the road you’re
trudging seems all uphill, When the funds are low and the debts are
high, And you want to smile, but you have to sigh, When care is
pressing you down a bit…
Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.
When you are worried and full of doubt, Just
remember that success is
failure turned inside out.
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit,
It’s when things seem
worst that you must not quit.

If quitting is not a concern to you because you are not currently doing anything for the Lord, start today. There are vast fields of tortured human souls out there that need “your” help. The wages are good and yet strangely the workers are few???? If you draw near to God He will inspire you to help others, no matter how harrowing the experience…

_______________

James 4:8
Draw near to God and He will
draw near to you…