The past few days have been a whirlwind. My father finally got stabilized after his very serious surgery and he was moved out of ICU to a private room which enabled me to attend some extremely important prescheduled meetings in Palm Beach Florida.
So I flew from Mississippi to Florida and met my youngest son and the next morning bright and early we met with a mega preacher with a 50,000 plus congregation and an uber successful investment banking executive. The net result of that meeting was next month we will be flown on a multibillionaire’s G4 private jet to meet with several other billionaires in Texas to discuss our worldwide ministry and how we can work together.
On the next day of my trip my older son and I met with Governor Jeb Bush in the morning, and then many of the Florida’s Council of 100’s top leaders throughout the day and then capped it off by speaking to Governor Rick Scott that evening prior to his keynote address.
The next morning I flew back to Tallahassee and drove down to Perry FL and spoke that night at the Inmate Encounter prison ministry spiritual enrichment dinner and then spent all day Saturday in Wakulla Prison offering my testimony in two different prison yards. I’m happy to say that we had a bountiful harvest of souls added to the kingdom thanks to our team’s dedication and hard work.
On Saturday I was speaking to 300-400 prisoners in the yard when I spied a very young African American young person in the crowd. He didn’t appear to be even 20 years old and was a good looking kid and looked entirely out of place in that gnarly prison with those old time inmates with their mean eyes, and prison tattoos covering their bodies. I was giving my testimony and as I did so I walked right up to that young boy and pointed my finger directly at him and related what Jesus had told one of the prisoners on the cross after he confessed his sins and acknowledged Jesus for who He really was, “This day you’ll be in paradise with me”. When I did, that the little boy almost cried. Later after the invitation was given I saw him walking by with literature in his hand. He stopped in front of me and I pointed to the literature and asked if he’d accepted Christ today and he said that he had.
God blessed me enormously by providing me an opportunity to help this young man find eternal peace, joy, and love. I am very grateful for that opportunity . . .
When I got home I went through my mail and saw where I’d received a handwritten letter from a man who recently heard me speak and had read my book. He stated that my testimony was as powerful as any he’d ever heard (which was a huge compliment because he went on to tell me that he’d once lived next door to Bill Bright and knew Billy Graham and other great spiritual leaders personally). He offered to help me (financial and otherwise) to get a movie or television mini-series about my life produced.
I’ve since discovered that this man is the “real deal” and is very powerful and wealthy and I have been assured by those who know him that if anyone can get it done, he can. Praise God I hope that he does.
I then checked my e-mail and had another letter from a different man who wants to setup a phone conference for next week with a wealthy businessman in a big city in central Florida that’s interested in helping our ministry.
WOW!
I called a pastor friend of mine and talked to him about all that has transpired in my life in the past few days. It’s almost beyond mind boggling to me that God is enabling me to connect with all of these folks. My pastor buddy told me that I was finding favor in God’s sight and He was mightily blessing me and our ministry.
Huh?
I thought about this all night and have come to the conclusion that I don’t deserve God’s favor. While I admit I do love Jesus with all my heart and try my utmost to share the Gospel with virtually anyone who will listen and even a few who won’t, I still am a rotten sinner.
A case in point occurred during the trip I just went on. I was flying to Tallahassee on one of those uncomfortable small regional jets and the guy sitting next to me kept bumping me with his arm. He was watching a movie on an IPad and was wearing a set of Bose earphones. He kept squirming around and jarring against me and began literally pushing my arm off the armrest on the small plane.
I wondered if he was just the nervous type, but soon it became evident that he was doing it on purpose and that he wanted my arm off that armrest, (in spite of the fact that I was sitting there before he ever got on board). Finally he went so far as to push my arm very hard with his elbow.
I firmly pushed him back. He glanced at me with utter contempt and then pushed my arm completely off the armrest.
GRRRRRRR! I unbuckled my seatbelt and sat on the edge of my seat and turned to face him. He quickly looked back down at the screen on his IPAD. Suddenly I reached over and pulled up one side of his Bose headphones so he could hear me and snarled through gritted teeth, “If you so much as touch me one more time I’m gonna crush your $#@*&%$ windpipe”, and then I pulled the headphone out as far as I could and released it and snapped it back on his ear.
As I prepared for battle with fists balled tightly, I noticed that the headset was sitting somewhat askew on his head and he looked ridiculous; nonetheless, I did not so much as crack a smile at his appearance and managed to glower at him with my meanest and most menacing glare. Had he moved an inch, I had every intention of crushing his windpipe . . . I was mad as hell and was in no mood to turn the other cheek . . .
His eyes were as wide as the top of his Blue Moon beer can and though he was half my age and well-built showed fear; he quickly moved as far away from me as he could and faintly whispered, “Sorry . . . ”
I continued with the scowl, but curtly nodded. He didn’t touch me for the rest of the flight and remained as close to the window on his side as he could.
Oh boy . . .
Now that was the old Christian spirit. As I thought about it I could just see Delta landing the plane in order for TSA to expel an unruly passenger, (me), and the headlines in USA Today. What a great advertisement that would be for the Worldwide Ministry – eh? I wonder what Jesus thought about that one . . . Sigh . . .
How does God find favor in an idiot like me?
Maybe that’s the entire point.
He doesn’t!
I don’t deserve favor and I didn’t deserve salvation either, but Jesus Christ gave it to me as His free gift anyway. He gave His life for me, and then has continued to bless me and my ministry tremendously in spite of my stupid mistakes. It’s his goodness and not mine that stimulates His favor and blessings upon my life. It’s called grace and is thoroughly undeserved,.
So some of you are undoubtedly thinking that anyone as weak as me should not be in the ministry; I don’t need your e-mails to know your feelings.
News Flash: You don’t have to be perfect in order to accomplish things for the Lord . . . Don’t wait until you are, because none of us will ever be perfect and totally free from sin in our lives . . . If I were to sit around waiting for that impossible dream to materialize, that young man in Wakulla Prison might not have accepted Christ on Saturday . . .
Even though I’m imperfect I’m glad I represented Christ Jesus that day . . .
Selah . . .
Threatening to crush someone’s windpipe on a plane is not the example I want to set as a Christian and is perhaps a tad extreme, and I regret not finding a more civilized way of curtailing that punk’s conduct. I suppose that the Apostle Peter was a tad extreme when he cut off one of the temple guard’s ears with a sword when they came to arrest Jesus in the Garden. Jesus scolded Peter and restored the man’s ear.
Hmmm . . . At least I didn’t actually crush his windpipe so maybe my sin is not as black???
Naw . . . I wanted to, so I suppose I’m guilty through and through. Unfortunately that old dark side occasionally sticks his head back up before the Holy Spirit convicts some of us of our rottenness and beats it back down . . . I hate when that old devil gets the best of me, but it won’t stop me from witnessing for Christ.
The Apostle Paul said it best:
Romans 7:15
For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate.
I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good . . .
November 18, 2013 – Click here to listen