So, last night I spoke at a Mary Kay Cosmetics women’s conference. I was there primarily to thank them for becoming partners and financially supporting the Jesus Alliance. I was also asked to offer a few words of encouragement about how they could build their own businesses to become the vehicle that would carry them to the fulfillment of their dreams.
I was prepared to use my personal testimony of how I built 19 companies making Jesus Christ the cornerstone of each of them and how I still ask Him daily to take the lead in my life.
As I walked down the hall to the conference location I could hear loud music reverberating long before I found the room in which I was to speak. When I arrived, the entire area was jam packed with mostly very young women and they were obviously very worked up. They were milling around talking at a mind-bending rate that seemed as though it was 90 words per second.
I was ushered down to the front row where I was treated to a direct blast from the blaring music via large speakers located on either side of me. I was the only male present in the packed out room and was old enough to be the father or grandfather of practically every lady in the room.
I was sitting there feeling my hair move with each thump-thump-thump of the music when a beautiful young lady took the microphone and urged them to take their seats. The music level was mercifully lowered and then this young lady began rapidly walking back and forth in front of the room talking fast, and excitedly working the crowd into a frenzy. It reminded me of the pep rallies we would have in high school before football games.
She was pacing back and forth – back and forth in front of the room and firing up the crowd, and then she paused right in front of me, looked me straight in the eyes, and said with a little smile we are going to get excited tonight!
Yikes! I thought to myself that I’d seen the look this young lady was giving me before. And just then I remembered where. I was attempting to unbridle my ultra-spirited horse Dusty just as two other horses came over. He became greatly annoyed and was looking at me with wild eyes and flared nostrils and began bobbing his head up and down. Just as I removed his bridle one of the other horses bit him on the rump. He immediately reared up and then took off running hitting me squarely with his chest and knocking me ten feet through the air with my head snapping back so hard it briefly knocked me unconscious. This happened just before all three of them trampled me with one stepping directly on my sternum.
Oh boy. I began wondering what an old man like me was doing at a Mary Kay business meeting for youngsters. I caught myself and quickly muttered internally, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” which seemed to relieve me greatly. As it turned out I had nothing to fear, they were a great audience and they seemed to benefit from my experience and gave me a rousing ovation as I departed the room.
I remember a similar experience when I spoke at Inc. Magazine’s award ceremony in Washington D.C. as a keynote speaker. Some 3500 CEO’s of the most successful companies in America were there. I spoke right after the Secretary of Commerce and was wondering why a nobody like me was selected to speak to this highly esteemed audience, but again right before going in front of them I whispered, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
After I delivered my speech to them, which ended with telling them that faith based companies do work and if it were not for Jesus I would be dead or in prison, I got a standing ovation, (Obama’s Secretary of Commerce barely got a clap. Lol!)
One never knows where or when God might give you an opportunity to glorify His name. My advice is to embrace it and never shy away from any invitation to do so, (even when you think someone else might be better suited to deliver that message). It is after all God whom we serve. When in doubt remember, He prepared us through a lifetime of experience just for a time such as this.
Proverbs 3:5
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes . . .
December 20 2016 – Click here to listen