Weekly Thought – May 27, 2014
Fred consistently brought our thinking back to basics. He believed in simplicity. His mentor Maxey Jarman taught him the power of the pen for clarifying thoughts. If you can’t write it, you aren’t quite conversant with the idea.
Our Breakfast With Fred Leadership Institute season is complete for 2014. We are in preparation for 2015. Please join us in prayer for the teams to assemble, financial and prayer support develop, and the doors open which will promote “stretching and blessing the next generation of leaders…to the glory of God.” As an intergenerational ministry of connection, we see God’s linkage between the millennials and the builders.
Back to Basics
Trouble opens our mind; perseverance opens us to learn. Enduring isn’t natural, but we can train our emotional and mental reflexes. Hanging tough can become a habit.
Tensile strength is the greatest degree of stress possible to bear without breaking apart. The critical dimension of this measurement is the point where the substance still bends, but does not deform. Bridges have load limits and we do, too. Many times we don’t know how much we can handle until we’re called upon to test our strength. Scripture confidently tells us God is with us through the most difficult of stresses. He is the ultimate structural engineer.
We must distinguish between patience and perseverance. One is passive; the other active. Certainly, there are times when we must be patient. There are times when we can do nothing but survive. But perseverance involves action. My friend, All-America, All-Pro Bill Glass, played 22 years of football without serious injury. He attributes this to the fact he was always so aggressive. “The man who gets run over generally gets hurt worse than the guy who is doing the running down,” he says.
Perseverance is a process, not an emotion. It is knowable, doable, and repeatable. This scientific quality takes it out of the abstract into the concrete. Knowing the principles allows us to build a template that we can overlay over other situations. It gives us the guts to go through and come through.
When I think of those who faithfully persevered, my friend Bufe always comes to mind. His 21 year old daughter was killed in an auto accident. He preached her funeral saying, “I’ve been preaching that this stuff works and I want to prove it.” His son later died while serving as music director of their church. Bufe told a pastor in Portland of his personal tragedies and God’s sufficiency. The friend invited him to come preach at a Sunday night service. Fourteen hundred came to hear him witness to God’s faithfulness and 400 came to the altar. Bufe persevered in white hot heat.
This week think about: 1) How do I distinguish between patience and perseverance? 2) What am I enduring right now? 3) Why does my witness in tough times have more power than in the good times?
Words of Wisdom: “Perseverance is a process, not an emotion. It is knowable, doable, and repeatable.”
Wisdom from the Word: “Therefore, since we have this ministry, just as God has shown us mercy, we do not become discouraged.” (2 Corinthians 4:1 NET Bible)