by: Bob Reccord

This weekend I have been in a semi-rural church in the Salisbury and Winston/Salem area of North Carolina. Great folks! Salt of the earth! And the backbone of faith in America. This is what constitutes the foundation of our land.

One man has imprinted himself on my mind. His name is Larry, 61 years of age, who walks with a cane. But as he told me his story, I stood amazed…

When Larry was growing up his step-father was an alcoholic constantly beating Larry. Many were the days when Larry wore a jacket just to cover the blood that seeped from the wounds left by the attacks. But it was as a young teenager that, in a drunken rage, he placed a .22 caliber gun between Larry’s eyes. In fear Larry turned his head as the gun discharged, hitting him in the temple area. He would lay for hours before being discovered and rushed to the hospital. He showed me the entry wound.

For 32 days he would be in a coma. When he came around it was his faith in Christ, whom he had accepted at age 9, that got him through. BUT…he lost his right eyesight. As a result he never learned to read…until he had a daughter, who couldn’t read either. When asked by a teacher to help his daughter learn to read he had to embarrassingly admit he could not either. So…at 53 years of age Larry entered the battle to learn. After starting in 1999, four years later, he had won the battle. Not to coast, he began his GED, and in 2004, to the pride of his daughter—and Larry himself—he graduated. Now, at 61, Larry’s next goal is to go to college! At 61 years of age!!! You’ve got to love it!!

Now he speaks at schools and events telling his story and encouraging others that, with faith in our Lord Jesus, there is nothing that is impossible. And speaking of Jesus, Larry says the best part of everything is that he can now read the Bible for himself.

So, what do you know that God is calling you to do—but you’ve been telling yourself, “it’s too late,” or, “I’m too old… too young….too ill-equipped …to do? Maybe, like Larry, you just need to get started, and see what only God, through you, can do!

Thanks Lord, for the hope found in a story like this. I trust it has been a HOPE PACKAGE for you, today! How about it?
(For the complete story be sure and visit www.salisburypost.com and look in archives for article titled “What a Diploma Means”)

by: Bob Reccord

Driving through the green pastures and rolling hills of central Georgia in the early fog-drenched morning Friday, I couldn’t wait to arrive at my destination. A bucolic retreat center that is also a working ranch, would serve as our home away from home for the day.

I was meeting with leaders from well-known programs that build into the lives of kids, student leaders and adults through programs such as camps, marriage retreats, student leadership programs…just to name a few. They were being pulled together by my friend John White. And the topic: mentoring the nest generation. A topic I love and try to actively participate in as much as possible.

As we gathered around a conference table with a view through the windows of hundreds of acres of cattle, deer, wild turkey and goats it was like escaping to another world (especially from the norm of car-clogged Atlanta!!!!). We dove into 2 Timothy 2:1-5. There Paul implores Timothy to pour his life into the lives of others, just as Paul had poured his into Timothy. Then, in context, Paul reminds him that this is not easy work. He likens it to the discipline needed by a soldier, the tenacity and focus of a trained athlete, and the perseverance of a farmer. Above all, mentoring has to be intentional…it doesn’t just happen.

And I was reminded how glad I am that people like Bill Hogue, Roy Fish, Bill Bright, Leighton Ford, D. James Kennedy and Jack Johnson intentionally invested in me.

So, here’s my question. Who are you intentionally investing in according to the instruction of Paul? And if it takes you a while to answer….then why not start now? After all, all you need to mentor is a heart for God, an intentional focus, a person who is hungry…and for you to be only a step ahead of where they are in their journey. Try it….it’s one of the best experiences you’ll have.

More tomorrow.

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