The Gap Theory

Half of my day was spent with Dr. Joe Beam, author of "Your Love Path."  I definitely recommend it.

Dr. Beam talked today of "the gap theory,"  which defined, is the gap between your expectation and reality.  He says the size of that gap can be a good measurement of how unhappy a person is.  This can pertain to any subject, marriage, job, church, friendship, etc.

If you expect your husband or wife to look like a T.V. model, you really need to view them at the same age as your spouse.  Jack Bauer always looks good because he has make up on and reruns never age.  If you measure your marriage, church or friendship against a movie, or a television ministry you are measuring non-fiction against fiction.  It's lunacy to measure a pastor's live message against an edited for T.V. piece of footage that has all the flaws edited out.  Your relationships and marriage can never live up to fiction.

I need to be careful to measure my life against reality.  The hardest unrealistic expectations that I have ever had to deal with have been the ones I've placed on myself.

How about you?

 

Four Students Give Over 10,000 To Speed the Light

Today was a great day in Bossier City, Louisiana!  $97,000 plus was given in written down goals for Speed the Light in 2010 from the northern tier Assemblies of God churches in Louisiana.  There were maybe 150 students and leaders in attendance.

We also met 3 young people from the same church in Rocky Branch, LA who gave 4,300, 2,000, and 1,800 for STL in 2009.  Another young man, who couldn't attend today, gave another thousand for their group.   That means four kids from a church that averages less than 25 in their youth group gave incredibly to see that Assemblies of God missionaries all over the world would have transportation and communication equipment to spread Jesus.  Unbelievable!  $10,100 from four kids!!

Hungry

 Hungry?

Have you ever had a truly hungry day?  I’m not talking about from fasting.  I’m talking about a day where you have needed food but haven’t been able to find it.

Most of us in America have never had a day without food.  In contrast, Stopthehunger.com tells me that as of 10:07 am over 12,000 people have died of hunger around the world...just today.

The Bible says, “I have never seen the righteous forsaken nor their seed begging bread.”  I thank God today for the heritage I’ve been given by my parents, a righteous heritage.

Growing up, we had a few lean days financially when my father was between jobs, but I don’t ever remember a day spent without food, shelter, clothing, water, etc.  I am blessed today because of the faithfulness of my parents and a merciful, giving God...no question about that.

In light of recent events in Haiti and other parts of the world...

Would you take this opportunity to post your comments on how God had blessed you in life?

Integrity Found

A few years ago, I was privileged to partner with Toby Schneckloth on another missions tour to gain financial commitments for Speed the Light.
Toby leads the Assemblies of God Youth of Nebraska.

I wanted to bless Toby with a gift at the end of that time together and so I wrote him a check, just a small gift of thanks so he could bless his kids when he got home from our week long road trip. A little gift from Uncle Terry if you will.

We drove up to the hotel after our last service tired and weary of the snow packed road that we had traveled on all day long. We literally had to follow a snow plow to make it to our destination that night. As I opened the door of the van under the awning of the hotel, the sub zero wind hit me in the face and I remembered that I hadn't given him his gift. I reached in my pocket where I knew I had left it and it was nowhere to be found. I had just written it out a few minutes earlier, in that same seat, in that van. I couldn't find it anywhere! I was bamboozled and confused. One second it was there and the next it had simply vanished into thin air. Finally, frustrated and tired of looking for it, I simply wrote him out another gift.

I never did find that stinkin' check, but someone else did. I received a note, weeks later, from an assistant manager employed at the hotel. She had gone out one night for some reason and saw something laying in the snow, picked it up and saw that it was a signed check. She said in her note, "I thought you might want or need this." I've never forgotten that act of kindness.

I have made a commitment to be "that kind" of honest person who says, " just because I found it, that doesn't make it mine." I want to be a man of integrity.

I want to encourage you to be a person who returns the small things that are not yours. Don't indulge yourself on someone's loss. Pick up an envelope, write a note, and become the honest individual that God desires for you to be. Tired and road weary people will thank you!

Cotham's Mercantile - Home of the Hubcap Hamburger

I experienced Arkansas at it's roots today.

I ate a one pound, hubcap burger and one onion ring (that was all I could poke down my throat after the burger) in an old mercantile store that looked like something from "The Color Purple." It was sitting above bottomland, across from a cotton field and an old gin.











There wasn't an available table but we waited as suited gentlemen, bikers, and farmers alike enjoyed the true southern cuisine.

Cotham's Mercantile was like sitting in a grand, old dusty picture of days gone by...I loved it.

Legging It Out

I wish I could tell you that it was electric in the building at Searcy, AR tonight but I cant. Actually it was a struggle to preach and it probably was a struggle for the audience to listen. Couldn't really pinpoint any one reason. I could blame and point fingers at someone else or even myself but the bottom line is it was just one of those nights that you have to do your best and let the Word do its job. You have to do what my coach used to say and "leg it out." Keep running until it gets better.

Everyone has these nights as a preacher communicator when we don't feel like we got out of the starting blocks, but it doesn't mean we have to like them. All I know is this...

When I am weak, Jesus is at His best. He flexes His muscles, puts me on His back, and wins the race by Himself, getting all the glory...and that is perfectly alright.

Ugly Ribs

I had me some ugly ribs for lunch. They were so ugly I couldn't take a picture of them, but they sure tasted sweet.

Fellowship was sweet too with Dane Hall and another great, up and coming evangelist...Kendall Alfaro! That's not the glory on him in the picture, but the sun was shining on him. Good guy!

It was a good time!
We are headed to the big metropolis of Searcy, AR tonight! Section 7.
I used to attend youth rallies in that section in 1976. I also used to raise Speed the Light money when I lived in that section. First bike-a-thon route was from Biscoe (my home) to Hazen and back. 20 plus miles. We raised over 2k in the mid 70's. Don't tell me it can''t be done. It's all in what you want to do.

Transparency

You know just for fun I took a picture of my workspace here in the hotel room...another hotel room. The things I notice in the picture may be different than what you would see. What does this space reveal about me to you?