To: Fathers who
attended the 4:12 Conference
From: John Donaldson (a father who also attended 4:12)
Re: Keeping the fire going . . . or "Just do something"
What a blessing it was to see so many fathers, sons–and even granfathers–at the 4:12 Conference in August! (Watch and listen online to 4:12 Conference Sessions HERE)
I do believe that the investment of time that we made will be paid back tenfold in terms of a platoon of men who have a greater desire to walk in all of the Lord's ways and to raise up sons who desire to do the same.
If you're like me, however, it is easy to slide down from the mountaintop experience of a conference like 4:12–with best intentions of putting into action what we learned–to find that several weeks later that the mountaintop experience is a distant memory and that you have done nothing to spread a passion for God in yourself, in your sons, or in those around you. Like a fire left unattended, the flames that once seemed so bright will fizzle out quickly if the fire isn't continually stoked. Passivity is the work of our adversary–Satan – who "prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. . " He wants nothing more than for you to forget and be distracted by anything and everything else and take no action. If this describes you, you may be asking yourself – "So what can I do about it?"
As 1 Corinthians 16:13 commands us – "Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith and act like men"– which means taking action! Pastor Turner challenged us in the Friday night session – you cannot have a collision with Jesus Christ and come away unchanged. If you collided with Jesus at all during 4:12 – if He moved your heart in any way – if He caused you to think about how you are living your life or how you are leading your family or how you are discipling your sons – you have been given a call to action.
Here is one simple thing you can do to re-stoke the fire you may have felt at 4:12 – it shouldn't take you more than 2 minutes. Write down on a piece of paper three things:
Don't let the "fire" that began at 4:12 go out. Take this simple action and use it to stoke a fire for living a life that is holy and pleasing to God. Don't succumb to Satan's desire for you to do nothing – keep the fire going!
Your brother in Christ,
John Donaldson
From: John Donaldson (a father who also attended 4:12)
Re: Keeping the fire going . . . or "Just do something"
What a blessing it was to see so many fathers, sons–and even granfathers–at the 4:12 Conference in August! (Watch and listen online to 4:12 Conference Sessions HERE)
I do believe that the investment of time that we made will be paid back tenfold in terms of a platoon of men who have a greater desire to walk in all of the Lord's ways and to raise up sons who desire to do the same.
If you're like me, however, it is easy to slide down from the mountaintop experience of a conference like 4:12–with best intentions of putting into action what we learned–to find that several weeks later that the mountaintop experience is a distant memory and that you have done nothing to spread a passion for God in yourself, in your sons, or in those around you. Like a fire left unattended, the flames that once seemed so bright will fizzle out quickly if the fire isn't continually stoked. Passivity is the work of our adversary–Satan – who "prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. . " He wants nothing more than for you to forget and be distracted by anything and everything else and take no action. If this describes you, you may be asking yourself – "So what can I do about it?"
As 1 Corinthians 16:13 commands us – "Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith and act like men"– which means taking action! Pastor Turner challenged us in the Friday night session – you cannot have a collision with Jesus Christ and come away unchanged. If you collided with Jesus at all during 4:12 – if He moved your heart in any way – if He caused you to think about how you are living your life or how you are leading your family or how you are discipling your sons – you have been given a call to action.
Here is one simple thing you can do to re-stoke the fire you may have felt at 4:12 – it shouldn't take you more than 2 minutes. Write down on a piece of paper three things:
- How did I "colliide" with Jesus during 4:12 – what did He put on my heart that He wants me to pay attention to as a man/husband/father?
- What's one thing that I will commit to? Will I memorize a verse related to what God has put on my heart? Will I commit to reading a certain section of the Bible that deals with this?
- Who will I tell about this commitment?
Don't let the "fire" that began at 4:12 go out. Take this simple action and use it to stoke a fire for living a life that is holy and pleasing to God. Don't succumb to Satan's desire for you to do nothing – keep the fire going!
Your brother in Christ,
John Donaldson
No comments:
Post a Comment