Six Significant Conversations

A brief conversation.

One sentence in the middle of a broader conversation.

Yet, for some reason that comment stuck with you. It may have even changed the entire direction of your life.

Or, your eternal destiny.

I have been thinking about the most significant conversations I have had thus far in my life. Here are six:

Guy Owen February 1973: I attended a YoungLife meeting in February of 1973. My motive for attending was to see a girl I was interested in. So interested that I was willing to attend a "religious" event like YoungLife. What a surprise! Entertaining, upbeat, and fun. And a very clear presentation of the gospel. I realized that like all people I was a sinner, separated from God, and that no amount of good works could reconcile me to God. But Guy shared the good news with me that Christ had paid the penalty for me and that I simply needed to receive the free gift of salvation by inviting Jesus into my life.

Laura Marsh, June 15, 1973: For a couple of years I had been hearing about a girl that went to Lamar High School who was "crazy about me." Well, I finally met her after one of our baseball games. June 15, 1973 to be exact. We began "going steady" and had to rely on our parents (and Laura's sister Ellen) to shuttle us because we were both still in Driver's Ed with learning permits only.

By the way, 1973 was very good year!

Coach Howington, 1977-78ish: Sometime during my college years I was trying to decide whether to go to Law School or to become a teacher. Coach Howington had a one question response: "Where can you best serve the Lord?"

Lee Van Zant, 1978 (Professor of Economics at Austin College): I had gone to summer school every summer after my freshman year at Austin College. I had enough credits to graduate early, but was considering staying for one more semester to take some additional courses. Lee told me, "J.Lee I think you've gotten all you can get out of Austin College and its time to move on." Sometimes we need a nudge to leave the nest.

Jim Schierling, 1990/91: Jim was the pastor at Mid-Cities Bible Church. I met with him every Friday morning for almost a year as he invested in me. The "career question" was stirring again as I was thinking of going back to school to get my PhD. Jim said, "I think it would be best if you can align your job with your gifts."

 Jim Quick/Jim Lewis, 1993: I link these two conversations together because they were so similar it was like we were reading from a script. The conversations happened one week apart during a lunch at the same restaurant. Quick had been my management professor during my MBA; Lewis was my mentor in the business world. I was teaching full-time at UTA (4 courses per semester during my lunch and at night) and working full-time at Air-Dreco. But, I was becoming increasingly unhappy with the Air-Dreco culture.

Both Jims knew I was unhappy and asked me what I would really like to do. To each of them I responded, "I would really like to go back to school and get my PhD so I could make a living doing what I love: teaching." Each of them then asked me why I didn't do that. I gave the same response to each: "I can't afford to. We have 4 children and Laura doesn't work outside the home."

The first Jim responded,"We need to find you a benefactor." I thought that would be nice, but I had no idea how that would happen.

The next week, the same script played out with precision ... right down to the second Jim asking "Why don't you do that?" and my exact response, "I can't afford to..."  Then, the script changed. The second Jim's response was, "What if I provided the financial support you need to do that."

I almost fell out of my chair. He loaned us the money that provided the initial funding for me to pursue my PhD.

Six significant conversations that changed my life.

What are the significant conversations that impacted your life?

38 Christmases and Counting!

Laura and I have been together for 38 Christmases.

This picture was taken when I was playing Santa Claus at Sears in 1974.

Laura came in to see Santa and have her picture made with me.

(Yes, that's my Arlington High class ring she is wearing!)

Now we have some more reasons for a Merry Christmas.

This is Easton's First Christmas!

This is Landrie, Karsyn, and their new little brother Ryan with Santa Claus.

Ryan arrived just in time for this to be his First Christmas too!

Let Me Introduce You to Ryan Marshall Kirk

Our newest addition arrived on December 15, 2011.

Now, bothe Landrie and Karsyn are BIG Sisters!

Finishing Weird - Part 5

Weird people don’t finish like normal people finish.

Weird people finish the course and fulfill their ministry.

Acts 20:24   "But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God."

1 Timothy 6:12   "Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses."

2 Timothy 4:5-8   "But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing. "

I want to finish strong. I want to finish weird. But, I cannot do that in my own strength. So, I am asking for divine intervention:

Lord, help me to fight the good fight, to keep the faith and to finish the course.

Finishing Weird - Part 4

Weird people don’t finish like normal people finish.

Weird people walk in the good works He prepared for them to walk in and they don’t grow weary of doing good.

Ephesians 2:10   "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them."

Galatians 6:9   "Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary."

2 Thessalonians 3:13   "But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary of doing good."

I want to finish strong, to finish weird. But, I cannot do that in my own strength. So, this is my prayer:

Lord show me the good works you prepared beforehand for me to walk in and don’t let me lose heart or grow weary of doing good.

Finishing Weird - Part 3

Weird people don’t finish like normal people finish.

Weird people run to win and run with endurance.

1 Corinthians 9:24-25   "Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.

Hebrews 12:1-2   "Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

I want to finish strong. I want to finish weird. But, I cannot do that in my own strength. Therefore, this is my prayer:

Lord give me the strength to run with endurance the race you have set before me. Help me to run in such a way that I may win.

Finishing Weird Part 2

Earlier this year our pastor, Craig Groeschel released his book, Weird.

The theme of the book is that we are called to be weird - in a God weird way - because normal isn't working.

In this and the next several posts, I will be building on Craig's book and elaborating on what I am calling Finishing Weird.

But first, at bit of overview on being weird:

“If you want what normal people have, do what normal people do.

If you want what few people have, do what few people do.”

• Weird people don’t think like normal people think.

Romans 12:1-2   "Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."

• Weird people don’t live like normal people live.

1 Peter 2:11-12   "Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation."

• Weird people don’t finish like normal people finish.