His hands are thick and powerful; They are the hands of a working man. The hands of a Weekend Warrior.
His job is high-profile and high-pressure. His every action and reflexive decision are scrutinized and questioned at the very instant he renders it.
This man does battle in the arena. This man is a Weekend Warrior. Read More
Empty chairs and sweaty palms. What if we throw a party and no one shows up?
That was my thought on this pleasant Friday evening. The hands on the clock were marching steadily toward 8:30pm. That is when The Integrity Media Network had determined to christen the Fore Life Bible Study at Wildwood Country Club.
The idea is to obey the call of The Great Commission: “Go make disciples…” The people our ministry seeks to impact are those who most likely won’t go to a church no matter how wildly we throw open the doors. So we are taking Christ to them; sharing the message of salvation on their turf and God’s terms.
My hope was that perhaps four or five people would show up to be part of our pioneering efforts in golf course evangelism. Bobby and Luann were the first ones to timidly peak their head through the open door of the Wildwood Board Room. “Is this the right place?” Bobby playfully asked.
“This is it!” I said, relieved that finally someone had braved the staircase that leads to the 2nd floor meeting area.
The trickle soon morphed into a flow. By the time we began reading Genesis 1:27 and 28, a dozen people had crowded themselves around the large oak table that commands the board room.
As we talked our way through selected verses from the first three chapters of Genesis, we demonstrated how those in attendance could recognize characteristics of their marriages in the opening pages of the Bible.
The title of our talk was “It’s Not My Fault” which is the paraphrased answer that both Adam and Eve offered to the Lord after the introduction of sin.
The conversations were lively and at times comical. The message, however, was serious: Sin IS our fault; We are accountable for our actions; Only Christ has the authority to forgive our sins and restore our relationship with The Creator.
After the discussion time concluded, one attendee paused on his way out the door and said to me, “I learned more about the Bible tonight than I’ve learned in 30 years. Call me. I want to get together with you.”
We had that follow-up meeting at the Fern Creek Cracker Barrel. During that conversation, my new friend admitted “It IS my fault”, taking the blame for his sin and asking Christ to be his Savior!
With folded hands, he not only prayed for his salvation, this new follower of Christ asked that God would also save the two men he plays golf with each Sunday morning. ”I don’t want them to go to hell,” he said in a prayer he voiced amid the clattering of a bustling restaurant.
Impact the Influencers.
That is the phrase we use to describe what The Integrity Media Network does. That is what we just did. And you had a hand in making it happen. Your investment into this work just delivered an eternal benefit!
We are praying that God will open doors that will allow us to launch studies at additional golf courses in the metro area later this summer and fall. We believe Our Lord is showing us a new and innovative way to fulfill our mission!
Thank you for making this ministry possible!
Our son Grant was 24-hours old. Terrie and I stood at his bedside at the hospital in Jacksonville, Florida wondering what kind of life was ahead for our child.
Grant Gupton
We had been told a few sleepless hours earlier that our son has Down Syndrome. That diagnosis shattered the ambitions we held for our first born. We were no longer dreaming about what our son might do with his life, we were mourning what we feared he may never do: walk, talk, read, play, have friends, start a family.
I never felt so alone in my life. Even God seemed a galaxy away from what was happening in that sterile hospital room. Read More
When you think of your next day at work, what word best describes your mindset?
Excitement?
Anticipation?
Eagerness?
Can’t this weekend go by any faster so I can get back to the job?
Didn’t think so.
And you are not alone. Most of us hate what we do for a living.
An azure blue sky stretches endlessly into a horizon free of interruption. Not a cloud anywhere in sight.
Towering oak trees stand stately guard on each side of waves of precisely trimmed Bermuda grass that give foundation to this fairway.
Across a distance of brilliant green that could comfortably support four football fields, a bright yellow flag playfully unfurls itself in the soft spring breeze.
He hadn’t played ball in years. Yet, the way the sleeves of his golf shirt strained to contain the muscles in his arms communicated what he was too polished to say out loud: He still considers himself an Athlete.
He carried himself with the confidence one would expect from a man who embodied skills that causes sports fans to marvel.
However, there was an emptiness about him.
The Athlete was now in the business world and succeeding as impressively there as he did on the ball field.
Our conversation moved quickly from small talk about sports to much weightier matters. Matters of the heart. Matters of the soul.
The smell of freshly baked pastries ornamented the cafe on this early workday morning. Two coffees cooled on the table before us as my friend and I talked about something much more compelling than the match ups of March Madness.
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