God Was Writing a Bigger Story Than I Knew
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Looking back after many years but not realizing at the time, I see God's personal relationship with me as an adopted son (Romans 8:15 “The Spirit you received does not make you slaves in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by Him, we cry, Abba, Father”). His loving Fatherly hands were all over my life (Jeremiah 29:11” For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”). I will highlight a few of the God Stories in my life.
Between my 7th and 8th grades, the various scout leaders throughout the Panhandle of Texas made plans to encourage the parents of scouts to pay for their boys to go to Valley Forge in Pennsylvania for the National Boy Scout Jamboree. My parents and I could not afford the costs. However, the Boy Scout Council in the Panhandle decided to award one Scout a fully paid trip. Looking back, I see God's movement to provide me that award. I am not exactly sure why God allowed me that marvelous trip other than "whetting my appetite and opening my eyes to a world outside of west Texas" which later involved travels to all 50 states in the USA and 93 countries, most of which involved work or mission trips for His glory.
The next truly unbelievable but awesome God happening took place in my junior year of high school when our football team lost every game. I was selected to the Texas All State first team in football. My senior year, when we won only 4 games, I was once again selected to the Texas All State first team in football and got to play in the Texas All Star game. Why in the world would God orchestrate these to happen? It would have been totally impossible without God's involvement. I was offered 47 college football scholarships, in which I had to choose one. I thought that my reason at the time of choosing Oklahoma State University as my college choice was because the richest man in Hereford was an OSU alum, who provided me with summer jobs, would most probably provide me a good job when I graduated from college. Being from a poor family, having a good job for life would be very important. No one in all my family tree had ever gone to college, so family input otherwise was limited. Unbeknownst, God guided that decision for reasons that He would later reveal to me. Proverbs 16:9 “A man’s mind plans his way as he journeys through life, but the Lord directs His steps and establishes them.”
Moving 350 miles to Stillwater, Oklahoma put me in a school with an enrollment in 1961 of about 12,000 students where I knew almost no one. My pride certainly took a beating as I was no longer the “big man on campus”. I would call girls to ask for dates and either got a “No, I don’t know who you are”, or “I wish you had called sooner” which was a nicer way to say, “No”. God certainly was giving me a huge lesson in humility.
My college roommate introduced me to a beautiful girl named Wanda Gray and eventually, after much God taught humility and patience, became my marriage partner of almost 56 years. As I said earlier, God had unbeknownst reasons for my coming to OSU and Wanda was the main reason, for sure. It certainly took me over 2 years to realize that, as once again, my pride and impatience were getting in the way. I thought I needed every supporting advocate to win Wanda’s heart. However, behind it all, my strongest “Advocate” already had foreknowledge of the outcome.
The second semester of my junior year proved to be the time when God turned “LIKE” into “LOVE” in the oddest way. Wanda and I were cruising around a lake a few miles west of the campus when we came upon a fraternity “booze party”. Wanda convinced me to crawl down with her where the hard liquor bottles were stored on the outskirts of the dancing and other things going on. I followed Wanda’s lead in pouring out the alcoholic contents and refilling them with lake water. Then we crawled to a hidden location to listen to the loud profanity and watch the angry reactions as the discovery was made that lake water did not have the same kick as booze. From that night on I truly fell in love with this adventuresome, fearless, and fun-loving woman.
God in His power used two of the upperclassmen that I played football with my sophomore year to begin worldwide Great Commission ministries. Dave Hannah founded Athletes in Action and eventually became a Vice President of Campus Crusade for Christ (CCC). Dave, also through the leadership of Bill Bright, founder of CCC, started History’s Handful through which God would use and continue to use, many years later, as a crucial role in Wanda’s and my lives. Much of our travel and opportunities to speak worldwide were because of Dave and History’s Handful.
The other upperclassman was John Maisel, who founded the worldwide East West Ministries. Wanda and I traveled to Russia two different times and to Kiev, Ukraine once on East West mission trips. As only God in His sovereignty can plan, my older son, Stephen, then at Texas Tech, led his first person to Christ on a CCC summer college project in Santa Cruz, California and then years later went with John Maisel and East West to Cuba where God in His power used Stephen to lead 57 Cubans to Christ.
(Now why did God lead me to OSU? Thank You, Lord, for Your reasons)
During our senior year, Wanda and I decided we would get married after she graduated with a master’s degree in biology in one more year. God, obviously, behind the scenes, once again played a major role. Wanda and Georgan Wallace made plans to room together in an apartment while both got master’s degrees.
God does work in mysterious ways in that Georgan married, Tom Reitmeier. Tom and I became partners for 25 years in the real estate business in Houston. Tom and Georgan introduced their Senior Pastor at Faithbridge to our daughter, his future wife.
“Money and possessions” are the second most referenced topic in the Bible, where this is mentioned over 800 times. Jesus indicates that money is a test of our faith. In Luke 16:11 Jesus asks, “So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?” I believe true riches are those that have eternal significance and will last for all eternity.
In 1986, oil prices went to less than $10 per barrel and the economy in Houston crashed along with our sizable net worth that had been built up in real estate. In fact, we were on the verge of bankruptcy and in addition had personal liability of several million dollars on commercial developments that were almost empty. It was at this time that God used Bill Bright, the founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, to place the Great Commission strongly on Wanda’s and my heart. We were provided an opportunity where money could be leveraged with $1 reaching 6 people with the gospel and at least 1 would accept Christ. The challenge was given for us to pledge $1 million over our lifetimes to come alongside many other History’s Handful members to help fulfill the Great Commission. God was putting it strongly on Wanda’s and my hearts that we needed to do this. You must realize that one year prior to this that we could have written a check for $1 million, but then we would not have had to directly involve God and we would get the glory. When you have nothing and are personally liable for several million, then without God, it is impossible and when the pledge is fulfilled by God, He gets all the glory.
When we stepped out in faith to make that faith promise commitment, God opened a door which led to the most exciting adventure of our lives where God fulfilled that commitment. Faith is simply believing and trusting God; it is getting Him involved and depending on Him for the results.
I became an entrepreneur for God. At my elderly age, God has made it evident to me He wants me to continue being involved in business for His glory. God is asking us to step out in faith and to include Him where it is certain that unless He joins us in our goal that it will certainly be a failure.
