As a husband now for almost 9 years, one of the many lessons I am still learning is knowing what to say and how to say it to my wife. It is imperative that I understand each situation, the emotional dynamics of the conversation, the context and the back story, before I open my mouth and blurt out something inappropriate or unkind. This has also been a God-send in helping me understand how to better communicate the gospel to audiences of all ages and backgrounds.

I also learned a lesson from my 5 year old son recently regarding this very thing. It happened at his pre-school Christmas program.

I was sitting in the audience watching children from ages 1-5 do what children do. One little boy was eating something he had found in his nose. A little girl had her shirt pulled up over her head to the utter embarrassment of her mom and grandparents. And 2 little boys were snarling like hungry wolves at their smiling relatives snapping pictures of them.

Pre-school Christmas musicals are not known for historical vocal performances or breath-taking solos. It’s usually the hillarious behavior of the little ones that we remember. But my little boy broke this tradition by saying the right thing at the right time, when the entire crowd was listening.

The teacher was explaining the song the children were about to sing. She mentioned how hard they had practiced and how wonderful it was to see little children pouring their hearts into Christmas songs. Then she asked a question, assuming that all the children would respond in unison. The question was, “Now, boys and girls, who is the person we celebrate at Christmas in all these songs we are singing?” The answer was obvious, but for some reason, they all froze. There had been utter chaos since the program began, and now all of a sudden, I was staring at 100 little silent statues.

The audience held their breath while the teacher asked once more. “Whose birthday do we celebrate during Christmas, boys and girls?” Then all of a sudden, in the midst of complete silence, my son spoke loudly and clearly, all alone, the only voice among the children.

“BABY JESUS!”

We all laughed, and some of us even clapped. The tension was relieved. The question had been answered. It was the right word at the right time. Our world is just like that audience. Asking for the answer, looking for meaning, and waiting on someone to speak up. To answer the question clearly, boldy. To be convinced that the answer really is Jesus Christ. And to be bold in declaring it, with humility, but without apology or hesitation.

What a lesson from a 5 year old. I guess I understand now, a bit better, what it means when I read, “And a little child shall lead them…”

My closest friends know several things about me.  I love strong coffee.  I love to hunt bear.  And I love Billy Graham and his ministry.  April 15, 2005 was one of the greatest days of my life because I was blessed to spend 3 hours with my hero, Dr. Graham, in the living room of his home in North Carolina.

I have also been blessed to develop a friendship with his grandson, Wil.  We share common interests (guns, hunting, and the outdoors, not to mention preaching and evangelism).  We see each other infrequently, but when we do, it is a great time for me to be encouraged by his disposition, genuine care for people, and honest humility.

He and I shared a meal together this past Saturday evening on our way to an event at Mars Hill College where I was preaching.  I was initially surprised that he would have the time to even eat, but when he said he wanted to go to the event to hear me preach and support me, I was felt like a middle school quarterback playing while Tom Brady watched from the stands.

It was a fantastic night.  There were 206 first time public proffessions of faith and another 30 or more that surrendered to the ministry.  Over 1,500 people gathered with over 40 different churches involved in planning the event.  But the thing I will most likely remember about Saturday night was the genuine humility that Wil Graham showed.

When we arrived, he volunteered to drive my truck around back and park it.  Then after the event, he took my keys and brought the truck back around so I would not have to walk in the cold.  Backstage, after we prayed together, I stood up to go to the restroom.  He grabbed my Bible and my bottle of water and went with me to make sure if I needed anything, he could take care of it.  He said he wanted me to concentrate on preaching and he would take care of anything I needed.

And then, as if all of that was not enough, I was standing by my truck at 9:30 PM talking to a friend before we left, and it was blistering cold.  I rolled down my sleeves and stuck my hands in my pockets.  I guess he could tell I was cold, because the next thing I know, he had grabbed my wool coat from the backseat of my truck and held it for me while I slid it over my cold arms.

This young man has every right to expect people to serve him.  He is a busy, sought after, annointed preacher of the gospel.  He is the son of Franklin Graham (who runs not only Billy Graham’s ministry but also Samaritan’s Purse).  And he is the grandson of Billy Graham, the most recognized face on earth over the past 50 years and most admired and respected minister in history.  Yet instead of the stereo-typical arrogance or aloofness that I have occasionally seen among well-known ministers or rock stars of our evangelical culture, he was simply a servant.  I should have been carrying his water bottle.

I could not help but think to myself…he inherited this genuine humility from a grandfather who learned it from Jesus.  I drove home Saturday night praying that I could be more like Wil Graham, because he was more like Jesus than most people I have ever met.

Those who know me best are not surprised when I tell them tales like this because they hear them all the time. But things like the story I am about to tell you always remind me of the sovereignty of God, the power of prayer, and the fact that I seem to have a genetic kinship with Forest Gump (i.e. strange things happen to me consistently).

I was on my way home from speaking all day in Asheville, NC just 2 hours ago. It was freezing and snow had been falling most of the day. I was trying a new shortcut to our new house and got lost, so I had to turn around and hunt for the correct road. Driving directly into the setting sun with no sunglasses in the car, I thought I saw a person hitch-hiking on the right shoulder. I am an absolute sucker for hitch-hikers and have picked up no less than 500 in my life. Naturally I pulled over.

Then I realized he had a gun.

I thought of my mother and how she would drop dead from a coronary if she knew half the insane and dangerous situations her son had willfully placed himself in, then I opened the door and invited the hitch-hiking gunman into my truck. It became evident, though, that not only was the firearm a Daisy pellet gun, but the hitch-hiker was no older than 17. He was shivering from the cold and his hand was like a block of ice when I extended mine to shake his as a token of trust and goodwill. He told me he was planning to camp out but decided not to. When I asked him if he was sure he wasn’t running away from home, he admitted that it was true and looked surprised that I could tell.

I drove him back home. I insisted that I meet his mother and explain to her what had happened. When we walked into his living room, his mother was sitting in the den, praying and crying. I told her the story and my name. We talked about her son and some of the stuggles he has had since he was a small child. I visited with them and then prayed for their family, especially her 17 year old son who said “I just want to have a good life, and please everyone, but I just feel like I cannot get my head straight.” He had a sweet, innocent spirit and I knew that he wanted to be free to follow Christ, but could not get that freedom yet. Then I drove home, once again amazed at how God works.

You see, all day today I have felt fatigued and sick. I missed my family terribly and wondered why I even bothered to leave the house. And when I got lost taking my attempted short-cut hime after a long, long day, instead of feeling frustrated, I felt the Holy Spirit tell me that it was on purpose, that there was a reason. And when I picked up the young man, I had a clear image enter my mind of his mother, hands folded with a tissue, praying for God to bring her son home. And then, when I told her my name, it turns out that she once attended a church where one of my best friends, Steven Furtick, was the worship pastor. And, while I was there, 8 people called to see if anyone had seen her son, because they had all been out driving around looking for him, and they were panicked because it was almost dark.

She gave them all the same response when they called. “He is home safe. I will call you back later and tell you what happened. You won’t believe it.”

I never tire of seeing how God answers prayer, how 5 different scenarios converge in a few moments, and how amazed the people of God are when He intervenes on their behalf. So if you see any hitch-hikers with pellet guns, there is a good chance that a mama is praying somewhere for that boy, and a miracle is just moments away.

I won’t lie to you. Ministry is tough. Gut-wrenching. At times, depressing. Often thankless. There is no need to pretend that what I do is glamorous or easy. For some people in ministry, I guess, they have insulated themselves so deeply from contact with people that they may never have to experience these emotions. But for anyone that is truly called by God, working in His harvest fields, they will get their hands dirty and their hearts trampled by serving a broken and sinful world, a world of which they as ministers are also a part of (may I add, also participants in the ugliness and sinfulness of it all).

So WHY do I do it? Why spend so many nights away from my family? Why drive and fly hundreds of thousands of miles? Why ignore the stubborn cough that will not go away and pack my bag for the next preaching opportunity anyway? Why board the plan when I would sometimes rather sleep in?

There are multiple reasons. God called me to do this. I love doing it. I would be miserable doing anything else. The good far outweighs the bad. I can see the fruit of the Spirit in people’s lives. All of these are reasons. But then every once in a while, you see an actual tangible life-change take place, and all the theoretical reasons for following Jesus become practical.

This weekend at our Crossroads Winter Conference, great things happened. The students raised $7,000 for missions in India. The workshops and worship services were encouraging, challenging, and relevant. Dozens of people were saved and many more surrended to a sense of calling to missions and ministry. But there was this one thing that happened, and it reminded me of why we do what we do.

A family in the church we belong to, Broad River Community Church, is hosting a German exchange student. She attended our Winter Conference with the students from our church. She is a sweet young lady with an eternal smile and looks like any other American girl. She heard the gospel on Saturday morning, not for the first time, but for the first time, she believed it. She boldly repented of her sins. She stood to her feet in a room with nearly 1,00 people in it. The lights were on. There was no music playing. And everyone had their eyes OPEN. And she stood to her feet to confess publicly that she believed Christ was the living savior and Lord of the universe, and her life.

Afterward she came to me to express her thanks for what we do at Crossroads. She said she was so happy she did not know how to express it. And while I am thankful that she is now a believer, I am equally thankful that she lives with a family and in a community of believers that will take her discipleship seriously, pouring into her mind and heart the truths of the gospel before she returns to Germany.

So why do we do it? Not for the money. Not for the glory. We do it for her and the millions of people on earth who have yet to experience the unspeakable joy of meeting the living God personally and being reconciled to Him by faith.
And we intend to keep on doing it.

About 13 years ago, I decided to focus my personal preaching energies into one entity. I was worn out from driving my little Ford Ranger 10,000 miles every summer from one youth camp to the next and figured it would be easier to hold my own camp and get all the youth groups to come to it, accomplishing in one week what it usually took 10 weeks to do.
In 1995, I incorporated Crossroads/Clayton King Ministries as a 501-(c)(3) non-profit ministry. After our camps and mission trips took off, we held our first Winter Conference in Gatlinburg, TN. That was 10 years ago, and this weekend, 1,000 students from all over the southeast will descend upon that Appalachian tourist town. They will come with an appetite for funnel cakes and fudge. They will purchase air brushed t-shirts and Ninja accessories (nun-chucks, bow staffs, and Chinese throwing stars. They will also have a chance to worship a deserving God who gives them all good things, build community with other believers from different walks of life, and give generously to the mission of the gospel around the world.

Here is what I need you to pray for this weekend.
1. Safety - lots of snow and ice on the roads in the smokies, and many of these groups will be traveling over treacherous bridges and through frozen mountain highways.
2. Salvation - we are clear and deliberate with the gospel, and we believe that we will see many people respond to the love of God by repenting of their sins and beginning a relationship with Christ.
3. Generosity - at every Crossroads event, we receive a love offering, 100% of which goes directly to international missions. This year we will be giving the money to Hopegivers and Crosspointe (both ministries in India that we partner with and support). We will also be using a third of the love offering to help send Grant and Charlene Campbell to the Himalayas for several years to assist an established medical missions agency at a hospital that treats locals in the region. They will be leaving this May and will be sent out by Crossroads and Broad River Community Church.

So while you are doing whatever it is that you do on a cold January weekend, remember us in your prayers, because we have the opportunity to change the world in years to come with 1,000 students that will gather together in Gatlinburg.

I want to round out my list of books that I believe you should read as quickly as possible.  Some are overtly Christian, others contain truth, wisdom, inspiration, and humor that should be integrated into the life of any follower of Christ.  So without commentary, here they are.

Letters From Prison  Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Christ Plays In 10,000 Places  Eugene Peterson

The Lord of The Rings (all 3)  J.R.R. Tolkien

The Great Divorce  C.S. Lewis

The Hungering Dark  Frederick Buechner

The Holy Land  Jerome Murphy O’Connor

Foolishness To The Greeks   Leslie Newbigin

The Kite Runner  Khaled Hosseini

Into Thin Air  John Krakauer

Celebration of Discipline  Richard Foster

The Divine Conspiracy  Dallas Willard

Orthodoxy  G.K. Chesterton

Jesus Among Other Gods  Ravi Zacharias

Jesus And Empire  Richard Hoarsley

Caesar and Christ  Wil Durant

World Religions  Richard Noss

A Long Obedience In The Same Direction  Eugene Peterson

Angels  Billy Graham

A Thousand Splendid Suns  Khaled Hosseini

Systematic Theology  Wayne Grudem

Into The Wild  John Krakauer

The Call Of The Wild  Jack London

White Fang  Jack London

Sermons By Candlelight  Charles Spurgeon

Sit, Walk, Stand  Watchman Nee

Evil And The Justice of God  N.T. Wright

Huckleberry Finn  Mark Twain

Sharing Christ In the Tibetan Buddhist World  Marku Tsering

Feel free to post a comment and share one or two books that you would like to add to this list.

A friend and mentor of mine in college once said “In 10 years, the only things that will be different in your life are the people you have met and the books you have read.” An oversimplification? Yes. But partially true, nonetheless.Here are a few more books on my “Must Read List” that have transformed my life and how I view the world and the Kingdom of God. The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich BonhoefferHe Is There and He Is Not Silent by Francis SchaefferBasic Christianity by John R. W. Stott Just As I Am by Billy Graham Transforming Mission by David Bosch Let The Nations Be Glad by John Piper The Holy Spirit by Billy GrahamMy next post will round out my “Must Read List” with at least another 15 books that I believe every Christian should read as soon as possible, and there will be some surprises, I promise. 

*Instead of continuing today with “Scrolls and Parchments” I need to make you aware of something very important that affects the Body of Christ. In my 21 years as a Christian, nothing has shaped my theology or my worldview more than my time in India. The following is a press release from Hopegivers (www.hopegivers.com) concerning the ongoing persecution of the church in India. I post this with their permission, and with a sincere request that we pray fervently for our brothers and sisters in Christ who suffer for His Name.*

Imagine for a moment that you are attending a Christmas Eve service at your home church. You are worshipping and singing with your family when all of a sudden an angry mob bursts through the door; demanding the service stop immediately. The mob, greatly outnumbering the church members, begins destroying the church and chases you and your family into the nearby forest. For some of our brothers and sisters in the East Indian state of Orissa, this is exactly how their Christmas Eve was spent.

We have been closely monitoring the escalating violence against Christians and Christian institutions in Orissa. Christians only account for 1% of Orissa’s total population of 36 million.

On Christmas Eve, a mob of anti-Christians began harassing believers who were preparing a public Christmas celebration in Kandhamal District. The harassment soon turned violent, as the mob started destroying church buildings and looting Christian-owned shops and homes. According to the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC), at least eight people have been killed, 20 churches have been destroyed and 2,000 believers injured since the unrest began. Reports from the field indicate that thousands of Christians have been forced into nearby forest and jungle; waiting for the riots and violence to be quelled. They are without adequate water, food, sheler or clothes. The weather is cool in this area and the jungles and forests are filled with snakes and other deadly animals.

Hopegivers supports several projects in this under-developed state; including a Hope Home with 65 children and several churches. Our leaders report that the children are doing well considering the tense circumstances. Local government officials and media have been helping the children in our Hope Home, feeding them three meals a day and looking after their needs.

We ask you to stand with these Christians who are being blatantly attacked, and provide relief from the terror they are currently under. We have friends on the ground that are ready and able to deliver aid to families in need. We’ve already sent $5,000 for the people who need it most, but realize much more is needed.

For many Christians in Orissa, the trouble is only beginning as they will soon return to destroyed homes, shops and church buildings. We want to help our brothers and sisters in their time of need, so please join us in prayer and action.

For more news on the Orissa riots:

http://www.christianpost.com/article/20071227/30653_Christmas_Riots_Continue_in_Orissa.htm

http://www.rediff.com/news/2007/dec/29orissa.htm

“Bring…my scrolls and especially the parchments.”  2 Tim. 4:13

This is one of my favorite verses in the Bible.  Why in the world would I value this verse?  I have never once heard a message preached on it, never once read a book written on it, and never watched a video series on it.  But of all the verses I would encourage a believer, especially a new one, to read and absorb, this would be at the top of the list.

Paul is an old man ready for death when he writes his 2nd letter to Timothy, his young apprentice in ministry.  And after he reminds, exhorts, and admonishes Timothy to do all the most important things subsequent to Paul’s death (an apparent beheading in Rome), this seasoned and scarred veteran asks his young friend to make sure that before he dies, he can get his hands on something.  Not an X-Box or an iPod or iPhone. 

BOOKS.  After years of painful, difficult service to Christ, he craves the warm companionship of a visit from Timothy as well as scrolls and parchments that he could read until his death.  An overlooked verse to be sure.  But a very important nugget we must not miss any longer.

As a Jewish Rabbi, Saul (Paul’s pre-conversion name) was exposed to scrolls and parchments at a young age as he set to memorizing the Torah (first 5 books of our Old Testament).  He then dedicated the rest of his adult life to the Hebrew scriptures and the writings about and interpretations of our Old Testament.  Once he converted to faith in Christ as the Messiah, he certainly heard the first hand accounts of the disciples that walked with Jesus on the earth.  He probably wrote, or dictated to a young apprentice, in true Jewish fashion, his own journal of events that took place in his life. 

No one knows which scrolls and parchments he requested.  It does not matter.  The point is that Paul, who wrote half our New Testament, was a man who loved books.  He read them.  He wrote them.  He missed them when he did not have them.  And as he approached the end of his life, he craved books.

We would be wise to follow his example.  And to begin this short series, here are a handful of the books that have shaped my theology of God and my philosophy of life.  More to come later…

Mere Christianity - C.S. Lewis

The Normal Christian Life - Watchman Nee

My Utmost For His Highest - Oswald Chambers

The Release Of The Spirit - Watchman Nee

The Pursuit Of God - A.W. Tozer

Confessions - St. Augustine

What a weekend.  It was my second year speaking at Winterfest at Liberty University, a place that has become very, very special to me recently.  I need to tell you a story about something that happened this weekend that I believe you will enjoy.

It was a big event with big names and big bands.  Stellar Kart, Disciple, Jeremy Camp, Kutless.  Charles Billingsley, Ayiesha Woods and KJ52.  There were over 6,000 people from all over the country.  And over 400 students made first time professions of faith as they stood to their feet publicly, with the lights on and all eyes open, and no music playing, to confess their sins and begin a lifelong relationship with Jesus Christ.

As wonderful as all of that was, that is not what I want to share with you.  The real story for me is about 4 teenage girls who came to Winterfest with their 4 friends.

A youth pastor challenged his students to become friends with people in their schools who were not Christians.  A few of his girls from the youth group took him up on the offer, and apparently loving a good challenge, became friends with 4 Wiccans in their school.  These 4 Wiccans were not hard-core witches of any sort, but were curious about the spiritual world and were exploring it through Wicca.  They were invited to Winterfest and came.

They heard me preach the first night but did not respond.  They did not know me.  They had never met me and would never hear me again, most likely.  But because they had been befriended by these christian young ladies, it opened a door for them to talk about Christ, His death and resurrection, and most importantly, His love.

Later during the weekend, late at night in their hotel room, all 4 of those girls decided that what they were really searching for was unconditional love and acceptance.  They found that when they prayed with their christian friends and asked Jesus to forgive them of their sins.  When the youth pastor shared that story with me the next morning, I realized that is how you do evangelism.  You love people just as they are, right where they are, expecting nothing from them, showing them the mercy and grace of God.  He will take care of the saving.

A giant THANK YOU to those 4 christian young ladies who decided to be counter-cultural.  Instead of being obsessed with media gossip, downloading ringtones, or spending 16 hours a day on MySpace, these 4 girls invested time, friendship, and genuine love into the lives of 4 other girls who needed to see God.

They saw God in their friends, and as a result, they MET God and found exactly what they were looking for.  That is evangelism done right.