Index of Sermons and Books by Dr. Jack Hyles

Strength and Beauty

By Dr. Jack Hyles

Originally printed in 1971 by Hyles-Anderson Publishers.

First Electronic Printing, April, 1997 by FFEP.

FOREWORD

Another BLUE DENIM AND LACE. After the author's famous book, BLUE DENIM AND LACE, was published, readers began asking for more. That is exactly what is found in STRENGTH AND BEAUTY-- more of BLUE DENIM AND LACE. To show that every Christian should combine strength and beauty in his personality, Dr. Hyles uses, among others, the following chapters: "To a Rose After a Funeral," "Here, Hereafter, and Afterwards," "How to Make a Man Out of a Boy," "Leadership," "Mistakes of Job," "A Coffin or a Hope Chest"' "I Need You," and "The Glory of Your Presence."

Dr. Jack Hyles is the Pastor of the famous First Baptist Church of Hammond, Indiana. During the twelve years of his pastorate here, he has seen the church grow from a little over 700 in Sunday school to an average of over 5,000. Now with property valued into the millions of dollars, the First Baptist Church in Hammond operates a fleet of 108 buses; its own junior high and high school, with plans to open an elementary school in a few months; a full-time rescue mission; a nationwide radio broadcast heard on 66 stations; a work with retarded children; a ministry for the deaf; and a special program for Spanish-speaking people, along with many other ministries.

Dr. Hyles has authored 16 books. Among the best known of these are THE HYLES CHURCH MANUAL, THE HYLES SUNDAY SCHOOL MANUAL, BLUE DENIM AND LACE, JACK HYLES' CHURCH BUS HANDBOOK, and LET'S GO SOUL WINNING. He now presents this new volume hoping that it will enable God's people everywhere to possess both strength and beauty.

Order from Hyles Publications, 523 Sibley, Hammond, Indiana 46320

Strength and Beauty

INTRODUCTION

Another "BLUE DENIM AND LACE"?

Yes, those who have read my book, BLUE DENIM AND LACE, will be reminded again and again of its pages as they explore STRENGTH AND BEAUTY.

In both, I have tried to encourage the beautiful to be useful, and the useful to be beautiful. It was said of our Lord that He was full of grace AND truth. The Psalmist admonishes us that strength and beauty can associate in the same personality, and that honour and majesty should blend. The Apostle Paul reminds us that zeal and knowledge should accompany each other. It is sad but true that these pairs are too seldom seen together; yet it is also true that they may and should be found in all of us.

In my life I have found that when I attain grace, truth often flees, and when I acquire truth, grace is absent. It seems that knowledge and zeal are strange bed-fellows, and that strength and beauty refuse to go steady. Like the children's see-saw, the proper balance is hard to find.

To that end, I give you STRENGTH AND BEAUTY. May the Holy Spirit use it to help us to acquire zeal AND knowledge, honour AND majesty, grace AND truth, strength AND beauty, with the proper proportion of each.

May He use it as another BLUE DENIM AND LACE.

Dr. Jack Hyles

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. A DAD'S CHRISTMAS MEDITATIONS

2. TWENTY-FIVE HOURS IN A DAY

3. HOW TO MAKE A MAN OUT OF A BOY

4. GREAT SIMPLICITY

5. THE MEANS, THE END, AND THE BY-PRODUCT

6. TO A ROSE AFTER A FUNERAL

7. HURRY BACK

8. HE MADE THE STARS ALSO

9. LEADERSHIP

10. THE GLORY OF YOUR PRESENCE

11. THE UNFINISHED MAN

12. HERE, HEREAFTER, AND AFTERWARDS

13. WHEN IT'S OVER

14. UPS AND DOWNS

15. HOME WITHOUT A MOTHER

16. THE LOVE CIRCLE

17. AFTER HIS KIND

18. I NEED YOU

19. THE MISTAKES OF JOB

20. FRIEND OR SLAVE?

21. A COFFIN OR A HOPE CHEST?

22. STRENGTH AND BEAUTY

1. A DAD'S CHRISTMAS MEDITATIONS

It is so late on December 25 that it is December 26.

The children have long since finished their day and Dad is alone watching a melancholy Christmas tree which, like Cinderella, occupied itself so much with the activities of the day that it forgot midnight would come.

But it did come, as all midnights do and with it, I think I saw the branches droop, realizing that tomorrow they will have served their usefulness.

"Why all the fuss!" Dad thinks, as his mind wanders from his checkbook to his pay check and back to his checkbook again.

Why did I spend hours looking for the one Christmas tree in all the world that seemed like one of the family, only to see it neglected and carted off where all good Christmas trees go?

Why did I look for hours for just the right doll which in a few hours was to become a double amputee?

Why make another trip to "Friendly Bob Adams" and add another coupon to that ever-increasing library?

Why sweat and work all year to pay for a toy seldom used that soon becomes jealous because the baby gives its box more attention?

As I sit here tonight wondering about the month left at the end of the money, why was I such a soft touch?

Why the bicycle, the ball, the games, the candy, and the dress that didn't fit! Why did I stay up so late Christmas Eve putting "Tab A" in "Slot B," and trying to put two left peddles on a bike I couldn't afford as I fought gallantly to keep from backsliding because they put in the train box the instructions for how to assemble an electric razor.

Why, why, why?

Maybe it is because I remember that yesterday I thought all other days were days made simply to get ready for Christmas.

Why?

Maybe it is because I realize that tomorrow you will be grown and I will miss the misery of attaching "Part 4" to "Slot B."

Why?

Maybe it is because today I love to glean every twinkle from your eyes while they twinkle for me.

Why?

There are a thousand "whys," but they all add up to the truth that you have an awkward old dad who feels that maybe this is his best way of saying, "I love you."

I hope, dear ones, that you read the language and that you realize that as I tear off each coupon, I will say again, "I love you."

And now, Mr. Christmas tree, it's just you and me. You have fulfilled your purpose, and your usefulness is over. I weep with you, for I, too, one day will have ended my usefulness; and those who centered their lives around me find other avenues of happiness.

May I live as beautifully as you have lived, to bring joy to others, and may I end my days of usefulness with all of the queenly beauty and dignity which I see in you tonight.

And now I go to rest, thanking God that the One who made yesterday possible will never pass away.

(Written Christmas night, December 25, 1966)

2. TWENTY-FIVE HOURS IN A DAY

Everyone has the same amount of time-the learned and unlearned, the old and young, the rich and poor, the big and little, the high and low, the president and peasant, the rich man and poor man, the beggar man and the thief. We all have 1440 minutes to spend each day.

The important thing is how we spend that 1440 minutes.

People often ask me, "Pastor, how do you get so much done? Pastoring over 14,000 members, presenting a daily radio broadcast, conducting a weekly broadcast on over 60 stations, writing fifteen books, traveling across the country and around the world, how do you get everything done?"

I decided to share with my people some secrets to getting more done in my 1440 minutes a day so it could seem that I have "twenty-five hours in a day." I share these now with you, dear reader.

1. Do two things at one time. One can read while eating or while getting a haircut. A housewife can iron and listen to the radio. She can also do the dishes while she listens to good music or a record. Such things as driving, eating, ironing, washing dishes, bathing, etc. should never be done so as to occupy one's complete attention. Much of this book has been dictated while I was driving on the highway. I have for years kept a Dictaphone machine in my car. Much of my mail is answered in this manner.

2. Always have a paper and pencil or pen handy. A thought can come through one's mind one time, never to return; it should be jotted down. One should never trust his memory.

3. Avoid people who are time wasters. Everyone has in his sphere of activity people who are time wasters. They love to sit and talk about nothing in general. Much care should be taken so as to not spend too much time with this type. Someone has said, "Great minds talk about ideas; good minds talk about things; and weak minds talk about people." Seek those who have great minds. Flee those who have weak minds unless there is an opportunity to help them

4. Use the early morning and late evening hours. The man who gets ahead is the man who works while others sleep. He is up before others are up and is awake working after others have retired. The most quiet and uninterrupted hours of the day are those in the early morning and late evening.

5. Work the hardest when you are the most alert. Everyone has his best hours. Maybe one person is a bit sluggish after lunch. Perhaps another finds it hard to work late in the evening. Find the hours when work comes the easiest and when most can be done. By all means, utilize those times to their limit.

6. Use travel time wisely. When on a train, car, bus, or airplane and when at an airport, depot, or train station, do not just sit idly. Use that time. Always have a good book with you that you can read during idle hours. Perhaps there is some project on which you can work, but plan to use your travel time wisely.

7. Plan your day at its beginning. It has been my policy for many years to lie in bed about five to ten minutes in the morning after I awaken and plan the activities of the day. What I do today I must do on purpose. I must not let external circumstances control my schedule. I must let my schedule control my external circumstances. This is not to say that an emergency or two will completely ruin my day; it is to say that I must have goals for the day and I must work to reach them.

8. Use waiting time. This is much like the travel time. Take your reading material to the doctor's office. Don't let what he chooses govern your thoughts while you wait. That 1932 magazine that you are reading in 1970 will do little to enrich your life. Decide what you are going to read in the doctor's office; take it with you.

9. Do not do what would be better for another to do. A man who could make $5 an hour at work would be better off paying a boy $1.50 an hour for mowing his yard than to tie himself up and thereby lose $3.50 an hour. Don't be timid to get help. Spend your time on your specialty. When there is someone who can do the job far better and far quicker than you, get help.

10. Eat right. This is very vital. No car can run its best without proper fuel and no person can work his best without proper food. Take extra care to eat properly. Also exercise properly; keep a healthy body.

11. Fellowship only with a purpose. If YOU need some time off, if you need to sit and chat awhile, if you need to relax your mind, do it on purpose; plan it. Don't just be a member of the "Spit and Whittle Club" unless you need to spit and whittle. So many millions of hours are wasted every day by people who have no purpose in life but to "chew the fat" with whoever walks by. Have an organized life. Do what you do on purpose.

12. Sleep on purpose. Don't be a sluggard and fall asleep. Decide when you are going to sleep. Decide how much sleep you need; go to sleep by a schedule and wake up by a schedule. Intemperance concerning sleep can ruin one's effectiveness and usefulness.

13. Plan your worry time. When you think of something that worries you, write it down and vow that you will worry about it at "worry time." This will keep you from worrying while you are busy. Make a list of your worries; set a certain time regularly when you worry. This will concentrate your worry time into one little area of life and will not render you ineffective for the rest of your schedule. You will find by the time worry time comes that not worrying while you are working has eliminated your worries, for most of our worries can be worked out by a strong body, a disciplined personality, and a planned life.

14. Don't dwell on minor decisions. Do not make a big production out of small jobs and minor decisions. Some people use a lot of energy about the small things and never get to the big ones.

There are many other things that can help one in his daily activity. Things that I have found helpful are having a daily schedule, not worrying about a decision that has been made after careful deliberation, using of of the fastest transportation available, making a list before shopping, deciding at night what clothes I will wear the next day, etc.

One of the most important things of all, however, is this: DO ONLY WHAT YOU ARE DOING NOW. Don't worry about what you did awhile ago, or what you are going to do after awhile; hide yourself in your present activity.

If you are prepared for the day, that which you are going to do after awhile will care for itself after awhile. This is one reason I can get so many different things done. If I am to broadcast in ten minutes, I will broadcast in ten minutes, but not now. I have prepared myself for this broadcast and I need not worry about it. My mind must be on the activity of the present. When the broadcast comes, I must not worry about the appointment that follows, or I will not be my best now. I must center my attention on what I am doing; I must lose myself in the present task, not wondering about my effectiveness of the previous one, nor worrying about the effectiveness of the one to follow. I have prepared myself for the day; I must not render myself ineffective for the present because I am worried about the failures of the past or the schedule of the future.

Using the aforementioned ideas and many others, there are many times when I feel that I have been able to spend "twenty-five hours in a day."

3. HOW TO MAKE A MAN OUT OF A BOY

My only son, David, is sixteen. God has called him to be a preacher, and he is already preparing for the ministry. A couple of summers ago while David was working as a cowboy at the Bill Rice Ranch, he was asked by Dr. Bill Rice to preach on his local radio broadcast. Several people came to me telling of the blessings they received because of David's sermon; one person especially spoke highly of his radio message and asked me if I would be using David to preach at the First Baptist Church in Hammond. I replied in the negative! He was shocked and asked, "How do you expect to make a preacher out of David if you never let him preach!" My answer was, "I am not trying to make a preacher out of David; I am trying to make a man out of him, for if I can make a man out of him, God can make him a preacher!" We have too many preachers now who are not men. I have spent thousands of hours trying to make a man out of my son. The words that follow will explain how I have tried and the methods I have used.

There is a great need for men of leadership and men of decision in every phase of our American life. The Kinsey report revealed that four per cent of our males over 16 years of age are homosexuals. In California, a sadly misguided preacher found to be a homosexual has founded a church for homosexuals. In the larger cities, clubs for homosexuals have been organized so they can meet regularly together. In our big cities there are homosexual men who live with other men and in a large city recently there was a wedding ceremony which united two men in matrimony. The "Gay" or homosexual community has its own beaches, restaurants, bars, and barber shops; its own tailors, gymnasiums, and apartment houses; its own books, magazines, and periodicals; its own male prostitutes and conventions.

The Wolfinder report says, "Homosexuality between adults in private could no longer be a criminal offense. It is not the law's business."

A leading official of the United Church of Canada said, "The church should solemnize marriages between men."

In New York City the Homosexuality League polled 400 homosexuals and asked them, "If you could be cured, would you want to be cured?"

"No," was the answer given by 96% of the homosexuals polled.

Apart from the homosexual problem there is yet a great void in American life. We need men of conviction, discipline, integrity, decision, character, and leadership. Since nothing happens accidentally, if we rear a generation of such men, it must be done in the homes, in the churches, and in the schools, by the parents, pastors, and teachers.

Let us answer the question, "How can I make a man of my boy?"

1. Dress him like a man. As soon as his hair gets a bit shaggy, have it cut! It is better that little Johnny start life being masculine than to retain those beautiful ringlets at the age of two. Cut off those ringlets and make him look like a man. From the very first time that he is old enough to wear clothes, dress him like a boy, cut his hair like a boy, and make sure he always looks like a man. Teach him to be around boys that dress like boys. Teach him it is not Scriptural for a boy or man to have long hair or effeminate tastes in clothing. Read I Corinthians 11:14.

2. Teach him strict obedience. He will never be a good leader until he has learned to be an obedient follower, for, to be a leader, one must know the heartbeat of the follower so he will know how to handle followers. Let him know the rules; state them plainly so he knows what they are. Tell him exactly what the penalty will be if he breaks a rule. Define the crime and the punishment so he knows before he commits it whether it will be worth it or not. Always make the punishment so great that the committing of the crime will not be worth it. If I were a boy eighteen years of age and my dad said to me, "You get home by 11:00 o'clock tonight; I'm going to fuss at you if you don't!" I might be tempted to spend an extra half hour with my girlfriend and take Dad's scolding. However, if my dad were to take the car away from me for a month if I were late returning home, I would stop to realize that any time I was late I would be trading a few minutes with my girlfriend for a whole month of dates and that is not a good bargain! Make the punishment so uncomfortable that it will not be worth it to break the rules. Make your son live by strict discipline and obedience. Teach him to say "Yes, sir" and "Yes, ma'am" and "No, sir" and "No, ma'am."

3. Punish him immediately and properly. Do not jerk him up and call him a little brat. Take him to his room, make him sit down, tell him what he did wrong, tell him what you are going to do, then do it and tell him why you did it. Make a big ordeal out of it. Make the punishment private, but make it immediate, proper, and plain.

4. Make him fulfill all obligations. When my boy was three and four years of age I started teaching him to pay his bills promptly and to fulfill his obligations completely. I would ask him, "Son, if a debt is due on the first of the month, when are you going to pay it?" He would say, "On the first of the month."

Then I would ask, "Son, if an emergency arises and you cannot meet your obligation, what are you supposed to do?"

He would then reply, "I am supposed to go to the person I owe, shake his hand, look him in the eye, and have an understanding as to what can be done."

What the American male needs is honor, just plain, old, downright honor. We need men of the old school who sat straight in their chairs and led with firmness and love. When the kids walked in they felt like they were before a Supreme Court justice. Maybe they didn't like him then or understand him, but later they rose up and called him, "blessed." He was of the old school-a man who was very careful about going in debt, a man whose word was as good as his signature, a man who was up-right, honest, aboveboard and who helped his neighbor when he was in trouble. Teach your boy that promptness is a part of character. Teach him to take care of his obligations properly.

This is one of the things that is killing fundamentalism today. We have some shiftless, dirty, irresponsible, lackadaisical, sluggards who are fundamentalists that refuse to pay their debts, take care of their property, keep their word, press their pants, and shine their shoes. They know nothing of courtesy, etiquette, ethics and are bereft of integrity, honesty, decency, and honor. Let this not be true in the life of your son.

5. Teach him physical coordination. I do not mean that he has to be a great athlete, but his body should be coordinated. Insist that he participate in athletics. It is a grave danger for a boy to be indoors too much and grow up not knowing how to coordinate his body properly.

6. Teach him to want to win. We have stressed to our children, "Be a good loser, be a good loser, be a good loser," until we have rubbed this good loser bit in the ground! I taught my boy to play to win. We have bragged on good losers until our boys have received more rewards for losing gracefully than winning properly. The result has been that we now have a nation of young people who do not want to fight for their country and who are willing to let the strongest nation on earth bow down in shame before a little nation like North Vietnam. It is tragic, but true, that I know hundreds of men who couldn't beat their wives at Chinese checkers. Junior has been taught to be a good loser; he has been rewarded for being a good loser, so winning becomes less and less important.

I was approached by a pastor in Rockford, Illinois. He was somewhat effeminate and less than a man. He came to me and with his dainty voice he said, "Dr. Hyles, can I ask you a question? You strike me as being a very poor loser. Is that true?"

I looked at him, paused a moment, and answered, "I don't know...l ain't never lost!"

If you are going to make a man of your boy, teach him to be a winner. Yes, he must accept loss gracefully, but he should never enjoy losing. This is where we get our General MacArthurs. This is how Billy Sundays are made. Teach your boy to want to win.

7. Make him play with boys and with boys' toys and games Let him play with guns, cars, baseballs, basketballs, and footballs. As soon as I could I taught my boy to play baseball and football. When he was about thirteen I bought him an air rifle. When he was fifteen I bought him a .22 rifle. Invariably, when someone admits to me he is a homosexual he relates that he played a lot with girls and participated in feminine activities.

8. Compliment character, not talent. Never has David stood up on the hearth at home to sing a song for applause. I have never applauded him for his talent, but many times I have applauded him because he obeyed. Compliment his character, not his talent. It will make a better man of him

9. Do not keep him "under your thumb." Let him spend the night with other boys (good Christian boys). Send him off to camp in the summertime; even when he is seven or eight years of age. Let him learn how to kill a snake, put frogs in his pocket, tie a knot, build a fire. Let him get blisters on his feet and at an early age let him start doing what men ought to do.

If the music director doesn't choose him for a singing group, don't be the kind of parent that complains in defense of the boy's talent. If care is not taken, you will rear a boy that expects you to come to his rescue and bail him out every time he is in trouble. If he is going to be a man someday, he must start in childhood having some responsibilities, some discomforts, and some manly obligations. He will not jump from being a little boy into being a man; it is a gradual process. Be sure this natural process is allowed to develop.

10. Always stand for proper authority. Not long ago one of my staff members came to me complaining that his boy was disciplined too heavily by his church choir director. I lovingly warned my staff member that he should thank God that his boy was being disciplined. If the punishment is too severe, it will still be a lot better for him than the boy learning that his dad will take his side over proper authority.

One of our finest boys who is going to be a preacher came to my office the other night and said, "Brother Hyles, my teacher is persecuting me."

"Why?" I asked.

He said, "I come to church on Wednesday nights and am so busy in activities that I don't get all my homework done and my school teacher is going to give me a bad grade for that."

"She ought to," I said.

"Well," he said, "I have been coming to church faithfully."

I said, "Okay, then, study when you are at home, but don't come to me because your grade is bad when you don't do your work." The boy who is going to become a real man must learn to respect authority.

11. Teach him to defend himself. Yes, you read it right. Teach him self-defense. Yes, you still read it right. Teach him how to fight. Teach him to be rugged enough to defend his own, his home, his loved ones, and his friends.

When David was just five years of age, I bought him a pair of boxing gloves. In fact, I bought one pair for David and one pair for the big boy across the street. I got them together and let them box. The boy punched David in the nose; David wanted to quit, but I wouldn't let him. I was going to teach him how to defend himself, how to be a man-physically a man, emotionally a man, mentally a man, and spiritually a man. He learned to fight until now he can protect his sisters.

One day when David was about nine I looked out through the upstairs window and saw him across the street straddling a little fellow and beating him up. He was hitting him right in the face until blood was coming. I ran down the stairs, out the door, across the street and pulled him off. "Son, what in the world are you doing?" I said.

He looked up with quivering lips and with anger in his eyes and said, "Dad, he was calling my sister (Linda) a dirty name."

I said, "Then get back on him and let him have it!" When I walked away he was back on him again beating him up. God pity this weak-kneed generation which stands for nothing, fights for nothing, and dies for nothing.

12. Teach him to shop alone. By the time he is around ten or eleven years of age, let him shop by himself for a few things. There is nothing any more disgusting than to see a big eighteen-year-old boy trying on pants at men's shop with his little mother breathing down his neck. Maybe he won't match his socks exactly with his tie, but I would rather he be a man than to have matching tie and socks. Now, to be sure, my preference is that he be both proper and a man.

The other day I saw a big six-foot, two-inch eighteen-year-old boy walking in a store beside his five-foot, four-inch mother. The salesman asked, "What size do you wear, son?"

The mother said, "He wears size 42."

The salesman asked, "Son, do you want something single-breasted or double-breasted?"

The mother replied, "He wants single-breasted."

There were two words I would like to have used to that lady. The first one was "shut" and the second was "up." Mothers, let your boys become men. One of these days he will grow up and have to marry a mother instead of a wife. His wife will have to pick out every tie he wears, lay it on the bed every morning, and burp him before he goes to bed at night. What you will have is a grown son who will have to marry a mother or he won't be happy. You are robbing some lady of having a man for a husband and you are robbing your boy of ever having a chance to be a man. If he is going to be a man of decision someday, let him make some decisions now. He is not going to lead a big corporation if he cannot buy his own tie by the time he is old enough to make the football team.

At a very early age a boy should start making his own decisions. Now, to be sure, there should be governing and over-seeing, and there should be limits, but if he is someday going to make decisions that are going to affect a great church, city, nation, or a great corporation, he must be taught while a little child to make the decision about what socks he is going to wear.

13. Talk to him like a man. Some mothers say to their sixteen-year-old boy, "Take the garbage out, baby," "Bye-bye, sweetheart," "Good morning, precious," "Be sure you are back on time, sugar baby," or "Be careful, honey doll." Talk to him like a man. When he becomes a teenager, don't kiss him in public unless he initiates it.

No teenage boy ever comes into my office and is treated anything less than man to man. They walk in my office like men, they dress like men, they shake my hand like men, they look me in the eye and talk to me like men, and they say, "Yes, sir" and "No, sir," like gentlemen. Don't treat the boy like a baby if you want him someday to be a man.

14. Give him work, authority, and responsibility. Be sure he knows how to work (for that matter I think a boy should know how to take suffering, pain and punishment). That is one reason I like sports. When David was just five years old I got a baseball, went out in the yard, knocked him grounders, and gave him a quarter for every one he could catch. He didn't make a single quarter. I hit them too hard. They bounced up and hit him in the chest, in the nose, in the head, and in the shoulder. He came in bruised and broken, but more a man.

Give your boy responsibility. Give him something to do as regular work and make him responsible for it. Don't breathe down his neck. Teach him to have initiative.

One of the reasons ladies ofttimes turn out to be better leaders than men is that city life is conducive to this. There are not many chores for boys to do like milking the cow, chopping the wood, etc. There are chores for the girls. What happens? Boys grow up without any chores, no milking cows, no feeding pigs, no gathering eggs, no chores like we had on the farm or at the edge of town. Girls, however, can iron, keep house, cook, wash and dry the dishes. Hence, they are taught initiative whereas the boys find few masculine duties to perform. Hence, the parent must work hard to find masculine-type duties.

I never let my boy do feminine chores. The dish washing has been done by the girls. He does no ironing, etc. He must keep his room clean and tidy, but his chores have been masculine chores such as cleaning the basement, taking out the garbage, having an afternoon job, mowing the yard, etc.

A few years ago Dr. Bill Rice wrote me and said, "Dr. Hyles, would David like to have a pony?" I thought, "Where in the world are we going to keep a pony?" Well, I said we would find some place. We went to a neighbor who has a big back yard and a little shed. We borrowed his shed. Yes, right in the city we had a pony. At night the phone would ring and it would be the police department calling, "Do you have a horse? It is running down Schreiber Street." After a while every time the phone would ring at night I would pick it up and say, "Where is the horse now?"

I told David, "Son, you wanted the horse, you have to feed him." David would get up in the morning, trudge through the snow in sub-zero weather, carry a water bucket in one hand and a bag of feed in the other, and go feed the horse. He learned to ride the horse even though the horse spent more time at the police station than he did in the shed. David owned one of the few ponies in America who had a police record.

A boy needs responsibility; he also needs to assume authority. Give him that responsibility and authority and teach him to work.

15. Do not make a mold for your boy. If you are a lawyer, don't decide before he is born that he is going to be a lawyer. If you are a preacher, let your son decide what God wants him to do. Don't let him think you will be disappointed if he is not what he thinks you want him to be. Now everyone knows that I would like for David to be a preacher, but I will let God decide that. If David becomes an honest man of character and becomes the best garbage collector in Hammond, his dad will be proud of him It would be wrong for me to make a mold for him.

16. Give him opportunities to lead. Though David is younger than my oldest daughter I have always preferred to leave him in charge of the family. When I am away on a trip, it is understood that David does the manly chores. He has learned to be protective of his sisters and the house. The family feels as safe when he is there as when I am there. He has been taught and trained to be physically capable as well as emotionally capable.

17. Teach him to have proper heroes. This is one of the greatest things my mother ever did for me. She pointed to men whom I could emulate and who could be my heroes. I tried to become like those men. I will be eternally grateful for the fact that my mother gave me heroes. This is one reason why parents should choose a church which has a masculine pastor. Mothers and dads should be able to say to their sons, "Grow up and be like your pastor," without having to fear that he will be effeminate. It is wise for the parents to choose older boys who are gentlemen and yet real men and set them as examples for boys. Proper athletic heroes, Sunday school teachers, manly pastors, and older boys could be chosen.

David and I have been buddies from his infancy. He always waits for me after church and rides home with me. Since I have duties to perform I always come home later than the rest of the family, but David has always waited for me. As a little boy four or five, he wanted to wait for Daddy. Now as a teenage boy on the basketball team, he still wants to wait for Dad. For years I drove him home and now he drives me home.

Recently David had to wait two and a half hours on Sunday evening for his dad. When we got home someone asked him why he didn't come home earlier with the rest of the family. He replied that he wanted to wait for his dad. Then they asked him, "What did you do for two and a half hours alone out in the hall?"

David stood up and with masculine physique and presentation he said, "I will tell you what I did for that two and a half hours alone in the hall: I walked up and down the hallway realizing how many people would love to wait two and a half hours to get to ride home with Dr. Jack Hyles, and I thanked God that I have the privilege."

Nearly seventeen years ago I got on my knees over the body of my only son and prayed for God to make him a man. I never prayed that he would be a preacher; I prayed he would be a man, a Christian man with integrity, discipline, leadership, ability, courtesy, gentleness, strength and honor; yes, in every way, a real man. I have tried now for almost seventeen years to help him become a man. I think he will. I believe I am now ending the work that I set out to do that day. I think I have about made, with God's help, a man out of a boy.

4. GREAT SIMPLICITY (MUTT AND JEFF)

Many years ago while reading the comic strip of "Mutt and Jeff," I learned a great lesson. I would like to share it with you on this page. Jeff was lying under the shade of a tree sleeping. Mutt came up and said, "Jeff, why don't you get up?"

Jeff said, "Why?"

Mutt said, "So you can get a job."

Jeff said, "Why?"

Mutt said, "So you can make some money."

Jeff said, "Why?"

Mutt said, "So you can save it."

Jeff asked, "Why?"

Mutt replied, "So you can get a lot of money."

Jeff asked, "Why?"

Mutt said, "So you can retire some day."

Jeff asked, "Why?"

Mutt said, "So you can just lay around and do nothing."

Jeff replied, "Why Mutt, that is what I am doing now, why go to all the trouble"

There is just a fine line between the lazy Jeff and the successfully retired man. What is the difference? The difference is simply this: The man who retired has earned the right to lie in the shadow of the tree, whereas the man who has not worked has not earned such a right. Have you ever noticed how similar the ignorant man is to the genius? They are very close to each other and yet they are very far apart. The genius has made the cycle of life; he has worked and learned about life. In so doing he has learned to be simple so he can help a simple man. They live right next door to each other, but it is a long trip from one house to the other, for there is a wall between them. One cannot take the short-cut of the cycle and go right next door. He must go around the entire circle and take the long trip to become the genius. Someone wrote, "So nigh is grandeur to our dust, so near is God to man, when duty whispers, Lo, thou must,' the youth replies, 'I can.' "

Greatness is earned simplicity. A man who knows perfect English has a right to break its rules. He has earned that right. A man who knows all the rules of public speaking has a right to break them; he has earned that right. This is why the greatest men often are not recognized as great. The greatest theologians often remain unrecognized as great theologians, for they have made the cycle of greatness which brings them around next door to simplicity. The farthest point from simplicity is also the farthest point from greatness. It is that spot at the top of the circle when one is halfway between being simple and great. These are the people that are judged great by a world that is unqualified to judge, because they are farther from the simple. They have not made the entire cycle which puts them finally next door to the simple. It is at this point when one thinks he is the greatest when he is farthest from simplicity and also farthest from greatness. When a person reaches true greatness he realizes he lives next door to simplicity and is willing to make his greatness readable to the simple.

Yes, the road between simplicity and greatness is a long one that goes around a circle and takes us right back to greatness. The great man has a right to be simple. The simple man has no claim on greatness.

Two men lie in the shade of a tree; they enjoy the same shade, the same refreshing breezes, and the same sunshine. They may even be talking about the same subject. One has earned his right; the other is a bum. The naked eye cannot tell them apart, but one is great and one is simple.

Let us pay the price for simplicity. Let us make the entire cycle so that we may help the simple man, and may we become so great that the simple man cannot recognize our greatness. Let us not stop halfway around the circle, for it is then that we are farthest from simplicity and greatness.

5. THE MEANS, THE END, AND THE BY-PRODUCT-- IN PROPER ORDER

The most important thing in success is for one to discover the end to which he is working and be sure that every means points to the desired end. There are three definite parts to success: the means, the end, and the by-products. As long as a person keeps these in their proper order, he can be successful. Success is tripped up, however, when one gets so enraptured with the means that one of these becomes the end. He then loses sight of his goal and becomes unsuccessful.

It is equally as dangerous when one enjoys the by-products of success and of the reaching of his end and his goal that he becomes enraptured with one of these by-products and chooses it as his end. When one's great reward is reaching the goal and not the by-products of reaching the goal, and when one's means are always used as tools with which to reach a certain goal or end, he then has learned to be successful. When either the means or the by-products become the consuming part of a person's life, he has been diverted from the path to his goal, and inevitably he will find himself unsuccessful and his life unfulfilling. There are many means with which to reach an end and there are many by-products of having reached an end, but there is only one end, only one goal, and 'tis this which brings fulfillment and joy.

Let us examine the mistake of allowing means to become ends. A preacher prepares a sermon. His goal is to change the lives of people with that sermon. He becomes so engrossed, however, with the preparing of the outline that the outline becomes most important. Perhaps he becomes so engrossed in its delivery that the delivery becomes the important thing. He may decide this is a great sermon, and the greatness of the sermon may become the end instead of his means. He then will find himself not accomplishing his end, his goal--changing the lives of people.

In the life of a church this can also happen. A church can say that its main end is reaching souls for Christ; so the people meet to study the Bible so they can become better soul winners. They get wrapped up in Bible study, however, and forget the end. The means become the end and the souls perish. Perhaps they get so engrossed in praying for sinners and the prayer meetings are so wonderful that prayer, which was meant to be a means to an end, becomes an end in itself and again, the souls perish. This is the way churches get off the main track and begin "riding hobbie horses."

The same thing is true concerning a life. One sets out as his great main purpose in life to do the will of God. He finds the will of God for his life, and he chooses means to accomplish the desired end. That means may include formal education. Then comes the day when the person becomes so enraptured with formal education, he loses sight of his end and of his goal. Formal education becomes an end in itself, which it was never intended to be.

Remember in the earthly ministry of our Lord it was said that He set His face "like a flint" toward Jerusalem. Why? He came to die! Everything He did pointed to Calvary. He spoke of Himself as a corn of wheat falling in the ground. He mentioned the destruction of the temple (His own body) and that He would raise it up after three days. On the Mountain of Transfiguration while Peter wanted to have a camp meeting, Jesus talked of His coming death.

Life is successful only as far as a person has wisdom to use the right priorities. It is so easy to look at the means and get captured. One might want to be a soul winner and seek wisdom and in so doing, he becomes more infatuated with wisdom than with souls and spends his life philosophizing.

I imagine sometimes God would like His gifts to be returned. He has given us gifts with which to accomplish a desired end, and we have forgotten the end and played with the gifts. How sad and how fruitless our lives become when we lose sight of the goal. There are many means to a well rounded life, such as sports, art, money, pleasure, etc. These are all means to give us diversion, enjoyment, and recreation. When used properly each can so enrich our lives that the main goal can be reached easier and no doubt sooner. I know a young man who played high school football so he could be a better testimony. He fell in love with football, went to college on a scholarship, then played professional football for many years, hence postponing his life's work which was the ministry. The means had captured him, now the end must wait. I know many untalented little fellows who have no such means; they seemingly get more done for God because they have kept their eyes on the goal.

This is so true in the lives of churches. When music ceases to be a means and becomes an end, the church is in trouble. When the business of the church ceases to be a means and becomes an end, deadness is near. Any facet of the church program used as a means to the one great end of winning souls and building other soul winners can so easily be transferred to an enemy of the church when the foothills become the peaks, the highway becomes the destination, and a means becomes an end in itself. Many churches have gotten sidetracked on the tongues movement or some doctrine like prophecy or predestination, the fighting of a certain enemy, etc. The gifts of the Spirit are often misconstrued and misunderstood. Many cults have arisen from sincere people with holy intentions of reaching a goal and splendid means with which to reach that goal, but who lose sight of the end in the enjoyment of the means.

The second great enemy to success comes when one is captured by one of the by-products. Whereas the first enemy prevents any success, this enemy prevents continuing success, for this enemy can be created only after success.

God has many precious and wonderful rewards that He gives to us as by-products of success. As long as we accept these rewards with gratitude and thanksgiving and begin our next endeavor with the same goal that we have set for life, they can bring to us much enrichment. However, if one while enjoying the pleasures of the by-products enjoys them or one of them more than the attaining of the goal, he is tripped up and his life will not be complete.

Here is a preacher who fights the battle for God. His goal is to win the battle; his goal is to stay faithful. This he does; the end comes; the goal is accomplished. Though he makes some enemies, he also makes rabid friends and followers. In so doing, he enjoys their friendship so much that he bends over backwards in the future in an attempt to make friends. He forgets he made the friends not trying to make friends but fulfilling the duties, tasks, and responsibilities of life. 'Twas his marching toward the end that prompted God to give him a friend. Now he forgets the end and wants the friend, but the friend comes because we reach the end. The end will never came if we seek to reach the friend.

Here is a person who has given his entire life to the reaching of a certain goal. Ah, the fulfillment is wonderful. There is joy and happiness in the reaching of the goal. This person gets so wrapped up in the joy and the happiness until he seeks joy and happiness and in so doing he not only loses the goal, he loses joy and happiness. Joy, happiness, and peace are never found when they are sought. They are realized as by-products of duty performance.

The other day I was flying and had a layover in a certain city. It was Saturday so I bought a newspaper and checked the sermons of the preachers for the next day. One man was preaching on "Fifteen Ways to Find Happiness and Peace." As I read his sermon title I thought that that brother has an impossible task to perform on the Lord's Day. There are absolutely no ways to "find" happiness and peace. No one finds happiness; no one finds peace; no one finds joy. Happiness, joy, and peace find us, and they are not looking for rabbit chasers or duty shirkers. They are looking for people who are not looking for them, for they like to surprise us and surprise us they will if we keep trying to introduce them to others and quit trying to court and woo them ourselves. By-products are looking for goal winners, not seekers!

Since people who reach goals and desired ends often are complimented, this by-product sometimes captures us. There are other similar by-products that are not wrong to have but wrong to seek. This is why God has to sometimes remove the means and the by-products from us or prevent us from having them. We are not able to keep our eyes on the end and still retain the proper means and the proper by-products. God is gracious in not allowing some to have a formal education and in keeping others from having certain talents. How sad it is when we must forfeit good things such as sports, formal training, art, money, pleasure, etc. because we are not wise enough to appropriate them properly and give them their deserved priority. Each in his own place as a means or as a by-product is splendid. As an end it becomes wrong and even sinful.

There are many areas where these two enemies lurk to capture us. God may give one a good personality and it captures him and renders him ineffective. Another may exercise and care for his body as a means to serving Christ. He becomes captured by physical exercise and health care; it becomes bigger than the original goal. Another may realize he needs relaxation in order to better pursue his goal. He is captured by golf, fishing, or some other form of relaxation and it becomes the big thing in his life jumping over more important priorities.

Another may realize that there is a need for money in the reaching of the goal. Soon he is captured by money, loses sight of his goal, and becomes unsuccessful.

A church can be a great church and God gives it as a by-product great joy and sweetness of fellowship. They substitute that joy and sweetness of fellowship for spirituality and lose sight of what made them great.

A denomination can become a means rather than an end. One could even enjoy Bible study so much so as to forget that even that is a means. Bible study is simply spiritual food. How many people do you know who once ate to live and now live to eat! How many Christians do you know who once studied the Bible to gain strength with which to serve God and now live to study the Bible rather than to serve God?

Don't forget your purpose! Keep your eye on the goal! Never lose sight of where you are going. Use every legitimate means possible, but never forget what the means are and what the end is. Enjoy the by-products, thank God for them, but realize how they were gotten and that they are only secondary blessings as compared to the fulfillment and enrichment of reaching the goal and accomplishing the end.

The lessons of this chapter form one of the great secrets, if not the great secret, to a successful and happy life. Most miserable and unhappy people arrive at these conditions because of an improper alignment and an improper order of means, end, and by-products.

Now a word to the reader: Read this chapter again! It may well change your life. It will certainly help you. Learn it; not the words, but the truths. Find out for what specific purpose God has placed you on this earth. Point everything toward its fulfillment. Use every means possible, but use them as means. Accept every by-product with gratitude, but don't park on the by-product. Find your greatest joy in life in the fulfillment of reaching the goal which you believe God has set for you and the end to which you are pointing in the will of God.

6. TO A ROSE AFTER A FUNERAL

The funeral is over and I once again have tried to comfort a family who thinks the clouds will never part and the sun will never peek through again. It has not been easy. I could not cry, though I, too, loved the brother whom I eulogized. I could not share in the weeping though I, too, will miss his companionship. I could not break down, for I was the preacher, but now with you, dear rose, I sit alone and weep. I weep because one whom I loved has left me. I weep because people whom I love are brokenhearted. I weep because some who have not yet received Christ refused Him in the funeral. I weep because the load is heavy and the strain is great. I weep because I, too, am human though I dare not reveal that to others.

Oh, to be quite honest, beautiful rose, I slipped in a tear or two as the family was walking out and I viewed the body of my beloved brother, but I was granted just a brief time to weep before I must turn again to catch the tears of others.

Now, rose, it is just you and I. Do you know you are mentioned only twice in the whole Bible? You are spoken of in Isaiah 35:1 and Song of Solomon 2:1. Do you know that you are called the Queen of flowers and that you are a symbol of friendship? Whatever is one's favorite flower, you are loved by all. You, lovely rose, have a special place in history. Edward III impressed a rose on his coins. The House of Lancaster had as its symbol a red rose and the House of York, a white one.

Do you know that you have a place in poetry? Byron wrote, "And her face so fair stirred with her dream as rose leaves with the air." Tennyson said of his Maude, "Queen rose of the rose bud garden of girls."

The sculptor with his chisel has tried to capture thy beauty. The poet with his pen, the orator with his eloquence, the singer with his voice, the artist with his brush, and the philosopher with his mind have all sought to describe thy loveliness.

You, dear rose, have been chosen to be a type of the Lord Jesus Christ. You, like Jesus, add beauty everywhere. You are found in the cottage of the poor and the palace of the rich; the marriage altar and the funeral chapel; the altar of the church and the hands of the bride; in the restaurant and the banquet room. You are found in the hands of a lover; on the dress of a lovely lady; in the rich man's garden; and in a poor man's field. The busy businessman enjoys thy fragrance and the stumbling nomad is revived by thy scent. The stingy Scotchman can afford thee and the proud German kneels to catch thy fragrance.

May I, like you and like Christ, lend beauty wherever I go.

Then too, Queen of flowers, you, like Christ, are for everyone. You brighten the eyes of the rich man as well as the poor. You are cut by the hands of the saint and also the sinner. You are found on the White House lawn and your beauty also brightens the ghetto. Your beauty may be seen on the desk of the boss as well as on the bench of the workman. You are found in bunches in the debutante's corsage and you walk alone in the poor girl's hair. You aid the sermon from the preacher's lapel and beautify the bride as you come from her hands.

Your honor, you make lovely any vessel. Your stems rise from cut-glass bowls and also from pickle jars. You live in flower pots and also in coke bottles. You brighten the wedding and also the funeral. Just a few moments ago people whom I love looked at you and somehow were comforted. You seem to be just as beautiful in a rusty tin can as in a golden vase, and you are just as admired in a slum window as in mansion's parlors.

Everywhere you go you are always more beautiful than the vase. Maybe this is why we call Jesus the Rose of Sharon; He has to find in us a vase. May I learn that the Rose of Sharon can beautify a tin can like me as easily as He can the golden vase.

Your majesty, you also meet every need. To those who are unloved has been given the Moss rose which symbolizes love. Saddened ones have received the Daily rose which symbolizes a smile. Those who find life complicated have found the Burgundy rose, a symbol of simplicity and beauty. The dull life is brightened by the Day rose which symbolizes pleasure. Those carrying heavy burdens love to look at the China rose which stands for grace. Those whose eyes are weary look at the Mush rose which symbolizes conspicuous beauty. The one who is cold can look at the Provence rose which represents a warm heart.

But, Queen of flowers, I must tell you, your petals will soon fall; your beauty will soon fade; you have been cut from the source of life. You have, however, not died in vain. Your death brought joy and comfort to saddened and bereaved hearts. Maybe this is why the Saviour is called the Rose of Sharon, for He was also cut off from the land of the living and in so doing brought life, hope, and eternal life to the world. May I learn from you the lesson that to die is to bless, and may I thank you for giving your life to bless, comfort and encourage someone, yea, several someones whom I love.

7. HURRY BACK

A little while ago I left for a brief trip. Someone whom I love said "Hurry back." As I left I was moved and warmed by those two beautiful words. I was asked to "hurry back." This means several things:

1. Someone wants to be with me. I wonder how many people in the world tonight have no one who longs for their presence. Yet, there is someone who wants to be with me; how blessed am I!

2. Someone will be waiting for me when I return. Oh, the coldness of coming home to an empty house, the loneliness of having no one waiting upon returning. Millions have no one waiting for them tonight and they will return to loneliness. Thank you, God, that someone is waiting for me.

3. Someone wants me back soon. This compels me to do my job well but to hasten my return. I am wanted because I am loved. Someone wants me because of a desire to meet my needs. Someone wants me because my presence is enjoyed. 'Tis lonely traveling tonight. No one in the world knows exactly where I am, but someone waits for me, loves me, and bids me to "hurry back."

Thank you, Lord.

8. HE MADE THE STARS ALSO

Moses tells us that God made the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night. Then he drops a beautiful little orchid, as inspired by the Holy Spirit, when he says, "He made the stars also." (Genesis 1:16) The Bible has much to say about stars. Daniel tells us, "...they that turn many to righteousness shall shine as the stars for ever and ever." (Daniel 12:3) Job tells us that the morning stars sang together at the dawn of creation. We are reminded that Jesus is the Bright and Morning Star. When Deborah and Barak fought against Sisera, the stars in their courses fought for the right. When God became flesh, a star hovered over Bethlehem's manger.

I love the stars. It has not always been so. As a boy I loved the sun best. When I got about seventeen, suddenly a strange thing happened to me. My affection turned toward the moon. Those days have long since passed and gone, and now I prefer the stars. I often say at night "Twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are, up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky." Sometimes I look at the stars and say, "Star light, star bright, first star I've seen tonight, I wish I may, I wish I might, have this wish I wish tonight."

Now what does the Lord mean when He says, "He made the stars also"? Well, to be sure, there is only one sun and only one moon, but there are many stars. There is only one Saviour, and there are very few bright leaders, but everyone can be a star. The stars in the Bible often are used to describe the angels, or God's messengers. Could we then say that the stars represent what we would call "little people"? It is wonderful how God uses little people. There were many great and wealthy men living in Palestine the night of the coming of the Christ Child, but the angels chose to appear to lowly shepherds watching their flocks by night. There were many scholars of the mast profound and various learning dwelling in Palestine, but to humble men of the fields did Heaven's choir sing that night. There were ascetics who had left home to fast and pray in deserts, but they heard not the angelic choir. It was not to them that angels appeared; it was not their ears that heard the angel's song. The greatest news the world has ever heard came to "stars," simple men, the kind like you and me.

None of the elite were chosen to carry the Babe of Bethlehem; this was reserved for a star named Mary. None of these were chosen to rear Him; this was reserved for a star, a carpenter, named Joseph. This is the way it has always been; God uses stars. Who killed Goliath? He was the least likely of all the son of Jesse-young David. Who defeated the Midianite army with 300 men? He was the least boy of the least family of the least tribe of the least nation of the world--little Gideon. Where do we find the leader of the Israelites who led them across the Red Sea? We find him in an ark made of bulrushes daubed with pitch by the hands of a slave lady and placed in the Nile River. Who gave birth to the great Moses? His mother was the little slave--Jochebed. Who sent the mighty Naaman to Elisha that he might be healed of his leprosy! A little maid did so. Who provided the food with which Jesus fed the 5,000? A little lad gave his lunch. Who rimmed the Mediterranean Sea with the Gospel and shook Europe for Christ? A little Saul of Tarsus. Who was the greatest giver mentioned in the Bible! A little widow. Who was chosen by Jesus as the greatest of all? A servant. Who drew Jeremiah out of prison? An unknown, Ebed-Melech. Who were the apostles? Simple men of Galilee were chosen. Yes, God gets His big lights from the stars.

One day God made a star and put it in the heavens. He said to that star, "I want you to shine in this one particular place. No one will ever notice you, but you'll be a part of the beautiful heavens." That star took its place the first night and the second night, the first week, the first month, the first year, the first decade, the first century, the first millennium, and for millenniums that star filled its place seeking no attention and getting no attention. No one ever looked and said, "What a beautiful star," but many looked and said, "Aren't the heavens beautiful tonight!" After millenniums of faithfulness, the Heavenly Father Who made the star one day said, "Star, thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will now make you ruler over many. Go and hover over Bethlehem's manger and tell the entire world that Christ is come; God is made flesh; a Saviour is born. Thou hast been faithful over a few things, J will make you ruler over many."

The great men of the Bible made mention of "their stars." Sometime read the last few verses of Paul's epistles and notice how many times he mentions the little people. Read David's farewell speech as he mentions his mighty men. Read of Moses who had his hands lifted by Aaron and Hur. Read of the band of men whose hearts God had touched who accompanied Saul when he went forth to Gibeah.

Not only does God bless little people, but God blesses little places. We all like the big places. When Jesus was born there were palaces, universities, estates, plush homes, and hotels, yet to a manger came the Saviour of the world. Where was the Saviour born? In a small manger he lay. Where was the Last Supper conducted? In a borrowed upper room they met. Where was Pentecost begun? Also in a borrowed upper room were they gathered. Where was David found? He was found humbly tending his sheep. Where was Gideon? He was threshing wheat behind the wine press. Where was the Son of God buried? In a borrowed sepulchre they laid Him. Where were many of the epistles written? Paul wrote many of them in the Mamertine Prison. Where was Moses called? From a simple burning bush did God speak to him. Where was PILGRIMS PROGRESS written? In a jail on milk bottle stoppers was it penned. To whom did Jesus appear and where did Jesus appear in the Old Testament? To the Hebrew children in a fiery furnace and to Jacob by the river Jabbok did He appear. Where was the book of Revelation written? John wrote on the lonely isle of Patmos. Where did Paul see the third Heaven? From a suburb of a little town called Lystra Paul viewed the heavenly beauties. Yes, God can bless your place. He uses little places.

Years ago when I was in college, I had been called to pastor the Marris Chapel Baptist Church in east Texas. I went back to college the next day and attended the preacher boys' class taught by the President of our college, Dr. H. D. Bruce. Dr. Bruce began with the front row and said, "Fellows, tell me what you did for God over the weekend." I was the first one asked of the over 200 students in the preacher boys' class. I stood and said, "Dr. Bruce, I was called to pastor a little church up in the country yesterday."

He said abruptly, "Sit down, Mr. Hyles!"

I couldn't understand. All the boys testified, but to none other did he say, "Sit down." After the last boy had testified, I stood and said, "Dr. Bruce, could I ask you why you made me sit down?"

He replied, "Mr. Hyles, you said you had been called to pastor 'a little church' up in the country." Then he looked at me sternly and said, "Mr. Hyles...there are...no...little churches!"

Not only does God use little people and little places, but He uses little things. He uses such things to carry out His purpose as a manger, a stable, swaddling clothes. What did Jesus use to feed the 5,000? He used five leaves and two fishes. What did He give Shamgar with which to slay the 600 Philistines? He gave him an ox goad. What did Moses use in the parting of the Red Sea and in the smiting of the rock? He used a shepherd's rod. What did God use with which to call Moses? He used a bush. What did the Saviour use in restoring the sight of the blind? He simply used mud! In what type of containers was the water poured which was turned into wine? They used old water pots found beside the road.

There are no little things to God. He upholds the sparrows' wings, paints the lilies of the field, and numbers the hairs on our heads. We find that even the insect under the microscope is as complete as a man with every minute detail arranged. Maybe you do not have much to give God. He does not need much; He just needs what you have. Don't forget that Christ appeared to shepherds in the field, to Stephen outside the gate, to Jacob as he slept with a stone for a pillow, to the Hebrew children in the fiery furnace, and to John on Patmos. He can appear to you; He can help you; He can use you--a little person in a little place with little things.

Our God also uses little tasks. Jesus could have preached a Sermon on the Mount every morning, but did not choose to do so. Each night He could have settled a stormy sea, but He did not. At Pilate's hall He could have been transfigured, but such was not the case. He could have ascended to Heaven daily at noon, but this He did not do.

His concern was about little tasks. On the cross while dying He cared for His mother and her needs. When He rose from the dead He folded the napkins and laid them in order. Michelangelo said, "Trifles make perfection, and perfection is no trifle." What is your task? Do it and do it well. A little person in a little place can use a little thing and perform a little task and receive a great reward.

A star can bring light, lend beauty, bring folks together, give direction, and do many other things. Oh, to be sure, all of us cannot be the sun, and all of us cannot be the moon, but all of us can be stars. Thank God that He made the sun to rule the day. Thank God that He made the moon to rule the night, but thank God that "He made the stars also."

9. LEADERSHIP

One of the great needs of our generation is that of leadership. In every area there is a need for men who are leaders of men; there is a need for men in politics with the ability to lead. This same need is found in the home, community, school and yes, far too often, the church.

Actually the Bible seems to teach that the real "call to preach" is, after all, a call to leadership. Bible preaching is simply soul winning; the commission to preach the Gospel is to every creature. If one can preach the Gospel to one, that is good. If he can preach the Gospel to two, that is better. If he can preach the Gospel to 10,000, that is even better. Yet the fact remains that the commission says, "to every creature." This means that in the Bible sense all are called to preach.

What, then, is this "call to preach" about which we talk so much? Really it is a call to leadership. God's call to Moses in the burning bush was a call to leadership. God's call to Abraham to leave the Ur of the Chaldees and seek for a city "which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God" was basically a call to leadership. God's call to Gideon as he threshed wheat behind a wine press was simply a call to leadership. God's call to Joshua to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land was basically a call to leadership. Since all Christians are to be "preachers" (that is, soul winners), the final deduction is that what we term "the call to preach" is simply a call to be a leader of other Christians. We oftentimes think of the call to preach as being a call to be a public speaker. Nothing could be further from the truth. Preaching the Bible is simply telling others how to be saved and winning unsaved folks to Jesus Christ. To some, however, is given that Divine call to lead other Christians. Such was the case of Paul, Peter, Moses, Elisha, and others.

If the aforementioned be true, then every man who is called to preach the Gospel is, in a real sense, called to lead. Hence, a great portion of the pastor's time should be given to developing leadership abilities.

The tragic truth is that oftentimes when a man surrenders to preach, he really stops preaching. Many fine laymen have become effective soul winners. They rejoice so much in this privilege they believe God wants them to preach. Hence, they give up their soul winning and become public speakers. Actually, they are giving up Bible preaching for the public speaking field. Then, what is this call? It, of course, includes public speaking and preaching the same Gospel to many that one had preached to a few. In order to do this effectively, however, the pastor must become a leader of men.

1. Such leadership is Cod given. There are many suggestions, ideas, short cuts, etc. that can help or improve one's leadership abilities. Yet, the ability to lead men for God is first and foremost a gift from God. Someone has said, "When God calls He qualifies." Gideon was not a natural leader; neither was Moses, Paul, or Peter. These all received from God a supernatural gift of leadership. Oh, how the ministry needs it today. It is most significant that the two greatest men in the Bible were not possessed with what we consider the gifts necessary for being great preachers. The greatest leader of the Old Testament was Moses. There are those who think that apart from Jesus Christ Moses is the greatest man who ever lived. Yet, Moses had an impediment of speech. The "gift of gab" was not his. He was not the extrovert that we think preachers ought to be, but the gift of leadership was his. He stands out like a mountain in the Old Testament.

There is no doubt in anyone's mind that the Apostle Paul is the greatest person mentioned in the New Testament. Paul wrote the Corinthian church and reminded them that they said his speech was contemptible. It is interesting that the great lights in the both Old and New Testament were men not gifted with public speaking abilities. The men who do the great works for God are not necessarily the best speakers or the best preachers. They are, without exception, great leaders who have been filled with the Holy Spirit. Let the busy pastor take time for supplication with God, asking, yea begging, for this vital gift.

2. Magnify the office of pastor. Though the pastor should not magnify himself, he certainly should magnify his office. There is no position in the world higher than that of the pastor of a New Testament church. If people respect it as such, it will be because the pastor magnifies it as such.

I can recall how difficult it was for me to visit a funeral home or a hospital in the early days of my ministry. I simply felt unworthy. Especially was this true of visiting a hospital when the doctor was present. I would feel that he was so much more important than I that I should not bother him. Then one day the realization came to me that the office of the pastor is more important than that of a physician. Subsequently, instead of timidly tip-toeing into the room and giving preference to the doctor, I now take time to realize that my presence is more needed than his, and I act accordingly.

Just a few months ago I was visiting a hospital where a dear lady was about to have surgery. The doctor was in the room preparing for her needs just before surgery. He informed me that he was busy, and he asked me to step outside. Realizing that the lady would lapse into an unconscious state momentarily, I suggested that I pray first. The doctor seemed very upset when I insisted that he step outside and wait while I have a prayer with the lady. Hence, we sought the help of the Great Physician before she was placed in the hands of the local physician. Of course, the pastor should not be presumptuous in such cases and should exercise care and courtesy, but he should realize that his is the most important ministry to perform and that he fills the greatest office in the world. When the office of pastor is magnified as such, leadership will come more naturally.

Preacher brethren, the pastor is somebody. He, himself, in the flesh is just an unworthy, undeserving sinner saved by grace, but that unworthy, undeserving sinner saved by grace placed in the position of pastor of the New Testament church makes him the most important person in all the world. Let us never forget it.

3. The leader should know the follower. The Apostle teaches us that not many wise are chosen to be leaders but that God has chosen the foolish things of this world to confound the wise. Could it be that God planned it this way so the leaders could be chosen from followers and so that the leader could know the heartbeat of his followers? It was said by Ezekiel that before he became a leader among the captive people he first "sat where they sat." He became a captive that he might know how to lead captives. He wept that he might know how to lead those who weep. He was not fully qualified to lead the people until he first had been one of the people. This is, no doubt, why God usually chose His great men out of the rank and file. Most of the apostles were humble fishermen, and other Bible leaders were men of humble backgrounds.

Perhaps this is why our Lord Himself came to earth in the form of a man and took upon Himself infancy, childhood, youth, and manhood. He, thereby, could know the heartbeat of all ages and could more compassionately enter into our suffering.

Not long ago I was visiting in a home. A lady came to the door and informed me that her husband was an alcoholic and she was rearing her boy alone. She immediately recognized me as being Pastor of First Baptist Church and was so honored and pleased that I would come by and see her. She invited me in, when suddenly her countenance fell and she began to apologize for her meager and humble furnishings. Immediately I reminded her that my mother had reared me alone and that our houses were not nearly as nice as was hers. Her face brightened as she realized that I had one time sat where she was now sitting. In a few moments I won both the lady and her son to Jesus Christ and I baptized them both the next Sunday morning.

No doubt many of us have wondered why as children living in poverty we could not have the luxuries of others. What we saw through a glass darkly, however, we now see face to face as we realize that God was preparing us to lead people. If we would be leaders, we must first know the follower.

4. Give due credit to the follower. Most people will give servitude to a leader in whom they have confidence and whom they can trust. Such a leader is always ready to share credit and glory with the follower. Just as a follower needs a leader, a leader needs a follower. Sincere gratitude should be expressed by each to the other.

5. The leader should identify himself with the follower. A wise leader of children will often tell of his childhood experiences thereby reminding the child that he was once a child. This identifies the leader with the follower and makes each feel closer to the other. The successful pastor who has known poverty should be ready to admit to his people to this fact and relate stories that will identify him with the follower.

I often speak of such things as hog-killing time, my banking the wood stove, the cranking of the old jalopy, etc. Again and again I have had people say that as I was relating a story that was like theirs they felt we had lived the experience together and thereby they felt closer to me.

6. The leader should assure the follower. Someone has said the pastor should not be constantly be reminding his people how unworthy he is; someone might believe him. Certainly our people should know that we feel unworthy, but they should not mistake this for a feeling of incapability. The pilot who comes out of the cockpit and asks the passengers, "Does anyone know where we are?" will not keep his job for long! He would never say to those boarding the plane that he is not much pilot and that he feels so unworthy and incapable to fly the plane, but if they will pray for him, he will do the best he can! He does not remind them that there are many others on the plane who could do a much better job than he! Neither does the successful pastor remind his people of his inadequacies! While letting them know that he feels unworthy, he nevertheless generates in them confidence toward him and his ability. In other words, he should convince the people that he knows what he is doing, that he knows where he is going, and that with God's help, he is capable of leading them.

7. The leader should watch his posture when he is before his people. The ministry could certainly borrow from the military in this respect. The pastor should walk like a leader, sit like a leader, stand like a leader, and his very presence should generate confidence and assurance in the hearts of those who follow him For years I have practiced walking to the pulpit. Such a walk should be one of dignity and propriety. I practice sitting in my chair on the platform I want to walk like a leader, sit like a leader, and stand like a leader. How important this is!

I have also examined my own nature and have found that certain body positions, hand gestures, etc. create in me certain moods. Hence, if I would create a particular mood, I should be careful to use the posture, gestures, etc. that would help in doing so. Some readers may find this a bit trivial, but no one should find trivial the importance of a leader standing, walking, and sitting with definiteness, propriety, dignity, and care.

8. The leader should use his voice properly. Certain voice fluctuation and tone can aid or hinder leadership. It is quite common to hear a public speaker raise the last syllable of each sentence. This usually takes away the definiteness of the statement and places a subconscious question mark in the mind of the hearer. In fact, such statements oftentimes sound more like questions. It is alarming how unimportant speaking seems to be to a leader. The singer spends many hundreds of hours in voice training and voice care. Why shouldn't the speaker do likewise? Many pastors could increase their leadership ability by learning more about the care and use of the voice.

9. The leader should use his eyes effectively. He should learn that one of the most important contacts he has with the follower is the eye contact. Hence, the eyes should not be shifty, but they should be sincere, direct, and honest. Many sincere and would-be-successful pastors leave a void in the mind of their congregations because the eye contact is absent or the eyes do not carry a ring of sincerity and earnestness.

10. The leader should not admit professional weaknesses. When one goes to the doctor he would prefer not to hear the doctor say that he himself is a physical wreck. When a surgeon stands above a patient before surgery and says, "Pray for me, I don't feel worthy to perform this operation," the patient is hardly possessed of complete assurance. Now the pastor may confess to his people certain weaknesses, but these should not be professional weaknesses. People should feel that he is capable of doing the job and fulfilling his responsibility. They should feel that he is a trained and qualified leader. Now a doctor may say that he is stubborn, but the patient would still be assured. The doctor could admit to having a temper or being impatient, but he should certainly not admit professional weaknesses to the patient; neither should the pastor.

11. The leader should do first what he expects of the followers. When I was in the 82nd Airborne Division as a paratrooper, two men headed up our division as generals. One was James Gavin. We called him "Gentleman Jim." Every time the division jumped, he was the first man out of the plane. We were proud of him; we respected him. We later had another general who did not jump. He somehow did not go over so well with the paratroopers. We wanted someone to lead us, not push us. The same is true of God's people. They need someone to say, "Follow me as I set the example." I have always tried to give as large an offering as any of my people give during a financial drive. If a pastor expects his people to go soul winning, he first should go soul winning. If a pastor expects his people to give, he should give. If a pastor expects his people to be faithful, he should be faithful. The leader should do first what he expects of the follower.

12. The pastor should dress like a leader. The pastor should know appropriate dress. This is not to say he should always wear a black suit or a navy blue suit. He should, however, on occasion, know when and how to wear both. On occasion, the pastor may wear sport clothes. Care should be exercised in choosing such occasions and, of course, this would vary with the age of the pastor. As a younger pastor, I dressed more conservatively than I do as a middle-aged pastor. When I was barely past twenty, I was pastoring a Baptist church full-time. I found it necessary to discard the clothing of a twenty-year-old in order that I might convince my followers of my maturity. If a youth becomes a policeman, he should wear the policeman's uniform If a youth becomes a pastor, he should dress accordingly with the maturity and dignity of a pastor. As a pastor approaches and enters the middle years, the need for establishing his maturity is lessened; hence, he may find himself more able and desirous of wearing more youthful clothing. Much care should be taken, however, so as to avoid being excessively flashy and gaudy. The pastor should know when and where to wear sport shirts, slacks, dress suits, formal attire, etc. The congregation should grow to expect the pastor to be appropriate in his dress at all times. Not only will this generate confidence in the follower, but also in the leader himself.

13. The leader should not tell his problems to the follower. For a number of years now it has been my privilege to help younger and less-experienced pastors with their problems and to counsel with pastors across America. When these men ask me how my church is doing they always receive an optimistic answer, for if I would help them, I must earn the right. If I went to a pastor and told him I was having church problems and asked for his counsel, he would hardly come to me and ask my counsel when his problem arose. A leader must learn to take his problems to the One Who is called Wonderful,. Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Extreme care and caution should be taken in sharing problems with the follower. This is especially true when the problem involves something that is within his sphere of leadership.

14. The leader should never appeal to the sympathy of the follower. People rally to inspiration, not the seeking of sympathy. It is folly for a pastor to stand up and tell of his problems and burdens and ask the people to follow him because he is heartbroken. This will lead to frustration and failure. People follow dynamic leadership, not heartbroken failure.

Fortunate is the church member who has a leader for a pastor. The people should feel that when the pastor walks in "everything's all right in the Father's house." There should be a feeling akin to the way a child feels when his daddy is at home at night. The pastor who has learned to be a leader will exude assurance and confidence to his people. Fortunate is the pastor who has received this gift and who has developed it. Fortunate is the member whose pastor has done so.

10. THE GLORY OF YOUR PRESENCE

(In the author's book, BLUE DENIM AND LACE, there is an article entitled, "The Glory of Your Absence." This is the other side of that article.)

Your presence was lovely; his eyes met mine in devotion; his mind met mine in admiration; his heart met mine in love; his soul met mine in dedication, and there we stood, your presence and I, heart to heart, mind to mind, and soul to soul. He was all of life's joys blended into one perfect moment.

Then suddenly all that could leave of you left and all that could be separated from me was gone. I could not hear your voice, nor see your face, nor watch your grace.

It was then that I met your absence. We, your absence and I, spoke of your presence. Your absence was kinder in his words concerning your presence than your presence had been when he described your absence. Yet, though I had dreaded to meet him, your absence spoke so well of you I found the presence of your absence very interesting.

We talked and talked about you and your presence. Your absence described your presence in terms of which I had never dreamed. He described your eyes as being even more devoted than I remembered, your mind as being even more admiring and admirable, your heart as being even more loving, and your soul as being even more dedicated.

"'Tis true," I said to your absence, whom I was beginning to like more and more, "his presence has no absence. Yet you have exaggerated, absence. You are just trying to make the heart grow fonder."

So in the absence of your presence I thought of you as I grew fonder of the presence of your absence.

I wondered why your absence was absent when your presence was present. Yet, sure enough, your absence had become absent when I again stood in your presence.

Here I stand in the glory of your presence only to find that your absence has adequately described the beauty and glory of your presence and that now your presence is even more glorious than it was before I met your absence. You are exactly all that your absence said that you would be. Your soul has grown lovelier, your heart has grown bigger, your face fairer, and your mind keener. Yes, I still far prefer your presence, but no longer dread an occasional, brief visit with your absence, for I lov4e to hear him talk of you as we did all the night through.

So, though I shrink from the absence of your presence, I delight periodically in the presence of your absence, for we both see you through eyes of love.

So, in the glory of your presence, there is always the presence of your glory. Yet, in the glory of your absence, there is no absence of your glory.

Hence, we are never absent, just more present. When your absence and I looked at you we found your presence had never left.

Say, if that be so, your absence was not really absence, but it was really omnipresence, for we are knitted souls! Whether in the body or out of the body, your presence is never absent and your absence is never present and we are always one because of the GLORY OF YOUR OMNIPRESENCE!

11. THE UNFINISHED MAN

Ah, thank God for the unfinished man-- the fellow who knows he is not yet finished. Far too many men think they are equipped simply because they have been called to a certain task. Still others think they are equipped because they hold a certain position. One of the hardest things that I have faced through the years as Pastor is combating the idea that subconsiously creeps into a person who becomes a staff member at our church. He is now on the staff of one of the world's largest churches. He becomes suddenly the finished product. No he is no more than he was before he came. Actually, he is less finished now. He has a bigger task to perform with the same equipment that he had. If he could only realize that he is the unfinished man and even less finished than before, he will have begun the first step toward equipping himself for the new task.

Somebody has said, "Good, better, best, never let it rest, 'til your good is better and your better, best." Just because someone holds a big title or receives a multitude of compliments does not mean he has arrived. The truth is that none of us ever arrive. We must constantly be improving. It was Einstein who said he used only five percent of his potential. If this be true, think of the undiscovered potential in those of us who are normal human beings.

Along the same line, character is developed, not acquired. A man may have his sins forgiven at salvation but that does not mean that he has necessarily developed character. Character is the subconscious doing of right. It is developed by the doing of right so often, so regularly, and with such habit that it becomes embedded. A person does not have character just because he is saved, called to preach, or a little educated just as a person is not considered to be educated because he bought a text book, or a pianist because he bought a piano.

Let us remember that our Lord said He would pour water on him who is thirsty. One will not drink unless he is thirsty and one will not improve himself or be improved unless he is hungering and thirsting for improvement.

Don't forget that the Bible says, "For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance." (Romans 11:29) You will notice He doesn't stop after the calling. There are gifts to follow. A calling should not be thought of as an equipping but rather as an unequipping.

I well recall as a college lad going out in the country one Thursday afternoon to visit an old missionary who at the time was in his nineties. He had served for many years. His name was Gustave Norling. Several of us young preachers would go out and listen to his bits of advice. We came to a time when we thought we had arrived. We had enough education and we were more spiritual than the professors. We told Brother Norling we thought we ought to stop attending school because the professors, in some cases, were "dead" and those who pastored churches were not succeeding. We felt they had nothing to offer us. The old man lifted up his head and spoke wisely as he said something like this: "Young men, no doubt some professors are "dead", but, bear in mind, these men are not well-rounded men; they are not complete men. Each, however, is an expert in one field. I would not advise you to emulate these men or to be like them, but I would advise you to find out what each one knows. You can take from an incomplete man what he knows in his field and by learning from many incomplete men, you can become a complete man. Stay in school, learn all you can from each man as he teaches his own specialty, and then become the well-rounded preachers that I want you to become."

I learned a lesson that day that has helped me in my entire life.

Again, may I say, a calling should not be thought of as an equipping, but rather as an unequipping. A calling or a position is simply an opportunity.

Once I thought of hiring a man as an assistant pastor. I talked with him and told him something about what I had in mind and asked him to pray about it. Several days later we discussed the matter again. I asked if he had thought of any questions.

"Yes," he said, "I have two questions: 1. What would my title be? and 2. What would the remuneration be?"

I answered both questions but discounted the possibility of employing him. Oh, for men who are unfinished and who in their own eyes are never finished; men who can learn from lesser men; men who are strong enough to be weak, tough enough to be tender, hard enough to be compassionate, cold enough to be warm, and knowledgeable enough to be understanding.

There are so many people who read my books and use my methods. One fellow said one time, "I have used all your methods and I just don't seem to be able to succeed."

I said to him, "Young man, using Hyles' methods will only go so far; using Hyles' philosophies can open limitless methods of your own."

The wise school teacher continues to learn. The wise mechanic continues to study the newest cars. The wise leader will not settle in his position nor be impressed by his title nor be aware of the shingle on his door. The successful man is the unfinished man-one who keeps his eyes open, learns all he can from everybody, employs all men as his teachers, and realizes that the greatest of all is not the leader, but the servant, and even the leader must be a servant.

When we think of greatness we point to the one who gives the orders. When God thinks of greatness He thinks of the one who obeys the orders. When we think of greatness we look at the head table. When God thinks of greatness He looks at the servers.

Oh, to be an unfinished man always!

12. HERE, HEREAFTER, AND AFTERWARDS

When our Lord was in the upper room, He was asked a question. He told the disciples "hereafter" they would know. Later on He was asked another question. Here they were told that "afterwards" they would know. "All things work together for good to them that love God and to them who are the called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28) We have to trust the Lord in this respect, but we do not always know here and now, why and how. To be sure, there are many things that we can see here. We can know "here" why God did a certain thing. On the other hand, some things we will not know until "hereafter." Later on in life we will see why God did what He did. I used to wonder why my dad was a drunkard. I used to wonder why I was hungry and couldn't wear nice clothes. I used to wonder why we couldn't live in a nice house. Now I know. I did not know "here," but now I know "hereafter." We have to trust the Lord, for He knows what is best.

In spite of the fact that some things I know "here," and some things I have found out "hereafter," there are still things that have happened in my life that I will not know the why or how until I meet the Lord in Heaven. These things I must find out "afterwards." I must trust Him now that all things do work together for good.

I can recall when I was a little boy my mother used to embroider quite a bit. I would be playing on the floor and she would be embroidering. I would look up and say, "Mother, what are you doing?"

She would say, "Embroidering, son."

"Mother, what is embroidering?"

She would try to explain.

Then I would say, "Mother, it looks like a mess to me. Just a bunch of jumbled thread on a cloth in a hoop."

Then my mother would smile and sweetly say, "Son, you just go about your playing and trust Mother. After awhile I will be finished and I will bring you up where I am and show you what I was doing all the time."

I would go about my playing and sure enough after awhile my mother would say, "Son, do you want to come up and see?"

She would then put me on her knee where she was and let me see it from her side. To my surprise there was a beautiful flower or some other scene. Then Mother would look at me and say, "Son, there was something you couldn't see from the underside. There was a design from my side not visible to you. I was simply following that design."

I look up at the Lord today and say, "Dear Lord, what are You doing!"

He says, "I am embroidering a life, my child."

I reply, "It looks like a mess to me."

He says, "You go about doing My will and after awhile I will bring you up here in Heaven and let you see it from My side."

One day I will be carried to Heaven and I will see it from His side. He will show me that it was all according to a Divine plan that He could see our I could not see. I should simply trust by faith that He knows what is best and that all things do work together for good to those who love God and to those who are the called according to His purpose.

I thank God for the things God does that I can see "here."

I also thank Him that there were things that once I could not see but that "hereafter" I could see.

Then I must thank God in faith for those things which happened to me for which I can see no answer "here" or "hereafter," but will understand when He calls me where He is and shows me why He did what He did "afterwards."

13. WHEN IT'S OVER

These thoughts are being written on December 29, 1970. Two days ago my oldest daughter, Becky, who is married and a student at Tennessee Temple College, left to go back to school. I have been thinking about her leaving and my mind turns to all of the millions of people who had to say good-bye in the last few days and the millions of others who will join them in sad farewells. The furlough that has been anticipated so long has now come and gone. The long-awaited days home from college are now over. Misty-eyed parents try to busy themselves in the activities of life, and weary grandparents mull over memories and thumb through family albums realizing it will be perhaps another year until the cutest grandchildren in the world come again. How may one prepare himself for these difficult times? In order to answer, let me go back 28 years and relive with you an experience from my youth.

I was always a rather small boy and as timid as I was small. Perhaps it was my introversion that led to much meditation. Every Sunday night and every Wednesday night after church services I would walk about a mile to a pharmacy in order to buy a malted milk, which in those days sold for a nickel! I would walk slowly and meditate about life. One night after a mid-week service I asked a buddy of mine, whose name was Bob, if he would join me for a malted milk. I was flushed (the proud possessor of 10 cents), so I invited Bob to join me for the two-mile round trip to the pharmacy for a malted milk. As we slowly walked I began to meditate and I spoke my meditations to Bob. I said something like this: "Bob, do you realize that everything finally comes and that everything ends! We await a ball game and think it will never come. Yet, sure enough, the day comes and we are sitting on the bench awaiting the start of the game. Bob, everything eventually comes. Do you know that death is that way and life is that way? It seems to us now that we will never grow up, but we will. It seems now that we will never get married, but we will. It seems now that we will never go to college, but we will. It seems now that we will never go to the service, but we will; and it seems now that life will never end for us, but it will."

I am afraid I may have bored Bob somewhat with my philosophizing, but a long time after we said good night I was lying awake in my little room, six feet by eight feet, in the back of our small apartment. I was thinking of those times when something delightful has ended for people. Maybe it is the time when the furlough ends, the vacation ends, the child goes off to college for the first time, the boy leaves for service, retirement comes, etc. I began to wonder how a person could eliminate that empty and melancholy feeling which comes at the end of something delightful.

Two things came to my mind. First, one should plan a new beginning to start at every ending. In other words, one should plan something to which he can look forward to doing the day following the termination of a happy time. Here is one of the great secrets of life. On the airplane on your way back to college, read a book you have wanted to read for a long time. Save your money for days and weeks ahead so that on the very day you return from your vacation or trip you may purchase that one thing you want so badly. Have a hobby that is so interesting that it becomes an avocation upon retirement. Be ready for that last day. Be ready to attack that melancholy feeling with a new beginning.

Of course, that is exactly what being saved is. When each person faces the end of life (and each one will!) he should have prepared for a new beginning. Blessed be God, that is exactly what happens to the Christian. He has trusted the Lord Jesus Christ, and the sadness of death is minimal because of the new beginning that follows.

During the night in the little bedroom after the malted milk I also decided this: One should spend his life on things that are eternal. Hence, I dedicated myself to seek out the things that will never end and invest my life in them Such things as soul winning, the Word of God, love, etc. have occupied most of my attention and time since that n