Get in Over Your Head! by Ray Pritchard<\/b><\/p>\n
Have you heard the story of Charlie Riggs? Over 50 years ago, he came to Christ and was discipled by a young man named Lorne Sanny, who himself was being discipled by Dawson Trotman, founder of the Navigators.<\/p>\n
Charlie was willing to grow in Christ, but he was a bit rough around the edges and didn\u2019t seem very promising as a Christian leader. When Lorne wrote to Dawson, he told him that Charlie Riggs was the only man he was working with and he felt discouraged by the prospects. Trotman wrote back and said, \u201cStay with your man. You never know what God will do with him.\u201d So, Lorne Sanny continued to work with Charlie Riggs.<\/p>\n
A few years passed and a young man named Billy Graham came on the scene. In 1952, the Navigators \u201cloaned\u201d Charlie Riggs to the Graham team to handle the follow-up in their early crusades. He planned to return to the Navigators eventually. However, he worked out so well that he stayed with Billy Graham.<\/p>\n
In 1957, on the eve of the famous New York City crusade at Madison Square Garden, the crusade director suddenly had to be replaced. Who could they get? The lay chairman suggested Charlie Riggs, but Billy Graham wasn\u2019t sure if he could handle the job. \u201cAll he does is pray and quote Scripture.\u201d<\/p>\n
The layman insisted, Charlie Riggs got the job and the rest is history. The New York campaign became a model for the many crusades that would follow in later years. Billy Graham said, \u201cI didn\u2019t think he could do it. But I had this peace\u2014that Charlie so depended on the Holy Spirit that I knew the Lord could do it through Charlie.\u201d<\/p>\n
Charlie Riggs retired after many years of effective service to the Lord. What was his secret? How could a man with little formal training rise to such a high position and hold it for so long?<\/p>\n
He says, \u201cI always asked the Lord to put me in over my head . That way, when I had a job to do, either the Lord had to help me or I was sunk.\u201d God was delighted to answer this prayer time after time. He put Charlie Riggs in over his head\u2014and then bailed him out.<\/p>\n
So many of us dads play it safe with our families. We pray only for what we think we can handle. Our answers are small because our prayers are small.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a challenge. Let\u2019s take Charlie Riggs\u2019 prayer as our own: \u201cLord, put me in over my head.\u201d It\u2019s safer to stay in shallow water where you can always feel the bottom under your feet, but the real challenge is to jump in where the water comes up over your head. What are the challenges we face when we\u2019re in over our heads? Job changes, teenagers, college costs and church schedules to name a few.<\/p>\n
How about it, dads? Are you ready for some excitement? I am. Let\u2019s ask God to put us in over our heads. And then, let\u2019s watch God keep us floating just when we think we\u2019re about to sink.<\/p>\n
From \u201cOn the Father Front,\u201d Vol. 8, No. 2, Summer, 1995<\/p>\n
St. Francis of Assisi<\/b><\/p>\n
Start by doing what\u2019s necessary; then do what\u2019s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible. <\/p>\n
Source unknown<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a Long Way to Tipperary <\/b><\/p>\n
In 1912, two Irish music hall players were spending an afternoon in a pub at Stalybridge in Cheshire, England. They were extolling the musical traditions of Ireland when it\u2019s said they boasted they could write and perform a song in the same day. <\/p>\n
It might have been a gimmick to stimulate attendance or it could have been genius jumping out of its bag, for It\u2019s a Long Way to Tipperary was performed that night at the Stalybridge Grand Theater by Jack Judge and Harry Williams. It was an overnight success that gained tremendous popularity during World War I as an Allies marching song. <\/p>\n
Bits & Pieces, May 28, 1992, pp. 18-19<\/p>\n
Sinking Ship<\/b><\/p>\n
Left on a sinking ship were the captain and three sailors. The captain spoke first. <\/p>\n
\u201cMen, this business about a captain going down with his ship is nonsense. There\u2019s a three-man life raft on board and I\u2019m going to be on it. To see who will come with me, I will ask you each one question. The one who can\u2019t answer will stay behind. Here\u2019s the first question: \u2018What unsinkable ship went down when it hit an iceberg?\u2019 <\/p>\n
The first sailor answered, \u201cThe Titanic, sir.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cOn to the next question: How many people perished?\u201d <\/p>\n
The second sailor said, \u201cOne thousand five hundred and seventeen, sir.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cNow for the third question,\u201d and the captain turned to sailor number three. \u201cWhat were their names?\u201d <\/p>\n
Steve Templeton in Woodmen of the World Magazine<\/p>\n
Unanimous Disagreement<\/b><\/p>\n
Several years ago I met a gentleman who served on one of Walt Disney\u2019s original advisory boards. What amazing stories he told! Those early days were tough; but that remarkable, creative visionary refused to give up. I especially appreciated the man\u2019s sharing with me how Disney responded to disagreement. He said that Walt would occasionally present some unbelievable, extensive dream he was entertaining. Almost without exception, the members of his board would gulp, blink, and stare back at him in disbelief, resisting even the thought of such a thing. But unless every member resisted the idea, Disney usually didn\u2019t pursue it. Yes, you read that correctly. The challenge wasn\u2019t big enough to merit his time and creative energy unless they were unanimously in disagreement! <\/p>\n
Charles Swindoll, Living Above the Level of Mediocrity, p.107<\/p>\n
The World Needs Men \u2026<\/b><\/p>\n
\u2022 who cannot be bought;<\/p>\n
\u2022 whose word is their bond;<\/p>\n
\u2022 who put character above wealth;<\/p>\n
\u2022 who possess opinions and a will;<\/p>\n
\u2022 who are larger than their vocations;<\/p>\n
\u2022 who do not hesitate to take chances;<\/p>\n
\u2022 who will not lose their individuality in a crowd;<\/p>\n
\u2022 who will be as honest in small things as in great things;<\/p>\n
\u2022 who will make no compromise with wrong;<\/p>\n
\u2022 whose ambitions are not confined to their own selfish desires;<\/p>\n
\u2022 who will not say they do it\u201d because everybody else does it\u201d;<\/p>\n
\u2022 who are true to their friends through good report and evil report, in adversity as well as in prosperity;<\/p>\n
\u2022 who do not believe that shrewdness, cunning, and hardheadedness are the best qualities for winning success;<\/p>\n
\u2022 who are not ashamed or afraid to stand for the truth when it is unpopular;<\/p>\n
\u2022 who can say \u201cno\u201d with emphasis, although all the rest of the world says \u201cyes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Charles Swindoll, Living Above the Level of Mediocrity, pp.107\u20138<\/p>\n
Task vs. Power<\/b><\/p>\n
The task ahead of you is never greater than the power behind you.<\/p>\n
Source unknown<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Get in Over Your Head! by Ray Pritchard Have you heard the story of Charlie Riggs? Over 50 years ago, he came to Christ and was discipled by a young man named Lorne Sanny, who himself was being discipled by Dawson Trotman, founder of the Navigators. Charlie was willing to grow in Christ, but he … Continue reading “Challenge”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-430","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/430","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=430"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/430\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=430"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=430"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=430"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}