Today, I am thinking about the story of the “four lepers.”   I am presently in Asia where masses of people swarm like an ocean of fish.  Each one has a face, a name, a personality, a family, a need.  Jesus.   Why is missions becoming the lost subject in Christianity with these billions yet in darkness?

Now, we come to the “leper lessons.”  They were starving outside the gate of a besieged, starving city.  They represent me, you, all Christians.  Their story should be our story. 

Here are four lessons I learn from them:

It’s a defining moment.  Christians are confused about the election.  Polls, parties, and mistresses are everywhere.  Everyone’s talking but no one is listening.    Through it all, I feel peace in my heart because I’ve lived through this before. 

Here are the three things I believe Christians should do right now to make it through November 8:

A lot of people don’t believe in vacations.  They feel like they’re wasting time.  They hate to spend the money.  They like their own refrigerator! With six children, we figured out a way. 

Here are our “all-time favorite places” we went in 37 years of raising kids:

"Stuck like Chuck".   It’s a phrase I use to describe the doldrums,  the “dead in the water” times of my life.  Everything becomes same ol' same ol',  acid-cardboard,  plain vanilla,  predictable and passionless. God is a God of endless variety.  His colors, patterns, and shapes are eye-popping. 

How do you get your creativity moving again?

Everyone talks about leaving a legacy.  I want to LIVE a legacy.  Legacy is “when the next generation models their lives and judges their achievements by you.”   

Legacy is about three words:  PURPOSE, COVENANT,  and INVESTMENT.

Everyone needs mentoring.  Mentoring is listening to someone who has made more mistakes than you.

I’ve made a lot of mistakes in 47 years of ministry, and they all boil down to these ten: 

Fear and timidity can paralyze you.   Anxiety can control your every decision.   Confusion can totally derail your life’s focus.   The mind is the battleground of life.  You will inevitably face storms and crisis.   Your mind will be pressed to the breaking point.    How do you persevere until the sun breaks through again?

These three thoughts have always kept me on track:

Everybody prays.  Prayer wheels, prayer chains, and prayer lines are everywhere.  However, it can sometimes feel like a penny in a fountain.  How can we feel a sense of certainty when we pray? 

Millions of marriages are smoldering.   The passion is gone.   The fire is almost out.   The excitement and astonishment left years ago. Marriages go through stages as Jesus said:  “hot, cold, and lukewarm.”  I’ve been married for 40 years and I’m sure I have been through all three of them!   If your marriage needs some “hot sauce,” I can help you with that.  

Ask yourself these 10 questions:

Water, water, everywhere.  Three times the amount of rain fell on Baton Rouge as fell in Katrina!  7 trillion gallons of water deluged over 40,000 houses. With water comes “mold.”  There is a race against time to remove anything wet.  Hundreds of volunteers are stripping out churches, homes, and businesses before black mold takes over.

Do you have “mold in your soul?”  It is a creeping, silent enemy in your heart.   It is a hidden disease, thriving on the darkness.

Here are 5 basic steps to eradicate it:

It’s been tough this week to watch piles of clothes, furniture, appliances, and TVs out in front of every home on my street.  It’s dark.  It’s difficult. 40,000 homes are under 4-8 feet of water.  Nine megachurches are totally flooded.  Not one church had services last Sunday.

Jacob was in a dark place.  Running from his brother, he found a rock to sleep on.  There, in a dream, he saw God. (Gen 28)

How can you find a blessing in a dark place?

It seems we have all been a little shellshocked.  What a summer.  Terrorist attacks and campaigns.  Shootings and tension.  Now, it has come home to me more than ever.  I have lived on Bethany Church’s North campus property for 53 years.  I’ve never seen anything like what happened there this weekend.

How quickly your world can change.  From a calm, lazy summer Thursday afternoon to 25 inches of rain and emergency evacuation.  I was speaking in Austin, Texas, Saturday when I got word from Melanie that she had grabbed our vital documents and loaded a boat for higher ground.

Here are some helpful thoughts to think when you are in a personal disaster like this: 

On time is what every airline strives for.  I’m told the Swiss run a news story if a train is a few minutes late!  What difference does it makes to be “on time” and how can you hit that elusive mark?  I can help you with that.

Every Wednesday morning at 7:30 for six years I met our Governor and his staff for a Bible study.  One morning, I WOKE UP at 6:50!  In eight minutes I was up, showered, dressed and out the door!  I walked in breathing hard with five minutes to spare…and learned a valuable few lessons. 

Here they are:

Your prayer life is the most important part of your Christian life. My prayer life greatly improved when I studied the prayer life of Jesus Himself.  

If you are struggling with prayer, here are ten lessons directly from Scripture about when and how you should pray:

I’ve been married to Melanie, the woman of my dreams, for 40 years.  I’ve observed how she quietly, but powerfully, has shown her leadership prowess.

It's a shame that many of us men fail to realize the incredible potential in the godly leadership of a woman.  Deborah, the prophetess, was a “judge” over Israel (Judges 4).

What can Deborah teach us about leadership that works in a godly woman?

Here in Baton Rouge, the unthinkable happened this past Sunday morning:  three police officers dead and three wounded.  From Dallas to Nice to Baton Rouge, we are all on an emotional roller coaster of tragedy.

How do we cope?  Where do we find the courage to keep loving, keep forgiving, keep giving?  Jesus repeatedly told those in distress to "take courage."  It was a COMMAND:  "TAKE courage."  Don’t leave it laying on the ground, pick it up.

Here are a few ways you "take courage" when you are in a time of deep distress: 

It’s crazy.  The images of carnage.  The blatant anger.  The hurt and frustration.  The escalating conflict and animosity between races and with authorities.  What is the solution?  “Hesed.”

Here are some practical ways we can show God’s “hesed”:

The whole world is upset about borders.  From Brexit to the Middle East to the Ukraine, borders are shifting.  Some propose tighter borders and others want them totally removed.   John Kerry recently referred to a "world without borders."  Someone said that he left that speech, got into his armored car, anddrove behind the walls to his home! During the Katrina crisis, we had 900 people sleeping on the floor of our church. Visiting our church, President Bush remarked about a strip of blue tape we put on the floor between each person's private "space."  In nine months with Katrina evacuees we never had ONE fight.

Here are three areas I have learned to maintain proper borders:

We are in a stressful time.  Political changes are unnerving.  Our enemies are gaining strength.  The economy is fragile.  Diseases are coming out of nowhere.  Travel has become dangerous.  It’s always good to come back to my “true north”:  “how big is my God?”  I was recently in Colorado.  I was dwarfed by the massive 14,000 foot mountains.  Mt. Everest in the Himalayas is 2 1/2 times their height!

If you are feeling small, take a look at five BIG THINGS about God in Isaiah 40:

I have six children:  five sons and a daughter.  I have seven grandchildren with more on the way.  I’ve been raising children for 37 years.  I can help you do that if you need help.  It all starts with a father.  Mine just died at 97.  His life, ministry, and legacy is legendary.  Many of you did not have a “Bro. Roy.”  

I’m going to teach you what I learned from him and a few things I learned on my own about raising kids.