Grateful for the Life and Ministry of Don Miller

I first met Don Miller when I was a seminary student and he touched my life. He was a spiritual giant in my mind. I invited him to lead prayer conferences where I served as pastor on multiple occasions. He and TW Hunt were the two greatest men of prayer I have ever known. I was blessed to get to know both of them. Don faithfully prayed for me daily for over 30 years. What a gift!

This past Wednesday, Don Miller, at the age of 93, stepped into Heaven. Yesterday morning, I drove down to Fort Worth from Shawnee, Oklahoma (where Fern and I are helping to take care of our 2 year old grandson and our new born grandson) to attend Don’s funeral.

The service was simple and unique. It began with a 10 minute montage of Don's life, actually Don and Libby's life. Libby has been a wonderful partner in ministry for Don.The music was simple consisting of several classic hymns especially on prayer. The highlight of the service was each of the four children sharing their remembrances of their dad. It was justifiably heavy on family and focused on their precious memories of Don as a man of God.

Here, for me, are some bits of wisdom from the life of Don Miller for me. Don said, "When you find yourself in the darkness, simply pray, 'What now, Lord? 'Now listen for God's answer." "When you read your Bible, look for God on every page? What is God telling you about Himself?"

He often prayed, "Lord, make me humble, make me real, and make me honest."

For Don, prayer was war. It was taking back from Satan what he had stolen from God. It was the passion of Don's life to see another awakening. He wanted to see the people of our nation turn to God.

He often said that Matthew 26:41 was the greatest prayer package in the world. Moreover, he encouraged people to meditate on Matthew 26:36-46. Let this soak into the depths of your soul!

A final thought of Don's shared during his funeral was his belief that the local church is the hope of the world. Whatever God will do in the world, he will do through the local church.

These are a few of the spiritual nuggets from Don that will live with me the rest of my days. My prayer now is, "Lord, raise up more men of God like Don Miller, men mighty in prayer."

A Letter to My Grandson, Henry, on the Occasion of his Second Birthday

Dear Henry,

Today marks your second birthday. Even though you have been in our family for just two short years, we hardly remember a time when you were not here. You have been an incredible source of joy for your parents, grandparents and all who have come to know you and love you.

Proverbs 17:6 tells us that "children's children are the crown of old men." That simply means that I (we) think you are incredible in every way. For me, it has been special to watch you grow, although we have not been as close to you this past year as your first.

Our family has seen some major changes. Fern (Mimi) and I have returned to Virginia where we both are teaching as adjunct professors at Liberty University. And your family moved from Missouri to Oklahoma when your Dad joined the faculty at Oklahoma Baptist University. The most difficult part of that transition has been not getting to see you and play with you every day and get wonderful hugs.

In the past year you have grown remarkably. Although all of us wish that you might have packed on a few more pounds and slept a little more, your physical growth has not been the most exciting even though you’ve learned to walk, talk, and play this year. To watch you grow in your language skills, your relationship skills, your love for being read to, and your zest for life is the part that we have been most astounded by! You are growing up right on schedule as God planned for you and for that, we are grateful.

Even though we do not get to see you daily, please know, however, that we think of you and pray for you every single day.

Now, along with giving you an incredible Mom and Dad who take great care of you, God is going to give you a little brother very soon. You do not really know what that means now, but God is getting ready to make you a big brother. That is an awesome thing! When this new little guy arrives, he will grow to become your best friend. It is really special to have a brother or a sister. Your Dad has Uncle Patrick, and your Mom has Aunt Hilary. They each are very special relationships. And now, you get to have that very special relationship as well.

Henry, you are loved more than words can describe. All of us in your family want to see you continue to grow and develop, and become everything God intended when He first created you.

You are growing up in a world that can be scary and wicked in too many places. It seems that darkness is really dark, but light is really light. My prayer for you is that you embrace God's light and that you let it shine through your life. Scripture tells us that Jesus came to be the light of the world and that He came to bring light and life to everyone. Of course you do not know what this means now, but in time you will.

I pray that God's hand of protection, guidance, and blessing will be upon you all the days of your life and that you will completely fulfill the will of God for your life. I am confident that God created you for a purpose and we pray that as time passes you will grow to embrace that purpose and live your life to the fullest. I believe in you and look forward to seeing God do great things in your life. As you launch into the "Terrific Twos," we are excited to see what life brings your way.

We all love you more than you will ever know.

With much love and gratitude to God for you,

Your Granddaddy (GaGa)

Dr. Jerry Sutton

Reflections on South Korea

I returned Monday from a 11 day trip to South Korea. During that time, I had the opportunity to preach 5 times and teach a 3 hour intensive for Liberty University on Biblical Theology. I also had the blessing and privilege of meeting and fellowshipping with some wonderful people. Dr. Timothy Chong was a marvelous host and translator. Since I have been back, I have taken some time to reflect on the experience. Permit me to share with you what I observed.

First, it stuck me how similar seminary students are all over the world. With the exception of he language barrier, which seemed very minor, the students I taught in South Korea were similar to students I have taught in Fort Worth, Nashville, Lynchburg, and Kansas City. They love the Lord, feel called to ministry, want to prepare as best they can, are somewhat idealistic, and have a ton of questions concerning the practical side of ministry. It was a real joy to spend the week with them.

Second, I was struck by the strategic importance of South Korea. As goes that nation, so goes the nations of the Pacific rim. Many philosophies are vying for the soul of that nation. Islam is making strategic inroads, Communist agitators have infiltrated from the North, and traditional eastern religions like Buddhism and Taoism are still very prevalent. At the same time, with South Korea's upward social mobility, secularism and atheism are also pulling at the cultural fabric. Korea is a mixture of extreme light and extreme darkness.

Third, I was struck by the need in the churches for equipping. Churches in Korea range from the largest in the world to very small. Pastors are honored and diligent in their desire to walk in obedience to the Lord. The greatest challenge from my observation is training the churches in how to reach people with the Gospel. Equipping pastors to equip their people to reach their country and culture seemed of paramount importance. Equipping the people in Apologetics and particularly how to present the Gospel in light of competing world-views struck me as a first priority.

This is a great time for Liberty University and Liberty Korea to be crafting a strategy to equip pastors and their churches to contend for the faith once for all delivered to the saints. I am grateful for the godly leadership of Dr. Timothy Chong. I am grateful for the opportunity I had to play a small part in God's big work in such a strategic place in our world.

3 Steps to Lowering Anxiety

For most people, anxiety is no stranger. It shows up like an uninvited guest. It is a feeling that can be triggered by circumstances good or bad. So,  the question is how can we deal with this feeling effectively?

Specifically, anxiety is that uneasy feeling that circumstances, real or perceived, will spiral out of control. It is a feeling of fear, worry, or uneasiness which is generalized and unfocused. Anxiety is rooted in fear of the unknown, fed by a personal sense of inadequacy and a sub-conscious sense of unpreparedness. The question is, how do I minimize this anxiety?

First, try to pinpoint the source of your anxiety. Do you have family concerns? Are you insecure with respect to your job? Do you have uncertainty over your finances? Are you dreading a doctor's appointment? Do you have the pressure of a deadline? Is there a rational explanation for what is "eating at you?" Identifying its source may help you deal with it more effectively.

Second, understand that the best way to deal with uncertainty is to prepare the best way you know how. Here are some ways to cope.

1. Plan your time.

2. Work off a "to do" list.

3. Anticipate possible scenarios.

4. Establish your projected course(s) of action.

5. Prioritize your work. Do the most important things first. Choose to minimize unnecessary 

    distractions.

6. Remember that the more time you spend planning, the less time will be required for execution.

Third, remember that you can trust your unknown future to the known God.

1.    He created you.

2.    He knows you.

3.    He loves you.

4.    He wants to bless you.

5.    He wants you to be fruitful in your endeavors.

The closer you get to God, the less anxiety will adversely affect you! Recall Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 6:25-34, He addresses the issue of worry and anxiety. He concludes the matter by promising, "Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these other things (whatever you need) will be added to you." Peter said, "Casting all your care on Him because He cares for you." These promises are for you.

Use your anxiety or whatever might be causing your anxiety as a springboard to motivate you to chase after God who does not want you to live as a captive to anxiety.

Intake of the Word, Part 2

   

Last week I shared the reading plan that I use in order to get a steady intake of the Word. I wrote that I plan to read through the New Testament once a month. For any who might wonder about including the Old Testament in your reading plan, permit me to share the rest of the story. As anyone can tell, the Old Testament is almost four times longer than the New. So, for me, I try to read through the Old Testament once a year. The question is how do I do it? At first glance, it seems like a daunting task. Many who start reading through the Old Testament get bogged down as they try to get through Leviticus so be forewarned. Push through it even if you do not grasp as much as you did in Genesis and Exodus.

Someone asked the proverbial question, "How do you eat an elephant?" The classic response is,"One bite at a time." How do you read through the Old Testament? One page at a time. I have broken the Old Testament into monthly assignments. Daily readings can be from two to four pages. Here is how you can break what appears to be a monumental task into smaller manageable units:

January: read Genesis and Exodus

February: read Leviticus through Deuteronomy

March: read Joshua through 1 Samuel

April: read 2 Samuel through 1 Kings

May: read 2 Kings through 2 Chronicles

June: read Ezra through Job

July: read Psalms

August: read Proverbs through Song of Solomon

September: read Isaiah

October: read Jeremiah

November: read Lamentations through Daniel

December: read Hosea through Malachi

This is a simple plan that will work if you will simply implement it. The key is consistency. I challenge you to get into God's Word and read it and study it for your self. Whenever I read the Scriptures, I always ask three guiding questions: What does it say? What does it mean? And, what am I going to do about it? I challenge you to get into the Word and let it shape you into being Christ-like!