Welcome to my weblog.

On this site I would like to share with you insights the Lord is giving me from my reading in His word, from my reading in general, and from my travels as I see God at work.

This is my personal pilgrimage but I would like to make it available to you.

I pray some things God is teaching me may also encourage you.

40 Years

Challenged by Scripture

I recently participated in a conference with several other speakers including Jennifer Kennedy Dean. In one of her presentations she pointed out that in Acts 7:22-25, Moses "was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and deeds". When he saw a fellow Israelite being oppressed by an Egyptian, he killed the Egyptian. "For he supposed that his brethren would have understood that God would deliver them by his hand, but they did not understand." I must confess I had not noticed this passage. I am much more familiar with the account of Moses at the burning bush when Moses presents God with a long litany of reasons why God is calling the wrong person. Moses chief objections? He couldn't speak eloquently and he was not a leader.

What happened to Moses? Forty years earlier, he was proud of his Ivy League education and his ability to speak and act powerfully. He assumed that his countrymen would recognize that he was obviously the best educated and most skilled leader among them. He was a natural leader. Moses was prepared to use all of his skills and training to free his people. Of course, his people didn't need Moses; they needed God. God took forty years to purge Moses of his pride and self confidence. God is an expert at teaching humility! Forty years later, Moses had no confidence in his own ability and had to rely solely on God.

What struck me was what happened during those forty years. Obviously God is willing to take as much time as necessary to fashion us into an instrument for his using. Character development takes time. God was willing to leave Moses in a desert for forty years until he learned what God wanted to teach him. Does it always take God forty years to teach humility? No. Apparently Moses was not the fastest learner. As a result, Moses spent forty years in God's school when he might have been ministering to and leading God's people. And what about the Israelites? What were they doing during those forty years? Suffering in their bondage. They spent forty more years in bondage because Moses' character was not yet ready. People suffer when we are not prepared to be used by God. I have asked myself, "Are people missing out on God's best because I have not been quick to allow God to do a fresh work in my life? Christianity is not merely an individual experience. It is corporate. What God does in my life affects other people. My kids, spouse, colleagues, fellow church members all feel the impact of my walk with God. For their sake, I need to enthusiastically allow God to do whatever He chooses in my life.

Travel

April was another full and rewarding month of ministry. I spoke at a banquet in Houston then taught at Glen Eyrie, Colorado Springs at a pastors/wives conference with my father. Then I spoke at a regional conference on prayer in Casper, Wyoming. I taught a spiritual leadership institute for Christian CEOs in Atlanta and spoke at a spiritual leadership conference with my father in Abingdon, West Virginia.

I would greatly appreciate your prayers for May. I will be speaking to a gathering of over 10,000 people in Lancaster, Pennsylvania for the National Day of Prayer. Then I will speak at a pastors' conference with my father at The Cove. My father and mother and I will then travel to Cyprus where we will be doing leadership training for the Campus Crusade staff from across Europe. Pray for strength and insight into what each group will need to hear from God's word.

Reading/Writing

I have recently been reading, Neal Gabler's book, Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination. It is an interesting study of one of America's great creative minds. I was also pleased to see a new book by me and my dad released entitled: God In the Marketplace: 45 Questions Fortune 500 CEOs Ask About Faith, Life and Business. It includes 45 of the top questions we have been asked through our ministry to Christian CEOs along with our answers. While not everyone can participate in our CEO training, now the teaching is being made available to everyone. We pray it will bless many people as they seek to be on God's agenda where God has assigned them in their workplace.

Posted by Richard Blackaby at 9:44 am