The point of the story isn’t that you can’t be rich and go to heaven. The point is that you have to let go of EVERYTHING to follow Jesus and find eternal life.

What are you holding on to? Is it money? It’s great to have money, and even to have lots of it. But if you haven’t RELEASED it to him, it’s holding you back. Other things that can hold us back are pride, popularity, greed, sexual sin, materialism, anger, and ANYTHING that God would want you to release.

What’s holding you back? Let it go today!

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Great leaders always ask questions! It’s about a quest, a journey, always seeking knowledge. But so few people ever ask questions.

Ask the right people the right questions to get the right answers.

What keeps us from asking questions:
Fear

Pride – it’s all about me… The ride of pride. I’m not going to lower myself to ask that question.

Are you asking questions? There are thousands of questions in the Bible. Where are you? Who do people say I am?

Who are the right people to ask?
1) God – what about my Master? My mate? My mission? Bow your knee to Jesus. He can answer more for you than anyone. Are you doing what you are called to do?

2) Others – who is your ‘they?’ We have to have the right ‘they’ to ask?

T- tough
H- honesty
E- encouraging – people who are around you should be happy about life
Y- yielded to God and with you

3 kinds of people:
People who are with you
People who are for you
People who will betray you

HNL – Hole nutha level – bring a hole nutha devil

You got to have the right people around you

3) Yourself – ask yourself questions. Why am I making this decision? Thinking about the past, present, and future is this the best call for me?

What are the right questions?

1) Can I get confirmation of something I think maybe I should do?

2) Is there something I can copy, then make better?

3) What do I need to cancel?

4) What do I need to create?

Great talk!

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This story has made a huge impact on my life. My grandmother died just a few years after she wrote the letter. I knew her and remember her from my early years, but I never knew she had such a deep, real, life-changing relationship with Jesus. When I became a Christian my senior year at Texas A&M University, I thought I was beginning a new Christian legacy in my family. None of us were walking with the Lord then. Most of my family members are walking with the Lord now, but at the time nobody seemed to be real serious about it. This letter made me realize that my family has a Christian heritage and legacy! I can’t tell you how much that means to me. We got off the path for a while, but we are back. It has also shown me where my mom got her determination and love of serving. I hope you’ll take a few minutes to read it…

Here’s the story: | Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 | Page 4 |

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On New Year’s day, we received some very bad news… My mother passed away unexpectedly. It was a very sad week for my family and me. My mom and I were very close. She always had a way of making me feel better when times were tough. She had such a large love for her grandkids.

We are comforted with the fact that she walked with the Lord. We know because of His grace she is with Him right now. Her funeral was amazing. During the ceremony, there was a time when people could share what my mom meant to them. People from all over her town (San Saba, TX) stood and shared how she had made a difference in their lives. One lady said that after being a resident of San Saba for over 30 years, she had given up on ever being a part of the community. But my mom reached out to her and helped her get to know people. Another woman shared how my mom’s life made her want to be a better woman. We cried during the whole service, but mostly they were tears of joy because God is so good.

There are five character traits that I will most remember my mother by:

1 & 2) Steadfastness and Optimism: These two went hand in hand for her. She never let anything keep her down. No matter what happened to her, she always found a way to make the best of it, usually turning it into a good thing. For example, she had a stroke 12 years ago. It caused her to lose some mobility in her left leg and the use of her left arm. Most people would have given up. But she pushed through and later came to see the stroke as one of the greatest blessings in her life. She saw it as a blessing because God used it to get her attention and to help her refocus her life. Over and over at the funeral people talked about how she had such a positive attitude and smiling face.

3) Hospitality: My mom loved to bring people together and help them feel included. She moved to San Saba about 10 years ago, not knowing a soul. San Saba is a small town of about 2500. Small towns are hard to become a part of. But she did and she brought other people in with her. She was an active member of about 10 church and community groups. Two women came up to me after the funeral and said she was their best friend! The pastor of her church said that one of the first houses he was invited to when he came to San Saba was hers.

4) Commitment: The different people who were in activities and clubs with her mentioned over and over how faithful she was in attendance. She was the person they could count on to be there no matter how she felt. We experienced the “flip side” of this from time to time when she came to visit us. She would always have to leave to get back to Choir Practice or something like that.

5) Love for her grandkids: Man, she was crazy about her 10 grandkids. What more can I say about that?!

I will miss her very much. Two verses have been in my mind that last couple of days as I think of my mom:

Proverbs 22:6 Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. My mom was raised in a Christian home. With all the ups and downs in her life and in her faith, she ended up back on the right path.

Psalm 115:16 Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.

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There are a lot of “world views” out there. Some people are all about the RULES. They want to outlaw all forms of entertainment. No football, no parties, no fun. They want to put so many rules on people there is no way they could possibly keep them. Other people don’t want to have any rules at all. “If it feels good, do it” they say. Or, “As long as it doesn’t hurt anyone then it is ok.” All of those world views are out there. If you subscribe to one of those world views, I respect your choice.

I have a different world view. I love being a Christian. It’s not alway easy. Jesus tells me that I will face persecution just because I love Him (John 15:20). I know I will face troubles. I know all of that. But I also know this… following Christ has put an UNDYING sense of optimism in me. Sure, I get depressed and discouraged regularly. Who doesn’t? But I always come back to HOPE… hope that God’s church will prevail, hope that He wants the best for me and my family, hope that the Gospel will change the world. It’s awesome to serve the God of hope.

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