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COULD YOU HAVE MADE A DIFFERENCE?

 

By Coach Dave Daubenmire
November 19, 2009
NewsWithViews.com

“Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.” -Ec. 9:10

“Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” -James 4:14

I’ve been feeling a bit melancholy recently. I guess it is the frustration of doing what I do. It has been ten years since I walked away from government education employment, the security of a consistent paycheck, and the comfort that it brings. In some of my most reflective moments I ask myself if it has all been worth it.

I’ll be fifty seven next week, two days after Michele and I celebrate our thirtieth anniversary. I look into her big brown eyes and even bigger soft heart and feel remorse for what I have put her through. When we repeated our vows three decades ago neither one of us could have imagined where our lives would lead. The two of us became one on that day, a mystery really, but what happens to me happens to her. She has sacrificed much as we have walked through the landmines that our life together has become.

We really don’t have much, at least not in the eyes of the world. All of the friends that we began our careers with are way ahead of us in material possessions. We walked away from our careers at the threshold of the most prosperous years of our lives. We have lived off of the generosity of others, trusting in the Lord for our finances as we, and second mortgages, put our three children through college.

So, here we sit, in our mid-fifties, with mounds of debt, worn out carpet, two cars in need of repair, (our “good” one smashed last week by a un-insured deer), and a deeper love for each other than we could ever have imagined. Tough-times build a bond. Only death can break ours. We thank God for all He took us through.

Stuff. That is what most of us trade our lives for. There is great satisfaction in knowing that when our hour glass runs out the only regret that we will have is leaving those we love. Sometimes “stuff” is an albatross. I hope we are known for WHO we cherished, not WHAT we clung to.

Our sacrifice was nothing compared to what others have done. We could have done so much more. So much of our life was spent doing meaningless things. How about you?

I feel like I have spent a decade in the wilderness. It is a great school, you know, the School of the Wilderness. That is where many of our great leaders have honed their skills. I thought the journey would be easier than it has been. I just knew in my heart a decade ago that all the Church needed was an awakening. It has happened before: The First Great Awakening and the Second Great Awakening. I have believed for a third, and have prayed that I would be alive to see it.

I thought my recent commentary, They Don’t Even Look Like Men might ruffle a few feathers, but I was blown away by the reaction that I received. I heard from hundreds (literally) who agreed with my premise that Christianity was in some serious need of a testosterone boost. Millions of Jesus-honoring Christians have had it up to their necklaces with organized religion. They still serve Jesus but they are no longer a part of a “local church” because they are sick and tired of the watered down, baby-milk sermons they are hearing from the pulpits.

We have become so conditioned to following the lead of the “shepherds” we have lost the initiative to question the “secular-shepherds” in government. Perhaps we would be better off if the church taught us how to question authority rather than so blindly follow it. God is THE authority. Questioning those who are supposed to represent Him is our duty. But they call us sheep for a reason.

You know what the biggest difference is between today’s Christian men and those who forged this nation? The American male no longer knows where he is headed. James Madison and his buddies knew that they stood on the precipice of something great. “For ourselves and our posterity” was their rallying cry. Today’s Christianity is focused on end-times, destruction, and defeat. It is hard to preach victory and dominion when you believe you are living out pre-written history. Most today don’t even know what the word posterity means.

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What if Martin Luther had thought that way? Would Columbus have sailed the ocean blue if he had been convinced that the end was just around the corner? Would the courageous men on Lexington Green have laid it on the line if they had read the “Left Behind” series?

Because we have lost our vision we have lost our fight. What a shame if we go down without a whimper. We are the first generation of Americans who have not lived their lives looking towards the next generation.

What if we could have made a difference? What if this was our time to stand for the Truth but we didn’t trust the Lord enough to give Him the opportunity to work through us? What if the end-time prognosticators were wrong?

No man can serve two masters. It is time to do some soul-searching and find out how deep your commitment is. Radical times demand radical measures. It is time to put works to your faith. Here are a few things you can do.

1. Get a gun and be ready to use it. Teach your wife and children to do likewise. Get to know your neighbors. Find out who gets it and who doesn’t. Be ready to stand with those who will stand with you.

2. Remove your kids from the government schools. The schools are the vehicle that the communists are using to steal our heritage. If you are grandparents, invest your money in your grandchildren. Spend your money on a Christ-centered education now!

3. Take back your church. Get rid of the Purpose Driven Drivel and life-enhancement gospel. Demand accountability in the pews and sweep clean the pulpits. Bring the Bible back to church and expel the pop culture from the youth group.

4. Shut off the TV and begin to watch old westerns and movies with a message…together…as a family. Point out examples of character.

5. Teach your children divorce is not an option. Marriage is for life…no exceptions.

6. Teach a men’s Bible study in your home. Talk about manly stuff and don’t spend so much time getting in touch with your feelings. Confront the men; stop the porn, away with selfishness.

7. Do a family outreach. Feed a family, visit a nursing home, and go to an abortion clinic…as a family. Invite friends to join you. Make family ministry part of your worship.

8. Write letters to the editor. Talk about controversial things. Educate yourself. Fight back.

9. Send your kids to a wilderness camp. Plant a garden, chop firewood and sell it.

10. Read the Bible. Teach your kids to fear God. Hate sin, and point it out to others. Call a liar a liar. Don’t apologize for what you believe. The righteous are bold.

We have no one to blame for the mess that we are in. We have done it to ourselves. We have taught our children a cowardly faith. Our great-grandfathers wouldn’t even recognize it.

A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s, children, and it isn’t money. It is heritage, faith, and family.

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I don’t ever want to feel I short-changed my opportunity to make a difference…that I loved “stuff” more than people.

Watch this 5 minute clip from Schindler’s list. We have such a short time to make a difference.

Make your life count. Does your children’s freedom matter this much to you?

Have you invested your life…or spent it?

Could you have made a difference?

Order the CDs here.

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Coach Dave Daubenmire, founder and President of Pass The Salt Ministries www.ptsalt.com and Minutemen United www.minutemenunited.org, is host of the high octane Pass The Salt radio show heard in Columbus, Ohio.

In 1999 Coach Daubenmire was sued by the ACLU for praying with his teams while coaching high school in Ohio. He now spends his energy fighting for Christian principles in the public domain.

E-Mail: coach@ptsalt.com

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