Hello all and may the blessing of He who is, "All That Is" be yours as we enter into this joyous Christmas Season. Of course Madison Avenue started Christmas on Halloween! Enough already about that.
In 2005 I caught the vision to be Founder & President of the DFW Christian Chamber of Commerce, a 501 c-6 non-profit corporation created to provide, networking, fellowship & educational opportunities to Christian businessmen and women in greater Dallas Fort Worth.
I remember walking in a park one beautiful fall afternoon, having a conversation with Jesus that went something like this; "Lord, I know in my life I have come up short when you suggested to me that I lay down my burdens and take up the cross. I have made some choices in my life that I wish I could take back but, life is like this isn't it? Choices, we make them every day, sometimes for good, sometimes not (sometimes you are the bug, sometimes the windshield!). What ever the case may have been, fifteen years ago, I caught the Jesus bug in a real and substantial way. Prior to that, I had spent most of my life sitting in the back of the church, wondering, daydreaming and generally ignoring the words my priest (pastor) kept preaching to me as I tried not to fall asleep (Lord, you know I was trying to stay awake...)
Did you ever read the book "If life is a bowl of cherries, why I am I down in the pits? Erma Bombeck wrote that. I think she wrote it for people like me! In my career, I had spent fifteen years singing folk and country and western music music in "seedy bars" and the occasional country club, twenty five years travelling the world, selling a Dallas area destination for meetings, conventions, tourism and travel writers. I was totally "me-focused" and climbed my mountain. Then in one blinding moment of indiscretion, I fell from grace. I jokingly like to tell my friends I went from "The boardroom to the boiler room" The truth is, it was the truth. Life is about choices, (oh I said that already huh?)
Well, it's 2009 and here I am, by the grace of God still standing. And it seems to me that, everything I have done in my life, good and bad, has led to where I am today. And now that I have nearly recovered from a quadruple by pass in November of 2007 (oh, did I mention I almost died and made a pact with Jesus?) Aha, well more about that in the next installment of "Benton's Blog" or perhaps better titled "The Christian Business Connection". Yes, dear ones, I got close to the gate and have lived to tell about it (so far!).
In closing this installment, let me be clear. I would not be writing this blog were it not for the fact that for many years even though I wanted to be close to Christ, I didn't feel worthy! And that's an understatement. Back in 2000 Christ had put it in my heart to become a servant leader and I did my best to ignore the call. Then in that same year I started reading the bible. I was astounded to discover that "As a Man Thinketh", Proverbs 23:7.
Did you know that Saint Paul persecuted Christians with a Vengeance? Sampson was a womanizer, David was a murder, Moses Killed a man, Peter denied he knew Christ three times, Rahab was a harlot, Solomon had multiple wives who worshiped pagan Gods, Abraham had a child with his concubine and then threw her out the tent!
I think there is truth in the saying, God loves the sinner but hates the sin! God loves you and He loves me too! Stay tuned for more!
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