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Category Archives: Family

“IDNW?” (week #1)

15 Sep

Great kick off to this semester last Sunday morning here at Hyde Park in Austin! Margie and I loved seeing familiar faces and meeting new friends. We covered a lot of ground including the ultimate choices that most marriages eventually face…

images4

  1. Get divorced – a tough choice, the death of a marriage
  2. Remain “un-divorced” – Stay married as roommates with separate lives

or

3. Build a GREAT Marriage – and THAT is what we are shooting for…

So, here is where we are going this semester…

“Why marriage?” – Gen 2 (Overview)
“Building a Marriage that Lasts” – The FOUR C’s – Ephesians 5
“What’s Love Got to do with it?” – I Cor 13
“If it Ain’t Broke…Break It!  – James 4:10
“Give Away What You Can’t Keep” –  Matt 7:3-5
“Its’ ALL About Me…really it is” – Eph. 2:8-9
“The “F” Word” – Matt 5:16
“The Ugly, Nasty, Beautiful …Truth” –  John 4:24
“That’s What She Said” –  1 Peter 3:7
“I Know You Are But What Am I?” – Hebrews 12:14
“I’m Not Your Mother” – Eph. 5
“Why Didn’t You Say So?” – 1 Peter 3:7
“I Never Knew”- Matt 7:3-5
“Good Sex” –  I Cor 7:5
“What Exactly Needs Completing Here?” –  Col 2:10
“The Best Trips Take a While” – James 1:12-22

We would love to see you at 9:45am on Sundays at the Hyde Park campus (3901 Speedway in Austin). If you know of anyone who would be interested in joining us then send em or bring em with you!

                                                                                                                                       Margie and Hixon

 
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Posted by on September 15, 2016 in Family, Marriage

 

5 QUICK TIPS FOR BLESSING YOUR TEENAGER(S)

07 Feb

1. MAKE YOUR HOME “BASE”. For those of you that grew up playing outside (without video games, cell phones or internet) you may remember a great game called “Kick the Can”. (at least it was great in my Tulsa, Ok neighborhood in 1977)  It is like a lot of “tag” games in that the object is to avoid getting “tagged” by the person who is “IT” while at the same time trying to “kick the stationary can” that he is protecting. To add to the fun there is a designated “base”. It may be a tree, a shrub or a fence but as long as you are on “base”  you cannot be “tagged” or disqualified from the game….you are safe! While “on base” you could relax, catch your breath, work on “strategy” and prepare to re-engage the game etc….

That is a perfect picture of what a home needs to be for teenagers….a “base”.  Safe emotionally, physically and spiritually.   A Sanctuary – I have spoken/written on this a lot. The world is putting our kids into a vice and squeezing them. Any teenager that wants to “walk with the Lord” is going to have to resist a lot of pressure. But like any of us, they cannot resist 24/7!  They need a place where they can be free from pressure, undeserved criticism and sarcasm. Your home should be a “sanctuary”.

2. “WIN” THEIR HEARTS and THEIR BEHAVIOR WILL FOLLOW (usually)  – While I know that we are our kid’s parents first and their friend 2nd, (especially when they are young), somewhere in their early teens a very cool things takes place: You get to talk to them like a real live person! A dialogue instead of monologue. Actually sharing ideas instead of solely instructing. It may happen once and then not again for a while…but then it happens again. Before you know it you are having validating, important life changing discussions with an intelligent viable teenager….almost like a friendship!

I’m not talking about getting your kids to like you….. I’m talking about respecting a teenager’s gifts, personality, bent, etc….  You are beginning to make the turn from instructor and role model to confidant and role model. (yea, ya never really lose the whole role model thing). If you never make this transition you will frustrate your teenager and (opinion) stunt their growth. You were a teenager once…

3. “TALK” WHEN THEY WANT TO ‘TALK” – scheduling time to talk is very difficult. It can feel forced and canned etc…. but God seems to bring our kids around to a time when they want to share stuff with us. That usually means (especially in the summer) that my wife or I (usually my wife) will have to stay up with them till they go to bed. What is it about teenage girls that wants to talk after midnight?   (for you control freaks I would challenge the notion that making an 18-year-old go to bed at 10pm is a good idea 🙂 )

4. REALIZE YOUR KIDS WILL “LOOK LIKE YOU” IN WAYS YOU DON’T INTEND. They will become WHO you are in every area of life. Mannerisms, sarcasm, anger, humility, pride, devotion to the Lord,  etc….   Jerry and Mary Royal say it best: “They will follow WHO YOU ARE before they follow WHAT YOU SAY”. Your child has a problem with authority? ….hmmmm.  Your child wrestles with worry and fear….hmmmm.  Your child does not walk closely with the Lord?…. well… you get it.

5. GET TO KNOW “THEIR WORLD” – Our kids walk in to a highly competitive, dramatic and morally “foggy” environment at school and need us (more than they know) to help navigate the murky waters of faith and friends. The only way to do that is to talk with them (not at them).

Most teens in my kid’s world have cell phones, Facebook, Twitter, IMing, text messaging, skyping, ….. blah blah blah. So do my kids… It is just a “hill I refuse to die on”. (Me? I had a phone… a land line…that I hated talking on…I’m a guy)  More than once I have had a texting conversation with my teens when they are just in the other room. (don’t judge me). It has always been the start of a much deeper conversation face to face. SO…get into what they are into and you may find that you and your teen can communicate well in the languages THEY most like to use. OMG you may find your son or daughter is your BFF!       lol  🙂

 
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Posted by on February 7, 2012 in Family, Leadership

 

Becoming “Friends with Loneliness” (update and re-post)

17 Jan

If your child knows the Lord and goes to school (public or private) then the following is probably true: They will be under tremendous pressure to conform to the image of the crowd. Even “good kids” will try to exert pressure to get in the “right pecking order” (typically under them).  Any school will likely have its share of good kids, promiscuous kids, angry kids, drunk kids, church kids, druggies, jocks, musicians etc…. most of whom will pressure each other to “conform” to whatever “image” they see fit.

MY POINT: If we can get our teens to “make friends with loneliness” instead of fear it, they will be much more able to resist the pressure to “conform” to the image of their schoolmates and more likely to conform to the image of our Lord. (Romans 8:29, 12:2)

Helping our children (18, 16, 12) “make friends with loneliness” has become one of the guiding principle in our parenting. Not because we want our kids to be “loners” or that we want them to lack the social skills needed to find and maintain healthy relationships… but because I want them to get to a point where the fear of loneliness does not have a grip on them.
Every bad decision I remember making, and many I don’t, was driven by the need to be “accepted”. The opposite (in my mind) of acceptance is loneliness. (or maybe better said, the result of not being accepted is often loneliness)

SO HOW? Here are a few ideas…

  1. Understand that loneliness is PART OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH. I know many folks that feel slighted by God because they have listened to some  “knuckle-headed, health/wealth” preacher who promised that God is here for our comfort. So if we are “uncomfortable” (lonely) then we must not be in God’s will…right?   Nothing could be further from the truth. (2 Timothy 4:9-10, Phil.3:8)
  2. Help them EXPECT IT! When we are in Junior High and sit with the kid who “no one” sits with, or we are in High School and say “NO”  to what “everyone is doing” we will alienate a certain group of people. Doing the right thing always “ruffles feathers”.  (By the way, the attacks don’t always come from the “mean kids”.  If you do not follow the crowd you will very likely experience times when you are lonely. 
  3. Know that GOD OFTEN WORKS MOST FREELY in our lives when we are lonely! He has our attention when we are hurting. He will also change our need for others into a desire for Himself. When we realize the reality of an all-sufficient God and the closeness we can have with Him, loneliness looses its TEETH.
  4. GIVE EM A PLACE TO “COME HOME TO” where they are not alone. I mean make your home a place where they can be WITH you. If you are like us things are “crazy busy”. Especially when our kids hit the teenage years we were all going in different directions! I am haunted by my son’s words after what was a rare dinner all together…”I really like it when we are all together”. Later when I tucked him in I asked him about it. He said…” yea, I just don’t feel as alone when we are all together”.  OUCH!!
  5. NEVER ENCOURAGE YOUR KIDS TO BE “PLEAS-ERS”.   Help them be obedient to authority in their lives, help them be respectful of adults and even help them avoid a “rebellious heart” …..  but NEVER ask your kids to capitulate, even a little, to other kids just to be accepted. (We all tend to lean that way anyway.) Once we get accepted for the wrong reasons then it is like “CRACK”.  It eventually robs us of our ability to  stand for anything.
 
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Posted by on January 17, 2012 in Discipleship, Family

 

THANKS FBC!

23 May

June 22, 2011

Dear Church family,

I am very excited about what God is doing here at First Baptist church. The growth, outreach, camaraderie and excellence of this church is a minister’s dream.

BUT today is the culmination of about 9 weeks of resistance, prayer, and finally willingness to embrace what God seems to have for me and my family.  I have accepted God’s call to go to Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas and serve on her staff.   My last Sunday as Minister of Education and Discipleship here at First Baptist will be June 19, 2011

We make this decision with GREAT EXCITEMENT but a heavy heart.

I cannot thank everyone this morning but I want to thank THREE GROUPS OF FOLKS:

  • Staff Leadership
    • Dr Jeffress for taking a chance on me almost 9 years ago (personnel committee for agreeing to it) and asking me to be the Minister of Young Adults. Allowing me to come back to Wichita Falls and serve in my home church.
    • Pastor Bob (Dr. Bob McCartney) – for hiring me to be the Minister of Education and Discipleship shortly after he arrived here.
      • His Passion and Vision are infectious and we soon adopted them as our own
      • His steady leadership and excellence in the pulpit has blessed my family and this church.
      • He has become not just my pastor but my friend.
      • I trust him and respect him more than you will know
      • He (and MaryAnne) has blessed Margie, me, and my kids by being a man we respect and admire not just in the pulpit but at the dinner table.
      • I want to say publicly: “Thank you for allowing me to serve here on your team”.
    • Jerry Royal – It is no secret that Jerry is one of my closest friends in ministry.
      • Jerry is a gifted leader and teacher
      • He has been a ministerial peer, and then boss and has handled that transition with integrity, sensitivity and wisdom.
      • We have walked together through the ups and downs of ministry.
      • He has been willing to “pick me up” when needed and “push back” when necessary
      • I have grown more and “walked better with God” because of his friendship.
      • WE have grown more b/c of Jerry and Mary’s friendship.
  • The STAFF I have gotten to serve with:
    • They have been tested by the fires of ministry and been found faithful, deeply spiritual and competent.
    • They are fiercely loyal, incredibly competent.
    • They work hard and expect little in return.
    • They rallied around me and Margie when I assumed leadership of the Ed Staff
    • There are no self-absorbed egos.
    • I am honored to have served alongside them
  • THE CHURCH BODY (this is my home) 
    • When I was 13 years old (1980) I gave my life to Jesus Christ in what is now the East Sanctuary of this church
    • Asked Margie to marry me on the platform (East Sanctuary) and Dr. Chapman married us 11 months later here at FBC
    • Some of you even took care of Margie when she was a child.
    • I baptized my son here in this church
    • My kids have deepened their faith here
    • Not a Sunday goes by where someone does not come up to me and thanks me for something I may or may not have had anything to do with.
    • You have blessed my kids
    • You have blessed my wife
    • You have accepted me as one of your own
    • You have APPLAUDED MY STRENGTHS AND COVERED MY WEAKNESSES 
    • You have made it easy to serve here.

Our Pastor, Staff and Body have shaped our lives for almost 9 years. (IN many ways for 31 years).

There are exciting days ahead for First Baptist Church!

PLEASE PRAY for us during this transition as you can be sure that we are praying for you.

Thank you.

Hixon and Margie Frank, Sydney, Sarah-Clare and Grayson

 
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Posted by on May 23, 2011 in Family, Leadership

 

“HOW TO MAKE A WIFE” WEEK: “Work and Study” Devo 5-9-11

09 May

I have believed for a long time that after about two years of marriage, our wives become who we create them to be. They either “blossom” under the safety that we provide (emotional, physical, spiritual) or they get “crushed” under our arrogance and selfishness. Most women allow their husbands, initially anyway, to have that kind of sway in their lives.

This week we will look at skills that a man needs to possess in order to establish a solid marriage…the whole week is “MY OPINION” and not intended to be a Bible Study per se. Also gotta note that these posts are based on my personal conviction that the state of your marriage (and mine) is primarily the responsibility of the man. So for us to have marriages that are BUILT TO LAST I believe that each of us men should have the following 10 skills:

We need to have the SKILL to…

1. PROVIDE FOR HER. Yep, that is right! Get a job, keep it and do well at it. 1 Timothy 5:8 Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

I think for most men this idea is pretty simple and straightforward but is has HUGE implications for how hard we work, how we handle set backs and how we submit to the authority that is represented at work. It is a gross overstatement to say that a woman primarily is looking for financial security…but there is a some truth to it. A woman should be able to expect her husband to work hard (not work-a-holic), take care of the resources God has provided (without being a scrooge), and make responsible financial decisions etc…. It is NOT an unspiritual pursuit to seek to provide well for your family. (obviously it can be taken too far) Somewhere between living in a cardboard box and a mansion in Turtle Creek lies the reasonable expectation. You can live on a small salary or a big one and still provide “well” for your family.

2. STUDY HER. 1 Peter 3:7 You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.

Know her dreams, fears, likes and dislikes, her tendencies (good and bad) and what “pushes her buttons”. Know what makes her happy or causes her stress. Know what hurts her feelings and why. Hint: men and women have the same emotions….they just come out differently. Women get angry…so do women, men get insecure…so do women, men need respect….so do women. Think about it!

REMEMBER:

“THE FACT THAT YOUR WIFE IS A WOMAN IS A STRENGTH FROM WHICH TO BENEFIT

and NOT A WEAKNESS TO BE MANAGED”.

from The Bible Study Series, “Things They Did Not Tell Me About My Faith” – Hixon Frank 2007

 
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Posted by on May 9, 2011 in Devotional Thoughts, Family

 

LEADERSHIP WEEK: “And the KIDS will Lead Them” Devo 4-13-11

13 Apr

I LOVE KIDS….

But when it comes to LEADERSHIP IN THE HOME the job does not fall to the “10 year old” to determine what is best. It falls to mom and dad.

In light of that fact, may I have a small fit for a moment…thank you!

Some time ago I spoke to a nice family at the soccer complex. We talked about sports, jobs and kids and then the subject turned to church. They mentioned they had tried one of our services and loved it. “Now we’re talking!”, I thought.

Then the dad explained proudly that they would be out most Sundays in the Spring because their son (11) was on a traveling baseball team that plays each weekend in the Metroplex. (We live about 120 miles from Dallas/Ft.Worth).

“So, will you just attend church down there?” I asked, clearly trying to make a point.

“Well, er…eh… we will have church together as a family at the hotel”, came the “honest to goodness” reply.

He also mentioned that his daughter (9) really hopes to be on a traveling Soccer team in the Fall so they hope to be with her most weekends too. (So the plan is to spend most weekends in the Spring and Fall out of town and out of church, I guess they have the summer and Christmas vacation to get plugged in to a local church.)  THEN to cap it off they asked me to pray that she would make the team!

…. make the team? MAKE THE TEAM! What I really hope is that she does not make the team, her brother hates baseball and the family gets in church more than once a quarter.

JUDGEMENTAL? I’m really not judging their hearts…in fact I would say that their hearts are in the right place...but I am judging their actions! I’ve said it before but these are the “same folks” who will insist their rebellious 17 year olds go to church to get “their head straight” and when that does not happen they will blame God, the church and even Abner Doubleday!

1. NO ONE GROWS IN THEIR FAITH ON A SPORTS FIELD (or in bed) ON SUNDAY MORNING. “…but we are tired….but we were up till 1:30am last night…. but we have been so busy this Spring…. but no one likes us there….. but God is everywhere and we are going to have church at the ball field ….. but kids from “our school” don’t go there…. but the youth guys does not even know my name….but little Johnny’s “ex” goes there and that would be uncomfortable… but the church is full of hypocrites…. zzzzzzz ….heard it all before!  I understand that sometime everyone has to miss church. I am not a legalist but seriously. How can you be involved in and grow with a church when you attend only 25% of the time?

TRANSLATION: “Even though Jesus Christ “loved the church and Gave himself up for her” (Eph 5:25 “…just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.) we don’t believe it is all that big of a deal. We will let ya know if we need ya.”

2. YOU MAKE YOUR KIDS GO TO SCHOOL DON’T YA? (applies to home schoolers too) If little Suzie got up one morning and said “Mom”, I don’t want to go to school today because I was up too late last night.” What would you say? How bout if Timmy whined, “nobody likes me there and the teachers are stupid!” What do you say then?  You would say (since you love them) “look whistle britches, get your rear out of bed, put your clothes on, brush your teeth and get in the car!” If you can grab a pop-tart as you run through the kitchen then fine….but be in that car in ten minutes!

TRANSLATION: Church is not that important to us…. we will fight to get them out of bed and to school by 7:15 (cuz THAT is important) but we allow them to drag themselves their into a LIFE group 30 minutes late if they go at all (Hebrews 12:11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it..)

3. A FAMILY THAT REVOLVES AROUND THE KIDS CAN MAKE FOR SELF-ABSORBED CHILDREN. I am NOT implying that the kids should not get your attention...just not ALL of your attention. They need to know that there are things MORE IMPORTANT THAN THEY ARE sometimes. Things like your spouse, those in need….GOD!  Every time you make a choice to place them ahead of your spouse, those in need and God, you are creating little self-absorbed “monsters”…..ok maybe that was too strong….how bout self-absorbed “rascals”…yea “rascals” is better.

TRANSLATION: You are the most important thing in the world…ya little darling.

THE CHALLENGE TO MOMS AND DADS IS TO LEAD OUR FAMILIES IN THE THINGS THAT ARE IMPORTANT FOR MORE THAN JUST “THIS SPRING”

 
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Posted by on April 13, 2011 in Devotional Thoughts, Family, Leadership

 

HERO WEEK: “We IMITATE Our HEROES” 4-7-11

07 Apr

I sat across from him and wondered to myself…how could it have gotten this bad? His life, once full of promise, had spiralled into a world of meth, alcohol and abuse. At only 30 yrs old he was ready to quit. The only thing that kept him alive was that he could not bear the thought of leaving his three kids behind. His estranged wife had “moved on” and was already with another guy (actually her 2nd “other guy”).

There he sat…looking at me kind of blankly… I don’t think he really expected me to help much. Ya see he was a church kid and had heard it all before….. “God loves you and has a great plan for your life”, “Lean on Jesus”, “God won’t bless the immorality in your life”, “what you are going through is a natural consequence of the choices you have made” ….blah, blah, blah! …

In a simple act of frustration I said the following…”“Those kids of yours that you love so much…all they want is to be close to their dad! They don’t care about your past…to them you are their HERO…start acting like it!” (yea I know, not my most compassionate moment)

He would tell me later that those words pierced him. At that moment he seemed to realize that someone else in his world needed him to be different, needed him to be better….needed him to be daddy.  He is now (many months later) part of a growing group of folks in our church who are coming back to their faith because they realized that their kids were going to follow their examples.  He has embraced his faith with both arms and is not just involved but is leading others to be involved as well.

Now he “walks with the Lord”…closely

THE POINT: Every one of us has people who look up to us. For a lot of us it is our kids.

As we examine our lives can I honestly encourage my kids to  “imitate me”?.

(1 Corinthians 4:16 – Therefore I urge you to imitate me”.)

Or do I need to encourage them to ignore me?

Dads/Moms, you ARE your children’s HEROES.

 
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Posted by on April 7, 2011 in Devotional Thoughts, Discipleship, Family

 

HERO WEEK: “Lover, Partner, Friend…HERO!” 4-6-11

06 Apr

Today is my wife’s birthday! And it is completely APPROPRIATE that her birthday lands right in the middle of HERO WEEK! We met when I was 16 and she was 15. Our first date was to the 1983 Round-Up Dance at SH Rider High (see pic below) And while I cannot possibly do justice to the profound impact she has had on my life, I offer this….

Before I ever actually met her, I met her REPUTATION. She was the girl in High School who loved Jesus and loved others. She had friends in every group. Some were cowboys, “preppies”, “druggies”, jocks, “honor rollers” and “holy rollers”. Her key to all of these relationships was not that she changed with each group but that she was the same…every time. She caught some heat from her “church friends” for talking to the girls who smoked, the guys with pierced ears and the “death metal crowd”. But she thought that if Jesus would talk to them then maybe she should too…SHE HAS NOT CHANGED AT ALL IN THIS REGARD. You are just as likely to find her with a friend who is a believer with “it all together” as you are seeing her interacting with someone “far from God”. I love that about her…….. HERO!

Margie is COURAGEOUS. I have seen her in so many situations where she has had to be brave. From the death of her father to standing in front a crowd and teaching what no one else would…… she is a brave woman… HERO!

She gives me COURAGE. In my first church, I was the Min of Students/Music Minister. That’s right I led the singing for the 100 or so folks who showed up! (quit laughing) I was so nervous being in front of a “crowd” that every Sunday morning (first 6-8 months) about 5:30am I would wake up, go to the bathroom, barf my guts out then head to the the living room, sit in the dark and pray. She is the one who came in later…looked me in the eye and said “You can do this!”. She has done that 1000 times since then…….. HERO!

Margie is FIERCELY LOYAL to me. She is always on MY SIDE, always IN MY CORNER and always on my TEAM!! HERO!

Margie is DISCIPLINED. She is a runner….I mean a “marathon running, get up at 5:30am in the freezing cold and run 5 miles before she goes to church kind of runner”. I have learned to work through some very difficult times because of her example of discipline in running …and 100 other things….HERO!

Margie is an terrific MOM. She seems to know “what to do next” in parenting. She can tell when one of our kids acting out of pain or acting out of “rebellion”. Margie can LAUGH at HERSELF. You would think that someone as “freakishly talented” as she is would be “kinda snooty” but she is gracious to everyone she meets…. probably has ever met! ROLE MODEL!

She FORGIVES EASILY. Lets just say it is a good thing she has this quality. (nuff said) HERO!

Margie is the most INTUITIVE person that I know. She just knows things…things about parenting, things about people, things about which way to go etc…She is WISE. HERO!

Margie has close FRIENDS. She has close friends. I mean really close! Margie is georgeous! I mean seriously…who looks that good at “forty-t_ _ _ _” … um…er… her age?

Margie makes me BETTER… a better man, dad, husband and pastor. (Heck, I don’t eat out of a can, belch in public or weight 400 lbs because of her!!) She showed me how to “shake hands and look people in the eyes”, how to look for the person sitting alone and befriend them and how to “speak up” when no one else will. It is an understatement to say if God had not brought Margie to me I would be “lost” in life. (I’m not saying she is perfect, just perfect for me)

HERO!

RUTH 1:16 “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.

 

 
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Posted by on April 6, 2011 in Biographical, Devotional Thoughts, Discipleship, Family

 

HERO WEEK: “My Brothers are my Brothers” 4-5-11

05 Apr

Everybody needs heroes… someone to look up to….someone who has done or is doing “it” the way you want to. These three men are at the front of the line on my “LIST OF HEROES…

Stephen Frank: (3rd from left) Because he is 5 years older than me he has always been one of my HEROES.

  • I really believe that God used Stephen to “save us all”. He was the first of my brothers to embrace Jesus. He was so changed by Jesus that I noticed….and my brothers noticed too!
  • Like most little brothers I grew up wanting to be like him (and make sure he never knew I wanted to be like him). In 1st grade I wore his football jersey to school without him knowing it. I felt pretty coolwith it on in spite of the fact that I looked ridiculous! (way too big!)
  • I have watched him confront people as well as bless them with equal skill and grace. I have often thought that if you can’t get along with Stephen….you can’t get along period.
  • Far from being a doormat, Stephen is a very successful business owner who competes with tenacity and integrity. (qualities that are not often placed together)
  • He is “Barnabas” to me. Gentle, leader, strong, reasonable…”Son of Encouragement” ….. HERO.

Acts 9:27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus.

Bruce Frank:(far left) I have watched Bruce go from being a “lost soul” (don’t even get me started!) to being the Sr. Pastor of one of the fastest growing Mega-Churches in America.

  • Bruce and I became close while at school together at Texas Tech (I was a freshman while he was a Sr). He and his friends “looked after me” my freshman year.
  • Scratch golfer (really) proud dad, leader.
  • Both of us are in “ministry” so conversations take on a special feel and his insight and wisdom in that regard has blessed me many times.
  • Bruce is as talented a man as I have ever met, but a lot of people are talented. It is his sense of humor combined with intense focus that sets him apart.
  • He is “Paul” to me. Leader, focused, fearless and visionary…..HERO.

Ephesians 4:15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.

James Frank (far right) (my twin): We have been close ever since college was over (He is an Aggies so I had to wait till he matured…ha!)

  • I can’t tell you the number of times he has “talked me off the ledge”, lent an ear or just plain spoken truth “into” me.
  • His son and I share names…Hixon. They actually refer to him as the N.I.V. (New Improved Version) If we were going to have another it would be James (Jamie) for sure. Of course if we had another one (#4) he would have another one (#5). It is the whole competition thing!
  • He is driven, competitive and bold
  • James is tenacious in his pursuit of….well…anything and he sincerely walks with God.
  • He is “Peter” to me. (cause he will actually “Get out of the boat) Leader, Thinker, Fierce, Sincere….HERO

Matthew 14:29 “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.

WHO ARE YOUR HEROES?

 
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Posted by on April 5, 2011 in Biographical, Devotional Thoughts, Family

 

FAMILY WEEK: “Mag Light for Families” Devo 4-1-11

01 Apr

The closet where I keep most of my clothes is kind of dark. Even with a 100w bulb there are parts of it that are hidden in shadows. Every couple of months, when I can’t find my sox or I am missing some shorts, I grab my trusty Mag Light and head to my closet. I know that more than likely I will find my missing items in corners or behind the stack of sweaters. I have found gloves, baseballs, hot-wheels, shotgun shells (I actually found shotgun shells!) receipts, keys, a cell phone, a Bible, change, thank you notes, nametags, pens, a knife (leatherman!) a Pike Pass and probably some more stuff I can’t remember! I found my stuff when I shined light on it! It could not stay hidden!

I think God is always in the process of shining light on our stuff too.

THE POINT: Every problem I have ever seen in a marriage/family starts when sin is kept in the dark. It can be as small as fudging on how much you spent on something….to hiding an affair…but the root is the same…SECRECY. Keeping it hidden and in the dark. Secret eating, porn, lies, relationships, etc…fade away when brought into the light. The “Mag Light” of God’s Word can shine light on all of our stuff.

Ephesians 5:8

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light

SIN CANNOT FLOURISH IN THE LIGHT!

 
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Posted by on April 1, 2011 in Devotional Thoughts, Family, Leadership, Uncategorized

 
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