I-5 over the Columbia River

EPISODE 66. Men’s Ministry. Nine Components of Success

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What makes a great men’s ministry? I spent a little time on this and came up with nine components of a successful men’s ministry. Let’s talk about how these nine things apply to both the Jesus Freak Trucker podcast, and your ministry as you travel the continent.

 Nine Components of a Men’s Ministry

  1. Christ centered. A ministry is nothing if Jesus isn’t at the core.
  2. Like minds. Although you want to also draw in the seekers, you need a base of like minded men.
  3. Prayer driven. Men need to pray, together, for men’s needs and ministry.
  4. Multiple ways of entry. How do men find out about your group?
  5. Relationships built on trust.  You have to have a core of men who trust one another.
  6. Gifted men leading. Leadership is everything if you want to be successful.
  7. On time, planned out and executed. Men don’t like unplanned, poorly executed events.
  8. Inviting. Is the ministry event something you want to talk about?
  9. Evaluation and review. Do you review the ministry regularly and look for ways to improve?

Marriage and Sacrifice

I was hoping to get a little more feedback from listeners on this one, but I will cover it partially and wait for feedback. What does sacrifice look like as a trucker with a wife at home? It goes way beyond the obvious. We ask a lot of our wives as truck drivers. We ask them to do without us for days, or weeks. Whether we want to admit it or not, we also ask them to be totally in charge of day to day life on their own. Decisions about kids, the house, bills and so many other things land on them. How do we sacrifice for them?

Other Topics

  • E-mails
  • IRS and politics
  • I-5 Bridge collapse
  • Acts, and 120 in the upper room

 

 

Episode 65. Being a Husband, Father and Christian Leader on the Road

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I have quite a bit to cover on this week’s show. The main subject is a blog post from Pastor Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, WA. He wrote a great list of 11 practical things a Christian man can do to lead his family. We will talk about them, one by one. Being a Christian husband and father isn’t getting any easier. Add the trucking lifestyle to the mix and it just gets tougher.

I haven’t talked a lot about politics, but I want to put a Christian spin on what is going on. I don’t want to give it too much time, but I can’t let it slide. I promise I will be brief, but we always have to remember whose kingdom we serve.

I was talking with a friend this week, and the subject of fitness items came up. We were talking about the GymStick that Ben Greenfield talks about in his podcast. Ben is a Christian, personal trainer and Iron Man triathlete. I have listened to him for years and this is something he takes with him when he travels. Give it a look. Here’s a great video of Ben using the GymStick. Also, take a look at Hallelujah Acres’ intro video. This pastor is well into his 70s and uses the GymStick every day.  I think this, along with a walking routine, would be a great place to start a fitness program.

64. Sanctified, Bull Haulers and The Girl In The Little Pink Mack

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What does it mean to be sanctified? You may be surprised at the simplicity of this word. It isn’t complicated. Why do denominations argue over just what being sanctified means? Is it something you can do? Is it something you should do? This will be the theme of today’s show.

Sanctified Truckers, Bull Haulers and The Girl In The Little Pink Mack

The bottom line on all 3 of these examples is that they are all atypical. They are different. Set apart. There is certainly more to being sanctified, but it’s a great place to start in the journey of understanding sanctification. Set apart is half of the equation.

The other half is being holy. As Christians, we are a holy people, set apart. Deuteronomy tells us  “for you are a people holy to the LORD your God. Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the LORD has chosen you to be his treasured possession”. Is there action required to live this holy life of a people set apart?

Driver Questions

Johnathan in Virginia asked a great question on Speakpipe. He asks about staying healthy on the road, both physically and spiritually. Talk about great timing. It blends right in to our discussion on sanctification. The answer ties in so well to the theme of the show. If we are to live this life in Christ, we need to do it deliberately. I suggest we do it with three things in mind:

  • Prayer. Our prayer life on the road becomes critical. Not only in your own prayer, but having a few people you pray with. My wife and I prayed together daily while I was on the road. We still say our evening prayers together. I know a few of you have started this habit and reported great results.
  • Fellowship. You need a few brothers you can call. It doesn’t always have to be about God. You can talk about trucks, fishing, or just about anything, but having conversations with someone else who walks the walk is important. Ending your conversation with prayer just solidifies the bond.
  • Diet and exercise. The Christin life is the deliberate life. What you eat and how you take care of yourself are both parts of the sanctified life puzzle. If your work schedule is so hectic that you can’t find time for 30 minutes of exercise, four or five times a week, change companies. It just isn’t worth it.

 

 

Unloading at a jobsite

EPISODE 63. Flatbeds, 9 Reasons I Prefer Pulling Them

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FLATBED TRUCKING

Flatbeds, vans, refers, even livestock. I have pulled them all at some point in my trucking career. My favorite was always the flatbeds. Here are 9 reasons why.

  1. Less backing up. Nothing worse than a tight loading dock between two shiny expensive semis.
  2. Job satisfaction in load securement. I always took pride in how my load looked and was attached to the trailer.
  3. Delivering to some interesting job sites. Heck, I even took an oversize load to an island, requiring a ride on a ferry boat to get there.
  4. Tarping can pay well, and it can be great exercise. I know, most of guys don’t like this, but $40.00 to toss a set of lumber tarps is good money when you are fast and accurate.
  5. No worries about the bridge scale formula. As long as you are staying in the lower 48, spread axles are the only way to truck.
  6. Oversize loads are a challenge, and they pay well. The other great thing is getting more sleep because of the daylight driving requirements.
  7. No lumpers. Other than paying a couple of guys $20.00 to tarp, I have never paid a lumper for flatbed loading or unloading.
  8. No grocery warehouses. I take that back. I have delivered an oversize roof A/C unit to a grocery warehouse. Between my truck and the crane, we blocked about 9 dock doors and I angered more than one trucker whose load was delayed.
  9. Great opportunities to witness. This is where the rubber meets the road. More chances for dialog. Folding tarps, tossing straps or just talking while waiting for your load, you get time to start conversations.

FIVE THINGS I LEARNED FROM PADCASTS

We will also talk about 5 podcasts like we have done in previous weeks. Christ Chapel is where you will find the study on the book of Acts. Great stuff. Backpack Radio is where you will find the interview about evangelical recession. Both of these are in iTunes, but the links are here to help if you need them.

I also have 4 things we’ve learned from Moses. I hope you enjoy them.

 

 

 

EPISODE 62. And Moses Gave Them the Shaft.

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It was back in 2010 when 33 Chilean miners were trapped in a caved in mine, five miles below the earth’s surface. With no hope of rescuing themselves, they had no choice. They had to wait. With rationed food and a small amount of milk to drink, they rationed the amounts to a very small amount, every other day. They surrendered their fate to the rescuers above and waited. They waited for a small hole, then a shaft, and finally a basket to pull them out one by one. The ordeal took 69 days to get them out, but they all made it out live.

About 6,000 years earlier, the Israelites found themselves in a similar state of hopelessness. They were trapped in that dark hole of slavery. Moses led them, but he didn’t save them. He led them to the light where they could bask in God’s grace, in the land of milk and honey.

I’ve enjoyed taking a different look at the book of Exodus, and I hope you enjoy the comparison. I thought it was a great analogy of how hopeless we are, and how great God’s saving grace really is.