Dear Friend,

I woke up this morning with friends like you on my mind!  I was wishing I could sit down with you just to share a recent incredible experience.

I just returned from a visit to exotic south India. The land of spices, humidity and high heat! I’ve never sweated so much in my entire life.  I was visiting Chennai as a guest at India’s largest church.  After every invigorating session my shirt was soaking wet from the heat & humidity combination.  Amazingly the Indian’s were “cool as a cucumber!!”  I guess you can get acclimated to the weather!

I have never been as excited about a conference as this one.  I was a part of a meeting that had been simmering in my mind for years.  It was called the Young Creative Leaders Conference.  I have been to thousands of seminars, conferences, & conventions.  But never one quite like this.

I am excited that people love my books.  I am pleased when I discover that my books are sold in 40 different languages.  But I know that in many of those cultures my western worldview may confuse rather than inform.  I have always dreamed of raising up writers from within the rainbow of cultures that represent the body of Christ worldwide.  There are some incredibly talented undiscovered young people around the world. How do we discover and release them?  I am on a mission!  Not just to get my books into the hands of people worldwide, that has already happened!  But to empower and train young creative people and release them to make God’s name famous in their own country!  Who is the “Tommy Tenney” of India?  That’s why I went on this arduous trip!

At this conference a small selected group of Young Creative Leaders sat hungrily as I walked them through the process of how to write a book.  I shared with them secrets that took me decades to learn!  One day I spoke in 6 sessions!  Whew, was I exhausted after that day!

These young Indians are the future of the church in India!  They have the potential to write and create in such a way as to have a much greater impact on their culture than I ever could.  I’m sure you can see why I am so excited.  I hope to be able to follow up this time with them by coaching them along as they create manuscripts and articles.  There are already plans to convene in 4 other regions of India. Because English is the language of commerce in India it makes it easier to dialog in detail with them.  If these intense meetings prove to be fruitful (and I know they will) there are even discussions about expanding this Young Creative Leaders Conference to places like Kenya, South Africa, and Indonesia.

What if every book you had access to had to be translated from Tamil or Hindi or perhaps Bengali?  How difficult would it be for you to understand the clear meaning of every illustration?  Would you even grasp the essential knowledge that was conveyed?  You and I both know that something always gets lost in translation!  That is why I am so passionate about raising up these young men and women to creatively express the timeless truths of God’s Kingdom in their own culture. I am sure you feel the same way.

I know you want to be a part of what God is doing in emerging nations like India.  That is why I need your help.  As a friend of GodChasers you know I seldom make an appeal like this.  This is important! This is urgent!  I need your help!

Have you ever faced unexpected expenses?  That is where I am right now!  I want to continue to be able to spend time with these Young Creative Leaders but to do so; I need you help right now!  Upon my return from India I discovered that we had some large unexpected expenses related to me being able to spend these few days with these precious young Indians.  I need you to help me with these expenses.  The Bible says we are to “bear one another’s burdens”.  Can you help me carry this load?

In these trying economic times our faith can be triumphant!  The Bible teaches us that Isaac planted in a time of famine and the Lord blessed him with a “huge harvest”! (Gen 26:1 & 15 Message Bible)

Sometimes we are so overwhelmed by our own circumstance that we fail to make provision for our future.  God has always blessed those who provided for others. This is your chance for your finances to reach across cultures and oceans!  To be planted in fertile fields!  Don’t let temporary famine induce a permanent shortage in your life! It takes faith to let God’s word speak louder to you than the news networks!  I know you have that kind of faith!

I need you to take a moment right now and follow through on that faith that you have!  Faith in God! Faith in His word!  And faith in my mission to raise up young creative leaders in India!  Here is how you can give.

Tommy, I want to invest in the future of young creative leaders with my gift of:
(choose your level below)
$50
$20
$___
$100

For those of you who have partnered with me (click here for more details and to sign up for partnership) I am going to let you eavesdrop on the last session I gave to these young creative leaders. CLICK HERE to access this very special message open to my precious monthly partners only. I know you will feel the excitement as I teach them and the Holy Spirit inspires them to release their creativity!

Perhaps this special message will release that spark of creativity that has lain dormant in your life!  Maybe that is exactly how God is going to call an end to your personal famine and begin the blessing of harvest!  You’ll never know, unless you sow!

I enjoy hearing from you!  Let me know if this special message blessed your life.Click here to give me feedback on this exciting message and share with me what God is telling you. This is how we can connect.

I’ll be looking to hear from you!

Tommy Tenney

I am alone. The house is quiet. It’s a good time to think and write. Papaw Switzer passed away a few months back. We all miss him. My relationship with my in-laws has never been strained from my viewpoint. (Probably was a few times from their vantage point!) In fact I have often visited and stayed with them when my wife was not even present. That’s the case today.

I was supposed to be at a conference in Nashville, but changed my mind and came to St. Louis. It wasn’t a hard or awkward decision, especially after my daughter, who is my travel assistant, came up with the idea. Mom Switzer has been going through the normal grieving process, and had hit a rough spot. So, it just seemed natural to pop in for a visit, especially since we were just a couple of hours away. My wife and my oldest daughter agreed enough with our plan to make all the necessary changes to airlines and car rentals, so here I am. For about 35 years I have been connected to this family. I remember my nervousness when I stood on the porch of the old parsonage and asked Dad Switzer for Jeannie’s hand in marriage. Hands down, the best decision I ever made. I hope by agreeing to our marriage he thought it was a good decision too!

Being here at their house without his presence has flipped the switch of my memories. So I thought I would blog about it, especially since I am pretty new at the father-in-law thing myself. My oldest daughter has been married for only 5 years, and I’ve got 2 more daughters to go!

I learned most of what I know about being a father from my Dad. But most of what I found myself modeling about being a father-in-law, I realized came from Dad Switzer. Maybe you are not a father-in-law, (yet)! Maybe you are not even a man. I still think these lessons I learned from Dad Switzer might help you cope with other relationships in your life.

1. Stay Out! Stay out of your kid’s marriage! Or perhaps, stay out of your friend’s marriage! Dad Switzer never interfered with our marriage. Looking back I am sure he had to bite his tongue many times. He probably even vented to Mom Switzer or others. But never to us. Unasked for advice is often unheeded advice. Everyone has to work out their own relationship. I know I am a totally different man than when I married Jeannie. Age either matures you or melts you. (Usually a little bit of both!)  If you are going to complain about things, complain to God. You’d be amazed at what He can do! Criticizing your children’s (or your friend’s) spouse may only alienate them from you. After all, they love them. Maturity may allow you to see some bumps ahead in the road, but experience is still the best teacher. Be there if the “bump” causes a wreck, but otherwise ‘stay out’! Even if they ask you, be careful what you say! When they make up (and they usually do) they will remember what you said long after they have forgiven the spouse. This is especially true if they, or you, in a stressful moment, tell the spouse what you said! Offer a shoulder to cry on, a tissue for tears, but just support for the relationship. Often the best thing you can say when things get tough, is simply, “I’ll support whatever decision you make”. Stay out of their house too! Don’t just ‘drop in’! That’s asking for trouble. If you’re invited, by all means go, but don’t be critical of their housekeeping or whatever! It’s not your house. Dad Switzer never ever interfered. I am trying to be like him now.
2. Stay In! I know, I know! I just said “Stay out!” But this is different! Stay involved in your children’s life! Ask what they are doing. Be interested in their plans. Do things with them. After all, there will probably come a day when there are grandchildren (or ‘god-children’) and trust me, you will want to be involved then. Plan lunches with just your child. And dinners with their spouse. Make time! Take time! Text them. Follow them on Twitter or Facebook! Whatever it takes, just stay involved. Attend conferences with them, sporting events, or weekend trips. Just because they are grown doesn’t mean they don’t like your attention or approval. A quick chat or text can brighten their day and help them through a rough spot. Find something their spouse is good at and encourage them. I even ‘retired’ from grilling when my son-in-law came along and was good at it. (Of course it helped that a unanimous family vote unseated me! They said I either burnt the steaks or they were raw. I don’t believe them! I loved it when there was crunchy black stuff on the meat!) When we were first married we often spent a great deal of time with Jeannie’s parents. We were in itinerant ministry and traveled continuously. In fact, Jeannie and I were married for over 5 years before we even had a place to call our own. We spent many days with the Switzer’s during those years. Dad Switzer was a pastor; he often had me speak for him. I’m sure it’s not because I was the world’s greatest preacher, especially at that age of my life! When I look back on some of the sermons I preached and things I said, I’m embarrassed! But my father-in-law made room for me. He stayed involved in our life. They often went with us places, and usually footed the bill. Later when we were pastoring in Louisiana, they often came down for events, or they used the events for an excuse, to see their daughter! Either way, we made memories, ones I’ll never forget.
3. Stay Put! And I don’t mean geographically. Stay put emotionally, mentally, spiritually. Be the best you that you can be. Stay put in your marriage. They are now watching you. They will remember the ‘fights’ they observed when they were young.  But they will now see the commitment they need when you are older and wiser. Admit to mistakes that you made when they were growing up. It will better help them deal with their own problems. Stay loyal to those you are accountable to, it sets a good model for your children. Don’t let every wind that blows by move you. Loyalty in friendships often portends loyalty in every area of life, including marriage. Stay loyal to your friends, your spiritual leaders, and your spouse. Don’t talk bad about any of them to your children! If you teach them disloyalty you may be sowing the seeds of ruin in their life or marriage. Dad Switzer worshiped the ground his wife walked on. That was made clear to everyone around. He really believed the adage that “if Mom ain’t happy, nobody’s happy”! He pastored the same church for 30+ years, until his health interfered and they then made him pastor emeritus. He stayed married to the same girl he met when in the Navy some 53 years earlier. Kept the same friends, only added new ones. It’s one thing to see your own family members model that, but another to see it in your in-law’s. I learned about loyalty from Dad Switzer!
4. Stay Strong! You shouldn’t be married to a person and divorced from their family. I have observed the Switzer family for over 3 decades now. I watched Dad Switzer when things were good and when things were bad. He never never got discouraged! I wish I could say the same about me. Regardless of what he was going through he always had faith that things would work out. Even when Parkinson’s had robbed him of much of his physical strength he stayed strong! I remember one time after he had not completely given up driving, but if anyone else was available to drive they did. He had to drop myself and my assistant off and drive the car back to his house a couple of miles away. I was concerned and asked him did he want my assistant to drive him back. He was normally stooped from the ravages of the disease, but he suddenly threw back his shoulders and with fire in his eyes he emphatically stated “No!” Then muttering for all to hear as he took the car keys and shuffled back to the drivers side he said “I’m not even dead yet and you wanta’ put me in the grave!” and with that he drove off, hunched over the steering wheel! His body may have been weak, but his will and spirit were still strong! Stay strong! Even when you feel weak! Dad Switzer would often break into some old song, usually some very 50’s church chorus. It was his way of saying “Don’t let life get you down! If life can’t steal your song it can’t affect your destiny!” Before his long tenure at the church from which he retired, he planted several churches. My wife tells me those were tough days. Not much financial support. Not much relational support. That didn’t matter to Dad Switzer. He was a man on a mission and would not be deterred. Whether you are a man or a woman, stay strong! Younger eyes are watching. Even when time or disease removes your physical strength, stay strong spiritually! Stay strong mentally! Not just for yourself but for the future. Discouragement is a highly contagious disease, don’t be a carrier!
5. Stay Fun! It might be worth mentioning that whenever Dad Switzer would breakout in song, he usually started tap dancing with it, especially if his grandkids were around. Despite what others thought about his demeanor he was one funny guy! He never could tell a joke, that was just not his sense of humor. But let something happen in real life, and he would laugh until he cried! His quips were so non-sensical they were hilarious. For no reason he would blurt out “Glory be, it’s caffeine free!”  Go figure! All I know is he kept us in stitches and his grandchildren loved him! You may not be given to blurting out whimsical sayings or tap dancing, but you can keep life fun. There is enough to burden down young marriages without us adding a depressing mood to them. I’m not saying that you pretend everything is perfect when it’s not, but I am saying ‘be a leader’! Make sure there is plenty of laughter when you are around. I am not sure what your view of Jesus is but I do know that the children loved him. They typically don’t like vinegar personalitied people! Did you notice that word “personalitied”? I made that up! Learned that from Pop Switzer too. I’ll never forget the day he looked outside and then announced to us “It’s sneeting!” When asked what that meant he nonplussed said “snowing and sleeting at the same time.” Pass on a legacy of levity! Laugh, play, swim, wrestle, and tickle those you love! Save some energy at the end of a stressful day for your family! Life is not about staying dry, “rain falls on the just and the unjust”, it’s about singing and dancing in the rain! Dance on Dad Switzer, your Parkinson’s can’t hold you back now.

Stay out! Stay in! Stay put! Stay strong! Stay fun! Perhaps you’ll be as good an in-law as Dad Switzer. May he rest in peace. His memory is one of blessing.