Dr. Ray Pritchard Christian Blog and Commentary

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Harry Bollback's Advice

  • Dr. Ray Pritchard
    Dr. Ray Pritchard is the president of Keep Believing Ministries, an Internet-based ministry serving Christians in 225 countries. He is the author of 29 books, including Stealth Attack, Fire and Rain,… More
  • Published Aug 10, 2005

After I finished preaching at the Campground last night, Harry and Millie Bollback invited me over to their home for a late-evening snack. Other friends from Ohio and Texas were there also. Just before I left, Harry told me stories about his days as a missionary to the indian tribes of South America in the early 1950s. He said that they realized early on that the only way to build a lasting ministry would be to train the indians they won to Christ to lead the churches they were establishing. That meant starting a Bible school. He mentioned that his attitude was not to sit around hoping something would happen but to try something and if it didn't work, to try something else. As a Marine in World War II, Harry had gained a gung-ho attitude that served him well in pioneer mission work.

As the told the stories, he applied that principle to the students he counsels at the Word of Life Bible Institute. When they graduate, he will ask them what they plan to do. Usually they will say they have two or three opportunities. "Are they good opportunities," Harry will ask them. Usually they say yes. "Which one are you going to take?" If they say they don't know, Harry tells them to go ahead and pick one and get started. "If it doesn't work out, God can always lead you in another direction." Then he added something that made perfect sense to me. "If you wait for another year, you'll won't have done anything and you'll still have to make a decision."

Sometimes you have to stop deciding and just make a decision. I think in leadership terms they call that a "bias for action." If you sit around forever talking about your options, all you will do is sit around forever.


 


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