Take the step…and boldly hold your ground

My dad would've turned 74 years old today, but Don Staires died on November 1, 1999. I woke up this morning thinking about him and his legacy to me and my kids. He left us all a lot, no doubt, but when I boil it all down I think it really comes down to two main things:

1. Courage. Back in 1971 my dad had a dream to move his family out to the country and begin a ministry that eventually became Shepherd's Fold Ranch, a Christian summer camp for kids about 40 miles north of Tulsa. Today, with new ministries hatching almost every day by recent Bible school graduates or new churches springing up on every corner, it may not seem like such a big deal to start a ministry. But you have to remember your history. Back in 1971, we were all just coming out of the turbulent sixty's. 1968 marked the violent riots of the Democratic National Convention as well as two tragic assassinations (Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr.) that rocked this nation to its core. We were also very much still riding the wave of the Jesus Movement. In fact, my dad, who was a stock broker for Merrill Lynch at the time, was questioned severly for his choice to move out to the country to begin this new work. The only people doing that were hippies or cultists. And in those early days, there were certainly plenty of people (well-meaning Christian people) who accused my dad of both. But he and my mom hung in there. They were courageous. They persevered through the criticisms of their own parents and in many cases their own Christian brothers and sisters and established a ministry that has since touched many thousands of lives and continues to do so to this day.
2. Tenacity. In 1977, a well-meaning but misguided board of directors attempted what can only be described as a "hostile takeover." For some reason, they felt that they were in a position to take over the ministry and unseat my dad as the executive director. It was a bold attempt to wrest away his very dream and destiny from him but he held fast. He weathered the storm and in the end the core group on the board who were fighting my dad, let go, resigned and rode off into the sunset. Dad's tenacity won the day.

But the courage and tenacity didn't just come. And it didn't happen without a cost. Courage and tenacity can be a gift, but that doesn't mean they won't take their toll. Dad's many health issues and ultimately his premature death came (many of us believe) from the stresses that he walked through during those very difficult and trying years.

Today, I see his face when I look in the mirror. When I look down at my hands, I see my dad's hands. I hear his voice and expressions in my voice. I'm am definitely my dad's son. My prayer, on this his birthday, is that I would also carry his legacy to my children. To be courageous enough to do the bold thing, the hard thing, the right thing…even in the face of severe opposition. Lord, don't let me cave.

And also, once the bold move has been made, once the line has been drawn, my prayer is that I would have the tenacity to hold on to it no matter what. That resistance, instead of weakening my grip, would only strengthen my resolve. Lord let me be a man who is courageous enough to take the bold step and then tenacious enough to hold my ground.

Finally, I pray that I would be able to handle the stresses better than he was able to. Although I don't expect to walk through fire and not be burned, but I pray that it wouldn't destroy me. And I pray that I would be able to continue what he started…to hand these valuable qualities down to my children and my grandchildren.

Thanks Dad. Happy birthday.