Two years ago I had the privilege of serving as the honorary chairman for the National Day of Prayer. When I was asked, naturally, I felt very honored. But I have to admit my next thought was, with all of my responsibilities, when am I going to find the time to prepare? I mean, you don’t just waltz up there and wing it! The people in Washington have better things to do than listen to some preacher ramble. If you’re going to accept a responsibility like that, you better have your stuff together. So, at first I considered saying no.

But I decided to participate for two reasons. First, it was a huge honor. You don’t casually say no to something as important as this, especially when you consider the personal sacrifices many of our leaders are making to serve our nation.

I remember having dinner with a Cabinet member many years ago. “So, what’s it like to be in a position like that?” I asked. I’ll never forget his response.

He looked up from his plate, set his fork down, and quietly asked, “Chuck, have you ever been hung in effigy?”

“Um . . . well, no . . . never.” He then described how that had happened to him earlier that very day. I sat and stared at him. No words came to me.

I realized I was asked to be a part of our nation praying for these straight-thinking, courageous servant-leaders. Such a small sacrifice of my time compared to what they give us.

I had another reason for participating. It occurred to me that taking part in the National Day of Prayer was my opportunity to underscore the importance of prayer. How easy to overlook its priority! It’s not unlike the decision we face every day concerning prayer. I mean, who ever has time to pray? Who says, Ah . . . I’ve got some extra time I don’t know what to do with . . . so, I think I’ll pray!?

Let’s face it; taking time to pray means you have to set aside something else that’s important. It’s an investment. Investments require that we sacrifice something today for the sake of something greater tomorrow.

My point, my fellow-pastor? We never have the time to pray. We have to make it.

It didn’t take me long to recognize this for what it is: a very worthy investment, something well worth my time. Suddenly, saying yes seemed the only answer I could justify.

—Chuck

P.S. To learn more about the National Day of Prayer, or to find out what you can pray for, visit the official Web site at www.ndptf.org.

As we anticipate the summer season, let me tell you about an exciting opportunity. I want to invite you, my fellow pastors, as well as your spouses, to join Cynthia and me, along with several hundred other conferees, on the upcoming Insight for Living 2009 Alaska Cruise, June 28–July 5, 2009.

As ministers of the gospel, we all need words of encouragement from one another. Having spent more than forty-five years in ministry, I fully understand the pressures that you face. I’ve been there. . . . I am there! In spite of its immense privileges, serving in full-time ministry can be challenging. You need to know you’re not alone.

I hope that you will join us. You will have an opportunity to learn a lot and to be very encouraged and refreshed throughout the week.

—Chuck

Let’s start off this week—and this New Year—with an essential reminder for ministry. Grab a cup of coffee, and for the next half-hour allow me to share with you a message I delivered recently at a Dallas Seminary chapel service.

The horrifying results of Uzziah’s conceit always remind me that God alone gets the credit for any success we may enjoy in ministry.

I want that same success for you.

—Chuck

Consider the words of Solomon:

He who walks in integrity walks securely, But he who perverts his ways will be found out (Proverbs 10:9).

Before reading on, go back and read that again.

By the time Job had reared his family, established himself in the business world, and gotten up in years, he had become “the greatest of all the men of the east” (Job 1:3).

Joseph became Potiphar’s personal servant and later was put in charge over all Potiphar owned (Genesis 39:5). Whether before the workers or handling large sums of money or serving a large group of guests or all alone in the home with Mrs. Potiphar, Joseph could be trusted.

Daniel also comes to mind. He came up for promotion to prime minister, and those who envied him “began trying to find a ground of accusation against Daniel” (Daniel 6:4). No dirt. They struck out. After every attempt to dig up some questionable issue, “they could find no ground of accusation or evidence of corruption” anywhere (6:4). Like Job and Joseph, Daniel walked securely in his integrity. He never feared being “found out.”

What is it that these men had in common? Perfection? No, each person I have named was far from perfect. Easy times? Hardly. A closer look will reveal heartaches and hardships that would make your head swim. Well, how about an impressive presence, carefully choreographed by a public-image department? Don’t make me laugh. So, how about slick rhetoric? Wrong again. We can dream up a half dozen other possibilities that some might suggest, but they would be as far off target as the four I’ve mentioned.

What they had in common was character. Each man I have selected from the Scriptures had high moral character. It is easy to overlook that essential ingredient among leaders in our times . . . especially during an election year.

Unfortunately, we have grown accustomed to shrugging off secretive and deceptive lifestyles. We have heard so often that finding people who value honesty and model responsibility, who promote fairness, accountability, loyalty, and respect for others, and who hold to strong, upright convictions is not realistic. As one air-headed soul said recently, “We’re voting for president, not pope.” To such an analogy I reply, “Hogwash.”

Call me old-fashioned or idealistic if you wish, but my passionate plea is that we unearth and restore the concept of character. It’s been buried long enough. It belongs first on our list when searching for employees in the workplace. It must be a nonnegotiable among those we place into leadership positions in our schools, our cities, our state . . . and, absolutely, in our churches and in our nation. Character is what wholesome parents strive to cultivate in their children. It is what great moms and dads look for and long for among those their teenagers date. It is the foundational quality that all of us expect from the circle of professionals and laborers who serve us. We may not say it every time, but deep down in our souls, we long for and expect character. When it is lacking, we feel it; we resent it. Character is the “given” in greatness.

Then why, may I ask, is it so seldom mentioned? Could it be because most have come to believe we have no right to expect it? After all, “nobody’s perfect.”

It is character we require, I repeat, not perfection. From our nation’s beginnings, back when great men and women, albeit imperfect, occupied places of leadership, public officials exhibited true virtue . . . dignity, self-mastery, resoluteness, determination, strength of will, moral purity, personal integrity, and sacrificial patriotism. They were selected and elected because they were examples in public leadership and in private life. Because some have failed to live up to the minimal standard has not changed the ideal.

Solomon was right. Those with integrity walk securely . . . with no fear of being “found out.” If men such as Job and Joseph and Daniel could demonstrate character in the worst of times, you and I can do so now—today.

And because we can, we must.

—Chuck