The Main Thing

Missionary Jim Elliot once said, —"He is no fool to give up what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose." In other words, this world conditions us to focus and strive for things that are temporal, at the expense of what has eternal value. Have you ever felt this way?

I'm personally at the point where I feel the need to recalibrate the priorities in my life. To focus on what's important versus what's just urgent. In short, to keep the main thing the main thing when it comes to why I'm here and what I'm to accomplish.

So, to sharpen my focus, Won By One will be temporarily suspended while I complete a personal sabbatical this year. This hiatus is expected to be brief and should result in a greater vitality for service to God, family and country after 50.

Suffice to say, I am determined that my second career will be characterized by faith (God-sized goals), relevance (shaping my sphere of influence), and altruism (giving something back to the people and country that have enriched me). That said, I currently have several initiatives in an embryonic stage that I'm pursuing, with plans to devote full-time to those that emerge consistent with God's blessing/will.

These initiatives, which are focused on making a contribution toward clear biblical mandates for serving God (completing the Great Commission), family (2nd-career) and country (political-civic activism), include:

1) House of Worship - A church planting, faith-based initiative that leverages 21st-century technology to answer our 1st-century calling.

2) Public sector transition - Due diligence to determine where my time, talent and treasure are best utilized for the next 25-years.

3) American Citizen Alliance - A non-partisan, traditional values advocacy organization that facilitates conservative, grass-roots civic engagement.

We'll all give an account one day for what we did with the opportunities we were given in this life. And while everyone is called to something unique, make sure your pursuits are congruent with the eternal -- the main thing.

Glory be to God,

Roy Tanner