Christ - The ReeseSource: April 2008

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Christ -The Reese Source - April 2008

Thirty three years ago this April, I was the general manager of a popular Atlanta restaurant, Clarence Foster’s. I was living life “in the fast lane”. Long hours and late nights were the rule. I had two beautiful daughters, ages eight and three. Peggy was doing a wonderful job of managing the home front. We were not getting rich but were doing O.K. Our marriage was rocky. I was pretty much the center of my universe. Duties as a husband and father were more of an obligation than a joy. Any encroachment into my free time away from work was viewed with disdain. Sundays were for sleeping in and then parties with the restaurant employees.

On one particular Sunday evening, Peggy and I got into a heated discussion about religion. I asked questions about the fate of those people who had never heard about Jesus or those who were good people who lived good lives but did not believe in Jesus. Peggy had been participating in a Bible study with some women in our apartment complex. I viewed her participation as a good activity like the garden club or Junior League. Peggy responded to my questions with an invitation to a covered dish dinner the next Tuesday evening that one of her friends was hosting from the Bible study. Her husband was going to speak to the group. Well, I knew this guy was “religious” and would probably talk about God, but the lure of food was stronger than my disdain for him and his religion. I could put up with anything for an hour or two if a good meal was involved.

After supper, many of my drinking buddies from the apartment complex whose wives had also cajoled them into coming reluctantly moved to the living room. This “bill” for the dinner had come due. For the next hour, our host’s husband, Dan Hayes, a staff member of Campus Crusade, told the story of how a “party animal” from New Orleans who was in college in Chicago had found out about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. His story was filled with humor. I felt like I could relate to Dan’s story. He seemed to be a pretty normal guy after all.

I had never heard about having a personal relationship with Christ. I had never heard about man’s separation from God because of sin. I could relate to wanting to run my own life on my own terms apart from God’s plan for my life. I had been in and out of church all my life. My mother and father took me to church as a child, but my dad quit going to church when I was a pre-teen, dropping us off at church. My church going was limited to youth group at the Episcopal Church through my teen years. Peggy and I were married in the Episcopal Church and I enjoyed the services at Christmas and Easter.

When Dan quoted the verse from John 14:6, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, no man comes to the Father but by me,” it was a huge “Aha” moment for me. You see, the whole issue of the argument that I had with Peggy about what happened to other people when they died was a “smokescreen” to deflect the focus away from me and relationship to God. The verse that Dan quoted that evening was the answer for me. Dan also quoted Revelations 3:20, which says, “See, I stand at the door and knock. If any man hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and have fellowship with him.” At that moment, around 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 29th, 1975, I surrendered my heart and my life to Jesus Christ.

Lest you think that my life became a bed of roses after that….four days later, in the middle of the day, I was fired from my job as general manager. An ownership fight that had been brewing for months culminated in two of the three partners taking control of the restaurant and the partner who was my friend was overruled regarding the direction the restaurant was taking. As a result, I was dismissed. It must be noted that as I walked in the door and Peggy asked me what I was doing home so soon. I was able to tell her that I had lost my job but that I had a sense of peace that God was in control and that He would take care of us. And to this day, He has.

Have you made that decision to surrender your heart and your life to Christ, to the God who created you? Do you know without a shadow of a doubt that you will be in the presence of God forever when you die? If you are not sure, you can be. Let’s talk. Call me at 678-986-4814 anytime.

MINISTRY NEWS:
The two groups are going well. Individual ministry is effective and I have been doing pre-marital counseling with a couple for their wedding in June.

MINISTRY NEEDS:
We need additional support to continue to minister effectively.

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Net Work Ministries, Inc. Purpose Statement

The purpose of Net Work Ministries is to bring hope and healing to men and their families by exposing them to the love of Jesus Christ in word and deed. Net Work also encourages men in living out their Christian faith in their day-to-day lives.

Net Work Ministries, Inc. is a pastoral counseling and resource networking ministry that brings God's people together for mutual support and enables them to use the abundant resources He provides. It is directed towards men, to bring them into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and to help them use the power of this relationship to become the men God intended them to be. This ministry helps men deal with issues that affect their everyday lives. It is a faith ministry that depends entirely on the Lord for resources and does not charge for its services. It is a fully accredited 501c3 I.R.S. organization.

Net Work Ministries was begun 1991 by a group of men who knew Buck Reese's giftedness in the areas of pastoral counseling and resource networking. Buck, who is a native of Atlanta, has been in ministry since 1975 and is an ordained minister. He was responsible for starting the Young Life high school ministry in Cobb County in 1977 and served as Area Director for 12 years. Buck was the Director of Church Relations for Rapha, Inc., a Christian counseling program, as well as serving as a pastoral counseling intern at Wesley Woods Geriatric Center. For 20 years Buck served as chaplain and assistant coach of the Marietta High School football team. Buck was selected to be a member of the 1998 class of Leadership Cobb and the 1999 class of the Honorary Commanders, programs of the Cobb County Chamber of Commerce.

Buck's full-time commitment is to Net Work Ministries. He is in contact with men of all ages and walks of life. A typical routine would include: Having breakfast or lunch with a businessman to offer counsel and encouragement to strengthen their commitment to Christ and to enjoy each other's fellowship and support. In all these situations, Buck offers a listening ear and a caring heart and shares Scripture and wisdom given by the Holy Spirit. The goal in all of this activity is to bring those who do not know Christ into a saving relationship with Him. To those who are committed to Christ, but are dealing with issues of day-to-day living, he gives loving and effective counsel, encouragement and support.

Recently, I have added a new role to my ministry. I have accepted the role as volunteer Chaplain to the Staff of Young Life Southeast Region, which consists of the states of Georgia and Alabama. There are currently 50 local area ministries with staff. I will be the"minister to the ministers."

The Concept of Net Work Ministries

From Henri Nouwen’s book “Gracias”:

“It is a privilege to have the time to practice this simple ministry of presence. Still, it is not as simple as it seems. My own desire to be useful, to do something significant, or to be part of some impressive project is so strong that soon my time is taken up by meetings, conferences, study groups, and workshops that prevent me from walking the streets. It is difficult not to have plans, not to organize people around an urgent cause, and not to feel that you are working directly for social progress. But I wonder more and more if the first thing shouldn’t be to know people by name, to eat and drink with them, to listen to their stories and tell your own, and to let them know with words, handshakes, and hugs that you do not simply like them, but truly love them.

From "The Hole In Our Gospel" by Richard Stearns, President of World Vision:

It is rare that a simple recitation of the gospel will cause people to instantly change their minds. It usually takes much more than that. Our own narrative typically involves a journey of discovery marked by relationships with respected friends and loved ones, reading, discussions, learning about the basis for Christian faith, seeing the difference faith made in the lives of people we know, and witnessing genuine faith demonstrated through acts of love and kindness towards others.

I Stand At The Door - My Calling To Men's Ministry

I Stand at the Door

By Sam Shoemaker (from the Oxford Group)

I stand by the door.
I neither go to far in, nor stay to far out.
The door is the most important door in the world -
It is the door through which men walk when they find God.
There is no use my going way inside and staying there,
When so many are still outside and they, as much as I,
Crave to know where the door is.
And all that so many ever find
Is only the wall where the door ought to be.
They creep along the wall like blind men,
With outstretched, groping hands,
Feeling for a door, knowing there must be a door,
Yet they never find it.
So I stand by the door.

The most tremendous thing in the world
Is for men to find that door - the door to God.
The most important thing that any man can do
Is to take hold of one of those blind, groping hands
And put it on the latch - the latch that only clicks
And opens to the man's own touch.

Men die outside the door, as starving beggars die
On cold nights in cruel cities in the dead of winter.
Die for want of what is within their grasp.
They live on the other side of it - live because they have not found it.

Nothing else matters compared to helping them find it,
And open it, and walk in, and find Him.
So I stand by the door.

Go in great saints; go all the way in -
Go way down into the cavernous cellars,
And way up into the spacious attics.
It is a vast, roomy house, this house where God is.
Go into the deepest of hidden casements,
Of withdrawal, of silence, of sainthood.
Some must inhabit those inner rooms
And know the depths and heights of God,
And call outside to the rest of us how wonderful it is.
Sometimes I take a deeper look in.
Sometimes venture in a little farther,
But my place seems closer to the opening.
So I stand by the door.

There is another reason why I stand there.
Some people get part way in and become afraid
Lest God and the zeal of His house devour them;
For God is so very great and asks all of us.
And these people feel a cosmic claustrophobia
And want to get out. 'Let me out!' they cry.
And the people way inside only terrify them more.
Somebody must be by the door to tell them that they are spoiled.
For the old life, they have seen too much:
One taste of God and nothing but God will do any more.
Somebody must be watching for the frightened
Who seek to sneak out just where they came in,
To tell them how much better it is inside.
The people too far in do not see how near these are
To leaving - preoccupied with the wonder of it all.
Somebody must watch for those who have entered the door
But would like to run away. So for them too,
I stand by the door.

I admire the people who go way in.
But I wish they would not forget how it was
Before they got in. Then they would be able to help
The people who have not yet even found the door.
Or the people who want to run away again from God.
You can go in too deeply and stay in too long
And forget the people outside the door.
As for me, I shall take my old accustomed place,
Near enough to God to hear Him and know He is there,
But not so far from men as not to hear them,
And remember they are there too.

Where? Outside the door -
Thousands of them. Millions of them.
But - more important for me -
One of them, two of them, ten of them.
Whose hands I am intended to put on the latch.
So I shall stand by the door and wait
For those who seek it.

'I had rather be a door-keeper
So I stand by the door.

Net Work Ministries Testimonials

Quotes

“I have been involved in Net Work Ministries for almost six years. I am privileged to serve on the Board of Directors and work with Buck on a variety of projects i.e.: Young Life, Good Samaritan Health Clinic, P.A.C.E., working with the poor and indigent, and supporting the men who attend Buck’s groups.

Buck and Peggy have been there for my wife Rita and I through our most difficult times. They are always loving, always supportive. Buck and his ministry are a wonderful example of what it means to serve. It’s what the love of Christ encourages all of us to do for each other.”

Dwayne Lambing,
Regional Vice President
Nordco, Inc.

The Friday group began as an opportunity for me to have in depth conversation about subject matter that I was not totally comfortable with i.e. formal religion and my personal relationship with God. I believed intellectually that the universe was not an accidental explosion, but it demonstrated a purpose that only a Creator could know. I felt a part of that universe and was comfortable with my life and the roles I played in it. But I still asked myself, is that all there is to life.

Through a series of very diverse and interesting books it became increasingly apparent that no growth in self is possible without the "pains" of self examination. Sometimes this would occur during the course of "intense" discussions and other times would occur in moments of quiet reflection on these conversations. I began to notice that in this crucible of frank and honest discourse that I could find a voice for my beliefs and at the same time be intellectually true to my beliefs in science.

As it has turned out for me, the books have been less important than the comfort and strength that I find in the relationship of men willing to discuss matters that are not in their comfort zones , and that require an intellectual and emotional honesty that are not found alone on an island.
Thank you for your role in making all of this possible,

Dr. Peter Re’,

Neurologist

Sunday, April 27, 2008