Success and Failure Blog

When my dad led the United Auto Workers he was only 36 years old and extremely unsophisticated as well as backslidden. I’ve often said that Christians only come in three categories – faithful, semi-faithful and prodigal. At the time Dad rose to prominence he was in the latter category. Some of it wasn’t his fault, however. In fact, there was a general backsliding in many churches, where Christ was preached without discipleship. The result was defeated Christians. Of course, it takes mature Christian leaders to produce mature Christians and many of the leaders in our churches were backslidden themselves. As a result, people made excuses for their sins. In my family we talked about “the Martin temper” as if it was simply an expected thing. All Martins had it, therefore it was normal and not sinful.

Baloney! Every human being has a temper, but not everyone is controlled by it. Christians are supposed to mature and grow out of explosions of temper and other sinful behaviors (however, even faithful Christians sin, they’re just not controlled by it. But a backslider is trapped in Christian babyhood and his sins are in charge. That means he’s left with his natural and learned personality to deal with life. That’s why you’ll find backsliders who seem to be perfectly well adjusted while others are a mess. In Dad’s case, he came from a background where people were poor. They had little money and few possessions. As a result of that background, his backsliding and his natural personality, when he achieved fame he didn’t know how to handle it. And when he got money he blew it.

In 1940 he married my mother, Vivian Fox. She was a very talented and level-headed person. As his secretary in the Union, she took all of his speeches in shorthand (and he talked fast). She could type over a hundred words a minute on the old manual typewriters. She was also thrifty and practical. Unfortunately, Dad would never listen to her. While he worked for the company supplying Ford’s accessories, Dad was often flying down to Mexico, where he’d bought into some tin mines owned by hustlers who were getting riches out of Dad’s pockets, not the ground. And Dad was foolishly generous as well. If someone needed a handout, he was there to supply it. He also drove a Lincoln Zephyr automobile, and after living in Detroit for a couple of years in a house that was completely paid for, he and Mom bought a farm in the country with a house that needed some fixing up. Fortunately for them, they apparently paid cash for the farm.

But disaster gathered like a storm cloud over their lives. Henry Ford died, and his grandson Henry Ford II took over the Ford Motor Company. Henry II had an axe to grind. His father, Edsel Ford, had failed to fulfill the original Henry’s ambitions for him and never became the leader of the company. Old Henry, in striving to force Edsel to become what he wanted him to be, humiliated him over and over, which some believe may have shortened his life. Henry II was very angry at his grandfather over that, and when the old man died, he came into power with a vengeance – literally. Overnight, old Henry’s friends and supporters found themselves banned and blacklisted, unable to find work with any company that did business with Ford. My dad lost his cushy job and, because he never had any wisdom with money, also found himself broke. The farm remained in a permanent state of disrepair, with the foundation of a new wing built on the back of the house and nothing else.

In 1944, Dad and Mom’s responsibilities increased with the birth of my brother, Steve. I came along in 1948. Steve spent his first years in Detroit, while I never knew anything but the farm. Well, part of a farm, because our barn burned down in 1949, taking most of the farm machinery with it. So we were left with 317 acres and no way to farm them. I don’t know this, but I believe that Dad and Mom tried to compensate at first by leasing out part of our acreage, but when that wasn’t enough, they were forced to sell off our farm bit by bit.

In the meantime, Dad tried to return to the Lord, but had no idea how. In the 1950′s there were people who still believed he was a faithful Christian, so he was invited to preach crusades in Paul Rader’s church in Minneapolis/St. Paul. One summer, Dad even filled in as interim pastor at a small church nearby. He was a disaster as a pastor. Sunday after Sunday I was required to sit at the front of the church where Dad, who shouted, often sprayed me with saliva as he attempted to minister. I felt sorry for him as he tried over and over to convert a bunch of Christians who didn’t need converting. But that kind of preaching was all he knew, and when he was younger and apparently walking with the Lord, he had been extremely effective with it. My sister Idanell once told me that if Dad “had kept the faith” he would have been another Billy Graham. I don’t know about that, but Dad certainly could have been greatly used by the Lord. But Dad didn’t stay faithful, and the consequences of his unfaithfulness piled up, higher and higher.

 Restoration:

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! ~ 2 Corinthians 5:17

Everyday, on my drive to the office; I pass a salvage yard. Acres upon acres of broken, wrecked, battered and seemingly useless vehicles.

 If you were going shopping for a clean, reliable, and durable form of transportation; it certainly would be the last place you would visit.

 But, that is not true for a gifted mechanic. He will look past the weeds growing all around the car. He does not object to broken headlights. He has little concern for a wrinkled fender. He doesn’t blink an eye, when the motor smokes. He could care less about a flat tire.

 He sees a classic. Something that with time and effort, might just be the next trophy winner at the big car show.

 GOD never designed us to be a clunker. He created us to be in show condition. But, over time; we wrecked. We blew up our motors. We got hammered by hail. We got so damaged that we ended up sitting; with weeds growing all around us.

 I know that there was a time in my life, that I felt I was beyond repair. My “vehicle” was a total loss. And without the Master mechanic of hearts (Jesus Christ); I was destined for the crusher. He polished me, straightened me, tuned me; and filled my heart with His Spirit.

 So GOD can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of His grace and kindness towards us, as shown in all He has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:7 NLT

We are never too wrecked to be restored.

Importunity is a new word to my vocabulary. I learned that this word means wearisome persistence or of persistent demand. The word itself sounds like two words combined and I will probably remember it this way. It sounds like the word important and word opportunity combined. To me and through God the word importunity means an important opportunity. That is what we have right now in prayer for our nation. We have an important opportunity to pray for our nation and seek God on behalf of our country. We have an important opportunity and responsibility through prayer to see our land healed, to see the sins of our land forgiven and have the mercy, loving-kindness, peace, joy, revival and complete salvation and restoration of God in America.

However, before we can see these blessed results and favorable consequences, we must apply the true meaning of importunity to our prayers and our need for God and His presence in our country. You see before we can be blessed as a nation our prayers must go up to God with wearisome persistence. We must continually pray for God’s healing in our nation. I have heard this verse many times. I have seen it on t-shirts and such. But up until now, with God’s revelation, I have never understood it the way I do now.

2 Chronicles 7:14 If My people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves, pray, seek, crave, and require of necessity My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.
It is all here. God’s people, the church and body of Jesus Christ must humble themselves and pray with the importunity of prayer in their hearts. We must pray with wearisome persistence and unrelenting urgency. We must seek God with all our hearts in harmony with one another, in perfect unison, and in combined strength of faith. We must crave and need God’s presence in America in the same manner, with wearisome persistence, and with all our hearts and souls, together as one giant cry unto the Father in heaven. We must turn from our wicked ways and stop putting other gods before Him. Then and only then will God hear from heaven and forgive America and heal America.
Our country, the United States of America was founded as one Nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Our money is printed and stamped “In God We Trust.” Today, America is a nation of many people of from many different nations, beliefs, races, religions and creeds that all call America their home land. We all sin and we all fall short of the glory of God. In our land there are many sins, too numerous to list. Common things and seemingly simple and harmless things have taken precedence in the American way of life. One such example is the use of technology and the use of cellular phones. In reality these are examples of things that we have become dependent on, and in need of here in the USA. It may seem harmless but any time anything takes prevalence over God- it is idolatry. There are many other critical issues of concern and sin. The main issue of importance, dire need and in great demand right now is a great turning away from sin and a true repentance of sin. If one person prays this prayer of repentance and turns away from sin it is great for that person because they when they search for God with all their heart and soul they will find Him and they will be saved. But if a group of a hundred or a thousand or a million pray in repentance and turn away from sin to God, it is beautiful beyond words. We must come together in the importunity of prayer! Please take a few moments to pray this prayer along with me and pass this prayer on to as many as you will.

Dear Heavenly Father,
We acknowledge that our nation has turned away from you. In our greed and independence we have become financially, spiritually, physically and morally bankrupt. In our need to be self-sufficient and powerful and famous as individuals and as a nation, we have failed miserably and come to the end of all our own resources. In our desire to be free and powerful we have become enslaved and weakened in our sins against you. Our nation is falling apart. We have tried to replace you and put other gods of money, material possessions, and ease of life style above you and the precious sacrifice provided for us at the cross. In doing so, we have fallen away from you and the all sufficient grace that comes only from you. Now with humble, weary, and persistent hearts and souls we turn to you for forgiveness of all our sins. Forgive us for putting other gods before you and for turning to other things and other ways of life instead of turning to you. Right now we, as individuals and as the brothers and sisters and family in Christ Jesus, and as believers all join together, united in one accord and with one voice. As one voice we turn away from everything that would stand between us and you. As one people serving as one nation under God, we pray LORD that you will hear our prayer. We need your presence now more than ever. Please come and make your wonderful holy presence known to America in new and profound ways. We pray, seek, crave and require of necessity your face. As we submit ourselves to you, we pray that you will hear our nation, heal our nation, and make us your nation. We pray for a great restoration in America and a huge revival in America and all across the globe. As one nation and one voice we cry out for deliverance and we claim all of the indisputable promises found in the word of God. In these times of darkness, O LORD you are our only light. You LORD are the only hope of our nation. We pledge allegiance to you LORD God. We pray this prayer in the wonderful matchless name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

May your life be blessed and a blessing in Christ Jesus.