Life Lessons from Elmer Towns

I spent a day this week in a round table meeting with Dr. Elmer Towns from Liberty University. Dr. Towns is a relational man of God with years of experience doing great things for Jesus. He shared 24 life lessons he has learned, and they were like gold to a younger minister. Here is a brief summary of his lessons:

1. Every significant decision involves only two real choices. Usually it is a test and there is a satan to thwart in the decision.
2. The reason you quit something reflects the reason you started doing it in the first place. (If you got in ministry to be liked by people you will quit when they don't like you. If you started for money, you will quit over money.)
3. Never just look at the front side of a vision. The back side reflects the real vision. (We usually just look at self, sex, or cents rather than hard work, cost, etc.)
4. Gratitude is the least remembered virtue. Gratitude is the acid test of a person's character.
5. Giants will do big things. Average men will do average things. Little men will do little things (but they will only do it sometimes-- you can't count on little men) Choose to be friends of giants and to spend your life investing in giants-- don't fear them.
6. God uses the little things in life to teach and guide you.
7. Your effectiveness in your walk with God will result in effectiveness with people.
8. The results of your failings are what you determine them to be. There are no excuses for failure-- only lessons to be learned.
9. Measure others by their priorities. Whatever they hold tightest is the most important to them.
10. True men of God are few and far between. (Measure men of God by Jesus, their fruits, and their mouth.)
11. You are only responsible for two generations-- yours and your children's.
12. You don't need great faith to do great things for God--you need faith in a great God. (The more you act on His greatness, the more you will do.)
13. Don't play with snakes-- any kind of snake. (There are no good snakes. There are no harmless snakes. Eventually all of them will bite you. If you play with a black snake, one day you will try to play with a copperhead and it will kill you. It is ok to be afraid of snakes. The two biggest snakes in ministry are women (speaking of sexual temptation to male minsters) and businessmen.
14. Regarding your wife-- never mess with the nest. (Let her be boss of the house in decorating etc.)
15. Men and women grieve differently.
16. Women don't trust other women. They see right through them. Men in ministry must learn to trust their wife's observations about women.
17. You will not develop close friendships with another couple if your wife does not like the other wife.
18. The first problem people share with you in counseling is never their real problem.
19. Keep the main thing the main thing.
20. Keep great people around you in life.
21. Learning to know God is a journey.
22. It always takes two wings to fly. (Balance in things like faith and works etc.)
23. Serving God does not automatically protect us from accidents and problems. The measure of greatness is how you handle the accidents and problems.
24. Culture is always changing. Anchor your life in Jesus.