A New Chapter In My Autobiography

One of the great characters in the Old Testament was Abram, later known as Abraham.  The story of his life takes up a significant portion of the book of Genesis and he is referenced throughout the entire Bible.  I think the appeal is that he was an adventurer.  He was willing to take a risk, to make a change in his life if that is what was required to follow God.  He never allowed a fear of change to keep him from experiencing God’s best. 

If most of us were to write an autobiography, we would probably begin each chapter with an experience of making a change.  My autobiography would begin with chapter one, changing from a healthy baby boy into a child struggling for survival and fighting the effects of polio.  Another chapter might describe a change that led Sharon and I to move to Louisville, Kentucky, even though neither of us had ever crossed the Mississippi River.  I think I could easily describe my entire life by recounting the major changes I have experienced.  No doubt, you could as well. 

It is time to start a new chapter in my autobiography.  At an age when many of my friends are calculating their retirement account projections and talking about being content with the plan to retire from their present job, I sense God’s call to pack up and make a change. 

For the past twelve plus years, I have worked for denominational organizations, providing stewardship help and resources to churches.  I cannot say that every day of this work has been terrific, but the vast majority of them were.  Although I am a positive person by temperament, it is not an exaggeration to say that I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of the work.  Neither the occasional cranky denominational executive nor pigheaded pastor kept me from relishing in my daily tasks. 

I am taking all my education, several years of experience working in the secular world, and thirty years of learning how churches operate, and starting my own company.  I have thought about doing this for a while, but God made it clear in the past few months that now is the time.

On July 1, I will no longer be the Executive Director of Tarrant Baptist Foundation, but the Director (for lack of a better title right now) of The Austin Group.  That is the name of our new company.  It was not my first choice, but several friends were adamant that it is the right choice.  A couple of good friends suggested Terry Austin Inc., but that was never given serious consideration. 

The Austin Group is a partnership with my son Jeremy, and my youngest brother Jeff.  Many of you know Jeremy already.  He has worked with me for the past year.  For several years when we first moved to Fort Worth, Jeremy traveled with me when I preached.  If we ever came to your church, you will remember Jeremy as the teenager who carried his father up on the stage so he could preach.  Because travel was a physical challenge for me, Jeremy often drove the car as well.  He is probably one of the few people who drove 100,000 miles before he was old enough to get a license.  I also used to tease him that he knew more preachers than any other teenager in the country.  He has a great understanding of people and of church work, and is a valuable asset to my work. 

My brother Jeff has always been special to me.  He is nearly 20 years younger, which has given us a rather unique relationship.  He does not remember a time when my wife Sharon was not in the family.  I have always had tremendous respect for his wisdom and commitment to the Lord.  He brings a much needed business background to our partnership.  I would tell you that he has an MBA from Rice, but he will brag about that himself.  He knows things and cares about things that would go right past Jeremy and me. 

Beyond the three of us Austins, God has put together a fascinating group of folks who want to be involved in our work.  They have all come to us on their own initiative and it will allow us to start with a full team of qualified associates.  It is not just The Austin Group in name, but actually a group of people who are all committed to helping the local church. 

The first time God spoke to Abram and called him to make a change, he was already seventy-five years old (Genesis 12:4).  I guess, until you have both feet planted underground, you should not be surprised when God calls you to a task.  Chronological age is never a factor with God.  He is capable of using both old and young (remember how David’s father thought David was too young – 1 Samuel 16).

The good news is that Abram proves that I am not too old to be used by God.  The bad news is that when he arrived at the place where God had called him, the first thing he experienced was a famine (Genesis 12:10).  He had to travel on to Egypt and wait it out, encountering some obstacles before ever arriving permanently. 

To be honest, that frightens me.  As I set out on this journey, I do not want to go to Egypt. The last thing I want is a famine.  There has been at least a dozen times during the past month when I worried about a possible famine.  Each time, God has used Scripture to reaffirm His provisions.  I am not the kind of theologian who says God never wants you to do without anything, just believe and you can have it all.  I know from experience that sometimes a famine is squarely within God’s will. 

The thing I need most is your prayers.  I know I already have them from many of you, but I would not mind having a few more folks talking to God on my behalf.  We could also use your participation in our ministry.  If your church needs stewardship assistance, let me know.  You can learn the specifics of our ministry at www.generousstewardship.com. 

I hope there are several more chapters to write in my autobiography. 

Comments

[David Lane]

Congratulations! What a step. There are no famines in your future because of this decision - at least I don't think so. You are on our prayer list, as always!

Let me be on yours as well. I have partnered with a friend and we are in the money raising stage of purchasing a local restaurant. We have developed the business plan and gathered what money we have and are seeking SBA loans, or any other loans so that we can get this started. I believe that this is the direction that God would have me go, even in this crazy business environment. I often wonder if God doesn't put the crazy things in front of us so that we have to depend entirely on Him? Actually, maybe I don't wonder about it at all....

Good Luck and I know that God is with you.

Dave

[Lester Meriwether]

Terry, I trust your sense of God's leadership and your capacity to depend on God in all ways. Will pray for you and the team. God bless you. Lester

[Buddy Camper]

God's blessings on a bold move. I haven't met Jeff but you and Jeremy are special people. I'm pleased to be even a tiny part of your autobiography.

[Steve]

I do wish you the best. Having left a govt job with a steady paycheck every two weeks for 28 years, to start my own business, I can tell you it is a challenge. The talk from politicians about helping small businesses is just that, talk. I learned everything I know about stewardship from a great man, named Dr. Cecil Ray. The problem of today is the church, and what it is becoming. We have moved into an era where there is a distinctive lack of "calling" into ministry...just a nice looking career choice. The church no longer wants to help start new churches, but to just grow their own staff, and their own payroll. Sacrifice is now considered a job in ministry paying less than $50K per year. Ministerial staffs no longer want any oversight or accountability built into the body, and a lethargic membership is happy to rid themselves of the responsibility. Cynicism is growing and the church has been very much to blame for that. If I were you, that would be my greatest concern. We need to pray that God will turn this around. We need to pray for truth, and for God to lift up some leaders. A pastor with lower moral standards than the congegation cannot be an effective pastor. Good luck.

[Dot Shackelford]

CONGRATUSTIONS on your willingness to "step out in faith" to do what you feel God is leading you to do. I am very happy for you and will pray that God will bless your efforts to help churches be more financially able to preach and teach the Word of God. I will pray for you and Sharon and the whole family.

[Don Sewell]

Terry,
I'm excited for you and wish you God's very best. I'm grateful you have such faith and courage to jump into this without all the assurances a "normal" job provides. You will certainly have my prayer support.
-- DES

[Bill Fabriguze]

Terry, I am praying for you as you start a new ministry late in life. Sounds like you have covered your spiritual bases and have God's OK. Keep us posted as to your prayer concerns and we will share them. Bill Fabriguze