Who Leads Ironmen?

Who leads IronMen? The answer is obvious … isn't it?

We've all read the scripture:

“As Iron sharpens iron, so one man (person) sharpens another.” - Proverbs 27:17 (NIV)

IronMen Ministries has existed in one form or another since before I got saved. I believe … and correct me if I'm wrong … it's the product of the men's ministry of First Baptist Church, Centerville, Georgia and it's the reason that I joined that church eleven odd years ago. I was at the lowest point that I have experienced in my life thus far and, God willing, I'll never experience anything like that kind of brokenness again!

Throughout my formative years, I was raised Catholic and my family relocated many times. We never stayed in one place long enough to establish ourselves in a community and the result (spiritually speaking) was that I had only the vaguest of ideas what a church family was. When I joined FBC Centerville, I found a group of men who treated me differently than I had ever been before and, as I said earlier, it was at a time when I needed fellowship, encouragement and prayer, desperately.

These were the IronMen.

Since then, I have become an IronMan myself and my life has changed dramatically. So much so that I can honestly say that God used IronMen Ministries to, literally, save my life.

By now, I'm sure that you're asking, “What does this have to do with who leads IronMen Ministries?”

To that I say, take a deep breath and count to ten.

When we meet on Friday mornings, it may be easy to identify the men who lead that fellowship. Russ Pierce usually gets things going. Ronny Babbitt obviously has a lot to contribute. Wendell Price and Ansel Peck are usually there with an encouraging word and/or a loving hug. And who can overlook Rich Hanni at the keyboard making sure that all the right visuals are being displayed on the screen. And then there's all those nameless people who are there while we're still in bed, setting everything up before and tearing everything down again after each weekly breakfast. Then, there's Jon Nichols.

Ah, Jon.

But, I digress.

So, who leads IronMen, I ask you?

If you're reading this article (or even if you aren't but you call yourself an Ironman) … you do.

We come together whenever we are able to assume our roles as the leaders in our community that we are, and I'm not just talking about the Table Leaders. Now, you may be saying to yourselves, “But, I'm no leader”.

Jesus said,

“You are the salt of the earth”. - Matthew 5:12 (NIV)

“You are the light of the world”. - Matthew 5:14 (NIV)

So, do you still think that you aren't a leader?

Jesus said that you are a leader in your little corner of the world because He has appointed you one. As that leader, you have responsibilities.

At the start of this article, I quoted the IronMen Ministries motto, Proverbs 27:17, but how many of you can call to mind the very next verse?

“He who tends a fig tree will eat its fruit, and He who looks after his master (Jesus) will be honored.” - Proverbs 27:18 (NIV)

Okay, now that we have established that you are one of the leaders of IronMen Ministries, you may ask yourself, “So, what am I supposed do now?”

In one of our recent breakfasts, Russ told you that IronMen Ministries is looking for ways to improve the experience for all of us. In order to do that, we need input from as many of you as possible. Here's what we need to know. What do you want to get out of not only the Friday prayer breakfast, but out of IronMen Ministries as a whole?

Most if not all of you know about The Awakening men's conference that IronMen Ministries put on last summer. It was an amazing event and a huge blessing to have been a part of. I know that many of you played a part in its presentation and no matter how big or small that part was doesn't matter. The only thing that does is that you played a role. Hopefully, you're also aware of the upcoming, The Awakening 2018 men's conference. I'm confident that this will be an even larger and better event and we should all find a place there. But, are the breakfasts and conferences all that we should be about?

This is where you come in. You tell us.

Your feedback is essential and I'm asking all of you to tell us what you would like to, not only get out of IronMen Ministries, be it the breakfast, the conference or something else that we haven't even thought of yet, but also what you are willing to put into it to make it happen. IronMen Ministries exists for the glory and worship of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. How can we do it better than we have in the past?

 You may not be aware of it, but there is a place where you can leave your comments pertaining to this as well as my other articles. I encourage you to do so. Let me know what you like and dislike about any of them. But, in the case of this article, give us your suggestions to make the breakfast and other IronMen Ministries events a more enjoyable and fulfilling experience for us all. We owe it to Him.

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the Devil's schemes.” - Ephesians 6:10-11 (NIV)

The battle is on!

G. J. Fortier is a member of Ironmen Ministries and First Baptist Church, Centerville, GA. Look for his novels on Amazon on Kindle and paperback. Or visit his website at www.GerardFortier.com