Zig Ziglar passing

Just a few thoughts I'm having about Zig and his influence:

Zig has been a long-time friend and mentor.

It's very safe to say that, had it not been for Zig, you probably wouldn't be seeing this post, this website, or much of anything else from me.  Would I have been successful?  Maybe.  In another area, possibly, probably, I don't know.

But I'll say this:  Zig Ziglar has had a tremendous influence on my life, family and career.

There's hardly a day that goes by that I don't think of something he's said that doesn't give me a good dose of motivational medicine.  To me, that's impact; or better yet, INFLUENCE.

We are all called to make a difference, to have influence on others.  I've tried to do this with my kids, my wife, my extended family, my friends, my church, and the all the folks I live and work with.  My mom and dad really pushed this, too.  And to them and Zig, I'm grateful!

We DO make difference in other peoples' lives. There's no denying that.

But the key question is:  Is my influence positive or negative?  How do people feel about me and what I stand for; and what I won't compromise on?

Better yet, how do OTHERS feel about THEMSELVES when they are around ME!  Do I make them feel loved and valuable, or do I make them feel enervated (a big word for "drained").

Zig made us all feel GREAT about our potential and what each of us could accomplish.

His influence will certainly live on in all of us who knew him or heard him.

Just some stuff to think about.

One of my messages: "What's Up With This, God?"

Since I'm a comedian, some people think I don't have a serious side.  Well that's just not true.  I'm a minister first.  Comedy is only one of the avenues I use to reach others.

I've been teaching and preaching since I was 17.  I have tons of messages, lessons and sermons from teaching at my church, the Heights Baptist Church in Richardson; but I've never posted them.  So I thought I would let you hear one I shared recently. 

I know this may sound odd, but I'm asked many times to bring a message at funerals.  This is such a blessing for me, because:

1) I get to help a hurting family, and

2) I basically get a captive audience for 30 minutes, and I get to share the Gospel with them.  WOW!

This is good because, guess what is going through each person's mind during this time--DEATH and where they're headed.  And, I get to tell them how to change directions, just in case they're off course.

Anyway, you'll hear that in this message I just posted.   It's been edited and it's not long. I hope you're blessed by it. Wait until you hear the end of it.

God bless you!

Al

This link will take you to my website to hear the message, or just click on the title above on this post:

http://www.alfike.com/alfike/Message.html