Five Principles I Learned from a Friend
One of my greatest blessings is working with people who are my friends. It is also a blessing when you can say that about a director of your ministry. Dr. George Theis was a former Director of Word of Life Fellowship and he was my friend. On July 2, 2014 he went home to be with the Lord.
As I reflected on my friendship with George, I thought of five valuable principles I learned from him. I never remember him discussing these with me; I simply picked them up by watching his life.
- Love Jesus but hate sin. He lived out Psalm 97:10 as well as any man I have ever known. (You who love the Lord, hate evil! He preserves the souls of His saints; He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked.)
- Family is a priority. I will never forget seeing him take family days each week in the middle of a busy camp season, setting the example for all of us.
- Treat people with dignity. It has been said that a leader who walks into a room has an important effect on people. When he leaves the room, people either feel taller or smaller. George always made me feel taller.
- Honor your wife. It was his custom to always introduce his wife Joan in every meeting where he spoke. Although I may not have done it that way, I learned from his example.
- Never stop learning. He was constantly sending me articles to read with notations on them. He wanted me to keep reading and learning. I remember him saying that leaders never stopped learning!
I am thankful that God allowed me the privilege of knowing George Theis. I am grateful for the lessons I learned from my friend.
