John Stanko

I recorded what could have been my last radio show last Wednesday with my friend Bill Rhoades as my guest. Bill was easy to interview as he shared the impact the purpose message had on him after his traumatic accident in 1995. You can listen to The Purpose Craze on the Voice America archives at your convenience. I consider Bill an expert on purpose; he knows my stuff better than I do and regularly applies those principles to people's lives.

The station has offered me a Saturday time slot at a reduced cost, but unless I raise the money, I won't proceed to renew. I have put it in the Lord's hands, especially after I got my July listener and download numbers today. They showed significant increase over June. I know the show is popular and helpful, but if God wants me to terminate it for now, i am happy to do that. Contact me if you want to be a sponsor or donate.

I have one more day of classes and, after spending 12 of the last 13 days in class from 8 to 4:30, I am ready for a break of sorts. There won't be much of a work break, however, as I head down to West Palm Beach to conduct a Pacific Institute training session with my friend Bill Hobbs and his team at Urban Youth Impact. I get home next Thursday and don't have any travels planned until October. This certainly has been a different kind of year.

While I said I was done with my classes, I am not done with the work generated for and by them. I have several major papers to complete plus the research for my overall program project. My goal is to finish by May, 2010. We'll see if that's realistic. The school already gave us our course syllabus for next February, 2009, and it requires a lot of reading and writing again. This program isn't a cakewalk but I am enjoying it. Some of our discussions about the Old Testament in the New were just too exciting. At one point in class, I wanted to get up and run around, but I contained myself. At other times, I had to fight off slumber.

What are you doing to grow in the knowledge of God? I am not inferring that you must go to a formal school program to do that, but you must do something -- read, listen to, watch or attend a seminar or program. And there is nothing wrong with a vibrant devotional life that includes prayer and Scripture reading. Whatever you choose or have time to do, I urge you to be faithful to it. If I can help, let me know.