It's Not Over

As I drove off the church property after the congregational meeting, in September 2017, I was aware that things would never be the same.

I was flooded with competing emotions. The memories of the last 38 years as Senior Pastor filled my mind. It was overwhelming to think about! When I started as pastor, I had one small child and now I had 8 grandchildren and my oldest son was 40!

I felt like a rudderless ship as I drove home that night. I had been a pastor for so long I had forgotten what it felt like in the days before. What would I do now? How would I spend my weekends? My weekdays? I honestly felt like a duck out of water. I felt exhausted and tired like I had never felt before: emotionally, physically, spiritually, and in every other way. I had no idea what I would do next or what my future was going to look like.

In the months prior people had been asking me what I was going to do next in the Lord’s service. I honestly had no idea. I would respond to anyone who asked, “I am totally spent. I've got nothing left to give right now!" And I meant it!

Since I was no longer pastor, the church decided not to continue sponsoring the radio outreach into 2018. While I completely understood the decision, I felt that it was not God’s will that the radio ministry come to an end.  It was clear that God was leading me to continue the ministry, but what that looked liked, I had no idea.

So with much prayer and discussion, in November of 2017, we decided to start Lon Solomon Ministries. This would encompass reaching people with the gospel and preached WORD through the SO WHAT? Radio sermons, Not a Sermon, Just a Thought ads, social media, podcasts, the LSM App , and my annual tours to the Holy Land and other biblical sites.

We immediately applied to be a 501c3 non-profit, which would give us tax exempt status with the IRS. Much to our surprise, we received our 501c3 status within 6 weeks! Lon Solomon Ministries (LSM) was off and running!
 
Never did I think that I would start a ministry like this! In fact, I felt like God had actually "forced" me into it-that the Lord had used circumstances to force me to go somewhere that I would never have planned to go on my own.

But when I thought about it, I realized that I was not the first person that God had moved like this.  

God, in His perfect will, forced Joseph to go to Egypt through the treachery of his brothers.
 
God forced Joseph and Mary to go to Bethlehem through the actions of Caesar Augustus.

God forced Moses to go to the backside of the desert through the actions of Pharoah.

And now, God had forced me to go somewhere that I had never thought, dreamed or planned to go anymore than Moses, Joseph or the Holy Family had!

Over the last 4 years, God has provided beyond my wildest dreams. LSM airs on over 800 media outlets with the preached WORD of God. I started Live with Lon! in March of 2020, to give hope in the midst of a pandemic, and here we are over a year later with a thriving online video preaching channel! Praise the LORD!

I am humbled and honored that God was not finished with me yet, and dear friend, if you are reading this, God is not finished with you! It doesn’t matter how old you are, who you are, where you are, how little you’ve done, how much you’ve done, how far you’ve come, how much you’ve stumbled or failed, and it certainly doesn’t matter what stage of life you are in! God has a purpose and plan for your life. He is just asking us, like the old hymn says, to trust and obey!

Friend, remember, it's not over til GOD says it's over!

Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:6