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Let me start with a story. It seemed like such a good idea. A limb needed to come down, a big one. So all I have to do is tie one end of the rope around the limb that's going to be cut, loop it over a higher limb, tie the other end to the base of another tree, go up the ladder, cut the limb, go down the ladder, loose the rope, lower the cut limb. Perfect. What could possibly go wrong with that? Then I had the inspirational thought that before I loosed the rope, I should secure it to myself so that I can control the descent of the limb. Perfect. And with that inspiration, I wrapped one end of the rope around my right forearm and lowered away. The unconsidered detail was the physics of a very heavy limb moving to the draw of gravity with a force that exceeded the strength of my grip. The rope began to snake through my gloved hands and across my bare forearm with increasing speed. Well, the limb landed safely, but I had a rope burn on my arm that had my full attention. Years later, I still have a white scar on my right arm from that lesson. You've been there. Rope burns hurt. They take a long time to heal and they leave a permanent scar. So this is a talk about rope burns, how they occur, the damage they inflict, and how they can be avoided. Now we're not talking about the rope you use in your backyard projects. Now, this rope is, well, let's just call it the life rope. It's the one you cling to so tenaciously, sometimes desperately. It's the one you talk about with such confidence to your professional friends over a beer on the boat. Even as it is slipping out of control through your hands, that rope will burn you. Bad. It hurts. It heals slowly and it leaves scars. Now think about your favorite life rope. Maybe it's your business, maybe it's your title, maybe it's one of your toys, maybe it's your reputation, maybe it's your investment portfolio. Whatever it is, you're highly invested in it because that's the rope that makes you feel important, the one you desperately want to define yourself around your peers. Not only that, just to make sure things don't go in a direction you aren't comfortable with, you've wrapped that rope firmly around yourself. You're tied to it, and it's tied to you. And right now, we're in the most challenging business environment of our lives. And you can feel that rope slipping. Did you ever imagine that you would experience the virtual lockdown of our country? Or that simple patterns of business and life upon which each of us have come to depend would so easily disappear? Or how rapidly a robust economy, an economy that was allowing us to plan longer and more confidently than at any other time in our professional lives, would evaporate in the face of an invisible and deadly disease? And now leadership at every level, from the White House all the way down to your office, are wrestling with the question: how do we get safely back to work? And you feel the burn as that rope slips through your fingers. It's a simple fact. There is nothing easy about this thing. It's hard, it's a threat to the things you value highly, and it leaves you scrambling for solutions that can seem pretty elusive, depending on the kind of business you're in. And if you're honest, it's bad scary. The rope is slipping, and the burn is getting hot. I get it. But it's important that you know that you are not without hope. And no, I'm not talking about federal stimulus money or a governor's decree. Now is the part where you probably expect me to say all you need to do is pray and trust God. And for the record, you do need to pray and trust God. But I know I'm talking to some pretty self-sufficient people. You're squeezing your grip on that rope because you have to control this thing, right? You're squeezing with all you've got, even as it slips. Now you may be okay with prayer, but trusting God with the thing that is of most value to you, the one that defines you? I mean, this isn't Sunday school. This is real life, right? Well, I guess I need to tell you another story. It's a story about ropes and prayer, about trust and ownership and about dependence. I once owned a truck stop. Now, business ownership was my rope. I saw it as a source of economic provision, and I saw it as a source of personal importance. Now imagine Bucky's truck stop. Now a quarter of the size, 50 years older in north-central Texas, add constant wind and triple-digit temperatures, throw in some dust, and you've got a pretty good idea of what the Lone Star Truck Terminal was like. Now, the principal activity of a truck stop is to sell diesel fuel to long-haul truckers. The more fuel you sell, the wider the margin between what you pay for that fuel and what you sell it for, the better will be your general attitude about the facts of life. It's business 101. Now, that being clearly understood, in the first 18 months of my ownership, we experienced a deep recession, rampant inflation, a trucker strike, and a fuel shortage, which meant zero leverage on purchasing price of product. And just in case you're wondering, none of that is good if you're in the retail fuel business. It wasn't long before our cash was gone. And the prospects of that business staying alive were blowing away in the hot Texas wind. My rope was slipping fast. It was a sobering time, and it remains today as the most challenging experience of my entire life. At that point in my life, I had been a Christian for some time. I was acquainted with the scriptures, and I knew it taught that I should bring my burdens to the Lord, and I did so expectantly, intently. The fact is, I was scared. Now, what I'm going to describe to you next is a series of encounters with God in prayer over a two-week period in the most difficult time of my life. Those encounters and the lessons learned are as real now as they were those many years ago. Fear factor was high, so was the incentive to find relief. I spent a lot of time praying and a lot of time hustling just to find some way to keep that business alive. A serious rope burn was in process. Those prayer encounters were like a series of meetings with Jesus. Now, sometimes the meetings were early in the morning, sometimes during the day, but most often they were in the middle of the night. It was like a business meeting at a conference table. I was on one side, Jesus was on the other, and he was looking directly into my eyes. I opened the first meeting with a list of my grievances, and as evidence of need, I put my financials on the table. Jesus glanced at the documents, picked them up without comment, and placed them behind him, and then returned his steady gaze back to me. Well, not quite sure what had just happened. I placed my cash account ledger on the table. It certainly needed attention. And again, Jesus picked up the ledger, placed it behind him, and returned his gaze. In the first three meetings, piece by piece, I went through every element of that business office, buildings, equipment, employees, customers, property, cash accounts. And each time I put an item on the table, Jesus simply took it. In the next several meetings, I went from the business to our home, room by room, thing by thing, and everything in our home went on the table. And every piece he took and placed behind him. Our house went on the table. Our hometown with all of its memories went on the table. Our church family with all of its meaning. Our friends, our children, our future, and my ability to provide for it went on the table. And then my wife went on the table. After three agonizing days and a detailed inventory of everything that defined my life, it had all gone on the table and had been claimed by Jesus. And still he was quietly gazing at me. It seemed that he was anticipating something. Well, that's it. I finally told him that's everything. He finally spoke. Really? What's that in your pocket? Well, I knew what he was talking about. I held it back. It was a key to a new Chevy blazer. They call them tie holes. Now silver auto package, metallic paint, rally wheels, 350 four-barrel V8, raised white letter tires, four-wheel drive, kicking sound system. Oh man, that was a sweet truck. Now, Marilyn hates this part of the story because she went on the table on day three. It took the rest of two weeks meeting Jesus at that table and his silent gaze for me to surrender the keys to that truck. But at the end of two weeks, everything that defined my life had gone on that table. And Jesus had taken it all. I was laid bare, genuinely frightened, confused, didn't know what to expect. He had everything. I was broken and completely undone. But here's where the story gets really interesting. At the next meeting, still at the table, clearly in possession of everything that defined me, Jesus spoke again. Mark, he said, I want you to understand something. All these things, these things so precious to you, are mine. Always have been, always will be. I created them, I paid for them, I claimed them as my own, and I have no intention of relinquishing title. I will use them or withhold them according to my purpose. Do you understand what I'm saying to you? I answered, yes. I remember an old Marine once told me there are only three acceptable answers in the Marine Corps. Yes, sir, no, sir, and no excuse, sir. I've come to understand that in a relationship with Jesus, there is only one acceptable answer, and that is yes, Lord. I found that you just can't put the word no or the word maybe in front of the word Lord. At that moment, the creator, master, and commander of all that is or ever will be had my full attention. I had no standing, no claim, no leverage, and at that moment, no hope, I was broken, completely surrendered, and all I had to show for all my effort was a severe rope burn. Then Jesus spoke again, still gazing right into my eyes, straight into my soul. And he said, Here are my terms. I will return these things to your care, not your ownership. You are to use them as I direct. You will be my custodial agent in their care and use. You are to remain available to me at all times, inquiring daily regarding my instructions. I will make my communications clear to you. And upon receipt of instruction, you will respond without delay or variance. I will equip you with the wisdom, understanding, knowledge, strength, and provision needed for every task that I assign to you. Do you understand and agree with my terms? I looked up into his eyes, and I answered with a depth of honesty and intent that is hard to describe, but clearly remembered. Yes, Lord. I looked down at my hands. Where there had been a raw burning rope burn. It was healed. And all that remained was a white scar. Then another amazing thing happened. The prayer encounter ended, and I was alone in my office, but I knew and have never forgotten the terms of that deal. Or the scar. Well, the business survived that period. I eventually sold it, and a fresh journey with God started. It led our family from our hometown in North Texas to New Orleans and ultimately to Mobile. And in Mobile, he assigned to me the presidency of the University of Mobile. And it lasted 18 and a half wonderful years. And he also assigned to me the telling of this story to you today in what will likely prove to be the most challenging time in your business career. Well, all that happened 40 years ago. A story about rope burns and prayer and trust and ownership and dependence. And now is the part where I say what you need to do is pray and trust God. So Lord, thank you for a 40-year-old story that lives freshly. I pray that by the work of your spirit and the men and women listening to these words, that you would challenge and comfort and provide. And Lord, I ask that by any means necessary, any means necessary, that you would draw each individual to surrender attention to you and to your great love. Please protect the people from illness, restore our country, restore the efficiency of our land, restore our work. Thank you for your love. And I ask in the name of Jesus. Amen. If you're interested in how to integrate spiritual principles into your business, you'll find some resources there, and maybe that can be of help to you. And a fresh devotional is open every morning at 5 30. It's called the journey.