CH 5 PBPWMGINFWMY

In October 1982 I attended Bill Gothard’s Institute In Basic Youth Conflicts for the first time. The principles of the seminar were not new, but were packaged in a way that made them more usable. The little button with PBPWMGINFWMY intrigued me from the first time I saw it. I later learned the letters stood for “Please be patient with me God is not finished with me yet.” I can truly say that over 18 years later the message on the little button is still true. I have not yet “arrived.” I suppose the message will remain true until I draw my last breath. God’s ability to lead and ultimately to mature us is dependent upon our being in His Word. In Psalm 25:4,5 we read:

"Shew me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all day."

How can He show His ways and teach us His paths if His book lays dusty and unopened upon our bookshelf? Sales of God’s Word would increase dramatically if all Christians were in the Word daily. We would wear our Bibles out and need new ones much more often. Bill Gothard used a number of stories to illustrate principles from Scripture. He emphasized the importance of a daily walk in God’s Word. I had tried to be consistent in this area but had little success prior to this first seminar. Bill encouraged us to start reading Scripture early in the morning and to start small, five or ten minutes in the beginning, then build up to a greater time level. We were encouraged to start reading in the Psalms and Proverbs.

The specific method was to read certain Psalms and Proverbs on particular days of the month. On the first of the month the readings were Psalm 1,31,61,91,121 and Proverbs 1. The second day of the month would be Psalm 2,32,62,92,122 and Proverbs 2. Each day five Psalms and a Proverb were to be read. Over 18 years have passed and I still am able to get into the Bible daily by using Bill’s simple method. I consider the time in the early day to be my power for each day’s challenges. Every once in a while I might miss and something goes wrong with the whole day.

The year after our first seminar Sharon and I were able to accompany our pastor, K.B. Murray and his wife Louise to the Advanced Seminar in Chicago. Important principles were added to those already learned. Everything we heard reinforced our daily walk in Scripture. God shows us His priority for His Word in Psalm 138:2b, "...for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name." Our task is also to magnify His Word by making it a part of our daily lives. PBPWMGINFWMY...He still is not finished with me, but I stay better tuned to Him by learning more from His Book. I have a lot of questions and one day I will have all of His answers. Just not in this lifetime!!

"Next to God, thy parents." William Penn

"And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." Ephesians 6:4