Park Cities Presbyterian Church (PCA)

Surviving the economic tsunami

Survivors of 80s storm offer lessons learned

By Bill Peel

Published May 1, 2009 in Witness

Clyde Jackson, Fred Ball, Butch McCaslin, and Tracy Taylor have at least two things in common: 1) They experienced the white-knuckle economy of the late 1980s and lived to tell about it; and 2) they know it was God who brought them through those tough times.

At the February WorkPlace Ministries breakfast, over 100 men and women gathered to hear these seasoned businessmen share their stories and offer advice on how to navigate through an economic downturn. They talked about some serious storms they’d been through, what they learned about themselves and God, and the lessons God taught them about weathering financial tsunamis. One common lesson all the panelists learned: Business has a lot more to do with faith than they originally thought.

Difficult financial times didn’t destroy these men; instead, it shaped their character and relationship with God in positive ways. When asked what personal habits kept them afloat in past storms, they emphasized five important practices:

1. Prayer

2. Regular study of God’s Word

3. Meeting consistently with a small group of other Christians

4. Continuing to work at whatever ministry God has called them to

5. Exercise

Clyde Jackson told the group how important it is to begin the day with the Lord by reading scripture so you can think about the truth all day long. He also takes time every day to pray for his employees and colleagues by name.

Fred Ball reminded attendees that even though it might not feel like it at the time, “the Lord is in the tough spots.” Fred told about how he would pray and then consciously watch for God at work, taking Philippians 4:6 to heart: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

Butch McCaslin advised: “As smart as you may be, there’s no way to avoid risk and difficulties in business. Financial problems are painful, but it’s in these experiences that we find out if our faith is real.” Butch said Psalm 27:13 got him through many dark days: “I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.”

Tracy Taylor offered encouragement to the audience: “You will make it through this!” He also reminded them of a critical truth: “Just because you might fail in business, you are not a failure. As Christians, we are not defined by our business success or our material possessions, but by our relationship with Christ.” Tracy encouraged those who are married to work on their marriages. “An understanding spouse is a wonderful asset in a recession.”

What’s on your balance sheet? Butch shared an image to which many could relate: “In the late 1980s I felt as if someone had torn out the asset page of my balance sheet, leaving me with only liabilities.” He and the other panelists reminded the group that as Christians we each have “hidden” assets to draw upon. Here are some of those assets that can never be taken away from us:

• Scripture to remind us of the truth

• Prayer to call out to God for help

• Abilities given by God to accomplish His purposes

• A God who cares about our work and is personally present

• Other Christians to encourage us

• The Holy Spirit to remind us of the truth when we forget it.

As they left, many attendees commented that they felt encouraged and better equipped spiritually and emotionally to weather the grim economic forecast. We thank these men for their willingness to be transparent and share their hard-earned wisdom.