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February/March 2007 Issue |
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The crowd packed the pews of the Chapel, the balcony bulged with people and still more perched on folding chairs for the first Encouragers Class of the year, the first for Zig Ziglar in his new role as host.
After 25 years as a Sunday school teacher, first at First Baptist
Church of Dallas and for the last 15 years at Prestonwood, the internationally known motivational speaker took a peek at the future and what he hopes to accomplish and decided it was time for a change.
“I’m 80, and I know I probably don’t have 80 more years, so I’m trying to get as much done as humanly possible before the Lord calls me home,” Zig said. “I’m easing up on my speaking schedule and increasing my writing time, because I believe what I leave there will have the greatest long-term effect.”
Now, for the most part, he’ll leave the teaching of the Encouragers
Class to others.
“We have theologians lined up who will teach much more Bible than I could,” he said.
That’s Zig, always unassuming. In every success he’s had, he gives the credit to God. He wears a jeweled pin in his tie—the Christian fish symbol and the number 7, a reminder that being
a Christian is a seven-days-a-week job. He lives his faith every day.
“Zig is a constant encourager. He’s always near the front of the church, and he’s constantly encouraging me, for preaching
God’s Word and the commitment we’ve had as a church to reach people for Christ,” said Pastor Jack Graham. “He and Jean practice the message he proclaims.”
Zig and Jean—or “the Redhead,” as she’s known to Zig’s legion of fans—came to Prestonwood in the early ’90s, Pastor Graham said, just a few years after his own arrival.
“He and Jean have added so much value to the ministry of the church,” Pastor Graham said. “And with his faithful teaching of that Bible class, it became one of our primary and certainly premiere outreaches of the church.
“Who wouldn’t want Zig Ziglar teaching a Bible study?” he asked.
His fame as a public speaker and motivator, his list of books and his impact in the world of business all made Zig a tremendous
draw, Pastor Graham said, and people from across America and around the world found their way to Prestonwood
to visit his class and then stay for services.
“Zig was very intentional when he had seminars in the area, and he would encourage attendees to come to Prestonwood, and they would often fill many rows in the worship service,” Pastor Graham said. “Many of these had been led to Christ in the seminars and openly confessed Christ in the services.”
That was God’s doing, Zig said, not his. And he’s been thrilled to be a part of it.
But now it’s time for a change.
“I used to spend all day Saturday getting ready to teach on Sunday. That’s a pretty fair commitment,” he said.
He’ll be able to use that time to write, he said. But he says there’s no doubt that he’ll miss teaching his class each week.
“I just thoroughly enjoyed it, number one. And it was very beneficial for me because if it hadn’t been for the class, to be honest, I wouldn’t have been as deep in the Scriptures,” he said. “I do get into Scripture every morning—the Bible is the most motivational book of all time. I get in God’s Word and that inspires me more than anything.”
And he’ll still work hard to inspire and encourage his class. Most Sunday mornings—at least 45 a year, he said—
he’ll be at his familiar spot in the front pew of the Chapel at 9:15, awaiting his time to stand and address the Encouragers.
“I will tell one funny story—I believe humor is the hand of God on a discouraged world—and I’ll be telling a story that makes a significant point. I have a ton of stories, so I’ll be telling
those to have an impact on the lives of our people.”
Some members of his class, which draws hundreds of regulars
each week and visitors from far-flung destinations, were understandably disappointed to learn of the changes.
“But I think the reasons are very solid, and the benefits are even greater,” Zig said.
“I personally am very excited about it, and I think the class will benefit from it. After all, the Bible is the reason people come here, not for motivation, but for God’s word.”
He realizes some people are drawn to the class because they know who he is. Maybe they’ve read his books or heard him speak. So he’ll be there to meet them, to shake hands and share a friendly word.
He’ll still produce his twice-weekly class e-mails, too, he said, and he’ll lead a large group to their weekly lunch after church.
“The only difference is I won’t be doing all the teaching,” Zig said. “I’ll be doing very little of it.”
And though his role in the classroom has changed, his role at Prestonwood won’t.
“Prestonwood has been such a wonderful experience for us,” he said.
“When I told Pastor Graham what I wanted to do, he understood and was very gracious. I told him what the plan was, and he knew where I was and my reasons for doing it. I have such a great love and respect for him.
“We’ve loved every moment at Prestonwood, and we expect to be there until the Lord says, ‘OK, Zig, you can come on home now,’ ” he said. “I’m not going to do anything to expedite that, but when He calls, I’m ready to go.”
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