Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence. 1 Peter 3:15 (NASU)

I hear God saying, "Chuck, in the core of your very being set Christ apart as holy and acknowledge Him as your Lord. And always be prepared to explain to anyone who asks, "Why do you have such confidence and faith?" But answer with courtesy and respect toward that person and reverence toward me."

This is one of my favorite verses. We are told so much in just a few words-the role of Christ in our lives...how we are to treat others regardless of whether they agree with us...our relationship with God. And at the center of these words is the instruction, Be prepared! Get ready!

One reason this passage means so much to me are the many times in my life when I wasn't prepared. I hadn't spent the time praying, studying God's Word, or sharing with others to better understand who He is, my place in this world, or what He has called me to do. As opportunities arose to share what I believe and why, I wasn't ready. And in those moments, I failed.

I don't like failing...in anything...ever. An attorney friend, when asked to describe me, once replied, "Chuck? He's...well, he's...tenacious." Success can be defined in many ways, but failure is quite simple-not doing what we've been called to do, dishonoring the trust that has been given.

But I especially don't like failing the One who died so I could live. Jesus is not a character in a story or a metaphor for how we should go about our daily lives. He's real. He's alive. And He deserves better than the occasional attention we sometimes give. We can do far better. We can, Be prepared! Get ready!

Our first step is to better understand who God is. This was why I wrote The Company. The central message there is: "Everyone has a story, and we never truly know someone until we discover it." That someone may be a friend, a member of your family, or the Creator of the Universe. To know God, we must seek Him, read and talk about Him. We must discover His story.

Notice I said "we". Each of us can learn a lot on our own, but it will never be as much as when we join together in our quest to know God. We are scattered around the world, each with different backgrounds and experiences. We can look at the same thing, yet take away different pieces of understanding. These pieces can then combine to make an amazing whole...but only if we share them.

I would like your help in sharing the message of The Company. From July 15 through 19, I will be attending the International Christian Retailers Show in Orlando, Florida. My publisher, WinePress Publishing, has stressed this will be a great opportunity to promote the book and network with Christian bookstores and other authors. Interviews and a book signing have been scheduled.

There's just one problem. I have no idea what I'm doing. So here's where you come in. Pray. Pray for The Company. Pray for the people I will meet. Pray that I don't embarrass myself. But most importantly, pray that God will bless these efforts so people around the world will come to know Him better and be prepared and ready to tell others why they have such confidence and faith.

If you will do this, please let me know. "Praying" is fine. You might say it would be...encouraging.