My name is Tom Cheshire. By the grace of God, I'm not the man I was ten years ago. This is my story:
I was the model of Christian respectability back then--upstanding; well versed in scripture; present at church each and every Sunday with my family by my side and always a decent check in my pocket for the offering plate. I even led junior and senior high youth ministry, and my job--working on corporate jets--ensured I had the respect of every man I encountered.
I looked good, but in truth, I was the cup of the Pharisee in Luke 11:39. I was clean on the outside but filthy on the inside, living in a way that did not honor God. I understood Christ’s imperative that I repent and turn away from sin--I just couldn‘t bring myself to do it, yet. I had grown up in the age of sex, drugs, and rock and roll, and there were certain sins I’d been unable to lay down.
God has little patience for such things. He had a plan for my life, but until He "washed out the cup," I was of no value in His service. So He did what His word promises He will do--he laid bare my sins for all to see.
I had been entertaining the notion that my sins were hurting only myself. That illusion was dashed when I saw the wounded look in the face of my wife. My peers pulled away in righteous indignation. The Church--what could they say?
That was a difficult time. Of all the lessons I’ve learned in this life, that was the most painful. But I praise God for it, because it was also, ultimately, the most rewarding. The real tragedy would have been for God to leave me in my sin--leave me to play the part of the righteous man without ever knowing Him.
My name is Tom Cheshire, and I am a missionary. My mission field is comprised of men like me--men who sell themselves short out of temptation or simple masculine pride. Men who don‘t realize they could be the engine of the Church, rather than just another passenger, if only they would commit to the destination God has in mind for them.
My name is Tom Cheshire, and I work for God.