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Passion and perseverance

Recently Clay's assignment was to create an impromptu speech surrounding a "How To" topic.  He chose how to run a small business.  Clay is well into his 18th year of life, so his entrepreneurial experience is just a bit limited.  Creating and maintaining his lawn care business for two summers did serve as evidence for a "how to" business experience, but he realized that additional sources could boost his data considerably!

So he began asking Frank questions... not about his own experience, instead questions about Frank, Sr., Clay's grandfather.  My father-in-law was keenly interested in radio as a young child mainly because, as he remembers it, the radio was the main source of family entertainment.  His curiosity led to his determination to figure out how that radio worked - his earliest memory of taking apart a radio was at eight years old.  By his 12th birthday he had taught himself not only how to take one apart, but also to build one from scratch.  Television was just entering the consumer market, and he was now a passionate electronics entrepreneur.  At 16 he was repairing neighbor's televisions and radios in his father's basement.  He knew what he wanted to do for the rest of his life!  Like most, college seemed the logical decision, but after three years at the University of Kentucky, he determined his dream was not being realized quickly enough.  He entered the Army where he met Joyce (who we know as Grandma).  They married, and he whisked her away from Arkansas where he had been stationed to Louisville to open his first Electronics store.  Wilder Electronics officially opened on October 25, 1960 - they lived on the second floor of that first store in a small apartment.

He built his business on customer service, hard work, honesty and integrity.  He never waned from his passion and purpose to bring quality electronics to the consumer.  They moved the business to a second location,then a third, and  then landed in a building in St. Matthews, Kentucky.  The business thrived and added employees including both his sons.
 Mr. Wilder was certain from age 12 of his plan and never allowed anything to change or deter that thinking.  Many days were long, and many customers were impatient, but with passionate determination, he persevered through the days by calming the frustrated consumer, by listening well and hearing clearly.  He retired "officially" in 2000 handing the keys to the building with great confidence to his sons.

To this day, my father-in-law can give you a year by year monologue including which model television made its debut each year and what the new and improved features of the new model included.  We could literally fill a museum with his collection of his radios and televisions.  He LOVES them all.

Is that kind of passion lost on the following generations?  What causes that kind of drive?  What causes you to be passionate... a person, an idea, a plan, a conviction?
Our Sunday school class has been studying the book of Acts, and each week, I am again amazed at the boldness, the passion, the drive of the disciples and the new believers.  They had lived through Pentecost - literally seeing/experiencing the power and presence of the Holy Spirit.
Oh friends, my prayer for all of us is that we can catch a glimpse of that strength that is available to us through Jesus, and that we will be overwhelmed with desire to so closely follow HIS lead.

Just after the apostles had been flogged and ordered NOT to speak in the name of Jesus...

"The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the NAME [of Jesus].  Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah." Acts 5:41-42

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