Great Commission
by
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June and I are enjoying this phase of our life as we reflect on our 49 years of marriage, our careers, our family, and our work within the Baptist churches we have been privileged to serve.
About twenty years ago, a good friend, Roy Bragg, told me a story about a Sunday afternoon conversation he had with his oldest of three children, Lev, who had completed medical school and had joined a successful practice in Birmingham, Alabama. It was half-time of the football game they were watching after a wonderful lunch prepared by Roy’s wife, Carolyn.
Roy thought that it would be an ideal time to share some of the wisdom he had gained from his business experiences over the years. He wanted Lev to understand why he felt that timber land was the best investment for doctors. He often said that your investment in trees just keeps growing while you are sleeping.
Lev, with love and honor, stopped his dad and asked him to please record all of his thoughts into a tape recorder and he would listen to every word, after he no longer had Roy to manage his investments. In the meantime he thought there was another game on another channel. Lev, like most of our grown children, was just too busy raising his own family, working, and finding his place of service for God. At the time, Lev was Chairman of the Deacon Board at Shades Mountain Baptist Church in Birmingham. That afternoon, he just wanted to enjoy football with his dad.
That event had a profound effect on me and my relationship with my three boys. Roy and I both talked about being there for our three grown children, while allowing them the freedom to run their own lives. That was not an easy thing to do for Roy and me, because of our goal-oriented personalities.
All of this has led me to write four books to summarize my thinking on several topics. My desire is for my children and grandchildren, and the many teenagers and young adults that have come through our classes and seminars, to have a record of our opinions and conclusions. Hopefully, when faced with a problem, they may want to review our thinking.
Almost weekly, I think of my parents, and June’s parents, and what they would think about a particular situation. I am sure Lev, Taylor, and Ann do the same thing when remembering Roy.
The books summarize the lessons of life, and positive principles, that June and I have learned during the past 49 years of our marriage. I know they work when they are earnestly and consistently followed. I love this period of life where I can reflect on the low points of life, and the high points, without feeling the pressures that were there when I went through them the first time.
June and I also learned many valuable lessons from our parents and grandparents, who lived during World War I and II, and the Great Depression. These books contain the wisdom, and our opinions, that we gained from them, other mentoring adults, and studying the Bible. It has been reassuring to have thousands of years of wisdom to draw upon as we have tried to serve:
- Our God and Savior.
- Our families.
- Our employers.
- Our local church.
- Our world through the Cooperative Program.
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About the Book
Ron and June Travis have been working in the trenches of Baptist life for the past forty-five years:
- With their own family.
- Team teaching and conducting seminars for adolescents, newlyweds, budgeting, and finance.
- Serving as a Deacon.
- Working on committees for Personnel, Finance, or Long-Range Planning.
- Serving as a leader and then Scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 266 in Gardendale, Alabama.
Ron is now writing about their experiences, and his career, which have been based on honor, honesty, and integrity in following the constitution, bylaws, rules, and stated intentions of each organization they have been a part of.
This Book is written to share Ron’s beliefs about the Cooperative Program and each individual’s responsibilities as we come together to rule autonomous local Baptist churches and cooperate with other like-minded congregations to accomplish the Great Commission and the mandate found in Acts 1.
About the Author
Ronald O. Travis Sr. (Ron) is a Certified Public Accountant with certificates from Washington D.C. and Alabama. His career includes:
Ron has been married to June for 49 years. They have three grown sons, their lovely wives, and twelve grandchildren.
Ron’s career has been centered on designing and implementing totally integrated management control systems, and assisting entities in preparing long-range plans and achieving goals. He emphasizes honesty, integrity, and excellence in every aspect of management.
Ron and June have worked together over forty years, to transfer the goal-setting principles used in business to high-school seniors and beginning couples, in church classes and seminars.
Ron has followed the companies and couples who have followed the principles they have shared for the past 45 years — The principles have worked again and again, when followed consistently with a positive attitude.