Hi, and welcome to the Five Word Prayers Daily, a five-day-a-week, daily devotional where we share the

word, prayers in our heart. I'm Lisa Whittle, and I welcome you to just five minutes with me,

which I trust and pray will be five minutes well spent. Well, you're in for a real treat today,

because today's guest is a best-selling author, a former pastor, and now the president of a really

important organization called Guidestone Financial Resources, and now the president of a really important organization called

Guidestone Financial Resources, which helps all kinds of ministry people with retirement

needs. He's authored, get this, more than 40 books, a family man, and he still preaches

all over. And guys, I love this in particular. His latest book, The Nehemiah Code,

It's Never Too Late for a New Beginning, as well as his entire Code series, all the sales go

directly to mission's dignity of ministry to help thousands of retired ministry folks

for living near the poverty level during their declining years. That's near and dear to my heart.

So listen to this man's wisdom now and support his work by buying the book.

We'll link in the show notes.

It's a powerful read, I promise.

O.S. Hawkins, thank you for coming on the show.

During my childhood days, we had a vacant lot that became the gathering place for all the

neighborhood kids. We had some great ball games on that old vacant lot. In fact, for all of us

boys who grew up on the east side of Fort Worth there on Crenshaw Street, it was like Yankee Stadium.

It wasn't long ago that I drove through that old neighborhood

and the houses and yards that once were so manicured and pristine are now mostly unkept

and in disrepair. In fact, several houses were vacant and even boarded up, but the old vacant

lot was still there in all of its glory.

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