Robert Tunmire:
Blending Business and Ministry

It began with a close encounter of the "Holy Spirit" kind . . .

By Roberta Caponey

By his own admission, Robert Tunmire spent the first 40 years of his life living "of the world." As executive vice president of the Dwyer Group in Waco, TX , he was the very definition of worldly success: a high-powered, high-paying job, dinners at the best restaurants, a luxurious, well-appointed home and a Maseratti stashed in his multi-car garage.

But his personal life was another story. In the wake of his drive to succeed in business, he left behind two failed marriages. And though he was set financially, his spiritual bank account was anything but robust.

Then something strange happened. It was January 1999. "I woke up at 3:00 a.m. lying on my back. A bright light filled the room and in its center was a figure. It just said, "Robert."

Not long after the epiphany in his bedroom, Robert was in Las Vegas for a speaking engagement. While there, he visited an art gallery that specialized in the bronze sculptures he liked to collect. As he stood before a piece of expensive art contemplating a purchase, a voice in his head said, "You can't spend that money - it's God's money ." He thought to himself, What's going on here?

Robert returned home and one day out of the blue, his assistant invited him to go to church with her. "I walked out of church that Sunday with a clear conviction that I'd live the first 40 years of my life backwards." After attending the church's Newcomers' class, he was baptized on Feb. 28, 1999.

Robert recounts the story of yet another mysterious event occurring during that same period.

"I had a new Blue Heeler puppy named 'Red.' I live on 30 acres and had workmen at the house; the dog was running in and out. I left for a few minutes to go to the grocery store and when I came back, Red was nowhere to be found. I looked everywhere - inside and out.

"At around 10:30 that night, I prayed, "Lord, I really like that little dog . . . please bring him back." Then Robert fell asleep.

What happened next is like something out of a "Twilight Zone" episode. "At 11:30, I woke up, feeling something staring at me. It was Red, looking directly at me from the side of the bed." Robert swears up and down that the dog had been nowhere in the house when he went to bed that night.

In February 1999, Robert met Kitty, a devout Catholic. They were married Oct. 2, 2001.

How did Robert learn about Man in the Mirror? "At the end of 1999, my church invited Patrick Morley to come speak. It was incredible - as though he were speaking directly to me," says Robert. He read Pat's book Man in the Mirror, and identified completely with the book's message. He was so impressed, he began buying copies of MIM along with other books by Pat, and passing them out to friends and colleagues. Robert has been passing out books for five years now - he purchases them in bulk.

"The Lord put it on my heart to work with men. I'm not a preacher - I'm a businessman. But I believe God has put me in this position to touch men's lives." At industry gatherings and company meetings, he holds regular prayer meetings, which are usually well-attended.

Robert's latest vision is to start up a men's prayer group modeled on Pat Morley's Bible study in Orlando, FL. Robert's friend Jay Mathis put an ad in the Religion and Sports sections of the local newspaper announcing the study. They rented a hall and their recent inaugural meeting attracted a dozen men. Robert is confident the numbers will grow. The study is kicking off with Man in the Mirror's Success that Matters seminar.

"I give all the glory to God," says Robert. "It's his grace that made it all possible." Clearly, God is blessing Robert's obedience to the call placed on his heart.

Robert is especially thankful for Man in the Mirror's mission to train men for discipleship.

"This ministry speaks to the needs of men. The philosophies and strategies of Man in the Mirror are dead-on - and they have the tools to help us be the men God wants us to be."