Kyle Gilbert

Two words that define your life

Each January, I pick a new Bible reading plan for the year. This year, I settled on a Bible plan with daily devotions. In one of these, the author mentioned a sermon that he would never forget. The preacher said that the Christian life is always moving between "battle and blessing, and battle and blessing, and battle and blessing, and battle and blessing." Each battle is followed by a time of blessing.

As you face each battle and trust in God, He is faithful to bring you through the battle and bring you back into a time of blessing. There are times when life feels like one setback after another, but if we look closely, we can see the blessings as well. I can look back over my life to see this pattern, and as I read the Scriptures, I see that pattern in the lives recorded there too, especially in the life of Joseph.

Early in Joseph's story, we see that Joseph was particularly loved by his father. (Blessing)

Because of their hatred of Joseph, his brothers planned to kill him. At first, they threw Joseph into a well, but when they realized that they could make money from the situation, they sold him into slavery. (Battle)

So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the ornate robe he was wearing— and they took him and threw him into the cistern. The cistern was empty; there was no water in it.

Genesis 37:23-24 NIV

As a slave, Joseph was purchased by a wealthy man, Potiphar. And Joseph was given favor to take care of everything in Potiphar's household. (Blessing)

Yet, just when it seemed that things were moving in the right direction, Potiphar's wife tried to seduce Joseph. When he resisted, Potiphar's wife lied, and Joseph was thrown into prison. (Battle)

But even in the prison, God blessed Joseph, and the prison guards gave him a position of authority. (Blessing)

Later, after Joseph correctly interpreted the dream of the cupbearer, the cupbearer was restored to his position, yet the cupbearer forgot about Joseph. (Battle)

After two more years of Joseph waiting in prison, Pharaoh had a dream. Joseph interpreted the dream and was made second in command of Egypt. (Blessing)

So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.” Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command…

Genesis 41:41-43 NIV

I always thought it was sad that in Joseph's story, the symbol of his father's love (the robe) was destroyed. But it's encouraging to see that eventually that robe was replaced by another, the robe of Pharaoh.

If you're facing a time of blessing right now, praise God. Give Him thanks for the battle you've come through. Ask that God will give you strength and grace to walk through upcoming battles in faith.

And if you're in a time of battle, keep an eye out for God's blessing, and thank Him for His presence through every trial. Continue to trust and honor God, and He will help you through this challenge.

Blessings,
Kyle Gilbert, Vice President for Communications

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by Kyle Gilbert

The most powerful tool in a leader's toolbox

When it comes to repairs around my home, I'm a pretty handy guy. I can lay tile. I can do carpentry, and if I'm really in a bind, I can repair sheetrock. Over the years, I've built up a pretty good set of tools in my garage. Having the right tool for the job significantly expands the kind of work you can do. The more powerful the tool, the more significant the work.

And I've found that this is also true in leadership. Different situations require different tools. But in the toolbox of leadership, few instruments are as powerful as vision.

Vision is a concept that we naturally understand but sometimes struggle to define. It has to do with a desired outcome and helping people to understand it. My favorite definition of vision is recorded in Andy Stanley's book Visioneering:

"Vision is a clear mental picture of what could be, fueled by the conviction that it should be."

Vision always consists of 1) a problem to be solved and 2) a leader who develops the confidence that they have a solution to that problem, and 3) the resolve to do something about it.

In the Bible, Nehemiah provides one of the clearest examples of vision in action. The book of Nehemiah begins with him learning about the problem: Jerusalem was in disgrace and danger.

They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.

Nehemiah 1:3 NIV

When Nehemiah heard this news, he immediately responded in prayer and fasting for the people of Jerusalem, but it wasn't until four months later that we read he had both the solution and the resolve to do something about it.

…Then I prayed to the God of heaven, and I answered the king, “If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so that I can rebuild it.”

Nehemiah 2:4-5 NIV

But that was just the start for Nehemiah. From there, he had to travel to Jerusalem, assess the situation, cast a vision to the people of Jerusalem, oversee the work, and fight off those who opposed them. Vision seems simple, but it requires a considerable amount of work to achieve a significant result.

Fortunately, in Visioneering, the author not only defines vision, but he also shares four building blocks of an effective vision:

1. The problem
2. The solution
3. The reason something must be done
4. The reason something must be done now

Leader, what's the problem that's burning in your heart? Maybe you're already in the middle of implementing the solution. Any serious problem won't be easy to overcome, and you will certainly face setbacks, but pray that God will give you the clarity to communicate the vision effectively and the resolve to see it through.

Blessings,

Kyle Gilbert, Vice President for Communications

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by Kyle Gilbert

Winning the war in your mind

When it comes to media, you often encounter issues that need solutions. It could be a technical issue, a staffing issue, or a training issue, but challenges come with the territory. And for those of us in leadership, correctly assessing and then dealing with problems is a major component of leadership. It may not always be fun, but it just comes with the territory. Dealing with challenges is what leaders do.

But sometimes the issues are more complex than replacing old equipment or hiring a new technician. Sometimes, we discover that the primary challenges we’re facing come from within. What do you do when your problems are related to your thought patterns or distracting emotions?

Our minds give us the capacity to focus, reason, and be decisive, but every leader goes through times of dealing with thought patterns that are keeping them from moving forward. There’s a long list of possible mental traps that you can find yourself caught up in: self doubt, criticism, fear, hurt, and jealousy, just to name a few. And sometimes these destructive thought traps can hold you captive for weeks or months.

Sometimes our minds are stuck in negative and critical loops. Other times we are imprisoned by hurtful events. There are a variety of reasons that we can find ourselves stuck, and our families and ministries always suffer as a result.

A few months ago, after hearing a Life.Church Online sermon (watch) that stopped me in my tracks, I decided to pick up Craig Groeschel’s newest book, Winning the War in Your Mind: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life. Central to both the sermon and the book are a couple of statements:

“Our lives are always moving in the direction of our strongest thoughts. What we think shapes who we are.”

“In ten years, we will each look in the mirror, and someone will stare back. That person will be shaped by the thoughts of today.”

When we’re leading, the last thing we want to do is be stuck, and these ideas help us to understand that our thoughts are wearing a path in our minds and emotions. And that path allows us to deal with our challenges by blaming others or being passive.

“If you think you’re trapped, if you believe there’s a lock on the door, you’ve bought into a lie. And it is the lie, nothing else, that is holding you back. Yet if you identify that lie, then you can remove it. You can replace it with the truth and be free. Your liberation is a simple two-step process: Remove the lie. Replace it with truth.”

You need to discover the lie you’ve been duped into believing and then cling to the truth of Scripture that addresses that lie.

For instance, if you’re dealing with self doubt, you need to cling to passages like 1 John 4:4: “…the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”

Or if you’re fighting fear, you need to remind yourself of Philippians 4:6: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

As you renew your mind with the Word of God and learn to trust His thoughts above your natural thoughts, God will give you strength to win the war in your mind.

Praying that God will give you victory,
Kyle

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by Kyle Gilbert

When Ministry Hurts

I’m going to make a boast. I usually try not to brag about my accomplishments in life, but I can’t resist a little bragging today. According to one website, I’ve experienced four of the top 20 most common painful physical ailments that a person can face. Here they are:

• Migraine headaches: from the age of 13 till 21, I had debilitating migraine headaches on a regular basis.
• Gallbladder attack: excruciating pain in my abdomen requiring surgery.
• Back pain: I’ve had surgery on my lower back due to a slipped disc and pain that kept me from sitting from longer than ten minutes at a time.
• Kidney stones: I passed my first kidney stone about a year ago.

But there was another common painful experience that didn’t make the list. It’s without a doubt the most painful of any of these, and that is pain in ministry.

After serving almost 20 years in ministry, I realize that it’s impossible to do ministry without experiencing hurt. Any time you have more than one person, you have a recipe for misunderstanding. Any time you have three or more, people start taking sides.

And when you have a strong conviction that the message of Jesus matters more than anything else in life, you naturally build your life around the church and ministry. The more of your heart and trust is poured into these things, the more difficult it is when something negative happens.

When people you respect in ministry do or say things that are hurtful, there’s a sense of betrayal that’s especially unexpected. But when we choose to approach hurt in a way that brings God’s healing, we don’t have to choose between hiding or focusing on the brokenness we’ve faced in life. Instead, we allow God to redeem these hurts.

Let’s look at the requirements of this third path:

1. Choose not to gossip

Ephesians 4:29: “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”

2. Confront any sin by following the pattern of the Bible

Matthew 18:14-16: “If your brother or sister sins against you, go to them. Tell them what they did wrong. Keep it between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them back. But what if they won’t listen to you? Then take one or two others with you….”

3. Choose to forgive

Matthew 6:14-15: “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

4. Choose to focus on the positive.

Philippians 4:8: “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

5. Remember the challenges you’re facing are only temporary

2 Corinthians 4:13-18: “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

While the world around us will tempt us to respond in a variety of unhelpful ways, if we trust God with our pain and follow His leading through Scripture, He will redeem even our most painful experiences.

A post from Kyle Gilbert, Vice President for Communication at MEDIAlliance

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by Kyle Gilbert

Stop Trying to Be the Hero

Most of the time, we think of our organizations, ministries, and products as existing to solve a problem in the world. We see a need, we jump in to help solve that problem, and it feels good to know that we did our part to help shape a brighter future.

But one book completely changed this perspective for me. It helped me to reframe the way I think of our organization through a better understanding of how stories are told.

According to Building a Story Brand, there’s a formula for every great story:

“A character wants something but has a problem, meets a guide who gives them a plan, and calls them to action which either ends in a success or a failure.”

Think about your day yesterday. The things you accomplished, the time you spent. You can’t help but see yourself at the center of your story because you’re seeing it from your perspective. The same is true of each of our customers.

“Every human being is trying to avoid a tragic ending.” - Building a Story Brand

We make a mistake when we think of our business, ministry, or product as the hero. Instead, we have to learn to see our customers as the hero and our business as the guide. When we position our ministries and organizations to help people face the challenges they're dealing with in life, we set up our customers for success.

The best brands have figured this out. Watch any Apple commercial. Who is the hero in each commercial? Never the product. They focus very little on their products and instead focus on how the product will help people create, enjoy life, or be cool. They don’t spend a lot of time on the specs. They don’t bog down in the details. They paint a picture of a better life. More time, more freedom, or a sense of meaning or belonging.

Don’t believe me? Watch this.

And yes, people use this approach to sell people on things they don’t need (see any cigarette ad), but when you offer something that really matters, this approach will help people understand that.

To become great marketers, we have to become relentlessly focused on helping our customers succeed and find meaning in life.

Stop trying to be the hero. Become a great guide.

A post from Kyle Gilbert, Vice President for Communication at MEDIAlliance

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by Kyle Gilbert

The Slow Death of Creativity

One of the things that draws many to the field of communications and media is the desire to use one’s creativity. The first time we get behind the microphone, publish our writing, or see our design work in print, we experience a burst of excitement and energy. It’s one of the most energizing feelings to realize that we’re being used to clarify a message, to be a voice for what is right, and to share hope with others.

“This is what I was born to do! I can’t believe I get paid to do this!”

But over time, an interesting thing tends to happen. As months and years pass by, what was once your greatest dream and hope becomes just another job. The things that used to bring you joy become yet another task in your growing list of responsibilities. For many, meetings, management, and administration slowly replace the responsibilities you once loved so dearly. As time passes, the passion for the craft becomes only a smoldering flame.

“This is not what I signed up for.”

From the writings of the Apostle Paul, we can infer that something similar was happening in the life and calling of his protégé, Timothy.

“For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.”

2 Timothy 1:6-7 NIV

When you find yourself in a similar place, much is on the line. God has made you in His image and has placed His creativity within you. And you are a steward of this gift. You have a personal responsibility to fan the flame of your creative passion to keep it burning bright.

Fortunately, this fanning of the flame can happen in a variety of ways. Here are a few you might consider:

• Find new ways to use your creativity to enhance your primary responsibilities.
• Use your creative gift to bless neighbors, coworkers, and friends.
• Learn a new creative skill.
• Start a new hobby.
• Spend time in nature. Go on a hike.
• Reorganize or redecorate a room in your home.
• Meet up with others in your field to discuss creative ideas.
• Spend time with a creative friend.
• Bless a ministry or organization by volunteering your creative talents.
• Go for a walk or a run.

Fan your creativity into flame, and get ready to see God use your gift in exciting new ways.

A post from Kyle Gilbert, Vice President for Communication at MEDIAlliance

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by Kyle Gilbert

Traffic and Irrational Kindness (Showing Unexpected Grace)

We all experience times when life and ministry can be difficult, and sometimes the holidays seem to multiply those challenges. To help focus our hearts in the direction of grace, I want to offer up three ways to renew your heart as we begin a new year.

Over the last two weeks, I’ve discussed Changing Your Routine and Disconnecting from Distractions. Today I’d like to talk about the third way to refocus our hearts: Showing Unexpected Grace.

Maybe you’re the peacemaking type, the kind of person who never even notices when your spouse leaves his or her dirty clothes on the floor or if the kids make a mess. Maybe when someone cuts you off in traffic, it doesn’t bother you at all.

Or maybe you’re more like me, and when things don’t go according to your personal rules and plans, you tend to get annoyed.

Whether you’re more like Mother Theresa or a Type A personality, we can all be a little inflexible at times. We can harbor frustrations, doubt people’s intentions, and sometimes be a little difficult to be around.

The truth is, we’re all desperate for grace. We need God’s grace to cover our inadequacies, and we need God’s grace in our interactions with others.

Imagine if, as we went into this new year, we showed unexpected and irrational grace to others. What if we chose not to point out every mistake? What if we allowed people to say something we disagree with without having to correct them? What if we did something kind for people who tend to get on our nerves?

Honestly, we can get far too comfortable being the boss of our own lives (and everyone else’s). It might be time to let God have His place back and learn from Him.

“Whoever would foster love covers over an offense, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.” - Proverbs 17:9

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” - Matthew 5:9

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves….” - Philippians 2:3

A few ideas for showing unexpected grace:

1. Forgive someone without needing an apology.
2. Give an extravagant gift (financially or time-related).
3. Confess to God that you’ve made an idol of your plans.
4. Willingly follow along with the ideas of others.
5. Share a word of encouragement to someone who needs it.
6. Be willing to forgive yourself for not living up to your own expectations.

If there is anything that should mark the life of a believer, it is grace. Let us yield our hearts to His Spirit and allow His grace to shine through us in new ways as we start this new year.

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by Kyle Gilbert

Technology and Scattered Minds (Disconnecting from Distractions)

We all experience times when life and ministry can be difficult, and sometimes the holidays seem to multiply those challenges. To help focus our hearts in the direction of grace, I want to offer up three ways to renew your heart as we begin a new year.

Last week’s Monday MEMO was about Changing Your Routine. Today I’d like to talk about the second way to refocus your heart: Disconnecting from Distractions

A confession: I’m a recovering tech junky. I remember when I first laid eyes on a Palm Pilot, and I knew I needed one for seminary. More recently, I used to be one of those people who lined up in the early morning at Apple stores on iPhone release days, wanting to be one of the first to get their hands on each new iPhone.

As a human being that remembers life before the internet and smart devices, I can attest to the fact that people have become increasingly distracted over the past two decades. We have at our immediate disposal unlimited amounts of information on every topic, updates from our friends, video games, and online video.

While our digital devices have opened up amazing opportunities for creativity and connection, they’ve also made us less focused. For instance, one call from a telemarketer rings through on my phone, my computer, and my watch. But unlike the telemarketer call, most of our distractions are self-imposed. Most of us whip our minds into a distracted frenzy each day as we multitask and jump from meeting to meeting. And when we’re home, we check Instagram or respond to email while sitting at the dinner table or browse the internet from our bedrooms, often to the neglect of the people sitting right next to us.

So in order to refocus our hearts on God as we start this new year, let’s work to minimize some of the distractions.

A few ideas:

1. Keep your phone in a different room during meals.
2. Go for a walk, hike, or campout.
3. Temporarily delete social media apps from your phone.
4. Put away your tv remote.
5. Read a paper Bible instead of digital.
6. Play a board game, do a puzzle, or read a book out loud.
7. Set aside time for extended prayer.

“Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.’ But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.’”

Luke 10:38-42 ESV

Let us be mindful of God’s presence and work to choose the “good portion.”

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by Kyle Gilbert