What is that to you?
There are those days. Maybe you have experienced them. Times when our spirit sags and our focus becomes fuzzy. Times when the success of others gnaws away at us as we look at what we are accomplishing versus what others are doing. I’ve had those days. And I am not alone.
One of Satan’s tools for those in ministry is discouragement. That often comes when we begin to compare ourselves and our ministry work to others. Pretty soon we find ourselves in a downward spiral, and we begin one of those “pity parties.” You may be trying to look at the financial status of other ministries. You may look at the perceived effectiveness of another organization, or the number of staff or volunteers. Don’t fall into that trap.
I think of Elijah after his amazing experience on Mount Carmel. When God answered his prayers the followers of Baal were resoundingly defeated, and the Lord God was victorious. It wasn’t long, though, before Elijah was hiding away, alone, feeling sorry for himself. When asked by the Lord what he was doing out there, Elijah commented on how bad things were for the Lord’s prophets, declaring, “I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.” Elijah was in that spiritual spiral leading to discouragement and despair.
When I find myself slipping in that direction, the thoughts of Oswald Chambers have provided both comfort and direction for my heart.
“If God chooses for you to serve Him in total obscurity, what is that to you?”
That admonition echoes the words of Jesus when Peter asked a self-serving question.
Peter…said to Jesus, "But Lord, what about this man?" Jesus said to him, "…what is that to you? You follow Me." John 21:21-22 NKJV
Yet our culture and our world push us to compare ourselves with others. Whether it is the cars we drive or the age our kids begin to walk or talk, we are trying to measure ourselves against a human standard. Our education systems usually lead us to think that way. Our relationships often reinforce that kind of thinking. But that isn’t God’s way.
There is a joke that says, “You are unique...just like everyone else!” Yet there is great truth there. God has given each of us a unique personality and calling. And His plan for you cannot be compared to anyone else’s plan or accomplishments. “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 NLT
The solution is to be so in tune with the Lord in your daily, personal spiritual journey that you are not susceptible to the discouragement that Satan would like to use to make you less effective in your service to Christ.
Don’t look around. Look up.
It’s a big term these days...and you are one!
“An influencer is an individual who has the power to affect purchase decisions of others because of his/her authority, knowledge, position or relationship with his/her audience. An individual who has a following in a particular niche, which they actively engage with.”
And believe me, this is a big deal. One report says, “...72 percent of major brands say they are dedicating a sizable portion of their marketing budgets to influencers — people with a strong relationship to an audience who can heavily sway decisions like purchasing habits.” And that marketing budget can be sizable, with some influencers pulling in $100,000 USD or more! One company in this industry, Viral Nation, tells how lucrative it can be to be an influencer.
“Influencers with up to 1 million followers can get $10,000 [per post], depending on the platform, and 1 million followers and up, you’re getting into territory where they can charge $100,000. Some can even get $250,000 for a post!”
Crazy! Of course, it isn’t just about influencing someone to purchase something. It has to do with how we respond to the culture around us, whether it is products, politics, or our faith.
Did you know you are an influencer? No, you may not be commanding a big income from your opportunities, but you can be making a powerful impact in lives for God’s Kingdom. There are folks who watch you, listen to you, follow you. Do you have a sense of responsibility to those people? Do you realize that God may have placed you where you are and made you who you are for such a time as this?
Dr. Jim Denison in one of his recent daily blogs (denisonforum.org) encourages us to use the influence with which the Lord has blessed us.
“Seek to use [your] influence for Christ and his kingdom as effectively as [you] can. It is by God’s providence that you are alive where you are and when you are. Whatever your gifts, aptitudes, and resources, someone knows who you are and how you live.... Our Father will use all those who want to be used. Are you in their number today?”
One of the influencers in my life has been Dr. Henry Blackaby. In the 1970s I took a group of young people to his church in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. Blackaby had struggled there for years before the Lord began to bless the growth and influence of that church. Yet even in those hard times, God was teaching Dr. Blackaby things that would be a major influence for many. It was during those challenging days in a struggling church that the principles found in Blackaby’s book Experiencing God were formed. And those principles have influenced millions of people around the world.
In another one of Henry Blackaby’s books, Spiritual Leadership: Moving People on to God’s Agenda, he talks of how small things in the life of a leader have a great impact.
“Leaders dramatically influence the culture of their organizations through their own work habits. Being a leader does not mean one has 'made it' and is now exempt from hard work. Rather, leaders should set the pace for others. Few things discourage employees and volunteers any more than lazy leaders. Leaders should not ask their people to undertake tasks they are unwilling to perform themselves.”
The Apostle Paul instructed young Timothy about the importance of his influence.
Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity. 1 Timothy 4:12 NLT
Whom will you influence for Christ today? How will you influence them? God has given you a special platform that no one else has. Use it for His purpose.
Looking versus seeing!
I really like being around creative people. You may find them challenging to work with, edgy, quirky, or just different. Often it is because they see things differently...yet that is the very thing that helps them be successful communicators.
My friend Phil Cooke always seems to have something to say to me in the area of creative communication. Whether it is his blog (philcooke.com), hearing him teach, or just having a conversation over a meal, there is usually a nugget of inspiration that can propel me to a higher level of communicating truth. And storytelling is a major emphasis.
At a recent conference Phil was talking about the importance of short videos to tell our story. He indicated that YouTube is spending $1 million a day to expand their servers to handle all the new videos being uploaded constantly. Short videos are making an impact. But how do we learn to be more effective in storytelling with less time?
I am reminded of the quote attributed to different historical people from French mathematician Blaise Paschal to American writer and humorist Mark Twain. In various forms it says,
“Please excuse this long letter. I didn’t have time to write a short one.”
Short letters, short stories, and short videos often take more time because every word and every minute is of heightened importance.
Phil Cooke has some very good suggestions on learning how to be a creative storyteller.
1. Watch TV or movies with the sound turned off. As a young TV director, my mentor suggested doing this and it made a huge difference for me. With the sound turned off you don’t get into the story, and you start focusing on the shots. Framing, composition, sequence, editing – how it builds the scene. Try it.
2. Slow down. In today’s distracted culture, we RUSH everything, and as a result, we MISS everything. Slow down. Really look at the people you pass on the street. Notice how the sun hits the side of a building at sunset. Watch people’s behavior at check-out lines. Start to notice, then start thinking about how to recreate those scenes.
3. Experience life. Most directors today don’t know anything about life because they spend it in front of screens. They haven’t traveled, haven’t experienced difficult jobs, and haven’t been in challenging situations. Go on a short-term mission program, hike through Europe, take boxing lessons, or start a conversation with a homeless person. Work at a Salvation Army food distribution center. Spend time with the disabled. Visit a museum. Get out of the rut. What you experience will transform the way you look at things.
I would also suggest you look at the stories and parables of Jesus. In just a few sentences He often painted a graphic word picture and shared a powerful biblical truth. Think of the story of the man who build his house on the sand versus the one that built his on the rock. Can't you just see it? Great visual imagery comes to mind with an obvious lesson for life.
Go beyond the ordinary and the expected. See things from a different perspective. Don’t just look...really see...and then put together strong images that tell important stories to change lives for good.
Speaking of Excellence...
I thought about the quote on excellence from legendary American football coach Vince Lombardi. It is powerful.
“The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.”
My mind extended Lombardi’s comment to some specific areas of life, and I wondered if anyone might desire these things.
• An excellent life
• An excellent family
• An excellent marriage
• An excellent relationship with others
• An excellent relationship with God
It seems that each of these begins with a commitment to excellence, a desire to go the extra mile, above and beyond, with effort and enthusiasm. We sometimes get worn down with the “things” of life and we settle for just a day-to-day existence rather than a life marked by excellence.
The late Fred Smith wrote about excellence in relationships and what it takes to have quality relations with others.
“[Relationships] must be planned and maintained. Like flowers in a beautiful garden they must be arranged harmoniously, artfully, and synergistically. Each flower must be well related to another.”
Smith also said it is not a formula we follow in order to build excellent and beneficial relationships.
“It is important to avoid looking for a formula. A relationship is much more. A current phrase puts it this way: ‘Christianity is not a religion; it is a relationship.’ For example, when the Philippian jailer asked, ‘What must I do to be saved?’ Paul didn't give him a formula or a set of rules…he outlined a relationship: ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.’”
Whether it is a relationship, a ministry, a marriage, or our faith, we should pursue excellence with our whole heart. Then, see what the Lord will do with the focus and commitment toward excellence in each of these important areas. Again, the American football coach expressed his wisdom.
“Excellence must be pursued, it must be wooed with all of one’s might and every bit of effort that we have. Each day there’s a new encounter, each week is a new challenge.”
Today...this week...accept the challenge. Pursue excellence.
Urgent...I need you to read this!
Sorry... I just played a little mind-game with you. But it was for a purpose. I wonder if you quickly opened this email before doing something important because you saw the word “urgent.” The late U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower is quoted as saying, “What is important is seldom urgent and what is urgent is seldom important.”
How do you discern between what is really important and what is simply urgent? It is a task with which all leaders have to deal on a daily basis.
An article on the mission.org website details what they call the Eisenhower plan for prioritizing those things that come into our lives.
1. Priority 1 tasks are both urgent and important.
2. Priority 2 tasks are important but not urgent.
3. Priority 3 tasks are urgent but not important.
4. Priority 4 tasks are neither urgent nor important.
Then the article gives a headline to show how to deal with each of these priorities.
DO Priority 1 tasks.
DECIDE Priority 2 tasks.
DELEGATE Priority 3 tasks.
DELETE Priority 4 tasks.
Many times, the urgent things come from a crisis and possibly even from poor planning on your part. The urgent things that come across your desk or to your attention can also be the result of someone else’s issues or mistakes. These “urgent” matters cloud your judgement and distract you from the things that are really important in your life.
Important tasks are made up of the things that contribute to our long-term mission, values, and goals. So, when these important tasks are interrupted by items that seem urgent, it impacts the overall mission before you. When you are called to lead toward God’s task...His calling and vision...then these things become barriers to accomplishing all the Lord has for you and your ministry.
Even as a little boy, Jesus understood what was important. You probably remember that time when Jesus’ parents were looking for him for several days after they had left Jerusalem. Young Jesus had stayed behind to talk to the leaders in the synagogue. When his parents found him, Jesus had a simple, straight-forward reply.
And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”Luke 2:49 (NKJV)
Jesus’ parents felt it was urgent that he stay with them. Jesus knew the important thing was to do His Father’s business.
One more point from the mission.org article:
“If you are serious about improving your time management and productivity, take care of the most important and urgent tasks everyday first. Do them in the first 90 minutes of your workday if you can....”
Most of us are fresher in the morning and if we can take care of the important tasks early in the day, then we can deal with the urgent without disrupting God’s mission and ministry.
Now...please get back to what is important!
A Question Mark
My friend Bob Tiede’s whole life is a question mark. And his ministry is rather “question-able.” Really. Thankfully, I’m not talking about his character or his decision-making process. It has nothing to do with his choices in life. But it does have to do with Bob’s ministry.
Bob Tiede has an organization called Leading with Questions and he encourages the rest of us to take a question mark along with us in our daily lives and in our leadership. It is Bob’s premise that asking questions...good questions...builds others up and multiplies the impact of ministry. Tiede sees this as a mark of a good leader. He is not alone.
Peter Drucker wrote, “The leader of the past may have been a person who knew how to tell, but certainly the leader of the future will be a person who knows how to ask.”
Bob’s new book is Now That’s a Great Question. (More on that later.) It is filled with great questions to use in many areas of our leadership and life. One area that caught my eye that can help all of us as we lead others was under the heading, “Three Simple Questions to Sharpen Your Goal-Setting Skills.” In order to get from X to Y, you need to ask some questions. Here they are.
- Where are you now? (X) What is your current reality?
- Where do you want to go? (Y) What will be your finish line?
- By when? When is the exact date you want to cross the finish line?
Tiede uses as an example U.S. President John F. Kennedy’s public pronouncement on sending a man to the moon. On May 25, 1961, Kennedy addressed a joint session of Congress, and among other things, made this challenge:
“I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth."
Bob Tiede points out that Kennedy’s speech in one sentence answered all three of these goal-setting questions.
- Where are you now? On earth.
- Where do you want to go? What will be the finish line? Send a man to the moon and return him safely to earth.
- By when? Before the end of the decade...December 31, 1969.
How did the U.S. respond? On July 20, 1969...five months before the end of the decade, Neil Armstrong was the first man to set foot on the moon, saying, “That’s one small step for man. One giant leap for mankind.”
Clear goal and timetable. Challenge met. Mission accomplished!
What questions do you have for your team? What challenge will you set before them? It could result in something historic for the Kingdom of God. May the Lord lead you in the process, that His will might be accomplished through you.
Now...some exciting news!
My friend Bob Tiede is making his book, Now That’s a Great Question, available to you for FREE. You can download an eBook version of this outstanding and helpful work by clicking HERE.
LeadingWithQuestions.com/resources
My thanks to Bob for making this valuable resource available to you.
Are you boring?
We live in a communication world. We have never been more connected, yet we often struggle with being understood, being clear, being relevant, or being influential with the greatest message ever proclaimed. Is the message of Christ out of step with our culture? Do we need to change it? Or do we need to better understand the communication process in today’s busy world.
My university teaching is usually on a topic that most college students think is out of date. Radio. Yet by the end of the semester they have come to realize why radio continues to have a powerful role in our culture today Sure, we don’t sit around the radio as a family in the evening listening to radio dramas. New technologies and our modern-day lifestyles have shifted the way we use radio.
The students also discover that many of the principles for effective radio have a broader application, encompassing the communication process in general.
Radio specialist Valerie Geller lays out many of these principles in our book, Beyond Powerful Radio. Here are a few of the points that Geller uses as she consults with clients all over the world.
1. Tell the truth.
2. Make it matter.
3. Never be boring.
4. Speak visually, in terms your audience can “picture.”
5. Address the individual as “you.” Talk to one person at a time.
6. Be who you are.
7. Take risks
8. Dare to be great.
Number two is critical. When we share spiritual truth, we need to be sure the audience knows it is important. It matters. Number five is important, too. For radio in particular, the use of “you” in your conversation and the understanding of the intimate medium of radio will link you in amazing ways to the listeners.
I especially like number eight. When our purpose is right, and our message is based on God’s Truth, we can and should aim for excellence in our presentation. There is no good reason to be second best in presenting biblical truth. We should strive to be the best communicator around.
As I mentioned earlier, many of these principles and suggestions will also help us in our day-to-day communications. Speaking visually is important, using language that paints pictures for the listener to “see.” Think of the stories of the Bible, the stories and parables that Jesus told. We can often pull up visual images that help enhance the stories and help them stay with us.
I can see in my mind the rather small man named Zacchaeus as he climbed up in a nearby tree to get above the crowd with hopes of seeing Jesus as he passed by. Even without the help of Hollywood movies, I can see the agony of Christ on the cross. If I say “Noah,” do you see his ark?
The stories of the Bible are not boring. And neither should we be boring as we share the greatest story mankind has ever heard... that the God who hung the stars in place sent His son to be born as a baby in a smelly animal stall. Jesus would live a life of impact on all around Him, and then die on the cruelest of all methods of punishment ever devised...the cross. We can picture him there. And we see the rock tomb where Jesus was buried, with its big stone blocking the entryway. Such a powerful, visual story.
Let’s sharpen our communication skills. Someone today needs to hear the most important news in our world. And you are the one who may need to deliver it.
R-E-S-P-E-C-T!
In 1967 soul singer Aritha Franklin had a massive hit song that spelled out the title over and over.
R-E-S-P-E-C-T.
It continues to reverberate on radios, in cars, in arenas and music halls. Somehow it struck a chord with people. It seems everyone wants respect.
Leadership guru John Maxwell, in his classic book The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, named respect as one of the top qualities of a leader. Maxwell says people naturally follow leaders who are stronger than themselves, no mater what the leader’s background or education level may be.
John Maxwell goes on to list six ways a leader gains the respect of others.
1. Natural Leadership Ability – Yes, some people are just born with great skills and abilities to lead others. Yet every person, no matter where they start, can improve their ability to lead others. However, it doesn’t end there. You need more than just a great personality to be a true leader.
2. Respect for Others – Good leaders understand that all who follow leaders do so voluntarily. The principle is simple. If you show respect for others...especially those who may have less power or lower position...you gain respect from others.
3. Courage – Maxwell says good leaders do what is right, even at the risk of failure and in the face of criticism. A leader’s courage gives followers hope.
4. Success – People respect other’s accomplishments. It’s hard to argue with a good track record. Those who follow want to be part of success in the future.
5. Loyalty – This goes against the grain in our culture today, from top athletes to top CEOs. People hop from place to place and follow the money. Someone has said the average US worker will change occupations ten times by the time they reach age thirty-six! Amazing. So, against this backdrop, loyalty becomes a virtue. As Maxwell puts it, “When leaders stick with the team until the job is done, remain loyal to the organization when the going gets rough, and look out for followers even when it hurts them, followers respect them and their actions.”
6. Value Added to Others – When a leader adds to the value of those who follow them, they gain respect. And it is a respect that continues even beyond the job and the relationship has ended.
The Apostle Paul, a great leader himself, had some additional advice to the Christians at Philippi on how to improve their ability to lead others in the faith.
[blockquote author="Philippians 2:3-5 NLT" link="" target="_blank"]Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.[/blockquote]
You gain respect by respecting those whom God has placed in your realm of influence, and by seeing yourself and others as God does. The natural result will be that others will want to follow you as your give leadership with the same attitude and heart that Jesus showed.
Intrigued by intrigue...
A while back we introduced the concept of “disruption” to our media vocabulary. It’s a word that seeks to give a sense of urgency to our need to capture the attention of a lost world who largely doesn’t care about the things of the Lord. They don’t think they are lost, so they are not interested in being saved. We somehow need to disrupt their world in a way that opens their heart and mind to the things of the Lord.
I grew up in an era when people in America just “went to church.” A little promotion went a long way in bringing people to a place where they could learn of a loving God who had a specific plan for their lives...a plan to bring hope and joy in this world and the promise of eternity with Jesus. Today, we have so many distractions it is hard to get attention.
I also grew up in an era of about three television stations and a handful of radio stations in each market. It was expensive to own a radio or TV station, so there weren’t many in each market. And, therefore, it wasn’t hard to promote programs or reach an audience. Limited outlets meant limited options for the audience.
Fast-forward to today. In this digital age our media outlets are limitless. Online radio, IPTV, YouTube channels...the list is endless. So how do you promote or disrupt your potential audience to drive them to your programming...to drive them to God’s Truth?
Intrigue.
It sells books and movie tickets. People like intrigue. And we need to both understand that and use it as a tool to promote our important message. Matthew records Jesus’ words to his disciples about the day they lived in, and the need for them to be wise in their dealings with their culture.
[blockquote author="Matthew 10:16 NLT" link="" target="_blank"]Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves.[/blockquote]
The Expanded Bible gives us alternative words to use in place of “clever.” Wise...shrewd...cunning. And to me that speaks of the creative ways we need to intrigue our potential audience. Let me give some examples that can work on radio, television, online, social media, or other platforms.
You have a guest to talk about Easter. How do you promote it? You can say “Join Pastor Smith as he talks about the Holy Week and the importance of Easter...coming up next.”
Or...
“An innocent man is executed, and authorities are in an uproar. We have details on this amazing story just ahead.”
In her book Powerful Radio, Valerie Geller talks about giving a radio host the challenge to “make a movie” as a unique way to promote his talk show topic. The host had a noted author and expert on autism on the program. At Geller’s prompting, here’s how the talk show host began:
“Suppose you are on a train in Japan. You don’t speak Japanese. The conductor is talking to you. The other passengers are talking to you. The signs don’t make sense. It is total confusion to you. You have just entered the world of an autistic child.”
Wow. Powerful. Compelling. Intriguing. Disrupting.
Having an outlet for your programming is not a challenge any more. Disrupting your potential audience and getting them to listen...that is today’s challenge. Be wise, clever, shrewd, even cunning in your creative efforts to reach your culture with the life-giving Good News of Jesus.
Seeing the Champion in Others
The visiting speaker, Tom Mullins, made a statement that got me thinking. This former coach and now pastor challenged us to see the “champion” in another person...and to call out that champion for Christ and for His service.
In the busyness of leading others, we sometimes miss opportunities to encourage others to be all that God has designed them to be. For Tom Mullins, it was a high school football coach who told him, “You have great potential, but you have to work at it if you want to get to the next level.” And he did, for God’s glory.
I thought about my early high school days. I wasn’t among the cool guys. I didn’t play sports. I didn’t take part in student government. And I wasn’t in the honor societies because of my academic prowess. Nope. Not cool.
But a man who had sung in opera and musicals professionally and who was now producing Broadway musicals in our city asked me to try out for a position. Mel Dacus had agreed to produce a major talent show for young people at the wonderful Casa Mañana theater. It was called “Stairway to the Stars,” which featured amazing talent, some of whom made their way to Broadway, Hollywood, and network television. Mr. Dacus asked me to emcee the production.
I was astounded.
I was nervous. I remember the evening, the lights, the music, the various acts, the audience...and somehow, I made it through my first public effort in being a presenter. For the life of me, I don’t know what Mel Dacus saw in me at that age, but it was a big part of what set the course for all that God has had for me through these decades.
Is there a “champion” around you whom you need to encourage? Is there someone on your team who could go to the next level if someone...like you...would challenge them to step out and step up?
I think of the Apostle Paul and the way he built up young Timothy, giving him assignments that were likely beyond his initial ability to perform. Yet Paul saw a “champion” in Timothy and challenged him to step up for Jesus. In I Timothy chapter 4 Paul calls out the “champion” in his young mentee.
[blockquote author="I Timothy 4 NLT" link="" target="_blank"]If you explain these things to the brothers and sisters, Timothy, you will be a worthy servant of Christ Jesus... (v. 6)
...train yourself to be godly. Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come. (v. 7, 8)
Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity. (v. 12)
[/blockquote]
Look around. Who has the Lord placed in your path to be called up to a higher level in service to Jesus? A Champion...just waiting for your challenge.