Ron Harris

Quiet sacrifice

Our breakfast table conversations are quite interesting. They range from the sublime to the ridiculous. And a lot of points in between. This morning it was one of those “in between” times.

Judy and I began to recall the investment in our lives that our parents made. Judy’s mom was instrumental in seeing that Judy got the musical training that has shaped her life so much. Judy recalled the joy of taking the bus to downtown Kansas City to go to one of the main music stores to buy some new piano music. Then she would head home to sight-read the difficult music. As a result of the sacrifice of her parents and Judy’s joy in her musical journey, she has been an amazing accompanist for decades, and a teacher to hundreds of students through the years.

My folks also sacrificed for us kids. Whether it was music lessons, educational trips, or college, they somehow made it happen. For me, it was spending several years in the Texas Boys Choir, and traveling for six weeks in Europe on a concert tour. I learned through that amazing process what it takes to be excellent...how much work is necessary to achieve at a high level. It is a lesson I have tried to apply and teach for most of my life. I have yet to figure out how my folks paid for that.

By the way...our families were not financially in the upper class. I doubt if we were even middle class. In fact, by most standards, we could have been called “poor.” Our parents were working class people who did whatever it took to provide for us kids. We didn’t have a lot of “stuff,” that’s for sure. But our parents made sure we had what was the most important...love, faith, and the critical extras that would serve us for all our lives.

One thing Judy and I noted in our morning conversation. Our parents never talked of the sacrifice they were making. They never came back with things like, “If you only knew what I’ve given up for you.” They never made us feel bad about the good things they were providing. They wanted us to have the joy, and not the guilt.

Why am I sharing this? There may be times in your life...with your family, with your ministry...that you will have to sacrifice for others. If you do so, try to do it in such a way that they have the joy of what you provide, and not carry a guilt for having it. Yes, there are times that others need to know that opportunities come at a price. But that should only enhance the value of what is received, not bring on any guilt.

I think of our salvation, provided by the sacrifice of God’s Son, Jesus. His death on the cross brings us today’s joy...and purpose... and value. While we are not worthy of such a sacrifice, we can rejoice in what the Lord has done and is doing.

Jesus saw the sacrifice as a joy. No... not the cross and all of its agony... but the result of the sacrifice. The writer of Hebrews wanted us to see that when he wrote of Jesus in Hebrews 12:2:

[blockquote author="NLT" link="" target="_blank"]Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame....[/blockquote]

You may find you need to give up something for those whom God has placed in your life, whether it is your children or even your co-laborers in ministry. Do it with joy.

Then... watch what the Lord does with your sacrifice.

by Ron Harris

It's time!

Time management. Ugh. About the only phrase I dislike more is “pain management.” Unfortunately, when you get older, you begin to hear “pain management” more and more from doctors and other health care providers.

I don’t want pain management. I want pain elimination!

What about time management? Well, it is one of those necessary evils that are part of our lives if we ever hope to accomplish much of anything. Everyone is given the same amount of time each day. Some sleep longer and have fewer hours to work or serve. Some order their days in such a way as to be extremely efficient. I applaud those folks.

There are numerous books and programs that can help you use your time better. Making lists. Prioritizing. Taking calls and answering emails at only certain times to limit interruptions. Lots of good ideas. I wish I could nail one of those plans down and live by it religiously. I know I would be more efficient. More productive.

However, I have found that sometimes interruptions are important. Sometimes that spontaneous event is valuable for relationships…with family…with friends…with ministry partners. Yes, they can be distracting. And yes, they can mean something gets pushed off for another day. But it may turn out that the interruption was the most valuable thing you did all day.

I am working on one area of time management. It has to do with my Bible study time. Judy and I enjoy time in God’s Word, both separately and together. In the mornings, she has her quiet time, and I have mine. Right now, I am reading through the Bible with one of the You Version Bible reading plans. At breakfast, we read a devotion from a respected Christian leader. This year it is a daily devotional book by Joni Eareckson Tada. Other years it has been thoughts from Billy Graham, Oswald Chambers, or Henry Blackaby.

In the evening at mealtime we read through various books of the Bible, reading the notes of outstanding Bible scholars, like Dr. Charles Ryrie. These are enlightening and lead to some interesting conversations. Do we miss some days? Yes. But we don’t get too concerned. We just pick up the next time and go on.

So, what am I working on with my time management? I am making my morning Bible reading come before I deal with emails or Facebook posts or messages, or some of the other ways my friends here and around the world contact me. It is so easy to roll out of bed, grab the iPhone or iPad and begin reading the texts and messages. But I am determined to read God’s Good News and His instruction book before I launch into the day.

[blockquote author="Matthew 6:33 (NLT)" link="" target="_blank"]Now that I think about it…this isn’t time management. It is heart management. What did Jesus say? Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

[/blockquote]

Everything I need. That might even include the ability to order the rest of my day in a way that honors the Lord and accomplishes His purpose. Worth taking the time.

by Ron Harris

What is Not Worth Doing Well?

Ken Blanchard has written several leadership books, including a classic, The One Minute Manager. I was reading another of his books, The Heart of a Leader, and came across a quote that surprised me.

Things not worth doing are not worth doing well.

It took me a couple of readings to see what Blanchard was saying. He related in this book how time management experts taught efficiency in all things. But Blanchard and others felt that it didn’t make sense for people to be doing a great job on a task they shouldn’t be doing in the first place. It didn’t matter how well they did the task if it didn’t need to be done!

Blanchard indicates, “People are often busy doing what seems to be extremely urgent but really isn’t. They spend a great deal of time moving papers rather than listening to their people....”

Have you ever felt that way? Have you come to the end of the day and said, “Did I accomplish anything worthwhile today?”

Blanchard goes on to say this.

“An effective leader must step back, look at the big picture, and make sure the important things are not being pushed out of the way by the seemingly urgent need of the moment.”

I wonder if the Apostle Paul felt this kind of pressure. I know he understood the importance of priorities. In writing to his fellow Christ-followers in Philippi he said,

[blockquote author="Philippians 3:13-14 (NLT)" link="" target="_blank"]...this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.[/blockquote]

As a leader in Christian ministry, the most important things for you are not the items that have stacked up on your desk, nor the problem that was just rushed to you to be decided. The most important thing is reaching forward... seeing the big picture... and pressing on toward what the Lord has for you. Paul calls it the “upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Today...let’s avoid the things that don’t need to be done, and focus our energy...and our excellence...on that one thing God has called us to.

by Ron Harris

An Unusual Leadership Tool

What is your goal for your organization...your ministry? Most leaders would quickly say, “To be the best ___(name your type of media)_____ in the world...for the glory of God."

I agree that is a great goal. But what is it going to take to make that goal become reality? If you came up with an answer to that question, maybe that should be your goal. Let me explain.

A recent speaker at our MEDIAlliance Leadership Summit is the founder of a very successful architectural firm. Raymond Harris told me that early on his goal was to be the best architectural firm in the world. With that as his goal, he did some things that moved his firm toward that goal...but at a price. Harris told me that after ten years, he made a radical change in his goal. His new goal?

Be the best employer he could be.

The difference was profound. If we have a goal for our organization, we would expect to go all out to achieve that goal. We might achieve a level of success...but at a price. And that price might be the people in our organization.

Dan Cathy heads up Chic-fil-A, the iconic fast food organization. He is the son of founder Truitt Cathy. John Maxwell writes about an unusual leadership tool that Dan Cathy gave him and other executives at a gathering. It was a shoe brush.

A nine-inch, 100% horsehair shoe brush!

After passing the brushes out to the group, Cathy called Maxwell to the front to show everyone how to use this leadership tool. Maxwell writes, “Dan sat me down, kneeled at my feet, then began cleaning my shoes with the brush.”

Cathy explained that it didn’t matter what type of shoes the person was wearing...even tennis shoes...you used the brush to clean them. Dan Cathy concluded, “Then...when you are done...you stand up and give them a big hug.”

OK...you’re not going to read that in most leadership books. The point he was making...and the thing Raymond Harris came to understand...is that those who work with us are the most valuable element in our organization, and the best thing we can do is serve them, help them, love them.

Maxwell wraps up his thoughts by saying that if you add value to those who work with you, you will become a better leader.

Isn’t this what Jesus taught his disciples? The first should be last. Take care of others. Put others first. Treat them the way you would like to be treated. Wash their feet. Jesus led by example.

[blockquote author="Matthew 20:28 NLT" link="" target="_blank"]For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.[/blockquote]

And Peter, passing along instructions, put it this way.

[blockquote author="1 Peter 4:10 NLT" link="" target="_blank"]God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.[/blockquote]

So... grab that brush, and let’s get busy serving others.

by Ron Harris

The path to excellence

How do you move from good to best? From average to excellent? Most of us, if asked, would say we want to do excellent work. Whether it is on-air radio performance, television production, technical efforts, programming, or mentoring/managing, we want to do our very best.

Jim Collins, the author of Good to Great, says, “Good is the enemy of great. And that is one of the key reasons why we have so little that becomes great.”

We can all come up with reasons we don't achieve excellence. There is the press of time. We have to get something done right away and stop short of that something achieving greatness. We have the barrier of the work load. We have so much to do, and we can’t give enough attention to take a project beyond what is good.

Yet, we have this nagging feeling that we are not living up to our potential...that we are not being as effective as possible...that we are coming up short on the “excellence” scale. The fact is, we are missing the mark of excellent work.

A couple of thoughts to help put you on the path to excellence. Thomas J. Watson was the visionary leader that led IBM in its early days. Among his many quotes, this one stands out to me.

[blockquote author="" link="" target="_blank"]

If you want to achieve excellence,

you can get there today. As of this second,

quit doing less-than-excellent work.

[/blockquote]

It is a matter of setting your mind on excellence, and rejecting anything that doesn’t lead to that standard. As of this second...

And, remember that as servants of the Lord Jesus, we have a higher calling than just excellence for excellence sake.

[blockquote author="Colossians 3:23-24 MSG" link="" target="_blank"]

...don’t just do the minimum that will get you by.

Do your best.... Keep in mind always that the

ultimate Master you’re serving is Christ.

[/blockquote]

And, as if God knew about your work load (He does!), His Spirit inspired the Apostle Paul to write this admonition.

[blockquote author="Galatians 6:9 NLT" link="" target="_blank"]Let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.[/blockquote]

The path to excellence?

• Set a high standard.
• Remember whom you serve.
• And start right this minute to do excellent work.
• ...for God’s glory and your good.

by Ron Harris

Conveying a Priceless Package

We call them conveyer belts. You may have another name for them. They are those big loops of belts and rollers that move packages from one place to another. When I go to the airport, my luggage is placed on one and is zipped to the plane…hopefully the right one!

You see them used in the unloading of a big truck, or in a warehouse. Nothing special. They just work. These things aren’t things of beauty, or seemingly worth much. In fact, it is the things they move around that are the things of value (except for my luggage).

I was discussing this with ministry friends in Austria a while back as we talked about Christian broadcasting. We often find ourselves immersed in the techniques of the craft we call media. Whether it is radio, television, or internet…we spend a lot of time on things like our voice, the delivery style, music selection, timing, and on and on.

It is best to think of these things like those conveyer belts. In and of themselves they are not worth much. It is the message…the Gospel…the Hope for the hopeless…the Light for the darkness…which we convey to the listeners and viewers that is priceless.

Now I have seen conveyer belts break down. Sometimes something blocks the way and packages begin to fall off the belt. When that happens, the important package isn’t getting to the place it needs to be.

The same is true if we are not skilled in our broadcast techniques. Poor craftsmanship, poor production techniques, poor communication skills can all be a barrier to God’s message reaching those who need it.

In our media ministry work, don’t love the conveyer belt and miss the priceless message it is delivering. Be faithful, diligent, skillful…but remember, we work not so others can say how good we are…but how good God is.

Keep your conveyer belt running smoothly. And don't forget, it is not the conveyer belt that is valuable. It is the package, the Good News, that is priceless.

Jesus loves. Jesus saves.

by Ron Harris