Need Some Insight?
One of my spiritual mentors is Dr. Henry Blackaby. His book, Experiencing God, has changed many lives, as people recognize that God has a master plan, and the best thing we can do is see where God is at work and join Him there.
Right alongside the powerful My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers, Blackaby’s Experiencing God Day-by-Day is a great tool to keep you on God’s path for spiritual growth and effectiveness. His son, Dr. Richard Blackaby, also assisted with the book.
Today I’ll share a few insights gleaned from some of his daily devotions.
[blockquote author="1 Timothy 1:12" link="" target="_blank"]Your ability to serve God is not based on your past, but on your faithfulness today. If you are faithful with the task God entrusts to you, God will enable you to accomplish it.[/blockquote]
[blockquote author="1 Peter 5:7" link="" target="_blank"]Casting our cares is a choice. It means consciously handing over our anxiety to Christ and allowing Him to carry the weight of our problems. At times, this is the most difficult part of trusting God![/blockquote]
[blockquote author="Psalm 41:12" link="" target="_blank"]There are times when God will be the only witness to your righteous behavior. Sometimes God is the only one who will understand your motives. Sometimes you will do all you know God has asked you to do, only to face ridicule from others. At such times, all you can do is maintain your integrity, trusting that God always keeps His eyes on you. God looks favorably upon those who walk with integrity, doing what they know is right, regardless of how others perceive their actions.[/blockquote]
[blockquote author="Proverbs 27:17" link="" target="_blank"]Be careful in your choice of friends! Jesus chose His closest friends wisely. He did not look for perfect friends, but friends whose hearts were set to follow God. It is equally important to examine the kind of friend you are to others.... Strive to find godly friends who will challenge you to become the person God desires.[/blockquote]
[blockquote author="Matthew 14:16" link="" target="_blank"]
The key difference between what appears to be impossible to us and what is actually possible is a word from our Master! Faith accepts His divine command and steps out in a direction that only God can complete. If you only attempt things that you know are possible with the visible resources you possess, those around you will not see God at work.[/blockquote]
Maybe over the next five days you would want to take one of these truths to read, pray about, and add to the godly influences in your daily walk with the Lord.
Toward Better Communication
If you are like me, from time to time you find yourself presenting to groups of people. It may be other people in your ministry, supporters, community leaders, those in your church, or even just a group of friends. Would you like to be more effective in your speaking?
My friend Phil Cooke quoted Roger Ailes in a recent communication piece. You may know Mr. Ailes as the former President of Fox News in the U.S. Prior to that, he had a corporate communications firm, consulting and advising major corporate CEO’s, celebrities, and even folks like President Ronald Reagan.
In his book, You Are the Message, Ailes cites 10 common communication problems that those who speak publicly experience. See how many of these are issues with you.
1. Lack of initial rapport with listeners.
2. Stiffness or woodenness in the use of the body.
3. Presentation of material is intellectually oriented; speaker forgets to involve the audience emotionally.
4. Speaker seems uncomfortable because of fear of failure.
5. Poor use of eye contact and facial expression.
6. Lack of humor.
7. Speech direction and intent is unclear due to improper preparation.
8. Inability to use silence for impact.
9. Lack of energy, causing inappropriate pitch pattern, speech rate, and volume.
10. Use of boring language and lack of interesting material.
Numbers three and seven jumped out at me. But I really liked number eight. The use of silence for impact is a great tool when used effectively. I know, for those of us who live and breathe radio, silence is not golden. But it can be when used to drive home a point, or to make the listener think about what was just said.
Is there anything there on that list that you can work on before your next presentation?
Dangerous!
I have a quote from my long-time spiritual mentor, Dr. Henry Blackaby, that I have kept close by. For years it was attached to my computer monitor. It is the type of reminder I need for God’s expectation for my life and for my service to Him.
[blockquote author="" link="" target="_blank"]There is nothing more dangerous than a small character in God’s big assignment.[/blockquote]
We often talk about character and integrity in an interchangeable way. To me, character is what others see. Integrity is the inner quality that drives character. It is who we are on the inside…in private…that shows itself in our character.
In my well-worn copy of Blackaby’s Experiencing God Day-by-Day, he draws from the life of Abraham, and says this:
"Big assignments require big characters. God will give you a responsibility in proportion to the size of your character. God sees your life from His eternal perspective. He will take whatever time is necessary to grow your character to match His assignment for you."
Are you impatient to begin your work before God has refined your character? A small character will fail in a large responsibility every time. Don’t be too hasty to get to the work. Character-building can be long and painful.
I'll be honest with you…I’d rather not hear that. I don’t want “long and painful” for my life. I want microwave-instant character. But as Dr. Blackaby says, “God sees your life from His eternal perspective. He will take whatever time is necessary to grow your character to match His assignment for you.”
Are you willing to submit to God, to shape you into the big character He needs for His big assignment? Am I? If you are looking for the right answer to that question, the answer should be…
YES!
Probing Questions
As leaders we are supposed to have answers. Answers for our staff. Answers for our supporters. Answers for ourselves. But in order to have answers, we need to know the questions. And we need to be willing to ask probing questions about ourselves and our ministry.
Our friend Bob Teide specializes in such questions, and believes leaders need to ask question of themselves and their staff to move the organization forward toward God’s goals. He recently ran a list of questions for leaders to ask themselves gleaned from Paul Kearns, the head of an organization called Maturity Institute. I’ve picked a few for your consideration and added some of my own comments to them.
1. What is the purpose of my organization? Am I here to serve shareholders, customers, or society? Most of all, am I serving the purpose the Lord has for me and the organization?
2. Have I defined value in clear and simple terms? Does our staff clearly understand the value of our organization? The message we send out is our “product.” Have I shared with the staff so that they know the importance of what they do?
3. Am I trusted? How will I know and what will I do if I lose trust? What am I doing to maintain trust with the staff, listeners, donors, supporters?
4. What are my core values? What values underpin my own thinking, actions, and behavior?
5. Do I live by clear principles? Are my values translated into my guiding principles for myself and the whole of the organization? Do I practice what I preach? Do I act when I see those principles being ignored by others?
6. Do we have the right culture? What is the “personality” or culture of our organization. Is it built on biblical principles? Do I fully appreciate how important the culture of our organization is? Can I accurately articulate the sort of culture we need today and am I constantly aware of how my decisions might affect it? How will I monitor it, and will I know when we are deviating from it?
7. Am I passionate about never-ending improvement? What is my own management philosophy? How can it be anything else, other than the pursuit of continuous improvement, forever? How do I demonstrate that I follow this philosophy myself in everything I do?
8. Am I authentic? Does our publicly available company information and reporting truly reflect who I am and the underlying health of our organization, or is the presentation of our image more cosmetic than substantive?
By the way, our steps to make sure our ministries and organizations are pleasing to God are worth the effort. It falls in line with Timothy’s admonition to the believer of his day...and ours.
[blockquote author="II Timothy 2:15" link="" target="_blank"]Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.[/blockquote]
What do you think? Are there any other questions? And... how will you answer?
Standing at the Gate
Gatekeeper. We often hear the term without thinking much about it. In past centuries there were gatekeepers posted at the city gates who allowed only certain people in. The word now has broader application, as the term becomes a metaphor for any person, organization, or computer program that controls information flow.
Parents are gatekeepers. Leaders are gatekeepers.
Now the term is most often used in media, speaking of those who filter information to be sure their media audience receives the appropriate message. Those of us in Christian media play that role for our viewers and listeners. And it is a challenging role.
If you are involved in the decision process for programming, you have a great responsibility. What are you putting on the air or on line? Is the theology of the program, song, or message biblical? Is it edifying? Is it something that builds up the body of Christ... His Church... or does it have a tendency to bring division? Is it just flat wrong?
Nancy Leigh DeMoss Wolgemuth in her devotional The Quiet Place reminds us of the story of the Trojan Horse that caused the downfall of Troy. You remember the big wooden horse that was filled with Greek soldiers. What seemed like a positive... a gift... became something that brought destruction. And now we call many computer viruses by that name...a Trojan horse.
The Apostle Paul warned the believers in Colossae of such danger.
[blockquote author="Colossians 2:8 NLT" link="" target="_blank"]Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual power of this world, rather than from Christ.[/blockquote]
Nancy Leigh brings that warning to us today.
[blockquote author="" link="" target="_blank"]Spiritual ‘infection’ in a believer or in the church can come through traditions, through friends, through the continual drip of a secular world system that constantly presents to us ‘a different gospel’ (Galatians 1:6). Satan doesn’t care how he deceives you... appealing to your emotions, your intellect, your awe of the impressive... as long as in the end you don’t believe the truth, don’t act on the truth, and don’t spread the truth to others.[/blockquote]
You are a gatekeeper. You have great responsibility. As Nancy Leigh advises...
- Be alert.
- Stay discerning.
- Be teachable.
- Get grounded in God’s Word.
- Stay close to Christ.
Keep on your guard. Others depend on you for credible Truth from the Lord. Stand at the gate and be on the watch!
Just Do It!
Nike shoes built a long-standing media campaign on the phrase, “Just do it!” I’m not sure what that had to do with sports shoes (Just buy them now?) but it is hard to see the Nike “swoosh” without thinking of the phrase.
In reality, that’s not a bad thing to implement in your life. Procrastination is seldom a coveted virtue. It usually leads to a logjam of problems down the road when all those things you put off until later come due. Yikes! Since you can’t do everything at once, and since I recently wrote on prioritizing, let me zero in on one thing we should do right away, and you can make whatever further application for your life, leadership, and activities.
Have you ever told someone, “I’ll pray for you,” then got busy and forgot to do so? The next time we see them we sometimes hedge our words so we don’t have to admit we forgot to pray. Here is where that Nike phrase comes in to play. And Oswald Chambers would agree.
[blockquote author="" link="" target="_blank"]Never say you will pray about a thing; pray about it.[/blockquote]
When you say you are going to pray for someone...just do it. Yep, right there where the two of you are. If it is on the phone, it’s pretty easy. But what if you are in an office, a busy lobby, in the parking lot, or at the mall? A bit more awkward for many.
I was in Genesis in my daily reading and came to the story of Joseph. Sold into slavery in Egypt, placed in Potiphar’s house where Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce him. His refusal landed him in prison. When the Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker also landed in prison, Joseph was able to correctly interpret their dreams. As they were being released, Joseph asked for one simple thing. “Mention me to Pharaoh so he might let me out of this place.” I’m sure the cupbearer had the best of intentions. But guess what happened.
[blockquote author="Gen 40:23 NLT" link="" target="_blank"]Pharaoh’s chief cupbearer, however, forgot all about Joseph, never giving him another thought.[/blockquote]
Joseph spent two more years in prison before the cupbearer remembered what Joseph had asked him to do.
Years ago, I realized I was telling folks I would pray, and then let my busyness override my good intentions. So, I decided to adopt the “just do it” strategy. I would ask the person if I could pray with them right then. To my memory, I have never had anyone turn me down. And yes, I have prayed in the busy lobby of a local TV station, in a hallway at work, in a parking lot, and in many hospital waiting rooms.
When a person has shared a deep need...a prayer request...you can be sure it is important to them. Even non-Christians have responded favorably to a time of prayer. And those who understand the power of prayer certainly appreciate that focused time.
There are some great benefits to just doing it...praying right then.
• First, it unleashes all God has for that person (and for you) through His Holy Spirit.
• Second, it relieves you of the guilt of saying you will pray and then not following through.
• Finally, though this isn’t why you do it, the act of prayer can be a wonderful witness to others.
By the way, if you email someone or chat with them online, and you say you will pray, just do it right then. It doesn’t have to be a long prayer but breathe a prayer for the person and their need. Don’t just put up the little praying hands emoji and go on. Pray.
Oswald Chambers, in his devotional book, My Utmost for His Highest, revealed the importance of praying for others.
[blockquote author="" link="" target="_blank"]...prayer is the working of the miracle of redemption in me, which produces the miracle of redemption in others, through the power of God.[/blockquote]
Don’t miss out on that miracle of prayer. Just do it!
Activity Isn’t Accomplishment
Leaders prioritize. It is a given. Whether a person runs a Fortune 500 company or a small nonprofit, the leader must know what is most important...and what to do next. But a lot of leaders don’t prioritize on a regular basis.
In my experience, a leader must continually look at the big picture, determine what is the most critical next step, then order the other actions and activities to fall into line to accomplish the goals and objectives of the organization. But many don’t do this, or they do it once a year and then relax.
John Maxwell points out in his classic book, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, several reasons why some leaders don’t make the effort to prioritize. In bullet form, here are Maxwell’s observations.
- When we are busy, we naturally believe we are achieving. But busyness doesn’t equal productivity.
- Prioritizing requires leader to continually think ahead, to know how everything relates to the overall vision. That’s hard work.
- Prioritizing causes us to do things that are at the least uncomfortable and sometimes painful.
Among some of the methods Maxwell uses to help leaders is teaching the three R’s. He identifies them as requirement, return, and reward. In brief, here’s what these are.
1. What is required? We are all accountable to someone for the work we do. Often as a leader it is the Board of Directors. One of the great questions to ask is, “What must I do that nobody can or should do for me?” It may mean you need to eliminate or delegate tasks that aren’t required specifically of you.
2. What gives you the greatest return? You should spend most of your time working in your area of greatest strength. Just because you CAN do something doesn’t mean you SHOULD do it.
3. What brings the greatest reward? This relates to personal satisfaction. Does something catch your eye...or catch your heart? Make a list of the four or five things you really love to do...including things in your personal life...and make them the priority for you personally.
John Maxwell says it is a good idea to make a list of the things you are doing that don’t fit solidly into one of the three R’s. Maxwell’s advice is to delegate or eliminate those things.
By the way...you should make this prioritization...a priority!
$10 Can Make a Difference
Have you considered giving monthly to MEDIAlliance?
MEDIAlliance International continues to grow its global impact month by month. God has blessed us for over five years with wonderful donors who have stepped in at important moments to help fund the ministry. Now, as more doors open for media training and mentoring, we need to grow the foundational support that monthly giving can bring.
In addition to the help it is to those whom we serve around the world, monthly gifts often mean that a donor can give more than through one-time gifts. The monthly support becomes a triple blessing.
You can sign up today on our secure web page Donations.
Could you give $10 a month? That would be a great encouragement to us, and a blessing to God's faithful servants around the world.
MEDIAlliance is active with ministries in over 20 countries, helping them reach the unreached people of their culture with the hope of the Gospel. Your gifts help them to be more effective in sharing the love of the Lord Jesus with millions.
Prayerfully consider giving monthly, and see what God will do in you and through you.
[button title="Sign Up Here for Monthly Giving" link="http://medialliance.cc/donations/" target="_blank" align="" icon="icon-money-line" icon_position="left" color=" " font_color="" size="3" full_width="1" class="" download="" rel="" onclick=""]
Chapters of Your Life
Have you ever tried to pick up a novel and start reading in the middle? It doesn’t make sense. You don’t know the characters. You don’t know what has happened before. And you can’t figure out much of the plot. Those earlier chapters were important to know the full story.
That is true of our lives and our ministries. My friend Dr. Jim Denison (denisonforum.org) talked about this in a recent blog. He referenced philosopher Elton Trueblood who said the present chapter is made possible by the previous one and leads to the next.
His point for us today? Be present where you are, remembering that all of God there is, is in this moment. But also look for ways God is redeeming the present for the eternal.
In our Old Testament Bible readings, Judy and I often comment about those Israelites who obvious suffered from short-term memory loss. God had miraculously saved them from the Egyptian oppression, delivered them safely through the Red Sea, and met their every need. But that wasn’t enough. They forgot the previous chapters of their lives. It is as if they hadn't even read them. They whined about the food. They complained about water. They lost faith in Moses’ ability to lead them through the wilderness. It seems the Israelites wasted the present moments with God by forgetting His power, His provision, and His protection in the past.
[blockquote author="Hebrews 13:8 NLT" link="" target="_blank"]The writer of Hebrews penned one of the most powerful and encouraging verses in the New Testament. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.[/blockquote]
What we know of Christ’s love in the past is also present with us today. What we have seen of His faithful guidance is as true today as then. What has been written in the past chapters of your life, where Christ showed up and delivered you, can happen in the present chapter, also.
And... all of these things build toward what the Lord wants to do in the days to come. Think of the price that was paid by the Israelites for forgetting God and how He had cared for them in the past. They wandered for 40 years in the wilderness. Those who left Egypt didn’t make it to the land the Lord had promised. They missed the big blessings the Lord had for His people.
You are in the middle of the “book” that is being written. Your life. Don’t forget the early chapters of God’s faithfulness, sometimes through great hardships or storms. And don’t miss the wonder of His presence now in these present days. For then, the future chapters of your life will be filled with amazing things that point people to Jesus.
And we will find our faithful Lord at every turn of the page, right up to the final chapter... the final page of the story of our life.
Powerful media!
My role as a part-time professor at Dallas Baptist University allows me to stay fresh with our media tools...radio, television, the internet...as I share with young adults. I get to draw on my 50 plus years of broadcasting experience, and on the good insight of some of today’s best communicators.
Valerie Geller is one of the foremost coaches for those in talk radio and news. She travels all over the world teaching how to use these tools in a way that makes a difference in the lives of the audience. And the principles go beyond radio to many of our other types of communication. Some of her ideas are quite simple, yet profound. From her list...
- Tell the truth.
- Make it matter.
- Never be boring.
- Start with your best material.
- Address the individual, use “You.” Talk to ONE person at a time.
- Execute engaging transitions.
- Be who you are.
- Take risks.
- Dare to be great.
In fact, the first three items above can make a radical difference in your presentation day after day. It may take extra effort, but it will be worth it. Tell the truth. Make it matter. Never be boring.
When it comes to talk formats, Valerie has some points that can take your discussion from the ordinary to the extraordinary. Always ask:
- What’s in it for me...your listener (or viewer)?
- Is it relevant?
- Does it matter?
- Do you care?
- Can you make the audience care?
Those last two points are critical. If you don’t care about what you are discussing, the audience won’t care. If you are passionate, they will pick up on that and listen more intently.
Although Valerie Geller doesn’t approach her ideas from a spiritual standpoint, she still sees the power of the media to make a difference in people’s lives. That sounds a lot like our goal in Christian media. We desire to see the Word of God impact the lives of those in our audience in a way that brings change. We hope to see the Christ-follower go deeper in their understanding of the Truth. And we definitely want non-believers to be impacted by the hope that only Jesus can bring in our increasingly troubled world.
