Ron Harris

Do you ever get the sense that God is trying to tell you something? Get your attention? Nudge you back on His path?

Three times this morning I came across thoughts and devotionals about focusing on what is important and not being distracted. And I decided I had better put these thoughts together before I lost my focus.

It seems there are two kinds of distractions…maybe more. But consider these two with me. The first is the distraction that takes you way off track. A person with attention deficit disorder (ADD) is often humorously characterized by always being distracted by a squirrel. Distracted to the point of…well…distraction. In the midst of a serious comment, they will blurt out, “Look, there’s a squirrel!”

There is another kind of distraction. This type comes from focusing on the less important while working on what really matters. It is busyness versus accomplishment. You see this played out in many offices. Someone stays busy working on things that don’t matter that much and fails to finish the main task.

Mentor and consultant Fred Smith covers this in his musings:

“To live a focused life, we must recognize those things that distract and pull us off course. Some people spend as much time on inconsequential details as they do on the vital parts. Therefore, they become extremely hard workers, but do not become great accomplishers because they don’t understand that every job has vital elements which need to take top priority.”

Paul Neuberger is a well-known speaker and head of C-Suite for Christ, a ministry made up of business executives who desire to impact the workplace for Christ. He describes the reality of distractions this way:

Life’s shiny objects are never-ending.

We’re pulled this way, then another.

Literally, thousands of distractions vie for our attention daily.

Sometimes it’s hard to stay focused on one task or engagement.

Are you guilty of chasing the shiny objects of life and ministry? What’s the remedy? The answer is training ourselves…disciplining ourselves…to focus. I once brought a commencement address to college students and used the word “focus” as an acrostic. I tried to use the analogy of focusing the lens of our cameras on what was important in the picture. Then I realized that 95 percent of the students had never focused a camera lens. Their smart phone camera did all the work. Hopefully, they weren’t too distracted by my illustration and could focus in on the points I was trying to make.

The Apostle Paul underscored the importance of eliminating distractions in order to focus on what is critical:

…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.

Philippians 3:13-14 NASB

Eugene Peterson paraphrased Paul’s words this way:

I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back.

So, identify those things that easily distract you, and discipline yourself to focus on the critical, especially in our spiritual lives. Let’s see what we can accomplish today…without distractions.

God’s best,

The fear is often there at one level or another. We are called on to speak in public…to present our ministry or share new plans to a board or donors. It may be that we have the opportunity to talk before college or high school students. And if we are honest with ourselves, we are a bit nervous about doing it.

Most public speakers, even those who do it often, would admit to various levels of nervousness or even fear. And that’s not a bad thing. Often it drives us to prepare better…or it should. Yes, there are times when we are called upon in an impromptu setting to speak. It is times like that we have to fall back on our prior experiences and apply some simple principles…such as have an interesting opening, know the audience, and simply be yourself.

A while back I came across an article by Sean McDowell. I don’t know Sean, but I have known his father, Josh McDowell, for many years. In the blog, Sean listed nine tips for public speaking. I won’t list all of them, but here are a few that may help you next time you have the opportunity to stand before others and share a message.

• TELL STORIES. People love stories. Jesus communicated by asking questions and telling stories. People also remember stories well.
• SPEAK WITH PASSION. If you speak with genuine passion people will listen.
• PREPARE WELL. You will be much more confident and effective if you have prepared well. And the audience can tell.
• IF POSSIBLE, HAVE ONE KEY POINT PER TALK. People typically forget the majority of what they hear in a talk within a few hours. But they remember stories and the key theme of a talk (if it was communicated well).
• START STRONG. This helps build confidence and sets the pace for the rest of the talk.
• BE YOURSELF. Learn from others, but ultimately be true to your gifting, passion, and style.
• LOVE THE AUDIENCE. One of the best ways to win over an audience is to truly love them.

I saved one of Sean’s points for last, because it is a great one to remember each time you speak.

• TALK TO GOD BEFORE YOU TALK TO PEOPLE. Only God can change someone’s heart, not persuasive words or arguments (although God may use our efforts). Remember…it’s about God, not us.

What will be the one point you want to leave with your audience next time you speak? Do you want them to remember you…or remember God’s message to their heart?

God’s best,

You work hard at crafting a message, a program, an article for publication. But is that where it ends? Is just expressing yourself or sharing truth, even biblical Truth, through radio, television, digital media or print good enough?

What happens after you send out your message? That’s the big question.

It was the Greek philosopher, Aristotle, who thousands of years ago put together his model of communication. It still holds true today. Aristotle was one of the most important philosophers of ancient Greece, and arguably one of the most influential thinkers of all time. His communication model was made up of these components:

• Speaker
• Speech
• Occasion
• Audience
• Effect.

It is pretty obvious you need an audience. No communication happens if there is not a receiver of the message. But it can’t end there. I want to focus your thoughts on the final point…effect.

What do you want to happen to those who read your message, hear your program, or see your social media post? Are they moved to do anything? If not, It would be difficult to say your message was effective.

I have often used the Apostle Paul’s speech to those Greeks who lived a few hundred years after Aristotle. In Acts 17 we see his message to the men of Athens. There are several great points of the speech that he used to draw in the listeners, mentioning the statue to the unknown god, and quoting their own Greek poet. But was the message effective? At the end of the message Paul spoke of the resurrection, and that put an end to his speech.

When they heard Paul speak about the resurrection of the dead, some laughed in contempt, but others said, “We want to hear more about this later.” That ended Paul’s discussion with them, but some joined him and became believers.

Acts 17:32-34 NLT

It seems the message impacted everyone.

So, take time to evaluate your message. Do you get a response? Even a negative one? Do you get questions from your audience? Are some moved to action? That is when you know real communication has taken place. Strive for that in all your messages.

God’s best,

Did you ever play the child’s game Follow the Leader? One person would be appointed the “leader” and all the other kids lined up behind them. When the game started, the leader would do something…make a move, jump, wiggle their hands…and the “followers” would have to do what the leader did. If they missed it, they were out of the game. A nice game for kids to learn how to follow instructions, concentrate, and exercise motor skills. And it was fun.

All of us are leaders at some level. We may lead a large organization, a small group, or even our family. That leadership role is important. People are watching and following.

And, we are all followers, too. Especially Christ-followers. How are we doing in that activity that is anything but a game? A recent Lead Like Jesus devotional talks about that and the important role we need to play as both leaders and followers:

“We aren’t looking for followers for ourselves; our role is to point people to Jesus as the leader worth following. As we follow Jesus, we invite others to join us on the journey, and we keep pace with them, so they don’t get left behind.”

Someone quipped, “If you want to see if you are a leader, turn around and see if anyone is following.” That’s only partly true. There are many who follow you that you may never see. Young believers may be looking to you to see how to follow Jesus in the everyday activities of life. Some may be looking to you as you go through a major trial to see how you handle it and to see if your faith plays a part during those dark days.

Peter, who knew what it costs to follow Jesus, had strong words of encouragement to those who put their trust in the Lord:

For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.

1 Peter 2:21 NLT

There is a saying in business: Lead, follow, or get out of the way! 

Jesus says: “Follow me, lead others to do the same. For that is the way.”

God’s best,

OK…I’ll be blunt about this. Where is prayer on your ministry or personal To Do list? I’m not talking about the prayer before a meal or at bedtime. I mean, amid plans, preparations, and execution…all the busyness and activity of life and ministry…where and when do you pray?

My morning Bible reading has been in Nehemiah recently, and I was struck by the prayer life of this amazing leader. Many have gleaned great leadership principles from Nehemiah’s account of rebuilding the wall in Jerusalem. If you haven’t read it in a while, I would encourage you to do so.

This time my attention was drawn to Nehemiah’s prayers. Within the first verses of the Old Testament that bears his name, Nehemiah prayed several times and in several different ways. Upon learning of the condition of the walls in Jerusalem and the spirit of the people, here is what this great leader did:

When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven.

Nehemiah 1:4 NLT

So, this leader fasted and prayed for days. What follows is a rather long prayer to God, acknowledging His greatness and reminding the Lord of His promises to His people. Then Nehemiah asks for success and favor with King Artaxerxes.

At some point later the king asks Nehemiah what is wrong, and inquires what he, the King, can do to help. Nehemiah flings a very brief prayer to God and responds to Artaxerxes. I imagine Nehemiah saying, “God, help me.”

Do you wonder if this pattern of prayer in the life of Nehemiah had anything to do with his success as a leader? Of course, it did. When you spend time thinking through a situation and praying deeply about it, God is faithful to grant His wisdom.

By the way, the little brief prayer of Nehemiah’s? It was backed up by his extended time with the Lord. Don’t overlook that.

So… look over your To Do list. Where is prayer on that list? More importantly, where will it be for the days to come as you lead?

God’s best,

“It’s not how you start the race that’s important…it’s how you finish!”

I think all of us would like to finish well. We should desire to manage the race in order to make it to the finish line. Admittedly, we usually think of that ultimate finish line…death…when we hope to hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” But what about today? Tomorrow? Next week? Don’t you want to finish well then, too?

My pastor Dr. Robert Jeffress spoke about this recently. He said we need to have a goal…a finish line…on a weekly basis, maybe even a daily basis. From my experience, it is so easy to just keep plugging away at the task, feeling like it will never end. What we thought was a sprint turns into a marathon, maybe even a super marathon. Jeffress says we need to change our way of thinking about these tasks.

“We don’t do all there is to do…but all we need to do.”

Here are some practical ways to help move us in the direction of establishing finish lines that allow us to rest and enjoy what the Lord has for us.

• Organize your day, don’t let it just run you. What we call the tyranny of the urgent often overrides other decisions and keeps us from accomplishing the important things. Guard your schedule.
• Know what can wait until tomorrow. Not everything has to be done today. Make your “tomorrow” list as today winds down.
• Delegate…but don’t just dump your to-do list on someone else. Make delegation part of the planning process.
• Turn it off. I once had to instruct a person in media to stop doing his editing work and go to bed. He was letting his ministry work intrude on his family life. Yes, there are times when deadlines have to be met. But with better planning, these become the rare exception, not the normal routine.
• Do something you enjoy. Take a walk. Go shopping. Go out to eat with friends. Play a game.
• Spend time with your family…and especially with your Heavenly Father.

Someone recently commented, “Our internet was down all day. I couldn’t do anything online. So, I went downstairs to visit with my family. They seem like nice people.”

The Apostle Paul often used the running of a race as an illustration of the Christian life. He said of himself:

Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

Philippians 3:13-14 NLT

Set a finish line daily. Weekly. Pace yourself as you run the race set before you.

I think I see a checkered flag ahead. I’m wrapping up this Monday MEMO and I’m going to spend some time with my wife.

God’s best,

In the U.S. today people are getting things ready for a cookout, a picnic, hot dogs, fireworks, barbecue, homemade ice cream, and maybe some apple pie. We celebrate our independence with friends and family…and hopefully, with gratitude.

Fred Smith mentored many leaders, and he often talked about the power of gratitude…thankfulness. Smith says, “Authentic gratitude is recognizing and appreciating what we have now, not for what we hope to have.” And Fred Smith points out it isn’t gratitude just for good things in the past, though it’s good to recognize our blessings. Smith says, “It is relatively easy for people to recite a list of past items, but it is sometimes more difficult to express the current ones.”

One struggle we sometimes have with gratitude is that it shows our need for others. Once again, Fred Smith addresses this:

“Gratitude represents dependence. It says, ‘I can’t do this all by myself… I need your help.’ Whether we speak that to parents, teachers, colleagues, or God, it is a sign of humility.”

In a devotional, Henry Blackaby takes gratitude one step further:

“Thankfulness is a conscious response that comes from looking beyond our blessings to their source. As Christians, we have been forgiven, saved from death, and adopted as God’s children. There could be no better reason for a grateful heart!”

And, as leaders, there is another byproduct of our gratitude. Those around us are blessed, as Fred Smith points out:

“When we acknowledge the contribution of others, we build them up.”

So, enjoy your day, and be grateful.

I recently came across a simple song by Marvin Winans. You may recognize his name as the father of the famous Winan family of singers…CeCe and BeBe and eight others. This pastor and gospel singer talked of seeing a fight break out at a bar he passed by on his way from church. Under conviction, he penned the message:

Who’s gonna tell them Jesus loves them
Who’s gonna tell them there’s a better way
Who’s gonna warn them of the things coming on them
So God can turn their nights to day

I listened as Winans and the singers repeated the little chorus again and again. Then it shifted:

I’m gonna tell them Jesus loves them
I’m gonna tell them there’s a better way

That simple shift of focus is monumental. It’s one thing to ask, “Who?” and quite another thing to respond, “I will be the one to warn them, to tell them.”

I needed that. I sometimes think what I do in Christian communications is all I need to do. Helping others share God’s hope. That’s good…but it can’t be all I do.

Jesus didn’t just talk about healing people. He healed them. He didn’t just tell others of God’s path that leads to eternal life. He walked the path…right to the Cross.

Though Jesus’ disciples stumbled a few times, they ultimately “walked the talk” even to the point of their death.

At MEDIAlliance we are privileged to serve with some of the Lord’s most amazing servants. They build ministries, grow their media reach, and guide dedicated staff. Is that enough?

I think God calls each of us to be a personal witness of the Lord’s love and saving power. Is it sometimes uncomfortable? Sometimes awkward? Yes. But we should get beyond that. Jesus did.

As needed, we must answer the call and shift our focus from just asking who is going to tell others, warn others, point others to a better way…to responding from our heart, “I’m gonna tell them Jesus loves them.”

Can I get an amen?

I hope that doesn’t make you uncomfortable. For some of us, the word “intelligence” causes us to think back to our school days, and those thoughts can zero in on a failed test or a failed class. Rarely do we think of our best experiences in school. Or…is that just me?

The latest buzz words today are “artificial intelligence.” My colleague Kyle Gilbert is often stepping into my office to share with me the latest application of AI in writing, graphics, photographs, and more. (By the way…this is really me writing this Monday MEMO…not AI. I am not a robot!)

Another phrase gaining popularity is emotional intelligence. Here is a good definition:

…the ability to understand and manage your own emotions, as well as recognize and influence the emotions of those around you.

Psychologist Daniel Goleman talks of the five areas of emotional intelligence:

• Empathy
• Effective communication or social skills
• Self-awareness
• Self-regulation
• Motivation

Many people in our organizations are looking for leaders who exhibit these qualities.

Our MEDIAlliance friend Steve Gutzler is something of an authority on managing emotional intelligence for leadership purposes. He has some ways to build up your emotional intelligence for effective leadership.

1. Be mindful of setting your emotional tone early in the morning. Be positive and grateful.
2. Rather than being a self-critic, be a self-coach who builds your self-confidence.
3. Channel your energy into something productive and joyful each day.
4. Focus on one percent improvement each day.
5. Maintain a healthy diet and ensure a good night’s rest.

There is much more to emotional intelligence, but these steps can be good starting points.

As I share these suggestions, I remember the Apostle Paul’s admonition to the Philippian church on setting our emotional tone.

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

Philippians 4:8 NLT

Try that…and see what a difference it can make in the team around you.

God’s best,

True confession. I love to laugh. And I love to see others laugh. In elementary school I got into trouble on more than one occasion for trying to make my classmates laugh. I still gauge the value of my days by how much joy I shared or received. Just this morning as I headed off to work, my wife instructed me, “You boys have fun today.” Judy knows me well.

Spiritual and leadership mentor Fred Smith wrote: “Humor is part of a healthy rhythm of life. It relieves the monotony. It improves the taste, like salt on vegetables or the meat.” It seems I am always looking for humor in the midst of life. And, believe me, it is there if you look for it.”

Humor is not just telling jokes. There is a difference between a comedian who tells jokes and a humorist who sees the funny in the ordinariness of everyday life. American humorist Will Rogers once said, “Things ain’t what they used to be…and never were.” One of his most famous quotes is still true some 80 years after Rogers’ death:

“Too many people spend money they haven’t earned to buy things they don’t want to impress people they don’t like.”

I recently attended my 60th anniversary high school reunion. The last one I attended was the 40th one and I noticed some major differences. First, there were more walkers and canes than previously. Second, there was a contest to see who had the most hip replacement surgeries. (Judy won with four.) And third, the event started at 5:00 p.m. and ended at 8:30 p.m. so folks could get back home before dark and take their nighttime medicines. Humor often comes from truth.

Fred Smith quoted a doctor friend who told him, “Laughter has been linked by longstanding tradition with longevity. One thing almost all very healthy elderly patients have in common is their sense of humor.”

The Bible provides a foundation for that and a warning for those who don’t apply humor to their life:

A cheerful heart is good medicine,

but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.

Proverbs 17:22 NLT

After an amazing spiritual service and the reading of the Law of the Lord, Prophet Nehemiah instructed the people to have a feast and share joy with others. He concluded with these words:

“…This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!”

Nehemiah 8:10 NLT

So go ahead…laugh a little. It will bring others joy. At the very least it will make people wonder, and it just might start a great conversation when they ask, “What’s so funny?”

God’s best,