Ron Harris

Are you into your planning for the coming year? I know it is several months away, but the planning starts well before a new year arrives. As leaders, it falls to us to plan for the days ahead…to lead our teams forward to the next event or the next goal.

But as I sit and start to plan for this coming year, I fight the attitude that says, “What difference does it make?” Major events happen and plans get changed…whether we want them to or not. Travel, conferences, flights, meetings, and many other scheduled events sometimes get unscheduled, rescheduled, then unscheduled again and again. Frustrating!

But you must lead…and you must plan. Even if those plans get changed. Yogi Berra was an American icon, a baseball player and a coach. He often messed up the language in trying to say something, so much so that his sayings became known as Yogi-isms. Example: “When you come to a fork in the road, take it!” Or “You can observe a lot by just watching.” Here is a favorite: “Always go to other people’s funerals, otherwise they won’t come to yours.” Funny!

Yogi Berra also said, “If you don’t know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else.” And Yogi is right!

The old saying is true: If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.

In spite of the challenges, you are facing as you look ahead for the ministry, you must plan. Yes, those plans will very likely change. But not all of them. And you will have set most of the course for the ministry. And those who serve with you will have a sense of how the future will shape up.

Management consultant Peter Drucker understood things could change, but he still valued the effort. “Plans are worthless, but planning is invaluable.” There needs to be forward movement in ministry. If not, it becomes stagnant and unproductive. When the team senses that the leader is frustrated and uncertain because of the uncertain days, it makes it much more difficult to see the light ahead.

John Maxwell wrote about leading through frightening times. Among the great insights he shared was this on painting a brighter picture:

When things are frightening, the world seems small and dark; to counteract that, you must paint a picture that’s bigger and brighter. We must point beyond the fear to a brighter day, to remind people of what the Psalmist said: “Nights of crying your eyes out give way to days of laughter.” Leaders must communicate to their people the hope on the other side of the fear.

So, even if it is frustrating…even if you have to change the plans again and again…set a good example for your ministry team and plan for the best days ahead. Yes, you may have to sprinkle your plans with the biblical phrase, “If the Lord allows…,” but that’s OK. It is all in His hands.

God’s best,

Do you ever get that “Esther” feeling? That you were created for “…just such a time as this?” I believe God has a plan for each of us. And to those whom He has called into leadership, our role can be critical. But we need to be careful how we think about ourselves and our leadership.

I love the story of Esther. It is a book filled with wonder, excitement, drama, humor, intrigue, and… most of all…a look at how God positions us for His service. Esther is the central character, and we can learn a lot from looking at her situation.

Today, I want to zero in on one point in Esther’s life, and the wisdom of Mordecai in that critical moment. If you need to refresh yourself about the story, take time to read the whole Old Testament book. It is powerful. The high point for Queen Esther comes in chapter 4. It is a crisis of faith. Mordecai tells her she needs to go in to see the King to expose the plot to kill the Jews. And… Esther is Jewish. Sensing a possible hesitation on her part, listen to what Mordecai tells Esther:

Don’t think for a moment that because you’re in the palace you will escape when all other Jews are killed. If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die.

Esther 4:13-14 NLT

Yes, Mordecai then goes on to say perhaps Esther has come to the kingdom for such a time as this. But we can zero in on that phrase and let it become a point of pride. “God put me here. I am the one who can lead. I am the critical factor.”

Mordecai was making it clear to Esther that God’s plan was going to work whether she did her part or not. What Esther would miss would be His blessing for her and her family.

Here’s the point. Yes, God has placed you in a strategic position to accomplish an important part of His plan. But you are not the critical element. God is.

Be careful that you don’t quickly move to the “for such a time as this” part of the scripture without understanding that God doesn’t really need you. The Lord is giving you the privilege of serving Him, and God has special blessings for you IF you follow His direction for your life.

Don’t let pride get in between you and God’s plan and purpose for your life. In Jeremiah we read:

…Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom, or the powerful boast in their power,

or the rich boast in their riches.

But those who wish to boast should boast in this alone:

that they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord….

Jeremiah 9:23-24 NLT

Always remember…God is in charge…and has given you an important assignment. Do it with all your heart, and keep your eyes on the One who is over all.

God’s best,

I remember it well. It was a brilliant idea for a television special. It had well known people (a talented husband and wife team), a beautiful location, and some exciting content. I thought it was terrific. I wrote the script…and re-wrote the script…then honed it again.

Then came the opportunity. One of the “known” people I wanted in the TV program was to be in Dallas performing at a certain hotel. I polished up the script, put a nice cover page on it, slid it into a professional-looking presentation folder, and took it to the hotel in Dallas in hopes of connecting with this artist. It didn’t happen. The closest I came was giving it to some hotel staff person who said they would try to get it to the artist.

I waited for days. Nothing. Weeks. Nothing. And that’s when I realized the idea was dead. I soon learned that the husband-wife team was in the process of divorcing. All that work. All that writing and re-writing. All that time. Wasted.

Or was it?

Looking back, I realized I had just “gone to school” on ideas, productions, and expectations. I had actually learned a lot. And what I gained would be applied to other projects…other ideas… that DID work.

Ideas. They are what drive many of us, whether in ministry or management. An idea for a new program. An idea for a new way to accomplish something critical to the mission. But not all ideas are created equal.

Our friend Phil Cooke says there is a secret to having great ideas. Have lots of ideas…many of which won’t be so great. But out of the mix will come something that will click and have life, impact, and influence.

I remember the famous quote from Thomas Edison, the inventor of the light bulb and many other innovations. He was asked how it felt to fail 10,000 times. His response?

“I have not failed 10,000 times—I’ve successfully found 10,000 ways that will not work.”

We may be led to believe that our ideas have failed. That WE have failed. Not so. We are just in the process of finding that great idea that will work…and work well.

Phil Cooke says that for him, out of 100 ideas he may have, only two or three are ones he would pitch to others. Some are just stupid. Many of the ideas sound good, but just won’t work. And some ideas are not quite ready yet.

The secret is to keep coming up with ideas. And when something doesn’t work, learn why, and press on to the next idea. God has put in you a creativity that He wants you to use for His purpose and His glory.

The Apostle Paul admonished young Timothy with these words:

Do not neglect your gift, which was given you….

1 Timothy 4:14 NIV

If the Lord has placed you in an area of leadership, He will give you what you need to accomplish the task…and that includes ideas. It is up to you and me to exercise the gift God has given us.

God’s best,

There often seems to be a conflict in our ministries and Christian organizations between faith and business. Where do we draw the line between just trusting God to do what He wants in our ministries and organizations…and looking at business procedures and practices to apply them to our work?

There are examples in scripture where the Lord encourages us to think and apply sound reason to our activities…along with prayer…to effectively accomplish the Lord’s purpose. Though Jesus was talking about becoming one of His disciples, He used a couple of illustrations…one from construction and another from war…to illustrate His point. Here is His illustration on building something:

“…For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you.”

Luke 14:28-29 NLT

Jesus did not condemn using sound reasoning when it comes to important tasks. He was saying it is essential that we do things in a wise and even business-like manner if we are going to be successful.

So… what about marketing? I have recognized a growing need for those in Christian media to understand the value of marketing and advertising to help grow an audience for the Gospel and Christ’s teaching. Most people are drowning in a sea of programming…from cute cats on YouTube to fact-filled posts on Facebook. From the sensational headlines and lead stories in the news to needed information like the weather. How do YOU gather people to hear your message…God’s message?

One of the media audience rating groups I follow talked recently about what is known in this field as “CUME.” It relates to the cumulative audience for a station, often measured over a week’s time. Growing the CUME is, in essence, drawing in new listeners or viewers. And this is directly linked to marketing. What are you doing to get beyond your current circle of listeners? How will others find and desire to tune in or click on your programming if they don’t know about it?

Marketing and advertising that is effective needs creative thinking to cut through the massive doses of media impressions each person plows through. It takes a concerted effort to grab their attention and attract them to the programming you produce.

How much time do you spend on a quality program on your station? How much time do you spend developing a creative approach to draw in a new audience for that important program? You will need to do more than just post the title and time of a program or its guest presenter. Think about what would make you want to listen to or view a program for the first time.

As for prayer…ask the creator God to inspire you to be creative and use every tool available to touch lives for His purpose and His salvation. As Bible teacher Oswald Chambers might have put it, “Let’s do our utmost for His highest.”

God’s best,

You’ve probably heard the phrase, “Let go and let God…” As a young person at summer church camp, we would sing, “I take hands off my life. It is no longer mine.” Good thoughts. But I sometimes wonder if we struggle at the “line” between doing what God calls us to do and letting Him lead.

From reading the Old Testament, we know what happened to the Israelites when they went into battle without consulting the Lord. Defeat. And yet God doesn’t want us to just sit back and do nothing. “Let go and let God” doesn’t mean we live a life that is passive, simply waiting on our Lord to do everything.

A fine line.

Most of us in leadership probably lean toward doing, acting like the Israelites, forging ahead into a task or challenge without consulting our heavenly Father. I can tell you there are many days that I fall into that trap. So, what is the answer? Simple.

Pray.

Pray…then go, and let God guide you as you go. Be open to His direction, even if the Lord says to pause or stop. Most of the time God wants us moving forward if it is within His plan and His timing. My spiritual mentor, Henry Blackaby, spoke of the importance of following God’s path in his book Spiritual Leadership:

“If Christians around the world were to suddenly renounce their personal agendas, their life goals, and their aspirations, and begin responding in radical obedience to everything God showed them, the world would be turned upside down.”

Isn’t that what happened with first-century Christians? And, as Dr. Blackaby points out, “the world is still talking about it.”

So, what keeps us from hearing God’s direction today? Andrew Murray, a writer and pastor who lived in the late 1800s, explained with words that ring true today:

“Nothing so effectually hinders hearing God’s voice as opening the heart too much to other voices. A heart too deeply interested in the news, the literature, and the society of this world cannot hear the divine voice.”

Yes, we need to be actively serving the Lord, especially as we lead others, but we need to seek God’s direction and wisdom as we prepare to step out in service. A fine line…but an important one.

God’s best,

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,