Happy Birthday In Five Cities

I made it to India! I actually got to celebrate my birthday in five different cities: Dubai, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Delhi and Lucknow (no parties, just airports). Apples and pretzels rather than cake and ice cream.

Today is Sunday, and I spoke at a church here in Lucknow. Afterwards during the altar call time I was able to lead two people to Christ and see God do some healing. One was an older lady who had just received Christ! Thank you Lord!

After the service I hopped on to the back of a motorcycle and was driven through the streets of Lucknow to catch the tail end of another worship service. (The "biker pastor" is back!)

Later today we leave for the Pastor's Conference which begins tomorrow. It will be a busy week, ministering at the Conference and also meeting with the special "appointments" that are scheduled for me.

More to come!

Return To India... Round Three!

I will be traveling on a mission trip to India, leaving on Thursday, October 23rd and returning on Wednesday, November 5th. (I celebrate my 52nd birthday in India this year!)

I will again be preaching in evangelistic crusades and ministering among the poor and sick, especially at a home for crippled children. Plus, I have the privilege of speaking at a Pastor's Conference, with over 3,000 Indian pastors in attendance.

An opportunity has also opened up for me to have an audience with one of the richest and most powerful businessmen in India. He is the largest landowner in India, and upon hearing of my previous trips and the work that I have been involved in, has asked me to meet with him.

Although he is a Hindu, he has a heart for the poor and needy. I am praying that during our conversation, I will be able to share the Gospel with him. I am believing that he will be the first of many in his circle of influence to follow after Christ.

Please check my Blog regluarly. The first half of my trip may provide me with limited internet access, but I will post as often as I can. And let me hear your comments (click below)!

Job Survival Or Job Satisfaction

Perhaps I chose the wrong economic conditions to raise this question in, but I feel compelled. Are you working in your job or profession because you truly feel you are making a difference, or you simply trying to stay afloat financially?

Do you truly feel that what you do, what is defining your work/career function is purposeful and meaningful, in terms of the good of others and the heart of God?

In their book "Live Your Calling: A Practical Guide to Finding and Fulfilling Your Mission in Life" authors Kevin & Marie Brennfleck state: We need to ask ourselves a question such as: At this time in my life, how can I best use my gifts, abilities and other resources to further God’s purposes in this world?



As I stated at the beginning of this post, perhaps now is not the time to be evaluating job satisfaction and looking to change careers. But what if our economic conditions never improve in your lifetime (or before you reach retirement - a very Western concept)? If this is as good as it gets and your job is one merely of survival, what are you doing to make a difference for good in your workplace or around the world (related to what you do professionally)?

Will you be satisfied by simply making a paycheck so you can keep your bills paid and just get older? Can you further God's purposes in this world... by doing what you are doing now?

Just something to think about.

Question: Are you satisfied, or just surviving in your job? Please respond below.


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A No-Win Retirement Plan

The New York times reports that of the 42 states with lotteries, at least 29 reported increased sales in their most recent fiscal year. Of those 29, at least 22 set sales records. (NYTIMES.COM 9.12.08)

I thought this was an interesting fact. The economy is having problems, the stock market is going lower, and people are spending more money on lotto tickets. I guess the dream of get rich quick is still alive and well.

What does that tell you about people? What does it tell you about what they trust in? Even people of faith pray over choosing the right numbers on their power-ball ticket. Hmmm...

Sure, I'd love to win the lottery. But I'm told that to win I have to play first. I guess I'll have to invest in a different retirement plan

Who Influences You?

I have been leading our management team in a conversation about Who influences you? We have pretty much determined that all of us are influenced by others, in one way or another. To ignore that fact is like ignoring gravity. It is still there, whether we believe it or not.

Some people influence us negatively. Those are the people who either purposefully draw us away from our passions and pursuits, or who unintentionally suck away our energy because they haven't got control of their own lives and personalities. You know the ones in your life: when we see them coming we want to duck and hide.

We walk a fine line when relating to these people. We want to have an influence in their lives and to encourage them to excellence, but the price we pay in time, emotional energy and resources to do that is sometimes more than we are willing to pay at a particular time. It is a precarious place that we find ourselves in.

Then there are those who are positive influences in our lives. Those who inspire us to greatness, who push us to be better. They come alongside of us and combining with our lives, together we become a sum greater than its parts.

These are the people I want to be with. These are the ones whom I purposely interact with and seek to be in relationship with. These are the ones who make my life what it is.

They don't take, they give. They don't allow mediocrity, they challenge to excellence. They don't steal our joy, they inspire.

So who influences you?

The Text Message Connection

A conversation took place yesterday among the leaders of the organization that I work for. The discussion centered around how technology has caused our society to become less relational and more task-oriented (even more multitask-oriented).

Many problems and challenges were discussed, and while we weren't seeking to find answers to the challenges we put before ourselves, we did begin to look at possible solutions.

Probably the most salient observation that came from our team was that the key to reaching our culture, and especially the generation under age 30 was through relationships. We found ourselves seeking to answer the question, "How can we demonstrate the importance of relationships in the digital world?"

Here are some of our conclusions: we can model good relationships; we can take the time to invest in other people; we can even use technology as a tool to begin conversations and build on relationships.

I purposely did not put out an exhaustive list of possible solutions because I'd like to hear from you. What are your thoughts on this issue of relationships in our digital world?

Micro-Management and Creativity

I recently heard a person being interviewed saying that micro-management by their boss stifled their creativity. An interesting thought, that I would like to pursue here.

Just about all of us in the work force have had encounters with micro-managing bosses, supervisors and managers. I know that some jobs require close supervision. Safety, deadlines and certain seasons dictate the need for closer than usual oversight.

But micro-management is not reserved only for the workplace. I have led music teams and at times found myself a bit too controlling, justifying my actions by saying that I wanted a song to sound certain way. OK, give me a pass there as long as I don't abuse it. But what about our children?

Do we as parents micro-manage our children's lives because we have these big plans for them and we feel that the best path to achieve those plans is through our control?

I am NOT for simply allowing our children to do as they please, without any guidance or instruction. But I am for having Godly, parental insight and wisdom to discern talents and creative leanings and to gently steer our children in those directions. To simply push them into our pre-planned direction will likely stifle their creativity and perhaps warrant rebellion.

A friend and colleague who has spent many years as a brilliant high school orchestra teacher shared with me that many of his most talented students stopped playing their instruments after they graduated because they were forced by their parents to practice and play from a very early age, and in reality they really never enjoyed it. (Of course there is the argument that some exceptional musicians have thanked their parents for making them stay devoted to their craft as children.)

But what about allowing a child to lean towards a certain tendency they may exhibit? Many times we as parents feel that we have our children's lives figured out, regardless of their creative leanings.

I would like to suggest that we apply the insight that our Creator has given us to help discern and identify the creative tendencies in our children, and encourage them in those directions. Yes, practicality and common sense need not be discarded, but encouragement towards a God-given creative impartation may be the ticket towards our children's success. Just be careful that don't micro-manage that!

Don't Throw That Away!

I recently read this interesting information about Americans:

The average U.S. household throws out nearly a quarter of the fruits and vegetables they buy. For a family of four, that adds up to about $500 each year, according to a study by the University of Arizona. (MSNBC.com 7.23.08)

Having seen first-hand some of the poverty we conveniently forget about here in the United States, and also having traveled several times to India, a country with its own share of poor people, I find myself wondering if our prosperity-driven, abundance mentality needs a good dose of "other-side-of-the-world" (or even "other-side-of-town") reality.

We have to face it: we Americans tend to be a bit wasteful. If you don't agree, read this:

Americans' total yearly waste would fill a convoy of garbage trucks long enough to wrap around the Earth six times and reach halfway to the moon. It is estimated that this year 222 million tons of waste will be generated by Americans.

I hope I am not offending you, but rather inspiring you to think beyond our neighborhoods, workplaces or churches. There are many people in the world, most of which live in developing countries, who just don't have very much. How could we cut down on what we throw away in order provide for the poor? Would the $500 that the average family throws out a year in fresh fruits and vegetables be given to those who could use it to buy their own fresh fruits and vegetables?

I remember my mother telling me as a child, "Don't waste your food. There are starving kids around the world!" Maybe it wasn't such bad advice.

What Are You Working On?

As I come into contact with those whomI have relationships with and seek to influence them to be creative, I like to ask the question, "What are you working on?"

I meet with a friend every two weeks for coffee (a gifted writer and aspiring author) and at some point in our conversation I ask, "What have you written?" Although we do not have an accountability agreement where he knows I will ask him this question, he knows that sometime before we drain our Venti cups (Ooops, gave away where we meet!) he will be challenged by me. Sometimes he verbalizes a thought he is working on. Other times he brings his notebook and reads me a few passages from the novel he is pursuing.

Just as I challenge him, he in turn (along with others whom I keep the creative carrot before) challenges me to make sure I am living in creative mode myself. (In case you are wondering, I am in the middle of recording my next CD project, which will be available later this year.)

My goal is to stimulate creativity, and to encourage people to express themselves using the Creator-inspired gifts they possess. It is common for "artists" to create, and then to simply look at, read or listen to their creation, resting on what they've done instead of moving on to new expressions of their gifts. To them I say, keep creating!

When worship leader/songwriter Dennis Jernigan was asked how someone could know they are a songwriter, he responded, "You can't keep it inside. You have to write songs." So my question to you is, "What are you working on?"

Release The Artist Within You

I read this interesting information today:

In June 2008, the public radio show Studio 360 teamed up with the Opinion Research Corporation to conduct a survey that asked: If you could trade your job to become an artist with no reduction in pay, would you do it? Surprisingly, 51% said that they would. (Studio 360 6.20.08)

Hmmmm... with the accessibility of the internet to publish our thoughts, and the availability of home recording software to capture our musical creations (I have a Blog and a recording studio), it seems that more and more the "creator/artist" is emerging from the depths of our task-oriented, driven lifestyles.

I like this kind of news. My heartbeat is to encourage everyone I influence to be creative, to tap into the "artist" inside, and to use their God-given creativity to Glorify the Creator and inspire others. Remember: we are made in the image of our Creator, the greatest "artist/creator".

So write, paint, draw, play music, build with your hands, or simply rearrange the furniture, but release the artist within you!

Rewarding Failure

I recently shared a few comments concerning rewarding failure in a meeting with some colleagues. I felt that the title was catchy and would attract interest, but the real message was about encouraging us to try new ideas and expressions as we accomplish tasks and lead people.

We live in an ever-changing culture where the media is constantly prompting people to reinvent themselves, where methods of marketing become outdated as soon as they are rolled out to the public, and where in some industries if you are not ahead of the curve, then you must already be behind it.

In order to stay effective in our influence of those around us and in the culture in which we live, we need to attempt new methods of communication and fresh expressions of the values to which we hold. In other words, we must try new ways to be effective.

But we must understand that any new endeavor can potentially fail. Stepping out of the comfort and security of our current condition or status quo could cause us to fall flat on our faces. And many of us are afraid to take that step.

Hence rewarding failure. By encouraging new ideas, innovative methods and fresh thinking, we have the chance to become more effective and therefore more influential. Oh we may fail, but nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Just about all great discoveries were the result of attempting something new because the old way of thinking or doing just wasn't satisfying or effective anymore. "What if...?" and "Why not...?" are great questions to ask yourself and your team. Why not ask now?

Question:  What have you tried and perhaps failed at, but has made you more effective?