We Sure Do Talk A Lot

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We talk a lot. Sometimes with our mouths, oftentimes with our fingers (on our smartphone keyboards).

We can't get away from it: We live in a world of talking heads, talk radio, smartphones, Facebook, chat rooms, Twitter, texting, instant messages, status updates, comments on tagged photos, comments on updates, and comments on comments. Whether we use our mouths, our MacBooks or our thumbs (pro texters will follow that), countless words leave us and move through the atmosphere and through cyberspace.

Sometimes what we have to say is important. Sometimes what we have to say is complementary to what another has already shared. But a lot of times what we have to say is about ourselves, and doesn't really benefit anyone. (Here's a test: Look back at your posts and comments and see how often you use the words I, I've, me, my, mine.)

In the end, it is up to us to determine if what we have to say is really worth saying.

I remember one time getting caught by my mother in a lie (I was a young boy of eight). After she confronted me on the issue and asked if I had done the deed, she said, "Before you answer, think about what you say." Well I didn't think about what I would say, and Mom knew it wasn't the truth. Needless to say, I paid the price. (I can't remember what I did - I just remember the consequence for my lying.)

Maybe Mom's advice isn't just for eight-year-old boys who have the opportunity to lie. Maybe before we speak, text, or type, we all ought to stop and "think about what you say." Is it truly benefiting, encouraging, and challenging to someone, or is it simply about me?

Maybe we'd say a lot less, but it would mean a lot more.

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Protect Your Valuables

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What have you done to show value to those whom you work with? How can you say to someone, "You matter!"?

I have learned over time that valuing others is one of the greatest encouragements we can give. Here are four ways I use to show value:

I expect the best, and assume it will happen. Expecting mediocrity or failure is very de-valuing. Expecting excellence isn't a demand, but rather shows belief in a person. I work with singers, musicians, and technical-types at my day job. My heart is to raise everyone to the next level in skill. My heart is also to immediately see maturity among the "learners" (new team members).

We recently transitioned to new presentation software for our worship services, and preparing for the first use, I never mentioned that there might be some glitches. Rather, I told the team that I believed in their abilities to handle the learning curve, and that the service would be seamless. (It was!)

I seek to focus my attention on individual people. A gentle word of encouragement during a rehearsal, or taking someone aside to speak truth (while looking them in the eyes and smiling) is a big valuing move. I try not to be distracted during conversations. 

Recently while having lunch with my Orchestra Director, I received a text message from my sister (I knew it was her by the exclusive ringtone). Normally I would have ignored the text, but because I knew it was from my sister (who rarely texts me during the day), I asked permission to read and respond.

Also, I seek to be interested, rather than interesting. (How often, after reading a FaceBook post where someone shares something they have done, we respond with "I've done that too!" or "I've eaten there also... Love the sliders!", instead of "Good job" or "Good for you!"? We make it about us instead of them.)

I seek to keep team members informed, and provide resources to support them. I have worked with volunteers (usually), and paid personnel on teams, and they all have one thing in common: They deserve resources to improve their skills and do their jobs with excellence. Again, I am seeking to help others improve, be better, and achieve their goals and visions.

I regularly email blogs and articles to our Tech Team. Some of the time they know the information I am sending. Some of the time they don't and it becomes a help. All of the time it communicates that I think they are important enough for me to take the time to share it.

I regularly praise and thank, but I do so privately. I may be a bit over the top on this idea, but I believe that private thanks and praise goes much further than public thanks and praise. Yes, it's much easier on us to publicly recognize someone for their work, but taking the time to privately say "thank you" and "great job" shows that we truly value their work.

I write hand-written notes and mail them in the traditional way. A lot of time and effort yes, but the people I send the notes to are worth it. (Our "click-culture" doesn't leave room for effort and sacrifice. Convenience is king!)

After major productions and services, I send everyone involved a personal, hand-written thank-you note. Sometimes I enclose a gift. It takes many hours to do this, but again the participants are worth it.

What do you do to value those you lead?

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React or Pro-Act

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In my last Blog post I asked if you were a "History Maker" or a "History Reader". I summarized by asking the question,  "Do we sit back and watch the life around us go by, or do we write the story of the life around us?"

Stated differently, do we react to situations, news, and people, or are we proactive?

We have all seen the Facebook memes: Like and share if you'd vote for this person. Copy and paste this into your status. #PrayForOrlando (and France, and Boston, and Nigeria, and Israel, and Fallujah... Click here to see the list of terrorist attacks around the world so far in 2016).

Are we shocked, stunned, and astonished when we read or hear about things that happen in our world? (Did you click the link in the above paragraph? What was your response as you read?) Do we ever get overwhelmed? Do we ever get to the place where logoff and yell, "Make it stop!"

What can we do to get ahead of the curve of all the "news" that continues to bombard us? Are we stuck in the place of like & share, or are we establishing the ground rules for the life that we are allowing to affect us?

I am a follower in Jesus Christ, and as His follower I am exhorted to be salt and light, to do good deeds, to live holy, to love my enemies, to give to the needy, to not store physical treasures, to not judge, and to not worry about the future. I must then, be vigilant to make sure my life is truly following the Lord.

I think I get it: If I am active about being salt and light, doing good deeds, living holy, loving my enemies, giving to the needy, storing treasures in heaven, not judging, and not worrying about the future, then I have adopted a Proactive lifestyle. 

When we aren't grounded we react. When we don't have convictions we don't think for ourselves. But, if we can find our rootedness in our relationship with Christ, and if we can have a global vision along with a Christian perspective, then we can be Proactive.

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Are You A History Maker?

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I love history. I love to learn the why that determines the what. I love to discover the struggles of people as they shaped their destiny.

I believe that all of us can all learn from history: Our nation's past, from our family's past, our Biblical heritage.

But are we simply History Readers, or are we History Makers? Do we sit back and watch the life around us go by, or do we write the story of the life around us?

When we get to the end of our lives, will it show that we were simply passive and indifferent, allowing events to happen, and following those events like sheep? Or, when we get to the end of our lives will it show that we actively shaped the course of our destiny?

Will we be a David who fought a Goliath, or will we simply be one of David's brothers who watched? Will we be a Paul who preached to the Ephesians and saw a powerful church rise up, or will we simply be a Eutychus who fell asleep on the window sill while Paul preached?

Know that I believe our destiny is closely tied to God's plan for us. But also know that I believe we ought to ask God about that plan, and get in on it!

Don't just read about what is happening... Write what is happening. Be a History Maker!

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When You Wish Upon A Star

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Most of us recognize that song, or at least make a connection to it from their visits to Disney World.

Released in 1940 as part of Walt Disney's adaptation of Pinocchio, this iconic song ultimately became the representative song of the Walt Disney Company.

Is life that easy? If all we have to do is Wish upon a star, then will all of our dreams come true?

I don't think so. I am not taking this space to criticize the Walt Disney Company (Disney was, and still is a big part of my childhood, my children's childhood, and their children's childhood). I must though, take issue with the fantasy of simply wishing and waiting. There must be some working also.

If wishing and waiting were all that is needed for dreams to come true, then why aren't all of the people who buy lottery tickets instead of looking for supplemental income (or primary income jobs) rich?

I am not simply advocating that if we work hard and stay diligent, we will be successful. Look at all of those who have worked hard and failed. (Interestingly, most of those who have worked hard and failed, continued to work hard and ultimately succeeded.)

What about luck, knocking on wood, and lucky stars (there I go wishing upon a star again)? Well this guy finds no scientific, statistical, or even anecdotal evidence that luck plays a factor in success.

Understand also that my Christian worldview is tied to faith: I believe that God wants to work in my behalf to bring about events, relationships, and "open doors" that will lead to my success and benefit as it relates to His plan for me. It's not "name it and claim it". Nor is it "woe is me, I'm just a sinner saved by grace".

I believe that God wants to bless me. But I also believe that God is more concerned with my holiness then He is concerned about my happiness.

So what do we do? I believe it's good to:

• Dream. Picture how you would like to see yourself in the future. Hopefully it's not you doing and being exactly the same as you are now, just older.
• Conceptualize. List some specifics. Have some measurable goals that will help you see your dreams fulfilled.
• Plan. Put together a strategy that will allow you to reach your goals, and to measure your progress towards them.
• Work. You must work your plan. No plan will ever come to pass without the effort invested.
• Pray. I wouldn't leave this to last, but rather I suggest starting with prayer. Ask God what His dreams are for you. Dreaming His dreams are guaranteed to set you on the right path.

All of us eventually go home from visiting Disney World. But that doesn't mean we have to stop dreaming. Dream yes, but also do!

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Leveraging Your Resources Revisited

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I was preparing to write about encouraging people to use what was available to them, rather than buying the latest and greatest. I remembered a Blog post of mine from eight years ago. I felt the thoughts that I wrote back then are still relevant now...

I once heard that leveraging your resources is one of the most effective ways of being successful. When it comes to creativity, I think that this is even more true. Here are some thoughts:

• Look around and see your resources. Many times we miss seeing the resources at our disposal because we are too focused on the task. A few years ago I was invited to lead a weekend conference for the youth staff at a church in Nashville. My closing topic was "101 Creative Ideas for Student Ministry". Desiring to show that all people can be creative, I chose to develop 101 fresh ideas by simply using what I had in my office. I chose objects, photos, t-shirts, a bag of cookies, books, etc. (remember, I was a youth pastor so my office was a bit of a cabinet of curiosities). I compiled my list of ideas and shared!

• Don't say you need to have the newest tools to be creative, rather creatively use the tools you have to meet your needs. Many people can't wait for the newest gadget, software upgrade or tech tool, saying that this will help their creativity. Use your mind to be creative, and allow your tools to be the vehicles by which you express your creativity. I know of a guy who recorded an entire CD on a 10 year old 8-track recorder, and mixed it on Garage Band. It turned out pretty good! 

• Use your relationships to stimulate your creativity. Simply being in relationship with others and interacting with them is fertile ground for creativity. Bouncing ideas or problems off others is a great way to gain clarity and confirmation. I often leave a conversation with fresh ideas or solutions to problems, many times unrelated to the conversation I just had.

 Your ability to be creative should never be limited to your tools, or lack of them. Remember, Adam gave names to all of the animals in the Garden of Eden. And he did it without even a fig leaf.

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Keep Your Head... Up!

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Keeping our heads up is important! Especially if we want to succeed in life.

Although it is easy to become "buried" in life, if we allow ourselves to get in over our heads, we could drown.

Here are a few reasons to keep our heads up:

• So we can breathe. Sometimes we become so crowded by the pressures of life (work, home, relationships) that we feel like our sanity is suffocating.
• So we can be productive. Often when we find ourselves so overwhelmed with all that is going around us that our creativity and decision-making skills are almost nonexistent.
• So we can see clearly. Being "buried" by life will cause us to lose our vision and big-picture perspective, and we become only concerned with what is right in front of us.

How can we keep our heads up? Here are a few ideas:

• Choose what we make important. There are enough things in life that dominate our time and energy. Just because our friends are focused on and responding to a "trending topic" doesn't mean in needs to have a spot on our plates. We can control what we focus on.
• Prioritize what we give our energy to. It is easy to become a slave to the urgent, while neglecting the important. Don't be quick to focus on something simply because it has the loudest "voice". Choose wisely.
• Focus on others more than ourselves. This may sound contradictory, but many of the pressures we feel in life are there because they are inconveniences and annoyances to us. They invade our space, and we feel they require our attention. By focusing on others rather than ourselves, we lower our stress level while at the same time create opportunities for personal fulfillment instead of selfish gain.
• Go to God. Seems simple, but in reality we want to fight our battles, carry our crosses, and control our lives. And our desire to "be in charge" makes it difficult to fully trust in and rely on God to work in our lives.

Psalm 3:3 is a great picture of God's help to us: But You, O Lord, are a shield about me, My glory, and the One who lifts my head.

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What Are You Creating?

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Often, when I come in contact with people I have relationship with, I like to ask the question, What are you creating?

A few years ago (before both of us moved away from each other), I meet with a friend, a gifted writer and aspiring author, every two weeks for coffee. At some point in our conversation I would ask, What have you written?

Although we did not have an accountability agreement where he knew I would ask him this question, he knew that sometime before we finished our coffee he will be challenged by me. Sometimes he would verbalize a thought he was working on. Other times he would bring out his notebook and read me a few new lines.

Just as I would challenge him, he in turn (along with others whom I keep the creative carrot before) challenge me to make sure I am living in creative mode myself.

My goal here 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!

You may not see yourself as an “artist” in the popular sense. But I believe that being created in the image of God, who Himself is the Ultimate Creator, all of us carry the gift of creativity. So to you 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 all of us is, What are you creating?

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Are You A Dreamer?

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I am no expert on Dreams, but I have them. I am no expert on Dreamers, but I am one.

I have found that there are basically three types of Dreamers: Those who dream of a better past, those who dream of a better present, and those who dream of a better future.

Those who dream of a better past are stuck there, wishing for younger days. They use phrases like: I remember when..., When *this person* was here..., and If we could go back to...

There is nothing wrong with being nostalgic. We can learn much from the past. But living in the past is unhealthy. We will never move forward, we will never accomplish much.

Those who dream of a better present are in my opinion living in a fantasy world. They are seeking to escape the reality called life, and replace it with an unachievable illusion. I wish... begins many of their thoughts. (I wish my house could get a makeover. I wish I would win the lottery. I wish I didn't have to go to work today.)

Don't get me wrong. I am a man of faith. I believe in asking God to change the present reality to fit His purpose. (Lord, heal this man. Lord, provide food.) But I am careful to not be driven by my selfish desires. (Lord, make me rich. Lord, get me bumped up to first-class.)

Those who dream of a better future have the best chance of seeing their dreams fulfilled. They can do things now that shape their outcome.

Dreaming of an exotic vacation? Start saving now. Dreaming of running a marathon? Start with running a mile. Dreaming of owning your own business? Start working on it in your spare time. Dreaming of seeing your children be successful? Begin instilling values into them when they are young.

Future dreams fulfilled are the result of present consistent choices.

Question: What type of dreamer are you? Share your thoughts below in comments.

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India 2016: Epiblog

My 2016 mission trip to India is behind me... I must confess that this was the most difficult, yet most rewarding of the 14 trips to India that I have taken.

Why difficult? We traveled into seven different states and conducted 15 medical camps... all in the space of 12 days. In addition, we conducted several worship and revival services, and led a one-day bible conference for pastors and leaders. The total time of the mission trip from boarding the jet in the US to returning to US soil was 16 days, so it is easy to see that our travel and ministry schedule was intense.

Also, we dealt with weather extremes from 110+ degrees combined with drought to 40 degrees combined with rain and mud. Plus, we faced terrorism curfews and a bomb threat on the railroad.

Why rewarding? We were able to see many people come to Christ, we had the privilege of personally speaking into the lives of pastors who are daily laying their lives on the line for the sake of the Kingdom of God. And, God miraculously showed up on several occasions to demonstrate miracles to confirm His Word.

The stories are many, but allow me to share one...

While ministering to Muslims through a medical camp in a large city, I began to engage a young man who had accompanied his aging parents. While they were receiving medical care, I began a conversation with him about his faith and about mine. He was very interested in what I believed, but gave the stock answer, "All religions are the same. We just need to be sincere." I countered with the teachings of Jesus, saying that no one can come to the Father but through Him.

I also asked him if Mohamed came back from the dead after he died. I told him that Jesus did, and in fact Jesus was the only centerpiece of a religion who was raised from the dead. At this point I introduced my young friend to the local pastor we were working with, himself a former Muslim. The local pastor immediately took over where I left off and began to lead the young man to the Christ. I am believing that his parents and sister will also trust in Jesus!

Sunday evening I will have the privilege of sharing a report with my church of the highlights of the trip (how can one tell of the wonders of God in around 30 minutes?). I hope more that than anything else the people don't simply see the slides and hear the stories. Rather, I hope that they catch the heartbeat of God, and how He desires to reach the unreached people of the world.

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India 2016: It's Here!

Very early on Thursday morning (although it will seem more like Wednesday night) I will board a flight in Atlanta, connecting in DC (where I will be joined by my brother-in-law, Dr. Pat Kennedy), and we'll head to India!

Once again we will be conducting crusades, medical camps, and ministry in India, focusing on the unreached villages and peoples. We will hike miles from our vehicles through mountains to reach some of the villages. We will encounter some people who have never seen a white westerner.

Last year we found ourselves at the right place and right time because unprecedented flooding had ravaged our target region, and we were able to provide much needed care and ministry.

We expect "wide doors of effective service to open for us, but know that there will be many adversaries." (I Corinthians 16:9)

An impromptu medical camp among a band of gypsies camped along a river allowed us to minister to and provide care for scores of people who would not have had the opportunity to receive help had we not stopped.

We will partner with local pastors who daily put their life on the line for the Lord, serving alongside of them, encouraging them, and providing resources so their ministries may continue.

A former Muslim "Kelu", whom I have ministered alongside of on six different occasions and whom I call "friend" is having a powerful impact on his city and surrounding region, as he shares the Love of Jesus with the Muslim people!

The weeks leading up to this mission trip have been full of wonder and grace, as I have battled sickness, planed for ministry to continue at my local church in my absence, and sought the Word and Presence of God as I prepare to minister.

I never take for granted my trips to India. I understand that plans can (and usually do) change in a moment. I have witnessed first-hand the dangers of terrorism in the volatile region of Kashmir. I have seen the destructive forces of nature and the effect they can have on villages and even entire regions.

Across the valley from where we conducted one medical camp last year, an entire mountain village of 46 families was wiped away with all life lost because of mudslides and rockslides.

So I go in grace, asking the Lord's protection, favor, and power to cover me. May I be sensitive to the people who are put into my path. May I carry an anointing that only comes from the Power of God. May I walk in His Presence everywhere I go.

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