LEADERSHIP TIPS FROM PG VARGIS

[PG Vargis]

A leader is like a river. Starts as a small stream. But gathers on the way other streams and becomes a mighty river – feeding people, cattle and agricultural lands and nourishing forests. It never stops working – day and night. A river exists for others and then vanishes.  You can be a Pampa river of Kerala or Ganges of India or Amazon. The choice is yours.

P G Vargis

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Leadership note. Grow with me.

And share this with others. Let the world grow.

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PART I      DEVOTIONAL MESSAGE (COPIED)

• My Reputation Is Ruined

Private insults shouldn’t bother us, right? Of course, they are rude and revolting, but what’s the opinion of just one person to us? Label them “unsafe” and move on. But public offenses — down-the-grapevine insinuations, online comments, leaked private comments, rumors, gossip, false accusations — they punch us in our heart’s solar plexus: the reputation.

I don’t think there’s anything I protect more rabidly than my reputation. When my reputation is compromised— a hidden sin made public, a confident remark refuted, a witty retort rebuked — I leap to attack the credibility of its critic. I sharply defend myself. When I can’t do that, I focus all of my anxiety and fury on outwitting the source.

The experience of public shame on the Internet is like spilling coke on your shirt at a black-tie event: everyone wants to see it, and it’s devastating for the one who endures it. Perhaps adult life is not so different from middle school.

Four Ways to Fight

When there is no recourse to fix the remnants of a perfect picture of oneself, anger is often the first instinct. Rage — from the medieval latin rabia, from which we get the term “rabies” — anger, fury, wrath, foaming at the mouth. But we have become too skilled at hiding our condition. We’re foaming at the soul.

We want to be seen as cool, confident, assured. Never to be questioned. Always to be loved. Until public shame. A comment. A critique. A rejection. A failure. A mistake. And then, internally, huffing. Hysterical. Raving. Rampaging. Violent. Manic. Furious.

There are at least four things that you and I can do — in moments when our bodies start to take over, when our hearts start beating out of our chests — that will allow us to use public shame as an opportunity to drop the dead weight dragging down our souls.

1. Find a way to repent.

This may feel totally impossible. Those who are shamed have likely already repented, or have even been sinned against. What could there be to repent for?

Surely there is more to our pain than our guilt. Surely there is a seed of righteousness in our anger. That’s definitely possible. But the moment of rage is not the moment to consider the rightness of the anger. It’s the exact opposite. Remember, rage is a disposition toward sin. “One given to anger causes much transgression” (Proverbs 29:22).

The moment of offense is not the moment for the jury. It is the last moment to judge. While counterintuitive, the only thing we need to focus on in a moment of rage is this: turning away from the rage.

Search for a way to repent. We may have to search hard against the self-defending attitude of our own hearts. But it’s not about defending ourselves, because our moment of rage is not about the person who has shamed us. It’s about whether we will allow ourselves to stoop to shameful levels in order to defend shame.

Repentance is the most necessary step in encountering God in our rage, because repentance is one of the hardest things in the world to do — especially when we feel we have good reason to call others to repent.

James examines us, “There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?” (James 4:12). Bracket the offense for just a moment. It’s not about the offense. It’s about you. It’s about getting a handle on your soul. If you can’t, you will stumble headlong into shame in ways your accusers or offenders will be happy to exploit.

2. Find a moment to stop caring.

If repentance is the hardest thing to do while we’re angry, doing some honest soul-searching is the second-hardest. What was really threatened by our shaming? What was really lost? What good thing is no longer available? What streak were we trying to protect? What pristine thing has been soiled that God surely finds so meaningful?

Likely, it’s our social-media image. It’s rooted in fear of the judgment of others. Fear that we won’t compare to the crisp, clean image of others. Anxiety that our “blooper reel” won’t stand up next to the “highlight reel” of others. Fear that we won’t be thought of as godly, disciplined, attractive, intelligent, or witty anymore.

And we look to these things — our profiles, our ability to compare, our reputations — as sources of confidence because we are trying to mitigate our own self-hatred. Really, reputation rage is often hatred of others for unveiling our own self-hatred; for ruining the machinations we’ve set in place to distract us from our own self-loathing. Elie Wiesel rightly comments, “Morbid hatred . . . is always self-hatred.” (Legends of Our Time, 195)

Take this moment, when you no longer can hide behind pretense, to realize that your pretense wasn’t helping you. Your façade only made your life harder. Your commitment to keep a pristine reputation — aesthetic, or performative, or moral, or religious — was the very yoke God liberated you from through the cross. In Christ, “we have become . . . like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things. I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children” (1 Corinthians 4:13–14).

People don’t care about your reputation as much as you think. Your world is not over. God’s work in your life is not over. You didn’t ruin everything. That person didn’t ruin everything.

The gospel of Christ speaks everlasting words over you. “Forgiven” (1 John 2:12). “Mine” (John 17:19). “Beloved” (Jude 17). You don’t have to put on the cape and cowl. You’re not the hero of your own soul. God has restored the reputations of many publicly shamed saints before, and will do so for all in the last day (Revelation 6:11).

3. Find a place to start praying.

David Powlison tells us, “You need to ventilate your anger at God. He’s a mature lover, and mature love can absorb the honest anger of the beloved” (Anger, 13). That’s not to encourage anger at God — which is always a sin — but to encourage honesty about your sinful anger. Don’t add the sin of hypocrisy to the sin of anger against God.

In your anger, stop talking to yourself. Start saying all the true, angry things you feel, but say them to God:

“Why didn’t you protect me?”

“Why am I this way?”

“When will I grow?”

“What will I do now that everyone knows how terrible I am?”

“How can I show my face when everyone believes these lies?”

“I’m so tired of explaining the real story.”

“Please just make this season pass.”

Having our reputation smashed into little bits before our eyes is never easy. Having it smashed by others is even harder. There are so many complex emotions that our bodies and minds were not built to contain on our own. If we try to fix our shame ourselves, we will only expedite the pace of our internal emotional hurricane.

If you feel like the “God factor” just requires all your painful emotions to be bulldozed into joy, find your home with the accused. “In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. Deliver me, O Lord, from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue” (Psalm 120:1–2). Maybe those “lying lips” are your own (Ephesians 4:25, 31). Maybe they belong to a slanderer (1 Peter 3:16).

God is omni-competent. “Whoever slanders his neighbor secretly I will destroy. Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart I will not endure” (Psalm 101:5). Hand it all over to him in prayer.

4. Find a way to love.

It turns out that all the time we’ve spent fantasizing about being admired ends up undercutting us when we fail.

We’re grieved over the shattered self-concepts we were never meant to have. James is not done speaking about the Judge: “Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door” (James 5:9). Quite honestly, when we have found a way internally and authentically to recognize that “there is only one lawgiver and judge” (James 4:12), our barriers dissolve. Maybe we don’t trust the one who betrayed us. Maybe we don’t trust ourselves as much anymore.

Maybe we also find a little less importance in what others think of us. Maybe we start sniffing out a new path in the forest — one in which we are not expected (and do not expect ourselves) to be so perfect that the smallest flaw is elevated to the experience of “public shame” and moves us to rage. Maybe we start repenting over and over again in small situations so that when anger takes us by the neck, we have a kung-fu instinct of humility against it. Maybe that humility allows us to even laugh at the futility of trying to maintain a perfect reputation.

Humility like that will save us from the bear traps of shame our perfectionistic culture lays everywhere we look.

Billy Graham once said, “Integrity is the glue that holds our way of life together. We must constantly strive to keep our integrity intact. When wealth is lost, nothing is lost. When health is lost, something is lost. When character is lost, all is lost.”

 

 

PART II

THE CERAMIC CUP

I HEARD A story about a former Under Secretary of Defense who gave a speech at a large conference. He took his place on the stage and began talking, sharing his prepared remarks with the audience. He paused to take a sip of coffee from the Styrofoam cup he’d brought on stage with him. He took another sip, looked down at the cup and smiled. “You know,” he said, interrupting his own speech, “I spoke here last year. I presented at this same conference on this same stage. But last year, I was still an Under Secretary,” he said. “I flew here in business class and when I landed, there was someone waiting for me at the airport to take me to my hotel. Upon arriving at my hotel,” he continued, “there was someone else waiting for me. They had already checked me into the hotel, so they handed me my key and escorted me up to my room. The next morning, when I came down, again there was someone waiting for me in the lobby to drive me to this same venue that we are in today. I was taken through a back entrance, shown to the greenroom and handed a cup of coffee in a beautiful ceramic cup.” “But this year, as I stand here to speak to you, I am no longer the Under Secretary,” he continued. “I flew here coach class and when I arrived at the airport yesterday there was no one there to meet me. I took a taxi to the hotel, and when I got there, I checked myself in and went by myself to my room. This morning, I came down to the lobby and caught another taxi to come here. I came in the front door and found my way backstage. Once there, I asked one of the techs if there was any coffee. He pointed to a coffee machine on a table against the wall. So I walked over and poured myself a cup of coffee into this here Styrofoam cup,” he said as he raised the cup to show the audience. “It occurs to me,” he continued, “the ceramic cup they gave me last year . . . it was never meant for me at all. It was meant for the position I held. I deserve a Styrofoam cup. “This is the most important lesson I can impart to all of you,” he offered. “All the perks, all the benefits and advantages you may get for the rank or position you hold, they aren’t meant for you. They are meant for the role you fill. And when you leave your role, which eventually you will, they will give the ceramic cup to the person who replaces you. Because you only ever deserved a Styrofoam cup.”

 

 

Sinek, Simon (2014-01-07). Leaders Eat Last Deluxe: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't (p. 68). Penguin Group US. Kindle Edition.

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Have a day of growth for the glory of God

p g vargis

www.pgv.com

 

[PG Vargis]

A leader is like a river. Starts as a small stream. But gathers on the way other streams and becomes a mighty river – feeding people, cattle and agricultural lands and nourishing forests. It never stops working – day and night. A river exists for others and then vanishes.  You can be a Pampa river of Kerala or Ganges of India or Amazon. The choice is yours.

P G Vargis

=====================================================

Leadership note. Grow with me.

And share this with others. Let the world grow.

============================

PART I      DEVOTIONAL MESSAGE (COPIED)

Imagine Victory!

-Genesis 1:26-27, “And God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, after our likeness…So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him: male and female created He them.’”

-Genesis 11:6  “And the Lord said, ‘Behold, the people is one, and they all have one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.’”

2017 Objective:  “…To be molded into the image of His Son [and share inwardly His likeness], that He might become the firstborn among many brethren.” Romans 8:29 AMP

 

Topic:  Created to Imagine Like God Imagines

 Abraham Imagined His Victory Over Barrenness

 “God Uses Imagination to Bring Us to Our Destiny”

 Theme Scripture:  Genesis 11:6, “And the Lord said, ‘Behold, the people is one, and they all have one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do!’”

 

I.       A Word for the New Year – “Imagine”!

A.    Latin – “To picture oneself, form an image of, represent”

1.   From “imago” and “image” or “likeness”

B.      “IMAGE” jumped out of Imagine.

1.      Gen. 1:26, 27, “And God said, Let us make a man in our image, after our likeness…So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him: male and female created he them.”

 

II.    Various Meanings of the word “to imagine”

A.    To think, conceive, see, suppose, image, reflect, believe, feel, consider, assume, suppose, to re-take a failed exam, view, look, watch, behold, to be transported by thought, picture oneself, fancy, figure, count, reckon, impute

B.     To care for, attend to carefully, practice, esteem, value, regard, invent

C.     To premeditate, meditate, conceptualize, visualize, envision, see in the mind’s eye, create in your mind, think up, dream up, think of, ideate, to have or form an opinion

D.    Suspect, doubt, devise, contrive, plan, scheme

E.     To form a mental image of, sculpt, carve, paint, decorate, embellish.

III.    In order to imagine, you must use the gift God gave you of imagination

A.    The mind as a faculty of understanding, feeling, desiring

1.      Romans 12:2 says, “We are transformed by the renewing of our mind!”

2.      II Corinthians 3:18 says, “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory [in ever-increasing splendor], even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

B.     The imagination is the mind’s spiritual way of thinking, feeling, perceiving, judging, determining thoughts, feelings, purposes, and desires, either good or bad.

C.     Imagination is reason in the narrower sense as the capacity for spiritual truth, the higher powers of the soul, the faculty of perceiving divine things, of recognizing goodness and of hating evil.

D.    Imagination also has to do with coming to know and becoming acquainted with God intimately, as a husband and wife when they enter into physical intimacy.

 

IV. Imagination is part of the creative power of God.

A.    God created (imagined) man in His own image and likeness.

B.     Imagination is to form, frame, fashion, purpose, squeeze into shape, create, pre-ordain, pre-determine

C.     Webster says imagination is the image-making power of the mind, the power to create, produce or reproduce.

D.    We can imagine the past, the present or perceived present, and the future.

E.     Webster says imagination is “the power to recombine the materials furnished by experience or memory, for the accomplishment of an elevated purpose; the power of conceiving and expressing the ideal.”

1.   Jesus, “who for the joy that was set before Him (in His imagination) endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”  Hebrews 12:2b

 

V.  An example of the power to imagine, using the imagination is the account recorded in the Bible of the patriarch Abraham.

A.    “The business of conception is to present us with an exact transcript of what we have felt or perceived.  But we have moreover a power of modifying our conceptions, by combining the parts of different ones together, so as to form new wholes of our creation.”

B.     Genesis 12:1-7, “Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed…and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed … And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.”

C.     Genesis 15:1-6 says of Abram, which means “high father” (before God changed his name to Abraham, which means “father of a multitude”), “After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir. And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.”*

D.    Genesis 17:1-21, “And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you. And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed. He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant. And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai (meaning princely), but Sarah (meaning mother of princes) shall her name be. And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her. Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear? And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee! And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.”

E.     Romans 4: 17-22 “(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara's womb: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what He had promised, He was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.”

F.      Genesis 22:1-18, “And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his [donkey], and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the [donkey]; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.  And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen. And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

G.    Hebrews 11:17-19, “By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.”

H.    James 2:23 “And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.” (See Gen. 15:6 – God “imagined” it to him for righteousness.) NT-“counted” for  righteousness, “logizomai”, from “logos-written word”, from “lego-say, speak”.

 

 

PART II

WELFARE FIRST Hyundai ensures its employees are empowered, respected and given opportunities to take risks to stay motivated at the workplace

How do you spot and attract talent? There is no universal rule to find the perfect employee. Each company devises its own system to spot and attract the right talent. Requirements also change every year.

HMIL has built a brand image over the years amongst engineering students who are aware of the kind of opportunities we offer. We map colleges every year to meet specific requirements that may vary every year. We assess students based on their competencies, attitude, geographic preferences and flexibility to adapt. Sometimes, selection is also influenced by the performance of past students from a particular college The best way to retain and nurture stars? All employees are provided a level-playing field. It is up to them what they make of it. Some employees put in extra effort and perform better than others, which becomes apparent as we go along. We have a number of initiatives to retain such talent like Future Leaders Programme, Step Up Programme, etc that includes higher studies in premier institutes, succession planning, job shadowing, to name a few. However, the key to retain talent lies in the extent of empowerment, flexibility to push boundaries and freedom to take decisions, which are part of the job offering at HMIL What kind of a workplace environment do you strive to create? We strive to create a happy workplace rather than the best workplace. We believe that happy employees are more productive and their enthusiasm is contagious. While we offer very competitive pay packages, we strongly believe that monetary emoluments are not the core motivators. A healthy environment, empowerment, respect and opportunities to take risks are often bigger motivators

What specific attributes/values do you look for in candidates being interviewed? Hyundai Group focuses on five core values – customers, challenge, collaboration, people and globality (global ability) – the DNA of our employee behavioural competencies. We like to see how candidates demonstrate these values and assess whether they would be able to integrate into our system seamlessly What skillsets are important when hiring for your company? Skillsets vary with position and job. However, what we do look for are certain personality traits that we believe play a greater role in the overall performance. Flexibility, adaptability, persistence, ability to be a team player etc are given as much importance if not more, as proficiency for a particular task Do you check a candidate’s social media profile when hiring and are you using social media for hiring? Yes, we do use social media while identifying suitable candidates, especially in lateral hiring, but that is just one of the many methods we deploy. A social media profile helps us understand the individual, provides an insight into his persona and his association with professional bodies or causes Are you hiring at the moment? Yes, we are hiring only for replacement positions Best facilities in your organisation? It is our constant endeavour to create a conducive environment which makes employees comfortable. To achieve that we focus on three key aspects – welfare, engagement and development. While we have one of the best canteens, transport medical and recreational facilities, we extend our services beyond these. Our emphasis is on their overall development and we engage with them through sustained programmes on health and wellness.

[PG Vargis]

A leader is like a river. Starts as a small stream. But gathers on the way other streams and becomes a mighty river – feeding people, cattle and agricultural lands and nourishing forests. It never stops working – day and night. A river exists for others and then vanishes.  You can be a Pampa river of Kerala or Ganges of India or Amazon. The choice is yours.

P G Vargis

=====================================================

Leadership note. Grow with me.

And share this with others. Let the world grow.

============================

PART I      DEVOTIONAL MESSAGE (COPIED)

Have you hear

d my teaching that I give to anyone and everyone who will accept Jesus Christ, on the same day or on the day of their baptism.

 

“You have accepted Jesus today as Lord and Savior. If you will do the five principles I say now, you will be a victorious Christian and I will see you in heaven.

 

1.         Read your Bible and pray every day.

2.         Keep away from sins and causes of sins. You don’t have to ask me whether such and such a thing is  a sin. When you are in doubt, don’t do it.

3.         Have fellowship with born again Christians. Attend a church that will teach you the Bible and not a social gathering church.

4.         Talk about Jesus to someone every day.

5.         Give your tithe faithfully. You can start by giving one tenth of your income and then increase it as the Lord will prosper you.

 

I stress on point number two. Now read this message.

 

“Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel” – Philippians 1:27

 

At one time P.T. Barnum, head of the great Barnum & Bailey Circus, invited Pastor Charles Haddon Spurgeon of London to speak in the large tent at his traveling circus. He made every concession to make the offer attractive to Spurgeon. Barnum would provide the musical talent, unless Spurgeon wished to provide his own. He would provide any equipment or manpower Spurgeon desired. Spurgeon could speak as long or as short as he wished. There was only one basic stipulation! Barnum Circus Association would take the gate receipts (tickets) and pay Spurgeon one thousand dollars per lecture.

This was a generous offer in Spurgeon’s day. (1834-1892)

 

Many would doubtless have said, “What a wonderful opportunity to reach people with the Gospel!” But not Spurgeon. Knowing it would be wrong to join hands with the world, he replied:

 

Dear Mr. Barnum:

 

Thank you for your kind invitation to lecture in your circus tents in America. You will find my answer in Acts 13:10.

 

Very sincerely yours,

 

Charles H. Spurgeon

 

If Mr. Barnum looked up Acts 13:10, he found these words: “You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord?”

 

My friend, don’t ask whether it is wrong to go to a circus. But Spurgeon lived according to his conviction.

 

As Christians, we represent Jesus Christ here on earth. Our lives should have integrity. People must be able read our life as the letter of Christ.

 

Today in prayer, praise the Lord for His supreme example of a life lived well and seek to be a person of integrity.

 

 

God’s Word: “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” – Ephesians 4:1.

 

PART II

"I have found that there are three stages in every great work of

God: first, it is impossible, then it is difficult, then it is done."

- Hudson Taylor

 

"We never test the resources of God until we attempt the IMPOSSIBLE." - F.B. Meyer

 

"Until we reach for the IMPOSSIBLE through fervent, faith-filled prayer, we will NEVER fulfill our created purpose!" - David Smithers

 

"Our prayers lay the track down which God´s power can come.

Like a mighty locomotive, his power is irresistible, but it cannot reach us without rails." - Watchman Nee

 

"Don´t pray when you feel like it. Have an appointment with the Lord and keep it. A man is powerful on his knees." - Corrie ten Boom

 

"Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?" - Corrie ten Boom

 

"Satan trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon his knees."

- William Cowper

 

"Prayerlessness is a sin." - Corrie ten Boom

[PG Vargis]

A leader is like a river. Starts as a small stream. But gathers on the way other streams and becomes a mighty river – feeding people, cattle and agricultural lands and nourishing forests. It never stops working – day and night. A river exists for others and then vanishes.  You can be a Pampa river of Kerala or Ganges of India or Amazon. The choice is yours.

P G Vargis

=====================================================

Leadership note. Grow with me.

And share this with others. Let the world grow.

============================

PART I      DEVOTIONAL MESSAGE (COPIED)

Sharp Focus Sharpens Leadership

"Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, 'It is not desirable that we should leave the Word of God and serve tables . . . but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the Word'."  Acts 6:2,4

What does it take to have the focus required to be a truly effective leader? The keys are priorities and concentration. To focus your time and energy use these guidelines to help you:

Focus 70 percent on developing strengths: Effective leaders who reach their potential spend more time focusing on what they do well than on what they do wrong.

 

Focus 25 percent on new things: If you want to get better, you have to keep changing and improving. That means stepping out into new areas. If you dedicate time to new things related to your strength areas, then you'll grow as a leader.

Focus 5 percent on areas of weakness: Nobody can entirely avoid working in areas of weakness. The key is to minimize it as much as possible, and leaders can do it by delegating.

 

PART II

What Does Hope Have to Do with Leadership?

 

"When you want people to learn new skills, it works best to work on one thing at a time.  Then you watch for every opportunity to praise their progress."

During the 13th century, King Frederick, the head of the Holy Roman Empire, conducted a most unusual experiment. He wondered what language babies would speak if no one ever spoke to them.

  So he gathered together a large number of babies for his experiment. The caretakers were instructed to feed and clothe the babies, but no one was to ever speak to them.

  Of course, King Frederick never learned the answer to his question. All of the babies died. Human beings cannot live without some form of human recognition or some sense of hope that things will get better.

  The same is true in the business world.

  1. The Cost of a Seemingly Hopeless Work Environment

  Even though employees may not "die" physically in a seemingly hopeless work environment, they'll certainly die motivationally. In a study by William M. Mercer, Inc., and reported in Compensation and Benefits Review, 25% of the workers said they were capable of doing 50% more work.

  So why don't they? They lacked hope. They didn't feel their contribution was wanted or rewarded. In particular, almost a third of the respondents gave three reasons for not doing more: 1) they weren't involved in the decision making, 2) they weren't rewarded for good performance, and 3) they saw no opportunity for advancement.

  What's it like in your organization? Is everyone filled with hope and enthusiasm? Is everyone on fire, giving 120%? Or do you have some people that are  doing just enough to get by, feeling and acting somewhat hopeless?

  If you answered the latter, if you've got some less-than-fully productive people on your team, you may be in the midst of a crisis.  A crisis of hope.

  And it doesn’t matter if you’re leading an entire organization, a department, a team, or even your own family … you must remember

 

  2.  It Is Your Job to Keep Hope Alive.

  Tom Malone, president of Milliken and Company, made that quite clear. He said: "I played football in college. I wasn't very big--only 150 pounds--and I wasn't very good. I got hurt a lot. I broke my arm once, my neck once, and my nose six times. When I tell people about it, they always ask me, 'Why did you keep doing it?'”

  “For the longest time I had no answer. Then one day it hit me. If there hadn't been any fans in the stands cheering me on--my family and friends-- I wouldn't have kept on playing and trying so hard. But there were, so I did."

  I agree. We're the fans in the stands for our teammates, our employees, our customers, our friends, and our family members.  And it’s our job to keep their hope alive.

  But how can we do that? Some of the best advice I ever got came from Pope John XXIII. Even though he was a most unlikely "management consultant," he was right on when he wrote:

  3. “See Everything, Overlook a Lot, Correct a Little.”

  For the sake of brevity, I'll assume you do quite well on Pope John’s first two suggestions. Most people do. It's the third area where I see too many people kill off the hope in others. They correct too many faults at the same time.

  By contrast, look at how a golf pro teaches. When a person comes to him for lessons, he may have four or five basic flaws in his swing.  All of these flaws will eventually need to be corrected if he expects to hit the ball well.

  However, if the golf pro told his student about all of his flaws at once, the student would probably feel overwhelmed and hopeless. Instead, the pro points out one or two of the most glaring errors. As the student corrects those and begins to hit the ball better, he's encouraged to keep on learning more to get better and better. Then the pro gives him something else to work on.

  The same is true in business. When you want people to learn new skills, it works best to work on one thing at a time.  Then you watch for every opportunity to praise their progress.

  As the old saying goes, "Nothing succeeds like success." Success is a great motivator. When employees master one step and are praised for doing so, it spurs them on to the next skill they need to master.

  As you "correct a little," as you give your feedback, make sure you use tact.  So much of the time, the hope you build or kill in others is not so much a function of what you say but how you say it.

  Baltasar Gracian wrote, "Cultivate tact, for it is the work of culture...the lubricant of human relationships, softening contacts and minimizing friction." He's right.

  The ancient Muslims used to tell a story to illustrate the importance of tact. A sultan called in one of his seers and asked how long he would live. "Sire," said the fortune teller, "You will live to see all your sons dead." The sultan flew into a rage and handed the fortune teller over to his guards to be executed.

  He then called for a second seer and asked him the same question. "Sire," said this fortune teller, "I see you blessed with long life, so long that you will outlive all your family." The sultan was delighted and rewarded the fortune teller with gold and silver.

  Obviously, both of the seers said the same thing. But one had tact; the other did not.

  It's not good enough to have "truth" on your side. You've got to know how to communicate it as well. Then, and only then, will you keep people's hope alive, and then, and only then, will those people give all that they are capable of giving.

   

Final Thought:  Never deprive someone of hope. It may be all he has.

[PG Vargis]

A leader is like a river. Starts as a small stream. But gathers on the way other streams and becomes a mighty river – feeding people, cattle and agricultural lands and nourishing forests. It never stops working – day and night. A river exists for others and then vanishes.  You can be a Pampa river of Kerala or Ganges of India or Amazon. The choice is yours.

P G Vargis

=====================================================

Leadership note. Grow with me.

And share this with others. Let the world grow.

============================

PART I      DEVOTIONAL MESSAGE (COPIED)

Example of leaders

We are all called to be examples. However, some have a special responsibility. Israel was called to be an example to the world. They were given special blessings by God and called to be an example to other nations who would be attracted by their good reputation. As a result, people from all over the world would come to know the Lord (6:32–33, MSG).

Jerusalem, in particular, was chosen as an example ‘for my Name’ (v.6). God also chose as particular examples David and Solomon to rule his people Israel (6:6–7:10).

But other leaders also had a responsibility to lead by example. The Levites had a particular leadership role in the worship of the temple (5:2 onwards). The trumpeters and singers also had a leadership role (6:13).

Solomon leads by example in worship and prayer. ‘He knelt in full view of the whole congregation, stretched his hands to heaven, and prayed’ (v.13, MSG).

He tells others about God’s greatness and worships him with thanksgiving. Solomon’s prayer of dedication shows that Israel would often fail in this role. He prayed many times that God would forgive them when they turned back (vv.21,25,27,30,39).

After Solomon prayed, ‘God so filled The Temple that there was no room for the priests! When all Israel saw the fire fall from heaven and the Glory of God fill The Temple, they fell on their knees, bowed their heads, and worshipped, thanking God’ (7:3, MSG).

Today, under the new covenant, we are God’s temple (1 Corinthians 6:19). As Joyce Meyer writes, ‘God wants to display His glory in and through us as dramatically as He did in the physical temple of Solomon’s day. When God’s glory is manifested in your life, others will look at you and say, “Wow, what a great God you serve,” because the power of His goodness toward you is visibly evident to them.’

Lord, thank you that you want to display your glory in and through me. Please fill me today with your Holy Spirit and enable me to follow the example of Jesus and be an example to others.

 

PART II

 

"You want to be happy.

You want to be successful. And the only sure way to get both of those things is to discover your purpose and line up all your goals with your purpose."

 

When I ask people what they want out of life, almost everyone says, "I just want to be happy." It sounds so simple.

 

The trouble is most people don't get nearly as much happiness as they would like. They may spend their entire lives trying to acquire certain things, thinking that will bring them happiness. But it never seems to last.

 

Because…

 

 

1. Happiness Is Not Connected to Things.

  

My friend and fellow author Dick Leider learned that. In his book, Unpacking Your Bags, Dick described an African trek with a Masai guide who had nothing more than a staff and a loin cloth. Dick, on the other hand, had his new, fancy Eddie Bauer backpack, complete with zippers, pockets, and pouches filled with all kinds of goodies.

 

The Masai guide kept staring at his pack, day after day, until on the third day, Dick asked, "Do you want to see what's inside?" The guide said, "Yes."

 

Dick showed him his precious content, including his Swiss army knife with all the gadgets. Of course, Dick was thinking that the Masai guide must be saying "Wow" to himself, dazzled by all the neat things he had.

 

Finally, the guide asked, "Do these things make you happy?" The question stunned him. He'd never thought about that before. He'd only thought about getting more things, newer things, or better things.

 

The question changed Dick's life. Forever after, he asked himself that same question. Before he added anything to his life, he asked himself if that thing would truly make him happy. If not, he wouldn't get it. Likewise, if something in his life wasn't giving him happiness, he got rid of it.

 

Dick learned that lasting happiness comes from something much deeper and much more important than things.  It comes with purpose.  That’s why I spend one-third of my new book on discovering your purpose and then living it out.

 

 

2. Lasting Happiness is Grounded in a Meaningful Purpose.

 

Consult almost any spiritual philosophy or ask almost any happy, healthy, balanced, and successful individual, and you'll find them saying that lasting happiness comes from purpose. It doesn't come with things, even super nice things.

 

Troyal learned that.  He went to Oklahoma State University on a javelin-throwing scholarship, but athletics did not feel like his real calling. So he asked himself a crucial question: "If God came to earth with a box containing the purpose for my life inside of it, what words would I find in that box?"

 

It didn't take long for Troyal to know that the box would contain the word "music."  He could pick a little guitar, his voice wasn't too bad, and he had written some songs. So he set off for Nashville.

 

Troyal did not find instant success in Nashville. He returned to Oklahoma, but two years later he was back in Nashville working at a boot shop. One night he showed up for auditions at the Bluebird Cafe where a Columbia Records scout caught his act. The scout liked what he heard, offered a recording contract, and the rest is history.

 

Today, Troyal is known as Garth Brooks, the best-selling country artist of all time. He's sold more records than Michael Jackson or Madonna. And it all started when he found his purpose.

 

What about you? Have you found your purpose? I hope so. Without a clear purpose, you will have some happiness, but never real joy. You will have some energy, but never real passion.

 

Of course, I know that the discovery of your purpose can be a real challenge.   

 

To start you on your own journey to the discovery of your purpose, however, you need to ask yourself some questions.

 

 

3. Your Purpose Will Be Found in Your Answers to a Few Key Questions.

 

You should spend a several minutes, or even a few hours, writing down your answers to questions such as these.

 

What are your dreams?  What did you dream of doing when you were a child? What were your dreams when you graduated from high school or college? What are your dreams today?

 

What are your ideals?  What do you believe in?  What makes life worth living?  What would you die for?

 

What are your gifts?  What blessings do you have? What gifts do you possess? How do you want to share them with others?

 

And once you’ve got some preliminary answers, ask yourself if your answers are worth living by and dying for.  If so, great.  If not, dig a little deeper and keep on writing until you're truly content with your answers and the purpose they suggest for your life.  After all, the purpose of life is a life of purpose.

 

Finally, once you’ve discovered your purpose,

 

 

4. Make Sure Your Goals Are Aligned with Your Purpose.

 

The reason is simple. People have been fed a lie. Some misguided "motivational speakers" have told them that if they'll just write down their goals and achieve them, they'll be happy.

 

But it doesn't work that way. All too many people have worked hard to achieve their goals, expecting a great sense of fulfillment and satisfaction, only to find disappointment or fleeting joy.

 

Take, for example, the person who has the goal of getting a new, beautiful boat. He works hard, saves money for a long time, does his research, picks out the best boat, and eventually buys it. He expects a great sense of accomplishment, pride, and happiness to wash over him, and perhaps it does for a short while. But ask that same man six months later, "How's the boat?" and he may say, "Yeah, well, its okay, I guess." In other words, the good feelings didn't last all that long.

 

The problem is no one ever told him that GOALS AND PURPOSE HAVE TO BE UNITED. If they're not, he can work hard, achieve a lot, and feel little or nothing.

 

But take that same man and boat. If he has a goal that is bigger than merely getting the boat, if he has a purpose, it makes all the difference in the world. If he knows his family can relax on a boat, play games, spend time talking, build memories, and refer back to those memories for years to come, such a purpose has lasting power. He'll find happiness in the process of getting the boat, happiness in the process of using the boat, and happiness for a long time to come.

 

If you’re like everybody else, you want to be happy.  You want to be successful.  And the only sure way to get both of those things is to discover your purpose and line up all your goals with your purpose.

 

Final Thought:  There are many definitions of "success," but the only "true" definition is living your life on purpose, instead of by accident.

[PG Vargis]

A leader is like a river. Starts as a small stream. But gathers on the way other streams and becomes a mighty river – feeding people, cattle and agricultural lands and nourishing forests. It never stops working – day and night. A river exists for others and then vanishes.  You can be a Pampa river of Kerala or Ganges of India or Amazon. The choice is yours.

P G Vargis

=====================================================

Leadership note. Grow with me.

And share this with others. Let the world grow.

============================

PART I      DEVOTIONAL MESSAGE (COPIED)

What would you do, if you knew you couldn’t fail? If money or some other factor was no factor, what would you do? Take a few minutes to reflect on this, and write it down somewhere. Do not read any further, until you have it written down.

 

Why do you have this goal? Why do you feel led to pursue that goal? What stands between you and the goal? Do you remember the "I can" message from last week? Well this goal would be one of those "all things," wouldn't it? With God, all things are possible. I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me. With God - if he is part of it, if it is his will - then all things are possible, even your wild crazy goal. One of the dangerous lies many Christians believe is that if something gets difficult, God isn’t in it. Yet this negates the example of nearly every person in the Bible! Abraham, Moses, David, the prophets, the disciples, Paul, and yes even Jesus – they all had difficulties, not because God was not in it, but because He was in it. God doesn't want wishy-washy followers, but gung-ho ones, that would storm the gates of Hell with a garden hose.

 

The band Everfound has a song called "God Of The Impossible." The song talks of impossible feats by David and Isaiah, making a reference to one of my favorite passages in Isaiah 6. The chorus of that song says, "Here I am! Lord send me! I won't look back, because I was made to be a part of the impossible! You're God of the impossible!" We all have dreams and goals. Don't let how possible they seem, stand in your way. If they are godly pursuits, then chase after them.

 

I have heard that we should dream so big that we will fail without God. Louie Giglio said, "If you're not outmatched by the task, and desperate for His power, the water you're standing in might be too shallow."

 

All that we are is a gift from God; our gifts, talents, and abilities are gifts from God. I think most of us can understand that, but our dreams and goals – the stuff that excites us – that is also often part of God’s work in us, too. Look at that goal that you wrote down. Does it honor God? Do your abilities lend themselves to this goal? Does your heart quiver when you think of accomplishing this goal? If you can answer yes to all of these, then that could be a good indicator that they are a God thing.

 

Our primary reason to be here is to bring glory to God, and to point people to Him. Each of us is uniquely gifted to be a part of that, and our goals and dreams may very well be seeds planted in our hearts by the God of the impossible.

 

Ephesians 2:10 (NIV) - For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

 

We are created to do good things – God-sized things. And it's not just you or just me, but us. We were prepared in advance for the work he wants us to do, both individually and together. 1 Corinthians 12:4-12 tells us that God gave out gifts to each of us, for our collective good. We are equipped to accomplish what God has placed in our hearts to do, but that includes helping others accomplish their God-sized tasks. We are to use whatever gifts, talents and abilities we have, to serve others.

 

1 Peter 4:10 (NIV) - Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.

 

Psalm 37:4 (NIV) - Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Follow God. Pursue him

 I used to think of this verse as one of those magic verses, too. If I obey God, he will give me money and a new Mustang! But it’s not – it has all to do with your heart, in what you pursue. And when his passions and your passions align, you will have the desire of your heart, because your heart will be God's, and it will be God’s desires you are pursuing. With God, all things are possible. And I can do, can overcome, and can handle all things thru Christ who strengthens me.

Dreams

by Charles R. Swindoll

2 Samuel 7:1–3

There is an important dimension to hanging tough that you dare not miss. It is the thing that keeps you going. I call it a dream. I don't mean those things we experience at night while we're asleep. No, by dream, I mean a God-given idea, plan, agenda, or goal that leads to God-honoring results.

Most of us don't dream enough. If someone were to ask you, "What are your dreams for this year? What are your hopes, your agenda? What are you trusting God for?" could you give a specific answer? I don't have in mind just occupational objectives or goals, although there's nothing wrong with those. But what about the kind of dreaming that results in character building, the kind that cultivates God's righteousness and God's rulership in your life?

Here are a few more ideas about dreams. Dreams are specific, not general. Dreams are personal, not public. God doesn't give anyone else my dreams on the online computer screen. He gives them to me personally. They're intimate images and ideas. Dreams can easily appear to others as extreme and illogical. If you share your dreams with the crowd, they'll probably laugh at you because you can't make logical sense out of them. Dreams are often accompanied by a strong desire to fulfill them. And they are always outside the realm of the expected. Sometimes they're downright shocking. They cause people to suck in their breath, to stand staring at you with their mouth open. A common response when you share a dream is, "You've gotta be kidding! Are you serious?"

One more thought on dreams: This is the stuff of which leaders are made. If you don't dream, your leadership is seriously limited. To make things even more complicated, those who refuse to dream the impossible are always in the majority. Those who choose to live by sight will always outnumber those who live by faith.

So once you've decided to live differently, let God be your guide and hang tough—follow your dreams with determination.

 

PART II

 

Transformation Is Within Me (Transformación Está en Mí)

By: John C. Maxwell

How do you create positive change? How do you help others do so? How do you help an entire nation embrace transformation?

Just a few weeks ago, my team and I had an amazing opportunity to be part of a transformational movement with the goal of impacting an entire country. On August 31 and September 1, we traveled to Paraguay to launch an initiative that has been on my heart for a long time.

The idea of transformation has really spoken to me for a few years now. I’ve spent a long time thinking on it and trying to understand what it would mean to me personally as well as the people I lead and teach. What would happen if individuals were equipped to become people of significance and began making a positive difference in the world around them? Could it transform their families? Their communities? Even an entire nation?

[PG Vargis]

A leader is like a river. Starts as a small stream. But gathers on the way other streams and becomes a mighty river – feeding people, cattle and agricultural lands and nourishing forests. It never stops working – day and night. A river exists for others and then vanishes.  You can be a Pampa river of Kerala or Ganges of India or Amazon. The choice is yours.

P G Vargis

=====================================================

Leadership note. Grow with me.

And share this with others. Let the world grow.

============================

PART I      DEVOTIONAL MESSAGE (COPIED)

 

Learn From a Master Communicator

"Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, 'Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you.'"  Acts 17:22-23

In the four sermons that Luke records in the book of Acts, Peter, Stephen, and Paul, all practiced the Law of Connection, which says that leaders touch a heart before they ask for a hand. Paul's sermon recorded in Acts 17 is a masterpiece. He connected brilliantly with people from a different culture, showing he understood both Greek society and human needs. Notice how a master communicator connected with his audience:

•           He began with affirmation.

•           He bridged his subjects with the familiar.

•           He enlarged their vision of God.

•           He used inclusive language.

•           He gave them encouragement and hope.

•           He identified with some of their own poets.

•           He gave them specific action steps.

•           Only when Paul had built relational bridges with the people, did he issue a clear call to repent.

 

 

--

Let us shout our slogan every day in our heart and every Sunday in our churches:

 

Let every believer produce another believer

Let every pastor produce another pastor

Let every church produce another church

.....with the help of God, we will do it ...

.........................every year.

                                    Amen

 

pg vargis

 

 

PART II

 

 

 

Let us remember: One book, one pen, one child, and one teacher can change the world.

Malala Yousafzai

Inspirational, Teacher

[PG Vargis]

A leader is like a river. Starts as a small stream. But gathers on the way other streams and becomes a mighty river – feeding people, cattle and agricultural lands and nourishing forests. It never stops working – day and night. A river exists for others and then vanishes.  You can be a Pampa river of Kerala or Ganges of India or Amazon. The choice is yours.

P G Vargis

=====================================================

Leadership note. Grow with me.

And share this with others. Let the world grow.

============================

PART I      DEVOTIONAL MESSAGE (COPIED)

 

Revival: Unity Precedes Blessing

Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.—Acts 4:32-33

...unity of mind on the part of the people of God precedes the blessing. I have often heard people pray, "Oh Lord, send the Holy Spirit that we may become a united people." That is all right except it is precisely backwards. The Holy Spirit comes because we are a united people; He does not come to make us a united people. Our prayer should be more like, "Lord, help us to get united in order that the blessing might flow and there might be an outpouring of oil and dew and life." That's the way we should pray....

This teaches us that unity is necessary to the outpouring of the Spirit of God. If you have 120 volts of electricity coming into your house but you have broken wiring, you may turn the switch, but nothing works-no lights come on, the stove doesn't warm, your radio doesn't turn on. Why? Because you have broken wiring. The power is ready to do its work with all the appliances in your home, but where there is broken wiring, you have no power. Unity is necessary among the children of God if we are going to know the flow of power. Success and the Christian, 86-87.

"Lord, help us to get united in order that the blessing might flow and there might be an outpouring of oil and dew and life. Amen."

 

 

PART II

 

Health tips

When you go for shopping buy every kind of nuts and seeds.

Have a few every day .

 

All nuts – very good. Take 10 each a day. (health experts say that almonds – you must not take 11 but only 10 a day.)

Seeds – you can buy different kind of seeds from a NUTS ONLY store or Chinese supermarket. Buy them. Sprinkle with your salad or morning breakfast porridge. Let me say – all kinds of seeds.

 

Juice – drink 6 Oz of purple grape juice that you buy in paper pack or bottle. And eat 10 raw almonds. It will clean your artery. A Palestinian food expert Christian doctor told me. 

 

Salad – you must have a bowl every day. Either fresh, or steamed or slightly fried. Add olive oil to make it a real rich tonic.

 

A cup of green tea with honey (from the source and not from the store) plus have a lemon juice is better than a handful of vitamin pills. Put the green tea leaves in a glass of water and boil it after 12 hours to get the full benefit.

 

You can boil the same tea leaves again  in 3 or 4 glasses of water and drink without milk when you are thirsty. It is very good. They say it is the secret of Chinese to have slim body though they eat very well. (A Chinese eats only one meal a day. Starts in the morning and it goes till midnight.) 

 

Pg

[PG Vargis]

A leader is like a river. Starts as a small stream. But gathers on the way other streams and becomes a mighty river – feeding people, cattle and agricultural lands and nourishing forests. It never stops working – day and night. A river exists for others and then vanishes.  You can be a Pampa river of Kerala or Ganges of India or Amazon. The choice is yours.

P G Vargis

=====================================================

Leadership note. Grow with me.

And share this with others. Let the world grow.

============================

PART I      DEVOTIONAL MESSAGE (COPIED)

 

A message that I wrote to my mission leaders.

 I strongly believe that a person who is not faithful to the mission won’t be faithful to his family and others. He will live in deceiving others. He will be having a theatre face – one for the platform and one outside.

 

A good man of God must be tangible and transparent. People must be able to look through him, his personal life, his account books and his behavior.

 

In my early days, while in Katra I prayed, ‘Lord make me an example for the coming generations.”  Do you know as who comes in your generations – people of your age? I am 72. My generation is those who are 40 to 80 (because one generation according to the Bible is 40 years.) So I want to be an example for those who are 40 to 80 and also those who are 0 to 40 and then the next generation after that. I don’t want to die as a shooting star – today it is shining and tomorrow it is gone. Nothing left behind for others to see when he is gone.

 

I am deceived and cheated by friends and coworkers. The first leader whom I trained left me in 1977. I told him on his face, “You can leave me wounded. But I will pick up another young man and train him to be a leader. Then another and then another.” That is what I did and still I am doing.

 

Some left me in love - only few. Very few said thanks and left. But some left me after stabbing me on the back.  Some took the church or church building. Some took the address list of our supporters and some took the telephone number of supporters. All the time, I said what I said to myself at Pathankot in the 80’s, “I refuse to be disappointed.”

 

No one is going to determine my future – but I will plan like David planned his future. (1 Samuel 18:14)

 

•        I will live a life pleasing to God.

•        If I make a mistake, I will accept it and ask forgiveness to God and men (if men are involved). I will not blame another person for my mistake. I will not kick the ball into another man’s court.

•        I will live a simple life. I will not be an expensive son for God my father.

•        I will not use any unchristian methods to make money for myself or my ministry.

•        I will not take any address or property of IET when I step down or leave a place or office.

•        When the general body or executive committee will ask me to leave the place, vacate the house or step down from a position, I will not resist. I will do it. I will not play politics.

•        I will not have any secret savings – hidden from other leaders. (I have three bank accounts and all the three accounts are maintained by IET accounts section. I have no other accounts.)

•        I will work like a bull for my Master. My master must be happy on the day I die that I did all I could for Him.

•        I will not harm a servant of God – even if he is not of my faith. I will harm only devil and not a Christian church or ministry.

•        I will be a man under authority – I will be under the authority of IET executive committee. I will not be a rebel to them.

•        I love God – 1st.

Second: I love my wife and children.

Third: I love IET. But I will not love my wife and children over and above IET (means I will not  do  a  favor to them and result in hurt to IET). I will not do anything that is not of the interest of IET and do favor to my wife and children. I never did it and I will never do it. I will live as a man of integrity and die as a man of integrity.

•        For me theology and doctrine are important. But I will not raise it to become a cause for fight, rift and division. And for me Christian life will be more important than perfect doctrines without a lower standard of Christian life.

•        I will not hide my faith (basic important doctrines) even if I am not recognized, ridiculed, or suffer loss of money.

•        I may die as a man with enough money in the bank for my funeral – or with no money in the bank at all. I don’t care. I believe in God of Moses who took care of the burial of Moses. Who buried Peter, Paul? Did they worry about that? I will live in the same manner. I know one thing – my God won’t make my children to take an offering to bury me.

I may die as a poor man – but I am determined to leave a heritage for my children.

 

Yes, my brothers, I will leave a good heritage for you.

 

When my father died, we all the four sons were in Punjab. My brother-in-law and the people of our village took care of the burial – mostly Hindus. His body  was given a decent sendoff.

 

After 6 months we all brothers were home. So we invited all those village people and some others for a memorial service. I stood up and thanked everyone for doing that kind act to my father whom they all respected very highly. Then I added, “I am proud to say that I am the son of Sir Pappy of Panayam (Panayathu Pappy Saar).” Immediately a thought went through my mind, “Will my children say the same thing when I will die?” It was a serious question. Still that question haunt me and make me shiver.

 Let us all live and leave a heritage to our children – a good name. That is what the book of Proverbs says.

 

 Yours and His,

 p g vargis

 

 

PART II

 

Leadership behaviours and development of leadership style and skills

Leadership skills are based on leadership behaviour. Skills alone do not make leaders - style and behaviour do. If you are interested in leadership training and development - start with leadership behaviour.

The growing awareness and demand for idealist principles in leadership are increasing the emphasis (in terms of leadership characteristics) on business ethics, corporate responsibility, emotional maturity, personal integrity, and what is popularly now known as the 'triple bottom line' (abbreviated to TBL or 3BL, representing 'profit, people, planet').

For many people (staff, customers, suppliers, investors, commentators, visionaries, etc) these are becoming the most significant areas of attitude/behaviour/appreciation required in modern business and organisational leaders.

3BL (triple bottom line - profit, people, planet) also provides an excellent multi-dimensional framework for explaining, developing and assessing leadership potential and capability, and also links strongly with psychology aspects if for instance psychometrics (personality testing) features in leadership selection and development methods: each of us is more naturally inclined to one or the other (profit, people, planet) by virtue of our personality, which can be referenced to Jung, Myers Briggs, etc.

Much debate persists as to the validity of 'triple bottom line accounting', since standards and measures are some way from being clearly defined and agreed, but this does not reduce the relevance of the concept, nor the growing public awareness of it, which effectively and continuously re-shapes markets and therefore corporate behaviour. Accordingly leaders need to understand and respond to such huge attitudinal trends, whether they can be reliably accounted for or not at the moment.

Adaptability and vision - as might be demonstrated via project development scenarios or tasks - especially involving modern communications and knowledge technologies - are also critical for certain leadership roles, and provide unlimited scope for leadership development processes, methods and activities.

Cultural diversity is another topical and very relevant area requiring leadership involvement, if not mastery. Large organisations particularly must recognise that the market-place, in terms of staff, customers and suppliers, is truly global now, and leaders must be able to function and appreciate and adapt to all aspects of cultural diversification. A leaders who fails to relate culturally well and widely and openly inevitably condemns the entire organisation to adopt the same narrow focus and bias exhibited by the leader.

Bear in mind that different leadership jobs (and chairman) require different types of leaders - Churchill was fine for war but not good for peacetime re-building. There's a big difference between short-term return on investment versus long-term change. Each warrants a different type of leadership style, and actually very few leaders are able to adapt from one to the other. (Again see the personality styles section: short-term results and profit require strong Jungian 'thinking' orientation, or frontal left brain dominance; whereas long-term vision and change require 'intuition' orientation, or frontal right brain dominance).

If it's not clear already, leadership is without doubt mostly about behaviour, especially towards others. People who strive for these things generally come to be regarded and respected as a leader by their people:

•         Integrity - the most important requirement; without it everything else is for nothing.

•         Having an effective appreciation and approach towards corporate responsibility, (Triple Bottom Line, Fair Trade, etc), so that the need to make profit is balanced with wider social and environmental responsibilities.

•         Being very grown-up - never getting emotionally negative with people - no shouting or ranting, even if you feel very upset or angry.

•         Leading by example - always be seen to be working harder and more determinedly than anyone else.

•         Helping alongside your people when they need it.

•         Fairness - treating everyone equally and on merit.

•         Being firm and clear in dealing with bad or unethical behaviour.

•         Listening to and really understanding people, and show them that you understand (this doesn't mean you have to agree with everyone - understanding is different to agreeing).

•         Always taking the responsibility and blame for your people's mistakes.

•         Always giving your people the credit for your successes.

•         Never self-promoting.

•         Backing-up and supporting your people.

•         Being decisive - even if the decision is to delegate or do nothing if appropriate - but be seen to be making fair and balanced decisions.

•         Asking for people's views, but remain neutral and objective.

•         Being honest but sensitive in the way that you give bad news or criticism.

•         Always doing what you say you will do - keeping your promises.

•         Working hard to become expert at what you do technically, and at understanding your people's technical abilities and challenges.

•         Encouraging your people to grow, to learn and to take on as much as they want to, at a pace they can handle.

•         Always accentuating the positive (say 'do it like this', not 'don't do it like that').

•         Smiling and encouraging others to be happy and enjoy themselves.

•         Relaxing - breaking down the barriers and the leadership awe - and giving your people and yourself time to get to know and respect each other.

•         Taking notes and keeping good records.

•         Planning and prioritising.

•         Managing your time well and helping others to do so too.

•         Involving your people in your thinking and especially in managing change.

•         Reading good books, and taking advice from good people, to help develop your own understanding of yourself, and particularly of other people's weaknesses (some of the best books for leadership are not about business at all - they are about people who triumph over adversity).

•         Achieve the company tasks and objectives, while maintaining your integrity, the trust of your people, are a balancing the corporate aims with the needs of the world beyond.

[PG Vargis]

A leader is like a river. Starts as a small stream. But gathers on the way other streams and becomes a mighty river – feeding people, cattle and agricultural lands and nourishing forests. It never stops working – day and night. A river exists for others and then vanishes.  You can be a Pampa river of Kerala or Ganges of India or Amazon. The choice is yours.

P G Vargis

=====================================================

Leadership note. Grow with me.

And share this with others. Let the world grow.

============================

PART I      DEVOTIONAL MESSAGE (COPIED)

 

A message that I wrote to my mission leaders.

Here is a letter that I wrote to my mission leaders.

pg vargis

 

Dear my coworker, brother in Christ,

"Then Jesus said to His disciples, 'If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.' "   — Matthew 16:24

 

The great English preacher John Wesley once said, "Give me a hundred men who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God, and I do not care if they be clergymen or laymen. Such men alone will shake the gates of hell and set up the kingdom of heaven on earth." I don't know if Wesley ever found such men. But I know that Jesus did.

 

Jesus called these men to be His disciples. In the Book of Acts, they were described as "these who have turned the world upside down" (Acts 17:6). When that statement was initially given, it was not meant as a compliment. In fact, it was more of a criticism. But in a sense, that statement was a supreme compliment, because it acknowledged the impact these men were making.

 

If there was ever a time in history when a world needed to be turned upside down or, should I say, right side up, the time is now. But if it is going to happen, then it will need to be through committed believers like the ones John Wesley was looking for: people who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God. No fair-weather followers need apply. God is looking for disciples.

 

So what does it mean to be a disciple? It simply means that you take your plans, your goals, and your aspirations and place them at the feet of Jesus. It simply means saying, "Not my will, but Yours be done."

 

Today I was preaching about the accomplishment of Jesus Christ, who was 100 % man (and also 100% God) in just over 3 years? The only reason I can find is that He knew His purpose and for the fulfillment of that purpose He was willing to pay the price.

 

When we were in Greece last month we were all amazed at what Paul achieved in 30 years. How he could do that much? He was possessed with the urgency to finish the task given to Him and for that cause He refused to rest. So he paid the price.

  

What God needs is a few brothers who are willing to live for Him, totally sold out for the ‘cause’. That is what David said to his brothers who got angry at him when they saw that this young teenager is willing to be a totally sold our warrior for the cause. They accused him that he there to see the battle. What battle? They were all hiding in the foxhole, afraid of a man who was challenging them and abusing their God. No one, absolutely no one dared to try. When this teen ager tried to find out a loophole to attack the uncircumcised philistine, they scolded him and made many accusations and discouraged him. Then he said boldly said, “What did I do? Is there not cause?”

 

The king who was anointed to rule and protect the land and the people did not see the cause. The army generals, captains, his own brothers – no one absolutely no one saw the cause. But he saw. And he was willing to pay the price.

 

Today, I feel many Christian workers are interested in their own welfare – like having a house, buying land, getting name forgetting the cause. Only few have a desire to go and fight with the enemy and bring victory to God’s army. If there is a Paul, a David in every district of India who will all He can for the cause, the Christian history should have been different.

 

Why did I resign the job? Could not I do His work as I serve in the Army?

Why did I go to Katra – a place that was not easy for God’s work? Could not I go to Chennai, Tiruvalla or even Jammu?

 

Why did I leave Katra when I had a good church, quarter of an acre of land and 1.86 lakhs rupees in the bank to construct the church? Could not I be the lifelong pastor of that great church just like others?

 

Why did I move from Pathankot when I had 4 acres of land, a good Bible school and a good ministry going on?

 

Why?

I saw the cause? I heard God’s will in my heart. I obeyed.

 

No, I am not a hero but I am an ordinary man who obeyed Him.

 

In the past IET achieved much. Not just because of me – but because of ‘us’. You have a major part in it. It is possible that God made me a forerunner but you ran with me. Together we did what we could.

 

Let us do all we can in the days to come.

 

It was on October 30th of 1972 that I arrived at Katra, alone with a bag of tracts and a blanket.

 

It was on April 1st 1977 that I arrived at Pathankot. It was on April 14th 1986 that I arrived at Delhi. It was on Nov 6th 2004 that I handed over the leadership to the man whom God showed me.

 

I say with Paul: “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” – Philippians 4:12

 

I am willing to do every move again and again for the cause. Please stand with me and let us work together to see India is evangelized. Let us leave our comfort zone and move to the place that God will show us. We did it so far. We can do it again…together.

 

Here is a true story. Read on. 

 

Robert Ekvall was born in China, the son of American missionaries. He and his wife ministered in China and he taught at the Bible school his father had founded in Gansu province. The couple decided the Lord was calling them to Tibet to minister to those in the most rural areas.

While at their lonely, far-away station in Tibet, they wrote: "We do not want a radio; we are content in our far-off field, and do not need any earthly thing to help or make it possible to go on with the work; contentment is our portion."

Their friend, in a letter continues: "That is God-given, for only so could they have been content to live as they did, for the love of souls. Their front yard was anything but inviting, but it was for the good of their people who would be free to come, animals and all. Mail reached them every three weeks or so (perhaps). Just living among the wild Tibetans, with all their unclean ways and smells, their rough, ugly style of doing things, then to be "contented."

 

You can have contentment anywhere once you have found Jesus Christ. Today in prayer, praise the Lord that no matter what circumstance you find yourself, you can be content in Jesus.

 

“It is right to be contented with what we have, never with what we are.” - James Mackintosh

 

God’s Word says: “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’” – Hebrews 13:5

 

With this promise, let us go forward with a renewed dedicatin and determination to fight the devil in his front yard for the cause. Let us pay the price and plant churches where there is no church.

 

Let us go. Let us send our children. Let us raise others to run with us with a vision –  ‘the cause’ first and all the rest after that.

 

No one can accomplish much in India alone. But together we can finish the job. Let us do it ….together….now,

 

p g vargis

 

 

PART II

 

Three Pillars of a Strong, Dynamic Ministry

Brandon Cox 

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 "When it comes to leading a strong ministry and building a healthy church, it takes more than solid theology or smart strategy."

 

When it comes to leading a strong ministry and building a healthy church, it takes more than solid theology or smart strategy. In fact, it takes a combination of those, plus the Spirit’s leading and empowerment. I think of these three as pillars of a dynamic ministry.

Every church needs to be led by a Pastor with a strong ecclesiology—a strong theology of church and mission. Out of our ecclesiology flows our mission, in fact. The mission doesn’t change. Jesus defined it in the Great Commission and has never revised it. How you see the story of the church unfolding in the New Testament should have a lot to do with how you lead the church today.

1. A Strong Ecclesiology

My ecclesiology encompasses the truth that Jesus founded the church Himself during His earthly ministry. It wasn’t “born” on Pentecost. It was born when the first apostles followed Jesus.

The church is local and visible. While I appreciate the Apostles’ Creed, I also fear that the point about believing in the holy catholic (universal) church has shifted our focus away from the local, visible body which is where the mission of Jesus gets organized in a visible, tangible, effective way.

The church will continue its mission, in the protection and power of Jesus, until He comes again. The church can’t and won’t fail. The gates of hell won’t prevail against it. While it's easy to point out what’s wrong with the church, this core conviction motivates me to celebrate what’s going right with the church.

The New Testament presents a church that gathers and scatters. They meet in temple courts and from house to house. Sunday’s service matters. It’s a redemptive gathering of a covenant community to worship and to witness. Small groups matter just as much. Call them missional communities, house churches or Sunday School classes, they matter as much as the gathering, but not to the exclusion of it.

The New Testament church is led by shepherds. I love the image of the flock under the care of its shepherds, who answer to the Great Shepherd Himself, Jesus. He is the head of the church. He has pre-eminence, and Pastors need the freedom to lead strongly while being accountable to the Chief Shepherd.

I could go on, but the way we build a healthy church, even if it is an organic movement of people gathering in a movie theater and in homes around the community, is determined by our biblical view of the church.

2. A Wise Strategy

One of my pet peeves is what happens when a church leader talks about a smart idea, a good strategy or a sweet system. Inevitably, some critics line up to point out how “man-made” methods and marketing strategies and systems are evil and how leaders who develop them must have no strong theology at all. It never fails. Every time we publish an article on Pastors.com designed to help modern leaders face modern problems in their modern context, accusers show up in the comments to point out how Jesus, or the Spirit, or the Bible wasn’t mentioned, even though the article is about strategy with an assumed strong theology undergirding it.

The fact is, I need to know about systems and strategies, and I’m convinced that thousands of churches are stuck today with a really strong theology but no strategy for engaging the culture and making disciples. The fact is, you need healthy systems for accomplishing the timeless, biblical mission of making disciples. For example…

a. You know you should develop leaders, but what’s your leadership ladder?

b. You know you need to spread the word, but how are you equipping the saints to do so?

c. You know you need to challenge people to take a next step, but have you defined the next step?

d. You want everyone to catch the vision, but have you articulated it an understandable way?

These are strategy questions, and there are plenty more where they came from. Don’t resort to juking leaders with a “just follow Jesus, just trust the Spirit, and just preach the word” response. You may mean well, but you’re crippling the church when you do so.

Be harmless as doves. But be wise as serpents, too. Develop a strategy for accomplishing the mission.

3. The Power of God

Some churches have a strong theology and a good strategy, but are still stuck. Sometimes it’s because we’ve left out the third pillar of a strong, healthy ministry—the power of God. Having defined our theology and developed our strategy, it is still absolutely imperative that we go forward with an attitude of complete and utter dependence on the Spirit of God to bear fruit through us.

We can set the stage, arrange the chairs and roll out the red carpet, but we cannot save people. This is a work of God.

And I’m not urging us to tack this on to the end. Just because I’ve listed it last doesn’t mean it’s least in importance. Leaning on the power of the Spirit of God is essential as we study the Scriptures and form our theology as well as when we’re creating the strategies to help us fulfill the mission in our present ministry context. His job, in fact, is to shed light on the teachings of Jesus as we study.

One of my favorite quotes comes from a guy who would likely disagree with most of what I write about, but I love his words. Shelton Smith said, “The difference between mediocrity and excellence is midnight oil, elbow grease, and the power of God.” THAT is so true.

If you want a strong, healthy, balanced ministry, find its definition in the New Testament, develop a strategy that works in your present context, and start and finish with trusting the Spirit of God’s empowering presence.

[PG Vargis]

A leader is like a river. Starts as a small stream. But gathers on the way other streams and becomes a mighty river – feeding people, cattle and agricultural lands and nourishing forests. It never stops working – day and night. A river exists for others and then vanishes.  You can be a Pampa river of Kerala or Ganges of India or Amazon. The choice is yours.

P G Vargis

=====================================================

Leadership note. Grow with me.

And share this with others. Let the world grow.

============================

PART I      DEVOTIONAL MESSAGE (COPIED)

 

 

PART II

 

One Vegetable Cures High Blood Pressure (the most powerful food at destroying disease)

Posted by: Christian Goodman

 

<a href='http://blueheronhealthnews.com/adserv/www/delivery/ck.php?n=a19ee570&cb=INSERT_RANDOM_NUMBER_HERE' target='_blank'><img src='http://blueheronhealthnews.com/adserv/www/delivery/avw.php?zoneid=1&cb=INSERT_RANDOM_NUMBER_HERE&n=a19ee570' border='0' alt='' /></a>

 

 Researchers in every corner of medical science have been searching for the “magic bullet” that can cure all disease with one shot.

That’s not really realistic, though. Or is it?

One vegetable has been proven to improve or cure not just high blood pressure but type 2 diabetes, arterial plaque buildup, several types of cancer, and pretty much all other modern diseases.

Parents have been preaching it for years: eat your vegetables if you want to grow up big and strong.

They’re right, though. Some vegetables were easy to eat when we were little- sweet potatoes, cooked carrots, and other sweet tubers with a smooth texture. But broccoli is one that people either really love or really hate.

Scientists have racked up thousands of studies, though, that give people incredible incentive to try to learn to love it.

Broccoli contains a chemical called glucosinolate, which produces a metabolite that is incredibly powerful at preventing (and even reversing) many diseases. The metabolite is called sulphoraphane.

Yes, the root word is Sulphur, and yes, it is the chemical responsible for the production of stinking, smelly gas after eating cruciferous vegetables like Brussels sprouts, arugula, cauliflower, and broccoli.

But broccoli has a higher concentration of sulphoraphane than any other sister vegetables, making it ounce-for-ounce the most powerful food at destroying disease.

Sulphoraphane’s super powers stem from its ability to increase insulin sensitivity, break down viruses, kill bacteria, and even destroy cancer stem cells. It has even been proven in human and animal studies to improve kidney function.

These benefits are especially important to people who suffer from metabolic disorders like:

– Type 2 diabetes

– High blood pressure

– High cholesterol

But how does it work so well?

What is the process? Sulphoraphane has been proven to be a key player in DNA-methylation. This process is critical as it is what “reminds” the body’s cells to not only do their jobs, but do them in the right way.

Disease processes are only effective if inflammation, stem cells, or some other attack is successful. Sulphoraphane mitigates their effectiveness in the DNA-methylation process.

What’s more, you don’t have to eat so much broccoli that you blow up your house with the first flatulence. You only need about 10 stems per week according to a study released in 2008 in the journal PLoS One. Spread out over a few servings per week, this small amount has even been shown to be effective at preventing prostate cancer from developing.

[PG Vargis]

A leader is like a river. Starts as a small stream. But gathers on the way other streams and becomes a mighty river – feeding people, cattle and agricultural lands and nourishing forests. It never stops working – day and night. A river exists for others and then vanishes.  You can be a Pampa river of Kerala or Ganges of India or Amazon. The choice is yours.

P G Vargis

=====================================================

Leadership note. Grow with me.

And share this with others. Let the world grow.

============================

PART I      DEVOTIONAL MESSAGE (COPIED)

 

How to Recognize God's Still, Small Voice

Dr. Mark Virkler, president, CWG Ministries (CWG Ministries)

I tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep. The thought kept going through my mind: “What if I died tonight? I’m not ready to go to heaven.” Since I could not shake the thought, I got up, went downstairs and waited for my parents to come home from their meeting. When they did, I announced that I wanted to get saved, and they took me straightway to the pastor’s home, where he explained the plan of salvation and led me in the sinner’s prayer. I was 15 years old when I accepted Jesus Christ into my heart as my Lord and Savior.

It was God’s voice that was speaking to me that night, calling me into His kingdom. His voice came as a spontaneous thought inside my head. However, I didn’t define this as the primary way God’s voice is heard until I had completed a desperate, 10-year search to hear Him clearly.

Christianity is unique among religions, for it alone offers a personal relationship with the Creator beginning here and now, and lasting throughout eternity. Jesus declared, “This is eternal life, that they may know [God]” (John 17:3). Unfortunately, many in the church miss the great blessing of fellowship with our Lord because we have lost the ability to recognize His voice. Though John 10:27 promises us that Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice,” too many believers are starved for that intimate relationship that alone can satisfy the desire of their hearts.

I was one of those sheep who was unable to identify the voice of my Shepherd. I hungered for deeper spiritual intimacy with God, but I could not find it. Then on the 11th year of my Christian life, I had the spontaneous thought that I should take a year of my life and focus on learning to hear God’s voice. I decided to act on that thought and devote a year to focused effort, learning to hear His voice. Unbeknownst to me, it was the Lord calling me to invest that time.

That year the Lord revealed four simple keys, all found in Habakkuk 2:1-2, which unlocked the treasure of His voice. Using the four keys together allowed me to easily hear God’s voice on a daily basis. Don't worry about the order of the keys. Just make sure you are using all four keys. It was the most transforming step I have taken in the 45 years of my Christian life! I would like to share them with you so you can try them and see if they do the same for you.

Key No. 1: God’s voice in your heart often sounds like a flow of spontaneous thoughts.

Habakkuk knew the sound of God speaking to him (Hab. 2:2). Elijah described it as a still, small voice (1 Kings 19:12). I had always listened for an inner, audible voice, and God does speak that way at times. However, I have found that usually God's voice comes as spontaneous thoughts, or flowing thoughts.

For example, haven't you ever been driving down the road and had a thought come to you to pray for a certain person? Didn’t you believe it was God telling you to pray? What did God's voice sound like? Was it an audible voice, or was it a spontaneous thought that lit upon your mind?

Experience indicates that we perceive spirit-level communication as spontaneous thoughts, impressions and visions, and Scripture confirms this in many ways. For example, one definition of paga, a Hebrew word for intercession, is "a chance encounter or an accidental intersecting." When God lays people on our hearts, He does it through paga, a chance-encounter thought “accidentally” intersecting our minds. We consider it chance encounter in that we didn’t reason it up; however, it is purposeful because God sent it to us.

Therefore, when you want to hear God’s voice, you tune in to chance-encounter, spontaneous or flowing thoughts. Even Satan’s thoughts come to us as spontaneous thoughts, which is why we are commanded to “take every thought captive” (2 Cor. 10:5). I am sure all of us have experienced spontaneous evil thoughts coming to us, even attacking us right in the middle of our prayer and worship times. So I conclude that analytical thoughts are mine, spontaneous good thoughts come from the Holy Spirit, and spontaneous evil thoughts come from evil spirits.

God’s thoughts line up with Scripture and with His various names: Comforter, Counselor, Teacher, Giver of Life, Healer and Deliverer. His thoughts edify, exhort and comfort. They are pure, peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, and unwavering (James 3:17).

Satan’s thoughts line up with his various names: accuser, adversary, thief who comes to kill, steal and destroy. His thoughts bring jealousy and selfish ambition (James 3:14-15). They condemn and bring despair, rejection, fear, doubt, unbelief and, in general, misery.

Key No. 2: Become still so you can sense God’s flow of thoughts.

Habakkuk said, "I will stand on my guard post" (Hab. 2:1). Habakkuk knew that to hear God's quiet, inner, spontaneous thoughts, he had to first go to a quiet place and still his own thoughts and emotions. Psalm 62:5 encourages us to silence our souls before God. There is a deep inner knowing (spontaneous flow) in our spirits that each of us can experience when we quiet our flesh and our minds. If we are not still, we will sense only our own thoughts.

Loving God through a quiet worship song is one very effective way to become still. (Note 2 Kings 3:15.) After I worship and become silent within, I open myself for that spontaneous flow. If thoughts come of things I have forgotten to do, I write them down so I can do them later. If thoughts of guilt or unworthiness come, I repent thoroughly, receive the washing of the blood of the Lamb, putting on His robe of righteousness, seeing myself spotless before God (Is. 61:10; Col. 1:22).

Clear focus provides the purest flow. To receive the pure word of God, it is very important that my heart be properly focused as I become still because the intuitive flow comes out of the vision being held before one’s eyes. If I fix my eyes upon Jesus, the intuitive flow is pure and comes from Jesus. But if I fix my gaze upon some desire of my heart, the intuitive flow is affected by that desire. To have a pure flow I must become still and carefully fix my eyes upon Jesus (Heb. 12:2).

Again, quietly worshiping the King and receiving out of the stillness that follows quite easily accomplishes this. Beginning my prayer time as Jesus taught us to pray is expedient: “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.” Jesus taught us to begin prayer by lifting our eyes up to our Father and beholding Him. We don’t start prayer with our issues. We start our prayer by gazing upon Him!

Key No. 3: Fix your eyes upon Jesus, and ask to receive visions.

Habakkuk said, "I will keep watch to see," (Hab. 2:1-2). Habakkuk was actually looking for a vision as he prayed. Since I believe the Bible is meant to be lived, I decided that I, too, would begin looking with the eyes of my heart into the Spirit world to see what I could see.

Do what King David did! A good way to begin using the eyes of your heart is by doing what King David did: “For David says of Him, 'I saw the Lord always in my presence; for He is at my right hand, so that I will not be shaken'” (Acts 2:25, NASB). The original Psalm makes it clear that this was a decision of David’s, not a constant supernatural visitation: “I have set [literally, 'I have placed'] the Lord continually before me; because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken” (Ps. 16:8). Because David knew that the Lord was always with him, he determined in his spirit to see that truth with the eyes of his heart as he went through life, knowing that this would keep his faith strong.

We say a picture is worth 1,000 words. I believe that is because pictures are the language of the heart. We notice that Jesus used pictures constantly as He taught (Matt. 13:34). When I use pictures in my prayer time, fixing my eyes on Jesus, I am speaking the language of my heart and that moves me quickly into heart/spirit realities getting me beyond my mind.

So I choose to do what King David did and I develop “godly imagination,” which I define as “picturing things God says are so.” Obviously if I am picturing that Jesus is not with me, that would be picturing a lie, which is unwise. I can’t imagine any reason I would want to picture unscriptural things. So I see Jesus at my right hand always. I add to this Paul’s prayer for God to enlighten the eyes of my heart (Eph. 1:17-18). Then I tune in to the flow of the Holy Spirit, and He brings the scene alive. I find I can step from these godly imaginations into a divine vision.

It is amazing, simple and childlike! Of course, it would need to be, as we are told that to enter the kingdom we must become as little children. My 6-year-old granddaughter can do this and she shares with me her journaling and the visions of the angels standing on both sides of her, protecting her and watching over her. You will find your young children can do these four keys easier than you can! Try it with them and see.

From Genesis to Revelation, God gave dreams and visions, and He specifically said that in the last days He would pour out His Spirit and we would see dreams and visions (Acts 2:17).

We must look if we want to see! Daniel saw a vision in his mind and said, "I was looking. ... I kept looking. ... I kept looking" (Dan. 7:2, 9, 13). So I needed to repent for not looking and begin presenting the eyes of my heart to the Lord, and then looking. As I pray, I look for Jesus, and I watch and listen as He speaks to me, doing and saying the things that are on His heart. Many Christians will find that if they will only look, they will see flowing pictures, in the same way they receive flowing thoughts.

Jesus is Emmanuel, God with us (Matt. 1:23). It is as simple as that. You can see Christ present with you because Christ is present with you. In fact, the vision may come so easily that you will be tempted to reject it, thinking that it is just you. But if you persist in recording these flowing pictures, your doubt will soon be overcome by faith as you recognize that the content of them could only be birthed by almighty God.

Jesus demonstrated the ability of living out of constant contact with God, declaring that He did nothing on His own initiative but only what He saw the Father doing and heard the Father saying (John 5:19-20, 30). What an incredible way to live!

Is it possible for you to live out of divine initiative as Jesus did? Yes! It is called “abiding in Christ” (John 15). Fix your eyes upon Jesus. The veil has been torn, giving you access into the immediate presence of God, and He calls you to draw near (Luke 23:45; Heb. 10:19-22). “I pray that the eyes of your heart will be enlightened” and you will see His visions. They are His gift to you, freely given (Acts 2:17).

Key No. 4: Journaling, the writing out of your prayers and God’s answers, brings great freedom in hearing God’s voice.

God told Habakkuk to record the vision (Hab. 2:2). This was not an isolated command. The Scriptures record many examples of individuals' prayers and God’s replies (e.g., the Psalms, many of the prophets, Revelation).

I call the process "two-way journaling," and I have found it to be a fabulous catalyst for clearly discerning God's inner, spontaneous flow, because as I journal I am able to write in faith for long periods of time, simply believing it is God. I know that what I believe I have received from God must be tested. However, testing involves doubt, and doubt blocks divine communication, so I do not want to test while I am trying to receive (Heb. 11:6). With journaling, I can receive in faith, knowing that when the flow has ended, I can test and examine it carefully, making sure that it lines up with Scripture (1 Thess. 5:21).

Doubt may hinder you at first, but throw it off, reminding yourself that recording God’s words and visions is a biblical concept and that God is present, speaking to His children. In the Bible, Satan is constantly casting doubt by saying, "Did God really tell you ... ?” (Gen. 3:1, GNB)

Learn to relax! When we cease our labors and enter His rest, God is free to flow (Heb. 4:10). Sit back comfortably, take out your pen and paper (or computer or iPad), smile, and turn your attention toward the Lord in praise and worship, seeking His face. Write down, “Good morning, Lord! I love You. What do You want to say to me?” Then become still, fixing your gaze on Jesus. You will suddenly have a very good thought. Don't doubt it; simply write it down. Later, as you read over your journaling, you will be blessed to discover that the content is amazing and that you are indeed dialoguing with God!

Knowing God through the Bible is a vital foundation to hearing His voice in your heart, so you must have a solid commitment to knowing and obeying God’s written Word. We are commanded to meditate on Scriptures (Josh. 1:8). As we pray over Scripture, we find verses leap off the page and hit us between the eyes. This is another very powerful way that God speaks to us. Regular scriptural meditation is commanded by God and is a must for the effective Christian life.

It is also very important for your growth and safety that you be related to solid, spiritual counselors. All major directional moves that come through journaling should be confirmed by your counselors before you act upon them. The Bible says in the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact is to be established (2 Cor. 13:1). Also, in the multitude of counselors, there is safety (Prov. 15:22). So make sure you walk in meekness and seek out and receive input from your spiritual advisers. This step must not be skipped!

The four keys appear again in Revelation. John used the same four keys that Habakkuk did. In Revelation 1:9-11, we find John was in the spirit (stillness), he heard a voice behind him (tuned to spontaneity), saying, “Write in a book (journaling), what you see (vision).” So in both Old and New Testaments, we find the same four keys being used to receive God’s voice. Don't worry about the order of the keys. Just make sure you are using all four keys!

As a package, these four keys work—stop, look, listen, write. They get the job done! People hear. We guarantee that if you will use these four keys together, they will work for you and you will hear God’s voice. Try them as a bundle, and see how they work for you.

 

PART II

 

Enthusiasm is contagious

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WELFARE FIRST Hyundai ensures its employees are empowered, respected and given opportunities to take risks to stay motivated at the workplace

How do you spot and attract talent? There is no universal rule to find the perfect employee. Each company devises its own system to spot and attract the right talent. Requirements also change every year.

HMIL has built a brand image over the years amongst engineering students who are aware of the kind of opportunities we offer. We map colleges every year to meet specific requirements that may vary every year. We assess students based on their competencies, attitude, geographic preferences and flexibility to adapt. Sometimes, selection is also influenced by the performance of past students from a particular college The best way to retain and nurture stars? All employees are provided a level-playing field. It is up to them what they make of it. Some employees put in extra effort and perform better than others, which becomes apparent as we go along. We have a number of initiatives to retain such talent like Future Leaders Programme, Step Up Programme, etc that includes higher studies in premier institutes, succession planning, job shadowing, to name a few. However, the key to retain talent lies in the extent of empowerment, flexibility to push boundaries and freedom to take decisions, which are part of the job offering at HMIL What kind of a workplace environment do you strive to create? We strive to create a happy workplace rather than the best workplace. We believe that happy employees are more productive and their enthusiasm is contagious. While we offer very competitive pay packages, we strongly believe that monetary emoluments are not the core motivators. A healthy environment, empowerment, respect and opportunities to take risks are often bigger motivators

What specific attributes/values do you look for in candidates being interviewed? Hyundai Group focuses on five core values – customers, challenge, collaboration, people and globality (global ability) – the DNA of our employee behavioural competencies. We like to see how candidates demonstrate these values and assess whether they would be able to integrate into our system seamlessly What skillsets are important when hiring for your company? Skillsets vary with position and job. However, what we do look for are certain personality traits that we believe play a greater role in the overall performance. Flexibility, adaptability, persistence, ability to be a team player etc are given as much importance if not more, as proficiency for a particular task Do you check a candidate’s social media profile when hiring and are you using social media for hiring? Yes, we do use social media while identifying suitable candidates, especially in lateral hiring, but that is just one of the many methods we deploy. A social media profile helps us understand the individual, provides an insight into his persona and his association with professional bodies or causes Are you hiring at the moment? Yes, we are hiring only for replacement positions Best facilities in your organisation? It is our constant endeavour to create a conducive environment which makes employees comfortable. To achieve that we focus on three key aspects – welfare, engagement and development. While we have one of the best canteens, transport medical and recreational facilities, we extend our services beyond these. Our emphasis is on their overall development and we engage with them through sustained programmes on health and wellness.

[PG Vargis]

A leader is like a river. Starts as a small stream. But gathers on the way other streams and becomes a mighty river – feeding people, cattle and agricultural lands and nourishing forests. It never stops working – day and night. A river exists for others and then vanishes.  You can be a Pampa river of Kerala or Ganges of India or Amazon. The choice is yours.

P G Vargis

=====================================================

Leadership note. Grow with me.

And share this with others. Let the world grow.

============================

PART I      DEVOTIONAL MESSAGE (COPIED)

 

 

10 Things We Need to Hear From Young Leaders

by Chuck Lawless

Learning is a two-way street.

I have the privilege of spending much of my life with young church leaders. As a seminary dean and missionary trainer, I hang out with people younger than I am.

I’m the teacher, but I learn from the young generation as much as—if not more than—I teach them. Sometimes they teach me something new, as with technology and social media. In other cases, they simply remind me of something I’ve forgotten or have taken for granted.

Of course, all young church leaders have room to grow, and nothing I say here can be applied to every young leader.

With that understanding in mind, here are some of those general reminders that I, and perhaps other older leaders, need to hear from young church leaders.

1. The Bible is still our guide.

My own denomination spent several decades affirming the inerrancy and authority of the Word of God.

Today’s young church leaders were not part of that struggle, but they are the recipients of that teaching.

They may at times differ with us in interpreting and applying the Word, but it is not because they doubt the Bible’s veracity. They read it, study it, believe it and teach it with passion.

2. Christianity is intended to be life-on-life.

This generation understands that no Christian is to live in isolation. Accountability is non-negotiable. Small groups are centers of life transformation rather than only weekly fellowship gatherings.

To young leaders, calling someone “brother” or “sister” means much more than, “I’m sorry, friend, but I don’t remember your name”; it is recognition of members of the family of God.

3. Authenticity is critical.

Young church leaders have watched other leaders fall. They have been raised in a culture of political games.

For many, even their families of origin have been marked by duplicity. They want to trust other church leaders, but, frankly, they have seen too much.

Anyone whose life models authenticity will catch their attention.

4. Mentoring matters.

The most common request I hear from young church leaders is, “I want someone to mentor me. I need someone to walk with me through ministry.”

Given that Jesus and Paul discipled others primarily through mentoring, we older leaders cannot ignore this request. If we do, we share the blame if those following in our steps fail.

5. Christianity is a “doing” faith.

For my generation, Christian commitment has sometimes been limited to church attendance and monetary support, with little attention to service and ministry.

Young leaders, though, assume a “hands on” personal faith. Christianity without action is at best an incomplete faith, at worst a false one.

6. We cannot ignore social ministry.

We older leaders have often neglected social ministry, for fear we would lose our focus on evangelism.

The young generation, though, is striving to correct our omission. Their faith is a Great Commission faith (Matt. 28:18-20) that does not miss the hurting and disenfranchised (Matt. 25:31-46).

7. Church discipline is biblical.

Leaders of my generation have largely ignored church discipline.

Not so with young leaders today. They may at times lead too quickly into discipline, but they are willing to tackle this biblical responsibility. They understand that ignoring this need is neither loving nor godly.

8. The local church is the missions sending agency.

We older leaders often delegated this responsibility to other agencies and organizations.

Young church leaders recognize the church’s mandate to raise up missionaries and church planters, send them out, and then care for them while they are on the field.

The wise missions agency will invite these leaders into the conversation and seek to work alongside them.

9. Denominational loyalty must be earned.

Many in my generation have invested in a single denomination. Young leaders, though, do not share this loyalty.

We must take some responsibility for this reality, for we have not adequately convinced them of the value of cooperative work. Rather than judge them, we must hear them, teach them ... and be willing to adjust if needed.

10. If faith requires death, that’s OK.

This commitment is perhaps the one that most grabs my attention.

Young church leaders are often less concerned about big church buildings and earthly recognition; they are most burdened about getting the gospel to the 1.7 billion people who have little access to the gospel. If doing that work requires moving their families to the most dangerous places in the world, they are ready to go.

That kind of faith often puts mine to shame.

What other insights have you gained from young church leaders? What else do we need to hear?   

 

PART II

 

Maximum Maturity

 

It’s possible for your years after 65 to be the best — the most productive and the most satisfying.

 

Benjamin Franklin was ambassador to France from age 70 to 79.  In his 80s, he served as President of the Pennsylvania Abolitionist Society (the first American abolition society) and took part in the Constitution Convention.

 

William E. Gladstone was prime minister of England at 84; Konrad Adenauer was chancellor of West Germany at 87; Deng Xiaoping was chairman of the Communist Party Central Advisory Commission at 83; Verdi wrote operas in his 80s; Paul Dudley White, famous Boston cardiologist, achieved even greater international prominence in his 80s.

 

Somerset Maugham continued to create until age 91; Vladimir Nabokov was writing at peak form in his late 70s; Carl Sandburg and Robert Frost produced poetry well into their 80s; Armand Hammer, who built the Occidental Petroleum Corporation, was active in that and other businesses into his 90s. 

 

Grandma Moses began her career in art at 76 — and lived another 25 years; Thomas Edison remained active and productive until 83.

 

I enjoyed visiting with Mr. A.V. Kennedy in Waycross, Georgia, who, when I wrote this book in 1989, was 101 years old.  He still drove his car, conducted his affairs, and demonstrated an alertness that held me in awe.  (He died in his 104th year.)

 

Playwright Garson Kanin was right, “It takes a long time to become young!”

 

But this isn’t only for those over 65.

 

It’s for anyone who feels that he or she has already seen the best in life, and looks ahead without relish to what seems to be a second-rate future. 

 

Suddenly things you’ve taken for granted (good looks, energy, career prospects, a full head of hair) start to slip away from you, and you start thinking not about how many good years are left, but how few.

 

That sense of loss is unnerving.  It isn’t just a matter of poorer health or diminished status.  You wonder if you haven’t lost forever the opportunity to do things you had always dreamed of doing.  It’s a loss of hope.

 

Getting more out of your remaining years than you’ve gotten from the ones behind you seems impossible.  Yet there’s no reason why that should be the case.  Scores of my mature friends, both men and women, see a long life ahead, filled with vigorous and fulfilling achievement.  They would agree with Jonathan Swift that “no wise man ever wished to be younger.”

 

Trust, organization, and persistence are vital to coping with your progress through life. 

 

At every stage there are turning points — leaving college, starting a family, changing jobs.  Midlife crisis and the approach to maturity are also turning points.  They give us a chance to pause and ask ourselves where we’re going.  We pull over and consult the map.  That pause for thought is the key to overcoming the fear and emptiness that plague many people as they search for a “maximum maturity.”

[PG Vargis]

A leader is like a river. Starts as a small stream. But gathers on the way other streams and becomes a mighty river – feeding people, cattle and agricultural lands and nourishing forests. It never stops working – day and night. A river exists for others and then vanishes.  You can be a Pampa river of Kerala or Ganges of India or Amazon. The choice is yours.

P G Vargis

=====================================================

Leadership note. Grow with me.

And share this with others. Let the world grow.

============================

PART I      DEVOTIONAL MESSAGE (COPIED)

 

 

Leaders: You’re Not Thinking BIG Enough

by Ronnie Floyd

Discover the power of vision and how people love to rally to a better future.

My first pastorate was in a town of 300 people. It was a very special church. Each Sunday I would go to lunch at a different member’s home. We will never forget those days. It was a great place for me to learn.

One of the greatest lessons about vision I learned in the simplest manner while I was at that church.

Some of the church’s leadership determined we needed to air condition the building. This led to a business meeting.

We were discussing the situation as the ping-pong match began. One of the men felt strongly we did not need to do it because “times were hard.”

A godly woman in the church had heard about all she wanted to hear. She stood up and said to them, “God will take care of this. Let’s help the church move forward to the future for our younger families.” In her passionate speech and plea, she nailed the hard times issue by telling them she would give the first $1,000.

Needless to say, within minutes the whole issue was solved. The church was getting its own central heat and air unit.

In the middle of the match, I had resolved that the deal was over and the man had won again.

However, I learned that night I was not thinking big enough! I had forgotten the power of vision and how people love to rally to a better future. The lady had called people to a better future, even demonstrating sacrifice toward it.

What God etched in my heart that night I will never forget. A godly lady had a vision and was not going to let anyone torpedo it. She painted a vision, and people ran toward it.

The Lord has used the lessons I learned that night and built upon them church by church and situation by situation. God wanted to build me into a man of vision and faith.

When I came to my present church in 1986 and preached for the church to vote on me becoming their pastor, I was grilled with questions for a long time. That night, I began to cast a vision in many areas.

I remember saying to them, “Surely He wants to use our church to place Jesus and His gospel all over the world from Northwest Arkansas.” That was a strong statement of vision and faith. On that night, I rallied people to a better future.

Through the years, I felt there was no way that would happen, but I continued on in the vision. With the limited population in this region, I lost my vision and faith periodically. Sometimes I would believe we had peaked and there was no way for growth to continue. Yet it continued to happen.

Every time I felt the lid was on, God would blow the lid off the church. I was not thinking big enough!

Each time I would look back and say to myself, “I should have known God better than that.” Each time, vision and faith were contributing factors. Each time, people were rallying to a better future for their lives and our church.

Vision is rallying people to a better future.

Vision is helping people see what you see already.

Vision is calling the invisible into visibility.

Vision is usually determined by your burden and by your faith.

Jesus thinks big.

When Jesus was about to ascend to be with His Father in heaven, He demonstrated the big idea. It all fit into His extraordinary plan.

He had died for our sins. He had been raised from the dead supernaturally.

Moments before His ascension, He laid some major visionary plans upon His faithful followers.

He stated, as recorded by Luke in Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

This was a big idea. Jesus was thinking big!

He was calling His followers to expand their belief in Him and His good news. He wanted His followers to begin sharing where they lived, then stretch to their own country, and eventually go into the entire world.

This plan for reaching the world with news about His gift of eternal life became the marching orders to the church from our commander-in-chief, Jesus Christ.

Any vision we have needs to be a vision that is tied to the vision of Jesus. He pulls for your vision to be fulfilled when you join Him in fulfilling His vision for the entire world, beginning with your own world.

When we do this, we experience a better future. We see things happen that do not logically make sense. We begin to realize that when God factors into our lives and churches, He creates something that is powerful!

The supernatural power of God is unleashed upon you and your church when you have the heart for and begin to step toward reaching your region with the good news of Jesus with great intentionality. The power escalates along with the vision.

Whether you are trusting God for central heat and air to be placed in your building, or something else, ensure the vision somehow connects with reaching others for Jesus.

When you connect what you desire to do with His vision, you send your vision to an entirely different level. The commitment from the divine towards you and your church begins to escalate.

Are you thinking big enough?

Is your church thinking big enough?

It all begins with our vision. Do you have one?

A personal account.

Pastors and church leaders, Great Commission strategizing ignites my spirit like nothing else. I long to exhaust all approaches, and all resources, in telling every person in the world about Jesus Christ and making disciples of all the nations. This has been my heart’s vision for many years.

There is no way I could share a word about vision without mentioning an experience that changed me forever.

Johnny Hunt, then president of our convention, appointed me to serve as chairman of the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force of the Southern Baptist Convention in 2009-10. I led a Task Force team of 22 diverse leaders in bringing a report and recommendations to our convention of more than 40,000 churches and congregations, on the question of how we might better work together to fulfill the Great Commission.

I led this gifted team for one year through, long, exhausting, and exhilarating hours. I knew this was the most wonderful, significant opportunity I would ever undertake in my earthly life. At times I felt overwhelmed with our task.

The Lord taught me many things during my time with the Task Force. Through my interactions with these 22 leaders, He ultimately matured my vision for the Great Commission. I concluded that time in my life still holding a deep passion and vision to see the every person in the world hear the great name of Jesus Christ, but with a matured vision to encourage the next generation of pastors and church leaders to join me in this passion.

As part of my Great Commission vision, today I diligently make time to engage the next generation and encourage them in every way possible. I see tremendous value and importance in pouring into the lives of the next generation of church leaders.

I encourage you to come alongside and invest in your developing leaders and share your vision with them – may the Lord ignite your vision in them as well.  

PART II

 

 

"Seven Things Successful People Never Say"

 

"There are many reasons why some people are more successful, and it's seldom because they are smarter, more gifted, or have a better start.  Those things certainly give an advantage in the beginning but seldom determine the outcome.  More than anything else, it's your words that define your future.

 

"Think twice before you speak, because your words and influence will plant the seed of either success or failure in the mind of another." Napoleon Hill.

 

1.  "It's impossible - just too hard."  When my children were growing up, I told them to cut the words "can't" and "quit" out of their dictionaries because it's the language of losers.  Successful people know every problem has a solution and great leaders stay creative and energized until they find one.  Most mountains are conquered by a series of small steps--not giant leaps.

 

2.  "I don't care."  Passion is part of every successful person's DNA.  When you stop caring--you stop succeeding.  Winning attitudes always precede winning actions.  Passion plus vision is the key to overcoming challenges and taking intelligent risks--both are vital for success in any endeavor.

 

3.  "Stop asking questions."  Great leaders ask significant questions.  Good leaders respond to questions and poor leaders have all the answers.   Great leaders, such as former Apple CEO, Steve Jobs,  encouraged his team to consistently question current methods and challenge conventional wisdom.  Successful leaders' favorite questions are, "Why?, "Why not?, and "What if?"

 

4.  "Why do I have to be the one?"  In today's competitive environment, especially in a growing business or organization, cross-training and multiple tasks is no longer a luxury.  Successful people voluntarily identify the gaps, find a way to fill them, and never say, "It's not my job."

 

5. “We've never done it that way before."  Visionaries always challenge the way things are done.  Creativity and innovation may push you into areas that are uncomfortable but it keeps you on the cutting edge where all successful people live.

 

6.  "Thank you--but I'm not looking for feedback."  Successful people not only welcome criticism and feedback, but also go out of their way to encourage it.  Great leaders know encouraging feedback gains the respect of their team members and gives them an invaluable opportunity to look at themselves the way others see them.  Garnering feedback and embracing diverse perspectives help you communicate better and improve your leadership.

 

7.  "But what if we fail?"  Failure is an unpleasant fact and part of every great leader's portfolio.  James Dyson failed 5,126 times before he created his famous bag-less vacuum cleaner.  Thomas Edison failed 10,000 times before he invented the light bulb.  Failure for successful people is a stepping-stone to discovery--what works and what does not.  People who are afraid to fail, forget they are usually following leaders who are not.

 

Bernadette Farrell's song, "Your Words are Spirit and Life" has a refrain that says it all:

 

"Your words are spirit and life, O Lord:

Richer than gold, stronger than death.

Your words are spirit and life, O Lord;

Life everlasting."

[PG Vargis]

A leader is like a river. Starts as a small stream. But gathers on the way other streams and becomes a mighty river – feeding people, cattle and agricultural lands and nourishing forests. It never stops working – day and night. A river exists for others and then vanishes.  You can be a Pampa river of Kerala or Ganges of India or Amazon. The choice is yours.

P G Vargis

=====================================================

Leadership note. Grow with me.

And share this with others. Let the world grow.

============================

PART I      DEVOTIONAL MESSAGE (COPIED)

 

 

10 Surprising Keys to Discipleship

by Seth Barnes

 

 

"So much of what I've learned about discipleship has been a surprise—it's bucked the conventional wisdom that I was told was normal for Christians."

It has taken me 25 years to figure out what Jesus taught his disciples in three years. And now I'm going to try to distill 25 years of living into one blog.

So much of what I've learned about discipleship has been a surprise—it's bucked the conventional wisdom that I was told was normal for Christians.

Growing up in Columbia, Missouri was good and bad. The good was the small community church where I was known and accepted. The bad was that I had to leave that church in order to learn most of what Jesus had to share with me about discipleship.

If I could give you any gift, it would be the ability to understand and apply what Jesus said about living an abundant life. So, here's my best effort. Here are ten things that I learned.

1. Mistaken Identity

Somehow I thought that I was as good as my grades and my accomplishments. I was what others said about me.

But I've learned that my identity has little to do with my performance. I'm God's child and his love for me is unconditional.

I didn't really start wrestling through core identity issues until I left home and began to ask, "Who am I?" If you've never left the environment that defined you growing up, you may never really grow up. Jesus spent 30 years in one town and then walked away from that and into his calling.

2. Journey

Have you ever thought about why Jesus walked around so much? I mean, why didn’t he just stay in one place like most of our religious people do?

He takes his disciples on an extended journey. Then in Luke 9 and again in Luke 10, he sends his disciples out on mini-journeys within that three-year journey.

As I looked at the ways that God has grown me, I saw that it was often in the context of a physical journey. As I looked at Scripture, I realized that all the people God called out as leaders, he sent on a journey, a kingdom journey.

In the context of a journey, spiritual movement parallels physical movement. As comfort zones narrow, spiritual possibilities expand. Journeys destabilize the false self so that your spirit man can wake up.

It's what I've devoted my life to helping others experience. I believe in the idea so much, I wrote a book about it. If you're in a stagnant place spiritually, consider that you may well need a journey to recover what you've lost. God gives us restlessness as a whisper that there's more for us if we'll just leave the place of our stagnation.

3. Listening Prayer

God speaks to us in many different ways. But when he spoke to me inwardly and personally and told me he loved me, everything changed.

We can preach about a personal relationship with God, but until our monologue becomes a dialogue, we're making stuff up. And it all starts when we begin to listen for God's still, small voice.

God desires to speak to us, but in this noise-filled world so crammed with distractions, he wants us to create space where dialogue can happen. A generation is growing up that desperately desires connection but substitutes social media for the silence that God inhabits.

I've become such a believer in the power of listening prayer that I have asked our ministry staff to teach others how to listen to God's voice on the short-term mission trips they lead.

We will never know the power of the Holy Spirit or possess real spiritual authority until we begin to listen to what God is saying and trust him enough to obey.

4. Deep Connection

The discipleship model that I learned in church revolved around group activities. We met in groups for Sunday school or Bible study. And as important as these meetings were, my soul longed for a deeper connection.

As I studied Scripture, I saw passages prescribing another way. Second Timothy 2:2 says, "The things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others." Second Timothy 3:16-4:2 describes how to do that.

And while no one came out of the woodwork to invest time in me like that, I found that didn't prohibit me from modeling a different way to those I cared about.

I began with my children. I took them on trips with me. We ministered locally. I met with them personally. I taught them how to spend time with God daily.

From there I moved on to my children's friends and the staff I cared about. Spending time together made all the difference.

5. Authentic Community

How is it that I could grow up in such a caring little country church and still feel a profound loneliness? Something inside me longed to be known at a deeper level. But how? Where could I go to find that?

I harbored insecurities that I couldn't let others touch—places so tender that I didn't dare talk about them. Bible studies were OK, but looking back on my high school years, I was depressed and had nowhere to go for a debrief.

In graduate school, I had my first experience with an authentic community. Four couples met regularly and did life together. It was a rich, liberating experience.

One of the great discoveries we've made in building the World Race is that you can go through all kinds of hardship if you've got a team going through it with you that believes in you. We implemented a system of honest feedback so that racers get the encouragement and challenge they need to move on to new places and new levels of growth.

The abundant life Jesus promises requires that we pour out. Hebrews 10:24-25 tells us to meet together regularly so that we have a place where others will pour into us. We can't go where God wants to lead us without the authentic community of his body.

6. Intergenerational

Years ago, God spoke to me about an epidemic of absentee dads. He showed me a group of young people and I heard him say, “It’s a fatherless generation.” And in the years to follow, I began to understand the impact that has had on young hearts. I saw how they struggled with identity, how they looked for affirmation.

Andrew Shearman points to a different model in Scripture. You see geneologies—lists of fathers and sons. You see the results of poor parenting as the inheritance of one generation doesn't get handed to the next.

Young people need to see the reality of their parents' faith not in words, but in action. Baby Boomers tried to outsource the discipleship of their children to youth pastors and it didn't work. God designed the church to be multigenerational where the old impart to the young and the young bring life to the old.

Parents ministering with their children find themselves stretched and vulnerable. And children seeing the vulnerability of their parents realize that they don't have to be perfect to embrace faith.

Many of us may feel we're failing as parents—that's when the influence of others our age in our children's lives can make a difference.

7. Risk-Based

I wish God loved my comfort zones as much as I do. But it seems that almost nothing happens in the kingdom without risk, without faith. We're told, "Without faith it's impossible to please God." (Hebrews 11:6)

Why is that? I think it's because God is looking for intimacy, and intimacy starts with trust. When we trust God, we do things that don't make sense—we take risks.

When I'm growing most, I'm allowing God to speak to me and challenge me. The Holy Spirit frequently asks me to do things that I wouldn't do on my own.

Growing in God requires change, and change requires new behaviors, behaviors that feel risky.

8. Waking Up

Life in the spirit is something we wake up to. Some people say that when Jesus said, “You must be born again,” he meant, “You must pray a prayer.” But repeating some words to God is nothing like childbirth.

When you begin to see and understand how the spirit realm operates, and when you begin to change your life to line up with that reality instead of the physical reality around you, it’s painful. We respond to discomfort by seeking change. When we trust God to get out of that place of pain, he begins to wake us up to the life in the spirit.

It is a perplexing process. We have to first unlearn old habits before we can pick up new ones. The habits of shopping, or listening to friends complain about their lives, or plugging into media, distract us. If we are to move from one kingdom to another, we must create space for it in our lives.

Childbirth is wrenching, bloody and painful. So it is when we shift our perspective from life in the realm of flesh and blood to reality of life in the spirit. Our habits and thoughts must change through pain, and the change itself is painful.

9. Kingdom Dreaming

God dreams. He dreams of freedom for his children. He dreams about the widow and the orphan, the poor, the oppressed. He tells us that our lives are not about ourselves. We find our deepest fulfillment when we allow him to give us his dreams.

When that happens, it feels like a call. Maybe that's when we feel God's trust the most—when he gives us a dream he cares about and asks us to steward it.

10. Three-Year Process

I calculate that Jesus invested approximately 15,000 hours in his disciples (5,000 hours/year of constant modeling, teaching and debriefing).  Then their spirits were seared by watching him die, and then they spent days waiting for the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Who are we to do any less?

Most of my adult life, I've sought to find a way around the long road of commitment that Jesus' pattern of relationship requires.

Jesus took three years to disciple his disciples, and they still looked like a mess in the end. Three years of intensive, personal, challenging life together was just barely enough to get them to a place where they were succeeding as much as they were failing.

Jesus' best disciple, Peter, the rock upon which Jesus said he'd build his church, was like a spiritual toddler falling down as he learned to walk.  There he is walking on water one minute and chopping off a soldier's ear or denying Jesus multiple times the next minute.

So, there you go. Ten lessons in 25 years. If that feels like a lot, I hope you find consolation in the fact that it only took me a quarter of a century to get my arms around it. As you press into God, you'll find that he wakes you up to his kingdom in ways that you never thought possible.  

 

PART II

 

Great leadership quotes and inspirational quotes

Some of these quotes are available as free motivational posters.

"People ask the difference between a leader and a boss.... The leader works in the open, and the boss in covert. The leader leads and the boss drives." (Theodore Roosevelt)

"The marksman hitteth the target partly by pulling, partly by letting go. The boatsman reacheth the landing partly by pulling, partly by letting go." (Egyptian proverb)

"No man is fit to command another that cannot command himself." (William Penn)

"It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit." (President Harry S Truman)

"I not only use all the brains I have, but all I can borrow." (Woodrow Wilson)

"What should it profit a man if he would gain the whole world yet lose his soul." (The Holy Bible, Mark 8:36)

"A dream is just a dream. A goal is a dream with a plan and a deadline." (Harvey Mackay)

"Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple, learn how to look after them, and pretty soon you have a dozen." (John Steinbeck)

"I keep six honest serving-men, They taught me all I knew; Their names are What and Why and When, And How and Where and Who." (Rudyard Kipling, from 'Just So Stories', 1902.)

"A dwarf standing on the shoulders of a giant may see farther than the giant himself." (Didacus Stella, circa AD60 - and, as a matter of interest, abridged on the edge of an English £2 coin)

"Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless, and knowledge without integrity is dangerous and dreadful." (Samuel Johnson 1709-84)

"The most important thing in life is not to capitalise on your successes - any fool can do that. The really important thing is to profit from your mistakes." (William Bolitho, from 'Twelve against the Gods')

"Out of the night that covers me, Black as the pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be, For my unconquerable soul. In the fell clutch of circumstance, I have not winced nor cried aloud: Under the bludgeonings of chance my head is bloody but unbowed . . . . . It matters not how strait the gait, how charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul." (WE Henley, 1849-1903, from 'Invictus')

"Everybody can get angry - that's easy. But getting angry at the right person, with the right intensity, at the right time, for the right reason and in the right way - that's hard." (Aristotle)

"Management means helping people to get the best out of themselves, not organising things." (Lauren Appley)

"It's not the critic who counts, not the one who points out how the strong man stumbled or how the doer of deeds might have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred with the sweat and dust and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes up short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worthy cause and who, at best knows the triumph of high achievement and who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat." (Theodore Roosevelt.)

"Behind an able man there are always other able men." (Chinese Proverb.)

"I praise loudly. I blame softly." (Catherine the Great, 1729-1796.)

"Experto Credite." ("Trust one who has proved it." Virgil, 2,000 years ago.)

[PG Vargis]

A leader is like a river. Starts as a small stream. But gathers on the way other streams and becomes a mighty river – feeding people, cattle and agricultural lands and nourishing forests. It never stops working – day and night. A river exists for others and then vanishes.  You can be a Pampa river of Kerala or Ganges of India or Amazon. The choice is yours.

P G Vargis

=====================================================

Leadership note. Grow with me.

And share this with others. Let the world grow.

============================

PART I      DEVOTIONAL MESSAGE (COPIED)

 

 

 

If You’ve Ever Felt Like a Failure in Ministry …

by Joe McKeever

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If you ever catch yourself saying, "I feel like a failure" or "It's never enough" then these words are for you.

 

“For not he who commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends” (2 Corinthians 10:18).

“Did I fail?”

Every man or woman who ministers in the Kingdom of God is immediately struck by two great realities: the perfection of God (and thus the desire to present to Him worthy offerings of worship and service) and the imperfection of mankind (meaning anything we offer Him will be flawed, even at its best).

As a result, we are often tormented with feelings of inadequacy and hounded by the sensation that our efforts have not been enough, our devotion has been too weak, and our ministries a far cry from what we had hoped.

“I feel like a failure.”

Those words and that feeling are voiced not just by those who literally are failures. Some of the (outwardly) most successful pastors and spiritual leaders on the planet deal with the same sense of futility.

“It’s never enough.”

We leave church on Sunday knowing that the sermon we delivered was nowhere near as wonderful as the one we received from the Lord in our study.

What happened between the study and the pulpit?

The vision we had for our church soon ran into the reality of a thousand foes: our own self-doubt, the skepticism of certain members, the honest inquiry of our friends and supporters, and the ongoing needs of the congregation.

This project started out to be far better than it turned out. What happened?

We were laboring, planting seed and cultivating, and expecting our efforts to produce a banner crop. When little fruit appeared, we naturally felt that we have been the reason.

We have failed.

Here is our best counsel to the hard-working laborers in the Lord’s field who find the reality at weighing-in time to be less than they ever envisioned when they headed into the field at the beginning of the day …

1. “You have been in the ministry long enough to know you can do everything right, but there are still a hundred and one other factors that influence the result.”

We do our best and leave the rest with the Lord.

2. “You have been faithful. That’s all that is required.”

“Moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy” (I Corinthians 4:2).

3. “Some seeds take years to produce. Continue waiting before the Lord and see what He’s up to.”

“Be not weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap—if we don’t quit!” (Galatians 6:9).

4. You are not your own judge.

As Paul said (in our text above), even if you give yourself a passing grade, it’s meaningless. The “Grader” is the Lord and no one else. “To his own master (a servant) stands or falls” (Romans 14:4).

It would be comical if it were not so sad the way God’s preachers rush to and fro seeking approval from one another. I’ve known of pastors starting colleges in order to award their friends honorary doctorates with the expectation that the favor would be reciprocated.

When I was 40 years old and serving as a trustee of one of our denomination’s pre-eminent ministries, I saw that my family and my church needed more from me than I was giving. So, I refused a second four-year term in order to stay home. I reasoned, “When a minister dies, no one cares what boards he served on. What matters will be his family and the churches he led.”

A few years later, I sat in the sanctuary of a large church for a funeral of a man who had pastored for many years and then moved on to denominational positions. As they recited the many boards and agencies, committees and commissions, the deceased had served on, I glanced around the room. Everyone was bored. No one seemed to care. Now, I’m a big boy, and I know a) someone had to lead these works, and b) we do them for the Lord and not for public acclaim. But it confirmed to me that what matters most to a father and a pastor are the major assignments the Lord hands him. For me, that was leading my family and my church.

Let the pastor be faithful where God has assigned him (or her). Paul told Timothy, “Fulfill your ministry” (2 Timothy 4:5).

Some pastors spend too much time on the golf course, reading novels, working on their farms, pursuing their favorite hobby, watching television, playing on the computer or a thousand other diversions that may not be bad in themselves in moderation, but that sap their energies and dull their brains and interfere with the work God gave them to do.

Let the pastor repent.

Let him (or her, as the case may be) pull aside with the Lord for a time of confession, cleansing and redirection. Let the pastor pray to be reassigned to the Lord’s calling.

Then, let him get up and go to work.

Should he confess to the church?

Probably not. Just tell the Lord and seek His guidance and blessing. Then let him rearrange his schedule, get the support of his spouse and one or two co-workers, and get on with it.

His ministry time may be evenly divided between sermon study, administration and personal ministry. (The last means simply toget out of the office and touch lives for Jesus!)

Should the pastor tell other ministers about this change?

Not for a year. He should show the Lord, the church and himself he is serious about this redirection before telling others. Then, when he does share it, he will want to ask the Lord when and how.

Keep telling yourself, pastor, that you are “more than a conqueror through Him who loved us.” You can get this right.

One final thing

Guard against the perfectionistic ideal which keeps insisting that nothing you do is acceptable since it is imperfect. That standard, which appears so noble on the surface, is your worst enemy.

Keep Psalm 103:14 before you: “He Himself knows our frame. He is mindful that we are but dust.” God is under no illusions about you and me. Were He expecting perfection from any of us, He would have given up in disgust a long time ago. He knows He got no bargain when He saved us. When we sin, the only one surprised is us.

But serve Him anyway. He is a God of grace and mercy.

Every day of your life, give thanks for that!  

 

PART II

 

Stress is a mess you must address

 

Stress is pervasive.  Everybody's got some of it.  And stress is idiosyncratic.  What stresses out one person doesn't bother another person.

 

For example, when I was delivering my program on "Take This Job and Love It! Managing Stress and Balancing Life ... On and Off the Job" for IBM, I asked the audience members to write down what stressed them out.  In a somewhat whimsical manner, their responses included such things as:

•           Bills travel through the mail at twice the speed of checks.

•           The hardness of butter is directly proportional to the softness of the bread.

•           You never really learn to swear until you learn to drive.

•           If you think nobody cares, try missing a couple of payments.

•           Success always occurs in private and failure in public.

 

Of course, we all got a good laugh out of that, but stress is not a laughing matter.  Indeed,

 

 

1.  Stress endangers your health, your relationships, your success, and even your peace of mind.

 

Two cardiologists ... Dr. Rosenman and Dr. Friedman ... made that abundantly clear in their research.  They couldn't help but notice that most of the patients they saw were what they called "Type A" people who had one, two, or three heart attacks, and often times a fatal heart attack.

 

They said Type A people had two major characteristics. 

 

One, they suffered from "hurry sickness."  It was important for them to be someplace else than where they were at the moment and they couldn't wait to get there.  They tended to be multi-taskers who would try to read the morning paper, watch the TV news, and chat with their families all at the same time ... and then be texting while driving to work.  Type A's are extremely impatient, sit on the edge of their chairs, finish sentences for you, and have great difficulty in just plain relaxing.  

 

Does any of that sound like you?

 

Or perhaps you have the second major characteristic of Type A people.  You suffer from free-floating hostility or anxiety.  You may not be angry at any one person or situation but angry at just about everything in life.  

 

The anger comes out in a myriad of ways.  Drumming your pencil on the desk during a staff meeting.  Physically hitting a table or speaking with a clenched fist through clenched teeth.  Or perhaps you're the kind of person who gets into line at one of the many fast-food establishments.  You carefully examine the check-out lines to see which one is the shortest.  You get into that line.  Ten seconds go by and you figure it's no big deal.  Twenty seconds go by and you begin to wonder if you picked the right line.  Thirty seconds go by and you're angry at the restaurant for not putting on more help.  Finally forty seconds into the wait you begin to think ... or even say out loud ... that you're never coming to this restaurant again.

 

You may be a full-fledged Type A person or have only a few of the characteristics.  But this is important.  Contrary to popular opinion, Rosenman and Friedman found that Type A's seldom rose to the top in a corporate hierarchy, not to mention all their other personal and professional relationships.

 

The most successful people were able to manage their stress effectively ... for their own benefit and everyone around them.  

 

 But let me get you started down that path with a few tips right now.

 

2.  Systematically eliminate the unnecessary.

 

That's right. Systematically eliminate as many unnecessary events, people, or activities from your life. Every one of those things carries a certain stress load with them.

 

You may need to say "no" to some things ... such as bringing work home with you, volunteering for five different charitable activities, or overprotecting your kids.  I remember having to say "it's over" with a single mom I was dating many years ago because she could never relax, and as a result, infected everyone around her with her anxiety.  For example, we couldn't even go to a movie without her getting up three or four times, walking out into the lobby, and calling the babysitter to check on her kids.  

 

You may need to eliminate your perfectionism because that always carries a stress load with it.  When I was speaking at Purina Nestle, Jeff Roark told me he was raised by a father who always said, "Anything worth doing is worth doing right!"  He was taught to be a perfectionist by a perfectionist father.

 

Years later, Jeff heard Marion Wade, the founder of Service Master say, "Anything worth doing is worth doing half right." In effect, Wade was saying if you wait until conditions are perfect before you act, you may never start and you will almost always lose out on something good.  Jeff told me, "As a recovering perfectionist, I now ask myself: 'Is this new idea or approach good enough to start getting some benefit out of it?'  If it is, I go ahead and do it, figuring 'I can always make it better in version 2.0.'"

 

3.  Consciously re-engineer the repetitive irritations.

 

You probably have some things in your life or your work that continue to bug you every day, every week, or at least on a fairly consistent basis.  Then it's time to figure out some other time or some other way to handle this irritation.

 

For me, it used to bother me big time to waste any time whatsoever.  I wanted to make every moment productive.  So I never wanted to arrive at the airport too early and then sit around and wait.  The result was leaving the office at the latest possible moment, rushing to the airport, hoping I wouldn't be stuck in traffic and miss my flight.  It was crazy behavior that I allowed to happen hundreds of times in the early years of my career ... until I re-engineered that part of my life.

 

Now I leave my office at least two or three hours before my flight so I don't have to worry about traffic, the car breaking down, or a road being closed.  I've always got enough time to use Plan B or C to get to the airport and catch my flight.  And instead of being frustrated at the airport while having to wait at the gate for the plane to take off, I relish that time as a time to catch up on my e-mails or read another chapter in a book.  It was a simple solution to a repetitive irritation that has paid off a thousand times.

 

My wife used to shop for groceries around 5:00 p.m. on a weeknight and would come home and talk about the long check-out lines, the cranky clerks coming to the end of their shifts, or the food items she wanted that were all sold out.  It was a major stressor that happened at least once a week until she re-engineered that part of her life.  After a two-minute chat with the customer service department at the grocery store, asking them about their quietest times, and after ten minutes of reflection on her own schedule, she found the perfect time to shop.  It cut her time and stress in half.  

 

What kinds of things are going on in your life or your work on a regular basis that stress you out?  Think about how you can re-engineer that task.

 

 

4.  Put things in perspective.

 

At the very moment you feel your stress level rising and your blood pressure elevating, STOP yourself for a second and put things in perspective.  Ask yourself one question:  "What difference will this stressor make five years from now?"  Before a situation can be stressful, you must first perceive it as threatening your happiness or success.  If you don't see it as threatening, you won't see it as any big deal and you won't get stressed out.

 

For example, if a coworker refuses to greet you in the morning and just walks by you with a grunt or diverted eyes, will that make any difference five years from now?  Probably not.  If your neighbor puts an ugly plastic pink flamingo in his front yard, will that make any difference five years from now?  Probably not.  So as they sing in the movie "Frozen," let it go.

 

On the other hand, if the stressor does indeed threaten your happiness or success, you should respond with appropriate assertiveness.  When two people from a political group came knocking on my door, pushing a cause that would threaten the very nature of American democracy, my guest, 80-year-old Sister Margaret Schweiss, stood up to them.  She clearly explained why she could never support their cause and asked them to leave.  After all, she knew if that political group had its way, it would make a huge difference five years from now.

 

Stress is not a disease you catch like the common cold.  Stress is a choice you make ... albeit sometimes unwittingly and unconsciously.  But stress is something you can manage.  And you can start with these tips.

 

ACTION:

 

Describe two regular irritations that you can re-engineer in your life so they become less stressful.

[PG Vargis]

A leader is like a river. Starts as a small stream. But gathers on the way other streams and becomes a mighty river – feeding people, cattle and agricultural lands and nourishing forests. It never stops working – day and night. A river exists for others and then vanishes.  You can be a Pampa river of Kerala or Ganges of India or Amazon. The choice is yours.

P G Vargis

=====================================================

Leadership note. Grow with me.

And share this with others. Let the world grow.

============================

PART I      DEVOTIONAL MESSAGE (COPIED)

 

 

Trials and Temptations

John Wimber, the US pastor and pioneer of the Vineyard movement, had a huge influence on the church around the world. He died at the age of sixty-three. Life had often been extremely difficult for him.

He had been subject to an outrageous amount of criticism. I remember him once saying to me, ‘Notoriety is fun for a short time, but after that it is just hassle.’ But perhaps what broke his heart more than anything was the fact that three of the men who were closest to him, whom he loved and treated as his sons, all fell into temptation and moral failure.

God used John Wimber in extraordinary ways, but he and his team faced many trials and temptations. This is how life is, and the Bible is not at all naïve about it. Usually, as we emerge from one battle, there is another one around the corner. This is the challenge of life.

 

PSALM 71:1-8

Take confidence in the Lord

This psalm is full of indications of difficulty and opposition. Yet through it all, the writer says, ‘From my birth I have relied on you’ (v.6). In the psalm we see three key aspects of what that reliance on God involves:

1.         Prayer

Here is a prayer that you can pray: ‘I run for dear life to God… get me out of this mess’ (vv.1–2, MSG).

2.         Patience

Once you have cried out for help and cast your burdens on the Lord, the next step is to hope in him with confidence (v.5): ‘You keep me going when times are tough... I’ve hung on you’ (vv.5–6, MSG).

3.         Praise

You can praise God before, during and after battles you face: ‘I’ll never run out of praise’ (v.8, MSG).

Lord, thank you that I can rely on you as I look to the future and the battles ahead.

 

ACTS 4:1-22

Take courage from being with Jesus

Authentic Christianity is bound to lead to opposition and trials of one sort or another. Here, the disciples have been put in jail and literally on trial. Effectively, they were charged with the crime of being Christians (though they didn’t go by that name at the time). There has not been a single period in church history when Christians have not been tried for this offence somewhere in the world.

It was not disputed that the man had been healed. In the Gospels it is Jesus who does the miracles; in Acts ordinary people do miracles in his name. When asked, ‘By what power or what name did you do this?’ (v.7), filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter replied, ‘It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead’ (v.10). Today, you can pray in this same powerful way.

Peter had the audacity to tell his judges that they were guilty of crucifying the saviour of the world. They had rejected and crucified Jesus. Peter had been frightened to admit to a servant girl that he even knew Jesus. Now, he is a changed person. He publically proclaims Jesus and the resurrection, in the court where Jesus was tried and 500 yards from where he was crucified.

The key was that Peter had encountered the risen Jesus and was ‘filled with the Holy Spirit’ (v.8). He now knew what Jesus had come to do and, through the Holy Spirit, Jesus was with him and helping him.

Peter continues, ‘salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved’ (v.12).

It is not surprising that ‘They couldn’t take their eyes off them – Peter and John standing there so confident, so sure of themselves! Their fascination deepened when they realized these two were laymen with no training in Scripture or formal education. They recognized them as companions of Jesus’ (v.13, MSG).

Peter and John may not have had much formal education, but they had been to ‘school with Jesus’. They were his disciples. They had been to the ‘College of God’s Word’. And now they were studying at the ‘University of the Holy Spirit’. Many of the people used greatly by God have had little formal education.

Peter and John were threatened and told not to speak about Jesus. But they replied, ‘We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard’ (v.20).

As they faced their judges, they were hugely helped by the fact that everyone could see what an amazing miracle had taken place. The forty-year-old healed man was standing there as living testimony to the power of Jesus (vv.14–21).

Lord, fill me with your Spirit and give me the same courage that Peter and John had so that I can go on proclaiming Jesus, whatever the cost and whatever the opposition. May we see outstanding miracles like those that you performed through your first followers.

 

2 SAMUEL 11:1-12:31

Take care to please God

In contemporary culture, the words ‘You are the man!’ (12:7) might be words of admiration! But these are among the most haunting words in the whole Bible. David had been found out. He had been tempted and had fallen into sin. He did it in secret and thought he had got away with it. But God sees everything. In one of the supreme understatements of the Bible we are told, ‘the thing David had done displeased the Lord’ (11:27).

Where did it all go wrong?

The point is often made that David’s first mistake was to remain in Jerusalem (v.1). If he had been out there fighting the battle with his people, he would have been less prone to temptation than sitting at home with rather too little to do. John Wimber often used to say, ‘It’s hard to sit still and be good.’ We are much less likely to fall into temptation when we are fully occupied and in the right place.

David gradually slipped. He saw a ‘stunningly beautiful woman’ bathing (v.2, MSG). There was no sin yet, only temptation. However, he must have given in to lustful adulterous thoughts because he made a plan, sent for her to sleep with him and sinned greatly.

Although by the standards of his day it was nothing compared to what other kings would have done, he then planned a cover-up that did not work. Eventually, it ended in the murder of Uriah. As often happens, sin led to more sin – and the cover-up was worse than the original sin.

David must have felt absolutely crushed at Nathan’s words: ‘You are the man! This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: “I anointed you… I delivered you… I gave you… And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more. Why did you despise the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in his eyes?”’ (12:7–9). Not only had David messed up badly, but he was also someone who should have known better.

Amazingly, God forgave David even this enormous sin (v.13). There is no sin or failing that is too great for God to forgive, and no situation into which God’s grace cannot reach. No matter what you have done, God can forgive you.

The key to receiving that forgiveness is admitting our guilt and repenting of what we have done. This is the great difference between David (whom God forgave when he sinned) and Saul (whom God did not). Whereas Saul tried to justify himself (see 1 Samuel 15), David simply admitted everything. He said, ‘I have sinned against the Lord’ (2 Samuel 12:13). In effect he just said, ‘I’m sorry!’

Forgiveness does not take away the consequences of our actions though. For David, the consequences were huge. His baby son died as a result (vv.13–14), and God warned him that, because of his violent actions, ‘the sword shall never depart from your house’ (v.10). The consequences of David’s sin were long lasting.

Nevertheless, this was not the end for David. God did not abandon him. Although his son died, there is hope. One day they will be reunited: ‘I will go to him, but he will not return to me’ (v.23). Not only that, but God gave to David another son, Solomon, and ‘The Lord loved him’ (v.24).

This account is a warning and an encouragement. It is a warning to us to take responsibility for our lives, to put in boundaries, to get help early and to watch and pray that we do not fall into temptation.

If you have fallen, like David admit your sin, confess, repent, grieve if necessary and then get on with your life looking forward to what God has in store for you. We all mess up from time to time. God forgives. He restores. He blesses us again.

Lord, guard my heart and the hearts of all your people, that we may be faithful to you.

 

PART II

 

 

Listed here are ten questions to help you evaluate your life and leadership at the end of each week. Take some time today to do some assessment.

•           Have I decreased, and Jesus increased during this past week? By looking at your schedule, activities, conversations, thoughts, and priorities, whose kingdom have you sought to build this week– God's or yours?

 

•           What do I know about God and His Word I didn't know last week? If you've learned nothing new, it's possible that: you haven't sought God through study this week; you've studied, but it's been routine and non-transforming; you've been a Christian so long you don't think much about any needed growth; and/or, you've stopped growing. None of these possibilities should mark a godly leader.

 

•           Would someone want to pray like I've prayed this week? Jesus' disciples watched and listened as Jesus spent intimate time with His Father — and they in turn wanted to pray like He did. Knowing your prayer life this past week, would you be pleased for someone to model his/her prayer life after yours?

 

•           Would my family say they are my priority based on this week's activities? You can't answer this question, of course, on your own–but you can take the risk to ask it. How would your spouse answer this question? your children? What or who would they say is most important to you?

•           With whom did I attempt to share the gospel this week? Some evangelistic attempts do not result in your proclaiming the whole message, but we are never given permission to do less than share the Word with others. Did you at least make legitimate attempts to do so this week? Are you praying for those persons?

 

•           Who will walk more with Christ next week because he/she learned from me this week? This question hits at your disciple making work this week. If no one learned from you in an intentional mentoring relationship, I doubt it's because no one wanted to walk with you. More often it's because we haven't prioritized mentoring like Jesus did.

 

•           Did I hide anything this past week (and, more pointedly, am I hiding anything now)? The devil works in our secrets. He delights in our darkness, even when our outward Christian walk appears to be solid. Godly leaders, on the other hand, know that nothing less than honest confession and heartbroken repentance bring our sin under the light of God's forgiveness.

 

•           If I were to step out of my leadership role today, would the work continue well without me? You may be new in your role, but even new leaders must quickly seek to improve their organizations. If the work you lead would be seriously stymied by your departure, you may not be leading the organization well. In fact, you may be committing idolatry of the self if you are the center of the work.

 

•           What would my immediate reports say about my leadership this week? They hear your words, watch your reactions, and examine your life. They know when you say one thing and do another. They recognize when you lead reactively rather than proactively. Your reports can probably tell you whether you’ve been a good leader this week.

 

•           What are my plans for leading better next week? An evaluation without an intentional plan for improvement is an exercise in futility. What will you do differently next week? What steps will you take to improve? Who will hold you accountable to these plans?

Which question above most challenges you?

[PG Vargis]

A leader is like a river. Starts as a small stream. But gathers on the way other streams and becomes a mighty river – feeding people, cattle and agricultural lands and nourishing forests. It never stops working – day and night. A river exists for others and then vanishes.  You can be a Pampa river of Kerala or Ganges of India or Amazon. The choice is yours.

P G Vargis

=====================================================

Leadership note. Grow with me.

And share this with others. Let the world grow.

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PART I      DEVOTIONAL MESSAGE (COPIED)

 

 

Satisfy Your Soul

Bernhard Langer was one of the best golfers of his generation, twice winning the US Masters and at one time topping the world golf rankings. He said, ‘I had… won seven events in five different continents; I was number one in the world and I had a beautiful young wife. Yet there was something missing.

‘The lifestyle we all (especially us sportsmen) are leading – it is all about money and who you are and who you know and what you have and these things aren’t really the most important things. I think people who have these things, they realise that… there is still something missing in their life and I believe that is Jesus Christ.’

The spiritual emptiness that Bernhard Langer is describing is common to all humanity. One young woman said to me that she felt there was ‘a chunk missing in her soul’. You are not simply body and mind. You are a soul created for relationship with God. How then do you satisfy your soul?

 

PSALM 63:1-11

Seek God day and night

Spiritual ‘food’ is just as real as physical food and it satisfies us in a way that cannot be satisfied by anything physical.

David was in the desert. He knew what physical thirst and physical hunger were like. But he also knew and experienced spiritual thirst: ‘My soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water’ (v.1). And he knew what it was like for his spiritual hunger to be satisfied: ‘My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods’ (v.5a).

His spiritual hunger and thirst are satisfied as he worships God: ‘So here I am in the place of worship, eyes open, drinking in your strength and glory’ (v.2, MSG).

He lifts his hands as an expression of adoration, reverence and surrender: ‘Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands’ (vv.3–4). Lifting up hands is the oldest gesture of prayer. As Pope Emeritus Benedict writes, ‘This gesture is the radical form of worship... To open oneself to God, to surrender oneself completely to him.’

What do you do when you can’t sleep or you have wakeful moments in the night? David says that he worships and praises God, ‘I remember You upon my bed and meditate on You in the night watches’ (v.6, AMP).

As he pours out his heart in worship day and night to God, David discovers strength and support. He writes, ‘Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me’ (vv.7–8).

Lord, I seek you today. Thank you that you satisfy my soul as with the richest of food and quench my spiritual thirst. Thank you that your love is better than life.

 

JOHN 10:22-42

Communicate with God through Jesus

How do you and I communicate with God?

Communication with Jesus is communication with God. Those who met Jesus understood he was claiming to be God (v.33). When he said, ‘I and the Father are one’ (v.30) and ‘the Father is in me, and I in the Father’ (v.38), there was no ambiguity in the ears of his hearers. His opponents understood it as blasphemy – ‘because you, a mere human being, claim to be God’ (v.33) – and they picked up stones to stone him (vv.31–33).

Jesus communicated with his disciples and he continues to communicate with us. He says, ‘My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me’ (v.27). We see here the marks of a true Christian:

•           Believing in Jesus

There is a contrast in this passage between those who ‘believed in Jesus’ (v.42) and those who ‘do not believe’ (vv.25–26). Belief in Jesus means believing in him when he says, ‘I am God’s Son’ (v.36) and putting your trust in him.

•           Knowing Jesus

Jesus says, ‘my sheep listen to my voice. I know them…’ (v.27). To be a Christian is to recognise and follow the voice of Jesus. This is what defines a Christian – not so much knowledge about Jesus, but actually knowing him. This is then followed up by the wonderful declaration that Jesus also knows us.

•           Following Jesus

Jesus says, ‘they follow me’ (v.27). It affects your life. As Jesus said elsewhere, ‘By their fruit you will recognise them’ (Matthew 7:16,20). James wrote, ‘Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead’ (James 2:17). The primary evidence of faith is love. Those who follow Jesus will follow his example of love.

Jesus promises every true Christian: ‘I give them eternal life’ (John 10:28). This is not just about quantity of life; it is also about quality. Jesus satisfies our spiritual hunger and thirst. In a relationship with Jesus we find this deep soul satisfaction that cannot be found anywhere else.

Jesus promises that this relationship with him will go on forever. It starts now, but it is ‘eternal’ (v.28). Those who follow Jesus will ‘never perish’ (v.28). This is a gift (‘I give them eternal life’, v.28). It cannot be earned, nor can it be lost. Jesus promises, ‘no one can snatch them out of my hand… no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand’ (vv.28–29).

There may be many struggles and temptations along the way, but ultimately the hand of Jesus and the hand of the Father are engaged together in protecting you. A Christian may lose their job, their money, their family, their liberty and even their life, but they can never lose eternal life.

Thank you, Lord, that I can listen to your voice, that I can know you and that you give me eternal life. Thank you that you promise that I will never perish and that no one can snatch me out of your hand. Thank you that in this relationship I find soul satisfaction both now and forevermore.

 

1 SAMUEL 1:1-2:26

Pour out your heart and soul to God

Is there something you want desperately from God?

It is almost inevitable that at times in our lives we will feel ‘distress of soul’ (1:10, AMP). Never allow bitterness to eat away in your heart – but, like Hannah, pour it out to the Lord. ‘Crushed in soul, Hannah prayed to God and cried and cried – inconsolably’ (v.10, MSG).

There is nothing more releasing than to pour out your soul before the Lord – to tell him what your problems are, rather than carrying them around yourself – and to ask him for the solution, and then to receive the peace of God (Philippians 4:6–7).

Relief from her anguish comes to Hannah long before she actually sees the answer to her prayer.

This is a beautiful picture of heartfelt prayer from the depth of the soul. ‘As she kept on praying to the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard’ (1 Samuel 1:12–13a). Eli accuses her of being drunk. She replies, ‘Not so, my lord… I am a woman who is deeply troubled… I was pouring out my soul to the Lord… I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief’ (vv.15–16).

Eli tells her, ‘Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him’ (v.17). And as she left her face was no longer downcast: ‘She ate heartily, her face radiant’ (v.18, MSG). She knew deep down that God had heard her prayer and, indeed, ‘the Lord remembered her’ (v.19). In fact, God more than answered her prayer. Not only did he give her the child she longed for, she gave birth to six children (2:21).

Meanwhile, ‘the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favour with the Lord and with people’ (v.26). This is the prayer we have prayed so often for our children.

Hannah’s prayer after Samuel’s birth is a vivid demonstration of the soul satisfaction that she experiences through her relationship with God. She prays and thanks God that ‘those who were hungry hunger no more’ (v.5).

The amazing revelation in Hannah’s prayer is that the supreme source of her joy is not her child, but in the Lord. She says, ‘My heart rejoices in the Lord’ (v.1). He is the source of soul satisfaction:

‘I’m walking on air... God brings life... he rekindles burned-out lives with fresh hope, restoring dignity and respect to their lives’ (vv.1,6,8, MSG).

Lord, thank you for amazing answers to prayer, which you give when I pour out my soul to you. Thank you that sometimes you answer my prayers in remarkable ways. But whether I receive what I specifically ask for or not, thank you that you promise me your peace.

 

PART II

 

 

5 Simple Tips for a More Positive Attitude

I was flying across the country, on my way to deliver a full-day seminar, and I noticed that the man sitting next to me looked rather down.  So, I greeted him with a cheerful, “How are you?”

“Okay,” he answered.  Then he added, “How are you?”

“Great!” I said.

The man responded by saying, “You sound too cheerful for me. In fact, you make me tired just listening to you.”

I thought that was the end of the conversation and it was, for a few minutes. Then he asked what me what I did for a living. I explained that I was a professional speaker, but some people might call me a motivational speaker.

Right out of nowhere, the man said, “Then tell me something. Why does everything go wrong for me?”

I didn’t know.  I had never seen the man before. But I said, “Perhaps if you’ll talk for a few minutes, we can figure it out.”

For the next thirty minutes he went on and on about all his difficulties. And he repeated the same negative thoughts over and over.

Then all of a sudden the man exclaimed, “Hold it. Hold it. I know why everything goes wrong for me. It just came to me. Everything goes wrong for me because I’m wrong. I think wrong, speak wrong, and act wrong. I’m just too negative all the time.”

“That’s probably true,” I told him.

So we spent the next few minutes talking about how he could get rid of his negative attitude. He seemed extremely willing to give my advice a try. And I’m glad to report that sometime later he sent me an email saying his new, more positive attitude was paying off big time.

You see, few things in life are more valuable than your attitude. Your emotional health, your relational stability, your professional achievements, in fact, just about everything is rooted in your attitude.

Here are five tips to build and maintain a more positive attitude in yourself.

 

 

1. Never Underestimate the Power of a Positive Attitude.

 

Motivational researcher Dale Carnegie said, “Happiness doesn’t depend upon who you are or what you have; it depends on what you think.”

And James Allen, a motivational author had this to say about a positive attitude, “Man’s rise or fall, success or failure, happiness or unhappiness depends on his attitude.”

It’s no surprise that the latest psychological research confirms the truth of their observations.

Unfortunately, too many people live with a negative attitude too much of the time. Benjamin Franklin said, “Most people die at age 18, but we don’t bury them until they’re 65.”

I like to play a game with some of my audience members. I will ask someone, “How long have you been alive?” The audience member will say something like “43 years.”

I’ll say, “No. That’s how long your heart has been beating. How long have you been ALIVE? How long have you been on fire?”

Then the audience “gets” it. They get to understand that it’s their attitude that’s pushing them forward or holding them back.

 

 

2. Be Wary of Negative Input.

 

The news coverage, for example, is 90% negative. Only 10% of the stories have a humorous or human interest slant. And if there isn’t enough bad news on a particular day, the networks will replay old video clips on the anniversaries of certain disasters. That’s why it may be more accurate to say CNN stands for “Constant Negative News.”

What’s the result? We end up with a culture that would rather tear people down than build them up. And according to psychologist Dr. Terry Paulson, we end up with people who have an internal dialogue that is 80% negative. In fact, if we said some of the same negative things to our employees that we say to ourselves, they could file a grievance and win.

 

 

3. Take Responsibility for Your Attitude.

 

After all, YOU are responsible.  No one gave you a negative attitude and no one can give you a positive attitude.  Somehow or other, YOU chose to “rise and whine” rather than to “rise and shine.”

Of course, I know it’s fashionable or “cool” to joke about one’s attitude. Comedian W. C. Fields said, “Start every day with a smile and get it over with.” One negative person even carried a card in his wallet that read, “In case of accident, I’m not surprised.”

Those are funny comments, but do notice one thing.  In both cases, the people making the wisecracks chose their own negative attitude over a more positive attitude.

 

 

4. Identify Your Most Common Negative Thoughts.

 

Just listen to yourself for a day or two. Don’t try to change anything. Just observe the negative thoughts that come to mind. You may find that you tell yourself things like, “I’m too old to do that anymore … I’m such a jerk … I’ll never get ahead … I just can’t lose any weight … or …I ‘m no good at selling.” You’ll probably end up with a list of five to ten phrases that you repeat over and over again.

Here’s a key action point – Practice stopping those negative thoughts.

Every time one of those negative thoughts comes to mind, think “Stop! Stop, you negative thought. Now. Stop it.” You may have to do this ten or twenty times before the thought goes away.

If thinking “Stop” doesn’t work at first, try saying “Stop” out loud. That’s right, shout it out. Say it firmly, authoritatively. Notice how well the technique works for you.

If you’re still struggling with a particular negative thought after a period of time, use the hand signals for “Stop.” Just like a traffic cop puts up his hand to signal “Stop,” put up your hand to “Stop” a negative thought. You can even say it and do it at the same time.

Try these three “stopping” exercises. You’ll probably find that one of them works better for you than another. That’s fine. Keep on using it. You will soon master the skill and eliminate the negative thought.

And then…

 

 

5. Stop Speaking in Negatives.

 

It’s a vicious cycle.  If you think negatively, you’ll speak negatively. And if you speak the negative, you’ll also think the negative.

Instead of saying, “It’s going to rain. It’s going to be a bad day,” say “It’s going to be a wonderful day.” Instead of saying, “There’s no way I can pay these bills,” say “I’ll find a way to get through this.”

By speaking with positive conviction, you are, in a sense, conditioning your mind to be more positive. You are taking control of your thoughts rather than have them control you. You are affirming that great line in William Ernest Henley’s poem, Invictus. He wrote, “I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul.”

Tomorrow morning brings another day. I challenge you to “rise and shine.” Once and for all throw out the “rise and whine.” You’ll be glad you did, and so will everyone else in your world.

 

Final Thought – You can absolutely build and maintain a positive attitude. These 5 steps are a great start. For some practical tips on taking your attitude even higher, I encourage you to pick up a copy of my best-selling book, Pivot: How One Turn in Attitude Can Lead to Success