David Patterson's Tune-Up Station

WORSHIP LEADS THE WAY TO VICTORY

2011-11-20T12:37:00.000-08:00

A huge enemy army was on its way to crush Judah. When King Jehoshaphat became aware of the impending invasion, the enemy was just days away from Jerusalem. This was long before the invention of any kind of rapid communication, so unless someone came and told you what was coming, it would be upon you before you had any knowledge. In many ways it’s still the same today, as problems often arrive suddenly with little or no prior knowledge.

King Jehoshaphat was alarmed and overwhelmed by the impending attack, so he prayed and called for a nationwide time of fasting (2 Chronicles 20:3). This is a very rich chapter and I can only touch on part of it in this article. We will visit here again in the near future.

Jehoshaphat led his nation in prayer and together they cried out to God for help (vv. 6-12). The heart of that prayer is, “We have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on You” (v. 12, NKJV).

The answer to this prayer came through one of the Levitical worship team members who began to prophesy and brought the Word of the Lord to the nation. The essence of the word was, “Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s . . . . You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you . . . . Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.” (20:15-17, NKJV).

Jehoshaphat’s response to this powerful word was instantaneous and important. The king immediately bowed before the Lord as an act of submission and acceptance of the Word of the Lord and in worship. The whole nation followed his lead and they too bowed and worshipped.

The next day the people of Judah did as they were instructed and went out and positioned themselves to fight with the Word of the Lord still ringing in their ears, “The battle is not yours, but God’s.”

What happens next is truly enlightening. Jehoshaphat appointed a group of worshippers to go out in front of the army to “sing to the Lord . . . praise the beauty of holiness . . . they went out before the army and were saying: ‘Praise the Lord, for His mercy endures forever’” (20:21).

What a powerful truth we are given: Worship leads on the road to victory! Will we ever learn?

As the people of God were worshipping and praising, miraculous things began to happen. “The Lord set ambushes against the enemy” (v. 22). The Lord had some surprises in store for the enemy and suddenly the invading armies began to fight among themselves. When one army had destroyed the other, the warriors of the victorious army began to fight among themselves. Worship brings confusion and discord into the ranks of our enemy. Worship leads the way on the road to victory! Will we ever learn?

The Lord made these truths real to me during my months of treatment for cancer. There were many nights when sleep was impossible; wherever sleep was, it wasn’t in my neighborhood. I am most susceptible to anxiety and fear when I am alone and it is quiet, and most often this is at night. When I am tired and not feeling well, the combination of all components provides an open door for fear to take hold. I learned when this began to happen that I needed to begin to worship and praise Him. As I entered into worship, many times I would sense the presence of the Lord but even if I didn’t I found that as I worshipped, the fear that was trying to get a grip on me would be overwhelmed by the worship. Worship led me and kept me on the road to victory.

How do you worship when all hell is breaking loose around you and things seem impossible? It’s my experience that you just begin by thanking and praising Him for your salvation, for the Holy Spirit, for the Word, for the privilege of prayer, for the many blessings that He has given. The more you worship and magnify Him, the more things will come to mind, and the more you praise, the more His presence will manifest itself (Psalm 22).

Now that I am on the other side of the cancer treatment, there are still many nights that I am awake, so I get up and go to the den or into my office and spend time worshipping Him. Why? Because He loves me, I love Him, and I want to stay on the road to victory!

But doesn’t 1 John 5:4 (NKJV) say, “And this is the victory that has overcomes the world—our faith”? Yes, it does—and what is worship but an act and expression of faith? The people of Judah acted in faith when they were obedient to the direction of God’s Word and they acted in faith by letting worship lead them into battle and on to victory.

IN THE ARK OF SAFETY

2011-11-06T06:30:00.000-08:00

At times it is difficult to process all the voices trying to talk to us, trying to get our attention:

• The secular media are on us all day, every day, trying to catch our attention, trying to put their agenda across, trying to get us to listen. The political agendas of America have found their voices in sound bytes picked up by the secular media and pushed at us as news.

• Our friends, and some not-so-friendlies, are constantly “talking” to us by cell phone, e-mail and the newest phenom of Facebook, Twitter and other social network sites. The volume here has turned up considerably in the last couple of years.

• Our families are in touch, thankfully, some almost every day—and these are welcome voices.

• God is talking! Can we hear Him over the noise of the life going on around us?

The voices are constant and at times, for our own sanity, we need to shut the door and listen to the One Who really has the answers.

I found this to be especially true a couple of weeks ago when David Wilkerson published his message “An Urgent Word.” Carol and I read the printed message when it came out on Saturday, March 7, and I admit that while I was not surprised, I was a bit stunned as I read it. The very next day, to my total surprise, a summation of David’s article appeared on The Drudge Report (which gets up to 26 million hits a day) and then the voices really started chattering about the prophetic announcement.

From the local newspaper in Tyler, Texas, to a mention in The Wall Street Journal by columnist Peggy Noonan, to countless references on blog sites and Web sites across the globe, the voices began talking about David’s prophetic insight. Joining the fray, of course, are the so-called “protectors of the truth” like Hank Hanagraff, who takes every opportunity he can to knock down everyone who doesn’t believe as he does. (Note to Hank: You are probably not going to be happy with your neighbors in heaven!) One of the articles I read was written by noted Baptist pastor John Piper who did a very credible job of exegeting 1 Thessalonians 5:20 but then blew it all when he said that he felt David’s suggestion about laying in store a 30-day supply of non-perishable foods was “extra-biblical.” (Note to John: Your prejudice is showing and this made you look petty and silly.)

Finally I stopped reading the articles; I closed the door and listened for what the Lord was trying to say to me about all of this. God didn’t talk to me about the article right away; He went to other issues first. First, the Lord reminded me that I have known David Wilkerson as a friend for over forty years. I know he is a man of prayer and I know that God talks to him. I trust David Wilkerson; he is a man of integrity and he is a man of the Word. Also, he is a man with a proven track record of faithful ministry. David is also a man of courage who has been willing to speak out even when others didn’t like it, and that’s more than I can say for a lot of other pastors and leaders who give voice only to popular things, things the crowds want to hear.

The next thing the Lord had me do was go to Genesis and read again the story of Noah and the flood. I read about how God spoke to Noah and when he shared what he had heard, nobody believed him; they thought he was crazy. I realized the flood was a type of the judgment of God on the sin of the world. God had Noah prepare an ark to house his family and a remnant of all living creatures. The ark, I realized, was more than a physical structure. It was the result of Noah’s faith and obedience and these, too, are where our deliverance and safety lies.

(Genesis 7:17-18 NIV).“For forty days the flood kept coming on the earth, and as the waters increased they lifted the ark high above the earth. The waters rose and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water”

Noah and his family were safe because Noah listened to God, stepped out in faith and followed His instructions to the letter.

Our ark of safety in the coming storm is constructed by our faith and obedience. Our ark will ride on the surface of the waters just as Noah’s did!

“Don’t ask God to guide your steps if you are not willing to move your feet” (author unknown).

THE TRAGEDY AT LAODICEA

2011-10-16T10:23:00.000-07:00

Just as I was preparing to write this post, “The Tragedy at Laodicea,” Carol forwarded to me an article by a respected prophecy teacher referring to “the time of the Laodicean church” being now! Again, I was struck by the timeliness of the Holy Spirit’s leading. I trust that through this article I can show you something the Holy Spirit has been making real to me in just the last few days about the times in which we live, the Laodicean church, and the tragedy that happened there.

We are first introduced to the Laodicean church in Colossians 2:1. Neither the Colossian nor the Laodicean church were actually begun by Paul but he loved and ministered to them as a friend and an apostle. It is very likely that the church in Laodicea was begun by one of the converts from the Colossian church, which was just ten miles away.

Laodicea was a prosperous city, well known for its production of quality wool for clothing and also for its beautiful and luxurious carpets. As was the custom of this day, the church of Laodicea met in a private home (Colossians 4:15). As Paul concludes his letter to the Colossians, he instructs the brethren to make certain that the letter is also read to the church at Laodicea and that the letter he wrote to Laodicea be read to the Colossian church (4:16). The letter to the Laodiceans is no longer in existence.

When Jesus speaks of the church at Laodicea in Revelation 3, He uses very strong and descriptive words to describe what is happening: “Because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. . . . You say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked—” (Revelation 3:14-17).

What could have happened to the church of Laodicea and why do I speak of this as a tragedy?

We get some insight into what happened through a warning Paul issued to both churches in Colossians 2, that false teachers would come with a message of bondage that would try to lead them away from the centrality of Christ.

In Colossians 2:8, Paul specifically warns that the false teachers would try and introduce contemporary pagan philosophy into the church in the guise of “new and progressive” Christianity. Through their teaching, Paul warned, the false teachers would bring “basic principles of the world,” indicating that the false teaching primarily would be concerned with visible and perishable things that would replace the centrality of Christ (also see also Galatians 4:3).

So what is the tragedy at Laodicea? The scope of the tragedy begins to unfold in the words of Christ Himself in Revelation 3:20: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.”

The tragedy is that Jesus is no longer in this once thriving church—He is no longer central to the church. Jesus is on the outside, knocking and calling out to His bride, who has gone whoring after others. This church, birthed in a move of God’s Spirit, has totally lost its way; it has lost its focus; it has lost Christ as the center of its being. Jesus Christ is no longer the head of this church. He has become a fond memory, a piece of stained glass, an icon hanging on the wall—but He is no longer the living, vibrant center/head. Christ is not worshipped in this church but has been largely replaced by a preoccupation with self and its needs.

This is a tragedy of unspeakable magnitude! It is a description of large segments of the church in America where wealth, success, acceptance and political correctness are celebrated and Jesus is rarely mentioned or worshipped. Thankfully, the Laodicean spirit has not gripped the whole church. There is still a bride who loves and cherishes the Bridegroom. Her garments are white, her praise is loud and clear, she refuses to be seduced or compromised by the beggarly elements of the world, and her eyes are fixed upon her Beloved. This is the overcoming church who will sit with Christ on His throne (3:21).

The tragedy of Laodicia did not have to happen—but it did! And the tragedy will be compounded if we do not learn from this.

THIS IS WHAT THE LORD SAYS.....

2011-03-11T02:55:00.000-08:00

It was more than difficult to sit in the medical office listening to the treatment plan and being advised of the difficulties and pain of the weeks ahead. To have medical professionals describe the cancerous tumor on my neck as difficult to deal with because of its location was not greatly encouraging. All in all, it was a painful and discouraging hour.

About seven or eight weeks ago I discovered a swelling on the left side of my neck right along the jaw in the lymph gland area. After a couple of trips to the doctor, treatment by antibiotics, a CT Scan and a needle biopsy, my doctor called to tell me that the growth was cancerous. That set off a whole string of other doctors getting involved. Suddenly I had a medical oncologist, a radiation oncologist, an ear-nose-throat surgeon, and I had more scans and additional biopsies taken from my throat and tongue. I can heartily recommend that you not have your tonsils removed at my age! That procedure opened up a door of pain and discomfort that I have not experienced before.

Before Carol and I sat down with the radiation oncologist’s staff to hear them lay out for us the treatment plan and fully explain what would be involved, we prepared ourselves both spiritually and medically for what was to come.

Spiritually we have taken our stand for healing. We both believe that God heals the sick and our foundational healing Scriptures are Isaiah 53:4-5 and Psalm 91:1-3. We had the elders of our church anoint me with oil and pray for healing; we have enlisted an army of family and friends to stand with us in prayer and faith; and every day I cry out to God for healing. I know that the Lord has not given this infirmity to me and I also know that He has not, at this time, taken it from me. I understand that right now this is the “deep water” I am to walk through and I am at peace.

On the medical side the Lord has supernaturally led us to some of the very best cancer specialists in this area. The doors have opened for almost immediate appointments and the care has been incredible.

All through the process I knew the doctors were not telling us everything about the level of difficulty and the side effects of the treatment. I can tell when someone is holding something back but eventually most of that came out. The radiation nurse told us, “I wish I could tell you different but the last couple of weeks of treatment are going to be hellish. The pain and soreness in the neck and throat is going to build up until you won’t want to eat or drink anything because it will just be too painful.”

It was a sober drive home and in the SUV Carol reminded me of a passage of Scripture that I had shared with our daughter Leslie the day before. I had printed out a copy of Isaiah 43 and it was sitting on my desk when I got home. The passage reads like God participated in the conversation in the doctor’s office and He was now having the final word.

“But now, this is what the Lord says—he who created you….he who formed you…. Do not fear, for I have redeemed you…you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God…you are precious and honored in my sight and because I love you…do not be afraid, for I am with you… (Isaiah 43:1-5 NIV).

I am not writing this blog post to elicit pity or sympathy…frankly I don’t want either. I have prepared this because some of you, like me, are going through your own deep waters, your own fires of tribulation, and a few of you are about ready to give up. His promise to you is the same as it is to me: “You are mine…you are precious and honored in my sight…I love you…do not be afraid!”

We do go through treacherous experiences but He will be with us to protect and keep us. We will pass through rivers of trouble and pain that will threaten to overwhelm us but He will not allow that to happen—His hand will restrain the destruction. We will go through fires of temptation and affliction; we’ll feel the heat but we will not be burned nor will we be destroyed.

I love God more today than I ever have in my life. I trust Him and because I am passing through deep waters doesn’t mean that somehow I have failed Him or that I am lacking in faith. It means I am passing through deep waters and He will show Himself strong on my behalf.

“My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (Jesus to the Apostle Paul, 2 Corinthians 12:9).

“For when I am weak, then I am strong” (Paul’s declaration, 2 Corinthians 12:10).

YOU WERE BORN TO FLY!

2010-11-22T12:21:00.000-08:00

One of the more interesting visual images given in Scripture is that of the eagle. Two brief passages present the imagery of the eagle; the first passage presents the visual of God likened to an eagle caring for its children and the second passage likens the people of God to the eagle.

As an eagle stirs up its nest, Hovers over its young, Spreading out its wings, taking them up, Carrying them on its wings, So the LORD alone led him, And there was no foreign god with him. (Deuteronomy 32:11-12, NKJV)·

But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. (Isaiah 40:31 NIV; also see Exodus 19:4 NIV)

So, what do you think? If the parent is referred to as an eagle and the child is, too, what does that mean? Yes, that’s right! We were born to fly, to soar like the eagle!

Eagles are known for their ability to soar high above the earth. Some eagles are reported to be able to catch a thermal draft and fly 15,000 to 20,000 feet high. But the ability to fly is not something that eagles are born with—they have to learn this skill. Eagles are not eagles if they cannot fly! Turkeys don’t fly, they strut and cackle!

Eagles build their nests far above the earth, usually at the top of a tall tree high up on the side of a cliff or mountain. In a few minutes you will understand why.

Mom and dad eagle build the nest from sticks and then they pad the interior with feathers, down, grass and leaves. They don’t want their babies to have sticks poking them all day long so they make sure the nest is comfortable and softly lined.

An eaglet has a pretty good life. A great view, a soft bed, and room service throughout the day as mom and dad bring in the latest menu items of road kill.

Baby is growing and enjoying this good life. How easy it would be to spend the rest of one’s life living in this kind of laid-back comfort.

One day mother eagle seems to lose her mind. Instead of bringing the hungry eaglets food, she hovers over the nest and with the downdraft of her powerful wings she blows all the comfortable padding out of the nest. The comfort flies away and what’s left are the eaglets and a less-than-comfortable bed of sticks. But, hey, this is still a pretty good life, with room service and a great view.

But with the stirring of the nest everything begins to change. Instead of bringing the food into the nest, mom and dad start having the children come to them. First, the children have to climb up and get their food at the edge of the nest. Well, that’s new and a little inconvenient, but the children handle it. Then one day no more service into the nest at all. Instead, the parents hover with the food just outside the nest and baby is forced to climb to the edge and stretch out and take the food. A few days later, parents have moved back a little further and as hungry baby tries to reach for the food, it slips and begins to fall.

Baby cannot fly because it has no strength in its unused wings, so down it tumbles and “it ain’t flying but it’s sure trying.” Mother is ready for this and she swoops down and under the falling child, catches it and carries it back to the nest. Baby is unharmed and safe because mother is there.

The next day it’s the same thing. Down goes the child with wings flapping and flapping but it has not learned to fly—yet. Over and over the lesson is repeated and slowly strength comes into the baby’s wings. One day as baby falls and instinctively begins to flap its wings, suddenly everything begins to work and it begins to fly for the first time. Baby is not a baby anymore; now it’s an eagle because eagles know how to fly.

Mother had not lost her mind when she stirred the nest and blew the comfort out of the eaglet’s life. Mother knew that for an eagle to be an eagle, it had to learn to fly.

God will stir our nest and at times He will remove the comfort from our life. He knows that left to our own ways we will choose comfort over faith and so the training begins.

God knows that we have to learn to walk by faith, because without faith we cannot do His work and we cannot please Him.

He will never leave you nor forsake you. He will never be inattentive to your cry but He will stir your nest and teach you to fly because, “They shall mount up with wings as eagles.”

You were born to fly!

GOD'S STIMULUS PROGRAM

2010-08-24T09:51:00.000-07:00

(Written in March of 2009)

As I write this article, American news is filled with articles and comments regarding the “stimulus” bill that was signed by the President just days ago. While it will take time, perhaps even years, before we can really know what this particular piece of legislation has accomplished, the initial response from Wall Street and the world financial markets has not been very positive. It has already begun, but in the days ahead we will hear a great deal of “explaining” by both sides of the issue attempting to help us understand why the stimulus has or has not worked. I know this is cynical, but the lawmakers in Washington treat the general public like we are mushrooms—they keep us in the dark and spread manure on us.

God has a stimulus program that does work and it works in good times and bad.

Genesis 26:1-3, 12 says: “There was a famine in the land…. Then the LORD appeared to him (Isaac) and said: “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I shall tell you. Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father…. Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the LORD blessed him.”

When the economy tightens, our natural tendency is to respond by tightening our belts. We tighten things up financially by cutting down on discretionary spending, and that’s not bad. For the believer, however, giving needs to be separated out of our discretionary file. I don’t give to my church or to the work of the Lord using the same consideration as I do when I am considering buying an extra pair of socks or taking my wife out to dinner. When it comes to giving, I do not weigh the positives and the negatives and see which one carries the most weight. If you do that when considering your giving, you will never give. I give because it is a part of my worship and I understand that God blesses a giving and generous spirit. I refuse to allow any taint of legalism or legalistic principles to get into my giving. I give because I want to, I have purposed to, and it is a joy!

Isaac sowed in the midst of a famine because he understood the law of sowing and reaping. “Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (Galatians 6:7b) and, “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously” (2 Corinthians 9:6).

So what do we do as the economy continues to falter and inflation begins to show its ugly face? What were God’s instructions to Isaac? “Don’t go back to Egypt.” Don’t allow worldly principles to guide your decisions. “Live in the land of which I shall tell you.” Stay firm in the faith and in the truth of God’s unwavering care for His children.

God’s promise to His children was really quite simple:

· Don’t stop living as a Kingdom dweller; don’t stop giving because we are in a famine. If we give into that line of thinking, there will always be a famine of one thing or another to stop you from giving to the Lord’s work. If you are not a giver then you need to start, right now, because you are missing the blessing of the Lord. Giving is not going to affect your salvation and you are not cursed if you don’t give, but you will miss out on a lot of the blessing that God promises to the generous!

· Listen for the voice of the Lord and He will speak to you. God has been very precious in speaking to Carol and me in the last few months about our lifestyle and some adjustments He has asked us to make. If God can talk to a hardhead like me, He can certainly talk to you—and He will.

· God promises to be with you. In a way, this is the best promise of all…to know that God is with us, right here, right now! God is with us! If that’s not security, then nothing can be!

· God promises to bless His obedient children. I believe in the law of sowing and reaping. In the natural, if you sow carrot seeds you don’t reap pumpkins. In the spiritual world, when we sow our financial gifts as an act of worship, it is foolish to think that the only way we are going to reap is to reap monetarily. When we give and release it to the Lord, then He promises to bless us and He will do it in the way that He knows will meet our needs and circumstances the best.

So, do you want to “stimulate your harvest?” Plant more seed!

OVERCOMING FEAR AND ANXIETY

2010-07-10T07:24:00.000-07:00

Matthew 6:25-34 (NIV)

25 Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?

26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

28 And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.

29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.

30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'

32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.

33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV)

…God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

John 14:1, 27 (NLT)

Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.

I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.

Psalm 23:4 (NLT)

4 Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.

(The shepherd’s rod is a symbol of the Word; it is with us to protect, guide and comfort us. The shepherd’s staff is a type of the Holy Spirit who also is with us to guide, protect and comfort.)

Psalm 91 (New Living Translation)

1 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

2 This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him.

3 For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease.

4 He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection.

5 Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day.

6 Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday.

7 Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you.

8 Just open your eyes, and see how the wicked are punished.

9 If you make the Lord your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter,

10 no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home.

11 For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go.

12 They will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.

13 You will trample upon lions and cobras; you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet!

14 The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name.

15 When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them.
16 I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation.”

Philippians 4:4-7 (New Living Translation)

4 Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!

5 Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.

6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.

7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

I HAD A DREAM (ISAIAH 47)

2010-04-18T09:35:00.000-07:00

(Originally posted on Feb. 12, 2009)

It is rare for me to recall a dream, so what happened recently got my attention. Most of the time when I awake, a faint memory of my dreams may remain but then fade away like the mist on a warm, humid summer morning.

One morning last week I vividly recalled an incident in a dream. A man was standing facing away from me but I heard him say, “Isaiah 47.” I don’t know what I replied, but whatever it was caused the man to turn toward me and say very clearly a second time, “Isaiah 47.”

I started my day as usual but couldn’t shake what I had heard. I sat at my desk and read Isaiah 47, which in my study Bible is captioned, “The Humiliation of Babylon.”

I have struggled with whether or not to write this article, but I finally decided to share some of the main points with you and let you be the judge. There is no way for me to properly exegete this chapter in 700 or 800 words so I will simply give some of the main points and let you arrive at your own understanding. It will be helpful for you to read the entire chapter.

Verse 1 — I believe Babylon is the world system that in our lifetime has been personified by Wall Street, Madison Avenue, Hollywood, and the increasingly secular and morally bankrupt American lifestyle. Babylon is referred to as the “virgin daughter,” indicating that her walls had never been breached by an enemy. That was about to change!

Verses 1-3 — God has judged the wickedness of Babylon and declared that her sin will be uncovered and judged. Babylon will be removed from her throne and made to sit in humility in the dust on the ground like a common person.

Verse 4 — Israel is the church/God’s people.

Verse 6 — God has let His people be dominated by Babylon because of their disobedience.

Verse 8 — This is a warning to the arrogant who say, “We are great and nothing can happen to us; we will succeed.” Sounds like some of the political hot air coming from Washington!

Verse 9 — Indicates that the destruction will come suddenly. Who would ever have thought that our world would be teetering on the brink of a financial meltdown? Two years ago everything seemed rosy and even last year at this time, there was no great concern about the economy. The prevailing mindset seemed to be, “We’re the strongest, most advanced nation in the world and we can handle anything!”

Verse 10 — The wicked thought they could get away with their private displays of financial and material greed. Does this remind anyone of some of the investment scams and the corporate greed that have come to light in the last few months? Blatant almost beyond belief! Tragically, some did know what was going on and yet they turned away or did nothing.

Verse 11 — This verse stopped me in my tracks! “Disaster will come upon you, and you will not know how to conjure it away. A calamity will fall on you that you cannot ward off with a ransom; a catastrophe you cannot foresee will suddenly come upon you” (NIV).

When I read this verse I realized that I had no option but to share this, and those who have ears to hear will hear and those that don’t, won’t.

In the New King James, the phrase in verse 11 is, “You will not be able to put it off.” This is speaking of the calamity/humiliation. In the original language the words “you will not be able” means that there is no way to prevail, no hope of overcoming. The phrase “put it off” means “to cover, to make atonement for, to be pardoned.” God says, “When I declare judgment, the payment of a ransom to stop it is not an option!”

Could the ransom in verse 11 possibly be referring to the “Stimulus Package” now in the news? Is what we are watching anything more than a display of extreme arrogance that believes that intelligence, coupled with an obscene use of money, will stave off calamity? To that arrogant spirit God replies in verse 15, “I think not. No one shall save you!”

This word does not frighten me and I am not afraid for my wife, my children or my grandchildren. I rest in the faithfulness of the God I love and serve. A few days ago I wrote about the miracle of the manna and God’s faithfulness to His children on their forty-year trek through the wilderness. God did not run out of provision when the Jews got to the Promised Land.

No matter what the future brings for us, God’s grace and mercy will be more than sufficient. He will take care of His children! Don’t let the unfolding storms drive you away from the Lord; instead, let them spur you to press in like never before. If you need to, go back and do your first works again. Some of you reading this may need to refresh your relationship with Him. This is not the time to be living like a distant relative.

God is faithful and He unconditionally loves you.

2010-01-08T08:04:00.000-08:00

Personalized Healing Scriptures.

Psalm 41: 1-3 (NIV)
1 Blessed is [INSERT NAME] who has regard for the weak; the LORD
delivers him in times of trouble. 2 The LORD will protect him and preserve him
life; he will bless him in the land and not surrender him to the desire of his
foes.

Isaiah 40:29 (NIV)
29 He gives strength to [INSERT NAME] and increases the power of the
weak.

Psalm 107:20 (NIV)
20 God sent forth his word and healed [INSERT NAME] ; He rescued him…

Psalm 107:2
2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say this: [INSERT NAME] is redeemed
from the hand of the enemy!

Romans 8:11
11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in [INSERT
NAME] , He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to [INSERT
NAME] ’s mortal body through His Spirit who dwells in you.

Daniel 10:19
19 And he said, “[INSERT NAME] , fear not! Peace be to you; be strong, yes,
be strong!” So when He spoke to [INSERT NAME] he was strengthened,
and said, “Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.”

Isaiah 41:10
Fear not, for I am with [INSERT NAME] ; Be not dismayed, for I am your
God. I will strengthen [INSERT NAME] , Yes, I will help [INSERT NAME] , I
will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

Isaiah 57:19
19 I create the fruit of the lips: Peace, peace to him who is far off and to him
who is near,” Says the LORD, “ And I will heal [INSERT NAME] .”

1 John 4:4
4 greater is He that is in you, than He that is in the world!

Romans 8:31-32
31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for [INSERT NAME] ,
who can be against him? 32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered
him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give all things to
[INSERT NAME] !

Psalm 32:7
7 Thou art [INSERT NAME] ’s hiding place; thou shalt preserve him from
trouble; thou shalt compass him about with songs of deliverance.

Psalm 29:11
11 The LORD will give strength unto his servant, [INSERT NAME] ; the LORD
will bless [INSERT NAME] with peace.

Psalm 103:3
Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits - who forgives all [INSERT NAME] sins and heals all [INSERT NAME] diseases...

1 Peter 2:24
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds [INSERT NAME] has been healed.

A COOL SPIRIT

2009-11-25T09:28:00.000-08:00

The young staff member and I sat in my office talking through a difficult situation in which he found himself embroiled. In the course of a conversation with a pastor on behalf of the ministry we both worked for, a misunderstanding had occurred. Heated words had been exchanged on both sides and the phone call was finished in anger.

The staff member came to me right away and explained, from his point of view, what had happened. He finished by saying, “I know he’s going to call you and I wanted you to hear my side first!” At least he was as honest as he could be at that point.

The young man then looked at me and said, “You never seem to lose your cool, even when people are saying pretty nasty things about you. How do you do that?” That may not have been completely true but I was glad my life gave that impression. What I shared with him that afternoon is what I’m sharing now. The passages of Scripture and the principles they contain are a part of the scriptural principles that guide my life.

“Whoever has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down, without walls” (Proverbs 25:28 - NKJV).

A person who has no control over his own spirit is a person who can be taken advantage of. If you don’t control your thought life, your anger, or your passion, all kinds of influences and thoughts will find residence and will fight for control of your life.

“He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city” (Proverbs 16:32).

The man who gets angry quickly is weak and will lose his way more easily than the man who has rule over his spirit. Note that the verse doesn’t say that anger has no place in the life of a believer, but that anger can be controlled. Over and over when praying for and counseling people in trouble, I have been asked to pray that their anger be removed—but I have never prayed for that and never will. It is not wrong to get angry about a problem or a troubling situation, but you must control/rule the anger and not let it control you. God put that intensity in you, but not for bad. It’s a part of who you are and God intends for you to have the rule over it.

“Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles” (Proverbs 21:23).

This verse is cautioning people to be careful in what they say. The man or woman who knows when to say something and, perhaps more importantly, when not to say something, is a person who has taken a giant step away from trouble. The phrase “mouth and tongue” is figurative language for speech. The word “soul” is better rendered “himself” and the word “troubles” in Hebrew is plural and suggests legal and social difficulties resulting from unwise talk.

“In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is wise” (Proverbs 10:19).

The word “sin” is also rendered “transgression” which refers to offensive behavior. Offensive behavior refers to a failure to practice good sense in dealing with others. People who talk too much, who can’t seem to control their tongue, have a tendency to get themselves into trouble that did not have to happen. In fact, people who talk too much are actually displaying their insecurity. It’s better to be a person of few words than to run off at the mouth.

“He that spareth his words hath knowledge; and he that is of a cool spirit is a man of understanding” (Proverbs 10:19 - New American Standard Version).

When a person has a thorough knowledge of something, he does not normally have to use an abundance of words to make his point.

And then there’s this…I’ve always wanted to be known as a cool guy, and surprise! Here I am in the Bible.

WHEN A PLAN IS NOT A PLAN!

2009-04-09T10:03:00.000-07:00

The president/owner of the organization stood to address his employees in a staff meeting.

“I am happy to tell you today that I have decided to implement a retirement program for all the employees who have been with the organization for more than seven years. When you retire, depending upon how long you’ve been with the organization, you will receive up to two-thirds of your salary and full medical coverage. That’s my decision!”

The response of the staff was spontaneous and enthusiastic…they were overjoyed!

Eight months later the first employee to have been with the company long enough to qualify for the retirement program was ready to retire. He excitedly went to the Human Resources office to find out exactly how much he would be receiving in his retirement package.

The embarrassed HR director had to tell him that while the owner had publicly made the statement about establishing the retirement plan, nothing had been done to actually put the retirement and benefits package in place.

The puzzled and disappointed employee said, “But the boss said that he had decided to do this!”
Unfortunately, Mr. Fictitious, the owner, had expressed his good intention but had never followed through. The lesson for all of us is: “A good intention is not a decision and a good intention is not a plan.”

Here are the simple steps to follow to make sure that every decision is a decision and that every plan is actually a plan.

STEP ONE: Write down the decision.
Put the decision and the initial implementation plan in written form that you can regularly review and improve on, and get others to work on it, too. You are creating your initial action plan.

STEP TWO: Who needs to know?
When Step One is complete, then the next step is determining who needs to know. Get the information about the plan/decision to everybody that needs to know. Each person that needs to know the plan also needs to know what is expected of them, what action is to be taken.

STEP THREE: Set a date to have the plan implemented?

What is the timeframe for accomplishing the plan? Ideally, when should it be complete and implemented? Set a date for complete implementation and interim dates for review of progress. As a leader, you have to be willing to hold staff accountable in meeting deadlines.

STEP FOUR: What resources will it take to implement this decision?

What resources need to be committed to this plan to see that it is implemented and done properly? This includes people, finances, equipment, office space. In other words, everything that is going to be needed to see that the decision is implemented correctly. More good plans fail because of the failure to follow through on steps two, three and four than for all other reasons combined.

STEP FIVE: Feedback.

Build into the plan a system for you to get feedback to see what progress is being made and that it is being done according to the plan, within the cost specifications, and in the time allotted. If all else fails, go and look for yourself. The feedback should include a regular schedule of reports that accurately show what progress is being made, and if deadlines are being met. Do not take the reports at face value but check on things yourself to see what progress is being made and if specific areas need more help.

A good intention is not a plan; a plan is not a decision until it is fully implemented!

DO WE SPEAK THE SAME LANGUAGE?

2008-12-20T06:18:00.000-08:00

DO WE SPEAK THE SAME LANGUAGE?

It seems a trite subject to bring up and suggest that it’s important, but communication is at the heart of every successful relationship, either personal or business. When communication breaks down, so does the relationship. If communication is not properly established, the relationship is doomed from the beginning.

I speak from experience. I have worked for and consulted for a wide variety of organizations over the last four decades. When I have been successful, it was because the work I was being asked to do was plainly laid out and the lines of communication were clearly established.

About ten years ago a friend asked if I could meet with him and several other principals in their ministry in a private meeting. These were old friends that my wife and I had known for many years. The leaders knew that I was just completing a several-year project for a ministry and asked me to begin to consult for them. Out of sense of friendship and without the normal discussion, I made a mistake based on emotion and said I would accept the work. What I didn’t really take time to do was clearly define what they wanted me to work on and who I would be responsible to. Too much of the limited discussion was in generalities. They didn’t take time to define the need nor did they take the time to properly explain to their staff what my role would be. Foolishly I let friendship cloud my thinking and I didn’t take the time to ask the questions I should have. The relationship was doomed before it began and the consulting arrangement only lasted a few months.

One of the clearest examples of the need for clear communication is in the maritime world. A helmsman is the person who steers a ship, a sailboat or other type of maritime vessel. Clear and exact communication between the helmsman and the officer on the bridge is essential to safe navigation and ship handling. There are standard steering commands, responses by the helmsman, and acknowledgement by the officer on the bridge that are widely recognized in the maritime community. This “language” is practiced in training and in calm waters so that in stormy weather everyone knows instantly what is being said. In stormy weather, unclear or misunderstood communication can lead to disaster.

Another example of the need for very clear communication is in the airline industry. The default language of air traffic controllers is English. In every nation of the world, pilots know that they can talk with air traffic controllers in English regardless of the local language.

In the Christian organizations and churches that so many of us serve in, the responsibility for “speaking the same language” lies first with two groups of people, the leadership and the staff. Those in leadership have a two-sided responsibility: they are responsible to be understood (to speak clearly) and to understand (to answer questions). Likewise, the staff has a two-sided responsibility: to understand (to ask questions when in doubt) and to be understood (to learn to speak the language of the culture). This understanding can happen only if everyone is speaking the same language—and I don’t mean English or Spanish.

What do I mean when I say they must speak the same language? Within every organization or group there is a language, a jargon, a vocabulary that is meaningful to the group and to perhaps no one else. Yesterday in church a guest speaker used the term “incarnational” which probably sailed over the head of the majority of the crowd. Driving home later I mentioned to my wife that the word “incarnation” in its various forms is one of the current buzz words, a part of the jargon of those that are really cool and with it (or some very deep and dry theologians).

As a leader, you must take the time to make sure that everyone on your staff is well versed in the language of your organization. This begins with the mission statement of the organization which (hopefully) lays out very clearly why the organization exists. Communication then follows, along with a Corporate or Accountability Flow Chart that pinpoints each staff member’s position, who is responsible to whom, and fundamentally how communication should flow. Additionally, every position should have a job description. New staff members need to go through an orientation that includes the language of the company. New languages take time to learn, so don’t expect staff to be fluent right away. Don’t assume that because the new employee has worked for a similar organization, they will automatically understand the language. Each organization has its own personality and, therefore, it nuances language accordingly.

Not long ago I spent several days with the staff of a moderate-sized organization. The leader asked me to spend time with each staff member to get to know them and perhaps make some recommendations to help them improve their performance. During the interview process, I asked each one if they had a job description and how long it had been since they had gone over it with one of the leaders or their immediate superior. Just about half of the staff said they had a job description; the others said they didn’t have one and had never had one. Not one of them could put their hands on the job description. Most of them had not had a review for at least a couple of years. I call this a communication breakdown. This is a staff and leadership on the verge of not speaking the same language.

I have been married for 43 years. Carol and I have a good marriage; no, strike that, we have a great marriage. One of the primary reasons is because we have worked at our communication. Good communication is hard work but worth the results. If your organization or church or mission is going to succeed, clear communication among the staff is essential but you are going to have to work at it. Not everyone is a quick learner when it comes to a new language, so be patient and be thorough.

If clarity is not articulated from leadership, remember that the confusion that follows is not coming from the hand of God!

THE ART OF FINE-TUNING

2008-09-16T06:23:00.001-07:00

Fine-tuning our lives both spiritually and vocationally is not a one-time event but a life-time process. My first car was a 1949 Ford coupe with a big V-8 engine, for which I paid the whopping price of $175. When I got my Ford in 1961, gas cost about 20 cents a gallon and three or four dollars for gas was usually more than enough for a week. The carburetors on those engines could be adjusted by hand, as this was pre-electronic ignition days. So we would spend hours playing with the adjustment on the carbs, trying to get the engine to run just a little more smoothly, a little better.

What I have just described is very much like the fine-tuning process of both our devotional and vocational lives. I know I want to be the best that I can be and I am willing to learn how to make adjustments that bring improvement! I believe you are reading this because you want to improve, too!

The definition of fine-tuning is “to make small adjustments for optimal performance or effectiveness, to improve by pruning or polishing.”

· In order to run his best race, every runner must fine-tune not only what he wears and how he runs (his stride, his breathing), but also try to bring his body and his mind to a state of preparation. Why? So that he can run the best possible race.

· Every instrument in the orchestra must be “fine-tuned” so that when the conductor raises his hand for the first note to be played, every instrument is in harmony. It is to be a symphony not a cacophony.

· A rifle has to be “sighted in” (fine-tuned) so that when it is called into use, it sends its bullet to the intended target. The rifle is not much good if it cannot hit the target while in the hands of a skilled marksman.

Fine-tuning is a combination of God’s involvement in the development of our lives and our personal attention to issues that the Holy Spirit brings to our awareness.

If I have been called to be an associate then I want to be the best associate I can be. If I have been called to be the leader then I want to be the best leader I can be and develop the best and most effective leadership skills that I can.

This is what the whole focus of my teaching is meant to do. It is not to put you under guilt or condemnation of any kind. It is designed to help you, to open up new possibilities, to assist you in polishing and refining your gifts and talents, so that at the end of the day you will have that profound sense of satisfaction that comes from knowing, “I have done the very best I could. It may not be perfect, but I believe the Lord is pleased, my boss is pleased and, therefore, I am pleased.”

Jesus says, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). Jesus is talking to fishermen, Peter and his brother Andrew, as He called them into His service. Jesus is speaking of the part He would play in assisting them to develop their potential as His followers. The word “make” is very rich and loaded with meaning. It is the word that describes an author as he takes disconnected words and works with them again and again until he completes a masterpiece. It is the picture of a master craftsman who takes a pile of rough wood and works with it until he has a beautiful piece of furniture.

The heart of every piano is the soundboard, the part that enables the piano “to speak” with rich and full tones. It is the soundboard that gives the piano its personality, its quality. A good soundboard cannot be made in a few minutes or even a few hours. For some concert pianos, the time needed to build a soundboard can be a year or longer.

The soundboard is made of separate pieces of wood that are carefully selected and glued together. After the gluing, the soundboard is allowed to dry and “season.” All along, the process is carefully monitored so that the moisture content of the wood that is to become the tonal heart of the piano is just right.

After the wood of the soundboard has dried and is seasoned just right, it has to be stretched. This stretching is what brings out the rich tones and quality. Stretching is achieved by bending or “crowning” the soundboard. Stretching is a result of pressure being carefully and consistently applied. If the wood is too dry, it will break and crack; too wet, and the wood fibers won’t have the necessary quality. When the soundboard is crafted properly, you have the possibility of a Steinway or a Yamaha. If it is done incorrectly…well, hello, honky-tonk!

Our Lord, His Father, and the Holy Spirit are “master craftsmen.” It is the meticulous attention of the Master Craftsmen that brings His work of art to as near to perfection as He can get it and that is the Lord’s goal for each of us. He will mold us, He will stretch us and season us so that we are brought to the place of maturity, and then our lives will “speak” with the richness and fullness of God.

When I conduct one of my “Tune-Up Seminars,” I try very hard to get a point of understanding across to all who are present and the point is this: Fine-tuning is accomplished by making small adjustments and is often a slow process of bringing the instrument/person as near to perfection as possible. It is really frustrating for anyone involved to try and make all the adjustments at one time. To try and accomplish it all at once usually ends in feelings of frustration and guilt and that is counterproductive.

Let me illustrate what I mean with the following story. In the 1972 Olympics, Mark Spitz won seven gold medals, a record that stood for 36 years until Michael Phelps surpassed it in Beijing. In preparing for the Olympics, Spitz’ coach told him that if he was going to win the gold and set a world record in one event, he had to improve on his best time by cutting off one second. That doesn’t sound like a lot but to a highly-conditioned and trained athlete who is already giving 100 percent-plus, that one second could seem like an impossibility. Mark Spitz said that the idea of improving by a second was simply beyond him, so he set a daily goal. He looked at the calendar and saw that it was approximately 100 days to the Olympics. He knew he needed to be at his peak performance level at the Games so he began to practice with a new daily goal in mind. Every day Spitz tried to improve by 1/100th of a second over the previous day. In doing so, he made the daily incremental improvements and won the gold at the Olympics, setting a new world record. He set that record by improving just a tiny bit each day.

When you study leadership and have scores of ideas poured into you in a short span of time, don’t try and implement them all at once. Just take a few of the ideas, ones that make sense to you, and work to improve in those areas. If you will take an incremental approach as Mark Spitz did and improve by a little bit here and a little bit there, you will be a better leader and a better person. And then down the road a bit you can do it again and again and in so doing, you will continue to grow and improve and do it without stress and guilt.

Fine-tuning is not about putting you under stress and making you feel less than successful. Fine-tuning is all about making small adjustments that move you toward being fully the person God intended you to be.

MANAGING TIME - PART THREE

2008-08-23T13:10:00.000-07:00

ONE THING AT A TIME

One of the great moments for any leader is to be able to get to the end of a day and know that you were able to get everything done that you wanted to. It’s not going to happen every day but with the right approach and the right tools, you can enjoy that sense of accomplishment—often.

So what is the right approach and what are the right tools?

This is the third installment in our musing about Managing Time or How to Get All My Necessary Work Done So I Have Time to Do Some Things I Enjoy Outside of Work!

Step One — Use some kind of daily planner. This is your primary Managing Time tool.

There are so many different ways to make your list of priority items for the day. You simply need to choose one and try it and if you don’t like it, then try another. For years I have kept a daily planning diary on my desk that is small enough that I can easily put it into my briefcase when I travel. I like a daily planner that allows me to list at least a dozen items and/or appointments. Most P.C.’s have a calendar or a planner; laptops have daily calendars; BlackBerry’s have daily calendars; your cell phone has some kind of daily calendar; or you can go to a Palm Pilot. You may make your list on a piece of notepaper and that’s OK, too. Whatever you use will work if you will work it.

I usually make my list for the next day at the end of the day or the very first thing in the morning. I try to prioritize my list so that the top of the list shows items that I must get done; then I work down from there. I list any meetings and appointments that I have and then the list becomes my marching orders for the day. I keep my planner open on my desk or available throughout the day. Keeping it in my line of vision helps!

If I don’t get everything done on my list, but I tried, then I have no feelings of guilt. Mentally I just tell the undone items, “You’ll be first in line tomorrow!”

Step Two — Do one thing at a time. This is having the right approach.

Yes, I know there will be interruptions, but when you are finished with the interruption, go back to what you were working on from your list. You need to stay with that task until you get it done and then go on to the next task. Most of the current talk about multi-tasking is not realistic, so I wouldn’t put too much faith in many of these theories. The idea of driving, talking on the cell phone, eating and fixing your hair or your makeup is not multi-tasking. It is sheer lunacy waiting for the right moment to turn into a disaster.

It is a very human tendency to think that as leaders and gifted people, we can juggle many tasks at the same time. Sorry to be the one to break it to you, but NO, NO, you can’t, not when it comes to the tasks you need to get done that day. Our ego will tell us, “YES! You can do that,” but it is not so. You may handle a variety of responsibilities for your company or your organization but when it comes to getting your tasks done for the day, you need to handle them one at a time.

In all of music history, the major composers (Bach, Handel, Haydn) all worked on just one composition at a time. These were all highly talented, highly gifted men who produced major musical compositions—one at a time. They would work with the musical score until it was finished and then they would go on to something else. And then there was Mozart. Mozart was the only composer we know of who was capable of working on thee or four major symphonies at one time. Mozart had the ability to keep all the music in his head, keep the pieces separated, and have all of them turn out to be masterpieces. Mozart is an anomaly because he doesn’t fit the normal mold of creativity at all.

I love leadership and I love the challenge of leading in tough situations. I am not afraid to step into chaotic situations and try to help find a semblance of order for them. I am also a realist and I know that I am no Mozart and if you are honest, neither are you. Stick with the task until you are finished and then move on.

Many leaders find it very helpful to schedule time out of the office so they can work at home or in a quiet place with fewer interruptions. Two or three uninterrupted hours can often produce a lot of work and if creativity is required, a quiet atmosphere is a must. I know one well-known leader who will move out of his personal office and go to the corporate boardroom and work when he needs to do creative work. His secretary knows where he is, as do a few key associates, but they will interrupt him only if it’s urgent.

As a leader, you will need creative time and you will probably have to work at finding it. One thing to recognize about yourself is whether you are a morning person or a night person. I am a morning person and I try to do most of my creative work early in the day because that is when I am most alert. Later in the day I try to do more mundane things like talking to you (just kidding). I have worked for a lot of public speakers, most of whom did their speaking in the evenings (for the uninitiated, they are called evangelists). All of the evangelists I have ever worked for and most that I have known are night people. Why? Because evangelists need to be at the peak of their mental powers in the evening when they are normally speaking. Whether they realized it or not, they had trained themselves to be alert and creative late in the day.

Most administrators and ministry leaders are morning people. We rise early and often start our day around dawn. Whichever you are, a morning person or a night person, I know you will find it helpful to schedule your work with your own body clock in mind. You will get more done and do it better if you heed this simple advice.

MANAGING TIME - PART TWO

2008-08-01T04:27:00.000-07:00

In Managing Time, Part One, I encouraged you to begin a one- or two-week experiment of recording how you spend your workday. Before you can manage your time, you must understand where time is going and how it is being used up; only then can you begin to appropriately manage your time. The purpose of managing time is not to put you under an increased load but, instead, to free you up to do the things that you are good at and that you enjoy.

I find a lot of satisfaction in being able to get my work tasks done for the day and then begin doing things that I enjoy. I like to read and to write creatively. I find both to be stimulating and relaxing because they are very different from most of the work I do. So I work to manage my time so that when my work day is done, I can do what I enjoy and am relaxed at.

If you did not read Managing Time, Part One, this would be a good time to do so. Part one is stored in the Archives over to the right.

If you have kept a daily journal for a week or two, look over those notes now. You are looking for items that repeat themselves several times in a day, or many times in a week. You are also looking for time wasters.

A key part of time management is getting rid of “time wasters.” All of us struggle with non-productive, time-wasting items. Here are a couple of questions you can ask yourself about the repetitive items on your list:
1. What would happen if this were not done at all?
If the answer is ‘nothing,’ then stop doing it! Is it possible that this repetitive item has just become a habit? It gets done because it’s always gotten done and the purpose of it stopped being meaningful a long time ago? Go ahead and stop, see if anyone complains, and then tell them you stopped because a consultant told you to—but you now realize he was wrong!
2. Could somebody else do this better than I do it?
Is this repetitive item something that one of my assistants or a secretary should be doing? If this is so, then hand it off and let them handle it.
3. Is this a repetitive issue that I could easily teach someone else to do?
Training an assistant to take over a task for you will take more time in the short run but will save you lots of time in the future and that’s what this exercise is all about.
4. What do I do that wastes the time of others?
I will talk more about this in a moment.

This is not meant to be a comprehensive list of all possible time wasters but I wish to stir your creativity to think about the conservation of time. A huge time waster is time people spend on the telephone and the Internet. Much of this is redeemable time if only we would impose limits on ourselves regarding the duration of phone calls or surfing the net. Do you need to take that call right now? Could you finish that project first and then return those calls? (Thank you to the inventor of caller I.D.)

Number four on the list is a question that very few people ask themselves. We tend to get so preoccupied with what other people do to us, and to the time wasters that we have to contend with. It is important that we ask ourselves, “Are there things that I do that waste the time of others?”

I was asked to provide some assistance to a thriving church in the western part of the nation. The Senior Pastor was concerned that his staff was not getting things done in a timely manner; reports were coming in late, phone calls and visits never seemed to get done on time, if at all. The pastor was growing discouraged and was concerned that perhaps he needed to make some changes, perhaps remove some staff and add some new.

I spent time talking with the staff and was able to identify a number of issues that individual staff members could work on and easily correct. There was, however, one rather touchy issue that had to be addressed and that fell to me as the outside consultant. The pastor had to answer the question, “What do I do that wastes the time of my staff?” and no one on staff was willing to address that with him. Because I had built an amicable relationship with the pastor (and because he couldn’t actually fire me), I was able to talk with him about this and show him what was happening.

The pastor loved sports and especially football. On Mondays during football season he would often call several of his associates to his office, or he would visit theirs, and he would want to “talk football.” Sometimes the conversations would last for an hour or longer and staffers were reluctant to say anything. The pastor had never considered the question, “Am I a part of the problem? Do I do things that hinder my staff from getting their work done?”

To the pastor’s credit, after the question was posed to him, he changed. He still loves football and he still talks about it, but he is aware and sensitive to “the time of others.”

No staff lost their jobs! Now addressing this one question was not the complete answer to all the time issues among that staff, of course, but it was major. Correcting and removing time wasters will take time and work; it is a process and something that we have to work at. But like all good habits, we can learn and do until we get the good habit into place and it becomes natural for us.
In our next article we’ll talk about consolidating time—or learning to do one thing at a time.

MANAGING TIME - PART ONE

2008-07-31T13:04:00.000-07:00

“Look carefully then how you walk! Live purposefully and worthily and acceptably, not as the unwise and witless, but as sensible, intelligent people make the very most of the time—buying up each opportunity-because the days are evil “(Ephesians 5:15-16—Amplified Bible).

Why would the Apostle Paul speak so forcibly, so clearly, about how we use our time? I think the answer is very straightforward and really quite simple.

Time is something all of us get in equal measure. No one gets anything more or less than a 60-second minute and a 60-minute hour. Try as hard as we can to change it, every day still has 24 hours in it; not a minute less and not a minute more.

The supply of time is inelastic and everyone gets the same amount, not in the length of years but with the given minutes and hours. The difference is that some learn to use time more efficiently than others and so it seems like they do get a longer day because they are able to get so much more done. But they don't get any more time than any of the rest of us; they have just learned how to use what time they have with efficiency.

I sometimes find that when I teach on time management, there is a negative reaction among some who feel that it brings them into bondage and they do not want to be in bondage to time. However, nothing could be further from the truth in the way I approach time management. I want to be efficient in the use of my time so that I can get my work done quickly and completely. Then I have time to do the things that are fun for me…like spending time with my children or my granddaughter, enjoying a hobby, visiting with friends, or sometimes just doing nothing. Over the next couple of months we will look at some practical suggestions to help you manage your time in a more efficient manner. This is not designed to make you a slave to time but so enable you to get done everything so you can have plenty of time for yourself, to do the things you want to do.

Before we can go to managing time we need to understand where the time we have now is going by a process I call "recording time." There are several ways that you can accomplish this and I'll share one that works well for me. Take a blank sheet of 8 ½ x 11 paper (lined paper is even better). Across the top put tomorrow's date and down the left side, starting with the time your workday begins, put in the time (e.g. 9:00am) and then in a straight line down the left side, in 15-minute increments, line out your work day.

The next morning, beginning at 9:15, record in just one or two words how you spent the previous 15 minutes (made phone calls, read mail, wrote letters, worked on report, etc.). At 9:30 do the same, and so on throughout the day. At the end of the day, put the completed sheet in a folder and prepare a new sheet for the next day.

Do the above for at least five days and preferably for ten. At the end of the five- or ten-day period, take an hour and look to see where your time has been going. I think you will be surprised at some things on your list.

In the next article we will get into the practices of managing time. To do that effectively we must have the above information in hand, so let's not waste any time. Let's get started on this now!