Leadership Thought: How You Can Live Longer by Connecting with Ohers in Church.

Dear Friends,

Just yesterday I was in Walgreens when and I came across a person in a military uniform. I walked up to him as I often do when I see members of the military, and looking him in the eye, I said, “Thanks for your service.”  And he responded saying, “Thanks, I appreciate your words,” and both of us quickly moved on.” 

Just a few words spoken between two people who never met before, but I experienced an immediate sense of connection between the two of us. I felt good, and I had a sense he did also.

That is what happens when true connection takes place between people, even people who don’t know each other.

As Jean and I were leaving the store, I saw a disabled woman pushing a walker, and I took a few extra seconds to wait and hold the door for her, and she began profusely thanking me for my action. I don’t remember what we said to each other after that-not much of anything-but as we both walked away, I do remember having the sense in helping her we both connected with one another and that felt good to me and suspect she felt the same.

I don’t share these two examples to draw attention to myself, but only to point out that it doesn’t take much effort-just a few seconds- to connect with people and experience the good feelings associated with it.

How important it is in life for all of us to look for opportunities to connect with each other

John Maxwell is fond of saying “Always touch a person’s heart before you ask him for his hand,” and that is good advice for all of us who are interested in building relationships with others.

As Connections Pastor in our church, I am intent on looking for ways to connect with people and encouraging them to connect with others.

I encourage our members to come to church with the purpose of connecting with someone they don’t know. When every member does that, a large church becomes small and intimate and a warmth of fellowship develops that possesses magnetic power to attract and retain visitors. Visitors may quickly forget the message they heard from the pulpit, but they will never forget the warmth of fellowship they experienced as people reached out and connected with them.

Churches plan and promote “Make a Friend Sundays,” but why does making friends only happen on special Sundays? Shouldn’t we want to make a friend(s) every Sunday?

Making friends will not happen automatically.  As my mother used to say, “to have friends, you must always seek to be a friend.”

Connection with people doesn’t happen without some degree of intentionality, so I encourage our church members not to leave church until they have spoken and connected with at least one person they don’t know.

Connectors “know the way, go the way and show the way for others.” They are connecting examples because they make connecting a priority.

And by the way connecting is good for your health. It can even help you live longer.

A large-scale research review found that low social connection has as much of an effect on our mortality rate as not exercising and is twice as harmful as being overweight. That review also found loneliness effects morbidity as much as a smoking or alcohol. Connecting with People- What It Is and Isn’t. Andrea Darcy, March 21, 2017-taken from the internet.

Let’s make Romans 12:10 our church motto: “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.”

So, if you want to live longer, and make your church more attractive while doing so, just make it your goal to make every Sunday, “Make a Friend Sunday.” 

Yours in faith,

Tom

Leadership Thought: The Day Jean Asked Me to Walk Away from My Best Friends.

Dear Friends, 

Tucked away in the Apostle Paul’s closing remarks to Timothy is a verse that is easy to miss. Paul writes, “When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments (2 Timothy 4:13).

Scholars suggest that the parchments may have been part of the Old Testament. In any event, this got me to thinking about the importance of good books and what friends they have been to me over the years of my ministry.

Some of my friends have been sitting on my shelves for over 50 years, but like the Word, there some things that never grow old.

I still remember that note that Jean left on top of an old cardboard box in my office when we were leaving Fort Lauderdale to come north. It said, “Sort out the most important 100 books and put them in the box and give the rest away.” Those words struck terror in my heart. Get rid of my friends. Send them packing. “No, no, no, I can’t do it,” I cried.

The retirement part didn’t work out any better than her efforts to ditch my friends. Most all of them traveled north with me and found residence on a new set of shelves that take up most of my office space in Middletown, N.J.

Only a lover of books can understand and appreciate how difficult it is to give your books away. Maybe I am just selfish, for I know my library takes up considerable room in my office, and now in our apartment, but you can’t just walk away from your friends.

Long ago I copied a quote from Mark Twain who said, “The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read at all.” That caught my attention the first time I read it, and it still resonates with me today.

It is true that leaders are readers and the more you read the better leader you will become.

A.W. Tozer was wise when he wrote, “The things you read will fashion you by slowly conditioning your mind.” And how true were his words.  

I confess that if there is any wisdom that ever comes from my mouth, it has probably come from someone I have read, and while I may not remember his or her name, their wisdom has permeated my mind and left its imprint on my thinking.

And the late Chuck Colson writes “Next to acquiring good friends, the best acquisition is that of a good book.” He was right.

If you are ever looking for a good small group question that will spark some good discussion, try this one: “If the notes and files of your reading were to be turned over to a detective-psychologist for character analysis, what would they conclude about you?”

In closing I have a quick question. Do any of you know any good 12 step programs for book hoarders like me?

Just asking.

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom

Leadership Thought: Recovery and Evangelism Takes Time: Are You Prepared to Take the Time?

Dear Friends,

Last night I attended Recovery Life, our church's ministry to those seeking recovery from addiction. Like AA, we always have a speaker who shares a testimony of how he or she found recovery through the power of Christ. As I listened to our speaker share her story, I was intrigued to note the number of times she had relapsed in her recovery process. For her, it was one start after another, and each start ended the same-a return to her addictive behavior.

Throughout her many failures, the speaker testified that there were always people in her life who supported her and encouraged her on her journey to recovery.  They didn't give up on her, and they kept reminding her that the power of Christ could break the bondage of her addiction.

Like finding Christ, finding the road to recovery is not always a one-time event. Recovery can be a process that takes place over a lengthy period of time.  

Seeds that are planted don't sprout up overnight. You can't rush the process. Each seed has a certain timetable before its flower is produced. Think about your own life. How many people did God send into your life before you received Jesus and experienced life change? If you were lucky, you had people around you who were persistent in loving and praying for you, and it was their persistence that strengthened you, especially during those times when you were discouraged by your lack of progress.

Fortunately, our speaker had friends who were committed to her recovery and who were with her for the long haul. Even when they failed to see the changes in her life for which they had hoped, they never gave up on her. Because of their patient love and constant and continued encouragement amidst her many failures, she now enjoys seven years of sobriety, and like last night, she is now sharing the story of her faith-based recovery journey to help others find hope.

Often in our efforts to see someone saved, we feel we must give them the whole gospel, and when they don't immediately pray the sinner's prayer, we feel like we have failed, and we might choose to give up on them. However, if we assume responsibility for the success of our evangelistic efforts, we assume something that is not ours's to assume. 

The same is true for the recovering addict. They may need to fail a number of times before they experience and embrace the change in their lives we hope to see, and they need people to continue to love and encourage them as they seek their sobriety. 

As believers we are called to be witnesses. Those were our Savior's marching orders. We are reminded in 1 Peter 3:15 that we are to always be prepared to give an account to everyone who asks us for the hope that we have within us, but we are never responsible for the person's decision. 

Campus Crusade for Christ (now Cru) has a wonderful definition for evangelism: "Evangelism is sharing Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit and leaving the results up to God." We are not the ones responsible for the person's salvation. We may deliver the message, but it is God who opens the door to a person's heart. When we understand this, we will never feel a sense of failure, regardless of a person's response to our message.

Whether you are witnessing to someone about Christ, or patiently witnessing to them about recovery, we need to be patient but persistent in offering our love and encouragement. Don't ever give up on them and continue to let them know that you will always be there for them, even when they fail to demonstrate the change you desire to see in them.

Remember "The righteous falls seven times and rises again".........(Prov.24:6), and it just may be that it is the seventh time that he/she chooses to never to fall again.

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom

P.S. "Perseverance is the rope that ties the soul to the doorpost of heaven". Frances J. Roberts.

Leadership Thought: What Is the Right Way to Worship God?

Dear Friends

Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals. Psalm 150:1-6

Our worship looks a little different than how the Psalmist describes his worship.

Last Sunday we had a couple of members of a Vineyard Fellowship from Phoenix join us for worship. The Vineyard churches place a strong emphasis on freedom in the midst of their worship. If you attend a Vineyard church, you may see a number of different forms and expressions of worship, and one of those forms of expression you might note would be people dancing during the time of praise and worship.

Now you might be thinking raising your hands in worship is acceptable, even if it may be a bit uncomfortable for me, but dancing-that’s where I draw the line.

This past Sunday I watched this couple during our praise and worship time as they sang and danced in front of their chairs. With hands lifted high, they were spontaneously expressing the joy that was in their hearts. It was a different way of worshipping then I was accustomed to, but for them, their spontaneous worship was a real and natural way of expressing their love for Jesus.

As I watched them, my mind drifted back to my first worship experience while on a mission trip to Haiti where I beheld the freedom and exuberance of the Haitian people as they worshipped God.

There is no formula for true worship, any more than there is one formula for true prayer. Praying and worshipping are a matter of the individual heart and as such they will be expressed in different ways by different people.

The word worship comes from a Greek word which means to turn and kiss. When you turn to kiss your wife, you don’t follow a ten-step formula for kissing, you just kiss her as your heart moves you to do. There is no set way, or right procedure, you just let your feelings dictate your expression and you don’t worry about how or where you do it.

There is no set way we should worship God. Some worshipers are more staid, some are more expressive, some raise hands and some keep them in their pockets. Some sit quietly and some get up waving worship flags as they dance throughout the sanctuary. Now, I don’t know if New Monmouth is quite ready for the flag waving dancing kind, but for some churches this is how people express their worship.

When David brought the ark of the Lord from the house of Obed-edom into the city of David, he did so with great joy, and we read, “David danced before the Lord with all his might, and he was girded with a linen ephod” (short for boxer trunks). David danced as trumpets played and people shouted forth their praise. And we are told that when Michal, Saul’s daughter, looked out and saw David dancing in his boxers as he leaped and danced before the Lord, “she despised him in her heart (2 Samuel 6:16).

Now somewhere during that service, I too might have drawn the line of impropriety, but David didn’t care. He was so excited, so filled with a heart of worship he didn’t worry about what people might say or think.

However, we worship, may it be an enthusiastic, and uninhibited expression of our love for Jesus, always remembering with A.W. Tozer who said, “worship means to feel in the heart.”

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom

Leadership Thought: Are You Better at Set Up or Closing?

Dear Friend,

In John Courson’s Application Commentary of the New Testament, he addresses Paul's question to the Corinthian Church in 1 Corinthians 3:6-8: He asks. "Why are you splintering?  Apollos and I are in this together. We both have a part to play. We simply plant and water. It’s God who works the miracles of germination.” 

Courson goes on to write, "Some people are sensitive and tender, and others are strong and expressive. And because the Lord uses all kinds of different people to accomplish his purposes, I can be who I am and appreciate the brothers or churches that may be a different flavor than I am as we both labor together with God” (p. 1025).

As I reflected on John’s comments, I thought about the process of evangelism. Some may be better at sowing than reaping and vice versa, but both are needed in the evangelism process.  If people don’t see a changed behavior in your life, why would they be interested in knowing how Jesus will change their life?”

In the evangelism process it is important that there be a congruence between the witness of our lives and our lips, our faith and our works, our belief and our behavior.

Life stye evangelism is very important as it cultivates the ground and prepares the soil for the seed when it is sown. But if there is no one to sow the seed, the cultivation process is useless.

Paul writes to Timothy and says, every believer should “Be prepared to give a reason for the hope is within us” (1 Peter 3:15) 

Yes, we are all called to share our faith, but some of us are much better at the pre-evangelism part, what might be called the cultivating of the soil, than we are at sowing the seed.

Both sower and reaper have significant parts to play in the evangelism process.

We evangelize with both our lips and our lives and there must always be a congruence between the two if people are to take us seriously.

In a wonderful book I have been reading by Randy Newman called Mere Evangelism, 10 Insights from CS Lewis to Help You Share Your Faith, Newman compares the two different roles in evangelism to the different roles of major league pitchers.

He writes, “Today, very few starting pitchers finish games they begin. But that was not always the case. Records for complete games will probably never be broken because of how the game has changed. Today, we hope a starting pitcher makes it to the 6^th or 7^th inning, when a setup man comes in for one or two innings and then the game is completed by a closer. They each play their role. They each pitch differently. They have different expertise. Together they win games” (p. 27).

When we think about our role in the evangelism process some of us might be better as starters, ‘preparing the soil.’   And some of us may be more adept at sowing the seed and closing the game.

Both roles are important in the success of a team; and both roles are important in the process of evangelism.

So whether you are the set up specialist, cultivating the soil for the planting of the seed, or you are the closer who sows the seed, you are a critical part of the evangelistic process.

Both cultivator and planter, set up specialist and closer can enjoy the results of your efforts: a person born into the kingdom of God.

So which person is more important? Only God knows, for He is the One who gives the increase. We simply cultivate, plant and water. It’s God who works the miracle of germination.

Yours in faith,

Tom

Leadership Thoughts: How Would Your Church Be Different If You Were the Minister?

Dear Friends,

I heard about a woman who was visiting church one Sunday. The sermon seemed to go on forever, and many in the congregation fell asleep. She liked to meet new people, so after the service she walked up to a very sleepy looking gentleman, extended her hand in greeting, and said, “Hello, I'm Gladys Dunn.” To which the man replied, you’re not the only one ma'am, I'm glad he's done too!”

When you and I walk out of the service on Sunday morning our service is not done. In fact, our service has only just begun as we walk through those doors.

We are fond of reminding people at our church that every member is a minister, and every saint is a servant. You and I are called to serve, to be contributors not just consumers. Your job is the same as mine: we are called to connect with people and share Christ’s love in word and deed.

We often distinguish between clergy and laity, but in the early church there was no such distinguishing difference. In the Book of Acts, the story of the early church, everyone saw themselves as ministers. It was during the Dark Ages that the difference between clergy and laity crept in.

One of the rallying cries of the Reformation was that every member of the Body of Christ is a minister. Peter wonderfully describes our role as believers when he writes, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9)

How many ministers do we have at our church? We have around 250 ministers and 3 equippers. We are all in this together.

As pastors we are called to “equip the saints for the work of ministry” (Ephesians 4:12). The word equip is the same word used to described what James and John were doing when they were preparing their nets in Matthew 4:21. They regularly repaired their nets, in order to make them effectively useable. Their nets were being prepared for future service; not just stored away to be forgotten.

Every member in the family of God is a minister and every servant is called to serve. Every Sunday service should be a meeting of the Ministerial Association.

What would your church look like if every member served the way you serve? How would your church be different if everyone was eagerly seeking to be equipped for ministry and was looking for opportunities to serve?

Servants serve, members minister, and when this happens the church becomes the New Testament Church with a sanctuary filled with sold out servants looking and longing for ways to fulfill their calling as His ministers.

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom

Leadership Thought: Does BUSY mean B-eing U-nder S-atan's Y-oke?

Dear Friends,

Does BUSY means B-eing U-nder S-atan’s Y-oke? That’s the question I ask myself this morning as I sit in front of my computer pondering what to write.

Yesterday was a blur. It started early in the morning at my computer hammering out a daily “Leadership Thought”-can’t even remember the topic. Then on to our weekly staff meeting, then to our U Turn for Christ weekly luncheon to meet with some guys struggling with addiction during which I shared a message on the importance of friendships in battling addiction. Then, it was on to a funeral home to visit one of our church family members who had lost his dad, followed by a trip back to church for “Recovery Life,” our weekly addiction ministry, only to leave early from the meeting because I had volunteered to umpire an annual “Rally Cap” baseball game where participants were special needs children. In between all of this activity. I found some time to send out a few e-mails and call some senior saints whom I had not talked within for too long. I fell into bed at 9:30 pm thinking, “Wow, it was just another jam packed and productive day in the life of a busy pastor. It may have been jam packed, but was it really productive?

This morning I woke up and in reflecting on yesterday’s busy and “productive” day, I realized in all my frenetic activity, I had missed the most important meeting of all-my time with the Lord.

Yes, it is easy to become so busy doing church work that we miss the most important work of the church-time spent in the Word. Yes, for me “the good had become the enemy of the best,” and yes, I confess I was BUSY, B-eing U-nder S-atan’s C-ontrol for in all my “productive” busyness I had neglected my most important work, spending time alone at His feet.”

The great man of God, George Mueller, after having read the Bible through 100 times with increasing delight, made this statement: “I look upon it as a lost day when I have not had a good time over the Word of God. Friends often say, ‘I have so much to do, so many people to see, I cannot find time for scripture study.’”

“Perhaps there are not many who have more to do than I. For more than half a century, I have never known one day when I had not more business than I could get through. For 4 years I have had annually about 30,000 letters, and most of them have passed through my own hands. Then, as pastor of a church with 1,200 believers, great has been my care. Besides, I have had charge of five immense orphanages; also, at my publishing depot, the printing and circulating of millions of tracts, books, and bibles; but I have always made it the rule never to begin day until I've had a good season with God in his Word. The blessing I have received has been wonderful.”

Ouch! I read those words and thought of Paul’s words to his good friend in the faith, Timothy: “Work hard so God can say to you, well done. Be a good workman, one who does not need to be ashamed when God examines your work. Know what his Word says and means” (2 Timothy 2: 15).

Because God will examine what kind of workers we have been, we must always be careful to build our lives on the foundation of the Word, so that we can build his Word into our lives. It is in the Word that we find revealed the lessons of life that God desires us to learn if we are to faithfully serve him. If we ignore the regular reading of his Word, and we avoid any diligent study of the Word, we are told that we will be ashamed at the judgment.

What believer would want that to happen? Consistent and conscientious study of the word is vital, lest we be lulled into neglecting God and our true purpose for living.

And not only will the reading of his Word save you from being ashamed on that day when you stand before Him, but it will provide you the resources to live life victoriously in this world of “here and now,” for as Christian Johnson once wrote, “A Bible that is falling apart probably belong to someone who isn't.”

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom

P.S. "Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him while He is near." Isaiah 55:6 Don't be a Martha, always fussing over dishes while Mary sits at his feet and does the better service!

 

Leadership Thought: A Wonderful Reminder as I Introduced Two Students in Church Yesterday.

Dear Friends,

Yesterday was Mission Sunday in our church. 

I had the privilege of introducing the ministry of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, a ministry that is very near and dear to my heart.

As part of our service, we had a local college and a high school athlete share their testimonies of how the FCA had impacted their lives.

In the course of introducing them on the stage, it dawned on me that it was my 60^th anniversary. No, I hadn’t forgotten my wife and our wedding anniversary; it was something even more important than that. It was my “new birth” anniversary. You see as I was introducing these two students, I was suddenly reminded that it was 60 years ago-almost to the very day- that I was in Lake Geneva, Wisc. attending an FCA summer conference where I committed my life to Christ after hearing noted track star Jessie Owens share his faith.

I thought back to that conference and my friend Chuck Beale whose persistent witness resulted in my being at that conference.

As a part of the football team at Virginia Military Institute, we had become friends.

Almost daily Chuck had witnessed to me. He continually would bring up his experience attending an FCA summer conference, and he was persistent in wanting me to attend a conference as well. I don’t know how many times he asked me to attend, but I had no interest in giving up part of my summer vacation to travel 2000 miles to attend such a conference.

However, Chuck’s enthusiasm finally wore me down, and I gave in and said yes- more out of my effort to avoid finding excuses why not to attend than really desiring to go.

In introducing our two FCA speakers, I became aware that I might never have been in church introducing these two young people, had it not been for Chuck’s persistent witness.

In thinking about those who were saved in the Bible, we tend to think of those miraculous conversions. Peter preached and 3000 were instantaneously saved. Phillip stopped a man in a chariot and not only was the man immediately saved, but they stopped to have a roadside baptism service. The Philippian jailor was saved in an instant as he cried out, “What must I do to be saved?”

But most conversions don’t happen like that. They happen because someone was lovingly and persistent enough to “keep on keeping on.”  Slow and steady wins the race, and that is the key to success in any endeavor, but especially in the spiritual realm.

Don’t give up. Be persistent like Chuck was. Don’t become discouraged. Pray and pray for that individual you desire to see saved. Find ways to love him/her and show them how much you care.

Galatians reminds us not to “grow weary in well doing.”  “I’m sowing seed, but I see no fruit.” Hang in their dear saint. The promise is "you will reap in due season if you don’t give up" (Galatians 6:9).

I wonder where I would be today if Chuck had given up on me.

Remember, “The most rewarding things you do in life are often the ones that look like thy can’t be done.” Arnold Palmer

As Winston Churchill reminds us “Never give up, never, never, never!”

And that goes for witnessing.

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom

Leadership Thought: Fighting Today's Culture War with Weapons That Are Spiritual, not Carnal.

Dear Friend,

Christians are not as popular or respected as they once were. In today's hate filled, anti-biblical culture, holding to biblical views is sure to get you in trouble with the world.

Last night at our Small Group Fellowship meeting, we were discussing how hard it is to communicate with those who scorn our views and values.

There is little opportunity today for respectful dialogue and discourse with those holding divergent views from ours. Discussion on abortion, homosexuality, transgender issues, gun control politics...are almost sure to create relational fire storms that are destructive and difficult to put out.

Those adhering to scriptural values, are automatically perceived as the enemy. With this being true, how do we as believers keep the lines of communication open, so that we can encourage healthy dialogue with those who differ with our values.

This morning I reread an article by one of my favorite church leaders, Rick Warren, former pastor at Saddleback Community Church, one of the nation's largest and most influential Christian churches.

Rick is addressing the words of Peter who writes: "But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don't worry or be afraid of their threats. Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it." 1 Peter 3:14-15 (NLT)

Rick goes on to write the following helpful commentary.

"Ministry isn't for weaklings, wimps, or the faint of heart. It takes courageous church leaders who follow Jesus

Christians all over the world are suffering in ways you never will.

But what is it costing you to follow Christ?

It's unlikely you'll ever face violent oppression.

But you deal with opposition every single day, either in your church or in the broader culture as it becomes more and more secularized and anti-Christian.

No matter where you're from, when you are faced with opposition and ministry, it's natural to feel afraid.

So how do you get rid of the fear of opposition? How do you get rid of the fear of disapproval? How do you get rid of the fear of being rejected?

You need to be filled with God's love.

The Bible says there's no fear in love and that perfect love casts out all fear.

When you face opposition, focus on God's love for you.

People who rest in the assurance of God's love aren't afraid of rejection. They aren't afraid of disapproval.

The Bible says in 1 Peter 3:14-15, "If you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don't worry or be afraid of their threats. Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it" (NLB).

There are two choices when you feel pressured as a church leader: you can worry, or you can worship.

That means you either panic or pray.

You can focus on the problem and the pressure... or you can focus on God.

That's what worship is- focusing on God. When you face opposition, worship instead of worry."

Those are wise words from a pastor who knows what it is like to face opposition. Let us for forth and do likewise.

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom

Leadership Thoughts: An Alarm Clock, Shooting Hoops, and a Lesson on Consistency.

Dear Friends,

I want to continue discussing yesterday’s Leadership Thought on the topic of consistency.

Leadership expert John Maxwell states, “Motivation gets you going, but discipline (and I would add consistency) keeps you growing.” In order to make significant changes in our life, we must develop consistency. We must be willing to do the same thing over and over again until it becomes a habit.

My granddaughter, Reece, has taken up basketball, and yesterday she asked me to come out and help her with her basketball skills. I quickly noted that each time she shot the ball she would hold it differently. As a former high school basketball coach, I quickly recognized this flaw in her shooting, and I corrected her and showed her how to hold and release the ball. I told her how important it was for her to develop the habit of holding the ball the same way every time she released it.

I used to ingrain in my players a familiar teaching lesson that “Practice doesn’t make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect.” In learning to improve you shooting, you can go out and shoot the ball 1000 time a day, but if each time you grip the ball differently when you shoot, you will not have done much to improve your basketball shooting skills.

If you are struggling to improve in some area of your life, you must develop certain habits, and you must practice those habits over and over again.

Successful people are almost always those who have learned to do the right thing over and over again until the right thing becomes a matter of habit.

If you want to read through the Bible, you don’t start by reading two or three books at one time. No, you break your reading down into a chapter or two-five or ten minutes a day- and you do it consistently day after day.

As you read a little portion of the bible each day, it may not feel like you are accomplishing much, but unknown to you the discipline you have established is begins to yield a return on your investment. And as this habit slowly begins to develop you will slowly begin experiencing the tangible rewards of success. Soon you will find yourself wanting to increase your time, and as you begin learning things you never knew, your interest begins growing and you find yourself wanting to read and learn more. Your growth becomes. Remember, only toadstools grow overnight.

Success in not guaranteed by taking the first step, but success will never be achieved until you take the first step.  While it is the journey that will change you, that journey never begins until you take the first step.

It has been said you need to do something 28 days in a row for it to become a habit. I don’t know if that is true, but I do know until you have done something over and over again for a period of time, it will not become a normal and natural part of your life.

It took Da Vinci 4 years to paint the Mona Lisa and four years for Michelangelo to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, so don’t expect overnight success. Unfortunately, we are such an impatient people that we get upset when it takes all of three minutes to microwave our popcorn.

For many years I have gotten up long before dawn to write a daily Leadership Thought. I set my phone for the same time each morning, but last night I forgot to set it. And when I woke up this morning and noted my alarm never went off, I checked the time, and it was within two minutes of the time I usually set my alarm to go off. Why? The consistency of getting up early each morning over several years had ingrained in my unconsciousness the very time I need to get up to begin writing.

Habits are nothing more than the repletion of decisions. When those decisions are good ones, those habits become wings and not weights.

In a book that is no longer in print, the author  writes, “We act from habit nine times for every time we act from purposeful direction.” Counsels to the Young

You may never paint the Mona Lisa or paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel but by consistently cultivating good habits over a period of time you will shape a life that will bless and benefit others.

I close with a statement by John W. Rittenbaugh, “Bible Tools,” taken from the internet: “The deepest and most important virtues are often the dullest ones; they win no medals and get no glory; but they are the glue that binds society together and makes it work, now and always.” That a good description of the virtue, consistency.

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom

Leadership Thought: Do You Have Any Unpaid Traffic Tickets Laying Around (A Lesson in Consistency).

Dear Friends,

Solomon was a man who possessed great wisdom for everyone except himself.  He wrote over 3000 proverbs, but unfortunately, he found it difficult to practice what he preached. The man who wrote: “Above all else guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life” (Prov. 4:23) failed to obey his own counsel. As Solomon grew old, “his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been.” (1Kings 11: 4)

There was a lot of wisdom in his words, but not much of that wisdom translated itself into his walk. There was a lack of consistency between what he professed and practiced, between what he believed and how he behaved.

This is our struggle as well. We need consistency in our life. We need to not only “be hearers of the word” as James says, but “doers of the word.” When people examine our lives, they must find integrity in every part of it. They need to see a consistency between what we say and what we do.

A number of years ago, The New York City Department of Transportation was embarrassed. They found that four of the top ten parking violators in the department were those responsible for ticketing illegally parked vehicles. A computer check by the Parking Violations Bureau showed that four staff members owed between $5,000 and $8,000 each in unpaid parking tickets. How could the traffic department hope to have the respect of the public when it was not living up to its own principles?

Leaders need to have credibility if they are to be successful, and one important gauge of credibility is the consistency of their walk and their talk. This is particularly in the church.

A while ago a noted TV religious personality was reported to have purchased a several million-dollar home in addition to a new Mercedes- Benz and a Rolls- Royce. When asked about this discrepancy of message and ministry, he said that he and his wife, “Just add had to have a little piece of their own.”

I thought of what one noted religious leader once asked: “If Jesus had     $100,000 and was ministering in Haiti, would he have spent it on a Rolls-Royce?

Paul taught Timothy that a “leader must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.” (1 Timothy 3:7)

Could we honestly speak the words of Paul to the church at Thessalonica when he declared, “You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous, and harmless we were among you who believed?” (1 Thess. 2:10)

Paul tried hard to practice what he preached and so should we. Let us be careful not to encourage others to do as we say, unless we are willing to do as we say.

Chuck Swindoll says, “Consistency is the jewel worth wearing; the anchor worth weighing; The thread worth weaving; and the battle worth winning.”

I like those words, but I don't want to just like them, I want to live as if I really believed and practiced them, and so to you. Let's live in such a way that no one can ever accuse us of living and inconsistent Christian life.

Yours in ministry,

Tom

P.S. “He does not believe who does not live according to his belief” Sir Thomas Fuller (1380-1471)