It's Still There...

Remember when you were young and you knew that you would be in trouble when your parents got home? Perhaps you did something you shouldn't have at school. Maybe you broke something playing in the house or maybe you were playing outside when they told you not to and a neighbor thought they would bless your parents with this information. Remember how you felt as you anxiously awaited your parents arrival? I would venture to say that many Christians know this feeling quite well, because it's the same feeling we get when we think about God or the return of Christ. Why? Because we're painfully aware that the verse that says that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" rings true in our own experiences.

We know we've not been perfect and that scares us when we consider that we have to stand before a perfect God. God is pure, we are not. God is holy, we have hangups. God is righteous and we feel wretched. What can we do but feel anxious? I would like to suggest that there's a better way. We can remember that we have sinned but place it next to the fact that God's love is still there.

It's Still There.

Psalm 100:5 tells us, "For the LORD is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation." (New Living Translation)

Even though we're imperfect, even though we're broken, even though we disappoint ourselves and feel as though we've disappointed God we can rest assured that God's love is still there. Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:38-39) so don't allow anxiety to grip your heart. God knows everything about you and love is still there. He knows every mistake you've made, every promise you've broken, every missed step & missed mark and yet, love is still there. 

Never forget that. Granted, there may be work that needs to be done to carry you out of where you are and into where God has always wanted you to be but it will not be conducted by a spiteful superior...God will lovingly walk you through. He still has plans for you. He still has a perfect plan for your life. He has an undying love for you that began long before you did anything right or wrong.

Rest in the love of God because, believe it or not, it's still there.

**Have you ever felt unlovable? How did you snap out of it?

Fix Your Focus

Have you ever been in a season when all you wanted to do was just lay in the bed and sleep your life away? This can be a challenge because in moments like those, if you're anything like me, you can't really sleep that well but it just seems better to lay there anyway. If you're dealing with that type of experience right now, I know how you feel.

When you're feeling pressed down by a discouraging present you probably aren't doing much thinking about the possibilities of the future. How could you? Your present requires so much attention, right? Perhaps, but over the last few days I've discovered that it helps to fix your focus beyond your present circumstances. It doesn't matter how distressing the difficulty if you can keep your focus fixed on your destiny, but if your focus is broken it multiplies the impact of the problem. All of a sudden a challenge becomes a catastrophe because now you are unable to see beyond it. The mole hill has officially become a mountain and you can't imagine ever being able to climb over it.

Fix your focus!

When things have gone terribly wrong it can shock you for a moment but it would be in your best interest to preserve your focus. Keep your mind focused on higher things than what has happened. What can you be grateful for? What can you learn? What can you concentrate on instead of your present? In other words, how can you get a vision again? The Bible shares that "Without a vision the people perish." (Proverbs 29:18) and if you feel as though your life, your year, or your passion is passing away you may need a fresh dose of vision.

As I scanned my life to consider what I would do if I could do anything with the rest of my life, instead of feeling down about my present or past, I mumbled within that I have always wanted to learn how to play the guitar. That sounded like a glimpse of vision to me, so guess what I did? I bought my very first guitar yesterday and have spent 6 or more hours playing it along with tutorials...and that's just after 1 day! Am I a pro? Not yet, but am I still slouching around thinking "Woe is me?" Absolutely not. What changed? Did God fast-forward past my problems? No. I fixed my focus. I stopped looking back, and even stopped looking around me, so that I could start looking forward.

How can you do the same?

If you've been discouraged or depressed lately, fix your focus. Get a renewed vision for your life and for the possibilities of your future. You just might see that there are brighter days beyond your present problems. Keep pressing forward and when it's tough to do so, give yourself a vision to shoot for and watch your mind & spirit begin to rise up and reach beyond where you are.  

It's Worth the Wait

I voted today. I stood in line for about an hour in a hall that seemed to go on forever. The paint was bland, the walls were bare and the conversation was kept just above a whisper, but still I waited. I decided to vote early because its just, well, convenient but as I waited I heard the complaints of others of how inconvenient this voting process had become. "The should've had more people working the polls." "This line is too long." "I might as well have come on election day" some remarked...but I couldn't help but imagine how it used to be, while I waited.

I could imagine the dogs barking at me as I tried to exercise my right. I could envision the scowls of the angry mob as they jeered and threw bottles at me as I tried to vote. All of a sudden the wait didn't seem so bad because, after all, all I had to do was wait.

Not fight, but wait.
Not fear bodily harm, but wait.
Not plug my ears to ignore the racial epithets of others, but just wait.

When I thought about what others have had to do to cast their ballot before me, when I compared their experiences to the minor "inconvenience" I was enduring I couldn't help but enjoy the wait because the joy of being able to do what I was doing made it well worth (a lot more than) the wait.

If you haven't already gone to the polls to vote, do so this week. There may be a line and it may be inconvenient but trust me when I tell you that it's worth the wait. 

What to Read as You Lead

It goes without saying that leaders are readers. So why say it (or type it)? Because all of us will encounter people who endeavor to lead but don't desire to read. If this is your state of mind this will greatly limit the scope of your leadership because you will be bound by your own ideas and unable to go any farther than your own personal experiences. Not a very productive approach. When you read you expand your experiences to include the experiences of others. Since that is true, I would like to challenge you to pick up one leadership book a month (that's one new book every 31 days...you can do that) to add to your mental repertoire. Not just to your bookshelf or ibooks on your ipad but to your brain.

To start your journey toward experience expansion I would like to suggest the following books:

1. The Bible- This is a timeless resource to gain wisdom as well as to shape your character. This is critically important because the news clearly illustrates that ethics can easily suffer if a leader becomes successful without consistently taking time to recalibrate their moral compass.

2. EntreLeadership by Dave Ramsey- Dave has a way of mixing humor with a straight forward, in your face, practical wisdom concerning leadership and business. His record speaks for him and his honestly encourages you as you read.

3. Boom!:7 Choices for Blowing the Doors off Business as Usual by Dr. Kevin Freiberg and Jackie Freiberg- Not only will you benefit from this book but it is also a great resource for your entire team. I mentioned in the post "If Your Team Sucks..." that it is your responsibility to improve or remove them, this book is a great tool to help them to improve.

4. The Leadership Secrets of Billy Graham by Harold Myra and Marshall Shelley- Billy Graham has been far more than a successful evangelist, he has also been a remarkable leader through the years. If you desire to leave a legacy that stands the test of time this book is a great blueprint of how to do so. It describes how he handled controversy, conflict, temptation, finances and so much more. Get this book, read it, then lead with integrity.

5. Leadership 101 by John Maxwell- This book will take you a short afternoon to read but can have a tremendous impact on your leadership style if you put the principles to practice. Get it now and your team will thank you later.

If Your Team Sucks...

If you think you would be doing better if you just had a better team to work with chances are you have thought, more than once, that your team sucks. You're not the only one...but when these thoughts come there are several dynamics at work.

First, if you think your team sucks...your outlook probably does too.

If you consistently view your job as a burden, your department as a war zone and your team as a bunch of losers your mind will be closed to the creative thoughts of how you can turn it all around. Even if God were to give you an idea of small steps that will take you in the direction of a stronger team you won't see it because all you can see is that "so and so" is holding you back. Lift your eyes to higher heights. Sure, things may not be the way you want them to be yet. Sure, you may have been given a difficult hand to play but don't through it in just yet. Search for possible solutions instead of just resting on the fact that your team is under performing at the moment. When you raise your level of expectation your team just might raise their level of exertion to meet it. When you expect more, you can experience more.

Second, if you think your team sucks...your leadership skills may leave something to be desired as well.

There are some who need to improve and others you need to remove but that is your responsibility as the leader of the team. What are you doing about it? Are you just sitting in your office pouting thinking "This sucks!" or are you developing a strategy to help each person on the team to stop "sucking" or to take their sucky attitude somewhere else? That is your right and responsibility as the leader of your team and the more you demonstrate to your team that you are working to improve the work experience of the entire team it will boost morale which can increase performance. Then they stop viewing themselves as a losing team and start to see themselves as the underdogs who are about to come away with the victory.

Take some time each week to read materials that will help you to hone your skills as a leader. There are countless classics out there that describe principles that can help you to lead more effectively. Don't reinvent the wheel, find one that will roll smoothly in your organizational environment and build your "vehicle" around it. In the next few days I'll post a few books that I have been reading to get you going but don't delay...START TODAY!

Thinking Like a Champion

The Olympics has come and gone and once again we are forced to find our inspiration elsewhere. The stories behind the athletes were incredible and it didn't take long to be inspired by their perseverance and dedication to excellence. I'm sure no one was on the field or in the pool practicing. They did not go to London to experiment. They went to repeat what they had done in preparation. They planned to succeed.

Plan

Are you thinking like a champion? Have you planned to succeed in your business? Do you have a training program in place to direct your team members toward excellence and an evaluation process that will either elevate or terminate them based on their performance? Do you have any idea where your industry is heading in the next 5-10 years and have you developed a strategy to ensure that your company is positioned to be there excelling and not just existing?

It has been said time and time again that people don't plan to fail, they fail to plan. So why don't more people plan? I believe it's because there are so many things to do on a daily basis that most of their time is used putting out small fires so when the week is over they look up and just want to rest. There's no time to plan...or so they think. If you don't make time to plan you can bet that your time is not being used wisely because you aren't sure that what you are doing is going to get you where you desire to be. Write a plan, you'll be glad you did.

Persevere

The action of writing out a plan can relieve tension in and of itself but that is only the beginning of the process of becoming a champion in your industry. After you have a plan you must roll up your sleeves and carry it out. It does no good to know what to do if you are not willing to actually do it. You must be prepared to wake up every day and do something that will push you toward one of the benchmarks in your plan. Break your plan down into manageable steps and then start taking them.

As you slowly begin to move forward you will gain momentum which will encourage you to keep going. You'll be well on your way to champion status. This is not always easy but it is definitely effective. This can be seen in the fact that the Olympics has levels that a person has to compete on before they arrive in the "big leagues." When you get there, chances are that you're ready. Much in the same way, persevering through the steps necessary to get where you desire to be financially (through writing a budget, cutting expenses/ liabilities, increasing income/assets) or professionally (through increasing your knowledge, improving your performance and providing the highest quality of service) will ensure that you will be ready to manage life on that level when you get there. You'll be ready for the podium. You'll be positioned to go for the gold in a way that you would not have been had you gotten there over night.

Don't give up. Keep going! Write your plan and then persevere through the process because any champion will tell you that getting there wasn't easy but it was unbelievably worth it. Think like a champion!

Slow Leaks and 3 Ways to Handle Them

This week my wife asked me to check on her front tire. It was getting lower and lower by the day and it had come to the point where if nothing was one to correct it, the problem could get dangerous. How did this happen? It's not a bad tire, we just put it on a few months ago. What could have gone wrong?

It was clear that she was experiencing what you may be going through right now as well. A slow leak. This is when you are losing enthusiasm each week but go to work anyway because you have to. This is when you look at your bank account at the end of a pay period or at market sheets at the end of a quarter and wonder where all the money went. This is when your view of your spouse has shifted from celebration to toleration. A slow leak doesn't happen over night but, if left unchecked, it can limit your mobility and increase the possibility of a crash.

So what can be done? I would suggest 3 things...

1.) Find the problem and fix it- No surprise here. If your leak is in your finances you would benefit from calling an emergency strategy session with yourself so you can write down your budget and see where the money is going. Money can be like a curious child that will wonder away if you aren't keeping an eye on it. Develop a budget, see where you can cut costs, and determine what is sucking the life out of your finances. Could be that weekly gourmet coffee you just have to have or those sales that you can't seem to pass up. Find what's causing the leak and plug it!

2.) Use A Preventative Approach- As the old saying goes, "An ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure." Determine what you can do on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis that can prevent these slow leaks from getting out of hand. If it concerns your enthusiasm perhaps you could use a vacation or a quiet moment where you sketch out your desired destination. When you constantly remind yourself that what you're doing is getting you where you're going it makes it easier to stay motivated about it.

3.) Don't Ignore the Issue- You can act like it's not happening at first but over time you and everyone around you will be able to notice the leak in your life, finances, or department. Don't act like it's not happening. Don't act like everything is alright when it's not. If there is an area that is slowly losing steam take note and then take action. You'll be glad you did! After I took the time to take her car to correct the problem it drove a million times better. It was more pleasant to drive because the ride was quite a bit smoother and the stress of wondering if it was going to give out was gone. Wouldn't you like to experience that same relief of stress in your life? Stop ignoring the leaks & decide to do something about it.

Team Work Makes My Head Hurt

You've heard the old saying, "Team work makes the dream work." That's true...but what I've also found is that team work can make your head hurt. What I mean is that team work can be one of the most frustrating and irritating parts of success. This is because it involves trust and understanding, both of which can lead to disappointment. What if they don't do their part? What if they don't know what you need to do yours? Communication can break down, selfishness raise its ugly head and miscommunications can cause unnecessary conflict.

It's making my head hurt just thinking about it.

Since team work is so important and yet, often times, so irritating what can be done to improve the experience?

Honesty

There has to be a space where each member of the team can honestly express their concerns about the other team members without the possibility of causing a rift in the team. If you can't confidently communicate what's wrong how can either of you expect to make things right? Each member of the team must be allowed to share things that will help the team improve without the other team members looking at them in contempt. If you can't be honest you can't take the team higher. Period.

Credibility

One of the reasons people aren't open to constructive criticism is because it's not being offered by someone who is actually putting their criticism into practice. In other words, you don't practice what you preach. When you don't set an example in your own character of the conduct that you expect out of the rest of the team, you greatly limit the amount of influence that you have with them. You may have the right answers but no one wants to hear them from you. Since this is true, make sure you do it first and ask others to do it second.

Respect

"You always drop the ball!" "You never come through!" "You are such a loser!" Who wants to respond well to that? Not me, and I'm sure you don't either so make every effort to communicate with a high level of respect. This is not just saying, "with all due respect" before you tear them a new belly button. This is saying what you're saying in a tone and with words that illustrate that your end goal is to help not to humiliate.

Hard Work

Finally, you have to be willing to work at building your team every day. This will not be easy but it can unquestionably multiply your department's performance. You can't do it all, that's why you have a team. Take some Tylenol and build your team so that your team work will make your head hurt a lot less and make your dream work a lot more.

How to Lose Customers (Part3)

After you have offered service quickly and with a personal touch things can still go sour from time to time. This is when your customer service kicks in.

If you want to lose customers make customer service your last priority. Make it appear as though you don't care what happens after the sale.

This practice may cut it if you were a peanut butter factory in the middle of a deserted island full of vegetarians but chances are this isn't the makeup of your customer base. In reality, you are not the only business, church, or employee who offers what you are "selling" so what are you doing to make people glad that they picked you? On a daily basis people are making decisions and why should they decide on you? When others have worked with you or attended your services did you make them feel glad that they did or did you make them regret their decision?

If you are going to grow as an entrepreneur, manager, pastor, or leader you have to think through the experiences that others have when interacting with you. For example: Is it difficult to get in touch with you when they have a problem? Can you quickly address concerns or is there a stack of red tape that they have to go through to get it addressed. Do you reply with canned responses or do you demonstrate that you actually listened to what they said? In business the customer counts. I won't go as far as to say that they are always right because you know that's not the case but they deserve to be treated with respect if for no other reason than you reflect Jesus to them because you proclaim that you are a Christian.

How would Jesus want you to treat them? Ignore their calls? Take 3 weeks to respond? Hide your "contact us" info under a stack of links on your website? I don't think so. If you want to lose them, look over them. If you want to keep them, care for them.

How to Lose Customers (Part 2)

Not only is it important to offer excellent service in a timely manner but another aspect of service involves personal attention. If you want to lose customers treat every one as though you are doing them a favor and their business does not matter.

The moment that people feel as though you don't care about them or that you only see dollar signs when you look at them they will leave your church or business faster than you can say "Yabba Dabba Doo." People want to feel valued and if you can offer this in addition to whatever product or service that you provide you will begin to stand head and shoulders above the rest because many people/ organizations are unwilling to go above and beyond the call of duty.

You may have a million and one members, customers, or clients today but one of the factors that will determine whether or not you have them with you tomorrow is if you are willing to treat each one as if they are the only one. You have to work to make each person feel special. You can do this by truly being in the moment when you're interacting with them. Not looking at your watch and not easing away but truly being in the moment (even if only for a minute or two).

If you are on the phone with one don't try to hurry them off the line to talk to another. Be on the line with them. If you see a member in the store don't rush away to get out of the door, take a moment to actually acknowledge them. Sure you can't spend all day with each person, after all you have a business, organization or church to run, but you can spare a minute and trust that God is able to redeem the time from you pausing to demonstrate a loving attitude toward one of the people that He has sent your way. At best, you may change their life and at the very least you will demonstrate that they have value in your eyes and I have found that the more you value others the more they will value you.

How to Lose a Customer (Part 1)

Everyone has a customer base. Everyone is trying to sell others on something. For you this may mean convincing others that your products or services deserve to be paid for. Or perhaps you are selling people on an idea such as: "My church is awesome, you should come!" or "I am worth every penny of the salary that you're paying me." Whether you realize it or not you have a customer base, a clientele that you're serving every day so it is important to understand the things that consistently drive people away so that you can avoid them at all costs.

In the first of this three-part series on How to Lose Customers I'd like to describe something that can test one's love for Christ to it's very core. Okay...that was a bit dramatic, maybe it's not that critical but it can definitely play a huge role in someone's decision to stick with you or move on. The characteristic that I am referring to is impatience. Companies, organizations and/or employees that consistently keep people waiting are consistently losing business, clients, constituents and congregants. The reason is clear...NO ONE WANTS TO WAIT! We live in a culture that makes it convenient to find what we're looking for quickly and if you are unable/ unwilling to do so be prepared to see the window of opportunity slide shut right before your eyes.

You may think that people should be more patient in which case you would be right, but are you going to be the employee who is known for consistently offering your boss "character building opportunities?" I don't think so! You'll be known as the one who just can't seem to get things done. Are you going to be known as the business that offers service with a smile and a side order of opportunities to practice patience? Probably not. You're going to be known as the company that couldn't cut it last time and most people aren't forgiving enough to continue to give multiple opportunities.

If you're going to do business, ministry or service differently you would do well to offer excellence expeditiously. When you do this they'll tell others but if you don't do this they'll tell others! Which testimony would you want to be told about you?

Don't keep people waiting.

The Best Kept Secret!

It's a Fact of Life.

Do you remember the old television show called The Facts of Life? One of the lines in the theme song was “You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have the Facts of Life, the Facts of Life.” Well, one fact of life that you can be sure of it is that you are going to be tempted. I know you don't think so, or at least you want people to think that you're beyond that but I have discovered that it doesn’t matter how much you pray, fast, go to church or read your Bible temptation is going to knock on your door. Don’t be alarmed; you’re not the only one. A very well known young man in the Bible named Joseph had to endure tempting as he tried to be all that God was telling him that he could be (Genesis 39: 7-10).

It's not just You.

The bible tells us that the only things that tempt us are the things that commonly tempt others (1 Corinthians 10:13) so there are no new temptations out there. All of us get tempted. All of us!

It can be Overcome!

So how can we overcome these temptations? We can not prevent them from coming in and out of our minds but what we can do is make our minds hostile to temptation by filling it with God’s Word.

When Jesus was being tempted the only thing that He continued to repeat was the Word of the LORD concerning the areas of temptation. He emerged victorious and so can we. The next time temptation raises its ugly head in your mind quickly reply to it with the Word of the Lord because there's another "fact of life" which is that God’s Word never fails.

What to do while you wait...

A few months ago I tried to complete a puzzle. I was so excited about it, I had invited a friend over and honestly thought that we would finish most of it that night…Not so…That night I learned very clearly that many things in life will require a process.

Much in the same way, the promotions that we seek don’t usually happen instantly. With such being the case we have to ask ourselves on a daily basis, “Am I willing to wait for what God has for me?” When I was working on that puzzle it sat on my living room table for about 2 weeks but where is it now? Back in the box! I wasn’t willing to wait and work patiently to see it completed.

Before you judge me and say I’m too impatient consider whether or not you're willing to work while you wait without giving up on what you want. The truth of the matter is that you might have to wait on that job, career, diploma or degree.

Are you willing to keep the faith & continue to work while you wait?

That’s a powerful question…

In the Bible Joseph (found in Genesis 41) waited a couple years before the cupbearer remembered something he had done and, in turn, referred him to Pharaoh. Are you willing to wait on something that will be a greater blessing than you’ve ever known after a while? Waiting is not always easy but I’ve learned that time goes by a lot faster when you are doing something instead of focusing on the fact that you’re still waiting.

Don’t just stand there. Work while you wait!

Why you can believe it's possible!

Psalm 77: 11- I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles from long ago.

The word “remember” comes from two Latin words that mean to be “again-mindful”. You can’t be “mindful again” concerning something that you didn’t know before. I have to have known something before if I’m going to be mindful of it again because I can’t remember what I never knew! That’s why it’s so important to read your bible and spend some personal time getting to know the Word of the Lord because there will be times where you’ll need to remember God’s past miracles to be persuaded that He can perform one in your present circumstance!

God’s history demonstrates His credibility. When we’re extending our trust we always want to know if the one we’re trusting in is credible and trustworthy. So how do I know that God can come through for you this time? I can I be so convinced that it's still possible when I have no idea what you're going through?

I can believe that because I remember. Do you?

Remember how the Lord turned water into wine?
Remember how the Lord healed blinded eyes and weak legs?
Remember how the Lord split a sea and a river for His people to cross?
Remember how the Lord called Lazarus from the grave?

If you remember what the Lord has already done you’ll be able to convince yourself of what God is able to do.

Dealing With Difficulties (Part 2)

Psalm 77:7

(7) ‘Will the Lord reject forever? Will he never show His unfailing love again? (8) Has his promise failed for all time? (9) Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has he in anger withheld his compassion?’ (10) Then I thought, ’To this will I appeal: The years of the right hand of the Most High.’

I’ve always found it amazing that, in the middle of this psalm, the psalm writer seemed to realize that he couldn’t just sit around thinking about the negative things that were happening in his life. Perhaps he understood that if he kept thinking about the negative he would keep feeling down, so in order to get the negative things out of his mind he decided to replace them with thoughts about the Lord. There is an old proverb that says,

“Instead of cursing the darkness, light a candle.”

Many times when we find ourselves in dark situations in life, dark situations at work, dark situations in our families we try to find someone to call and say, “It sure is dark” when what we really need to do is replace those thoughts with thoughts about the light.

Those children may be acting out of character but at least they’re healthy!

They may not pay you what you desire right now but at least you’re working!

They may have walked out of your life but at least they didn’t take you out on the way!

Instead of cursing the dark areas in your life, I dare you to light a candle of gratitude. It may not correct the problem but it will at least provide enough light for you to find your way out of it.

Dealing with Difficulties (Part 1)

There is a tremendous difference between driving during the daytime and driving at night. During the day you can clearly see where you’re heading, others can easily take notice of you and you usually have a deeper sense of security and stability. Whereas at night you have to have lights to help you see what’s right in front of you, it’s easier for people to overlook where you are and your sense of security can be transformed into a sense of vulnerability.

Night is defined as, “the time between dusk and dawn when no light is visible”

If you would be honest I’m sure that you would admit that there have been times in your life where you seemed to be caught between sunset & sunrise and there seemed to be no light visible. It seemed as though the opposition was too strong for you. Maybe you feel that way now. This reminds me of an experience in the life of the Prophet Elisha. The enemy had them surrounded and his servant was overwhelmed. Then the Bible says something interesting in 2 Kings 6:17 where it states that, “Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes so he may see.’ Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”

Even though the situation looked bleak, the only thing that the servant needed was for his eyes to be opened. Could such also be the case with you?

The only difference in driving during the day and driving at night is the fact that at night you have to supply your own light. I pray that God would open your eyes so that you’ll see that the help you have (God) is greater than the hindrances that you face. When you understand this fact, it can give you the strength to keep the flame of faith burning through the dark days of your life and give you the ability to see through the dark.

How to Find Your Purpose (Part 2)

2 Kings 9:1-2
(1)“ The prophet Elisha summoned a man from the company of the prophets and said to him, “Tuck your cloak into your belt, take this flask of oil with you and go to Ramoth Gilead. (2) When you get there, look for Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi. Go to him, get him away from his companions and take him into the inner room.


When you want to discover the Lord’s purpose for your life you have to give careful consideration to your external and internal conditions. You have to make sure that you have the proper insulation in place. What do I mean? Well, there are two purposes of insulation that I believe were relevant in this interaction between the prophet and Jehu and for us as well.

1. Insulation helps you to keep out what you don’t want in.

For example, your refrigerator has insulation in the walls that will keep the hot air on the outside from seeping in and spoiling what’s on the inside.

What does that have to do with you? Well, when you’re trying to find God’s purpose for your life you can’t allow everyone and everything to have input in the conversation. That’s why there are adults living unfulfilled lives trying to live out their parents dreams, because they didn’t have the proper insulation! It keeps out what you don’t want in.

2. Insulation helps you keep in what you don’t want out.

This point is for those of us who still struggle with unbelief every now and again and still have some areas that the Lord has to perfect in us. What I’ve discovered is that sometimes the proper insulation (the proper environment) will help to keep you from making decisions that contradict the destiny that the Lord has for you. Some of us could solve a large portion of our problems if we would just be willing to change our position. Isn't it amazing how people no longer irritate you when you aren't around them. It may be time to make some moves.

If you and I are going be all that God desires for us to be we’re going to have to ensure that we are using the proper insulation and as a result, the negativity of naysayers won’t be able to get in, and the sinful desires that we wrestle with within won’t be able to get out.

How to Find Your Purpose (Part 1)

A little known fact about Jessie Jennings is that I’ve become accustomed to visiting the neighborhood Walmart at least two or three times a week. I will periodically pop in to pick up my lunch for the week or milk for the house or little odds & ends that come up along the way. Such was the case a while back when I decided to make a quick Walmart run and realized that you can really benefit from having a shopping list developed before you get to the store. (Stay with me I’m going somewhere.) I say this because although the store was extremely crowded, I was able to accelerate my shopping time and minimize my frustration for one reason and one reason only… because I knew why I was there!

I didn’t have to waste time in the lawn care section, I wasn’t there for that. I didn’t need to go through the automotive section, I wasn’t there for that. I like to look in the electronics department but that wasn’t the day to do it because I wasn’t there for that. I was able to minimize the time I wasted wandering because I knew why I was there!
Have you ever wasted time wondering through life because you weren’t sure why you’re here? I know what it’s like to wander and I’m sure you do too.

Maybe you wandered into a career choice and now you’re thinking, “How did I end up here?”

Maybe you wandered into a relationship and now you’re thinking, “How did I end up with you?”

Maybe you wandered into an investment that ended up being a waste of time just because you didn’t know why you’re here. Have you ever told yourself, “If I only knew then what I know now?” I know I have.

All of us have experienced moments of uncertainty, times when we just don’t know which way to go but the Bible gives us a clear direction of what to do in these instances. James 1:5 says, “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”

If you are unsure about the next step to take in your relationship, with your career or toward your goals ask God. He is more than able to give you the insight that you need so that you don’t waste your emotions on people you’re not supposed to be with, in a place you’re not supposed to be in or in a profession that you’re not supposed to be on. Ask!

3 Ways to Build Your Brand (Part 3)

In the past 2 posts I have challenged you to be careful about what you do so you'll be perceived the way that you desire and to promote the "why" behind what you want your customers, clients, community or corporate office to believe about you. In this last post of the How to Build Your Brand series I want to discuss one of the most significant aspects of branding which is practicing PRECISION.

Overlooking this principle can cause you to waste countless dollars on promotions that go nowhere, resumes that don't get a callback and church ads that no one responds to. If you're going to build a brand that creates a community of followers that goes beyond your Twitter account you're going to have to clearly define who you're trying to reach. The reason is simple, you can't reach everyone and the target audience will determine the overall design, language and approach that your branding reflects.

-You can't state that you ,as an employee, would be a great fit for any position because you don't even want every position.

-You can't argue that your product will be great for everyone because it won't be useful for everyone.

-You can't imply that everyone would love the type of worship service that you offer because some people will prefer a different style of music or preaching so don't try to appeal to everyone, try to find the niche that you can reach and press as deeply as you can into that.

It's not about everyone.

Everyone doesn't buy computers at $1,200 a pop but it hasn't stopped Apple from being successful. Why? They have found their niche and they lean into it. The goal of building a solid brand is not to try to make something or make yourself out to be someone that is loved by everyone because even Jesus had people that didn't see the value He offers. The goal of building a solid brand is to build something that provides value and as you consistently provide value to people they will share what you're doing with others who have similar interests.

Thus, your aim should be to find out who you can add the most value to with the gifts, skills & resources that are at your disposal and focus your brand in their direction.

3 Ways to Build Your Brand (Part 2)

Now that you have begun to give careful consideration to how you, your company, or your church are being perceived it's time to move to the next facet of building your brand which involves strategic PROMOTION.

Promotion is concerned with getting the word out about the service that you provide and more importantly how it will benefit your audience. Letting people know that you have an 11 o'clock worship service is great but simply announcing that isn't effective promotion. You have to promote the fact that lives are being changed each week, marriages are being restored, the community is being transformed; SOMETHING is happening there! Promote that.

An invitation is just information if it doesn't provide an incentive for it's acceptance.

You have to promote the "WHY?"

If you're promoting your business don't just share the address, share about the stellar service that you provide. Share about how you will not stop until your customers are satisfied. Share testimonials from customers who can confirm that you are telling the truth.

If you are promoting yourself as a possible employee you can't just tell the manager that you are available. Tell them how you plan to make their life easier. Tell them how you can support the company's vision. Tell them how you are not in it for the money but your performance will demonstrate that you will be an asset and not a liability.

When pushing your promotions to the next level you have to promote the benefits of using you and not just that you are available to be used. It's an open market and there are hundreds of other companies, thousands of other churches and millions of other possible employees so why should they choose you? On every flyer, commercial, resume or promo you have to promote the why.

Where to promote

Conventional wisdom would suggest that you begin by promoting on your own website and that's a great start but it certainly cannot be the end of your efforts.

You have to put yourself or your organization anywhere your target audience's eyes are looking. If you want to reach young adults why not place your logo and an encouragement on the napkins at a club? If you want to reach soccer moms why not donate coolers with your website on them filled with all the liquid refreshment a team can drink to the teams in a local league next season? If you want to reach techies why not host a contest where a web designer can design your next website and receive a ton of free gear for winning. Do you think they wouldn't brag about their work? Guess where they would send their friends to see it??? You guessed it, your website!

You have to be creative and place your brand (or yourself) where your audience is. In this age of technology it is possible to place yourself in front of more people than ever before. I would suggest going beyond your own website and going to where the people are (Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, etc.) because with a million other options out there competing for your audience's attention you have to work for their time. When you're fortunate enough to get a few moments of it as they look at your posters, read your resume, or view your commercial be sure to share "why" it was not a waste of their time.

What creative ideas have you used in promoting yourself or your organization?

3 Ways to Build Your Brand (Part 1)

As I celebrate 20,000+ video views on Youtube I thought I would use a few posts to discuss brand building. How does one build a solid brand? This is an important question to ask whether you're a CEO of a multilevel organization that you want to expand, a pastor of a church that you desire to see flourish or an employee that desires to remain gainfully employed. All of us are involved in personal or professional branding of some sort but what are some keys that can help us to brand well? That's what I will be focusing on in the next few posts. The first element that we must factor into effective branding is PERCEPTION.

What are you known for?

Branding is all about perception. What are you known for? Starbucks is known for white cups and delicious coffee. Burger King is known for (whether they actually come through or not) being the place where "you can have it your way." Apple Computers are known for..well, working and the truth of the matter is that YOU are known for something too.

It may be for coming in late or it may be for staying late.
It may be for taking short cuts or for coming through no matter what.
It may be for being reliable or for being a crap shoot but you can rest assured that when people think of you, your company or your church something comes to mind.

Control Your Image

The key to successful branding is to control the image that comes to mind when your name comes up in conversation. You can do this by consistently reflecting the image that you would like for people to think of when they think of you or your organization. Perceptions are built by consistency. In other words you can't expect for people to think of excellence when your work often appears shoddy and poorly prepared. You can't expect for people to think that your church is welcoming when you fuss at everyone from the stage and no one speaks to each other before or after service. You can't expect for people to think of your business as convenient when your marketing strategy only makes business convenient for you. In order for your audience to develop a positive perception of you, you must perform in a positive manner time and time again.

This does not happen over night but the more you reflect the image that you speak of in your company's mission, your church's vision or your personal goals the more others will begin to see you this way. You may have some naysayers along the way speaking otherwise but your consistency will speak for you.

Whether it's your campaign, your promotability or your bottom line you have to give careful thought to how you are being perceived.

Therefore, the first step to building your brand is to be mindful of how you will be perceived through every publication, Tweet, Facebook status, conversation, interaction, transaction, sermon, assignment etc. because perception is built brick by brick and once it's built it's difficult to renovate.

Hope, Healing, & The Hunger Games

A week ago a friend and I decided to check out the new movie The Hunger Games. I enjoyed the movie but walked out of the theater thinking that I was glad that this was only a fiction. I couldn't imagine living in a world that revolved around a brutal competition where there could only be one winner and everyone else loses. It would be crazy to have to always look over your shoulder not knowing who would try to take you out...come to think of it, this isn't that hard to image after all.

Hunger Games?

A few days after watching the movie I noticed an interesting article on Facebook that expressed how many of the fans of the books were upset because of the members of the cast in the movie that were black. I was blown away by the racism that dripped from their statements. You would have thought that we had been teleported back to 1965 and as I read I realized that there are real life "hunger games" taking place every day. There are people who believe that there can only be one winner and their race, group, church, or organization has to be it and they will fight to the death to gain the upper hand at any cost.

Hungry Indeed

I believe that this "dog eat dog" mentality is a symptom of a deeper problem, a hunger in our hearts for the Word of God. The Bible says that a person can keep their way pure by living according to God's Word (Psalm 119:9). Therefore, we desperately need God's Word to clear out the racisms, favoritism and selfishness in our lives. Every time these things raise their head in our hearts it's like a spiritual hunger pain telling us that we're hungry for a Word from God that can only be found in the pages of the Bible. I dare you to fill your face with God's Word as much as you do with your favorite meal and see how your heart begins to change. God's Word can provide healing to the hurtful areas in your heart unlike anything else this world can provide. The Hunger games has sold over 3 million copies in America alone. I wonder what would happen if 3 million young people began to feast on God's Word. The World would never be the same! I believe it's possible and it starts with you today.

Have Something To Eat

If you have never tried to read the Bible for yourself, I dare you to begin to make it a part of your every day routine. You don't have to start by reading entire books at a time but I dare you to begin to "snack" on the Bible each day by reading a few chapters at a time and watch your hope for the future begin to rise. I've recently started a great program called Eat This Book: One Year Bible with Daily Psalm, you can check it out by clicking here . This will help you begin to "Eat God's Word" (figuratively speaking), apply it to your life, and handle the hunger that you may not even have noticed was there. The great thing about it is that, unlike the movie, there can be a lot more than one winner. Odds are, most people don't read the Bible as much as I'm challenging you to but, "May the odds ever be in your favor!"

Happy Hunger Games!

Sandwiches & Scriptures

The Sandwich

This weekend has been amazing! I have had a chance to workout, go to church, do some spring cleaning and get some extra writing completed (not in order of importance). Not only have I gotten several things accomplished that I had planned but I have also had a chance to try some things that I hadn't. For example, I didn't plan to go to the mall with a friend on Friday and try one of the best sandwiches in the WORLD. It's called a "Reuben" and it is all kinds of amazing. It is a tasty stack of cold cuts, cheese, italian dressing and sauerkraut on rye bread. Don't think it sounds good? That's alright, I didn't think so either. At first glance it didn't sound tempting but since I try to stay open to new experiences I decided to take a leap of faith and try it anyway. I'm glad I did!

The Point

What brought this sandwich to mind at the moment was a combination of factors.

1.) I'm hungry

2.) I was reading a book with some thoughts of John Wesley.

Wesley had quite a bit to say about the importance of studying the Bible and that was interesting enough, but the thing that stuck with me the most was the significance of starting and ending (or "sandwiching") our days with the scriptures. Wesley believed that when we start the day with the a study of God's Word we shape our thinking for the remainder of the day. We become more God conscious as we go throughout our daily routines because we have spent some time talking to God before our day begins.

Not only is it important to start the day with the Bible but it is just as important to end the day with the Bible because at the end of the day we are able to pause to reflect on how we handled things and how we could have been a better reflection of the image of God. When we are able to do this we can pray for forgiveness of our shortcomings and ask for strength not to make the same mistakes next time. Studying at the end of the day is like the top piece of bread that holds the sandwich together; sure one piece of bread would do but it's just better to have two isn't it?

What Now?

Now lets go make some sandwiches! I dare you to begin to start & end your day by reading the Bible and watch how God begins to change what takes place in between.

**How has quiet time with the Bible changed your day?

A Generation is Rising!

Today I had the wonderful opportunity to speak for a College Day at a church in the city. I had high expectations for the worship experience and what I saw truly exceeded my expectations. Not only was the praise and worship remarkable but there were powerful theatrical productions incorporated into the worship experience, all courtesy of the young adults (remember this, it will make sense in a moment). The message went over exceptionally well and I'm thankful for that but what has stood out in my mind as I reflect over the day is the hunger that I saw in the eyes of the young people. You must understand that the message that I had to share was not a "God's going to give you everything you want if you can just hold on through this semester." The message was a challenge to allow the LORD to help us to master all of the sins that are trying to stop us from becoming all that God wants us to be. There was a challenge to remove the mask & step out in faith to begin to master our flesh with the help of Christ.

In the midst of this challenging message an interesting thing happened...dozens of young adults admitted that they were tired of the same ol' same and were ready to make a change. Now I know you could say, "anyone can come up to an altar but what God desires is sincere change" and I agree, but who is to say that what took place today was not sincere change? I would like to think that it was. I would like to think that what we experienced today in Memphis was a small indication that transformation has begun to take place in our communities and it is starting with the next generation. I was inspired by what I saw today and I hope this meager attempt to describe it has inspired you. If you have ever thought that things are going down the drain and the nation is in a state of decline take heart, there is a generation rising that God can use to turn things around. From what I experienced today I am convinced that not only is it going to happen...IT HAS ALREADY BEGUN!

Burger King, Branding and Broken Promises

Branding is an effort to shape your reputation. It's an attempt to convince people that you are who you say you are. With such being the case, it always requires making promises somehow. Promises very from business to business and from person to person but every professional makes them in one way or another. Some companies make promises that they'll get a package delivered in rain, sleet, or snow. Some people make promises that they'll complete an assignment efficiently and effectively. Some churches make promises that they will welcome anyone that comes though their doors with the love of Jesus. Whatever your market or industry, you are probably a part of a daily effort to build a brand on the back of promises. This can be helpful if your company (or you as an employee) become known for consistently coming through on your promises but it can also destroy your business or personal potential for growth when you fail to follow through with what you say you will provide.

I saw this clearly over the course of the past week. Since I am usually on the move, I often eat fast food. Up to a few days ago my food of choice was a burger from Burger King. A flame broiled burger made just how I like it? Count me in! I was a frequent customer until I made the decision that had finally had enough of their broken promises. What promises you ask? Well, Burger King has built a brand on the back of a promise to let you "Have it your way" but the past few times (actually 3 in a row at completely separate locations) I chose them over their competitors I was faced with the disappointment of yet another broken promise. I kindly asked for no onions on my burger (not world peace, just no onions) and they failed to come through. In fact, it's almost as if they added more onions just because I asked for a burger without them. This would not have been a problem at McDonald's because I would have expected to have to peel them off myself but since Burger King has built their brand on the promise of completing my order as I requested it, the margin for error is a lot smaller. Since they have consistently failed to come through I have decided to step away from "the King" and allow someone else to reign. No more burgers for me (as far as they're concerned) and it's all because of their failure to keep their promises.

What does this have to do with you?

Are you failing to receive the promotions and new opportunities that you desire? Are your sales down this quarter? Are you losing business, revenue or fresh assignments? Perhaps it's because you have been providing a bogus bill of goods to your employer, customers or clients. Maybe they have heard one too many broken promises from you. You said that you could get the deal completed before the deadline and didn't. You said that you were willing to stay late when needed and haven't. You said that you were self-motivated and aren't, and maybe the people you serve have just had enough. If this describes you don't be offended, be inspired. Be inspired to change your behavior. Be inspired to change your approach to business. Be inspired to make a personal commitment to begin to come through on the promises that you make on a daily basis.

If you say you can do it, do it. If you say you can provide it, provide it. If you say you're willing to offer it, offer it but if you're not willing to put your money where your mouth is, it's best to not make the promise in the first place. Build your brand based on what you can do and not just what you think your boss or customer wants to hear because they may look over your broken promise once or twice but after a while your brand (or you as an employee) will become known not for your remarkable branding, but for the promises that you're continuously breaking...and who wants to keep paying for that?

Reality Check

Today is the second day of the second month of the year. I believe that this is a great time to see where we're heading and whether or not we're on target to achieve all of the things that we want to accomplish this year.The first day of the year is often a time filled with dreams, ambitions & goals and many of us have made resolutions that we wanted to implement in our lives to get where we have always wanted to be. Now that a month has already come and gone we are faced with a reality check. As we begin February of this new year we have to ask ourselves, "Am I closer to my dreams today than I was on New Year's Eve?" This can be a challenging question but it is necessary if we are going to break the cycle of mediocrity and move into higher levels of success.

Have you developed better work habits? Have you begun to use your time more wisely? Have you actually started working out like you said you would? What have you done with the dreams that you developed as you celebrated the beginning of the year? It's time for a reality check because you only have 11 more months to accomplish what you've set out to do this year but if you refuse to change your habits you will find yourself shifting into next year in the same position that you were in last year. You don't have that kind of time to waste. God is able to do more through you than that and you know you're expecting God to do more for you than that so buckle down, face reality and do whatever you have to do to add works to your faith because "faith without works is dead." If you have faith that God is able to do more in your life than you're seeing right now you're going to have to be willing to step up and add some some works to that faith right now.

One month is already gone. That was 5 weeks, 2 pay periods and 31 days to make forward strides toward the life you've been dreaming of. What did you do with them? I know this may come off as somewhat of a harsh message but I believe in you too much to let 11 more months go by without challenging you to make the most of every one of them. I faced reality this morning and refocused to make the most of the rest of the year. I challenge you to do the same. If you desire a new life, it's time to start walking toward it now because the "reality" is that if you don't take steps toward it, it is highly unlikely that you will ever step into it.

Be Flexible

On Wednesday evening I learned an interesting lesson about being flexible. As I sat on the front row in class I noticed that my professor had not said much, which was unusual because she was normally quite social. A few minutes before the beginning of our gathering she called me to the podium to ask me to read Psalm 96 to the class and pray because she had recently had a surgery performed which made it difficult to speak. Interestingly enough, the scripture that she suggested began with the phrase "Sing to the Lord a new song...sing to the Lord and praise his Name."

The fact that she was able to maintain an attitude of faith in the midst of a difficult circumstance was truly remarkable. Immediately following the prayer she began to teach the class by typing her instructions on an overhead projector and was able to capture the class' attention without the use of her voice better than many professors have with the perfect use of theirs. Everyone was engaged in the learning process so that what could have been viewed as a setback was actually used to her benefit, but this powerful demonstration of the will to accomplish one's goals would not have been visible that evening if the professor had not made the decision to be flexible. What if she had decided that this semester it would be impossible to be able to do what she clearly loves doing because of the difficulties that her present challenges present? What if she had listened to the negative voice that was probably on the inside whispering "They're not going to listen?" What if she had been stuck in the box of her previous methods of teaching and refused to consider new methods for accomplishing her mission? I believe that if she had not been flexible not only would she have missed out on a wonderful opportunity to see God continue to work through her gift of teaching but we as her students would have also missed out on the opportunity to learn how to "roll with the punches."

Here comes the question of the day...get ready for it...How flexible are YOU? How do you respond when things don't go as planned? How do you react when an idea doesn't bring the desired results? How do you respond when your partner's personality seems to stand in the way of peace in your marriage? What do you do when things seem to be falling apart? When you find yourself in these experiences you have a choice to make. You can either get frustrated, wondering why things happened the way that they did, or you can be flexible and find a way to make it work. If my professor could "sing to the Lord" through someone else and talk through the use of modern technology to get her message across, surely you can find other ways to accomplish what you're trying to do. It's 5 a.m. on a Friday morning as I write this encouragement just for you. As you read and reflect on the difficulties that you may be experiencing on the way to your destiny you can either be frustrated or flexible. I choose to be flexible because I have seen that God is still "able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we may ask or think according to the power that works in us" (Ephesians 3:20). Remember that what's possible is according to God's power and not the perfection of our circumstances. With that being said, be flexible enough to act in faith believing that God can still get you where you're going even if you have to take a different route than expected. Don't get frustrated...be flexible.

Jerks & Jesus

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but there are jerks on the prowl. Don't judge me, you know you've called people much worse. I guess I have been quite fortunate to not have encountered a genuine jerk in a while but tonight, as my car was run off the road by one, I was reminded that they still live among us. Sometimes they roam in packs seeking unsuspecting prey at the mall and other times they stand as solo sour pusses waiting for the opportunity to share their hostile attitude at work. While there are several things that I, and I'm sure you, would like to say to these jerks as we encounter them in our daily lives there is one thing that we must keep in mind. We are designed to represent Jesus in all that we say and do. As a result we must choose to "opt out" of responses that don't do justice to His Name.

As I sat for a moment on the side of the road and put my car in reverse to continue my commute home my first thoughts were not "Jesus bless them", to be more honest they were more like "Come on Jesus...". However, as I began to think about the best way to respond to the situation as a follower of Christ (even though they were long gone due to his failure to stop, which helped to solidify my hypothesis that I was dealing with a genuine jerk) I considered what the Bible says about how to handle hostile people. The Bible is clear that we must love our enemies and pray for them (Matt. 5:44) so in the midst of my frustration, after a few moments I found myself praying for them. I prayed that they would receive grace. I prayed that God would ignite an unselfishness in their heart (and mine). I prayed that they would develop a deep seeded compassion and love for others. For this jerk I prayed, and that is not an attempt to say that I am more spiritual or righteous than them because the more I prayed the more I remembered that Jessie needs Jesus just as much as that jerk does. So the next time you encounter a jerk show them Jesus, and remember that you freely receive love & grace from Him so they should freely receive the same from you.

Don't Just Start...FINISH!

What does it take to win? What separates those who accomplish great levels of success from those who don't? I'm sure there are dozens of variables that factor into the equation but I believe that one of the top 5 factors is the failure to follow through. Anyone can start something, and that may take courage, but where the crowd thins out is often during the test of time. This is because the longer something takes to accomplish, the more we wrestle with fatigue and the loss of our passion.

I'd like to challenge you to find something that you started but haven't finished. Let this be the year of followthrough. Let this be the year you finish! I'm reminded of Joshua as he and the Israelites began to take possession of the land that God had promised them. The Bible says that, "The LORD said to Joshua, 'See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its King and its fighting men. (Joshua 6:2)" Sounds like an amazing promise. Sounds like they had made it. Sounds like there was nothing for them to do but believe it and it would happen right? Wrong! One verse after the promise God let them in on the process. God told Joshua, "March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have all the people give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the people will go up, every man straight in. (Joshua 6:3)"

The process was not nearly as easy to hear as the promise. Some of you may have gotten tired just reading about the process Joshua had to face but the truth of the matter is that most (if not all) promises require a process. God may have promised you that your plans of becoming a great leader, entrepreneur or parent would not fail but chances are you're experiencing the process. That's normal! Don't allow the wait to wash away your great expectations. If you can endure the process you are sure to possess the promise at the appropriate time but it won't happen if all you do is start, you have to finish. What have you started and put to the side because of the process? Pick it back up, now is the time to finish.

Surprise!

I'll admit that I like surprises as much as the next person. Although, I definitely prefer that they be "good" surprises rather than bad. For instance, a month ago my wife decided to stop by the office to bring me a hot cup of Starbucks during a long day of ministry meetings. Surprise! I love those types of surprises, but that is not the kind of surprise that I ran into this evening when I returned home from church.

When I walked through the door I knew something was up because my dog was sitting up in her cage as if she was shocked that I was home. The aroma in the air told me that I hadn't caught her preparing for a welcome home party so I slowly walked over to her cage hoping that I wouldn't see what I thought I'd see. I'll spare you the details but let me just say that this was NOT a pleasant surprise. I had worked all day, and even stayed around after for a meeting or two so I was certainly looking forward to a moment of rest only to find my companion stuck in the midst of a mess. Have you ever been there? Have you ever finished everything that you planned to do and here comes someone with a problem? You were just starting to get your finance & house where you wanted them to be and here comes someone reaching for a hand out. This can be an exceptionally frustrating experience because you didn't plan for this...so what do you do?

I remember a passage in the Bible when Jesus had left the synagogue and went to the home of Simon (Peter). The Bible says,

"At sunset, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them. (Luke 4:40)"

Did you catch that? The people began to come to be healed at sunset, in other words when things could have been winding down for the night. So just when it seemed like it was time to relax "SURPRISE!" someone needed help. I find it interesting that Jesus' response was to lay his hands on them to heal them. Oh that we would do the same! When was the last time you stepped up to help someone when you could or even planned to have sat down? When was the last time you were willing to reach out to express love even though the timing was unexpected? I did so tonight. Sure it was "only a dog" but she needed me and I would like to think that this exercise in how to handle a surprise has prepared me to step up when the one needing help is a human. Bear with me, I'm still trying to get my spirits up from the ordeal.

When I saw her in her cage covered in calamity sure I was disturbed, who wouldn't be? But this was not the time for disgust it was time for deliverance and even though I may have been tired, I still had the time to clean up the mess she had made. If you would be honest I'm sure you have the time to help someone too. Maybe it's a family member who has fallen on hard times. Maybe it's a complete stranger who stepped out on faith hoping that you would step out with grace. I don't know who you have around you or who you will encounter in your daily walk but what I do know is that you are sure to walk into a surprise every now and again. When you do, I challenge you to step up & reach a hand out to help with a better attitude than I did (I'm still a work in progress). As we develop a willingness to help others even when it's inconvenient, I believe we position ourselves to serve as beacons of light for the world to see and in the process allow them to receive the best surprise of all (God has not forgotten them). Perhaps your biggest "surprises" are an opportunity to surprise others.

Who is Jessie Jennings? I'm glad you asked!

THE BEGINNING

At the age of 18 Jessie was led to spend his life teaching the wonderful truths of God’s Word. Thirsty for an opportunity to grow, he asked Bishop Edward H. Stephens, Jr. for a chance to teach in the children’s ministry of Golden Gate Cathedral. The request was granted which graciously gave him the ability to develop his gift of teaching by assisting in the Sunday School and Youth Ministry. As a means of further development for the task of rightly dividing the Word of God, the Lord gave him an opportunity to receive a (Cum Laude) Bachelor’s Degree in Communications with a Minor in Religion in Society from the University of Memphis in 2005 and he is currently pursuing a Masters of Divinity Degree from Memphis Theological Seminary.

THE WORD ON THE STREET

Despite the many challenges that Jessie has faced, he has been awarded several distinctions including: University of Memphis Dean’s List (4 semesters), National Dean’s List (2 semesters), he has received the United States Minority Leadership Award and was declared a “Memphis Standout” by the Daily News. As he pursues honorable achievement and endeavors to serve his community, Jessie consistently makes himself available for the community based programs of his fraternity, Kappa Alpha Psi. The Lord saw fit to ordain him an Elder in August of 2007 and to appoint him as the Youth Director of the State of Tennessee for the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship in 2008. He currently serves as the Pastor of Communications at Golden Gate Cathedral.

A MAN ON A MISSION

The favor of God can be clearly seen in the pages of his life. Jessie has spent the past 10 years teaching and mentoring at Golden Gate Cathedral, the University of Memphis, Memphis area community centers, churches and functions across the mid-south as well as around the globe through a cutting edge on-line ministry with an approach that can be summarized by John 14: 12-13 which states, “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the father and I will do whatever you ask in my Name, so the Son may bring glory to the Father.”

What am I all about?

My mission is simple, I believe that I exist to communicate the scriptures, connect people to Christ and to catapult people toward their destiny. Everything that I do (blogs, videos, live speaking engagements, etc.) are passed through this lens.

With that being said, what you will find here is information and insights that will help to launch you into a journey of becoming who you've always been designed to be. The stories you encounter may make you smile, but more importantly, they will cause you to consider your personal potential. I hope you're ready because you have just walked in to a new life that BEGINS RIGHT NOW!