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.