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.