The Monday Memo from John Stanko

437: Is Failure Spiritual?

I am in Nairobi, and it feels great to be back!  I have a team of 13 with me on this trip and they all traveled well.  You can follow our journeys on my travel blog, which is also linked to my Facebook account.  There may or may not be a Monday Memo next week depending on my access to the Internet where I will be. 

In case you are just joining the Monday Memo family, I have declared the week of March 1-7 to be Celebrate a Failure week the world over.  Here are some ways to celebrate (you can also read more about failure on the Monday Memo site):

1. If you are a pastor, you can talk about failure in your Sunday services on March 7 or during your midweek gatherings. Someone wrote me once that there is no failure in the Bible. See if they're right. If not, then share what you find that can help people who have failed. You have plenty of them sitting right in front of you every Sunday.
2. If you are a business leader, why not talk about failure with the other leaders and staff. Do you have any failures to celebrate as a business or team? What did you learn from them? What is stopping you from creating new failures? What could you possibly achieve today if you weren't afraid of trying and failing?
3. You can celebrate as a family. You may want to study a biblical character who failed, like Samson, Moses, David or Peter. Maybe there is some family story of failure that can be discussed and examined. Maybe you can even focus on some historical figure like Abraham Lincoln, Nelson Mandela or Winston Churchill, who were great leaders who also experienced great failures at some point.
4. Classroom settings need not be left out of our celebration. If you teach, I would imagine that you can find enough teaching material to make up a classroom session or two. History and science are full of failures that eventually led to success, of failures that provide significant lessons for your students.

THE QUESTION

This week, let's consider whether on not failure is spiritual. Let me start by quoting from Thomas Merton’s book, New Seeds of Contemplation.

Perhaps we still have a basically superstitious tendency to associate failure with dishonesty and guilt—failure being interpreted as “punishment.” Even if a man starts out with good intentions, if he fails we tend to think he was somehow “at fault.” If he was not guilty, he was least “wrong.” And “being wrong” is something we have not yet learned to face with equanimity and understanding. We either condemn it with god-like disdain or forgive it with god-like condescension. We do not manage to accept it with human compassion, humility and identification.

Thus we never see the one truth that would help us begin to solve our ethical and political problems: that we are all more or less wrong, that we are all at fault, all limited and obstructed by our mixed motives, our self-deception, our greed, our self-righteousness and our tendency to aggressivity and hypocrisy.

Merton said that failure to face my own humanity causes me not to accept the humanity of others. Failure is part of being human. You cannot serve God in the hopes that He will save you from your propensity to fail. If God did that, for example, He would not have commanded us to forgive one another. He knew we would fail one another and provided the means by which we could deal with it appropriately. God didn't say, "Now that you are mine, you won't be needing to forgive one another any longer." He was saying, "Now you can come to terms with your failure toward one another by forgiving one another."

Those who take refuge in a false sense of spirituality as they try to avoid human failure have already failed. If you don't fail, you won't try to succeed and if you don't try, you won't ever know which thing you could  do is the thing you should do. If you don't fail, you deprive yourself of the great learning experience that only failure can provide. If you don't fail, you won't fully know or understand God's love that is with you no matter what.

THE ANSWER

So is failure spiritual? Indeed it is, for it contributes to your spiritual growth by grounding you in your humanity. It's then that you know God's love and grace, and are able to share those with your fellow failing humans, not from a position of superiority, but from a position of identification.

So I pray that you will have a profitable time leading up to March 1-7. This is an bi-annual event, so if you can’t cover all your failures this year, there’s always next time. I already have enough failures to cover the next ten Celebrate a Failure weeks, and I'm sure t I will collect even more material in the coming season of life! With that in mind, I look forward to celebrating my humanity and my spirituality with you in a few weeks. Thank God He still loves and uses you and me, even in our human condition. Have a great week!

Feel free to post your comments on the site where this entry is posted.

436: Halls of Failure

In case you missed last week's announcement, by the authority vested in me as a purpose coach and teacher, I have declared the week of March 1 officially to be Celebrate a Failure week the world over. During that week, I urge you to find every way possible to celebrate the powerful role of failure in your life or the life of your organization. You can read last week's Memo to discover some suggestions of how to celebrate. This week, however, I want to talk about the halls of failure, of which there are quite a few in my country. These are places where thousand of people come every year to honor those who failed regularly and with distinction in their careers.

Where are these halls of failure, you may ask? There is one in Canton, Ohio, another in Cooperstown, New York and another in Springfield, Massachusetts, just to name a few. If you follow such things, you know that these are the locations of the baseball, football and basketball halls of fame. Let's talk about why I call them halls of failure.

FAILURE IGNORED

Let's first look at baseball (sorry to my non-U.S. readers). The best batters in baseball failed at least 65 percent of the time when they came to bat. The best pitchers failed as many as 40 percent of the time when they pitched, not to mention how many "non-strikes" they threw. The best fielders failed only about 10 percent of the time, but some of the managers remembered in the hall of failure lost almost as many games as they won.

In football, the hall of failure quarterbacks missed 50 percent of their pass attempts. The best running backs fumbled numerous times and the best defenders missed many tackles. In basketball, some of those enshrined in the hall missed 40 percent of their free throws. Others turned the ball over (gave it to the other team) hundreds of times and many lost games for their team when it counted most -- at the very end when they were the last ones to touch the ball.

You know that these halls where the greatest players are memorialized are not called halls of failure but instead halls of fame. They are places where thousands pay money to go and remember the greatest players, regardless of how many times they failed. In fact, no one even remembers how many times they failed. Their failures are ignored in the face of the successes they enjoyed.

FAILURE FORGOTTEN

What about the players memorialized in these halls of fame? What is their attitude toward failure? The statistics I quoted above are accurate; they did indeed encounter many failures in their careers. The key to great success for them was that failure did not define who they were or the legacy they left. Consider Michael Jordan, perhaps the most famous basketball player of the modern era and these facts about him in his own words: "I missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I've been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."

The great players learn to forget their failures. They use them as a means to improve. They studied what they did wrong and what they would do again if faced with a similar situation. They failed so much that they learned how to succeed. More importantly, they did not allow failure to define them because they did not quit.

So what's your story? How many times have you failed? Truth be told, you probably haven't failed nearly enough to be successful. Have you allowed past failure to limit your attempts to succeed today? Have you allowed the voice of past failure to coach your play today? I'm not referring to your sports career, but to your attempts to write, act, lead or parent. If you don't learn to forget your failure, no one else will ignore it. That's why we are celebrating failure, so can laugh at it and move on to success, however you define success for your life.

Don't miss this wonderful chance to put failure in its rightful place as a teacher and mentor. Join with me on March 1 and the days following to put failure in perspective. If nothing else, take a moment now and then to reflect on the truth found in Romans 8:28: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Talk about how God has worked God in and from your failure and then go out and do something great that your failure taught you to do. Have a great week and preparation time leading up to March 1.

     Free free to respond to this entry on the site where it is posted.

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LAST CALL: I depart this coming Friday for Kenya with 13 others. If you want to give to the Deborah Foundation or the Sophia Fund, this is the last week to do so before I depart. If you haven't already done so, please take the time to read this latest updates on the Sophia Fund and the Deborah Foundation here. As you read, you will understand what a difference you can make in a child's life with very little effort or investment. 

If you feel compelled to help our upcoming trip, you can give through my website or send a check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 91099, Pittsburgh, PA 15221.  Just let me know if your contribution is to be used for food or shipping and I promise to use it for that purpose. Just $5 will help me feed an orphan for a week!  Do what you can and please do it today.

KENYA: We have decided to reschedule the training I had planned to do when I come in February until June or July.  I will keep you informed of the dates and other pertinent information you will need to register. 

435: Time to Celebrate!

It's been almost two years, but it's that time again. What time is it? Why no other time than to celebrate failure. That's right, I am declaring the week of March 1-7 to be Celebrate a Failure week the world over. If you have read this Memo since the beginning, you will know that this is the fifth such celebration we have held since 2001. If you are new to the Memo, let me explain to you what Celebrate a Failure Week is all about.

THE GROUND RULES

I would recommend that you take every chance during the last week of February to talk about failure, its role in your life and the lessons you have learned from past failures. Here are some ideas of what you can do:

1. If you are a pastor, you can talk about failure in your Sunday services on March 7 or during your midweek gatherings starting on Monday, March 1. Someone wrote me that there is no failure in the Bible. See if they're right. If not, then share what you find that can help people who have failed. You have plenty of them sitting right in front of you every Sunday.
2. If you are a business leader, why not talk about failure with the other leaders and staff. Do you have any failures to celebrate as a business or team? What did you learn from them? What is stopping you from creating new failures? What could you possibly achieve today if you weren't afraid of trying and failing?
3. You can celebrate as a family. You may want to study a biblical character who failed, like Samson, Moses, David or Peter. Maybe there is some family story of failure that can be discussed and examined. Maybe you can even focus on some historical figure like Abraham Lincoln, Nelson Mandela or Winston Churchill, great leaders who also experienced great failures at some point.
4. Classroom settings need not be left out of our celebration. If you teach, I would imagine that you can find enough teaching material to make up a classroom session or two. History and science are full of failures that eventually led to success, of failures that provide significant lessons for your students.

WHY?

Why the need for such a celebration? And is it truly possible to celebrate failure? Should it not be tolerated at worst and avoided at best? We should celebrate failure because it is an inevitable part of life. We avoid failure because we believe it is somehow a measure of inadequate spirituality, and in some ways it is, because you will never measure up to the ideal of perfection on this side of heaven or the Lord's return. If you are going to do anything for God, whether to fulfill your purpose or achieve your goals, you will need to embrace the learning process that only failure can provide.

You can read what I have written about failure in past Memos, but let me quote one of my favorite authors, Parker Palmer, and what he had to say about failure in his book, The Active Life:

If I allow my life to be deformed by the fallen angel called “fear of failure,” I will never be fully alive. I will withhold myself from actions that might fail, or ignore evidence of failure when it happens. But if I could ride that fear all the way down, I might break out of my self-imposed isolation and become connected with many other lives, because failure and the fear of it are universal. I would learn that failure is a natural fact, a way of discerning what to try next. I would be empowered to take more risks, which means to embrace more life, and in the process I would become more connected with others. The monster called fear of failure (or ridicule, criticism, or foolishness, or any of the other fears that are so easy to regard as mortal enemies) would become a demanding but empowering guide toward relatedness.

But on this side of such an experience, we may wonder why we should anywhere near the monsters, let alone ride them all the way down. After all, they are monsters, and they do harbor powers of destruction as well as of creativity. Even if riding the monsters is the only way to reach safe ground, there is no guarantee that we will get there. People have fallen off before the end of the journey and have been stranded in some bad places. So why take the risk of riding the monsters in the first place?

[The reason is that] some monsters simply will not go away. They are too big to walk around, too powerful to overcome, too clever to outsmart. The only way to deal with them is to move toward them, with them, through them. We must learn to befriend some of these primitive powers that seem so much like enemies. In the process we will find them working for us, not against us, working for life, not death.

What are you afraid of? Is some past failure or the fear of a future one keeping you ineffective and paralyzed? Are you so afraid of missing God’s will for your life that you are missing God’s will for your life? This is why we need a Celebrate a Failure Week. It's not to glorify failure but to set the stage for success. That may not make sense at this point, but if you follow along for the next few weeks, I think you'll understand how it works.

So get ready for a big celebration, for we all have some colossal failures to celebrate and some important lessons to review. We want to get failure working for us and not against us, so with that in mind, let the party begin. Have a great week as you make preparations for the big event.

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STILL NEED HELP: I just posted an update on my upcoming trip to Kenya entitled 100 Pairs of Shoes. I leave for Kenya on February 5 with 13 others and I am still collecting money and supplies to take over with us. If you haven't already done so, please take the time to read this latest update on the Sophia Fund and the Deborah Foundation here. As you read, you will understand what a difference you can make in a child's life with very little effort or investment. 

If you feel compelled to help our upcoming trip, you can give through my website or send a check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 91099, Pittsburgh, PA 15221.  Just let me know if your contribution is to be used for food or shipping and I promise to use it for that purpose. Just $5 will help me feed an orphan for a week!  Do what you can and please do it today.

KENYA: We have decided to reschedule the training I had planned to do when I come in February until June or July.  I will keep you informed of the dates and other pertinent information you will need to register. 

Memo 434: Sharing Your Wealth

This week I want to wrap up our purpose profile on Joshua, which we began before the holidays and resumed last week. (If you need to catch up, you can go to the site where these entries are posted and read Memos 427, 428, and 433).  This week I want to look a story where Joshua taught others to have the same kind of success he had.  Isn't it time that you also encouraged others to step out and fulfill their purpose? 

A LEARNING LESSON

Last week we read how the Lord had stopped the sun so Joshua could defeat his enemies.  In the process, Joshua had captured five kings, trapping them in a cave where they had gone to hide.  The Lord had granted Joshua great success, but then Joshua wanted to use his success as a learning lesson for those who were fighting with him.  So here is what he did:

Joshua said, "Open the mouth of the cave and bring those five kings out to me." So they brought the five kings out of the cave—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon. When they had brought these kings to Joshua, he summoned all the men of Israel and said to the army commanders who had come with him, "Come here and put your feet on the necks of these kings." So they came forward and placed their feet on their necks.Joshua said to them, "Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Be strong and courageous. This is what the Lord will do to all the enemies you are going to fight." Then Joshua struck and killed the kings and hung them on five trees, and they were left hanging on the trees until evening (Joshua 10:22-26).

Joshua was not content to be victorious.  He knew that many battles lay ahead and he wanted those with him to be prepared to do great things.  Joshua was not content to win; he wanted to teach others to win as well.

SHARING YOUR WEALTH

If you are not careful, you quest for purpose can be a selfish endeavor.  It can degenerate into what you can do and how you can be fulfilled. Don't get me wrong; that's not all bad.  Yet you must be mindful that you are going through and accomplishing what you are so you can share your wealth with others.  Your wealth isn't necessarily money, but rather the experience and lessons you learn along the way, lessons that can help others. 

So how can you share the wealth, so to speak?  How can you teach others how to put their feet on their enemy's neck?  You can teach, write, broadcast, mentor or coach.  You can realize that you have something to share with others and stop devaluing who you are, what you do and where you are. You can look for opportunities to share what you have now, trusting that you will not lose anything when you do.  Rather, God will give you more, whatever the "more" is that you need to finish your work and fulfill your purpose.

So when you go to do something good and meaningful this week, stop to think who you can include in the process.  When you are about to step on your enemy's neck, bring someone along to enjoy it with you and then see how you can help them do something purposeful.  When you do, you won't just have a great week but also a meaningful life. 

     Feel free to post your comment to this Memo on the site where it is located.

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I NEED HELP: I just posted an update on my upcoming trip to Kenya entitled 100 Pairs of Shoes. I leave for Kenya on February 5 with 13 others and I am still collecting money and supplies to take over with us. If you haven't already done so, please take the time to read this latest update on the Sophia Fund and the Deborah Foundation here. As you read, you will understand what a difference you can make in a child's life with very little effort or investment. 

If you feel compelled to help our upcoming trip, you can give through my website or send a check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 91099, Pittsburgh, PA 15221.  Just let me know if your contribution is to be used for food or shipping and I promise to use it for that purpose. Just $5 will help me feed an orphan for a week!  Do what you can and please do it today.

KENYA: The finest training in goal setting and personal development I have ever received was through an organization called The Pacific Institute.  I am going to do a three-day Pacific Institute seminar while I am in Nairobi from February 8-10 at the Serena Hotel in Nairobi. This training is not inexpensive, but it has paid for itself in my life over and over again.  Be watching for updates in the coming weeks and then be a part of this historic event when I come over in February.  It will change you and your life forever.

433: A Miracle Just in Time

Are you in a battle for time?  Do you have more to do than you have time to accomplish?  It's time to resume our study of Joshua, which we began prior to the Christmas holidays.  Joshua trusted the Lord for a significant miracle that involved time, so let's direct our attention there and see what you can learn to help with your battle for time in the days ahead (you can read Memos 427 and 428 on Joshua here).

A PRAYER OF FAITH

As you learn to have faith for money, business and ministry to fulfill your purpose, it’s important that you also learn to have faith for time.  Like you, Joshua had much to do as he fulfilled his purpose to pursue and battle Israel’s enemies. The only way he was going to finish was to have faith for more time.  His faith caused him to pray an unusual prayer:

“On the day the Lord gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the Lord in the presence of Israel: ‘O sun, stand still over Gibeon, O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.’  So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the Lord listened to a man. Surely the Lord was fighting for Israel!” (Joshua 10:12-14). 

Joshua asked for the sun and moon to alter their normal courses and God answered his prayer!  Joshua got creative and prayed a prayer of faith.  God answered Joshua’s prayer and gave him enough daylight to finish the job he had before him.

A TIMELY MIRACLE

This is an unusual story, but it embodies an important principle where time is concerned:  God can help you have the time you need to finish what you need to finish.  Armed with that knowledge, can you then believe God for the time you need?  This is critical, because often you put off important things because you don’t believe you have enough time to fit them in or do them well. 

This week, I am determined to have faith for time, to finish all the critical things that are before me.  I’m not going to fret, but I am going to keep my priorities in order.   That means I will pray, read, write and take time to do some schoolwork for my class in February.  Because you believe God can give you time, you can exercise, study or do the other things that you’ve previously said you didn’t have time to do.

When you say, “I don’t have enough time,” you are making a statement of unfaith.  The truth is, you have all the time there is—twenty-four hours a day.  But God is still able to take limited resources and make them adequate, and He can do the same for those twenty-four hours.  So why not believe God for a time miracle this week?  And how will you walk out this miracle?  You will express your faith for time by doing something that is important for you to do, whether you think you have time to do it or not.  I invite you to join me this week as together we follow Joshua's example to have faith for a timely miracle.  Have a great week!

    Feel free to post your comment to this Memo on the site where it is located.

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FACEBOOK GOAL:  As of this writing, I have 1,075 friends on Facebook.  Thank you for helping me exceed my goal. Now on to the next goal: 2,000 by June 30

THE SOPHIA FUND: I leave for Kenya on February 5 with 13 others and I am still collecting money and supplies to take over with us. If you haven't already done so, please take the time to read my latest update on the Sophia Fund and the Deborah Foundation here. As you read, you will understand what a difference you can make in a child's life with very little effort or investment. 

After you read these updates, I hope you will act to help as my trip approaches in four weeks.  I need money and supplies to feed and educate the children in a difficult environment. If you need more background or information, go to my blog to see my latest posts or go to my Facebook page. I will figure out a way to get everything to Kenya.  You just figure out a way to get them to me. 

KENYA: The finest training in goal setting and personal development I have ever received was through an organization called The Pacific Institute.  I am going to do a three-day Pacific Institute seminar while I am in Nairobi from February 8-10 at the Serena Hotel in Nairobi. This training is not inexpensive, but it has paid for itself in my life over and over again.  Be watching for updates in the coming weeks and then be a part of this historic event when I come over in February.  It will change you and your life forever.

432: Goals

Happy New Year!  I trust 2010 will be a great year for you, filled with exciting purposeful activities and relationships.  As you know, I set a goal to have 1,000 friends on Facebook by 12/31/09 (or 31/12/09 if you live outside the U.S.).  As of this writing, I am at 936 and counting.  I thought it would be good to examine this goal and the results and see what there is to learn as we enter this New Year.

THE GOAL

Why did I choose this goal?  When I joined Facebook last year, I thought it was a good means through which I could "broadcast" some of my devotional writing.  Since it is no more difficult to write for one that it is for 1,000, I randomly chose that number as something that seemed do-able but beyond my knowledge of how I would do it.  It seemed to capture everything that a goal should be, so I set it and now I am almost there.

I define a goal as a "vision of how it is before it is." It is an end result to be achieved through dreaming, planning and diligence.  If there is breakdown in any of those three, you will never reach your goal.  First, you must dream it. Then you must put some kind of plan together to do it, even if it is by faith.  Finally, you must go for it with an active and not a passive faith. 

WHAT THERE IS TO LEARN   

So what can we learn from my goal of 1,000 friends?

1. I created urgency by putting a date with the goal.  There was nothing special about 12/31/09.  I just randomly chose it.  I am not upset in the least by the fact that I came short of my goal.  I got closer to it than if I had hoped to have 1,000 friends one day.
2. I trusted what was "in" me.  I didn't waste any time wondering whether or not this was a good or perfect goal.  I set it and went for it.
3. My goal was ultimately to help others.  I don't really care how many friends I have. I do care how many I can reach with what God has given me to say and write.
4. The answers are "out there."  When you set a goal, you should not have any idea how you will accomplish it. You simply have faith that the answers are somewhere out there.  Your goal is creating the need and your sensitivity to the answers for that need.

Goal setting is not to be an event, but a lifestyle. You should create urgency through goal-setting in any area of life that is important to you. Today I am sending my publisher my next manuscript, this time a verse-by-verse devotional from Revelation called The Revelation Project.  I spent about 50 hours this past week getting it finalized and ready to go after spending hundreds of hours over an 11-month period. I could do that because my goal was January 1, 2010.  Yes, I missed the goal by a few days, but I don't feel bad at all.

2010 is here.  What are you goals?  If you don't have any, then you are saying that there is nothing in your life worth exerting supernatural effort to achieve?  If that's true, and I refuse to believe it is, then you are not swimming through life - you are just treading water.  Eventually you will get tired from doing nothing.

Spend some time this week and get your goal-groove on for 2010.  Don't worry whether or not they are perfect. As long as they mean something to you, they are fine.  Then tell someone and begin to look for the answers out there.  And oh yes, you can tell your friends to be my friend on Facebook.  I only have 64 to go!  Thanks and have a great week.

    Feel free to post your comment to this Memo on the site where it is located.

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THE SOPHIA FUND:  $1,300 come in for the Sophia Fund at year's end and some money and supplies for the Deborah Foundation continue to arrive.  My response to all this is:  THANK YOU AND PLEASE DON'T STOP.  I leave for Kenya on February 5 with 14 others and we want to take as much stuff and money over with us as possible. 

If you haven't already done so, please take the time to read my latest update on the Sophia Fund and the Deborah Foundation here. As you read, you will understand what a difference you can make in a child's life with very little effort or investment. 

After you read these updates, I hope you will act to help as my trip approaches in four weeks.  I need money and supplies to feed and educate the children in a difficult environment. If you need more background or information, go to my blog to see my latest posts or go to my Facebook page. I will figure out a way to get everything to Kenya.  You just figure out a way to get them to me. 

KENYA: The finest training in goal setting and personal development I have ever received was through an organization called The Pacific Institute.  I am going to do a three-day Pacific Institute seminar while I am in Nairobi from February 8-10 at the Serena Hotel in Nairobi. This training is not inexpensive, but it has paid for itself in my life over and over again.  Be watching for updates in the coming weeks and then be a part of this historic event when I come over in February.  It will change you and your life forever.

431: The Wise Guys

As I write, I am sitting in New York City, here for a few days of rest and relaxation.  We have looked at lessons from Handel and the shepherds this holiday season.  Let's wrap up the year by looking at one of my favorite aspects of the Christmas story - the Magi. 

WHO WERE THOSE MEN?

Who were those wise guys known as Magi who came from the east to visit Jesus and bring him gifts?  (You can read this brief story by at Matthew 2:1-12.) We aren't really sure. Nor do we know what they were looking for as they studied the heavens and what kind of star they saw that caused them to follow it hundreds of miles to find an infant king.

There were probably more than three men who came to see Jesus, but we have numbered them as three since they brought three gifts of myrrh, incense and gold.  They rode on camels for days, weeks even, not sure of what they would find when they arrived.  Now that's faith!

When they did arrive, they checked with King Herod, convinced that he would know where the royal infant was.  It is interesting that the wise men knew more of what was going on spiritually in Herod's kingdom than Herod did.

By the time the Magi arrived, Joseph, Mary and Jesus were living in a house, not in a stable, so they came some time after the night the shepherds went to see Jesus in the manger.  Since Herod carefully ascertained when the star had first appeared and then had all the male babies two years of age and under killed in Bethlehem, the Magi could have arrived as much as two years after Jesus birth.  That's a long time to watch and follow a star.

FOLLOW YOUR OWN STAR

You will need God's help if you are to find and fulfill your purpose.  That's not a problem, however, for God is in the business of helping people like you clarify purpose.  When Jesus was born, His star appeared and led those who were interested directly to his home.  The same thing can happen today for you. God can lead and guide you right where you need to be at exactly when you need to be there.  Oftentimes when you can't see your purpose, you aren't quite ready to find it.  Yet if you keep searching and following just like the Magi did, your star will appear and suddenly your PurposeQuest will all make sense.

As we prepare to celebrate a new year, I urge you to follow in the footsteps of the Magi.  Wise men and women still seek Jesus and, as they do, they find purpose.  I pray that 2010 will be a year of purpose and productivity the likes of which you have never seen, imagined or enjoyed.  I also pray that when you find the star and follow it, you will end up as the Magi did - worshiping the King and giving Him gifts.  There is no greater gift than devoting and dedicating the fulfillment of your purpose to Christ and His kingdom.  That is what I plan on doing in the year ahead.

From all the Stanko household, we wish you a very happy, prosperous and purposeful New Year!

    Feel free to post your comment to this Memo on the site where it is located.

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2,011 CRAYONS:   Please, please take the time to read my latest update on the Sophia Fund and the Deborah Foundation here and you will understand what I mean by this title. As you read, you will understand what a difference you can make in a child's life with very little effort or investment. 

People I don't know are still donating to both efforts to help the Kenyan people.  I have no idea how I will get all this over to Kenya, but I am not worried.  I have 14 people going with me in February and we will take as much as we can.  I truly believe that God will work all this out, so I refuse to fret for even one minute.

After you read these updates, I hope you too will act to help today as we approach the Christmas holiday.  I need money and supplies to feed and educate them in a difficult environment. I am grateful for your prayerful and prompt response to the children's needs.  If you need more background or information, go to my blog to see my latest posts or go to my Facebook page. I will figure out a way to get everything to Kenya.  You just figure out a way to get them to me. 

FACEBOOK: I haven't given up on my goal to have 1,000 Facebook friends by 12/31. Right now I have 828.  Help me reach my goal!

I update my status on Facebook (you can find me by searching my email, johnstanko@att.net) every morning to include a daily verse from Proverbs and an inspirational quote. I do the same on Twitter @johnstanko as well as a daily feature entitled "What Would Jesus Ask?" Go there to sign up and follow along.

430: Daylight on the Night Shift

This week I retrieve a Memo from the recent archives as we take a look at the shepherds at the birth of Jesus.  I wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas as you celebrate the birth of Christ this coming week.  But for now, let's learn something about daylight on the night shift!

THE NIGHT SHIFT

The shepherds in the Christmas story were working the night shift, doing what they and their ancestors had done for centuries. They went to work that night without any thought that anything extraordinary was about to happen. On the night Jesus was born, they were tending their flocks on the hillsides outside Bethlehem, minding their own business. Suddenly God sent them messengers, who brought great light to the night shift:

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. (Luke 2:8-16).

These shepherds were doing what they knew to do at that time in their life and God interrupted them with a special news report. This both scared and thrilled them. That's how it is when you find your life purpose. Often you are doing what you know to do at the time, usually a job or role that is less than fulfilling. Suddenly God, the Great Communicator, breaks into your conscious being and brings a message of purpose, of what He has always wanted you to do. That not only terrifies you but also gives you a desire to clarify and fulfill it.

That night the shepherds went to work like any other day. God spoke to them, however, and they were never the same. They started by sitting on a hillside in cold weather; they ended by finding a great treasure in Bethlehem, a treasure that had not been revealed to anyone else but them.

YOUR PURPOSEQUEST

Maybe you have been in a desperate search for your purpose and its expression. As we end this year, I suggest that you be encouraged as you remember the shepherds. Finding your purpose doesn't depend on your diligence; it depends on God's grace. Yes, you must search for your purpose, but only God can reveal it to you. I don't know when or how He will do that. It may be one cold, dark night when you go about your business like countless other nights. At that point, God may send His messenger and change your life forever. I don't know when or how He will do it, I just know that He will.

So have faith and relax this holiday season. Keep asking God to help you see who you are and what you were born to do, and after that, trust Him. You may even want to thank Him for your purpose whether or not you understand what it is.  He wants you to fulfill your purpose more than you do. He will show you in the fullness of time, bring you daylight even if you are working the night shift. When He does, you will join with the shepherds as laborers who found more than business as usual one night when they went to work. May the God of purpose speak to you soon and may you have the courage to believe what He says!  Merry Christmas!

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2,011 CRAYONS:   Please, please take the time to read my latest update on the Sophia Fund and the Deborah Foundation here and you will understand what I mean by this title. As you read, you will understand what a difference you can make in a child's life with very little effort or investment. 

Not a lot of money arrived this past week, but a lot of stuff did.  What's more, we have more scheduled for pickup this week. I have no idea how I will get all this over to Kenya, but I am not worried.  I have 14 people going with me in February and we will take as much as we can.  I truly believe that God will work all this out, so I refuse to fret for even one minute.

After you read these updates, I hope you too will act to help today as we approach the Christmas holiday.  I need money and supplies to feed and educate them in a difficult environment. I am grateful for your prayerful and prompt response to the children's needs.  If you need more background or information, go to my blog to see my latest posts or go to my Facebook page. I will figure out a way to get everything to Kenya.  You just figure out a way to get them to me. 

FACEBOOK: I haven't given up on my goal to have 1,000 Facebook friends by 12/31. Right now I have 830.  Help me reach my goal!

I update my status on Facebook (you can find me by searching my email, johnstanko@att.net) every morning to include a daily verse from Proverbs and an inspirational quote. I do the same on Twitter @johnstanko as well as a daily feature entitled "What Would Jesus Ask?" Go there to sign up and follow along.

Memo 429: Down but Not Out

Last night I had the privilege of seeing Handel's Messiah performed here in Pittsburgh at Heinz Hall, due to the generosity of a woman in my church.  I have seen the Messiah many times but it never gets old.  Last night was another outstanding rendition of that timeless classic.  Let's take a look at the circumstances that surrounded Handel as he composed his work and see if there are any purpose lessons there for you (you know there are!)

MESSIAH

The Messiah is considered by many to be the greatest musical feat in the history of mankind. Commissioned by a charity to produce a benefit concert, Handel wrote the Messiah in only 24 days. A musician once told me that someone trying to copy the Messiah could not do so in 24 days—that is the level of inspiration in which Handel operated when he wrote. Handel never left his house for those three weeks. His food trays remained untouched outside his office door. A friend who visited him as he composed found him sobbing with intense emotions. Later, as Handel groped for words to describe what he had experienced, he quoted St. Paul, saying “whether I was in the body or out of my body when I wrote it I know not.”

What’s even more impressive is that Handel wrote Messiah under extreme duress. The Church of England strongly criticized and opposed Handel and his previous Scriptural works put to music. At the age of 56, he had no money, often going out only at night so as to avoid his creditors. Handel performed what he considered his farewell concert and went home, fully expecting to end up in debtor’s prison.

Yet the first performance of Messiah in Ireland raised almost 400 pounds for charity and freed 142 other men from debtor's prison in 1742. Of course the rest is history as countless millions have enjoyed and marveled at this work for more than 250 years. Handel also went on from there to enjoy tremendous success and popularity in his latter years.

So what does this have to do with you? Perhaps you are a person of purpose but you feel frustrated, even defeated in your PurposeQuest. Maybe you find yourself down and out, discouraged and criticized, forgotten and a failure. Perhaps your finances are in poor shape. If that description fits you, read on, for I believe this Memo can restore your hope and faith. If that’s not you, read on anyway, for you will probably enter that phase one day as you pursue your purpose.

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU ARE DOWN AND OUT.

What should you do if you are in a season of “un-use,” disfavor or inaction? As we close out 2009, I would urge you to do three things if you are discouraged, disillusioned or dismayed. And if you’re not, I urge you to find someone who is—you shouldn’t have to look too hard—and encourage them in their dark time.

1. Renew your faith in God. Your success and purpose expression doesn’t depend on your faithfulness; it depends on God’s. So remind yourself that God can do anything, and then rest in Him. Handel went home to retire and perhaps thought it was all over for him. Yet God helped him and He will help you.
2. Keep preparing for your day of success. I don’t think Handel went home and abandoned music. Don't you abandon your love either. Keep writing, reading, learning and practicing. When the phone rings or the mail comes with your opportunity, you will be fresh and prepared, having worked in faith for the day of success.
3. Be generous. Handel wrote the Messiah for charity, even though he was destitute. What can you do for someone else, even though you are down and out?  It is a good thing to do the unexpected in hard times and giving something away definitely fits the bill. What better way to express your trust in God?
   

I’m grateful for 2009 and I hope you can find reasons to be as well. If not, then just thank God for His faithfulness. At least you’re still alive! Then take this Memo to heart or share it with someone who needs it. I pray that as you do what I recommended above, you will see the purpose breakthrough in 2010. Thank you for allowing me to come into your life every week and thank you for being a purpose seeker. As I close this Memo, I wish you not only a great week, but also a very Merry Christmas!

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LETTERS FROM KENYA:   Please, please take the time to read my latest update on the Sophia Fund and the Deborah Foundation here, this time written by three Kenyans. You will see how critical this work is from those who are touched firsthand.  Then give as you can this holiday season.  Your giving will make a big difference in the lives of many children and adults.

Not a lot of money arrived this past week, but a lot of stuff did.  I have no idea how I will get all this over to Kenya, but I am not worried.  I have people going with me in February and we will take as much as we can.  I truly believe that God will work all this out, so I refuse to fret for even one minute.

After you read these updates, I hope you too will act to help today as we approach the Christmas holiday.  I need money and supplies to feed and educate them in a difficult environment. I am grateful for your prayerful and prompt response to the children's needs.  If you need more background or information, go to my blog to see my latest posts or go to my Facebook page. I will figure out a way to get everything to Kenya.  You just figure out a way to get them to me. 

428: A Matter of Perspective

Are you facing difficult, even seemingly impossible obstacles in your life right now?  Have you given up before you even started on a dream or goal?  Is discouragement clinging to you like cat hair on wool fabric?  If you answered "Yes!" to any of those questions, then you need to read the Memo below. (If you answered "No!", you can read on as well.)

A SCOUTING EXPEDITION

When Israel was on the verge of entering the land, Moses sent twelve men to spy out the land as the Lord directed him to do (see Numbers 13).  The men went and saw some spectacular things.  They beheld a land flowing with milk and honey, so to speak.  Everything in that land was large -- the cities, the inhabitants, and the fruit.  One cluster of grapes was so large that it took two men to carry it back to Moses.

This was the land the Lord had promised to give the people, but there was only one small problem:  The people panicked!  They saw the good but they also saw the bad and they allowed the bad to overshadow the good. This is the report they brought to Moses:

But the men who had gone up with him said, "We can't attack those people; they are stronger than we are." And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, "The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them" (Numbers 13:31-33).

The people who listened to them bought into their report and decided that there was no way they were going to enter that land.  They also talked of rebelling and even killing Moses and anyone who sided with him that they should proceed.

A MATTER OF PERSPECTIVE

It was then that Joshua and Caleb, two of the spies, stepped forward to rebuke and encourage the people:

Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes and said to the entire Israelite assembly, "The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will swallow them up. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them" (Numbers 14:5-9). 

So what can we learn from Joshua and this story?

1. Joshua saw the giants as too big to miss in battle, the people saw them as too big to overcome.
2. When you share a gloomy perspective, it is contagious.
3. The people lost perspective on how big God is when they saw how big their problems were.
4. The people did not go forward and saw it as reasonable; God saw it as rebellious.

So what can you learn from this story?  Where have you allowed your perspective to affect your judgment to act? Have you bought into someone's pessimism instead of the Lord's optimism?  It is a matter of perspective as to how you see your problems and challenge?  I urge you this week not to be like the people but to be like Joshua and keep your problems and opportunities in proper perspective and act like God is as big and powerful as He truly is.  Have a great week!

    Feel free to write your comments to this entry on the site where it is posted.

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WOW:  This past week, $600 for the Sophia Fund, $250 for the Deborah Foundation and a whole lot of books, toys and other children's supplies arrived. What's more, at least a dozen people told me yesterday in church that they had things to donate and would deliver them in the next few weeks.  I have no idea how I will get all this over to Kenya, but I am not worried.  I have people going with me in February and we will take as much as we can.  I truly believe that God will work all this out, so I refuse to fret for even one minute.  I wrote an update on The Sophia Fund and Deborah Foundation last week, which included two emails from Kenya that describe what the latest Sophia Fund allotment has meant for their work. You can read about it here. 

After you read the update, I hope you too will act to help today as we approach the Christmas holiday.  I need money and supplies to feed and educate them in a difficult environment. I am grateful for your prayerful and prompt response to the children's needs.  If you need more background or information, go to my blog to see my latest post or go to my Facebook page. I will figure out a way to get everything to Kenya.  You just figure out a way to get them to me. 

DAILY PROVERB: I am now posting a short daily devotional focusing on one verse every day on my blog site. If you would like to read it or subscribe to receive it, just go to my site and register there. I promise to have it updated every day and have been doing so since March.

FACEBOOK: My goal is to have 1,000 Facebook friends on FB by 12/31. Right now I have 786. I update my status on Facebook (you can find me by searching my email, johnstanko@att.net) every morning to include a daily verse from Proverbs and an inspirational quote. I do the same on Twitter @johnstanko as well as a daily feature entitled "What Would Jesus Ask?" Go there to sign up and follow along.

SPECIAL NOTE:  I will be posting some of my best Christmas Memos from the archives over the next few weeks.  I will resume our discussion of Joshua in the new year.