The Monday Memo from John Stanko

532: Down But Not Out

Last week on my long trip from Munich to Atlanta, I had a chance to listen to Handel's Messiah in its entirety.  That reminded me of this post in the Monday Memo archives, and I thought I would revise and share this classic with you again this year.  Have a happy holiday season and remember to set some goals for the new year during this festive season - JS.

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I have seen and listened to the Messiah many times but it never gets old.  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 accomplishment in the history of mankind. Commissioned by a charity for 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 in 1742 raised almost £400 for charity and freed 142 men from debtor's prison. 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.

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 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 2011, 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. 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, a group found and commissioned him and God can and do the same for you.
2. Keep preparing for your day of success. I don’t think Handel went home to retire 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 when you are in need yourself. What better way to express your trust in God?

I’m grateful for 2011 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 a purpose breakthrough in 2012. Thank you for allowing me to come into your life every week and thank you for being a PurposeQuest-er. As I close this Memo, I wish you not only a great week, but also a very Merry Christmas!

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KENYA UPDATES:  I posted two updates from Kenya.  One is on the library project and the need for power tools here.  The other is from Pastor Francis and Upako Centre here.  Please read them and then give generously to help feed a child like the one pictured left, either through my website or by sending a check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 8882, Pittsburgh, PA 15221-0882. Thank you and Merry Christmas.

KINDLE BOOKS:  Three of my books are now available via Amazon in kindle format.   Those three are The Revelation Project, A Daily Dose of Proverbs and Faith Files, Volume Two. Download a copy today and then carry me with you wherever you and your e-reader go! 

526: Collaboration

We are almost finished with our discussion of the five c's in succcccess.  To date, we have covered Curiosity, Creativity, and Competence. This week we will take a look at collaboration.  Without further ado, let's get into it.

YAY TEAM!

God did not create you to do everything, just certain things.  If you could do it all, you would not have need of anyone else.  The same is true for organizations. Even large corporations need to collaborate with others or else build an organization big enough so that everything they need is under one corporate umbrella.  In a sense, they are then collaborating within their organization, but still must at times build partnerships with other entities.

Here are a few examples of teams working together in the Bible:

1. Joseph and Pharaoh made a great team in Egypt, with Joseph providing the administration and Pharaoh the leadership.
2. Moses and Aaron led the Israelites out of Egypt.
3. Saul and David enjoyed success early in their partnership as they defeated the Philistines again and again.
4. Nehemiah partnered with the king her served to secure permission and resources to rebuild Jerusalem.
5. Daniel had his three friends serving with him in Babylon.
6. Jesus had twelve disciples with whom he collaborated and worked closely.
7. Barnabas and Saul, Paul and Silas, Paul and Luke, and a number of other combinations worked together to spread the gospel to the Gentiles in the early church.

I hope you get the idea that is you are going to be succcccessful, you are going to need to collaborate or partner with others, whether you are looking for individual or corporate succcccess.

SOME SUGGESTIONS    

Here are some quick suggestions to enable you to collaborate effectively:

1. Find those who share your values and ethics.  Don't collaborate with those whom you can't trust.
2. Partner with your opposite.  This assumes you know your strengths and are willing to collaborate with those who are strong where you aren't.
3. Know your purpose. If you know where you are headed, you can join up with people who are on the same road.
4. Network. Get out and meet people.  Build relationships before you even think of collaborating.  Don't just build a card file of acquaintances, but listen and learn what motivates other people.

This is not meant to be an exhaustive teaching on partnerships and collaborations.  Rather it is an attempt to help you get out your own little world and learn to "play well" with others. If you want to do great things and enjoy succcccess, then there is usually no such thing as a one man or woman act.  Succcccess usually comes through strategic collaboration.

Stop going it alone and playing it safe, and learn to partner with others so that you can enjoy the synergies of joint ventures that will allow you to reach your goals. Have a great week!

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GOOD NEWS!: I wrote last week that I had a $1,500 matching grant that expired on Monday, October 31 at midnight for the Kenya library project.  As of Sunday, October 30, I had $65 toward that match. By midnight, October 31, just one day later, $1,290 more had come in, for a grand total of $1,355!  This week, I will wire Pastor Peter $2,710.

But that's not all. The donor has extended the deadline a few more days, so that if the other $145 comes in by this Wednesday, November 9, the donor will match it and we will have our $3,000 needed to renovate the library space, pictured to the right.

Can you help with the $145 yet to be received from the matching grant?  If so, you can give through my website or by sending a check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 8882, Pittsburgh, PA  15221-0882 (please let me know if you are sending a check, so I will know if we made our new deadline or not).  Thanks, and thank You, Lord, for coming through on this first phase of the money we need.

 

 

 

525: Competence

This week we continue our discussion of the five c's in succcccess with the third c - competence. (If you missed the previous two, you can access them here.)  I want to say at the start that God does not promote or use people with potential.  He does not promote holy people just because they are holy.  God promotes and uses people who have developed their potential and have coupled their holiness with competence and fruitfulness.  Don't believe me?  Then read on and see if I can convince you.

PROOF PLEASE

How can I make statements about the importance of competence? Consider these examples:

1. Daniel - Daniel served with distinction in Babylon.  He was promoted because of his gifts that God gave him, but he developed them, as it was said of Daniel: "At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent" (Daniel 6:4).  Daniel was a good, perhaps even a great, skilled administrator.
2. David - David was a prolific songwriter and poet who honed his skills by regular use.  He was also a magnificent warrior and leader, of whom the people sang: "When the men were returning home after David had killed the Philistine, the women came out from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing, with joyful songs and with timbrels and lyres. As they danced, they sang: “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands" (1 Samuel 18:6-7).
3. Esther - Esther was a beautiful woman, by God's design: "This young woman, who was also known as Esther, had a lovely figure and was beautiful" (Esther 2:7b). What did God do with her beauty?  He dispatched her to the king's servants, who bestowed beauty treatments on Esther for one year.  The result: She was even more beautiful than before! 
4. Paul - Paul knew four languages and was from one of the most cross-cultural city in the Roman Empire. He was a Jew of Jews, who was a stellar keeper of God's law by his own admission: ". . . as for righteousness based on the law, faultless" (Philippians 3:6). What did God do with this man who had excelled in Judaism?  He chose Paul to be His representative to the Gentiles.  God took Paul's skill, redirected and perfected it, and used it for His glory.

THE LESSON FOR YOU

The lesson for you should be clear.  God uses you to the extent that you have developed your skills and gifts.  If you are competent, He will use you.  If you are competent and have integrity, He will promote you to the highest levels that your gifts and foundation will allow you to attain. Your succcccess in any field or endeavor is a partnership between God, who provides the grace and opportunities, and you, who develop your competence. 

What is your plan for competence?  Do you even have one?  In what field or effort do you want to be competent, even world-class in skill and effect?  Mind you, I am not suggesting that competence is more important than holiness or integrity?  I am saying, however, that without competence your holiness alone will limit God's ability to use you to the fullest extent of your potential.  Give some thought this week to the importance of competence in succcccess and then go about a one-, five- or lifetime plan to achieve the greatest skill possible for you as you express your purpose and pursue your goals.  Have a great week!

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MATCHING GRANT:  Today is the last day for the $1,500 matching grant we had received for the library work in Kenya.  That means unless $1,500 comes in today, we lose the grant.  That's alright, for God has a plan, so I am not worried. There is still time today, so I have not given up until I check the mailbox this week to see if someone sent a check.  If this is the first you have heard about this grant, you can read about it here and then give through my website or by sending a check today to PurposeQuest, PO Box 8882, Pittsburgh, PA 15221-0882.  His will be done, so give as He leads and directs and if He doesn't do either, then I and we will trust Him for other sources.

I NEED FEEDBACK:  I am in the middle of revising my book, So Many Leaders, So Little Leadership and posted some definitions of leadership, team and purpose on my blog.  If you have a chance, take a look at them here and tell me what you think of how accurate they are and/or how they can be improved. 

524: Creativity

In case you are just tuning in this week to read the Monday Memo, we are in the midst of studying the five c's in succcccess. If you think succcccess isn't a consideration for you, read these words from Psalm 1:1-3 in the Good News Translation: 

"Happy are those who reject the advice of evil people, who do not follow the example of sinners or join those who have no use for God. Instead, they find joy in obeying the Law of the Lord, and they study it day and night.They are like trees that grow beside a stream, that bear fruit at the right time, and whose leaves do not dry up. They succeed in everything they do" (emphasis added).

With that in mind, let's look at the second c in succcccess, that being creativity.

YOU ARE, TOO!

In 2006, I had a startling revelation and changed my purpose statement from "I bring order out of chaos" to "I create order out of chaos."  It was then that I accepted the fact that I am a creative person, something I had denied up to that point.  I began to write and teach about creativity after that, and I have many Monday Memos devoted to the subject of creativity.  You may want to take some time and review them here. 

Over the years, I have also collected creative life expressions from Monday Memo readers and posted that collection on my website. You can find that list here titled, "Samples of Creative Expressions."  Once you read that list and some of my past Memos, I hope you will come to the same realization that I did:  You are a creative person, too!

CREATIVITY FOLLOWS CURIOSITY

Last week we looked at the first c in succcccess and that is curiosity.  Once you are curious and decide to follow your heart and what interests you, it is time to express your creativity.  You can then begin to structure your world and invest your time in such a way that your creativity can take shape as a practical expression of who you are.  I am interested in writing, and have been since I was young. So in 1995 at the age of 45, I started to pursue my interest and today I write every day to an audience all over the world. 

I have written 12 books, 524 Monday Memos, finished a verse-by-verse devotional on the entire New Testament, and write a daily devotional online featuring one verse from Proverbs every day (I want to turn that into a desktop calendar soon). This semester I am teaching five classes and have no end of other creative projects and ideas in the works.

I love to do media but got tired of waiting for people to invite me to be part of their media world.  What did I do?  I started my own online broadcast, Your PurposeQuest, that is live via the Internet every Tuesday at 4 PM my time (you can access some of my shows on the site where they are stored here; feel free to download and listen). 

You don't have to do any of those things that I am doing to be creative.  You just have to be yourself.  You cannot be fighting yourself, however, and be creative.  My experience is that most people (perhaps even you) are trying to talk themselves out of their creativity instead of into it.  With that in mind, I encourage you to read my past Memos, think about this in the coming days and embrace your creativity.  You cannot be succcccessful without employing it, but you cannot employ it if you deny that it even exists.  Have a great week!

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A MATCHING GRANT: Great news! I have received a matching grant for the library work in Kenya.  That means that every dollar you give through October 31 will double up to $1,500. You can read more about this here or just give now through my website or by sending a check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 8882, Pittsburgh, PA 15221-0882. What a great way to maximize your gift by making sure it doubles through this special, limited time grant. Remember, the grant offer expires on Monday, October 31.

505: Too Late

I ran across a quote by Martin Luther King Jr. this week that impacted me deeply. Before I share that quote, however, I want to share a passage from Isaiah that people recite and even sing to me regularly (it was put to music years ago).  It is their life philosophy and approach to missions, creativity and action, and it reads like this in the NAS Version:

"He gives strength to the weary,
And to him who lacks might He increases power.
Though youths grow weary and tired,
And vigorous young men stumble badly,
Yet those who wait for the Lord
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary" (Isaiah 40:30-31 emphasis added).

A CLOSER LOOK

The key phrase in that passage for many is "those who wait on the Lord."  The implication is that if you are going to serve the Lord, you need to wait.  There is only one problem with that philosophy.  Everything else in that passage speaks to action, not waiting. It speaks of strength, flying, runing and walking.  Those who are waiting aren't do any of those things, but the entire context of the passage is God giving strength to those who "wait." I would propose that those who wait don't need the strength.

The NIV for once is more accurate in its translation of the word "wait," for the NIV states, "but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength."  Insert that phrase back into the longer quote above, and you will see there is a big difference between hoping and waiting. Most already have the waiting down pat. I want to be one who hopes as I run, fly and walk, and I hope that we can run together toward our purpose and creativity. 

THE QUOTE

And now for the quote from Martin Luther King's speech "Beyond Vietnam," delivered on April 4, 1967 in New York City. I will offer no commentary on his closing comments. I trust you to draw your own conclusions and make the necessary adjustments in your life and work to make room for what he said:

We are now faced with the fact, my friends, that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there is such a thing as being too late. Procrastination is still the thief of time. Life often leaves us standing bare, naked, and dejected with a lost opportunity. The tide in the affairs of men does not remain at flood - it ebbs. We may cry out desperately for time to pause in her passage, but time is adamant to every plea and rushes on. Over the bleached bones and jumbled residues of numerous civilizations are written the pathetic words, "Too late." There is an invisible book of life that faithfully records our vigilance or our neglect. Omar Khayyam is right: "The moving finger writes, and having writ moves on."

Have a great week!

455: Live to Live Again

I have come to the conclusion that you can actually live life at least twice, probably more. That’s right, you can live two lives. I’m not talking about reincarnation or leading a double life, but rather experiencing your life events on at least two separate and distinct occasions. How is that possible? I’m glad you asked. To get the answer, you will have to read on.

LIVING LIFE BEFORE IT HAPPENS

I read something in a book by Matthew Fox’s entitled, Creativity, and it got me thinking about living twice. Fox wrote:

Anais Nin once said: “We write to taste life twice.” I agree. I think we write to taste life twice, and we paint and dance and sing and compose and do all art to “taste life twice.” This opportunity to taste life twice is an invitation to go deeper, to miss nothing, to tell others, to experience the joy a second time in the telling and in handing on the depth and mystery of life. When we behold, we become so struck by what it is we want to share. We call that sharing “art.”

That quote got me thinking about what Stephen Covey wrote in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Covey said everything that is created is created twice: first in the mind or heart and then in reality. So when you create a business for example, you are living that business twice—once in the theoretical and then the practical. Finally, someone said that our lives are being recorded and will be played back to us in eternity, where we will either weep with joy at the opportunities we took advantage of, or with grief when we see the opportunities we missed.

Since you will live your life twice, either in regret or joy, it is essential that you first focus your mind on what gives you joy and then make every effort to do it. I write The Monday Memo in my mind all week and then I sit down on Sunday to actually write it. I dreamed about starting my business and ministry and now I get to conduct business all over the world. In both cases, I enjoy my work before I ever do it. There's another way, however, that I can live twice, and you can join me and do the same.

RELIVING LIFE AFTER IT HAPPENS

When I write, I get to enjoy life again after it happens. I have re-lived safaris, trips, successes, recoveries, book signings, and insight by recording what I felt, thought and did in written form.  i have often told people that I write not only for others but also for myself. I often get more from my work than others ever could. 

At times I have even relived my most painful memories by counseling and teaching people about what I learned from those experiences. They were hard to live through once, but I have used those failures to make them (and me) into something that could help others. In some ways, I have relived those mistakes, made them right and gave them new meaning by distilling the most important lessons to be learned and creatively sharing them with my audiences.

Since you have many creative ideas, you want to act on those that will provide the greatest benefit for you and others as they are experienced over and over again. I have chosen writing and teaching as my main creative expressions. My books will outlive me and my teaching can help shape lives and destinies. What can you do? Can you write poetry, write screenplays, paint pictures or develop a cure for a problem that plagues mankind?

You can go through life experiencing things only once, reacting and allowing things to happen, or you can release your creativity and help make them happen or give them new meaning, thus living them at least twice. I hope you will choose the creative path that, even though more difficult, produces greater rewards and benefits for you and others. Have a great week!

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

454: Creativity is a War!

A while back I read Julia Cameron's book The Right to Write.  Cameron always stirs my creative juices, especially where writing is concerned.  While I'm sure I wouldn't agree with her theology, I do agree with her that writing and creativity are spiritual experiences.  Let's look at a few things she has to say.

WHO SAID WHAT ABOUT CREATIVITY

In one of her chapters, Cameron quoted the following artists concerning their creativity:

• "The music of this opera (Madame Butterfly) was dictated to me by God.  I was merely instrumental in getting it on paper and communicating it to the public." - Giacomo Puccini
• "Straightaway the ideas flow in upon me, directly from God." - Johannes Brahms
• "The position of the artist is humble.  He is essentially a channel." - Piet Mondrian.
• "I myself do nothing.  The Holy Spirit Himself accomplishes all through me." - William Blake

So if creativity is a spiritual expression and you are a spiritual person, why don't you create more?  May I suggest three enemies that do battle with your God-given ability to create. 

THREE ENEMIES OF CREATIVITY

1.  Fear.  I've written about fear in past Memos.  How many fears can you think of that could prevent you from being creative?  I can think of fear of failure, poverty, ridicule, family, culture, authority, inadequacy, and success.  Can you think of any others? 

If you are going to express your creativity, you must face and overcome the oppression of fear.  It will paralyze your efforts and cause you to procrastinate, hoping for a more opportune time.  Remember what Paul wrote his disciple Timothy: "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV). If you are afraid, what are you prepared to do about it this week?

2.  Comparison.  When you look at what you do and compare it to what others have done, it can cause you to stop being creative.  In your opinion, you aren't "as good" as the other person.  Stop and think about that.  What is good where creativity is concerned?  Is creativity a process and can your simple efforts today lead to stellar creativity tomorrow?  Is it wise to compare your initial or even mature efforts to what someone else may have spent a lot of time developing? 

Paul described an important principle that he used when he looked at his work:  "We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves.  When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise" (2 Corinthians 10:12-13).  Why not do something creative this week and discipline yourself not to compare it what anyone else has done?  Is it the best it can be right now?  If it is, then I would say you have done a good job.

3.  Perfectionism.  We discussed this in Monday Memo 154 when I described the little old man that lives inside you, waiting to criticize and disqualify what you create because it isn't good enough.  I know of only One who is perfect, and He is God.  While you should strive for excellence and your best performance, you can never expect it to be perfect. 

The pursuit of perfection is unrealistic and will hinder you from doing something great just because it isn't perfect. I can't find a verse that talks about perfectionism, but I can find one that speaks to excellence:  "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men" (Colossians 3:23).  Perhaps the distinction between perfection and excellence will help you do something this week that you haven't done just because it isn't the best that anyone can do. 

IT'S A WAR!

I close by again asking the question I raised earlier:  If you are a spiritual person and creativity is spiritual, why don't you create more often?  Perhaps it is because creativity is more of a battle than you anticipated?  I hope I have helped you identify some of the enemies of your creativity and I further hope you will determine to enter into a season of creativity that begins just as soon as you finish reading this Monday Memo.  Fight the good fight to be able to express your innate creativity that is latent within your heart and mind.

    Feel free to comment on this entry on the site where it is posted. 

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A PREACHED MESSAGE:  I had the privilege of speaking yesterday in my church.  You can watch or listen to that message entitled Grace of Giving, Part Two at my church's website. 

NEW BOOK:  You can pre-order my latest book, The Revelation Project: A Fresh Look at the Last Book before June 28 and I will pay the shipping (U.S. only). You can read how to do this on my website home page. 

453: It Is Finished, Too!

Not only did I recently finish my verse-by-verse Bible studies, I also wrapped up my next book and sent it to the printer last week.  This book is entitled, The Revelation Project: A Fresh Look at the Last Book and is a verse-by-verse devotional from the book of Revelation.  The cover is pictured to the right (click on it to enlarge), and you can access my website for more info on how to order an advanced copy and get free shipping until June 28.

In the meantime, I have one more post on creativity this week and then we will move on to a new subject next week (I think).  Read on for one of my all-time favorite lessons presented in any of my Monday Memos.

A PHILOSOPHY FOR WINNING AT SOFTBALL . . . AND AT LIFE!

For eleven years, I lived in Alabama, a state in the deep South. Since I was home then, I played in a church softball league for nine of those years. Softball is a game similar to American baseball, but the ball is bigger and the pitcher throws it more slowly using an underhand motion. I was a better fielder than batter, and my teams won a few more than they lost.

There was one team from another church, however, that was very good, and they beat us most of the time year after year. They didn’t look as sharp as we did because we got new uniforms almost every year and they played in whatever they had. We practiced weekly yet we never, ever saw them on the practice field. They just knew how to win.

One night we met with some of their players to see if we could understand the secret of their success. We asked many questions, but then our coach asked their best batsman, “When you’re at bat, do you have an offensive philosophy? Do you try to hit it over the fence or do you try to advance the runners one base at a time?” The man stared at our coach with a surprised look for a short minute and then answered, “We don’t have any philosophy. We just hit it hard and wish it well.”

That simple statement changed my life, and from that point forward became my philosophy not only for softball but also for life itself!

As I have sought to express my creativity, I have found this a great strategy to employ. This week perhaps you too just need to stop thinking about what you want to do and just go “hit it hard and wish it well.” In softball, sometimes you can do everything just right and not get to first base. Other times your technique can be all wrong, yet the ball off your bat lands in the right spot and you win the game for your team. Maybe you’re waiting for perfection before you try something, or perhaps you’re frustrated that you have done everything correctly, but things haven’t worked out so far. This week you need to overcome your hesitancy or discouragement and go to bat one more time.

"HIT IT HARD" IS IN THE BIBLE!

“Hit is hard and wish it well” is a principle found in the Bible. The writer of Ecclesiastes wrote thousands of years ago:

“If clouds are full of water, they pour rain upon the earth. Whether a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where it falls, there will it lie. Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap. As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother's womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things. Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let not your hands be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well” (Ecclesiastes 11:3-6).

Do you have any creative ideas on which you need to act? The time to analyze is over; the time to act has come. This week step to the plate and take your turn. Paint your picture, apply for the degree, start your business, or plan the vacation. Don’t fret about uncertain results over which you have no control. Do what you can do this week and trust that it will work out for the good. If you do, I know you will have a great week!  Who knows, you may even hit a home run and win the game!

Feel free to add you comments to this entry on the site where it is posted.

452: It Is Finished!

This past week I reached a goal I set in 2001.  I have worked at that goal almost every day for more than eight years, and last Thursday I finished it.  The feeling I had last Thursday was exhilarating, and I want you to experience something like it in your life over and over again. What was my goal?  What took me almost every day for nine years to complete?

Last Thursday I finished my last online Bible study, which means I have now completed a verse-by-verse commentary on the entire New Testament!  (In case you were wondering, there are more than 7,000 verses in the New Testament and I wrote something for every one of them.)

Let's take a look at how it all came about.

EIGHT YEARS IN THE MAKING

After I completed a study of faith in 2001 (which later became my book The Faith Files: Volume One), I had an idea.  I had always said that "one day" I wanted to write commentaries on the Bible.  I decided to start such a study, determining that I would look at four verses every day and write some devotional material for those verses.  At the end of every week, I would send out those notes to those who were already getting The Faith Files.  The list continued to grow and today about 5,000 people still receive my weekly studies.

So by studying and writing on four verses every day since 2002, I completed studies for all 27 New Testament books!  Commenting on four verses a day every day enabled me to accomplish a huge task a little at a time.  I exercised faith every day I sat down to write and  I "saw" something in every verse along with ways to help the reader apply those verses to their daily walk. Needless to say, I have learned a lot since I began writing those studies and I hope my readers have, too. 

IT IS FINISHED!

How did I know I was supposed to embark on this project?  Was I certain that it was God's will?  I can't say for sure, but I refer you to what Luke wrote in the opening of his gospel:

Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught (Luke 1:3-4).

All I can say is that it seemed good to me to write and keep on writing.  As people would say they found the studies helpful, I just kept on going.  The goal helped me reach the end. My creativity with God's help took care of the rest.  I am glad to say that as far as my Bible studies are concerned, "It is finished!"

So what about you?  Do you have any "good ideas" like I had? What can you accomplish if you do just a little every day? I have found that most people won't be anything because they can't see how to do everything.  They won't give a little because they can't give a lot. Won't devote a little time because they don't have huge chunks of time.  I decided to do what I could do every day -- four verses -- and now I have completed my goal.  There's no telling what you can do if you apply the same principle. 

Stop procrastinating and take one step at a time.  If you keep putting one foot in front of the other, who knows how far you can go.  The Chinese say that the journey of a 1,000 miles starts with the first step.  Why not take your first steps this week?  Have a great week. I know I will as I bask in the glow of a huge goal that I can check off my to-do list.

If you would like to see my studies in their entirety, you can visit my website or my blog.  In July, I will begin sending out recycled studies, starting with Ephesians.  If you want to sign up to receive them every other week, then go here an enter your email address.  

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DAILY PROVERB:  Did you know that I publish a daily devotional focusing on a verse from Proverbs?  You can check it out our sign up to receive by going here.  I also publish an abbreviated version every day on Facebook.

451: Adam's Children

Do you consider yourself a creative person? What creative outlets do you have, or rather how many do you give yourself permission to have? For most of my adult life, I did not give myself permission to pursue creativity and I wasn't open to the fact that I may be creative. My self-image was that of an administrator and creativity and administration were at odds with one another -- or so I thought.

Are you creative? If your answer is no, then perhaps you need to expand the way you view creativity and, consequently, view yourself. If you are open to that possibility, then urge you to read on.

ADAM'S ZOO

Adam was made by God to be creative and we are Adam’s children. After God created Adam, He invited Adam to enter into the creative process by naming the animals:

“Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field” (Genesis 2:19-20).

Adam decided what the animals were to be called; it was an expression of his creative dominion in the Garden.

Too often, we have identified only musicians, songwriters, poets and writers as creative—and they are indeed creative. Those expressions, however, are only a few of the creative expressions that are available to Adam’s children. Let’s take a look at the essence of creativity that is part and parcel with who you are and then see if you can't get even more specific about your area(s) of creativity:

1. I don’t want to be offensive in any way, but you were made to create other human beings.  When you reach maturity and marry, in most cases you must take precautions to limit your creativity, your offspring.
2. Scientists tell us that every seven years you have a totally new set of cells in your body.  Your cells are constantly dividing and creating new cells.
3. One of the first things I did when I returned home recently was to get a haircut.  In most cases, your body is creating new hair, nails and whiskers on a daily basis.
4. Your body is constantly creating what it needs to carry on life.  Your stomach creates gastric juices, sweat glands produce sweat and your ears create wax!
5. What happens when you go to sleep?  You create dreams; you are a “dream machine.”  For every eight hours you sleep, you dream almost two hours.  Your mind is constantly creating symbolic sleep scenarios that help you maintain your psychological equilibrium.
6. Every day you create thoughts and ideas; you also daydream, creating potential scenarios with you in them.
7. You talk every day, stringing words and ideas together creatively.

YOU ARE OH SO CREATIVE!

I hope you get the picture. Like Adam, you are creative and God wants and needs you to express your creativity in every day life. Stop saying you aren’t creative—you are! I have assembled a list of creative expressions from past Memos on creativity, which is posted on my website. Take a look at that list and see how many expressions are present in your life and then, settle once and for all your perspective on your own creativity.

Perhaps then you will see yourself as creative, which is just how the Lord wants you to see yourself. Once you see yourself as creative, you will then give yourself permission to pursue and release creativity in ways not possible up to this point in your life. As you do, I know you will have a great week!

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KENYA:  I just returned from Kenya and had a great visit.  The training I did for The Pacific Institute was well received and we are planning another seminar in August.  I will give you some updates in the future on my visit and share more information about how you can be part of the next TPI seminar in August.

I also distributed 2500 sets of undies, 350 brassieres and $5000 from the Sophia Fund to feed orphans and widows.  All in all, it as a fabulous trip. Thanks for helping to make it happen.