The Monday Memo from John Stanko

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.

523: Curiosity

Last week I began a six-week series on the five c's in Succcccess.  I promised to touch on each one of the five in more depth in the coming weeks, so here is the follow up to that promise.  I have actually thought of several more c's since last week, but I am not ready to expand the series, otherwise I will have to spell success "Succcccccccccccess."  Maybe that would not be such a bad thing, but for now, let's dive into the concept of curiosity and how it ties in to succcccess.

A BURNING BUSH    

We know that Moses tended sheep in the wilderness for forty years!  I have been to the Middle East numerous times and it is a hot, hot place.  Moses had to work in this heat year in and year out, and I am sure that every now and then a dry bush would burst into flames due to the super-hot conditions.  Then one day Moses saw something unusual that captured his attention:

Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up" (Exodus 3:1-3).

What was unusual about this bush is that it burned, probably a common sight, but the bush was not consumed.  It just kept on burning.  Moses could have easily dismissed this sight and went about his business, but he decided to investigate further.  Upon closer examination, he had a surprising thing happen: "When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am" (Exodus 3:4).

SO WHAT?

It is interesting that God did not call Moses and that is what drew Moses to the bush.  It was his curiosity that caused him to pause and look, and then and only then did God call out to Moses and initiate a series of events that changed the course of history.  In this order of events, first came Moses' curiosity, his reaction, God's call and then Moses' response to God.  What does this have to do with your success?

There are many people waiting for God's call.  Perhaps you are one of them.  Did you ever consider that the call may be in what interests you?  You are busy and don't see how what interests you can add to your career, so you don't pursue what is in your heart.  Because you don't trust what is in you, you go about your business and wonder why God is not answering your prayers to be used or promoted.

Do you realize that it was Saul's interest, his obsession with persecuting Christians that led him to be a Christian and become the apostle Paul?  If God can use Saul's misdirected interest to direct his steps, then God can use your curiosities to do the same?  Succcccess starts with investigating what piques your interest and I urge you to do something to satisfy your curiosity this week.  As you do, be lsitening for the voice of God and then follow His directions, just like Moses and Saul did.  Have a great week.

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KENYA UPDATE:  I posted the latest pictures and update from Kenya, indicating that Pastor Peter signed the lease and is ready to prep the space for the library. You can read about it here and then please give generously here to make this project and others like them (described here) a reality when I return next year.  I can't do this without you, so don't delay in sending your financial help.  The children pictured here (click on them to enlarge) need you to help them prepare for a succcccessful future through reading and studying. Thank you! 

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!

503: Post-Graduate Studies

I graduated last Friday night with my Doctor of Ministry, as you can see from the picture at right. It was a grand affair, well, at least from my perspective it was.  Many friends and family showed up to celebrate the evening with me, I posed for lots of pictures and savored every moment. Many have asked me, "Now what are you going to do with your free time?", knowing that I stay pretty busy.  Yet it is a legitimate question, for I learned long ago to set goals through a point and not just to a point.  I do have goals to accomplish, by God's grace, from this point.  I thought I would outline a few of them for you this week.

WHERE DO I GO FROM HERE?

1. I will publish at least one book every year for the rest of my life.  If I live to be as old as my mother (92), I will have 44 books to my credit when I die.  I may not live to be her age, so that may require publishing more than one a year
2. I will teach well.  When I say teach, I want people to seek out my classes because they have the reputation to make a deep impact on lives and work.
3. I will teach a lot.  You may think I am repeating myself, but I am not.  I will trust the Lord for time and for what He has put in me, by expecting it to come out when needed. Therefore, I will not say "no" to an opportunity to teach unless I have something already booked to do in that class time. 
4. I will work smarter and not harder.  I am looking for wisdom to restructure my world of volunteers, staff and time available to maximize my impact on as many people as possible. 

POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

The fifth goal to go with those above is that I will continue to learn and grow until I have no strength.  I think (and hope) that my classroom time as a student is over, but not my classroom time as a learner.  I will attend one seminar every year in some area of relevant interest and I will continue to read or listen to four to six books every month.  I will accept the assignment to teach new classes with material with which I am not familiar and I will not allow perfectionism or fear to stop me from exploring, teaching and writing about new subjects.

I am now 61 years of age and I realize that my end may be tomorrow or in 30 years.  All these plans are meaningless apart from Him and His help. I have to assume, however, that He is directing my thoughts because I have asked Him to do so. He is free to adjust me in any way, but I assume that He will actually help me do more than I am thinking, for Paul wrote, "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen" (Ephesians 3:20-21).  What's more I count on Him to provide the energy for me to do the work as well: "I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power" (Ephesians 3:7).

I am no longer afraid of making a mistake or choosing the wrong path.  I am capable of doing so, but He is not!  I trust Him to direct my steps and strengthen my legs. 

I have other goals, but these will do for now.  I just wanted you to know that I have a plan from here, and I invite you to join me in developing your own plans.  Last Friday night was so enjoyable that I want to set and achieve even more for Him.  It was so good that I want you to experience it for yourself.  Have a great week as you take the first steps toward your own post-graduate studies in life and purpose.

475: A Bad Christian

In case you have missed it, more than 600 readers have accepted my Purpose Challenge. They took the assessment on my website and have accepted the Challenge to improve their score 15 points by year's end.  Have you accepted the Challenge?  There's still time to take the assessment and catch up on back Memos to absorb what you need to improve your purpose score.  Are you up for the Challenge?

It occurs to me this week that King David, before he was king, would have made a bad Christian. What would have made him a bad Christian, you may ask?  Something he did?  Some egregious sin?  Something he said?  Well, it's not exactly what he said but how he said it that could disqualify him in many Christian circles today.  If you want to know exactly what I mean, you will have to read on.

BRAGGADOCIO

Braggadocio sounds like an exotice lettuce in a salad, but it's not.  It is an empty boasting or arrogant pretension, and that's exactly what it would seem like to some when you read what David said to Goliath when they met for a duel:

David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands" (1 Samuel 17:45-47). 

Let's look at what David did not say in his response to Goliath's taunts.

1. "If it be God's will."
2. "Lord willing"
3. "If the Lord helps me."
4. "I'm seeking the Lord about doing something bad to you."
5. "I am asking God for wisdom in this matter."
6. "As soon as I have finished my college degree, I will kill you."
7. "Not me, but God's grace with me."
8. "I am praying about slaying you."
9. "I hope to slay you one day in the perfect timing of God."
10. "The Lord rebuke you."

David was specific and direct, and promised victory in the name of the Lord.  He said what he was going to do with confidence and clarity.  Because he used the pronoun "I" and because he did not hedge his words, some would hear David talk today and say he is arrogant and boastful, aka a bad Christian.

A GOOD CHRISTIAN

Is it wrong for someone to speak as David did, with such confidence and boldness?  In some sense, David had a goal - Goliath's destruction - and he was specific and to the point. David promised God was going to help him bring down Goliath by cutting off his head and parading it all over town. 

Can you use a little more of David in your goal-setting?  If who you are has not helped you obtain your goals to this point, may I suggest you need to change something, like your words, your confidence and your faith?  Goal setting is not what you hope to do; it is what you are going to do with God's help, but you must count on that help like you already have it. That is why David could talk about what he was about to do.  David reached into the future and pulled it into today and that is why he was able to do great things.

Your objective this week is to set some goals like David's.  Stop fretting over whether they are exactly right or if God is with you.  Assume that He is, state your goals like they will be accomplished this week, and then take steps to make them happen.  A good Christian is not one who talks nicely, but one who speaks his or her faith and then involves God in accomplishing the end result.  It's time to slay some of your Goliaths and that may mean sounding less like you think a Christian should sound and more like David did.  Have a great week!

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Two hundred dollars came in for Operation Chicken Coop but no donations came in this past week for the Sophia Fund and Deborah Foundation. I received the email below yesterday from Alice Kwendo, founder of the Each One Touch One Orphanage - EOTOO (Alice is pictured to the right next to me last August, and smiling with the children at left two years ago).

Have belatedly read you blog post.  For all your appeals to support the orphanages, centres and the widows that you touch, l can only pray that with positive response we shall change for the better the lives of the beneficiaries.

Our EOTOO children have made very good use of the Deborah Foundation books and games equipment.  With the help of EOTOO parents and our friends, all the jumping ropes, balls, writing material have been well used up.  The children - those able - have read most of the books [you brought], which l believe will continue to be of use to them and we hope to the community at large.

God bless everybody who puts their thoughts and investment in your-our projects.

Alice

If the Monday Memo has been a blessing to you this year, please consider a token of appreciation that will help HIV/AIDS orphans and widows in Kenya as we approach this holiday season.  Read how you can do something significant for them here and here.  Thank you!

P.S. I will be back in Kenya November 27 to conduct more seminars for The Pacific Institute.  Make plans to invest in your future and self-development while I am there. 

474: Have One or Die

Did you know if you don't have one of these you will most certainly die?  No, it isn't one of your vital organs, but rather a thing. Well, it's really a mind thing or maybe even a heart thing, but if you don't have this thing, you will most certainly die.  And having more than one will help you to really live, but they will also stretch you and cause you to grow.  What is it that you must have?  You know that find out, you will have to read on!

A GOAL!

If you don't have a goal you will die!  You will shrivel up and cease to exist in a short amount of time.  Ah, but you respond that you don't set goals and you are quite alive, thank you very much.  Yet there is not an absence of goals in your life if you don't actively set goals.  You are so prone to goals that you set them and don't even realize it.

You see, if you don't have a goal for tomorrow, then your goal will be to make tomorrow like today or like last Tuesday. If you don't have an income goal, then your goal is to have the same income you had last year.  if you don't have a ministry goal, then your goal is to replicate the ministry you did this year, even if that was zero ministry. God so established you to chase goals, that you will set them even if they are negative, neutral or allowing for a slight change of what you previously had or did. 

Your goal to go to work is to follow the same path as always.  Your goal for your relationships is to maintain those you have and not make any new ones.  If your goal is not to make any new friends, you will achieve that goal.  That's how powerful goals are!

ALONG COMES GOD

When the Lord comes into your life, He desires to breathe into your goal-setting capabilities by freeing you from the hindrances that keep you focusing on the same goals day after day and year after year.  Those things, like fear, small thinking and unbelief limit you and me, just like they did the disciples who walked with Jesus.  One day Jesus turned to his disciples after teaching a long crowd for many hours:

As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food." Jesus replied, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.""We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish," they answered. "Bring them here to me," he said. And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people.  They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children (Matthew 14:15-21).

The disciples did not think they had enough to set a goal to feed the people. They did not focus on the possibilities or the power of God. They focused on what they had, or rather did not have, and they were ready to send the people home, just as they had always done. Jesus confronted their small and limited thinking and showed them what they could do partnering with Him. 

What are your goals?  Are they simply to keep your life the same?  If they are, I know that is exactly what is happening.  Are you ready to set some new goals, goals that will create a new tomorrow today?  If you are, then go back and review your values you wrote out a few weeks and ago and ask, "Where do you I want to be in this or that area in the next year?  What would I like to do?  What do I feel God would want me to do?" When you answer those questions, then set some goals to go back to school, increase your income, write that book or improve your relationship with your family. 

Goals are essential to life. That is how God created you to function.  You are already doing a good job, even if your goal is to achieve nothing!  Now all you need to do is branch out and set some desirable end results and watch the same power that has been holding you back be used to launch you forward.  Have  a great week!

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Five hundred dollars came in today for Operation Chicken Coop and some other donations came in this past week for the Sophia Fund and Deborah Foundation.  Thank You, Lord!  Pictured to the right are some of the children at the Upako Center who are impacted by your generosity (that is a classroom they are in; some of them even sleep there.)

If the Monday Memo has been a blessing to you this year, please consider a token of appreciation that will help HIV/AIDS orphans and widows in Kenya as we approach this holiday season.  Read how you can do something significant for them here and here.  Thank you!

467: To or Through?

I just got back from Egypt after spending nine days in Israel.  Egypt was a magnificent experience, and now it's time to put it all into perspective -- the sites, the insights, and the reflections. i will have the Egyptian updates posted to my travel blog in the next day or two.  I didn't have good Internet connections, or the time for that matter, in Egypt to be able to write. 

In the New York airport on our way home this morning, I asked those who went with me about our next trip to Israel in 2012.  I wanted to know what they thought about an after trip for the next Israel tour; should we go to Athens and Greece, or Jordan and Petra.  Why did I ask that question when we weren't even home from this trip?  For that answer, you will have to read on.

GOALS

We have been talking about goal-setting in the context of the PurposeChallenge I issued last month. If you haven't taken the Challenge, it is simple.  Go to my website, take the Purpose Assessment and then commit to improve your score 15 points by years end.  I will be writing Memos to help you improve, and I decided to start with goals.  Last week I asked if you wanted to set a goal to return to Israel with me in 2012.  Some took me up on that offer.  If you would like to as well, just write and let me know you are interested.  But now, let's get back to the question I asked in the introduction.

I asked about the next trip because goal-setting is a way of life for me.  I am always setting goals. Some of them I achieve, some of them I partially reach and some don't seem to go anywhere at all.  Yet I am never deterred or discouraged from setting goals.  For example,

1. I am able to spend so much time in Africa because I never leave Africa before I have my next trip planned.
2. I never publish a book that I don't have a goal for the next book.
3. I have goals for the next three months, the next year and the next five years.

I even set a goal to write this Memo before I go to bed, even though jet lag is calling my name.Why is this so important?  It is because productive people have learned to set goals through a point and not to a point.  Let me explain.

TO OR THROUGH?

If your goal is to finish the work week and get to the weekend, you may not enjoy the weekend.  Why?  You set a goal to a point, which was Friday, but not through the Friday to what you will do once you reach the weekend. Consequently, you lose focus and energy and end up wasting the weekend that you wanted so desperately to reach.  You can set a goal to finish college, but if you don't have a goal for after college, then you may have trouble finding a job.

I know what you may be thinking. How do I know if I can make my next trip or finish and publish my next book?  I don't!  If I don't set those goals, however, I may never achieve what is possible.  I would rather fall short in the goal rather than set no goals at all, and consequently fall short of my potential. 

I would say the process has worked by God's grace, since I have written ten books, been to Africa countless times and Israel on eleven occasions.  If you disagree with my process, let me know yours - but also let me know what you have accomplished with your process.  If you haven't achieved as much as you would like to this point in your life, then I suggest you overcome your reservations and employ what I am describing here.

Since this Memo is already too long, I won't quote the passage but urge you to look at how Paul used this technique of setting goals through a point and not just to a point in Romans 15:24-28. What goals can you set this week, even though you are still working on some older goals?  Don't wait until you reach your goals to set new ones and, as you learn to apply this to every area of your life, your Purpose Challenge score will certainly increase, which is just another way of saying that you will be a more productive and purposeful person.  Have a great week!

465: Get Over It!

Three weeks ago I issued a PurposeChallenge and so far 235 people have taken me up on it. The Challenge is to take the Purpose Assessment on my website and then commit to improve 15 points by the end of the year. I will be writing Memos specifically to help you increase, focusing on goals, mentors, time management and faith. Those seem to be the areas that keep most scores low. Of course, I won't ignore posts about purpose in the process.

Two weeks ago we began discussing goal-setting as our first entry in the PurposeChallenge. Then we identified three enemies you have as you attempt to set and achieve goals. I ended last week by asking you to set two goals in each of three areas in your life that can be achieved before the end of this year. How did it go?  I set my six goals but in case you struggled with setting your goals, this week's topic may explain why.

YOU CAN’T GIVE AWAY WHAT YOU DON’T HAVE

I have met with more than 3,000 people in the last eight years to do what I call a Purpose Assessment. It involves 90 minutes and a battery of simple profiles that help people understand who they are and how they function best. One of the profiles is the Values profile and one of the values that it measures is called “personal freedom.” I would estimate that 85% of the people I assess are lowest in this value.  What’s wrong with that?  Well, it’s a strong indicator that you may struggle with doing things for yourself, and that includes setting goals.

Some people are so concerned that they may be selfish that they refuse to pay much attention to self development.  They want so badly to do God’s will that they are willing to do almost anything that comes along, whether it is suited to what they do best or not. While this is noble and commendable, it is not the best way to find and fulfill your purpose.  What’s more, you will never achieve excellence in any area of work or ministry if you don’t pay the price to produce excellence.

A few years ago, I was at my daughter’s college graduation.  The speaker asked each person present if they had a vision for their own life and future.  Maybe you should ask yourself the same question:  Do you have a vision for your life?  Where will you be five years from now?  What do you see yourself doing then?

The answers to those questions leads to another question: What are you doing about all that today?  What steps are you taking now to help you fulfill your personal vision?  Are you taking courses of your own?  Reading books on a certain topic?  Considering a job change to enhance your professional development?  What are you doing that can help you fulfill the personal vision that you have?  If you are going to lay down your life for the Lord and His service, you must have a life to give away in the first place.  You can’t give what you don’t have.

SELF IS NOT ALWAYS SELFISH

This may sound selfish to you.  I’m not talking about some selfish pursuit that steps on others or serves self at all costs.  What I am talking about is something you do that is in the best interest of the vision you have for yourself, the vision God gave you.  If you are or want to be a doctor, then it’s in your self interest to work at the best clinic or under a superior mentor.  Those things will help you be the best doctor you can be and serve your patients with distinction.  I have often said if I had a chance to take piano lessons, I would find the best teacher around me, regardless of their religious affiliation.  If you want to be the best, you have to work with the best. Too often I talk to people who are afraid of what others will think and therefore they play 'small' as we used to say in basketball.  If you’re a giant but don’t want to go near the basket for fear of what others think, that’s not humility or nobility.  That’s just dumb.

In the book Forgetting Ourselves on Purpose, the author reminded me of the words of F. Buechner: "There are all different kinds of voices calling you to all different kinds of work, and the problem is to find out which is the voice of God rather than Society, say, or the Superego, or Self-Interest.  The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet."

I want to be the best consultant, writer and speaker I can be.  That is who I am, who God wants me to be.  By investing in being the best, I am serving God and the world around me.  I have a vision for what I want to do in five years and I am taking steps to be able to fulfill that, by God's grace.  What about you?  If you think that is somehow ungodly or selfish, then I have a brief word of advice for you:  Get over it! 

Is there anything you can do this week that will bring you closer to your self vision?  What goals can you set? Maybe you can enroll in college and receive your diploma in the coming years.  Why not apply this week?  Perhaps you will open your business. Call someone who can help you open your business one day; get together with them or take them to lunch!  Or maybe this week will be the week when you ask yourself, "Where do I want to be in five years?" and allow yourself to develop an answer. 

Whatever you do, may you take a step this week that will bring you closer to your God-given destination.  Please don’t consider this selfish and don’t invest your preparation time in noble but frivolous activities.  Focus on being the best, then feel free to give yourself away in the service of God and your purpose.  Have a great week!

464: Two in Three

Two weeks ago I issued a PurposeChallenge and so far 201 people have taken me up on it. The Challenge is to take the Purpose Assessment on my website and then commit to improve 15 points by the end of the year.  I will be writing Memos specifically to help you increase, focusing on goals, mentors, time management and faith.  Those seem to be the areas which keep most scores low.  Of course, I won't ignore posts about purpose in the process.

Last week we began discussing goal-setting as our first entry in the PurposeChallenge.  This week I want to identify three enemies you have as you attempt to set and achieve your goals. Which one is your most significant opponent?

GOAL ENEMIES

1. Unbelief.  It’s an amazing process to see how quickly you can talk yourself out of a potential goal.  Within five minutes of the initial thought, you can determine that you are too old, too young, too ignorant, too poor, or too unprepared to do whatever it is you were considering.  And these thoughts thwart your actions, thus cutting short the faith process.  How?  James wrote us, “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead” (James 2:17).   For instance, let’s say you want to write a book.  Why don’t you?  You may not know who will publish the book and, therefore you don’t write.  I present to you that this is unbelief.  Just because you don’t know who will publish the book doesn’t mean you shouldn’t write it.  In fact, no one can publish a book you don’t write it.  So you do what you can do—write—and trust God to do what He can do—publish.
2. Fear of failure.  I have written a lot about fear and your ambivalence about failure.  That is why I promote an annual “Celebrate a Failure Day” so that you and others like you can understand the role of failure in the productivity process.  It works like this.  Would you agree that failure can be a great teacher?  Would you further agree that you can often learn more from failure than success?   And would you also agree that you are always to grow and learn as you serve God and His world?   If you answered “yes” to all these questions, then I have one more question.  If those statements are true, then shouldn’t you fail as often as possible?  If you can see the truth behind that thought process, you will set as many goals as possible, not worrying about whether or not you may fail.  No one ever kicked a goal or hit a home run that won a game if they were afraid to try.  Yes, they may miss, but they also may achieve their goal because they tried.  The same is true for you no matter what you are trying to do.
3. Lack of diligence.  You may set a goal and establish a date when it is to be accomplished.  That date may come and go and you haven’t achieved your goal.  What should you do then?  You should determine if the goal represents something you still want to do and, if it is, you should set a new target date.  Don’t abandon the goal; extend the deadline!  Goal-setting isn’t a science; it’s an art.  You don’t ever have perfect knowledge of the future when you set a goal.  Often you can greatly underestimate what it will take to get the job done.  When that happens, and it will, don’t give up.  Renew your efforts and keep trying.  So what if it takes seven years instead of seven months.  You see, when you work on a goal, the goal also works on you.  It helps you increase in faith and pay a price to see the goal achieved.  There is so much you don’t understand when you set a goal, but the goal will keep you on course while you go through the unexpected detours that you encounter on the road. 
   

TWO IN THREE

Now that you have identified your enemy, it's time to set some goals.  I want you to look at three areas of your life, personal development, spiritual, and family, and set two goals for each area that you will achieve between now and October 15.  When October 15 arrives, you will set two more in each area to be completed by December 31.  You can set a goal to read a book or books, take a class, read the New Testament, visit your family twice between now and the end of the year.  I don't care what you set or how simple they are.  Just do it!

Next week, we will look at ways to keep your goals in front of you.  In the meantime, don't make this harder than it is.  Remember, your assignment is six goals by next week!  Have a great week.

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BACK HOME:  I am back home from a wonderful trip to Kenya.  It met and exceeded all my expectations.  My thanks to all my Kenyan friends, family and associates for taking such good care of me (our Team Kenya is pictured left).  At right is a picture of the people who assembled for the seminar I taught through The Pacific Institute for three days last week. I will be back in November to do another such seminar and also to launch The Pacific Institute's youth program called PX2.  Both these programs have the power to change Kenya and Africa one life at a time.  If you live in Kenya, I hope you can make the seminar in November.

MINISTRY IN KENYA:  I had a chance to drop off the money I had from the Sophia Fund to two organizations who have been beneficiaries of your generosity in the past.  Pictured left is Alice Kwendo  
(standing) and Rose Awero (seated).  Both ladies are the founders of Each One Touch One Orphanage (EOTOO) in Nairobi.  These women founded and funded this orphanage out of their own funds and today they have 20 orphans, whom they house, clothe, feed and send to school.  I cannot say enough about the wonderful job they do.  Actually, there are about 12 partners who came together and each pays a little each month to pay the rent.  Often they do not know where the money is going to come from for operations, but the Lord always provides.  

I am raising money for Operation Chicken Coop for EOTOO and they are so excited.  We have about $2,000 collected so far, so I am going to wire the money to Alice and they are going to start construction on the chicken coops.  As more money comes in, we will be able to finish the project and buy the chickens.

Pictured right is Pastor Francis Odhiambo, who founded Upako Centre in Nairobi.  In addition to pastoring a church, Francis houses 43 orphans - in his own home!  Francis also runs a school and does a number of other outreach ministries in his community. Both said that they would have had to close if they had not received money from you through the Sophia Fund.  This time I was able to give each ministry $750.  I wish it could be more.

If you would like to help either of these ministries or if you can give just $5 to the Sophia Fund, then you can feed an orphan for a week.  If you give to Operation Chicken Coop, you will help an orphanage help themselves so they can provide the orphans with food, revenue and a sense of responsibility.  You can give through my website or send a check to PurposeQuest at PO Box 8882, Pittsburgh, PA  15221-8882. 

463: Role of a Goal

Last week I issued a challenge for you to take the online purpose assessment on my website and then commit to improve 15 points between now and the end of the year. You may want to read last week's Memo if you haven't already before we move on to talk about goals this week and for the next few weeks.  I found that goal-setting was one of the lowest scoring areas for those who have taken the assessment since its inception.   

THE ROLE OF A GOAL

Why do you need to set goals?  Why can’t you just float along with the tide and go where the Spirit leads you?  Because there are too many factors that work against you to prevent things from happening in your life.  You must cooperate in the creation of the life you would like to lead.  Paul outlined the dynamics of a goal in one verse, found in Philippians 3:14: “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (NASU). Consider these words and phrases:

1. I press on. That means there is something pressing against you, and you must exert greater force on it than it is exerting on you if you are to make any progress.  What are some of the things pressing against you?   Consider such things as laziness, fear, time and money constraints, confusion, and doubt, just to name a few.  Feel free to add your own ideas to the list.  Whatever you do, don’t allow those forces to press you into their mold and keep you where you are.  Set a goal and then press through your opposition.
2. For the prize. A goal has a reward—achieving something that you really want to do.  Reaching the goal is the prize and there is nothing wrong with competing against your own capabilities and the circumstances of your life to do something meaningful.  But a prize can also be lost, and it is possible to set a goal and not achieve it.  But if you don’t set the goal, you definitely won’t make it.  The prize is more special when the obstacles overcome were insignificant.  Someone once wrote, “There's no thrill in easy sailing when the skies are clear and blue, there's no joy in merely doing things which any one can do. But there is some satisfaction that is mighty sweet to take, when you reach a destination that you thought you'd never make.”  The prize is reaching the destination you thought was impossible.
3. Is upward. A goal takes you closer to God and godliness. The struggle and faith work something in you like nothing else can.  You grow when you set a goal and make it, and the growth is almost as good—if not better—than the achievement.  My writing and speaking has blessed a lot of people, but I have gained much more than I’ve given.  I’ve learned about God and myself in the process and now I’m better equipped to serve Him.  Don’t stand around with your feet on the ground.  Soar to great heights in God by setting and achieving some goals!
4. Involves a call. A goal is something that is a desire of your heart, something that God put there in the first place.  When you acknowledge that the desire is there, you honor Him by recognizing that God is the caller and you are the called—you are simply responding to His will and initiative.  I have seen many people get hung up in asking, “How do I know that this is what God wants me to do?”  And I always respond, “How do you know it isn’t?”  Then I quote Proverbs 16:3 from the Amplified Version:  “Roll your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and] so shall your plans be established and succeed.” If your heart is to do God’s will before you know what it is, God will direct your thoughts into His paths for you.  Such a deal!  What a promise!

SO NOW WHAT?

We will continue our study of goals next week, examining the common enemies we have in the goal-setting and achieving process.  But this week, you can begin our emphasis on goals by identifying things you would like to accomplish in the areas of work, ministry, family, finances, and personal development.  Feel free to identify any other categories and write down some ideas of things you would like to achieve.  Don’t get too formal yet; just jot down some ideas.  You can continue to study Philippians 3:14 and see if you get any more insight into the role of a goal.  Don’t be content to study a goal, however; don’t stop until you set some.  Better yet, don’t stop until you achieve some.  As you work on this process, have a great week!

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KENYA:  I am in Kenya all week.  Thank you for helping me bring a blessing to the people here.  I have $1500 from the Sophia Fund to distribute.  We have also raised $2000 of the $6000 needed for Operation Chicken Coop.  I will continue to collect Chicken Coop money until we have raised enough for the farm, so please give as you feel led.