The Monday Memo from John Stanko

492: Be Courageous and Act

Greetings from Nairobi, Kenya. I arrived with a team on Saturday night and all is well so far, as the team gets acclimated to their home away from home for two weeks.  I wasn't sure if I would do a Memo this week, but I woke up early, so I concluded I am supposed to write.  And since the Monday Memo turns ten years old this week, I thought I would write an anniversary special.

Yesterday in church I spoke on the offering that David took to buld the Temple, since the church we were visiting was raising money for a new facility.  Before he took the offering, David presented Solomon with the plans for the Temple:  "Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for the portico of the temple, its buildings, its storerooms, its upper parts, its inner rooms and the place of atonement" (1 Chronicles 28:11).  When David had made the presentation he explained, "'All this,I have in writing as a result of the Lord’s hand on me, and he enabled me to understand all the details of the plan" (1 Chonicles 28:19).

David had received something from the Lord.  He wrote it down as he understood it and then made plans to carry out what he "saw."  What he said next is most intriguing, for he told Solomon:  “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the Lord  is finished" (1 Chronicles 28:20).

What can you and I learn from these verses?

1. When God shows you something, write it down.  As someone once said, the problem with taking mental notes is that the ink fades so quickly.
2. God wants you to understand what you see.  What you see is not for your amusement, it is to help you fulfill your purpose and be productive.
3. Once you receive it, you are to be courageous and take action! Courage is not the absence of fear, it is learning to act in the midst of it.  God honors courage, since it acknowledges that you do not act alone when God is with  you.  Notice too that "dis-couragement" is the absence of courage!

The last point can be the toughest, for often when the Lord tells you, "Fear not!", it's too late. You are already afraid.  Just because you have received something from God does not mean you won't be terrified at the prospects of doing it.

What is there in your life that has you terrifed, so much so that, even though you know it's from Him, you have not been able to take even the simplest steps to see it come to pass?  I hope you will heed this warning this week to be courageous and act on it.  David did that, and so did Solomon and the result was one of the greatest buildings the ancient world ever saw.  The results in your life may not be that dramatic, but they will certainly be as rewarding to you and as pleasing to the Lord.  Have a great week!

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HAPPY ANNIVERSARY:  The Monday Memo turns ten years old this weekend.  It has been a wonderful decade of learning and growing and thank you for sharing it with me.  If you have a testimony of how the Memo has impacted your life, please send it via email or put it on the site where this entry is posted.

PURPOSE CHALLENGE:  Many people have not retaken their Purpose Assessment to complete the Purpose Challenge I issued last August.  If you have not taken your second Assessment yet, why not do that today. You can find it on my homepage.

MPESA: Some Kenyans have inquired how they can contribute to THE BIG GOAL  I am registered for MPESA here through Safaricom, so you can write me for my cell phone number and send a contribution in that manner.

TRIP BLOG UPDATES:  You can follow our work here in Kenya by going to my travel blog. You can even register to receive the updates as they are posted, or follow them on my Facebook page.

 

 

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.

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. 

412: Purpose Faith

Have you ever made a commitment to do something by a certain deadline and had no idea how to do it?  How did it turn out?  If you're like most, it probably turned out better than you expected.  You created the need for the information in faith and then set out to achieve your objective.

We have been looking at Daniel the last few weeks and will do so for a few weeks more.  Daniel made a similar commitment to do something he didn't know how he would do, and it saved lives and changed the course of history.  Let's look at what he did and see what you and I can learn from what I am calling Purpose Faith. 

WHO CARES?

When Israel was conquered by Babylon, the conquerors relocated Daniel and his friends to Babylon to assimilate them into their culture. They changed Daniel's name, forced him learn a new language and culture and made him a eunuch!  You can say that Daniel went through a major life transition.

Then the king had his famous dream that troubled him so.  He wanted his wise men to interpret the dream, with one catch. The king refused to tell them the dream.  He wanted them to tell him the dream and its meaning.  That seems pretty unreasonable to me.  When they could not, the king threatened to kill them all.

So then Daniel heard about the predicament the king had created.  He could have said, "Who cares?  I didn't want to be in this heathen place anyway. Let them all die!"  Yet that was not his heart and spirit.  Rather here is what Daniel did:

At this, Daniel went in to the king and asked for time, so that he might interpret the dream for him (Daniel 2:16).

Daniel had faith that God would show him the dream and the interpretation!  What happened next always boggles my mind when I read it.  I am sure it will boggle yours, too.

GOD CARES

Then Daniel returned to his house and explained the matter to his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. He urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven and said: "Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his" (Daniel 2:17-20).

Obviously God cared about the lives of the king's advisers, for He showed Daniel the dream and its meaning.  What faith Daniel had to commit to do the impossible!  He put high expectations on the Lord and God came through. He was not afraid to draw on God's infinite wisdom.

Which brings us back to you and me. How high are your expectations in the Lord?  What are you asking God to do that seems impossible to others? What have you committed yourself to that, if the Lord does not come through, you will look foolish? What need have you created for new information you don't have today so you can do new things tomorrow?

Daniel was a remarkable man with great faith, but he applied that faith to everyday life. It is no wonder that God exalted him to a high place, for Daniel learned how to partner with God to make the impossible ordinary.  You and I would do well to imitate his example and then set our expectations high so that God will empower us to do great things for Him in the power of our purpose. Have a great week!

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1. REVELATION PROJECT UPDATE!  As I wrote last week, I had a major breakthrough in my attempt to publish my Revelation Studies. A donor made a matching grant challenge for the month of August, promising to match every dollar donated with another dollar of his own.  Last week $135 came in, so that means we have $270 of the $3,600 needed to publish. I am confident the rest will arrive by August 31.

Every dollar you give will be doubled this month, so when you give, you are exercising good stewardship.  What's more, you will be part of publishing and distributing this work that will help reclaim Revelation as a rich devotional book of victory and worship!  You can make a contribution this month by going directly to my website to contribute there through PayPal, or by sending a tax-deductible check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 91099, Pittsburgh, PA 15221. Please make sure you mark you donation for Revelation and don't forget that every dollar you give is actually two until August 31.

2. THE SOPHIA FUND UPDATE:  Only about $10 came in last week for The Sophia Fund. I am heading to Africa in late September and will check on the status of our donations then to make sure all is going well.  As you know by now, I am using the money to feed AIDS orphans and widows in Kenya and Zimbabwe. I posted a report from Kenya on the last payment I sent there that you can read on my blog. You can also read about my rationale for The Fund here (named after my late mother). Even though I am raising money for my Revelation Project, I will not neglect The Sophia Fund.  The orphans and widows need our help now more than ever.

Please consider a contribution of at least $5 toward the fund and hopefully more. You can use the "Chipin" widget on the Monday Memo site to contribute, or go directly to my website to contribute there through PayPal, or send a tax-deductible check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 91099, Pittsburgh, PA 15221. Make sure you let me know it is for The Sophia Fund. Don't delay; give today and make a difference in the world.

3. 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.

4. FACEBOOK: My goal is to have 1,000 Facebook friends on FB by 12/31. Right now I have 527. 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. Go there to sign up and follow along.

5. FREE PURPOSEQUEST ASSESSMENT: I updated and improved the feeback email you receive from your online assessment, so now is a great time to take or re-take the purpose assessment on my website. This is not a scientific survey, but something that is meant to stimulate your thought and direct your study concerning where you are in your PurposeQuest.

394: Sit Down!

It's been a great stay in the UK and I thank my hosts, Dave and Pam Graham of Everlasting Books, for taking such good care of me.  Before I pack for home, however,I need to write this Memo.  It's been eight years since I started writing the Memo and every time I sit down to write, something comes to me. This week's theme came this morning while I was writing next week's Bible study. It's nice when I can use one thing for two purposes, but it doesn't always work like that.

I realize that you are just dying to know what this week's topic is, but you know the rules. You have to read on if you want to know.

BREAD FOR YOU, BUT FIRST. . .

In John 6, Jesus had a massive crowd following Him and He asked Philip how they could possibly feed all those people, about 5,000 in number. Jesus wasn't looking for information or ideas; He already knew what He was going to do. He was testing Philip to see what he would suggest and, of course, he had no ideas, commenting that eight month's wages would only give everyone a snack.

Andrew, perhaps jokingly, said that there was a little boy who had five loaves and two fish but that certainly was not enough to feed the crowd.  It was then that Jesus went into action. It was in what He told the people to do first that gave me the idea for this Memo:

Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them (John 6:10).

Before Jesus would give them any bread, which was symbolic of His own life that He likened as bread from heaven, He ordered the people to sit down in a grassy place.  It was then that I saw this for the first time in the context of Psalm 23.

. . . YOU HAVE TO SIT DOWN

To hear from the Lord, you have to sit down and quiet yourself.  You can't be running here and there, hoping to catch the Lord on the fly.  You have to sit down.  I wonder if you don't know your purpose or aren't more productive because you don't know how or simply don't take time to sit down. Perhaps a refresher on Psalm 23 will help you this week:

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet water, he restores my soul.  He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil;  my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever (Psalm 23:1-6 emphasis added).

God will make you lie down in green pastures and, once you recline, He will give you bread -- whatever it is that you need to sustain your life and purpose.  So this week, why not take the time to just sit down?  It's not very glamorous and I don't have any other suggestions except to take a pad and pen and write down what He says.  If He can feed 5,000 from nothing once they sat, surely He can feed you when you do the same.  As you do that, I am confident you will have a very good week!

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THE SOPHIA FUND:  I received another email from Kenya this week concerning The Sophia Fund, this time from Eddie Adembesa:

Greetings from us all WEMA widows with the trust that all is well by the grace of God.
 
This is to acknowledge that we have received $1,000 Sophie Fund and $50 St. Paul’s Baptist Church which you sent to us through SARAH NETWORK towards the feeding programme for orphans under the care of WEMA widows.
 
This has not only put a smile on the face of the children but also the widows who have great lack due to the prolonged drought that Kenya is facing.
 
To every single person who made this possible, it’s a big thank you and God truly bless you and enlarge your territories. A good measure shaken together, pressed down and overflowing. I call this a divine connection from God. Let’s continue to pray for one another as we continue noble task. Once again thank you and God bless you.

As I promised, every penny you send is going to feed the poor in Zimbabwe and Kenya. Nothing goes to overhead or administration.  With reports like the one above, won't you consider helping orphans and widows today?  You can read about my rationale for The Fund here (named after my late mother) that will help feed widows and orphans in Kenya and Zimbabwe. 

Please consider a contribution of at least $5 toward the fund and hopefully more.  You can use the "Chipin" widget on the Monday Memo site to contribute, or go directly to my website to contribute there through PayPal, or send a tax-deductible check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 91099, Pittsburgh, PA  15221.  Make sure you let me know it is for The Sophia Fund. Don't delay; give today and make a difference in the world.

The most recent posted entry about The Sophia Fund is here.

FACEBOOK:  I continue to update my personal page on Facebook.  Check it out and let's be friends when you have a chance.  Also you can find me on Twitter @johnstanko. Go there to sign up and follow me.

BIBLE STUDY:  If you would like to receive the Bible study from John that I mentioned in the first paragraph, I would be glad to send them to you on a weekly basis. If you would like them check or subscribe to receive them as they are published, you can do both here. 

391: Friend of God

I am in the Detroit airport heading home from a great weekend with my friends at Cathedral of Life Christian Assembly in Providence, Rhode Island.  Now I am home until I head over to the UK on March 27 to be with my UK distributor, Everlasting Books.  I will publish my UK itinerary as soon as I receive it.

I have been thinking the last few days about how spiritual it sounds to say, "Lord, I'll do whatever You want me to do."  It is what any good servant should say.  Yet I wonder if saying that does not avoid a subtle truth about our relationship with God.  What subtle truth, you may ask?  Ah, to receive the answer you will have to read on.

FOREVER A SERVANT

I want to look at John 15:14-16 as we start this discussion:

You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.

There are many who are comfortable with living in an eternal state of servant-hood where God is concerned.  I wonder, however, if that position doesn't avoid a deeper relationship that moves from service to friendship.  When you are a servant, you do what you have to do.  When you are a friend, you do what you choose to do because you love your friend.  Yes, you may serve your friend, but that relationship is totally different than the master/servant.

When you are a servant, you do what you are told to do.  When you are a friend, you do what is in your heart to do. This is why I think that at some point you must transition from only being God's servant to being His servant and friend.

FRIEND OF GOD

Notice that Jesus followed His remarks on friendship by reminding the disciples that they were chosen to bear fruit and not just be friends with Him.  He also reminded them that God would answer their prayers that flowed out of their friendship with Him.  So is it safe to say that your fruit and answers to prayer will do the same?

I am not trying to reduce God to the level of your "buddy" or "pal."  Rather I am trying to elevate you, trying to deliver you from the mindset of a slave. When you are a slave, you wait to be told what to do. When you are a friend, you anticipate what you have to do and that makes you a good friend.  I want to be a good friend of God, while still being His servant and Him my Lord.

So what will it be?  Will you choose a life of servant-hood only or a life of friendship with the Lord?  I choose friendship, realizing that the role of friend requires fruit and prayer.  I think I have chosen wisely, and I invite you to join me in this major step as together we seek to serve Him and one another.  Have a great week!

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THE SOPHIA FUND:  I received the following email from Kenya this week, written by Pastor Francis at the Upako Orphanage:

This is to let you know that we received $1000 from you through Sarah Network for the feeding of the orphans at Upako Centre Nairobi.We are indeed very grateful to you and all involved in this and we have channeled the money to the children's food kitty and to no other use. I will give the breakdown of what we bought with the money after use.

I also want to congratulate the wonderful people who visited Kenya with you and got the opportunity to visit Upako,they too made a difference and may God bless all of you. Finally, keep us in prayer so that you may continue helping Upako Children alongside other projects in Kenya.

Every penny you send will go to feed the poor in Zimbabwe and Kenya. Nothing goes to overhead or administration.  Won't you consider helping orphans and widows today? You can read about my rationale for The Fund here (named after my late mother) that will help feed widows and orphans in Kenya and Zimbabwe. 

Please consider a contribution of at least $5 toward the fund and hopefully more.  You can use the "Chipin" widget on the Monday Memo site to contribute, or go directly to my website to contribute there through PayPal, or send a tax-deductible check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 91099, Pittsburgh, PA  15221.  Make sure you let me know it is for The Sophia Fund. Don't delay; give today and make a difference in the world.

The most recent posted entry about The Sophia Fund is here.

390: Holy Action

I just typed the number in the title and realized that I started the Monday Memo eight years ago this month. I didn't know how long I would write, but I was convinced that I would eventually run out of material.  Here I am, however, eight years and 390 Memos later and I'm still enjoying it and hope you are. too.  What's more, I hope it is still relevant.  When it isn't, that will be the time to quit.

You know I am passionate to see you not just talk about your ideas but do something about them. I think the Lord feels the same way.  I think I can prove it, but to know for sure, you will have to read on.

INEFFECTIVE AND UNPRODUCTIVE   

Let's start by reading what Peter wrote in his second epistle:

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:5-8).

I put the two words in bold that I want you to notice: ineffective and unproductive.  The King James translates those two words: barren and unfruitful. The Greek word translated barren literally mean "lazy, not performing the work that one ought to perform."  The second word translated unfruitful means "not yielding the fruit that one ought to yield."  

I think the message is clear.  You make every effort to live a holy life and grow in knowledge so you can be fruitful.  In this context, holiness is not the end, it is the means to the end. 

HOLY ACTION

If you are holy, then you will take holy action.  What is holy action for you?  It is tied to your purpose and emanates from the ideas and dreams that you have.  So ask yourself this week whether or not you are shunning the work you ought to perform and if, in fact, you are yielding the fruit that you were created to yield. If not, what can you do to take steps to do so.

You know my website has a lot of material to help you be purposeful and productive.  Why not visit there for some help?  Maybe there is someone who inspires or mentors you whom you can visit this week to get your action plan together.  Whatever it is you can do, don't put it off any longer.  While you grow in holiness, you should also grow in holy action.  It is the natural expression of a godly life.  Have a great week!

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

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THE SOPHIA FUND:  Even though I just returned from Africa, it doesn't mean that The Sophia Fund will be suspended. I will continue to receive contributions and send them to Africa through reliable sources. Therefore, if you haven't sent anything yet, you can still do so.  Every penny you send will go to feed the poor in Zimbabwe and Kenya. 

You can read about my rationale for The Fund here (named after my late mother) that will help feed widows and orphans in Kenya and Zimbabwe.  Please consider a contribution of at least $5 toward the fund and hopefully more.  You can use the "Chipin" widget on the Monday Memo site to contribute, or go directly to my website to contribute there through PayPal, or send a tax-deductible check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 91099, Pittsburgh, PA  15221.  Make sure you let me know it is for The Sophia Fund. Don't delay; give today and make a difference in the world.

The most recent posted entry about The Sophia Fund is here.

FREE PURPOSEQUEST ASSESSMENT:  Don't forget about the free PurposeQuest assessment available on my website.  This is not a scientific survey, but something that is meant to stimulate your thought and direct your study on my site concerning where you stand in your PurposeQuest.  About 800 people have taken the survey so far.  I hope that every Monday Memo reader will eventually take the assessment and heed the follow up email from me on how you can be even more purposeful than you already are.

FACEBOOK:  I continue to update my personal page on Facebook.  Check it out and let's be friends when you have a chance.  Also you can find me on Twitter @johnstanko. Go there to sign up and follow me.

389: Purpose Cross

I am glad that last week is over! I had class every day including Saturday from 8 to 4:30, but I feel smarter already, and I need all the help I can get.  If you read The Memo regularly, you know that I write extensively about bearing fruit.  I don't define fruit as simply being nice or holy (although that is a part), but I define fruit as being productive -- starting the business, writing the book, producing the album and the like.

Yet there is one important aspect of fruitfulness that I have not emphasized and I want to make up for that oversight this week. What is that aspect?  Ah, you know that you will have to read on to find out.

ALONE OR ABUNDANCE?

Jesus said in John 12:24-26:

I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.

It is crucial that you know your purpose.  If you are going to be as fruitful and fulfilled as you want to be, however, you must die to yourself and follow Him.  There is no way around the death process on the road to purpose and fruit.

MY PURPOSE CROSS

When you die to self and pick up your cross, God will seldom, except for a season, require that you deny who you are or function outside of purpose.  The cross in purpose is not trying to be who you are not, but in fulfilling and expressing your purpose in a manner that honors God and acknowledges the fact that He gave you your purpose, perhaps in a manner that is not your ideal situation.  Let me give you an example.

My purpose is to create order out of chaos. That is what I love to do and it is what the Lord helps me to do.  My death process, however, is that I would rather fulfill my purpose almost anywhere except the local church.  I have prayed, "Lord, send me to ABC, CBS, SAA, RBZ, KFHL, KFC, NBC or any other company with an acronym.  But please don't send me to the church!" 

Yet for 35 years, church work has been my purpose cross. God has seen fit for me to fall into the ground and die in church settings all over the world!  Please don't misunderstand. I am not complaining.  It is an honor to serve God anywhere and I am delighted to be back in a local church setting as I write. Church work is where His strength is made perfect in my weakness. Church work is where I learn to deny myself and then get a chance to do all the things I love to do.  Do you see how God is able to combine the two, my cross and my joy?

When you say, "God, I will do whatever you want me to do," that is the correct thing to say.  Don't expect God to place you, however, in a place where you will not express who He made you to be.  You can expect, however, that He will do it in such a way that you will have to deny yourself, in the midst of purpose joy, to pick up your cross and follow Him. There is no other way for you to bear the fruit that God and you both want to see from a purposeful life.  Have a great week!

384: Your Less Can Be More

Two weeks ago I wrote More and More and More and urged you not to be biased against more, for it may be God's will.  Last week I wrote Less and Less and Less and explained how people of purpose actually restrict their activities over time to those things that yield the greatest results.  I want to continue last week's theme in this week's Memo entitled Your Less Can Be More.  Or should the title be Your More Can Be Less?  Now I'm confused, so I had better keep writing and you had better keep reading so that hopefully we can bring some order out of this mess!

MY LESS LED TO MORE

If you have the faith to focus your efforts on what you do best and were created to do, you may find yourself doing less things, but the things you do will bring greater results. People regularly ask me how I am able to do the things I do.  My answer is always the same: I stopped doing the things I can't do so well so I can concentrate on those things that I can do well.

When I was a Sunday-morning pastor in Orlando, the largest crowd we ever had in the church was 258 people.  (I don't know why I remember that figure, for it was back in 1992!).  This Memo could reach upwards of 20,000 people after it is forwarded from one reader to another.  Do you see how my less has led to more? I stopped trying to do it all and concentrated on doing some.  My less led to more and yours will too.

What's more, when I started The Monday Memo in 2001, I wasn't sure how long it would run.  This issue is number 384 and every time I sit down on a Sunday evening, I have something to write. A woman came up to me in church this morning to tell me that I inspired her in her work with nutrition and health.  Many have told me that the Memo has mentored and directed them to do what was in their heart, so not only has the Memo readership grown, but the Memo impact has also grown.  Once again, my less led to more.

YOUR LESS CAN BE MORE, TOO

If my less can be more, then yours can, too.  The challenge is usually in finding the less so that you can embrace the more.  What do you need to stop doing?  I know, it's a step of faith, because you may not know at this point what you will do.  You only sense what you must stop doing. I could not begin writing The Monday Memo until I left the church position I had at the time.  Two months later I began writing and I haven't stopped! 

The key to productivity isn't to do everything you can think of.  The key is to do what you do best, what you do that causes God to partner with you or, better yet, you with Him.  Focus this week on how your less can be more and then have faith to scale down so you can gear up.  When you do, you will finally discover the more that you have always known should be present in your life and work.  Have a great week!

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THE SOPHIA FUND:  I depart for Kenya on February 11 (with a team of seven others) and want to invest the firstfruits from The Sophia Fund when I go.  You can read about The Fund here, named after my late mother, that will help feed widows and orphans in Kenya and Zimbabwe.  We have already raised almost $800 and I am asking you to contribute at least $5 toward the fund and hopefully more.  You can use the "Chipin" widget on the Monday Memo site to contribute, or go directly to my website to contribute there through PayPal, or send a tax-deductible check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 91099, Pittsburgh, PA  15221.  Make sure you let me know it is for The Sophia Fund. Don't delay; give today!

The most recent posted entry about The Sophia Fund is here.

BIBLE STUDY:  I will send out the third installment from my John Bible study later this week.  If you would like to check out the first two or subscribe to receive them as they are published, you can do both here. 

FREE PURPOSEQUEST ASSESSMENT:  Don't forget about the free PurposeQuest assessment available on my website.  This is not a scientific survey, but something that is meant to stimulate your thought and direct your study on my site concerning where you stand in your PurposeQuest.  About 750 people have taken the survey so far.  I hope that every Monday Memo reader will eventually take the assessment and heed the follow up email from me on how you can be even more purposeful than you already are.

FACEBOOK:  I continue to update my personal page on Facebook.  Check it out and let's be friends when you have a chance.  Also you can find me on Twitter @johnstanko. Go there to sign up and follow me. 

Monday Memo 381: New Year Ramblings

Happy New Year!  I hope 2009 will be a purpose-filled and productive year for you.  Hoping, however won't get the job.  Purpose and productivity are never accidents. They occur through focused and specific actions that emanate from a vision of what you want to achieve.  Purposeful action is just that -- action -- and is never the result of passive wishing or praying.  So with that in mind, I hope you will allow me to think out loud as to what kind of 2009 I intend to have, Lord willing.

HARD WORK

I was reflecting the other day on a verse that has impacted my life for the last 25 years.  It is found in 1 Corinthians 15:10:  "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me."  I remember reading an anonymous quote a few years ago that stated, "There are many people who want to change the world who don't know what to do on a rainy Sunday afternoon,"  In other words, wishful thinking won't impact the world unless the thinking translate into action and hard work. 

So I have set these goals and objectives for 2009.  Have you set yours yet?  If not, there's still plenty of time.  That's what January and rainy or snowy Sunday afternoons are for. 

2009 GOALS

By God's grace and with His help, in 2009 I will:

1. Improve communication with my audience through Facebook (I already have a page), my website (check out my "Latest New" section on my homepage), my blog and a service called Twitter (where I am @johnstanko).   
2. Delegate more of my work to a team of interested people in the U.S and around the world.
3. Publish The Faith Files, Volume 2.
4. Have 90% of my classwork for my Doctor of Ministry completed, including my ministry project.
5. Resume broadcasting on radio and begin on television.
6. Hold more leadership training sessions here in my hometown.
7. Establish a regular savings plan (I have the figure established).
8. Read 50 books (I finished 54 in 2008).
9. Resume teaching college classes (I have two scheduled for the coming term).
10. Work smarter, not harder.
11. Establish better and more regular streams of revenue from books, training sessions and courses I have written and developed over the years. 

I won't bore you with all the specifics of those 11 objectives but I have them. I hope to do these in partnership with my local church, but if that doesn't work out, I am prepared to do them on my own time.  So what will you accomplish in 2009?  Why not take a moment and share at least one goal for 2009 with the rest of my readers on the site where this entry is posted?  Help create a wave of goals from around the world that will stimulate even my most casual reader to take action on a dream today.

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THE SOPHIA FUND:  I launched what I am calling The Sophia Fund on January 1.  You can read my rationale for doing so here, but it is a charitable fund named after my mother that will help feed widows and orphans in Kenya and Zimbabwe.  We have already raised $600 and I am asking you to contribute at least $5 toward the fund and hopefully more.  You can use the "Chipin" widget on the Monday Memo site to contribute,  or go directly to my website to contribute there through PayPal, or send a tax-deductible check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 91099, Pittsburgh, PA  15221.  Make sure you let me know it is for The Sophia Fund.

BIBLE STUDY:  In the coming week, I will send out the first study of my devotional studies from the gospel of John.  If you would like to subscribe to these free weekly studies, you can subscribe here. 

PROVERBS:  The January chapter from my book, A Daily Dose of Proverbs, is below as a New Year's gift to you.  Enjoy! 

Download January