The Monday Memo from John Stanko

The Monday Memo 245

You've probably heard this story from me before.  I was sitting in the radio studio with my headsets on, ready to be interviewed to promote the Center for Urban Biblical Ministry, where I am a board member and professor.  I had gone over the questions with the show host and we were ready to go.  The red light came on, indicating that we were on the air and the host looked at me and asked a question that wasn't mentioned in our briefing.  "Dr. Stanko," he asked,  "how would you define success based on your purpose teaching?"

I was stunned and knew I had to come up with an answer quickly.  After I answered, his telephone lights erupted, and my 20-minute interview turned into 60 minutes. We never got around to talk about the Center.

WHAT DID I SAY?

I responded, "I would define success as doing what you love.  I think success is finding work that gives you joy."  Just those two simple phrases touched so many listeners that I actually took phone calls at my home office for two weeks after the show.  Since that show sixteen months ago, I haven't changed my definition. In fact, I feel more strongly than ever that you should do what you enjoy as often as possible for as long as possible.

I recently ran across a verse that reminded me of what I said on that show:

"Therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy" (Hebrews 1:9).

The oil of joy -- what a great phrase.  It wasn't about preaching, although Jesus preached.  It wasn't about teaching, although He taught.  It wasn't about healing, but certainly Jesus healed.  All those magnificent activities were byproducts of the anointing, and the anointing was found in the joy that Jesus felt and received when He did all those things.

JOY THE INDICATOR

Joy is the main indicator and barometer that you are in the will of God.  If you feel joy when you play the piano, then play.  It's that simple.  If you sense joy around children, then connect with as many children as possible.  If you love to sing, then sing in every venue and every opportunity you have.  It's not about money, prestige or fame.  It's about that sense that you are doing what you were created to do. 

Later today I depart for Africa, with my first stop in Kenya.  I can't wait.  I love to travel.  I enjoy meeting with people one-on-one, in small groups or before large crowds to talk about purpose.  I've traveled three million miles since 1989.  Tomorrow I will get a charge out of being in another airport, even though I've been in airports hundreds of times before. 

What can you do this week to capture this joyful anointing?  First of all, you can stop fighting it.  You can embrace it and confess to yourself and others, "I am happiest when I am doing this or that."  You can stop trying to manufacture joy where you don't find and probably won't ever find it.  You can be honest with yourself.

I want you to know the joy that I will feel later today.  I don't think I'm anyone special.  I think God wants you to have that same joy, too.  So stop fighting it and go with the flow, the flow of anointing that comes from doing what you love to do.  As you do that, I know you will have a great week.

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1.  I will be in Africa from May 2-June 25 and need your support to continue my work there.  To make a donation to my ministry, please go to my website and follow the instructions there. 

2. If you need to change your address to which this Memo is sent, hit the unsubscribe link below this automatic Feedblitz mailout.  Then go to this link and enter your new email address in the box in the right hand column.  You can add a gift subscription by going to the link and adding the new email address of the person you think would benefit from The Monday Memo. 

And the archives of past Monday Memos can still be located on my website. 

If you would like to receive automatic updates from my daily blog entries, you can subscribe at that site by entering your email address and responding to the confirmation email you will then receive.

3.  If you would like to unsubscribe, just click the link below (if you receive this as an automatic message). 

4.  I have a new updated version of my article How To Survive Working in the Local Church on my website.  It now includes a self-assessment tool that can help you understand your ability to function in a local church setting.

Also, the May issue of Charisma Magazine features my article entitled Sinners in the Hands of An Angry Leader.  The article isn't posted there as I write, but it should be posted soon.

5.  The weekly Bibles study from Corinthians is up and running.  I am delighted that it is growing faster than the Monday Memo at this point.  Many write to tell me they use it for their small groups and personal devotions.  If you would like to subscribe, go to the site and enter your email address.  I plan on sending them out every Wednesday from this point forward.

6.  I will be in Kenya from May 2 to May 11.  If you would like to book a profiling/purpose appointment or would like to have me speak at your church or organization, please email me at your earliest convenience. 

7.  I will be back in Zimbabwe from May 11-June 25, with some side trips booked during that time.  If you would like to meet with me or schedule me to come to your church or business, email me as soon as possible. 

8.  If you would like to access another daily devotional I have from the book of Proverbs, you can access the May installment by clicking the link below. Or email me and I will send you a copy.

A Daily Dose of Proverbs:  Download May.doc

Technorati Tags: Hebrews 1:9, Proverbs, joy

The Monday Memo 244

Last week's Monday Memo was a success!  I like the feel of this new service, which enables me to send this to you by simply posting each Memo to a blog site.  You can now access the Memo at that site if you don't receive it for some reason.  You can also manage your own subscription--changing your address, adding friends and unsubscribing.  It's so much easier for me and now I should have no problem sending the Memo or the Bible studies from Africa (where I will be from May 2-June 25).  And don't forget that you can now post your comments at the end of each Memo by going to the site where they are posted.

This week I want to pass along something that really helped me recently.  I was at a seminar and the speaker said, "We don't know how to hold onto our successes.  We let go of them too quickly."  I didn't know what he meant, but then he had us do two simple exercises to bring the point home.  Now I want to share what I learned with you.

MAKE A LIST

The seminar leader had us take out an index card and list the ten greatest successes we had ever experienced.  He didn't care if we had to go back to high school or earlier; he just wanted us to list and look at some things we had accomplished.  My list "poured" out of me and, when I was finished, I read it over and over and over again.  I now carry it with me.

I found that the speaker was correct:  I don't think about those things enough, especially when things aren't going well.  My mind then went to David when he faced Goliath.  It dawned on me that David used this very principle to help him defeat the giant.  How did he do this?  Let's read it together:

"Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them" (1 Samuel 17:36). 

How did David prepare for his battle?  He drew upon the memory of his past successes.  Those successes of yesterday gave him courage and faith for today.  If David used that technique, why not you and me?  But wait, there's more.

MAKE ANOTHER LIST

After I made my list of successes, the leader directed us to make another list.  This time he wanted us to list all our recoveries that had occurred or were in the works--all those things that happened that were tragic or painful.  As I made that list, I was once again amazed.  I was struck by how many things I had worked through with God's help, and I was still here, still productive, still functioning. 

I now carry both these index cards with me and look at them on a regular basis.  They encourage me and serve to remind me that God has been with me, is with me and will continue to be with me no matter what.  Those two lists remind me that I am strong in Him and I can face today and tomorrow with resolve, determination and courage.  In this instance, I can simply remember the truth found in Romans 8:28:

"We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him."

A BOX OF MINTS

In a sense, you can say that I am treating these lists like a box of mints.  I can't live on this list, just like I can't live off a box of mints.  But I can choose something from that list from time to time and let it refresh me, just like a mint.  I can turn it over, so to speak, in my mind and recapture the feeling of that success or recovery.

So how about you?  Are you ready to do the same.  Take out two index cards, or just a plain sheet of paper if you like.  Make two lists:  one of your successes, the other of your recoveries.  How do those lists make you feel?  I hope they give you hope, joy and peace.  Now don't put those lists away; put them somewhere where you can see them every day this week.  Enjoy a "success mint" when you need it this week or perhaps you will take a "recovery lozenge" and let it do its job.  As you do this, know that I will be doing the same, remembering that I can face tomorrow because of God's faithfulness yesterday, today and forever.  Have a great week!

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1.  I recently re-recorded my PurposePartner Program on CD and revised all the material.  I am so pleased with the results and I want to offer this to you at a special price this week. Normally $699, I am offering this program at a special price until April 30 of $499.  You can read more about the program on my website and can pay for it there as well using a credit card.  If you have any questions, please feel free to drop me an email.  This program does involve personal sessions with me to help guide you through this Partner program.  Invest something in your PurposeQuest today. 

I will be bringing this program to Kenya and Zimbabwe in May, so please inquire about prices in your currency by sending me an email.

2.  If you need to change your address to which this Memo is sent, hit the unsubscribe link below this automatic Feedblitz mailout.  Then go to this link and enter your new email address in the box in the right hand column.  You can add a gift subscription by going to the link and adding the new email address of the person you think would benefit from The Monday Memo. 

And the archives of past Monday Memos can still be located on my website. 

3.  If you would like to unsubscribe, just click the link below (if you receive this as an automatic message). 

4.  I have a new updated version of my article How To Survive Working in the Local Church on my website.  It now includes a self-assessment tool that can help you understand your ability to function in a local church setting.

Also, the May issue of Charisma Magazine features my article entitled Sinners in the Hands of An Angry Leader.  The article isn't posted there as I write, but it should be posted soon.

5.  The weekly Bibles studies resumed last week with the third installment from 1 Corinthians.  If you would like to subscribe, go to the site and enter your email address.  I plan on sending them out every Wednesday from this point forward.

6.  I will be in Kenya from May 2 to May 11.  If you would like to book a profiling/purpose appointment or would like to have me speak at your church or organization, please email me at your earliest convenience. 

7.  I will be back in Zimbabwe from May 11-June 25, with some side trips booked during that time.  If you would like to meet with me or schedule me to come to your church or business, email me as soon as possible. 

8.  I will be in Africa from May 2-June 25 and need your support to continue my work there.  To make a donation to my ministry, please go to my website and follow the instructions there. 

Technorati Tags: Romans 8:28, 1 Samuel 17:36

The Monday Memo 243

Here is the first official Monday Memo sent using this new blog format!  I almost feel guilty not having to spend hours at my desk, cutting and pasting into 65 distribution lists as I used to do to send this out.  Now I just have to write one message, press the send button, and The Memo is sent automatically to more than 11,000 people.  Pretty cool stuff! 

I will review below how to subscribe, unsubscribe or change your address.   I haven't sent a Bible study out yet, but should do that in the next couple of days.  But first, let's finish this Monday Memo.

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

WHO SAID WHAT ABOUT CREATIVITY

In the chapter I was reading today, Cameron quoted the following artists concerning their creativity:

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

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

THREE ENEMIES OF CREATIVITY

1.  Fear.  I've written about fear in past Memos.  How many fears can you think of that could prevent you from being creative?  I can think of fear of failure, poverty, ridicule, family, culture, authority, inadequacy, and success.  Can you think of any others?  If you can, add a comment on this Memo site for others to read and think about.  Or feel free to email it to me.

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

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

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

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

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

THE WAY FORWARD THIS WEEK

I close by again asking the question I raised earlier:  If you are a spiritual person and creativity is spiritual, why don't you create more often?  I hope I have helped you identify some of the obstacles and I further hope that you will enter into a season of creativity that begins now as you finish this Monday Memo.

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1.  I recently re-recorded my PurposePartner Program on CD and revised all the material.  I am so pleased with the results and I want to offer this to you at a special price this week. Normally $699, I am offering this program at a special price until April 30 of $499.  You can read more about the program on my website and can pay for it there as well using a credit card.  If you have any questions, please feel free to drop me an email.  This program does involve personal sessions with me to help guide you through this Partner program.  Invest something in your PurposeQuest today. 

I will be bringing this program to Kenya and Zimbabwe in May, so please inquire about prices in your currency by sending me an email.

2.  If you need to change your address to which this Memo is sent, click on this new link (or just look to the right of this post if you are at the actual site) and it will take you to a place where you can subscribe using your new email address.  Once that is completed, you can hit the unsubscribe link that should be at the bottom of this screen. 

3.  If you would like to unsubscribe, just click the link below (if you receive this as an automatic message).  If you would like to add a gift subscription, please follow the procedure outlined in point one above and let the person know that the gift subscription is coming from you--so they don't think I am sending them uninvited spam.

4.  All Monday Memos are stored at this new link.  If for any reason you don't receive your weekly Monday Memo or delete it, you can come here to pick yours up.

5.  The Bible studies will follow the same procedure, once we figure out how to send the 8-page attachment in such a way as to not cause you problems when you download it. I will send out a notice with instructions for the Bible study when that problem is solved.

6.  I will be in Kenya from May 2 to May 11.  If you would like to book a profiling/purpose appointment or would like to have me speak at your church or organization, please email me at your earliest convenience. 

7.  I will be back in Zimbabwe from May 11-June 25, with some side trips booked during that time.  If you would like to meet with me or schedule me to come to your church or business, email me as soon as possible. 

8.  I will be in Africa from May 2-June 25 and need your support to continue my work there.  To make a donation to my ministry, please go to my website and follow the instructions there. 

Technorati Tags: creativity, Julia Cameron, Kenya, Zimbabwe

The New Monday Memo

Dear Friend,

Well, here we are, with a new format and service for The Monday Memo.  I thought I would send an abbreviated version today.  Please be patient with me as I figure out all the specifics that will go with this new format.  As I stated in a Memo ealier this year, I maintained my mailing lists far longer than I should have, so that this change was long overdue.  Now there will be a learning curve as together we get used to these changes.  Here are some announcements and things for you to remember:

1.  If you need to change your address to which this is sent, I would recommend that you click on this new link (or just look to the right of this post if you are at the actual site) and it will take you to a place where you can subscribe using your new email address.  Once that is completed, you can hit the unsubscribe link that should be at the bottom of this screen.  I would make sure the new address goes through before you unsubscribe the old one.

2.  If you would like to unsubscribe, just click the link below (if you receive this as an automatic message).  If you would like to add a gift subscription, please follow the procedure outlined in point one above and let the person know that the gift subscription is coming from you--so they don't think I am sending them uninvited spam.

3.  All The Monday Memos should also be stored here at this new link.  If for any reason you don't receive your weekly Memo or delete it, you can come here to pick yours up.

4.  The Bible studies will follow the same procedure, once we figure out how to send the 8-page attachment in such a way as to not cause you problems when you download it. I will send out a notice with instructions for the Bible study when that problem is solved.

5.  I will be in Kenya from May 2 to May 11.  If you would like to book a profiling/purpose appointment or would like to have me speak at your church or organization, please email me at your earliest convenience. 

6.  I will be back in Zimbabwe from May 11-June 25, with some side trips booked during that time.  If you would like to meet with me or schedule me to come to your church or business, please email me as soon as possible. 

If this message goes through as it should, then I plan on resuming The Monday Memo this coming Monday using this service.  Thank you for your patience as we have searched for a solution to the wonderful problem of adding more and more people to my mailing list. 

If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to email me.  Again, please be patient as I may have to send you another message changing something I have established in this entry as we find out what works and what doesn't.  My thanks again to David and Bill for all their help in this process.  And thank you for your patience as well.

In Him,

John Stanko

Technorati Tags: John Stanko, The Monday Memo, Zimbabwe, Kenya