The Monday Memo from John Stanko

419: Taxi Thoughts

This Memo is different than any I have sent previously. I am actually writing this while in the back of a taxi driving through London on my way to Heathrow Airport (it’s a two-hour trip).  I depart tomorrow morning at 6:30 AM, which means I have to get up at 3:30 to get to the airport in time for check in.  So rather than have someone drive me in the morning, I am staying at a hotel by the airport tonight (Sunday).

My driver is from Nigeria and he is a believer.  He just told me his story of how he came to the Lord and it saved his marriage.  Now he has started a ministry to help others with their marriages.  I know Christians aren’t perfect, but I have met many dear, committed, devoted, creative and giving Christians all over the world.  God is faithful to raise up a people to honor His name in every nation. I like being a world (not worldly) Christian.

I am sitting here reflecting on how I got here – to London, teaching purpose, doing what I love in a country I have been visiting since 1993.  I spoke this morning in a church in the New Cross area of London – Micah Community Church – and gave my message on Abraham, “What You See is What You Get.”  It is the story of God telling Abraham to sacrifice his only son on Mt. Moriah.  There is so much in that passage, but then again, I guess I could say that about any passage.  Then after church the people assembled to hear my session on my fifth gold mine principle, which was another message on faith.  I love that message and had a chance to deliver the other four gold mine principles the day before.  All in all, I spoke 14 times since I arrived here Friday before last.  It was and is all very, very good.

So now I am heading to Kenya, another country I love.  I have a full week planned before I return home to work at a job I love in my local church.  What did I ever do to deserve all this?  Why has God given me the opportunities for such meaningful work with people I love in lands I always dreamed of visiting?  It is God’s grace I know, but I have tried to cooperate with that grace and give God something to work with, as meager as it may be.  I hope I have made a good partner.

Next week, I will resume the usual Monday Memo format and we will take a look at Gideon and the purpose lessons his life has for us.  Then we will look at Deborah after that and maybe Noah.  That should take us up close to the holidays and then after the first of year, it will be time to have another celebrate a failure emphasis.  By the end of the year, I will also finish the gospel of John in my weekly Bible studies.  After that, I will only have six short epistles until I have completed a verse-by-verse commentary for every book in the New Testament.  Thank You, Lord. 

So have a great week and forgive my ramblings this week. I don’t have much time, even now as I am in the lobby of my hotel and my battery is running low. 

418: Faith From Start To Finish

Greetings from the land of the Queen and scones and clotted cream.  I am in England and will be for another week.  I had a busy day yesterday and will be busy for the next week. You can read more about my schedule below, but right now I want to finish up our study of Esther.  You can read the previous three Memos on Esther here or you can wait to catch up when I review at the end of this Memo. Either way, let's take one last look at Esther and the purpose lessons we can learn from her life.

FAITH FROM START TO FINISH

Clarifying your purpose isn’t a matter of doing your homework or figuring out what you do best or most often.  You do have to work at finding your purpose, but it isn’t something you can identify logically.  The last point I want to make this week is that you need faith both to clarify and fulfill your purpose. You don't find your purpose in faith and then carry it out on your own. Your PurposeQuest requires faith from start to finish.

When Esther received the exhortation from Mordecai that she had come to the throne for such a time as this, she replied:

Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish” (Esther 4:15-16). 

Esther knew at this point that she could not do what she had to do in her own strength; she needed supernatural help and strength to fulfill her purpose.  You need to come to the same realization.  People ask me how I write and travel as much as I do.  I respond that I do it in faith.  I determined eight years ago that I would trust God, who showed me my purpose, also to fulfill my purpose.  And like Esther, I said if I fail, I fail.  If I failed, however, I was going to fail magnificently and in faith! 

I get many letters from readers who are uptight and frustrated with their individual PurposeQuest.  I write back and tell them to relax.  God will reveal your purpose when you are ready.  Put your trust in Him and in His ability to speak—not in your ability to hear.  God wants you to fulfill your purpose even more than you do, so, armed with that understanding, trust that He will not only show it to you, but open doors like He did for Esther that will enable you to fulfill it.  People often tell me that it can’t be that simple, but I maintain that it is.

LET’S REVIEW.

So what purpose lessons have we learned from Esther and Mordecai these last three weeks?

1. Your past doesn’t prevent you from fulfilling your purpose, unless you allow it to do so. 
2. You may be taking for granted or looking past a purpose that is obvious to everyone but you.
3. God wants to build on your strengths and not your weaknesses.
4. God hasn’t forgotten you.
5. You don’t have to go looking for purpose; purpose comes looking for you.
6. Purpose puts you in the right place at the right time.
7. It requires faith both to find and fulfill your purpose.

So there you have it - our purpose profile on Esther. This week, I want you to mediate on the seven points I have listed above.  Pray over them and ask God to show you what you’re missing.  Don’t just pray, but pray in faith with pen and paper in hand, believing that the Lord will show you some new perspective that you need to be a person of purpose.  And as usual, if I can help you in any way, please let me know.  Have a great week!

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1. UK AND KENYA SCHEDULE.  You can look at my schedule for the UK (September 20-28) and Kenya (September 28-October 4) on my website under the News section.  Everything I am doing is open to the public, so come one and come all to hear the purpose doctor while you have the chance! (The Tuesday event listed on my site for the UK has been postponed.)

Also, I have a special evening presentation in Nairobi on Wednesday, September 30.  For more information, you can download the flier: Download IIE Kenya Seminar

2. THE SOPHIA FUND UPDATE:  I am so delighted that I am taking about $3200 to Kenya with me to feed our orphans and widows. What a blessing!  Thank you so much for your generous support.  I will announce a special Christmas promotion toward establishing children's libraries and reading rooms, which unbelievably are nonexistent in Kenya.

You can read my latest report on The Sophia Fund here (written about four weeks ago).  You can also read about my rationale for The Fund here (named after my late mother).

Now that the Revelation Project is complete, 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 630. 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.

417: Purpose Comes Knocking

Two weeks ago, we started a purpose profile on Esther and her cousin Mordecai.  If you missed reading the last two weeks, you may want to catch up on those here before you continue on this week.  Then once you have read this, check out my information below concerning my upcoming tour to the UK and Kenya.  But for now, let’s move on to Esther!

PURPOSE COMES LOOKING FOR YOU.

The first point I want to make this week is that Esther and Mordecai didn’t have to look for their purpose; their purpose came looking for them. 

Then the king's personal attendants proposed, "Let a search be made for beautiful young virgins for the king. Let the king appoint commissioners in every province of his realm to bring all these beautiful girls into the harem at the citadel of Susa. Let them be placed under the care of Hegai, the king's eunuch, who is in charge of the women; and let beauty treatments be given to them. Then let the girl who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti." This advice appealed to the king, and he followed it (Esther 2:2-4).

They discovered Esther and chose her to be among those women, and they eventually selected her to be the new queen.  Two weeks ago we saw how Mordecai foiled a plot to assassinate the king and was then sought out and rewarded for his work.  Both didn’t go looking for purpose; their purpose came looking for them.

 As you examine your purpose this week, ask yourself:  What always finds me that needs done?  What group or kind of people always seem to seek me out for counsel, encouragement or help?  If you can answer those questions, you will have important clues to help you clarify your purpose.  One thing that regularly happens to me, for instance, no matter where I am in the world, is that people ask me for directions—an expression of my purpose to create order out of chaos.  I never have to go looking for chaos; chaos always comes looking for me.

THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME

After Esther was chosen to be the new queen, a crisis arose among her fellow Jews.  The king had an aide named Haman, who hated the Jews with a passion.  He was able to convince the king (who was unaware that Esther was a Jew) to issue an edict that all the Jews were to be exterminated throughout the kingdom.  What was Esther to do?  Her cousin Mordecai gave her good advice, as usual: 

When Esther's words were reported to Mordecai, he sent back this answer: "Do not think that because you are in the king's house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:12-14 emphasis added). 

The point here is that purpose puts you in the right place at the right time.  When you function in your purpose, there is a sense that God is helping you accomplish what you are doing, without effort or you having to make something happen.  When someone needs directions, I just happen to come along and for whatever reason they choose me out of the crowd to ask where to go.  I couldn’t plan that if I wanted to.  It is a small way in which I know that God uses me to help others and it flows naturally.   It is part of my purpose to create order out of chaos.

So ask yourself:  When am I in “the flow?”  When do I most seem to be in the right place at the right time?  What need or needs do I always seem to be in a position to meet?  Answers to those questions will most certainly help you clarify your purpose and will also help you have a good week with many more to follow!  Take care.

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

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1. UK AND KENYA SCHEDULE.  I have finalized my schedule for the UK (September 20-28) and Kenya (September 28-October 4).  If you would like to see where I am, you can check it out on my website under the News section.  Everything I am doing is open to the public, so come one and come all to hear the purpose doctor while you have the chance!

Also, I have a special evening presentation in Nairobi on Wednesday, September 30.  For more information, you can download the flier: Download IIE Kenya Seminar

2. THE SOPHIA FUND UPDATE:  I am so delighted that I am taking about $3200 to Kenya with me to feed our orphans and widows. What a blessing!  Thank you so much for your generous support.  There is still time to give before I depart this Thursday. I am also taking 200 pens and pencils for the children and will be working toward establishing some children's libraries and reading rooms, which are nonexistent in Kenya.

You can read my latest report on The Sophia Fund here (written about four weeks ago).  You can also read about my rationale for The Fund here (named after my late mother).

Now that the Revelation Project is complete, 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 630. 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.

Memo 416: A Slick Chick

As promised, this week (and maybe next) we will look at Esther and glean some helpful purpose lessons from her life.  We know that Esther was a queen and was instrumental in saving her fellow Jews from destruction by being in the right place at the right time.  How did she get to this place where she fulfilled her purpose, being used by God in a special way?  Let's look at three points that will answer that question:

1. Your past doesn’t prevent you from fulfilling your purpose, unless you allow it to do so.  “Mordecai had a cousin named Hadassah, whom he had brought up because she had neither father nor mother” (Esther 2:7a).  Esther was an orphan. What’s more, she wasn’t even raised by an aunt or grandparent.  She was raised by her male cousin, Mordecai, in a foreign country where they were both minorities.  So Esther didn’t have much going for her in the natural.  She had God with her, however, and someone once said, “You plus God are a majority no matter how many others there are.”  Do you believe that?  If you do, then when will start acting like it?
2. You may be taking your obvious purpose for granted.  “This girl, who was also known as Esther, was lovely in form and features, and Mordecai had taken her as his own daughter when her father and mother died” (Esther 2:7b).  I love the way the Bible describes Esther.  One version states that she was beautiful “in face and form.”  In other words, Esther was a slick chick!  That may not seem very significant or even a bit "worldly," but her beauty was an important part of her purpose.  You can get so accustomed to who you are that you miss the obvious, which is why you may not be able to describe your purpose.  Your purpose may be so natural or “unspectacular” to you that is hard to recognize.  You may even take your beauty or some other feature for granted, when it may hold a key to fulfilling your purpose. 
3. God wants to build on your strengths and not your weaknesses.  “When the king's order and edict had been proclaimed, many girls were brought to the citadel of Susa and put under the care of Hegai. Esther also was taken to the king's palace and entrusted to Hegai, who had charge of the harem. The girl pleased him and won his favor. Immediately he provided her with her beauty treatments and special food. He assigned to her seven maids selected from the king's palace and moved her and her maids into the best place in the harem” (Esther 2:8-9).  Esther was beautiful, so what did God do?  He gave her people who would make her more beautiful!  Too often we spend too much time fretting about our weaknesses and consequently spend even more time trying to be who we’re not. If you’re doing that, please stop.  Focus on your strengths and be the best expression of who God made you to be.  God isn’t interested in well-rounded individuals. He wants to use specialists who have focused on being the best they can be. That’s the power of purpose.

So who are you?  Are you beautiful?  Can you play the piano?  Speak before people?  Play or coach basketball?  Can you write poetry?  Then this week ask yourself how you can be even better in those areas where you are already strong?  This week take time to focus on your strengths and please don’t allow your painful past, even your failures, to determine the extent to which God can use you today. God used Esther’s beauty to open doors for her and He will use your strengths to do the same for you, if you don’t try to diminish or ignore your strength.  This week determine to follow in Esther’s footsteps and be the best you can be.  Have a great week!

    Feel free to add your comments or insights to this post on PurposeParents on the site where it is posted.

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1. GOOD NEWS FOR THE REVELATION PROJECT!  Hallelujah!  We reached our goal!  Enough money came in to get the matching grant with a little extra left over.  Thank you, thank you, thank you for your help, giving and prayers that enabled us to see this campaign come to a successful conclusion.  Now I will work on cleaning up the manuscript and will try to have it published by year's end.  I will keep you posted.

2. BORN TO FLY INTERNATIONAL: This Wednesday is September 9 and Diana Scimone and her organization Born to Fly are having a special campaign to put a hurt on human trafficking and slavery.  The campaign is called 09-09-09 and the goal is to see 9,000 people give $9 toward a wordless book and companion curriculum that can be used anywhere in the world to educate children about the dangers they face from unscrupulous traffickers and smugglers. You can read my latest post about this project here or you can directly to the Born to Fly site or Diana's blog to read more about it.  I urge you to do your part to help stamp out this heinous crime this coming Wednesday or any time thereafter.  Thanks!

2. THE SOPHIA FUND UPDATE:  I will be in Kenya from September 28 to October 4 and have set a time to visit the orphans and those overseeing The Sophia Fund when i am there.  I am excited that the fund continues to grow.  Last week about $200 came in again and I am truly grateful.  You can read my latest report on The Sophia Fund here (written about three weeks ago).  You can also read about my rationale for The Fund here (named after my late mother).

Now that the Revelation Project is complete, 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 615. 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.