The Monday Memo from John Stanko

431: The Wise Guys

As I write, I am sitting in New York City, here for a few days of rest and relaxation.  We have looked at lessons from Handel and the shepherds this holiday season.  Let's wrap up the year by looking at one of my favorite aspects of the Christmas story - the Magi. 

WHO WERE THOSE MEN?

Who were those wise guys known as Magi who came from the east to visit Jesus and bring him gifts?  (You can read this brief story by at Matthew 2:1-12.) We aren't really sure. Nor do we know what they were looking for as they studied the heavens and what kind of star they saw that caused them to follow it hundreds of miles to find an infant king.

There were probably more than three men who came to see Jesus, but we have numbered them as three since they brought three gifts of myrrh, incense and gold.  They rode on camels for days, weeks even, not sure of what they would find when they arrived.  Now that's faith!

When they did arrive, they checked with King Herod, convinced that he would know where the royal infant was.  It is interesting that the wise men knew more of what was going on spiritually in Herod's kingdom than Herod did.

By the time the Magi arrived, Joseph, Mary and Jesus were living in a house, not in a stable, so they came some time after the night the shepherds went to see Jesus in the manger.  Since Herod carefully ascertained when the star had first appeared and then had all the male babies two years of age and under killed in Bethlehem, the Magi could have arrived as much as two years after Jesus birth.  That's a long time to watch and follow a star.

FOLLOW YOUR OWN STAR

You will need God's help if you are to find and fulfill your purpose.  That's not a problem, however, for God is in the business of helping people like you clarify purpose.  When Jesus was born, His star appeared and led those who were interested directly to his home.  The same thing can happen today for you. God can lead and guide you right where you need to be at exactly when you need to be there.  Oftentimes when you can't see your purpose, you aren't quite ready to find it.  Yet if you keep searching and following just like the Magi did, your star will appear and suddenly your PurposeQuest will all make sense.

As we prepare to celebrate a new year, I urge you to follow in the footsteps of the Magi.  Wise men and women still seek Jesus and, as they do, they find purpose.  I pray that 2010 will be a year of purpose and productivity the likes of which you have never seen, imagined or enjoyed.  I also pray that when you find the star and follow it, you will end up as the Magi did - worshiping the King and giving Him gifts.  There is no greater gift than devoting and dedicating the fulfillment of your purpose to Christ and His kingdom.  That is what I plan on doing in the year ahead.

From all the Stanko household, we wish you a very happy, prosperous and purposeful New Year!

    Feel free to post your comment to this Memo on the site where it is located.

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2,011 CRAYONS:   Please, please take the time to read my latest update on the Sophia Fund and the Deborah Foundation here and you will understand what I mean by this title. As you read, you will understand what a difference you can make in a child's life with very little effort or investment. 

People I don't know are still donating to both efforts to help the Kenyan people.  I have no idea how I will get all this over to Kenya, but I am not worried.  I have 14 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. 

FACEBOOK: I haven't given up on my goal to have 1,000 Facebook friends by 12/31. Right now I have 828.  Help me reach my goal!

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 as well as a daily feature entitled "What Would Jesus Ask?" Go there to sign up and follow along.

430: Daylight on the Night Shift

This week I retrieve a Memo from the recent archives as we take a look at the shepherds at the birth of Jesus.  I wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas as you celebrate the birth of Christ this coming week.  But for now, let's learn something about daylight on the night shift!

THE NIGHT SHIFT

The shepherds in the Christmas story were working the night shift, doing what they and their ancestors had done for centuries. They went to work that night without any thought that anything extraordinary was about to happen. On the night Jesus was born, they were tending their flocks on the hillsides outside Bethlehem, minding their own business. Suddenly God sent them messengers, who brought great light to the night shift:

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. (Luke 2:8-16).

These shepherds were doing what they knew to do at that time in their life and God interrupted them with a special news report. This both scared and thrilled them. That's how it is when you find your life purpose. Often you are doing what you know to do at the time, usually a job or role that is less than fulfilling. Suddenly God, the Great Communicator, breaks into your conscious being and brings a message of purpose, of what He has always wanted you to do. That not only terrifies you but also gives you a desire to clarify and fulfill it.

That night the shepherds went to work like any other day. God spoke to them, however, and they were never the same. They started by sitting on a hillside in cold weather; they ended by finding a great treasure in Bethlehem, a treasure that had not been revealed to anyone else but them.

YOUR PURPOSEQUEST

Maybe you have been in a desperate search for your purpose and its expression. As we end this year, I suggest that you be encouraged as you remember the shepherds. Finding your purpose doesn't depend on your diligence; it depends on God's grace. Yes, you must search for your purpose, but only God can reveal it to you. I don't know when or how He will do that. It may be one cold, dark night when you go about your business like countless other nights. At that point, God may send His messenger and change your life forever. I don't know when or how He will do it, I just know that He will.

So have faith and relax this holiday season. Keep asking God to help you see who you are and what you were born to do, and after that, trust Him. You may even want to thank Him for your purpose whether or not you understand what it is.  He wants you to fulfill your purpose more than you do. He will show you in the fullness of time, bring you daylight even if you are working the night shift. When He does, you will join with the shepherds as laborers who found more than business as usual one night when they went to work. May the God of purpose speak to you soon and may you have the courage to believe what He says!  Merry Christmas!

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2,011 CRAYONS:   Please, please take the time to read my latest update on the Sophia Fund and the Deborah Foundation here and you will understand what I mean by this title. As you read, you will understand what a difference you can make in a child's life with very little effort or investment. 

Not a lot of money arrived this past week, but a lot of stuff did.  What's more, we have more scheduled for pickup this week. I have no idea how I will get all this over to Kenya, but I am not worried.  I have 14 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. 

FACEBOOK: I haven't given up on my goal to have 1,000 Facebook friends by 12/31. Right now I have 830.  Help me reach my goal!

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 as well as a daily feature entitled "What Would Jesus Ask?" Go there to sign up and follow along.

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. 

428: A Matter of Perspective

Are you facing difficult, even seemingly impossible obstacles in your life right now?  Have you given up before you even started on a dream or goal?  Is discouragement clinging to you like cat hair on wool fabric?  If you answered "Yes!" to any of those questions, then you need to read the Memo below. (If you answered "No!", you can read on as well.)

A SCOUTING EXPEDITION

When Israel was on the verge of entering the land, Moses sent twelve men to spy out the land as the Lord directed him to do (see Numbers 13).  The men went and saw some spectacular things.  They beheld a land flowing with milk and honey, so to speak.  Everything in that land was large -- the cities, the inhabitants, and the fruit.  One cluster of grapes was so large that it took two men to carry it back to Moses.

This was the land the Lord had promised to give the people, but there was only one small problem:  The people panicked!  They saw the good but they also saw the bad and they allowed the bad to overshadow the good. This is the report they brought to Moses:

But the men who had gone up with him said, "We can't attack those people; they are stronger than we are." And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, "The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them" (Numbers 13:31-33).

The people who listened to them bought into their report and decided that there was no way they were going to enter that land.  They also talked of rebelling and even killing Moses and anyone who sided with him that they should proceed.

A MATTER OF PERSPECTIVE

It was then that Joshua and Caleb, two of the spies, stepped forward to rebuke and encourage the people:

Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes and said to the entire Israelite assembly, "The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will swallow them up. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them" (Numbers 14:5-9). 

So what can we learn from Joshua and this story?

1. Joshua saw the giants as too big to miss in battle, the people saw them as too big to overcome.
2. When you share a gloomy perspective, it is contagious.
3. The people lost perspective on how big God is when they saw how big their problems were.
4. The people did not go forward and saw it as reasonable; God saw it as rebellious.

So what can you learn from this story?  Where have you allowed your perspective to affect your judgment to act? Have you bought into someone's pessimism instead of the Lord's optimism?  It is a matter of perspective as to how you see your problems and challenge?  I urge you this week not to be like the people but to be like Joshua and keep your problems and opportunities in proper perspective and act like God is as big and powerful as He truly is.  Have a great week!

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

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WOW:  This past week, $600 for the Sophia Fund, $250 for the Deborah Foundation and a whole lot of books, toys and other children's supplies arrived. What's more, at least a dozen people told me yesterday in church that they had things to donate and would deliver them in the next few weeks.  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.  I wrote an update on The Sophia Fund and Deborah Foundation last week, which included two emails from Kenya that describe what the latest Sophia Fund allotment has meant for their work. You can read about it here. 

After you read the update, 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 post 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. 

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 and have been doing so since March.

FACEBOOK: My goal is to have 1,000 Facebook friends on FB by 12/31. Right now I have 786. 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 as well as a daily feature entitled "What Would Jesus Ask?" Go there to sign up and follow along.

SPECIAL NOTE:  I will be posting some of my best Christmas Memos from the archives over the next few weeks.  I will resume our discussion of Joshua in the new year.