The Monday Memo from John Stanko

602: Wake Up With Deborah

It's been years since I wrote about Deborah, but as I was reviewing my Memo archives, I was impressed to republish this Memo this week. You may want to read Judges 5 also before we go on from here. 

INACTIVITY

When I read Judges 5, I get the idea that Deborah's main role was to encourage and influence the people of God to act. She urged God's people to do something about a bad situation and they did it.  Without Deborah's influence, they could have remained in bondage much longer.  Here are some of the verses that give me the sense that Deborah stirred people to action:

• "When the princes in Israel take the lead, when the people willingly offer themselves—praise the Lord!" (Judges 5:2).

• "Village life in Israel ceased, ceased until I, Deborah, arose, arose a mother in Israel" (Judges 5:7).

• "My heart is with Israel's princes, with the willing volunteers among the people. Praise the Lord!" (Judges 5:9).

• "'Wake up, wake up, Deborah! Wake up, wake up, break out in song! Arise, O Barak! Take captive your captives, O son of Abinoam" (Judges 5:12). 

•  "Why did you stay among the campfires to hear the whistling for the flocks? In the districts of Reuben there was much searching of heart" (Judges 5:16).

• "Curse Meroz," said the angel of the Lord. "Curse its people bitterly, because they did not come to help the Lord, to help the Lord against the mighty'" (Judges 5:23).

Deborah caused the people to wake up and act. They were tolerating a bad situation and had even become accustomed to it. It was time to put a stop to it and Deborah saw that it happened.  Those who did not help or act were "cursed of the Lord." 

WAKE UP!

So maybe it's time for you to "wake up"?  What situation have you accepted as normal that you have the power to change?  Where has inactivity led to complacency?  Where do you need the Spirit of Deborah to call you to action?  Then again, it may be time for you to wake someone else up, to stimulate the people around you to action through your action.  If you have ever said, "Someone needs to do something," have you considered that the someone may be you? 

Deborah called the people to arms and then she accompanied them to see that the victory was secured.  You can do the same and, when you do, you will follow in the footsteps of a "mother" in Israel who knew that the situation was unacceptable and needed to change. Why not impact your world this week the way Deborah did hers?  As you do, I know you will have a great week!

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HELP! Pastor Peter wrote a great report of the ongoing impact of the community library in Kenya, but he also wrote requesting help as you can read here. Please read his plea and then give as the Lord leads through my website or by sending a check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 8882, Pittsburgh, PA 15221-0882.

601: Birthday Thoughts

Since I turned 63 last Friday, it's time to produce some birthday thoughts on this special occasion. Here they are:

1. My father retired from his work at 62. I have never even thought of retiring now or at any time in the future.
2. My father lived to be 79, my mother 92.  If I follow in either of their steps, I have 16 or 29 years left on earth.
3. For all I know, I may only have one day left. I want to make the most of it, or of the next 29 years, or anything in between - whichever it is.
4. I have never felt better than I do today.
5. I will be walking 40 years with the Lord next month.
6. In case you didn't notice, this is the 601st Monday Memo since I started in March, 2001.  I have never, not once, ever sat down and not had something to write. Writer's block is an unknown phenomenon to me.
7. I miss traveling as much as I once did, but I love being home and doing what I am doing. Am I schizophrenic?  Don't answer that.
8. When you are old, people buy you food for your birthday, which you eat, which causes you to gain weight, which could cause you to have health problems and die early.
9. I used to hear people respond "I got up this morning" when asked, "How are you doing?". I thought that was silly.  Not any longer.
10. When my grandparents were my age, I thought they were ancient. Now when someone dies at 70, I think, "She died young."
11. I am now eligible for all kinds of discounts, when I finally have money to pay full price.
12. I understand why some people go to the mall wearing stripes and plaids, with nothing matching.  When you get older, you care less about things that you were passionate about when younger.
13. This year I have had a growth removed from my eye, may have two wisdom teeth pulled, and will have some minor growths taken off my cheek. Some stuff just stops working, malfunctions, or breaks when you get older.
14. People tell me I don't look my age. I don't want to act my age either.
15. I play games on my smartphone to help keep my mind active - that's really my reason.
    
16. I had a great birthday thanks to my family and so many friends and readers.
17. I am not satisfied with what I have acccomplished to this point in my life. I want more, but that is in God's hands.

I could probably go on and on, but I'll stop there. I had a nice birthday, but didn't get nearly enough underwear for the children in Kenya, so I will accept belated gifts whenever you get around to it (this year I have received about 500 pair and $300 to date; in 2010 I got 2500 pair and $4,000). If you can give, do so through my website or by sending a tax-deductible check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 8882, Pittsburgh, PA 15221-0882.

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KENYA UPDATE: I heard from Pastor Francis concerning our little Mary, whose boarding school tuition we paid to help her move on with her education. (Mary is pictured at right reciting a poem with a friend on one of my visits.) Please read and then act to provide her tuition for next term and undergarments for young girls like her. You can give through my website or by sending a tax-deductible check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 8882, Pittsburgh, PA 15221-0882.

A NEW PAGE: I have added a new page to my website that contains many of my spoken messages from the past along with my archived Saturday morning radio shows. This is my gift to you, made possible in large part by my son's untiring efforts to convert many of my old messages from cassette to MP3 files. Thank you J3!  I hope you find things on this page that are helpful to you. I will update it from time to time as we convert other messages and as the radio show continues to gain momentum here locally.

600: Underwear for My Birthday

This week I turn 63 years old. I have a busy week ahead of me this week, so there won't be much time for celebrating, but I have decided what I want for my birthday.  I want and desperately need underwear, but it's not for me. If you want to know who it's for, you will have to read on.

HOLY UNDERWEAR

A few years ago, I was in Zimbabwe and had a pair of 'holy' pair of underwear that had reached the end of the line, or so I thought. I threw it out only to have Sophie, our maid, approach me the next day.

"Would you please sign this release, Dr. Stanko?" she asked.

"Sure, Sophie, what is it?" I replied.

"It is a permission slip," she responded, "so that I can take the pair of underwear you threw away home with me to my grandson. The slip will let the guard know I did not steal it from you so I can take it home."

Needless to say, I was deeply moved. Something I take for granted and threw away was something of value to someone else. I wondered at that point what else I had that I did not value that someone else would, or what else I could provide for my friends in Africa that would serve a practical need.

ONE MORE TIME

No, the underwear I want for my birthday is not for me. It's for children in Kenya, who sometimes can't go to school because they don't have it. To date, I have collected some, but I want and need more. I did this a few years ago and called it the Petticoat Project. At that time I was able to gather 2,500 pair (and $4,000) to send over to Kenya. (We used the money to buy feminine products.) My sister-in-law wrote a blog entry three years ago entitled, "Why I am buying my brother-in-law underwear for his birthday" and then sent me $50.  That gave me the idea to ask for more then, and I thought I would do so again this week and year.

So how about it?  Are you up for buying an old man some underwear for his birthday?  While you are at it, how about adding $5 to your contribution for the Sophia Fund to help feed widows and orphans?  Next week we will resume our discussion of time, but for this week, it's time to celebrate my 63rd birthday by buying some underwear.  Instructions on how to give are below.  Have a great week!

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PETTICOAT PROJECT:  If you send money, I will purchase the underwear to send over on your behalf to Kenya. If you want to buy some and get it to me, please buy all cotton up to size 7 for young ladies. If you want to give some for boys, that's fine too. You can give through Paypal or by sending a check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 8882, Pittsburgh, PA 15221-0882. If you have any questions or need a shipping address, please don't hesitate to contact me.

KENYA UPDATES: I have posted from great updates this week from the distribution of resources (including blue jeans) in our container. Please check them out and then give as the your heart moves you through my website or by sending a check to my Pittsburgh address.

A NEW PAGE: I have added a new page to my website that contains many of my spoken messages from the past along with my archived Saturday morning radio shows. This is my gift to you, made possible in large part by my son's untiring efforts to convert many of my old messages from cassette to MP3 files. Thank you J3!  I hope you find things on this page that are helpful to you.  I will update it from time to time as we convert other messages and as the radio show continues to gain momentum here locally.

599: Time and Events

Last week I shared with you my activities during the month of April, making it one of my busiest months ever.  I have been taking it a day at a time, and so far, things have gone well. I have sensed God's help, but I have had to make the most of almost every available minute, which reminded me of a Memo I wrote a few years ago.  It is pertinent today, so I thought I would share it with you again.

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Time management is one of the toughest disciplines in life, but critical to achieving purpose and goals, so I thought I would devote the next few weeks to that topic.  If you don't need any input on time management, then you can take a few weeks off, but should spend your time reading about how to tell the truth!  Truth be told, we all need help where time management is concerned.

A MISNOMER  

Time management is the wrong definition of what you need. You don't need help managing time, for time cannot be managed. It goes by at the same pace it always has. You cannot save it, slow it down, speed it up or recover it once it's gone. You cannot manage time; you can only manage the events that occur within the time that you have.  Rather than call it time management, we should really think of it as event management.

Let me give you an example. There is nothing special about 6 AM, until you set your alarm for 6 AM.  The wake up call is the event that takes place at 6 AM. Then you have to be at work at 7:30, so you must manage a series of events to insure you are there on time. Those events include showering, breakfast, devotions, getting the children off, and the commute to work. There is nothing you can do about the 90 minutes to get to work from the time you get out of bed; it will pass as every 90 minute segment of time has always passed. There are a lot of things you can do, however, to manage the events that occur in those 90 minutes. What you do in them will determine whether or not you are successful, defined by being on time or late for work.

The rest of your life is like that as well. You have 24 hours every day; you just don't know how many 24 hour units you have ahead of you. My mother passed away at 92 years of age; a young child of five who attended my church was killed in a house fire a few years ago. Your times are truly in His hands, and you have the duty and joy of making the most of every day that you have on earth. You will do that by managing the events therein as best you can.

EVENT MANAGEMENT  

In past Memos, I have told you that you have all the time in the world, and it's true. You have 24 hours for every day you are alive, the same as everyone else. Then why can some produce so much and others seem to struggle just to get through the day?  It's because the productive person understands the difference between time and event control.

So perhaps you should start by doing a simple time inventory to determine exactly what events are filling the time you have.  It's not so complicated to do and you can read two articles I have about it on my website (see the Organization section). You can get started this week by learning where you are investing or spending your time. After that, you can see what you need to stop doing so you can embrace new activities and goals that will bring you more joy and fulfillment and more in line with your governing values.  As you work on your inventory in the days ahead, I know you will have a great week!

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KENYA: You can read my latest updates from Kenya concerning the container resources that are being distributed here (the child at left is modeling the jeans and shoes we sent over-click to enlarge). Of course the needs are still great, but we are making a difference.  To help continue that difference, please give a generous contribution through my website or by sending a check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 8882, Pittsburgh, PA 15221-0882. Thank you and God bless you for your generosity.

A NEW PAGE: I have added a new page to my website that contains many of my spoken messages from the past along with my archived Saturday morning radio shows. This is my gift to you, made possible in large part by my son's untiring efforts to convert many of my old messages from cassette to MP3 files. Thank you J3!  I hope you find things on this page that are helpful to you.  I will update it from time to time as we convert other messages and as the radio show continues to gain momentum here locally.