The Monday Memo from John Stanko

628: The Parable of the Pencil

One of my radio guests last week alluded to something I had never heard of, and that was the Parable of the Pencil.  He shared it on the air and I thought it was great, so I looked it up and now I am sharing this anonymous parable with you. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did, and can apply it to your PurposeQuest.

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The Pencil Maker took the pencil aside just before putting him into the box. “There are five things you need to know,” he told the pencil, “before I send you out into the world. Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best pencil you can be.

ONE: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in Someone's hand.
TWO: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but you'll need it to become a better pencil.
THREE: You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make.
FOUR: The most important part of you will always be what's inside.
AND FIVE: On every surface you are used on, you must leave your mark. No matter what the condition, you must continue to write.”

The pencil understood and promised to remember, and went into the box with purpose in its heart. Now replacing the place of the pencil with you; always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best person you can be.

ONE: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in God's hand. And allow other human beings to access you for the many gifts you possess.
TWO: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, by going through various problems, but you'll need it to become a stronger person.
THREE: You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make.
FOUR: The most important part of you will always be what's on the inside.
AND FIVE: On every surface you walk through, you must leave your mark. No matter what the situation, you must continue to do your duties. By understanding and remembering, let us proceed with our life on this earth having a meaningful purpose in our heart.

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

627: Christian-itis

I have noticed a strange malady circulating in the body of Christ. It is not fatal, but it afflicts many people. It's something that I jokingly refer to as Christian-itis. It is a virus and it spreads from one believer to another. No one is immune, but there is a cure. For someone to be cured, however, they must admit that they have the disease. Furthermore, they must see that the disease can work against them clarifying their purpose. What is Christian-itis? What are the symptoms? I'm glad you asked. To learn what it is, however, you will have to read on.

 THREE SYMPTOMS

1. The first symptom is what I call "God-speak." Most people don't know their purpose because they have never asked and kept seeking until they got an answer. When they do ask, they use "God-speak" lingo and style. "God-speak" causes you to say God's name every third word when you pray. It makes you use a lot of words that sound spiritual but aren't. "God-speak" can even cause you to change your voice so that, when you pray, you don't use your everyday voice when you talk to God. It can even cause you to use King James English, using "Thee" and "art" when you pray.

I found my purpose after a painful business failure. I wasn't looking for purpose; I was angry with God. Yet my honest question, "If You didn't create me to start this business, what did you create me to do?" elicited a response from God that my purpose was to "create order out of chaos." Believe, there was no "God-speak the morning I said what I did. I was honest with God and He, in turn, was honest with me!

2. The second symptom is false humility. That is when you are so concerned with what people may think of you that you deny who you are and what you can do. For example, someone says, "That was great!" You say, "It was nothing. The Lord did it. I had nothing to do with it." When employing false humility, you may go out of your way to find fault with who you are or what you did so that no one will think too highly of you or your work.

If you deny that you can do something well, when in reality you can, they you have false humility. Humility isn't denying the reality of who you are what you can do, it is acknowledging that, while God made you with the gifts and talents you have, you still have a role to play in their effective expression. While false humility seems like it honors God, it does not. It only seeks to confuse you as to who you really are and cause people not to pay you a compliment.

3. The third symptom is inactivity or passivity. When you have this aspect of Christian-itis, you say, "I am waiting on the Lord." You don't wait on the Lord like you wait on a train or bus to arrive. Faith without action is dead and when you are doing nothing, you may think you are renewing your strength as stated in Isaiah 40:31. I like the translation that says "those that hope in the Lord will renew their strength." 

I am believing God for a best-selling book. What am I doing while I am hoping, waiting and believing? I am writing! No one can buy a book I haven't written. While it sounds spiritual to say, "I'm praying about that right now," it's also spiritual to act on your faith projects. To not do so is symptomatic of Christian-itis.

THE CURE

Each symptom of Christian-itis has a simple cure. For "Godspeak," you must be honest with God. For false humility, you must have an accurate assessment of who you are and who you're not. And for inactivity, there is action. While all three remedies are simple and straightforward, they are difficult to employ. Why? Because Christian culture feeds and perpetuates the symptoms! They are actually held in high esteem by many. 

So what say you? Are you ready to be cured or are you satisfied to stay in your present condition? Are you ready to go against the norm and act differently than you have in the past? If not, then purpose will always be a fantasy for you, a destination you would like to reach if it doesn't require too much. If you are ready to apply the remedies, then you are ready for your PurposeQuest - and you will not be disappointed. I urge you to choose the latter option and get on with the work that God has for you to do. If I can help you in any way, please let me know. Have a great week!

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KENYA UPDATES:  You can read all my updates from my recent trip to Kenya.  Please check them out and then give generously to my work there.  You can give through my website or by sending a tax-deductible check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 8882, Pittsburgh, PA 15221-0882. 

626: Good Church

I have taught for many years on the passage in Ephesians 4:11-13:

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Leaders in the church are not to do the work of ministry, but unfortunately we have made the work of ministry almost exclusively church services. Thus our goal very often is what I call 'good church.' What is 'good church'? Why, I'm glad you asked, but to find out, you must read on.

GOOD CHURCH

First, let me say there is nothing wrong with 'good church.' And we know how to produce good church, church that starts on time, ends on time (pretty much), and flows in a general order with few unpleasant surprises. If the pastor or song leader or children's worker doesn't show up, we can still carry on and produce good church. Again there is nothing wrong with good church, comprised of good singing, preaching and body ministry.

The problem comes in when good church is all we have. Once church is done, the rest of the week pretty much is devoted to getting ready for the next good church. Thus the professionals, the people in ministry, do most of the work, while the people who are to be equipped for ministry watch and judge. When good church is the goal, then people can critique and evaluate how good church truly was.

GOOD CHURCH REDEFINED

Good church should happen so that people can come face to face with their God-given purpose in life, which is probably outside the church itself. They should fill up their tanks to go forth, not just to exist or hold on, but to extend God's kingdom in their work, whether it be family, banking, government, or education, just to name a few domains where God's Kingdom should be advanced.

The goal of church should not be to start and end on time only, but leaders must think through, 'What is today's church service producing in the people present?  What will they do with this? How is it helping equip them for the work of their ministry?" In other words, less time should be invested in good church and more in equipping church that helps people find and fulfill their purpose, set faith-filled goals and then go out to do the work of the ministry or service that God has assigned.

I enjoy church services, but they are not my end; they are a means to an end for me. They are the place I fill my tanks so I can drive another week in my purpose car to places God has called me to go. If there is a service not to my liking, it doesn't really matter. I am there to give to the Lord and then receive from Him what I need - it's not about my pastor or worship leader.

So what is your goal? Are you going to church to be equipped or enjoy good church? I hope it's the former, for the latter as an end in itself leads to you consuming church services, much as you would a movie or play. When that happens, the dynamic of Ephesians 4 is lost and God's work languishes because good church has become the end and not the means to an end. Have a great week!

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

 

625: Wind and Waves

I was writing this morning's Purpose Pearl about faith and I focused on this verse: "Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. 'You of little faith,' he said, 'why did you doubt?'" (Matthew 14:31). Of course this is from the story of Peter getting out of the boat to walk on the water with Jesus. You can check out the devotional here, but I can't get this verse out of my head, so I thought I had better write about it a bit more.  Here are some reflections:

1. Jesus was walking on the water during a storm! I wonder if His clothes got wet?  Was he walking on the water, or just a bit below the surface?
2. What a remarkable scene that must have been. Your relationship with Jesus should produce remarkable scenarios.
3. Since it was dark, how did the disciples see Him? Was He glowing like at His transfiguration? It was just before dawn so maybe there was enough light to see.
4. The Lord told the disciples not to be afraid. It seems there were more afraid of Jesus than the storm!
5. I am more convinced than ever that fear is our main enemy when pursuing purpose, setting goals or acting in faith. The fears are too numerous to mention. You should not be surprised fear is present; just go looking for where it is.
6. If there is no fear in your life, are you playing it so safe that you aren't doing anything that can remotely stir up fear?
7. Peter asked for an invitation to come to meet Jesus on the water. You should ask for the same thing: "Lord, if it's You, then call me!" Don't make God go looking for you; rather you go looking for Him!
8. When Jesus got in the boat, the wind stopped. Are the winds in your life right now designed to bring you closer to Jesus? When you act, will the wind stop?

I would love to hear what other thoughts you may have on this verse. Please feel free to enter them on the site where this is posted. In the meantime, I am off to Kenya, so I have to run, but I will write you from there when I arrive.  Thanks and have fun out of the boat this week!

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KENYA: Last week, I posted several new updates from Kenya that discuss the recent terrorist attack, the crisis in finding sanitary feminine products there, and the progress Peter is making in equipping the children in Banana. This week I will be able to get firsthand reports once I arrive. You read them if you haven't already, and then please act to help me be a blessing to the people there when I depart later today. You can contribute through my website or by sending a tax-deductible check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 8882, Pittsburgh, PA 15221-0882.  Thank you for your help!

IN KENYA: While I am in Kenya, I will be conducting training to certify people there in the DISC profiling system along with a three-day training in cognitive learning (TPI). If you are interested in either training, please contact me and let me know.