The Monday Memo from John Stanko

756 - Stanko Update 1

It's been a while since I wrote about the latest things going on in my life and how they relate to purpose, so let's do that this week. Here goes.

• The publishing company I started in early 2015 is going quite well. We have published about 12 books for other authors under the label Urban Press. My son and I are in business together, and it has proved to be a great experience.

• I am working on eight more publishing projects for other authors. It's interesting that I am serving in essence as a creativity coach so often. It seems that creativity is right behind purpose as people deal with their fears to become all that God wants them to be.

• I have already published three of my own books this year under the label PurposeQuest Ink, and I am working on two more for 2016. One of those two is the 20th anniversary edition of my first book, Life is a Gold Mine: Can You Dig It?, and it will be titled Life is Still a Gold Mine: And I'm Still Digging It! The other is my autobiography. The second one may not see the press until early 2017.

• I just recorded my 11th online TV show, Your PurposeQuest, with one of our Urban Press authors, Emmanuel Ike. You can view the first ten shows, and eventually number 11, on my Vimeo channel. Emmanuel recently wrote Rescued: My Stories of Divine Intervention, which you can purchase on Amazon in Kindle or paper format.

• I stopped doing radio at the start of this year, but have found that my interviewing skills, honed on hundreds of shows since 2009, have helped me in publishing. I am sitting with many authors, interviewing them, transcribing the interviews, and after about eight hours of interviews, we have the raw material for a manuscript! Nothing is wasted in God's work He does in anyone's life.

• It is a biblical concept that I am sitting with people and helping them speak their books into existence. Where is that in the Bible, you may ask? It is in Psalm 45:1: "My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses for the king; my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer."

• This year's trip to Kenya with a team of people was one of my best ever, for many reasons. I had actually considered discontinuing the trips, but I am not thinking about that any longer. The dates for the 2017 trip are March 2-17. Let me know if you are interested in going. I have been posting short videos of my past visits on my YouTube channel. Take a look and see if you can picture yourself in those videos. If you can, then you are supposed to go, and God will provide the resources, as He always does.

• You can subscribe to receive notices of when I post new videos on YouTube. Just go to my channel and click on the red subscribe button.

• One of my Kenya partners is almost finished with a new building to house our library there in the town of Banana. You can read about it, see some pictures, and then contribute toward its completion using PayPal through my website. I am quite excited about this development, for it will provide a model for others to see and emulate throughout Kenya, and then in other parts of Africa!

• My latest book, Unlocking the Power of You, has generated a lot of interest. I never know how people will receive what I write; that's why I write in faith. I don't look to the market; I look to my heart and write about what's there.

• This summer, I am teaching three college courses: African American Literature and Intertestamental History (both undergraduate) and Leadership and Organizational Change (graduate). This week, I begin teaching my third ever online graduate course, Leadership and Decision Making. I am enjoying teaching more and more.

• Last week, I turned 66 years of age. My father retired at 62; there is no thought further from my mind than retiring at this point in time. Purpose is exhilarating and energizing, and I intend to function in purpose until God directs otherwise or until I am physically unable to perform.

• Today, I officiate at the funeral for a 65-year-old relative by marriage. That will serve as a reminder that I am not guaranteed tomorrow; I must make the most of today, for it may be my last day.

I had more to report than I realized when I started, so we will continue with my update next week. In the meantime, I am speaking at a purpose seminar here in Pittsburgh on Saturday afternoon, May 14. If you are interested in attending, please send me an email at [email protected]. I hope to see you then, and I will be back next week, Lord willing, with more updates from my world. Have a blessed week!

755 - Tell Your Story

I was studying and writing in 2014 when a verse in Psalm 105:7 that caught my attention. It's a verse you are probably familiar with, but what struck me is that the verse is an exhortation for you (and I) to publish and broadcast! You may not see it like that, but let me give you a little more background. Here is the verse: "Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story—those he redeemed from the hand of the foe” (Psalm 107:2).

Do you have a story? I know you do, for God has done great things for you just as He has for me. That is what's known as your testimony and you are to tell it. One way is to do so in church, but in today's modern church services, where is there time to testify? That means you (and I) must find other ways to tell God's story, or your story about God. That is where publishing, social media, and the like come in. If you know me, you know I don't often use social media for personal things, but I use it every day to 'publish' what God is showing me and what I am learning. I do my best every day to tell my story. What about you?

After I noticed Psalm 107:2, I did a little more research and found two interesting things in Scripture that go along with that verse from Psalms. One is in Deuteronomy 31:19: “Now write down this song and teach it to the Israelites and have them sing it, so that it may be a witness for me against them." God instructed Moses to write a song and teach it to Israel. I had never seen that before. The nature of the song was to remind Israel of God's faithfulness in a day when they would go astray, but I had never noticed that God commanded Moses to be creative and write music. Do you have any music in you that needs to be written? That is another way of telling your story.

The second verse I found in my study was in Joshua 18:4: Appoint three men from each tribe. I will send them out to make a survey of the land and to write a description of it, according to the inheritance of each. Then they will return to me." I had never noticed before that God commanded the spies who were sent out to submit their report of what they saw in the Promised Land in writing. Their story was not what God had done but what God was going to do when they entered the Land He was giving them. Part of your story is your faith vision of what is yet to come.

So there you have three reasons to publish, write and create: 1) to tell your story of what God has done for you; 2) to remind you and others of God's faithfulness; 3) to report what you see pertaining to God's purpose and plan for you that is yet to be. I found numerous other passages and I am including them in a document below that you can download, along with a few comments I made concerning some of those passages. Take some time today to read over that document, and then stop putting off the work that God has given you to find a way to tell your story. Thanks, and have a blessed week!

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KENYA LIBRARY: The new Kenya library is almost finished, but they need a few last minute items before that can happen. Read the latest update and see how you can help fund this by giving toward the $650 matching grant. You can give using PayPal through my website. Give today before the grant expires!

Download TheologyOfWriting

754 - Bring Others with You

This week I want to wrap up our purpose profile on Joshua as we look at a story during which Joshua taught others to have the same kind of success he had. Isn't it time that you also encouraged others to step out and fulfill their purpose? Leadership is not something you do to people, but something you do with people, and Joshua embodied that principle in the story we are going to read. Let's get started.

A LEARNING LESSON

Last week we read how the Lord had stopped the sun so Joshua could defeat his enemies. In the process, Joshua had captured five kings, trapping them in a cave where they had gone to hide. The Lord had granted Joshua great success, but then Joshua wanted to use his success as a learning lesson for those who were fighting with him. Here is what he did:

Joshua said, "Open the mouth of the cave and bring those five kings out to me." So they brought the five kings out of the cave—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon. When they had brought these kings to Joshua, he summoned all the men of Israel and said to the army commanders who had come with him, "Come here and put your feet on the necks of these kings." So they came forward and placed their feet on their necks. Joshua said to them, "Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Be strong and courageous. This is what the Lord will do to all the enemies you are going to fight." Then Joshua struck and killed the kings and hung them on five trees, and they were left hanging on the trees until evening (Joshua 10:22-26).

Joshua was not content to be victorious. He knew that many battles were ahead and he wanted those with him to be prepared to do great things. Joshua was not content to win; he wanted to teach others to win as well.

SHARING YOUR WEALTH

If you are not careful, you quest for purpose can be a selfish endeavor. It can degenerate into what you can do and how you can be fulfilled. That's not all bad, yet you must be mindful that you are going through and accomplishing what you are so you can share your wealth with others. Your wealth isn't necessarily money, but rather the experience and lessons you learn along the way, lessons that can help others in their own quest for purpose and meaningfulness. 

How can you share the wealth, so to speak? How can you teach others how to put their feet on their enemy's neck?  You can realize that you have something to share with others and stop devaluing who you are, what you do and where you are. When you realize how valuable your experience is, you can find opportunities to teach, write, broadcast, mentor or coach. You can look for opportunities to share what you have now, trusting that you will not lose anything when you do. Instead, God will give you more, whatever the "more" is that you need to finish your work and fulfill your purpose.

Since 1991, I have looked for ways not only to find my purpose, but also to equip others to find theirs. I have done that through teaching many seminars. I wrote my first book in 1995, and founded PurposeQuest, my company, in 1998. I started my website in 1999, and from the beginning it has been devoted to publishing free material that would help others find purpose. All the while, I kept writing books, and I have authored 27 as of this Memo.

I have also started the My PurposeQuest online television show and started five different radio shows with about 250 episodes devoted to purpose that gave others a chance to share their purpose stories. I have traveled the world to talk to anyone who wanted to listen to me speak about purpose. Those travels have taken me to 42 nations. It's been a fantastic ride, and I trust it's not over. As soon as I have received an insight or new perspective on purpose or productivity, I have found a way to share my wealth with others, teaching them some new way to put their foot on the neck of their enemies, such as fear, unbelief, and doubt.

When you do something good and meaningful this week, stop to think who you can include in the process and how you can do it. When you are about to step on your enemy's neck, bring someone along to enjoy it with you and then see how you can help them do something purposeful. When you do, you won't just have a great week but also a meaningful life. 

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

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NEW BOOKS: My two latest books are Unlocking the Power of Your Productivity and Unlocking the Power of You and are available in paper or Kindle formats through Amazon.

INTERNET VIDEO: Your PurposeQuest is a show that I do on a monthly basis with guests who tell their purpose stories. You can view my shows on my Vimeo channel.

CHURCH MESSAGE: I spoke in my local church last week and the title of my message was "What's In Your Heart?" You can watch or listen to it through the church's website.

RADIO AND OTHER MESSAGES: Many of my radio shows and my spoken messages are in the archives of my personal website. Feel free to browse there and find something of interest to you as you seek your purpose.

753 - A Timely Miracle

Are you in a battle for time? Do you have more to do than you have time to accomplish? Let's continue with our study of Joshua, which we began prior to Easter. Joshua trusted the Lord for a significant miracle that involved time, so let's direct our attention there and see what you can learn to help with your battle for time in the days ahead.

A PRAYER OF FAITH

As you learn to have faith for money, business and ministry to fulfill your purpose, it’s important that you also learn to have faith for time. Like you, Joshua had much to do as he fulfilled his purpose to pursue and battle Israel’s enemies.The only way he was going to finish was to have faith for more time. His faith caused him to pray an unusual prayer:

On the day the Lord gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the Lord in the presence of Israel: "O sun, stand still over Gibeon, O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon." So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the Lord listened to a man. Surely the Lord was fighting for Israel!(Joshua 10:12-14). 

Joshua asked for the sun and moon to alter their normal courses and God answered his prayer! Joshua got creative and prayed a prayer of faith. God answered Joshua’s prayer and gave him enough daylight to finish the job he had before him.

A TIMELY MIRACLE

This is an unusual story, but it embodies an important principle where time is concerned: God can help you have the time you need to finish what you need to finish. Armed with that knowledge, can you then believe God for the time you need? This is important, because you put off important things when you don’t believe you have enough time to fit them in or do them well. 

This week, I am determined to have faith for time, to finish all the critical things that are before me. I’m not going to fret, but I am going to keep my priorities in order. That means I will pray, read, write and take time to do long-term projects. Because I believe God can give me time, I can exercise, study or do the other things that I’ve previously said I don’t have time to do.

When you say, “I don’t have enough time,” you are making a statement of unfaith. The truth is, you have all the time there is—twenty-four hours a day. God is still able to take limited resources and make them adequate, and He can do the same for those twenty-four hours. Therefore, why not believe God for a time miracle this week?  And how will you walk out this miracle?  You will express your faith for time by doing something that is important for you to do, whether you think you have time to do it or not. I invite you to join me this week as together we follow Joshua's example to have faith for a timely miracle. Have a great week.

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