The Monday Memo from John Stanko

888: Purpose Glory

The last few weeks, we have been pursuing a theme I have titled "Put Me in, Coach." We have focused on our need to prepare ourselves and then make ourselves available for God's purpose, even volunteering for service. This week, I want to return to a Memo I posted last June because it pertains to the current theme. Consider Jesus' words in John 12:42-43: "Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God" (ESV). Notice that Jesus did not say that His followers should not seek glory; He said they should not seek it from the wrong sources. Let's examine this concept a bit further in this week's Memo titled "Glory."

CUBAN ENCOUNTER

When I was in Santiago, Cuba years ago, a man came up to me and studied my face for a few seconds before he asked, "Are you John Stanko?" When I assured him I was, he informed me that he had heard me speak in Los Angeles a few years back and still remembered what I had spoken about, which of course was purpose. He then thanked God for the message and informed me that he had indeed found and was fulfilling his purpose. I also thanked God and left that encounter even more committed to spread the purpose gospel.

Yet, I also left that chance meeting with a renewed love for being recognized when I am in public. Once I was in an African airport and a man walked up to me, opened his briefcase, pulled out one of my books he was reading, and asked if I would autograph it and pose for a picture. I agreed to both and was exhilarated by his requests. I then thanked God that He had enabled me to touch that man's life through the purpose message in one of my books.

Then I was on a moving sidewalk in the Baltimore airport when a man moving in the other direction, yelled out, "Are you John Stanko? I read your book!" I smiled and waved back, wondering which book he was referring to, but thanking God once again that I had made a difference in someone's life. Those encounters are what have kept me writing, and at last count, I have published 42 books, including a few I have re-written.

In all three cases, I received a measure of glory in the form of recognition and praise. I was identified for who I was and what I had done for God that impacted others, and I was not uncomfortable with the experience. In fact, I wanted more - more recognition and more impact on people's lives. In a sense, you could say that I wanted (and still want) more glory. That's why I say regularly, "put me in, Coach!"

PURPOSE GLORY

I have discussed this concept of attention to self in my series on self-promotion, which you can read here or watch my videos on the subject on my Urban Press Facebook page. Jesus said it was a problem to seek glory from the wrong source (people) but permissible to seek it from the correct source (God). The safest way to obtain this glory is the same way that Jesus did, as described in John 17:4: "I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do" (ESV).

The glory I described in my three examples is what I call purpose glory. It is the recognition and impact that we receive when we function in our purpose. Today, I have a publishing company and I know I have helped people publish who otherwise would not have been able to do so. When they announce their books on social media, they thank God for their finished book project. God is glorified through the work I do (and their work as well), and then they also thank me for my role. God and I formed a partnership with the author that brought God glory as I fulfilled my purpose, and I shared in that glory with others. When I did, God was not offended, angered, or slighted in the least.

You will not give God glory by singing about it, saying the word "glory" in a worship setting, or reading about it in your Bible or some other source. You will not give God glory if you are afraid that some of it may spill over on to you, thus offending and angering God. God cannot get glory unless you do something that causes others to acknowledge His work in and through you that benefited and blessed their lives. Therefore, you need to "get over yourself" and your hang up about drawing attention to yourself and start drawing attention to yourself in a good way, and that is by seeking the glory that comes from God, a glory that is connected to engaging and finishing the work He gave you to do. When you are ready to participate in this glory exchange, ask the Lord to "put me in, Coach," and then get ready for results that will indeed give God glory. Have a blessed week! 

*****

NEW BOOKS: I have released two new books in the last three weeks. The first is my rewrite and re-release of I Wrote This Book on Purpose . . . So You Can Know Yours. This is an expanded and updated version of my 1997 best-selling book. The second is Romans, volume eight of my New Testament commentary. Both are available in Kindle and paper formats.

ISRAEL TOUR: My tour to Israel is coming up in April, 2020, and will include an optional side trip to Jordan to visit Petra. If you are interested, please check out the website and register today. Give yourself a special gift this Christmas you will never forget.

ALASKA CRUISE: Looking for a unique vacation for you and your family? Then come cruise Alaska with me in August 2019. I have been to Alaska many times and it never gets old, for there are natural wonders to behold at every stop and along the way. Check out the website and then plan on being with me as we cruise the wilderness and talk about purpose.

887: Your Spiritual Shadow

A few weeks ago, I began a new series I entitled, "Put Me in, Coach!" It is my story of how I overcame my fears to allow God to use me more than He was. I got over my fears that I didn't know enough, I wasn't prepared enough, I wasn't spiritual enough. I realized that those assessments were my assessment and not necessarily God's, and I concluded if I wasn't ready, I would never be ready, and also that part of my growth was not only to study the game and learn, but to play the game and learn. The game for me was my purpose and I presented myself to the Lord for Him to use me as He saw fit.not as I saw myself.

The rest is history, as they say, and the results have been the most fulfilling and productive years of my life. In all probability, you are ready to do more than you allow yourself to believe and this series is devoted to help you have the same mentality I had that stopped blocking my path to play in God's purpose game. Last week, we looked at a story in Paul's life and this week we will look at a story in Peter's life, both of which are designed to help you say, "Put me in, Coach!" Here goes.

YOUR SHADOW

In psychology, there is a concept called our shadow side. It is a side of our personality of which we are unaware or choose to ignore, but that doesn't mean it isn't active. People may encounter our shadow side every time they come in contact with us -- something like our sarcasm, competitiveness, need to control, fear, or greed. You can see why you tend to ignore those things, for they are not at all positive. Until we can bring those shadows into the light, they continue to operate and can damage our relationships, work, and ministry, and do so from a subconscious level.

Yet, did you know you have a positive shadow? It's the residue you leave whenever people have an encounter with you -- and it also can be something of which you are not aware. While the psychological shadow is usually harmful or negative, your spiritual shadow can be positive and leave a lasting impression for good. You can read about the Apostle Peter's positive shadow (even though his negative shadow had caused him to overestimate his loyalty to the Lord and led to his denial of Jesus): "People brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by" (Acts 5:15).

People get too hung up on the spooky spiritual side of this story, but for me, I take it to heart by praying, "Lord, help me recognize my negative shadow, so my positive one -- all the encounters I underestimate or aren't even conscious of with others, can impact them with your love and for Your glory!" Will you join in that prayer and then work to maximize every encounter you have with others for Him?

BE A GOD-CARRIER

Last week, we looked at a story found later in Acts: "God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them" (Acts 19:11-12). People went into Paul's workshop, took his work apron, allowed people to touch it, and they were healed. That leads me to another prayer: "Lord, I want my work to touch people whether I am present or not. Use my life -- my writing, speaking, teaching, and every other activity -- in a way that brings healing to peoples' lives, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual."

My goal is to be a God-carrier wherever I go and in whatever I do. I want my shadow and my work -- the extension of my purpose -- to go with me, before me, and remain after me so God can use them for His purposes. if that means I must make myself personally available for people to touch my shadow or my apron, so be it. My life is His and I will not worship at the altar of privacy if God wants me to go public. In other words, my prayer or mantra is, "Put me in, Coach!"

I urge you to join me in praying those two prayers this week, and then develop your shadow, life's work, and gifts to such an extent that God can use them all to bring healing and help to hurting people. Thanks for reading, and have a blessed week!

*****

NEW BOOKS: I have released two new books in the last two weeks. The first is my rewrite and re-release of I Wrote This Book on Purpose . . . So You Can Know Yours. This is an expanded and updated version of my 1997 best-selling book. The second is Romans, volume eight of my New Testament commentary. Both are available in Kindle and paper formats.

ISRAEL TOUR: My tour to Israel is coming up in April, 2020, and will include an optional side trip to Jordan to visit Petra. If you are interested, please check out the website and register today. Give yourself a special gift this Christmas you will never forget.

ALASKA CRUISE: Looking for a unique vacation for you and your family? Then come cruise Alaska with me in August 2019. I have been to Alaska many times and it never gets old, for there are natural wonders to behold at every stop and along the way. Check out the website and then plan on being with me as we cruise the wilderness and talk about purpose.

886: Touched by Your Work

Last week, I began a series around the theme "Put Me In, Coach!" in which I am exhorting you to volunteer and make yourself and your work available for God to use. Don't sit on the sidelines, hoping that someone will discover, fund, and release you to a wider audience. Release yourself -- in sports it's referred to as 'calling your own number' -- and put yourself in the game according to your purpose. This week, let's look at a passage that goes along with this theme. It's found in Acts 19:11-12: "God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them."

WORK THINGS

That passage can make us uncomfortable because of how some people have applied the concept. We have heard of people who promised to send us a prayer cloth over which they had prayed, guaranteed to produce results in our lives, if only we would send a donation to their ministry. I once saw a ministry send out a shower cap with a red outline of a hand on top with the promise that when the recipient wore the cap in the shower, the sender's hand would be on them to bless them while they bathed. We know that's silliness and we have run in the opposite direction (rightly so) to never be involved in that foolishness.

The zaniness of how others have applied these verses, however, does not diminish the fact that God used Paul's aprons and hankies to heal and deliver others. I am not sure if people had Paul's permission to use his things in this way. Maybe they went into his work area or personal effects, took his work clothes and other items, and went off to pray for people, without Paul even knowing. Perhaps he cooperated with their actions, but whatever Paul's disposition toward this, people were helped and God was glorified.

What are the lessons for us from this story?

THE LESSONS

The main lesson is this: You have no right to hold on to something if God can use it to help others. If your words, poems, presence, ideas, perspective, prayers, gifts, purpose, or insight can benefit someone, you have an obligation to get them out there for others to benefit from and use. What's more, once you put them out there, people are free to use them and you lose control of whatever it was you shared and made available -- just like Paul's personal items.

When I write a book, one person can buy it and share it with 20 people. I get no financial return from that, but my work can then touch, heal, and deliver 20 people. I want that to happen. Someone could even take my ideas and write their own book with my ideas and teaching, thus helping more people. What am I do to? Bring a lawsuit against the author? No, that author took my hankie and apron, touched others, and made them well. I am not to resist that; I am to cooperate with that. Who knows, maybe that author will do a better job than I did, but at least they will touch more people in their world who were not part of mine.

When I publish something on social media, people are free to share it however they wish. They can even mess it up or distort it, but that's the risk I take when I commit something to God by putting it out there beyond my reach or control. In a sense, I am not saying "Put me in, Coach" but I am saying, "Put my stuff in, Coach. Use it as You see fit, which includes not using it at all."

Years ago, I complained to the Lord that my books were not selling well. He spoke to me and said, "Who said you have to sell them?" That changed my thinking and showed me that I was to stop controlling my stuff but was to put it out there by whatever means possible. That attitude has complemented my philosophy of "Put me in, Coach" quite nicely, and that is why you see me all over social media, always looking for a way to touch more people with my life lessons, humor, and fruit. If someone has a problem with that, well, then that's their problem, and I urge them to read Acts 19:11-2 to see that I am only following what the early church did with Paul's things -- with or without his permission. Have a blessed week!

*****

NEW BOOKS: I have released two new books in the last week. The first is my rewrite and re-release of I Wrote This Book on Purpose . . . So You Can Know Yours. This is an expanded and updated version of my 1997 best-selling book. The second is Romans, volume eight of my New Testament commentary. Both are available in Kindle and paper formats.

ISRAEL TOUR: My tour to Israel is coming up in April, 2020, and will include an optional side trip to Jordan to visit Petra. If you are interested, please check out the website and register today. Give yourself a special gift this Christmas you will never forget.

ALASKA CRUISE: Looking for a unique vacation for you and your family? Then come cruise Alaska with me in August 2019. I have been to Alaska many times and it never gets old, for there are natural wonders to behold at every stop and along the way. Check out the website and then plan on being with me as we cruise the wilderness and talk about purpose.

885: Put Me In, Coach!

Happy New Year! I trust you had a wonderful holiday season and you are ready for a purposeful and productive year. Over the holidays, I conducted what I labeled a "purpose revival" on Facebook, posting more than 100 short inspirational and challenging posts over a three-day period. The concept caught fire and is still getting attention from around the world. You can read my report of that revival on my blog site. (I will host two Facebook live purpose sessions next weekend; see information below.)

One of the themes that struck a chord with readers was my thread called "put me in, coach!" It is that topic that I want to examine this week as you start a new year looking at ways to become more engaged in your purpose.

HERE AM I, SEND ME!

Let's start by looking at Isaiah 6:4-9a:

And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke. So I said: “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.” Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth with it, and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; Your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged.” Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: “Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.” He said, “Go and tell this people . . ."

This passage has important lessons if you are looking for God to use you. Let's examine them quickly:

1. When confronted with God's presence, Isaiah felt woefully inadequate: "woe is me."
2. God touched Isaiah and empowered and energized what Isaiah felt to be his biggest weakness: his lips.
3. God took away Isaiah's iniquity and sin with one touch of a coal from his altar.
4. Then the Lord asked who would be willing to go to speak to the people.
5. Isaiah immediately volunteered and God sent him without hesitation or reservation.

What can we learn from this story that will enable God to use us in the coming year?

PUT ME IN, COACH!

A number of years ago, I was confronted by my own fear of God using me. I didn't feel I was ready. I was waiting for someone to "discover" me so I would not seem to be self-promoting if I stepped forward to say, "I'm ready. I can do that." I was waiting on the Lord, but going nowhere, and felt like something was missing. Indeed, there was.

There was the courage for me to accept who God had made me to be and what He wanted me to do. When I saw my fear, I immediately stopped putting my faith in my preparations and also stopped surrendering the sovereignty of my life to others who had no idea what was in my heart or what God had called me to do. I had some experience, education, and a heart to serve the Lord anyplace in the world He wanted me to go. At that point, I said, "Put me in, Coach. I'm ready!" That didn't mean I didn't need for development, but it did mean I was ready to play God's game and learn not from the sideline but from being engaged and involved.

Isaiah's problem -- his lips -- was dealt with in an instant. God empowered and equipped him for the mission, but God did not send him off. Isaiah had to make himself available by volunteering to go. In essence, Isaiah said, "Put me in, Lord!" God heard him and granted his request and we are still being impacted by what took place.

Is it time that you stopped being content with being a bench player or worse yet, a spectator? What is keeping you from getting into the game of purpose? In all probability, it is fear that you aren't ready. My advice to you is that you may not be as ready as you are going to be, but you're ready now to do more than you're doing. I urge you to change your thinking from "I'm not ready; I need more time" to "put me in, coach" and see what the Lord does and how He uses you. We'll examine this again next week, but for now, have a blessed week!

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FACEBOOK LIVE: I will be on Facebook live next Saturday morning at 9 AM (EST). That is 5 PM in Kenya, 1 PM in the UK, 2 PM in Nigeria, 4 PM in Zimbabwe and South Africa, and 5 PM in Kenya. Please send me questions you would like me to address or tune in and submit them in real time. "See" you next weekend! Then I will be back on again on Sunday night at 6 PM (EST).

ISRAEL TOUR: My tour to Israel is coming up in April, 2020, and will include an optional side trip to Jordan to visit Petra. If you are interested, please check out the website and register today. Give yourself a special gift this Christmas you will never forget.

ALASKA CRUISE: Looking for a unique vacation for you and your family? Then come cruise Alaska with me in August 2019. I have been to Alaska many times and it never gets old, for there are natural wonders to behold at every stop and along the way. Check out the website and then plan on being with me as we cruise the wilderness and talk about purpose.