The Monday Memo from John Stanko

699: Small Beginnings

I am on my way home from Kenya after a great trip with 12 other people. We visited churches, orphanages, community development centers, and touched a lot of people. I distributed thousands of dollars in relief funds to help our partners and we saw firsthand that hard times are ahead for them: the corn crop has failed and there is a serious drought at the moment.

This coming Saturday I depart for Guyana, South America to visit my good friend Pastor Ovid Schultz to help him celebrate his church's anniversary. I need your help to continue doing what I do. I saw firsthand these past two weeks how the purpose message has impacted the people and nation of Kenya. I am humbled and overwhelmed by the testimonies. God now wants me to do the same in Guyana and I am trusting Him as I go. You can contribute to my support online using PayPal or by sending a tax-deductible contribution to PurposeQuest, PO Box 8882, Pittsburgh, PA 15221-0882. Thank you and now on to this week's Monday Memo.

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I return to Guyana this week for my first visit since 1989. That trip in 1989 was my first international venture and it still ranks as one of the most difficult I have ever undertaken. The conditions were not good and I was not an experienced traveler. I made a lot of mistakes on that first trip, one of which was taking chocolate as a snack to a country that is on the equator! Then I tried to rinse off my sticky hands in piranha-infested waters. It was a learning experience but I am looking forward to my return.

A lot has happened in my life since 1989. I started teaching on purpose in 1991. I published my first book in 1995. I started my company PurposeQuest in 2001. Since that trip in 1989, I have logged nearly four million travel miles traveling to many countries. It's been an exhilarating quarter of a century.

In 1989, I actually accompanied another pastor, who was the senior member of our duo. I carried his bags, so to speak, and really didn't have much to say - but I said it 17 times in 17 different churches on that trip. It makes me think of what the Lord said in Zechariah 4:10: "'Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel's hand.' (The seven lamps represent the eyes of the Lord that search all around the world.)" (NLT).

If I have made one consistent mistake in my life and ministry, it's that I haven't done something small because I considered it not big enough. I did not give $100 because it wasn't $1,000. I didn't help ten people because it wasn't 100. I didn't come to the aid of one child because it wasn't an entire orphanage full of children. I didn't write one article because it wasn't a book.  Little did I know that the trip in 1989 would open my mind and heart to the world. I went and haven't stopped going.

What aren't you doing for the same reason I employed: it doesn't seem big or significant enough? What trip have you been putting off? What poem haven't you written because, well, it's only one poem and who will read it anyway? Where could you have given $5 but that seems like such a paltry sum? What good would that do?

You need to take seriously the words of the Lord through the prophet: "Do not despise these small beginnings." The eyes of the Lord are watching you, not to judge you, but to watch your faithfulness so He can bless it and bring increase. Don't put off another day doing what it is that is in your heart to do, no matter how microscopic it may seem to you. In God's hands your little can become a lot, but only if you offer what little you have and put it in God's hands by doing it. Who knows, your simple trip across the street can lead to a worldwide tour, just like my trip to Guyana did in 1989. And now I am going back to celebrate God's work in my life and help other people start their own work. It just doesn't get any better than that!

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NEW TV SHOWS: I posted two new Your PurposeQuest television shows to my online channel this past week and I highly recommend them as resources to help you find your purpose. Enjoy them and pray for us as we have three more shows in the works.

URBAN PRESS: Did you know I started a publishing company to help you and others like you make your creative dream a reality? We currently have five books in the works. If you would like to work with and publish through us, let me know.

GUYANA: Don't forget what I mentioned above. I need your help now that I have finished my work in Kenya and get ready to move on to South America. You can give through my website or by sending a check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 8882, Pittsburgh, PA 15221-0882. Thank you for your help!

679: Ebola Response

Some people have asked me about my travels to Africa in light of the latest medical situation that has made headlines. It has caused me to reflect on another time when I was in Afghanistan during a dangerous time in that country. Every morning our team there had a two-hour devotional time and we started by reading Psalm 91 out loud and in unison. Then we went about our business every day. I include that psalm here (with bold emphasis added to important truths) as my response to anyone who asks my position on this latest crisis:

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
    will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
² I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
    my God, in whom I trust.”

³ Surely he will save you
    from the fowler’s snare
    and from the deadly pestilence.
⁴ He will cover you with his feathers,
    and under his wings you will find refuge;
    his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
⁵ You will not fear the terror of night,
    nor the arrow that flies by day,
⁶ nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
    nor the plague that destroys at midday.
⁷ A thousand may fall at your side,
    ten thousand at your right hand,
    but it will not come near you.
⁸ You will only observe with your eyes
    and see the punishment of the wicked.

⁹ If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
    and you make the Most High your dwelling,
¹⁰ no harm will overtake you,
    no disaster will come near your tent.
¹¹ For he will command his angels concerning you
    to guard you in all your ways;
¹² they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
¹³ You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
    you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

¹⁴ “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
    I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
¹⁵ He will call on me, and I will answer him;
    I will be with him in trouble,
    I will deliver him and honor him.
¹⁶ With long life I will satisfy him
    and show him my salvation.”

I will not go to any part of Africa to be a crusader, so if things reach a crisis mode, I will quickly and gladly postpone any trip. I have wanted to go to Syria for years, but obviously now is not the right time. One day I will go. When I go, however, I will not go in fear. The same is true for a trip to Kenya or any other country. I have survived trips to Indonesia, Cuba, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and many other places when things were tense. I came home because of the truth found in Psalm 91. I am not about to ignore that truth any time soon as I pursue God's will. Have a blessed week.

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KENYA UPDATE: I invite you to read Pastor Francis' response to the latest money we sent to feed orphans, which also includes a brief history of his work there. You will understand why we support him. After you read, I urge you to consider a gift to help us bless the children as the holidays approach. You can give toward this cause through my website or by sending a tax-deductible check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 8882, Pittsburgh, PA 15221-0882. Thank you and God bless you for helping Pastor Francis and others like him who are helping the children.

PURPOSE SEMINAR: My last purpose seminar for this year here in Pittsburgh is Saturday, November 1 from noon to 4:30. It's free but you have to register, so please let me know if you plan to attend.

WRITER'S WORKSHOP CD SET: The Writing and Creativity Workshop we had two weeks ago was a huge success. We recorded all five hours and the CDs will be for sale for $15 (four CDs) in about this coming week. You can pre-order a set (and I highly recommend you do so if those topics at all interest you) and I will mail them to you when they are ready. Just send me an email and we can arrange payment.

669: Beautiful Abundance

I am in the Masai Mara and any trip here reminds me of an article I wrote a few years ago about another visit here. I interrupt my series on creativity to present my own creativity in the form of this essay. I hope it stimulates both your creativity and your desire to come to Africa with me soon.

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BEAUTIFUL ABUNDANCE

One man’s perspective on Kenya’s Masai Mara

I am sitting in my chalet, overlooking the Kenyan plains of the Masai Mara region.  My view is a never-ending variety of magnificent, endless beauty.  One moment I look up and I see a herd of wildebeest; the next time I look at the same area and the wildebeest are gone, replaced by a herd of elephants or zebra. 

Not only does my scenery change as I gaze out my window, but so do the sounds.  I have my sliding doors wide open. If I pay attention, I can hear grunts, bellows, nays, cries, screeches, fear, warnings, laughter, howls, growls, brays, songs, chirps, growls, moos, anger, hoots, trumpet calls, pleas for help and rescue, threats, territorial claims, love calls, sounds of silence, bush planes, and the engines of vehicles transporting tourists to up close and personal encounters with the sights and sounds of the Mara.

Every trip to the Mara is different, every game drive with your guide an adventure. Everything is a matter of timing.  Show up two minutes later and you have missed the kill, the mating, the vultures finishing a feast, the jackal marking his territory, the elephants pushing over a tree.  If you look left instead of right, you may not see the giraffes or the lions that emerged from the trees for a quick look at you.

Look there!  I just happened to look up from writing and used my field glasses. I see twelve, no thirteen elephants, walking across the plain.  They are moving so slowly, not a care in the world. Where are they going? They don’t know; they are just following the food and water.

It’s all about food and water in the Mara. Everyone is someone else’s enemy, someone else’s food source. No one is safe. The lions run from the hyenas, the hyenas avoid the elephants, the elephants keep a close eye on the lions, who in turn are watching for an opportunity to feast on the elephant young.

Abundance!  Everywhere you look there is an abundance of dew on the grass, water, insects, game, vegetation, sights, dangers, clouds, beauty, and sounds. There is no anxiety in the Mara. The residents know that there is plenty of whatever it is that they need. They just have to find it. 

Yesterday, we came to a riverbank and there were a slew of crocodiles tearing into a zebra carcass. We
were alone for ten or fifteen minutes – who knows how long, for time ceases to exist when you are on a game drive. Then another vehicle came by, but the show was over; there’s that timing thing again. We read in the guest book today that someone saw two lions mating yesterday. They saw it; we missed it. They, however, didn’t see the crocs twisting and rotating in the water to tear off a piece of zebra flesh. There seems to be something for everyone every day to talk about at breakfast or dinner.

Speaking of food, it is great and plentiful at the lodges. Meals are a time to reflect on what you just saw, telling your table or bar mates about the wonders of the Mara from your perspective, trying to convince anyone who will listen that your guide is the best guide in the world. The guides are good, but I wish they would tell us a little more information about what we are seeing. While they speak English, I don’t think they are confident to teach mostly white tourists Mara secrets.

The guides have a sixth sense of where to go and what to see. They spot things that aren’t there, or at least you think aren’t there until closer inspection. They were right! There is a cheetah just at the edge of that tree line. It helps to have everyone looking but it helps more to have someone who knows what they are looking for.

There are a lot of shrubs and bushes in the Mara, but very few trees. The trees that do exist are singular acacia trees. Someone in our group said that they serve more as landmarks than anything else, and I think he’s right.  “Let’s meet at the acacia tree next to the four-foot high termite mound.”  Did I mention that the termite mounds are so skillfully constructed that the internal temperature in the mound is always 55 degrees Fahrenheit. How do they know? The cheetahs love to perch on top of the mounds, which affords them an overview of the dinner menu before them on that day.

Did I mention cheetahs?  On my last trip here, my son and I traveled all morning, looking for cheetah. We finally came upon a mother cheetah with five cubs in tow.  The morning sun was perfect and the guide positioned our vehicle positioned for a perfect view.  Then he said, “She is stalking.’  She didn’t look like it to me but before we could say, “Hakuna matata (no worries in Swahili),” she was off and running after an impala. The cheetah lost that hunt, and returned to her cubs empty-handed (empty-pawed?) and exhausted.

What had just happened? All we knew was that we had stopped breathing for a minute or two, spellbound by what we had just witnessed. This wasn’t the Discovery Channel or National Geographic. This was real life in the Mara, happening right before our eyes. Fortunately, my son had the video camera rolling – I was too awestruck to use my camera – and he had something that looked like a scene from the show Animal Kingdom. He must have watched that video 100 times before we got back to camp.

The camps are comfortable, and the rooms are well furnished and comfortable. We arrived to the camp via a Cessna Caravan single-engine prop plane. The ride was bumpy and the landing strips are hardened gravel and dirt. It rained hard during one landing and take off, but the weather was beautiful just five minutes away. You can see game from the air, but it’s much better at ground level. I’m not sure why anyone would pay $500 for a hot-air balloon safari, but they do and the balloons dot the morning sky.

The guides usually take you out at 6:30 AM and 4:00 PM for about two and a half hours in a land rover. Don’t drink any liquids; there are no rest stops (well, there are ‘bush toilets, if you catch my drift). One morning they usually serve you breakfast in the bush where Masai tribesmen in their famous red and blue plaid togas escort you to your tables and answer your questions. The Masai are the tribesmen of the area, the Mara is the name of the area itself. Thus you have what’s known as the Masai Mara.  Some drop the Masai and just call it the Mara. The Mara blends into the Serengeti in Tanzania. I wonder if the animals know where they are?

I just took a break to locate the elephants with my glasses. How did they get all the way over there so quickly?  They seemed to be moving so slowly, yet they made great progress. Why am I always in such a hurry?  Some of the herd has lingered behind, perhaps tantalized by some choice bit of grass or berries. But they’ll catch up because elephants understand family. They may separate for a while, but they always reunite.

While looking for the elephants, I decided to see how many other animals I could locate in one 180-degree sweep of the plain.  I located buffalo, wildebeest, zebra, giraffe (there is a popular video of a pride of lions who brought down an adult giraffe; I didn’t think it was possible), topi, warthogs, and a hippo in the river. Not bad from the comfort of an armchair in my chalet. 

I leave this afternoon, but I have more than 300 pictures and some video.  They aren’t really necessary, however, for these images are imprinted on my mind forever. The pictures are for someone else; the memories are for me. 

Nothing lasts forever. I take one more look in my glasses and the elephants have vanished! That’s kind of sad, but wait, there’s a long line of buffalo, walking across the valley in single file. Who chose the leader?  Why do they follow? Just when I was mourning the loss of the elephants, I have gained a new visual expression of the variety the Mara has to offer.  Even that has to end, however, for my plane is leaving for the trip back to Nairobi. 

I hope nothing much changes before I can return again. Somehow I don’t think it will, although in other ways, the Mara is always changing, compliments of the beautiful abundance that is here.

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BASEBALL GAME: The annual fundraising baseball game at PNC Park to benefit Kenya widows and orphans will take place this year on Tuesday, August 19. For the mere price of $1,000, you will be treated to great food, wonderful fellowship and a great baseball game (we hope) between the Pirates and the Braves. Perhaps you can't attend but you can give so that someone can represent you that evening. Perhaps your organization can contribute and buy a ticket for someone. Contact me now to reserve your ticket(s) for the game. So far I have sold eight, so make sure you respond soon to be part of the big night.

I need to hear from you this week if you can participate.

568: Time to Think

Now that I am in back in the United States and had my traditional hot dog and baby Greek salad at the National Coney Island stand in the Detroit airport, I thought I would share with you some of the conclusions I reached during my trip to Zanzibar and Kenya.  While I talked to many people in groups, via media and in one-on-one sessions, I had some long periods of time to reflect and think, which is always a good thing - as long as your thinking is clear and on track.  Here are some of my conclusions:

1. 1. The library project (pictured left) I helped start in Banana is one of the most gratifying things I have ever done.  We are already talking about an expansion.You can view more pictures here.
2. It is time that I change my writing style.  I have written a short story about my trip to Zanzibar, which you can download and read below.  I submitted a book proposal to my publisher for a book that will include a narrative, fictional story that will teach the reader. 
3. I taught The 7 Steps of a PurposeQuest Seminar for the first time in five years.  That material is more relevant today than ever before.  I will be doing this seminar in some others settings more often.
4. Fear is my constant companion and I must recognize and confront it almost every day.  While in Zanzibar, I was battling fear of being relevant, for my future, about finances and just about anything else you can name.
5. I prepared to teach my upcoming undergraduate class on Apocalyptic Literature, focusing on Daniel and Revelation. All my research confirms what is in my book, The Revelation Project (now also available in Kindle ebook format). I believe the Lord wants me to continue to grow in my knowledge and wisdom concerning Revelation and its victorious message. That may mean a seminar, more writing, or just ongoing study.
6. The purpose message will not become any less important in the coming days, but even more critical. The material I have prepared has the power to set God's people free.
7. With that last point in mind, more media is in my future. I start a weekly local radio show on Saturday, September 15 and will start a weekly television show after the first of the year.  I will also continue to my Tuesday Internet radio show for the time being. I must find ways to "broadcast" or broadly cast the purpose message the Lord has entrusted to me.

There is more but I will stop there. I told the Lord I wanted to maximize this time away for Him, and used the time as best I could to seek and listen. I will give you more details on the radio show next week. I invite you to download my short story (it's 11 pages long and unedited at this point).  Feel free to write your critique of the story on the site where this is posted or to me via email. I want your honest feedback, because for years people have told me I need to share my travel stories with the world.  Maybe now is the time. Let me know what you think.

It's good to be back home. God bless America and God bless you as you and me as we continue our PurposeQuests together. Have a great week - and see if you can find some time to think!

Download 1 Zanzibar

419: Taxi Thoughts

This Memo is different than any I have sent previously. I am actually writing this while in the back of a taxi driving through London on my way to Heathrow Airport (it’s a two-hour trip).  I depart tomorrow morning at 6:30 AM, which means I have to get up at 3:30 to get to the airport in time for check in.  So rather than have someone drive me in the morning, I am staying at a hotel by the airport tonight (Sunday).

My driver is from Nigeria and he is a believer.  He just told me his story of how he came to the Lord and it saved his marriage.  Now he has started a ministry to help others with their marriages.  I know Christians aren’t perfect, but I have met many dear, committed, devoted, creative and giving Christians all over the world.  God is faithful to raise up a people to honor His name in every nation. I like being a world (not worldly) Christian.

I am sitting here reflecting on how I got here – to London, teaching purpose, doing what I love in a country I have been visiting since 1993.  I spoke this morning in a church in the New Cross area of London – Micah Community Church – and gave my message on Abraham, “What You See is What You Get.”  It is the story of God telling Abraham to sacrifice his only son on Mt. Moriah.  There is so much in that passage, but then again, I guess I could say that about any passage.  Then after church the people assembled to hear my session on my fifth gold mine principle, which was another message on faith.  I love that message and had a chance to deliver the other four gold mine principles the day before.  All in all, I spoke 14 times since I arrived here Friday before last.  It was and is all very, very good.

So now I am heading to Kenya, another country I love.  I have a full week planned before I return home to work at a job I love in my local church.  What did I ever do to deserve all this?  Why has God given me the opportunities for such meaningful work with people I love in lands I always dreamed of visiting?  It is God’s grace I know, but I have tried to cooperate with that grace and give God something to work with, as meager as it may be.  I hope I have made a good partner.

Next week, I will resume the usual Monday Memo format and we will take a look at Gideon and the purpose lessons his life has for us.  Then we will look at Deborah after that and maybe Noah.  That should take us up close to the holidays and then after the first of year, it will be time to have another celebrate a failure emphasis.  By the end of the year, I will also finish the gospel of John in my weekly Bible studies.  After that, I will only have six short epistles until I have completed a verse-by-verse commentary for every book in the New Testament.  Thank You, Lord. 

So have a great week and forgive my ramblings this week. I don’t have much time, even now as I am in the lobby of my hotel and my battery is running low. 

The Monday Memo 246

When I arrived in Nairobi last week, I was informed that there were no hotel rooms due to a large international conference that the city was hosting.  After I spent the first night in a hotel that is best forgotten (see Take That One Off Your List), I decided that God had something better and set out to see what I could find.

The Nairobi Hilton gave me a room but said I absolutely, positively had to be out after three nights.  Since I needed a room for 10 nights, I decided to take what I could get and trust the Lord.  When the end of my stay came, I went and asked for an extension.  The Hilton said I could stay for two more nights, but then I absolutely, positively had to check out, since there would be no rooms available.

When the end of that stay came, I went and requested an extension.  They granted my extension until I departed Nairobi for Zimbabwe.  When I got my last extension, the desk clerk said to me, "You must have really been praying to God!"  I said, "No, I was really thanking Him for what I knew He would do."

TRUST

At no point did I ever doubt that God would provide me a room.  I prayed once and then spent my time thanking God for His provision--if not at the Hilton, then any place where I could rest in comfort and do my work.

This story is a typical example of my life the last few years.  God has been teaching me to trust Him in large and small ways.  I actually feel I am getting better at it!  The reason I didn't send a Memo out yesterday was that my computer "froze" after my son tried to load some basic software.  I said to the Lord, "If you want me to send out a Memo, then you need to help me get my computer fixed."  This morning a friend and brother found the problem and fixed it.  He said, "You need to thank God, Bill Gates and me for finding the problem."  I was able to thank two of the three on his list.

I can't begin to tell you how much time I have spent as an adult fretting about things that were beyond my control.  God has never failed me, yet I have regularly questioned His faithfulness.  In fact, God has never failed anyone and He's not about to ruin His perfect record on me--I'm just not worth it!

DO YOU HAVE YOUR TRUST ON?

So how about you?  How's your trust coming along?  Are you fretting over things over which you have no control?  Do you see daily challenges as an opportunity to worry, or as times to improve your trust?  Can you see that these challenges are the basis for new testimonies, new stories that speak of God's love and care?

So here I am in Zimbabwe, sending out a Monday Memo not because I have a new system, but because of God's help.  I hope that you see God's hand in your current situation, and that you will increasingly entrust your purpose and productivity to a God who never slumbers nor sleeps, who is capable of doing anything.  And if you ever need a room in Nairobi, I suggest you go check out the Hilton. 

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1.  For the last few years, I have sent out a personal monthly prayer letter to those who had expressed an interest in receiving it.  When I was sick in Nairobi last week, I was impressed that I needed to increase my prayer covering.  So from now on, I will attach my monthly prayer to one Monday Memo every month.  You will find the May edition at the end of this Memo.  I invite you to pray for PurposeQuest and the message that I carry to the nations of the world. 

2. If you need to change your address to which this Memo is sent, hit the unsubscribe link below this automatic Feedblitz mailout.  Then go to this link and enter your new email address in the box in the right hand column.  You can add a gift subscription by going to the link and adding the new email address of the person you think would benefit from The Monday Memo. 

And the archives of past Monday Memos can still be located on my website. 

If you would like to receive automatic updates from my daily blog entries, you can subscribe at that site by entering your email address and responding to the confirmation email you will then receive.

3.  If you would like to unsubscribe, just click the link below (if you receive this as an automatic message). 

4.  I have a new updated version of my article How To Survive Working in the Local Church on my website.  It now includes a self-assessment tool that can help you understand your ability to function in a local church setting.

5.  The weekly Bibles study from Corinthians is up and running, with study six going out last week.  I am delighted that it is growing faster than the Monday Memo at this point.  Many write to tell me they use it for their small groups and personal devotions.  If you would like to subscribe, go to the site and enter your email address. 

6.  I will be back in Kenya from June 8 to June 18.  If you would like to book a profiling/purpose appointment, please email me at your earliest convenience. 

7.  I will be here in Zimbabwe through June 25, with some side trips booked during that time.  If you would like to meet with me or schedule me to come to your church or business, email me as soon as possible. 

Monthly Prayer Letter:  Download may_prayer_letter.doc

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