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Stop Horsing Around!
Ask me how to use $425 to make $7-million become $28-million.
“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8 (NLT)
In those early days of being appointed to develop and lead the sales side of the small sporting goods company, I realized that this would be a 360-degree type of position. If we were going to develop into a sales oriented organization, we had to change the fundamental way we approached the market. The company had been methodically built by advertising products in a newspaper type of industry monthly. Taking incoming calls from individuals licensed to buy our products. These individual buyers were being phased out by increasing government regulation. Our core revenue source was at risk. The larger market did not know us and did not take us seriously. For good reason.
– Identifying what needs to be done is the first step. Doing what needs to be done begins to separate you from the pack. Doing without being told is the catalyst to leadership.
My boss, the president of the company at that time, came from a buying background and had minimal sales experience. Compared to my extensive 3 years of sale experience. (Insert going into work without tools here.) There was a magazine publication that reached our target customer base; sporting goods retailers and I asked him if I could have $425 to place a 1/4 page, black & white ad that I would create to see if we would get any response from our desired target market. After 3-4 months of asking, each time missing the deadline to place the ad, he agreed.
– If you believe in what you want to do, you will be tenacious and consistent in pursuing the objective.
So I saw a cartoon of a cowboy riding a bucking horse, holding his hand in the air as if saying something. The cartoon was designed in a way that our company logo fit perfectly under the horse’s rear-end in the image. I naively and without any intention of trademark violation, cut out that cartoon image and placed it and our logo in the defined area 3.25” x 4.25” of the ad space we had purchased. (Did I mention that I was now an advertising specialist?). I then wrote the words, “Stop horsing around.” And the copy of the ad said, “If you’re not buying from us, you’re paying too much.” Included was our non-toll free phone number because I had not been able to convince my boss that more orders would come in if we had a 1-800 number….yet!
– Rome wasn’t built in a day. But it was built.
After a graphics designer laid the ad out to meet the magazine’s standards, we waited. Sure enough, two months later an envelope arrived on my desk, containing over 50 inquiries from retailers who had taken the time to fill out the response card in the magazine asking to be contacted by our company as a prospective supplier. My boss wasn’t happy! “How are you going to have time to call all of these inquirers, while still unloading trucks, helping pack orders and cleaning up at the end of the day?,” he asked. He also was not happy that we would be incurring significantly higher phone bills because of all of the outgoing calls I would be making. He was a very farsighted guy! I committed to come in early (we opened at 8:00 am), stay late (we closed at 5:00) and cut short my lunch to make the calls. He grudgingly acquiesced.
– Where there’s a willingness powered by commitment and tenacity, there is a way.
As I made those calls early in the morning, I quickly learned that the best store owners worked early and could typically by reached before 8:00 am Eastern Time and Mountain/Pacific time retailers could be best reached at the 12:00 ET slot. Let the calls begin. This was a time period where there was no Internet, no email, no texting. Sending and accepting faxes was still somewhat in its infancy and was not an allowed way to send legal docs. The setup of new customers was slow. Relationship was key.
– Anything worthwhile is worth the effort. Relationships built to last require investment of time, energy and genuine interest.
As I made my way through those initial ad inquiries, I came to the S’s. A Terry A. from a company in Atlanta called ‘Sportstown’ had inquired. When I called, he answered and his first comment was life changing for our little company: “I can’t believe you called me,” Terry said. He had been submitting these inquiries for months to every advertiser in the magazine and our company was the first to respond. I learned that Terry was the Buyer at Sportstown for our category of products. I learned that Sportstown had grown from 7 stores to 17 stores in the last year and had outgrown their existing suppliers. I learned that they planned to open another 15 stores in the coming 13 months (private equity is awesome and/or selling your soul to the devil). I learned that Terry needed help. Our little horse ad was his Calvary coming to save the day.
– You can learn a lot about people and companies if you ask and are willing to listen. Committing to solving their problem versus slotting them into your model separates you from the pack.
Terry said, “I would like to give your company a try. I’ll have our new vendor group send all of our documents.” I then learned that they purchased using Net 30 Day payment terms and he thought a $1-million dollar credit line would suffice to start. Our company’s terms were COD, cash on delivery, and our really good customers could write a check versus literally paying in cash. Seriously!
– If you’re chasing giants, don’t bring a mouse trap. Houston, we have an opportunity.
Imagine my boss’s response when I said we have a prospective customer who wants a million-dollar credit line and 30-day payment terms. I won’t write what he said. I will say my work as a sales person, sales manager, advertising specialist were just beginning. And merchandising manager, marketing manager, IBM AS400 integrator, corporate real estate developer and on, all lay on the near horizon.
– You have to be very ‘stretchy’ to grow exponentially. Your commitment is often measured by your willingness to overcome pushback from within of the very thing you are tasked with doing.
One call to a buyer who held a very large checkbook changed the trajectory of our little company and of a young kid. It was indeed time to stop horsing around. We were moving up from Single-A to Triple-A and the Majors were calling.
We weren’t ready!
“He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.” Matthew 8:26 (NIV)
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Squirrels
My family gave me a squirrel-proof bird feeder that has proven to be very accommodating to the squirrels. The “protective” wire that houses the seed holder gives them a nice foothold as they devour the seeds meant for the many beautiful birds that inhabit this area. Squirrels!
There is an interesting dynamic as I observe the devouring of the ‘bird seed’ by the squirrels. There is a perpetual competition for access to the seeds in the feeder. So much so that most of the squirrels will chase one another to “protect their seeds,” most often resulting in little seeds being eaten and massive amounts of energy being expended to protect what really isn’t theirs from those equally trying to access what was not intended for them in the first place. Are you still with me.
You see the obsession is the perch at the top of the seed chain. The opportunity is getting there. The reward is being there. The challenge is staying there. The purpose? Well it is lost in all of this if the squirrel is not careful and they’ll leave more hungry than when they arrived.
Do you know why most people say they do not set goals? Because they are afraid of failing and not achieving them. If it helps, I guarantee you a 100% success rate in not achieving the goals that you do not set. Fear really is crippling. And the decision to not risk, to not stretch, to not dream, to not try is profoundly sad. I seldom if ever see a squirrel come and look at the bird feeder and its treasure, then turn around and leave. I watch with a mixture of half admiration, half laughter, half disdain and half anger as these enemies of the seed execute their planned takeover of the feeder. Okay, so fractions are not my strong suit. A real ‘half and half-not’ scenario.
“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” Wayne Gretzky
So as I watch the squirrels work to achieve access to the feeder and access is almost always short lived. They work like dogs (or squirrels) to remove the squirrel presiding at the feeder prior to their arrival. They do this primarily by playing off the greed factor of the resident squirrel, whose desire to protect and not share what is abundantly available. Seeds. The selfish desire overrides the reason for going to the feeder in the first place. Life sustaining food. Many to most times, the squirrels desiring to unseat the ‘king of the feeder’ squirrel will work in tandem to draw the king away. Invariably, while the king chases away a challenger, a new ‘king’ assumes the throne of the feeder…again, capable of feeding all of them if they would do one thing; share the bounty that is available. So the new king has arrived. Don’t unpack your bags. Or seeds in this case. The stay is never very long.
Next is the hamster-wheel of the bird feeder. The new king-of-the-feeder enjoys her or his newly achieved position and abundance for exactly, well approximately 30 seconds to a few minutes. Never as long as the identification, preparation, plan, execution and ascension to the feeder. I cannot remember a time when I watch the new king take a moment, look around and enjoy the fruits (or seeds) of their labor. The challengers are coming. A plan for removal and replacement is being hatched. Squirrels don’t abdicate the throne of the feeder. Greed and ego causes them to lose their position because of obsession to protect what was not theirs to begin with. They’re squirrely! And so they forget and react out of instinct instead of analyze and respond out of recognition. Good thing we humans are not like this!
So the purpose for the execution of the plan, the ascension because of the purpose and the realization of the purpose are surrendered by this thing called pride. The king squirrel is proud and protective of the bounty of seeds too significant and appealing to be ignored by those desiring the same treasure. The purpose, food and fulfillment, lost on the king as challengers seek to achieve the same purpose as those who have come before them. You see, the purpose often takes a back seat to the noise, confusion, challenge and pride that confuses what is being pursued and certainly the ‘why.’
Did I mention the contented squirrel and birds? Decades of experience and observation have caused me to see opportunity exists in the chaos happening around us. While the war for the feeder and seeds rages, there are usually several older squirrels (you can tell because they’re a little more plum in the rump) and many birds peacefully eating the massive amounts of seed falling to the ground, caused by the chaos happening above. The life metaphor here: “You don’t have to participate in the chaos raging around you to live a full and peaceful life.”
One last observation. I always watch squirrels in the woods behind our house and beyond the bird feeder, systematically retrieving nuts from the trees or on the ground after they have fallen and squirreling them away for the season that is coming. These squirrels operate in such peace and purpose, laser focused on the task at hand and using their God given abilities to live the life they were created for. Never chasing. Always methodical. Content. Peaceful. Productive.
Hmm, peace through purpose, free of greed and envy. Interesting concept.
“Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:11-13 ESV. (Written by a man in chains. Unjustly jailed. Freely forgiven at a horrible price, paid by Jesus on that cross.)
Let’s go.
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Be careful. You might get what you ask for.
“I Have a Dream, a song to sing
To help me cope, with anything
If you see the wonder, of a fairy tale
You can take the future, even if you fail
I believe in angels
Something good in everything I see
I believe in angels
When I know the time is right for me
I’ll cross the stream, I Have a Dream”
The Swedish group ABBA released this song in 1979 and it quickly became a Worldwide hit. The lyrics are quite simple and the message of hope and expectation, true and clear. For people in business and especially entrepreneurs, dreams are classified as goals and goals defined as projections for the investors and banks who fund those “dreams.”
When I was hired for my first management job, I was a voracious reader. I was determined to develop a competitive advantage through reading. My process was reading a book a month, with a four month rotation. A business book. A novel. A historical book (heavily Civil War). And a self development book. I was committed to this for 16 years and the benefits were exponential. Sadly, I missed the crucial reading that would have blended all of this concisely and revealed to purpose in all of these efforts. The Bible. Another story.
One area that I learned and integrated into my personal development was goal setting. As a young, 25 year old manager with zero experience and even less training, I crafted my first professional goals. These goals were: Be promoted to Merchandising Manager by age 30; Vice-President by 35 and President of a company by 40. ‘Linear thinking’ was the phrase often used and my thinking was very linear and laser focused before that term existed. (I’m so old that lasers were what Star Trek caused us to dream about at that time.)
Life Lesson #1 – develop 360-degree goals that develop a well-rounded life approach.
So off I went in pursuit of the goals that I had set for myself. Key word, myself. I was methodical and committed to the achievement of these goals. My suggestion here is be learning the requirements of the ‘next’ of your personal goals so that when you achieve that level in the process, you are ready to effectively execute. I was ‘promoted’ to Merchandising Manager at 27 and made Vice President at 29, off the backs and stress of too many great people deserving a better leader. Actually, they were just deserving of a leader who understood servanthood. At age 33, I was again promoted to President & CEO with a 25% equity ownership. And I was in the process of failing miserably.
Life Lesson #2 – “You can get everything in life that you want, if you help enough other people get what they want.” (Zig Ziglar)
So this little company that had taken a huge risk on a young and ill-prepared kid was flourishing. We had grown from $7-million in sales to over $50-million and the upward trend showed no signs of slowing.
I had set and was achieving professional goals that seemed the pathway to happiness. I wish someone was in the path willing to tell me that happiness is fleeting and ‘stuff’ becomes junk very quickly. One man’s treasure…. There were many wonderful people telling me this. I wasn’t listening. A wise mentor told me that “you’re fine until you start believing your own press.” He was right. I had decided that the successes and achievements of short-sighted, linear goals were the result of me, failing to understand that it is always ‘we!’
Life Lesson #3 – Drucker was right. “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.”
Peter Drucker argued that the organization’s greatest asset is its knowledge base. It’s people. He petitioned that employees should be listed on the Asset side of a balance sheet, versus the standard accounting practice of listing them on the Liability side. My view was that the people working so hard with me were rungs in the ladder that I was climbing. And as we all know, those rungs are stepped on as leverage during the ascent.
Life Lesson #4 – What goes up without firm foundation will come down.
Six months into my promotion to President & CEO, the company had turned around. During a hiatus that I took because of a temper tantrum of a young man who had listened way too much to his own press, the company had fallen on hard times. Losing 50% of its sales volume and even more of its profitability. During those first 6 months, all sales and profitability losses were erased and we were posting solid month-over-month gains.
Then the chairman showed up. I was psyched for the accolades I knew were coming of a job well done. “I wondered how much my bonus would be at year end?” He walked into my office, closed the door, looked at the Balance Sheet, Income Statement, Projections and said, “you are failing miserably.” And he was right!
Life Lesson #5 – Promotions to leadership are the entrusting of the dreams to you of those traveling with you.
I barely knew the names of many of my employees. I knew even less about their personal lives. As they caused the company to achieve its purposes, they did so despite me, not because of me. They questioned ‘why’ because they were not experiencing the fruit of their labors. Morale was very low and commitment even lower. This was about to change.
Life Lesson #6 – Failure is having the courage to try. Change is the commitment to succeed.
I learned a new question to ask. “Tell me about your dreams and how I can help you achieve them?” And I meant it.
“When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror;then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.But the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:11-13 (NIV)
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“The most stupid thing that I have ever read!”
When I was 25 years old, I was hired as the National Sales Manager for a small outdoor sports company…that had no sales people. “Big gun, no ammo.”
The first thing that I was tasked with was to present a sales and marketing development plan. Both things that I had never done before. I was to present this to the board of this company, who also happened to be the owners. These men ranged in age from 30 to 60 and the chairman was legendary in this market space.
So I dove in with energy, researching how certain small companies achieving great success in their space motivated and compensated their people. I read Harvey Mackay’s book, ‘Swim with the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive,’ and attacked this project with energy and caution to deliver what was expected. Did I mention this was 1989 and the thing called the Internet did not exist and computers in their infancy. So I researched, wrote my presentation, hired (at my expense) a graphic designer to put my thoughts into a professional looking presentation of 26 pages. I paid to have each presentation spiral bound and was ready to go.
‘P-Day’ (Presentation Day) arrived and I was nervous, but ready. We were seated around a large table in the Chairman’s summer home located in Lac du Flambeau, WI and I was allotted one hour to present my thoughts. As I began my presentation, I was aggravated to see that most of the board members were scanning ahead. So I began and made it through exactly 10% of the presentation (3 pages), when the Chairman loudly slammed the presentation shut and declared, “this is the most stupid thing that I have ever read!” Ever. Really? He then went on a 45 minute viral rant about me, my role and the company’s need! I was devastated. I knew that I was certainly terminated before I got started and in truth, just wanted to get on a plane and fly home.
As quickly as he was verbally eviscerating me, the Chairman looked at his watch and said, ‘oh gentlemen, we have a dinner reservation to get to.’ And off we went to dinner, with normal conversation and pleasantries. I was a scalded dog! At dinner I decided to sit at the other end of the table, ‘knowing’ the Chairman did not want anything to do with me and feeling very much the same way about him. Then he called out and said, “Myron, come sit next to me.” Sheesh, really? I can’t even relax at dinner and lick my wounds.
As I sat beside him and table conversation began amongst these men that I reported to, the Chairman reached over and placed his hand on my arm and called me close. He then said, “I hired you because of your talent that I see in you and the abilities that I know are in you. My job is to help you see and believe what is there.” He then went on, “Your job is to never, ever tell me what you think I want to hear but what I need to hear.” Cue the tears here. Real men do cry by the way!
In 15 seconds, this man that I knew of through legend and common professional associates, affirmed everything that I had heard about him. Tough. Hyper intelligent. Demanding. Expecting. Blunt. (I think the term ‘blunt force trauma’ may have originated with his evaluation style.). Kind. Encouraging. Developing. Educating. Empowering. Entrusting. Leading from the only place that matters, the front, born of decades of failing and incredible professional success. In 15 seconds he set the professional trajectory of a young man who never again told him anything but what he needed to hear. (Eight years later and many, many screw-ups later, he would assign me the position of president and partner in this business.)
I plan to write much more about my professional experiences and the lasting impact of this seasoned man who saw something in me that I had yet to discover.
The lesson here was and is, you are capable. Energy and effort do not equal success, but are highly prized and always recognized by those leading you. Everyone does not get an award, but success is there for anyone willing to pursue it. Failing where best effort was expended, is success waiting in the future. Hard critiques mean you are capable of so much more. Words of encouragement are exponentially life changing.
“I have often wondered how it is that every man loves himself more than all the rest of men, but yet sets less value on his own opinion of himself than on the opinion of others.” Marcus Aurelius
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What I love about grapefruit.
My daughters and I love grapefruit. We like the large ones with pink centers. We love the citrusy taste offset by the sweetness of a little sugar (Stevia for me the diabetic). We love them cold from the refrigerator. The exhilaration of the sensory blend of smell, taste and temperature delivers something very satisfying…and they’re good for you too.
We can have the most beautiful grapefruits sitting in our refrigerator calling out to be enjoyed and they will rot there unless I prepare them for our daughters. I have spoiled them over the course of their lives by slicing that fruit in half, carefully cutting each triangular piece down the sides and along rind. Then sprinkling sugar over the prepared pieces, allowing them to be easily spooned out and enjoyed with little to no effort.
I love watching Malia & Kensley enjoy the ‘fruit’ of my labor. If you ask them why they love grapefruit, they will tell you they love the flavor and that I prepare them ‘just right.’ Ask me what I love about grapefruit, I will tell you that I love the flavor and the joy that results from the preparation. We have a symbiotic relationship. The girls want the result of my labor of love and I love their joy and response.
I am beginning a process to deliver an online talk and then I believe I am being led to deliver talks where invited about life, experience, success, failure, goals, hope, joy, faith and so much more. Talks that are the result of 30+ years of preparation. Talks that are the result of many, many roads travelled. Roads filled with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. Talks from the perspective of a very limited person, allowed to have done and do unlimited things by my Creator. The amazing thing is the “launching” talk will be 10-15 minutes in length, developed by a professional team gifted in aggregating a message honed from 30 years experience, take 6-9 months to create the concise message, practice the delivery and then be prepared to deliver with authority, authenticity and humility. 30 years wrapped in 15 minutes, taking 9 months to craft for most effective impact.
Wouldn’t it be interesting if we could ask the Disciples and then Jesus a simple question, “what was your favorite part of your 3 years together?” Stay with me here as I take the liberty of conjecture. I can hear the disciples falling over one another to tell of one miracle after another. Of water into wine, of walking on water and laughing about Peter sinking. Of demons being reduced to drowning in pigs. Of a few fish and loaves of bread feeding 20,000+ (they only counted the men back then). I can hear them sharing of life’s purpose coming into focus as they left nowhere careers for the freeing of ministry and impact. I can hear them in my mind sounding like little children as they shared ‘their favorite moments and events.’
“Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Matthew 19:14 (NIV)
Then it would be Jesus’ turn to share his favorite part of the 3 years and I believe he would say, ‘today. Time. The walking and talking. The sharing of our hearts. Watching their hearts and minds move from measuring to sharing. Seeing achievement be defined in ways that please my Father. My favorite was and is the laughter that my hope delivers. My favorite is the blending of many different personalities and life experiences into a cause that transcends and denies what this World says is important. My favorite was the dust on our sandals, the stars we slept under, the food we shared and the simplicity of the sparrows call as we sat and ponder and sang and prayed. My favorite was the mundane and my favorite is the purpose.’
“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” Matthew 10:29-31 (NIV)
So how do I draw comparison of grapefruit to a life fulfilled? Simple. The grapefruit if the reward. The gift to the preparer is the joy in watching it be eaten. The gift for the recipient is the love for the preparer and the fulfillment of the fruit. All delivered by a seed planted years before.
Take a look around today. You have one day less to delivered your unique love. You have been gifted one day more to say and show, “I love you.” Love is enough and genuine love exemplified through simple actions is too marvelously beautiful to adequately describe.
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NIV)
Let’s go.
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“Don’t eat the chocolate.”
My only sadness is that I was the youngest in our family and had the least amount of experiences with my Western Kentucky family. My dad’s oldest brother, Benton, had settled in this area after he returned from WWII.
There were few vacations that our family enjoyed more in the early years than visiting Uncle Benton & Aunt Trilma and their family. I guess some of the ‘favorite’ stemmed from my dad never seeming more care free than those vacations. He would take on the role of the younger brother as we saw him idolize his older brother, who was a hero to my dad in so many ways.
Now my Aunt Trilma was a piece of work. (In all good and hilarious ways.). She was a feminist, independent and highly opinionated long before these were common terms and certainly well before they were accepted terms for a wife and mother. I think her three girls would tell you she was amazing on all levels, except maybe in mothering. (Insert laughter here.). Aunt Trilma was loud, brash, go-with-the-flow, quick to kiss your check so hard you thought she was turning your face inside out and man could she cook fish. Especially Crappie.
Our families would congregate and camp beside Kentucky Lake and water ski, fish, eat and laugh. Did I mention laughing? In the early trips, my mother would imprison me in a chicken wire holding cell, so I was safe from the water and not chasing my Aunt Lorraine around, biting her. Lore has it that you can still hear my Aunt Lorraine’s voice hollering, “don’t you bite me, Myron,” as the gentle waves of Kentucky Lake lap on the shore. I was a biter. Aunt Trilma was my rescuer. If she saw me in that unjust holding pen, she would always lift me out and turn me loose to bite again. All the while my mother saying, “Myron, how did you get out of there again,” as she heard Aunt Lorraine running and yelling ‘stop biting me.’ Ah, the circle of life at ‘ol Kentucky Lake in the 1960’s.
Now my Aunt Trilma’s father was Eli. And I don’t remember much about him, with one exception. He always had chocolate candy and was ready to share. If I saw Eli, I came running and he would break off one of those Hershey chocolate rectangular pieces for me to enjoy. And boy did I. There was only one problem. Those weren’t pieces from a Hershey bar, they were from an Ex-Lax laxative bar. And they worked!
My chocolate connection kept me quite “regular,” much to my mother’s angst as she dealt with her baby boy going through those cloth diapers like, well, water. I laugh as I write this because I can still see my mom turning around in her car seat as we got close to Uncle Benton’s, saying “Myron, don’t you eat any of Eli’s chocolate!”
I choose to believe that Eli did not intentionally conspire to release my innerds. Aunt Trilma on the other hand, conspired to release me. Aunt Lorraine and my mother colluded to corral me. The truth is, all loved me and we all loved those special days and weeks spent together. Descriptions would include fun, hot, laughter, hard work, love, wet, sweet, sweat, muddy, joy, exhaustion.
These trips were a life metaphor. To experience the beauty of life, you’ve got to accept those Ex-Lax moments. We all need to run at times to enjoy the peace and love in the chaos. Otherwise, there is no appreciation for those sacred moments of life’s gifts.
They’re all long gone to Heaven. Ex-Lax still remains an option for those bound up. Kentucky Lake is still churning out crappie and the smell of corn meal meeting hot oil still fills the air. It’s the journey. The stuff matters little. The promotions only satisfy for a moment. Time, precious time rewards those who soak in the beauty in the chaos of the moments. Next generations are on the hamster wheel, running as hard as they can toward the same, ultimate destination. Where we began.
“For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life;
Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.” Psalm 30:5 (NKJV)Don’t eat that chocolate!
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Sixty Two
Sixty Two. 62! I have completed sixty-two years on this earth. The noise of those numbers keeps resonating in my mind.
I approach my 63rd year with continued optimism. With expectation. With hope. Pursuing yet another significant career move to offer what a life of experience of some successes, of numerous failures (professional and personal) that have resulted in decades of experiential learning brings. Sixty two years that have reveled the joy is in the journey. The reward is in the learning. The peace is in the gratitude. The deepest love is in forgiveness and being forgiven. The purpose is in the relationships. The blessing is in yet another year and the knowledge, truth and hope that this is just a short stopover to the eternity that Jesus willingly sacrificed his life for me (and you).
My 62 birthday is celebrated by my first hearing aide awaiting me at Costco this coming Monday. 62 is the 20th years of marriage to my best friend. 62 is my 20th year of Type 2 Diabetes and a reward of a recent A1C of 6.5, which is very good for those who live with this disease. 62 is the beginning of the gift of my 63rd year.
“Getting old isn’t for wimps” is a true statement that I often heard and share. 62 is a responsibility. It is a time to reflect emotional maturity and stability, of which I don’t do well and remain committed to becoming better. 62 is a time to share that there are very few catastrophes in life. There are numerous hiccups, speed bumps, off ramps and wrong directions in a one way life, all allowed for the value of experience only wasted if not shared. 62 represents God’s unfailing love for me in the rewards that have come from knowledge that comes for His allowing me to walk so many curvy and hard roads that have straightened and eased as I have surrendered to Him.
62 is a body that reflects scars from the gift of life. Shoulder surgeries, small intestine resection, knee issues, broken fingers, dozens of stitches from a life lived with risks, rewards, naive confidence and confident ability honed from years of love, guidance and teaching from those who came before me and have walked beside me. What a priceless gift these 62 years have been.
62 is the incredible gift of a soon to be 19 year old son, 18 year old daughter and 15 year old daughter. A beautiful wife whose very breath energizes my life and clarifies love. A family that solidifies the essence of life and the requirement that I remain healthy, hopeful and current while providing experience and wisdom that 62 assigns.
63 looks wonderful. 63 brings a burden of assigned leading through willfully serving. I have a message to share. I have experience to convey. I have a hope to reflect. I have gratitude to deliver. I am grateful for you, Megan, Benton, Malia, Kensley and the incredibly extensive group of friends and mentors who have helped deliver me to this day.
Thank you, Father, for giving me life when death was deserved. Let’s go. 63 is not waiting!
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Lap Dogs
I recently wrote a curriculum that I entitled ‘Lap Dogs.’ The title based upon the story of Gideon in the Bible.
Gideon was considered the weakest in his clan, yet God used him mightily. If you don’t know this incredible story of unrestrained faith used by God for ridiculous victory, it is a great read. Fundamentally, God had Gideon reduce his army from 32,000 to 300 to defeat an army of 135,000. Seems reasonable! Right? Now do you really want the mind blower? Gideon’s army defeated the Midianite army by making noise that threw them into turmoil and wait for it, the Midianite’s killed each other. Around 120K dead to be more specific.
A VERY little known tidbit about me is that I love to watch YouTube videos of Britain’s Got Talent tryouts. BTW, in case you did not know, the best singers in the World are from Wale’s. I know these are heavily edited for impact by telling the backstory of the individual trying out in order to evoke emotional response. Congratulations BGT. You got me.
It is incredible to me to watch a contestant(s) on BGT who is incredibly shy step up and sing with a talent so great that they are unstoppable. Unless, they never got started. A young woman who cooked chickens at a supermarket. A group (choir) of men who practice in a cow shed (barn). A father so unsure of himself that his mother and young daughters walked the stage to give him courage. A group of 5 young men who sing a Les Miserables song so beautifully, while working mundane jobs that masks their incredible talent. The stories of these underdogs are amazing and as their God-given talent is revealed, you can see shoulders move from sagging to upright and their face shining in the moment of accolades that are truly life changing. Marvelous.
Here’s my encouragement to you. Allow what God has placed within you to emerge. Be ridiculous in your faith. Live an unrestrained life that God defines as a mustard seed. A seed so small that it is almost invisible but grows into a giant life of impact. Be willing to allow God and only God yo define you. To use you. To be his beloved vessel that he created for talents and impact that only you can deliver.
The recurring theme on BGT is of lives restricted either by influence that said “you can’t,” overcome by an internal desire that took the step of faith required for the World to receive the blessing of the individual’s talent. You are that individual. You are the need in someone’s life. Only you can truly suppress you. So what’s it going to be, lapping up life like the warrior God created you to be, or surrendering to a life limiting fear where the Enemy wants you to reside? You see, our doing nothing because of fear is Satan’s greatest victory.
“The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many warriors with you. If I let all of you fight the Midianites, the Israelites will boast to me that they saved themselves by their own strength. Therefore, tell the people, ‘Whoever is timid or afraid may leave this mountain and go home.’” So 22,000 of them went home, leaving only 10,000 who were willing to fight. But the Lord told Gideon, “There are still too many! Bring them down to the spring, and I will test them to determine who will go with you and who will not.” When Gideon took his warriors down to the water, the Lord told him, “Divide the men into two groups. In one group put all those who cup water in their hands and lap it up with their tongues like dogs. In the other group put all those who kneel down and drink with their mouths in the stream. Only 300 of the men drank from their hands. All the others got down on their knees and drank with their mouths in the stream. The Lord told Gideon, “With these 300 men I will rescue you and give you victory over the Midianites. Send all the others home.” Judges 7:2-7 (NLT)
If God can defeat 135,000 using 300 with trumpets, jars and torches, imagine what He can and will do through you. Gideon asked God for a sign…twice, and God answered. Then Gideon acted. Are you in the crippled with fear stage; the asking stage; or the step into the abyss through unrestrained faith stage. Take a step. God is already there waiting on you.
“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8 (NLT)
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Irrefutable Identity
I have recently been in a Season that I would have never expected to find myself for the remainder of my life. A Season that I believe Satan intended for utter destruction and God allowed to reinforce within me who and whose I am. A Season of attack that continues to backfire on Satan as reflection and challenge brings into clarity the beauty of this life that is so easily overlooked. A Season where my identity in Christ withstands the tests of the moment.
You see, my identity is eternal. These tests are but moments against the walls of an eternity already secured. Over the past 21 years of my surrendered faith journey, the cornerstone of whose I am and the resulting knowledge of who I am has been dug deep and laid on the solid foundation that is Jesus Christ. The seeking, the reading, the prayer, the fellowship, the sharpening of iron against iron, the knowledge that has and continues to come through scripture and intimate fellowship with my Savior repels the lies of the Enemy.
I would not wish upon anyone the attacks that have come. Equally, I would pray that everyone who experiences similar challenges would have the knowledge and warmth that comes from the arms of our Father God. The lie of control tells us that we can prevent attacks that come against us. Lies! The truth that is Jesus Christ teaches us that these too shall pass and that he will sustain us through every season of drought and bounty.
So today I wanted to share again some thoughts of who God tells us that we are through his Word. I want to encourage you to be expectant in whatever storms of life you are weathering. If you are a child of God, remind yourself that he controls the weather and storms. Remind yourself that like Job, he alone permits the attacks that he knows you are capable of withstanding for a purpose likely too great to comprehend at this point in your life. Faith says you trust the purpose of the storm. Live expectantly in this storm. He is preparing you for something far greater than you can imagine. Trust that the plans he has for you, justify this season of hardening you into his immovable force for impact and hope.
Know that this is who God says you are:
Free
2 Corinthians 5:18-19 “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.”
Child of God
John 1:12 “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”
Romans 8:16-17 “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”
Galatians 3:26-28 “… for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
1 Thessalonians 5:5 “For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness.”
Chosen
1 Peter 2:9 “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”
John 15:16 “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.”
Old Self is Dead
Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
Colossians 3:3 “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”
New Creation
John 3:3-6 “Jesus answered him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?’ Jesus answered, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.’”
2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
No Longer Condemned
Romans 8:1 “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
Temple of the Holy Spirit
1 Corinthians 3:16 “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?”
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”
Warriors
1 John 5:4 “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.”
A Victor
Romans 8:37 “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”
You’ve got this!
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“Dad said the ‘S’ word!”
Do as I say, not as I do. Hmm, or not. (This may be the off ramp for some of my social media ‘friends’)
“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear” Ephesians 4:29 (ESV)
When our kids were little, we would identify words that were not okay and ‘ugly’ to say. One of those words was ‘stupid’ and I can remember when that word would be uttered by myself or Megan, we would stop our kids in their tracks. They would look with shock and say to one another, “dad said the ‘S’ word.” To which apologies for saying this wrong word would be uttered, sadly laughter would occur off to the side and a half-hearted commitment to ‘watch my mouth’ acknowledged.
“You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say. A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you.” Matthew 12:34-37
As a kid in the 70’s, yes the 1900’s 70’s, there were bad words that we decided made us ‘cool’ and then cuss words too awful to say that were rarely if ever spoken. Chief among these was the F-bomb. Too terrible to vocalize. Too disgusting to verbalize. THE word that would no kid that I knew would audibly allow from their mouth. The word that now freely flows from the mouths of our “leaders” in government, education, entertainment and presents itself quite often in social discourse. The word whose shock and awfulness now blends into conversation as seamlessly as apple pie and the Pledge of Allegiance did when I was a kid. (For those of you who might be younger than 40, look up apple pie and patriotism. This used to be a “thing.”)
Amidst this current political theater of yet another partial governments shutdown, the Minority Leader of the House said, “the Republicans done e’ffed up in Texas.” A celebrated musician said “F___ Ice,” as she received her Grammy for song of the year. Crowds protesting against this, against that, against the protest, protesting protest, protesting the spelling of the word ‘protest,’ protests quickly losing common sense and the disavowed ‘common courtesy,’ all unified by one single, purpose defining, life identifying, values erasing, humankind eroding word, the F-bomb!”
I am blessed to sit in several Christian men’s groups and events. These groups are an oasis from a broken World. These groups made up of a broken and sinful men diligently pursuing righteousness because of a loving Savior who paid the price of our sins. I have been experiencing a slow fade of guarded words used becoming a trickle of the d-word, the s-word (no, not “stupid,” stupid!), and on and on and I wonder, where does this end? Unchecked, it does not end well.
“Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.” Galatians 6:7-8 (ESV)
I remember my sweet mother would only allow us to use words like ‘stinker’ or ‘passed gas,’ when describing a bodily function. C’mon, as my wife told me during a very early dating event, “everybody does it.” If my sisters or I slipped up and said the ‘f-word,’ (f a r t – still too terrible to audibly say or properly write), the response and corresponding punishment would be fierce and absolute. That fly-swatter hurt…for a while.
I guess one of the greatest compliments that I ever received was during a lunch with some men, one of them cursed and quickly looked at me and apologized. Wasn’t necessary, but really appreciated. You know, as he and I have grown so much closer, the comfort to curse in front of me has also grown and the feeling of a need to apologize, gone. I wonder, is this reflective of my own sin becoming more evident? I believe so. He is an amazing, encouraging and loving brother. But that mouth.
I guess I am rambling this morning. As God’s Church, we are instructed to stand out in word and deed. It seems we’re getting better at the deeds at the sacrifice of the words. My family had a saying posted on our refrigerator the entire time that I lived in my parents home that said, “If you won’t write it, don’t say it.” Good guidance 100 years ago, and still good policy today.
“And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.” Colossians 3:17 (NLT)
Let’s get out there and be the L-bomb. “And they’ll know we are Christians by our Love…” and by our mouths.
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Myron Speaks 