Peace That Passes All Understanding

Last night I lay awake thinking about all of the events of the recent past. Terrorism throughout the world, wars in the Middle East, political infighting in this country, the economy and our personal and family issues. It was not a peaceful time. It was then I remembered that day in 1992, 

Rita and I had scheduled a well-earned three day vacation at Lake Quinault, a mountain lake in the rain forest of Washington’s Olympic National Park. The gauge at the lodge measured rain in feet rather than inches. Annual rainfall is around 10 -12 feet. On the days we were there, we had only bright sunshine. 

Our cabin had no telephone, no television and no radio. Cell towers were scarce and we had no signal. It was indeed a time away. Our first evening we watched through our picture window as the golden sun set on the other side of the lake. The smooth lake surface was broken only by hungry trout leaping for low flying insects. It was so peaceful and relaxing. But, back down the mountain, the world was falling apart.

It was May 2, 1992. We left the world behind us and relaxed in our tiny cabin. The Rodney King verdict acquitting police officers of brutality had been released a few days earlier setting off riots in Los Angeles and San Francisco. More than fifty people were killed, thousands injured, and twelve thousand arrested. Over one billion dollars in damage occurred. 

In Guadalajara Mexico, sewers were exploding because of lack of maintenance. In Chicago, the river broke through its bed and flooded city hall destroying vital records. It took years to restore and some vital records were lost forever. The Soviet Union was splitting open and the residents of Nicaragua were recovering from a large earthquake.

That was a million miles away from our lakeside retreat. After the best sleep in months, we got up, purchased trail mix and water, and set off on a hike through the legendary rainforest. The walking was easy as the under-brush was thin and the trail well marked. Beams of sunlight occasionally penetrated the dense canopy of old-growth hemlocks and cedars. It seemed we were totally alone. 

We had encountered no one on the trail and only the soft whisper of a breeze or the sound of an animal scampering away broke the stillness of the place. At noon, we stopped by a waterfall and ate sitting on a bench watching the snow melt pour over the rocks down to the lake, and then to the pacific ocean.

That night I wrote in my journal the phrase “Peace that passes all understanding” kept going through my mind and I thanked God for His respite in a crazy world. Closed the journal, I sensed the lord say, “this is not the rest I am talking about.” He continued, “it is easy to have peace when you are away from all your cares.  That is understandable.  But my rest is having that same sense of peace when you are in the middle of the trials and tribulations back in the world.”

There is so much that needs to be done to correct the problems of the world. When there is so much to do, people normally fall into two separate but equally disturbing camps. The first group sees the enormity of the problems and realizes they can’t solve them, so they give up and do nothing. The second group sees the problems and tries to solve everything and as a result, burns out and has a breakdown.

There is another way. Find out which piece of the problem God has assigned to you and do only what you are called to do. Only then you can be at peace.

You Have so Much Potential!

It happened just the way my high school coach explained it while preparing for the big game against

our rivals from the next town. The other team's quarterback handed the football to the halfback who started tthe sweep around their right end. Our defense reacted and followed the ball carrier. As the defensive end on the opposite side of the field, my coach’s words stuck in my mind, “Don’t be fooled, hold your ground, they will run a reverse.” Taking two steps into the backfield, I  stopped, watched and waited. Sure enough, the halfback had given the ball off to the wide receiver on a

reverse and he was coming straight at me. Everyone else had followed the halfback. We were the only ones on this side of the field. Holding my ground, he tried to run around me as I kept forcing him backwards and then tackled him for an eight yard loss. It was a great play and a great game for me. The next day’s newspaper article finished with the line, “Johnson finally lived up to his potential.”

 “You have so much potential!” How often have you heard them about yourself?

Those words are usually meant to be an encouragement but they are double edged sword. There is the positive; we have the potential to be successful, to grow, to become something great. But there is the negative; we are not there yet, we are not as good as we think we are. 

Most of us never live up to our potential. Why do some people exceed their potential, while others with the same capabilities and same history spend their lives well short of their potential? Why is it that many people never realize their dreams and visions? 

The answer is motivation!

The church has done a reasonable job over the years of converting people to Christ, but has not been as successful in making lifelong, passionate, apprentices of Jesus. Our role here on earth is to follow and serve the Lord, accomplishing the tasks for which we were created, and becoming His people. When we face Him in heaven, we want to hear, “Well done faithful servant!” Not, “You had so much potential!”

Motivation is a reason or incentive to do something, a feeling of enthusiasm, interest, or commitment that makes somebody want to do something, or something that causes such a feeling. Motivation is what makes you keep going when things are tough.

The pastor of a medium size church in a nearby city once confided in me, “I can’t get the people to do anything. They just want to come on Sunday morning and be entertained.” Since he had asked for our help, we decided to listen to the other side of the story. So without the pastor present, we interviewed a few of his leadership team. We asked,

“What do you think is the biggest problem with this church?” 

Each responded identically, “The pastor won’t let us do anything.” This was not a single event. We have heard this response in almost all the churches we have helped. Pastors often blame their people and the people blame their pastor when things are not going right. It really does not matter who is right, what matters is the perception that one is right. Leaders may be trying to motivate people, but may be de-motivating instead. Motivation is the major issue in all leadership situations. How can leaders motivate their people to become more active? How can we motivate our people to give more of themselves and their resources toward expanding God’s kingdom?

In the field of sports, it isn’t the most gifted player that makes the hall of fame. In business, it isn’t the smartest person that builds the largest company. In fact a study of CEO’s of Fortune 500 companies indicates that most were “C” average students. Motivation is the major factor which will determine whether or not someone reaches their full potential.

As a leader, what motivates you to be great? What motivates you to be lead? What motivates you to follow Jesus? If you are not motivated you may have a modicum of success but you will never reach your God-given destiny. You may have potential, but without motivation you will never fulfill God’s plan for your life.

Extrinsic motivation comes from the outside; e.g. your mother threatens you with pain if you don’t go to church or your boss gives you a raise if you do better on the job. Intrinsic motivation comes from the inside; the feeling of accomplishment, the satisfaction of helping someone. It just makes you feel good. In his book, “Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us,” Daniel Pink[1] describes how traditional forms of motivation may, in some cases, decrease performance. Pink cites studies conducted with college students in the USA and with villagers in central India. The results were consistent despite the obvious cultural differences. The researchers found that as long as the task required only mechanical or routine performance, extrinsic rewards worked well. Reward and punishment motivated the people when they were just required to just follow the rules. However, when the task became even slightly complex requiring even a bit of thinking or creativity, extrinsic rewards failed to motivate and even reduced levels of performance. Extrinsic methods work well with small children, but as the children grow up these methods become counter productive. Other studies cited by Pink identified three major intrinsic factors which have the power to motivate individuals engaged in other than routine tasks; 

Autonomy, 

People need to believe that they have some kind of say in what is happening. They need to feel ownership in the vision, priorities and practices they are asked to support.

Mastery: 

Everyone wants to be good at something. It is a matter of finding that something and practising it until you can be good.

Significance: 

People want to believe that they are making a difference, that their life has meaning. People must be encouraged to attempt things that are meaningful which God must be a part of in order to succeed. Their purpose for being must be important.

When leaders learn to motivate properly, it will be amazing how followers respond.

Bill Johnson

Aslan Ministries, Inc.

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[1] Pink, Daniel H. (2009-12-24). Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us Riverhead Books Penguin Group

What do you want out of 2015

What are your priorities for the coming year? 

What do you want out of your relationships? 

What do you want out of your career?

If failure was not an option, and money was not a problem, what would you do with the rest of your life? Somebody asked me this question years ago and it changed me forever. Since then I have asked the same question to hundreds of people. Some have been inspired and moved out of their rut, while others had a dream but were never able to move beyond their present situation. Someone once told me that their life goal was to win the lottery and travel the world. So I asked if they had purchased a lottery ticket. They had not. If you want to win the lottery, you must buy a ticket. Whatever you want out of life requires some action. The following quote is on a plaque in an ancient English chapel.

A vision without a task is but a dream
A Task without a vision is a drudgery
A vision with a task can change the world.

If you have a dream or a vision of what you want your future to become, the following steps will aid you in your quest.

1. Identify ten things you want to accomplish in 2015. They can be general or very specific. They may include, family, finances, job, school, or anything you want. Do not be afraid to dream big.
2. Take that list and select the five things that are most important to you.
   
3. Of the five, now rank them in order of importance 1 - 5.
4. Select number 1 and list the actions you must start now in order to achieve your desired outcome. Put the actions in proper order.
5. Select number 2 and list the actions required to achieve the desired outcome.Put the actions in proper order.
6. Each day read your list of the top five things that are most important to you. At least once each week, 
7. Review your lists and see how you are doing and make adjustments as appropriate.
8. Every day take some action which is on the lists and will lead you to your dream.

If you follow these steps 2015 will be a successful year for you.

For more help go to:
http://www.aslanpress.com/destiny.html

Attracting and Keeping Good People: in Business or the Church

 Attracting and keeping good people is a common problem in industry and in the local church. Businesses need hard workers who contribute their ideas and effort to improve the business. Churches need strong members who participate and volunteer in ministry to others. They are the ones who serve rather than waiting to be served. 

How do we attract such people to our business and our church? How then do we keep them?

Several years ago I started the West Coast Division of a company headquartered in Northern Virginia. After several successful years things began to change - slowly at first, then more abruptly. The changes began on one of my trips to headquarters.

It was snowing outside the windows of the dark paneled boardroom, on the top floor of a high rise office building outside the Washington DC beltway. Our professional services company had just merged with a larger corporation and the new CEO was making his first presentation to the new team. My position as Director of Western Operations was not going to change, but my worldview was about to take a hit. Our company had been run as a family. Now, it was explained, we would be run as a corporation. Change is inevitable, but at the time I had no idea how much it would impact my personal life.

In his book the “Outliers, The Story of Success,” author Malcolm Gladwell writes that to make any job satisfying requires autonomy, complexity, and a connection between reward and effort. Before the merger my employees were given considerable autonomy, their tasks were considerably complex, and we had a bonus system which was available to every employee. Our division maintained the lowest turnover rate, lowest overhead and highest profitability of all divisions.

After the merger things changed; corporate headquarters put little value on individual employees; emphasis was placed on immediate return, and bonuses would be restricted to executive level only. While my personal bonus increased substantially, my team lost the relationship between reward and effort. Salaries could not change as they were set contractually by our customer.  Our team lost much of its autonomy as a result of more oversight. For a time, I was able to be a buffer between the corporate attitudes in Washington and our west coast team. But as people realized the changes our turnover rate increased.

 

At the time I was becoming more involved with our church and Christian ministry. Still we considered it a part-time gig while keeping my secular position. It didn’t take long for ministry to become more satisfying than business. It was then we walked away from our high income, and started to move into full time ministry.

The means to attracting and keeping great people is to provide great satisfaction. Satisfaction in the church resembles satisfaction in the workplace and can be accomplished by providing autonomy, complexity, and a relationship between reward and effort. 

1.     Autonomy: Autonomy means independence or freedom. Whether on the job or in the pew, people need to feel that they are important. Leaders who are overbearing and controlling may get away with it for a while but the workers or parishioners will leave if given the opportunity. Old line factory workers, migrant farm workers, and members of the more legalistic churches have very little autonomy. A good leader delegates responsibly and gives freedom to those he leads. An orbital model of relationship held together by mutual attraction provides autonomy as opposed to a hierarchal model.

2.     Complexity: To be satisfied in our job, it must have a challenge. Just putting widgets into gadgets does not keep us motivated. In the church, we must also be challenged. Simplistic, homilies which entertain but do not inspire, do not challenge. Churches which teach the deeper things of the God’s Word and life will continue to attract and keep members. A more complex teaching in the church will attract and keep stronger members.

3.     Connection between reward and effort: Do not consider only monetary rewards for effort in business or in a church. An employee needs to feel his effort is appreciated. Complimentary and encouraging words are even more important. An early boss of mine would give out titles rather than increase pay. A church member needs positive affirmation as well for a task well done, but also needs to be accountable for negative behavior.

Whether you are a business leader or a pastor, you will be able to attract and keep great people by considering these three; Autonomy, Complexity, and Relationship between reward and effort.

Seven Reasons to Start Your Own Business Now

Why should I start my own business now?

When I was a child, my father started several businesses. It was a roller coaster ride, sometimes successful but mostly not. As a result of this early experience, I chose the safe road and became employed in corporate America, pretending a lack of desire to be my own boss, Steadfastly toeing the corporate line and receiving my bi-monthly pay check, I enjoyed a comfortable life. But something was missing. There had to be more than the routine. So while still employed, I began to prepare myself for a future in a different field entirely - so as to not be disloyal to my employer. When all was ready, I resigned my position and dove into the unknown. After starting my first business I discovered the thrill and excitement of starting a business. Now after starting several businesses, I can give you four reasons why I believe you should start your own business.

The first reason to start your own business now is: Your life has become too routine, too predictable. It is time for a little excitement. It is time step out and take a chance.

The second reason to start your own business now is to overcome fear, Fear had kept me from realizing the need that lives within most of us, the need to become the person God created us to become - or at least to try. There is a risk to starting a business. Small businesses can start on the proverbial shoestring - which means there is little financial risk - but there is an investment in time and emotions. Any time you start something there is the risk of failure. However, if there were no risk, life would be boring. Everyone needs a certain amount of risk to get the juices boiling. Taking a risk is healthy for your body, soul and spirit.

The third reason to start your own business is economic. As our nation has been in economic recovery for the past eight years, the unemployment figures are improving, but family income has not risen with the increase in employment due to an decrease in working hours and a loss of the middle class. With more time on our hands we can start a business while remaining employed. The income from your new business could replace all that was lost due to additional costs of living and less income.

The fourth reason  to start your own business is to develop autonomy, and begin to move toward your God-given destiny. Deep in my heart there was a desire to be more autonomous and implement my goals and ideas. Abraham Maslov called this autonomy, "a fully functioning person" or “self-actualization.” 

The fifth reason to start your own business is to fulfil your creative urges. The Lord created all of heaven and earth and we were created in His image. He gave us the desire and ability to create. Each of us has different talents and gifts which we can use to create. Some paint beautiful pictures, some create fine music, some create poetry and tell stories, but all of us have great ideas. When we develop our ideas into a means of earning money we have created our own business.
The sixth reason to start your own business now is that the time is right. It is right for you. If you have read this far, you have been thinking about starting a business. It is time to take the first step and trust the Lord to lead you in the right direction.

The seventh reason to start your own business now is it is the right time in the state of the nation and its economy. We are in the slowest recovery from recession in our economic history, but things are moving forward. Winners are the ones that jump on a rising wave. 

Whatever your ideas may be, it is time to turn them into something tangible that you can build on.

There is a sign on the wall of an Anglican Church in Suffolk England that has been there for since 1730.

A vision without a task is but a dream

A task without a vision is a drudgery

A vision with a task can change the world.

A great tool for finding your specific business can be found at: http://www.aslanpress.com/destiny.html

Supernatural Solutions to Your Problems

The Lord God can and will lead you to solutions to your most pressing problems for your business, your health, or your relationships. Just cry out for His help. 

Psalm 34:17 (MSG) Is anyone crying for help? GOD is listening, ready to rescue you. 

As the hatch opened we stepped into the large dark compartment. The noise of electrical and electronics systems was so loud we had to shout to be heard over the buzzing. Radar Room #1 on the USS Tarawa was an amazing and daunting sight. Mounted against each wall were racks of  electronic equipment with other racks providing an equipment island in the middle of the room. Cables, cooling water pipes, and aluminum wave guides filled the overhead and every space between racks.The contents of each rack was totally new to me. This was my first visit aboard a Navy combat ship. My experience was more with aircraft and missiles.

Fear grabbed at my heart. I was there to solve a major problem which had plagued the technicians and engineers for months. And I did not have a clue of what to do or where even to start. It was time to pray. 

I had learned this prayer only weeks before, “Help!!!!!!”

As a child my family did not attend church and as a result the Bible was not an influence in my early life. We called ourselves Christian, believed in God, and tried to live a life worthy of the name. In the midst of the Jesus Movement of the 1970’s, the gospel of Jesus Christ became real to me and I began to read and study the Bible. While reading The Book of the Acts of the Apostles, I noticed that God was still active in the lives of believers as they struggled through difficulties. God was there to give them wisdom, knowledge and direction to resolve all kinds of issues. Without a history of church attendance I had missed the part about God not doing those things today. So I just accepted miracles as a normal occurrence and began to devour C.S. Lewis and other Christian books.

As an electronics engineer my work provided a variety of interesting and intriguing problems and the

opportunity to work with aircraft, missiles, and now large Navy ships. It was then a friend handed me a little paperback book, titled, “How to Live Like a King’s Kid.” The author, Harold Hill, had been an engineer at the Glen L Martin Aircraft Company in Baltimore. (Now part of Lockheed-Martin, a major defense contractor.)  Hill and I shared a few things in common – we were both engineers and both worked for military contractors. As a result his writings were of great interest to me.

In one of his books he described an event that changed my world view instantly. Hill was a passenger

on an airliner heading back to Baltimore when he noticed the aircraft circling in a holding pattern. He asked what the problem might be, but none of the crew responded. So Hill began to pray. As he prayed the Lord showed him a hose on the hydraulic system which lowers the landing gear was leaking badly. This meant someone would have to crawl down into the baggage compartment and lower the gear manually. Sure enough that solution was attempted, but did not work.

Hill began to pray for God to stop the leak, and while watching in his vision he saw the leak slow to a drip and then completely stop. The Lord had fixed the airplane, and saved the passengers and crew from danger. Ever since I read that account I believed that God could and would act on our behalf - not only in spiritual things, but in the office, out in the field, and where ever problems needed solutions.

Standing in Radar Room #1, my desperate prayer changed my attitude from panic to confidence. God was with me. As the technicians explained about the equipment and the issues, a solution came to me which could only come from God. It wasn’t an easy solution, it would cost millions of dollars but it was the only solution which would work. The hard part came in convincing management that they must implement the solution. The Lord’s solution came almost instantly, but others spent years trying to find another way only to fail. God’s solution was finally implemented and my reputation as a problem solver began.

This single incident is representative of literally hundreds of problems resolved by the Lord’s revelation and intervention in my career in engineering, business, and ministry.

Hebrews 4:16 (NIV)  Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. 

Who Am I?

I blog, but I am not a blogger.

I teach, but I am not a teacher.

I lead, but I am not a leader.

I minister, but I am not a minister.

So who am I?

That question has plagued me most of my life. A few years ago, I finally got the point. Now I knew who I was. But over the years the question comes back for some unknown reason. I know who I am intellectually but that realization had left my heart. That deep down knowing had escaped with the years and was replaced by the inevitable question. Who am I?

Our identity, or how we see ourselves, will often determine our destiny. How we see ourselves is mostly determined by how others see and respond to us. It is as if everyone we encounter has a mirror on their forehead. As we look at them we see ourselves reflected back. The image we see is what that person thinks of us. So everyone we meet provides some input to our identity. And the more significant that person is to me the more of an impact he has on who I am.

As children we get our identity from their parents or those who take care of our needs. If there is love and acceptance their identity is positive and they are free to risk failure. If that love is conditional and the parent is critical, their identity will be negative and they will fear failure so they will often under achieve. As the child grows up, the parent’s expectations will influence their identity, because that is how they perceive their child. Later in life friends and associates form our identity as they may become more significant than our parents.

Is the answer to the question, “I am who others see in me?” It is when we allow that to happen. It is if they are the most significant ones in our life.

There is an alternative. When other people are most significant to you, they control who you think you are and who you will become. But when you make God first in your life, you are who The Lord sees in you. Your identity comes not from human sources with imperfect eyesight, but from the one who created you in the first place. He created you for a purpose. Many years ago, I realized that I was a son of the almighty God and that was my identity. When I dedicated my life to serving Him, the question persisted, “How do I best serve Him.”

When our identity comes from how others perceive us, we spend our time trying to please them. When our identity comes from God, we want to please Him.

I am a child of the living God and a follower of Jesus Christ. My role is to follow Him where ever He leads – whatever that is and wherever that may lead. I no longer live to please men.

Galatians 1:10 (NIV) Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.