Loo leadership

I’ve just had one of those moments. Having spent a few minutes sat in the toilet (no, not in the toilet. I hadn’t fallen down legs shooting into the air grasping for the sides. I was simply sat on the toilet) and then came the crisis moment. I turned to where the toilet paper should have been – the clue, of course, being the word ‘should’. The toilet paper wasn’t there. The very thing I wanted was not in the place I expected it to be. I turned to alternate 1: … no. Alternate 2: reaching behind to the place impossible to see, grasping with my hands for that velvety smoothness which promised relief. No. I was getting a little desperate now, looking around this way and that, desperate in a way I hadn’t been before. My wife! I know she had done this to me. She probably used the last piece on purpose and had not put another roll in. She must have been laughing away to herself while she took the kids to school.

Options were starting to flow through my tortured mind; pull them up but not quite all the way, then casually wander to the other bathroom. Pull them all the way up wander into the bedroom and then change. I could use a page from Glyn’s book or risk it all and do the shuffle. You know the shuffle where you can’t walk properly because of the position of your pants! Shuffle was looking good. But as I resigned myself to the ignobility of the shuffle of shame I spied the roll, directly behind my left leg. In my panic I had missed it. All this time the very thing that I had hoped for, searched for, believed for, even made faith declarations over, had been with me; unnoticed, unused and ignored.

Stop today and look at the young people you have with you. See who they are, the massive talents that they posses, the passion they have for life, and realise that they are who you have been searching for. The key is simple – belief in them coupled with releasing them to be the person God has uniquely called them to be. There isn’t another group out there better than them. These are the people that God has put you with. These are people that have been drawn to you.

Ask your young people great questions about who they are and what they feel God has called them to do with their lives. You will be stunned by the answers, but only if you invest the time to discover them.

Then offer to partner with them in walking the journey of destiny. Focus not only on fulfilling your dreams but theirs as well.

Most of the answers to your problems, you’ll find in your amazing group of young people and through them, you can take the world that you each inhabit.

————————

Stop, Look and Listen by Stuart Keir was published in the December 2006 edition of JOY Magazine.

Stuart Keir is a core team member of Audacious. Stuart is the Associate Director of Youth Alive UK and the Senior Pastor of London City Life Church.

Audacious leadership

Ten Characteristics of Audacious Leadership

If you were to look at 2 Samuel 23:8-37, you would read about David’s Audacious Men (‘mighty men’ to be exact).Guys like Josheb-Basshebeth, Eleazar & Shammah were awesome leaders who accomplished great feats because they were Audacious. There are 10 characteristics of Audacious leaders. If we had a nation of young leaders who embraced these – imagine what we could accomplish!

1. Be there

This is so simple – it’s profound. The reason that Josheb, Eleazar & Shammah inspired the nation through their leadership, is because when it counted the most – they were there!

Josheb (v8) means – ‘to whom people turn!’ The reason people could turn to Josheb was because he was proven in battle & life. He was there when it counted most, people had watched his life & had liked what they had seen.

I can imagine Eleazar as an old man, telling his grand children about the time when they ‘taunted’ the philistines before winning a great battle against them (v9). He had the story to tell because he was there – on the battle field!

Shammah was able to take ‘his stand’ (v11) – because he was there!

Audacious leadership is about making the decision ‘to be there’ when it counts the most. To be in the lives of the young people when they are going through difficult times & to be in their faces when they are about to make crazy decisions.

One of the great things you can do for your young people this year is make a decision on there behalf to be at ‘Audacious’ – to be there when God is moving, so that after the summer your young people can say – “I was there when that happened!”

2. Stood their ground in single combat

In verses 8, 9 & 11 we read about each of the three Audacious leaders standing their ground in single combat. There are times when I feel invincible & there are other occasions when I feel like I couldn’t fight my way out of a paper bag! Josheb, Eleazar & Shammah stood in the face of an oncoming enemy & retreating comrades – they didn’t have courage in numbers, they just simply stood their ground!

There are times in leadership when you simply have to stand your ground!

In verses 10 & 12, we see that their stand turned defeat to victory! When you stand, you have to have the confidence that you can turn potential defeat into victory (see Eph 6:10-14a).

Sometimes all you have do is stand!- even if those with you have run!

3. Excuse became opportunity

Someone once said – ‘One man’s junk is another man’s treasure!

Eleazar was on a battlefield where the excuses were flying thick & fast as his army fled before the oncoming enemy. He had an excuse to run away too. In v10 it says that his hand was so tired, it froze to the sword! Others at that point would have retreated, but Eleazar didn’t, he turned his potential excuse into an opportunity to stand!

This year, there will be lots of reasons why you can’t accomplish your God-given desires for your youth / young adults. In reality, the excuse can provide the opportunity you need to become an Audacious leader who rises above the obstacles & sees great things come about.

There will probably be reasons why some of you can’t make Audacious in the summer – Hey why not change the excuse into the opportunity you need, to see a miracle & commit to being part of the week!

4. Comradeship

In v9 it says ‘Eleazar was WITH David!’. In v11 it says ‘next to him was Shammah’. Their fight & service for Prince David wasn’t an independent one. They weren’t Lone Rangers attempting to make a name for themselves, they were in it with the Three Musketeers motto ‘One for all – all for one!’ Their service for David was a relational one!

In Judges 18:1-2a ; 7 ; 27-28, the tribe of Dan were still waiting to take possession of the promise land. They had fought battles previously against other cities & towns – but had lost. Then they saw the city called Laish & noticed that the people of Laish had no relationship with anyone else. The Danites attacked Laish & won because the people of Laish had no-one to call on for help.

The strength of Davids Mighty men, was who they were with.

The Audacious Culture is a relational culture. It’s about building networks & relationships with like-minded leaders who won’t let obstacles & excuses stand in the way of taking the nation for Jesus! Audacious leaders are relational!

5. Grace

In V9-10. Eleazar whipped the enemy single-handedly! By right, the spoils of Victory were Eleazars – but graciously he allowed his fellow soldiers to join in & collect the spoils of war because he was gracious.

Grace is best defined as- ‘Undeserved Favour & Mercy’. The soldiers didn’t deserve the spoils of war – but that’s grace – it’s undeserved.

You are recipients of God’s Grace every day. Audacious leaders show grace. They forgive; they choose not to write people off & choose to go the extra mile for those who need it!

6. Bold

In v12 it says that Shammah took his stand in the middle of the lentil patch! Notice that he wasn’t cornered like a rat in a trap, he boldly stood & faced the challenge of the enemy!

I remember hearing a preacher years ago make the point of noting that out of all the armour of God listed in Ephesians 6, there is none for the back of the body!

God has designed you to be bold, full on, with no retreat. Next time you are in a place of conflict in leadership – be bold!

7. Fought for supply lines

In v 13 it says that ‘During Harvest Time, the philistines camped in the valley of Rephaim’. Otherwise known as the “Valley Giants”, this valley was 1 mile long. It was here that the food was growing for the people & the enemy set up camp there. David’s mighty men made a decision to fight for the supply lines – the food that the people desperately needed in order to live!

Some of the most important battles you will fight, are for your supply lines!

In the Old Testament, Daniel had to fight for the supply line of communication / relationship with God. Esther had to fight for the supply line of Identity. David had to fight for the supply line of Sexuality. Job had to fight for the supply line of what is real.

If the Devil can corrupt or destroy the right supply line into you as a leader, he can affect your influence.

Question – what battles do you need fight with regard to supply lines concerning – Identitiy, sexuality, priorities, spirituality, future, and career etc.

8. Honour

In v14-17, David expressed his desire to drink from the well in Bethlehem. Some of his men then fought their way through enemy lines just to get him the water he wanted. David probably wasn’t overly thirsty – there would have been water in the mountains where he was hiding. More than likely he was expressing a desire to be home.

David was the prince of the mighty men & they chose to honour him by their actions.

The dictionary defines honour in the following ways, (i) “to show great respect for someone or thing especially in public (ii) “to do what you said you would…” (iii) “A quality that combines, respect, pride, honesty”

Audacious leaders honour those they serve.

Question – Who is your prince & how can you honour him/her? Your prince may be – a lecturer / boss / parents / pastors / leaders. Certainly we are called to honour the leaders of our nation ie the Prime Minister etc.

It would be awesome if the motto of Audacious was = Those who come learn forgotten code; HONOUR!

9. Generational

In v33 we read about Jonathon . Jonathon was Shammah’s son & he sought to follow in his fathers footsteps. Later, Jonathon was to be included in David’s 37 might men! To be an Audacious leader, our outlook on life has to be a generational one! – This not just about us, it is about those we lead & the generation that will come after them.

Leadership is so important because, the legacy we leave will affect generations to come! The future really is in our hands.

10. Cause

In 1 Chronicles 11:10, we read the same passage as 2 Samuel 23, but it defines the cause of the mighty men. Their cause was to give ‘David’s kingship strong support & extend it over land’.

Our cause as Audacious leaders is to give strong support to the King (Jesus) & shout His fame through the land! Everything we do as leaders should be aimed at lifting up the name of God & doing everything within our power to see the Nation won for Jesus! We can only really do that by living out the characteristics of the Audacious leader –

Be there
Stand your ground in single combat
Let your excuse be the opportunity
Comradeship
Grace
Boldness
Fight for your supply lines
Honour
Have a generational outlook
Live the Cause!

Glyn Barrett is the Director of Audacious and Youth Alive UK. He is a sought after communicator and author. Glyn and his wife, Sophia, are the Senior Pastors of Audacious City Church. They live in Manchester with their two children, Georgia and Jaedon.

Generational leadership

The Art of Generational Leadership

“…Asa begat Jehosophat, Jehosophat begat Jehoram, Jehoram begat Uzziah, Uzziah begat Ahaz…” (Matt 1v8-9) Let’s be real for a minute; “How many of you enjoy reading the genealogies in the bible?” – “I see two hands out there!” If you are anything like me; I skip Genesis five & eleven. I give some of 1 Chronicles a miss & I definitely don’t spend much time pondering the deeper meanings of the genealogies in Matthew chapter one. Too many men “…begetting other men…” What’s that all about?

In 2 Timothy 3:16, Paul reminds the young pastor Timothy that; “…all scripture is God-breathed…” Which means that we can’t escape the fact that the word; begat, begot, begettest, begetteth & begotten, which appears well over 200 times in the King James Version, is in there for a reason! “…All scripture is God breathed!” Where do you go with something like that? God is clearly highlighting something to us.

It’s clear in Genesis chapter two, that man & woman were created to reproduce! To become the Father or Mother of another is not merely a nice thing, it is fundamental to the purposes of why man was created in the first place. God made man & woman, so man & woman could make man & woman!

But there is more to the passages in Geneses, 1st Chronicles & Matthew chapter one (amongst many others) than just having babies. The reason we read so many types of genealogies in the Bible is because God is a generational God! God does not just have a heart & a passion for one particular age group, living in a certain period of time.

§ John 3:16 tells us he died for “…the world…”

§ 2 Sam 14:14 reminds us that “God…devises ways so that a banished person may not be estranged from him…”

§ Rom 10:9 says; “If you confess Jesus is Lord…you will be saved…” irrespective of age!

§ Matthew 19:14 Jesus says; “…let the little children come to me…”

§ Psalm 92:13 says; “…they shall still bear fruit in their old age…”

God has a heart for all age groups, all generations at all times! He is not confined by time! He sits outside of time & looks in on us. He is not just everywhere, but He is also EVERYWHEN! He is in tomorrow already & can see the consequences of the decisions you make today; for your life & also in the generations to come. In fact much of the Bible was written to highlight how one generation in turn affects the next!

The word “Begat” merely highlights the commencement of the next generation. God is into the generations because he made them!

§ That snotty nosed 6 year old on the street corner – God loves him!

§ That 16 yr old girl in youth who is so self conscious – God created her!

§ That 27yr Old who is married, settling down & has little time for church – God in interested in him.

§ That 43 year old businessman, who has got it all together – God is into him

§ That 67 year old Grandma who has seen it all – God is into her

§ That 93 year old Great Grandfather–“…they shall still bear fruit in their old age!”

If God is so much into the generations, then why do many of our churches have “generation gaps?” Why are the teenagers missing? OR why are the Baby boomers absent on Sundays & in the small groups? It’s simply because “…the art of generational leadership…” has been forgotten!

The Generations alive in 2006

There are currently four generations walking the streets of our nation. They are best defined as;

§ 0-17’s – Generation Y

§ 18-37’s – Generation X

§ 38-56’s – Baby Boomers

§ 57+ – Builders

What is Generational Leadership?

Leadership, as defined by Jon Maxwell is; “Influence!” We all have influence in varying degrees & therefore by definition are all “leaders” to some extent.

The art of Generational leadership is all about training the movers & shakers of each generation, so they in turn can influence their peers to pursue the purposes of God.

Characteristics of people Jesus identified as Generational leaders

Jesus identified 12 men who were to become the influencers who would forward the cause of the Kingdom. The characteristics of the disciples were many & varied. They were:

1. Able to work hard – Mk 1:16

2. Obedient / willing to try -Lk 5:4-5

3. Able to work well as a team – Lk 5:7

4. Able to Leave everything – Lk 5:11 / 5:28

5. Decisive – Mk 1:18-

6. Skilled – Mk 1:7

7. Faith filled for provision – Mk 1:18

8. Ready – Mk 1:20

9. Not swayed by human expectation

10. Able to carry insult / be rejected by men – Mk 2:14

11. Not bothered by social taboos – Mk 2:15

12. Bold – Matt 16:16

13. Audacious – Jn 1:3

14. Team builders themselves – Mk 1:41

15. Full of Integrity/Transparency -Mk 1:47

Generational leaders don’t come ready made like this. And they certainly fail at times. But through persistence, patience & training, generational leaders are identified & developed, who in turn are instrumental in raising up a strong generational church.

Training the generational leaders

I heard a story some years ago about a sales executive who persuaded his Boss to invest millions of pounds into a project. After several months, it became apparent that the venture was going to fail & all the monies would be lost. The sales executive sheepishly entered his boss’s office & offered his resignation, to which the boss replied; “Why should I accept your resignation? I have just spent millions training you!”

Some “generational leaders” who have some of the characteristics outlined above, simply do not know how to do the tasks given them. Expectation is placed upon un-trained “leaders” to accomplish a task, & then frustration sets in as expectation is met with disappointment. Fundamental to having a generational church is the task of training those identified as the movers & shakers of each generation.

How do you become the generational leader?

1. Establish Relationship (Matt 4:18-22)

I once heard someone preach on; “how amazing it was that the disciples would instantly drop their nets & follow someone they did not know, let alone ever have seen before.” But from scripture, this is clearly not the case – Jesus seemingly called those he had relationship with. Follow this thought pattern:

• Jesus was born Bethlehem (Matt2:1)

• He was raised Nazareth (Matt 2:23)

• He was baptised in Jordan (Matt 3:13)

• He was tempted in desert (Matt 4:1)

• He live in the region of Capernaum (Matt 4:13)

o All of this happened before he called the Disciples.

• The Sea of Galilee where Jesus called many of the Disciples was in Capernaum. Jesus would have walked by the Sea of Galilee, even swam in the water as a child. The Sea of Galilee was his “turf”. Jesus would have seen the Peter James & John Before. He may have even fished with them?

• In fact we know for sure that Jesus had relationship with Peter. The Bible records at least 2 occurrences where Peter & Jesus interacted before he called Peter by the Sea of Galilee:

o In John 1:42 Jesus visited Peter’s home

o In Luke 4 & Mark 1 we read of Jesus healing Peter’s Mother in Law

o In Luke 5, Jesus asked to get into Peter’s boat so he could preach.

The point is that Jesus had relationship, and continued to build his mentoring of the disciples on “relationship” & not just position alone.

2. Develop trust (Matt 15:25-32)

In the Story of Peter & Jesus walking on water, we are reading not only about faith but also trust. The disciples are in a boat, in a storm when they see Jesus walking on the Water. Jesus is not walking on a mill pond, but he is walking over crests & into the troughs of waves. Peter is relatively safe in the boat, but his mentality was; “ I would rather be “out there” walking with Jesus on the water, in the storm, doing the impossible, than relatively safe here in the boat!” Most of us would have opted for “safety”, Peter opted for “trust”. At Jesus command – Peter stepped out of the boat into “trust-land!”

With any mentoring / training, there has to be a certain level of trust. The person you are training must know that they can trust you. There are no discouraging or disparaging remarks made about them behind closed doors, but that you as the mentor have their best interest always at heart. Lack of trust can create havoc in the attempt to build generational church.

3. Establish a degree of informality

As a child I had a weird concept of Jesus, probably because of the way the movies had portrayed him. I saw him walking around, with his arms slightly outstretched, palms open towards heaven & with a deep booming, labouring voice. Literally, the view I had of Jesus & his teaching was; “Very formal & officious!”

In actual fact, the majority of Jesus teaching was informal.

In John 8:12 Jesus says; “I am the light of the World!” Jesus said this at the end of the feast of tabernacles, at a time when the great flame from the temple in Jerusalem would have been extinguished. Perhaps Jesus had been walking with his disciples, passed the temple & saw the smoke bellowing from the canister that housed this great light. Now that the light was extinguished, Jesus saw it as an opportunity to reveal to the disciples that “He was in fact the light of the world, & that he would never go out!”

Conversely, Jesus story telling ability was second to none. The parables were the informal method of teaching truth. In actual fact, Jesus was less formal & more informal then we may care to imagine.

4. Plot A – B (Jn 14:12)

In John 14:12, Jesus says; “Anyone who has faith in me will do even greater things than I have done…” Looking at the disciples at the time, this was hard to imagine, & yet the disciples were to become “miracle workers” like Jesus. John 14:12 was where the disciples would end up. A group of “confused, argumentative, & fearful” warriors are what they were at this point. And yet, training leaders is about identifying where they are now & seeing the person as they will be. To keep the eye of Point B, whilst keeping an eye on the reality of present day will avoid unrealistic expectations being placed upon the trainee.

5. Observe strengths & capitalise upon them (Matt 16:21-23)

Peter’s strength was that he was “Outspoken!” Jesus chose not to look at it as a weakness, rather strength. In fact Jesus, capitalised on this characteristic of Peter’s.

How did Jesus capitalise on it?

• Matt 17:1 – He took Peter to the Mount of Transfiguration whereby there was an outburst of a ridiculous nature form Peter

• Matt 17:24 – He included Peter in a Conversation about money & asked him for his thoughts n the issue.

• Matt 18:24 – He tolerated Peter’s questions on issues of the culture

• Matt 26:37 – He took Peter to the Garden of Gethsemane, to watch & be there

• Matt 26:69 – He allows Peter to deny Him.

• But then in ACTS 1 v12 Peter is mentioned FIRST

• In V15 Peter Speaks FIRST – Peter is now the leader.

• In Acts 2 – Who preaches? Peter! And 3000 people get saved!

This outspoken, brash characteristic was honed & fine tuned over three years so that Peter could arrive at the place where he began to speak out as the generational leader. That which you think may be a weakness in you trainee, may actually be a strength that you can capitalise on & use in the generational church

6. Sandwich Discipleship

The sandwich discipleship simply means to;

• Encourage

• Discipline

• Encourage!

Any discipline should come in the middle of a good healthy batch of encouragement, Some leaders discipline out of a place of position. The better alternative is to discipline from a place of relationship. Franklin Covey encourages us to see people’s lives as a bank account. You have a personal bank account in each person you are in relationship with. If you discipline a person, then you make a withdrawal from that account. When you encourage, you deposit into that account.

Some leaders are in their overdraft with people they are training because they have made more withdrawal than deposits. Choose to develop leaders from the place of relationship & you’ll get the best out of those you are developing. They not only enjoy serving God, but have times when they are privileged because they get to serve you

7. Give homework & evaluate (Lk 10)

In Luke 10 – Jesus sent out the 71. They later returned to Jesus rejoicing because; “…even the demons submitted to us in your name…”

In this passage, Jesus had sent out those he was training with some homework. They were to take the Kingdom of God into towns & villages. The report they gave wasn’t enough to satisfy Jesus & so he began to evaluate their work & also tell them about what their priorities should be. Jesus was evaluating what they had done.

When you sit & train, you should always give the trainee something to do. The practical application of what they have learnt is vital if they are to retain the wisdom received. Make a point of evaluating their work once it is completed.

The raising of generational leaders in the church can be a lengthy process, but it is fundamental if the church is to truly represent all ages.

Tips for leaders

Things I Wish They’d Told Me When I Started

1. Kids will leave.

I wish someone had told me this, the number of times that I sweated over this worrying and panicking, blaming myself, my wife, the youth team and God that someone had left. When it came to the crunch they chose to leave. Now I think that you need to create opportunities for people to leave. There are two main reasons… a good reason and bad reason.

A good reason could be a ministry opportunity. We lost two of our best young people when someone offered them a role as a youth pastor in another church. That’s great reason to leave. Another great reason for someone to leave is because they simply don’t flow with where you are going in terms of direction and vision.

A bad reason is when you make someone feel unwanted or not a part of what is happening. Whenever and why ever people leave – it happens. It is tough and that never changes. You should feel everyone, but it isn’t always your fault.

2. Who you are makes what you do.

Do an assessment of what you spend your time doing, probably you spend the majority of your time doing things that relate to other people, working on a programme for the young people, planning a leaders meeting, talking to someone about their life.

The greatest leaders have learnt the lesson that who you are shapes what you do. So to become better at what you do you have to work on who you are. Examine issues of your character and check your relationship with God way before you examine that of a young person. When you look at the time you give to youth ministry make sure there is a chunk of time in there for you. But what should you be doing? Here are my suggestions:

a) Read great books – ask people who you respect what they are reading, buy those books and read them slowly; reading a book is not a race but a chance to learn.

b) Listen to quality podcasts – think of world class preachers, type their names into iTunes and see what comes up!

c) Meet with a mentor – we all need them, and not just a name but a person who connects with us.

d) Pray – I know, inventive and really radical. We need to pray on our own.

e) Study the Bible – study in a way where you are finding out what the Bible is really saying and work out it’s application to your life; don’t prepare a sermon.

3. When you build leaders, leaders build young people.

Quality, fast growth is all about multiplication. Multiplication only happens when you give yourself to growing your leaders.

a) People seldom grow by accident you must plan to build people; two skills you need to develop to grow people:

i. Nurture – the process of bringing up or training.

Follow the simple acronym B.E.S.T. Believe Encourage Share Trust. Begin by letting the person you are building know that you believe in them, not in their gift or what they can do for you but simply in them. This means you hang out with them and do life together.

Encourage them – this literally means to put courage inside of them, not simply make them feel nice about themselves.

Share your life, inviting them into who you are and all that you are doing, take whatever opportunity you can to be doing things together.

Trust them with something to do that they know matters – most young leaders are under-challenged and we need to make sure that this is not the case for those we nurture.

ii. Equip – Supply with what is needed.

This can only truly happen with individuals. Look at their lives and ministries and bring them into worlds where they can learn from those who have what they need. Often for me this means getting those I believe in into someone else’s world ‘cause I know I don’t know everything! Some of the general things you can do through group teaching but for nitty gritty you must give individuals time and good training.

The difference between developing followers and leaders is focus – it is a focus on the now or a focus on the future. When you focus on the future you never look at who you have but who they could be. This is having a vision for someone else’s life maybe you will see something that no-one else can see, perhaps you will have to fight for that person to be accepted in that way. The bottom line is this you want to build a big youth group you have to build big leaders.

4.Numbers Matter – Oh yes they do.

Pet hate time – when people tell me no-one has been saved but we have really grown in God over the last… (insert time period here)… Really bugs me. With 19 million young people going to hell in this country please don’t tell me numbers don’t matter. The danger is when it is the only thing that matters. Numbers without love, faith and hope, they don’t matter. Numbers without connection with God, they don’t matter. But it does matter that we are growing and people are being added to our numbers.

Stuart Keir is a core team member of Audacious. Stuart is the Associate Director of Youth Alive UK and the Senior Pastor of London City Life Church.

That’ll do

Learning to beat the THAT’LL DO syndrome!

Do you remember getting school projects? Most of the time they were pretty boring!! At other times they were downright uncool!!!

Take the time in Primary School when I was asked to do some knitting for my project!! ME? Knitting? You must be joking! I was into football, cricket, rugby, playing army men, and blowing up dogs; knitting was strictly for the girls. I also remember once doing a cross-stitch for a school project – how embarrassing.

There were, however, other times when I actually did projects I enjoyed, like building a model of the solar system or making a chair in woodwork class.

Sometimes I would start a project with loads of enthusiasm, then after realising it wasn’t going to be as quick as I had originally thought, I would start to take short-cuts and end up making the famous old statement, “that’ll do!”

Mal Fletcher writes in his book ‘Get Real’, ‘Have you ever seen a dog climbing Mount Everest for the kicks? How about a fun-crazy cat parachuting from a plane at twenty thousand feet? OR a horse bungee jumping? How about a very fit chicken running for Olympic glory? No?’

‘Few people have, and there’s very good reason for this: only human beings are built for heroism. Oh sure, Lassie is one notable exception, but by and large we Homosapiens have cornered the market on adventurism. Every one of us wants to achieve something memorable and significant.’

It’s true, only humans have the inbuilt ability to be heroes. But heroism doesn’t come cheap or easy. To be a hero, you have to put everything into what you do to be the best you can be.

The really weird Bible

Imagine what the Bible would be like if the ‘that’ll do’ attitude was all through it. In fact, let’s imagine we’ve written a translation of the Bible called “The That’ll Do International Version!”

Imagine what the Bible would be like if God had said, “That’ll do” when He was creating the world. Every animal would have looked like a brown horse! I mean, horses are alright, but imagine trying to put a horse in a hamster cage – and how would you eat omelettes??? Eggs come from a chickens butt (nearly!?!) – I am telling you, I ain’t eating anything from a horses butt! The Bible would read something like;

In the beginning God made the heavens and the horse! Now the earth was formless and void, but God created the horse and said, “That’ll do!” Now the horse was more crafty than any other horse. The horse whispered to Eve, “Eat the apple, and while you’re at it, give me some too, I am famished!”

Jesus is the Horse of God???!!!????

Noah could have said “That’ll do” and immediately regretted building…’a canoe’ after it had been raining for a few days! It would read something like…..So Noah thought, “Blow that for a pot of honey! I am gonna built a canoe. I’ll put my wife and horse in it, but my sons are pretty good swimmers – they should be fine!”

Nehemiah could have said; “That’ll do!” and only built half of the walls around Jerusalem! It would read something like…”Ouch!!! I’m tired of hitting my thumb with the hammer!!! Hey fellas, forget it! Let’s play football instead, and when the enemies come, we’ll challenge them to a game instead of defending the city!”

David could have said, “That’ll do!” and ran off when he saw that Goliath was bigger than a brick toilet. It would read something like…”Holy cow, I didn’t think he was that big! Hey Saul, why didn’t you tell me he was that big! How can he be so big? I have never seen anyone so big! I’m outta here!”

Daniel could have said, “That’ll do!” when he was in the lions’ den, and then let the lions eat him! (If you want to know what lions look like when they are eating, go to a youth camp sometime. Dinnertime is like feeding time in the lion pit, although – the lions probably have more etiquette! (If you don’t know what etiquette means, you have proven my point!!!)) It would read something like…..”Hey fellas, if you’re gonna eat me, that’s cool, but can we get this over with quick?”

Hosea could have said, “That’ll do!” and let his wife be a prostitute for the rest of her life. (That got your attention didn’t it? AND NO, I am not telling you where you can read about that one!! and no I ain’t gonna translate it either!)

The four friends who carried the paralytic to Jesus could have said, “That’ll do!” when they saw that the room was crowded, but they didn’t. They started a demolition firm instead! It would read something like…….”Hey Mack, we had a go, sorry to get your hopes up, but look on the bright side; there’s a great kebab shop around the corner. Let’s get one – extra hot!”

Jairus could have said, “That’ll do!” when he saw that his daughter had died, but instead he went in search of Jesus. It would read something like…….”Oh well, such is life!”

Peter could have said, “That’ll do” and never have been the first man to water ski – barefoot!! It would read something like;

“Me? Walk out there? You’re joking aren’t you? I can’t even walk straight on land, let alone out there, on the water, in a storm!”

Jesus could have said, “That’ll do!” when he was in the garden of Gethsemane, but instead went all the way and died on a cross for you and me. Without that one act, life would be an absolute tragedy!!

It would read something like…..

“Me and pain don’t do too well together. I am not used to it where I am from. So Peter, you can die instead of me. Ok? Any questions?…….”

Paul could have said, “That’ll do!” when the jailers were beating the stuffing out of him. He could have said, “I can’t be bothered with this Jesus stuff!” and not written half of the New Testament. It would read something like……

“Fair crack of the whip fellas, I am trying to write the Bible here, give me a moment! What was that? If I stop writing, you’ll give me a time-share apartment in Crete? Deal! Thanks boys – I’m outta here!”

God could have said, “That’ll do!” when it came to Him helping you. It could have read…..”You are all a bunch of losers, save yourself!!”

But instead He:

“Devises ways so you can be in a relationship with Him” (2 Samuel 14:14) “Reaches down from heaven, to pick you up and make you great” (Psalm 18)

“Died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

And there are 1000’s more verses like it!

And what about history? If people had said, “That’ll do” in history, we wouldn’t have: Peanut butter, The light-bulb, The internet, Racial equality, The Simpsons, Football, Cars, McDonalds, Playstations, TV, The chair you’re sitting in, The clothes you’re wearing, In fact, pretty much everything we see!!

So then; why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, do we say, “That’ll do!” so much in life? Maybe the devil has something to do with it. If I was the devil, I would always be whispering to you, “That’ll do”, so that you always settle for average, instead of realising the power and creativity of God within you to do amazing things!!

Imagine what your life would become if you aimed to do your best in everything and decided never to think or say, “That’ll do!”……………..Life would be awesome! You would be able to achieve absolutely everything God has ordained for your life.

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‘That’ll Do’ is an extract taken from Glyn Barrett’s book ‘If I was the Devil’. Order your copy today

Staying focussed

In his book “In the Eye of the Storm”, Max Lucado tells a story of two paddleboats: They left Memphis at about the same time, travelling down the Mississippi River to New Orleans. As they travelled side by side, sailors from one vessel made a few remarks about the “snail’s pace” of the other. Words were exchanged. Challenges were made. And the race began. Competition became vicious as the two boats roared through the Deep South. One boat began falling behind. Not enough fuel. There had been plenty of coal for the trip, but not enough for a race. As the boat dropped back, an enterprising young sailor took some of the ship’s cargo and tossed it into the ovens. When the sailors saw that the supplies burned as well as the coal, they fuelled their boat with the material they had been assigned to transport. They ended up winning the race, but burned their cargo.

In some ways, your life is like that of the paddleboat. God has entrusted “cargo” to you, too. The cargo includes your spouse, your children, friends, calling & purpose. Your job is to do your part in seeing that this cargo reaches its destination (find their fulfilment). Often, in the course of the race (life) we can fall into the trap of sacrificing the “God-given cargo” in an attempt to achieve the “number one slot” or a certain status amongst peers & society. As captain of the ship, God requires you to ensure that the cargo reached its destination safely.

Luciano Pavarotti recalls something from his formative years. “When I was a boy, my father, a baker, introduced me to the wonders of song. He urged me to work very hard to develop my voice. Arrigo Pola, a professional tenor in my hometown of Modena, Italy, took me as a pupil. I also enrolled in a teachers college. On graduating, I asked my father, ‘Shall I be a teacher or a singer?’ “‘Luciano,’ my father replied, ‘if you try to sit on two chairs, you will fall between them. For life, you must choose one chair.’ “I chose one. It took seven years of study and frustration before I made my first professional appearance. It took another seven to reach the Metropolitan Opera. And now I think whether it’s laying bricks, writing a book–whatever we choose–we should give ourselves to it. Commitment, that’s the key. Choose one chair.”

Pavarotti’s sentiment is nice, but life encompasses many different areas. To focus merely on one aspect of your life, is to completely neglect every other area. The Paddleboat Captain won the race but neglected his purpose for having the boat in the first place. God has placed in each of us the creative, entrepreneurial, “impossible” ability to focus on a plurality of areas in life whilst maintaining a single focus also.

The single focus for your life has to come down to one thing……….God! In Genesis 1:1, it says; “In the beginning God…..!” In Rev 22:21, the last verse of the Bible, it says; “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ…..!” Life begins with God & finishes with God. In fact in Acts 17:28 it says, “For in him we live, and move, and have our being…” The simple truth is that – “God is the Alpha & Omega – we are just somewhere in the middle!” The single focus for your life has to be God.

But God never asks us to live as hermits, alone – so we can contemplate the deeper meanings of His intergalactic names. He puts us on the planet, with passion, purpose & people & in that, we need to be people who stay focussed to a plurality (multi-task) of causes. How do you stay focussed on many things, wear different hats (ie fulfil different roles) & still enjoy life? The answer is found in a child’s toy!

When I was a child, I had a spinning top similar to the one featured. Not an amazing toy really, only that when you spun it, it just continued to rotate until it lost its momentum & stopped. As a child I never thought about the science of the “spinning top” & even now the science doesn’t really get me going. But the effect of the top spinning, causes there to be an amazing transformation on its fascia. The colours of the top featured are – Red, Black & green. Three distinguishable colours apart from when the top is spinning. When the top spins, the colours merge into one

Sometimes in our desire to focus on the destination (ie Paddleboats), we lose sight of the actual task that God has given us. We are not just called to make an impact in the world & nation, but also have an impact on the people we do life with, ie spouse, children, friends etc. To be focussed on just one task in the long term is to have a spinning top that is standing still. We can see each individual colour & it looks great – but the spinning top is designed to SPIN! You are designed to focus on a plurality of causes. To focus on just one aspect of life is to neglect another & is akin to burning your cargo in order to win a race.

Some prioritise their life in terms of God first, family next & finally ministry or the job third. God never intended for us to have a clear-cut priority list. To be so clear cut is to have a “non – spinning” spinning top. To be so focussed on prayer that you neglect your kids is not God pleasing NOR is to be so focussed on your family that you forget church involvement.

As the top spins, the colours merge! Life is about the merging & blending of colours. You begin to realise that there are “seasons” when you should concentrate on prayer, but likewise seasons to concentrate on your family, & seasons to concentrate on prayer & seasons to concentrate on family & seasons to concentrate on prayer. The moment one is done to the neglect of another is the time when the spinning top is beginning to slow down & you need to re-arrange your focus again for another season.

The challenge is simple – “Don’t be so focussed on one thing that you forget to focus on life & ALL that entails!”

In a Berlin art gallery there is a painting by German painter Adolf Menzel (1815-1905). It is unique in that it is only partially finished. He had intended to show Fredrick the Great speaking with some of his generals. Menzel painted the generals and the background, but left the king out until last. He put the outline of Fredrick in charcoal, but died prior to finishing. There are many things to focus on in life but one thing is sure, many Christians come to end of life without ever having put Christ into his proper place! Whatever you do – put Jesus centre stage & let life flow from that!

Life

Glyn Barrett looks at some of the ingredients that make up life. It’s not all of them, but it’s a great start.

1. Life is about PERMISSION

In 1 Timothy 4:12 it says, ‘Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example.’ For many years I thought the verse was telling us to be ‘Examples’ in everything we do. Now I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t sound like fun. In school at times, the punishment inflicted on me by teachers was not worthy of the crime, they were harsh, but I was being used as an example not to break the rules so that other students did not. Being an example, sounds so …….SQUARE!!!!! Usually in school if a teacher was to name a student as an example of what a ‘model student’ was like, that poor kid would get beaten up later by his fellow students. So, who wants to be an EXAMPLE??!! But the power of the verse is actually outlined in the first two words…. ‘Don’t let’. In other words…….PERMISSION.

Paul (The writer of the book of Timothy) is writing to…..you guessed it…Timothy. HE was saying, “Hey Timothy, if you feel intimidated because of other people, it’s not their fault, it’s yours. You gave your permission to be intimidated! Don’t give your permission any more.”

How often in life do we hand out our permission so freely?;

Someone ruins our day (We have given them permission to do so)

Someone insults as & we carry it with us (We gave permission for that insult to stay with us)

Someone did something in our past. It was horrible and destructive (We gave permission for that thing that took place years ago to affect us negatively today)

The Bible is teaching us to ‘Stay in control’ of our lives and ‘NOT LET’ bad things that happen, affect us negatively over a period of time.

In short, Bad stuff DOES happen to good people, we need to learn to take it to God, and not live in the light of the past or what people say or try to do, RATHER, we should live in the light of what God has planned for our lives, and that is exciting.

2. Life is about learning to BE YOU!

We have all tried to be like someone else at sometime. Perhaps we have imitated a pop star whilst singing into the mirror. Perhaps we have dressed a certain way in an attempt to be like someone else. Perhaps we have even tried to walk or talk in a vain attempt to NOT BE OURSELVES, and be like someone else.

The first time I ever had to preach I copied the sermon word for word from an American preacher. Needless to say it was horrible & every time I have fallen into the trap of trying to be like someone else since, it has all gone horribly wrong!

In Proverbs 18:16 it says, ‘The gift makes way for the giver’. In other words God created you unique. There are things that only YOU can do, when you discover that and do it, life takes on a whole new meaning. The gifts that God has given you, go before you and open the way for you. You walk into opportunity & more opportunity because God has made you to be you & blesses you to be you.

There are two great days in your life. The day you are born & the day you realise what you are born for. Instead of being like another person, spend some time talking to God and reading the Bible & discover what you were born for. BE YOU, because YOU do YOU the best!

3. Life is understanding YOU ARE IT!

‘Your young & carefree and next thing you know you are in University & moving on into a job (possibly marriage) & or further education’. There are always moments in life that are ‘Wake up call moments’. My daughter is five years old. When she was two, I was sitting in my back garden when I suddenly realised, ‘I have a swing in my back garden & it’s not mine, it’s my daughters’. I then realised ‘I have a daughter, a mortgage, a wife……..and a SWING!’ The last thing I knew I was 12, now I am 29 and I have a swing!’

Those moments make you realise – you are it! You can’t defer to other people and expect Mum to pick up your socks forever. You can’t always play on the PS2 and eat Pizza with your friends. You are IT & if life is gonna kick it, you’ve gotta get down to business and make some serious decisions about you life!

In Ezekiel 22:30 in the Bible, God says, ‘I looked for one person who would stand in the Gap on behalf of the city!’ God is still looking for a generation of people who will stand up and be counted, People who will say, ‘I am it – I am going to make life count on behalf of God in my school, college, university, family & career’

4. Life is about finding RESONANCE!

Resonance is a musical term. If you were to get two grand pianos in a room & play middle C, resonance would take place. The string on that piano would vibrate and you would hear a sound. That sound would move from the piano go through the windows and doors, bounce off the walls, in one of your ears and out the other but eventually that note would find middle C on the other Piano, and that string would begin to vibrate also. Nobody has played the Middle C key on the second piano, it merely resonates with the first one.

Life is about identifying resonance. You will best understand it when you hear someone speaking and your heart skips a beat & you come alive to something. In all the relationships I build with people throughout the world, the first thing I look for is resonance. I ask myself, ‘When I hear that person talk, do I come alive?’ If the answer is yes, then I make the choice to connect with that person.

Resonance is Biblical too. In Luke 23:32, men had ‘Resonance when they were with Jesus’! There hearts BURNED while Jesus was talking. That’s what Church, youth & your next youth conference should be like.

Don’t just go to every Christian camp and conference, find a place that connects with you & makes you come alive – LIFE will then take an exciting turn for the better.

5. Life is about BEING BRITISH! (Sorry if you’re not!!)

In Australia as a child we used to play a game called ‘British Bulldog’. One of the kids would stand in front of all his mates and say, ‘Come over’ and the idea of the game was that the kids would run from one side of the field to another, and the poor guy in the middle had to tackle another child to recruit them into helping him catch others.

I was always intrigued that the game was called British bulldog and not Australian Kangaroo or French poodle or German Shepherd. It was called British Bulldog because it sums up something that made Britain Great!

It is a spirit or attitude that says, ‘I may be small, but I’ll ave you!’ Britain is only a small nation, but its empire spanned the globe, and even today many countries around the world pay allegiance to the Queen of England.

David had that attitude in the Bible when He fought Goliath ( See 1 Sam 17). He said to Goliath, ‘I may be small, BUT I’ll ave you’ (Perhaps David was British!)

When the power of God (see Acts 2) meets a young person who is ready to be used by God, the effects are incredible. Literally you have an attitude that says, ‘I may be small but I’ll ave you’. Your school, college, or university is no longer too big to reach for God. Your village, town or city is no longer unreachable with the Gospel. Your huge problems are now not going to stop you any more……..WHY…..two reasons…………(1) Your British (2) The Power of God is within you and so……………….You may be small, but you can have a massive influence!

6. Life is about making CHRIST YOUR ALL!

In Colossians 3:4, Paul says, ‘When Jesus, who is your life, appears……’ I love that statement. Jesus is not just an added extra to life, a little bonus to help us get through. He’s not the buy 1 get 1 free kind of deal you get at ASDA, he is your life!

Often in church, we can get caught up with stuff. In fact, life becomes full of stuff! We leave home to go to university or we get married and get a little house and we buy stuff to fit in it. Soon, we have more than enough stuff, and we buy a shed and fill it and the attic with stuff. We then buy a bigger house and realise, we haven’t got enough stuff to fill it, so we buy more, then build another shed and fill that attic. Some people even pay to store their stuff in warehouses – life gets so full of stuff, it gets stuffed.

Often our Christianity becomes a focus on stuff! The style, the program, the people, the songs, the pastor, blah blah blah and we often lose sight of the main attraction which is Jesus, who incidentally isn’t a side attraction, he is the main attraction.

Don’t just fall in love with going to church, fall in love again with the person who died to make the church possible….Jesus. If life becomes centred on church, you’ll get disappointed, because people are in church and they disappoint. But if you centre your life of JESUS, then you can cope with difficulties and problems at church, because you have learnt to get your life source from Jesus who NEVER disappoints!

7. Life is about HAVING FUN!

Who wants to be boring? (I can’t see many hands going up).

I think God has an image problem! There is nothing wrong with God, it’s his image that has a problem. The Bible says in Genesis 1:26 that man is created in God’s image. The Christian’s “job” is to represent God to a lost and dying world who is looking for answers but only finding a temporary fill for an eternal problem…..the need for a Saviour.

The nation has an image of Jesus that is a far cry from the real Jesus of the Bible. For the Christian, people who don’t know God should be saying to them….’I don’t know what you are smoking, drinking, chewing or injecting, BUT I have got to get some of that’

The bible calls the gospel ‘GOOD NEWS’. Notice it is good news and not bad news. Some churches and Christians look like bad news, but the gospel is good news.

The good news is that it is ok to have fun. Enjoy life and the secret is out ……………’God’s way is best!’

I love doing life with God – IT IS FLIPPIN’ BRILLIANT

Enthusiasm

Enthusiasm is the missing ingredient in many churches and youth groups. I want to stir you up to a dangerous and contagious level of enthusiasm that will definitely be caught by all who surround you.

Read: Acts 3: 8-10, Acts 4: 3, Acts 3:10-11, Acts 17: 6

In Acts 3 verse 8 we read how a man responds to God as a result of receiving his healing:

‘He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them to the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God.’

1. Enthusiasm Is For Church On Sunday

The first thing he does in his enthusiasm is take it into church. Notice that, ‘he went with them into the temple courts.’

One of the greatest hypocrisies within Christianity today has to be the Christian who jumps around like crazy at a football game or in response to some good news at work, but sits sullenly in church on a Sunday, and rarely breaks into smile. Somehow, the church has become the holding station for ‘all things dull and horrible.’ Many people in society choose not to go to church on Sunday because the very mention of the word ‘CHURCH’ is enough to bring mind images of irrelevance, tedium and the smell of mothballs. But in this passage in Acts, enthusiasm went first into church.

Challenge: What do you think you could do to bring more enthusiasm into the life of your church and youth group?

2. Enthusiasm Catches Up With Your Face & The Body

Verse 8 says that he went to church “walking and jumping”

There are many Christians who don’t show much “enthusiasm” in their worship or even in their Christian lifestyle. The comment may often be heard, “I am enthusiastic on the inside.” If ever a lie was told, that is one! The reality about enthusiasm is that it catches up with your face and your body.

Picture school: you are in class; your teacher is the meanest in the whole school. You are not allowed to mess about in class because your teacher is liable to ‘eat you’ or some other ghastly thing. So what happens when your friend says something funny and you get the giggles? The more you try to suppress the laughter, the more it flows until you can’t help but laugh out loud.

In Acts 3, the man is happy and enthusiastic on the inside and it shows on his face and in his movements. The point is simple: if you are happy on the inside, your face and body reflect it. Enthusiastic church worship is not displayed by solemn faces. There are times to be solemn, but there should always be times of overboard praise and worship.

(N.B. The dictionary defines enthusiasm, ‘to rave to go into raptures and to go overboard’)

Challenge: Try smiling today to show how great life is with God!

3. Enthusiasm Is The True Response Of A Worshipper

Verse 9 says “When all the people saw him walking and praising God.”

His walking and jumping were evidence to all bystanders that he was praising God. There was something right and good about the man’s response to what God had done. There was no debate from the religious onlookers who were questioning his right to dance. There was no deacon asking the “revolutionary” to be a little quieter. Not even the temple priest challenged the man or asked him to stand solemnly so he could give a “proper” response to God. His jumping and leaping and walking were fitting for the occasion. The man had just been healed from an inability to walk. Nothing was going to stop him from showing his praise to God with everything that was within him.

Challenge: Respond with Enthusiasm to whatever life throws at you this week.

4. Enthusiasm Is A Recipe For Trouble

One of the consequences of enthusiasm is that it has a habit of creating trouble.

In Acts 4:3, Peter and John are placed in jail as a result of a man’s healing and his subsequent outburst of enthusiasm. Peter is compelled to preach about what happened to the man. If the man had said a quiet “Thank you” to Peter and John and walked off into the sunset, then Peter would never have been compelled to preach. And he would never have been placed in jail.

But then again, Revolutionaries don’t mind causing trouble, it’s what Revolutionaries do. (See Acts 17v6)

Challenge: Do something extra enthusiastic, even if everyone mocks you.

5. Enthusiasm Is Evangelism

In Acts 3:10-11 it says,

“They recognised him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. While the beggar held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon’s Colonnade.”

The man’s healing and enthusiastic response to God caused people to sit up and take notice. It made people ask different questions from the one’s they had previously been asking about church.

When they see the enthusiasm of Revolutionaries, the questions asked about church and Christians change. Their questions progress into statements like, “I have to get some of that”, “Can God do the same for me too?” and “If He can do it for you, He can do it for me”, “I need to know your God”.

Challenge: Next time something great happens to you make sure you shout about it and let everyone see how amazing God is.

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Audacious Revolutionaries by Glyn Barrett originally published by Cross Rhythms on 03/03/06. For more Life Files visit the Cross Rhythms website at www.crossrhythms.co.uk

Communicating well

Communication is the art of taking what you know & connecting with people in such a way that they want to grow & move into that which you have communicated to them. Glyn Barrett, motivational speaker, travels internationally motivating young people to live life at the next level, and gives his top tips on excellent communication.

How to be an excellent communicator

Communication is one of the first skills a human learns. If you have ever seen a baby, you will notice that soon after birth that little bundle of ‘joy’ realises that the ‘cry’ invokes certain responses from parents. At first, the parents are at the whim of the babies cry, however every parent knows that there are different forms of crying. There is a cry that says, ‘I’m hungry!’ another which says, ‘I’ve got trapped wind!’, another which says ‘I want some attention’ and still another that communicates a dislike to the big brother banging the baby on the head with an inflatable cricket bat. The baby learns that the way it communicates has the effect of getting the response he requires.

Understanding the response you require determines the manner in which you will communicate to your listener. What are some of the keys to effective communication?

1. Passion

‘Be still when you have nothing to say; when genuine passion moves you, say what you’ve got to say, and say it hot.’ D. H. Lawrence (1885 – 1930)

What can be worse than listening to people who seemed bored with the content they are communicating? The teachers from school we remember the most were the ones who taught their subjects with a passion to get their students to catch their passion for the subject. Passion is not taught, it is caught!

2. Conviction

Never give in–never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy. Sir Winston Churchill (1874 – 1965), Speech, 1941, Harrow School.

Passion is the fruit of conviction. When you have a conviction that what you are saying is true and or beneficial for the listener, you will speak with a greater degree of passion. Conviction is found through, research, personal experience & belief. Belief in what you are communicating is essential to influencing the listener to take on board and process your words.

3. Understand & be clear

Clarity of mind means clarity of passion, too; this is why a great and clear mind loves ardently and sees distinctly what it loves. Blaise Pascal (1623 – 1662)

I have discovered that when I have been unclear on the subject I am trying to convey, it has taken me longer to deliver the concept. When you understand clearly what you are trying to get across, you are more able to speak simply, with clarity & thus enabling your listener to run with that which you are communicating. The most irritating speakers, are those who are trying to communicate a concept they are yet to grasp. You can see them squirming as they speak, because it is not clear to them & therefore not clear to anyone else. (I know this from personal experience). The lesson is K.I.S.S – Keep It Simple Stupid!

4. Keep them guessing

Every listener has a ‘broker area’. As you read this now you are employing your ‘broker area’. The broker area is the part of your mind that likes to finish sentences for people, or work out the plot of a movie before it ends. If I was to count 1…..2….3….out loud, your mind would immediately count 4 before I had a chance to. If the listener can guess what is coming, they will switch off. You have become boring because they are ahead of you. Surprise the listener. Don’t just speak on subjects from the usual angle. Be a 3-Dimensional speaker! We all know about the story of Larry Walters who attached balloons to his deck chair and floated to 11000 ft. But why not speak about Larry Walters from the view of his best mate, his wife or even one of the balloons attached to the chair. Thinking out of the box is essential to good communication.

5. Tell story (Imagination)

To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk. Thomas A. Edison (1847 – 1931) ‘Imagination is more important than knowledge… ‘ Albert Einstein (1879 – 1955)

Who doesn’t like a good story? Every child wants one at night, every adult wants to read a good one or watch a good one unfold on DVD or at the cinema. A good story telling ability is crucial. Jesus Christ was one of the greatest communicators of all time. He influenced a worldwide revolution in thinking, attitude and behaviour and yet he communicated through parables (stories).

The best way to learn story telling is to tell children stories. They will be honest enough to let you know if you are great, average or boring. If you can hold a child glued to a story, then you will find that captivating the attention of an adult is even easier!

6. Practice

Practice is the best of all instructors. Publilius Syrus (~100 BC) Habit, my friend, is practice long pursued, that at last becomes man himself. Evenus

Stand in front of the mirror. Practice your address to an imaginary audience. Imagine their response; pause for laughter, learn the content. Every great communicator practiced for a long time before you got to hear them.

7. Process

The process by which you think through your address is essential for clear delivery of your message. One of the clearest ways of processing your address is to think POINT, ILLUSTRATION, APPLICATION. In each part of your delivery, make a simple point, illustrate it through story and then apply it to your listener. Whether you are making ten points or two – State the point, tell the story & apply it to your listener. It is simple, effective & fun. (Remember the broker area!!)

Enjoy communicating, but even better, may the people who are listening to you enjoy what you say.

Living like a spaceship

This year when I was in South Africa, my son Jaedon was approached by a friend who asked him a very interesting question. (Jaedon was two and a half at the time and he had been wearing a tracksuit top with the word ‘LEGEND’ on the back.) My friend said, ‘Jaedon, are you a legend?’ Jaedon thought about it for a while and then replied, ‘No, I’m a spaceship!’ We laughed, but it got me thinking……

Jaedon was wearing clothes that labelled him, in this case, as a ‘legend’. My friend confirmed what the clothing said, and asked Jaedon if it was indeed true that he was a legend.

In life, so many things label you. Your clothes label you as something; people label you as something else (through their words and actions towards you). In that one small profound moment, Jaedon decided that he wasn’t going to be what his clothes said he was and he certainly wasn’t going to be labelled or defined by what someone called him. He wasn’t having any of it. He wasn’t a legend, he was a SPACESHIP!

When I was in school, I was bullied for several years. I began to think and act like a victim. It became a habit to me. I was used to thinking like a victim. I was used to behaving like a victim. But God helped me to see that I was NOT THAT man! I was able to throw off a label (bullied) that had contained me for a long time, and I was able to live a different life.

In the Bible, Jesus helps us to see that we need not be labelled or defined by things that have contained us! Maybe you have been labelled by your past, the future, your emotional or mental state, regrets, fears or failures. Jesus says, ‘I have come that (you) may have life, and have it to the full.’

The story of Jesus is all about how He came to prove that only He could give FULL, MAXIMUM, ABUNDANT life.’ He proved it by doing miracles (impossible feats that only God could perform).

There are over 30 distinct miracles that Jesus accomplished; one of the most famous is that he healed a man with leprosy. That man had been known as ‘The man with leprosy’ for a long time. He was defined by his leprosy, yet in a moment Jesus took away the very thing that labelled him. He was no longer ‘The man with leprosy.’ He was now to be known as……. ‘The man’.

Similarly, when Jesus raised ‘the dead girl’ to life. She changed her label and now became, ‘the girl.’

We read about ‘The deaf and mute man,’ who became ‘the man’. Also ‘The paralysed man’ who became ‘the man.’ Don’t forget ‘The boy with the evil spirit’ who became ‘the boy’ or ‘the crippled woman’ became ‘the woman.’

For each of these people, Jesus took off their label. He changed the thing that contained them and helped them to really live life the way it was meant to be lived.

The great miracle of Jesus for you is that you no longer need to live your life defined and labelled. You are no longer dysfunctional, fat, a loser, forgotten, rich, poor, smart, stupid, black, white, the son of your father or daughter of your mother, a widow, alone. You are no longer just the result of life’s circumstance. You are now:

The man, the woman, the kid, the boy, the girl.

When Jesus says, ‘I’ve come to give you life to the full’, it means that you are no longer defined by what’s happened, but rather ‘whose’ you are!

The Bible says in John 1:12, ‘To all who receive Him, to those who believe in Him, He gave the right to become the children of God!’ Who are you? If you say yes to God, you become a child of God and that means that God gives you the power to become the person He destined you to be. Instead of life defining you, you are now able to bring definition to life.

You are not a legend, you are a spaceship!

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Living Like A Spaceship by Glyn Barrett originally published by Cross Rhythms on 15/07/06. For more Life Files visit the Cross Rhythms website at www.crossrhythms.co.uk

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