Everybody wants to be an expert.

Today's post is from one of the most inspiring people I know, Nick Cerda. Nick writes an excellent blog titled, "Nick Cerda.". Please go to his blog (www.nickcerda.org) to read all of his insights on leadership and life.I encourage you to follow Nick's blog & follow him on Twitter.

Everybody wants to be an expert.

Why?

Nobody listens if you’re not. We gain and maintain credibility by being knowledge about any given field. Leadership, management, athletics, etc all have one thing in common- nobody listens to you until you have something worth saying and they know you have something worth saying because you’ve done or are doing something significant.

We all have a story to tell. We are all responsible to tell it. How do we get people to listen?

It’s simple. Do something significant and somebody will listen. Do quite a few significant things and more people with listen. So in short…be significant. Go ahead, get started.

Good luck with that.

Maybe there’s a better way?



Anything worth doing is worth doing. I know that sounds silly. It might not even make sense. Let me explain.

We often wait to start a new habit until we have time. We never tell our story because we don’t think our story is worth telling… yet. We don’t write because we aren’t ready. We don’t lead because we aren’t ready. We don’t take the next step because we just don’t feel ready.

We don’t feel ready because we aren’t prepared. We haven’t done enough research. We’re afraid we’ll fail.

Stop waiting.

Start doing.

Anything worth doing is worth doing, even for a short amount of time. How do you think these “experts” get good at something in the first place? They did “it” when no one was watching. They did “it” before they were ready. They did “it” before they felt prepared and long before they were certain they would ever be any good at “it”.

We want guaranteed success before we venture out and take risks. That’s never going to happen.

Stop waiting. Start doing.

Being Punched in the FACE by your Best Friend

When I was little, I remember walking into the kitchen to find my father running cold water over his hand.  During his nightly "walk-through" (this is when dad would check every door, every lock, every window, all the burners on the stove, the oven and every light in the house)  he had discovered that one of the stove burners had been left on. 

This is why he was running the cold water on his hand.
And this is why he had told me to avoid touching the burner.

You guesssed it, I open-palmed the burner as soon as the "er" had left his mouth.
That night, both of us were shoulder to shoulder, sharing the cold water.

The above story reminds me of something that the wise author of Proverbs communicated centuries ago.

"Better is an open rebuke, than love that is concealed. 

Faithful are the wounds of a friend,

but deceitful are the kisses of an enemy."

(Proverbs 27: 5-6)

The basic point is something we all need to grasp:  Withholding the truth is not the loving thing to do.  By today's standards, the author of Proverbs would be shunned.  The reason is because our society is so thin skinned and politically correct, that we all walk around afraid to open our mouths -even when our words can help someone.  And I get it, telling the truth can be tough.  Many times, we battle wanting to be liked rather than wanting to share the gravity of the situation with a person.  So you will have to ask yourself if being liked is more important to you than being an honorable person.

Check out the the Proverb again.

Notice the word, "wound?"  That word can also be translated as, "bruise."

The irony is thick in the verse, as the person delivering the wounds is considered a friend.  Yes, the friend is the one that just balled up his fist and hit you upside your hard head.

-Did you know that your best friends will be the ones that tell  you the most truth?

If you are honest, I bet you can think back to a time when someone that loved you had the courage to be honest with you. 

Henry David Thoreau has been quoted as saying, "Between whom there is hearty truth, there is love" and the humorous Oscar Wilde once said, "A good friend will always stab you in the front."

How true.

The challenge of this Proverb is to love the people God has placed in your life enough to speak the truth to them.  Many are walking around with their hand hovering over red-hot decisions that will burn them if they just move a few more inches. 
Maybe you should help?
Ask yourself: Has God placed you in a person's life to help them avoid being scarred by a bad decision? 

Man's Bestie: A Dog's Tale

A dog wags its tail with its heart.

-Martin Buxbaum

Last Christmas we got Charlie this chew toy from L L Bean.
He loves it!

This may strike you as odd, but every night we go through a ritual.
It starts as Christen gets into the bed.
Then, Charlie jumps up in MY spot declaring me floor material.
Then, I kick Charlie off and explain to him that he is indeed still a dog.

After he runs down his toy, he plays "chase me till I let go" for the next 15 minutes.

OK.
Dogs are smart, but when it comes to Charlie, he is the Doggy-Howser of animals!

 

For some reason Charlie has always loved to destroy things.
You are witnessing the destruction of a softball...
As to date, this is # 103,309,930,939 balls destroyed by Charlie.

“A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.”

― Josh Billings

How to Save your Pastor's Life.

Go ahead and Google search this phrase, "pastors and depression" or "pastors and anxiety." You will find that being in the ministry ranks among the highest of all professions in terms of stress, pressure on one's family, and health issues.

So if you are the type that loves your pastor, and wants to do something to help protect and ensure that they stay a while in the ministry, here is some helpful advice.

Recently I read a book titled "Who's got your Back" by Keith Ferrazzi. In the book he highlights the fact that every professional person needs two people in their lives in order to be successful.

A mentor relationship and a lifeline relationship.

A mentor is important because it involves surrounding yourself with a person that is more seasoned in your area of business than you are. Usually a mentor is someone that is older, wiser, and has been around the block (several times). In short, they have the privilege of offering you seasoned advice from the vantage of hindsight.

The other important relationship, the lifeline relationship, is a bit different.
Again, the mentor is someone that is older and wiser; while the lifeline relationship is different because this person is your peer. A lifeline relationship is basically between equals. This could be other coworkers, old college friends that are in the same business or season in life, or it could be a wise friend that you dialogue with about your work.

Both are very important in the life of a pastor. Let me tell you with absolute honesty; if it were not for the mentors in my life there is no way that I would be the person that I am today.
Biblically speaking, think of how Barnabas in the book of Acts was a mentor to Paul or how Paul himself was a mentor to young Timothy. In both cases it took an older, wiser person to take under their wing someone less mature but at the same time eager to learn. If I were a betting man, I would bet that most pastors have had their share of mentors.

This is why in order to save the life of your pastor you need to find him a lifeline relationship. Your pastor needs to have a person that is a peer, a person that he can come and talk to and share his heart with. Put yourself in the shoes of the minister, who often times is put on a very high pedestal by his congregation. Many times this is precisely what leads to the anxiety, depression and stress in his life. Not having anyone to turn to, he keeps his struggles within his own heart.

The irony of it all is that he will spend much of his time sitting across people that share all their insecurities, hurts and personal struggles; yet after days, months or years, no one ever thinks that the person sitting across from them, the Pastor, has any needs.

The lifeline relationship is absolutely vital for the minister.

I wonder if you, reading this right now, would offer yourself as a genuine lifeline to your pastor? Someone that has no other agenda than to absorb some of his concerns, absorb some of his pain, and listen as he bears his heart.

Phony Faith

Before James Garfield became president of the United States, he was president of Hiram college. One day a father asked him about the curriculum, so Garfield began to list the courses the son would have to take to receive his degree.

The man, obviously irritated, interrupted and said, "Mr. Garfield, that is far too much work for the degree that he will get. Couldn't you make it easier?"

"Yes, I suppose I could," replied Garfield.

"But I am reminded that when God wants to build a tall, strong oak tree, he takes 100 years. But he only takes three months to make a squash.

What do you want your son to be an oak tree or squash?"

This story applies in a spiritual sense as well.
See, many people just scratch the surface in their faith walk. In a real way, they resemble a scratch lottery ticket. Take a nickel, scratch the surface with a light pressure ... and they are revealed for what they truly are --welcome to Phony Faith.
After the thin outer surface is brushed away, all that is left underneath is a puny list of do's & don'ts.

I have heard it said that it is better to have faith 2 inches wide and 2 miles deep rather than 2 miles wide and 2 inches deep.

The disciples themselves asked Jesus to increase their faith. I think they knew full well that they could not embark on the mission of spreading the gospel while being a squash.

-And neither can you or I.

Are you tired of just going through the motions?

I hate to break it to you, but Jesus did not come to this earth to modify your behavior, He came to transform your heart.
And this takes a faith that is substantial.