I had an overwhelming experience at church this morning. I help lead a class that targets our homeless population. This morning we had almost 30 people in our class. In the last few weeks we have had three people get jobs and they are now looking for housing. This is exhilarating to me, but the really cool part is what else is happening–story time…
First, let me tell you about a friend that I will call Bob (not his real name). We helped him get a job about a month ago. He was able to get a little car and moved out of the warehouse and into his car. With his first pay check he went and bought some whole turkeys and brought them to the church. He said that because the church had done so much to help him, he wanted to give something back.
Second, this morning was amazing. One of the guys in the class, who has recently gotten a job, fixed up some used bicycles and brought them to the other members of our class so that they could have transportation to job interviews. Then a senior adult ladies class heard what was going on and has offered to donate the money for this guy to continue buying bikes and fixing them so that everyone in the class can have some type of transportation.
Third, we have had several who have committed their lives to following the way of Christ who have NEVER been into our sanctuary. They wouldn’t feel comfortable there, but we have made a place for them to connect in community.
Geez! I sat in the class witnessing the church in action. Unbelievable. Don’t know what else to say.
In 1982, Mother Theresa was asked to come and help rebuild a children's hospital and orphanage in war-stricken Beirut. After convincing the Israeli army and Palestinian guerrillas to temporarily cease fire, she agreed. When her plane arrived, the heads of government and thousands of people showed up to see her and her entourage begin their mission. They'd expected Mother Theresa to bring an army of volunteers, equipment, and supplies to rebuild the war ravaged area. They'd organized dozens of vehicles and security personnel to escort Mother Theresa and her crew to the hospital. Instead, to everyone's surprise, she walked off the plane alone. She met the heads of government and immediately asked them to bring her to the site where the children were being kept.
When she arrived, 37 wounded and mentally handicapped children lay in a tent near the ruins of their former orphanage and hospital. With a crowd of hundreds looking on, Mother Theresa ran up to one of the children, held him in her arms, and began praying and rocking the child back and forth.
After 10 minutes, a weeping woman ran up to Mother Theresa and told her that she would bring the child into her family and raise it as her own. Mother Theresa then ran to the next child and did the same thing. Within an hour and a half, ALL of the children had been adopted into loving homes. She had done what she went there to do. She was driven back to the airport, and within 3 hours of her arrival, she departed having rebuilt that community. We all know Mother Theresa for being a woman who was on a mission. What we need to understand is that she WAS the mission. She lived by being an example to us all.
You can read the full post here..."Coming out of high school, they said he couldn't shoot," Orestes Meeks confided.
"Who said that?" a reporter asked.
"You'd be surprised how many people," Orestes said.
Hopefully none of them is a college basketball coach.
I am glad that Meeks didn't let those words define him. Have you been told that you were no good at something, but it is the very thing that you want to be good at? Marcus Buckingham defines strengths as something that makes you feel strong, not necessarily something that you are good at. You can improve an area if it makes you feel strong.I have had this experience when people have told me that I wasn't a "great communicator." This devestated me because that is precisely what I feel strong doing. This story about Meeks lets us know that people's assessment of us should be taken to heart, but not allowed to define us. If he had given up he would have never dropped 54 on the Volunteers of TN.
If the marketplace isn't talking about you, there's a reason.If people aren't discussing your products, your services, your cause, your movement or your career, there's a reason.
The reason is that you're boring. (I guess that's what boring means, right?) And you're probably boring on purpose. You have boring pricing because that's safer. You have a boring location because to do otherwise would be nuts. You have boring products because that's what the market wants. That boring staff? They're perfectly well qualified...
You don't get unboring for free. Remarkable costs time and money and effort, but most of all, remarkable costs a willingness to be wrong.
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