Author Archives: Bill Stipp

What are your gifts?

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This week noted the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous, “I Have a Dream Speech.” One of the awesome benefits of being an elected official is that you are exposed to a wide range of experiences and information. Each year, various groups in our West Valley celebrate MLK Day with some type of program and they invite their elected officials. This year we attended a program hosted by a group in an Active Adult Community who call themselves “Just Folks”. They bring in young African American high school and college kids to speak about what Martin Luther King Jr. means to them. In a printed litany, they quoted from a sermon he delivered on August 11, 1957.

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘what are you doing for others?’ An individual has not begun to live until he can rise above the narrow horizons of his particular individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity. Every person must decide at some point, whether they will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.”

We have all benefited from the deeds and sacrifices of those before us. They left a mark for us and now it is our responsibility to make contributions for the greater good. The freedoms we enjoy, the privileges we have as free citizens have all come at cost to someone. Have you ever thought about the legacy that you will leave? We might not be in the national spotlight but we can always make a difference right where we are.

“A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed” – Proverbs 11:25

God has given us all great talents, not for our own benefit but for the benefit of others. God never wanted us to be selfish or alone; He wanted us in fellowship with each other. If we have talents, God has given us enough to share. If you Google “Spiritual Gifts” you will find a number of resources to help you determine what gifts you have and how you can use them. Once you know how God has gifted you, you can start sharing them with others. Living the example of Jesus is pleasing to God and will make a difference in someone’s life. Sure, a difference for one person might not seem like a big deal but what if that person goes on to make a difference for 1000 people and then one of them goes on to make a difference for millions. Like dropping a rock in the water, the single act can send waves that are immeasurable.

Planning

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Do you start your workweek with a plan? How about the workday? Planning for some people is very easy while others struggle to get out the front door on time each day. We can plan for something as short-term as the morning or for the long-term when dealing with a strategic plan or long-range workplans. Whichever you are doing, a plan always starts with the end in mind. What is it you want to do or accomplish? Some call that the vision but the end is simply knowing what you are planning for. The best analogy is taking a car trip. We start by knowing where we want to go and then we look for routes to get us there. Along the way we look for cities or towns where we can stop for fuel or grab something to eat and for longer trips, we look for somewhere to stop for the night and make reservations. Whether you are doing long or short range planning, the process is virtually the same. Write down the goal or end and workout a route to get there. Whether you are doing some personal growth planning or directing the work of a team, route the course to get to the end. Write down your goal and the steps (course) to get there. Share it with members of your work-team or for those personal goals; share them with close friends to make it more meaningful and to get support from those who might help along the way. Consider them your “reservations” for points along the way. You will need support to achieve your goals and a good plan will make the path that you take a little more direct.

“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.” – Proverbs 16:3

I have written before about God’s plan for us. If we let God direct our lives, we cannot fail and we will glorify Him. It sounds like we’d be using God as our Google Maps and letting Him pick the path for us. While it sounds easier that way, its not what God wants for us. He wants us to enjoy our lives, love our neighbors and most of all, He wants us to be faithful to Him – Commit to the Lord. If we work with the goal of being faithful to God in Heaven, doing what He commands, sharing the good news of a savior in Jesus Christ, how can we go off course? God loves us and has rewarded our faithfulness by sending His Son to die for our sins so that we may live with Him in Glory for all of eternity. The irony in that is there is no end. Our lives here on earth will end, so we must make plans to Glorify God in whatever we do. At work, be honest, work hard, be obedient and support those around you. In your life you can bring Glory to God through regular worship, bible study, Christian fellowship and supporting your fellow man. When your walk in life is in step with God’s, your plans will succeed because your goals are the same – sharing eternity with each other.

Outlook for 2013

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We are starting a new year with the fiscal cliff being pushed a little farther up the hill. For some of us, this is a sign to be optimistic. Others will simply delay their dreams until something more certain happens. How have these past few years been for you? Tough is my guess. If you think about it, you have been provided for in some way. Sure, your hours at work have been cut or there’s been no overtime to supply the extra buffer of cash you counted on but you have still been provided for. It’s hard to think positively about 2013 when the past few years have been such a struggle. Think about what makes you happy at home and at work and focus on those things. Many people have “re-invented” themselves these past few years when a job loss or change forced it. What do you want  to do? Is there something that you’ve always dreamed of doing? Now may be the time to do it. The world that we knew has changed and doors are being opened for people in a lot of unusual ways, they just don’t see it. If you are in a position of leadership, you should be finding ways to open doors for your people. As a subordinate, you should seek opportunities to expand your experiences by offering to help your boss with their projects. If you feel “stuck” in your job with no hope, look outside of your current position for a new future. They say it’s always easier to find a job when you have one. If you are without one or are “underemployed”, follow your passion! One small opportunity can turn into a bigger one if you are enjoying your life in the sunshine instead of under the dark clouds.

“…God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:19

So many people think that they are in control of their destiny and that if THEY don’t do things it won’t happen. As Jesus would say “Those Fools!” God has said throughout the bible that He has the plans and that they are not for us to know. He also promises to meet all of our needs as He does here. Paul reminds the Philippians that God will meet their needs. What God doesn’t promise is that he’ll meet the needs that WE desire. We have to remember that what we need to sustain us here in this life is NOT the same as what we need to sustain ourselves for eternity. Paul reminds the Philippians (and us) that we need the riches of Christ Jesus, our savior. God wants us to be happy in this life and he wants us to keep our focus on Him, not our happiness. If you are down about the upcoming year, send your cares to God through prayer. He didn’t finish His work when He raised Jesus from death; He was just sending us a message about where to focus our lives. Live to His glory and He will meet all of your needs.

Milestones

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As we close 2012, many of you are considering New Year’s Resolutions. We make these year after year but many are not followed through on. I’m suggesting something different for 2013: set specific goals with a specific vision in mind. What are you trying to do? Do you want to loose weight? What is your vision of that? For some, it’s a new dress one size smaller or attending a school reunion 10 pounds less. Can you see what that looks like? Set milestones along the way so you have stages along the way to meet. Celebrate arriving at each milestone and then keep moving forward. If you are leading people, push them to set goals. If you are leading a division or a larger business component, set the vision for everyone to see, layout the course and get to work. Have faith in yourself and your organization: 2013 will be a great year!

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1

Have faith or keep the faith are two phrases we hear often. The Internet story about a little who talks about God in school is a perfect fit here. When asked about what she’d like to see if she were to go into space, little Suzy said confidently “I’d like to see God”. The teacher said “Oh Suzy, there is no such thing as God”, to which Suzy replied, “Yes there is”. The teacher asked her “Have you ever seen God Suzy? If you can’t see it, it’s not real”. Suzy thought for a moment and then asked “Teacher, have you ever seen a billion dollars?” The teacher shook her head no. Suzy said “But you believe it exists don’t you?” There is a lot of debate about Darwinism, Creationism, Big Bang Theories, etc. I’d like to suggest that we might not be able to determine with scientific certainty what the human truth is. We can however, be certain of this: God’s truth is eternal. We need faith going forward into a new year, being sure of what we hope for. Faith in the triune God will lead to eternal life and while we can’t see it; we know it in our hearts – right where God put it.

Stars

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Most people who rise to a leadership position are considered “stars”. Even in politics they talk about the “rising stars of the party”. I’ve said here before that leadership is an honor and a privilege that when accepted, comes with great responsibility. The biggest mistake new leaders make is thinking that they are done learning. To remain wise, all good leaders need to remain current on trends and remain inspired to lead others. We all find inspiration in different forms, so it is important to know how you are inspired. When a leader is inspired, they will inspire those around them. Even the brightest stars will eventually burn out. Leading is about inspiring others to greatness. Many professionals are required to seek “continuing education” in order to remain current. A leader should do it because they want to not because they have to.

“Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.” Daniel 12:3

Leading others to righteousness sounds like a big task, let alone lead many to righteousness. In typical human fashion, we can’t see ourselves doing that. God gave the world, in a single star shining in the darkness of the North, THE light of the world. Jesus spread the word of God with only 12 disciples. Out of a single man – a single star – came the salvation for all mankind. The analogies are plentiful here – a single flashlight can lead to safety, a single decision, etc. God gave us freedom from sin and everlasting life through His son, one man, Jesus Christ. When you ask yourself – “what can I do?” you should think of yourself as that single light. This is the time of year people will be open to hearing about Christ. Take the opportunity to lead one to righteousness. Like stars that fill the night sky, you’ll never know what you might be the start of.

Oh Mercy!

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I just read a chapter from and old classic management book “Sacred Cows Make the Best Hamburgers”. The chapter on sacred time reminded me that when you work too fast or on too many things, they aren’t really getting done right or on time. The authors suggest three – “10 minute time outs” a day just for you. Most people say that their best ideas come to them in the shower or in the bathroom. Do you know why? They are alone without interruptions – no phone, no e-mail, no people. Google Inc. has shown us all how taking a break fuels greater productivity and creativity by putting video games and ping pong tables in their offices. We have so many things vying for our attention that we are becoming a scatter-brained society with no attention span. If you complain that a movie is too long because it’s two hours, you are already on your way. Be merciful to yourself. Build in free time on your calendar. Look at your to do list and see what really needs to be done by you and what can be done by someone else. If you reduce your stress, you will extend not only your attention span but your life span as well.

“Be merciful just as your Father is merciful.” – Luke 6:36

Mercy has a lot of definitions. If we look at our own sin and inability to follow God’s commands, we deserve the punishment of death. Our Father however, showing mercy and love, says “believe in Me and My Son and you will be set free”. If He can forgive us for all that we do, how can we not show mercy to those around us? “I forgive you”, three powerful words that are an opening to mercy. Christ taught us about compassion and love but it was the Father that taught us about mercy. Jesus took upon himself all of our sins and bought for us eternal life by rising to heaven to sit with the Father. “God so loved the world…” the ultimate show of mercy. No one asked for your son but Luke suggests we be merciful to each other like our Father is toward us.

Shine the Light

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Communication is a true art. Books have been written about how to do it better. In fact, I have a book on the subject of Listening; a huge part of communicating. On the scene of a fire, due to its high level of danger, we have an “order model” to prescribe how we are to communicate. It essentially says that the receiver of the message will acknowledge the message by repeating it back to the sender. “Command to Engine 1. Take a hose line to the second floor. Engine will call back: “Engine 1 copies, take a hose line to the second floor.” There is no room for misunderstandings when lives are on the line. Yet, how many times have you had a fight with someone only to find out “that’s not what I meant”? Leaders need to keep communications open with their people too. Some call it “touching base” and others call it “checking in”. Today, change is constant and people need to know what is going on around them. If they are worried about the latest rumor, they won’t focus on their job and then you’ll be communicating with them in other ways. The old saying “you can’t treat people like mushrooms” is true. Keeping them in the dark and feeding them crap just won’t work. People need light and encouragement from their leaders.

“The people walking in the darkness have seen a great light: on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” Isaiah 9:2

Living in the shadow of death without hope of eternal life is unimaginable to me. The sad truth however, is that there are people living in those shadows. They walk in darkness and despair without hope because they don’t know about the light of Christ. Witnessing to people is one of the hardest things that we can do. Sometimes we’re not confident in our knowledge of bible verses or we simply don’t want to be pushy. It takes courage to overcome these fears. Ask God for help. Maybe this blog post is that help. You don’t need to go around quoting the bible or offering street corner sermons. Simply reminding people that there are options and that no matter what they’ve done, God loves them. If you are still not sure, close your Face Book page or Twitter account for 15 minutes and look up witnessing tips. We have seen a great light! Now, go and share it!

 

Life is Mentoring Us

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Mentoring, coaching, succession planning and employee development are all buzz words for today’s organizations. The baby boomer’s are starting to leave the workforce and there is concern that the generations to follow are not prepared for the future challenges. Leaders have a responsibility to develop their staff regardless of what the retirement picture looks like in their organization. Several years ago I was tasked with developing a program to build “management perspective” for our staff. We had several young supervisors and several more to promote. We created a series of supervisory programs that exposed these young leaders to a variety of “business” and leadership topics. A mentoring program was started that allowed employees to function in supervisory positions under the guidance of their existing supervisor then on their own. These employees endured 120 hours of classroom training and countless hours of field training from the time they started the program until they completed their probationary year as supervisors. The bottom line is that with or without a formal program, leaders have an obligation to develop people to achieve all that they are capable of.

“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” 2 Corinthians 4:17

As Disciples of Christ, more than the word of God is mentoring us in our lives. The trials and tribulations of this life are making us stronger for what lies ahead in eternity. Our troubles are momentary but they sometimes seem to pile up. It’s not what is happening to us that matter, it is how we react that counts. St. Paul is telling the Corinthians and us, that our troubles are light and momentary. For those that believe we know that no matter what is happening, we will have eternal life in Heaven. We all struggle with “momentary” as if we are applying it to our understanding of time. Open the bible and find peace for what troubles are burdening you. Stop looking for the meaning in “why” and start looking at how you can react, with God at your side, to the trouble you are facing. Giving up your control and letting God work in your life is very hard. We have been promised eternal life through Jesus Christ not an easy life here on earth. Celebrate the gift and live to His glory – the glass is half full.

Punishment

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Discipline comes in many forms. For some of us, it is the focus that drives us every day. For others, discipline means teaching moments and for a few, it means punishment. When my son was 8 or 9, I told him that we would spend the summer working on his discipline toward completing his daily chores. At the end of that summer I asked him, having had no further discussion on the topic and in front of a crew at one of our fire stations, what was this the summer of? Without missing a beat, he said that it was “the summer of punishment!” as he raised his hand into the air. I never had the conversation with him about having order nor was he ever disciplined for anything but his take-a-way was the summer of punishment. What do the people who you discipline take away from the experience? If the punishment was punitive, chances are they just took away a little bitterness. Our job as leaders is to be sure that the punishment fits the crime. If they didn’t know how to or were not equipped to do the job, how hard can you really be on them? A friend once told me that we shouldn’t kill an ant with an anvil. It was good advice about compassion.

“As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him…” Psalm 103:13

Discipline takes on two roles – punishment and order. The order that discipline brings is getting out of bed every day 5am to go to the gym for that dreaded spin class or the order that breeds commitment to seeing a job through to the end. Not wanting to repeat myself but the work we do here is pleasing to God, we should have the discipline to do our best – always. On the other side, fear and punishment are not often thought of when we think of our Father in Heaven. We all received punishment for the original sin of Adam and Eve. Child labor is now painful, we have to work the fields for our food and the price of our daily sin is death here on earth. We should fear God! The good news in this passage is that the Lord will have compassion on those of us who fear Him. God loves us and He has proven that by sending His son to die for our sins. We no longer have to fear the punishment of our sins; Jesus Christ did that for us on the cross at Calvary. God wanted His children close to him and while we will not stay in this life for eternity, we will share eternity with our Father in Heaven. A pretty fair punishment if you ask me.