Conversational Simplicity

Weekly Thought – August 24, 2021

Fred appreciated Albert Einstein. One of his favorite Einstein quotes inspired his own thinking: “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler.” He avoided conversation filled with fluff and flattery.

Beginning next week we will begin adding content from the thousands of 3×5 cards Fred kept as a personal resource from his own thoughts, as well as quotes from others. We are working to create a permanent archive for these cards and their profound wisdom. Would you pray for us as we dive into this very deep pool? Thank you.

Conversational Simplicity

Mary Alice in a very untypical choice became interested in an old black and white western movie. The main characters were a thirtyish, soft-spoken farmer’s wife; the farmer; and a toddler baby boy. The wife died leaving the man to raise the boy. As she lay dying he shared his dream of building her a house with a porch and rocking chairs under the hackberry tree.

When the wife died the husband with singleness of purpose dedicated himself to raising the son. The commitments he made required very little conversation. They were total, simple, direct, and all-consuming.

Commitment is a large part of the simple life. Paul said, “this one thing I do.” Modern man says, “these many things I will try.” They rarely settle on any one thing as being completely worthy of a focused life.

The simple farmer felt that living out a simple life, fulfilling his responsibilities, and not asking too much was all the reward that life offered him. There is great dignity in this. Advertising in all its forms creates discontent, shouting at us about what we do not have and what we should be getting. Few people in our culture would sit under a hackberry tree after a hard day’s work. True essence is elegant by its nature and doesn’t need additional external trappings.

The farmer spoke to his baby boy, “I’ll raise you good if it takes every breath in my body.” Simple elegance.

This simplicity was part of the man. In this film his conversation was never more than two or three words. That certainly made it easier on the script writer!

The farmer said things simply, not feeling that he had to justify or rationalize or make himself look good by his conversation. Much of urban conversation is impressing, justifying, embellishing, and talking for effect. When men and women come to me for counsel on public speaking I tell them one of the very first rules is: “Speak to express, not to impress.”

The truth simply spoken is a brilliant jewel in an elegant Tiffany mounting… understated yet always appropriate.

This week carefully consider: 1) How well do I monitor my conversational motivations? 2) What do I do when I recognize I am trying to impress, not just express? 3) Who models clear, simple conversation?

Words of Wisdom: “Speak to express, not to impress.”

Wisdom from the Word: “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” (Colossians 4:6 NIV Bible)

The Permanent Parent

Weekly Thought – August 10, 2021

Fred was the third of five sons, raised by Mathew Bunyan Smith and Amye Anderson Smith. His father was a Southern Baptist pastor while his wife provided support and encouragement for the family. His father’s example of Christian love to the impoverished during the great depression taught Fred of God’s faithfulness. His Mother taught lifelong lessons of steadfastness, faithfulness, and purpose.

The archiving of Fred’s thousands of 3×5 cards with “observations and insights” has begun. They fit nicely between the “Fred Saids” which are his one-liners, and the Weekly Thoughts which expand into several paragraphs. They will be scanned and formatted. Please pray for the project as it progresses.

The Permanent Parent

Our heavenly Father is permanent… we are bonded. At the baptism of Jesus God said, “This is my Son whom I love, with Him I am well pleased.” We have a fixed relationship with a God who loves us unconditionally. Scripture says “no one can take them out of my hand.” We don’t have to keep winning His acceptance; the relationship is based on the fact of His nature.

Many fathers simply cannot accept this perfect bonding of unconditional acceptance in their own lives and consequently cannot model this relationship for their children.

A woman told me of struggling with her father even though he was dead. She felt she could never gain his acceptance or approval. She gave me the example of coming home as a young girl with a report card filled with all A grades. Her father’s response was “Don’t they give A pluses at that school?” He may have been facetious, but the wound cut deeply and has not healed yet. She struggles to see God as a loving Father.

There is intimacy in the perfect relationship. I have found that it cannot be planned or scheduled. It cannot be a task assigned as an A priority in our Daytimer. Intimate conversation has to come about naturally. All we can do is give it the opportunity, honesty, and openness to appreciate it when it does occur. Confidence in the permanence of the relationship, whether heavenly or human, creates a platform for intimacy. When we are secure in the enduring quality of God’s love, we have the freedom to emotionally open up to others in our lives. God’s everlasting love for us teaches us to the way to establish intimacy with our own children.

To me, the perfect human relationship is based on mutual respect. I believe in becoming each other’s teacher and mentor. I now recognize that our children are able to teach me just as much as I am able to teach them – and sometimes more. This lesson of mutual mentoring is taught through shared lives, trusting experiences, and lifelong work. The children occasionally thank me for learning about parenting. “You have done a pretty good job of re-parenting, Dad.”

As God parents me and I work to understand the principles and patterns I am working to apply them to human relationships, especially with the children. God is a good teacher who models what my parenting should be – and what I want it to be.

This week think carefully about: 1) Who models parenthood for me? 2) How convinced am I of God’s love for me? 3) What lessons am I teaching my children about God’s fatherhood?

Words of Wisdom: “When we are secure in the enduring quality of God’s love, we have the freedom to emotionally open up to others in our lives.”

Wisdom from the Word: “The man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father.” (Proverbs 29:3a NET Bible)

Living A Life That Matters

Weekly Thought – August 3, 2021

Fred’s commitment to “a life worth living” never waned. Even in his last hours he struggled to speak wisdom to those who came to say goodbye. Identifying his “uniqueness” as he called it, and maximizing its use for indeed a lifetime endeavor. He died as he lived – with purpose and faith.

Please pray for our friends in Christian higher education. Challenges are great, but their resolve is even greater. We would encourage you to join those who pray monthly for them as participants in our Breakfast With Fred Prayer Network.

Living A Life That Matters

A life worth living is available, but it must be earned. You must earnestly and honestly want it. Emerson said, “Be careful young man what you want, for you will have it.” He spoke of the thing you want from deep down in your heart – the lodestar, the thing that is the magnet to which you are drawn. Many people I see really don’t want the life they’ve got; they want something else, but they haven’t been willing to endure the pain of defining what they want.

One of the most telling truths of Christ’s ministry was at the pool of Bethsaida when he asked the man who had been there for 38 years: “Do you really want to be healed?” I used to think that was a very foolish question, but the longer I live with people, the more I need to know what they honestly want.

When a young executive comes to one of my friends in senior management and says he is unable to complete an assignment he asks,” Is this something you can’t or won’t do?” Then he goes on to say, “If you can’t do it, I can help you. If you won’t do it, nobody can help you.” So much time is wasted by people trying to help others who don’t want to be helped. I am not in the business of building a 95% bridge.

There are two questions I want to ask of those who want my help in achieving a life worth living:

1) What have you done to help yourself? The other evening I visited with a middle-aged man who looked like a comer when he was young. I’ve been surprised that he has not really made a success of his life. He left a large corporation he joined directly from college. He was a bright and promising young rising star. I began to understand it when we talked about the disciplines necessary to pull ourselves out of emotional slumps. He said, “Sometimes I just like being down there and I don’t want anybody to pull me out until I have completely enjoyed the funk.” I saw he had developed a negative narcissism that a successful executive simply cannot afford.

2) Where have I been willing to ask for help? There are times when we cannot do it alone. We need someone else to help and we must ask for that assistance. Of course, there are times when only Go can provide the help. In either case, we must be humble enough to reach out and say, “Please help.” False pride will extinguish the fire of a meaningful life.

The life you have is the result of your choices. If you want a different life you must make different choices. A life worth living is a life worth wanting.

This week carefully consider: 1) How satisfied am I with my life? 2) What choices have set me in this direction? 3) Who can help me assess my current condition?

Words of Wisdom: “I am not in the business of building a 95% bridge.”

Wisdom from the Word: “But tell the people of Jerusalem that the LORD says, ‘I will give you a choice between two courses of action. One will result in life; the other will result in death.’” (Jeremiah 21:8 NET Bible)

Lifestyle Mentoring

Weekly Thought – July 27, 2021

Fred saw himself as an “inveterate note taker. “Rarely do I hear, read, or even think anything that I feel deserves retention that I don’t commit to paper. I’ve been doing this for sixty years.” This became a common practice with those he mentored, as well. In his last days dear friend Bill Glass appeared in the ICU waiting room with a notebook and pen. “I still have questions for Fred and I want to make sure I get the answers right.”

Lifestyle Mentoring

One form of mentoring defines the principles of living. Recently, I hear a young man say, “My grandfather was everything to me. He loved me, and he taught me how to live.” How fortunate to have an older person in one’s life about whom you can say that.

As we look to scripture for examples of lifestyle mentoring we automatically think of Paul and Timothy. Paul let Timothy observe him at work. He didn’t try to teach Timothy mechanics of missionary work. He was a father in the faith… a type of parent without the parental responsibilities.

For years Zig Ziglar and I have regularly met to talk. When we sit down he gets out his paper and pen even though his memory for material is greater than mine. In discussing mentoring he said, “Be sure to tell the person being mentored to make notes. No one should trust his memory with anything important.”

A good mentor never ridicules a question. He may choose not to answer, but he respects the process because questions are the pump that makes the answers flow.

I have sought over my lifetime (which is approaching 90) to distill life into principles. Some are eternal, and therefore always current. I form a mental filing cabinet for all information that passes through my experience. Some items interest me – others do not. So, there are some empty file folders in my cabinet for topics of no interest to me. I was blessed with excellent recall, but I work on it consistently.

Lifestyle mentoring is “coming alongside” in the day by day, developing by observing, asking, absorbing, and putting information into a helpful form.

This week carefully consider: 1) Who is my lifestyle mentor? 2) How effective am I at note taking? 3) What am I learning that will be valuable to younger ones?

Words of Wisdom: “Rarely do I hear, read, or even think anything that I feel deserves retention that I don’t commit to paper. I’ve been doing this for sixty years.”

Wisdom from the Word: “To Timothy, my genuine child in the faith.” (1 Timothy 1:2 NET Bible)

Life Lessons

Weekly Thought – July 20, 2021

Fred once said, “I have spent my life asking questions. I always work to find the key question.” He knew as does Bob Tiede, premier expert on questioning, it is both an art and a science. This week we will look at two Fred asked himself as part of assessment.

Life Lessons

Personal and professional development requires the asking of questions… of others and myself. Here are two which have meant a lot to me.

1) Does my will control my feelings? Integrity is more a matter of the will than of feelings. Without the healthy use of feelings we become mechanical. We are unable to connect with others without empathy or compassion. They energize us. They make great implementers, but poor leaders. Our will is the single most distinguishing feature of our character. A strong will does not blind us to the importance of emotion. It does, however, stand against the tendency toward rationalization that attacks us.

I was fortunate to have a Mother with an indomitable will. Despite many physical disabilities she persevered often quoting “Be not weary in well doing, for in due season you shall reap if you faint not.” Her grit and Rudyard Kipling’s poem “If” inspired Mary Alice and me to make our family motto: “When nothing but the will says go.”

Leadership demands a strong will – not a selfish or stubborn one, but one determined to do what needs doing. By an act of the will we overcome the draw of pleasure and the satisfaction with mediocrity.

2) Is grace real for me? Grace was genuine, real, personal, and palpable to the great saints. The ancient Christian mystics had no doubt they were the constant recipients of Go’s amazing grace. It was a practical part of their everyday life. For example, Brother Lawrence said when he sinned he confessed it, and moved on without spending time bemoaning it. He knew without the power of God failure is natural. Reading that greatly stirred my thinking. Prior to that I lingered over guilt. Immediate grace was too good to be true, I thought. Brother Lawrence’s thinking released me.

Legalism appeals to many Christians; it fits into a common sense approach to faith. We must remind ourselves the very Scripture that lets me know my guilt lets me know God’s grace. By refusing grace we play God, choosing to punish ourselves. We develop a perverted way of interpreting events in our lives arbitrarily choosing to tag some as God’s discipline and judgment.

Grace brings freedom. If we could only freely accept it we could practice confession and continuing to walk in faith. Why can’t I see the free gift it is and how available it is? In my experience those who value grace most dearly are those who have experienced it most deeply in their lives. It reminds me of the scripture, “He who is forgiven most, loves most.” He or she who understands the release from the bondage of sin through Christ, revel in the gift of grace.

This week think carefully about: 1) How would I answer Fred’s questions? 2) When have I chosen to keep going whether I felt like it or not? 3) What questions are key in my personal assessments?

Words of Wisdom: “By an act of the will we overcome the draw of pleasure and the satisfaction with mediocrity.”

Wisdom from the Word: “So we must not grow weary in doing good, for in due time we will reap, if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9 NET Bible)

Lessons From The Beach

Weekly Thought – July 13, 2021

Fred and Mary Alice loved their time in the mountains of North Carolina. They also enjoyed the years they had a condo on Mustang Island in South Texas. In typical Fred fashion, he analyzed what he learned after a visit to the beach one Spring.

Lessons From The Beach

I was on Mustang Island during Spring Break a few years ago. Have you ever been sober among drunks – old among the young – an outsider among the insiders? If so, then you know exactly how I felt.

It seemed the kids wanted three things:

1) Fun. It must have always been somewhere else because they were always frantically looking for it. Their laughter was hollow. They were loud, profane, and destructive. Early each morning the entire area was littered with trash. And fun was not only a phantom – it was expensive. They appeared to revel in one-upsmanship. After awhile I got the feeling parents had actually funded this adventure just to get them out of the house. And I couldn’t blame them – spring break was totally hedonistic.

2) Irresponsibility. Three words describe their state: drunk, nude, and drugged. It appeared acceptable for a guy to walk around without clothing, but it was mandatory to have a beer can in his hand to be considered well-dressed. Urging young women to “get naked” was the theme. I don’t have enough experience with drugs to speak authoritatively, but many of them seemed what I think is called “spaced out.”

3) Anonymity. They maintained their anonymity by staying en masse. By traveling with the group (especially the in group) they blend in and feel a part of the action. Bad decisions are easily made in such an environment – decisions which leave lifelong scars and permanent consequences. Yet I thought about how many adults strive and fight very hard to be in with the group. Being totally in results in total anonymity. Our unique identification is lost.

I asked one of the young women who seemed to be rather thoughtful and interested in conversation how she felt after the binge. “It isn’t as good as I expected and I guess I feel frustrated.” So often we all have the anticipation without the satisfaction. We think the party will be great, but it isn’t; we try for the big title and the big money but then we feel hollow. Without a spiritual base too much of life is that – anticipation without satisfaction. Scripture calls it “clouds without rain.”

A theologian friend of mine told me “Fred, sin is like the midway at the State Fair — the ride is short and the price is high.” The danger of these weeks is not so much the four day binge, but the danger that people think sin is an appetite that can be satiated. For some of my friends it is greed for power, money, or material possessions. It is a consuming fire which does not know “enough.”

This week think about: 1) How am I still bringing a spring break mentality into my adult life? 2) What changes do I need to make in my priorities? 3) Who is being impacted by my goals?

Words of Wisdom: “Without a spiritual base too much of life is that – anticipation without satisfaction.”

Wisdom from the Word: “I realized that wisdom is preferable to folly, just as light is preferable to darkness.” (Ecclesiastes 2:13 NET Bible)

Fatherly wisdom

Weekly Thought – June 29, 2021

Fred rarely sat down and said to his children, “Listen up, I am going to give you wise words.” On occasion he did sit down at his old Selectric typewriter, masterfully using the two finger “hunt and peck system.” This week’s thought is unusual, personal, and brief. Found after Father’s Day his daughter Brenda shared a memo sent in April, 1992. As always, the truths are timely and timeless.

Fatherly wisdom

To Brenda

Today you took another step in the same direction, not a new road. You are on your way to develop marketable career skills and relations. Increased income and/or company promotion is important, but not controlling. Progress, not winning/losing is your emphasis.

Your continued strengths are your integrity, learnability, relations, knowledge, and superior effort. Keep networking and upward as much as possible. Power is a necessity for action. A small vital effective fish will be put into a larger lake. I like to look out of place where I am and like I belong in a larger one. Be the kind of person others want to help succeed. Keep your contact in good repair – neglected contacts corrode.

Along the way make use of mentors and sponsors (not always the same). You need a challenging situation among real pros. The good student calls forth the good teacher…”when the student is ready the teacher will appear” so goes the ancient Greek saying. In the meantime learn from everyone all you can. Share what you have with others and so feel worthy of help you might get.

These are just a few thoughts running through my mind for the last few days as I have thought about your move into the sales manager’s job. Also I might add: every title has a value in your climb up the executive ladder.

Bless, Dad.

This week think about: 1) What words do I have for my children? 2) Which of Fred’s counsel really hits home for me? 3) How faithful am I to consider my family, my colleagues, and my friends?

Words of Wisdom: “Progress, not winning/losing is your emphasis.”

Wisdom from the Word: “Listen, children, to a father’s instruction, and pay attention so that you may gain discernment.” (Proverbs 4:1 NET Bible)

Identifying Principles, Appreciating Experience

Weekly Thought – June 22, 2021

Fred believed firmly in principle based thinking long before it was a “hot topic” for leadership books. His efforts to distill ideas down to the simplest form, bringing out the fundamentals were a hallmark of his speaking, writing, and consulting. He processed each experience deriving the value.

Identifying Principles, Appreciating Experience

It is critical to process and archive our experiences by principles which remain constant, not just techniques which vary. For example, young people like to worship God through contemporary praise music while I am still singing “The Old Rugged Cross” and “In the Garden.” The worship of God is the principle the way we do it is the technique.

During the Second World War the government tested a large group of enlistees, finding only seven percent could think in principles while ninety-seven thought in techniques. We found that true in industrial training – principles could only be taught with technique attached. Our daughter Brenda studies personality types. She talks about the difference between abstract and concrete thinking.

Experience is a distillation of all the things that have happened to us therefore it is very important we objectively file them without romanticizing or fantasizing (like old men repeating stories of their athletic prowess). Some people unfortunately become less than objective about their experiences, trying to repeat successes based on technique, not on principle. I was asked to advise in one of the national strikes. Finding that the executive in charge was trying to repeat a success he had with strikes in years past. The critical point was the fact that the situation was different as were the players. He failed to assess the principles so the “long of tooth” techniques did not match changing time and personnel.
I often speak of operating from the current reality it is another way of saying, “understand the principles and then choose appropriate, relevant techniques that will work.”

Experience is valuable in development because it gives us data for decision making. We learn what works and what doesn’t. One key component of making good use of experience is to let us recognize how we operate under stress. This information is critical.

It is an old saw, but well worth repeating. A young man asked an older, successful business person, “What is the basis of your success?” “Good judgment,” was the elder’s reply. “Where did the good judgment come from?” Quickly the answer came back, “Experience.” The younger man had one more question “Where did the experience come from?” “Bad judgment.”

Undoubtedly, a good deal of that process involved learning to think in terms of principles, not just techniques.

This week carefully consider: 1) What has helped me to learn to assess situations in term of principles, not just techniques? 2) Who models this distinction for me? 3) How careful am I to properly process my experiences, outlining what I have learned?

Words of Wisdom: “Our growth through perseverance brings experience which we can never lose. It is important that we store our experiences more in principles than in techniques.”

Wisdom from the Word: “I have experienced times of need and times of abundance. In any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of contentment, whether I go satisfied or hungry, have plenty or nothing.” (Philippians 4:12 NET Bible)

Keeping Things Healthy

Weekly Thought – June 15, 2021

Fred thought much about maturity and health. He engaged in conversations with interesting people who wanted to pursue these themes. As a lifelong learner he constantly sought out ways to deepen his knowledge. One of his areas of intellectual pursuit was emotional health. This week’s excerpt was written in the 80s before psychological research delved into the effect of shame on humans.

In the coming months the archive will undergo a process of capturing the content stored on 3×5 cards – over 13,000 of them! This will be a robust undertaking, but one which will further provide access to Fred’s thinking.

Keeping Things Healthy

I have eclectic reading interests although I stay within the context of philosophy, psychology, and theology. This allows me to study deeply about the nature of God and the nature of man.

My friend T. George Harris, former editor of American Health, devoted an entire issue to the healthful advantages derived from fun. The Christian has the great possibility of moving on to joy. George, Norman Cousins and others in the medical community are building a body of research on the impact of laughter on physical health and healing. Long before they began their studies we find scripture which supports their thinking: “A merry heart does good like a medicine.”

There is a downside to this principle, as well. Scientists are finding that cocaine attacks the pleasure center of the brain. After repeated and prolonged usage, the addict cannot feel pleasure without cocaine.

An article on shame pointed out the neglect of this as a source emotion from which other emotions spring. Much study has been done on guilty, but shame is just now coming into a research topic. I have been doing thinking about it. When I was with Dr. Weber, the Stanford professor of plastic surgery, we had an opportunity to talk about the topic. He said that much is done to improve self-image. As I considered this I saw the difference between shame and guilt. One is an evaluation of condition the other is a reaction to behavior based on personal value systems. The article said that the only physical evidence of shame is “a turning away of the face.” It makes me think of Adam’s response to God, “I hid myself for I was ashamed.”

Revenge is not present in the emotional repertoire of healthy people. It is definitely one of the most damaging of all emotions. Hans Selye, the noted Nobel prize winning scientist in studying stress concluded revenge is the number one emotion to avoid. In having lunch with a corporate President he told me of extremely difficult times centered around a competitor. “I am going to get those suckers!” was his response. I reminded him that good competition is perfectly healthy, but revenge is beyond the pale, especially for a Christian. Scripture says, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay.” God doesn’t want us filling our lives with a vengeful attitude.
Emotional health is part of the bedrock for good living. As we establish well-being the anchors are financial, relational, physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional maturity.

This week carefully consider: 1) How would I measure my emotional well-being? 2) What remnants of revenge still exist? 3) Who can I help assess their maturity?

Words of Wisdom: “Revenge is not part of the emotional repertoire of healthy people.”

Wisdom from the Word: “For it says in scripture, ‘Look, I lay in Zion a stone, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and whoever believes in him will never be put to shame.’” (1 Peter 2:6 NET Bible)

Pot of Gold

Weekly Thought – June 8, 2021

Fred spent years consulting with and speaking to executives and corporations. Without fail he sat down with people at breakfast and listened to their stories. They sought him out for his wisdom. With each conversation Fred filed away principles and illustrations for future interactions.

Pot of Gold

A young preacher told me of a meeting with the town’s most prominent citizen soon after arriving at the church. “Young man, you have not seen me I church and you will not see me until my funeral. I own this town and the mill. When I came here as a young immigrant I heard in America there was a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. I found the gold, pastor, but I lost the rainbow.”

The rainbow from its inception has been the symbol of promise and hope. It is the assurance from God to Noah and all who followed. It speaks of a permanent relationship with the eternal and divine. The mill owner lost the meaning of hope and joy.

Recently, a restless friend said, “I feel a lack of joy in my life. Sometimes I wonder if it’s worth it.” He seemed to be taking a passive position, reacting to a life in which he was acted upon by circumstances, pressured by events, and absorbing the pessimism of those around him. He lost the concept of taking responsibility for joy. He gave up the courage to take charge of his life.

When I speak of “joy for the journey” I am not talking about surface happiness which can comes like the wind without knowing where or why. It is not an emotional response to fortuitous circumstances – it is much more. We need joy when life is out of joint. Joy is the deep adequacy found in the will to survive. It is found in the faith to believe “all things work together for good.”

Oftentimes I’ve read of “secrets” of joy but actually there are no secrets to be hunted and found like Easter eggs, prided out of some mysterious guru, found in effervescent books, or discovered in esoteric cults. Joy is the result of life’s being lived in hope. It truly is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Joy is available to any normal, healthy personality. I am convinced if we have ever been capable of knowing joy we can develop and control our emotions making joy a comfortable and permanent state.

That “somewhere over the rainbow” is not just the pot of gold, but a true spiritual home that can be ours, reflecting hope.

This week think about: 1) How do I control my emotions to produce joy? 2) What makes me happy; what gives me joy? 3) Who can I encourage to focus on hope and not just the pot of gold?

Words of Wisdom: “The rainbow from its inception has been the symbol of promise and hope. It is the assurance from God to Noah and all who followed. It speaks of a permanent relationship with the eternal and divine.”

Wisdom from the Word: “But set Christ apart as Lord in your hearts and always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks about the hope you possess.” (1 Peter 3:15 NET Bible)

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