Wait To Worry

Weekly Thought – June 16, 2020

Fred always said he taught himself to think and write in telegram style – the most content in the fewest words. That is the reason he wanted his headstone to read: “He stretched others.” Many of his “one-liners,” as he called them became favorites of his consulting clients, speaking audiences, and readers. They were a code language for the Smith family who grew up hearing and quoting them.

Wait To Worry

Once I was speaking to a couples’ Christian conference. A few days afterwards I received a letter from the President of a chocolates company, accompanied by a large box of candy. “Wait to worry” is the finest thing that has ever happened to my wife.

If you come to our house in Cincinnati we will show you a framed white towel hanging on our bedroom wall. Strange thing to do? My friends know I can be odd, but this seemed to take the cake. Here is the story: Mary Alice called the children in for dinner. Our son Fred lagged behind wanting the last minutes of mud play. She, of course, said “Go wash your hands and face and get in here to eat.” Too late she remembered she had hung up sparkling new white towels. She quickly walked down the hall only to find a perfect set of muddy handprints where he had dampened the digits and placed them neatly on the towel. Needless to say, she wasn’t happy!

I decided to hide the towel. Three years later I took the towel to a framing shop and then presented the objet d’art to Mary Alice. You know what happened, don’t you? She began crying and saying, “Aren’t they sweet? Aren’t they sweet?” Three years earlier those weren’t the words she uttered.
There is no amount of money she would take for that framed towels and those muddy handprints.

One of our family sayings has been: “What you worry about today you will laugh about tomorrow.”

Sometimes when things get tense around our house, our children have learned to stop me by saying, “Dad, is this something we will laugh about later?” It usually is. I remind myself to laugh or have high blood pressure.

It is an emotional and mental discipline to step outside the current panic, taking a long range view. I read a study about worry which interested me. One of the findings was 80% of the things we worry about today will not happen, will work out favorably, or be totally forgotten in one year. Doesn’t it make sense to wait to worry?

(Editor’s note: That framed towel hangs today in the home of Fred’s “offender” son in Tyler, Texas.)

This week think about: 1) What am I worrying about that needs to be put in the “wait” column? 2) When have I laughed about something that seemed earth-shattering at the time? 3) How can I model faith and not fear for my family?

Words of Wisdom: “Wait to worry.”

Wisdom from the Word: “And which of you by worrying can add even one hour to his life?” (Matthew 6:27 NET Bible)

Problem Solving

Weekly Thought – June 9, 2020

Fred’s ability to ask purposeful questions was widely recognized as part of his uniqueness. He spent very little time in chit chat. When someone came to him with a problem, he quickly began the search for their recognition of the next step.

Thank you for praying faithfully for our work. It is indeed a privilege to invest hours combing through his files, searching for content which can be organized into wisdom nuggets. We appreciate your financial support which underwrites our social media, internet presence, and key people who bring this work to life for you.

Problem Solving

When people come to me with problems, I try to early on get them listing their assets. I am always careful to say it that way, not “tell me about your financial situation.” But invariably people start to tell me about money. Rarely do they ever list others.

I pause them and say, “Let’s stop and go back a little bit. “ Are you alive?” Of course they say, “Yes.” I continue “Well, you look that way to me!”

Then I go through a litany of assets never considered:

“Are you healthy?” “Do you have an education?” “Do you have work or life experience?”

After I get through a complete list of what I call real assets, we move on to the quantitative ones.

My purpose is to break through the cloud which comes with loss, blinding them to the true measure of their situation. I want them to realize the basis for gratitude. Once that occurs I have a foundation to work against their current problems.

But if they keep saying, “Yes, but…” I know my job isn’t finished yet. So, I keep referring back to their list of assets until they move past the “yes, but…” While they stay stuck in that mode, they haven’t moved on to gratitude. In reality, they are still wanting more.

Gratitude is being grateful for what you have, not for what you hope to get. Problem solving begins with an accurate assessment of what we have, then moving on to attack the difficulty. Often, our minds get stuck playing a tape of hopelessness which builds on itself, disabling our mental abilities so needed in problem solving.

Gratitude is a lubricant which can get our mental and emotional gears in correct alignment.

This week think about: 1) How do I use questions with myself and others to begin the problem solving process? 2) What gets me stuck when working through a problem? 3) When is my most fruitful time for thinking?

Words of Wisdom: “If they are stuck in the “yes,but…” mode they haven’t moved on to gratitude.”

Wisdom from the Word: “Who is a wise person? Who knows the solution to a problem? A person’s wisdom brightens his appearance, and softens his harsh countenance.” (Ecclesiastes 8:1 NET Bible)

You May Succeed

Weekly Thought – June 2, 2020

Fred’s articles in Leadership Journal helped thousands. Each year we receive messages referencing writings from the late 80s and 90s. His clear approach to issues made these articles particularly helpful. In the summer/88 edition he addressed success, focusing on the challenging aspect of permission. These excerpts continue to offer timeless principles 32 years later.

You May Succeed

Recently I was talking with a minister who had just returned from a missions trip.

“What did you accomplish?”

“Well, the most important thing I did with the small churches in difficult situations was give them permission to succeed.”
That was an interesting thought. He must have sensed they saw themselves as losers. They went thinking their ministry was supposed to be tough, and nothing more than meager results would be the outcome. He saw this and helped them raise their sights to see opportunities they had missed.

His remark reminded me of a story about a gifted golfer on the LPGA. This Christian athlete possessed enormous talent but couldn’t put up wins. In frustration, she went to a Christian counselor who uncovered she subconsciously didn’t think of Christians as winners. Raised in a strict home and taught Christians were to be passive, and accept loss with grace, she became a volunteer martyr As a result she wasn’t free to win.

Here are three reasons Christians are afraid to succeed:

1) An incorrect concept of God: Last year while speaking at a seminary a young man approached me, opening the conversation with this: “God has me just where He wants me.” “Where is that?” “Broke!” This is a faulty view of God.

2) An incorrect concept of how God works: When we depend on God to constantly provide through miracles, we misunderstand Him. God is the one who brought cause and effect into being, so usually right results come from right actions.

3) A hesitancy to accept plaudits for abilities: Before speaking at a meeting of a very strict denomination, a young woman sang beautifully. Afterward I said, “You have a lovely voice.” She hung her head and said, “Don’t give me the glory. Give the glory to the Lord.” “My dear, I simply gave you a compliment from somebody who tried to sing and was not able to, and yet who recognizes that you can. Since I believe you have nothing except what you’ve received, any comments I make after that are within the scope of giving God glory.”

The issue, at its heart, is accepting a worm theology. Those who are most comfortable losing readily picture themselves not as children of a great God, but as worms. He doesn’t see us that way. As believers He sees us in Christ. He made us from the dust, but didn’t intend for us to live there. As Christian leaders we have the good news that can break barriers and give people the freedom to enjoy success achieved with integrity.

This week carefully consider: 1) What makes me afraid to succeed? 2) Who needs to hear these words? 3) How can I strengthen the view of myself as a Christian and child of God?

Words of Wisdom: “God is the one who brought cause and effect into being, so usually right results come from right actions.”

Wisdom from the Word: “Therefore, be imitators of God as dearly loved children.” (Ephesians 5:1 NET Bible)

Faith and Friendships

Weekly Thought – May 26, 2020

Fred wrote and thought much about relationships. Last week we introduced his thinking on the excellence of them. We continue this week with thoughts about a critical challenge: religious differences between friends.

Thank you for praying as we bring Fred’s wisdom to you.

Faith and Friendships

Religious differences can test our friendships, even to straining the quality of the relationship. It can be the most volatile factor of sustaining a long term connection.

The knowledge of God’s will, the interpretation of God’s Word, loyal ties to an institution, along with traditions of denomination and family combine to create intensity in our beliefs and opinions which affect our relation with others.

It is easy to generalize our unique relation with God into a pattern for everyone else. When our faith walk leads us to believe we know the will of God, we can unconsciously come to apply that knowledge to ourselves, but to others, as well. Young friends of mine used to parody the Four Spiritual Laws of Campus Crusade by saying “I love you and have a wonderful plan for your life.” This can definitely throw a clinker into a friendship.

I have signed many “statements of faith” holding forth the tenets of New Testament dogma. I have never seen one featuring these words: “I am currently living in love with my fellow Christians and will continue to do so as tenaciously as I hold the other points of doctrine.”

Often we find it much easier to fight for the faith than to exemplify it. Our relationships illustrate our real beliefs. The non-Christian world of the first century would say, “Behold the love they have for one another.” Even the keeping of Christ’s commandments was predicated on love: “If you love me, keep my commandments.” In the early days of Christian contemporary music a Catholic priest named Peter Scholtes composed a song which became an anthem for the 1960s Jesus movement: “They’ll Know We Are Christians By Our Love.” It was sung by long-haired youth, and three-pieced suited businessmen.

The only genuine ecumenism is based on love first before organizational unity. Doctrinal harmony is critical, but making sure it is core dogma and not just preference is an outworking of love.

Often when some of my more ardent doctrinal friends criticize other Christians, I ask them: “Do you think they are going to heaven?” This usually stops them for awhile and even with hesitation they say, “Certainly. Why?” Then I give them my simplistic conclusion: “If they are going to heaven, they are part of the body of Christ and I have no option as to whether or not to associate with them and to love them. We are part of the same family.”

Therefore, excellence in friendships (especially long term ones with diverse religious backgrounds) requires a purposeful effort to practice love, seeing others without personal filters as the only answer (as much as possible).

This week carefully think about: 1) How many friends do I have who hold dissimilar religious traditions? 2) What can I do this week to focus on loving and not judging? 3) When does oneness in Christ become real to me?

Words of Wisdom: “The only genuine ecumenism is based on love first before organizational unity.”

Wisdom from the Word: “The one who loves his fellow Christian resides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him.” (1 John 2:10 NET Bible)

Qualities of Excellent Relations

Weekly Thought – May 19, 2020

Fred enjoyed sincere, long-lasting friendships. He knew how to be a friend, a confidant, and understood how to create excellent relationships.

Believing these wisdom emails are helpful, we ask you to share with your colleagues, friends, and family. Fred’s heartbeat was stretching others. As his words still speak truth decades after originally written, we want him to continue being helpful.

Qualities of Excellent Relations

Relations require time… quality time. This can be a limiting factor in developing serious friendships. I don’t mean habitual time, but time which adapts and adjusts to the moving scenes of life. Like capital in a business which must be applied to create the most good at the right time, relations require the same strategic action.

Mature relationships also demand compromise. Since we are all unique there will never be total overlap. There will be differences and often the compromise is exposed in traditions from our upbringing, our view of life, our past experiences, and most importantly, our perspective for the future. In good relationships, we establish a lamination of layers which allow us to bond one with the other.

In addition to time and compromise, it is necessary to share worthy projects. In my experience this is particularly true of men. We are not as apt to “do lunch,” as to work on something together. A friend with whom I worked for decades took early retirement. We knew to keep the relationship vital we must find meaningful work outside our company. We joined a corporate board together which gave us a clear reason for ongoing conversations, traveling, and making a strong contribution as a key part of the friendship. It has become a lifetime relationship which is both pleasant and profitable to others. Many of my longtime friends have served actively as Christian laymen, both in the church and parachurch organizations. Joining in Christian work together has given us opportunities to bridge life changes and grow together. We also shared the surviving and thriving of many Christian ministries.

Not only do we share projects, but we also share friends. One of life’s greater benefits is introducing friends to friends who then develop their own relationship. Building a network through the years spurs my own growth, as well as enjoying the synergy of these branches which occur. One of my dear friends Ron Glosser, former CEO of the Hershey Trust, has one of the most robust networks of any one I know. He is constantly trying to connect people in order to create a strong, productive outcome. Every time we talk he wants to know how he can pray for me, and how he can help me. He considers his network a gift of God to be used for His glory and to do much good in the world.

This week consider: 1) How intentional am I about building a helpful network? 2) Who are my best and closest friends? 3) What can I contribute to my friends?

Words of Wisdom: “In good relationships, we establish a lamination of layers which allow us to bond one with the other.”

Wisdom from the Word: “So then, my brothers and sisters, dear friends whom I long to see, my joy and crown, stand in the Lord in this way, my dear friends.” (Philippians 4:1 NET Bible)

As We Go

Weekly Thought – May 12. 2020

Fred had a favorite one-liner: “service is the rent we pay for the space we occupy.” Productivity and contribution were foundational as core values. His definition of a good life would include his life goal of stretching others. This week we explore his thinking on service.

As We Go

We have the responsibility to make life different for those around us.

My friend Dick Halverson was chaplain of the Senate. Dick joined a group of friends who spent 2 or 3 days together with no agenda, just great conversation. It became clear to me Dick’s life was simple: he followed Christ and “went about doing good.”

Christ wasn’t frantic; didn’t follow a hectic schedule, or run from place to place nervously. We never see Him described as someone with an attitude of “I have so much to do, so little time, and I just have to keep on moving.” He just did good wherever He was. Remember when He was on the way to heal Jairus’s daughter and the woman with a serious physical problem stopped Him? He didn’t brush he off, telling her she was a lower priority. He solved her problem then went on. He went about.

I cannot think of a better obituary than to say a person went about doing good, and did good wherever he was. To be a person of good will and eagerness to serve honors the Christ we follow.

Humanly we tend to think about big goods and little goods. If we look at it from a long range perspective those little acts can be seen as seeds which are planted and then grow into something very good. I am convinced those big goods can be mistakenly accomplished by human desire and human energy for wrong reasons. When that occurs, the act shrivels up and bears no fruit.

Our Christian community can be fertile soil for those who strive to be associated with big good. They flit from one project to another, one ministry, one organization to another seeking to dream big for God. Being so focused on good “only God can accomplish,” they lose the miracle of doing good as they go. Clearly I am not discouraging us from joining God where He is working, as Blackaby says, but when the temptation to attach ourselves to only the big name projects makes us ignore the little goods, we have given in to the flesh.

Steve Brown tells a wonderful story about visiting a graveyard looking for hymnist Fanny Crosby’s marker. He couldn’t find it at first, but passed the enormous mausoleum of P.T. Barnum. After searching he found a modest headstone with these words: “Aunt Fanny, she did what she could.”

This week consider: 1) When did I last stop to see a little good I could do? 2) How do I encourage others to make a difference? 3) What can I do to make going about doing good a habit?

Words of Wisdom: “To be a person of good will and eagerness to serve honors the Christ we follow.”

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)

Forgive Us Our Sins

Weekly Thought – May 5, 2020

Fred wrote much about maturity – its elements, and processes. Forgiveness is one of the key factors in mature living.

Forgive Us Our Sins

There is no way to live without violating other people or being violated. The way to even the score is not through revenge. Renowned psychiatrists find that revenge is the most unhealthy of all emotions. From a practical standpoint, I think our human nature is to get revenge, to get even. To move past this and begin the forgiveness work takes divine intervention. From my experience, it isn’t a natural trait.

The Christian faith asserts we must forgive unlike other cultures and religions which teach “an eye for an eye, or a tooth for a tooth.”

Forgiving is part of a process: living in the attitude of forgiveness, accepting the request for forgiveness, and then actually forgiving. I have had people say, “Fred, there are people I will never forgive – never!” Naively, they think withholding forgiveness is the best way to repay the hurt. We know the other person will probably never suffer our lack of forgiveness, but it certainly hurts us.

A business associate feuded with his brother 25 years before I knew him. By this time, he could not even recall the details of the estrangement, but he knew and eagerly told me that forgiveness would never be given. I had no idea of the outcome for the offending brother, but my associate developed ulcerative colitis and died a painful death. But he satisfied his aim of never forgiving.

Forgiveness should be one of those reflex emotions we develop. As soon as we realize it is required, we must discipline ourselves to act quickly. Running away from it, or denying it begins a downward slide for us emotionally, and even physically.

Forgiveness is a deep process, and we can’t just glibly say to somebody “oh, forget it!” Humans don’t forget very easily. Asking someone to forget without forgiveness is unhealthy. We tend to stuff it down into our subconscious. I find that full, true forgiveness doesn’t require forgetting.

Probably, the biggest problem we have is the need to forgive ourselves. A lot of residue of guilt is because after we confess, and receive God’s forgiveness we fail to accept that freedom. Many times I see people who refuse to accept their own humanity. Father Hesburgh, former President of Notre Dame, was given three precepts from his predecessor Father Cavanaugh: be right, be human, be humble. So often when we make mistakes, we hold them against ourselves as if we were not human. Frankly, I have never seen any reason to create a habit of forgiving others quickly, but not affording that to myself. I must be clear – this is not rationalizing. First there must be the admission, confession, and when possible restitution. If I won’t let someone else beat me for a forgiven sin, then I am not going to do that to myself.

This week think about: 1) How well do I handle forgiveness? 2) Who needs my forgiveness? 3) Who taught me the value of true forgiveness?

Words of Wisdom: “Forgiveness should be one of those reflex emotions we develop.”

Wisdom from the Word: “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our offenses, according to the riches of his grace.” (Ephesians 1:7 NET Bible)

Give Thanks

Weekly Thought – April 28, 2020

Fred always remembered those who were influential in his life. He expressed appreciation for men and women who taught him, prayed for him, and opened doors for him to use his gifts. He never took his opportunities for granted and always gave thanks.

In the last few weeks we have received great encouragement from readers of our emails affectionately known as WTs. Thank you for taking the time to email. Each word of support is gratefully received.

Give Thanks

The longer I live, the more I use gratitude as a measure of maturity. I have a friend who is quite ill with cancer. We have a tradition when we talk. I say, “What are you grateful for?” And she always says “I have much to be grateful for.” Notice she does not say, “I had much to be grateful for” No, she says “I have much.” Even in these days of great illness she doesn’t relegate gratitude to the past – it is always present tense for her.

It is easy for people to give you a list of past experiences which generate gratitude, but sometimes it is difficult to express thankfulness for the current season. We need to be conscious that our greed, discontent, and losses can cause a cloud to cover us, hiding what is current. When we have significant difficulties it may blind us to what we have right before us.

As I have gotten older I find many of my friends joining the “used-ta” club. We get together and they talk about “I used-ta do this; I used-ta do that.” I made a deal with my family I would not gain membership in that one. When we fall into this pattern, we lose focus on the good things going on right now. Yes, there were some great highlights, but as I told Mary Alice early in our marriage, “The Best Is Yet To Be.”

A mature person knows the value of gratitude, but this is more than just saying thanks for specifics. It is developing a gratitude mindset. We probably only recognize a small percentage of what should generate appreciation. I think of those things I was protected from unknowingly; those things that were provided without any notice; those times when I was totally unaware… these constrain me to cultivate a lifestyle of gratitude.

Billy Graham once told me of two amazements: his selection by God and his preservation by God. Both are so vast that we could never understand the specifics. Therefore, we need to develop a grateful attitude which allows us to walk in thankfulness day by day.

A side thought: When I think about gratitude it occurs to me to ask the question: “Do we pray to fill our tool box, or our toy box?” Are we more grateful for toys than tools?

This week think about: 1) How currently grateful am I? 2) What triggers my gratitude? 3) Who models gratitude well?

Words of Wisdom: “The longer I live, the more I use gratitude as a measure of maturity.”

Wisdom from the Word: “The LORD strengthens and protects me; I trust in him with all my heart. I am rescued and my heart is full of joy; I will sing to him in gratitude.” (Psalms 28:7 NET Bible)

Scatterthinking

Weekly Thought – April 21, 2010

Fred once said he captured every valuable idea he heard, read, or considered. He wrote them on napkins, matchbooks, and especially church offering envelopes. He never traveled far from his tape recorder. Margie Keith spent years taking scraps of paper, and voice snippets and putting them into pages of “captured thoughts.” How grateful we are for both who made it possible to archive and utilize his gifts.

Thanks to all who encourage us week by week. Your words expressing how you use these wisdom emails help us. Thanks to everyone who contributes to make this work possible week by week.

Scatterthinking

1. Considerations on loss

Early one morning at a men’s conference I was greeted by one of the participants who attended my session with loss as the topic. “How would you like to lose $50 million, move your wife out of a three million dollar home, and take Chapter 11?” I asked, “Is that your story?” “Yes.”

It would have been easy to have told him to read the book of Job and put him on my prayer list. That may have been the proper approach for some, but for me it would have been sheer hypocrisy. It would have been irresponsible. Be clear – I am not saying scripture and prayer are the wrong response. But in this situation, I knew I was to offer something I was gifted to give – my business experience and strategic thinking.

We spent two hours going through his situation and considering the options. Often loss causes a cloud to settle in, limiting the ability to effectively think through the problem and possible solutions. In our time together we began the process of navigating through the cloud, finding suitable outcomes.
The book of Proverbs tells us when we have something in our hand to give another, it is wrong to withhold it. My training, my gifting, and my experience prepared me to sit down with him and begin a conversation that would lead him out of the fog.

We identified one option which would begin his way back. Two years later he contacted me telling me he had cleared Chapter 11 and was working his plan.

2.Mental Discipline

Benjamin Franklin assembled a list of character traits he wanted in his life. These virtues were considered part of a mature, successful life: temperance, silence, order, resolution, frugality, industry, sincerity, justice, moderation, cleanliness, tranquility, chastity, and humility. He established a plan to focus on each one week by week, studying them four times during the year. Even today I meet leaders who frame copies of this system and hang them on their office walls.

This practice made me think about not only putting on, but putting off. I asked myself “what habits would I like to break?” I put that question to you. What one, two, or three commitments would set the direction for change? Take one commitment in each major area of life (e.g. career, family, community), write down the desired outcome, and begin an intentional plan of action.

This week carefully consider: 1) How can I use my gifts and experiences to help in problem solving? 2) What do I do when the cloud of loss descends? 3) When do I do my best thinking?

Words of Wisdom: “Often loss causes a cloud to settle in, limiting the ability to effectively think through the problem and possible solutions.”

Wisdom from the Word: “How great are your works, O LORD! Your plans are very intricate!” (Psalm 92:5 NET Bible)

The Human Condition

Weekly Thought – April 14,2020

Fred thought for fun. How odd that sounds, but it is true. He marveled when people would tell him they never thought at all. Everything he saw, read, or experienced started him down an exploratory path of contemplation. In his files are hundreds of pages labeled M-M. No one to date has deciphered the meaning, but they are one or two paragraph observations on diverse subjects. We are serving up two of these delights this week.

As Fred frequently pointed out, we are in constant flux. No one feels this more than college students. Please pray for those we touch each year with a message of hope, and help. Your encouragement and financial support are greatly appreciated.

The Human Condition

Part of our condition is caused by living in a secular world. Too often our religion takes on the flavor of the secular, as well. We live in a competitive world where winning and losing are key. We live in a high-energy world with image fighting reality, with the media too often doing the defining. We recognize and appreciate individualism while needing community.

Peers are more important to the youth than parents. Materialism is more prevalent and more highly valued than spirituality “Now” is overshadowing interest in the hereafter. Science has put faith on the defensive. Authority is being questioned. Institutional religion and denominations are in disfavor.

And yet, there is a memory of what used to be, a faint recollection of a certain otherness. There is a yearning for true reality. In this vacuum there is a longing for meaning.

Transition to What?

Historians have labeled these times as “post-modern.” They say we are in a transition period, not yet knowing what we will become. We are like a trapeze artist who has left the security of one swing and has not yet reached the certainty of the next. I think we are in the period between trapeze and chaos.

Management books are written on managing these times. When we want to go back, we realize we are the trapeze performer caught between swings. It would be foolish to think we can stand still and let the world come back to us. We must move forward.

Our confidence as believers is in the fact that Biblical have no time frame, no relevant situations. Any transition is from one era to another knowing God is always there.

This week think about: 1) What do I think about when I alone? 2) What changes am I anticipating? 3) How well am I balancing Biblical principles in a secular world?

Words of Wisdom: “ ‘Now’ is overshadowing interest in the hereafter.”

Wisdom from the Word: “All generous giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or the slightest hint of change.” (James 1:17 NET Bible)

«‹26 27 28 29 30 ›»