Jim Martin's Encouragement Note #2
(2020)
Welcome! The following is today’s “Encouragement Note.” My intention is to publish one of these every other Monday. Each note will contain thoughts, quotes, suggestions, etc. At times, I will simply be communicating to you what I have read or a podcast I heard. I am writing because I really do value who you are as a church leader, a business person, or simply as a follower of Jesus. Life can really be challenging. Many of us are trying to navigate life in a whirlwind of challenges. I recognize that this “Encouragement Note” is not for everyone. However, for those of you who continue to read perhaps you will find a nugget or two that might be useful.
Each issue will offer “The List of Five.” Maybe you will find a take-away that is encouraging or helpful.
The List of Five
Be intentional about replenishing your energy. No one can do this for you but you. It doesn’t matter whether you are in business, education, or serve as a minister for a church. As a human being, I need to be intentional about this. If I am not intentional about this, I can become dry and emotionally, spiritually, and physically exhausted. I want to encourage you to identify what restores your energy and to make sure some of these practices are a part of your life — even on your calendar. The following is a sample of what gives me energy. You might consider creating your own list.
Begin my day with coffee, Bible reading, prayer, and journaling. This also includes reading something else that is nourishing to my soul. Times of silence and turning off the phone, etc. can be very helpful. I also try to be aware of my mood first thing in the morning. I want to be aware of this, if I can, as I begin the day, so that I can intentionally make adjustments. If I realize early on that I am “down” or “on edge,” this can help me address this immediately instead of allowing this mood to govern my entire day.
Exercise. Charlotte and I typically go to the gym four times a week for about an hour. (I’m not suggesting that you should be doing what we do. I’m just describing our lives.) This really does affect the way I feel, my energy level, and my overall mood and my attitude. If you typically get little or no regular exercise, you might begin with something simple. Maybe you can walk during your lunch hour or stretch. Do something that in some way gives attention to your body. What you do at first may seem small but “small” done one day at a time can build momentum.
Brief phone conversations with friends on my way home from work. Several times a week, as I drive home, I will call friends or family. The topics will range from food, to ball games, to coaching changes, to work challenges, to family, etc. These few minutes of connecting with friends are energizing.
Occasionally getting away or simply doing something enjoyable. We recently spent half of a Saturday in Oxford, Mississippi, enjoying their wonderful bookstore, Square Books, as well as Uptown Coffee, and Big Bad Breakfast. (Oxford is about an hour and a half from Memphis.) Just a short trip like this on a Saturday was refreshing.
Being careful about how much time I spend texting or looking at social media. Too much negativity (and hostility) on social media impacts the way I feel, my attitude, and my outlook. Recently, I have been reading Attention Management by Maura Nevel Thomas (Twitter - @mnthomas) which has helped me think through this. Thomas argues that time management is really a dated concept. Rather, the challenge today is “attention management.” With so many things competing for our attention (including our cell phones, social media, etc.), our challenge is to manage our attention. Thomas says, “We need the ability to “play offense:” to plan, organize, and make thoughtful choices about what gets our attention” (Forbes, January 8, 2019).
How does your faith in Christ connect with your work? This really is an important question for Christian business people and for church leaders. Some church leaders might be surprised at just how seriously many business people are about living out their faith at work. Note the Theology of Work project. I find this very helpful. You might also enjoy the Life for Leaders devotional series. Any leader, and particularly anyone leading an organization might find Leadership Prayers by Richard Kriebaum helpful. These prayers come out of Kriebaum’s own leadership experiences, complete with challenges that might face anyone attempting to lead others. I found this little book of prayers to be very encouraging.
Don’t miss this article written by Dr. Clayton Christensen, professor at Harvard Business School, who passed away recently. The article, “How Will You Measure Your Life?” appeared in Harvard Business Review (July/August 2010) and was the manuscript of a speech he gave to the graduates of the 2010 class (Harvard Business School). At their request, he spoke on the meaning of life. See this paragraph below as he reflects on his own life experience:
Over the years I’ve watched the fates of my HBS classmates from 1979 unfold; I’ve seen more and more of them come to reunions unhappy, divorced, and alienated from their children. I can guarantee you that not a single one of them graduated with the deliberate strategy of getting divorced and raising children who would become estranged from them. And yet a shocking number of them implemented that strategy. The reason? They didn’t keep the purpose of their lives front and center as they decided how to spend their time, talents, and energy.
(That you to my friend, Dr. Bill Petty, for making me aware of Christensen and this article a few years ago.)
One brick at a time. Many of us can become overwhelmed thinking about the tasks and projects that we need to do. So often we are overwhelmed by what we need to do at work, at church, or in our families. Perhaps the problems, tasks, and responsibilities are just too much!
I love an image that I recently heard from someone. If a person were to ask me to build a house, the thought of doing this would be overwhelming and seemingly impossible. However, if someone were to ask me to just lay just a few bricks each day - now that might be doable.
As I write this, I don’t want to prescribe a “one size fits all” fix-it. I don’t know what it is like to be you. I can tell you how I learned to lay a few bricks each day with the various tasks and responsibilities I have. The following has been very helpful to me:
I regularly do a “mind-empty” or “mind-sweep.” I first learned about this from David Allen, author of Getting Things Done. I was at a seminar that he was leading and at one point, he asked us to take a blank sheet of paper and to write down everything we were thinking about. We were to write down anything we were trying to remember or accomplish. We did this exercise for ten minutes and I was amazed at how much I wrote down! To this day, I still practice this. This is a great process to get everything out of your mind and on paper where you can see it.
Often what emerges are some things that I obviously need to pray about. People, family, situations, or work problems that need prayer. I was not even conscious that some of this was on my mind until I wrote them down.
As I begin my day, I determine what two or three “bricks” I will lay that day. What are the bricks that could be laid so that I am actually making some progress on things that matter. The task or project may have a lot of steps or tasks that need to be done. The challenge, however, is to select two or three for the day. No, you are not getting everything done that day but you are making progress on what matter.
Know that God is with you throughout your day. You are not alone (Heb. 13:5-6). You matter! Your life and work matters. Your past failures and the dreams that died do not define your life or your destiny. God is present and he is working — even when you feel overwhelmed. In fact, he will stand by your side and give you strength (2 Tim. 4:17).
“I just don’t know what to do.” — I have had this thought this at different times in both my life and my work. Perhaps you have as well. As a young husband, I thought this as Charlotte and I were trying to learn to navigate our young marriage. I have thought this as a father (of teenagers, college students, and now young adults.) I have certainly thought this on occasion in my work life, both as a minister and now at Harding School of Theology (Memphis).
Sometimes, we are so eager to prove our competence and hide our insecurities, we may not even admit this truth to ourselves. Yet, this kind of denial is not helpful. The truth is that we sometimes just don’t know what to do.
When I don’t know what to do, the following has been helpful:
I can process this with a mentor or coach. (I have done this both in terms of being a father, a minister, and a leader. Simply talking with someone who asks good questions that help me think has been very helpful.)
I can find someone, perhaps a friend, who has had a similar role or experiences and ask them questions about their thinking, perspective, and the action they took.
I can find written resources that might give me help.
Most importantly, I can pray, trusting that in some way, God will bless and help me.
Sometimes when I don’t know what to do, I may need more:
Information - sometimes I need better information as to how I can handle a situation. Sometimes the information I have been working with is faulty or incomplete.
Practice - at times, it is not additional information that I need. Rather, I need to put into practice what I have already learned. Perhaps this seems obvious, yet it is amazing how many times we will do the same things and yet expect different results. Often, I simply need to put into practice what I have already learned.
Reflection - can I reflect on my practice (at home, at work, etc.) and learn? A person may have much experience. Yet if I don’t reflect on my experience, it is possible to continue to make the mistakes and never really learn.
Quotes/Resources. Below are a few resources, quotes, etc. which might be helpful.
I listen to Cary Nieuwhof’s podcast regularly. Recently he interviewed Gordon MacDonald whom I have read and listened to for years. MacDonald’s interview was excellent. You can find it here. You can find the transcript of the interview here.
“The fastest way to raise your level of performance: Cut your number of commitments in half” (James Clear, January 30, 2030).
“Focus is the art of knowing what to ignore” (James Clear, January 23, 2030).
“Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them (Heb. 4:29).
You may know that each Saturday, I post about ten tweets especially for ministers and other church leaders as they anticipate Sunday. You can find me @jimmartin.
Jim Martin serves as Vice President of Harding School of Theology, Memphis, Tn. . You can find him at God-Hungry.org. His e-mail address is: jmartin9669@gmail.com.
