Jim Martin's Encouragement Note #29
Recently, I came across a simple question that made me think. “What are my actions moving me closer to?” (James Clear, 3-2-1 Newsletter) My actions matter. By the grace of God, this reality can even be encouraging.
The List of Five
You Can Move Forward With More Clarity
What kind of person do you and I want to become during 2021? I want my answer to to reflect my faith in, and devotion to Jesus. Our practical actions each day are an outcome of this faith and contribute toward our becoming a particular kind of people.
What if my spouse, my children, and my friends knew they could depend on me for the following?
1. A calm voice. What if you and I remained calm while others are anxious and demanding? What if we paid more attention to living out who we are in Christ than in trying to manage the reaction of others?
2. A clear but humble word. What if our words were clear and authentic instead of being focused on our desire to be liked and approved by others? At the same time, what if we spoke with humility, conveying to others that we still have a lot to learn? I love the discussion by author and psychologist, Adam Grant, in a recent podcast where he spoke of his personal list of things he doesn’t know. He believes that having such a list has helped keep him humble.
3. A consistent love for others. What if you and I were known for how kind and gracious we treated others even when we or they might disagree?
4. A confident faith in God. What if our hope was in him and not in anything else? What if we genuinely believed that he alone is our treasure?
When You Simply Need to Hear Good News
I appreciate this wonderful post by Austin Kleon, “Treasure in the Trash.” This is a great piece about waste collection workers in Turkey who started a library (now 6,000 volumes) from books which people had thrown away. The library is located in an abandoned brick factory.
Perhaps this caught my attention because often, in the West, we become overly focused on what we are lacking. Sometimes we become paralyzed in our thinking as we focus on our scarcity instead of our opportunities.
Perhaps like these waste collectors, we need to see the opportunities that may be right in front of us.
It is also encouraging to hear what one neighbor has done for others. I love the Steve Hartman story (“On the Road”) about the northern Michigan dad who built an ice rink for neighborhood kids. In Manton, Michigan, during a very difficult winter, Scott Chittle built an outdoor ice skating rink that brought joy to so many kids.
Four Short Statements Intended to Encourage
Each week, I post (on Twitter) short, brief statements intended to encourage others, particularly ministers and church leaders. Whether you are a church leader or not, you might find the following encouraging:
I wish more elders would communicate one on one with their minister something like the following: "I know you must be tired and discouraged at times. Know that I am here with you. Know that I love and value you. You are not alone." (Feb. 26)
One place to begin for elders in relating to a young minister — What if this minister was your child? How would you want a group of elders to treat your own flesh and blood? (Jan. 28)
For years, I felt "less than" as I considered my life, ministry, & significance. I countered by trying to prove this wrong. This was futile & left me more confused. Today, I have learned to embrace my identity in Christ. Far more satisfying than I could have ever imagined! (Jan. 24)
Three of the best gifts church leaders can give to any congregation right now (Jan. 8)
A clear God-centered message
A calm presence
A genuine affection & love for the people
Navigating in a Congregation - The Basics
These suggestions may be helpful to anyone in a congregation of any size. These practices can make a positive difference as you experience life as a part of a congregation:
Be a student of the congregation. Ask questions. Attempt to learn names. Get to know their history. Give these people the benefit of the doubt. At the same time, know that in any group of people, there are some who are spiritually and emotionally immature.
Get to know the story of the congregation. Talk to people who have been a part of the church for some time. What are their favorite memories from years past as they think about the history of their congregation? You will often begin to learn what the people in this church really value.
Be slow to critique and quick to understand. A critique usually has to be earned and may not be appreciated if given too soon. Far too many people are quick to critique and slow to understand and appreciate.
Know that upon entering a congregation, people will often reveal deeply personal pieces of their story. “Yes, we moved here after my divorce” or “My husband died suddenly two years ago.” Make note - you may not be told this again.
Credibility has to be earned. Credibility has to be earned through serving and loving these particular people.
For preachers - in your preaching/teaching, be down to earth. People will appreciate this. Far too many new preachers speak as if they were trying to please their seminary professor instead of communicating with everyday people. Beware of using seminary language (words that only people who go to seminary would know) as if everyone in a congregation should understand such language.
Speak with clarity. These people will appreciate your attempt to be clear and helpful. Know that your tone and your words may give you more credibility or may diminish it.
Why not consider sharing this newsletter with someone who might appreciate this? Each time an issue is published, there are new subscribers. Often this is because someone has shared this with a friend.
Resources
I enjoyed this wonderful interview with Russell Moore and Dane Ortlund regarding Ortlund’s fine book Gentle and Lowly. I enjoyed this interview, perhaps because I enjoyed the book so much.
Dan Silvestre’s book summaries and notes. I find these book summaries helpful for getting a glimpse of books I might otherwise not read.
Tom Vanderbilt has written an excellent article published in the Guardian. “The joys of being an absolute beginner - for life.”
Elodie Ballantine Emig’s review of Mere Discipleship: Growing in Wisdom and Hope by Alister McGrath (Denver Journal Book Review). February 15, 2021.
Just finished Seth Godin’s book The Practice. This book is full of very useful nuggets.
I referred earlier to professor Adam Grant’s podcast in which he discusses humility. (Keep in mind that he is a professor of organizational psychology at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.) The following is from this podcast.
When I was writing Think Again, I made a list of all the things that I know I’m completely ignorant about. And my goal was, was actually not to reduce the list. It was to expand the list . . . because I feel like the more I know about what, I don’t know, the more curious I am and the more I’m going to learn from people who are actually . . . knowledgeable in those areas.
So you know, my list . . . I immediately said I know nothing about music. I don’t understand financial markets. I’m clueless about chemistry. Uh, and you know, the list just kept growing from there. And I’ve actually been just keeping that list. I have a file on my desktop and my goal is to add something new to it every week. And if I stay clear about what I don’t know, then I hope I’m going to stay in a more humble, more curious mindset.
Each Thursday/Friday, I post about ten tweets especially for ministers and other believers as they anticipate Sunday. You can find me @jimmartin.
I serve as Vice President of Harding School of Theology, Memphis, Tennessee. You can find me at God-Hungry.org. You can find me on Facebook - @jim.martin. My e-mail address is: jmartin9669@gmail.com. Feel free to write. I would love to hear what is encouraging or helpful. — Jim Martin
