How Do You Measure Up?

 Psalm 119:1,5-6

Blessed are they whose ways are blameless,

who walk according to the law of the LORD.

Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees!

Then I would not be put to shame when I consider all your commands.

Unfortunately, too many of us believe that our ways are blameless, but in reality, we all know that's just not true.  We try our best.  We do what we can.  But no matter how hard we try we constantly fall short.  There isn't  a single person among us whose ways are blameless.  This is true even for Christians.  

This struggle is even greater for Christians.  As Christians, we want to obey God's laws.  We study his Word and try to walk in accord with his commands, but daily we fall short.  Christians see this gap because they understand God demands perfection and none of us obey him perfectly.  While the unbeliever goes about his day not even thinking about this.  He actually believes he is just fine because "he's certainly better than most."

Sadly, people who want to believe this will know the truth one day, no matter how much they try to deny it now.  On the Day of Judgment, everyone will know the truth of God's Word.  Everyone will know that Jesus is the Truth, the Way, and the Life.  On that day it will be too late for people to change their mind.

Thankfully, God has graciously given everyone the gift of forgiveness and salvation through Jesus Christ (though many reject it).  Faith in Jesus is the motivation for the Psalm above.  It is faith in Jesus that makes us rejoice in God's decrees.  It is faith in Jesus that brings joy to our hearts, giving us the assurance that our sins are forgiven and we are saved by his blood.  It is faith in Jesus that motivates us to want to walk according to the law of the Lord.

This Christmas season I am thankful for two gifts that I received a long time ago: Jesus Christ, the One who died and rose again to redeem all people from the power of sin, death, and the devil; and the faith to believe it.

God bless

Jason Fredrick

God Tests His Children

 Genesis 22:1

Some time later God tested Abraham.

Why does God test us?  Why doesn't he just talk to us like he did with Abraham?

These are good and valid questions.  Questions that all of us have asked at different times in our lives.  The answers to these questions aren't always easy, or easy to hear, but we do have the answers to these questions.

Why does God test us?

There are several reasons that God tests us:

1. It's a way to help us refocus our attention on him.
2. It's a way that he hones us to develop and grow in character, patience, wisdom, etc.
3. It's a way that he snaps us out of arrogance or apathy.
4. It's part of what he uses to help guide us on our life's journey- opening and closing opportunities.
5. It's a way that God shows us to ourselves.  A test can help us recognize what we really want and what is most important to us.

These are some of the reasons.  If you think of one that I don't have listed share it in the comments section below.

Most of God's test in life are to remind us how much we need him.  They are designed to bring us back to him and refocus on him and his Word.  Throughout my life I can look back and see that the main reason I have been tested is to snap me out of arrogance or apathy.  When life is going well, I find that I tend to bounce back and forth between these two ditches.  It's funny, because usually for me tests are an answer to prayer.  I don't pray to be tested, but I do pray for more wisdom, or courage, or boldness.  Tests are the ways that God usually answers these prayers.  

God's tests are the ways that opportunities are created to grow and develop these traits.  Tests are also the way that your marriage gets better and stronger.  Tests open doors to increase your income.  Whatever you are praying for, and about, tests are often the way those prayers get answered.  But not always.  God can answer your prayers however he chooses.  Just don't be surprised or upset when your prayers are answered with a test.  Often, the reason for the test is so that you will pray more and continue to turn to God for help to get through this test.

God may not speak directly to us like he did with Abraham, but he does still speak to us.  He has given us his Word, the Bible, so he can speak to us every day.  Prayer is how we speak to God.  The Bible is how he speaks to us.  As you look for how to navigate your test in life make sure you spend time in God's Word every day.  God's Word is what gives us the guidance we need.  God's Word is where we find answers to many of our questions.  God's Word is the way to properly understand and navigate the tests of life.

God tests you because he loves you.  He wants you to turn to him and rely on him for everything, every day.  When you are faced with tests in your life, don't get frustrated get humble.

Psalm 46:1-3, 7, 10-11

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.

The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

God bless

Jason Fredrick

What Leadership Looks Like

 Acts 6:3-5a

Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom.  We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.

This proposal pleased the whole group.

This conversation and decision was the result of the Greek Jews in Jerusalem complaining to the Apostles that their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.  The Apostles realized that they didn't have the time to manage and focus energy on overseeing this ministry, so they wisely gathered all the disciples together and told them to appoint men to oversee this ministry.  The Apostles recognized they couldn't do everything themselves and they needed to stay focused on what was most important.  They needed to be doing the things that only they could do.

This is leadership.  You can't do everything yourself.  If you try to, eventually people are going to be unhappy because of everything that is getting missed, or done poorly.  You just don't have enough hours in a day to do everything yourself.  Even if you did, why would you want to?  How does your organization grow, and how do your people grow if you are doing everything yourself, all the time?

Also, look at what the Apostles did.  They didn't just turn this responsibility over to whomever was available to do it.  They put men in charge of it who were known to be capable and qualified to oversee it.  Actually, the Apostles didn't do the appointing.  They told the assembly to choose the men.  So the people who were complaining about the problem got to be the ones to decide who would be in charge of fixing it.  

That's another key point of leadership.  Let the people who are complaining about problems be the ones to come with the solutions to the problem.  You don't help people grow by solving all of their problems for them.  The Apostles simply listened to the complaint and them gave some guidance on how to solve the problem.  

I want you to take notice of one more thing from the passage above:  What was the qualifications that all seven men had?

They were full of the Spirit and wisdom.  All seven men were know to be full of the Holy Spirit.  Spiritual maturity was the #1 qualifier with wisdom #2.  It almost goes without saying that men who are full of the Spirit also have wisdom.  After all, true wisdom is a fruit of the Spirit.  This is important to note because the qualifications for these men had nothing to do with their technical skills.  Food Distribution experience was not a qualification that was even considered.  That wasn't really important.

What do you look at when you're looking to hire someone or add them to your team?  Are you too focused on technical skills?  If you tend to go through a lot of people in a relatively short period of time, you are way too focused on technical skills.  You need to learn from the Apostles of the early church.  The important "skills" are intangibles: wisdom, leadership, people skills, problem solving ability, conflict resolution skills, etc.  People with these skills can learn and acquire the needed technical skills.  People with high technical skills can learn these intangibles, but they likely won't if you don't have a leadership development program in place.  Most people will not seek out leadership development on their own.

The Apostles took this leadership approach because they wisely understood their mission.  Their top priorities were prayer and taking care of themselves spiritually, and preaching the Word.  Their main job was to proclaim the gospel of Jesus to the world.  They recognized their ministry wasn't about them, it was all about Jesus.

I encourage you to do the same.  Stay focused on your mission.  Don't get caught in the trap of always having to be "the guy".  Empower your people to do what they need to do so you can stay focused on doing the things only you can do.  Learn this lesson well.  It is what leadership truly is.

God bless

Jason Fredrick

Think Creatively

 In the book, The Magic of Thinking Big, Dr. David Schwartz lays out six ways for you to improve your ability to think creatively:

1. Believe it can be done.
2. Don't let tradition paralyze your mind.
3. Ask yourself, "How can I do better?"
4. Ask yourself, "How can I do more?"
5. Ask questions, and really listen to people.
6. Stretch your mind.  Listen to people who think different than you.

In this article, I will say something about each of these.  To go deeper into any one, I encourage you to read the book and really think through each one on their own.

Believe it can be done.

Belief is where it all starts.  If you don't believe something can be done you won't put any effort into figuring out how it can be done.  If you don't believe there could be a better way to do something, you won't look for better ways to do it.  This probably seems obvious and like common sense, but most people don't think this way.  Unfortunately, most people that you work with and meet every day have a fixed-mindset.  They don't believe what I just wrote.  They believe "It is what it is."  They don't believe they can ever get better, that there might be a better way to do things, or that their life will ever be more than it is right now.

Do you see how both the fixed-mindset and the open-mindset begin with belief?  The only people who attempt to do anything are the people who believe that something can be done.  They are the ones who truly believe their ideas can be turned into reality.  If you want to accomplish anything in life, first you must believe that it can be done, and you are the one to do it.

Don't let tradition paralyze your mind.

This is a big roadblock for a lot of people and organizations.  The bigger the institution the more likely you are to hear, "This is the way we've always done it," or "This is just the way we do it here."

Phrases like this kill creativity.  This attitude is a deadly symptom of a fixed-mindset.  The real danger of allowing a fixed-mindset to settle into your organization is that it quickly goes from a Leadership culture to a Management culture.  The fixed-mindset of Command-and-Control Management is the death knell of creativity and productivity.  When this sets in it sucks to be a part of your organization.  Work becomes exhausting and drudgery.   

The way you avoid this disease is by making available a Leadership Development program to everyone in the organization.  The highest amount of creative genius in your organization exists at the lowest levels of the org chart- the people who actually do the work that makes your organization what it is.  These are the people who actually drive your business system.  If you don't believe that, give them all the next two weeks off, paid, so they come back when you realize the reality of your situation.  Leadership matters.  Developing leadership at every level of your organization matters even more.

I will never understand why every organization doesn't hire everyone at their entry level with the idea of moving them up through the ranks as they desire and are capable.  This is how you build an organization from the ground up, but it takes a strong commitment to leadership development.  If you're okay with mediocrity, just keep doing it the way you've always done it.  Don't worry about creativity and competing in the market place, you won't be in it for much longer.

Ask yourself, "How can I do better?"

This is an important question.  It puts all the focus on you and what you need to do to get better.  I would encourage you to ask yourself this question every day and give it serious thought.  

How can you do better?  What are some areas that you can improve in?  What are some areas that you need to improve in?

The importance of this question is that it keeps you from blaming others.  It helps you avoid the temptation to place "should's" on others:  They should do this, or they should do that.  Why didn't they...?

By asking yourself this question, you take responsibility to be the one the to grow and improve.  In the long run this attitude and exercise will be a huge blessing to you, and not just professionally but in every aspect your life.  Anytime you want something in your life to get better, ask yourself this question and work on getting better.

Ask yourself, "How can I do more?"

I'm sure you can see how this ties directly into the previous question.  The success principle from The Magic of Thinking Big is: "Do what you do better.  Do more of what you do."  Once you start doing what you do better, doing more of it is what compounds your efforts.  This should happen naturally once you get better at what you do.  Being better at what you do doesn't just mean being more competent, it also means being more efficient.  It is this combination, competence and efficiency, that empowers you to do more.  This is what truly makes you stand out among your peers.  It's both.  It's doing what you do better, and doing more of what you do.

These first four principles tie together and address your thinking.  They are really attitudes, how you approach your life and your work.  The last two hit more on the how, what are some ways you can actually start implementing these ideas?

Ask questions and really listen to people.

This is tough for a lot of people.  First, to ask someone a question you either have to be interested in them as a person, or you have to acknowledge that they know something that you don't.  If you have a tough time asking people questions, you need to get over yourself.  This is a sign of low self-esteem.  Get over yourself.  

Even if you already know the answer or how to do something, give someone the opportunity to show you what they know.  This is a key part of being a leader.  You need to empower people to solve problems and contribute their ideas.  If you want to improve your creative thinking and empower others to think more creatively, asking others questions is essential.  Make this a daily habit.  When you have a project that you are working on ask someone how they would approach it.  Even if you already know how you're going to do it this may give you some ideas down the road if you get stuck on something.

Humility is required to do this.  Humility helps you recognize that other people have value and they have something to contribute.  If they don't, why are they working for you?

Stretch your mind.  Listen to people who think different you.

This is the ultimate test of an open-mindset.  Can you listen to, and take ideas from someone who thinks different than you?  This isn't necessarily referring to someone who believes different than you, but it can mean listening to someone who sees things differently than you when it comes to your organization.  Maybe it's someone who has a different idea about the direction the organization should be going.  This could mean someone who believes different than you politically or religiously, but it doesn't have to.  Just think of someone who thinks different than you, whatever that means for your situation, and have a conversation with them.  Not a debate.  Not an argument.  Have an actual conversation with the.  Ask them questions and then listen to their thoughts and ideas.  Your beliefs and thoughts don't have to conform to theirs, but you need to respect them enough to at least listen to them so you better understand them, and why they think the way they do.

This is not liberalist tolerance and inclusion training.  This is leadership.  If you want to lead people you have to care about people, even the ones you don't naturally connect with or see eye-to-eye with.  This is how you care about people, respect them, and give yourself the best opportunity to influence them in areas where their thinking is flat out wrong.  

If someone's thinking is hurting them, or holding them back, wouldn't you like to be able to help them overcome that blind spot.  This is a big step in that direction.  It allows you to be a blessing in their life, and helps you recognize that they are a blessing in your life.

I hope this is helpful for your leadership journey.  I encourage you to get the book and study the entire thing.

God bless

Jason Fredrick

Who Do You Turn To?

 Psalm 91:1-2

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."

In whom do you trust?  Is it in the Lord Almighty, or is it in yourself?  Is it in money and financial security?  How about the company you work for or the government?

In whom do you trust?  Where do you turn for shelter?

If you are trusting primarily in yourself or earthly institutions for your rest and shelter, you are in trouble.  Both are too weak and too temporary to offer either.  How can you trust yourself when you daily have to battle your emotions to make logical decisions?  How can you find shelter and security in the government or your employer when both use you as a means to an end?  Your employer may not be as cold and callous as that, but if times get tough who is going to be let get go, you or the owner of the company?

I am not asking this to create distrust or animosity between you and your employer.  I pray that you work for a company whose leadership has impeccable character.  I truly do.  Don't miss the point, though.

Governments rise and fall.  Companies come and go.  Your abilities, understanding, strength, and beauty will all fade over time.  Do not fall into the trap of putting your trust in temporary things.  All of these things have their time and place, but none of them offers eternal rewards.  At the end of your life you will find that all of these things are temporary and fleeting, here today-gone tomorrow.

Take the advice of the writer of this Psalm.  Put your trust in the Most High God.  Turn to him for your shelter and security.  Only he can be a true "refuge and fortress."  As I have gone through challenges and struggles in my life (some of them recently), this truth and promise of God is reinforced every day.  When I look to the Lord as my refuge and fortress I find peace and guidance.  When I look to myself, a job, or my savings account; I only experience stress and anxiety.  When I look to myself and worldly things for security and peace of mind I never find rest.  I constantly worry about having enough and what might happen in the near future, as well as the long-term.

Only in the Lord God is there peace and sanctuary.  Only in the fortress of God is there true security and protection from the evils of the world and Satan.  Only the Lord's walls are impenetrable.  Only in the "shelter of the Most High" is there eternal salvation.   Turn from the false promises of this world and put your trust in the Most High.  He is the One who loves you and provides for your every need.

God bless

Jason Fredrick