How I Give Encouragement - Part 4

4. Give Encouragement Hope-Fully.

If there is one thing people lack in their lives, it's hope. Every not only needs hope, but would love to have more hope. When we encouragement someone else, we deposit hope into their heart. Hope that they can be better than they are today. Hope that someone else in the universe actually thinks they have great value. And hope that their life is making a difference in the world around them.

We must work hard to connect our encouragement to vision. Both the big vision of our organization or company or family, but also to the specific vision of the person we're talking to. Encouragement connected to vision gives people hope that what they dream about can actually come true.

Just a bloggish thought,

Matt

Trustworthy - Part 3

Becoming a leader God can Trust involves an element of Steadfastness. Or, in real people terms, staying steady. Leadership is alot like a sailboat ride on a choppy sea.

There's gonna be alot of ups and downs and you're likely to throw up a time or two before it's all said and done.

If you want to be found Trustworthy, then learn the art of staying steady. I'm not sure I do a super job of this all the time, but I'm working on it. Here's a few thoughts on what that looks like in real time...

1. A Shock-Absorbing Spirit. I just gotta tell you, I have a team who knows how to absorb the shock that comes from ministry. These guys (& gals) know how to take hits and keep right on moving. That's trustworthiness.

2. A Long View of Reality. One of my favorite lines to quote to myself is: "it won't always look this way..." Regardless of the circumstance, be it good or bad, the truth is, "your reality probably won't always look this way." Learning how to take a long view of where you are, makes the difficult bumps easier to endure.

3. Establish a Sustainable Pace. Ministry is a marathon not a sprint, I work with too many pastors & leaders who want to see success in a 100 meter dash, and can't figure out why they're dying at the 1 mile mark. They have failed to find their rhythm and settle into a sustainable pace for the long haul. It takes stamina and rhythm to go 26.2 miles in a marathon.

Trustworthy means Steadfast. The ability to remain steady, no matter what bumps may come on your journey.

Just a bloggish thought,

Matt

Fort Myers/Cape Coral rated #1 in Foreclosures Nationwide!

Hey everyone,

I just had to share what I heard on the Today Show this morning. We actually had to rewind our DVR and listen to it again because it shocked us. They were doing a piece on the economy and real estate, and in the middle of talking the girl from CNBC says: "Fort Myers/Cape Coral has the highest Foreclosure rate in the entire nation!" Wow. An accountant I talked to today said, "I thought it was bad but not that bad!"

Here's my take: There are alot of hurting people around us every single day. Very few of us are NOT being effected by this crazy economic time. Last Sunday we started our series "Pete's Blog... a journal of trust." Let me encourage you to do 3 things:

1. Go to www.Petesblog.org and listen to last Sunday's message as well as begin reading the testimonies of others who are going through a storm.


2. Forward the Petesblog.org website to someone you know who needs to hear what we're talking about.


3. Do whatever it takes to attend and bring someone else this Sunday to 1 of our 2 Sunday morning services: 9 am or 10:45 am.

We've been given a unique opportunity to reach out to those in our spheres of influence who are going through a stormy season. All they need is an invitation. God will do the rest.

See you Sunday,

Pastor Matt