| June 9, 2008 |
Vol 9, Issue 18
|
|
 Get Ready to Lead!
"It's simple. We're just changing the world."
| |
|
|
|
"I can't influence the next generation--they won't listen to me."
|
|
Greetings!...  In Handoff: The Only Way to Win the Race of Life I tell the story of my neighbor Bob, who wants to make a difference. He loves writing letters and going to meetings.
Some time ago I was visiting with Bob and he said, "Jeff, the thing that drives me up the wall about young people today is that they are so polite."
"And...that's...bad?" I asked, waiting for the punch line.
"They don't listen at all," Bob continued. "I try to tell them what's really going on, and they respectfully nod their heads and say 'Hmmm,' but they turn around and walk away and think I'm nuts."
He's right, you know. Garrison Keillor said, "You taught me to be nice, so nice that now I am so full of niceness, I have no sense of right and wrong, no outrage, no passion."
In the face of evil and injustice, niceness is no virtue. But what is to be done? How can we mentor, coach and disciple those who don't want to hear it?
That's what we'll talk about in this issue of "Get Ready to Lead"!
| | |
 |
|
|
Friendly Reminder: Tomorrow is Last Day for Autographed Handoff books Guaranteed to Arrive by Father's Day
|
 Tomorrow is the last day to order the Father's Day special for the Handoff book! Orders received by noon eastern time on Tuesday, June 10 are guaranteed to arrive by Father's Day (U.S. orders only).
You'll receive two copies of the book plus a free audiobook for $20 plus $5 for priority mail shipping and handling. We still have autographed sets in stock too--autographed books make a great gift!
One customer wrote: Thanks for such a great deal!....The two signed books and the audio book for the price of just one book is amazing."
Another customer wrote: "I'm excited to gift my husband with the audio book Handoff for Fathers' Day. I hesitate to give books to my husband as he is not a reader but the audio book is perfect. He has a new ipod and my 12 year old has already downloaded it to his itunes for upload this evening."
Order on-line here.
|
| Four ways to speak truth to those who don't want to hear it |  If this generation is accustomed to anything, it's noise. The louder we get, the easier it is for them to tune us out. Here are four ways to be the still, small voice that injects truth straight into the heart:
1. Think of truth as a flashlight.
If someone shines a flashlight in your face, it's confrontational--even threatening. Your defenses go up. But if a person points the flashlight beam down the rocky trail you'll be treading, you feel relief and gratefulness.
2. Show what difference it makes to embrace the truth.
Here are some simple conversation openers:
- May I tell you about a personal experience that might make the way clearer for you?
- Can I share something with you in a spirit of love?
- I've had an experience that might shed some light on your current situation, and I'd be happy to share it if you're interested.
- I know of another way that might work. Would you like to hear it?
3. Follow-up consistently.
John Stonestreet, one of the young men I've had the privilege to mentor, is Executive Director for Summit Ministries. He's also a successful mentor in his own right. John once told me, "It's pretty simple to mentor kids. I just stop them in the hall and ask a couple of questions about how things are going. A few days later I follow up to see how they're doing. It shows them that I'm open to talking about what concerns them."
4. Ask life-shaping questions.
Please understand: I'm not suggesting that there's no place for confrontation. But most people already know they fall short. What they need is encouragement--literally, someone to give them the courage--to do what they know is right.
My friend Gina told me that her late father did that for her by habitually asking his children, "What are your dreams, goals, and aspirations?"
"I got so tired of it," Gina said, smiling, "but I could never get away from it. I knew he cared, and that he would always encourage me and support me to live a better life."
Approached properly, the next generation really does want to hear from you. Why not start some conversations this week?
[Need more ideas? These come from Handoff: The Only Way to Win the Race of Life]
|
|
|
 From Jeff Myers: Make it a great week!
Thank you for your prayers while Graham and I were in Mexico. We had a blessed time there working with San Pablo Church in Tijuana. I was honored to address a sizable group of government leaders on the subject of how Nehemiah accomplished a great project under tremendous pressure.
Thanks to the excellent translation work of Rita Hernandez, who also translated the Handoff book into Spanish, I also was pleased to deliver the Passing the Baton workshop to the largest group of participants we've ever had in any Passing the Baton workshop anywhere in the world. God is moving in this wonderful country, and we were thrilled to be a part of it. ¡Hablo muy poco español, pero Dios es gran!
By the time you get this note I'll be headed to Israel with two of my children. I won't be able to respond to any e-mails or phone calls while I'm there, but I look forward to giving you a full report upon our return.
As always, you can track our activities from the front page of our website. Thank you for your prayer and support as we call this generation of adults to rise up and pass the baton of godly faithfulness to the next generation!
Make it a great week!
--Jeff
Jeff Myers, Ph.D., President
Passing the Baton International, Inc. |
|
|
