Say The Word

August 28, 2011

Gary J. Borgstede Faith And Family , , , , 3 Comments

Scripture

Luke 7:6-7 “Then Jesus went with them. And when He was already not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to Him, saying to Him, “Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof. Therefore I did not even think myself worthy to come to You. But say the word, and my servant will be healed.”

Observation

In these passages, Luke records Jesus’ encounter with the astonishing faith of a Roman centurion. The centurion had a servant who was sick and about to die so he sent elders of the Jews to ask Jesus to come and heal his servant.  However, before Jesus could even get to the centurion’s house, the centurion sent friends to Jesus saying that the Lord did not need to visit his house, but only say the word and his servant would be healed.  Because the centurion understood authority, he also understood the power of a word spoken with authority and therefore had great faith in the power of the Lord’s spoken word to heal his servant.  As a result, Jesus marveled at the centurion’s great faith and the servant was healed.   

Application

The same is true today for me as it was true for the Roman centurion – there is power and authority in the spoken word of God.  In John 6:63, Jesus says “The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life” and John 1:14 says that “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” Because of the Word of God, I know that Jesus is the same today, yesterday, and forever Heb 13:8).  And furthermore, I know that the Lord is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34 KJV) and He is a respecter of faith (Heb 11:6).  Therefore, as I demonstrate my faith in God and speak His Word over my life, I will see the power of His Word fulfilled in my life just like the centurion did more than 2,000 years ago.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I praise You for You are Jehovah Nissi, the Lord our Banner! Thank You Lord for fulfilling the promises of Your Word in my life as I believe Your Word, speak Your Word, pray Your Word, and live Your Word each day of my life for all of Your promises are yes and amen in You to Your glory through us. I love You Jesus! Amen!

Say The Word Copyright 2010, Gary J. Borgstede.  You have permission to reprint the personal devotion, Say The Word, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

The Make It Happen Moment ® Irresistible Idea

August 23, 2011

Gary J. Borgstede The Make It Happen Moment ® , , , , , , Leave a comment

ideas

Image by Sean MacEntee via Flickr

Quote: “God’s vision – His big idea – is Heaven coming to Earth!” – Myles Munroe

Sitting in an executive meeting with our CEO one afternoon, he shared a delightful aspect of his vision for the kind of culture he desired for our leadership team to create in our healthcare organization. “We need to create the kind of company that says ‘hi’ to one another,” he emphasized.  “If we can’t do the simple things really well, like warmly greeting each other, then how can we expect to do the really big things well, like saving people’s lives?”  As I left that meeting, I knew that our CEO was right.  We needed to begin engaging our culture in a way that would infect it with such common courtesy and kindness towards others that our organization would be irresistibly different.  So I went back to my own leadership team to enlist their support for such straightforward culture changing action.

In my management meeting, I declared, “Our CEO says that we need to create a company that says ‘hi’ to one another. I agree with him.”  A leader sitting across the table from me responded, “Hum, you tell 50 percent of the people ‘hi’ in this building and they won’t tell you ‘hi’ back!”  Astonished, I questioned him, “You mean to tell me that you can tell 50 percent of the people ‘hi’ in this building and they won’t tell you ‘hi’ back?”  And the young lady sitting next to me says, “Yeah, and one of them is you…”  Totally surprised, I responded, “Me??”  With everyone laughing at this point, she says, “Yeah, I’m in the elevator with you all the time and you hardly even know I’m there.”  Laughing with the others, I genuinely plea to her, “Well, I don’t want to be like that, so please don’t let me do that again.” And so it was through that honest feedback that I began to sincerely change, becoming respectfully conscious of others, and warmly greeting them with a simple, courteous,  kind – “Hi, good morning, good afternoon” – greeting.

Do you know that God has the same kind of delightful vision for His kingdom…on earth?  He desires for His people to do the simple things of the kingdom really well and by doing so, infect the popular culture on earth with the irresistible culture of His kingdom as it is in heaven.  Matthew 25:37-40 states, “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?  Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’  And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’”  So then, I believe the Lord has the same kind of question of His people on earth as my CEO had of our leadership team.  How can we do the big things of the kingdom really well, like winning souls, if we don’t spend the time to do the little things really well, like feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the prisoners, giving drink to the thirsty, providing shelter for the homeless, and even saying “hi” to one another?  With a spirit of commitment and generosity, let us diligently seek to change the earth and its cultures by doing the simple things of the kingdom really well – simply loving others as ourselves!

The Make It Happen Service Enthusiasm Value: “Make It Happen” People Are Service Enthusiasts!

Have a blessed “Make It Happen” day!

Edited by The Make It Happen Moment ® Editorial Team

The Make It Happen Moment ® Irresistible Idea Copyright 2009, The Make It Happen Learning Institute.  You have permission to reprint The Make It Happen Moment ® Irresistible Idea, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

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The Beginning Of Wisdom

August 20, 2011

Gary J. Borgstede Faith And Family , , , , , Leave a comment

Scripture

Psalm 111:10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever.”

Observation

In this passage, the psalmist declares that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. To me it is pretty simple and can be summed up this way.  No fear, no wisdom. Know fear, know wisdom. This is true because the Lord is the Author of all wisdom; He is all wise and all knowing. Meditating on this truth produces a healthy fear of the Lord in me.  Furthermore, in truth, what can the created [me] – tell the Creator [God] that He doesn’t already know about His creation?

Application

The only way that I can truly know wisdom is to humbly surrender myself to the Lord, my Creator. When I submit myself to the Lord with my whole heart and humble myself before Him as a living sacrifice through prayer, praise, and worship, I am drawing near to Him with a healthy, reverential fear and He draws near to me.  I [the created] get to know the Lord [the Creator] by boldly coming before His throne of grace and through my personal relationship with Him, He draws nears to me and shares with me His mind.  James 4:8 states, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” and 1 Corinthians 2:16 states, “For ‘who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?’ But we have the mind of Christ.”

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I praise You for You are El Elyon, God Most High, Creator and Possessor of Heaven and Earth! Thank You for making a way for me to come boldly before Your throne of grace that I may obtain mercy and find grace to help in my times of need. For without you Lord, I have nothing. I love You Jesus! Amen!

The Beginning Of Wisdom Copyright 2010, Gary J. Borgstede.  You have permission to reprint the personal devotion, The Beginning Of Wisdom, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

The Make It Happen Journey Chapter 1 and 2

August 18, 2011

Gary J. Borgstede Peek Inside My Books , , , , , , Leave a comment

Chapter 1: The Corporate Mindless Robot Factory

Have you ever worked for a company where people, most commonly referred to as “employees,” merely follow instructions dictated by their bosses? In such companies, the working environment is often reduced to a factory of mindless robots that becomes devoid of vision, values, creativity, and innovation. Not surprisingly, performance stagnates and becomes mediocre. And it is simply because the corporate leadership has failed to provide the people inside the company with an environment that inspires them to do more than just their job descriptions and what their bosses tell them to do. Unfortunately, this kind of environment is far too common in corporate America. However, there is a way for people with courage to make a difference and change the corporate mindless robot factory into a corporate Make It Happen adventure land. But to do it, one must embark upon the…Make It Happen Journey.

On the Make It Happen Journey, positive attitudes reign supreme and optimism abounds. Vision is the motivating force behind every action. Service enthusiasm is the only acceptable mode of operation. High expectations define the standards of excellence. Innovation and calculated risk-taking are the fuel that powers adventure. Bold planning provides the road map to every treasure. Performance measurements are always used to light the paths. Exciting celebrations are orchestrated for every accomplishment. And lastly, people are the catalysts that make all of it happen. As the journey progresses, people are transformed from mere mindless robot employees into Make It Happen people with passion and zeal for the services and products they create. The Make It Happen Journey is an adventure where only leaders with courage and a strong desire to make a difference should enter, because once you do, there is no way out and no turning back!

Helen Keller stated, “Life is an adventure, or nothing at all.”1 If Helen Keller, in her deafness and blindness, could approach all of the challenges and adversities in her life with such a positive attitude and turn life into an adventure, then a leader in corporate America, with enough vision and capability to evaluate and assess the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of their business environment, most definitely ought to be able to turn work life into an adventure for themselves and their team. If not, perhaps the leader does not fully appreciate the value that his or her company brings to life. A leader who is blind in this fashion unfortunately does not fully understand the difference he or she can make in the lives of customers and, more importantly, the lives of team members. As a result, work for them and for their people sadly becomes nothing more than just a job and a paycheck.

Leaders who fully appreciate the services and products their companies create know their work is so much more than just a job with a paycheck. Leaders who believe in their company and themselves take their work and their leadership responsibility so seriously that they consistently bring commitment, enthusiasm, and passion to work. With such leadership qualities, they have the ability and potential to create an exciting adventure for their teams by maximizing strengths, minimizing weaknesses, exploiting opportunities, and diminishing threats within their internal as well as external business environments. And when leaders combine commitment, enthusiasm, and passion with a set of universal Make It Happen Team Values, they can create a Make It Happen adventure in their company that could last a lifetime.

So, read on, and learn how you, too, can create a Make It Happen adventure for your team with a culture of empowerment that unleashes each person’s extraordinary God-given potential to make a difference in life. With a spirit of wisdom and excellence, you can play a pivotal role in revolutionizing the way business is done both in your company and the next generation of business leaders, through the Make It Happen Team Values shared in this book.

Chapter 2: The Make It Happen Adventure Begins

The Make It Happen Journey begins with a person who possesses an aptitude for leadership, growth, and development, who travels their life journey with character, and who serves others with passion and commitment. A person who decides to embark upon the Make It Happen Journey and the adventures beyond must transform himself or herself from being just an employee, manager, or executive by choosing to embrace their leadership responsibilities with a positive Make It Happen attitude and possessing a leadership vision inspired by Make It Happen Team Values.

Generally speaking, anyone in an organization can choose to lead their team on the Make It Happen Journey as a Chief Make It Happen Leader as long as they are respected as a leader with a positive attitude and possess a strong desire to make a positive difference in the lives of people. Additionally, a Chief Make It Happen Leader—also known as a CMIHL—must wholeheartedly believe in, foster, support, and live Make It Happen Team Values each and every day as the leader of their respective team.

William Ouchi, in his book, Theory Z, states, “That small spark of desire to change typically comes from a key person who cares sufficiently about the organization to invest the time, energy, and risk in taking leadership. A manager who chooses to lead his or her department, division, or company in a new direction can produce sufficient trust and sufficient incentive for change to sustain the process for some period, perhaps a year. If during this period, some signs of progress can be discerned by the followers, then the process of change will become self sustaining.”1 Leading a team as a Chief Make It Happen Leader is all about a personal desire to move an organization in a new positive direction. To do so, a Chief Make It Happen Leader must have the personal commitment and fortitude to persevere long enough for the people on the team to begin truly believing in Make It Happen Team Values such that the journey, with all its adventure, becomes self-perpetuating. This takes a significant investment in time, energy, and leadership because belief in Make It Happen Team Values can only grow at the pace of one person, one encounter at a time.

Please leave a comment below and share these 2 FREE chapters of The Make It Happen Journey with your friends and colleagues! Many thanks and blessings!

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The Make It Happen Journey by Gary Borgstede

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This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission of the publisher, except as provided by United States of America copyright law.

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, International Bible Society. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are from the New King James Version of the Bible. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc., publishers. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked The Message are from The Message: The Bible in Contemporary English, copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

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The Make It Happen Moment ® Cause For Courage

August 15, 2011

Gary J. Borgstede The Make It Happen Moment ® , , 2 Comments

First flight of the Wright Flyer I, December 1...

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Quote: “One person with courage is a majority!” – John Maxwell

Did you know that courage doesn’t always win the popular vote?  Why is that?  I believe the reason is that courage often involves acts of faith toward a specific cause intended to make a difference in the world and that kind of change can make people uncomfortable.  By its very nature, courage can either inspire the enlistment of other courageous souls to its cause or invite ridicule and rejection stemming from a fear of change that courage potentially produces.  Due to misunderstanding, people can be naturally afraid of the unconventional methods typically deployed when a person expresses courage to make a difference, especially when it charters new territories of growth, opportunity, and change.

Think about the Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur, for a moment.  Their thoughts and ideas were certainly unconventional at the time.  It was no small feat to defy the laws of gravity with a powered ship designed to fly people in the air.  The changes their idea proposed were certainly uncomfortable for most contemporary minds of their day.  Public spectators said that people were not meant to fly.  In fact, it was believed that it couldn’t be done and that any attempt to do it would result in failure and perhaps even death.  Orville and Wilbur’s dream was a personal cause for courage which made people uncomfortable.  To fulfill the dream required unmoving faith on the part of the brothers as well as the enlistment of other people inspired by the thought of seeing the impossible made possible, despite the prevalent naysayer mindset. 

What about the challenges that you and your team face today?  Will you believe consensus that says the challenge is too big, the costs are too great, the outlook is too unfavorable, and the obstacles are too formidable?  Or will you believe the voice of the One who is a friend that sticks closer than a brother and promises that no weapon formed against you shall prosper?  With a spirit of faith and commitment, place your trust in El Elyon, God Most High, Creator and Possessor of everything, knowing that He is in total control of the dream He has placed in your heart and He is faithful to complete the good work He begins in you!

The Make It Happen Risk-Taking Value: “Make It Happen” People Take Calculated Risks In The Pursuit Of Excellence!

Have a blessed “Make It Happen” day!

Edited by The Make It Happen Moment ® Editorial Team

The Make It Happen Moment ® Cause For Courage Copyright 2005, The Make It Happen Learning Institute.  You have permission to reprint The Make It Happen Moment ® Cause For Courage, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

Faithful To Forgive

August 14, 2011

Gary J. Borgstede Faith And Family , , , , , , Leave a comment

Scripture

1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Observation

In this passage, the disciple whom Jesus loved and whom was so close to Jesus that he leaned his head on the Lord’s shoulder at the last supper, the apostle John, shares one of the most incredible aspects of God’s unconditional love for us. Regardless of our sins, if we confess them to Jesus, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. It’s almost too incredible to believe that Jesus loves us so much that He will forgive us and cleanse us from our sins, even when we sin as one of His disciples saved by grace through faith, but it is true because Jesus is faithful even when we are unfaithful. 

Application

I can personally know and experience the depth of Jesus’ incredible unconditional love for me in the same way that John knew and experienced the Lord’s incredible unconditional love for him as “the disciple whom Jesus loved”, despite my sin, because Jesus is faithful to forgive my sin and cleanse me from all unrighteousness when I confess my sin to Him. In truth, Psalms 36:5 states, “Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds” and Psalms 103:12 states, “As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.”

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I praise You for You are Jehovah Tsidkenu, The Lord Our Righteousness! I thank You Lord for Your faithfulness to forgive me and cleanse me from all unrighteousness when I confess my sin to You. I am so grateful for Your incredible gift to become the righteousness of God in You, my Lord and Savior. I love You Jesus! Amen!

Faithful To Forgive Copyright 2010, Gary J. Borgstede.  You have permission to reprint the personal devotion, Faithful To Forgive, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

The Make It Happen Moment ® Adversity

August 6, 2011

Gary J. Borgstede The Make It Happen Moment ® , , , , 2 Comments

September 11, 2001 attacks in New York City: V...

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Quote:  “Adversity introduces a man to himself!” – President George W. Bush

With such adversity present in the days, weeks, and even years after 9/11, our then Commander-in-Chief, President George W. Bush, had to dig deep to find the moral courage and character to do the right thing for our great nation under the attack of terrorism.  Whether it is the threat of terrorism, the natural disaster of a major hurricane, a devastating earthquake, or a more personal adversity, the fact remains the same; adversity grabs your attention.  I have to think that no one in their right mind likes to be introduced to themselves by the way of adversity; however, many times it is living through the experience of adversity that can actually help someone become a better person in the end.

I once heard Jack Canfield, author of the Chicken Soup books, teach that E+R=O defining E as Events in life [occurrences, incidents, experiences], R as Responses to events [free will to choose different directions], and O as Outcomes to events [results, consequences, conclusions].  So think about how powerful that equation can be.  It suggests that once an event, occurrence, incident, experience happens in someone’s life, a person exercising free will may choose a direction that can ultimately determine the outcome, result, consequence, conclusion.

Although I understand this equation, I can also personally appreciate that if you have ever experienced any kind of serious trial in your life, you probably know all too well the power it has to potentially challenge you through anxiety, fear, and despair.  But in the midst of it, know this much – you are not alone and seeking a lighthouse of wise, trustworthy counsel can be tremendously helpful.

Discovering oneself in the midst of trial and tribulation can certainly be a tough challenging ordeal; however, it can also be an opportunity for people to demonstrate in their response the real personal character that they possess or perhaps develop a deeper personal character that they don’t possess by recognizing a real need to change.  Simply put, the E+R=O equation, theorizes that when people respond to adversity in a positive way, positive life outcomes can result.  Don’t just contemplate the theory.  Try it out the next time you have a difficult life experience by responding in a positive manner, inspired by faith, hope, and love.

The Make It Happen People Value: “Make It Happen” People Possess A Positive Attitude!

Have a blessed “Make It Happen” day!

Edited by The Make It Happen Moment ® Editorial Team

The Make It Happen Moment ® Adversity Copyright 2004, The Make It Happen Learning Institute.  You have permission to reprint The Make It Happen Moment ® Adversity, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.