March 2015 – SOLUM SERVICES

Risk It! Find A Way

A winner says, “Let’s find a way.” A Loser says, “There is no way”

Rv:2:7: He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcomes will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

A winner says, “Let’s find a way.”

A Loser says, “There is no way”

Philippians 4:13: I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.

Problems are life. A great book written some years back is entitled, “Eating Problems For Breakfast.” Another great book published years ago was “Lateral Thinking”. Both of these books challenge us to remember that problem solving requires getting outside our normal boxes of thought and thinking different thoughts. When we are ready to do that, we can see incredible solutions to plaguing problems.

Recently in the children’s department of a large church, the problem of space for growth came up. The main area for elementary kids would only hold about 150 chairs, crammed uncomfortably with bad visibility. There had to be a way. After 15 years of looking at the problem, no one had a real viable solution. It took getting outside the box.

Walking through another room planned for remodel a worker struck on an old idea with a new twist. A choir loft seating about 75 adults was going to be torn out. Why not split the loft and reassemble it in the kids area as bleachers? The new use of an old item would make room for 100 new kids. Not only that, but it took up little used space in the room and changed the room to a more exciting place for the kids and allowed over 250 kids to be in the room with all of them having good visibility. Add to that another idea of doubling the lumens in the lighting and the whole idea gelled. Unusable, dim space was turned into light, great space because some folks though outside the box against 15 years of “no way”. (Sunbonnet: The cost was only a few dollars as the labor was volunteered along with some great carpet to cover the bleachers. The cost of purchasing bleachers and installing a new lighting system would have been over $10,000.)

1 Pt:1:7: That the trial (testing by presenting of problems)of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perishes, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

This principle applies in all areas of life. Tests, trials, opportunities, problems, glitches, frustrations, whatever you call them come up. Persistent prayer and thought can bring new light (couldn’t resist) and a different way to attack the problem. Faith pushes through to solutions. Fear stares at the problem and gives up.

Take Inventory

Do you have a long term problem that needs fixing? How can you persist again and say, “There has to be a way!”?

What can you do today to get past the idea that you have to live with that old problem?

Make Application

Write what you are going to specifically do in the next 30 days about this.

Pray To Be A Problem Solver

Father, quicken my mind and heart. Encourage faith in me to believe again for something on which I have given up hope. You are so real and alive and active in everything that is. Stretch my faith. Let me be like the one who said to Jesus, “Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief.”. Give me the courage to try a new approach and see Your had displayed.

Risk It! Explain

Explain

Romans 14:11: For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. 12: So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. 13: Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way

A winner. explains; a loser explains away

Early in life I found it profitable to have solutions. Managers, directors, executives all seemed to be unconcerned with my problems and mistakes. What they wanted was solutions. Explain the problems and offer a solution. It really did not make a difference whether I caused the problem or not. A winner goes for the solution not the excuse.

God is the same way. He really is not so much interested in punishing us. He is interested in our growth.

This trait of offering honest explanations with solutions is called faithfulness. When we trust a person, we are honest. When we value their opinion in the long term, we are honest. Being that way adds up to being loyal and faithful and it is so returned.

In the computer industry of big systems, there are sometimes some real messes. Blaming it on the computer never flies. It always seems profitable to simply tell people, “We are researching the problem and will get back with you.” and then do it.

A certain hospital had a horrible reputation. Systems crashed daily, sometimes 3 times a day. Nurses screamed. Doctors threatened to throw equipment out the window. One doctor would come in the computer room and bang on the equipment. When the system went down, all the technicians took off their badges and hid from the hospital staff.

As a new manager, Newbie was perplexed. How do you handle this mess? First, he instructed his technicians to get their badges back on and get into the hallways. Take the heat. Own up to the problems and offer assistance. Next, he called all the head nurses and gave them an estimate of when they could expect systems so they could go back to work. Then he called the chief technicians and wanted answers. Real answers. When it was all over he would update the executives to the causes.

It was tough. The reputation of the department was horrid. Over time the nurses began to trust the reports. Even when it was bad news, it was trustworthy news. Systems started getting fixed and executives agreed to spend the right monies to fix the problems. Everyone turned out winners. Eventually the systems that were only up 50% of the time were up 98% of the time. Winners explain.

I Corinthians 4:1: Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2: Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.

A story is told about Thomas Watson, then chief of IBM. Seems an executive spent a few million dollars on a project that was a total failure. He went in to Watson thinking he would be terminated. Watson looked and him and assured him that he was not about to loose the millions he had invested in the man’s training.

What if he had offered excuses and blamed others? What if he had not been honest with his mistakes.

Adam had that type opportunity. He blamed Eve. What if he had just told God he miffed it and needed forgiveness?

David, king of Israel, committed murder, adultery, and things we don’t even know about. But when it came time to face it, he was honest and simply explained. God forgave and restored him each time. David wasn’t perfect, he just would not try and explain away.

Heb:13:17: Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.

This principle applies in all areas. We all make mistakes. We all have failures. (Failure is an event, not a person.) We all are required to show faithfulness and loyalty by being honest and helping those around us deal with the situation. They need the full scoop so they can work out any side issues, not so they can punish or dig it in.

Take Inventory

Do you have problem that needs fixing? Can you explain? Will you explain?

How can you get past the fear of failure through honest explanations?

Make Application

Write what you are going to specifically do in the next 30 days about this.

Pray To Be Honest In Explanation

Father, open my eyes. Let me see any hindrances to winning with Jesus. So many times in life lessons go unlearned when I don’t hear Your voice. Speak clearly, Lord. Let me hear and act speedily. Open my heart, Father, to give real, honest explanations so I can stay on the road to winning.

Risk It! Respect Authority – Power Insight

Take ancient authority into your workplace. Truths that transcend culture, industry, and size of business.

Respect Authority

Psalm 19:1: The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament reveals openly his handywork.2: Day unto day cries out loudly with speech, and night unto night displays and reveals knowledge. 3: There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.

A winner… respects those who are superior to him and tries to learn something from them;

a Loser resents those who are superior and rationalizes their achievements.

In 1980 a young student began to loose his ability to learn. The key instructor just did not seem to be passing anything on. What was the problem. The student had left home and job to study under this learned man. Travelling 500 miles, he had risked everything, and now he seemed to be learning nothing.

Self examination revealed a loser’s attitude toward the instructor. The student had begun to rationalize, see himself better than he was. Since he wasn’t singled out and acknowledged, he began internally to tear at the credibility of the instructor. The door to knowledge closed. The gateway of learning is only opened when respect is in place.

Being a quick learner the student adjusted. The next day he cornered the instructor and asked forgiveness. What? Ask forgiveness for a sin not committed? Yes. He asked for forgiveness from the instructor for holding anything between them. The gentle instructor forgave and forgot.

Ps:86:5: You, Lord, are good and gracious and kind , and ready to forgive; and abundant in mercy to everyone that calls on you in their time of need.

Learning quickly returned. Now the wisdom of life flowed from instructor to student. The student went on to glean many critical lessons from this instructor which prospered him in life.

Proverbs 1:5: A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:

Prov:1:7: The fear (respect andconsideration of position and authority and person) of the LORD is the beginning (the opening of the doorway)of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

This principle applies not just to respecting the Lord but to respecting anyone.

Take Inventory

Do you have a lack of respect standing the way of knowledge in a relationship?

How can we be sensitive to remove the blocks to receiving knowledge and remove them quickly?

Make Application

Write what you are going to specifically do in the next 30 days about this.