One summer morning as Ray Blankenship was preparing his breakfast, he gazed out the window and saw a small girl being swept along in a rain-flooded drainage ditch. Blankenship knew that farther downstream the ditch disappeared with a roar underneath a road, and then emptied into the main channel.
Ray dashed out the door and raced along the ditch, trying to get ahead of the floundering child.
He hurled himself into the deep, churning water, and when he surfaced, was able to grasp her arm. They tumbled over and over until within about three feet of the deep drain, Ray’s free hand felt something—possibly a rock—protruding from the bank. He clung desperately as the tremendous force of the water tried to tear him and the child away. “If I can just hang on until help comes…” he thought. He did better than that. By the time the fire-department rescuers arrived, Blankenship had pulled the girl to safety. Both were treated for shock.
On April 12, 1989, Ray was awarded the Lifesaving Silver Medal by the US Coast Guard. The award is fitting, for this selfless person was at even greater risk to himself than most people knew…Ray can’t swim!
Lao Tzu said, “From caring comes courage.” And I challenge you today, be courageous—put on the hero’s courage! What is the hero’s courage? It is knowing that you have the power to help someone else, and that you have the power, or the courage, to care. It is the fuel that makes a hero! http://bit.ly/1GM2cPj
What does offering help to someone else provide? Does it provide a sense of personal fulfillment? Or perhaps a reminder that your situation may not be all that bad?
I often tell people that when you help someone else you sense the presence of God helping people, and this in turn is a reminder that God will help you. I recently received a letter from someone who took this to heart. She said:
“Thank you for your message about helping somebody else when you’re going through personal problems. My younger brother is dying of brain cancer. For much of his life he has been homeless and battling alcoholism. My other sister was too drunk to properly care for him or even to talk to the hospital about his needs. But, today I went on visitations for my sidewalk Sunday school and I was able to pray with a mom that has been fighting depression. Seeing the kids excited about Sunday school tomorrow brought me true joy. It’s so true when you’re going through something, reach out to somebody else and that’s where you find God’s strength.”
What giants are you facing in life today? Remember that as you get busy helping others, you will find the strength to defeat seemingly insurmountable problems. Maya Angelou said, “When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.”
Remember, helpers need wisdom, strength and resource. God promises an abundant supply for those who are willing to go the extra mile. The scripture says, Give and it shall be given back to you, good measure pressed down and shaken together! With the same measure you give it shall be given back to you!
Let’s get busy helping someone today. When you add great value to someone else’s life, you will recognize just how valuable you really are!
Scripture: Luke 6:38 (paraphrased)
Four things happen when I solve problems for others:
- First, I recognize that I have the ability to provide solutions.
- Second, this instills a confidence which inspires me to resolve my own difficulties.
- Third, I recognize that I can believe in myself because there is someone greater that also believes in me.
- Lastly, my victories often open doors of victory for others.
Remember when facing personal difficulties that you have a teammate! Don’t be self-absorbed when seeing the problems that others face. Gordon Hinckley said, “…the most miserable people I know are those who are obsessed with themselves…if we complain about life, it is because we are thinking only of ourselves.”
Did you know that India has a population of 1.2 billion people? Drs. Chandra and Leela Bose started the Bethel Bible College in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh in 2002, because of the burden they felt to reach their country with the Good News. Their desire is to take this Good News to the utmost regions of their country, with no community left out.
The bible tells us that the harvest is plenty, but the laborers are few. India needs literally millions of laborers to take the gospel to 1.2 billion people! Hundreds of thousands of bible colleges are necessary so that the indigenous leadership can be equipped with the scriptural, theological education necessary to go and preach the gospel to the people of their own languages, in their own states and communities.
Drs. Chandra and Leela Bose are pastors and educators, religious leaders, and founders of churches and schools, colleges and many social programs, including the extraordinary after school tutoring and feeding program, “5 Loaves 2 Fish.” This remarkable outreach provides a warm meal and tutoring that helps establish a holistic foundation in a child’s formative years. Impacting more than just these hungry children, whole families are being strengthened and encouraged through the program!
I encourage you to go to our website and watch our previous interviews where you’ll learn much about their work in the nation of India. http://bit.ly/1LfFLFF. To watch the 5 Loaves 2 Fish afterschool program in action, click here: http://bit.ly/1JeS94S
What does your eye see? The scripture says, The person that has a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for this person gives of his [or her] bread to the poor.
There is a story of a Russian woman on a very small pension. One morning she looked into her refrigerator and realized she had only one frozen chicken—and nothing else. In her village dozens were hungry and without any food, so that day she made the decision to take that chicken and make a pot of soup.
You would think that she would savor every drop of that soup, but instead she took it to the streets and began feeding the hungry. So impressed were her neighbors with her act of kindness that others began supplying bread, and even vegetables from their gardens. Even more astounding was the day the mayor walked by and noticed the impact this woman was having in her village. He called his office and told the city clerk to find a facility for her to open a kitchen, and to supply her with whatever she needed!
In the midst of her poverty, this woman found a principle of true wealth. Her eye was full of abundance, and her thoughts were pointed in that direction. With one chicken she became the solution for the needy of her community!
Scripture: Proverbs 22:9 (paraphrased) http://bit.ly/1GM2cPj
My husband, Kevin, and I founded the 100 Tent Project, and Tatiana is just one of dozens of Russian missionaries committed to helping the estimated 100,000 unreached villages of Eurasia through this unique method of connecting with these unreached communities and regions.
Tatiana and her evangelistic team travel from village to village with their 350-seat tent, bringing good news of encouragement, joy, and hope to regions overwhelmed by hopelessness.
No, Tatiana was not a public speaker, an educator, a government official, or an official voice of any sort. She was a Babushka, a grandmother, who was gripped by what she saw—a staggering need with no apparent solution. But with God’s help, direction, and the gift of one great tool: a big, bright yellow and white tent, she brought an answer that has impacted the entire area.
Follow this link to find out more about the 100 Tent Project and learn why the project began, as well as its intended purpose and destination: http://bit.ly/1SgDNLR. If you’d like to get involved in these rural regions of Eurasia and invest in the 100 Tent Project, I encourage you to go to www.LeslieMcNulty.com.
Is your dream transferable? Who else will benefit from the majestic view of your dream? Is it motivational? Do you get excited about your dream? If you get excited others will also!
The following questions will help you clarify your dream by crafting a vision statement that identifies your destination, your purpose and your values. Remember these words: Transferable, Memorable and Motivational.
- Does your vision statement identify your destination? Where are you going?
- Does your vision statement define your purpose? Why do you exist? What greater good will your vision serve
- Does your vision statement convey your values? What principles guide your decisions or actions on your journey?
- Can your vision be easily captured by your audience?
- Is your vision memorable? Use action words and succinct sayings to convey your thoughts. Avoid clichés or overly used statements.
- And remember this. Is your vision motivational? Ask that question. It should be inspiring. If no one is excited about your vision you may not be effectively communicating.
Three things to remember as you continue moving forward with your dream:
Be Tenacious—toward your goal, tenacity is a firm grip on the future you have seen with the eye of your faith and in the heart of your imagination.
Be Gracious—not everyone is with your on your journey! Certainly many won’t believe and some will even question your motivation! Be gracious. You will win them over in the long run, and even if you don’t, the fruit of your actions will prove the wisdom of your decisions. With your actions, remember never to sweat the small stuff that goes wrong or the small distractions from the faithless around you. Stay with God; stay on principle; stay focused; be gracious. Today you can decide: I will be gracious to those who stand in the way of my dream! I will not allow the voice of negativity to halt my dreams!
And last: Be Spacious—make room for others. Include those you want to take along with you on the journey. No one likes going it alone! Dream big enough to include others in your dream. When others realize there is room for them they will join the team. Ask yourself, Who can I include? Are you living in a desert or near the vast ocean of abundant possibility? You may be in a desert, but can you see the Oasis!
Go to my website and download your free “LIVE YOUR DREAM” worksheets! http://bit.ly/1KOOCxR
During our first few months of living in Russia we saw three drunks fall out of buses onto the curb. One day as we were headed to a church to speak, we stumbled upon a man comatose and bleeding in the snow. The sense of hopelessness was overwhelming as we searched for help! Finally, someone agreed to notify the police. How could we head to a church to help people if we were indifferent to the hurting humanity around us?
Martin Luther King Jr. said, “In the End we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”
Nothing is more deafening than silence—when people turn an apathetic eye towards humanity. But you and I can make a difference in our world. Your actions count! Today let’s make a decision to help someone we know, someone trapped by tragedy, poverty, or hopelessness without life.
In one of our large events in Africa, we were told by the organizers not to expect to start on time. “Here in Africa the opening night is just a test run where we work out our problems.”
Can you imagine? There are 75,000 people preparing to gather. People are already standing on the field hours before the meetings are to begin! Yet, the expectation of a group of adult men was, ‘don’t worry if we don’t start on time, well, we never do…’ So, in other words, failure is acceptable!
Ask yourself a simple question: Where have I set the standard for my life? Is failure my expectation, or is overcoming the impossible where I set my goal in life?
How would you handle a situation like this, if in just a matter of an hour you were to address this crowd and you had no lights and no sound?
Action was required, so we fired the 30 organizers and asked for 40, 14-year-old male volunteers. Why? They had not yet experienced failure! They would climb where no one else would climb, lifting lights and scaling poles! Are you willing to scale insurmountable odds?
If those 40 boys had not stepped to the line, what would have happened that night? Those 75,000 people who came looking for hope, searching for a miracle, and expecting good news would have left disappointed! http://bit.ly/1ITmciq
