Test by Fire

This weekend I had the opportunity to see The Whisnants in concert.  I am an avid fan of Southern Gospel music and The Whisnants are one of the best groups in the industry.  One song sung this weekend has stuck with me all week and made me think about the transforming power of God and the pressings of life.  Here is the lyric:

“Here on the potter's wheel,
I find myself once more,
My faults and frailties
Bring me here just like before,
With strong and loving hands
The pressure is applied,
Oft times I tremble as
He puts me through the fire”

(“I’ll Trust the Potters Hand” by Sandy Blythe)

As a Christian, I have heard time and time again that God is molding and making us to be more like Him.  God molds us to be all that He wants us to be just as a potter molds the clay in order to produce an artwork of beauty (Isaiah 64:8).  I have grown to accept that God is the leader of my life and that I need Him to continuously keep me on the wheel until I become the person He wants me to be.  Molding happens in the quiet moments of life, during prayer, in a church service, while serving on a missions trip, and other times when God chooses to reveal Himself to his children.  I accept that molding, though it may be tough at times to change, is for my better. 

The specific line in this song that went straight to my heart is “oft times I tremble as He puts me through the fire”.  For those of us that have worked with pottery before, we know that before pottery is finished, it must be put through the fire so that it can be used for its intended purpose.  I have had discussions lately with fellow Christians my age and we have examined the reasons why we think many students that call themselves “Christians” break down so easily and accept the terms of the world.  One reason I believe this happens so often is because after God changes our hearts on His potter’s wheel, many are surprised that pressure and challenging times may come.  The test that we go through as God molds and remolds us will significantly impact our testimony. 

I am reminded of three Hebrew men whose names where Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Daniel 3).  In prayer, they sought God and knew Him sincerely.  When King Nebuchadnezzar issued a decree that the people should only worship his idol, the three Hebrew children did not bow and were thus thrown into a fiery furnace.  You know the story.  While looking into the fire, the observers noticed that four people, not three, were walking around in the midst of the fire.  The door of the furnace was opened and the three Hebrews walked out unhurt.  Who was the fourth man in the fire?  It was God.  This shows Christians that when God allows us to go through the fire, He doesn't leave us.  Hebrews 13:5-6 tells us that God “will never leave us nor forsake us.  So we may boldly say: ‘The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?’” 

As you live a life fulfilling your destiny, there will be times that you will be put through the fire.  But take courage in knowing that you are never alone and that this test will strengthen you so that you can fulfill His purpose for your life.  If you take this to heart, I know I will see you on the highway to success!

Strive for Excellence in 2014

"If you don't have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?" ~John Wooden

Happy New Year!  As we begin a year of new opportunities, I would like to share a thought with you. 

 

We all have the same amount of time in each day.  But some people seem to achieve more than others in the same 24 hours.  In today’s society, we are constantly moving, changing, and pursuing something new.  We are multi-tasking like never before thanks to technology.  But is more always better?  Sometimes when we focus on producing large quantities, we forget to ensure that each unit produced is of good quality.  Because of this, I believe that quality is more important in most cases than quantity.  My resolution for 2014 is to live a year of quality.  Quality actually will help you save time in the long run.  John Wooden put it best when he stated: "If you don't have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?"  Living a life of quality is a very important part of effective time management.  Anyone can rush through a semester and write three average papers.  It takes someone committed to excellence to perform at a higher level.

 

Note for Future Leaders: John Maxwell states that leadership is "influence".  Leaders have the power to shape and transform their followers.  Leaders must set the example.  If you want your organization or individual followers to produce excellent work, then you must set the example by making a commitment to quality in your own life.

 

A recent article in the News & Observer described an example of a government organization focusing on quantity over quality and the negative results that can be produced.  Recently the North Carolina Department of Health & Human Services accidentally mailed the Medicaid information for 50,000 children in North Carolina to the wrong addresses.  That’s a lot of letters!  While the employees of DHHS worked to produce a product, quantity was definitely met but the quality was overlooked which made their work ineffective.  Now they have to take time to mail 50,000 letters once again to the correct addresses.  This reduces efficiency.

 

In 2014, I encourage you to take time to produce quality work.  Excellence is achieved one day at a time.  Whether I am writing a research paper or giving a presentation, I am committed to doing my best the very first time.  If you focus on quality in 2014, I know I will see you on the highway to success!

 



Learning to Overcome Obstacles

"Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself." ~John Dewey

We have all heard the saying “leaders are readers”.  Over the last few years, I have observed lifelong learning emphasized in our schools and communities.  As a student at North Carolina State University, I constantly run into other students that range in ages from 17 to 62.  I have quickly come to understand that learning does not stop once you graduate from high school or college.  With the advancement of technology and globalization, so much is changing so quickly.  In order for anyone to be prepared to make good decisions in the future, it takes a mindset committed to learning that will separate the leaders from the followers.

One of my pet peeves is when someone complains about not knowing how to do something.  Upon the realization that they lack skills or understanding of the issue, they make no change and pursue no knowledge that will better prepare them to tackle the issue in the future.  For example, I know people that have not taken time to understand modern technology.  Satisfied with their current lack of understanding of computers and such, they make no effort to learn about technology.  Later, when they are faced with technological difficulties once again, my phone rings and I once again come to the rescue.  This also happens when elections occur in our nation.  Too many people have not taken the time to learn about the issues, the current state of our nation, and those leading it.  This results in many people choosing not to vote or voting without the full knowledge of what they are voting for.  Maybe this is why our national debt is so high and our national leaders keep getting elected over and over.  Maybe this is why nothing changes that often.  Ignorance is not bliss!  Ignorance can cause you to have the same problems over and over again.

It is a common misconception that you reach an age at which you can no longer learn.  Some people believe that there are certain topics that one cannot understand.  I do not believe that these misconceptions are true.  While every person has strengths and weaknesses, nothing can stop an individual that seeks to learn.  Modern technology provides us with an abundance of information that was once only located at a university or in a library.  Accessing information is much easier today than ever before.  Whether or not a person masters a certain topic depends upon the time and commitment allotted by someone to a topic.  But anyone can develop a basic knowledge of any topic.

Leaders must be innovative and proactive.  If you are a leader, you will be placed in situations that will require you to oversee and lead people that do different things.  If you want to be effective, you must first admit that you do not know everything.  It must be your desire to learn about your organization and the services that your group offers to the community.  Learning increases personal development.  I read often and interact with mentors on a regular basis in order to increase my understanding of important topics and the challenges that I will face in my future. 

Lifelong learning prepares you to meet any challenge that you may encounter and enables you to overcome obstacles.  If you will commit yourself to lifelong learning, I know I will see you on the highway to success!



Mentors: The Ultimate Resource

"The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled.” ~Plutarch

As a leader grows and develops, he or she begins to collect tools and resources.  One of the most important resources that any leader can have in their life is a mentor.  During this season, it is customary to reflect upon all the things you have in your life and how much you value the individuals that are in your life.  Lately I have been thinking about the great mentors that have played a critical role in my development as a future leader and public servant.  Mentors are necessary tools that you need to use often as you pursue your goals.

 

A mentor is unique and quite different from a role model.  Ask any kindergartner who their role model is and they will most likely name someone such as Superman or Dora the Explorer.  Role models possess certain traits that we admire such as integrity, courage, and success.  They represent our aspirations and set a standard that we aim to achieve during our lifetime.  But a role model often has no influence on your process of development.  The fictional Superman cannot give you advice or talk with you when you need direction in life.  This is where mentors come in.

 

Mentors come in all sorts of ages, professions, education levels, and locations.  John Maxwell in Becoming a Person of Influence defines leadership simply as “influence”.  Therefore, mentors are leaders whom you seek advice from in your life.  These real people usually do exhibit positive characteristics and may be your role model.  Mentors are people in your life that influence your decisions, your direction, and your vision.  Good mentors are people that will help you see various opportunities and options in your life.  They are people that strive to provide good advice to you and help you figure out who you are. 

 

Mentors are not only people that pat you on the back and provide encouragement.  They are people that challenge you and help you to reset when you make mistakes.  They help you to learn from your mistakes and find ways to overcome adversity.  In Brad Paisley’s song Letter to Me, he describes a mentor in his life as he sings “you should really thank Ms. Brinkley, she spends so much extra time.  It’s like she sees the diamond underneath and she’s polishing you ‘til you shine.”  Mentors are just that.  They are people in your life that see your potential and spend time helping you realize it. 
 

While I have many advisors in my life that provide guidance to me, I have a few select mentors that I look to for advice and guidance on a regular basis.  As you will see, they are from all different backgrounds and perspectives.  I encourage you to take an inventory of the people in your life that serve as a mentor to you.  As we proceed into another year, I encourage you to make time with your mentor(s) a priority.  If you don’t have a mentor, I encourage you to build relationships and find someone or several people that can help you meet the goals you are setting for yourself.  If you do, I know I will see you on the highway to success!
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Mr. Glenn Howell is my high school agriculture teacher and FFA advisor.  He is also a long-time family friend and church deacon.  Mr. Howell has a masters degree and challenges me to pursue my passion for agriculture and public service by achieving a good education.  It is because of him that I studied agriculture as an undergraduate, have a passion for leadership and service, and do all of this with a heart for God.  Mr. Howell always helps to provide clarity to many situations and makes me think outside of the box.  Mr. Howell shows me that no challenge is too great for someone that wants to be a person of integrity and purpose. 

 

 

 Matthew Smith is the Senior Pastor of Maranatha Pentecostal Holiness Church in Beaufort, North Carolina.  Pastor Matt and I speak often to discuss my life goals.  My walk with God is very important to me and he helps me understand how to make decisions with God's help.  He also helps me see how my decisions line up with God's plan for my life.  We share a love for the Bible and music.  Spiritual development is very important in the development of any leader.

 

 

From day one, my parents have been mentors in my life.  They have always challenged me to do my best and to realize that the decisions I make today will influence my opportunities tomorrow.  They have given me every chance possible to pursue opportunities that help me to grow as an individual and to fulfill my dreams.  When I come to a crossroads regarding academic pursuits and other important decisions, I seek their advice.  They never refrain from telling me the truth.

My grandparents have always been my most avid supporters.  They have taught me to stay positive and keep God in the center of all that I do.  They teach me the value of hard work and help me to see my potential.  They teach me to strive for excellence and to follow God's will in every situation.  They both have a heart for service, which is where I think I get this from.

 



Other advisors and mentors that I have had over the last few years include but are not limited to: Dr. Jim Flowers, Dr. David Jones, Dr. Richard Linton, Dr. Marshall Stewart, Evelyn Reiman, Alex Miller, Scott Troutman, Pastor David Wheeler, Dr. Beth Wilson, and Michael Clinkscales.  They have each spent much time with me discussing my goals and given me opportunities to develop as a leader.  I am thankful to have each one of these individuals in my life.

A Lesson From Honest Abe

"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal." ~President Abraham Lincoln, 1863

Today is the 150th anniversary of the infamous Gettysburg Address, written and delivered by President Abraham Lincoln on November 19, 1863.  Only about 270 words, this short speech has become a part of the fabric of our culture.  Originally, spectators at the new cemetery in Gettysburg thought that the speech was amateurish.  Its length paled in comparison to the speech delivered prior to it by Edward Everett which lasted over 2 hours.  But Lincoln’s speech is the one that has lasted throughout the ages.  Upon hearing Lincoln’s speech, Everett stated "I should be glad, if I could flatter myself that I came as near to the central idea of the occasion, in two hours, as you did in two minutes".  The Gettysburg Address shows us the power of words.  The reason that Lincoln’s speech could be so brief is because every word and every phrase was strategically chosen to reflect the thoughts of the speaker. 

When giving a speech, people often think that more is better.  But taking advice from Charmin, many times “less is more”.   Speeches are given for many different purposes.  When you really want to inspire your audience and ensure that they remember your points, shorter is often better.  The ability to clearly communicate is one of the most important skills of leadership.

There are several points we can garner from the Gettysburg Address:
1. Choose your words carefully to ensure that your thoughts are clearly stated and memorable.
2. Remove fluff from your speeches when your desire is to make a clear statement. Carefully choose your words the first time so that you can eliminate repetition without reducing the impact of your speech.
3. When you possess a clear set of principles and act on those principles, your words possess more meaning because even when you say less, people can look back at your record and the foundation you stand upon and know that what you say is what you believe.  When people don’t know you and trust you, you often have to include more supporting information in your speech in order to establish repport with your audience.  By 1863, citizens overall knew what to expect from “Honest Abe”.

Lincoln showcased these speech writing skills in other speeches as well. His second inaugural address was only 700 words and is one of the most referenced inaugural speeches.  For comparison, President Obama's second inaugural address was 2,114 words!  As we celebrate the Gettysburg Address, I encourage you to listen to a recitation of the speech. Read the words for yourself and observe how amazing this short speech really is.  Take some tips from President Abraham Lincoln and apply his speech writing tips to your next speech.  If you do, I know I will see you on the highway to success.

Where Are You Going?

"Lack of direction, not lack of time is the problem.  We all have twenty-four hour days." ~Zig Ziglar

I heard a great speech by Bishop T.D. Jakes on the radio this week that really made me stop and think about a few things.  Humans are notorious for constantly being on the move.  Most of us travel thousands of miles each year by train, automobile, plane, you name it.  Many of us are multi-taskers and we juggle many things at once just so that we can save time.  It seems that we are always building bigger and better mechanisms that help us to complete tasks faster and get to the next place quicker.  We are constantly moving in an effort to get somewhere.  I agree with Bishop Jakes in that while we are constantly on the move, we often lose sight of where we are trying to get to. 

 

Life is short and tomorrow isn’t promised.  We don’t have time to invest in things that hold us back and distract us from our life goals.  Now don’t get me wrong.  Taking time out to have fun and just enjoy life is great.  But we should make an effort to delete things from our lives that keep us from moving forward (you know what those things are for you personally).  I have come to realize that I waste too much time on petty things when I could be using that time to pursue my passions.  I know that I could be making a positive impact on more people with the time that I give to other things such as television, Facebook, and sleeping in.  H. Jackson Brown Jr., tells us not to “say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.”  Zig Ziglar once said that “lack of direction, not lack of time is the problem.  We all have twenty-four hour days.” 

 

From time to time as you are moving from place to place, think about your direction in life and how each individual experience moves you toward fulfilling your goals in life.  If you truly want to make a positive impact on the world and fulfill your vision as the leaders above have, you must strive to manage your time in a way that supports your vision.  Sometimes while driving on the highway, we miss a road or get stuck in traffic.  Just as a GPS in your car recalibrates and makes adjustments, think of ways that you can adjust your time so that you can move forward in the direction of your goals.  If you do, I know I will see you on the highway to success!

 



What Are You Afraid Of? Be Courageous!

"The steeper the mountain, the harder the climb, the better the view from the finish line." ~Anonymous

 

Do you consider yourself to be a person of courage?  How do you define courage?  People often define courage as the absence of fear.  I define it differently.  Courage is not the absence of fear but the decision to overcome fear.  Fear has the ability to freeze you in your tracks.  Fear will keep you from following your passion and living your life’s dream.  President Franklin Roosevelt was correct when he declared “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”  Courage challenges you to overcome the fear that stands in your way. 

 

We have all heard the famous Robert Frost poem “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled and that has made all the difference.”  Oftentimes, courage is trying something new or doing something that those around you have never done before.  The road less traveled may be challenging at times.  A quote by an anonymous person states, “The steeper the mountain, the harder the climb, the better the view from the finish line.”  If you have ever lived in the mountains like me, you will understand that statement very well. 

 



Leaders should take into consideration the impact their actions make on others.  When you are courageous, you set a new standard for others to follow.  For example, in my home community, few people have left to pursue degrees of higher education.  This summer, after I graduated with my undergraduate degree, a local man pulled me aside at a meeting and told me how proud he was of me for being different and being an example to the other youth in my home community by pursuing a degree in agriculture.  That was completely unexpected.  Oftentimes leaders influence others without even knowing it.  My mother was the first one in my family to achieve a bachelor’s degree.  All throughout my life, the expectation has been established that my sister and I both will achieve bachelor’s degrees or more.  As I pursue a master’s degree, I am setting a new standard for my future descendants. 

 

Some of the most courageous people on the planet are farmers.  Each year, they till the soil and plant their seeds.  They hope that in a few months, they will be able to harvest a crop and feed the world.  But we all know that the weather and other factors are often unpredictable.  Sometimes there is a season of flooding such as we have had here in North Carolina this year.  Sometimes there are eras when there is intense drought such as in the Midwest in 2012.  Farmers risk their livelihoods each year in order to feed the world three times a day every day.  Despite the fear of failure that may be instilled from a year of drought and flood, farmers courageously choose to plant their fields again because they know that the world depends on them for food.

 

Choose to take the road less traveled and overcome your fears with courage.  Don’t let fear hold you back from making your impact on the world.  Be courageous and I know I will see you on the highway to success!