Live Like A Star

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on AppleSpotify, or Audible.

Do you want to influence people?

The first step may sound simple, but it takes a lot of work: People have to want to be around you.

Think about it—it’s hard to influence anyone who doesn’t even want to be in the same room with you, let alone get up-close-and-personal! Here are some wise words:

Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life… (Philippians 2:14-16)

Here’s what the Bible says we can do to be the kind of person others want to be around:

  • Don’t be a complainer when things don’t go your way.
  • Stop arguing about everything. There is a time to stand up, and there’s a time to quiet down. Learn the difference between the two.
  • Live above reproach. Simply stated: do the right thing all the time.
  • Live a life that pleases God.
  • Set an example worth following and people will want to follow you!
  • Use the Bible as the infallible standard for all of your life choices.

Living this way makes you shine like a star. Not a rock star or a superstar, but a powerful influencer.

Want to see something cool? The dictionary gives this amazing bit of information about the origin of the word influence

An astrological term which meant the streaming ethereal power from the stars acting upon the character or destiny of men.

If you live the way the Bible says in these three verses, you will not only shine like a star, you will be positively affecting the character and destiny of those in your circle of influence. How cool is that?!

And that is a great reason to live a God-pleasing life!

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

Be A People Person (book review)

John Maxwell’s insights into leading people perpetually astound me. He always finds such simple ways to explain what I know I should already be doing. In one of his earliest books, Be A People Person, I (re)discovered some more great people principles.

Be A People Person perfectly describes this book: It’s all about being a person who is trusted and accepted by other people. This, in turn, puts this people-person in a place to be an effective leader. So Dr. Maxwell talks about confidence, motivation, encouragement, empathy, trustworthiness, mentorship, and so many other people principles.

Because this was one of his earlier books, I see many of the seed thoughts that have become books in their own right later on. But that still didn’t take away from the refreshing insights that I uncovered.

Unless you are a solitary hermit, there is so much to discover in this book to help you grow stronger and more effective relationships with family members, coworkers, and friends.

Leadership Is Dead (book review)

It’s not that we don’t need leaders anymore; actually, we need more leaders. But we also need the right kind of leaders. It is exactly those right kinds of leaders that Jeremie Kubicek calls upon in Leadership Is Dead: How Influence Is Reviving It.

Many leadership books tend to be very head-oriented. That is, most leadership books give you the how to’s. Jeremie takes a different approach. Instead of leading with the how to’s, he leads with the why. From the opening chapter Jeremie wants his readers to look deep inside to find out why they want to be a leader, or a better leader. Then once that is firmly in mind, he begins to dismantle all of the self-serving motivations, and replace them with the ultimate tool for effective leadership: influence.

In many ways this book is as much a people-skills book as it is a leadership book. But, after all, unless you are leading sheep, you need to know about interacting with people. Rest assured, Leadership Is Dead is not a touchy-feely book; it is an in-your-face confrontation about doing reviving true leadership.

The last chapter is called “Why You Probably Won’t Do This.” In this chapter, Jeremie says, “Most leaders never reach the levels of significant influence because their instincts for self-preservation are too strong.” And then he adds, “True influence comes when you change yourself to change the world.”

Do you want to make a lasting impact on your world? It starts when you can make the changes in yourself that will lead to greater levels of influence on those around you. Because in order to change your world, you’re going to need a lot of help from a lot of other people! This book can help.

(Special thanks to Michael Hyatt for selecting me as a winner on his blog, so that I could get a copy of this book. And thank you as well to Howard Books for making these books available to Michael Hyatt.)

Basketball Evangelism

Basketball’s creator James Naismith

In preparing for our Salt & Light series which starts this Sunday, I’ve been reviewing the different places in my life where I can season and illuminate my world. It’s pretty simple:

  • In order to season like salt, we have to get out of the saltshaker.
  • In order to shine like light, we have to uncover our brightness.
  • And we have to be around people who need seasoning and illumination.

One of my favorite workout activities is playing basketball, so I absolutely loved reading a story about why James Naismith created this fun sport.

You can read the full article from the Wall Street Journal here, but this passage especially jumped out at me:

Convinced that he could better exemplify the Christian life through sports than in the pulpit, he moved to Springfield, Mass., to serve as a physical-education instructor at the Young Men’s Christian Association’s International Training School for Christian Workers (now Springfield College). Naismith’s vision? “To win men for the Master through the gym.”

To win men for the Master through the gym.

What if we looked at every activity in our lives like that?

  • To win people for the Master through playing on the football team.
  • To win people for the Master through being a valuable employee.
  • To win people for the Master through getting involved with the PTA.
  • To win people for the Master through developing a friendly relationship with my neighbors.
  • To win people for the Master through becoming a model student.

Finish the sentence for your life…

I can win people for the Master through _________________________.

Let us all work on finding innovative ways to win people for the Master!

Glowing With God

I’m struck by this passage:

…[Moses’] face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord.

This has got me thinking…

  1. Am I different after I speak with the Lord?
  2. Can people tell I’ve been in His presence?
  3. Do I spend enough time with God, or do I just dash through His tabernacle?
  4. Are people coming near me to hear what I learned in God’s presence?

If I were to answer honestly, I cannot say “yes” to all of these. If I want to glow with God I’ve got to be willing to spend enough time with Him.

I’m working on it. How about you?