The Other 5%

It's been said that 95% of what you do today will be good and right.  Congratulations.

Now, what can you do to fix the other 5%?

That may seem a little harsh to some of you.  After all, anyone who is getting it right 95% of the time is beyond successful!  But this statement is not about achievement, it is about improvement and growth.  A person who not only wants to succeed but also wants to be their very best can never rest on prior accomplishments.  There is always another mountain to climb or sea to cross.

We are called to grow in our faith, and while our works don't save us, we understand that what we accomplish in our works subtly corresponds in some way to the level of our faith.  The greater the faith, the more we should be able to accomplish through it.  As we grow in our faith, our faith should be more and more evident through our works.

And so we strive to accomplish more, to get better at what we do, to improve, not for the sake of our own glory or fame, but because our growing faith demands it.

When things are going well and 95% of the time you do the right thing, you will be tempted to congratulate yourself and take a break.  As a leader of others and a follower of Christ, don't give in to that temptation.  Instead, think about what you can do better, not out of pride or a desire to impress others, but out of a burning desire to use your talents to the fullest for his glory and the growth of His Kingdom.

Somehow It Will All Work Out

"I am not sure what to do, God, but here I go.  Please make it all work out right."

Richard Kriegbaum in Leadership Prayers

Just move.  More than once I've heard God telling me that I could no longer stay put, no longer consider my options, no longer put off the inevitable.  I would have to act.  Perhaps it was true that I had not collected all the information I wanted or felt I needed.  Perhaps I wasn't at all sure what the right or best decision was.  But still I had to act.  I had to actually do something.

Leaders often do not have the luxury of waiting it out, hoping something good happens.  They have to move forward, all the while asking God to "please make it all work out right."  This is not a cop out.  Instead, it is an admittance that we are not in control of the outcome.  Neither is it laziness, (assuming we have done due diligence to the matter with our time and all other resources God has provided).  It is a sign of humble confidence.

Move ahead. Press on.  ACT.  Somehow it will all work out.   Not because everything will go according to our plan or wishes, but because it will always go according to His plan.  And that is the only plan that a Christian leader should ultimately be concerned about. 

Gaining from Loss

"...whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.  What is more, I consider everything loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things."

Philippians 3:7-8

Loss is always hard.

We are always trying to improve, to reach higher goals, to move forward.  We are wired to gain, not suffer loss.   When we lose, we hurt.

Yet loss comes.  We lose jobs and money.  We lose friends, co-workers, and relationships.  We lose parents and even children.  We lose our memories and sometimes our minds.  We watch others lose their lives, all the while knowing that we too will lose ours.

In any organization, loss occurs.  We have experienced loss of jobs, loss of money, loss of friendships, and even loss of life.  Our organization will invariably change as we move ahead, leading to the loss of the comfort that comes from "doing things the way we have always done them." Simply changing the way we do something means we have lost the way we used to do it.

John Maxwell teaches that while we all fail, the trick is to fail forward.  Perhaps the same is true in our loses.  Can we somehow gain even when we lose? Can we learn from our loses?  When we gain and learn, even in our losses, we grow.  ECM is committed to growth, to moving forward even in difficult times, to taking the  risks that are necessary to fulfill our mission.  In doing so, we will invariably suffer loss.

Ultimately, both our worldly gains and our losses mean nothing when compared with the joy of knowing Jesus Christ.  May every gain and every loss spur us on toward a greater knowledge of Him and toward our goal of bringing hope to the most vulnerable in our societies.

Children: Precious Treasure from God

Our post today is written by Edward Owusu Sekyere, National Director of ECM-Ghana.

In Eph. 6:1-6 we find a clear description for Christian children and their Home. For them to have a blessed, fruitful and promising life on earth they need to abide by the Word of life in GOD, so that the end will glorify GOD.

Ps.116:15. Precious in the sight of God is the death of his saints. Paul said the HOLY SPIRIT bears witness with our spiritual that we are children of God. (Romans 8:15). As children of God we have to walk and behave as such. For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

What gift or talent have we received, and from whom did we receive it? ln Eccles. 10:9 it states, "Rejoice o young man in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of their heart, and in the sight of thine eyes; but know thou that for all these things God will bring thee into JUDGMENT. "

1Cor.15:57-58 says "But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord JESUS CHRIST. Therefore , my beloved brethren (father, mother, sister and brother) be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. For as much as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord."

We all need to preserve this precious and great gift of the Lord. Two precious gems from HAVEN OF HOPE came to the limelight this past May during Mother's Day when they won for themselves a certificate of recognition- recognition of their humility, hardwork , teamspirit , willingness to help to colleagues, friends and staff , and fantastic attitudes by Mothering the Nation Foundation. They are Miriam Manu and Godsway Asinyo from of Haven Of Hope.  Congratulations to both of them!

Compassionate in our Evangelism - Core Value #6

In this post we will dig further into ECM's core values. Your team has been evaluating ECM's core values with the goal of developing specific steps that will guide you in fulfilling the mission and vision of ECM. We have now reached our sixth and last core value to evaluate.  Remember, there are no right or wrong answers. I ask you only to honestly, together with your co-workers, discuss what each value looks like with "flesh" on it.  How can we put each value into practice on a regular basis?  I look forward to your comments as together we grow as a staff.  Here is Core Value #6:

We will be Compassionate in our Evangelism: We will build and maintain a safe environment where children are loved, served, and valued, and can grow, ask questions, and hear the Good News of Jesus.

How can we, as ECM staff, be intentional about being compassionate in our evangelism?  Share your responses/ideas in the comments section on this blog, and discuss with your co-workers!

Winning the Battle

Our post today is written by Edward Owusu Sekyere, National Director of ECM-Ghana.

Joshua 5:9 and 1 Kings 18: 41-45

We need to break the yoke of Jezebel or Satan. We do not know what is in store for us this year but in the Name of Jesus Christ we shall overcome. Our Jesus went through trials and he overcame and won victory for us. Seven times the prophet Elijah sent his servant to go and look out for rain. One of the greatest enemies of our generation is the delay of time, which often drains our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. This is one of the greatest challenges of the Christian faith. This is one reason a woman of God said, "The Lord has removed my reproach."  We must continue to stand firm with our faith in the Lord. We have to allow the  spirit of God to lead. To sometimes let the finger of God appear to us to let our faith believe that there is abundance of rain.

The sign alone is a faith of abundance of rain. God Almighty will do it in his way, might and power and not by anyone's way (Isaiah 40). May God give us the enablement to achieve what we are not able to do. 

We need to be very very careful because we fight against powers of darkness and principalities. The Bible says He who thinks he is standing be careful less he falls (1 Kings 19:3).  God did a lot in the life of Elijah, but when it came to the battle of words, Elijah went into hiding. Fear not, that's what the Lord Jesus told us. We should not fear for the remaining months ahead of us in the year 2019 (Isaiah 54 :17).  We need to stand on the promises of God (Hebrews 13:5).  It is the power of God that will do it. It is the power of God that will win the battle for us.

Having the Courage to take Risks - Core Value #5

In this post we will dig further into ECM's core values. Your team has been evaluating ECM's core values with the goal of developing specific steps that will guide you in fulfilling the mission and vision of ECM. You will continue to do this as you evaluate the next value.  There are no right or wrong answers. I ask you only to honestly, together with your co-workers, discuss what each value looks like with "flesh" on it.  How can we put each value into practice on a regular basis?  I look forward to your comments as together we grow as a staff.  Here is Core Value #5:

We will have the Courage to take Risks: We will promote a culture of learning, dreaming, developing, and changing.

How can we, as ECM staff, be intentional about having the courage to take risks?  Share your responses/ideas in the comments section on this blog, and discuss with your co-workers!