My friend Larry Girard pulled a book off his shelf and asked, “What’s the ONE Thing you can do this week such that by doing it everything else would be easier or unnecessary?”* Handing me the book Larry said, “Carlton, you need to read this.”
The book? The One Thing** by Gary Keller with Jay Papasan.
It changed my life—not just by the week, or the day, or even the hour. Sometimes it changes me a moment at a time as I negotiate the unexpected opportunities that arise in my day.
Narrowing focus, identifying my priorities, and choosing one arrow to send flying straight toward my target. That’s what Keller teaches. And my bullseye shooting percentage keeps climbing.
Keller’s book is loaded with penetrating stuff. I’ve selected a quiver-full, five (5), that stimulate my thinking.
“‘Going small’ is ignoring all the things you could do and doing what you should do….It’s realizing that extraordinary results are directly determined by how narrow you can make your focus.” (P. 10)
“Toppling dominoes is pretty straightforward. You line them up and tip over the first one….Highly successful people know this. So every day they line up their priorities anew, find the lead domino, and whack away at it until it falls.” (P. 16)
“There is magic in knocking down your most important domino day after day.” (P. 170)
“You don’t need to be a disciplined person to be successful. In fact, you can become successful with less discipline than you think, for one simple reason: success is about doing the right thing, not about doing everything right.” (P. 55)
“What you build today will either empower or restrict you tomorrow.” (P. 89)
“The ONE Thing sits at the heart of success and is the starting point for achieving extraordinary results.” (P. 24)
My recent back surgery and recovery have given me lots of opportunity to reflect and learn some lessons, or perhaps relearn some lessons. Some lessons shouldn’t be repeated in public but needed to be learned nonetheless. Here are some other thoughts.
- There are a LOT of good and loving people who step forward when help is needed. They accept whatever task is before them, no matter how unpleasant, and get things done. Oh how I appreciate those good people.
- Those times of being out of control (i.e. incapacitated, unavailable to contribute, or just unneeded) can be far more difficult on an emotional level than the physical discomfort being experienced. Makes a person take inventory again regarding heart issues such as full surrender of control.
- God is at work even when I can’t see it. I think about all those hours when medication sedated me to the point of being pretty much “out of it.” And yet later I hear of answers to prayer, movement of the Spirit, and God’s Kingdom making advances. I’m still blessed and encouraged by the message Paul Brodeur gave us on the work of the Gideons International. Pretty amazing!
- Words cannot express my gratitude for the miracle of modern medicine and the enormous privilege of living in a prosperous country. My sufferings are nothing compared to those who endured the earthquake in Napal, or the pain in other war-stricken regions of the world. Makes me want to refocus my life on doing things that will actually help people find salvation in Jesus so that they are equipped with the hope of eternal life when tragedy strikes.
Those are just a few random thoughts. Perhaps you could add your own lessons learned while the pastor is temporarily sidelined for one reason or another. I hope we’re all learning the things God wants us to learn in these times.
Blessings to all who have supported me throughout this time of surgery and recovery. I appreciate your kindness and compassion to me. Thank you.
In Recovery…
Pastor Carlton Harvey
My father honored me by taking me with him on a journey deep into the wilderness of Southwestern Oregon. My dad had a friend, Dan Tucker, who invited us to travel far into the back country and visit a gold mine.
For hours we bounced along primitive roadways, switch backing our way up one side of a mountain, through a pass, and then zig zagging down the other side. Eventually we came to the end of the road and stopped in to visit some wilderness mountain people who had made their home in that isolated location—hours from the nearest human being.
We parked our 4X4 truck and set out with back packs. By this time the sun had settled behind the mountains so we were left to hike in the dark. Dan was our guide and led the way. I was in the middle and my dad brought up the rear. The trail was narrow but not steep. We followed a creek upstream.
Pretty soon my dad said, “Carlton, you can turn off your flashlight. Just follow Dan’s light. You’ll be okay.
I wasn’t convinced. After all, we were in Big Foot country! Guys like our guide, Dan, had claimed to have sighted Big Foot in that wilderness at one time or another. Somehow I wanted the security of carrying my own flashlight.
My dad didn’t press it. We just marched along following Dan, me in the middle, and my dad coming along behind. Even with my light I remember stumbling a few times. Quickly my dad’s strong arms reached out to steady me. He spoke words of encouragement and guidance that really helped me on that dark night in the wilderness. My dad’s presence helped me feel secure, though not enough to turn off my flashlight!
The writer to the Hebrews said, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-2)
Verse 1 reminds us that the Christian experience is characterized in athletic terms as a race. It requires exertion and effort over a prescribed course toward a specific goal. As Christians we’re all headed somewhere and from everything we know about Heaven from the Scriptures, our goal is going to be well worth the effort. So we keep pressing on, following Christ our great example and high priest.
What does vs. 2 tell us about Christ?
- He is the author and perfecter of the faith.
Christ was there in the beginning of all things, from the foundation of the world. He was a participant in creation. And He is the one who wrote the story line, the script, if you will, for the Christian life. He even went so far as to pioneer the course—demonstrating for us what godly obedience looked like. He set aside His own glory, His own agenda, His own position in order to take on the form of humanity. And then, think about it: God did not spare His own Son any of the trials and tribulations of human life. Jesus wasn’t born with a silver spoon in His mouth. He wasn’t protected from any of the harsh realities of living. No, Jesus did not receive any special treatment even though you could rightly say that He was the favored son!
Jesus wrote the story and then showed us how it was done. He perfected the story with His own blood on the cross. And He showed us the finish line to which all Christians are striving to arrive. He showed us that obedience and sacrifice would not be the end of the story. He showed us that there is a goal, a prize, the heavenly calling in Christ Jesus. That’s why we press on.
- He endured the cross, scorning its shame.
I was reading William Barclay’s commentary on this verse and came across these words which struck me forcefully:
“Jesus was sensitive; never had any person so sensitive a heart. A cross was a humiliating thing. It was for criminals, for those whom society regarded as the dregs of humanity—and yet he accepted it. St. Philip of Neri bids us ‘to despise the world, to despise ourselves, and to despise the fact that we are despised.”
Jesus cast aside He human desire to be liked and appreciated in order to bear the excruciating suffering and shame of the cross. What an incredible guide our Lord is for us!
We all want to be liked. We all want to be appreciated and valued. In fact, it is a God-like thing to want to be loved. Indeed, God encourages and enjoys the praise and worship of His people. And we were created in God’s image. As a result we pay attention to what other people say to us and about us. We are influenced by what we perceive as the thoughts others have toward us. It is normal and natural—part of being human.
What struck me, though, is that Jesus was willing to take on the taunting ridicule, the unfair criticisms, the embarrassing moments when He was stripped and beaten mercilessly—He was willing to take all that on because He knew the end of the story. Of course He knew the end of the story—remember…He was the author. He wrote the story! And He knew that there was joy, real joy, wonderful joy awaiting Him on the other side of the resurrection.
Yes, we want to be liked and appreciated. At the same time we must follow our guide Christ Jesus. And if that means that some people don’t like us, if that means we suffer unjustly and pass through hard trials, so be it! For we are looking forward to a city where we will be with our Savior forevermore.
As a teenager I remember singing the chorus “Do Lord.” Seems like there were a gazillion verses to that simple tune. One that comes to mind at this moment is this: “If you can’t bear the Cross then you can’t wear a crown.” The Good News is that Jesus has pioneered the course through pain and hardship in order to show us that there is something better on the other side of this earthly journey.
Too many of us are like I was on that mountain trail so many long years ago. There was Dan, our guide. He knew where He was going because He had been there before. He knew that there were cabins and beds and blankets and everything we needed to make us very comfortable for the night. And he knew that it was a gold mine…literally with riches all around us.
And there was my dad, carefully watching to keep me from falling. Quick to offer an encouraging word.
And there was me, in the middle, determined that I needed to carry my own flashlight. All because I really didn’t trust my guide…and I didn’t trust my dad.
Jesus is our guide. He’s been there before us. He knows what lies ahead and He knows the place to which He is leading. The Holy Spirit is the one coming along behind us, giving us guidance, encouragement, and a steady hand to lean on when we stumble.
And here we are in the middle, thinking that we still need to hold on to our own flashlight.
Release your flashlight into the hands of the Holy Spirit. Follow Jesus and trust that the Holy Spirit will be there to help—through the Word, through inspiring counsel from Christian brothers and sisters—through that still, small voice that speaks to your heart. Turn off the flashlight.
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As the priest stood on the dock waiting for the ship that would start him on his journey home, he wrung his hands nervously. As he did so he looked down at his hand and noticed some mysterious white spots. There was numbness, too. Almost immediately he know what was happening to his body. He had contracted leprosy!
With that disease he knew he would not be allowed to board the ship. No one ever got off the island with leprosy. So he trudged back up the hill. As word spread across the island that Father Damien had leprosy people began to gather outside his little hut. They understood his pain, the fear, and the uncertainly about the future.
The following Sunday the priest found hundreds of people gathered at the chapel. He stood and spoke to them saying, “My fellow lepers….”(1)
There was another minister who came to a people that were sick and dying without hope. St. Paul wrote about Him saying this Man, “being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death–even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the very highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:6-11)
In a world that constantly asks the question, “What’s in it for me?” we find the attitude and spirit of Christ to be a radical departure from the norm. The self-serving spirit of the age permeates the minds and hearts of people both inside the church as well as outside. “What’s in it for me?” is at the heart of our culture–with commercials constantly telling us, “You deserve it. You owe it to yourself. Should be looking out for number ONE!”
When we hear the story of Jesus we are touched by His example. He had it all. He was the Divine Son of God. The full resources of Heaven were at His disposal. He participated in all of Creation. Power and majesty and…well, you name it. He had it all.
At the same time He saw the wreckage of humanity, lost and dying in the misery of unmanageable sin. And so He willingly humbled Himself to be born as an innocent, human baby. Never once do you hear Him demand, “What’s in it for me?” Never once does Jesus insist on His rights. Never does He even suggest that He deserved better than what He got.
No, Jesus was the impeccable perfection of humility, and because of that we have access to His love and salvation for our souls. He has come to us and said, “My fellow humans….”
1. Additional material adapted from the following source: Hewett, James S. (1988). Illustrations Unlimited. Tyndale House Publishers: Wheaton, IL. P. 327.
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