Tuesday, March 05, 2013

Touching Story of Appreciation

This story is widely available on the Internet. I am not sure of the original source, since it has been posted so many times on social media. Let me know if you have the author's name, and I will add credit accordingly. This story touches on how a prospective candidate was hired, not on the basis of his achievements or qualifications, but on the basis of something much more personal and simple.

conrade 

One young man went to apply for a managerial position in a big company. He passed the initial interview, and now would meet the director for the final interview.

The director discovered from his CV that the youth's academic achievements were excellent. He asked, "Did you obtain any scholarships in school?" the youth answered "no".

" Was it your father who paid for your school fees?"

"My father passed away when I was one year old, it was my mother who paid for my school fees.” he replied.

" Where did your mother work?"

"My mother worked as clothes cleaner.”

The director requested the youth to show his hands. The youth showed a pair of hands that were smooth and perfect.

" Have you ever helped your mother wash the clothes before?"

"Never, my mother always wanted me to study and read more books. Besides, my mother can wash clothes faster than me."

The director said, "I have a request. When you go home today, go and clean your mother's hands, and then see me tomorrow morning.

The youth felt that his chance of landing the job was high. When he went back home, he asked his mother to let him clean her hands. His mother felt strange, happy but with mixed feelings, she showed her hands to her son.

The youth cleaned his mother's hands slowly. His tear fell as he did that. It was the first time he noticed that his mother's hands were so wrinkled, and there were so many bruises in her hands. Some bruises were so painful that his mother winced when he touched it.

This was the first time the youth realized that it was this pair of hands that washed the clothes everyday to enable him to pay the school fees. The bruises in the mother's hands were the price that the mother had to pay for his education, his school activities and his future.

After cleaning his mother hands, the youth quietly washed all the remaining clothes for his mother.
That night, mother and son talked for a very long time.

Next morning, the youth went to the director's office. The Director noticed the tears in the youth's eyes, when he asked: "Can you tell me what have you done and learned yesterday in your house?"

The youth answered," I cleaned my mother's hand, and also finished cleaning all the remaining clothes'
“I know now what appreciation is. Without my mother, I would not be who I am today. By helping my mother, only now do I realize how difficult and tough it is to get something done on your own. And I have come to appreciate the importance and value of helping one’s family.

The director said, "This is what I am looking for in a manager. I want to recruit a person who can appreciate the help of others, a person who knows the sufferings of others to get things done, and a person who would not put money as his only goal in life.”

“You are hired.”

This young person worked very hard, and received the respect of his subordinates. Every employee worked diligently and worked as a team. The company's performance improved tremendously.

A child, who has been protected and habitually given whatever he wanted, would develop an "entitlement mentality" and would always put himself first. He would be ignorant of his parent's efforts. When he starts work, he assumes that every person must listen to him, and when he becomes a manager, he would never know the sufferings of his employees and would always blame others. For this kind of people, who may be good academically, they may be successful for a while, but eventually they would not feel a sense of achievement. They will grumble and be full of hatred and fight for more. If we are this kind of protective parents, are we really showing love or are we destroying our children instead?

You can let your child live in a big house, eat a good meal, learn piano, watch on a big screen TV. But when you are cutting grass, please let them experience it. After a meal, let them wash their plates and bowls together with their brothers and sisters. It is not because you do not have money to hire a maid, but it is because you want to love them in a right way. You want them to understand, no matter how rich their parents are, one day their hair will grow gray, same as the mother of that young person. The most important thing is your child learns how to appreciate the effort and experience the difficulty and learns the ability to work with others to get things done.

****

conrade





















Monday, March 04, 2013

BookPastor >> "Everyday Greatness" (Stephen R. Covey)

TITLE:  Everyday Greatness: Inspiration for a Meaningful Life
AUTHOR: Stephen R. Covey, with articles compiled by David K. Hatch
PUBLISHER: Nashville, TN: Rutledge Hill Press, 2009, (464 pages).

Three everyday choices help us make our day and shape our lives. Firstly, there is the choice to act rather than to be acted upon. Secondly, it is the choice to be purposeful in what we do rather than to be tossed and turned by the waves of activities. Thirdly, it is the choice for contending for principles. This book attempts to accomplish all three and that readers will learn to do the same. While the commentary and some insights are from the late Covey, the compilation of stories and quips are done by Hatch, a consultant in leadership and organizational matters. In the style of the Seven Habits that Covey has introduced to the world, 'Everyday Greatness' is about the Seven Choices that individuals can make in order to be inspired toward everyday greatness. The choice to:
  1. Search for meaning through giving via contribution, through sharing in charity, and through paying attention.
  2. Take charge by taking responsibility, be courageous, and to be disciplined
  3. Change oneself from the inside out, through integrity, humility, and gratitude
  4. Create the dream through vision, innovation, and quality work
  5. Work as a team, through respect, empathy, and unity.
  6. Overcome adversity by learning adaptability, magnanimity, and perseverance
  7. Blending the pieces of balance, simplicity, and renewal.
The stories are compelling. The ideas are challenging. The many different kinds of stories of different lengths ensure that at least one or two can touch most readers. Even the short quips and quotes from various people can cause one to pause and to reflect on life and the choices we can make. We are what we choose. That is the mantra throughout the book. I find myself coming back to this book time and again in my writing and my speaking. It is inspiring and thought-provoking, challenging and yet non-assuming. It brings out the best of people and is a powerful resource to help move the uninspired to being inspired, the motivated to motivate others, and the desire to be the best that one can be.  Some of Covey's insights show us again how powerful they are.

  • "We may feel we have nothing to contribute. But the lessons of history are full of examples of the power that can come from the daily choices of a solitary individual." (20)
  • "Core to the principle of charity is the principle of sacrifice. Sacrifice involves giving up something of personal value in exchange for something that is of benefit to others......" (30)
  • "Charity is more than giving money to the poor. It is the giving of our hearts, time, talents, and energies to lighten the lives of others, rich or poor." (37)
  • "Of course the highest form of giving attention is to accept and love a person for who they are." (57)
  • "When problems arise, the easy route is to play the blame game or make excuses. But the most successful people avoid scapegoating, choosing instead to accept responsibility when the responsibility is theirs to own." (77)
  • "Happiness in life comes from the inside. It does us little good to sit back and wait for it to come from outside sources." (78)
  • "The largest opponent to courage is fear - fear of the unknown, fear of failure, fear of others. Successful people acknowledge fears, but work to conquer them." (98)
  • "Integrity includes consistency and an unwavering adherence to values and beliefs." (136)
  • "Though humility is not a tangible commodity, we know it when we see it and feel it when we hear it." (158)
  • "Vision helps us see the possibilities of tomorrow within the realities of today, and motivates us to do what needs to be done." (196)
  • "Creative people make the pursuit of knowledge a priority. They study the important questions of life, and compile a reservoir of knowledge for instant access." (216)
  • "Exploration is at the root of innovation. Serendipity is the unintended consequences, the happy surprises, or the synergistic blossoms that occasionally arise from exploration." (219)
  • "When we treat people with respect, we help them gain confidence and reveal inner potential that otherwise might go untapped." (261)
  • "Adversity often brings out the true spirit and character within people and leads them to make the noblest of choices." (322)
  • Busy Signals: "Life travels at a pace so fast that too many people end up bypassing that which matters most." (383)
  • Simplicity: "To get the most out of our life we may need to get some things out of our life." (402)
  • "Keeping life simple requires letting go of old baggage and things that are of no lasting value." (403)
  • "People who want to enjoy life over the long term must learn to tame their schedules and pace themselves." (423)
  • "Often nature and life's little detours bring fresh air and a renewal of energy in ways no other activity can." (426)
The book concludes with six suggestions.
  1. Begin with yourself
  2. Start Broad, then Focus
  3. Establish specific, realistic targets
  4. Start small, but get started
  5. Share with others
  6. Be patient

I find this book exceptional not only because of the touching stories and moving quotes. The commentary by Covey itself is worth the price of the book. The way I will use this book is to read slowly and reflectively. There is no reason to try to finish the book from cover to cover. Savour it when you need to. Read it when you have to. Buy it not just because you need it or may need it, but because you like to bless another person.

conrade

Saturday, March 02, 2013

"The Bible" Miniseries on TV

Here is the publicity newsletter I received this morning. It begins March 3rd, 2013 and the last episode on Easter Sunday March 31st. Tune in to HISTORY channel.

For two hours every Sunday night for five weeks, from March 3rd through Easter Sunday on March 31st, The History Channel will be airing the epic Bible miniseries produced by Mark Burnett (Survivor, The Voice, The Apprentice) and Roma Downey (Touched By An Angel). Imagine what will happen when 1 million Christians invite their friends, family and neighbors over to watch the Bible come to life like never before? You can make a difference in the lives of your friends, family, community and our country by sharing the story of Jesus and the redemptive message of the Bible in this powerful way! (Bibleparties.com)
Here are some links to more resources.





You can see an episode guide in my previous blog article here.
conrade

Friday, March 01, 2013

The Summons

This is one of my favourite hymns. The melody is a Scottish traditional Kelvingrove, with words by John Bell and Graham Maule. It is a popular song used within the Iona Community. You can download the music score here.

****



  1. Will you come and follow me if I but call your name?
    Will you go where you don't know and never be the same?
    Will you let my love be shown? Will you let my name be known,
    Will you let my life be grown in you and you in me?

  2. Will you leave yourself behind if I but call your name?
    Will you care for cruel and kind and never be the same?
    Will you risk the hostile stare should your life attract or scare?
    Will you let me answer prayer in you and you in me?

  3. Will you let the blinded see if I but call your name?
    Will you set the prisoners free and never be the same?
    Will you kiss the leper clean and do such as this unseen,
    and admit to what I mean in you and you in me?

  4. Will you love the "you" you hide if I but call your name?
    Will you quell the fear inside and never be the same?
    Will you use the faith you've found to reshape the world around,
    through my sight and touch and sound in you and you in me?

  5. Lord your summons echoes true when you but call my name.
    Let me turn and follow you and never be the same.
    In Your company I'll go where Your love and footsteps show.
    Thus I'll move and live and grow in you and you in me.



Thursday, February 28, 2013

Where is the Love?

Gulp! When I read this, my stomach cringes.

Source: Facebook Page (adapted from Matthew 25:31-46)


c

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Midweek Meditation: "Praying Away?"

As we continue through the Season of Lent, we are reminded that prayer is a good spiritual exercise. It can also be a spiritual cop-out if our heart is not right. Lent is a good time to remember that sin wreaks havoc on creation and the world that God has created. It is sin that nailed Jesus to the Cross. It is sin that brings down the world of work and the works that have been done. As Christians we learn to give thanks in prayer. We also learn to seek God for help in prayer. Mark Batterson makes a distinction between "praying away" from "praying through."

In "praying away, people sees the problem, and despite knowing the good that ought to be done, chooses the path of passivity. They keep everything under wraps and thinking that by prayer, everything bad and nasty will go away. Like an ostrich that pokes its head into the sand upon sensing immediate danger, the sinner tries to "pray away" his wrong by assuming that his prayers are spiritual medicine.  Batterson calls such prayers, "get me out" prayers. He also remarks that most of our prayers tend to be self-seeking prayers for comfort and pleasure, rather than for God's glory.  He reminds us that the primary way that prayers are used is not to change circumstances. It is to change us back toward the image of God more and more.

"Sometimes God delivers us from our problems; sometimes God delivers us through our problems." (Mark Batterson)

So do we simply "pray away" our problems? No. What matters is that God is using our prayers (and our problems) to draw us closer to Him.




conrade

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Two Founders, Different Memories

One of the most engaging comparisons in the technological world is that of Apple and Microsoft. I remember those days when I was a fan of WordPerfect, and how Microsoft was trying to compete with their relatively new kid, Word. WordPerfect 5.1 at that time was the de-facto standard for word-processing software at that time. How I hated Microsoft for steamrolling over many smaller software companies. In Networking, they rolled over Novell. In spreadsheets, they conquered Lotus 123 with their Excel version. In database, they had Access as a formidable foe. In web browsers, they overwhelmed Netscape and many other startups. Even Apple was not spared as the Apple of old were nowhere near where they are now.

Today, Microsoft is not as popular as the Apple branding. Everywhere you go, iPhones and iPods are common sight. Even in movies, it is common to see a laptop computer that is Apple branded. The iPad continues to dominate the tablet space while the Apple App Store remains the #1 in terms of quantity of applications. The founders of the two companies, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, are well known all over the world. Yet, the popularity of the products and their respective companies do not necessarily mean the same with regards to how well they will be remembered. Truth is, we remember people more than products. We remember charitable people even more.

Recently, Malcolm Gladwell, author of the popular books like, "Blink," "The Tipping Point," and most recently, "The Outliers," has made a striking remark about the memory longevity of the two founders. He says, "In 50 years, people will forget Steve Jobs." He then talks about Bill Gates as one that many more people will remember for years to come. All because of what they are doing with their wealth and their lives. According to Gladwell, he notes the differences in the two men.

  • While Jobs is well known for his Apple products and creativity, Gates will be well known for his contribution toward eradicating the problem of malaria.
  • Jobs promotes himself; Gates helps others;
  • Gates has given more than $2billion toward malaria causes. What about Jobs?
  • ...
Whether Gladwell's predictions will turn out right remains to be seen. Yet, it is a great reminder that things no matter how creative or classy will not last. People's memories will last as long as people are cared for. I remember this phrase that has been shared over and over again.

"People will not remember what you say. However, they will remember how you make them feel."

This is what people ministry is all about. It is not about toys or gadgets that can wow them temporarily. It is about changing lives that will touch them permanently. Touch a life. Make a life. This is much better than the best technological hype.


conrade

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