Month: September 2014

All About The Business Plan

On By josephbarlowIn Ministry, TeachingLeave a comment

HEY! YOU WANNA START SOMETHIN’?

You get an idea. You see the world could be different if they all used your idea. If your idea was out there. If people were using it. If your organization was up and running. If it was full of employees producing your product or serving people. You see people coming by the masses. As you imagine, your visions get more and more detailed. You begin to play out scenarios in your mind and you see how you would handle them. Its getting exciting.  People are going to love this and I’ll be rich or I’ll be influential or I’ll be significant! Aahh! This flood of thoughts during this creative process is so exhilarating! But then…

Frustration sets in…

  • You see where you are…
  • You see how things are…
  • You see the distance from where you are to how they could be…
  • You see how far you’ve got to go…

But, my friend, let me tell you: I believe that what you’ve received or conceived is a gift. It could be a gift to the whole world. Let me encourage you. The world doesn’t have enough thinkers like you. There are not enough people who will lead others in making significant and lasting change.

New ideas create new products create new industries create new jobs create new strength in the economy brings reduced poverty strengthens families…well I think you get the idea. Your idea could really change things. Do you have the strength to bring it about? Remember, you can’t do it alone. You’ll need help. Find some people who could encourage you. Someone who is willing to take part in that creative process and believe in and work for the vision that you see.

Next it’s time to go back and capture the thoughts you had in that creative process.

  • How did you see this happening? Write it down!
  • What would you do in this scenario? Write it down!
  • What would you do in that scenario? Write it down!
  • What if the economy did this? Write it down!
  • What if you succeeded tremendously? Write it down!
  • What if you failed miserably? Write it down!
  • Capture all these scenarios. Write them down!

Now get a spreadsheet and start laying out the numbers.

  • How big will this be?
  • How many employees will you need?
  • How much will you have to pay them?
  • How many employees will you have to hire to manage all the employees you hired?
  • Will you do profit sharing?
  • What will you personally do with all your newly acquired wealth?

As you ponder, study and work through all these things it makes it easier for others to see what you are trying to create. Then they can begin to invest in it. They may invest time. They may invest money. But the clearer your vision…the clearer you are when you write this down…the more you think through and explain all the various scenarios then you are leading, and others will follow. They’ll see that this vision that you have is one that is worth working for.

Be encouraged my friend. The success of your vision is all about the business plan. And its a lot of work. But just like a mother giving birth to a child, what she’s been growing on the inside has got to come out. Write it all down, my friend. Get it all out. Then ask for help. Ask people to read your plan and see what they think. Let their comments help you refine what you’re seeing.

Let them sharpen you but don’t let them stop you.

Vengeance And The Jaded Heart

On By josephbarlowIn TeachingLeave a comment

I’ve been concerned lately about the battle heating up between mostly young African American men and police officers. I’ve seen several videos posted online of police brutality. Videos of young African American men walking around and somehow getting into an altercation with the police and within moments the young man is dead. It hurts me to see it. What were those police officers thinking? Why such brute force when it seemed from footage leading up to the altercation the man seemed out of touch or “lost” in some way? This is so grievous.

On the other hand, my son is a police officer and I’ve seen him post pictures of young police officers who took a bullet and never got to go home again to their families. Police officers who daily and voluntarily walk into the line of fire to help the community and maintain peace. This also is grievous.

I hear the rhetoric from each side, swear words and foul language that they use to relieve the pressure on the inside of them caused by these grievous situations. These words they use to label each other are vengeance.

There’s a storehouse in each of us. A storehouse of unforgiveness and offense. When that storehouse get’s full, Watch Out! It’s got to come out. It’s full of frustration, anger, bitterness, hatred, resentment, etc.

We’ve got to judge what’s right and wrong as best we can. It’s a built in human mechanism. When we see injustice we have to categorize that event in our memories as injustice.

But when we move to vengeance we’re in trouble. All the weight of justice does not rest on your shoulders. If you are a young African American man on the street who’s seen injustice from the police officers, you have a responsibility to work toward justice but you cannot carry the weight of vengeance.

If you are a police officer who has lost a comrade to the actions of an African American man on the streets, you may have the weight of justice vested in you as you wear that badge but you don’t have to carry the weight of vengeance.

Both sides please keep your hearts clean. Please, work for justice but take up no vengeance. I see that when that storehouse of offense fills up it could be the weight that tips the delicate balance on the trigger finger on either side. That my friend would just bring more injustice.

A jaded heart is just an offended heart that becomes increasingly inaccurate in its judgments with each additional offense.

For me the best remedy is in the old adage, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay. says the Lord.”

We can work for justice, but let’s leave the vengeance in His hands.

Jealous Perspectives

On By josephbarlowIn Journal, TeachingLeave a comment

SO, YOU’VE HEARD THE SAYING, “THE GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FENCE.” SO, HERE’S MY QUESTION: IS THAT TRUE OR FALSE? IS THE GRASS ALWAYS GREENER OVER THERE? MY ANSWER MIGHT SURPRISE YOU, BUT HOPEFULLY IT WILL GIVE US ALL SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT.

THE ANSWER IS: TRUE! THE GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FENCE.

IF YOU’RE LOOKING DOWN AT GRASS YOU SEE GRASS WITH DIRT AROUND IT. YOU’RE SEEING FROM A PERSPECTIVE WHERE THE BLADE IS NOT GETTING ITS BEST SHOWING. HOWEVER IF YOU CHANGE THE ANGLE AT WHICH YOU ARE VIEWING THE GRASS, PERHAPS FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FENCE, YOU’LL NOTICE THAT YOU DON’T SEE MUCH DIRT AND YOU SEE THE FULL SIDE OF THE BLADE OF GRASS. THINGS ARE DEFINITELY GREENER FROM THIS ANGLE. NOW IF YOU WALK OVER AND STAND ON THE GREENER GRASS YOU WERE LOOKING AT, THEN LOOK BACK AT WHERE YOU WERE STANDING BEFORE, NOW THAT GRASS LOOKS GREENER. IT’S ALL A MATTER OF PERSPECTIVE. YOU MAY BE JEALOUS OF SOMEONE, BUT YOU MIGHT NOT BE IF YOU COULD SEE THE DIRT IN THEIR LIFE THAT THEY PUT UP WITH DAILY. YOU WERE GIVEN THE PERSPECTIVE YOU HAVE SO YOU CAN CHANGE THINGS THAT NEED TO BE CHANGED, NOT SO YOU COULD BE JEALOUS OF SOMEONE YOU THINK IS BETTER OFF THAN YOU.

Living Free From The Fear Of Death

On By josephbarlowIn Politics, TeachingLeave a comment

A FEW WEEKS AGO I SPOKE AT CHURCH ABOUT LIVING WITHOUT FEAR OF DEATH. I THOUGHT I WOULD UNFOLD A FEW THOUGHTS FOR YOU HERE THAT MIGHT HELP:

I GAVE MY LIFE TO JESUS CHRIST WHEN I WAS 11 YEARS OLD, I GOT FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT AT AGE 13, BUT BECAUSE OF BAD THEOLOGY AND LACK OF TEACHING THERE WAS A VOID IN MY LIFE. YOU SEE I HAD A GREAT RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LORD. I PRAYED REGULARLY, GOT INTO THE WORD NOT AS REGULAR, WENT TO CHURCH AS MUCH AS I COULD, I WAS FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT AND HAD WONDERFUL THINGS HAPPENING IN MY LIFE, EVEN HEARING THE VOICE OF GOD ON OCCASION AND ALSO AS I JOURNALED,  BUT I KNEW NOTHING OF ANY ETERNAL ASSURANCE. I DIDN’T KNOW WHERE I WAS GOING WHEN I DIED. WHEN I WAS 19 I BEGAN TO HEAR THE WORD PREACHED ON A REGULAR BASIS. IN MY OLD CHURCH THEY WOULD READ THE SCRIPTURES BUT NO ONE HAD ANY REAL UNDERSTANDING OF THEM. AT THE NEW CHURCH THERE WAS TEACHING COMING FROM THE PULPIT THAT REALLY MADE ME COME ALIVE. I FOUND OUT THAT FOR A CHRISTIAN, A CHILD OF GOD, HEAVEN IS PROMISED. ITS NOT A ‘WAIT AND SEE’ PROPOSITION. I WAS ASTOUNDED, REALLY AMAZED; NOT ONLY DID I GET THIS GREAT RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD, BUT I GOT TO GO TO HEAVEN TOO.

KNOWING WHERE YOU’RE GOING

ONCE YOU KNOW YOUR ETERNAL DESTINATION, YOU’RE NOT JUST HOPING NOW, BUT THE HOLY SPIRIT HAS TAUGHT IT TO YOU INTERNALLY THEN YOU COME INTO A PLACE WHERE A BASE FEAR, A PRIMORDIAL FEAR CAN BE RELEASED. THE FEAR OF DEATH IS A HAUNTING THING. BUT WHEN YOU KNOW WHAT’S ON THE OTHER SIDE OF DEATH’S DOOR THEN IT DOESN’T LOOK SO DAUNTING.

NOW SELF-PRESERVATION IS A BASE INSTINCT. WE HAVE A NATURAL, BUILT-IN TENDENCY TO DO WHATEVER WE CAN TO STAY ALIVE. THIS IS GOOD AND WONDERFUL. BUT THE FEAR OF DEATH GIVES PLACE TO SOME RATIONAL FEARS AND SOME IRRATIONAL.

WHY SO AFRAID?

MOST PEOPLE ONLY KNOW WHAT THEY CAN SEE WITH THEIR PHYSICAL EYES. HEAVEN IS NOT A REALITY TO THEM SO THEY MUST HANG ON TO THE ONLY REALITY THEY KNOW. DEATH IS A DOOR WAY THAT LEADS TO ETERNITY. OBVIOUSLY ITS A PRETTY BIG QUESTION: DID YOU GET YOUR ETERNAL ACCOMMODATIONS WORKED OUT? IF YOU DIDN’T THERE IS A DEFAULT BUT ITS NOT HEAVEN. IF YOU HAVEN’T CHOSEN JESUS CHRIST AS YOUR SAVIOUR AND GIVEN THE LORDSHIP OF YOUR LIFE OVER TO HIM THEN I RECOMMEND YOU DO. IF YOU HAVEN’T, YOU HAVE GREAT REASON TO FEAR DEATH, BECAUSE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF DEATH’S DOOR IS ETERNAL JUDGMENT. BUT IF YOU’VE GOT THIS ETERNITY QUESTION WORKED OUT THEN DEATH SHOULD BE AVOIDED BUT NOT FEARED.

Integrity Test

On By josephbarlowIn TeachingLeave a comment

SO IMAGINE YOU ARE THE HEAD OF A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION THAT RAISES MONEY FOR SOME TERRIBLE CANCER RESEARCH. LET’S SAY YOU ARE VERY SUCCESSFUL AND BUILD AN ORGANIZATION WITH HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE WORKING FOR YOU AND YOU ARE ABLE TO BRING IN MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TOWARDS THIS PRECIOUS AND WONDERFUL CAUSE. NOW HERE’S THE TEST: WHAT IF THEY FIND THE ANSWER? WHAT IF THE RESEARCH IS SUCCESSFUL? NOW YOUR ORGANIZATION AND ALL THE WORK OF YOUR HANDS HAS NO MORE MEANING! NOW YOU DON’T HAVE A JOB. WOULD YOU HAVE THE INTEGRITY TO SHUT DOWN YOUR ORGANIZATION? WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO ADMIT TO DONORS WHO ARE WILLING TO GIVE YOU MILLIONS OF DOLLARS THAT THEIR MONEY IS NOT NEEDED ANYMORE?