Author: Alex Tran

I had never heard of Jeanne Mayo until I heard her speak recently.

I’m officially a fan.

Her message, based on four lessons from four decades of ministry, had pearls of wisdom scattered throughout. And a close that had me fighting back the tears.

Here are my notes from her talk.

They don’t do the talk justice, but hopefully you’ll get something. ;)

1. Live life as a frog-kisser

Believe in people. Encourage them. See past their warts.

Jesus did this with Peter in Matthew 16:13-18.

Peter, the one who constantly made mistakes. He acted out in anger (John 18:10) and denied Jesus (Mark 14:66-72), yet God saw past his name (which meant “little pebble”) and mistakes calling him Peter, the rock (v18).

2. Play favorites

Don’t be afraid to play favorites and have an inner circle of friends. Jesus did in Peter, James and John.

You can touch the masses, but you can only disciple the few.

How do you know who the “favorites” should be? “Whoever unlocks your heart is often a key to your calling (i.e., the people you are naturally drawn to).”

Unless you strategically choose the people who get the majority of your time, people will make that decision for you (and often waste your time).

3. Fight daily for your spiritual health

It’s often easy to be good at ministry without being good as a Christ-follower.

After people have gotten to know you, do they say “you’re the real deal” spiritually?

Easy for God to become more of a business associate than our Father.

There’s a difference between your title and your personhood. Judas was a disciple by title, but betrayer by personhood.

Ministry is not what we do, but an overflow of who we are. Are we Christ-followers?

4. Don’t quit

Malcolm Gladwell (in his book Outliers) says success in an area boils down to investing at least 10,000 hours in it. To get there, you can’t quit.

Harriett Tubman echoed the same idea to the slaves she helped escape during the Civil War.

If you hear the dogs, keep going.
If you see the torches in the woods, keep going.
If there’s shouting after you, keep going.
Don’t ever stop. Keep going.
If you want a taste of freedom, keep going.

Any of these four points hit home with you?

#3 was the biggest one for me. I definitely needed that reminder…

 

Do you truly believe you can change the world? What is your definition of changing the world?

My current definition (in progress) is: impacting eternity through being used by God.

I’ve fallen into the trap that in order to change the world, you have to influence millions. If that’s the case, most of us are screwed. We’re not going to influence millions in our lifetime.

But if you look through the Bible, there are countless stories of ordinary people changing the course of history. Moses, King David, Esther, Nehemiah, Paul, Peter, etc.

What do they all have in common? I feel like Exodus 31:1-3 sums it up nicely.

Exodus 31:1-3 (NIV)
¹ Then the LORD said to Moses, ² “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, ³ and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills . . .

This passage shows Bezalel was:

• Chosen by God
• Filled with the Spirit of God
• Given wisdom, understanding, knowledge and skills

Anybody who acknowledges these three things in their own lives can change the world.

Bezalel was an artist; a designer; a craftsmen. His wisdom, understanding, knowledge and skills aided his ability to build the tabernacle according to God’s requirements.

All of us have been given similar wisdom, understanding, knowledge and skills (cf. 1 Peter 4:10).

The difference between changing the world or not is how we use those skills.

Bezalel could have used all his abilities to design/build incredible artwork for others. Being as gifted as he was, I bet he could have made a great living and been well-known for it. But eternity would not have been impacted by a few pieces of furniture, artwork or buildings.

The work of God is always to impact eternity.

Only when we allow ourselves be used for God’s work will we be able to impact eternity.

Changing the world doesn’t necessarily mean you have to be an evangelist getting thousands saved at once. Or that you have to write a timeless devotional read for generations to come.

It simply means you know:

• You’re chosen by God
• You’ve been filled with the Spirit of God
• You’ve been given wisdom, understanding, knowledge and skills

And you’re willing to let God use you.

What unique gift-mix has God given you to impact eternity?

For me, I believe one of the main (if not the main) area is investing in the lives of others.

It may sound funny, but this blog is part of that. I started it cause I believe God has wired me uniquely to be a blogger at heart. ;) When I write, I pour out what God has poured into me in hopes that it would challenge/encourage you towards a deeper, fuller relationship with Christ.

Thanks to the Internet, I hope when I die these words will continue to exist and impact others.

I  have a new-found appreciation for the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). It’s those four letters (e.g., ENFP) often associated with a person’s personality type.

With it comes a surprisingly freaky wealth of knowledge about a person useful in so many different relational contexts.

• Work
• Husband/wife (or boyfriend/girlfriend)
• Family
• Friends
• Your understanding of yourself

Here’s a real brief introduction to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and what each of the four letter-pairs mean.

As you follow along I encourage you to figure out which letter best describes you in each pairing. Afterward, I link to a couple MBTI tests you can take to confirm your own evaluation.

Once you’ve determined your personality type, do a Google search of your four letters (e.g., ISTJ) and read some of the descriptions. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at how much can be gleaned about you from those four letters.

Extrovert (E) or Introvert (I)

Where do you draw the most energy from?

Extrovert (E)	Introvert (I)
Act first, then reflect	Reflect first, then act
Breadth of knowledge/influence	Depth of knowledge/influence
Recharge with people time	Recharge with alone time

Sensing (S) or Intuition (N)

How do you gather, understand and interpret information?

Sensing (S)	Intuition (N)
Prefer concrete and tangible info	Prefer ideas and theories
Trust data and facts	Trust gut-feelings and intuition
Hands-on, like details and specifics	Big picture, see future and possibilities

 Thinking (T) or Feeling (F)

How do you approach decision-making?

Thinking (T)	Feeling (F)
Look at reason, logic, facts	Strive for balance, harmony, consensus
Detached from people, more objective	Sensitive to people, more empathetic
Comfortable with conflict	Uncomfortable with conflict

Judging (J) or Perceiving (P)

Not going to lie, this one is still confusing to me. While I could explain the theory behind it, I don’t know how to give you the easy-to-understand one-liner.

So just refer to the table. ;)

Judging (J)	Perceiving (P)
Plan beforehand	Plan as-you-go
Structured, scheduled, ordered	Flexible, spontaneous, adaptive
Have matters settled	Keep decisions open

Where to Take an Online Personality Test

• Jung Typology Test
• Jung Personality Test

I would recommend you take both tests. It will help determine which (if any) letter pairings could go either way. For example, if you take one test and you come up ESTJ and the other shows ISTJ, then there’s a strong chance your E/I pairing is fairly balanced.

In that case, look up the description for both and see which fits you more closely.

As extra credit, try to determine the personality types of some of the people close to you. Read their descriptions. Any light bulb moments? Do you see how differences in your personality types have/could cause tension?

So, what’s your personality type (let me know in the comments)!?

I’m an ISTJ.

1 Samuel 14:6-7 (NIV)
⁶ Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised men. Perhaps the LORD will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few.”

⁷ “Do all that you have in mind,” his armor-bearer said. “Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul.”

They follow you into battle.

Exodus 17:11-12 (NIV)
¹¹ As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. ¹² When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset.

They support you when you get tired.

1 Samuel 20:4 (NIV)
⁴ Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you want me to do, I’ll do for you.”

They “do” . . . no questions asked.

Daniel 3:16-18 (NIV)
¹⁶ Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. ¹⁷ If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. ¹⁸ But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

They will stand with you in the midst of persecution, trials and temptations.

Ruth 1:16 (NIV)
¹⁶ But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.

They are always by your side.

John 15:13 (NIV)
¹³ Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

Romans 5:8 (NIV)
⁸ But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

They would die for you.

Isaiah 49:4 (NIV)
But I said, “I have labored in vain;
I have spent my strength for nothing at all.
Yet what is due me is in the LORD’s hand,
and my reward is with my God.”

Romans 14:8 (NIV)
If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

These are some serious verses on being content in Christ.

What are some ways we can increase our capacity to be content in God?