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S Servanthood
"The worst days of darkness through which I have ever passed have been greatly alleviated by throwing myself with all my energy into some work relating to others."
— GARFIELD
Source: SAGE Digital Library
Topics/Tags: Activity; Work; Humility; Servanthood
The world-famous African-American educator, Booker T. Washington was standing in the lobby of a hotel one day. A salesman rushed in, loaded with baggage, and ordered Mr. Washington to carry his bags to his room.
"Yes sir," Mr. Washington replied. He completed his errand and returned to the lobby where his friends, who had come to hear his lecture, were waiting aghast at the nerve of the salesman.
"That gentleman gave me a tip. I took it so as not to embarrass him. It will help one of my boys toward an education."
________
That is an example of humility—knowing your place in God's family … secure enough to not have to prove it or demonstrate it to yourself or others.
Source: Bradley Will, "Proper 17, Year C, 8/30/1998." In "Sermonshop Sermons" emailing list.
Topics/Tags: Humility; Security; Servanthood
Charles Plumb, a US Naval Academy graduate, was a jet pilot in Vietnam. After 75 combat missions, his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile. Plumb ejected and parachuted into enemy hands. He was captured and spent 6 years in a communist Vietnamese prison. He survived the ordeal and now lectures on lessons learned from that experience.
One day, when Plumb and his wife were sitting in a restaurant, a man at another table came up and said, you're Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down!" "How in the world did you know that?" asked Plumb.
"I packed your parachute," the man replied.
Plumb gasped in surprise and gratitude. The man pumped his hand and said, "I guess it worked!"
Plumb assured him, "It sure did. If your chute hadn't worked, I wouldn't be here today."
Plumb couldn't sleep that night, thinking about that man.
Plumb says, "I kept wondering what he might have looked like in a Navy uniform: A white hat, a bib in the back, and bell bottom trousers. I wonder how many times I might have seen him and not even said good morning, how are you or anything because, you see, I was a fighter pilot and he was just a sailor."
Plumb thought of the many hours the sailor had spent on a long wooden table in the bowels of the ship, carefully weaving the shrouds and folding the silks of each chute, holding in his hands each time the fate of someone he didn't know.
Now, Plumb asks his audience, "Who's packing your parachute?"
Source: GIL1701@aol.com. In "SBC Ring" email discussion list, 3/12/1999.
Topics/Tags: Servanthood; Self-denial; Thankfulness
A man went to the doctor after weeks of symptoms. The doctor examined him carefully, then called the patient's wife into his office.
"Your husband is suffering from a rare form of anemia. Without treatment, he'll be dead in a few weeks. The good news is, it can be treated with proper nutrition."
"You will need to get up early every morning and fix your husband a hot breakfast--pancakes, bacon and eggs, the works. He'll need a home-cooked lunch every day, and then an old-fashioned meat-and-potato dinner every evening. It would be especially helpful if you could bake frequently. Cakes, pies, homemade bread--these are the things that will allow your husband to live.
"One more thing. His immune system is weak, so it's important that your home be kept spotless at all times. Do you have any questions?" The wife had none.
"Do you want to break the news, or shall I?" asked the doctor.
"I will," the wife replied.
She walked into the exam room. The husband, sensing the seriousness of his illness, asked her, "It's bad, isn't it?"
She nodded, tears welling up in her eyes. "What's going to happen to me?" he asked.
With a sob, the wife blurted out, "The doctor says you're gonna die!"
_____
Are you willing to do extra-hard work as you serve others?
Source: Leadership, christianity.net
Topics/Tags: Illness; Servanthood; Marriage; Work
"He stands erect by bending over the fallen. He rises by lifting others."
- Robert Green Ingersoll
Source: - _Instant Quotation Dictionary_, p. 156.
Topics/Tags: Helps; Assistance; Servanthood
In today's world, the pathways of asceticism are rarely followed. The code of the world is, "Take the easy road. Do that which brings pleasure." Even many Christians choose to do that which is comfortable. But should a Christian take the difficult way out, great things happen. Wondrous virtues grow within that person.
Here is "An exhortation to be ascetic:"
"Not to the easiest, but to the most difficult;
not to the most delightful, but to the harshest;
not to the most gratifying, but to the less pleasant;
not to what means rest for you, but to hard work;
not to the consoling, but to the unconsoling;
not to the most, but to the least;
not to the highest and most precious,
but to the lowest and most despised;
not to wanting something, but to wanting nothing;
do not go about looking for the best of temporal things, but for the worst, and desire to enter for Christ into complete nudity, emptiness, and poverty in everything in the world."
— St. John of the Cross
Topics/Tags: Surrender; Holiness; Sacrifice; Servanthood
Some years ago, a young and very successful executive named Josh was traveling down a Chicago neighborhood street. He was going a bit too fast in his sleek, black, 12 cylinder Jaguar XKE, which was only two months old. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no child darted out, but a brick sailed out and-WHUMP! -- it smashed intothe Jag's shiny black side door!
SCREECH...!!!! Brakes slammed! Gears ground into reverse, and tires madly spun the Jaguar back to the spot from where the brick had been thrown.
Josh jumped out of the car, grabbed the kid and pushed him up against a parked car. He shouted at the kid, "What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing?!" Building up a head of steam, he went on. "That's my new Jag, that brick you threw is gonna cost you a lot of money. Why did you throw it?"
"Please, mister, please...I'm sorry! I didn't know what else to do!" pleaded the youngster. "I threw the brick because no one else would stop!" Tears were dripping down the boy's chin as he pointed around the parked car. "It's my brother, mister," he said. "He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up." Sobbing, the boy asked the executive, "Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me."
Moved beyond words, the young executive tried desperately to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. Straining, he lifted the young man back into the wheelchair and took out his handkerchief and wiped the scrapes and cuts, checking to see that everything was going to be OK. He then watched the younger brother push him down the sidewalk toward their home.
It was a long walk back to the sleek, black, shining, 12 cylinder Jaguar XKE-a long and slow walk. Josh never did fix the side door of his Jaguar. He kept the dent to remind him not to go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at him to get his attention…
Source: Ida Richardson
Topics/Tags: Compassion; Ministry; Poor, duty to; Servanthood
The Top 10 Leadership Principles of Jesus:
1. Leadership is servanthood
2. Let your purpose prioritize your life.
3. You must live the life before you can lead others.
4. Walk slowly through the crowd.
5. Replenish yourself.
6. Great leaders call for great commitment.
7. Show security and strength when handling tough times.
8. Lead on a higher level.
9. Choose your key people.
10. There is no success without a successor.
Source: John Maxwell
Topics/Tags: Leadership; Servanthood; Jesus, the christ; Example
REAL SERVICE?
I’ll say what you want me to say, dear Lord
Real service is what I desire;
I’ll say what You want me to so, dear Lord,
But don’t t ask me to sing in the choir.,
I’ll say what You want me to so, dear Lord,
I love to see good things come to pass;
But don't ask me to teach boys and girls, dear Lord
I'd rather just sit in my class.
I'll do what you want me to do, dear Lord,
I yearn for the kingdom to thrive;
I'll give you my nickels and dimes, dear Lord
But please don't ask me to tithe.
I’ll go where you want me to go, dear Lord
I’ll say what you want me to say;
But I’m busy just now with myself, dear Lord
I'll help you some other day.
-Author unknown
Source: John Walls
Topics/Tags: Service; Surrender; Servanthood
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