Tag Archives: Influence

Message In a Minute: To the Beat of Your Own Drum

On a recent trip to Washington, D.C. my family and I stayed at a hotel on the Gallaudet University campus.

Gallaudet University is a school for the deaf and hearing impaired.

Many of the deaf students work at the hotel, it helps them hone their life skills in a work environment. Every employee of the hotel used sign language to communicate. Even our shuttle driver, who was not hearing impaired, used a mix of verbal and sight based communication. It was an educational experience.

After sightseeing, while coming back to the campus for the evening, we encountered something confusing.

We could see the university’s football team practicing, and there was a man on the field with a huge drum. A drum so big you could crawl inside it. For a few moments, we were perplexed, then it “hit” me, I knew what was going on.

While the team was stretching, a coach would hit the drum, the players would feel the vibration and change their positions. After doing some research days later, I found out the team uses the drum to communicate during games as well. Since the players can’t respond to a voice command to start the play, a coach on the sideline hits the drum to initiate the snap of the ball.

The Gallaudet Bisons are the only hearing impaired college team in the country.

Similar to the sound waves felt in the chest of each football player, our actions influence the hearts of those around us. Like a stone tossed into a lake, what we do ripples beyond where we assume it will reach. What we do in life reverberates through the lives around us.

Many of us are in influential positions due to our careers or titles. But everyone has influence. And for all of us, how we live communicates more clearly than we realize.

In the normal life of just under 80 years, an average person will meet around 75,000 people in some capacity. I realize that sounds like a lot of people, but the research confirms these numbers. From family, close friends, acquaintances, doctors, mechanics, servers at restaurants, all the way down to the strangers you greet in a store or on the streets every day.

What that means is this, you could fill a football stadium with the people you will have at least some contact with in your life. Even if it’s just a kind word instead of ignoring them. Imagine standing in the middle of that stadium with a microphone and the capacity crowd goes silent, waiting for what you would say to them.

The reality is this, each of us has that opportunity over our lifetime.

So, encourage, uplift, inspire, educate, coach, lead, listen, speak, sing, write, paint, rescue, heal, counsel, and reach like you’re making an impact.

Because you are.

When you live by the beat of your own drum, the world can feel it.

-Tom Wise

*Photo credit, Yahoo Sports 2013

YOU ARE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD

Photo by Lizelle De Wit on Unsplash


Recap

Jesus gives us a list of blessings known as the beatitudes.  He quickly transitions from these blessing to challenging us to change the world around us.  In essence he is telling us to go into the world and be those kinds of people so that we can saturate the communities and societies around us with a Godly presence.

He does this by correlating spiritual influence with the kind of change salt makes as it is added to food.  In the same way salt enhances the flavor of food, we as followers of Christ should enhance the people around us.

The Analogy Of Light

14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

– Matthew 5:14-16

Jesus makes the leap from telling us we should be changing and shaping the culture around us to telling us that as a group, those that are followers of Christ, we have been set apart.  We are meant to live with our lives on display for the whole world to see.  Continue reading

YOU ARE THE SALT OF THE EARTH

Photo by Eniko Polgar on Unsplash


Given the volatile state of affairs across the nation, I want to remind those in the Church of something that Jesus taught the disciples.

In Matthew chapter five, We have recorded for us what we know as the sermon on the mount.  Matthew records this message beginning with what we call the beatitudes.  Jesus highlights a few types of people that are blessed.  He mentions the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the gentle, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, and those who are falsely persecuted.  In the progression that Matthew gives us, Jesus, then makes a couple statements that are beneficial for us to hear.

13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men

– Matthew 5:13 (NASB)

Jesus began by describing the character qualities that invite God’s blessings.  The inference to the disciples is that they should strive to be those kinds of people.  As they became these kinds of people, they would have the best opportunity to affect change in the culture around them.  Jesus wanted them to take these admirable qualities and saturate the culture around them.  Continue reading