Tag Archives: Serve

Message In A Minute: Stand Tall

I’ve read that the giant Sequoia (Redwood) trees have some interesting characteristics.

Even though they grow to well over three hundred feet, their roots only go down an average of ten feet.

You would think that these enormous trees would lack stability because of the relative shallowness of their roots. But something intriguing happens underground. Something we can draw inspiration from.

These ancient and gargantuan specimens grow their roots out from the center of the trunk up to one hundred feet. And the roots intertwine with other Sequoias close by. The root systems of all the individual trees create a support network that lets each tree reach for the sky.

No tree stands alone, each one depends on the others. They stand tall in the strongest storm because they hold each other up. It’s a group effort.

You and I need other people, some of us don’t like to admit it.

We can accomplish great things alone. But there are certain circumstances in life where we need the encouragement, the experience, and the expertise of others. No matter your personality type, maturity level, or your social acumen, you will eventually need the support of another.

There are times we simply need some help.

But there are also times when we get to be the root system for others. We will have the opportunity to offer support, advice, or reassurance to another. We can help hold them up in their time of need.

Find your support system. Be a segment of a support system for others. Help others rise up.

Stand tall, knowing you are not alone.

-Tom Wise

Message In A Minute: Lift Others Up

I discovered a phenomenon the other day.

It started with a picture a friend shared online, then I followed it up with some research.

It seems at rock concerts, people confined to wheelchairs are candidates for an amazing experience. And it appears that the more wild and crazy the music, the more often this type of event takes place. I would love to see it in person.

During the concert somebody gets the idea that a person in a wheelchair should be able to see the stage as well as everyone else. I don’t know if it’s the person in the wheelchair, a friend. or a stranger with the idea. But, the wheelchair is lifted up, and the device with its occupant are suddenly riding on top of a sea of helpful hands.

Some are simply hoisted up to see better, others travel over the crowd, and some make it all the way to the stage. And each picture I’ve seen reveals a huge smile or look of contentment on every face. The videos I’ve watched are inspiring.

It can’t be easy to get this kind of thing started, and the people holding the others up are working hard. But with so many helping, it looks effortless to lift others up.

We may not appreciate the music at many of these concerts, but we can learn from the compassion and teamwork displayed by these joy filled participants. These people who are doing the lifting may never attend a church, but somehow they are tapping in to what ministry is all about. They are demonstrating that humanity can be a beautiful, organic, healing, effective, and inspiring creation when self-centeredness is cast aside.

Who can you lift up?

Who can you encourage?

Who can you provide with a better perspective?

You have unique abilities to lift others up in ways that last longer than a few songs at a rock concert.

You can make contact with a lonely person.
You can sincerely compliment another.
You can provide encouragement.
You can give money or resources.
You can volunteer your time.
You can pray for those in need.

We have the ability to do emotionally and spiritually what I’ve been explaining happens physically at these concerts.

We can lift others up, if we are willing to get out of our comfort zone, and get into our concert zone.

-Tom Wise

Message In A Minute: Find Your Calcutta

Our church has a ministry where we collect prom dresses to give to girls who can’t afford a new one.

My wife started the ministry a few years ago. It went from a few dresses and a girl or two, to hundreds of dresses and multiple girls stopping by almost weekly to select a dress for a school dance or event. We now have jewelry, shoes, and make up for them also.

Many of the ladies in the church eagerly wait to help the girls who come in when we have a publicized give away event. And some ladies agree to meet girls mid-week so they can try to find the right dress.

A few weeks back, I was in the church library working on my sermon. I could hear my wife and another lady helping a couple girls and their families. These particular girls were going to a special needs prom and accommodations had to be made to assist the girls in trying on the dresses. I was on the second floor and they were on the third.

I’m telling you, I could hear the joy and excitement in each voice. Not just from the girls getting dresses but from the two that volunteered to help the girls. The servants were enjoying it as much as those receiving the service.

It is said, “Love what you do and you will never work a day in your life.” There is a lot of truth to that. But in a deeper way, we can lose ourselves in serving others and find blessings we never knew were possible. Each of us should find a way to serve others, it gives perspective, it energizes our soul, and most of all, it makes an impact in the lives we serve.

The dress ministry has opened the door for us to help the girls in other ways. It’s amazing the difference our ladies have made in young lives by simply meeting a need. Many of the families couldn’t afford the dresses any other way, a few of the families need way more than just a dress.

Mother Theresa spent most of her life serving the poor in Calcutta, India. She ministered to those who were terminally ill with HIV/AIDS, Leprosy, and Tuberculosis. Her ministry included soup kitchens, dispensaries, family counseling programs, and orphanages.

When Mother Theresa was asked if more people should abandon their lives and move to Calcutta to help, she famously replied something like this. “Your Calcutta is every heart you touch, find your Calcutta.”

God may ask you to do big things in life, be willing if He leads. But more than likely, He will ask you to do smaller things motivated by love. Most of those acts will go under the radar. No fan-fair, no applause, no reward here on earth.

You may cross the world to help the poor, you may only have to cross the street. You may encourage crowds of people, you may encourage one at a time. You may serve in a bright spotlight, or in the shadows.

The most important thing is this, find your unique way of serving others. Your talents, your experiences, your passions, are yours for a reason. And that reason goes way beyond your own benefit.

We were designed to receive God’s love and share God’s love.
We were made to find joy in lifting others up.
We were created to reach the least, the last, and the lost.

Find a way to impact those in need, one person at a time.

Find your Calcutta.

-Tom Wise