December 7, 2009
Ministry Tools
Bob Burroughs
Quote
"What is 'Unconditional love?" It is to love someone for who they were, who they are, and who they will be." Chris Moore
Scripture
"Finally my children, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." Philippians 4:8
Prayer
Jesus: Lover of our souls, Holy One, One in whom unconditional love is personified, and the One who loved His Creation enough to come and die to rise again to give us eternal life with Him in the highest Heaven, I pray this day for the brothers and sisters who are hard at work in production preparation--preparing 
to shout the 'Good News' that Jesus Christ is born today! These are the times of long and intense rehearsals with singers, instrumentalists, handbell ringers, drama personnel, light and sound people, set and costume people and much, much more. My prayer this day is for 'unconditional love' to show up and may the 'presence of Christ' be on those who are preparing to once again remind their people that indeed, 'Christ is born today, Christ is born today.' I pray this in the name of Jesus, the Christ, the Savior, the Redeemer, the King of kings and LORD of lords. Amen.
What Think Ye?
Unconditional Love
February 15, 2008, Esther bought an eight-week old "Yorkie Puppy." I was not too thrilled about this coming adventure because we are still traveling quite a bit; so how/who would we care for her while we were gone, dreading to go through the 'housebreaking' routine, who would be the 'Alpha' in the puppy's mind, and a host of other questions to which I had no answers. So we went to pick up 
"Little Missy." (She had already been named!) We brought her home and very quickly, she became settled in her new abode, only whimpered a bit the first night away from her family, and never again since that night. So she must have liked us right away.
We solved the housebreaking routine rather quickly. We had a dog trainer come and teach us how to teach Little Missy to be a good and obedient puppy. We found who would care for her when we were gone and could not take her with us. She quickly found out who the Alpha was (it wasn't me).
But there was another surprise coming for us--one we had not expected, but a surprise that never fails to bring joy to our hearts--and smiles to our faces. What might this be, you ask?
Little Missy taught us what unconditional love really is! That's it! I know you are thinking, "Ah! Come on! Explain?"
Every time--without fail--that either of us leave the house for a few minutes or several hours, when we open the door to come in, Little Missy is always there 
wagging her small tail, jumping up and down, licking our hands and faces, begging to be picked up, petted and loved, and we do, I assure you. I can reprimand her, and the next moment, she is begging to sit in my lap. Esther can scold her for tearing up a coupon or a piece of paper (which, by the way, Yorkies do well!) and the next moment, Little Missy is sleeping at her feet or beside her sleeping when Esther naps. She loves both of us unconditionally, without reservation, and with her total heart and mind. She--just loves us!
I don't know about you, but I seem to have a difficult time with unconditional love. It seems that often the least little thing can 'set us off,' whether it be our spouse, the children, the boss, a friend, someone in choir or orchestra, or even the grocery store checker! If we are to show the 'presence of Christ' because He is alive in our lives and lives through us, seems we should have a better handle on this, don't you think?
I'm working on it. I'm soon to be 73 years of age and I decided some time ago that if I was ever going to be the 'presence of Christ' to others and not be a controlling, bossy, or always assuming person and then be disappointed when no response was forthcoming, I figured I had best learn this before I started slobbering, wearing Depends, and using a walker! I also have had to have professional counseling to help me do this. It is working--gradually. I wish I had known 30/40 years ago what I'm being taught now through my counselor. I would have been a better minister, musician, friend, father, and perhaps most importantly, husband.
Isn't life interesting! I have been a long time Christian, Believer, Servant of God, Minister, Musician, Professor, Father and Husband, and Little Missy is the one who is teaching me unconditional love. I have no one to blame but myself. I am just now becoming wise enough to know that for those of us in ministry, who have a family, and who profess to be the 'presence of Christ,' unconditional love is essential--it is part of the armor we should be wearing. It is a vital tool in our quiver that comes with our faith in Jesus Christ.
I'm not suggesting you get a Puppy to learn unconditional love but it sure is working for me.
What think ye?
Leadership 
What's LOVE got to do with it?
Lisa Earle McLeod is an syndicated columnist, author, speaker and leadership consultant. Her excellent website is: www.forgetperfect.com.
We want our family to love us. We want our church family to love us.
Yet, if you bring up the L word in the context of leadership, people become uncomfortable. They envision holding hands around the campfire with the staff swaying to the strains of "kumbaya" as perhaps the leader strums out the chorus on his guitar. But contrary to what skeptics might like to think, bringing love into the workplace doesn't mean group hugs and trust falls!
Love is one of the most effective and efficient business strategies that ever existed. And infusing love into an organization is the best investment you can make. When you show up with your heart, your mind works at a much great capacity than it does on the days when you leave your heart at home. The truth is, love has been the cornerstone of every successful venture since the dawn of time. From the American Revolution to Apple© Computer, the great ones are always fueled by love—by people who love what they do and who love the people they do it with.
Our reluctance to embrace love as a business strategy is rooted in three common misperceptions:
1. Feelings don't belong in the office.
2. Love is mushy and therefore, unmeasurable.
3. Loving your employees means letting them off the hook.
These are total bunk.
First off, emotions are at the root of every human endeavor. Whether it's work or home, love drives the action. The idea that feelings are somehow unprofessional is a myth perpetuated by people who don't want to feel their own emotions and who are absolutely petrified at the thought of having to deal with someone else's.
However, we've all experienced the Darth Vader boss in the Cubicle of Darkness enough times to know that negative emotions can suck the life out of an
organization. There comes a point when we have to get past our discomfort, and openly admit that success or failure is determined by the way that people feel.
Emotions lead to thoughts. Thoughts lead to words. Words lead to action. It's not a leader's job to minimize feelings. It's a leader's job to create systems that ignite positive ones.
But how do you wrap your arms around measuring something as mushy as love? It's not like you can insert a heart meter into everyone at your office. And to be brutally frank, employee satisfaction surveys aside, measuring love isn't really about how much the employees love the boss, but it's about how effectively the boss loves the employees.
Leaders who know how to love make a practice of setting crystal clear expectations. They give consistent and accurate feedback and they provide people with the tools they need to get the job done.
Ask any working-class kid whose folks scrimped and saved to put them through college, they'll tell you that love is a completely measurable entity. It's not just about what you say, it's about what you actually do.
The very nature of love is all about mutual accountability. When love love someone, you expect him/her to give you the best of what they've got. And if they don't, you care enough about them to let them know exactly how they can improve in the future. The bottom line is this: love isn't for softies or sissies. You don't really master the art of love until you stop thinking of it as a noun, and start practicing it as an active verb.
The real secret of lasting success is taking a good long look in the mirror and deciding that your people and your organization deserve a leader who has the courage to stand up for them and to love them.
Family Leadership
A Definition of "Family" 
Eric and Kim Engle, and their four children, composed this definition of a family. They live in Lewiston, Idaho.
A family is the people who will love you and be there for you--no matter what. They will be there to pick you up in hard times and to share your joy in good times. You never give up on them and you'll do whatever it takes to stay together, such as compromise, communicate, sacrifice and most of all, love one another. A family is your heart and soul--next to God.
Inspirational Corner - Esther Burroughs
CLOSED FOR CHRISTMAS
Esther Burroughs is a nationally-known inspirational speaker through her ministry, Estherbministries.com. She is Mom to two adult children and Nana to five grandchildren. She is the wife of Bob Burroughs, having been married to him for 51+ years. She is active in her church and mentors a group of young women via Internet, Facebook, and texting (but not while driving!) She is known as Techno Nana. MME welcomes Esther Burroughs to the Inspirational Corner. If you wish to contact Esther, her email address is: eburroughs@aol.com.
Christmas—1959—is forever a memory in my heart. My husband, Bob, was serving as part time Minister of Music at Calvary Baptist Church, Dennison, TX, while he finished graduate work at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
I was substitute teaching at the High School and we were expecting our first child. On September 18, I went into early labor, so off we went to the hospital. Immediately after arrival, I was ready to deliver. Hours later, we were told our son was a stillborn baby. How could that be? Surely, there was a mistake!
My heart was still empty as Christmas neared.
Bob suggested that we save some extra money for the next few weeks, so we could go out on Christmas Day for a wonderful Christmas dinner. Christmas came on Sunday that year, so after Christmas Sunday morning church, we headed out to our 
favorite local restaurant. A large sign greeted us on the door that read: CLOSED FOR CHRISTMAS. We tried three other places to eat and two in a nearby city. Each one had the same sign.
Slowly, we headed home. We had a lavish Christmas lunch, consisting of the few items our fridge and pantry held, which was Vienna sausage, Cheese and Saltine Crackers—with a whole bunch of 
tears as dessert. My heart was way too heavy for such a meal.
In those days, even on Christmas Night, many churches had evening services, and as Bob lead the music that evening, he told the story of our Christmas meal to a hushed congregation. We heard audible gasps as they realized they had missed an opportunity to minister to a young couple that had recently lost a child and had no family nearby.
The next few weeks, we were invited every Sunday and sometimes weekends by different church families to share Sunday lunch or the evening meal. What a joy this was, for we got to know the families.
We learned a valuable lesson that Christmas. Many folk experience heartache at this season of the year. Folks are lonely, hurting and hungry.
We made a promise: we would make it a tradition to look for folks who might not have a family nearby, might be hungry or might be lonely. They would be welcomed in our home. We have done that through the years and have been able to bless folks, like Calvary Church blessed us for several weeks after Christmas.
Would you consider looking intentionally for someone or some family this Christmas who may not be able to find room in the inn?
Think about it. It would be a special gift to someone or a family who may need you!
This Idea Will Work
Ten Ways to Begin the New Year
1. Give more than your people than they expect and do it cheerfully. 
2. Memorize your music.
3. When you say, "I love you," mean it.
4. When you say, "I'm sorry," look the person in the eye.
5. Love deeply/passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to live!
6. Remember that great love and great achievements often involve great risk.
7. Remember the three R's:
(1) Respect for self
(2) Respect for others
(3) Responsibility for all your actions
8. Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values.
9. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
10. Spend time alone with God. What you learn will overflow into your music.
Wisdom
Love and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference. They bless the one who receives them, and they bless you, the giver. (Barbara De Angeli)
Humor
Too Much Love...
...can almost squeeze the life out of you !
To read more of this week's MME, please click here.
© 2009 Creator Magazine All Rights Reserved