Issue No. 183 of Your Weekly Staff Meeting highlights a profound, but very readable book on Muslims, Christians and Jesus. Steve Moore, president and CEO of The Mission Exchange endorses it with this, “So much of our training about sharing Jesus with others strikes an artificial, even adversarial tone. This book strikes a different and refreshing note.” I agree. And this reminder, check out my Management Buckets website with dozens of resources and downloadable worksheets for your staff meetings.
Be Honest—Be Real
Thursday, May 6, is the National Day of Prayer in the U.S. and Franklin Graham is the co-honorary chair of the National Day of Prayer Task Force. He has been on numerous media outlets recently, apparently because his past comments about Muslims and the Islam faith created controversy at the Pentagon so they rescinded his invitation to speak.
What Franklin Graham thinks or believes about Muslims, however, is not important. What’s important is how God views Muslims, Christ-followers and those of other faiths. No surprise—there’s a lot of confusion about what’s appropriate and “tolerant” when speaking of other faiths.
Good news! Carl Medearis, author of this week’s book, is an expert on Islam and lived in Lebanon for 12 years. He’s a thoughtful and very interesting go-to guy on Christian-Muslim relationships. He sheds light (not heat) on the subject.
His counsel is God-honoring. He writes, “Throughout my time in the Middle East, whenever we would host interns or different youth teams at our facility, I always had one rule: Be honest, be real.”
He adds, “Confess your faults. Treat others with more honor. Respect your friends’ religion. Always assume that the person you are speaking with has a more holy life than you do, and treat them accordingly. Be the low man on the totem pole. Be the servant.”
That heart oozes throughout his book and Medearis is the real deal. In a very unique, conversational style (it’s not academic or theologically heavy), the author covers the basics, including: Islam’s six articles of faith, the five pillars, what the Qur’an says about Jesus, women and Islam, “Jesus meets Jihad,” practical ways to reach out to Muslims, and much, much more.
My favorite sections: the 12 stunning “stories of faith” sidebars, like “Snakes, Bibles and the Hotel Staff,” and “Bin Laden’s ‘Cousins’ Hear the Good News.” You’ll also appreciate his list of 21 basic do’s and don’ts, his recommended reading list, a glossary of terms and eight pages of comparisons on what the Qur’an says about Jesus and other spiritual themes—with side-by-side Old and New Testament references.
To order this book from Amazon, click on this title: Muslims, Christians, and Jesus: Gaining Understanding and Building Relationships, by Carl Medearis.
Your Weekly Staff Meeting Questions:
1) Carl Medearis says, “It is important to treat the Bible with total respect. Never place it on the ground. Always open and close it carefully. Muslims are often shocked at how we treat God’s Holy Word. (In the same way, show respect for the Qur’an.)” Why might this be important to your Muslim neighbors, friends and co-workers?
2) On a scale of one to 10, with 10 being “highly knowledgeable,” where would you rate your knowledge and understanding of the Islam faith—and how to appropriately relate to Muslims? What’s your next step on this subject—and how might that be important for your family and your organization?
Creatures of Habit - Insights from Mastering the Management Buckets: 20 Critical Competencies for Leading Your Business or Nonprofit
One of the big ideas in the Program Bucket, Chapter 6, in Mastering the Management Buckets, is that people are creatures of habit.
Your church changes its Sunday morning service from 11:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. You’ve sent product information to your retailers on the first of every month, but you now send it bi-monthly to save money. You used to include return envelopes with your donor receipts, but you don’t anymore—and now church attendance, product sales and donations have dropped off.
Caution! People are creatures of habit! What do you do in the first 10 minutes when you return home at night? Fold your arms across your chest—is your right hand on top of your left arm or under it? Look at the route you drive to work. You’re a creature of habit.
Customers, donors, members, volunteers and your staff members are also creatures of habit. An “expressive,” one of the four social styles (see the People Bucket), embraces change and is bored with routine. An “analytical,” on the other hand, accepts change slowly. So when you make drastic changes in your program, you’ll get push back (if you’re listening). If your program people love making changes for change’s sake, they may be insensitive to the pain and discomfort that even minor changes cause some customers.
For more resources from the Program Bucket, including “Worksheet #6.1: Annual Evaluation of Current and Future Programs,” for assessing your strongest programs based on objective program standards, click on my website.
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