In a world of more, it’s hard to understand and fully grasp the concept that One is enough. When it comes to loving and serving others, this is exceptionally true. As we enter into the holiday season, it is a great time to embrace this concept.
Recently, I had the opportunity to address about 250 students at the 2013 Family Career and Community Leaders of America District H Conference in Garnett, KS. God put this idea of servant leadership concept of O.N.E is enough. Here’s a recap/summary. Enjoy!
Serving the ONE,
PS: If you would like to watch the message, it’s on our YouTube Channel or under “Speaking: Sample Videos.”
PSS: Since this was a school function, I couldn’t outright have an altar call or make it TOO faith-driven. But rest assured there was plenty of Jesus-love slipped in there. He made sure of that 🙂
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I was about to be reunited with my old friend… Diet Dr. Pepper.
“89 cents? Ok, got it… 86…87…88…88…88…”
Um. This is awkward.
- Saving grace in the moment: Take a penny, leave a penny tray.
- Some things, like pennies, seem insignificant til you need it… Same thing can be said about serving others.
Service: meeting needs in love (not gushy love but a general love of humankind)
Everyone has needs and all our tasks are important
If you Google “Acts of kindness” there are almost TEN MILLION hits!
Transition: So today, let’s make a deal to understand that when we serve, O.N.E is enough—you will always come about ahead
O~ Serve Often
Americans: We are pretty selfish and independent
We can serve daily & locally (not just during the holidays)
We can serve in the monumental AND mundane!
- Aesop: “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.”
- Example: Joy for Joyce (mundane: Groceries)
- Example: Breakfast at Subway—Reward doubled
People just want to know you care—think about how you feel when someone cares? Put yourself in their shoes.
Nobody can do everything but everybody can do something !
- CALL TO ACTION: Make a goal to start doing something TODAY (give examples)… Daily… And it will be come habit (21 days) Share w/neighbor
N~Serve N-Tentionally
Be aware and on the lookout
- Eyes open—it’s not just gonna happen-requires effort
- Don’t miss opportunities to serve
- Chain of Love song by Clay Walker
Get creative
- Dairy Queen story went viral on FB—Joey from Hopkins, MN
- Alyssa Josephine O’Neill from Pennsylvania
- Now viral—Alaska cup w #AJO, South Korea & Soldiers in Afghanistan
Martin Luther King, Jr: “Everybody can be great…because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”
- CALL TO ACTION: How do you think you would feel if you could change someone’s life like Joey or Alyssa? Think about how you can start living intentionally to serve just one… Tell a different neighbor
E~Serve Enthusiastically
It’s a state of our heart– act out comparisons of enthusiastic giving/serving vs. blah attitude
- Server in restaurant/tour guide
- Hand out flowers to audience with 3 examples: bored, over the top and middle ground enthusiasm
Get pumped! Teach them the O.N.E Chant (Side note to readers– to really get the gist of this, watch the video. 🙂 )
- William James: “Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.”
- Giving story from Portable Pep Talk
“Begin today by giving away the best of yourself. Give someone your time, your attention your wisdom. Give away your positive attitude, courtesy, and appreciation. Give away gifts from the heart: Love, kindness, joy, understanding, sympathy, tolerance and forgiveness. Give away your gifts of the mind: ideas, dreams, and talents. Give gifts of the spirit: prayer, vision, peace and faith. Give the gift of kind words: encouragement, inspiration, and guidance. Give away a skill or ability that will help others. Remember that what you keep to yourself, you lose; what you give away, you keep forever. Give the gift of giving yourselves away to others.”
- CALL TO ACTION: Share brainstorm of ideas w/new neighbor… Consider genuinely asking the cashier how they are doing or about their family. Open door for someone. Buy a stranger’s lunch. GO!
Conclusion:
A year and a half ago, we did a Factor of 7 called “Latte Love” and the Fort Benning Bayonet picked up the story. (Elaborate, show newspaper article.) A soldier contacted us because of the article in the paper. He had lost his wife and daughter in the last couple years and was now a soldier and single father to his son. We began to pray for him. In the process, his house burnt down and he was at the end of his rope. He began coming to our church. We moved away but were recently informed that because of the small act of kindness through buying strangers a cup of coffee, this soldier had rededicated his life to Christ.
One REALLY IS enough!
You can do the same thing!!!
Don’t have to have a ton of money or time… Just have the heart
- “We can do no great things, only small things with great love.” ~Mother Teresa
- You might say you can’t afford it—but you can’t afford NOT to!
Just like today’s theme of the conference, let’s make a deal. I want to give you a gift. It’s a 2013 penny on an adjustable string. Wear it as a necklace, bracelet, hang in your locker, whatever. But take this penny and every time you see it, consider house you can leave a “figurative” penny somewhere each day. Generosity begets generosity and you will be blessed for your kindness. I promise.
- I know this penny is only one cent. But if you embrace the concept behind the penny that One is enough, it will be more valuable than you can imagine!
- Think to yourself… what ONE thing can you do today to start serving and make a difference?
- (PAUSE FOR EFFECT) Write it down on your tags
Remember, if you serve Often, N-tentionally and with Enthusiasm… you can impact people just like that soldier. Your friends, your neighbors, strangers. Because when you serve from the heart, you can change someone’s life… YOU gain so much by giving away… After all, ONE is ENOUGH.
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