Developing an Encouragement Culture
0 (0 Likes / 0 Dislikes)
Leadership Straight from Bill Hybels
Developing An Encouragement Culture
My journey on this whole thing
started when I was in 2nd grade.
My 2nd grade teacher gave
me a poem to memorize.
When Samuel had heard
a voice in the night,
and he told Eli,
"Maybe, God is trying to talk."
Eli tells him to say speak Lord
your servant is listening.
My teacher taught on that
and gave me a poem to memorize.
O give me Samuel's ear,
an open ear, O Lord.
Alive and quick to hear,
each whisper of Thy word
like him to answer to Thy call
and to obey Thee first of all.
In second grade I memorized that.
She almost fainted
when I said it to her.
She put her hands
on my little shoulders and said,
"If you will listen to God like Samuel did
I think God will put
an anointing on your life."
All I tried to do from that time is
to keep one ear open to Heaven
throughout the normal course of my day.
Sometimes I do not hear a lot.
Sometimes it is surprising the encouragement
I will get from the Holy Spirit,
the correction I will often get
from the Holy Spirit.
Hey, what are you
thinking down there?
Oh, sorry.
Then go another direction.
I helped raise money
for a church down South in the US.
They kindly asked me to come
and dedicate their building.
Usually churches ask me to help raise money
and that is the last I hear from them.
This guy actually
asked me to come back.
We had some thunderstorms
and our plane landed late.
The people are already
in the new building.
They are singing, worshiping.
This is the opening night.
First time in the new building
that these people had donated money to.
First time they were in it
together worshiping.
To save time, the pastor drags me
through the new nursery to get to the stage
where I am to give this talk
that no one will remember.
I am part way through the nursery
and I see this woman
and sometimes God gives you a lot of insight
if you just look for a second at a person.
This woman was in her late 50s.
She was not dressed fashionably.
Her hair was not styled
in the latest style.
She had a crying baby in each arm
and her glasses were like Coke bottles.
I was being rushed passed her
with these crying babies.
The Holy Spirit whispered to me,
"Stop. Stop."
The pastor has me by the shirt
trying to lead me.
I say, "Hey, I need 15 seconds.
He says, "You're late."
Just 15 seconds.
I went to the woman and said
"Everyone in your church is in the new auditorium
singing and worshiping God right now.
And you are here taking care
of some other peoples children.
Way to go. You are making it
possible for these people
to be where I am sure
you would like to be
but you are sacrificing
for the sake of someone else.
I just want to say 'way to go'."
She barely looked up at me.
She felt it was a little odd possibly.
The pastor yanks at me
and I gave a forgettable dedication talk.
The pastor brings me back to the airplane.
Before I get on, the pastor gives me two envelopes.
I get on the plane.
Up at cruise altitude, I open one.
It was a letter of appreciation.
The other one was an envelope
with very awkward penmanship.
I open it up
and the note was barely legible.
I came to understand it was
from the woman in the nursery.
She writes, "Dear, Bill. I have worked
in this nursery for 22 years.
I have worked in the nursery
as a volunteer for 22 years.
You are the first person
who ever said 'thank you'."
She wrote, "It made me feel good."
I am not proud of this part.
I took that letter and threw it
on the floor of the airplane.
Why is it so hard
for pastors to say 'thank you?'
Why is it so hard for staff members
to gather volunteers once in a while
and say 'thank you?'
What is so expensive about saying
to faithful people, 'way to go.'
When a church learns
how to let encouragement flow freely
you develop an encouragement culture.
And you encourage your pastor
when he does well.
The pastor encourages
the staff when they do well.
The staff encourages the volunteers.
Volunteers encourage other volunteers.
You end up in this very beautiful, Christ-honoring,
inspiring culture of people who are encouraging.
That is an elixir.
That is powerful stuff.
It makes people want to stay faithful.