Call to Action: J-STAR Ministries Needs Us

I’d like to do something different. Although I’m sure I could have offered up another opinion piece on social or political issues, I want to beseech you to take action. I’d like to tell you about an organization and mission that needs our help. We need to step up, Longview. This year it has seemed that another week brings another shooting, another homicide, more gang violence. Where do we start? I’m glad you asked.

We need a concerted effort among churches, citizens, businesses and the government of Longview; collectively, we need to step up and make a difference. We need people to take onus and responsibility. We need to understand that if we do nothing more than lament and talk, we are, in fact, doing nothing at all.

There are organizations that already exist to make a difference in the lives of our youth. Organizations with a missional focus to reach and teach our young men and women to become productive citizens by overcoming adversity rather than succumbing to its pressures. Today I’d like to implore you to open your hearts, your minds and even your wallets to such an organization.

J-STAR Ministries (Johnson’s Success Through Attitude & Respect) was established in 2004 as a 501(c)3 non-profit youth organization. J-STAR prides itself in its missional focus to help today’s youth become tomorrow’s leaders. J-STAR works with students ranging in ages 6 to 18 years old, specifically with behavior issues. Students are accepted into the program through both parent and school referral, as well as court order. J-STAR also speaks at various area schools on the ABC’s of Life: Attitude, Behavior and Choices.

Once part of the program students are taught abstinence, anger management, citizenship, discipline, life skills, respect for authority and physical fitness. Students receive weekly visits to their respective schools to determine how they’re performing in terms of grades, attitude and respect for teachers and administration. On Saturdays, students meet at the J-STAR offices in the Pine Tree area of Longview in the Community Connections building to take part in various work from community action, physical fitness and even some leisure activities.

J-STAR can be found participating at local events and outreaches such as the Walk to End Alzheimers, The Alley Fest, Christmas parades, Western Days in Hallsville, Gusher Days in Gladewater, the Juneteenth Parade in Kilgore, volunteering at Truman W. Smith in Gladewater, Longview Dream Center, New Gate Mission, Highway 80 Rescue Mission, Coats for Kids Giveaways, J-STAR Ministries Youth Explosion and many others. Through these efforts, participants in the program learn to be thankful for the things in their life and to have compassion for those who struggle, while also accepting they are responsible for their own decisions.

I don’t need to rehash the statistics in order for us to all agree that Longview has a problem. Organizations like J-STAR embody how we make a difference: that is to reach one and teach one. We must step up in support of those who are gifted in this area. Patrick Johnson, founder of J-STAR, is one of those people.

Mr. Johnson has been married to his wife Shana for 15 years and they have six children. He spent nearly 10 years in the United States Air Force and is a disabled veteran. Mr. Johnson is also certified in anger management and is a behavior management specialist. He previously worked at the Kilgore crisis center as a volunteer coordinator and is a certified basic life coach working to rehabilitate abusive men.  He has counseled married couples in anger management and domestic violence situations. Mrs. Johnson is the head basketball coach at Harleton High School and also volunteers in J-STAR Ministries, focusing on working with young women in the program.

J-STAR administration and volunteers also include past participants in the program who have gone on to be accepted and attend LeTourneau University, UT Tyler and other post-secondary centers of education as well as being successfully and gainfully employed in various sectors. These former students are a testament to J-STAR and Mr. and Mrs. Johnson and their heart and gifting in working with troubled youth.

J-STAR needs your help, Longview. Funding has seen a steady decrease over this year and the program is in jeopardy. There are approximately 130 churches in the Longview area and businesses too numerous to number. Yes, many oil and gas related businesses are suffering, but any help gets J-STAR closer to the goal. Christians, I implore you to step up and fill the gap for a ministry that is heeding its call and accepting its responsibility to our community. People of Longview, I encourage you to reach out to discover how you can lend your time and/or talent to J-STAR. The harvest is plentiful but the workers truly are few. Let’s not allow yet another organization, beneficial to Longview and its youth, die on the vine.

J-STAR ministries can be found online at www.jstarministries.com or reached by phone at (903) 424-1757. Let’s all step up and do our part to insure that J-STAR continues to reach our youth and expand its mission for the betterment of our future. You never know, the next child reached because of your contribution may just be a life saved from the violence and gang culture so prevalent in the Longview area.

Maybe It’s Time We All Get Over Ourselves

The majority of the people on this planet do not care about you. Don’t get all down in the dumps, they don’t care about me either and I’m okay with that. You should be too.

Current estimates say as of 2013 the Earth’s population is approximately 7.125 billion. Here, let me actually add the zeros, 7,125,000,000. According to a Columbia University study, the average person knows 600 people. Of course that’s only an average based on many variables but this is fun for me so let’s expound on this and roll with it. We have 7,124,999,400 people, many who don’t even know we exist, that do not care about us, specifically.

To continue with this upbeat and positive introduction, let’s pretend only half of those 600 even like us. That narrows the list of people in our Average Person Fan Club down to 300. Out of those 300, half are casual and have a positive view of us overall but also have their own priorities, agendas, struggles, phobias, annoying habits, use glitter, have bad hygiene, etc. So, we’re down to 125 just based on those left who are actually people we can relate to and would choose to be friends with. Now, out of those, half work as hard as we do and have just as many commitments and obligations to keep. 75 and trending downward. I’ve left the world of studies and statistics here and I’m just enjoying assumptions, so humor me. Half these people like us but are too caught up in themselves to commit to being a part of our life. Truth be told I find the following number to be a tad high, but we’re going to roll on and say 37.5 people really care about us.

37.5 people love and care about us and our well-being. 37.5 out of 7,125,000,000. We’ll say 10 of those are family and have built their relationships from a sense of responsibility and duty to us. 27.5 people from our life, outside of family, care about us.

I think it’s fair to say, assumptions or not, this world isn’t all about us. It may be all about the Benjamin’s or all about that bass (untrue by the way, many musicians value treble), but it’s most certainly not all about us. I know what you’re thinking. This can’t be true when a guy like Kanye sells 21 million albums and has 66 million digital downloads. Fair enough, but do we want to be real or live our life trying to be the one person that comes to mind as a self-absorbed, egotistical, arrogant narcissist out of 7,124,999,999 other people who can pull this off?

Now at this point you’re at a crossroads. Have you wasted this much of your time just so you could read a blog about how unimportant we are in the grand scheme? Should you just hole up in a dark room watching the Walking Dead or Lifetime and only emerge to satisfy primitive survival needs? Should you write your congressman, senator, mayor, county commissioner, the President, Dear Abby, the U.N., and start a petition on change.org to make glitter manufacturing, distribution and use a felony carrying a life sentence? The answer to the latter is yes, by the way. However, the answer to the other questions is an emphatic “NO!”

Armed with the above information you can now make a conscious decision to stop living in a “ME” world. Let’s all quit raising our babies and future narcissists like the world revolves around them. Everyone shouldn’t get a trophy no matter how hard it is even if me, you or our children are the ones who don’t. You, your kid and everyone you know is going to suck at something. Just like there are things we’re all good at, there are things we’ll be awful at. It’s okay. Embrace it.

We can all sit around and think of new conditions, medical issues, repressed childhood memories, heartbreaks, hardships, and everything else under the sun as to why 7,124,999,972.5 people don’t care about us or we can make a conscious decision, without the aid of Dr. Phil, Oprah, or anyone else’s assistance to live our life.

We’ll call that 27.5 number your Realm of Human Influence. Start there. Make sure you actually care about 27.5 people. Then, expand that number. The best way to make sure you impact more is by doing for others what you want done for you. See, it’s actually very simple. Whether it’s the whole “Be the change you want to see in the world” from Ghandi or the brilliance of Dale Carnegie in “How to Win Friends and Influence People”, these things have been figured out for you. I recall a book that teaches us to “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”, Matthew 7:12. I’d highly recommend that one.

A good place to start will be at our upcoming family Christmas celebrations. Who are they all about? Are our kids self-absorbed and focused on all the gifts they’ll receive? Are we focused on all we’ll get? Gut-check time. If we’re answering yes, like most Americans, then we’re part of the problem. We’re creating little monster consumers with a “me-first” attitude. We’re helping to erode what was once a country that espoused a sense of duty and obligation to the rights of others (short of the whole oppression of women and African americans). I’m not saying it was perfect, but I am saying we’ve drifted way off course.

Lastly, bring yourself to an understanding. The beauty of this all is there are 7,124,999,972.5 potential friends, spouses, extended family, in-laws, cyber-buddies and other various people in this world for you to connect with. Try caring about what they may need. Don’t expect a payback, benefit or anything at all. Just do for others. You still reading this? Go, you have things to do and NOT for yourself!

The Best Gift Is To Care

It’s that time of year again. The holidays, end of year taxes, finances, possibly inventory and all the other fun things you get to deal with in your business. Your employees are all stressed out over their preparation for their own family Christmas and wondering just what that bonus will be this year (assuming you are one of the few companies who still give bonuses). It’s that time of year where everyone is so consumed with spending money, decorations, festivities and other peripheral clutter that we all lose sight of what this season should really be about. Employees are distracted and preoccupied with everything else and are for the most part less productive from now into the New Year.

From someone who has management experience and is very driven and mindful of company resources it makes you want to snap everyone to attention. Remind them that if not for the job they have the stress wouldn’t even be possible. If not for the provision their paycheck provides they would in fact have nothing at all. Remind employees that they have a job to do so stay focused. Remind them that bonuses aren’t to be expected and that receiving anything at all should make you thankful. Then I remember how I felt in their shoes. I remember the things that were important to me.

I worked for a company once that had approximately 450 employees at the time. They had several offices around the Southeast and into Texas. The owner of the company personally called every employee on their birthday. He not only told them “Happy Birthday” but asked questions about their personal lives and how their job was going. This same company provided all employees with a Christmas card and a $50 bill at Christmas time on top of the annual Christmas party dinner. The way they went about this made it count. Everyone felt like they mattered, because they do.

During my time with another company I experienced a similar feeling around the holidays. The owner seemed to relish his role as Santa. The two weeks leading up to Christmas quite often found employees who arrived at their desk to find gift cards, bottles of wine or liquor (I am not advocating this), and various other types of gifts. Honey Baked Hams arrived for each employee and a Christmas party/dinner was planned each year. Bonuses were sometimes given as early as 3 weeks prior to Christmas. It was an exciting time and a wonderful gesture that made you feel appreciated.

I also know the feeling of being completely let down. One of the best paying jobs I held also included the promise of an annual bonus due in December that was “discretionary”. Apparently discretionary in that case, meant zero. Zero in spite of achieving results and going above and beyond my specified duties. This company sent no Christmas card, had no Christmas party, and made no effort and gifts or tidings of any kind. Nothing.

The Christmas holidays present the perfect opportunity for you as a business owner, leader or employee to have an impact on someone and make a difference. Yes, times are stressful. People may in fact be preoccupied and less productive. Use this as an opportunity to show grace. Sympathize with people and their situations. The holidays are a difficult time for many people. This can be due to the loss of a loved one around that time or simply not having them there for the holidays, financial burdens, broken families, etc. You cannot “fix” these problems. You can, however, choose to care.

I encourage you, if you are in a position of influence with your company, to look for ways to spread Christmas cheer among your employees. Random gift cards are nice and people can use them for last minute Christmas shopping. Lunch at the office is nice and fosters a team atmosphere. Most of us know of employees who have outstanding medical bills so why not make a contribution towards those expenses (maybe even anonymously)? Give Christmas bonuses in time for employees to use this for their holiday shopping. Invite that single person, bachelor, or single mom/dad and their child who would otherwise spend Christmas alone over to your Christmas dinner. Look for ways to care.

These suggestions and principals should apply to your treatment of employees and coworkers year round but what better time of year to start focusing on this and becoming intentional in your efforts? When you foster an atmosphere of care and appreciation for your employees and coworkers that care and appreciation will be reciprocated. No, not by everyone, but by the majority. This will be reflected in the culture and dynamic of your company. In the end, people work harder, longer, and sacrifice more for people who truly care about them and reflect this in the way they treat others.

No matter how cliché, you can make a difference this holiday season.   So, rather than just having a Merry Christmas, find ways to help others have a Merry Christmas because that in itself is so much more rewarding.

There IS a Better Way to Do This

3 Focal Points for Your Business (and personal) Life

The primary goal for your life is relationship. That is why you were created and that is why you are here. If you do not believe that, then you probably also do not believe in God or his son Jesus Christ and by now probably are not reading this anyway. I kid, I kid. There are plenty of us that have issues with people skills. I can quite often be one of them but fortunately God is not done with me yet. There are behind the scenes roles in business that do not require much human interaction. The rest of us are going to move forward now and pray for you later (kidding again).

You were created first and foremost for relationship with God (Isaiah 43:7). Secondly, you were created for relationship with other people (Hebrews 10:24-25). What better platform to build relationships than the business realm? Not only do you get to accept the challenge to meet and gain the trust of so many types of people and personalities but you get to build your business while you do it! As a Christian business owner or leader you will not reach many of the next steps if you do not choose to make building solid relationships with your employees and coworkers, as well as your customers, a top priority.

Another important focus for your Christian business should be on giving. Yes, I said it. Giving. No, I did not say selling. I did not say billing. I did not say tax write off. All of those are important and through your giving you may indeed get a tax write off but if that is your focus then keep it. Yes, most Christians agree with tithing. If not, that is a whole other debate and topic. I can tell you from experience that tithing the minimum 10% does bring a peace of mind and blessing on the other 90% that will never be experienced otherwise. If you have trouble with 10% right out of the gate, then the Christian lifestyle is probably not for you because that is just the beginning (If you’re inclined to walk away now and keep your money, don’t, keep moving forward, God will work that out too). (Matthew 25:44-45, Acts 20:35)

When you listen to God you will be led to give all kinds of money and resources. If you are not careful you will not even be able to avoid eye contact with the homeless man at the intersection anymore. You know that money in your wallet or purse for Starbucks? You may have to GIVE that money to someone. I apologize if this is too much for you at once. Take a deep breath and let us move on.

Many Christians feel if they tithe on their income then they have met their “obligation”. However, God’s word is clear on what happens to those who freely give, those who give with a cheerful heart and on and on (2 Corinthians 9:7, Luke 6:38). I challenge you to find ways to give not just monetarily but also of your time, resources, and the area of your expertise. Imagine (channeling my inner John Lennon but with a belief in God) a community where Christian businesses committed to serving others not just as individuals but through their businesses also. Own a bakery? Give free food, teach an aspiring baker how it’s done (yes, there is the chance they steal your family secret and open next door) or give the staff an off day to serve others while still getting paid (GASP!). Own a car dealership? Start a program to provide vehicles to those in need, help people repair their credit, or give someone in need a job. Are you an attorney? How about some pro-bono work outside of that which is already required. Partner with a non-profit or other Christian organization and put your skills to use. This list can go on forever but I think you get the point. Use what you have to help others in all sorts of ways.

The last point I would like to mention will make no sense to the business mind but will make perfect sense to those who are God-minded. Forgiveness. Yes, even in business. Does someone or some other company owe your business money? If you have the authority there are times when you should practice forgiveness. Now, if you do not own the business and are in a position of leadership I would not suggest you to forgive that $10,000.00 dollar unpaid invoice. That would fall under a discussion of theft. (Ephesians 4:32)

Let us just be honest here and acknowledge that lawsuits are rarely productive for either party (sorry attorneys). After legal fees, time lost, stress, and possibility for damage of reputation there are few times that it was worth it. So, from a selfish standpoint you are better to turn that into forgiveness anyway (remember, God knows your heart). Those of you who have forgiven offenses in your past can imagine the feeling of release and sense of peace when you send that invoice that is past due and obviously will not be paid with a note explaining why you are forgiving the debt. There may be times when a customer owes you money but cannot afford to pay but does not want release from the debt. In this circumstance I would suggest allowing them to trade services or labor. Find a way to allow them to clear the debt by the means available to them. (Matthew 6:14-15)

I may have thrown you a couple curves today. I would apologize but I would not mean it. The bottom line is that through these three basic Christian principals of being focused on 1) Relationships, 2) Giving, and 3) Forgiveness we can all help impact the business community and ultimately the Kingdom for His good.

Go Beyond Caring and Do

Maybe I’m writing this from 35,000 feet to feel as if people care enough about what I have to say that I must capture it mid-flight. No, that’s not it. Maybe I was so struck by my thoughts I felt that I absolutely must capture them now or they would be lost forever into the Realm of Uncaptured Thought. No, that’s not it either. Perhaps I just needed something to do for the next hour and a half until I land at the next stop on my travels home. Yes, that sounds more like it.

Although my first two reasons do sound plausible I have to admit that I’d be shocked if my blog readership had yet to break into triple digits. I have ways to monitor that and do get good feedback but I never track it, ever. I’m not that important, nor wise, nor influential. What I am is someone who has struggled, failed and ultimately overcome like most of you. I attribute my overcoming to my faith in Christ. Yes, I realize the connotation that carries with it in this day and age. Trust me, it’s certainly not Christ’s fault that people have given His name that rep. However, people having given his name that rep is very much a part of the beauty in His redemption of mankind.

So as you read that opening bonus to gain a little insight into why I write these, follow me now directly to the point of this particular blog entry. If you read any of my blogs at all or keep up with Christian Business Alliance you’ll already know that I am passionate about people of faith carrying that banner with integrity, meaning and determination into their realm of influence.

I’d like to tell you the story of a man we’ll call Bill. One day a businessman I know was out to lunch to grab a quick bite to eat. He stopped in to grab a quick sandwich from the local convenience store and it just so happened they were out of his favorite. He then decided to grab a quick bite from the adjoining fast food restaurant. As this businessman, who we’ll call Jim walked toward the entrance to the fast food restaurant he noticed a man sitting in one of the chairs out front. Nothing really set this man apart other than he had a friendly countenance and warm smile. He looked to be in his late forties or early fifties.

As Jim passed he nodded and gave a friendly greeting to the stranger. Nothing out of the ordinary, just being friendly. The man smiled and asked, “Sir, could I ask you a question?” Jim thought, why not, and replied with a, “Sure, what can I do for you?” The stranger introduced himself as Bill and explained he was in a difficult spot at the moment. It seems he’d gotten himself into quite the predicament. He had no money on him, no access to any and was on the hungry side. “No problem” said Jim, “follow me into this restaurant and let’s get you something to eat.” After they had both ordered, something told Jim to ask Bill if he could join him. If nothing else, maybe he’d have the opportunity to pray with Bill and let him know there was someone who cared. Prayer is good and Christians should stay in prayer; however, there are times when God wants us to do. To get involved, dirty, stretched. To make a difference. Jim didn’t know it but this was one of those times.

Jim introduced himself as they sat to eat and told Bill a little about himself. He then asked Bill what his story was. What a beautiful, yet tragic story would unfold. Bill was originally from Los Angeles, CA and had landed in East Texas a couple years prior in order to be close to his grandmother, who was now in a convalescent home. Decades ago, Bill heeded the call of Uncle Sam and signed up in the US Army at the age of 16, with his father’s encouragement, signature and blessing. He found himself headed to Vietnam. As his father told him, he’d either end up shooting at and being shot at on the streets of LA or he’d learn skills and how to be a man doing it for his country.

There’s more to Bill’s story but it really warrants a novel rather than a blog so I will carry on with this condensed version in order to share what I’ve set out to share today.

It seems Bill had made some questionable decisions in the department of love. He moved in with a younger lady and began a cohabitation that gave her great control. He moved into her apartment and then when he was forced to put his car in the shop for a new transmission her car became the sole means of transportation. For whatever reason, their love lamp fizzled, she put him out and he had nowhere to go. He’d lost his job due to the transportation issue. Bill assured Jim that he was not a drinker, drunk addict, nor a homeless man even though he most certainly found himself with nowhere to go at this very time. He also made it known that he was no womanizer and had not been abusive or unfaithful in order to cause his eviction.

Sensing something genuine about Bill and his story, an idea formed in Jim’s mind. You see, he happened to be a manager at a shop that employed 80-90 people at any given time. This included welders, painters, maintenance men, janitors, etc. Jim asked Bill what his skills were and sure enough, he’d worked as a welder and fitter in the past. Jim decided to see what he could do and told Bill he’d check on him again by the end of the day to see if he had found a way out of his predicament and his new convenience store home.

After speaking with the hiring manager back in his office he decided to pick Bill up and bring him back for an interview if he were interested. Not only was Bill interested, he was truly shocked that Jim even returned. The interview went well and Bill was told to be back Monday to report to work.

Jim decided to see how he could assist Bill over the weekend in order to help him get back on his feet. He settled on paying for a couple nights in a nearby hotel. Bill was very thankful and expressed his gratitude. He made sure Jim knew he wouldn’t let him down. Our friend Jim, didn’t stop there. He picked Bill up on Saturday afternoon and treated him to lunch at a local restaurant and made sure he had the necessary toiletries as well as food for the evening. He left him a couple dollars in the event Bill needed them and told him not to hesitate to call if he needed anything else.

As of today, Bill has completed his third month of work for his new employer and has even received a raise. He harbors a fantastic attitude that many have taken notice of. He is a hard worker who rarely spends an idol minute. He is mindful and overly thankful of Jim and what he feels he has done for him.

Why did Jim do it? Why didn’t he just throw out a couple dollars or buy Bill some food and move on? Why? Because that’s not what someone with a heart for others would do. He’d get involved, he’d care and he’d let the person know that he cared about him and why. He would demonstrate this not by bashing Bill over the head for bad choices but he would enable him to help himself back on his feet. The difference here is Bill was a man who needed that opportunity in order to pull HIMSELF back up with an opportunity to work and get back on his feet. He needed someone to care enough to see past his circumstances and see him as a person in a tough spot.

Will Bill continue to thrive in his work? Will he one day be a shift supervisor or leader for his employer? Who knows? What matters is he now has the opportunity to make it happen. The rest is his responsibility.

You see, Jim acted in a way that embodies the tenants and heart of Christian Business Alliance and its members and supporters; those of us in the CBA network. We use our platforms to make a difference. To be a light. To do what is right.

What if every Christian business owner looked for opportunities to find their own Bill? Can you imagine the change we’d make in our world? Not only that, but you may just find one of your best future employees. Someone who brings a smile, a strong work ethic and an appreciation for the opportunity provided every day they walk in the door. You know what? That impacts the bottom line. We make a difference in our business, but also for the Kingdom and it just doesn’t get better than that.