The Power of Influence (Part 3)

The Power of Influence (Part 3)

"In your teaching, show integrity ..." Titus 2:7 b (NIV)

I am stuck on the principles that I shared the other day from Pat Williams' book "What Are You Living For?"

The fourth principle on the "power of influence" is "Take advantage of every "moment of influence." Let me give you a great personal illustration.

It was Sunday morning and the Deacon came out from the kitchen carrying the bread trays for the Communion service. Since he was running late for the Sunday School class he was teaching, he asked me to take the juice trays upstairs for him. I quickly grabbed the trays and set the table.

I was leading worship at the church and was seated on the front row facing the deacons and Pastor as they were serving the Lord's Supper. The bread was served and at the moment the Pastor put his hand on the juice tray cover, there was that moment that will forever be etched in my mind. It was at that moment that the deacon looked and me and I looked at him -- and we knew we were in trouble.

What he meant to tell me was that he hadn't even filled the juice cups with Welch's grape juice (the only sanctified juice for communion. They didn't tell me that and one Sunday I used store brand. I didn't know there were two unpardonable sins!!!) You should have seen the look on the Pastor's face when he lifted the lid and bingo -- no juice! He handled the situation so well, stating that someone was feeling really embarrassed.

That evening before I stood to lead the congregation in praise and worship, he asked me to sit down so he could speak to the congregation. He asked people to be honest in answering a question. "How many of you tried to figure out today whose fault it was that the juice tray was empty?" Hands went up all over the room. "Well, he said, "I am going to tell you so you can lay it to rest. It was my fault. As Senior Pastor of this church I failed to check the cups prior to the service. I am sorry that it happened, but it won't happen again." He then sat down.

I will never forget the humility of that moment. He took the blame for me and the deacon! He could have ratted us out -- but he took the blame. What a huge leadership lesson -- a moment of influence that I will never forget. By the way -- from then on, every deacon checked and double checked the communion trays before the service!

Think about the moments of influence that you can have on a daily basis with your kids, your staff, your friends. Then use them for His glory and their good. -- Bill Welte is President and CEO of America's KESWICK

God's Word for YOU: Proverbs 15; Genesis 36-38; Matthew 10:21-42

Great Quote: If the solar system was brought about by an accidental collision, then the appearance of organic life on this planet was also an accident, and the whole evolution of Man was an accident too. If so, then all our present thoughts are mere accidents - the accidental by-product of the movement of atoms. And this holds for the thoughts of the materialists and astronomers as well as for anyone else's. But if their thoughts -i.e. of materialism and astronomy - are merely accidental by-products,why should we believe them to be true? I see no reason for believing that one accident should be able to give me a correct account of all theother accidents. It's like expecting that the accidental shape taken by the splash when you upset a milk jug should give you a correct account of how the jug was made and why it was upset.
(Clive Staples) C. S. Lewis