As you might know, I’ve been traveling these last two weeks. Most of the time, I had the privilege of touring Israel with a group from my church, Christ Fellowship.

From teaching about the Sermon on the Mount while actually ON the Mount to visiting the Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem, everything in our experience was wonderful and deeply meaningful.

Well, maybe not everything…

We also made sure to have fun. For example, as “captain” of my bus, on the first day I suggested that we come up with a better name than “The Blue Bus.” Creative, right?

Well, because my bus was full of smart-alecks, the name chosen was …

“Baalbusters.”

Yep.

Once we had a name, then of course we had to have a song. And then a handshake. And then matching ballcaps, and a banner…

Let’s just say that things might have gotten out of hand when we choreographed and performed the song.

And of course with the number of cameras and smartphones on the trip, we knew that everything would end up on YouTube or somewhere like it.

Little did we know that it would actually be posted on Vimeo, BY the Christ Fellowship team. In High-Definition.

I hope you enjoy:

PS I posted regular Twitter and Facebook updates while on the trip. If you want to keep up with my day-to-day experiences – and receive some of my favorite quotes and thoughts – be sure to follow me.

If you’ve spent any time on this earth, you know that life contains conflict. And there are times in the life of every leader when he or she needs to fight. But if you fight all the time, you can wear yourself out. That’s why it’s important to pick your battles.

To gain a better perspective on when to fight back and when to “let it go,” practice the following disciplines:

1. Spend time with people who are different from you. This helps you appreciate and understand how others think and work. You will be less inclined to judge or battle them.

2. In matters of personal preference or taste, give in. Keep the main thing the main thing. If you don’t save your energy for what really matters, you’ll wear yourself out and wear out your welcome with others.

3. Don’t take things too personally. In general, hurting people hurt people. And they’re also easily hurt by others. Keep that in mind when you’re on the receiving end of someone’s anger.

4. Practice the 101% Principle. Whenever possible in a difficult situation, find the 1% that you do agree on and give it 100% of your effort.

5. Be a servant leader. If your mindset is to serve rather than be served, you will be less likely to encounter resistance.

The best team doesn’t always win;
it’s usually the team that gets along best.

Adapted from Teamwork Makes the Dreamwork

But Agrippa did answer: “Keep this up much longer and you’ll make a Christian out of me!” (Acts 26:28, The Message)

This week I’m in Israel, touring with Christ Fellowship Church (Palm Beach, Florida). And just a few days ago, I taught a lesson in Caesarea, the ancient city built by Herod the Great right on the Mediterranean.

As you might have guessed, this lesson relates to my Christian faith. But I don’t share it here in order to impose it on you, but rather because I believe that Paul can teach all of us – whether we agree with him or not – a thing or two about the power of connecting.

After all, as the above quote from Acts indicates, Paul was such an effective witness to his faith that he almost convinced King Agrippa.

How did Paul’s testimony have such a powerful impact?

1. He immediately connected with King Agrippa.

In only a few words, Paul established common ground with Agrippa. Not only that, but Paul also appealed to the king’s intellect and ego.

Agrippa spoke directly to Paul: “Go ahead—tell us about yourself.”

Paul took the stand and told his story. “I can’t think of anyone, King Agrippa, before whom I’d rather be answering all these Jewish accusations than you, knowing how well you are acquainted with Jewish ways and all our family quarrels.”

Clearly, Paul had done his homework. He understood Agrippa’s point of view and what he cared about, and he used that knowledge to immediately create a connection.

2. He was vulnerable and open about his past.

Finding common ground is a two-way street. While it’s important to focus on others to understand them, it’s also critical to be open and authentic so that others understand you. Paul did it by telling his own story – the good, the bad and the ugly – to the king:

From the time of my youth, my life has been lived among my own people in Jerusalem. Practically every Jew in town who watched me grow up—and if they were willing to stick their necks out they’d tell you in person—knows that I lived as a strict Pharisee, the most demanding branch of our religion.… For a time I thought it was my duty to oppose this Jesus of Nazareth with all my might…. I stormed through [Christians’] meeting places, bullying them into cursing Jesus, a one-man terror obsessed with obliterating these people….

One day, …right in the middle of the day a blaze of light … poured out of the sky…. Oh, King, it was so bright! We fell flat on our faces. Then I heard a voice in Hebrew: ‘Saul, Saul, why are you out to get me? Why do you insist on going against the grain?’

I said, ‘Who are you, Master?’

The voice answered, ‘I am Jesus, the One you’re hunting down like an animal.

3. He expressed his conviction.

Just as Paul was honest about his past, he held nothing back when sharing his passion.

[the voice continued], ‘But now, up on your feet—I have a job for you. I’ve handpicked you to be a servant and witness to what’s happened today, and to what I am going to show you.’ …What could I do, King Agrippa? I couldn’t just walk away from a vision like that!

Whether you agree with Paul or not, don’t you find his passion contagious? If you had been there as he spoke, wouldn’t you have wanted to hear more of what he had to say?

***

Connection, authenticity, and conviction: what a powerful combination. Scottish philosopher and religious skeptic David Hume was once observed early one morning hurrying to hear evangelist George Whitefield preach. When asked where he was going, Hume answered, “To hear George Whitefield.” Puzzled, the questioner asked if he believed what the evangelist preached.

“Certainly not!” Hume replied, “But Whitefield does.”

Everyone communicates. But if you want your communication to be truly effective, do what Paul did. Listen, speak honestly, and be passionate. Then you’ll be communicating at the highest level, and maybe others will rush to hear what you have to say, too.

What is your destiny? Where will you be in five years? Or 10,  or 30?

Of course, no matter how hard we search, no one can answer that question with certainty. But while we can’t know our destiny, we CAN know and change our direction.

The journey toward destiny always begins with VISION. Vision is the roadmap to your destiny, the picture of your purpose. Without it, you may find yourself off course — or worse, going nowhere.

I feel so strongly about the power of a vision that I devoted my 2009 book, Put Your Dream to the Test, to that very subject.

But even without the help of a book, you can start discovering your vision today. How?

Take some time to LOOK…

• Within you: What is your passion?
• Behind you: How have past lessons and experiences prepared you to pursue your passion?
• Around you: What’s happening to others in this area (the trends)?
• Ahead of you: What do you want to accomplish?
• Above you: What part does God play in your life and dream?
• Beside you: What resources are available to you?
• Alongside you: Who can partner with you in this pursuit?

Hubert Humphrey was a man with vision. He took his first trip to Washington, DC, in 1935, and wrote the following to his wife:

Honey, I can see how someday, if you and I make up our minds to work for bigger and better things, we can someday live here in Washington and probably be in government, politics, or service… Oh gosh, I hope my dream comes true – I’m going to try anyhow.

Hubert Humphrey’s dream carried him all the way to the United States’ vice-presidency. Where could your vision carry you? The vision you have truly will shape the person you become.

Too often we think that if we can impress others, we will gain influence with them. We want to become others’ heroes – to be larger than life. That creates a problem because we’re real live human beings. People can see us for who we really are. If we make it our goal to impress them, we puff up our pride and end up being pretentious – and that turns people off.

If you want to influence others, don’t try to impress them. Pride is really nothing more than a form of selfishness, and pretense is only a way to keep people at arm’s length so that they can’t see who you really are. Instead of impressing others, let them impress you.

It’s really a matter of attitude. The people with charisma, those who attract others to themselves, are individuals who focus on others, not themselves. They ask questions of others. They listen. They don’t try to be the center of attention. And they never try to pretend they’re perfect.

Spend today listening to others and letting them impress you.

~ From The Maxwell Daily Reader