Prepare the Ground!

1. There is seed “A message” “A Gospel” a product your must give to others!

(What is your seed that you will scatter?) Luke 8:5-15 “A farmer went out to plant his seed. b. (Where is the best place to put your message, gospel, or product?)
• Footpath: As he scattered it across his field, some seed fell on a footpath, where it was stepped on, and the birds ate it.

• Rocks: 6 Other seed fell among rocks. It began to grow, but the plant soon wilted and died for lack of moisture.

• Thorns: 7 Other seed fell among thorns that grew up with it and choked out the tender plants. 8

• Fertile Soil: Still other seed fell on fertile soil. This seed grew and produced a crop that was a hundred times as much as had been planted!” When he had said this, he called out, “Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”

2. There is a vision, a dream, a desire, your gospel! (What is the vision for your company that makes your gospel important to the world?)
     a. What is the vision? Make sure your disciples get the Gospel! 9 His disciples asked him what this parable meant.

     b. The Vision is exclusive to followers, to those committed to the Kingdom. 10 He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of God.

     c. The vision should make others wonder, and seek to want to become followers. But I use parables to teach the others so that the Scriptures might be fulfilled: ‘When they look, they won’t really see. When they hear, they won’t understand.’

3. Prepare the ground.
     a. What do others need to know that will motivate them to carry your vision in their hearts?

     b. This is God’s word about your company. It is Your Gospel! It is the most important message everyone in your kingdom should be able to share! 11 “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is God’s word.

• The Footpath: Sowing your vision here means people will hear it but something will prevent your customer from believing it. (What is preventing customers from receiving your gospel? Is someone taking away or preventing customers from believing in your gospel, or product? How do you identify what is preventing and inhibiting the message?) 12 The seeds that fell on the footpath represent those who hear the message, only to have the devil come and take it away from their hearts and prevent them from believing and being saved.

• The Rocks: Sowing your vision here means people will hear it and be excited about it. They may very well buy your vision and become a customer. However along the way they will begin to lose interest in your gospel, your product and fall away. They lack the depth, or understanding of what makes your product so valuable. (What necessary information do customers need to grow deep roots? How can you break up the rocky soil and make it softer for those who lack understanding and need more information about the gospel? What are some of the temptations people who don’t understand will face regarding your business?) 13 The seeds on the rocky soil represent those who hear the message and receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they believe for a while, then they fall away when they face temptation.

• The Thorns: Sowing your vision here means people will love what your vision is. They will join you and become your customer. However, they will face challenges because there will be many other companies with similar gospels or messages and they may well become confused about your gospel and vision over time. They will wonder what the benefit is for staying with your company? (How can you make your vision more distinctive? Can you clearly state the benefits and compare your vision to others? In what ways is your business in a crowded field? How have and how can the cares of this world and pleasures of this life diminish your vision for your company? What thorns are choking you out? Are there any benefits for customers who carry your vision for a period of time? How can you grow your customers too maturity? What defines a mature customer? 14 The seeds that fell among the thorns represent those who hear the message, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life. And so they never grow into maturity.

• The Good Soil: Sowing your seed here means that you have identified the people who will receive your gospel, and will carry your vision! These are the gospel clingers of your company, and they intern bring you new customers! (What reward is there for bringing a new customer to you? How can you encourage others to carry your gospel? Have you identified what companies, and organizations are best capable of using your gospel and carrying your vision? What customers cling and bring you new customers?) 15 And the seeds that fell on the good soil represent honest, good-hearted people who hear God’s word, cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest.

Have a great product to talk about. Share the message and vision for that product in the right places, with the right people, and they will buy the product, talk about it, and carry your vision to others!

Have an Attitude!

Attitude is foundational to everything you desire to achieve and accomplish! I should say, “a good attitude” is foundational to achieving everything you envision.

Jesus started the Sermon on the mountain by addressing what the attitude should be of those who seek God and desire to live for God’s kingdom on this earth. It is one of the most challenging passages of all the Scriptures. Being needy, loving, forgiving, holy, and focused on God are not just actions, but attitudes of our heart and mind. These attitudes are foundational to living for God and being “Godly”! The attitudes Jesus spoke about demonstrate our desire for God! Desire can’t be faked.

1. Have an attitude that is easily spread.

Attitudes are contagious. Are yours worth catching? ~Dennis and Wendy Mannering

A positive, vision filled attitude is one of the biggest contributions to growth that can be made by any leader! Is your attitude catching on? Yes it is. As goes the leader so goes the organization. Whatever your attitude it is being caught every day.

2. Have an attitude that leads to an evolution.

Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference. ~Winston Churchill

I love the speech that Sir Churchill made about surrendering. To summarize he said, “We will never surrender.” He realized that for his country to change to face the enemies and the challenges that it would need to face as a leader he had to set the tone. The English went from being overwhelmed to overwhelming conquers of their enemies. Churchill deserves much of the credit for the evolution of Britain during WW2 from an underdog to one of the Big dogs.

You will not experience the kind of progress you desire if you let a little frustration, a little anger, and a little fear control you. Progress is stifled by grumbling and complaining, and distress and discontent. A good attitude produces change and progress.

3. Have and attitude that is enthusiastic & enabling.

Don’t let your attitude be a disability! “Attitudinally challenged” is not a special needs issue.

The only disability in life is a bad attitude. ~Scott Hamilton

A leader with a positive attitude enables others to be drawn to his vision. Jesus had this kind of dynamic to his sermon on the mountain. He enthusiastically challenged those on the mountain to seek God, to long for Him, to love God and others even their enemies. Who would have believed you could even love your enemies prior to Jesus. He is the originator of that concept which is today widely accepted. Today we believe that if we live with the attitudes Jesus described that we are lights to the world. We shouldn’t hide such an attitude toward life as it lights up the world. So a leader with a bad attitude covers up the vision, the vitality, and value of his company. A leader with a positive attitude lights up the world with the value and vision for his corporation. He enables that vision to be carried by others!

If you aren’t fired with enthusiasm you will be fired with enthusiasm! Vince Lombardi

4. Have an attitude that exerts itself. Work for what you believe!

Make your optimism come true. Unknown

Effort is based in our attitude toward what we believe is going to happen. You cannot fake enthusiasm or effort. If the leader believes it is possible anything the leader believes can be achieved.

America put a man on the moon because a leader had the vision, believed it was possible, and then put the steps in place to make it happen. The man who walked on the moon said it was one small step, but one giant leap for mankind.

Your effort is essential in convincing others that you want to succeed. If the leader is working and endeavoring to achieve the vision then it will not happen.

A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty! Winston Churchill

I recently watch the movie Secretariat. Almost everyone knows the story of the horse that loved to run and set the Belmont race track record to win the Triple Crown of horse racing. However, most don’t know about the incredible owner and that is what the movie undertakes to tell. Helen Bates "Penny" Chenery Tweedy was faced with difficult decisions as her father took ill and the family stable became financially insolvent. She was an example of how a positive attitude produces tremendous results.

Her character his ripe with the enthusiasm Penny displayed amid the obstacles she faced financially and the foes her horse would be challenged by.

This is not about going back. This is about life being ahead of you and you run at it! Because you never know how far you can run unless you run. Penny Chenery, Script from the movie Secretariat, 2010.

So I leave you with this challenge. Have an attitude that will let you run and run well.

More than three thousand years ago a man named Job complained to God about all his troubles and the Bible tells us that God answered. Do you give the horse its strength or clothe its neck with a flowing mane? Do you make him leap like a locust, striking terror with his proud snorting? He paused fiercely, rejoicing in his strength and charges into the fray. He laughs at fear, afraid of nothing, He does not shy away from the sword. The quiver rattles against his side, along with the flashing spear and lance. In frenzied excitement he eats up the ground. He cannot stand still when the trumpet sounds. Penny Chenery, Script from the movie Secretariat, 2010

Charge! Get moving my friend by having an attitude that lets you run life well, and to win!

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Apostle Paul