Godly Skill for Every Day Living
In last week’s letter I wrote part one of some of the wisdom I learned from Dennis Rainey while serving with him in ministry. This week is part two. In the first sermon on the book of Proverbs I also shared his definition of wisdom: “Godly skill for everyday living.” Here are a few more of his wise sayings that I captured over the years of working with him:
“Admit when you are wrong – and do it quickly.” Dennis was a consistent example of someone who could admit when he was wrong. There was one particular instance when we were in the car together on a trip across Tennessee. A few days before our car ride, Dennis met with a couple and challenged them to give a significant amount of money to FamilyLife. Apparently, there was some miscommunication in the way he presented the opportunity to them. After he left their home they felt offended and confused. Dennis found out about their feelings during our car ride and immediately called them to clarify his intentions. He spent an hour on the phone with them apologizing for offending them. He didn’t apologize for asking, but he did clear up their confusion and healed the relationship. I’m sure it would have been easy to write off the issue as a loss, but he was willing to humble himself and take the high road in a difficult situation.
“No decision is still a decision.” About a year into serving as Dennis’s ministry assistant, he started calling on other ministries to take a stand against the TNIV. (The TNIV was a version of the NIV that took too much liberty in translating gender related words.) He asked me to help contact some well-known Christian leaders to ask them to stand with FamilyLife for accuracy in biblical translations. A few of these leaders did not want to take a stand on the issue. Dennis pointed out that their lack of a position was still a position.
David McCullough’s biography on Harry Truman points out how President Truman was known for taking a stand. Even Churchill recognized this about him and described Truman as “a man of immense determination. He takes no notice of delicate ground, he just plants his foot down firmly upon it.” Churchill even noticed how different Truman was from the President he had just replaced, Franklin Roosevelt. Truman was willing to take a stand whereas Roosevelt would often try to pander to both sides of an issue.
Be willing to take a stand on important issues, don’t stay in the middle of the road because, as Dennis would say, “the middle of the road is a great place to get run over.” You don’t have to make a big deal out of every issue, but when asked for your specific position, don’t be afraid to state it. 1 Corinthians 16 and Ephesians 6 both encourage us to be people who stand firm on truth.
“The best measure of what a man can do is what he has done.” Whenever Dennis was making a hiring decision, he would take time to examine that person’s track record. He would ask, “What have they done, and what have they done well?” The biblical principle is “He who is faithful in a very little thing will also be faithful with much.” (Luke 16.10)
“Think Ahead” Dennis said, “Your main job is to think ahead for me, to get out ahead and anticipate roadblocks. Remove obstacles before I get to them.” He emphasized how important it was for me to think of the questions he would ask, then try to answer them before taking an issue to him. Finally, consider whether someone else could answer the question for him. Taking this approach kept many issues from ever reaching his desk and left time for him to focus on doing things only he could do.
“Always allow more time than you think you need to complete a project.” Dennis developed a formula for estimating how much time it takes to do a job. He calls it (2x+10)2 where x is the amount of time you initially think a job will take. It holds true that things always seem to take longer than we’d like. Instead of setting yourself up for failure, go ahead and plan extra time to complete a task.
“If there is a fog in the pulpit, there’ll be a mist in the pew.” This quote Dennis learned from Dr. Howard Hendricks (former professor at Dallas Theological Seminary.) This principle emphasizes how important it is that you understand what you are saying before you preach it to others. If you are confused about the topic, there’s a good chance your audience will be even more confused than you are.
A Few Other Sayings:
- “Courage does not follow rutted pathways.”
- “Walk in private what you preach in public.”
- “Leadership is in the details.”
- “Inspect what you expect.”
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Recounting these sayings reminds me of the importance of getting around people who have wisdom to share. You will inevitably soak it up over time. Many of these sayings still come to mind in any given week. One easy way to get around people of wisdom is to come join us for a Wednesday night meal. Tonight is roast beef and mashed potatoes. We also have a new round of D-Groups going. I’m teaching a class on the history of the Reformation. You can learn more and sign up here (no need to sign up for my class as no materials are required).
Join us this week as we continue in our study of the book of Proverbs. Last week we studied storing up wisdom for a rainy day. Read ahead in chapter three to prepare for this week’s message. Also take time to work on our memory verses for the month: Romans 11:33-36, which begins with reminding us of the true source of wisdom: “Oh the depth and the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!” Pray that God gives Valley View heavenly wisdom for reaching the South End of Louisville for Christ!
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash