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One indicator of spiritual maturity is how we deal with trials. With cogent though jarring eloquence James says,

My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2-4 NRSV)

There is something in James’s imperative that resonates with any believer who has embarked with enduring perseverance on their trials. Pastoral care can be seen as a coming alongside, much as we imagine the paralete does, where persons we journey with are warned, taught, and ultimately, presented: every person! Colossians 1:28 calls us to evangelise every person, to educate every person, and to edify every person. We are to reach out to everyone, help them know God’s truths, speaking into their lives. We are called to a life not of self-pity, but of self-scrutiny of motive-especially of service.

We can know, in the final analysis, that the example of the cross is our way toward experiencing the resurrection life of Jesus. This embodies our teaching and our example. And, within the cross-beared life, it is also fundamental that the mature are Spirit-filled persons. The mature person will soon be asked to lead if they are not already. Only Spirit-filled people should lead Christ’s church. Hence, being spiritually mature and Spirit-filled ought to be thought of mutually inclusive. And there will be the fruit of love in the Spirit-filled, spiritually mature person; a love that insists not on thinking about love, but on acting in loving ways. There, I find, an elegant yet unsophisticated simplicity in love. There is no wiggle room. The surrendered soul acts simply as God intends. It is obedience without thought. To be presented perfect on the final day is to approach life now so as to enter through the narrow gate of Matthew 7:13-14, now! Acting as if time is up, we strive more for the Kingdom, more and more. Our striving ought to be to the allegiance of Christ and his teaching, of perfection and imitation of the Father, notwithstanding its seeming unattainability.

The Greek teleios aligns perfection with completion with full development, or to be unblemished and whole. And that is God’s will for us all: that the pastoral care we might all benefit from would take us further on the trajectory of discipleship; further, and onward, unto perfection.

There is incredibly great value in living the spiritual life. When we order our private world, we stand to gain the prize of life that God is ever calling us to. The pastoral care function is primary and basic in delivering persons to the deeper experience of the spiritual life. I see that pastoral care and discipleship are interwoven processes aiming toward the end of maturation, where we may all be presented perfect in Christ.

© 2015 S. J. Wickham.

We’ve all heard this public speaking advice: “Tell them what you’re gonna tell them… tell them… tell them what you told them.” The problem with this advice is that it’s simplistic. It’s also boring.

On the one hand, this is a classic way to structure a presentation. On the other hand, if you really step onto the podium and “tell ‘em what you’re gonna tell ‘em,” you are going to put your audience to sleep rather than energize them.

One of the best ways to get your audience’s attention right from the beginning and keep it is with storytelling. Stories help the audience make the connection between your topic and their lives. Stories create mental pictures for the audience. Stories help the audience relate to you as a person. Stories are ten times more interesting than an enumeration of facts and figures.

How can you use stories effectively to get your message across? Here are five pointers to help you make the most of your stories.

Pointer 1: Be original

It’s easy to pull a story off the Web or from a forwarded e-mail. Unfortunately, everyone has heard these stories many times. When you deliver a story that’s not your own and that people have heard before, it greatly lessens the story’s impact and effectiveness.

Choose stories that are original, that are yours, and that have meaning to you. You don’t have to talk about yourself. Your story could be about a client, a customer, a friend, a family member, or someone you saw walking down the street. It just has to be original and illustrate your point.

Pointer 2: Use humor

Humorous stories are a perfect way to engage the audience. Pretty much everyone likes to laugh. Self-effacing humor humanizes you to the audience and helps them relate to you, but be careful that you don’t overdo it. Make fun of yourself too much and you start to look insecure. It’s not necessary to tell jokes; just find the humor in your topic and insert it where it fits best.

Pointer 3: Involve emotions

The best stories are ones that evoke an emotional response. Maybe there’s a story that relates to your topic that makes the audience angry or sad, or excited or curious. Share your own emotions with them and invite them into your world. Emotional connection makes them want to hear more.

Pointer 4: Be descriptive

Help your audience experience the story by giving vivid descriptions of places, people, colors, shapes, smells, sizes, textures, and sensations. Use gestures to demonstrate physical aspects of the story. Act out parts of the story to make it more real.

Pointer 5: Plan ahead

Storytelling takes preparation. You don’t want to get to the end of a great story and forget to mention your main point. Or forget the order of events in the story and end up rambling on for twice as long as you intended. Make sure your story has a beginning, a middle and an end. Make sure you are making a point with your story. And practice it in advance so the chronology is organized and you know how long it takes.

Follow these tips for telling a story and you’ll find your audience sitting impatiently on the edge of their seats, anticipating the exceptional presentation to come.

The intent of this article is to highlight the negotiation tactics used by Donald Trump. It doesn’t pass judgment on the man.

Some have called Donald Trump a negotiator’s negotiator when it comes to the art of the deal. Many have sought to emulate his tactics, but upon examination, one might be cautious to do so. That’s because one needs the resources that Mr. Trump has to sustain the type of negotiation ploys he employs. Take as an example the following…

Stating verifiable truths as untruths:

It’s very difficult to negotiate with someone that offers alternative facts to reality when making offers and counteroffers that you and they make. It’s akin to being in an environment where up is down, out is in, and right is wrong. Through such mental maneuverings, Mr. Trump leaves an opposing negotiator in a state of doubt per the direction to take in a negotiation.

I never promised you a rose garden:

Mr. Trump makes promises that are too good to believe at times. Then, some of those promises never become reality. At times, he has a way of telling people what they want to hear, what they want to believe. A negotiator that does not follow through on promises will lose his believability eventually. From there, he’ll lose the trust of those with whom he negotiates.

Using Bullying Tactics:

Just because you’re big doesn’t mean you should take advantage of people. Mr. Trump has boasted in the past about his ability to use other people’s money and resources to put deals together. Then, if the deal doesn’t bear fruit, he walks away leaving others holding the bag. If you acquire a reputation as a negotiator of leaving others holding the bag when troubles occur, they’ll avoid negotiating with you and you’ll miss potential opportunities that would have otherwise availed themselves. Always be mindful of how you treat the smallest and largest of people.

Danger:

When you lie, perceived to be unfair, and you leave some people feeling you don’t value them, eventually it’ll catch up with you. There will come a time when someone that negotiates tougher than you will seek to slay your negotiation efforts. They may do so as payback for the reputation you’ve established as being a ruthless negotiator, or simply to take your crown.

Agony:

The inherent agony in the way Mr. Trump negotiates is encased in his brand. That’s to say, he’s massaged his brand to a point that some people see him as a savior based on what his perceived accomplishments have been in business. They transfer those perceived skills as being viable in other realms of life (i.e. the presidency). The lesson to be observed from this dilemma is, you should negotiate with those that are more disposed to your influence than those that are not. By doing so, you stand a better chance of achieving more successful negotiation outcomes.

In your negotiations, be cautious when employing the strategies that Mr. Trump employs. He can get away with some of them, for now, because of who he is and the resources he has. You’re not him. So, if you’re wise, you won’t try these tactics at home or anywhere else. By not doing so… everything will be right with the world.

Remember, you’re always negotiating!