New Environments & New Seasons with Pastor Jon Brown
Due to technical difficulties while recording, the video cuts off early. But you can find the complete message notes below.
How can I best prepare for new environments and new seasons in life?
It’s called a walk of faith for a season.
We often ask, “Am I in the right place?”
New things will absolutely bring out your insecurities.
New things expose the cracks in your foundation and where you might need to grow.
Allow these things to push you towards God.
If you find yourself saying, “dear God, help me,” that’s a really good place to be.
These vulnerable moments expose how much we’re not relying on him, but leaning into our own strength and understanding. And now you HAVE to rely on him because we have no other choice.
Are you showing up in a way that you feel proud of?
- Show up in a place of humility.
- Celebrate others more than you celebrate yourself
- Don’t feel like you need to interject into everything; be a listener.
“How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie, Cliff Notes
HOW TO MAKE PEOPLE LIKE YOU
Chapter 1: Do This and You’ll be Welcome Anywhere
- You can make more friends in 2 months by becoming genuinely interested in other people than you can in two years trying to get people interested in you.
- We like people whom admire us.
- “We are interested in others when they are interested in us” – Publilius Syrus
- Greet people with animation and enthusiasm.
- Say Hello to people in a way that shows you are pleased to talk with them.SMILE GENUINELY
Chapter 2: A Simple Way to Make a Good Impression
- Actions speak louder than words. A smile says “I like you. You make me happy. I am glad to see you”
- Smile, don’t give an insincere grin. Insincere grins are mechanical and resented. Give real, heartwarming smiles that uplift the room.
- Smile even when on the phone. Your smile will come through the phone through your voice.
- You must have a good time meeting people if you expect them to have a good time meeting you.
- If you don’t feel like smiling, force yourself to smile. Act as if you were already happy, and that will tend to actually make you happy. Psychologist William James – “Action seems to follow feeling, but really action and feeling go together…. Thus the sovereign voluntary path to cheerfulness… is to sit up cheerfully and to act and speak as if cheerfulness was already there…”
- Your mental attitude determines your happiness. “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so” – Shakespeare
- To someone who has seen a dozen people scowl, frown, or turn away their faces, your smile will be like the sun breaking through the clouds.REMEMBER THEIR NAME
Chapter 3: If You Don’t Do This, You are Headed for Trouble
- People value their name or whatever nickname it is that they go by.
- Remember people’s names. Make an effort to remember their names the first try. Don’t even spell the name wrong if you can.
- Remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.BE A GOOD LISTENER. ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO TALK ABOUT THEMSELVES.
Chapter 4: An Easy Way to Become a Good Conversationalist
- If you want to be a good conversationalist, be an attentive listener. To be interesting, be interested. Ask questions that people will enjoy answering. Encourage them to talk about themselves and their accomplishments.TALK IN TERMS OF THEIR INTERESTS
Chapter 5: How to Interest People
- The royal road to a person’s heart is to talk about things he or she treasures most.
- Try and focus on what that person is interested in and talk about it.
- Theodore Roosevelt, before having a visitor in his office, used to study topics he knew his guest would be interested in discussing before they came over.ALWAYS MAKE THE OTHER PERSON FEEL IMPORTANT
Chapter 6: How to Make People Like You Instantly
- Always make the other person feel important, and do it sincerely.
- “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you”. If you want to be appreciated, feel important, worthwhile, give that feeling to others first.
I don’t want to show up as the insecure me, I want to show up with the Holy-Spirit-filled me.
Proverbs 3:5-6
(NIV) Trust in the Lord completely, and do not rely on your own opinions. With all your heart, rely on him to guide you, and he will lead you in every decision you make. Become intimate with him in whatever you do, and he will lead you wherever you go.
(MSG) Trust God from the bottom of your heart; Don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; He’s the one who will keep you on track. Don’t assume that you know it all. Run to God!
(AMP) Trust in and rely confidently on the Lord with all your heart And do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know and acknowledge and recognize Him, And He will make your paths straight and smooth [removing obstacles that block your way].
Sometimes we can rely on other people’s words, but we don’t sit long enough to to receive our own word from God. Get with Jesus, and ask him to give you a word for your next season.