— by Sam Lam

My first experience surfing was almost 20 years ago in Hawaii. I’m not good at it by any means but there are a few main steps: (1) look in the distance for a suitable wave to catch; (2) orient your board in the right direction; (3) paddle furiously just as it reaches you.

By catching it at the right time, you’re able to ride the wave, which is a beautiful feeling.

Similarly, during this uncertainty brought on by COVID-19, we need to make sure our messaging is coming at the right time for our customers. If either too early or too late, it could confuse or antagonize them. Using the 3 steps in surfing above as a guide, here are suggestions on how you can communicate effectively.

1) Predict the (Short-Term) Future:

The remarkable situation with COVID-19 is that by looking at the experiences of other countries (e.g., China, Italy, S. Korea) we generally know what will probably happen — maybe not the end game, but at least the next few weeks.

It’s like seeing a wave come to you from 50 yards out. You know COVID-19 is going to come, and the ensuing government policies, social costs, and effects on morale. You know which businesses are likely to be hit the hardest and how they are trying to weather the storm. You may need to adapt it a bit to your own context, but general principles will hold.

Remember also that this is not a one-time situation. Just as there are multiple rounds of waves when you’re in the ocean, so there are also multiple stages of government interventions or business implications or customer reactions. Look at what’s happened in other geographies to help predict what might happen in yours.

2) Get Ready for your Response:

By knowing what is coming, you’re able to adjust and think through implications on your organization.

Get ahead of the game and make decisions now that allow you to adjust at the right time. Have your message and communication plan ready, tailored to each stage of customer implications.

With COVID-19, information is updating daily, so you will need to modulate your approach depending on new developments.

3) Communicate at the Right Time:

Make sure you are not moving too fast or too slow. You might be far ahead of your customers given how you’ve prepared for this (which is great!) but you need to wait until they’re ready to hear your message.

Government policies and messaging generally act as a thermostat and adjust the mood in a country, though there is often a lag time between when they announce a policy and when the implications sink in. Furthermore, initial government restrictions have generally been precursors to increased restrictions in the future.

Since you have been observing what has happened in other geographies, you know the pattern this will take. However, the key here is to make sure your audience is ready for your message. For example, if you know the temporary lockdown recently announced will probably become indefinite, don’t assume that everyone else knows that. Wait for policies to be clearer before you announce a substantial change in your services. Otherwise, customers may not understand why you’re giving them different services during what, to them, is just a temporary restriction.

These lessons come out of the experiences of our portfolio companies as we’ve considered COVID-19 and its effects. In one location, we knew COVID-19 was coming and had been ready ahead of the market in adjusting, though we could have handled our initial messaging better. Initially, some customers were frustrated at that messaging since they thought there was just going to be a temporary lockdown. However, as the market has now understood that these restrictions are continuing for the long haul, they have become more amenable to change. At this point, thankfully things are quite positive but wanted to share this experience.

So, even as you consider the future, plan accordingly, and time your message at just the right time. You’ll be better prepared and more nimble, even as we all wait for more waves to come in.

Certainly, for us who are Christians, the water analogy is apropos. As Psalm 46 reminds us:

1 God is our refuge and strength,

    an ever-present help in trouble.

2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way

    and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

3 though its waters roar and foam

    and the mountains quake with their surging.

God is “ever-present” with us and that is all the comfort we need. We don’t know the future, but we can have confidence in Him who does. After all, our Savior, who silenced the wind and the waves (Mark 4), has delivered us from sin and given us an eternal inheritance. 

We can thus trust and rest in Him. I pray that your confidence in Him would help you communicate with grace even through these uncertain times.

For more information on COVID-19, please see our page highlighting some of the best resources out there for Faith Driven Entrepreneurs in this season.

——

[Thanks to Jeremy Bishop for the cover photo]

We continue to count down the Top 100 Books for Faith Driven Entrepreneurs with…

T

by

Click on the book cover to check out the Reviews and Purchase at Amazon

We continue to count down the Top 100 Books for Faith Driven Entrepreneurs with…

T

by

Click on the book cover to check out the Reviews and Purchase at Amazon

— by John Hawkins

This devotional was written by Leadership Edge Inc. founder, John Hawkins. We hope that it is encouraging to you in your daily prayer as it was to us!

This was written prior to the COVID-19 pandemic but is keenly relevant to this time.

For those days when I find myself in a funk

Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.  Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. — Psalm 90:1-2

Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.  They will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment.  You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away, but you are the same, and your years have no end. — Psalm 102:25-27

For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. — Malachi 3:6

From the Westminster Shorter Catechism

Question 4. What is God?

Answer. God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.

There are days when I could be best described as either having my “head up my posterior” or “collapsed in upon myself.”  On those days, I am anxious, self-absorbed and in a swirl over all that I’m not getting done.  I feel that I’m failing miserably and am a great disappointment to those around me.  My perception of myself and my performance seems clear to me though it is much different, more extreme and direr than others’ perception.

Like a sudden onset of vertigo, this craziness comes upon me with no warning and with no perceived cause.  I was great this morning; I’m reeling this afternoon.  Last night was a time of peace and rest; this morning I’m in a hellish hole of obsession over all that I’m not and all that I’ve failed to do.  In those moments, what I think I should do is to dwell on my “failings.”  If I do this, my anxiety only increases.  I ask myself, “What has changed?  Why is it that only hours ago I was fine and now I’m not fine … at all?”

The wonderful truth, the absolutely wonderful truth is that nothing has changed.  My problem is that I’m caught up in the swirl of my feelings and misperceptions, and I’m not resting in the reality of all that has not changed.  By nothing has changed, I mean the following:

1. God is still on His throne sovereignly ruling over all that is. Psalm 103:19

2. God’s love and commitment to me are still forever intact. Jeremiah 31:3

3. God is still over time sanctifying me, transforming the dark places of my heart and mind, to make me more like His Son. Philippians 1:6; Psalm 138:8

4. The world I live in is still both wondrous and thoroughly fractured, longing for restoration. Psalm 119:1-6; Romans 8:19-22

5. Satan is still my enemy, seeking to consume me with every tempting tool he has. I Peter 5:8

6. My perception of reality is still partial, seeing and understanding only some of what is going on around me. I Corinthians 13:12; II Kings 6:15-17

7. My anchor today is still to remember God (Deuteronomy 8) and worship Him (Deuteronomy 6:13-15) then trust (Proverbs 3:5-6) and obey (Deuteronomy 27:10) and to run to Him and to pour out my heart to Him (Psalm 62:5-8).

I’ve learned through the years that the thing I must do is to shift my focus and thoughts to God – to who He is in general and to who He has promised to be for me.  In a sense, I need to lose myself in Him, or as the hymn says, “hide myself in thee.” It also helps to share with others my perception of myself and my performance so that they can level set my skewed perception with their less skewed perception.  On those days, clear, accurate and God-centered perspective is a precious commodity.

So tonight, by His grace, I’ll rest again in Psalm 90:1-2 and Psalm 102:25-27.  Nothing has changed.  Bless God, nothing has changed.  God is from everlasting to everlasting.  He is the same and His years have no end.  He does not change and even amid the swirl, I’ll not be consumed.  Bless the Lord.

Take it to the Lord

1. Read through this meditation again, asking God to open your eyes, mind, heart and soul to His message for you today.

2. As He speaks to you, listen. Ask Him to guide you as to what you should do with what He says and for the grace to do so.

3. End your time with some form of worship—prayer, praise, thanksgiving or surrender.

——

From Longings Toward a God-Centered Life: Meditations on Great Thoughts and Passages by John Hawkins. The purpose of publishing these meditations is to share perspectives for leaders and followers on biblical understanding for daily living. The meditations are derived from John’s reflections on quotes from Christian leaders and from God’s Word.

[Thanks Jack Anstey for the cover photo]

We continue to count down the Top 100 Books for Faith Driven Entrepreneurs with…

T

by

Click on the book cover to check out the Reviews and Purchase at Amazon

At the end of every podcast, we like to ask our guests to share what God has been teaching them in this season of life. This week’s guest is

Rob Thomas and Jeff Parker co-founded Igniter Media. But after Jeff confessed to embezzling money from the company, their relationship changed. This is their story of deception, confession, repentance, forgiveness, redemption, and all the messy steps in between

Colossians 3:12-13

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

Rob Thomas: He started out basically saying, hey, I used the company card inappropriately. And I remember even as he was saying that, I was like, OK, that’s OK. That’s no big deal. You know, I’m glad that you felt like you wanted to tell me that, but that’s fine. And then after that  hewent on to say that was the first thing that kicked off about seven years of using the company’s finances in an inappropriate way, using them personally. And the number was quite a bit larger than that dinner. And so basically, he confessed to embezzling money and that he’d been doing that for seven years without my knowledge. I remember being so stunned that I didn’t even know I was supposed to be upset about it. 

Jeff Parker: I had fallen headlong into this world of gambling, and it was a big sin. And I remember every single day wanting to confess and yet kind of hardening my heart towards it. I mean, with full integrity, I can say I love Rob. I love his family. I love the mission of what Igniter does. And I knew what I was doing was hurting all of those things. But I was also scared of consequences that might happen. 

I tried to stop and manage my sin. But while I stayed silent about my sin, my bones wasted away. That’s King David from Psalm 32 and my three hundred dollars sin became a thousand dollar sin, which became a five thousand dollar sin which became now it’s three years and multiple thousands, you know. And so it just was a slippery slope because I wasn’t willing to confess that this took me to places, you know, I never thought it would go. We use a phrase here a lot. I forget who originally said it, but it’s that sin will take you farther than you want to go. It will cost you more than you want to pay. And I mean, I experienced that firsthand.

Rob: The night that Jeff confessed, he said something at the end that was kind of the linchpin for the next several months, and he basically said after he confessed, he said, I’m willing to do whatever I need to do and I’m going to abide by both of these communities to tell me what needs to happen next. And he truly meant it.

Jeff: As I came in to do the audit, it really began to sit with me just how devastating my sin was. You know, it just is hard to look in the mirror. And the audit was one of the most gracious things that ever happened to me as I had to look into the mirror of what my sin actually was. And I remember going home at the end of that week, and I had a 70 page audit literally printed out sitting in my passenger seat. And it was almost heavy enough to trigger the airbag.

The next morning I’m sitting in Ezekiel 33 and verses 15 and 16 is—as I’m literally sitting and staring at my sin right in this document—it says that if the wicked man restores the pledge, if he pays back that which he has stolen, if he walks by my statutes which ensure life, he shall surely live, he shall not die. He has practiced justice and righteousness and he shall surely live.

Rob: In some ways, I felt stuck. Like, if I hold on to this, if I hold onto unforgiveness, you know, the great quote, it’s like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. So that’s a dead end for me. And not only that, as I really looked at more scripture about forgiveness. It is so clear what God wants us to do when it comes to forgiving others. We  forgive because we’ve been forgiven. 

So forgiven people forgive people. And so it wasn’t an option not to forgive him. But that definitely was the work of the Holy Spirit in my life, to go, hey, this is between me and God, I’m going to forgive him. And so my forgiveness for Jeff had everything to do with me and God. And little to do with Jeff and what he did.