I love a win/win. I’m always on the lookout for them.

 

This week a young man came to me. He’s obviously a leader because he’s stumbled into heading up this movement of artists intent on using their creativity to reach the unchurched. He doesn’t want to start an organization, seeing it more as a movement, but he’s found himself with a lot of followers. He totally fits into my strategy of empowering key leaders of passion, integrity, gifting and vision to contribute to the transformation of the nation.

 

So having established that he was kosher, he needed an office/venue to gather people and store equipment. I rang a friend who runs another project to negotiate office space, so that she also could benefit from this arrangement and gain extra funding to pay her staff. And I organized a meeting with another l ministry partner who had instruments to see if we could work out a deal whereby my new buddy could hire the latter’s gear for events in the community. Win/wins all round. I love it, keeping the money recycled in the family.

 

I could give many more examples, but that’s just the latest. Why do I share it with you? Both as a challenge and as an invitation.

 

I get so frustrated with situations that arise here (or wherever) in which folks only look out for their own narrow interests and fail to see the potential bigger picture of cooperation and synergies that come from looking up, looking around, and working together. That applies to me here on a ministry level, but actually to all of us, on a work as well as a family and friendship level. Maybe I’m more naturally wired as a big-picture connector than most people, but we all have it in us if we are (made) aware of it. At least the potential is there.

 

So that’s my challenge for you today. What might opening myself more to this concept of connecting look like? Are there any potential connections I could make or take to be part of something beautiful and bigger than myself.

 

And the invitation? Well, it comes firstly with gratitude as so many of you are already connecting with us. It’s such a privilege to be involved with a worldwide community of people offering us their skills, their finances, their time, in myriad ways. I love it when someone writes to me: “This is who I am, what I do, what I’m good at, can I serve you guys in any way?” And if we can find a good fit, it’s a win/win all the way. Anyone not yet actively connected with us, count yourself hereby invited to join up and be part of a beautiful work in the toughest of contexts.

 

Connecting wins…

 

And lest you be discouraged and think you have been or are a failure in this area, the biggest connecting of all is that of prayer, linking up with the Ultimate Connector, and all of us can do that.

 

Have a great weekend!