Robb Ryerse's Blog, page 4

There Is No Substitute for Activity: Prospecting

Every salesperson, business development professional, and business owner essentially has one job – turn prospects into customers or clients. It’s just that simple. Salespeople need to move people through a process of awareness, interest, consideration, intent, evaluation, and eventually purchase. Before you can have clients, you have to have prospects. Sales is first about prospecting.

Since prospects are such a basic and essential part of a salesperson’s life, this week we’ll be focusing on a number of topics related to effective prospecting.

Prospects don’t magically appear. They have to be hunted, wooed, and won. If you are a salesperson who is responsible to uncover your own prospects, like I am, you’ve no doubt prayed long and hard for a spreadsheet of qualified leads to drop from heaven, complete with names, titles, phone numbers, and email addresses. That prayer has yet to be answered for me. 

And so, I thought I would share a few tips I’ve learned about prospecting:

1. Gain Focus by Segmenting

In his book Blink, Malcolm Gladwell wrote about a study done by a grocery store. They learned that when they displayed hundreds of different choices of jams and jellies, sales went down. People would look at the seemingly infinite selection and not be able to choose. We become paralyzed when we have too many options. When the store limited the selection of jams to just a few, people were much more likely to make the purchase.

The same principle applies to our prospecting. In one sense, everyone is a prospect. But if everyone is a prospect, it can also feel like no one is a prospect.

I’ve learned that my prospecting becomes more effective when I segment the total customer base. I’m currently in advertising sales. So, one day, I might call on a particular category of business – roofers for instance. I don’t have to feel bad about not stopping at every business I see because I know I’m going to all of the roofers in my area. At other times, I’ll go to a geographic area and call on all the businesses there. Sometimes, I use an idea I have or a promotional opportunity to make a specific list of prospects to connect with. 

Any time I segment the total field of prospects, I’m able to focus enough to be effective.

2. Meet Your Prospects Where They Are

Here is an earth-shattering revelation: not all prospects are alike. They have different personalities, schedules, and quirks. Some hate phone calls. Others hate email. Some are in the office at set times. Others are impossible to catch. 

This only becomes a problem if a salesperson is stubborn about how they are willing to connect with prospects. If you’re unwilling to make a phone call, there are some potential prospects you’re never going to get. If you can’t send a quality prospecting email, there are some sales you’re going to miss out on. If you refuse to use social media, there is a segment of your customer base that you’re sacrificing. If you can’t make yourself get out of the car when you pull up in front of a business, there are some people you’re never going to have a chance with.

Effective sales people are willing to get out of their own comfort zone and meet prospects where they want to be met. If someone didn’t return your voicemail, drop in to see them. If you haven’t gotten an email reply, wait a couple of days and follow-up by phone. Be willing to meet your prospects where they are.

3. Give Up on the Silver Bullet

This is the most important part of prospecting I’ve learned. There is no silver bullet. There is no technique or tip or technology that is going to make prospecting obsolete. I used to look for short-cuts. I tried to find some CRM program or database or template that would make prospecting happen all on its own. The reality is that the silver bullet for prospecting doesn’t exist.

The single most important thing I can tell other salespeople is that there is no substitute for activity. Hustle. Get out there and do it. Make 10 phone calls. Send 20 emails. Connect with 5 people on LinkedIn. Drop by 10 businesses.

You can’t make sales without prospects. And you can’t get prospects without activity.

—

Join the Bow Tie Sales Guy community on Facebook. Like our page here and submit questions which will be answered in an upcoming podcast.

Come back tomorrow for Tech Tip Tuesday and learn a super easy tool I use for prospecting when I’m out driving around.

The post There Is No Substitute for Activity: Prospecting appeared first on Robb Ryerse.

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The post test appeared first on Robb Ryerse.

I Quit the Republican Party

Today, I quit the Republican party.

This decision had been brewing for a while, but after taking a week to absorb the reality that Donald Trump is going to be the GOP nominee for President this year, I decided it was time.

The roots of this decision go back to Election Day 2012. Vanessa and I got up that morning as undecided voters. This was very unusual for us. We are not usually undecided when it comes to politics, but we just couldn’t bring ourselves to commit to either President Obama or Mitt Romney. Since we live in a solidly red state where our vote doesn’t really matter, we decided together to vote for the one candidate whom we actually agreed with on most issues. It was the first time I didn’t vote for the Republican nominee for President. I voted my conscious instead, which meant I voted for Gary Johnson. And there hasn’t been a day since that I’ve regretted it.

 

I am a believer in limited government. I’ve grown to detest American interventionism around the world. I generally think people should be left alone to do their own thing with their lives and their money. But I also think there is a role for government to play in solving real problems that exist in our country.

 

This tended to be the Republican party I remember. But it’s not the Republican party of today.

I was a kid in the 80s. I don’t remember Jimmy Carter, but I do remember Ronald Reagan – fondly. He was a flawed President; I understand that now. But I loved him as a kid, and I love him now. He brought an optimism that I think helped to transform the country for the better.

Republican politics today is not optimistic. It divides people. It wrings its hands. It does the same fear-mongering and doom-and-gloom that used to be found primarily on the other side of the aisle. Racism, sexism, bigotry, and homophobia are not optimistic. Neither is the coarseness and incivility that has characterized so many campaigns lately.

I want optimism. I choose optimism.

 

When I was a teenager, I had two magazine subscriptions – Sports Illustrated and National Review. I devoured books like the Conscience of a Conservative and To Renew America. I attended Teenage Republican School at Sienna College in Albany NY where I interacted with other young Republicans and dreamed of the future. I owned a copy of the Contract with America and had an autographed picture of Newt Gingrich on my wall – long before any of you had ever heard of him.

The Republican party used to offer creative solutions to real problems. Jack Kemp came up with Free Enterprise Zones to help revitalize American cities. School vouchers were designed to make better education available to low income families. In the 90s, Republicans were coming up with ideas to address even typically liberal issues like caring for the environment and health care.

But now? Now Republicans are obsessed with what bathrooms people use. They think the future of the country depends on who marries whom. Their most creative ideas to the problems the country faces are slogans not solutions. “Drill, baby, drill” is not a creative solution. Neither is building a wall.

I want creative solutions to real problems. I choose creative solutions to real problems.

 

In the early 2000s, I voted for George W. Bush. Twice. At first, I was drawn to his campaign promise to privatize social security – a creative solution to a real problem. I also liked the idea of “compassionate conservatism,” a recognition (in theory, anyway) that our policies – especially economic policies – need to work for all people.

And I also believed President Bush about Iraq – not the WMD part, everyone was saying the very same thing he did about WMDs. I was drawn to the part about creating a foothold for democracy in the Middle East that could serve as a model for other countries. The problem was that we weren’t building a democracy in Iraq; we were building an empire. When empires get built, innocent people get trampled while defense contractors get rich.

I don’t want an America that ignorantly throws her weight around the world, enriching the already powerful and further harming the already-oppressed. If that’s what we’re going to do, I’d prefer we just mind our own business.

I want peace. I chose peace.

 

Truth be told, I don’t like Donald Trump. I don’t like the establishment either. I don’t like the religious zealots using the Republican party to further their theonomist cultural agenda. I don’t like old white guys who have been in power forever. I don’t like boring bureaucrats who care more about getting reelected than solving problems.

And that is what the Republican party has become.

The Republican party is no longer the party that captured my imagination as teenager. It’s no longer the party of Ronald Reagan or William F. Buckley or even Jack Kemp.

And it’s no longer the party for me.

 

 

.

The post I Quit the Republican Party appeared first on Robb Ryerse.

21 Tips for Being the Busiest Person You Know

Over the past couple of months, I’ve been asked several times how I do everything I do. My answer has been, I don’t know, I just get stuff done. The truth is, the more I’ve thought about it, I really love productivity hacks.

I’ve blogged about it at times. I think I talked to one of our ExCos once about the productivity hacks I use. Let me share a couple with you. First, I am a huge fan of Evernote. It’s this program that lets me keep everything in one place. It’s like my digital brain, synced to all of my devices. Second, I love Siri and Reminders. Siri sends me reminders all the time that keep me on track. Third, I love the idea of Inbox Zero. I work hard to keep my inbox empty as much as possible. I don’t like the digital clutter to build up. Fourth, I am careful about how I manage my To Do List. When I am prioritizing all the stuff on my list, I ask myself “When I get in bed tonight, what are the things that will let me sleep well if I’ve gotten them done?” Those are things I put at the top of my list every day.

I’m a sucker for articles or books about how to be more effective, more productive.

21 Tips for Being the Most Productive Person You Know
30 Quick Tips for Being More Productive
How to Be a Healthier, Happier, More Productive Person

I’ve even noticed a trend – there is a lot of stuff out there about how to make sleep more productive. Think about that irony of that for a minute. We’re so obsessed with productivity that we even want to make our time when we’re not producing anything to be more productive.

—

I’ve been using the word “productive” to describe this. It’s got a positive connotation, right? Productivity is about effectively managing our limited time and tools to get the most done. 

But what if I switched words. Instead of talking about being more productive, what if I used the word “busy.”

21 Tips for Being the Busiest Person You Know
30 Quick Tips for Being Busy
How to Be a Healthier, Happier, Busier Person

That doesn’t sound as appealing, does it?

Busyness seems to be the plague of our culture, doesn’t it?

We are busy with work, busy with the kids, busy with our hobbies, busy with our passions. 

Think about this. You’re making small talk with someone. They ask you, “How are you doing?” or “How was your week?” You reply, “Busy.” Or, “Man, I am so busy right now.” Or, “Crazy busy.” “I’ve got so much going on.” Busy has become the way we describe our lives. It’s almost like it is our default mode, our go-to answer. 

But is this a good thing?

Studies have been done on our busyness, and you know what they say? Busyness is not good for us. Busyness and the stress it produces is the cause of real problems, real sicknesses. Anxiety. Depression. Tension. Insomnia. Chest pains. Headaches. Exhaustion. Heart disease.

And it becomes a vicious cycle. We want to slow down and feel less stress, but we need to get enough stuff done so that we can give ourselves permission to slow down, but getting more stuff done stresses us out even more, which makes it even more difficult to slow down. We are on a roller coaster of busyness that we just can’t seem to get off.

Unfortunately, the church hasn’t made this easier for us. Instead of being a place of rest and recharging, the church often piles on. In many churches, there is this subtle (and not so subtle) pressure to be busy. Attend church on Sunday morning. Attend church on Sunday evening. Go to a committee meeting on Tuesday night. Be at your small group on Wednesday night. Take your kids to an event on Friday. Participate in the outreach event on Saturday. 

It used to be “cleanliness is next to godliness.” Now, it’s “busyness is next to godliness.” Our busyness is a badge of our spirituality.

—

But this is not the way of Jesus.

In John 10, Jesus described his mission, his purpose, why he as God came to earth in human form. In John 10.10 he said, “I have come that they might have life, and have it to the full.”

Life is the point of our Christian faith. To be fully alive is what life is all about. It’s not about accomplishing or doing or producing. It’s not about striving for anything, not even holiness or changing the world. I have come that you might have life. To practice the way of Jesus, to follow Jesus, is to just live.

And then he qualifies it. “And have it to the full.” Fully alive. The Greek word for fullness is a word that describes both quality and quantity. Jesus came to give us a good, quality life that lasts not just in this life but continues on for ages to come. This is what we mean when we say “eternal life.” It’s a life for the ages. An ageless life. There is a quality and a quantity to it. 

Notice that Jesus did not say “I have come that you might have life, and that you might have it busier.” A busy life is the bizarro version of the full life.

I’m not much of a comic book guy, some of you are, but I’m not. But I do remember from my childhood that there was a bizzaro Superman world, where everything was the opposite of how it was supposed to be. It was weirdly inverted.

That’s what busyness is. It is a life that is a weirdly inverted version of the life Jesus intends for us to live.

A full life is about being present in the moment, but a busy life is always worrying about what needs to be done next. A full life is about growth, while a busy life is about being in motion. When we live a full life, we can concentrate, but a busy life has us always multitasking. A full life gives us space for self-care, but the busy life is all about people-pleasing. In a full life, we have friend; in the busy life we have acquaintances. 

When our lives are busy, we end up completely missing out on finding God in the ordinary, everyday beauty. We miss out on the moments of wonder and awe that give us depth. We miss out on the divinity that can be found in things as simple as bread and water. When we are busy, we can’t breathe. When we are busy, we can’t live.

—

I want to give you a couple of tips, lifehacks, practical ways to live life to the full instead of having a busy life:

Flip the Script. I shared on Facebook this morning a fantastic article from the Huffington Post called “Busyness Is a Sickness.” In it, the author describes how he was always saying how busy he was. Then one day, a friend asked him to describe his busy day. He talked about taking his son to a basketball game, having to shop for a present for his daughter’s birthday, and going out on a date with his wife. His friend replied, “It sounds like you have a full day.”

You see, it might not be that you have to change anything about your life other than how you describe it. Words create worlds. What we say about things become self-fulling prophecies. Maybe if we described our lives as full instead of busy, we would see the beauty and opportunity and divinity in our lives more readily. 

Vanessa told me about how a colleague of productivity guru Micheal Hyatt who instead of saying “I have to do this or that,” has started saying “I get to do this or that.” See the difference. Flip the script and see what difference it makes.

Here’s another idea. Sabbath hard. From the very beginning, starting with even God, the biblical story has included the idea of Sabbath and emphasized how important it is for us. Take a real break. Stop what you are doing and just be. Rest. Relax. Don’t work, just enjoy.

Sabbathing is an act of faith. It’s a way of saying, the world does not depend on me. The world keeps going even if I don’t. The world will not fall apart or blow to pieces if I don’t do something. God is the one who holds all this together, not me. 

And it has this way of rejuvenating us. You farmers and gardeners know that you have to let the soil rest at times. The garden of your soul is the same way.

Many years ago, Vanessa and I made a commitment to each other that we would Sabbath hard on Sunday afternoons and evenings. We would do what we hardly ever do any other time – we’d take naps, read books, watch TV in the middle of the day, sit on the back porch. We’d just be. And on Sunday evenings, we just hang out as a family, make a pizza, watch a show together. That’s sacred time in our family. And when we occasionally miss it for some reason, we feel it. 

How about you? Is there a time that you can Sabbath? You’ll have to guard it because the work is ever-encroaching. You’ll have to say no to some things. You’ll have to disappoint some people. You’ll have to learn new habits. You’ll have to experiment and fail and keep trying to get it right. But it’s so worth it. You weren’t made to be busy all the time. You were made to rest. There’s a fullness in it.

Be intentional about church and technology. Both of these things were supposed to make our lives so much better, so much easier. But do they really? With every blessing has come a curse. We get caught up in the onslaught of the church programs. We’ve become slaves to the manufactured busyness of technological connection. Skip a Sunday evening service. Use the Do Not Disturb function on your phone. Just say no to that extra event. Log off Facebook. Take a break. It’s ok. It might help you to just live.

—

Let me end with two stories.

There was once a rich man and a poor man who had a conversation about their lives. The rich man asked the poor man what he did all day. The poor man replied that he usually would fish a little, read a book, take a nap, and talk to his wife and kids. That was a typical day. The poor man in turn asked the rich man how he spent his days. He replied that he would get to the office early in the morning, spend time in meetings, negotiating deals, hustling so he could get ahead and make more money. The poor man asked the rich man what he would do with the money he made. The rich man said he was saving up for a vacation where he’d be able to spend a week going fishing, reading a book, taking naps, and talking with his wife and kids. 

A busy life is not necessarily a full life. 

Our mentor Dr. Rembert Carter was a man who got a lot of things done. He slept only 4 hours a night. He taught several college classes, pastored a church, mentored people. He was very productive. He told us once about a conversation that stuck with him. He was doing a pastoral visit with a woman in her nineties. He asked her how she spent her days. She replied that sometimes she’d read her Bible, sometimes she’d pray, and sometimes she’d just sit and let God bless her.

Just sit and let God bless you. That, my friends, is life and life to the full.

—

The post 21 Tips for Being the Busiest Person You Know appeared first on Robb Ryerse.

The Busy Life Is Not the Full Life

Over the past couple of months, I’ve been asked several times how I do everything I do. My answer has been, I don’t know, I just get stuff done. The truth is, the more I’ve thought about it, I really love productivity hacks.

I’ve blogged about it at times. I think I talked to one of our ExCos once about the productivity hacks I use. Let me share a couple with you. First, I am a huge fan of Evernote. It’s this program that lets me keep everything in one place. It’s like my digital brain, synced to all of my devices. Second, I love Siri and Reminders. Siri sends me reminders all the time that keep me on track. Third, I love the idea of Inbox Zero. I work hard to keep my inbox empty as much as possible. I don’t like the digital clutter to build up. Fourth, I am careful about how I manage my To Do List. When I am prioritizing all the stuff on my list, I ask myself “When I get in bed tonight, what are the things that will let me sleep well if I’ve gotten them done?” Those are things I put at the top of my list every day.

I’m a sucker for articles or books about how to be more effective, more productive.

21 Tips for Being the Most Productive Person You Know
30 Quick Tips for Being More Productive
How to Be a Healthier, Happier, More Productive Person

I’ve even noticed a trend – there is a lot of stuff out there about how to make sleep more productive. Think about that irony of that for a minute. We’re so obsessed with productivity that we even want to make our time when we’re not producing anything to be more productive.

—

I’ve been using the word “productive” to describe this. It’s got a positive connotation, right? Productivity is about effectively managing our limited time and tools to get the most done. 

But what if I switched words. Instead of talking about being more productive, what if I used the word “busy.”

21 Tips for Being the Busiest Person You Know
30 Quick Tips for Being Busy
How to Be a Healthier, Happier, Busier Person

That doesn’t sound as appealing, does it?

Busyness seems to be the plague of our culture, doesn’t it?

We are busy with work, busy with the kids, busy with our hobbies, busy with our passions. 

Think about this. You’re making small talk with someone. They ask you, “How are you doing?” or “How was your week?” You reply, “Busy.” Or, “Man, I am so busy right now.” Or, “Crazy busy.” “I’ve got so much going on.” Busy has become the way we describe our lives. It’s almost like it is our default mode, our go-to answer. 

But is this a good thing?

Studies have been done on our busyness, and you know what they say? Busyness is not good for us. Busyness and the stress it produces is the cause of real problems, real sicknesses. Anxiety. Depression. Tension. Insomnia. Chest pains. Headaches. Exhaustion. Heart disease.

And it becomes a vicious cycle. We want to slow down and feel less stress, but we need to get enough stuff done so that we can give ourselves permission to slow down, but getting more stuff done stresses us out even more, which makes it even more difficult to slow down. We are on a roller coaster of busyness that we just can’t seem to get off.

Unfortunately, the church hasn’t made this easier for us. Instead of being a place of rest and recharging, the church often piles on. In many churches, there is this subtle (and not so subtle) pressure to be busy. Attend church on Sunday morning. Attend church on Sunday evening. Go to a committee meeting on Tuesday night. Be at your small group on Wednesday night. Take your kids to an event on Friday. Participate in the outreach event on Saturday. 

It used to be “cleanliness is next to godliness.” Now, it’s “busyness is next to godliness.” Our busyness is a badge of our spirituality.

—

But this is not the way of Jesus.

In John 10, Jesus described his mission, his purpose, why he as God came to earth in human form. In John 10.10 he said, “I have come that they might have life, and have it to the full.”

Life is the point of our Christian faith. To be fully alive is what life is all about. It’s not about accomplishing or doing or producing. It’s not about striving for anything, not even holiness or changing the world. I have come that you might have life. To practice the way of Jesus, to follow Jesus, is to just live.

And then he qualifies it. “And have it to the full.” Fully alive. The Greek word for fullness is a word that describes both quality and quantity. Jesus came to give us a good, quality life that lasts not just in this life but continues on for ages to come. This is what we mean when we say “eternal life.” It’s a life for the ages. An ageless life. There is a quality and a quantity to it. 

Notice that Jesus did not say “I have come that you might have life, and that you might have it busier.” A busy life is the bizarro version of the full life.

I’m not much of a comic book guy, some of you are, but I’m not. But I do remember from my childhood that there was a bizzaro Superman world, where everything was the opposite of how it was supposed to be. It was weirdly inverted.

That’s what busyness is. It is a life that is a weirdly inverted version of the life Jesus intends for us to live.

A full life is about being present in the moment, but a busy life is always worrying about what needs to be done next. A full life is about growth, while a busy life is about being in motion. When we live a full life, we can concentrate, but a busy life has us always multitasking. A full life gives us space for self-care, but the busy life is all about people-pleasing. In a full life, we have friend; in the busy life we have acquaintances. 

When our lives are busy, we end up completely missing out on finding God in the ordinary, everyday beauty. We miss out on the moments of wonder and awe that give us depth. We miss out on the divinity that can be found in things as simple as bread and water. When we are busy, we can’t breathe. When we are busy, we can’t live.

—

I want to give you a couple of tips, lifehacks, practical ways to live life to the full instead of having a busy life:

Flip the Script. I shared on Facebook this morning a fantastic article from the Huffington Post called “Busyness Is a Sickness.” In it, the author describes how he was always saying how busy he was. Then one day, a friend asked him to describe his busy day. He talked about taking his son to a basketball game, having to shop for a present for his daughter’s birthday, and going out on a date with his wife. His friend replied, “It sounds like you have a full day.”

You see, it might not be that you have to change anything about your life other than how you describe it. Words create worlds. What we say about things become self-fulling prophecies. Maybe if we described our lives as full instead of busy, we would see the beauty and opportunity and divinity in our lives more readily. 

Vanessa told me about how a colleague of productivity guru Micheal Hyatt who instead of saying “I have to do this or that,” has started saying “I get to do this or that.” See the difference. Flip the script and see what difference it makes.

Here’s another idea. Sabbath hard. From the very beginning, starting with even God, the biblical story has included the idea of Sabbath and emphasized how important it is for us. Take a real break. Stop what you are doing and just be. Rest. Relax. Don’t work, just enjoy.

Sabbathing is an act of faith. It’s a way of saying, the world does not depend on me. The world keeps going even if I don’t. The world will not fall apart or blow to pieces if I don’t do something. God is the one who holds all this together, not me. 

And it has this way of rejuvenating us. You farmers and gardeners know that you have to let the soil rest at times. The garden of your soul is the same way.

Many years ago, Vanessa and I made a commitment to each other that we would Sabbath hard on Sunday afternoons and evenings. We would do what we hardly ever do any other time – we’d take naps, read books, watch TV in the middle of the day, sit on the back porch. We’d just be. And on Sunday evenings, we just hang out as a family, make a pizza, watch a show together. That’s sacred time in our family. And when we occasionally miss it for some reason, we feel it. 

How about you? Is there a time that you can Sabbath? You’ll have to guard it because the work is ever-encroaching. You’ll have to say no to some things. You’ll have to disappoint some people. You’ll have to learn new habits. You’ll have to experiment and fail and keep trying to get it right. But it’s so worth it. You weren’t made to be busy all the time. You were made to rest. There’s a fullness in it.

Be intentional about church and technology. Both of these things were supposed to make our lives so much better, so much easier. But do they really? With every blessing has come a curse. We get caught up in the onslaught of the church programs. We’ve become slaves to the manufactured busyness of technological connection. Skip a Sunday evening service. Use the Do Not Disturb function on your phone. Just say no to that extra event. Log off Facebook. Take a break. It’s ok. It might help you to just live.

—

Let me end with two stories.

There was once a rich man and a poor man who had a conversation about their lives. The rich man asked the poor man what he did all day. The poor man replied that he usually would fish a little, read a book, take a nap, and talk to his wife and kids. That was a typical day. The poor man in turn asked the rich man how he spent his days. He replied that he would get to the office early in the morning, spend time in meetings, negotiating deals, hustling so he could get ahead and make more money. The poor man asked the rich man what he would do with the money he made. The rich man said he was saving up for a vacation where he’d be able to spend a week going fishing, reading a book, taking naps, and talking with his wife and kids. 

A busy life is not necessarily a full life. 

Our mentor Dr. Rembert Carter was a man who got a lot of things done. He slept only 4 hours a night. He taught several college classes, pastored a church, mentored people. He was very productive. He told us once about a conversation that stuck with him. He was doing a pastoral visit with a woman in her nineties. He asked her how she spent her days. She replied that sometimes she’d read her Bible, sometimes she’d pray, and sometimes she’d just sit and let God bless her.

Just sit and let God bless you. That, my friends, is life and life to the full.

—

The post The Busy Life Is Not the Full Life appeared first on Robb Ryerse.

A Challenge: Say Something Nice

This my column that appeared in Saturday’s Arkansas-Democrat Gazette:

—

I’ve conducted a little experiment over the past couple of weeks. On Facebook, I posted status updates that were unqualified compliments of all the major candidates for President.

I said Donald Trump is creative and innovative. Marco Rubio is a gifted speaker. Jeb Bush and John Kasich seem like genuinely good human beings. Bernie Sanders is principled. Ted Cruz is brilliant. I appreciate Hillary Clinton’s commitment to her family and Ben Carson’s gentleness in the midst of a raucous campaign.

I did not endorse any of the candidates or indicate for whom I would vote. I simply said something nice about each and everyone of them.

The responses were both interesting and telling. Some people only liked the comments I made that were about the candidates they were supporting. Some people used policy positions to discount my assessments. Some people just made rude or personally disparaging comments about the candidates they don’t like.

All this has me wondering, why can’t we just say something nice?

Over the past several elections, I’ve become pretty concerned about the way Christians engage in politics. I’m not so much concerned about for whom Christians vote or what issues are important to them. I have many friends whose faith have led them to strong convictions on just about every side of every issue.

I’m far more concerned that the demonization and vitriol that seems to dominate American politics is just as common in people of faith as it is anyone else. I’m concerned that Christians have given themselves permission to say rude and even dishonest things to score political points. I’m concerned that followers of Jesus are decidedly not counter-cultural in how they involve themselves in the political process.

Christian pastor and best-selling author Max Lucado wrote an article recently that went viral. In it, he took Donald Trump to task for his tone and decorum. I completely agree with Lucado’s call for decency in our presidential candidates. But I don’t think he went far enough.

Why should we expect decency from the candidates when we don’t expect it from ourselves?

I’m not suggesting that Christians shouldn’t be engaged in politics. I’m not suggesting that we shouldn’t have strong opinions. I’m not suggesting that people of faith should be quiet or doormats or stooges in the process.

Rather, I am suggesting that how we participate in the process is just as important as that we participate in the process.

And I’m pointing the finger at myself.

Before I conducted my say-something-nice experiment, I was sensing in myself the very tendencies that bother me so. In conversations with friends I was using words like idiot, moron, and criminal to describe some candidates. I was judging the motives of people I’ve never met. I was condemning people simply because I don’t necessarily like them or agree with them.

None of these things are consistent with a faith that calls me to love my neighbors and my enemies. Love is not some ethereal idea. It is supremely practical. Love has to do with what I believe about others, how I think, and what I say.

If I am going to practice the way of Jesus and love my enemies, then I’ve got to speak lovingly about them. As the apostle James wrote, “Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?”

This wasn’t the first time I’ve had to remind myself to be loving by saying something nice.

During the 2012 election, I talked to my church congregation about these same issues. One Sunday, we had yard signs for President Obama and Mitt Romney set up around the room in which we meet. I encouraged all of us to take a sharpie and simply write complementary things on the signs about each of the candidates. It was an experiment in love. And it helped to change the tone of how one small group of Christians engaged in that election.

Our primary in Arkansas is over, but it’s not too late for us to lead the way in a revolution of love and decency. It’s not too late for us to put our faith into practice and simply say something nice.

Try it. See what happens, not just on your Facebook timeline, but also in your own heart.

The post A Challenge: Say Something Nice appeared first on Robb Ryerse.

3 Biblical Reasons Why Christians in Fayetteville Should Vote For the Uniform Civil Rights Ordinance – Even If They Believe Homosexuality Is a Sin

For the second time in as many years, Fayetteville is being torn apart by a civil rights ordinance that codifies protections for LGBTQ people. If passed, the ordinance will allow for LGBTQ people to be guaranteed the same rights and services that any Fayetteville resident enjoys without fear of discrimination. A landlord will not be able to refuse to rent to a man simply because he’s gay. A trans woman won’t be able to be fired from her job simply because of her gender identity. A lesbian couple will be able to buy a wedding cake from any bakery that serves the public.

Not surprisingly, many Christians in Fayetteville have risen up in opposition to the Uniform Civil Rights Ordinance. They have expressed fear that predatory people will use this law to molest women and children in public bathrooms. They have expressed dismay that they may be forced to violate their conscience by aiding someone in an event they believe to be immoral and unbiblical. They have expressed outrage that their religious liberties are being infringed upon by the bullies and enemies in city hall.

Nonetheless, I believe that all Christians in Fayetteville should vote for the Uniform Civil Rights Ordinance, even if they believe homosexuality is wrong.

It is my opinion that a Christian can interpret Scripture to believe that same-sex orientation and/or activity is inherently sinful AND STILL support the passage of these protections for the LGBTQ members of our community.

There are three biblical reason why.

 

1. The gospel teaches us that our rights are to be willingly surrendered.

So many of the arguments I hear from Christians opposed to this ordinance are rooted in their rights as Americans. “I have the right to exercise my religion.” “A Christian business owner has the right to follow the dictates of his conscience.” “Why should the rights of LGBTQ people circumvent my rights?”

Yes, all Americans have Constitutional rights. And I’ve found that many Christians seem most concerned with protecting their own rights. But biblical Christianity teaches that there is something much more precious than our rights – serving other people.

Jesus is the example. In Philippians 2.5-8, Paul lays out the heart of the Christian gospel:

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!

Jesus had every right to be seen, revered, and worshipped as God. He had every right to assert how he should be treated as God. And yet, he willingly set those rights aside so that he could have the opportunity to serve people – people who disagreed with him, misunderstood him, took advantage of him, rejected him, even killed him.

For Jesus, there was something more precious and important at stake than his own rights. It was love expressed in the service of others. And so, he was willing to put the rights – even the misguided rights – of other people ahead of his own.

This has me wondering – if Jesus was willing to give up his rights as God, why aren’t we willing to give up our rights as Americans?

A Christian who believes that homosexuality is wrong could vote in favor of Fayetteville’s Uniform Civil Rights Ordinance as an act of faith, following Jesus in what theologians call his kenosis, and seeking to obey the Bible in having the same mindset and attitude of Jesus – putting the service of others ahead of his or her own rights.

 

2. Jesus told us exactly what to do when the government forces us to do something we don’t want to do.

One of the main arguments against Fayetteville’s Uniform Civil Rights Ordinance is that it may force a person of faith to violate his or her conscience by providing goods or services in an scenario to which they are morally opposed. It’s the now-classic Cake for Gay Wedding argument: if I believe same sex marriage is wrong, why should I be forced to participate in a gay wedding by making a cake for one?

The policy question here is whether or not a government can force a business owner not to discriminate. My libertarian streak makes me bristle at the thought of government interfering with the operations of a local business. However, when I think of the lunch counter protests of the 1960s, I’m convinced that sometimes government intervention is a necessary evil.

But … I’m more concerned with what the Bible has to say about this conundrum than even examples from American history.

Thankfully, Jesus, in Matthew 5.38-42, very clearly told his followers what they ought to do when the government forces them to do something they don’t want to do:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.”

One of the scenarios Jesus describes here is of a Roman soldier forcing a first century Jewish person to carry his gear for one mile. As an occupying force in Palestine, Roman soldiers could legally compel a Jewish person to violate his own conscience and even certain Jewish laws by undergoing the humiliation of becoming the Roman soldier’s pack mule.

How does Jesus tell his followers to react in this kind of situation? Fight back? No. Refuse? No. Assert his unalienable rights of conscience and religion? No. Jesus told his followers to willingly and lovingly go – not one – but two miles with the Roman soldier.

Do what you don’t want to do. Be humiliated. Support your enemy. Say yes, not no. Be gracious.

Applied to our own day, this biblical principle may be inviting the Christian baker not just to bake a cake for a lesbian couple, but to bake the best cake he’s ever made – and give it to them for free with a smile on his face!

Christians in Fayetteville who don’t believe in homosexuality should not resist the opportunity to obey Jesus in this way by voting against the Uniform Civil Rights Ordinance. They should vote for it and give themselves ample occasions to apply the truth Jesus taught.

 

3. Jesus told us not to go around being the morality police.

Christians today seem completely obsessed with what everyone else is doing in their lives. So many seem so concerned about the choices and lifestyles of other people. For many, winning the so-called culture war has become the greatest battle of life.

But over and over again, Jesus by his example and his teaching told his followers specifically NOT to be obsessed with what everyone else was doing. He did not want his followers to be like the Pharisees who fashioned themselves as the enforcers of right and wrong for everyone else, whether they wanted it or not.

In fact, the one biblical instance we have of Jesus bringing something to a wedding (John 2.1-11), he doesn’t make any kind of commentary on the morality of the participants or attendees. No doubt after exhausting all the wine, some people at that wedding were drunk, in violation of biblical mandates and morality.

But does Jesus refuse to serve them? Does he limit the recipients of his gracious miracle only to those who have made the right choices? Did Jesus worry that the morality police of his day would accuse him of aiding and abetting the sin of other people? No. He just turns water into really good wine so that the party can keep going on.

What would happen in Fayetteville if more Christians stopped obsessing about the sins of others and started looking for ways to help, serve, and love them instead? What would happen if just for a day – say September 8 – Christians in Fayetteville cared more about the happiness of other people than their own fear that someone might be doing something wrong?

 

I know that many Christians on September 8 will vote against the Uniform Civil Right Ordinance, thinking that they are doing the “biblical” thing. But maybe, just maybe, the biblical thing is to vote for it.

 

The post 3 Biblical Reasons Why Christians in Fayetteville Should Vote For the Uniform Civil Rights Ordinance – Even If They Believe Homosexuality Is a Sin appeared first on Robb Ryerse.

Love Your Enemies … Unless

Love your enemies, unless they are your political enemies.

Love your enemies, unless they are a famous person who said something offensive.

Love your enemies, unless they really hurt you.

Love your enemies, unless they are racist, bigoted, or homophobic.

Love your enemies, unless you’re posting online.

Love your enemies, unless you’d rather call them names.

Love your enemies, unless you’re just fed up.

Love your enemies, unless they are a blowhard on the TV or radio.

Love your enemies, unless you’ve got something really clever to say.

Love your enemies, unless they are fundamentalists.

Love your enemies, unless they are Evangelicals.

Love your enemies, unless they don’t love you back.

–

We have so many excuses not to do what Jesus told his followers to do. It’s quite simple but also tremendously difficult. Love your enemies.

Without excuse or qualification. Without equivocation or minimizing. Without sarcasm or self-importance.

Just love the people who oppress you, oppose you, hurt you, and annoy you. Love the people who are your enemies by chance or birthright or ideology. Love the people who have made themselves your enemies through their choices. Love the people that you have marginalized or dismissed through your own choice. It doesn’t matter why they are your enemy. Just love them.

Love them by trying to understand their story. Love them by refusing to project bad motives upon them. Love them by practicing suspended judgement. Love them by refusing to dehumanize them through demonization. Love them by refusing to call them names. Love them by being kind even while you are disagreeing. Love them by praying for them. Sincerely praying for them.

But don’t expect it to be easy.

They might misunderstand. If they notice at all. They might read your love as self-righteousness and use it as an excuse to heap more insults upon you. They might take advantage of your love. They might not love you back. But keep on loving them.

But don’t confuse love with good boundaries. Love is not weakness. Love is not being wishy-washy. Love is emotionally and spiritually healthy. So be clear and be strong.

And also be kind. Because your enemy is probably acting out of his or her weakness or hurt. There is a reason they can be so judgmental or abusive or difficult. You’ve been in that boat before, haven’t you? You’ve lashed out in anger. You’ve probably gone too far at times. You’ve been surprised by your own vitriol, only to realize later that it was coming from a place of deep pain.

Imagine what it would have been like if someone understood that pain you felt. Imagine how that might have made a difference.

That’s love.

Without agenda. Without strings. Without condition.

There is no “unless.” Love you enemies.

 

The post Love Your Enemies … Unless appeared first on Robb Ryerse.

Women Are the Leaders the Church Needs: Reflections on #TakeDownThatPost

Here is my column from today’s paper in which I discuss the Leadership Journal / #TakeDownThatPost controversy from last week. Spoiler alert: I think the great lesson learned is not the power of social media, but rather the power of female leadership.

–

Last week, a prominent Christian journal for pastors published an online article about a former youth pastor who is now in prison for statutory rape. The first-person tale told the story of how its author developed a growing youth ministry while also getting involved sexually with one of the female students in the church.

The editors meant for it to be cautionary tale of what can happen to a pastor when he or she loses perspective on what’s important. But many people didn’t read the article that way.

Strangely, its tone read with hubris, like the author was more humiliated than humbled by his experiences. And worse, he referred to what happened with a teenage girl in his care as a “relationship” and as “adultery.” Almost as if he was minimizing his crimes, he did not use more legally precise language like “statutory rape” and “child abuse.”

Within hours of the story being published, the twitterverse was buzzing. People were questioning the editorial process: How could an article with this kind of tone get vetted? Why wasn’t his sin named for what it was? Where was the voice given to his victims, including both the young girl he abused and his wife?

The objections to the article coalesced around a unified hashtag – #TakeDownThatPost. After two full days of Twitter uproar, the editors did just that. They removed the post from their website and issued a full and admirable apology.

Some people might look at this occurrence and credit the power of social media. Twitter provided a unique means for people from all over the country and world to rally around one clear idea – that this article needed to be taken down because it did not fit with the values that ought to define a Christian publication. Without boycotts or histrionics, the message was sent and – thankfully – received.

But personally, I don’t credit the power of Twitter for the success of #TakeDownThatPost. I credit the power of women.

Every member of the editorial board that approved and published the article is a man. Unfortunately, this particular group of men read this article and failed to see its triggering language or gauge its offensive tone. To appreciate the full story, and therefore to serve the church effectively, they needed the insight, wisdom, and guidance of women.

I grew up in a church environment where women were not allowed to serve in leadership positions. Only men could serve as pastors, deacons, or elders. Only men could teach adult Sunday school classes. Only men could be the “spiritual leaders” of their homes.

The great irony of this, of course, was that women provided unquestionable and necessary leadership in every church of which I have ever been a part. Whether or not they were recognized for it or received formal titles, women led. Through their faithful attendance, unwavering service, and consistent generosity, women led.

It’s tragic to me that the real leadership of women in so many churches is undermined by religious patriarchy. There are millions of women who deserve to be appreciated and thanked for the unsung leadership they have provided, many of them for decades.

These church experiences and the success of #TakeDownThatPost demonstrate that women have been, are, and will continue to provide the leadership that church needs.

In my estimation, it’s past time for male leaders to recognize that the church is severely weakened by old, patriarchal management. The equal voices of strong, passionate, wise, godly women are needed in every church.

Frankly, without their voices, I probably would have missed how offensive that article really was. Without their voices, I wouldn’t have realized how easy it is to objectify and minimize others. Without their voices, I wouldn’t have a fuller picture of what God is like.

And so, in true Twitter fashion, let me summarize in 140 characters what I would like to say to the millions of women who lead and serve, some with recognition but most without: Lead on, my sisters. We need your voices. The church needs your leadership. Thank you for all you have done. I will be following your lead.

 

The post Women Are the Leaders the Church Needs: Reflections on #TakeDownThatPost appeared first on Robb Ryerse.

Duck Taping Our Mouths: free speech, Phil Robertson, Jesus, and gay sex

I watch Duck Dynasty. I know that it is painfully scripted, and my kids will have no part of it, but Vanessa and I will often turn it on for a couple of silly laughs. I find Duck Dynasty amusing.

I’m also amused by the people who take Duck Dynasty way too seriously.

You know who they are. They are the ones sporting the Duck Dynasty gear they picked up at Walmart. They are the ones who post on Facebook about how members of the Robertson clan should run for President. And they are the ones freaking out about the latest controversy over Phil’s comments in GQ.

 

I have many thoughts about all of this. Here are a few of them.

My first reaction is “Ugh. Here we go again.” I think that the Chickfila controversy a year ago was emotionally and spiritually taxing for many of us. Out of nowhere, we were thrust into a delicate and complicated conversation. We were forced to navigate the tricky path that led to people sizing each other up and taking sides. The volume and vitriol was overwhelming. And it’s happening again.

Second, I can’t help but wonder why anyone is surprised or in an uproar about any of this. Did we not already know that Phil Robertson held traditional views about sexuality and marriage? Is it a surprise to anyone that a self-professed redneck from rural Louisiana would have an unsophisticated understanding of the African-American experience?

And what is A&E supposed to do? The suits in New York City had to know something like this was coming. They had to know that it would put them in a tough spot with some of their advertisers. And they also had to handle it like they did when Dog the Bounty Hunter dropped the n-word.

Part of me just wants to say, “Carry on. Nothing to see here.”

But that isn’t actually the case. There is much to see … and read. All of those Facebook statuses. All of those Tweets. All of those blog posts. And reactions. And news segments.

 

As I’ve tried to step back and observe it all over the past couple of days and reflected more on this controversy, there is one thought that has crystallized in my mind. Here it is.

Christians don’t have free speech.

Much of the reaction to Phil Roberston’s comments has been centered on his freedom of speech: Was it violated by A&E? Is there a double standard when it comes to free speech for conservatives and progressives? Why does it seem like anyone can say anything they want except a Christian espousing a traditional view of sexuality or marriage?

These are the kinds of reactions that are dominating my Facebook newsfeed.

This seems to me to be just the latest example of Christians in America putting political values ahead of the values of God’s kingdom. Many are bowing at the idol of free speech, thinking that it is some unquestionably important privilege.

 

And yet, in a twist of irony, the very same Christians who want to appeal to the Bible as the authority for how a culture ought to define sexual mores seem to be completely ignoring what the Bible has to say about what we say and how we say it.

As an American, I have free speech. As a Christian, I do not.

The Constitution might give me the right to say anything I want, anytime I want, any way I want. But God does not.

If I am going to follow Jesus and take the Bible seriously, I have got to relinquish my cultural expectations of privilege and freedom and begin to live differently.

 

Let me give you an example.

Phil Robertson and other “Bible-believing” Christians point to passages like 1 Corinthians 6 to condemn the homosexual behavior they believe to be sinful. When confronted with someone who disagrees, they will say things like “this is just what the Bible clearly teaches.”

But doesn’t the Bible also “clearly teach” that Christians should not even speak of the deeds done in darkness by disobedient people? That’s the clear teaching of Ephesians 5.12, isn’t it? So … when Phil Robertson talks crudely about his sexual preferences and cavalierly uses terms like “vagina” and “anus,” isn’t he disobeying the clear teaching of Ephesians 5.12?

If the Bible is what we have been told it is, the owner’s manual for life, why is Phil Robertson picking and choosing which verses to obey and which to ignore? And why are the Bible thumping Christians on Facebook giving him a pass in doing so while in the same breath condemning LGBT people?

 

Free speech may be an American value, but it is not a Christian value. The Bible does not teach that people can just go around saying anything they want, anytime they want, anyway they want. These are the kinds of things that Bible says about what we say, how we say it, and when we say it.

The lips of the righteous know what is fitting to say. Proverbs 10.31
A gentle answer turns away wrath but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15.1
Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue. Proverbs 17.28
He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity. Proverbs 21.23
Jesus said, “All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond that comes from the evil one. Matthew 5.37
Jesus said, “The things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them.” Matthew 15.18
Speak the truth in love. Ephesians 4.15
Let your conversation always be full of grace, seasoned with salt. Colossians 4.6
My dear friends, take note of this, everyone should be quick to listen and slow to speak. James 1.19

That doesn’t sound like free speech, does it?

Just because you think something, doesn’t mean you have to say it. Just because you’re asked a question, doesn’t mean you have to answer it. Just because you have an opinion, doesn’t mean you have to share it. Just because you feel a certain way, doesn’t mean your feelings have to determine your choice of words.

When Christians puff out their chests and demand that they can say anything they want, anytime they want, any way they want … and without consequences … and they base it on their Constitutional right to free speech, they may very well be missing the point of the gospel.

Maybe there is something more important going on in the world than the preservation of our American values. Maybe it’s the kingdom of God.

 

Here’s the thing. And this is important for those of us who are followers of Jesus to really grasp.

Jesus taught much more about what and how we communicate than he ever did about gay sex. I wish the same could be said of Phil Robertson.

 

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