Words Are Powerful July 28, 2005

During my recent experience over the past several weeks I feel like God has been able to speak to my heart and teach me a lot. One of the things that He has made very evident to me is the power of words.

All too often I think we go throughout the day and do not consider what we say to other people…or HOW we say things to other people. Both are important! Let me share with you what I consider to be some of the most powerful words on earth.

#1 – I Love You – DUH! You knew those three were going to be on the list, didn’t you? I believe that people can’t hear these words enough! One of the greatest desires of the human heart is to be loved…and people don’t know that they are loved unless it is both spoken and demonstrated.
I NEVER leave my house without telling Lucretia that I love her. I never go to sleep without telling her the same. During my near death experience a few weeks ago I realized that I can check out of planet earth at any time God says my stay is over…and if I leave this planet before my wife does then I want the last words that she ever hears me say to be, “I love you!”

But I don’t just say it to Lucretia…when Clayton King, my accountability partner & I talk we always end our conversations with, “Hey man, I love ya!” And no–this is not an attempt for us to get in touch with our female side–it is one Christian man speaking the truth to another. Why are we so afraid to say these words?

Don’t get me wrong–I don’t walk up to random strangers and say this–that is a recipe for a full blown freak out…but I believe that people need to know…and the way that this is best communicated is through the spoken word!

#2 – Thank You! My wife taught me this! I remember I asked once to do bring me a glass of water, and after she did she just sort of stood there and look at me. I have to admit that this was a little weird…I had no idea what she was doing. I had always thought she was a stable individual…but now she’s just standing there–staring at me with some sort of look of expectation on her face. What did she want? A tip?

So I asked her, “What’s wrong?” and she said two words, “Thank you!” It was then that I realized that she didn’t mind bringing me the water–but she wanted to feel appreciated…and “thank you” was the best way to accomplish that.

And not just a regular old “thank you,” but a sincere thank you.

So now I say these words a lot–I say them to the server who refills my glass of sweet tea (the drink of angels), I say it to staff members when they do things that I request of them, I said it a lot to the doctors and nurses who took care of me in the hospital. (Side note–nurses are awesome! If you are ever in the hospital OR in a doctors office–be nice to the nurse, remember, they have needles!!!)

People want to feel appreciated–period. And two words, spoken with a sincere heart can accomplish that–thank you!

#3 – “Great Idea!” Not everyone will be able to identify with these two words–but if you are a leader in any sort of capacity then these two words are powerful! Let me explain what I mean.

Leaders are typically forward thinkers–we are not just thinking about what we are going to do tomorrow–we are thinking about what is going to be happening in and around us over the next five years. We are constantly in the state of planning and brainstorming about the future.

When we get in this mode we often develop some great ideas…but we don’t really tell them to anyone for one reason or another. Then, maybe weeks or months later, we will be in a meeting and someone will come up with one of the same ideas we thought about way back when…and when this happens an insecure leader will say, “I have already been thinking about that.”

I have done that in the past–and I have seen the results…it makes people feel unappreciated, it makes them feel as if they are merely a pawn of your leadership and they should remain quiet about any other good ideas that they may have because you, obviously, are the smartest person on the planet.

The goal of a leader should never be to try to convince your team about how smart you are–but rather the goal SHOULD be to make each member of your team feel valuable, smart, and appreciated.

So I have learned that when someone comes up with an idea that I have already thought about to say, “Awesome idea–let’s explore that!” And then I have a chance to develop the idea with the team instead of having to try to prove my leadership by denouncing another individuals ability to think.

#4 – “Will You Come To Church With Me On Sunday?” Just thought I would throw this one in! :-)

Seriously, these are powerful words…and if you are in or near Anderson, SC then I hope you will be at New Spring this weekend…and that you will say those words to at least 10 people. If you will get them to church this Sunday then I promise they will hear one of the most creative and relevant presentations of the Gospel ever!

One more thought…I am all about marketing! And here at New Spring we do things to get our name out in the community–we have done billboards, newspaper ads, direct mail…you name it. However, according to surveys that people have filled out for us in the past over 90% of the people who visit our church do so as a result of a personal invitation. These words are powerful.

And finally, some of my favorite words ever…

#5 – “Hey Perry, you want’ to go to lunch–I’m BUYING!!!”