Brian Castelli – With His Heart

I’m reading a very interesting book, “How Full is Your Bucket,” by Tom Rath and Donald O. Clifton. The ideas here are not new, but the presentation is interesting. Covey speaks of the Emotional Bank Account as a very similar idea.

The bucket metaphor is a good one. We all have a bucket. When our bucket is full, we feel good. Not so when our bucket is empty. The idea is to figuratively ladle water into other people’s buckets through positive interactions with them (doing what Covey would call, “making deposits in the Emotional Bank Account”). A kind word. A specific praise. Purposely catching people doing the right thing and praising them for it. (Oh! There’s “The One-Minute Manager!” I told you these ideas are not new!)

The Bible talks about this area, as well. Proverbs tells us that the tongue has the power of life and death. I’ve taken it as a lifetime challenge to speak life into the people around me. The Bible also consistently pictures God’s grace like rain pouring down on us–and filling our buckets!

One thing that is very clear from my readings about this subject: Our objective is not to get other people to fill our buckets. In none of the books I’ve referred to does the author even hint that we ought to be in this for ourselves. No. They consistently and correctly point us to filling other people’s buckets.

One of the clear goals I have for Josiah’s Stand as a ministry is to become a bucket filler. There are hurting people all around us–and no shortage of them among our students–who need (yes need) someone to come along side and encourage them, to ladle the life-giving water of words and relationship into their buckets. A quote from the book says it well:

Whether we have a long conversation with a friend or simply place an order at a restaurant, every interaction makes a difference. The results of our encounters are rarely neutral; they are almost always positive or negative. And although we take these interactions for granted, they accumulate and profoundly affect our lives.

Speak Life!

Josiah’s Stand is a new ministry outreach to young people. King Josiah ascended to the throne at age 8. At age 16, the Bible tells us Josiah started to live for God. He cleaned up many of the detestable practices of the people and the kings who had gone before. He was responsible for the rebuilding of the temple and for the re-discovery of God’s word. Because Josiah took a stand against the culture, a huge revival took place.

We are coaching young people to take a stand against the undesirable aspects of our culture. To do this, youth must embrace the characteristics I suppose Josiah must have had:

• Mission. Josiah’s reign was predicted through prophecy hundreds of years before he was born. He was created by God with a purpose, a destiny, a mission to fulfill. That mission was to turn worship back to God.
  
• Sense of Right and Wrong. Josiah had to know how to discern what should be done from what shouldn’t. He had to have a sense of right and wrong when he decided to follow God. He had to be able to make a choice. He didn’t conduct a poll. He did what was right.
• Courage. Josiah took a stand against the culture. He took a stand against the policies of the previous kings. I don’t think this was easy to do. He had to stop the people from doing what they were doing, from what they wanted to do. He didn’t ask permission.
• Integrity. For Josiah to be successful, he simply must have been the same person at all times. That’s what living with integrity means – wholeness. Josiah couldn’t have been one person to his friends, another to his family, and yet another when seated on the throne. If he led a divided life, I don’t think he would have been successful.
• Foundation. Josiah had to have something to stand on. He had to have something to support him when he met opposition. It certainly wasn’t public opinion, and I doubt if it was the counsel of friends and family. My guess, and scripture supports, the view that Josiah’s foundation was his faith in God.
  

This is Josiah’s Stand.