iLead, pt. 6: Communicating Value

Pastor Rod realized that there are some things that churches just aren't the experts on they're not the best So that being said we We looked at who was the best at customer service and the sad reality was It wasn't the church Who is the best well year after year one company rang the Ranked the best and that company's called Rick Ritz Carlton Ritz Carlton is a chain of luxury hotels if you've ever heard of them They're top-notch. They're amazing hotels that none of us had ever been to we never stayed in Pastor Rod sent us to go learn from the Ritz at a training school on customer service And so we wanted to understand exactly how they did We were the only church there. There was no other churches there And and I know what some of you might be thinking you're thinking we're coming to church to learn about customer service But I want you to think about it differently I want you to think about it as communicating value Think about this when you get horrible service somewhere. What do you think? You think they don't care about me. I'm just a no one But what about when you get great customer service when you get great customer service? You think they treat me special I have value to them So we say this we say every soul matters to God But if we don't treat people that way when they walk through that door Then they leave for assembly thinking those people they don't care about me If they get horrible customer service Then they don't feel valued and that's heartbreaking to think that someone would walk through our doors and feel that way So we want to get better at communicating value to every person that walks through that church through our door Because every soul really does matter to God They call it customer service, but we knew that it was more than that for us It was communicating with our words And with our actions that we feel the value for them inside our hearts It's not enough to just feel or agree with that value Because we all agree that there's value on a soul. We would know that we can all say that there is value in a soul But we need to learn how to communicate that value to other people So when we got to the Ritz Carlton We we had this design and this this grand plan to catch them off guard because we thought they were good And we were gonna put under the test we're gonna see how good they really were So we were gonna ask them questions catch them off guard make them do things that you wouldn't normally do Because we were testing them and we wanted to make sure that what they say is what they're gonna do So the moment we got there I asked where the restrooms were And you're thinking well, what's so big about that? Well, we heard that Ritz Carlton never points They never tell you where it is. They take you there So we got there we got to the lady behind the counter and I said where the restrooms She stepped from behind the counter walked all the way and showed me where the restrooms were and all along Talked to me as we got as we walked if you can imagine all three of us are asking out Rageous questions. We're pliant. We're trained. We're trying to play. Can you stump the Ritz Carlton employee? And we're just walking through asking one question after another and let me tell you something. They were good real good They answered every one of our questions They did everything that we were telling them to do they're probably thinking we were some spoiled brats or something But when we arrived we were greeted four times and it wasn't annoying It was genuine. They really seemed to be excited that we were staying with them as a matter of fact They even got Rita's name right our ETA They got it right. We felt like VIPs and although we had a ton of fun learning we left with a very heavy heart and Our time there taught us valuable lessons that have inspired and challenged us to date The first thing that caught our eye was the credo It's what all their employees must know and live by and it's in your outline It says this it says Ritz the Ritz Carlton hotel is a place where the genuine care and the comfort of our guests Is our highest mission? We pledge to provide the finest personal service and facilities for our guests who will always enjoy a warm Relaxed yet refined ambiance the Ritz Carlton employee Experience and livens the senses instills well-being and fulfills even the unexpressed wishes and needs of our guests They place such a high priority on people as a matter of fact. It's bolded in your outline It says that it's their highest mission nothing absolutely nothing Compete with that initiative whatever their employees are doing It doesn't matter when a customer when a guest walks on the scene They stop what they're doing and that guests gets the full attention their conversation doesn't matter nothing else matters But the guests right in front of them They say that nothing not one thing will ever take that place. There will be no confusion. They don't have to ask There's no confusion They're important the guest is important because genuine care and comfort of their guests is their what highest mission and That should be our highest mission That's the guiding principle tonight. It's not just a phrase that we're gonna write down But it's gonna be a way that we're gonna live our life It will become our highest mission and it will be known owned and energized by every one of us And that's the principle people are my highest priority They're my highest priority so we learned some lessons as we were there at the Ritz and Rita, why don't you start us off? Okay, the first thing we learned was that Ritz Carlton has more passion for their mission Then we do about ours Service is the focus of everything that they do They understand that when you leave the only things that you take with you are the experiences in the memories Those are the things that you hold on to you may have a few bottles of shampoo or something like that But really what you keep what you take with you are the experiences and the memories That you have at that place so they work day in and day out to make Ritz Carlton a place that feels like home a place It's comfortable a place. That's warm a place. It's inviting a place where you can have a one-of-a-kind experience They are so passionate about this service is their mission. They're personal about it. They treat every guest Like you're their very best friend. They're passionate about that everything they do they see you and They do it all very well. I want you to look back at the credo for a moment. I Want you to underline a couple of words? Genuine care underline those two words They don't just do what's required and then walk away They find that extra little thing Pesteroid often calls this the cherry on top of the Sunday They find that extra little thing that makes it special for you They care about you. It feels like You're not just a customer, but they care about you Jill and Danny and Ray and Patrick It's not just about customer service. It's about you Underline the next word. I want you to underline is pledge They pledge to provide the finest service They don't just think I maybe we will it's a pledge. It's a vow. It's a covenant. They're committed. There are no excuses They must do it Underline the word always They always serve. What does that mean? always Not just when it's convenient not just when it's easy, but always Now underline unexpressed wishes and needs What does that mean to you? Unexpressed wishes and needs They don't wait for you to ask They try to anticipate your needs. They're constantly watching and listening for anything that might might make your experience better Service is their focus and every detail matters. Nothing is overlooked Every moment is an opportunity to impact to you. Ritz Carlton employees are always thinking what can I do? How can I take advantage of this moment and how can I impact this guest? During our stay this happened over and over and over again It wasn't one person it wasn't just the the hostess at the front who escorted you from the valet of the housekeeper every single employee Was just as excited and attentive and you start thinking why are they so excited? This is a hotel Okay, they're not getting to ride the rides at Disneyland. This is a hotel. How can they be so excited? and I think it's because each and every one of their employees really Really believe that they can make a difference and that's and that's and that's the point too The point is that their belief the belief in what they're going to do They believe that they're going to make a difference and because they believe they're going to make a difference It motivates them to move to action and that moves to behavior So so even tonight we could talk to her blue in the face and we can share with you principles that we learn but if you don't believe it then it won't move into action and it stays on paper or it stays in your mind or goes one Ear not the other but they believe that they could make that difference It's not just a sign outside that says where it's Carlton It's the heart and soul the people inside and so the sign outside says first assembly But what makes this first assembly you make this first assembly you the people do you're the one that make it great You're all leaders you make or break someone's experience here just like they make or break your experience at the hotel You make your decision at the hotel to go back based on your experience with the valet and the housekeeper and the hostess Every employee Impacts you personally. I want you to listen to the statements from Pat Brown She's the executive steward of food and beverage. She cleans dishes and she polishes silverware. She said I May not touch them directly, but I touched them through my service I'm an ambassador to cleanliness in that strange an ambassador to cleanliness It's part of who you are part of your uniform. It's a lifestyle my customers are silver Pat polishes a silverware with passion because it affects you she understands that everything Including spotless silverware impacts your stay. You may not see Pat But she makes a difference for you We heard this from so many employees. We we listened to training We were in training for about two days and so we had the privilege of listening to person after person Walk in and tell their story and it was interesting not only were they so passionate and they believed in what they did But they were happy too They were just incredibly happy. You didn't have to they didn't have to gear it up They didn't have to work at it. They were happy and you start asking yourself, okay, they're passionate They've been told the credo they know what they're doing to do, but they really get joy out of this How do they get joy? It's because they Understand that they can make a difference in your life They do it for other people. It's not about them. It's about you As we live and we listen to person after person and that's that's what you heard every single time passion joy happiness energy offer a hotel and This really really convicted me Wasn't something I expected But I sat there and I thought Am I as passionate about God as these people are about Ritz Carlton? Do I really believe That I can impact every person that walks through these doors not pastor odd not pastor Steve not Pam Do I believe that I can make a difference in each and every person's life? Do I go to any length to make people feel welcome at first assembly? Do I do whatever it takes? Do I see every person do I see you? Do I see each guest that walks in that door in every moment as an opportunity to change someone's life? It was tough There's a lesson go into a hotel. I really didn't expect to learn I Realized that I needed to develop a greater passion for people They were tough lessons because we win expecting to learn the how-to's of everything But what I wasn't prepared for was how my heart would be so challenged to listen to them And just like with this lesson Ritz Carlton places a higher value on others than me And our goals are the same to make our guests and church family feel safe and secure and make everyone feel at home But the links that they go to to do that are incredible the things they do to serve you and to make you feel valued They do amazing things But they really like you said they accomplish it by concentrating on the details and and like for us It started before we ever even got there because like the day before we left I got a phone call from Angie and she called to see if there was anything she could do to make her say better She was so excited that we were staying there and she asked all kinds of questions One of we had any special requests or any special accommodations that could be made and she was so Genuine I mean by the time I got off the phone with her I felt like I was talking to a friend somebody that really cared about me and I could not wait to get to the hotel to meet her because I was Just so drawn to her warmth and her friendliness and then when we got there It was really like they had been waiting just for us to get there and when we walked through the doors They were just so thrilled to see us and they just treated us like royalty and They had so many surprises and the surprises started when we got to our room And when we got there there were chocolates on the nightstand and they had White chocolate and milk chocolate and dark chocolate and chocolate dipped strawberries and I'm loving just thinking about it But they when they empty your trash they go through your trash and see which chocolate you ate And they will only put that type of chocolate in your room the next day And I that was so cool I was like how in the world did they know that milk chocolate was my favorite and then we found out later how they did it But I thought that is so amazing that they will take the time to dig through your trash just so you can enjoy your favorite chocolate and oh And listen here's a little tip for you if you ever do stay at a Ritz-Crawlton Do not eat the big square of chocolate that all the little chocolates are sitting on It's a tile like a ceramic tile And I found that out the hard way Try explaining that to your dentist But one of their priorities is to call you by name and they they see if it's written anywhere They listen for someone to say it and once they learn it they use it because they really Understand the value of saying someone's name and how that communicates value and importance and how much they matter They really work so much harder on names than we do They know the power of that simple active kindness to demonstrate the value on people and people respond to it I mean we certainly did and I really I began to wonder do our guests feel that way when they walk through our doors Do they feel at home or did they feel like they're somewhere they don't belong and What have I done? To make someone else feel as important as I feel right now We've said it so many times we didn't expect to walk away with our hearts so heavy these lessons that we learned were we're very Convicting because again, this was a hotel. It wasn't a church. This was a hotel But here's the last lesson the lesson is this Ritz-Crawlton employees do What they say I'm telling you guys we asked every question known to man and They were doing exactly they were living up to the hype One of the biggest things that stuck out to me was their desire to create these wow moments As the last part of their credo and it says fulfills even the unexpressed wishes and needs of our guests Do you understand how hard that is the Expressed wishes how in the world do you find that out? Do you go to some mind reader school or something? That was that was hard for me as we sat there in their leadership class and and as time continued to go by as they continued to talk We got a glimpse of what it was like to be part of their team and Suddenly I realized it. These weren't just words that they recite These were actions that they were actually doing and then I got it. This was a way of life This was a way of life for them and then all of a sudden. There's my wow moment Wow They really do care Wow, they really are a genuine and it was one of many wow moments that we experienced as we were there Wow, they didn't just point me in the direction and say the restrooms over there She walked with me all the way and you know what she did she asked questions. So where are you from? What do you do and? She got to know me all Just to take me to your restroom Wow, they took the time to ask Rita how to spell her name They didn't just write it and thinking this is maybe how and if she gets the paper and it says our ITA well, she'll understand we tried No, they took the time to ask her how to spell the name that when we got there and we looked at the room key That stuck out to Rita. Obviously, it's been spelled wrong It's been spelled wrong many a times Wow, you know when Rita and Pam got to their room and Their room temp just wasn't right there the bell the bellman asked is the room okay and He adjusted the air for them. He didn't stop and say well, let me call someone to take care of it for you He went over there and adjusted the air. He didn't grumble and say that's not my job But he took the time to do it and they always say it's my pleasure if you say thank you they say it's my pleasure What else can I do for you? Yeah, and they're always asking is there any and is there anything else we can do when we got to the dining area? We looked like lost kids, you know when you go to high school And it's a brand new area and you're just lost with your tray when we get to the dining area and we're lost We don't know what to do. We don't know where to go So we walk up there and the hostess had just left her post and walked to do something else Well because the hostess left a server saw us she walked straight up and said hi will be right with you and That's you know, we weren't just waiting there for someone to come and seat us and that that that said something to us And then when they lost our reservation to eat We knew that they lost it. We could see over the counter that they didn't have our name there They didn't apologize for their failure. They actually Pretended like nothing had ever happened and sat us automatically I'm telling you I can go on all night About the little things that they did that made us go. Wow. They really do what they say They weren't just trying to sell us something. They were trying to show us through their passion that we had value And I was amazed. I was wowed At how genuine they were What they communicate to their employees is that their brand is at stake It's important for all employees to live by the credo on and off the job Because they're representing ritz carlton hotel And here's where our hearts got heavy They are good at what they do Who am I kidding? They're great Amazing at what they do We felt that there was a genuine concern for us. They desired to to make us feel welcome to show us value And it looked like they genuinely enjoyed it. They weren't just performing a job It looked like this was part of who they were We were and still are amazed at how well they took care of us And how personal they were for us And it wasn't just a great lesson that was taught to them and then forgotten. It seemed to make its way into action They truly lived out their creed And guess what they were doing it all for a buck They were doing it all to sell hotel rooms I know that we say every soul matters to god, but we thought on the plane ride home We thought do they matter to me? Am I concerned about upholding our brand? Not just the church The name of jesus Our hearts got heavy as christ followers. We're upholding a brand Our brand is at stake and that brand is jesus christ What we communicate is god's love through our actions. How can a hotel? How in the world can a hotel be better at customer service at communicating value? Then the church we were angry We were angry We were angry at ourselves to think that they were doing it better than us and we have jesus We have love to share we have the name of jesus Yet at the same time as we were angry we were very determined to change the way we interact with people That's what we're gonna do tonight. We're going to discover how we can be better at loving others First thing we need to do is remember that I represent christ John 13 34 says a new command. I give you Love one another as I have loved you. So you must love one another by this All men will know that you are my disciples if if You love one another Just like the ritz carlton employees. We need to have a genuine understanding of who we hurt when we don't do well at loving people We hurt the brand We hurt the cause of christ They drill this into their employees. There is no doubt every employee knows they hurt their cause when they forget who they represent And our cause is much greater Our mission is much much more crucial Our brand is more valuable. Our brand is jesus Jesus who we represent Jesus has called us to love people The two greatest commandments are Love the lord your god with all your heart soul mind and strength That's a lot your heart soul mind and strength everything And the second is love your neighbor as yourself Jesus is serious about love because we represent him. How do you represent jesus? Do you feel like every time you see someone at the grocery store or every time You fill up your tank with gas or someone cuts you off in the freeway. Do you represent christ well? If we call ourselves christ followers, then our love needs to resemble his jesus loved everyone He loved the widow the orphan the outcasts in the upper class even the leper He loved each and every person he met needs that were visible But he also forgave sin and he didn't just do what was expected. He anticipated the need And in many settings if you look back through the bible You'll see that jesus created wow moments for almost everyone that he encountered and like jesus showing love You and i we must create wow moments And that's your lesson I will create wow moments. See wow moments aren't necessarily big and outrageous often Wow moments happen when the small things you wouldn't expect anyone to remember or hear are remembered and heard They convey to their employees to keep their eyes and their ears open because they want to try To anticipate the needs of their guests so that they can meet those unexpressed wishes And then when they do so if you can imagine you're there Shovey and gary vestigairi you can imagine you're there you're talking all of a sudden you say man I really want a snickers bar and there was an employee right around the corner That employee would take a dollar out of their pocket And go get a snickers bar gary never even mentioned it to him, but he heard And so they go and then they'll walk up and say hey, I overheard you saying you needed a snickers bar There you go, and gary walks around goes wow How'd they do that? That's what they do and that's what they're intentional about Wow moments are simple, but well we have to be looking to make them happen If you've ever been wowed then you know what i'm talking about So when someone remembers your name that you haven't seen in a while You go wow How'd they remember my name? Or when a stranger hands you a bill larger than that dollar that fell out of your pocket like a 10 or a 20 You're going whoa, they could have walked away with that. I never know Or when you're walking through a busy airport You have luggage and food and wild kids and a frantic look on your face and an employee comes by and says Can I help you? Can is there anything I could do to ease that craziness that's happening right now? Or when when in passing you mention a need And you get a call or a card from someone who says I remember what you said on sunday. I'm praying for you You know we can all create wow moments It's not just reserve for hospitality team or staff or It's it's all of us every one of us keeping our eyes and ears open so that we can create wow moments The question is how How do I wow? Number one be friendly I'll never forget the impact of a guy wearing a biscuit for a hat that he had on my life I'll never forget it. It's gonna and more than just the biscuit on his head But I walked in the Popeyes in west little rock And when I did this guy approaches me caught me off guard because I'd never seen anyone with a biscuit on his head But caught me off guard because he was smiling and so happy to see me and welcomed me into Popeyes, you know, we're used to high welcome to you Popeyes. Can I take your order? Or my favorite is when I go to the counter and they say but here to go You know, yeah, that's a greeting that says wow No, charles smith otherwise known as biscuit head to me was was amazingly friendly He was so friendly and he made me feel accepted cared for and at home guys. I felt at home at Popeyes But his friendliness was contagious. So by the time he got his way around the whole The whole place we were all smiling. We were all happy. He made us all smile So how can we be friendlier as a church? How can we be friendlier? First realize that some of us don't have a friendly resting face Your resting face sometimes is friendly. It's like You may think you're smiling, but you're not So we have to be constantly aware of showing friendliness. So number ones or or here write these down. However smile Smile it breaks down barriers. It breaks down barriers. It doesn't show like you have a wall up be happy Lift the environment with your attitude to be happy and look into the person's eyes when you're talking to them It shows them that they're important. They're the ones who matter Well, speaking of looking we need to look for unfamiliar faces You know, I often wonder how our guests feel when they visit here for the first time because when you Walk into first assembly you walk into a beehive of activity just everybody going somewhere doing something And really when they walk through that door, they don't know anything about us. They don't know our schedule They don't know our culture. They really don't know what we're about at all Can you imagine how grateful they would be for just a friendly face or someone to even notice them? And a lot of our guests have have commented that they're afraid to come to this church because it's so big and that Walk up to that front door is a scary one And so we've tried to help with that and and then are you ready our ministry class? We've come up with three steps when you meet someone new and it's called win And w is for welcome And so when you see someone that you don't recognize go greet them and let them know how glad you are that they're here Because it could be that they have decided to give god one more try And this is the only place that they know to do that And you could be the connection point You could be the only one that sees them Next is integrate Introduce them to someone and help them become a part of our church family If it's a young couple introduce them to another young couple if it's a single mom introduce her to another single mom Or just introduce him to who is sitting next to you It's amazing how quickly they'll feel like they belong when we do that And lastly navigate Direct them to where they can learn more about our church Invite them to first look where we'll take them on a tour and talk to them about sunday school classes and all the departments and ministries that are available Invite them to your sunday school class or just invite them back to the next service They want to get connected. They just need someone to help them do that Now there's an easy way to remember all this when you meet someone new just ask yourself this question Did I win? Did I welcome them? Did I introduce them to someone and did I invite them to first look? Now that's a little simple question But it's a powerful one because when I've asked myself that question I've had to go back and finish the process because it's so easy just to pass by and say hello, but that's that's just part of it Take that extra time because that could be the difference Between them feeling like they belong here or feeling like they don't belong and once you once you've met them and one Then you need to learn a new name learn their name This seems like a very simple Thing that everybody should be able to do. Unfortunately, I'm not very good at this. So that's why I'm talking about this But doesn't it make you feel special if the second time you see someone they remember your name? Why is that? Because you think wow, they they really remember me They took the time and effort to actually learn my name and remember it and call me by my name I remember my grandfather's a pastor and I have an aunt that also struggles with remembering names and He my grandfather just he was adamant. You have to learn people's names. Know their name call them by name Every time you see them call them by name And so this aunt no matter what she did she could not remember names And so finally he was talking to her about word association and so said you meet someone and You find something to associate their name with now. I know this is going to sound really made up, but The next guest that came in that sunday. His name was brother krisco So she's thinking through mine krisco shortening grease frying Working on her word association trying to figure out how she's going to remember brother krisco's name So she works all week Finally they get there that sunday and she's so excited because she sees brother krisco walking in the door And she reaches out her hand and says why hello brother skillet So it didn't work well for her. I haven't managed to make the word association work well for me And I was actually asking pastor steven pamp. What is it? They're much better at that than I am What is it that you do that actually works because I've tried the whole pamp pamp pamp pamp pamp and then I walk away What was her name? So how do you do it? How can you be better at that? Well, and and it's not even so much that I think I'm great at Is as much as as much as it's just it's one of those things I have to work on all the time I remember when I was in student ministry. I told kathy brockington I said i'm going to remember every junior hires name and I said and I need you to quiz me Um, but I believe that there's there's power in our name Our parents give us a name and and though there's significance in it And so if someone introduces themself to you and says their name It'd be amazing to remember it So one when I meet them I do that and not I don't go pamp pamp pamp pamp But I do I say so pamp. It's good to meet you and uh, so what else do you do pamp? And how else you you know and I'll say her name throughout the conversation I'll just constantly say the name because what happens is it's it's it's wrote for us We ask the question to get the name because we know we're supposed to but then we never use it again And then they walk away. We thought what was her name? So say the name throughout the conversation then two go the extra step write it down Write it down somewhere Somewhere where you know you're going to remember it not on your hand where you'll wash it and it's going to dry It's going to go away But write it down somewhere and then if it was on sunday you met them And you know that it's possible that you might see them on wednesday then review Study get grab that piece of paper out and look at the name again Or if it's next sunday then grab it and review the name again because when you see them you can say hey pam I'm good to see you and they're going whoa. How'd you just do that? Well, because I took time to look at it over and over again throughout the week When I when I look at someone I just say their name over and over in my mind I don't say it out, but it helps me to look at I don't do like y'all do I usually go say it out loud I was just spewed water because that'd be funny But it helps me to connect the name with the face So while I'm looking at them then I say their name over and over so that I connect the name with the face So that helps me anything you can do to try to remember the name and You know last wednesday I had the experience with uh rocky and twyla You would think that their name should be memorable to me, but I had to ask them again in the elevator I'm sorry. I should know your name. Please tell me what it is, but that's okay. That's a new rule That's a new rule. Do not get offended if we have to ask your name again Please don't because we want to remember your name We want to remember and yeah, not offended with each other Say it over and over and over again It's everybody's gonna be walking around the church going Natalie Natalie Natalie Do whatever it takes the main thing is do whatever it takes to learn someone's name. It's okay to ask It's okay to do whatever technique works for you. Don't call them brother skilly, but do whatever it takes To learn their name And then when you learn their name call them by name Calling someone by name is one of the best ways to let them know That they belong here and make them feel at home because it says you're important You matter to me And whenever we talk about this, I I think of bill schrader and how someone remembering his name Really changed his life 34 years ago bill was an alcoholic and very far from god But he had come to a place in his life where he knew he needed to make some changes And so he called the only christian that he knew a local pastor and he met with him and prayed with him And committed his life to christ and so the pastor invited him to church and he Reluctantly agreed to go So he slipped in the next sunday, but he didn't really want to talk to anybody so he left there thinking I won't ever go back But the pastor called and invited him again So he decided he would go back to church one more time and he said i'll give church one more try And when he walked in a greeter ralph bell Walked up to him and threw his arms around and said bill. It's so good to see you. Welcome back And bill said the moment that he called him by name That his heart began to soften And those strongholds in his life began to break and those walls that he'd built up began to fall And all because one person remembered his name And for the first time in a long time bill felt like he mattered and today bill leads our greeter ministry And he leads it with the passion that no one can equal because he knows the value of remembering someone's name And he knows the difference that one person can make One person that communicates value can be the difference between someone searching for god And someone finding their way back to him And that's why this all matters so much Yeah, it's and I hope you can see this it's small things We're not telling you huge grand things that we need to do It's just small things that if we just start hitting these things how amazing people would feel how wow do they feel Number five remember every soul matters to god Every soul matters to god everyone deserves to feel valued from the youngest to the oldest We all have an opportunity to make an impact on lives And I love the way rich carlton makes it a priority to show great care even for kids They know this that if the parents didn't enjoy it Because it was the kids that were just saying that they didn't want to be there then they know that the parents aren't coming back So they are interested In the kids they're making sure that kids have a grand experience because it's not disneyland It's the rich carlton hotel But they want to make sure that the kids are enjoying it and if the kids are happy then so are the parents So they say that they're into creating lifelong customers. Does that sound familiar to you? We're interested in developing lifelong followers of jesus christ We might not all look the same Act the same dress the same talk the same Or like the same things that we got all one thing in common We need a savior And at the foot of the cross we're all in need of grace And that's the equalizing factor We're really the same Every one of us we're lost. We're lost without a savior. What does that mean? more than our words We need to communicate the value of every soul Not with our words with our actions So be careful be careful of your rolling eyes Because someone sees them Be careful when your eyes roll because that person may not see them. They might have turned around but pan might have saw me do it And she's a guest students When someone walks away from a conversation with you be careful with giving up what a freak look Because someone sees that I think that's that's why I love Jesse simpson's story so much. I actually just sat with him in third service today He came to our church with the thought of proving that all church people are hypocrites So what did jesse do? Jesse got up in the morning put in his black contacts. I'm talking black contacts. There's no white on his eye complete black contact put all of his his jewelry on every piercing Got his hair and this perfect green mohawk And walked into our church doors To prove that all church people were hypocrites He was looking for a negative reaction When he walked through the door, he got hugs and feelings of acceptance And when I talked to him he said that's what I'd longed to feel my whole life To feel the value that I felt at that moment. What a wow moment for jesse You have to ask yourself, how do I demonstrate every soul matters to god? Someone saw jesse They saw him they saw him as an opportunity And now jesse serves as an usher in third service. Isn't that amazing? What just someone loving someone else can do? The next thing you need to do is look for opportunities to impact other. They're all all around you Do you see someone that looks lost? We talked about that looking looking for a place This building is one of the most confusing places there is did you all feel that way when you first came here? So if you see someone that looks lost or they're looking for the elevator, don't just point and go It's down there turn right turn left go down the big hallway turn right into the left And then if you choose the first elevator it goes up if choose second elevator it goes down Got it. Yeah got it Walk with them talk as you walk Learn something about them learn their name It's an opportunity for you. Do you see a mom walking in the parking lot up to those big scary doors? She's got a diaper bag on one shoulder up hers. She's carrying a casserole and an infant She's got three kids behind her that are yelling Falling down and she's screaming at him come on. Let's get it to church. We're late Stop what you're doing just stop and help Don't just open the door carry the casserole Take the diaper bag talk to the kids walk them to their class Find out what's going on in their life Don't just ignore it. Don't just say oh, well, she's having a bad day. Stop what you're doing and help What about at events? Do you ever see a dad that's carrying six cokes? five popcorns Three nachos a pile of candy Trying to get back to his family and they don't have any farms Stop what you're doing and go help him Take the time to go visit with him. Give up your night walk with them around christmas lane Show them how to to get to the funnel cakes. Show them how to get to the Santa pictures talk to them Find out something personal about them. It's not about the task that you're doing. It's about the people say that one more time It's not about the task. It's about the people This is something that pastor odd has drilled in me I have a tendency to just get tunnel focused and you know if I've ever walked by you in the hallway It didn't say hello or didn't look you in the eye because I was too busy going to Set up some chairs. I'm sorry Because it's not about the task everything we do should not be about the task. It's about the people So stop slow down Look for ways all around you to help others Is is joe sitting by himself is is there a lady over here who knows is red because she's been crying Is randy down at the altar praying by himself Don't let those people be alone This is your moment. This is your opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others Do not waste it take advantage Touch people's lives You can make a difference by your kind word Or your assistance or even just your presence You can make them say wow. They really care about me Here's your final lesson Number seven be a good listener You will never imagine What people say in the context of a conversation Sometimes it just slips out. They didn't mean to say it. It just came out sometimes in passing Sometimes it's just in passing and a lot of times it's just glossed over Because we miss it because we're too interested on what we have to say next Because we think what we're going to say is more important But we have to pay attention Listening is an art sometimes forgotten because again, we think what we have to say is more important I'm guilty of it myself. My wife can testify to that cut her off in many conversations So I'm not that great at that But we do have to stop and we do have to listen Here's the truth When we stop and listen, we hear a lot better It's revolutionary. I know I could sell a book But when you hear someone's having a tough time Pass that information along to your class Get others involved in caring When you call or send them an email or a text and let them know that you're thinking about them at a difficult time Guess what you just did You wowed them Can I just say it lane white we when we found out glenn Had cancer a couple of years ago lane white sent an email and in that email. It was a two or three sentence prayer and I saved that email in the entire time we were going through surgery and tests and all that I would pull out that email and read it over and over and over again And so I don't know if she knew at the moment she sent that email how much that would mean to me But it was it was one of the things that helped me have peace at every moment through the journey and It didn't take her long but that email I kept and read on my blackberry over and over again Something so simple. We just stop and listen But did that person just mention to you that they're going to have a procedure. They're going to be at a hospital Well, let them know you're praying for them the day that they're going into the procedure And follow up later ask them how it went. How are you doing? Are you okay? Is everything all right? How did everything go? Maybe you're like me and you have a horrible memory Then write it down and stick it somewhere where you're going to look often I've got a shelf that's in front of my desk that I have post-it notes of things that people tell me and I'll I'll just stick it right there so that I'm in because I know I'm going to look at it That's where the direction where I look so that I'll remember Listen to other people, but then also listen to the Holy Spirit And the Holy Spirit nudges us to do something and a lot of times we push it aside because we are too busy We have the task at hand But listen and stop and and have the Holy Spirit check your heart and be obedient and do something I remember driving home one day After work it had been a long day and I was just ready to get home just be at home and relax well I saw a couple walking down the street were There's a street that I drive on to get home And just that week they had told me the difficulty they were having physical issue And as I was driving home, I saw them and I have to admit I argued in my spirit. It was that Holy Spirit that said and they might be hearing this for the first time tonight But I argued in my spirit and thought I just I'm ready to get home But I realized that it's probably one of those things. I just need to stop So I whipped my car around and pulled into the neighborhood and ran out of my car and as they're walking their dog. I stopped And we talked it was really simple. I just wanted to know how the day was and how it's been going And we prayed right there on the sidewalk And I got back in my car and drove off Didn't think much about it, but I'll be honest with you to this day. I get embarrassed when they share that story and I'm around With someone else because I really think to myself it wasn't really me. I I actually argue with God and I didn't want to do it But it was a God thing And I was just listening little did I know the impact that one moment would have But you and I we can always create wow moments We have an opportunity to create wow moments every day Every week we have an opportunity to do something That someone would walk away and go wow They really care about me Wow They really do care I hope you're ready I hope you're ready to create wow moments I hope you're ready to to create them after service tonight at the restaurant you go eat at At school tomorrow at work on wednesday night service Next week on sunday. I hope you're ready to create those wow moments It's not just a wow team that we're going to have for events. It's people creating wow moments every day Can you imagine what this church would look like if you and I were Intentional about creating wow moments I'll tell you we'd have to widen another hallway we'd have to build more Parking lots paid more parking lots. We'd have to build a whole another building because why People would come to this place and say i'm going to go there because they genuinely care about me Why in the world is ritz carlton winning all these awards? Why are these people wanting to go? Because they care about people genuinely care People would bust down our doors To get into this place where you and I are looking to wow them to show the love of jesus christ with our life Would you like to be better at communicating value is that important? Absolutely, it's important If you'd like to create wow moments if you struggle like me with any of the ways to create wow moments I would like for you to stand If you want to create these wow moments with people and individuals, I would like for you to stand As a church We're going to live out this value We're going to set the standard for communicating value. We're not going to let a hotel do that anymore How awesome would it be that if people flew from all over the nation to come to first assembly? And not for the limelight, but because they're impressed with the fact that we love people We genuinely love people They would come to our church and say I heard that you guys are the best at this whole thing That would be amazing. Why because it's you It's you and I figuring out That we need to do this better We need to do this better I want to pray and then we'll go home and then we'll create wow moments. I'm excited. I'm excited to hear the stories I'm excited to find out what's going to happen I'm excited to know that someone's going to walk into our building next week or Wednesday night And you're going to look because you're going to say I've never seen that face before And you're going to walk up to them and you say is this your first time and they'll say two things Yes, it's my first time or they'll go. No, I've been here for five years But it doesn't matter because you've never met them before and We're going to be so connected And they're going to remember who they are And you're going to hear them and you're going to listen to them and you're going to keep your eyes and your ears open And we're going to be so interested in getting to know people And people are going to go wow They really do care They really do care about me Let's pray Lord We want to be better We want to be better at communicating value to people that walk into our church And more than just at our church but in our jobs and our schools and In the grocery store Because we know that we're upholding the brand we're upholding your name god. We're representing who you are We want people to see the love of jesus christ represented displayed in our life So help us help us to be a better listener Help us to create these wow moments with individuals help us to look for opportunities to have your eyes and to see people who are lost And more than just a physical sense but in a spiritual sense who are lost and looking for a savior Lord you've called us To love people And by the way we love they'll know who we represent. We're your disciples Lord Let it start now Let's start right now That this not just be some lesson that we learned and it doesn't make its way into action But help us to be ever mindful of the fact that there are people that need to know who you are Or people that have come to know you but have walked away and they need to know that they feel valued And they're accepted help us be your agent help us be your ambassador In Jesus' name I pray. Amen, amen. God bless you.