Tonight we talked about cultivating relationships with people outside of our inner circle. I hit on how important our integrity is, how we are a witness to the Gospel of Christ simply by the way we live. We looked at Mark 12:2, a verse so potent I think it may become my personal prayer for this year.
They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know that you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth…”
~ Mark 12:2
I love how Jesus’ life is a testimony to his integrity. I also love how it is clear to his audience that his integrity can’t be bought, not even by the social pressure to bow to the powerful. Finally, the people know that he teach the ways of God in accordance with truth, even when they would expect him to cave and forfeit his integrity. I want to be that man.
After a lively debate on how we should understand the parable of the sower (see Luke 8:4-15), I gave out homework. If you missed it, these are your assignments:
- Continue reading through the Gospels (the reading plan can be found here)
- Come up with 7 possible church names to bring for Thursday
- Live out Reid Hoffman’s rules (Click for full article)
Reid Hoffman’s rules
In the next day: Look at your calendar for the past six months and identify the five people you spend the most time with — are you happy with their influence on you?
In the next week: Introduce two people who do not know each other but ought to. Then think about a challenge you face and ask for an introduction to a connection in your network who could help.
Imagine you got laid off from your job today. Who are the 10 people you’d e-mail for advice? Don’t wait — invest in those relationships now.
In the next month: Identify a weaker tie with whom you’d like to build an alliance. Help him by giving him a small gift — forward an article or job posting.
Create an “interesting people fund” to which you automatically funnel a certain percentage of your paycheck. Use it to pay for coffees and the occasional plane ticket to meet new people and shore up existing relationships.
