Lessons at 6:00 Am: Instructions in Faith, Leadership, Service, Work and Social Justice

By Ryan Alan Smith, PhD

The Bible, since its first publication circa 14511455, remains the best-selling book of all time at over six-billion books sold worldwide. Its mandateto teach us what is true, to make us realize what is wrong in our lives, to straighten us out and help us do what is right, and to fully equip us to do good to everyone (2 Timothy 3:1517 TLB)is alive and well. The Bible remains popular because it provides answers to many of lifes most pressing questionsincluding queries related to leadership, faith, service, work, and social justice. Drawing inspiration from the sacred Scriptures, devotionals, and from visionary thinkers, Dr. Smith addresses these important issues throughout Lessons at 6:00 AM.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Feb 19, 2016
• ISBN: 9781512728767

Ryan Alan Smith, PhD

Dr. Ryan Alan Smith was born in Washington, DC and was raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the Baptist tradition. He now attends a nondenominational church where he has served in the capacity of usher, deacon, small-group leader, small-group department head, and pastoral assistant. He received his PhD in sociology from the University of California, Los Angeles, his MS from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and his BA from the University of Pennsylvania. He is a frequent guest lecturer, workshop facilitator, moderator, panelist, and consultant on a variety of issues pertaining to team building among diverse groups, organizational change, workplace diversity, leadership, and personal career development. He has served as a consultant to numerous nonprofit, for-profit, and government agencies. He and his wife, Dana, have been married since 1998 and have a son, Julius Austin Smith, to whom this book is dedicated.

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Copyright © 2016 Ryan Alan Smith, PhD.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission. NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® and NIV® are registered trademarks of Biblica, Inc. Use of either trademark for the offering of goods or services requires the prior written consent of Biblica US, Inc.

Scripture quotations taken from The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright ©1952 [2nd edition, 1971] by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

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ISBN: 978-1-5127-2877-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-2878-1 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-2876-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016901537

WestBow Press rev. date: 02/18/2016

Contents

Acknowledgements

Preface

Introduction

Part 1 Lessons in Leadership

1 Jethro’s Four Principles of Effective Leadership

2 The Good Shepherd

3 The Law of Reproduction

4 God’s Recipe for Winning Battles

5 The Perils of Pride

6 Visionary Leadership

Part 2 Lessons In Faith

7 How to Win Your Battles

8 Why Fast?

9 How’s Your Thought Life?

10 Persevere!

11 The Full Armor of God

Part 3 Lessons in Service

12 The Rescue

13 You Gotta Serve Somebody

14 Who Is the Greatest?

15 Bartimaeus’s 20/20 Vision

16 The Seven Irrefutable Laws of Good Works

Part 4 Lessons in Work

17 Cultivating a Spirit of Excellence

18 God’s Plan for Work

19 Wake Up and Work!

20 Mind Your Own Business!

Part 5 Lessons in Social Justice

21 The Stick and the Carrot

22 Living in Love, or Living a Lie?

23 Move the Gate

24 A Liberated Theology

About the Author

To Julius Austin Smith

Dear Son, may these lessons bless you, your children, and your children’s children.

Let the redeemed of the Lord say this

—Psalm 107:2 (NIV)

Acknowledgements

My heartfelt gratitude to my spiritual and intellectual mentors: Dr. David D. Ireland and Dr. Lawrence D. Bobo, respectively. Thank you for walking the talk.

Preface

Lessons at Six A.M. owes its origin to a morning prayer call. Each weekday morning at 6:00 a.m., a small group of men, using a dial-in conference call format, come together to pray for themselves, their families, their churches, and the nation. I was invited to join the men about one year into the formation of the Call. I agreed even though I knew my schedule would not allow me to be on the call every morning. As the numbers grew (sometimes swelling to eighteen men on the call at one time), we started experimenting with different formats. Prayer remained the core focus of the call, but we also rotated through a designated daily facilitator who had the option of delivering a short spiritual lesson, a word of encouragement, an inspiring testimony, or a focused prayer. Early in my participation on the call I was asked to prepare a lesson, which I did. As I recall, what I delivered, in early draft form, was unpolished and far too long. However, the brothers were gracious and invited me back to present new lessons again and again. Over time, as the Call matured, so did my lessons, which became more polished and succinct. Every other Friday, for seven years in a row—even during vacations—I would call in to share my lesson. It was an exhilarating process from the birth of an idea to the development of the lesson to its delivery on the Call. After each session I would simply set the lesson aside. From time to time one of the men on the line would ask for a copy of the lesson, and I would forward an electronic version. At other times, if I thought the message was relevant to a particular friend, acquaintance, or family member, I would send it to them with a note saying, This first blessed me, and I hope it will bless you as well.

Before I knew it, the lessons I prepared for those bimonthly, Friday sessions filled three large binders, three and a half inches thick! This book includes only a sample of those lessons. While originally aimed at a male audience, I believe you will find that the selections, which use a biblical lens by which to highlight the important lessons in leadership, faith, service, work, and social justice, have been edited and expanded in a way that transcends gender.

My heartfelt thanks to the men on the Call. Without their patience and encouragement this volume would not have been possible. We created a safe space for men to discover their gifts without fear of failure, competition, or envy. I know I did not hit the mark every time, but their grace and love inspired me to keep writing.

Lessons at 6:00 A.M. is a testament to the power of small groups and what can happen when people come together on a regular basis under a united front to pray, listen, and respond to the call that God has on their lives. To God be the glory!

Your word is a lamp to my feet, a light on my path.

—Psalm 119:105 (NIV)

Introduction

From as early as I can remember, I have had a healthy appreciation for the lessons found in the Bible. Before Oprah’s Lifeclass, there was Sunday school led by gifted teachers who taught life lessons embedded in the stories of Adam and Eve, David and Goliath, Daniel in the lion’s den, Noah’s ark, and many others. The Bible, since its first publication circa 1451–1455, remains the best-selling book of all time at over six billion books sold worldwide and counting. That means its mandate—to teach us what is true, to make us realize what is wrong in our lives, to straighten us out and help us do what is right, and to fully equip us to do good to everyone (2 Tim. 3:15–17 TLB)—is alive and well. It is that mandate that drew me to its teachings first as a child in Sunday school and then later as a young man seeking direction in the urban enclave of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, during the turbulent decades of the 1960s and 1970s. That was a period of social unrest in the United States, of intense racial strife and political turmoil. Still, amid the chaos, families in my neighborhood managed to survive, and some even thrived. Church, in our community and our family, figured prominently in our daily lives. In Philadelphia, the founding city of the first black church, the church provided more than spiritual support. It was a powerful political, social, and economic institution that proactively promoted the welfare of its congregants. We learned about Jesus and salvation on Sunday morning, but we were also taught what the Bible had to say about the poor, social injustice, and how to deal with the challenges of everyday life. Thus, church provided the spiritual capital we needed to navigate the murky waters of joblessness, racial strife, and the deep feelings of marginalization that seemed to follow us wherever we traveled.

What intrigued me most about the church were the preachers and the message they delivered each Sunday. They used the great stories of the Bible to champion the rights of the oppressed, to stoke the embers of faith among true believers, and to offer a better life here on earth and in the life to come. What I also learned, and this would not become evident until much later, was that I too could rely on the Bible to find answers to the many questions I had as a young man. Some of those questions and answers unfold in the pages to come. They include: What is the Bible’s view of leadership? How is faith maintained? How shall we serve one another? What posture should we have toward work? How does personal faith intersect with social justice? How are we to balance family, work, and service? How should we respond to the neediest among us? These and other questions are addressed throughout Lessons at 6:00 A.M. To answer these questions I draw inspiration from multiple sources: the sacred Scriptures, sermons, devotionals, and from authors whose writings speak directly to these important issues. Each lesson is first anchored in a foundational Scripture followed by a narrative that seeks to unpack the instructional value of the passage. To simplify matters, lessons are often broken down into principles, truisms, ingredients, takeaways, or laws. Each lesson, which can be read in any particular order,