from Ron Rose
August 11, 2008

Preparation

A couple weeks ago I sent an email to 300 men asking them to answer a simple question: In the real world, what are you planning to do in the next 12 months that will define you as a man of faith?"

Some wanted to argue about the question, a few responded with lengthy theological explanations, but most took a few moments and shared a personal answer to my Quought.

Quought? Yes! That’s a “question that provokes thought.”

Here’s the secret: Faith Coaching is not about answers. It’s about really good Quoughts.

A. W. Tozer said, "Were we to extract from any man a complete answer to the question, 'What comes into your mind when you think about God?' we might predict with certainty the spiritual future of that man."

It makes perfect sense. Is your God omnipotent or impotent? Sovereign and aloof? Omnipresent and available? High and lifted up or familiar? Punitive or kind? Faithful or flaky? Loving or vengeful? Just or unjust? Able or unable to make a difference? Creator or kill-joy? So what comes to your mind when you think about God?

The ultimate answer to the best Quoughts are not found in our words, but in our actions. A good Quought is inspirational and transformation… it can “rock your world.”

Here are five of my favorite Quoughts:
1. When is the last time you walked through an open door instead of praying for one?
2. What crisis time has God used to get your attention?
3. What would you do differently this year if you had no fear?
4. What's one way you can step outside yourself this year to invest in other people?
5. What is the one pursuit that invariably brings you joy?

What next?

Inspiration

Chuck didn’t want to knock on her door; he didn’t want to be there at all. She was always negative, critical, and cranky.

“When I would write to her in my twenties,” Chuck explained, “Instead of answering my letters, she would return them with spelling, grammatical, and stylistic corrections! Always complaining, she never had a kind word to say about anyone.”

He hoped she wasn’t home, but she was always home… she was 82 years old. Her negative attitude was evident as soon as they sat down. "Chuck," she said, "why does your wife speak such poor English?"

For some reason, Chuck decided this day was going to be different. He had had enough and so had all the residents of the retirement community.

“I answered her question with a question,” he said. “Looking her straight in the eye, and without any animosity, I said, ‘Why would you say such a mean thing?’"

Francis Bacon wrote, "A sudden bold and unexpected question doth many times surprise a man and lay him open." That simple question surprised her and provoked surprise and reflection.

Before leaving, Chuck told her he was working on a book. "I suppose," she said, "when your name appears on the cover, it will be followed by B.A. and M.A."

"No, he said. "Degrees are not important. The president of one of the largest advertising companies in the world, Saatchi & Saatchi, has only a ninth grade education. Just because he quit school doesn’t mean he quit learning. On the contrary, he’s one of the brightest men in business."

"You mean I don’t have to be ashamed that I only have a high school diploma?" Her husband had a Master’s Degree and everyone in her field had, at least a bachelors, but not her. She started out at the bottom of the ladder in her profession, but because of her great talent became the manager of a department, overseeing college graduates.

Suddenly, all the pieces came together! No wonder she corrected Chuck’s letters. It was her way of saying, "I may not have a degree, but I’m not stupid. I’m smart enough to correct your letters." She had let her "lack of education" destroy her.
As she ushered Chuck out the door, she headed straight to her desk. She had a lot of letters to write.

Motivation

Good Quoughts not only invade our thoughts, they motivate us to take action, to make amends, to change direction. What is the question, that if you had the answer to it, would set you free?”

Spend some time with one of my five Quoughts in the first section of Faith Notes. Then make the answer count.

Oh, the first question we usually ask a stranger is “What do you do for a living?” So, if you really want to know more about the stranger, follow up with… “How did you get started ___________?”