Blessings to Mastermind effectively!

R. Joseph Peck, M.D.
“Blessed to be a blessing”
THE CONNECTOR and The Journal Guy
Changing Lives to Disciple Nations
Community Transformation Specialist
www.empower2000.com

P.S. Sign up TODAY for my free E-course ““30 Days To Breakthrough” God wants to transform your life NOW!

————————————————————

From: JENMaster1@aol.com
To: jenmasterone@gmail.com
Date: Tue, 8 Dec 2009 12:57:49 EST
Subject: We are a successful group of Master Mind teams, are you focused?
10 Reasons Why Mastermind Groups Fail

Mastermind groups are an extraordinary way to help you accomplish success in your personal and business life. But we’ve seen too many mastermind groups fail, falling off the face of the Earth at an alarming rate.

Here’s a short list of the most common reasons why mastermind groups fail:

1) Members are not committed. They don’t show up for every meeting. They make excuses why they didn’t achieve the actions and goals they set for themselves. They don’t pay attention during meetings and/or don’t participate fully. ASK YOURSELF IF YOU ARE COMMITTED TO THIS CONCEPT.

2) The Group Facilitator does not have a good handle on how groups function, and doesn’t know how to build trust and communication in a group environment. They’re not trained to keep group conversations going, to deal with difficult members, or to keep energy levels high. HARMONY IS QUEEN AND KING, KEEP AN OPEN COMMUNICATION.

3) The mastermind group is too large. The purpose of a mastermind group is that everyone gets a chance to bring their problem, decision or idea to the table, and that everyone gets to brainstorm with the person in the “hot seat.” If the group is too large, people get left out of discussions. WE HAVE TEAMS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY MEETING IN THEIR ENVIRONMENT AND WITH THEIR PARTNERS. AGAIN AN OPEN MIND AND HARMONY, LOOKING FOR THE OPEN DOORWAY.

4) There’s no mechanism for communication between meetings. Meetings typically range from 90 minutes to a full weekend. But what about all the time between meetings when life continues to happen? EMAILS, PHONE CALLS, MEETINGS ETC. Let’s stay connected.

5) The Group Facilitator treats the mastermind group like a class, lecturing to the members instead of encouraging the members to work with each other as a peer advisory board. WE ARE OPEN TO ENJOY BEING A STUDENT. Let’s hear from each of you.

6) The group hasn’t decided on the purpose of the group and the structure of the meetings, so everyone flounders. BUILDING A STRONG PROFITABLE SHAKLEE BUSINESS AND FOLLOWING OUR AFFIRMATIONS.

7) The members fail to hold each other accountable. They don’t hold people’s feet to the fire and they allow members to make excuses about why something didn’t get done. HOT TOPIC, HOW WOULD YOU ANSWER THIS? Are you giving excuses?

8) The group doesn’t meet often enough. One of the benefits of a mastermind group is that each member selects a goal or action item to be completed by the next meeting. If the meetings are too far apart, all momentum is lost. WEEKLY CONNECTION WITH YOUR PARTNER

9) The members’ experience level/success level ranges too widely. While having very successful people in a mastermind group is great for a new person, the more seasoned person will feel they’re not getting as much value from the group. THIS IS INTERESTING FIND THE CORRECT PERSON TO BE ON YOUR MM TEAM.

10) The group members don’t feel safe in the group environment. People will not open up and talk about their problems and challenges if they fear ridicule or rejection. They also will not open up if they feel their competitors are in the same room, listening to their problems or stealing their best ideas. WE CAN TRUST OUR SHAKLEE TEAM TO BE TRUST WORTHY AND CONSIDERATE!

Don’t let your mastermind group sink into obscurity. A little bit of planning and education will allow you group to prosper and thrive, benefitting everyone.

Warmly, Joanne & Terry

Joanne Nistico & Terry Coakley
Health Center
Health, Wealth and Time to Enjoy.

www.myproducts.myshaklee.com
Helping others realize their dreams.
www.myhomebusiness.myshaklee.com

“Nothing is as important in your Christian walk than learning to hear Jesus’ voice!”

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” (John 10:27)

What impact will it have on your life when you learn to hear Jesus’ voice consistently?

The topic for this week and my focus this year is “God’s Voice Worldwide.” That was the title of Mark Virkler’s January 2009 e-newsletter sent on December 31 to his 15,000 subscribers. Mark is author of “How to Hear God’s Voice” and President of Christian Leadership University (CLU). He is also President and Founder of Communion With God Ministries. What a great name.

2008 was a profound year for me in terms of relationships. Not only did I grow wider (i.e. many more relationships), but much deeper with relationships I already had. As I reflect back on 2008, it seems Mark Virkler had a greater impact on my intimacy (relationship) with Jesus than anyone, even though I only spoke to Mark once in 2008. Amazing! And who connected me with Mark? Dr. Jerry Graham.
.
In my one hour conversation with Mark on June 9, 2008, he taught me 4 keys to hearing God’s voice. One of those was two-way journaling (me and Jesus). I began applying those 4 keys the next morning and my life has not been the same since. Mark is a world-renown leader at teaching people to hear God’s voice through journaling. What Mark teaches is simple, not rocket science.

On Saturday Jan 3 while journaling 2-way, Jesus told me,

“Randy, you’ve been trying to do way too much in the natural. I work in the supernatural. One connection from me can completely change your life. Mark Virkler is that connection. I created you to be an UNCOMMON Journaler. I have taught you how to use Web 2.0 to help people like Mark Virkler and those in his network share their messages with the world. Today, as you read Mark’s Dec 31 email, I had this jump out at you:

‘Every January, I journal and ask the Lord what He wants me to focus on during the coming 12 months. I encourage you to do the same. He has always directed me into the areas where He wants me to grow in and master.

Over the years it has included topics such as abiding in Christ, operating in the gifts of the Holy Spirit, improving the quality of my marriage, learning to market and finance CLU, along with many others. Generally I write a book on what I have learned, as the passion of a Spirit-anointed teacher is to pass on revelation knowledge so others who desire can follow in their footsteps.’

Randy, Mark has been waiting for someone to come alongside him to show him how to market CLU. I have trained you and Jerry to use Web 2.0, the number one marketing tool on the planet bar none. On his Welcome page for CLU, Mark says his top priority is “Raising up Spirit-anointed leaders who disciple nations.” I have led you to change your slogan for all your main websites (blogs) to “Changing Lives to Disciple Nations!” Get it – Disciple Nations. That’s what Mark wants to do. That’s what you and Jerry want to do. That what I want to do. And learning to hear God’s voice is the key.”

To read my complete prayer for January 3, 2009, visit today’s Link of the Day.

Prayer Power
Jesus, I thank You for Mark Virkler and his anointing to teach others to hear Your Voice. Thank you for connecting the two of us through Jerry Graham. Thank you that Mark has agreed to a 3-way meeting with Jerry and me in mid January. May you bless that meeting and the outcome to allow 2009 to be the year of “God’s Voice Worldwide.” Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Amen and hallelujah!

Blessing of the Day
Dr. Randy Peck’s complete 2-way prayer entry for January 3, 2009 (see below)

Blessings to learn to hear Jesus’ voice and then teach others!

Dr. Randy Peck
“Blessed to be a blessing”
The Connector – connecting people, ideas, and resources in Christ through the POWER of the Holy Spirit
www.yourdailyblessing.com

————————————————————————————————-

Dr. Randy Peck’s complete 2-way prayer entry for January 3, 2009

To hear God’s voice, tune your radio to “S.V.S.J” – Stillness, Vision, Spontaneity, Journaling

Lord Jesus, thank You for leading me this morning to Mark Virkler’s Dec 31 email titled “God’s Voice Worldwide (January 2009).” Thank You for leading me to cut and paste that into my journal and then reflect upon it. Thank You for Your reminder to order Mark’s Virkler’s materials today (now).

I want to say I’m sorry for not following through sooner with the instruction You gave to me on June 22 to “Schedule a 3 way meeting with Jerry and Mark Virkler.” Please forgive me.

Randy, you’ve had a lot going on and have allowed a lot of distractions in your life. This time you spend with me each morning settles your mind and let’s you focus on what’s most important in your life. As Mark Virkler said in his Dec 31 email, “When you use ‘Laser Light Focus,’ things change in your life.”

Today, I led you to “A Welcome from the President” at Christian Leadership University. I wanted you to read Mark’s introductory message to students and potential students.

Our Top Priority: “Raising up Spirit-anointed leaders who disciple nations.”

“Thank you for choosing to examine what you will find to be an exciting and innovative educational opportunity. Our program is designed to meet your needs, and stretch and equip you to become a world-changing, Spirit-anointed leader.

In the midst of international travail, God is seeking a people who will become disciplers of nations, lead and not follow, lend and not borrow, be above and not underneath (Deut. 28:1-14). This will not be done out of human wisdom or strength but by the anointing and wisdom of God Himself flowing through His children. That is why God begins Deuteronomy 28 by twice saying, “If you will obey My voice…then….” So we will train you to hear the voice of God and then to apply it to the various disciplines of life in which God is calling you to demonstrate anointed leadership.

Since we have removed the sacred/secular split and believe that the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, we will train you to take applied biblical understanding as well as the voice and anointing of God into all areas of life and to demonstrate godly leadership there. I sense that God is raising up sons and daughters of Abraham who will minister in multi-gifted fashion as Abraham did. Abraham was a spiritual leader, a business leader, and a political leader, all wrapped up in one. May we learn to live in like manner. We provide for our graduates to be ordained and certified in many different vocational/ministry settings.”

Randy, you’ve been trying to do way too much in the natural. I work in the supernatural. One connection from me can completely change your life. Mark Virkler is that connection. I created you to be an UNCOMMON Journaler. I have taught you how to use Web 2.0 to help people like Mark Virkler and those in his network share their messages with the world. Today, as you read Mark’s Dec 31 email, I had this jump out at you:

Every January, I journal and ask the Lord what He wants me to focus on during the coming 12 months. I encourage you to do the same. He has always directed me into the areas where He wants me to grow in and master.

Over the years it has included topics such as abiding in Christ, operating in the gifts of the Holy Spirit, improving the quality of my marriage, learning to market and finance CLU, along with many others. Generally I write a book on what I have learned, as the passion of a Spirit-anointed teacher is to pass on revelation knowledge so others who desire can follow in their footsteps.

Randy, Mark has been waiting for someone to come alongside him to show him how to market CLU. I have trained you and Jerry to use Web 2.0, the number one marketing tool on the planet bar none. On his Welcome page for CLU, Mark says his top priority is “Raising up Spirit-anointed leaders who disciple nations.” I have led you to change your slogan for all your main websites (blogs) to “Changing Lives to Disciple Nations!” Get it – Disciple Nations. That’s what Mark wants to do. That’s what you and Jerry want to do. That what I want to do. And learning to hear God’s voice is the key.

Randy, Mark is waiting for you to show him and his network how to use The Journal, the greatest journaling tool on the planet. And I have taught you how to use it in UNCOMMON ways. Also, the DESTINY course that you and and Jerry put together is a major missing piece of the puzzle for Mark that will have a profound impact on Mark’s network. When God’s children get in alignment with their assignments, My provision will follow. Watch and see. My glory is upon you. Behold I do a new work.

Randy, here is what you are to do this morning:
1) Order Mark Virkler’s materials that he told you about when you first spoke to him on June 9, 2008. – Done
2) Email Mark Virkler requesting a 3-way meeting with him, Jerry Graham, and you. – Done
3) Add the audio testimonies to the Destiny course landing page. Also add other people’s testimonies about your journaling. Add “When you get in alignment with your assignment, God’s provision will follow.” and “Prosperity is having enough of God’s provision to accomplish His assignment for your life.”
4) Write your 2008 family Christmas letter. You are finally ready.
5) Record and transcribe the audio from Sid Roth’s interview of Mark Virkler
And finally, Randy, here’s the goal – “God’s Voice Worldwide” – and you will accomplish that through a Joint Venture between you, Jerry, and Mark.

“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Luke 6:38, NIV).

Are you giving God your first fruits with a cheerful heart?
What percent of your income do you save?

Like Bill Gates of today, John D. Rockefeller was the wealthiest man of his generation. When John was asked what was the secret of his financial success, he gave a profoundly simple answer – he followed the 10-10-80 principle. John gave the first 10% of what he earned to God, the next 10% to savings, and then he lived within his means on the remaining 80%.

By giving God our “first fruits”, we acknowledge Him as the owner of all and show we trust Him. This act of giving with a cheerful heart releases the promise of God that “our barns will be filled with plenty” (Proverbs 3:9-10). In other words, when You give God the first and best of what You have, He will bless the remainder. This applies not only to our money, but also to our time and talent. The LORD is our Redeemer.

The second part of the 10-10-80 principle is saving. In America, we now have a culture of debt – people are in debt and so are our governments. In Japan the average savings for a worker is more than 20%. In Western Europe it’s about 16%. But in the United States, the average worker saves minus 2%. Covetousness leads to financial bondage, which leads to spiritual bondage. The Bible says that “the borrower is servant to the lender.”

It’s interesting that when immigrants come to our country, they often do a much better job at saving than people who have lived in America for all their lives, despite the fact that they often earn far less.

Prayer Power
Father, when we follow Your principles, life works, and when we don’t, it doesn’t. Forgive me and my family for our past covetousness. Thank You that we are now able to give generously to Your Kingdom work. Help us to do a better job at saving. Set us free from all debt, including our home mortgage. Bless the readers of this message to be able to follow the 10-10-80 principle and to teach others to do likewise. Thank You Jesus for the power of prayer in Your name. Amen.

Link of the Day
” 10-10-80 principle” Surviving Financial Storms – YouTube video by church in Orange CA 92866

Blessings to follow the 10-10-80 principle!

Dr. Randy Peck
“Blessed to be a blessing”
The Connector – connecting people, ideas, and resources in Christ through the POWER of the Holy Spirit
www.yourdailyblessing.com

“The thief (Satan) does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10)

How do we overcome the spiritual famine?
What is fear of the LORD?

There is a great famine in the land (America) for the Word of God, prayer, and faith. Many people who profess to be followers of Jesus are starving spiritually. For some, their flames have stopped burning entirely. The following content from Chapter 9 of the Power of a Praying Parent is an outstanding description of fear of the LORD.

“When we read in the newspaper about young people stealing, killing, destroying property, or being sexually promiscuous, we can be sure that those individuals do not have a healthy fear of the Lord, nor a good understanding of His ways, nor a hunger for the things of God. Some of these young people may even be from Christian families and have received Jesus, but because they haven’t been taught to fear God and desire His presence they are controlled by their flesh.

Fearing God means having a deeply committed respect, love, and reverence for God’s authority and power. It means being afraid of what life would be like without Him and being grateful that because of His love we’ll never have to experience such despair. It means hungering for all that God is and all that He has for us.

There is so much in the world to divert our children’s attention away from the things of God, and the devil will come to each child with his agenda and plan to see if they will buy into it. But when we do our part to teach, instruct, discipline, and train our children in the ways of God…

… when we read them stories from God’s Word,

… when we teach them how to pray and have faith that God is who He says He is and will do what He says He’ll do,

… when we help them get plugged in with godly friends,

… when we show them that walking with God brings joy and fulfillment, not boredom and restrictions,

… when we pray with and for them about everything,”

Have your children developed a hunger for the things of God?

Prayer Power
Heavenly Father, we can only give away what we already have. Thank You for instilling in me a hunger for the things of God. Thank You for Pastor Mark Jarvis and Pastor Matt Gregory, who have coached me spiritually on a weekly basis for more than five years. Bless them and their families with Your uncommon favor. Thank You that both of my children are born-again. I pray that they will develop a deeper hunger for the things of God. Thank You Jesus. Amen.

Link of the Day
The Spiritual Famine in America – YouTube video

Blessings to you and your family to develop a hunger for the things of God!

When they had read it, they rejoiced over its encouragement. (Acts 15:31)

What kind of impact does validating others have?
What would the world be like if we all took a purposeful intent to be more validating of others?

In late October 2008 I went to the Relational Coaching Network (RCN) retreat at a beach house in Virginia Beach as guests of Jerry and Sharon Graham. In response to an email request by Tony Stoltzfus, a well-known, well-respected coach trainer who is the founder of the RCN, I agreed to videotape a session at the retreat about “How to Form and Run a Coaching Cell.”

Tony felt very strongly that for coaches to continue to be part of the RCN, they needed to participate in their coaching cell groups with at least 3 life coaches. So on December 4, Jerry, Deborah Smith, and I had our first 3-way coaching meeting over the phone. During that meeting, Jerry recommended we invite Ben Stewart to also be part of our group, which we gladly did. Ben accepted.

Yesterday afternoon, we had our first 4-way coaching cell group meeting with Jerry, Deb, Ben, and me, with Jerry serving as facilitator. Wow! This was an awesome blessings for all four of us with lots of encouragement and validation.

During the course of our conversation, Jerry shared one of his recent “two-way” (Jesus and him) journal entries. That prompted me to share one of my recent two-way journal entries. In response to that, Deb said that one of the things the LORD is holding her accountable to from this conversation is to journal again.

Later I shared a recent revelation that members of Team Destiny are like players on the same football team. When one player (e.g. the quarterback) does very well, that’s good for the entire team and all the players regardless of their role or notoriety. In response to that Jerry said, “Everyone gets the Super Bowl ring when the team wins.”

This led Jerry to highly recommend that we all watch a 16 minute movie about validation that he wrote about in one of his Daily Gram blog posts on December 5. Jerry said that is one of his favorite short videos in the past several years. Jerry reminded all of us that validating others is part of our DNA as coaches.

So after our meeting, I read Jerry’s blog post titled “Power of Validation” and then watched the video on that web page. That was well worth my time and such an encouragement that I decided to make today’s message about that. Enjoy the video at today’s Link of the Day.

Prayer Power
Heavenly Father, we praise You as the God of encouragement, the greatest Encourager ever, the God who validates us as children of God. I pray that everyone who watches the validation video will feel encouraged and validated, so much so that they will encourage and validate many others whom they meet. Thank You Jesus. Amen and hallelujah!

Link of the Day
Power of Validation video

Blessings to feel validated and to validate others!

Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

Are you overscheduled and overstressed?
On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your ability to say “No” to things that don’t belong in your schedule?
What steps will you take to improve that?

This week I’ll be sharing about reducing stress, something many people experience an especially big dose of during the Christmas season.

A few days ago, I received an email from John Miller, founder of QBQ! (Question Behind The Question) titled “QBQ! Boundaries: Saying No.” That title grabbed my attention when I first read it and has continued to grab my attention each time I’ve seen that email in my Inbox.

Like many of you, I struggle with saying “No!” or better yet “No thanks.” The problem with that is it leads to over committing, which results in my “yes” not always being “yes.” And that leads to disappointments and hurt relationships. It also leads to me neglecting simple important daily commitments to myself, such as eating breakfast and exercising.

Here is part of what John Miller shared in his email message:

Drawing boundaries and resisting the temptation to overdo are all about “taking care of me,” and contrary to popular opinion there’s nothing wrong with that. If more of us took care of ourselves, we just might have an abundance of joy, improved mental and physical health, and greater peace of mind during a season that is all about Peace On Earth.

(Disclaimer: So why isn’t this message titled “Saying YES!” and encouraging people to partake in celebratory activities like those listed above? Because that’s not where most of us require strength. The lesson needed for many is not YES but, “No, thanks. Not this time.”)

Sure, it’s fun to revel in the holidays and to give to others, but possibly the best gift I can give myself and those around me this season is the gift of saying NO.

Prayer Power
Heavenly Father, I confess that I have a problem saying “No” to things that You have not asked me to do or that simply do not fit into my schedule. Please forgive me. Help me to become much more disciplined with my daily and weekly routines and to prayerfully consider the cost of commitments before making them. Thank You Jesus. Amen.

Link of the Day
How To Say No to People Making Demands on Your Time – by Elizabeth Scott, M.S. (see below)

Blessings to learn to say no much more often!

———————————

Reference: [http://stress.about.com/od/settingboundaries/ht/say_no.htm]

How To Say No to People Making Demands on Your Time
By Elizabeth Scott, M.S., Updated: September 25, 2007

Are you overscheduled and overstressed? With today’s busy schedules, you’re not alone. One way to pare down your schedule is to get good at saying no to new commitments. Whether you say “yes” instead of no out of guilt, inner conflict, or a misguided notion that you can “do it all,” learning to say no to more requests can be one of the biggest favors you can do yourself and those you love. It helps reduce stress levels and gives you time for what’s really important.

Time Required: Very little. And it will free up time for what’s important!

Here’s How:
Just say, “I’m sorry. I can’t do this right now.” Use a sympathetic, but firm tone. If pressured as to why, reply that it doesn’t fit with your schedule, and change the subject. Most reasonable people will accept this as an answer, so if someone keeps pressuring you, they’re being rude, and it’s OK to just repeat, “I’m sorry, but this just doesn’t fit with my schedule,” and change the subject, or even walk away if you have to.

If you’re uncomfortable being so firm, or are dealing with pushy people, it’s OK to say, “Let me think about it and get back to you.” This gives you a chance to review your schedule, as well as your feelings about saying “yes” to another commitment, do a cost-benefit analysis, and then get back to them with a yes or no. Most importantly, this tactic helps you avoid letting yourself be pressured into overscheduling your life and taking on too much stress.

If you would really like to do what they’re requesting, but don’t have the time (or are having trouble accepting that you don’t), it’s fine to say, “I can’t do this, but I can…” and mention a lesser commitment that you can make. This way you’ll still be partially involved, but it will be on your own terms.

Tips:
Be firm — not defensive or overly apologetic — and polite. This gives the signal that you are sympathetic, but will not easily change your mind if pressured.

If you decide to tell the person you’ll get back to them, be matter-of-fact and not too promising. If you lead people to believe you’ll likely say “yes” later, they’ll be more disappointed with a later “no.”

If asked for an explanation, remember that you really don’t owe anyone one. “It doesn’t fit with my schedule,” is perfectly acceptable.

Remember that there are only so many hours in the day. This means that whatever you choose to take on limits your ability to do other things. So even if you somehow can fit a new commitment into your schedule, if it’s not more important than what you would have to give up to do it (including time for relaxation and self care), you really don’t have the time in your schedule.

This article has more strategies for finding time if you’re too busy.