Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Saying Yes to No at a Key Moment


As of August 20th, I’ve officially said Yes to a new element in my work—namely the exciting world of college ministry. It’s a Yes that brings a renewed passion for mentoring college students at a critical time in their life, where they will make some of their most important decisions. In addition, estimated that something like 90% of the students in Chico have no connection with a faith community. And that’s a challenge I love taking on.

It’s also an exhilarating time because my book, Say Yes to No is beginning to emerge. I’m the stage of galleys, the pre-publication versions of the book. Galleys, if you don’t know this phase (I didn’t), look like a paperback edition 1.0, and they are sent to various religion reports, magazines, new stations, and the like throughout the country. By the way, if you're interested, check out the book on Amazon .

The basic premise of the book—as I’ve thrown in this blog from time to time—is that the simple word No can transform your life and enable your dreams and character to flourish. Strategic No’s safeguard the key Yes’s of your personal life, work, and love. Ultimately No leads to Yes because the Power of No produces health, integrity, true success, and a life of beauty.

One of the first things I’m going to say to the college students of our church’s ministry, The Door, is that, during these years, it’s critical to say the right Yes’s and to realize that related to this is declaring the right No’s. The payoff for the rest of life could hardly be greater.