🎶Stop…To Meditate and Listen🎵

[BTW, I do say that subject line in rhythm with Vanilla Ice’s “Ice Ice Baby” 😞🫢]

Henri Nouwen, in his transformational text “A Spirituality of Fundraising”, says the following about prayer:  “It is a spiritual discipline through which our mind and heart are converted from hostility or suspicion to hospitality toward people who have money…”

I find myself wondering, do I pray toward that end?  Is that the way you pray?  Truth be told, my prayers are often a summarized recap of the strategy I’m already planning to execute:

“Lord, help me to meet with new donors this week.”

“God, help us as we gear up for the event on Friday.”

“Father, help me as I make phone calls and send program updates.”

I’m not disparaging those prayers.  But I’m pretty sure they are not helping my heart and mind become more hospitable.  In some ways I wonder if these prayers simply reinforce my hostility.  They are about my actions and abilities to ‘win the day’ with givers.  I’m asking God to give me wisdom, courage, creativity, and favor.  I’m praying that he helps me.

Have you ever experienced the following?  You're with a group of people praying about your fundraising efforts.  You take a turn to pray and suddenly realize you’re no longer praying, but giving a pep talk.

Please hear me carefully...I am not making fun of those prayers or saying they don’t count but I do feel something is missing.  They miss the mark on converting our hearts and minds from hostility to hospitality.  How can we pray in a way that helps us with that conversion?

Meditate and Listen

Here are some specific approaches that have been transformational in my prayer life.  I begin by choosing a phrase and repeating it for five to ten minutes.  Nouwen suggests that when you do this the phrase evolves from simply a nice idea to a transformational truth which abides deep in your soul:

• Jesus looked at him and loved him
• Kindness leads to radical change
• Grant me love and compassion for those I meet
• Help me to lead with awareness and curiosity

Say the phrase and take a moment to be still and listen.  After a minute or so, repeat the phrase and listen some more.  Take a moment to write down ideas and names as they come to my heart and mind.  I believe adding this practice to prayer unleashes hospitality in our hearts, minds, souls.  It changes our focus to what God is doing in the lives of people with whom we will be meeting.

Meditate, listen…experience heart conversion

Blessings to all of you in your great work this week!

* * * * * * * * * *

Depending on your day to day needs in major donor fundraising, I have three options you can choose from to energize your efforts:‍

• ‍The Catalyst Course - an online course for those tasked with major gift fundraising.
• ‍The High-Performance Package (inquire directly if interested) - a major gift fundraising consultation for experienced professionals.‍
• The Flywheel Package - a customized six month consultation for people who are leading teams of major gift fundraisers.

‍The Catalyst Course is affordable at a cost of $500 and can be done in a schedule that fits best for you, taking anywhere from four weeks to three months to complete. Everything I have learned, successes and failures, is packed into the course for your benefit and enjoyment. I have taken hundreds of folks through this content, helping them with fundraising strategies to empower causes all over the world.

‍Now is the time to take advantage of these resources!

‍I look forward to hearing about your good work.

Blessings,

‍

‍