Jim Martin's Encouragement Note #141

Lately, I have been thinking about people who have blessed me in some specific way. These include:

1. Two high school students (friends of one of my grandsons) who talked with me at a baseball game. We laughed at the end of the game as they stood near the concession, hoping the remaining food would be discounted.

2. A high school english teacher in our Sunday morning Bible class who brought me a book of stories by William Faulkner. He thoughtfully remembered our earlier conversation about Faulkner.

3. A young minister who I have been mentor/coaching who remarked about the helpfulness of this to his ministry.

4. A friend who very thoughtfully asked a neighbor for a mower he was discarding. My friend did this with the intention of giving it to my 15 year old grandson who is interested in mowing people’s lawns. He even did some repairs and maintenance on the mower. (This included rebuilding the carburetor!)

5. A couple whom I married many years ago in Waco, Texas blessed me with their joy in an unexpected meeting. I happened to be on the Harding University campus and they were there for the day, as well. Their smiles and delight made my day!

Consider creating your own list. Who have blessed you lately?

I want to remember the following as I begin my day:

1. I need to smile. I want to look for moments that bring a smile to my face and relish this. Sometimes just smiling at someone can brighten their day.

2. Helping to lighten somebody’s load is important. This can be something as simple as offering to take a grocery cart to the rack on the parking lot for someone who has just placed their groceries in their car.

3. Remembering that I’m not the only one with a problem. In fact, most everybody I will see today has a problem. Remembering that others have problems as well this can give me a better perspective on my problem. While it may be tough to navigate through my problem, there are others who also have problems.

4. Moving my body will help. Charlotte and I typically go to the gym five days a week. When I exercise, I typically feel better. Movement can help. You may not go to the gym but a walk around the block or just being outside can make a difference in how you feel.

5. Today, my mindset or my “self-perception” really matters. My mindset impacts the way I feel and even the way I approach life. My mindset is what I believe about myself, my life, and the world. You and I can choose our mindset. Your circumstances do not create your mindset. Rather, you can choose to have a particular mindset given who you are in Christ.

These five simple truths help me each day. Is there one that you might give more attention?

I was a young UPS (United Parcel Service) driver, right out of college. During college, I had been working for UPS, part-time, unloading trucks. At the time, I was planning to go into management with the company. So I began by driving a delivery truck in the heart of downtown Dallas.

One regular stop was a jewelry company in a tall office building at 500 South Ervay St. This jewelry company was a distributor of fairly inexpensive jewelry for women. Typically, I would arrive at this office building in mid-afternoon with packages to deliver. One afternoon, I got off the freight elevator and was in the shipping area of the jewelry company. I was met by the shipping manager who appeared agitated and then began yelling at me. Apparently, he was waiting for a package that had not yet arrived and he was “hot.”

He examined each package, and seemed to get louder and louder. A crowd of employees began to gather around us and watched. Finally, after he finished checking each package, I was able to leave.

The next afternoon, I arrived again at the jewelry company and this time was met at the elevator by two men in suits. They asked me to step into an office with them. I quickly realized that they were in an upper management roles in this company. They each shook their heads and one said, “We are absolutely embarrassed by the behavior of our shipping manager yesterday. This is not the way we do business.”

Years later, I remember the graciousness of these two men. I was a very young man, fresh out of college, wearing a brown UPS uniform. Yet, they took the time to graciously apologize. Their words and their attentiveness meant a lot.

Words and acts of graciousness can go far and may be remembered for many years. Some of the best people in the world are quick to say, “I’m sorry. I didn’t handle that well. My fault.”

Share

Walker Percy, once spoke at the 1983 commencement service for St. Joseph College Seminary. At the end of his address (found in his book, Signposts In A Strange Land, p. 325), he spoke of the opportunities for anyone who would serve in ministry:

The opportunity is simply this: that never in history has modern man been in greater need of you, (and) has been more confused about his identity and the meaning of his life. Never has there been such loneliness in the face of crowds, never such hunger in the face of satiation. Never has there been a more fertile ground for the seed, and the harvest the Lord spoke of. All that is needed is a bearer of the Good News who speaks it with such authenticity that it can penetrate the most exhausted hearing, revive the most jaded language. With you lies the future and the hope. You and the Church you serve may be only a remnant but it will be a saving remnant.

I love these words. Such a good reminder that what we do matters!

1. I enjoyed this very nice article about South Carolina women’s basketball coach, Dawn Staley. “Dawn Staley: National championship contender and NCAA Tournament Fairy GodmotherA Word to Any Church Leader”

2. An interesting piece from The New York Times Style Magazine (February 3, 2026). “How to Make Friends as an Adult.” A very practical article for anyone who wants new ideas for friendship.

3. A very thoughtful article: “How to Bring Christian Spiritual Formation into Local Congregations” (Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care - Vol. 18 (2) 2025, pp. 241-256).

4. Outstanding article by Cal Newport, “Technology Weakens Our Minds: We Can Fix This” (The New York Times, March 27, 2026). (Newport is professor of computer science at Georgetown University and the author of Deep Work.)

I formerly served as Vice President of Harding School of Theology, Memphis, Tennessee. Prior to this, I served as a minister in various congregations for 36 years.

Much of my time is spent in conversation with ministers and other church leaders. I do mentor/coaching each week. I continue to teach and preach in various congregations by request.

I am a husband, father, and grandfather. One of my favorite things to do is to come alongside another person and encourage her or him.

My e-mail address is: jmartin9669@gmail.com. Feel free to write. I would love to hear what is encouraging. — Jim Martin