Jason R. Sharp

The power of a simple suggestion

One of the highlights of being the Station Manager of 98.5 KTIS is hearing stories of changed lives. Testimonies of how God uses this ministry to be a blessing to others. One such story came by email recently:

A few years ago I moved to Minnesota to get married. After a short period of time, things started to change for all the wrong reasons but it was then that a friend of mine told me about 98.5 KTIS.

Thank you for telling others about the ministry of KTIS. Although we have been on the air for 63 years, there are still many in our community who are unaware of what God is doing here! You more than likely have a friend or two, regardless of where they are in their faith, who would be “surprised” to find that there is a Christian radio station that they can listen to for the daily hope and encouragement they need. She goes on to say:

I never stop listening. KTIS gives me courage and comfort. The music has brought me closer to God and I feel that KTIS is with me throughout my difficulties. The kids love singing and dancing to the music around the house!

Not only is Jane receiving the support that she needs each day but seeds are being planted in her children that will continue to be watered as they grow. And it’s happening all because someone said, “Hey, you should listen to 98.5 KTIS!”

At KTIS, it is not our goal to be the most listened to radio station in the Twin Cities. Instead, we hope to be there for you, your friends, your family and co-workers -- when you need us -- as a resource to help encourage you each day to grow in your faith.

Will you share KTIS with your friends?

My three moms

Somehow, for some reason, God decided to place three wonderful mothers in my life.

When I married Julie on September 28, 1996, I knew that she would be a great wife but I had no idea that she would be such a great mom! She is the world's greatest. Julie keeps our family humming and is a gift to Haley & Carson...and me. Happy Mother's Day babe.

 

 

 

My mom, Judy Sharp, raised me to believe in myself and instilled the confidence in me to be who I am today. She prays for me daily and tells me that I am always in her heart. Happy Mother's Day mom!

 

 

 

And I hit the gold mine when it comes to my mother-in-law, Bev Isaacs. Although she lives a long ways away, she is always sending text messages encouraging me along the way. I appreciate her very much. Happy Mother's Day mom!

 

 

 

 

Proverbs 31: 25-31 Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: “Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all." Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

A man's look at friendship

My wife Julie and I spent almost 10 years in Johnson City, TN. East Tennessee is truly a beautiful place to live, and as both Haley and Carson were born there, it is also a great place to raise kids. It's true what they say about Southerners -- they are sweet, friendly and are truly great people. Julie and I both made some lifelong friends. Oh, and the bbq is through the roof.

We moved to Minnesota in 2007 and absolutely love it. As a family, we are doing better, and are happier, than ever. We do think about our TN friends often, but, unfortunately we rarely keep in touch. I'm not sure why, really, life just happens and “out of sight out of mind”, I guess. That said, one of my closest friends from TN was Bob P. Shortly after we arrived in Johnson City, Julie and I met Bob and Janette at a childbirth class as we were preparing the arrival of our daughter, Haley, and they were preparing for their first child, too. We journeyed together and shared laughs and struggles along the way. For the next several years, Bobby and I especially did a lot of things together and in a recent email exchange, he said:

That reminds me to tell you that you are a great friend. I truly believe you only get a few special friends in this life [and] you are one of mine. I miss hangin’ with you.

According to a study documented in the June 2006 issue of the journal American Sociological Review, Americans are thought to be suffering a loss in the quality and quantity of close friendships since at least 1985. The study states that 25% of Americans have no close confidants and that the average total number of confidants per person has dropped from four to two. That might be even smaller for guys, really, as we typically have difficulty opening up to others and often use the excuse of “a busy life” to keep us from doing so. I know that I’m guilty of that. Women, God bless them, really do friendships in a wonderful and healthy way.

I hope that you have a great friend, or two, or three. They are truly a gift. Cherish great relationships and don’t take them for granted. Life goes by quickly and you might move to Minnesota.

Proverbs 18:24 says, “The man of many friends [a friend of all the world] will prove himself a bad friend, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”

My favorite Friday of them all!

If you could turn someone's entire day around, would you?

A KTIS listener driving a Silver Dodge Stratus made a huge difference for Julie this week! Julie's  note: 

On my way to work this morning I went to Caribou Coffee. I had a very rough night with my 7-month-old [and] I needed the pick me up and I decided to splurge and purchase a breakfast sandwich as well. When I got to the window to pay I was told that the lady in front of me paid for my order! I was so very shocked. I knew the car in front of me was a Silver Dodge Stratus but I never did see her again.

After I got to work I started telling people about what happened and several of them told me it was a Drive-Thru Difference that KTIS advertises to do on Fridays. I still cannot believe that this happened and that there are good people out there that do this sort of thing for complete strangers. What a wonderful thing. She turned my entire attitude around in flash and I couldn't be more thankful. Honestly, I cannot wait to do this for someone else the next time I do stop to get a coffee.

I ran some errands on lunch today and I tuned into KTIS. I forgot how wonderfully uplifting the music is! I used to listen to KTIS quite often, but like so many others, I stray from the word of God. I am certain I will be tuning in to KTIS more often now.

You don't have to take out a loan, move a mountain, or plan months in advance to make a difference. How about trying the KTIS Drive-Thru Difference? Tomorrow is our official DTD Day and you can grab the flyer here.

Jesus, fame, and squeaky windows

No matter who you are or where you have come from, or what you have been through, you my friend are a leader. God has given you influence and you have responsibility to use that influence to lead others in a healthy and productive way! But, you cannot do that if you first aren’t leading...you!

Here’s something that has been challenging me as of late. The ministry that God has called me to lead will only grow as much as I do, spiritually. I love that. I hate that. My challenge to you is the same; your family, the people you lead, they are counting on you to develop your spiritual muscles so that they can also grow in their leadership.

So, I’m back in school and I’m learning that, when it comes to my leadership, my ultimate success will be determined by how well I take care of my inner life. The stuff that is going on deep down inside. I can mask it, I can hide it and I can tell myself that it is not really there, but unless I give attention to it, I will be unable to build a firm foundation from which I can exercise influence.

I’m not much of a builder and that’s being generous. I am horrible at anything that requires a fix. It’s honestly embarrassing how bad I am at it. God bless my wife, Julie. Have you ever tried to raise a window on the top floor of a home only to find out that it is stuck? Experts say that when a window jams when opening it, it is a sign of a problem with the foundation. I figured a flooded basement was the sign of a faulty foundation. Something big. Something drastic. Something obvious! But, not being able to open a small upstairs window means you might have a big, expensive problem below the surface that needs to be fixed. It is true in our lives, too, isn’t it? We make one bad decision that may seem small at the time but that shows that we have a problem in our foundation. We need to constantly and consistently be working on the foundation, every day.

So how do we do that?

We can only look to the example of Jesus, who felt it vital to get away regularly from his crazy schedule for times of inner refreshment. It was necessary so that he could stay close to his Father. As Jesus' fame grew throughout Galilee, Luke 5:15 says that "vast crowds came to hear him preach and to be healed of their diseases." From our point of view, he was becoming more and more successful and his entourage was getting bigger. Jesus handled that by withdrawing. Luke 5:16 says he "often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer." Jesus took time away from his busy schedule to be quiet with his Heavenly Father.

We would be wise to follow his example.

What is on the inside is what matters. You were called to lead. Lead yourself first and trust God for the rest.

Exclamation point forgiveness

I'm such a dimwit. This email is from my daughter after I again apologized for raising my voice at her last night:

No problem!  Have a great day:)

The point of this post is to not to gain your sympathy but to applaud Haley for being so forgiving and loving even when her dad messes up. Which happens a lot. You see, I overreacted to something that I shouldn't have overreacted to, and, like always, it was no big deal after all.

While I am thankful for her forgiveness, I am extremely touched by her exclamation point and smiley face. I wonder...when was the last time that you forgave someone with such joy and delight? It has been a while since I have. I usually perform the spiritual discipline of forgiveness by dragging my feet, or by kicking and screaming. "Sure, I'll forgive you alright but how sorry were you again?"

Matthew 6:14 says, "For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you."

Dear God, please forgive me for saying hurtful things to the people that I love the most and thank you, Father, for your forgiveness and for the forgiveness that my kids graciously bestow upon their dad with exclamation points and smiley faces. Help me to follow their example and thank you for blessing me with them.

 

Have you saved a life yet today?

At KTIS, we do this little thing called PrayerWorks! It's an online initiative that encourages listeners to pray for others. You can click "I just prayed for this request" and the person who posted it can see how many people have prayed for them and it serves as encouragement when someone is going trough a difficult time. You can find out about it here.

God is using PrayerWorks in a mighty way. In fact, he is working through YOU in a mighty way!

Dear KTIS,

Thank you! I do not know where to begin, I was originally skeptical about the prayer works deal after 2 prayers from complete strangers, I feel a lot better. Maybe there I mean more to this world than I think. Thank you Thank you Thank you! I feel like things might get better. I feel like the thoughts of suicide might leave. I feel like the scars might heal and the bruises might fade. I can almost feel God's arms around me, but I do feel something keeping from him and I want that feeling to leave. I feel unsafe but through your prayer works... maybe that feeling will go away.

Sincerely,

a 16 year old girl in need of Christ's love

Were you one of the two that prayed for her? If so, God used you to help save a life!

We never know how God is going to use us. He doesn't owe us an explanation. It's our job to be faithful. It's his job to do the work. 

2 Chronicles 15:7 says, "But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded."

I get on my nerves

We weren't meant to go it alone and I'm glad. I like me, but I get on my nerves after awhile.

Let's admit it, laughing alone is no fun. Crying alone, well, that's no fun either. When you're going through a rough patch, it's best to have a friend to commiserate with, right? And, when you hear good news, what's the first thing you do? You call (text, email or Facebook) a friend. God made us that way...to live in community with one another.

When I look around at the different areas of my life (home, church, work), I am simply amazed at the wonderful people that God has placed there for me. Family who mean so much that God chose for ME to trek through this life with them. Friends who love me and want the best for me. 

"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor. If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?" Ecclesiastes 4:9-11

Might it be worth your time to think about the people God chose for YOU to join you on this journey?

What your support is doing!

A few years ago, KTIS launched PrayerWorks, an online community of people encouraging each other through the power of prayer. Today we gathered at our team meeting and paused to celebrate the one millionth prayer on PrayerWorks!

This means the prayer requests that have been posted by KTIS listeners have been prayed for one million times! Can you believe that? 

Our vision at KTIS is that the entire community would know and experience God's love and the difference that He can make in their lives. Imagine every person in the Twin Cities feeling a touch from God through the efforts of those who listen to KTIS!

That's what we work for each day and cannot do it without you and your faithful support of KTIS. THANK YOU!

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. James 5:16

 

Is it even possible to achieve?

I'm currently enrolled in the Masters of Organizational Leadership program at Northwestern College, and, in my current class, we have been discussing concepts from one of my favorite business books, Good to Great. One question that has been asked is, "As a Christian leader, should it be easier to be, what Collins refers to as, a Level 5 leader?" I think it's much more difficult.

A Level 5 leader, leads an organization where they have mad success but no one takes the credit for it. Some attributes of a Level 5 leader include, according to Collins:

• A combination of humility and will. The person is modest and fearless.
• Has ambition for the company first and puts concern for his own success well after that.
• A compelling modesty. Those who work with Level 5 leaders would say that they are quiet, humble, modest, reserved, shy, gracious, mild-mannered, self-effacing, and understated. This person also does not believe his own clippings!
• Has an unwavering resolve to know what must be done and is willing to do whatever it takes to make the organization great.
• Level 5 leaders point to others when they have success and look only at themselves in times of failure.

So, why do I think it's more difficult for a Christian leader to be a Level 5 leader? Because I know exactly what the standard is and how I fail to measure up to it each day. Jesus set the Level 5 leadership standard of all time! Philippians 2: 5-11:

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself  by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (NIV).

As Christian leaders, the first step in our journey towards Level 5 leadership status must be the idea of leading ourselves. We truly cannot lead anyone effectively if we first aren’t practicing self-leadership. Our ultimate success, as leaders, will come from how well we master our inner life. And yes, that's more important than experience and education.

Jesus perfected all of the venues of self-leadership; spiritual, physical, emotional and intellectual. This is why Jesus, who knew no sin, was the ultimate Level 5 leader and why it is so difficult for Christian leaders to achieve it. However, we must not lose heart. He who called us is faithful! God sees in us what we do not see in ourselves and we should daily strive lead at a very high level, for His glory. Those who follow us are counting on it.

Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Hebrews 12:1