A Warning to the Church - Part 6

 

8In the very same way, these dreamers pollute their own bodies, reject authority and slander celestial beings. 9But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” 10Yet these people speak abusively against whatever they do not understand; and what things they do understand by instinct, like unreasoning animals— these are the very things that destroy them. 11Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam’s error; they have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion. 12These people are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm—shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted—twice dead. 13They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever. 14Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these people: “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones 15to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” 16These people are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.

—from the Book of Jude

As you read the Scripture verses at the beginning of this blog post, you can easily come to the conclusion that the Apostle Jude pulls no punches. He calls it like it is. Today, I continue this series of blog posts doing my best to unpack this short Book of Jude.

Word has reached Jude that the churches in Asia Minor—what today we call Turkey—have fallen victim to a common problem. Evil people have come into the church and, over time, ruptured the core of the church. They have taken steps to defame the long-term formal and informal leaders. They have told lies about the more spiritually sensitive believers. They have slowly, but surely, taken over the leadership of the church.

Then, they have brought in other outsiders and elevated them to significant positions of authority in the church. Thus, having seized the reins of control, they have systematically destroyed the effectiveness of the church, as a witness for the Gospel and as an earthly expression of the Kingdom of God. The church stands corrupted—its core has become ruptured. In this sad state of affairs, countless lives have been adversely affected.

Contemporaneous liturature of the time talks about the effect these actions had on the youngest members of the church—the children and youth. Many young people who had walked the “Christ-road” have now fallen away. They have seen their godly leaders replaced with ungodly ones. They have seen those who taught them the whole counsel of God replaced by ineffective strangers. The sense of close-knit family that they once had has now vanished, as the corruption within the church has spread to completion.

Into this utter morass of despair comes a strong letter from the half-brother of Jesus, the Apostle Jude. A son of Mary and Joseph, Jude has come to an understanding of the power of the risen Christ somewhat later in his life than you might have expected. It was initially very hard for Jude, his brother James, and his other brothers—Joseph and Simon—to understand that their older brother was not only the son of their mother Mary, He was the Son of the Living God.

But, having come to this reality, down through the years that follow, Jude has taken a significant leadership role. While his brother James became the principal leader of the church at Jerusalem, Jude has become a counselor to the leadership, has traveled widely visiting the fledgling churches, and has become a significant voice in encouraging the Christian spiritual formation of the new believers.

With such a significant role, you may wonder why we only have this short letter to remind us of the role Jude played at the inception of the church. Could it be that he was simply too busy doing the work of the Kingdom to write many letters? The very paucity of written words makes this short Book of Jude all the more powerful. He certainly doesn’t mince words. He has clearly and methodically defined the nature of those who have wormed their way into the church and, empowered by Satan, have set about rupturing the core of the church and destroying the effectiveness of the church.

How clever these false leaders were. They did not cause the church to cease to exist. Rather, they corrupted the church—ruptured its core—leaving it in place, but blunting its ability to do the work God had intended it to do for His own sake.

Do the words of Jude apply to us today? To discover whether or not they do, we must ask ourselves:

• How effective is our church in serving God?
  
  
• How truly dedicated are those who attend our church?
  
  
• How faithful are these dear ones in attending the services of our church?
  
  
• Do those who attend our church devote themselves to reading, studying, and meditating on God’s written Word?
  
  
• How committed are those who attend our church to daily, fervent prayer for the mission or our church and for their fellow church attendees?
  
  
• If we take a census of all the families in our church, do all the young people love Jesus and do they have an active part in the ministry of the church?
  
  

You see, among all of the above spiritual disciplines, when the young people in a church begin to fall away—shy away from church attendance, exhibit no interest in learning about Jesus, give no example of faith leading them through their daily lives—this offers one of the major signs that the core of the church has become ruptured. When a church loves Jesus and is fully committed to obediently serving Him, the young people in that church capture the vision of the Kingdom of God, alive and well, here on earth. They become excited and burst with enthusiasm—not enthusiasm for a program, nor for a personality leading a program, but enthusiasm for the things of the Lord that such a program or personality presents to them. Thus, the spiritual life of its young people provides a significant way of measuring the health of a church.

In my next blog post, I will endeavor to continue unpacking the words of the Apostle Jude. In the meantime, let’s determine to carefully examine our own lives and the lives of our churches. Has the core of our churches become ruptured? If so, what do we intend to do about it? If we don’t know what to do, the Apostle Jude will have some instruction for us.

As I have stated repeatedly in this series of blog posts, on the one hand, we must strive to push back against those who desire to rupture the core of the church. On the other hand, we must do so with hearts full of God’s love, with an awareness of our own inherent sinfulness, and with total reliance on the leading of the Holy Spirit. And, as I will frequently state during this series of blog posts, that represents quite a challenge.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

A Warning to the Church - Part 5

 

7 In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.

—from the Book of Jude

I began this series of blog posts with the intention of doing my best to unpack this short Book of Jude. If, as the old saying goes, “Dynamite comes in small packages!” then the Book of Jude packs a terrific whallop. As I stated in my first blog post on this topic:

As distasteful as the message the Apostle Jude intends to communicate to the fledgling church, it remains a powerful and timely warning for us today.

We often talk about corrupt politics, corrupt government, corrupt businesses, and sometimes even a corrupt church. The etymology of the word “corrupt” greatly informs the use of the word in our society today. The word “corrupt” comes from the idea that the “core” of someone or something has become “ruptured” or “burst apart from within.”

Concerned about all manner of sin and corruption that had wormed it’s way into the church, the Apostle Jude wrote with determined urgency. He wanted to warn the church about the impending disaster that would befall them, if they did not amend their ways.

By the time he wrote this letter, Jude had observed that the greatest threat to the church came from within. By slyly finding an entrance into the inner circle of the believers, individuals with evil intent could cause an erosion of trust and effectively rupture the core of the church.

I have written in each of the previous blog posts in this series about the harm that comes to the church—the body of Christ—when the core becomes ruptured. It spells doom for the church. Why? Because once the core of a church becomes ruptured, it can no longer fulfill the mission that the Lord Jesus Christ gave His church in the Great Commission, as recorded in Matthew 28:

¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

A ruptured core means the church has positioned itself in a place of utter failure. Oh, it may continue to meet and otherwise exist for some time after the core becomes ruptured. But, it operates as a shadow of its former self. And, the very people who have ruptured the core inherently lack the spiritual sensitivity and discernment to identify that the core has become ruptured. If someone does suggest that something seems wrong with the church, those same core-rupturing individuals quickly deny the obvious truth.

In the verse at the beginning of this blog post, Jude adds one final example to his list of dramatic experiences by making reference to the plight of Sodom and Gomorrah. You can find an account of this tragedy beginning in Genesis 13:13 where the Scripture records:

¹³ Now the men of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the Lord.

Homosexual behavor principally marked their sin. The king of this area seized Abraham’s nephew, Lot, and his family, and carried them off. Abraham had to come to Lot’s rescue.

Later, as recorded in Genesis 19, God sent two angels to Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot welcomed them and housed them in his home. But, the wicked men of Sodom demanded that Lot surrender the angels to them so they could sexually molest them.

Even though Abraham had pleaded for God to spare Sodom and Gomorrah—if he could locate just ten righteous men in those cities—Abraham could not find even that small number of God-fearing men. So, God rained fire and brimstone (burning sulfur) down on the cities and utterly destroyed them, initially sparing only Lot, his wife, and his two daughters—though following her disobedience to God’s command, Lot’s wife was later turned into a pillar of salt.

God’s judgment is swift and sure. Though God has great patience and waits a long time for men, women, boys, and girls to acknowledge their sins, repent of their sins, and receive His pardon through the precious blood of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, He will bring judgment on those who rupture the core—those who corrupt His church.

As I have stated repeatedly in this series of blog posts, on the one hand, we must strive to push back against those who desire to rupture the core of the church. On the other hand, we must do so with hearts full of God’s love, with an awareness of our own inherent sinfulness, and with total reliance on the leading of the Holy Spirit. And, as I will frequently state during this series of blog posts, that represents quite a challenge.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

A Warning to the Church - Part 4

 

6 And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home—these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day.

—from the Book of Jude

In this series of blog posts, I intend to do my best to unpack this short Book of Jude. The Apostle Jude continues his letter to Christians gathered in the portion of the world that today we call Turkey. He continues to list a series of offenses comparable to what he believes has afflicted the newly formed church. In the second example, he moves from the Rebellion of Korah to the Rebellion that took place in heaven when Lucifer tried to be God without God. You can find a record of this particular incident, as recorded in Isaiah 14:12-15:

¹² How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! ¹³ You said in your heart, “I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. ¹⁴ I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” ¹⁵ But you are brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit.

In this second example of godlessness unleashed, the Apostle Jude intends to prepare the true believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, gathered in newly formed churches in Turkey, for the hard work of taking a stand against corruption in the church. As I stated in my first blog post on this topic:

As distasteful as the message the Apostle Jude intends to communicate to the fledgling church, it remains a powerful and timely warning for us today.

We often talk about corrupt politics, corrupt government, corrupt businesses, and sometimes even a corrupt church. The etymology of the word “corrupt” greatly informs the use of the word in our society today. The word “corrupt” comes from the idea that the “core” of someone or something has become “ruptured” or “burst apart from within.”

One cannot be God without God. Satan tried it. It cost him everything. Likewise, in the church, leaders cannot assume the role of God. Rather, they must bow in humility before the one true God and seek His leading. They must become people of the written Word. They must follow God’s commands in Scripture. They must become servant-leaders. They must guard against impressing their human desires on the congregation they serve. They must approach every situation with seriousness and great care.

The Apostle Jude urges the true believers to contend for the faith. To break up the corruption. To cast out those who incite dissent and division, just as God cast Satan, and all of the angels who followed him, out of heaven. This seems like a daunting task. But, as we continue our study of the Book of Jude, we will see other examples that the Apostle gives to bolster the courage of believers as they contend for the faith.

As I have stated repeatedly in this series of blog posts, on the one hand, we must strive to push back against those who desire to rupture the core of the church. On the other hand, we must do so with hearts full of God’s love, with an awareness of our own inherent sinfulness, and with total reliance on the leading of the Holy Spirit. And, as I will frequently state during this series of blog posts, that represents quite a challenge.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

A Warning to the Church - Part 3

 

5 Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe.

—from the Book of Jude

Jude continues his letter to Christians gathered in the portion of the world that today we call Turkey. He begins by examining a series of offenses comparable to what he believes has afflicted the newly formed church. In the first example, he reaches back into the history of Israel to the time of deliverance from Egypt. You can find a representation of one such particular incident, as recorded in Numbers 16.

¹ Korah son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and certain Reubenites—Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth—became insolent ² and rose up against Moses. With them were 250 Israelite men, well-known community leaders who had been appointed members of the council. ³ They came as a group to oppose Moses and Aaron and said to them, “You have gone too far! The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is with them. Why then do you set yourselves above the Lord’s assembly?”

⁴ When Moses heard this, he fell facedown. ⁵ Then he said to Korah and all his followers: “In the morning the Lord will show who belongs to him and who is holy, and he will have that person come near him. The man he chooses he will cause to come near him. ⁶  You, Korah, and all your followers are to do this: Take censers ⁷and tomorrow put fire and incense in them before the Lord. The man the Lord chooses will be the one who is holy. You Levites have gone too far!”

God had spoken and had given clear leadership to Moses and Aaron. God expected His people to believe Him—to take Him at His word. As a result of what has become known as the “Korah Rebellion,” they perished because of their foolishness:

²⁸ Then Moses said, “This is how you will know that the Lord has sent me to do all these things and that it was not my idea: ²⁹ If these men die a natural death and experience only what usually happens to men, then the Lord has not sent me. ³⁰ But if the Lord brings about something totally new, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them, with everything that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the grave, then you will know that these men have treated the Lord with contempt.”

³¹ As soon as he finished saying all this, the ground under them split apart ³² and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, with their households and all Korah’s men and all their possessions. ³³ They went down alive into the grave, with everything they owned; the earth closed over them, and they perished and were gone from the community. ³⁴ At their cries, all the Israelites around them fled, shouting, “The earth is going to swallow us too!”

³⁵ And fire came out from the Lord and consumed the 250 men who were offering the incense.

This event demonstrates what happens to those who do not believe what the Lord has said. Jude wants to make a strong case for contending earnestly for the faith in order to repel corruption in the church.

“Corruption” stands as the most important concept to understand. I tried to carefully address this subject of corruption in my first blog post on this topic. In that post, I wrote the following:

As distasteful as the message the Apostle Jude intends to communicate to the fledgling church, it remains a powerful and timely warning for us today.

We often talk about corrupt politics, corrupt government, corrupt businesses, and sometimes even a corrupt church. The etymology of the word “corrupt” greatly informs the use of the word in our society today. The word “corrupt” comes from the idea that the “core” of someone or something has become “ruptured” or “burst apart from within.”

In future blog posts, as we examine the other parts of this powerfully packed epistle, you will likely come to see that our role as soldiers of Christ remains quite complex. On the one hand, we must strive to push back against those who desire to rupture the core of the church. On the other hand, we must do so with hearts full of God’s love, with an awareness of our own inherent sinfulness, and with total reliance on the leading of the Holy Spirit. And, as I will frequently state during this series of blog posts, that represents quite a challenge.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

A Warning to the Church - Part 2

 

1 Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James, To those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ: 2 Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance. 3 Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints. 4 For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless people, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.

—from The Book of Jude

And so, Jude begins his letter to Christians gathered in the portion of the world that today we call Turkey, but in those days was known as Asia Minor. Most evangelical scholars believe that Jude, a brother of James, was also a half-brother of the Lord Jesus Christ—namely, a natural child of the union of Mary and Joseph. Scholars note a similarity between the content of the Book of Jude and 2 Peter 2.

Based on his own admission in Jude 1:3, the Apostle originally intended to write a scholarly treatise on the doctrine of salvation. However, word had reached him of errant individuals who had infiltrated the fledgling church and who were causing chaos and division— who had corrupted the church. The etymology of the word “corrupt” greatly informs the use of the word in our society today. The word “corrupt” comes from the idea that the “core” of someone or something has become “ruptured” or “burst apart from within.”

Being told of the corruption in the church prompted the Apostle to write a letter of warning and instruction. He intended for his letter to circulate throughout the churches in various parts of the then known world, but most certainly in the place with the heaviest concentration of believers—Asia Minor, today known as Turkey.

Notice his strong admonition in Jude 1:3:

Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.

The use of the words “to contend for” has significant meaning. In New Testament Koine Greek the word epagonizesthai derives from the root word epagonizomai and indicates a determined forward push that strongly nudges aside anything that gets in the way.

In certain extra-biblical literature of the first century, the word described the movement Roman soldiers used to disperse a rebellious crowd. The soldiers would gather in a wedge formation and slowly and carefully step into the crowd, nudging the members of the crowd aside. This action pushed the unwanted crowd back, narrowed the amount of space they could occupy and, eventually, forced them to move elsewhere.

Jude indicates that faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is a faith that has worth for which one should earnestly contend. Those who wish to come in and crowd out the truth of the Gospel need dedicated soldiers of Christ to gently, yet firmly, push back until those who would crowd out the truth are themselves crowded out.

Such a concept will offend many. Especially those who wish to open wide their arms to embrace anyone who might come into the church. In truth, as followers of Christ we have to remain open to those whom God may lead into our midst to explore the faith. But, at the same time, we have to stay alert—that is, on our guard or on the lookout—for those who may try to take over leadership roles and dilute, or disparage, or fundamentally bend the orthodox truth of God’s written Word.

Becoming a contending soldier represents an enormous challenge for most of us. We will either become so zealous that our zeal will overcome the leading of the Holy Spirit to remain gentle and loving. Or, we will become gun-shy about actually going toe-to-toe with those who intend to pollute the truth of the Gospel.

Contending earnestly for the faith intends to repel corruption in the church. In future blog posts, as we examine the other parts of this powerfully packed epistle, you will likely come to see that our role as soldiers of Christ remains quite complex. On the one hand, we must strive to push back against those who desire to rupture the core of the church. On the other hand, we must do so with hearts full of God’s love, with an awareness of our own inherent sinfulness, and with total reliance on the leading of the Holy Spirit. And that, my dear one, represents quite a challenge.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

A Warning to the Church - Part 1

 

1 Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James, To those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ: 2 Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance. 3 Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints. 4 For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless people, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord. 5 Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe. 6 And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home—these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day. 7 In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire. 8 In the very same way, these dreamers pollute their own bodies, reject authority and slander celestial beings. 9 But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” 10 Yet these people speak abusively against whatever they do not understand; and what things they do understand by instinct, like unreasoning animals— these are the very things that destroy them. 11 Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam’s error; they have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion. 12 These people are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm—shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted—twice dead. 13 They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever. 14 Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these people: “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones 15 to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” 16 These people are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage. 17 But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. 18 They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.” 19 These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit. 20 But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. 21 Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. 22 Be merciful to those who doubt; 23 snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh. 24 To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—25 to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.

—The Book of Jude

The relatively short, one-chapter Book of Jude rests as the penultimate book in the Bible. As such, it often becomes lost between the Books of 1, 2, and 3 John and the Book of Revelation. If you regularly attend church, you will seldom—if ever—hear a sermon, or other teaching, based on this Book. Some pastors even avoid the Book of Jude, in the same way that Superman avoids Kryptonite.

I posted the entire 25 verses of this Book at the beginning of this blog post, so that you would have the opportunity to read through it before I start to share with you a series of blog posts on the content of this Book. As distasteful as the message the Apostle Jude intends to communicate to the fledgling church may seem, it remains a powerful and timely warning for us today.

We often talk about corrupt politics, corrupt government, corrupt businesses, and sometimes, sadly, even a corrupt church. The etymology of the word “corrupt” greatly informs the use of the word in our society today. The word “corrupt” comes from the idea that the “core” of someone or something has become “ruptured” or “burst apart from within.”

Thus, a corrupt church is one where the very core of that church has become burst apart from within. It has become “corrupt.” And that’s the message that the Apostle Jude brings so strongly to the New Testament church:

³Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints. ⁴For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless people, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.

In my next blog post I will explore this corruption that has so negatively affected the early church. And, over the next several blog posts, I will help us examine whether or not this message may apply to us today. Or, at the very least, whether or not this message is one that we should heed, lest we find ourselves in the same spiritual mess that plagued this particular early church.

Okay?

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

The Marks of Professionalism - Part 10: Knowing When to Ask for Help

 

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

—Colossians 3:23-24

“And, as you embark on your college career,” the esteemed professor told the incoming freshmen from the Class of 2029, “I urge you to aspire to become a professional in your chosen field. For it is within that framework that you will find life’s greatest rewards.”

Aspire to become a professional. Now that is good advice! But, what qualities mark a woman or man whom others acknowledge is a “professional?” So far in this series, I’ve suggested that “compassion,” “justice,” “common sense,” a “commitment to excellence, a “wholehearted determination to always tell the truth,” an “attention to details,” “going the second mile,” a “sense of humor,” and “practicing due diligence” are marks of a professional. This time I add to the list “knowing when to ask for help.”

Back in 1991, as I sat in front of my computer writing the original newsletter article on which this series of blog posts is based, I noted that:

Down the hail Dave-the-plumber is busily ripping apart the faucets in my upstairs bathroom. With a certain amount of grunting and groaning, he is attempting to renew the 21-year-old fixtures to stop a constant drip-drip that would make a water conservationist throw a tantrum.

Now a certain number of you are smirking to yourselves, “Call a plumber? What kind of a wimpy householder does that. Come on, Wilson, don’t you even know how to roll up your sleeves and get down under those sinks and fix that errant piping and those valves? Why you threaten the very existence of that manly art of do-it-yourself!”

You’re probably right. When it comes to do-it-yourself, I am definitely a wimp. But, I’ve come to my wimpiness out of a wealth of failed attempts.

Why I’m the guy who bought $200 worth of tune-up gear only to have messed up my car’s electrical system so badly that I almost had to call a tow truck to get the car over to a garage that could finish the simple adjustments I had tried to make.

I’m the guy who started to paint the trim in one of my former apartments, only to end up making such a mess of the job that I nearly had to have new flooring installed underneath where I was painting.

A “do-it-yourself wimp?” Indeed! And, sadly, I still haven’t learned my lesson.

You see the plumber is here only because I started the simple job of replacing the washers in the faucets. Only now I’m having to have the three sets of faucets all replaced. And, the only way I’m going to be able to pay for it is to get out there on the street and try to sell more copies of my newsletter. Just about ten new subscriptions at $125 each will do it.

My plumber, Dave, and I have come to an important agreement, however. He has promised me that he will not teach anyone about the ins and outs of fire protection, fire alarm, and burglar alarm systems, if I hang up my pipe wrench and stop pretending to be an under-the-sink craftsman. Frankly, I think it’s a bargain well struck.

A true professional knows when the task at hand is outside his or her area of expertise. One who has clearly been recognized as a professional knows when to call for help. And, a very real part of this is knowing who to call. Building a network of fellow professionals is an important part of enhancing your chosen business endeavor.

Just yesterday, a veteran in the fire protection business—a man I respect greatly—called me on the telephone. He simply wanted to touch base quickly on a job he was bidding. It was ever so slightly outside his normal area of expertise. After hearing his proposal, I made only one small suggestion. By and large he had hit the mark. When we ended our conversation, he went away knowing that he was on target. And, once again, I had experienced the satisfaction that comes from helping a fellow professional.

You really don’t have to know everything. In fact, if you have recently, or even for some time, been operating under the assumption that you “know it all,” then I urge you to reexamine yourself intently. The minute you begin to believe that you can go it alone through the jungle of processes, procedures, best practices, and standard operating methods for your particular business endeavor, you have taken the first step that will ultimately remove you from the ranks of those acknowledged as professionals.

Instead of trusting solely in your own abilities, make every effort to nurture the relationships you have with those who share your concern about raising the professionalism of your chosen field.

There’s a Winnie-the-Pooh story by A. A. Milne ¹ where Pooh Bear gets stuck leaving Rabbit’s hole after Pooh has feasted on some honey. Pooh tries every way he can possibly think of to get free. Finally, with Christopher Robin’s help, Pooh’s gains his freedom.

Pooh would likely agree, “When you’re stuck, it’s important to realize you need to call for help. And, it’s good to know who you need to call.”

“Knowing when to ask for help” and being willing to do so is truly a mark of a professional.

 

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1 Milne, A. A. Winnie-the-Pooh. New York: E. F. Hutton, 1926. Please note: the original 1926 book, Winnie-the-Pooh, is in the Public Domain in the U.S. This means the characters of Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, Christopher Robin, and the original descriptions/illustrations can be used for new works, such as books, films, or merchandise, without paying royalties. Though this citation is noted to be in the Public Domain, in the case of someone claiming Copyright protection of this material, please note that, in each case, whenever citation of any Copyrighted material is made within a post on this blog, such citation is made strictly for Educational Fair Use illustration purposes only. All Rights Reserved by the original Copyright Holder.

 

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