What Glenn Writes

This is my last post in a series on how we are branded, brand others, and even brand God in our relationships.  The first posts are “Relationships Are Tough”, “Self Branding”, “The Brand Experience”, and “Maverick” .

This series of posts is on our relationships – our relationships with each other, with God, and with ourselves.  Through this series of posts, I reviewed a fairly boring subject for most people, though I do not mean to offend anyone who finds the subject of branding riveting, or on some level, exhilarating.  Certainly, there are people who make their living off of branding, brand management, and the marketing strategies centered on trademarks and brands.  I think I caught some of their excitement in my research on branding, which is why the subject filtered through these posts. 

I believe the Lord is using the subject of branding to help me, and maybe you, realize the value He establishes in each of us.  This is not new to me.  I know the Lord values each of us.  You, most likely, also have this understanding.  Yet like everything academic, I am learning how to apply this knowledge and understanding to my life. 

It is all in the application.

There are so many ways to look at our value, but we only need to look at the Cross to gain an understanding of how the Lord values us.  The Cross is a powerful statement.  The Cross gives us a glimpse of God’s character and personality, while expressing the fullness of His love for us.  However, for some, the Cross is a stumbling point where the entire concept of God giving all that He is so we can be all that we are is overpowering and a hard concept to grasp.  Some struggle with the idea of a bloody Jesus hanging on the Cross, or even a clean, well-groomed Jesus hanging on the Cross.  For those who receive very little in life from those around them, to receive so much from Someone like God is overwhelming and sometimes too much of a leap to overcome.  Even a good understanding of the Cross is laced with a lack of comprehension to the depth the Cross impacts our lives. 

We tend to blend in with the world.  We find this natural and sometimes easier to accept.  This is like a bad brand name.  Seth Godin explains the concept of a bad brand name in his blog post, “A Dumb Brand Strategy”.  He writes, “Jewelry Central is a really bad brand name. So are Party Land, Computer World, Modem Village, House of Socks, and Toupee Town.  It’s a bad brand name because Central or Land or World are meaningless. They add absolutely no value to your story, they mean nothing and they are interchangeable…. It’s just generic.”

When a marketer uses a bad brand name, the value of the product or brand blends in with the rest of shelf.  When the marketer fails to recognize the value, how can anyone else?  When we fail to recognize our own value, we give others few choices with which to work.  We become generic, bottom shelf, and cheap.  We might try to change the package of the product, put on some color, and improve our outward appearance, but we are not going to change the value rooted in our hearts – that is to say, a cheap product in expensive packaging is still a cheap product. 

God does not see us this way.  Who are we to disagree with God? 

Have you ever had a pebble strike your windshield and create a little divot or pockmark in the glass?  If you don’t get it fixed within the first week, it actually starts to disappear.  Oh, it is still there, but for some reason you stop seeing it.  You get in your car, drive to work, school, or run your errands, and completely miss the blemish.  The mark becomes invisible to you until a passenger hops in your car and asks, “How did that happen?”  You may have to take a moment to realize to what the passenger is referring, and then you may forget how long the glass divot has been there. 

What we see or don’t see everyday gets lost in our perception of reality.  

Our perception of reality may cause us to see ourselves as generic, with no value, or to overlook damage, hurts, or pain.  This same perception of reality may cause us to see others as generic, with no value, yet rarely do we overlook their damage, hurts, or pain.  We are like the passenger getting into your car and pointing out your glass pockmark, and you can be sure we will tell others about it once we get out of your car. 

This is not the reality God intended for us.  I referred to the Garden of Eden in my first post in this series, and I return there now to find the perfect unity God designed in our relationship with Him and with others.  Genesis 1:27, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”  We are created in His image and in His likeness, and when it comes to relationships, Jesus tells us of the unity of this likeness and image in John 17:22-23.  This passage is clear in illustrating the reality God intended for us with, “I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” 

God does not see us as generic.  He would not want unity with someone or something having no value.  Instead, He wants us in unity and a relationship with Him to the point where we are one with Him.  Our value is instantly established in God. 

God does see our damage, our hurts, or our pain.  Just as Jesus was restored after His death, so is His desire with each of us.  He desires for us to be restored in many ways: physically, emotionally, spiritually, relationally, and in ways beyond our comprehension.

Think of one of your highly valuable possessions.  How do you take care of it?  If it is broken, do you fix it?  If it is dirty, do you clean it?  How much more will God take care of you, whom He values more than anything we could ever possess? 

Ephesians 2:10 tells us, “For we are God’s workmanship…”  The New Living Translation says it in another way, “For we are God’s masterpiece…”  When I look in the mirror, it is difficult to see God’s masterpiece under the chubby belly, scars, zits, pockmarks, greasy hair, and stupid grin, but God’s eyes are not limited like mine.  He sees what I cannot see.  God does not see what you or I see when we look in the mirror or at others. 

When Michelangelo was interviewed and asked about his work on the statue David, it is said he replied, “I just looked at the marble and got rid of whatever was not David.”  Whether this is true or legend, it provides a good illustration of how God sees each of us.  Michelangelo saw a masterpiece in a very generic piece of marble, and worked to get rid of what did not belong.  God sees a masterpiece in what otherwise might be considered generic, and is working to get rid of what does not belong. 

• Do you think of yourself as generic, plain, or without value? 
• Do you hide your emotional pain and unforgiveness? 
• Do you overlook your hurting relationships? 
• Have you gotten so used to the pockmarks in your heart that it is creating callousness?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you should know Scripture gives you an answer to seeing yourself in another way.  Besides all the commonly quoted Scripture you have read from John 3:16, in Romans, and other verses supporting this concept, I find the verses in Matthew 13:15-16 and Acts 28:26-28 (both the same) to speak to this situation so well. 

“For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’ “Therefore I want you to know that God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!”

God sees you as His masterpiece.  He has established your value, and wants to get rid of what does not belong.  The pain, the hurt, and the unforgiveness have no room in His masterpiece.  The above verses tell us to see with our eyes (search out His Word), hear with our ears (listen in prayer and to sound Biblical instruction), to understand with our hearts (believe), and turn to Him as our Creator, and what will He do?  He will heal us. 

• Do you think of yourself as generic, plain, or without value? 
• Do you hide your emotional pain and unforgiveness? 
• Do you overlook your hurting relationships? 
• Have you gotten so used to the pockmarks in your heart that it is creating callousness?

If you answered yes to these any of questions again, let’s pray together.  If you have read the prayers in the earlier posts instead of saying them, this time say the prayer – whether in a whisper or spoken word, say the prayer out loud.  (I know, God hears prayers you think and prayers don’t have to be verbal and prayers can be thought prayers and all the other reasons for not saying the prayer, but I’m not stating this is the only way to pray.  I’m suggesting for this prayer, for this time, for this exercise, you say the prayer instead of just reading it). 

“Lord Jesus, You are the One who has made me valuable.  You created me, made me for a purpose, and died for me on the Cross.  You have made me more than generic, worth more than marble, worth more than precious gems or jewels – you paid for me with Your life and therefore made me priceless.  Lord, I confess I am hurt.  Lord, I confess I have been hurt by others.  And, Lord, in turn I have hurt others and caused others pain.  I have been manipulated.  I have treated others unfairly and considered myself unimportant.  I am weak.  I am wrong.  And, I am sorry.  My reactions are wrong and I have sinned.  I ask You to forgive me.  I ask you to search out my heart and illuminate that which does not belong, and give me the strength to confess what I did wrong, forgive what was done wrong to me, forgive those who wronged me, hurt me, or caused me pain, and receive Your healing.  I ask You, Lord Jesus, to help me heal my relationships with others.  I ask this in Your name, Jesus.  Amen.”

This was an interesting series of posts for me.  I learned a few things and I hope you picked up a point or two along the way. 

Am I different than I was a few weeks ago?  Maybe just a little.   If you are like me, you probably think it would be just great for God to snap His fingers, wave a little God Wand or something, and say the magic words to make everything better in life.  An easy fix does not guarantee a permanent fix, whereas when we work to correct something, we are less likely to fall back into our older habits.   I plan to keep praying about it.  I hope you do, too. 

Glenn Sasscer

www.glennsasscer.com
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The series: “Relationships Are Tough”, “Self Branding”, “The Brand Experience”, “Maverick”, “A Masterpiece”.

I started this series of blog posts with “Relationships Are Tough” where I related how our self-image impacts our relationships, including our relationship with God.  I continued with our self-image by looking at how we brand ourselves with “Self Branding”, and since I was on the branding theme, I also looked at how we brand God with “The Brand Experience”.

For some reason, I am finding the subject of branding an interesting topic.  While it is relatively boring, I am beginning to see patterns in our buying habits influenced by branding and brand marketing.  I am also seeing Christian lifestyle habits influenced by our natural branding of faith, God, or our understanding of Scripture. 

The whole idea of branding is establishing a recognized value for a purchase.  Well, what did Jesus Christ do on the Cross?  He established a value in each of us by paying the ultimate price, branding us as His own.  When I look at branding in this light, it takes on a whole new meaning, yet it gets deeper.

Brands are often associated with trademarks, as these were the first effective forms of branding when factories would burn their insignia or company logo into their wooden shipping barrels, crates, or containers.  Trademarks are powerful.  When you see a certain styled checkmark, you automatically associate the mark with Nike.  A slogan may also come to mind, “Just do it.”  The Nike trademark and slogan have influenced us to associate a value and recognition with a simple checkmark.  If branding can be this powerful of an influence, shouldn’t we be more aware of the manipulation happening all around us?  How much more powerful of an influence is branding with our faith?

Any branding or trademark for a company is an investment for them in their marketing, although this is an investment which will increase their sales if they can establish what is known as brand loyalty.  Brand loyalty is influencing a consumer to purchase and repurchase within the same product line with the same brand.  A good example of brand loyalty would be when a person only buys Ford vehicles, only drinks Coke products, or will only shop at specific stores.  The whole brand loyalty concept is patterned around a lifestyle associated with the product and the value of the product.  The concept of brand loyalty, while it is still manipulation at the very core of the experience, creates an emotional response from the consumer – for some reason, we just feel good sticking with one brand.  We made a good buy.  

Cattle were also branded, and incidentally, the new “no logo” or “no brand” approach is not so new, as a Texas rancher named Samuel A. Maverick decided on this very same approach when he returned from the American Civil War.  He found many of his neighbor’s cattle already branded, so his claim would be all the cattle with no markings.  This is where we get the term, “maverick”. 

Maverick soon came to mean any unbranded cattle or a calf separated from its mother, and also translated to men or people standing off on their own, a non-conformist, or one who lived by a different set of rules.  John McCain was branded as a maverick by the press for his willingness to disagree with his political party during his campaign for the American presidency in 2008. 

If the term existed at the time He refused to conform to the teachings and rules of the synagogue, Jesus would have been branded a maverick.  He was the non-conformist of the day, asking others to conform instead to a different path.  Still today, the world would view Jesus as a maverick.  He would be branded as a non-conformist in most churches professing to worship Him, but that is a topic for another post (Hint: Listen to “My Jesus” by Todd Agnew). 

Jesus would be branded a maverick in relationships.  He does not accept the norm in any form of friendship or interaction.  He does not respect personal space or privacy; instead He wants to be closer to you than any other.  He does not leave things alone or allow us to be quiet, that is, if we truly pursue Him; He wants to eliminate anything hindering our unity with Him – our personal unity with Him.  He wants us to be united with Him, as He prays in John 17:20-21, “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” 

Jesus does not accept the norm in any form of friendship or interaction. In John 4:7-9, Jesus breaks the barriers of what is acceptable for relationships.  “When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, ‘Will you give me a drink?’  (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)  The Samaritan woman said to him, ‘You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?’ (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)” 

Many times He broke with what was normally accepted in relationships, one of my most favorite examples is in Mark 2:15-17, “While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him.  When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: ‘Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?’  On hearing this, Jesus said to them, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.’”

Jesus did not care what society thought of His relationships.  The branding of the Samaritans did not stop Him from talking with the woman at the well, and he felt comfortable eating with those branded as undesirable by the church leaders.

This Maverick of the time did what was necessary to bring healing to those who believed, including spitting in a man’s mouth.  Mark 7:32-35 records, “There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged him to place his hand on the man.  After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue.  He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, ‘Ephphatha!’ (which means, ‘Be opened!’).  At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.” 

Are your ears open today?  Will you come to this Maverick and be healed?  No, I do not mean physical healing… I am referring to your heart and your relationships. 

We have been manipulated by the branding of society to accept judgment, rejection, hurt, and pain as the norm in relationships, or to hold unforgiveness and grudges against others as a badge of honor.   Too many of us have been manipulated to sweep things under the rug and forget them; yet unforgiveness has a way of festering and becoming a wedge in any relationship. 

We have been branded.  We have been manipulated.  Will someone have to spit in our mouths before we will confess we are wrong and have been wrong in our relationships with others? 

There was once a Maverick who invested in our relationships with Him.  He established brand loyalty with us, in that after establishing our value, He continues to purchase and repurchase us every day and every moment of every day.  This concept of brand loyalty is different, and creates at the very core of the experience an emotional response.

Your value has been established many times over.  The value of the people around you has been established many times over.  So, if we are as precious and valuable as this Maverick seems to think, then why do we treat others (and ourselves) as if we are garbage? 

• Can we be strong enough to accept our responsibility in relationships instead of blaming others?
• Can we be strong enough to confess our weaknesses and still remain comfortable in our relationships? 
• Can we expose our feelings to others and really communicate?   
• What is your greatest fear in your relationships today? 
• Do you know this Maverick?

Pray with me:  “Lord Jesus, You are the Maverick of all mavericks, the King of all kings, and Lord of all.  I have been manipulated.  I have been sold a bill of goods rotten to the core.  I have treated others unfairly and considered myself unimportant.  I am weak.  I am wrong.  And, I am sorry.  My reactions are wrong and I have sinned.  I ask You to forgive me, search out my heart and my weaknesses, and give me the strength to change my reactions, to change my attitude, to forgive others, and have the courage to have faith in You.  I ask You, Lord Jesus, to help me heal my relationships with others.  I ask this in Your name, Jesus.  Amen.”

I think there is one more post in this series on relationships.  While I have, for some reason, been focused on branding and how this impacts our relationships, this last post will be different.  Look for it later this week, and if you find this series helpful, share it with others.  Forward this blog to them, use the Share This at the bottom of this post, or just copy and email it to them. 

Glenn Sasscer

www.glennsasscer.com
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The series: “Relationships Are Tough”, “Self Branding”, “The Brand Experience”, “Maverick”, “A Masterpiece”.

This post is a continuation of a series of posts shown as:

“Relationships Are Tough”
“Self Branding” 

There are several aspects to the concept of branding.  There is the brand experience, which we naturally build with our use of the product or brand.  There is the psychological impact, created from the brand image or related symbols surrounding the product and having influence in our lives (think of Nike and their campaign to “Just Do It”, motivating athletes and those who want to think of themselves as athletes).  The brand experience and the psychological impact of the brand are carefully designed and built around marketing campaigns. 

To help understand this concept, just think of a few examples, such as:

• Mr. Whipple
• Tony the Tiger
• Snap, Crackle, and Pop
• Mr. Clean
• The Keebler Elves
• The Pillsbury Dough Boy
• Joe Camel

If not all, two or three of these examples triggered an association for you.  The brand experience and identity are carefully managed to convince consumers to pay remarkably high prices for products relatively cheap to produce.

The entire goal of branding is to manipulate the perception of the product with the consumer, essentially “creating value”, so the consumer sees the product as being worth more than the actual value of the purchase.  Why do people pay $75.00 for jeans costing about $3.00 to make and get to the store shelf?  How about $5.00 for a box of cereal costing less than $0.75 to get to the store shelf?  Or, what about $100.00 for a mobile telephone costing less than $15.00 to build and get to the store shelf?  The leading factor in getting the consumer to pay the difference is the brand experience.  The brand experience creates a perspective to influence people.

The goal of the brand is to establish value and influence purchases.  Unfortunately, the brand experience may not always have a positive impact or achieve the purpose of establishing value.  For an example of Branding Gone Bad and to help clarify the meaning, let’s look at some historical cases where branding negatively impacted the product. 

Country Time Cider: When Country Time Lemonade Drink was introduced in 1976 by Kraft Foods as a powder mix, the product was very successful.  Kraft followed with another product in 1977 called Country Time Pink Lemonade.  However, the brand experience for the Country Time trademark was so established in lemonade, when Kraft tried introducing Country Time Apple Cider mix, it was a complete failure.  Consumers could not get past their brand experience rooted in lemonade to accept cider mix under the same name.

Ben-Gay Aspirin: Ben-Gay produced several lines of analgesic cream for the relief of minor arthritic pain, muscle pain, and back pain.  The consumer’s brand experience with the product line was so strongly associated with a burning cream applied topically, few people could get over the idea of swallowing the Ben-Gay product.  As a result of this product association and the brand experience, Ben-Gay aspirin failed.

Colgate Kitchen Entries: When Colgate came up with the idea consumers could eat a nice, tasty Colgate meal, then go brush their teeth with the Colgate Toothpaste, they forgot to consider the whole brand experience from the consumer’s perspective.  The idea of eating Colgate was less appealing, and not only did the attempt fail, it reduced the sales of toothpaste.
 
The negative brand experience and brand association with each of the core products influenced consumers against the purchase, as the value was not established in the new product.  The brand experience creates a perspective to influence people.

When we consider the branding of God, how does your brand experience influence your actions in your relationship with Him? 

In some cases, we have a Country Time Cider experience with God, where we have accepted Him perfectly well when He is in a church, when we see Him in church, and when we go to church.  The God trademark is established in the church environment and we can accept Him there.  The God brand is rooted in church, so don’t try introducing Him anywhere else in my life, as I will not be able to accept Him anywhere else. 

We can also have a Ben-Gay Aspirin experience with God, because we know God is there to help us in times of trouble and pain.  We apply God to certain situations, but He remains limited to topical applications. 

And, to round out our comparisons, some people may have a Colgate experience with God.  God is there to help us get clean and prevent cavities or sin, but don’t try to feed us with anything God related. 

Just as there are many other examples of negative branding experiences with products, there are many other negative branding experiences in our relationship with God.  Some people may have bad relationships with their fathers, transferring the experience to the father brand and ultimately to our Father God.  When someone has a problem accepting authority, this problem is associated with the authority brand, and the brand association has a negative influence on God’s authority in their life.  When a person associates painful emotions or hurting with the trust brand, this experience causes difficulty in their relationships with God.  In each example, the negative branding experience ushers in doubt, and the relationship with God is influenced.

So, let me ask the question again: When we consider the branding of God, how does your brand experience influence your actions in your relationship with Him?

If you are anything like me, you may have unfairly branded God due to a negative experience in your life.  You may associate the negative experience with one of God’s attributes or the harmful branding limits your engagement in the relationship.  You have been influenced.  You have been manipulated by the experiences in your life. 

In case you haven’t heard, God is not against you.  Jesus tells us in John 10:10, “…I have come that they may have life, and have it to the fullest.” 

Life is tough, and because of these tough times, we experience pain and negative events.  This is not God’s plan for us.  God is not against us.  Jesus tells us in John 15:9-11, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.  If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love.  I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”

God has a new experience for us.  God has a new plan for us.  While this corrupt and fallen world around us may mock and ridicule God, He beckons us to receive a new life, and be branded as His own.  Jesus beckons us to enter into a new brand experience that we may have life, and have it to the fullest. 

When we consider the branding of God, how does your brand experience influence your actions in your relationship with Him?

I want to encourage you to think about this question.  Consider all your experiences in life and how these impact your relationships around you, but most importantly, how your life experiences influence your relationships with God. 

Which one of your life experiences is the greatest obstacle in your relationship with God today?  What will it take to remove it?  Strength?  Courage?  Faith?  Forgiveness?

To borrow a phrase from the Nike brand, “Just Do It.” 

Follow me in prayer:  “Lord Jesus, I need Your help (again!).  I am weak and I have branded You based on experiences in my life I don’t even understand.  My reactions are wrong and I have sinned.  I ask You to forgive me, search out my heart and my weaknesses, and give me the strength to change my perspective, to forgive others, and have the courage to have faith.  Change the image and perspective I have of You.  I ask this in Your name, Jesus.  Amen.”

This is not my usual blog post.  I’m not aiming at being funny or humorous.  I’m just sharing what God is taking me through right now.  For some reason, I am focused on branding and how this impacts our relationships.  If you find this helpful, share it with others.  Forward this blog to them, use the Share This at the bottom of this post, or just copy and email it to them. 

 
Glenn Sasscer

www.glennsasscer.com
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The series: “Relationships Are Tough”, “Self Branding”, “The Brand Experience”, “Maverick”, “A Masterpiece”.

This post is a continuation of another post at http://bit.ly/10H3Kz titled “Relationships Are Tough”.

The idea of self-branding can refer to the aspect of developing a personal brand for marketing, such as with an artist, musician, or novelist; it can also refer to consumers matching a specific product line with their self-concept, whereas they purchase based on who they perceive themselves to be; and then there is the art of burning a silly logo on your backside with a branding iron as if you were a cow.  And no, before you ask, I am not interested in developing new scar tissue, so the last concept is not where we are headed with this post.   

All of the above definitions for self-branding, including the latter, describe a method for defining or establishing value. 

• A cattle rancher may burn his brand into the backside of a steer in order to establish a value and identity on the herd.  When others see the brand, they know the herd ownership, there is value associated with the owner, and others know what to expect.
• When consumers match their purchases with specific brands in support of an identity, they are establishing value in an identity (think of commercials establishing identities around product lines, such as sports cars, athletic gear, or cosmetics – if you accept the identity or find it appealing, you may purchase the product line).  The value is established in the identity and the consumer purchases the product with some form of expectation.  
• An entertainer, celebrity, or their agents, understand the concept of developing a brand for marketing and ease of recognition.  When you attend an art show for an established artist, you know exactly what kind of art to expect.  A country music singer has a brand and you know which radio station will play their music.  Many novelists will write in a certain genre, developing a brand around the themes and styles of their novels. 

In each case, there is a perceived value or a specific expectation placed on the person and what they produce.  You generally know what to expect and what you are getting from that person or brand. 

To a lesser degree, we naturally self-brand in our relationships. 

That needs to be a one-sentence paragraph so we can let it sink in a little and give the meaning a deeper impact on the entire post.  Let’s read that again.

To a lesser degree, we naturally self-brand in our relationships. 

Let me Dr. Phil you through this concept:  Think about someone close to you… your spouse, your children, your parents, your friends, or even your co-workers.  Do you know any of their hot buttons?  Do you know what subjects to avoid with them?  In this case, you have a specific expectation placed on this person and what they will produce under certain circumstances.  There is a perceived value with this person – whether it is a negative or a positive value, it is a natural branding in your relationship with them.  This person has produced this branding in your relationship, whether intentional or not, and this is a form of self-branding.  You know what to expect and there is a perceived value based on the branding.

Think about someone you turn to when you are weak, need help, or are in trouble.  You know you can count on them because they are consistent in their responses to you.  You know what to expect and there is a perceived value based on the branding.

There are other forms of self-branding reaching beyond our reactions.  What about the people in your life who are the trivia hounds?  Who do you call when you can’t remember the name of that old Gene Kelly movie?  Who do you call when you can’t remember the words to a song?  Why do you call these specific people?  Because they are consistent, they respond in a specific way, and they have branded themselves.  You know what to expect and there is a perceived value based on the branding.

Who do you call for a special recipe?  When your car is broken down?  When you need a ride?  When you need advice?  When others are appreciative, we also respond based on this branding, such as calling someone with a special recipe, calling to offer help with a broken vehicle, or offering a ride because we know the person will be grateful.

In each case, we can recognize a form of self-branding, as we know what to expect and there is a perceived value with each person. 

This wouldn’t truly be Dr. Philling you through this concept without turning the focus around and putting you in the spot light.  Let’s set the camera on you and ask a few questions. 

How have you self-branded yourself?

What situations bring out your best reaction?

What situations bring out your worse reaction? 

What are your hot buttons and why?  

As you consider your self-branding, there may be some things you like and some things you do not like.  If you like everything, you may have to take a closer look through the camera lens and examine yourself more thoroughly.  This time, let’s do a brand comparison. 

Beginning in John 13:34-35, we are given self-branding instructions.  “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Now we are talking about the ultimate in brand recognition.  Now, as you read the questions again and complete a brand comparison, how do your answers pan out? 

How have you self-branded yourself?  (How does this brand compare to a true believer of Christ?)

What situations bring out your best reaction? (Would a true believer respond in the same way?)

What situations bring out your worse reaction? (What can you do to change this?) 

What are your hot buttons and why?  (Are these hot buttons from self-righteousness or the righteousness of God?) 

Are you anything like me?  I have self-branded myself and it is not good.  When I do a brand comparison, I am not even finding my brand on the same measurement scale.  I am lost in the branding and in dire need of serious help. 

If you are anything even close, then pray with me: 

“Lord Jesus, I need Your help.  I am weak and I have branded myself in selfish ways I don’t even understand.  My reactions are wrong and I have sinned.  I ask You to forgive me, search out my heart and my weaknesses, and give me the strength to change my self-branding, or my reactions to others.  Change the image I have of myself and show me a better way, a better brand.  I ask this in Your name, Jesus.  Amen.”

This is a tough subject.  It is heavy at times, and far deeper than any of us can imagine.  I encourage you to continue this journey with me, and if you know anyone else who might benefit from this trek, ask them to join us.  Forward this blog to them, use the Share It at the bottom of this post, or just copy and email it to them. 

Glenn Sasscer

www.glennsasscer.com
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The series: “Relationships Are Tough”, “Self Branding”, “The Brand Experience”, “Maverick”, “A Masterpiece”.

Relationships are tough.  If relationships were easy, everyone would be getting along and there would be no arguments or reasons to be totally ticked off at __________ (you fill in the blank). 

One of the most formidable obstacles we have in any relationship is self-image.  For some, their self-image may just be a speed bump type challenge, for others it becomes a hurdle, and still for others a solid wall.

As children, self-image was really no big deal.  We were.  When you consider kids and children, they just are.  Most will wear what they like to wear, are happy when they look nice, but rarely let themselves get in the way of their relationships with others.  Can you remember such a time?  This is, of course, before puberty.  Somewhere in the mystery of adolescence and those strange teen years, we become self-aware and gain a new perspective of ourselves. 

I wonder if this is what Adam and Eve went through in the garden when they suddenly became self-aware, realized they were naked and needed to sew leaves together for covering.  They had a new self-image and it immediately became an obstacle in their relationship with God – they hid from him. 

Strange.  They knew Him all along, but now due to their sin, disobedience, and a new awareness of their self-image, they hid themselves.  They saw their sin.  They recognized their flaws.  The ugliness of evil corrupted their perfect image, their recognition of their imperfection polluted their self-image, and their response was to hide.

One of their most formidable obstacles in their relationship with God was their self-image.  To compensate, they hid from Him.  Whether this was a speed bump, a hurdle, or a solid wall depends on your perspective to their situation.  Some may say it was a minor speed bump, as God forgave them and clothed them; others may say it was a solid wall, as the unity between God and man was shattered, a huge obstacle.

Adam and Eve were created in God’s image, as shown in Genesis 1:27, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”  When Adam and Eve reflected God’s image, there was no problems in their relationship with God and there was unity.  When they sinned, they began reflecting their own, fallen image, and it became an obstacle.

To overcome this fallen image, God calls us to be transformed and reflect His image.  Paul talks about this in 2 Corinthians 3:18, “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

We are called to be like Jesus Christ and to be transformed into His image.  Wouldn’t it be nice if we got to know Him, too?

I firmly believe the closer we get to reflecting the image God gave us, the less the obstacles in our relationships resemble a wall and become more like a speed bump.  Our challenge: How do we move closer to this divine image?  I am exploring that process now… obviously, I’m not quite there, but I’m working through it. 

Join me.  I will continue to share on my blog what I find out.  I doubt it will be easy.  I doubt I will get it right the first time.  But, I think the end result will be worth it. 

What do you think?

Glenn Sasscer

www.glennsasscer.com
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The series: “Relationships Are Tough”, “Self Branding”, “The Brand Experience”, “Maverick”, “A Masterpiece”.

My last post, “The Velveteen You”, was a short blog about a concept of getting REAL with God.  I thought the idea gave a cool way of illustrating a desire in many Christians.  After I posted the article, I tried to walk away from it and focus on other things, like preparing a teaching I was scheduled to give for a service at Grace Community Church. 

Little did I realize God had other plans.  He must really chuckle when we think we have it all figured out. 

As I prepared the teaching, the Lord took my little blog post and expanded it beyond anything I could have thought on my own.  He is truly amazing when He takes what little we have and builds it into something for His purpose.   

Are you tired of the fake stuff associated with church, playing church, or just going through the motions of what is expected at church?  What does it mean to be a Christian today?  Do you think it is time to get REAL with God?

I pray the Lord may take this teaching and bless you with it.

Click to hear: The Velveteen You - Audio Recording

If you know anyone who might benefit from this teaching, please share this with them. 

In His Grip;

Glenn Sasscer

www.glennsasscer.com
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