The Story of Everybody, Somebody, Anybody And Nobody

Recently I told a group of leadership executives a simple but meaningful story that you may have heard before. It’s the story of four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody.

Here’s the story, titled “Whose Job Is It, Anyway?”

This is a story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have.

The story may be confusing but the message is clear: no one took responsibility so nothing got accomplished.

It’s a story that plays out often in organizations and companies and on teams—anywhere there is culture that lacks accountability.

But how do you get people to take responsibly for their work? Different things work in different situations, but here are some strategies that have proven to be effective:

Become a role model. You can’t tell people what to do if you yourself aren’t willing to hold yourself to the same level. If you want people to act responsibly, you have to be accountable. Your team and your company look to you for direction.

Don’t make assumptions. Don’t assume that others know instinctively what to do and when to do it, or even what you expect from them. Before people can take responsibility for their work they require clear communication. The more you communicate, the better the results are likely to be.

Set the standard. If you expect excellence, it’s up to you to set the standards for results and performance. Make each task or goal measurable and set it on a reasonable timeline so it’s achievable. Give people a clear target and they’ll work to reach it—and maybe even surpass it.

Get the buy-in to go the distance. You need people to buy in and commit if you want to succeed. Each vision should be compelling; each goal should build toward the whole; each task should be laced with motivation. You need people to feel compelled, inspired and motivated to take responsibility.

Make regular check-ups. One of the biggest reasons people fall short is a lack of follow-through by leadership. Help people stay focused by setting up regular checkpoints—phone calls or meetings where everyone can communicate and catch up, staying focused on moving forward and being accountable. When people know there will be check-ups, they’re less likely to procrastinate and more likely to hit their targets.

Provide support and training. Especially with a start-up or a new initiative, people are taking on projects or tasks that they’ve never faced before. Make sure everybody has the training and resources they need to be successful, and provide help in resolving any issues that may arise.

Encourage candor. One of the worst things that can happen to a team is for people to feel uncomfortable discussing problems and expressing their honest opinions. Build a culture of candor so that people know it’s the norm to tell the truth, even when it’s difficult or awkward.

Concentrate on solutions and not only problems. If people are having problems or falling behind, expect them to come to you with possible solutions, not just the problems. Create an expectation that the first response to a problem is to start finding solutions.

Praise performance. Praise people for good results and be specific with your acknowledgment. Let them know what they did well and how their work is affecting others. If they fall short, coach them privately and let them know how they can improve. And if their performance does not improve, also address this with meaningful consequences that have been explained ahead of time.

To avoid having your team become Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody, commit to becoming the kind of leader who takes responsibility for your own life and leadership.

Lead from within: Don’t let Anybody (or Everybody, Somebody or Nobody) stop you from doing what you need to do to create the kind of leadership and life you can be proud of.

Of course you’ve heard this before… unless you haven’t! Recently I realized that there are some “generalized truths” that don’t get passed down from generation to generation. I don’t know if this is one of them, but I thought it’s too important not to share. ~Pastor Scott

Can non-Christians do good works?

August 21. 2025

The Bible teaches us that Christians are to do good works, even though we cannot do good works to earn salvation. But do you need to be a Christian to do good works? Can’t you do good without being a Christian? The answer is not straightforward.

Non-Christians do right things

If you look at the life of any non-Christian, you will find he does many things that are right. E.g. speaking the truth, raising children lovingly, helping others, and giving money to charity. There are even non-Christians who can serve as examples to Christians through all the good things they do.

The Bible recognizes that unbelievers can do good things. In Isaiah 44:28 God says about the Persian king Cyrus: “he shall fulfill all My purpose”, in bringing Israel back to its country. That is obviously a good thing. But God also says about this king: “you do not know Me” (Isaiah 45:5).

Another example is the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). Jesus makes his hearers squirm by telling a story where the unbeliever is the good guy. The priest and the Levite abandon a wounded traveler, but the Samaritan, who does not belong to God’s people, helps him.

Now this is not something that really happened, it is just a story that Jesus told. But through telling the story Jesus shows that this is something that could happen. And we probably all know examples when Christians failed and unbelievers did the right thing. So the first thing that needs to be said it: yes, non-Christians definitely can do right things – even to the extent that it makes Christian ashamed.

A right thing is not a good work

But now we need to take the next step. The Bible also says that when God looks down from heaven on the children of man, He says “there is none who does good, not even one”. This is written in Psalm 14:3, and repeated in Romans 3:12. So how is it possible that people can do the right things without God, but that He still says that they don’t do good?

This is where we have to bring in the intentions we have. Non-Christians can do the right things, even with the right intentions towards other people. But God is looking for another good intention before He considers something a good work: whether we do it to honor Him. In Hebrews 11:6 we read: “Without faith, it is impossible to please God.”

This sounds pretty extreme, but you should be able to understand it when you compare it to this: a young man curses his parents, cuts off contact with them, and emigrates to another country. After a few years, the parents hear that their son has become very successful. He has become a wealthy and respected businessman. Are they now pleased with their son? No. They are still hurt, sad, and disappointed that their son does not want to have anything to do with his parents.

In the same way, all the right things that people do have no value for God if they do not love and honor Him. Intentions are important. A right thing to do only becomes a good work in the sight of God if it is done to honor Him.

You need the Holy Spirit for good works

If you don’t love God, you can’t do good things with the intention that God wants. But if you love God, you can often still fail to do good works. You need to be renewed through the power of the Holy Spirit to do good works. It does not start with your effort, but with your personality being changed.

When the Holy Spirit lives in you, this is what happens: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). When this becomes your personality, good works will flow from it. People will see the power of God at work in you, in a way that is never possible for someone who does not believe in God, does not trust in Jesus, and does not have the Holy Spirit in his heart.

Guest Writer Marten Visser

A question came into the text line on Sunday that was similar to the title of this article, which answers it very well. I didn’t take the time to reinvent this wheel. 🙂

Pastor Scott

Entanglements – August 14, 2025

Temperament? Personality trait? Predisposition? Besetting sin? Bad Habit? Whatever you call it, we all tend to have something with which we struggle.

Maybe you’re quick to anger or to worry. Maybe you’re given to being critical or judgmental. It could be that greed or lust are your big issues. Whatever the sin that so easily entangles¹is, remember that there will always be a way to escape² and that walking with the Spirit helps us to say “no” to those lusts³ – even if said “lust” is something so natural to us that we don’t even see it as sin.

Please pray for those of us whose besetting sins have been commercialized, excused, or even applauded by this culture. It makes it even harder to accept the need for a Savior!

https://www.gotquestions.org/besetting-sins.html

Praying for you as you pray for me,

Pastor Scott

¹Hebrews 12:1

²1 Corinthians 10:13₃ Galatians 5:16

Guard Your Heart!

Lessons from Life: the Garden

We have a small garden in our yard. In the busyness of life, our garden is often neglected. When it really starts to look bad, I am motivated to do some weeding. Some weeds are easy to pull, but others resist because their roots are strong and deep into the soil. The longer the time between weeding the more difficult the task will be.

My heart is like our garden, sometimes neglected for long periods of time. Weeds of anger, disappointment, fear, frustration, critical attitudes, worry and guilt are allowed to grow to the point that the garden of my heart is in bad shape! The solution…? God’s Spirit, as the Divine Gardener of my heart has to deal with my neglect.

Today, allow God to do the needed weeding in your heart. Ask Him to reveal the weeds that are growing by confessing sin and being honest with Him about the state of your heart. Thank Him for his forgiveness through Christ’s death on the cross. He already knows how rooted some sin has become. Ask God to direct and empower you for a fruitful life through His Spirit. Some weeds will be uprooted easily; others will require daily attention in order to make the deep roots are removed and ensure they don’t grow back.

Solomon in all his wisdom said, “Above all else guard your heart for it is the well spring of life.” Proverbs 4:23

By Mike Woodard
used by permission

P.S. Pastor Scott could have written this in that he just witnessed both the emergency weeding and the need for short accounts, right in his own backyard. But it’s the heart wedding that I wanted to share with you all.

Pastor Scott; 1 John 1:9

Adoption – July 31, 2025

“I stayed with my parents for several days after the birth of our first child. One afternoon, I remarked to my mother that it was surprising that our baby had dark hair, since both my husband and I are fair. She said, ‘Well, your daddy has black hair’

‘But Mama, that doesn’t matter because I’m adopted’

With an embarrassed smile, she said the most wonderful words I’ve ever heard: “I always forget.”*

This vignette hit me in the corners of my eyes. Possibly because 3/6 of my first cousins were adopted, but probably because of the truth that I was adopted too – “He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will” – Ephesians 1:5

Be Blessed,

Pastor Scott

*Anecdote from Reader’s Digest by Rodessa Morris of Gladys, VA (And saved in a card file by Dr. William Ross)

Real I.D. – July 24, 2025

I feel sad for the many people in our culture who are confused about who they are. If you trust Christ, there ought to be no confusion. We are New Creatures (2 Cor 5:17), walking in Newness of Life (Romans 6:4). We were made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27) and redeemed by His Own Son (1 Peter 1:18-19).

I don’t know if any readers of this blog can help me understand the issues surrounding the confusion? If you can, please do. In the meantime, I give you three more verses and a song to contemplate. 😊

Pastor Scott

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name” (John 1:12)

“The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God” (Romans 8:16)

See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. (1 John 3:1-2)

Just a Thought – 07.10.25

Humility

The famous Kenosis passage (Philippians 2:1-11) calls us to humility. Paul, before he extols the virtue of Christ’s emptying of Himself, says to believers, “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others” (vs 3-4)

Am I so interested in my own welfare (or spirituality or success or even my humility) that I act, live, as if my interests supersede everybody else’s? I may be vertically super-humble, but am I humble horizontally? I like what Lewis said, in Mere Christianity:

Do not imagine that if you meet a really humble man he will be what most people call ‘humble’ nowadays: he will not be a sort of greasy, smarmy person, who is always telling you that, of course, he is nobody. Probably all you will think about him is that he seemed a cheerful, intelligent chap who took a real interest in what you said to him. If you do dislike him it will be because you feel a little envious of anyone who seems to enjoy life so easily. He will not be thinking about humility: he will not be thinking about himself at all.

If anyone would like to acquire humility, I can, I think, tell him the first step. The first step is to realise that one is proud. And a biggish step, too. At least, nothing whatever can be done before it. If you think you are not conceited, it means you are very conceited indeed.

What would our homes, our church, or our nation look like if everyone regarded his brothers and sisters as more important than he is?

Trying to keep it real,

Pastor Scott

Happy 249th Birthday!

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. — And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.

New Hampshire:

Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton

Massachusetts:

John Hancock, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry

Rhode Island:

Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery

Connecticut:

Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott

New York:

William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris

New Jersey:

Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark

Pennsylvania:

Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross

Delaware:

Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean

Maryland:

Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton

Virginia:

George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton

North Carolina:

William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn

South Carolina:

Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton

Georgia:

Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton

On July 2, 1776, Congress voted to dissolved the connection between “this country” and Great Britain, declaring the “United Colonies of North America” to be free and independent states. Congress ratified the text of the Declaration on July 4, and it reached the King of England six months later.

Image courtesy of the National Archives.

“The Work of His Hands” – June 26, 2025

“The heavens are telling of the glory of God;

And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.” ~Psalm 19:1

Kelly and I had the life-time privilege of cruising the inside straight of Alaska to celebrate our multi-decade wedding anniversary earlier this month.. It was amazing, but we came home to hear of crises after crises on the world stage. So many events, some fairly nuanced and some as blunt as a bowling pin. I was feeling pressed to opine about at least one of said happenings, but I kept coming back to our trip. Not just the fun and relaxation we had, but the views! Water, ice, mountain upon mountain. Bald eagles flying over us and seals cavorting on the waters below. Yes, there are problems and issues among human kind. Yes, we have a responsibility to love our neighbors as ourselves and share the gospel as often as we are able. But…the works of His hands shout even louder louder than the news!

I am All-Powerful

I am All-Wise

I love you

And the future is ENTIRELY in My Hands.

Quiet yourself, child, and trust Me!

Persecution – May 29, 2025

I received an article today that detailed how disenfranchised Christianity is becoming (I’ve attached it below). My overwhelming thought was, “Yes, and we were told exactly what to do!”

Read 1 Peter 4 – read the whole chapter, read it aloud, pause and meditate on it. That’s my advice to the author, and to all of us who are provoked by the news of the world.

Praying for you all!

Pastor Scott

The Dangers Christians Face in Today’s Secular Society