Tag Archives: Christian faith

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How To Create A Life Plan Document

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This is the second post in a series on life planning. In this series, I am sharing with you the basics of a life plan and why you need one by going through the details of my own LIFE planning process. Neither my plan nor my process are perfect. In fact, they are evolving from year to year. My hope is that you can take what I do (or even just parts of it) and use it to create your own plan.

life plan

The Components

As I said in my previous post, there are many components that you can use as parts of your life plan. I can break my process into three main components – the Plan, the Dashboard, and the Technology. In this and the next two posts, I am going to describe each of these components in detail. In the final post, I will describe the process I use each year to review and update my plan for the new year.

Side Note: In case you did not notice, I use all CAPS when referring to my personal LIFE plan – it stands for Living Intentionally For Eternity.

LIFE Plan – Main Document

Let’s talk about the LIFE Plan first – the main document for me. This document consists of three parts:

    -Role Descriptions
    -Focus Areas
    -Goals

To create this document, I drew heavily from Stephen Covey’s book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. In this book, Covey talks about the various roles each of us plays in our lives. For me, I am a husband, father, steward of God’s business, etc.. In each of these roles, my responsibilities and goals vary.

Role Descriptions

As a result of the material in this book, I based the structure of my LIFE plan on what I defined as my roles. Here they are, in order of priority for me:

    1. Sold-out Disciple of Jesus
    2. Intentional Individual
    3. Loving Husband
    4. Godly Father
    5. Faithful Steward of God’s Business
    6. Servant Leader at Church
    7. Compassionate Neighbor
    8. Loyal Friend

For each of these roles, I have written a brief summary description of what I believe that role looks like. Essentially, I used Covey’s Habit #2, Begin With The End In Mind.

I have cited the Scripture upon which these descriptions are based. I have written these descriptions in the form of positive affirmations to help me visualize my living out each role with maximum effectiveness. These role descriptions go beyond just the one year and represent what I want to look like at the end of my life.

Here is an example of one of these descriptions:

Example Role Description

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    Sold-Out Disciple of Jesus

    As a disciple of Jesus Christ, I love the Lord my God with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength(1). It is my first and most urgent priority to seek to know God in a way that is real and that serves as my primary motivation in life. I believe in a true eternal life and therefore I live this life with an eternal perspective(2) at all times.

    (1) Matthew 22:37
    (2) Matthew 6:19-21; 1 Timothy 6:17-19; 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

[/box]

Focus Areas, Goals

In addition to the role descriptions, I have decided on 3-5 main focuses for the upcoming year under each role. These focus areas could be areas where I need improvement. Or they could be areas where I need to start exploring something new. They may even be something I am going to stop doing!

For each focus area, when applicable, I have listed one or two clarifying goals. Here is an example of a focus area and goal:

Example Focus Area and Goal

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    Faithful Steward of God’s Business (role)

    Focus Area: Mentor & Teach
    This is something I believe God has gifted me to do. I will be more intentional about scheduling this time in 2012. I will focus mainly on the management staff and the Leadership Team.

    Goal: 25 Hours of actual teaching (not including prep time)

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Summary

In essence, these three parts (Role Descriptions, Focus Areas, and Goals) make up my entire LIFE plan main document.

So that you get an idea of what one full role portion of the plan looks like in its entirety, you can [Click Here] for a copy of my Godly Father role plan for 2012. You can also [Click Here] for the Title Page Summary I wrote for the beginning of the document. While it is not detailed above, it may help you get a clearer picture of my approach.

I have said it before and I will say it again. I am sharing my plan in an effort to get you started. Your plan may look very different. It may be more involved or less so. Either way is fine.

Seek God First

The important part is that you seek God and ask Him to impress on you what your plans and direction should be. You can certainly do this on your own, but I do not believe that is His desire for us. If we start with His plan (and stick with it!), we will experience the fulfillment for which we were designed.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to comment here or email me privately from the Contact Page. I am not an expert, but I will do my best to answer any questions you may have.

In my next post, I will describe my LIFE Plan Dashboard.

Is this what you were expecting?

Do you see the benefit of this kind of plan?

What one obstacle is keeping you from getting started?

Originally posted 1/24/12

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Is A Yearly Audit On Your To Do List?

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I have been a C12 Group member now for over 6 years. For the past 6 years, our December meeting material has included one segment that has been the same every year. While you would think that might get boring after a couple of years, it doesn’t. This one segment is called the “Yearly Audit” and it is a very effective tool for a year-end review.

yearly audit

LIFE Planning

If you read my series of posts on my LIFE planning process, you will likely remember that I spend time at the end of every year reviewing that year and creating a game plan for the next year. I feel this process is a critical part of my job as a CEO, husband, and father, as well as all of the other roles I play throughout the year. One valuable part of this annual process is C12’s “Yearly Audit” segment.

I encourage you not only to read this segment, but also to incorporate it into your own year-end review process. If you do not have a year-end review process, then this is the perfect tool with which to start!

Below is the introduction to the segment by C12 founder Buck Jacobs.

Yearly Audit

[box]It has become a year-end tradition in each of our C12 groups to take a uniquely Christ-centered retrospective look at the results of our past year’s activities, focusing on the eternal perspective.

Taking such an inventory is, of course, a very normal thing to do in the economic dimensions of our businesses. We’re all familiar with such metrics as net income, profit margin, ROI, market share, and sales growth. We’ve devised numerous ways to measure our financial effectiveness and it’s important that we use them well.

This segment, however, is entitled Working ‘On’ my MINISTRY in God’s Business and in it we focus on an entirely different set of criteria. In many ways it’s much more difficult to measure our results in the ministry or spiritual dimension of our business lives. The whole idea of using our business as a platform for ministry can sometimes seem bewildering as it’s not nearly as well ‘codified’ as such routine business processes like filling orders and tracking financial profit or loss.

In terms of what’s eternally important to our lives, the spiritual dimension is much more — even infinitely more — important to us. So, with apologies to none, we are now going to offer some thoughts on how we might take a year-end audit from a uniquely Kingdom-oriented perspective.

What is it that we should be looking for as we examine ourselves and our spiritual lives in relation to the ministry in our business? Is it only souls won to the Lord, or dollars given to support His work, the number of Christ-honoring events we’ve hosted, or the number of tracts distributed? Is it only those things that we can quantify?

No, of course not. While we know that all these things are an important part of the fruit of our ministry which need to be quantified and recorded to help us measure progress in these areas, we also know that there’s another set of criteria.

It is these personal criteria that we’ll examine today. These criteria pertain to growth, the kind of growth that will lead to fruit…much fruit! We offer these criteria as indicators of growth which we can all use to measure what kind of a year we really had in our Master’s eyes.

For those who were members a year ago, we recommend putting the prior year’s ratings alongside for comparison purposes, as each of these areas deserve long-term focus. For each of the following 10 dimensions, rate your year from 1 to 10, with 1 being Low, 5 Average and 10 High as measured against your potential or opportunity.

– Buck Jacobs[/box]

Yearly Audit Download

Now that you know what to do, CLICK HERE to download the “Yearly Audit” in .pdf format. I encourage you to begin in prayer, asking God to prick your heart in any area that He wants to get your attention.

I hope you find the process of going through these questions to be as fruitful as I have. If you approach it with the right heart, I am sure you will see the benefit.

Are you currently doing a self-evaluation at year end?

If not, what other ways are you planning for effectiveness?

Do you see how this “Yearly Audit” can help you focus?

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Why Acknowledge Christ In Christmas?

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acknowledge ChristIn a couple of recent posts, I have been giving examples of how to acknowledge Christ in business – especially during the Christmas season. I told you about how we let our light shine by painting “Merry Christmas” on our showroom windows. I also described how I first started to acknowledge Christ through gospel presentations at the company Christmas party. While I have another example to share, I first want to explore the “why” behind our actions.

What Does the Bible Say?

As is a habit of mine, I want to go to the Bible to find direction in this area. Let’s take a look at the words of Jesus.

You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
– Matthew 5:14-16

Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.
– Matthew 10:32

What Does This Mean?

What does this Scripture mean to you? I am sure you have likely heard it before…have you ever taken the time to really think about what it means to you? Have you considered how this may apply to you and your business? How are you to acknowledge Christ before others?

I think these verses are very clear. We are not to keep our faith to ourselves. We are to let our lights shine, not hide them! While this idea can be executed in various ways, it is up to us to do something.

Marketing?

I will go on the record that I do not think it is good for us to “market” our faith as a reason for consumers to patronize our businesses. I know there is a fine line here. What I may do, thinking I am not “marketing”, others may consider as going too far.

I do not know of any hard and fast rules here. This needs to be according to your best judgment after prayer. If you know of any Scripture that would help to answer this question, please share in the comments area.

How to Acknowledge Christ

Christian ministryThere are as many ideas on how to acknowledge Christ in your business as there are translations of the Bible! We will continue to explore many of these opportunities through this blog as we go. However, Christmas brings especially good opportunities to acknowledge Christ. I have discussed a couple of them in prior posts.

Another idea came to me just last weekend from a business acquaintance, Chris Zikakis, owner of Lompoc Honda in Lompoc, CA. He had his advertising agency, Radio Vision, Inc, produce a simple TV ad. The ad encourages the viewer to acknowledge Christ as “our most precious gift” and “the very Son of God” in a Christmas setting.

Once I saw the ad, I knew I had to share it with my readers. I emailed Chris to ask his permission. He responded that he would love for me to even go as far as having it modified for our dealership to use. He said his goal was to get the ad in front of as many dealers as he could in the hopes that they would use it as well!

I contacted Joe Pollaro at Radio Vision and asked if he could produce the ad quickly enough to begin running it the week before Christmas. Incredibly, Joe was able to make it happen! Below, you can take a look at the resulting ad.

I personally love this ad because it does not ask for anything from the viewer relating to business. It is not an effort to sell cars or anything else. It is simply a way to acknowledge Christ before others!

What are your thoughts about the ad?

What can you do in a similar fashion through your business?

What obstacles do you need to overcome in order to make something like this happen?

Originally posted 12/19/11 – The TV ad is updated for 2013.

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To Teach Or Not To Teach?

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When I was being trained for the use of personality profiles in our business (and to teach others), I learned about certain personality types that run into frequent conflict in their personality. At times, they battle in their minds between (1) doing things exactly right and (2) making progress. It is called “Progress vs. Perfection Conflict” and it causes them to be ineffective in both cases.

teach

Conflict

A similar kind of conflict appears in many Christian business owners and leaders. This conflict comes from two opposite views in their mind. Let’s take a closer look at each of these perspectives.

To Teach Requires Full Knowledge?

The first idea is that we really should not teach on a topic if we are not fully educated in that specific area. There is nothing more frustrating that to be forced to sit through a seminar or class on a topic that you know more about than the instructor!

Because we know this, we decide that we will never step out and teach unless we are experts on the topic. While this mentality comes from good intentions, it can be carried to an extreme.

Full Knowledge Not Possible

If knowledge about almost all subjects is constantly expanding, then it is less and less likely that you will ever feel like an expert on any subject. As a result, it is just as unlikely that you will ever decide it is time for you to step out and teach on any given subject.

Is that actually a good thing?

Before I go further down this path, let’s take a look at the other end of the conflict.

We Are To Teach

As Christians, we have learned that we are to make disciples wherever we go. We are to baptize those disciples and TEACH them all that Jesus told us to do. This is central to our faith and any true disciple of Jesus will recognize this as part of his or her responsibility.

In our eagerness to fulfill this calling, we may volunteer to lead a small group study at work or we may decide to take on a children’s Sunday School class. Maybe we are really bold and we take on an adult class or go the other direction and simply take on one individual and serve as their mentor.

Teach Without Confidence?

Regardless of the extent of our teaching, we do not feel we are being the disciple we are supposed to be if we are not at least attempting to make disciples. We are not sure our teaching is completely accurate or fully backed up by our own walk, but at least we feel we are meeting our obligations.

Is this any better than the other extreme?

No Clear-Cut Answer

Like I said earlier, this is a common conflict and there is not necessarily a clear-cut answer. It is true – we should not teach on a subject with which we are not familiar. Neither should we teach something we are not attempting to live out ourselves.

Paul could confidently tell us to follow his example as he followed the example of Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1). We need to be able to do the same.

Grow To Teach

If we are going to teach something, we need to be working especially hard to better understand it ourselves. We need to be growing in that area if we want to be able to lead others.

On the other hand, we do not need to wait until we are experts on a topic before we try to teach others. We are commanded to make disciples and we must obey this command. We simply need to be wise about the topic.

Pick something God is teaching you about. Start with something that you are familiar with and trying to live out yourself.

Teaching Example

For example, my wife has recently been leading a class on parenting teen-agers. Has anyone in the history of mankind ever mastered that topic? No way! At the same time, the group has drawn from each other’s experience and all have benefitted in one way or another – my wife included!

She knew going in that she was not an expert. Sure, she was nervous about that, but at the same time she knew there is a point when you have to step out in faith. That is what she did and she was rewarded for it.

Step Out!

Whatever your situation, I encourage you to step out. Step out and begin allowing God to work in your life and teach you. Begin spending time in His Word and becoming a better disciple yourself.

Then, as you get a little confidence, begin looking for opportunities (equal to your maturity) to teach others what you have learned. Don’t wait until you are an expert…that will never happen.

You need to be a work in progress, but you also need to be comfortable with being a work in progress!

Have you dealt with this conflict?

What do you need to do to move past this conflict?

Who else do you need to encourage to step out?

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Final Lessons From David Green Of Hobby Lobby

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This is my third and final post in a series I am doing on lessons we can learn from David Green, Founder and CEO of Hobby Lobby. Recently, I shared an article from The High Calling (a Christian blog community) which was an in-depth interview of David Green. Because the article was so long itself, I did not expound on it in that post. Instead, I am taking a more detailed look in this short series of posts.

David Green

David Green

As I said before, I have never met David Green. Maybe one day I will be able to meet him and learn more about his Christian approach to business! Until then, I will simply do the best I can by reading various articles (and soon, his book More Than a Hobby). As I do this, I will attempt to apply what I learn. I will also share it here on this blog.

In reviewing the interview article I mentioned above, I found what I believe to be 15 clear lessons for anyone attempting to integrate faith and business. Though each of us has different situations and challenges, I think you will quickly see that these lessons span across industries and business sizes.

I have already written two posts covering the first 10 of these lessons. Hopefully you have learned something (again or for the first time!) that you can apply to your situation. In today’s post, we will cover the final five lessons.

#11 – Be bold about your faith.

This lesson will likely contradict what some of us have been taught – don’t mix business and religion. However, I think you need to hear exactly what David Green is saying here. Hobby Lobby does not ask about beliefs when hiring. There is not a faith requirement for employment.

However, he is committed to telling everyone – employees included – about his faith. A Christian business is not one made up only of Christians. Instead, it is a business in which the leadership or ownership sees the eternal need in all of us and seeks to share the One that will meet that need!

#12 – Have a clear statement of purpose.

Does your business have a Christ-centered mission statement or statement of purpose? If not, have you thought through the benefits of creating such a statement? I would encourage you to take the time and seek God’s guidance in this area. I think you will be surprised at the results.

David Green mentioned the Hobby Lobby Statement of Purpose. This statement effectively answers the question, “Why does this company exist?” This statement not only serves as a great roadmap for determining strategic direction, but can also be used in making the tough decisions we face every day.

#13 – Trials are good for us.

Two statements that David Green made when discussing the tough times in 1985 stood out to me.

At that time, I learned more than I ever learned in my life.

I know I couldn’t handle all of the success today, if I hadn’t gone through that.

Folks, James tells us to consider it pure joy when we face trials. This is what he is talking about. David Green makes it clear that he is thankful for the trials. He knows the value they brought him. If we are willing to learn, God can do the same with us.

#14 – Recognize you are a steward.

I am not supposed to choose favorites among these lessons, but I think I might have to at least hint at this one! At the same time, I will resist the urge to take the next 45 minutes of your time sharing my thoughts on this subject.

The Bible says that the earth and everything in it is God’s. We do not own anything! This includes our businesses, regardless of what the stock certificates may reflect. As a result, we are merely stewards of these businesses for the time God gives us. As stewards, we should be asking how God would have us use them for His glory and eternal impact.

David Green and his family have gone to great lengths to make sure this is clear among them. If you noticed, he described how the company is technically in their names, but they have all agreed (and signed) that they have no rights to any money from the stock. They earn their compensation through whatever jobs they hold – not through the value of the stock.

Whether you are willing to go to this length or not, you truly need to recognize that you do not own your business. Begin the mental and emotional process of acknowledging this fact to God and see what He does. I think you will be amazed.

#15 – Trust in God.

Though the above lesson is my favorite in the bunch, this one trumps them all. If you are not able to apply this lesson, then you will not be able to stick it out with any of the others for very long. For you to truly live out any of these other lessons, there are some basic assumptions you must accept first.

    God is good.
    You are a child of God.
    God has your best interests in mind.
    God is perfectly faithful.

If you will accept these truths in your heart, then you will KNOW that you can trust God. When you trust God, you will follow His lead regardless of the apparent consequences – even when others may be advising you in a different direction. David Green made decisions against the advice of some Christian professionals because he knew clearly what God was asking him to do. That is trust!

What lessons would you add from the article?

Which one(s) stands out to you?

What actions do you need to take as a result of these lessons?

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More Lessons From David Green Of Hobby Lobby

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In a recent post, I shared an article from The High Calling (a Christian blog community). The article was an in-depth interview of David Green, founder and CEO of Hobby Lobby. Because the article was so long itself, I did not expound on it in that post. Instead, I am taking a more detailed look in a short series of posts.

David Green

David Green

While I have never met David Green, based on the articles I have read, there is plenty there is plenty we can learn from him! In fact, the more I read about the Hobby Lobby story and David Green’s leadership, the more I want to model our business after his. Hopefully you will learn something from this short series of posts as we dig a little deeper into Green’s story.

In reviewing the interview article, I found what I believe to be 15 clear lessons for anyone attempting to integrate faith and business. Though each of us has different situations and challenges, I think you will quickly see that these lessons span across industries and business sizes. In my last post, I took a look at the first five lessons I saw in the interview article. Today, we will review the next five lessons.

Let’s dig right in!

#6 – Learn from mistakes

I bet you have never heard this one before, have you? I know this is supposed to be common sense, but I have not found it to be that common. Too often, we are guilty of repeating our mistakes. At least I am.

Note what David Green said when asked about learning opportunities. He talked about how his company almost lost it all when they stretched too far for growth. He did not dwell on this point, but I will.

They survived that time period, but made the decision that they would be debt free in the future. That is a huge decision that impacts virtually every other financial decision in a business. Sacrifices are made and “deals” are passed up that would require debt. This is no easy lesson.

By the way, what do you think David Green is saying about this decision after what we have been through the past several years. Regret? I don’t think so!

#7 – Simplify your priorities

Again, this is not rocket science here. We hear this a lot, but do we act on it? In many cases, we get so elaborate with our plans, for Christian ministry or business, that we tie ourselves in knots. We start out feeling great about our strategic plans, but before long we are confused and paralyzed.

Instead, David Green tells us that he and his company had three simple priorities for using their cash: pay tithes, grow, and pay debt. Folks, that is as simple as you get. No confusion here, just simple priorities (based on Scripture as well!).

#8 – Plan for the future

In addition to preparing for their future by paying down debt, David Green and company also made sure to set goals and budgets for their future.

I have heard many managers and leaders claim that forecasting and budgeting is too difficult given today’s uncertain business climate. I simply disagree. Sure, it is more difficult! But that does not mean we should not even try!

Even with the uncertainty, there is huge value in laying out the budgets and forecasts and the game plan to back them up. Make adjustments along the way as conditions change, but do not give up the planning altogether!

#9 – Take care of the people

If you will notice, Green spent twice as much time talking about how he is determined to take care of his people as he did in discussing his three uses of cash! That is significant. Without the people, there is no cash!

I am taking special note of this lesson myself. Based on the feedback I received in our recent employee focus groups, there are some areas related to this subject that we need to address.

Our goal here (for all of us) should be to base our decisions here on Scripture. There are many ways to view this subject, but I think it is important we start by looking at what the Bible says. More on this later.

#10 – Have stated personal life goals

David Green had three stated personal life goals: have a strong marriage, be successful at what he did, and for his children to serve God.

He later added two more: for his grandkids to serve God and to tell as many people as he could about Jesus Christ.

I have talked at length about LIFE planning on this blog. If you have followed my posts on this subject, you know that I am a huge proponent of taking the time to state these personal life goals. Some people may be more detailed or complex in their goals while others keep it simple.

Either way, this is not a lesson to skip over. I encourage you to take the time and start this process. I think you will be amazed at what God will do in your heart as you do.

What comments would you add to any of the lessons so far?

Have you learned similar lessons on your own? How?

Which lesson is one you need to act on now?

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15 Lessons From David Green Of Hobby Lobby

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In my last post, I shared an article from The High Calling (a Christian blog community). The article was an in-depth interview of David Green, founder and CEO of Hobby Lobby. Because the article was so long itself, I did not expound on it in that post. Instead, I will take a detailed look in this and the next couple of posts.

David Green

David Green

First, let me clarify. I have never met David Green and only know what I have read from various articles online. As with any topic you read about online, there is much we do not know.

At the same time, in the articles I have read, there is plenty of meat to chew on! In fact, the more I read about the Hobby Lobby story and David Green’s leadership, the more I want to model our business after his. Hopefully you will learn something from this short series of posts as we dig a little deeper into Green’s story.

Faith And Business Lessons

In reviewing the interview article, I found what I believe to be 15 clear lessons for anyone attempting to integrate faith and business. Though each of us has different situations and challenges, I think you will quickly see that these lessons span across industries and business sizes. Today, I will cover five lessons.

Let’s dig right in!

#1 – Be patient.

    Too often we look at someone like David Green and wonder why our business has not taken off like his. Why can’t our business be debt-free and giving away so much money at this point? Then, when we look closer, we realize his did not “take off” either!

    Reading the details in the article, I noticed that he borrowed the $600 in 1970 to begin making frames in his garage. The first retail store was not opened for another two years! Look at the patience it must have taken to keep working out of the garage for two years.

    We need to have the same patience with our businesses. We need to make sure we are doing the right things, but we should not expect overnight success. God is certainly capable of giving us overnight success, but He is more interested in our development and maturity as His children. Trust His timing.

#2 – Be willing to sacrifice.

    Did you notice that David Green’s wife worked for the business for the first five years without getting paid anything? He did not mention what he made, but I imagine it was not more than they needed for their bare necessities. Are you willing to do that if necessary?

    Frequently, we are all guilty of thinking that we are entitled to certain luxuries or benefits. We are almost shocked when we realize we may have to give up something we love if we want our God-given dream to continue. We argue that we “deserve” whatever it is and we begin working hard on finding ways to keep it.

    God’s goal is not to see how low He can take us in our lifestyles, but He will test our hearts at times to see our reaction. We need to be willing to give up our earthly “treasure” for His will.

#3 – Follow Scripture.

    When asked about leadership lessons he had learned, David Green’s first response was to point to Scripture. Aside from that, he did not go into much detail about all of the ways he has applied Scripture in the business.

    However, if you pay close attention to what he says about his business principles throughout the article, you can see how closely it is tied to Scripture. From his talk about paying good wages, elimination of debt, and being bold about his faith, it is clear the Bible is his foundation for the way he runs the business.

#4 – Rely on prayer.

    Immediately after mentioning Scripture, David Green goes straight to prayer. He talks about how his team relies on daily prayer to determine their path. He goes on to say that God is the only one who knows the future and therefore they seek His leading in everything.

    As I have said before, this is the greatest resource we have as Christian business owners and leaders. We need to be committed to a daily discipline of seeking God’s guidance through prayer. This may well be our most important responsibility (that we cannot delegate).

#5 – Trust God’s will.

    Just seeking His guidance in prayer is not enough. We must be willing to follow His lead, regardless of the consequences! We must have a core belief that God has our best interests at heart.

    David Green mentions that God is always there to help them, even in the problems. They always come back to knowing He is there and wants to help them. If we will KNOW this and act accordingly, there is no limit to what He can do through us.

More To Come

Stay tuned the rest of the week for further lessons from the David Green interview!

Which of these lessons speaks most to you?

Which one is already part of your walk?

What do you need to do next to put these into action?

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An Interview With David Green Of Hobby Lobby

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David GreenWhen I started this blog, I had several purposes in mind. They are listed in more detail below. As I look back at these purposes, I think think I have stayed true to them over the past 14+ months. Yet there are times when I run across a resource that does a much better job of communicating these purposes than I can. One of these resources is an article about David Green, Founder and CEO of Hobby Lobby.

David Green Article

For today’s post, I am going to do something I have not done before. I am simply going to refer you to that article. If I thought I could do a better job communicating this idea of Christian business better than David Green of Hobby Lobby, then I would try. Since I cannot, I will just allow you to read it directly from him.

I encourage you to read the whole article, though it is longer than my normal posts. Even if you have to save it for later, I promise you it is worth the time and effort.

I hope you enjoy the article!

Article: A Candid Interview With David Green

Hobby Lobby Statement of Purpose: HobbyLobby.com

The Christian Faith At Work blog has several purposes…

  • Enlighten – I am writing this to open the eyes of Christian business owners and leaders everywhere to the fact that we are called to more than just Sunday Christianity. We are called to be disciples of His the rest of the week as well.
  • Educate – I am writing this to share what I have learned over the years and what I continue to learn going forward. I want to share resources that I have found to be helpful. I want come alongside others and learn with them as well.
  • Encourage – I am writing this to encourage others that have chosen a similar path to mine. Whether through relating my successes or failures, I hope other disciples of Jesus will draw strength, encouragement, hope, and wisdom from the content here.
  • Enlist – My hope is that, as a result of reading this blog (and more importantly listening to God), others will decide to take the same path. I believe this is my part in going and making disciples!
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Please Pardon Our Progress

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If you were to drive by our Honda dealership during the next week or so, you would likely see an empty lot (no cars), a vacant building, and a huge sign that says, “Please Pardon Our Progress!” The reason? We are beginning construction on a full renovation and upgrade of this building and are now housed in a modular office building a block away.

progress

Change Is Necessary!

This process began near the end of last year when we finally decided it was time to make the necessary changes to our dated facility. While it is certainly still functional, it just does not accomplish our purposes any longer. For that reason, we are making a change.

As you can imagine, it will be a major inconvenience to make this progress. It does not just happen overnight. There are many ripple effects to this progress.

Ripple Effects

Customers will be inconvenienced as we have to shuttle them from the Honda service department to a waiting lounge in one of the other buildings.

There will be frustrations galore for employees and customers alike as new and used car displays will not be as easily accessible as they normally are.

Progress Not Always Welcome!

People will likely have their own opinions about whether we should be making this progress in the first place! They won’t clearly understand what we are doing and why. Some will actually feel we should have left things the way they were!

In an effort to overcome some of the confusion, we have tried to go overboard on signage. We are also coaching employees to be aware that customers may be a little confused or frustrated during the progress. It is up to us to minimize their pain!

My Own “Progress” Sign!

You know what I wish I could do?

I wish I could wear a sign around my neck that said the same thing. I wish I could do something to indicate to those around me – at work, home, and in the community – that I am a work in progress!

I Need Improvement, Too!

See, I know I am not all that I should be. I know there are certain parts of my personality and mindset that need renovating and upgrading. Just like our Honda store, there are parts of me that are not accomplishing the purpose that God has for me.

I know this and I promise that I am working on it, but too often others around me are still inconvenienced, frustrated, or confused. I say things or do things that I do not like. I think thoughts that I wish I did not.

I wish I could just walk around with that sign around my neck to let everyone know that I am aware of the needed improvement and that I am working on it.

Minimize Ripple Effects

Until then, I am just going to do the best I can at making the continuous progress that I need to make and to be aware of the ripple effects on those around me. I will continue to try to minimize their frustration with my slow progress. Hopefully, they will begin to see improvement and cut me some slack!

What we cannot do as Christian business owners and leaders is to decide against making the progress. We cannot decide that the way we are today is good enough. We cannot determine that making progress is too tough.

Progress Is Necessary

God is calling us to be conformed to the likeness of Jesus. While that is not an easy task, it is not optional for a true disciple. We must submit to the process and allow God to do His work on us.

Those around us will likely be inconvenienced, frustrated, or confused with us. Some will even think that we should not work to change, but should just stay the same as we were. While the short term may be easier if we agreed with them, the long term will not.

I encourage you to be a leader that is a work in progress. Wear the sign if you have to, but keep pushing ahead either way!

Are you a work in progress?

What areas are you struggling with the most?

Have you worked to minimize the effects on others?

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Wise Counsel In Unexpected Places

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When I set out to create this blog over a year ago, I really had no idea what would come of it. I knew something in me wanted to do it and I felt God leading me in that direction, but my expectations were very low. I just did not know what was in store for me. Now, roughly 14 months later, I can say that the benefits have been overwhelming. Today, I want to discuss one of the most unexpected – wise counsel.

wise counsel

Unexpected Benefit!

See, when I started the blog, I had the distinct feeling that God would use it to teach others about integrating their Christian faith into their work. What I did not expect was that He would also use it to introduce me to wise counsel from many other Christian business owners and leaders!

Isn’t it funny how God turns things on us? We know that Scripture says that it is more blessed to give than to receive, but we often forget how that plays out in our lives. Well, I can say that I have been the recipient of more FROM this blog and those I have met because of it than I have ever given TO it.

Wise Counsel Examples

I have had the fortune to meet a man in Chandigarh, India that has taught me a lot about doing intentional ministry with whatever tools you have at your disposal. He has taught me about joy in tough circumstances and praising God in trials.

I have had the opportunity to get to know a couple of other bloggers like Tom Tarver, Kari Scare, Michael Nichols, and Loren Pinilis. Each of these has taught me something different, but all have been valuable.

I have also had the pleasure of meeting several Christian business owners and leaders in person. In fact, over the past couple of weeks, I have spent an hour or two with three different individuals that have each taught me something. Two of these guys were complete strangers to me a couple of months ago!

Just this afternoon I had the privilege of talking with another CEO about similar struggles we are having. He called me for some input on an idea he had, but I was also able to learn a valuable idea from him during the conversation. His wise counsel is something I cannot find just anywhere.

Wise Counsel In Scripture

The Bible speaks a lot about wise counsel. Take a look at the following verses:

    Without guidance, people fall, but with many counselors there is deliverance. – Proverbs 11:14
    A fool’s way is right in his own eyes, but whoever listens to counsel is wise. – Proverbs 12:15
    Plans fail when there is no counsel, but with many advisers they succeed. – Proverbs 15:22
    Listen to counsel and receive instruction so that you may be wise later in life. – Proverbs 19:20

Different Opportunity?

Folks, I have obviously been blessed by God to have access to all of the wise counsel that I have mentioned above – and these are only the connections that have come as a result of this blog. I have other sources that are just as valuable.

The problem is that not everyone reading this blog right now feels they have the same opportunity for this amount of wise counsel as I do. Well, I have news for you.

You are wrong!

Pray For Wise Counsel

Listen to me before you puff up! I agree that not everyone has a blog that creates these opportunities. However, I did not have this source for wise counsel just over a year ago. It has only just recently become a source for me.

Even then, I had wise counsel available to me. I had it because I saw value in it and was committed to praying for it. That’s right, I have been praying daily for wisdom for years (as long as I can remember) and God promises that He will answer that prayer. He has been faithful to that promise for me.

    Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without criticizing, and it will be given to him.
    – James 1:5

Expect Results!

In fact, I believe that one of the reasons God led me to start this blog was that He knew it would be another avenue He could use to provide me with wise counsel – an answer to my prayer for wisdom!

If you are sincere about wanting wise counsel (which will lead to wisdom – if you pay attention!), then all you need to do is start praying for it. Pray earnestly and consistently, with faith, and it will come.

While you are praying, start looking for it expectantly in the unexpected places. You will likely be as surprised as I have at the results!