Tag Archives: eternal perspective

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Is Lack of Excellence Excusable In Christian Business?

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Have you ever dealt with an organization that clearly performed at a low quality level? If you are like me, it is really frustrating. What is worse is when they profess to be a Christian organization, using their “cause” as an excuse for less than excellent work. Why is it that Christians so often think they should be given a pass when it comes to excellence?

excellence

Jim Reese – CEO, Atlanta Mission

This is the fourth post in a series of five that describes the advice my brother and I received from business and ministry leader, Jim Reese. Mr. Reese seen incredible success in the business world over a stellar career with executive positions in companies such as Randstad N.A., Frito-Lay, and HoneyBaked Ham, but he has also significantly impacted people for eternity through his work with Atlanta Mission. He has taken his exceptional business skills and is applying them in Christian ministry.

Below, is the fourth of five main points I gained from our conversation. This advice is directed at anyone trying to buck the norms of this world and integrate their faith into their work. If you are trying to run your business from an eternal perspective, then you need to heed this advice.

[box][typography font=”Cardo” size=”18″ size_format=”px”]Recommendation #4:[/typography]

    [typography font=”Cardo” size=”24″ size_format=”px”]Excellence is not optional.[/typography]

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Emphasis on Excellence

If there was one of the five main points Mr. Reese made with extra emphasis, it was this one. We spent at least twice the time on excellence as we did on the other topics.

Obviously excellence is an extremely wide topic. For the purpose of this post, here is our definition of excellence.

Excellent organizations achieve and sustain superior levels of performance that meet or exceed the expectations of all their stakeholders.

Lower Expectations?

So many Christian ministries and organizations today think they get a free pass in regards to excellence because they are doing God’s work. They think people will (or at least should) accept less than excellence when they know the cause is right. While it is truly sad, many people have come to expect this from Christian organizations.

Folks, this is simply ridiculous thinking! If anything, work done for God should be held to a higher standard, not a lower one. If we are following Scripture and working as unto the Lord (Colossians 3:23-24), then we should act like it! We are serving the King of the Universe! He would not accept less than excellence from Cain (Genesis 4:3-7) or from the Israelites (Malachi 1:6-13), why should He accept it from us?

Excellence Is Central

This attitude of excellence should be central to everything we do. It should drive every aspect of our lives and our businesses. There should be nothing in our lives that we accept as less than excellent.

This is not to say that we can achieve perfection, but we should always maintain a culture of improvement. This culture will cause us to always be working on any weaknesses so that they do not remain that way.

Right To Influence

If we are to be Greatest Commandments and Great Commission companies, then we must earn the right to influence others. We earn this right by doing business with excellence. Anything less will risk pushing people away from the Gospel.

Do you consider your company as one of excellence?

Do you recognize the importance of excellence?

What do you need to change right now?

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How To Manage The Tension Between Business and Christian Ministry

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It seems that every time I turn around I am neglecting either the business of our company or the goal of doing Christian ministry through our company. It is a difficult balance to maintain. In fact, I have often felt I was doing something wrong because I could not shake the tension between the two. I recently found out this is not true.

tension

Jim Reese – CEO, Atlanta Mission

This is the third post in a series of five that describes the advice my brother and I received from business and ministry leader, Jim Reese. Mr. Reese seen incredible success in the business world over a stellar career with executive positions in companies such as Randstad N.A., Frito-Lay, and HoneyBaked Ham, but he has also significantly impacted people for eternity through his work with Atlanta Mission. He has taken his exceptional business skills and is applying them in Christian ministry.

In the first post in this series, we discussed how Mr. Reese advised us to Redefine Success if we are going to attempt to run our business as a platform for Christian ministry. In the next post, I told you that he urged us to remember that when we do ministry in the course of doing business, Results Are Not Always Immediately Evident Or Measurable.

Below, is the third of five main points I gained from our conversation. This advice is directed at anyone trying to buck the norms of this world and integrate their faith into their work. If you are trying to run your business from an eternal perspective, then you need to heed this advice.

[box][typography font=”Cardo” size=”18″ size_format=”px”]Recommendation #3:[/typography]

    [typography font=”Cardo” size=”24″ size_format=”px”]Recognize and manage the constant tension between business and ministry.[/typography]

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Always A Tension

Mr. Reese did not say that business and ministry do not mix. He did not say that you cannot do both at the same time. What he did say was that there will always be a tension between the two. To ignore this fact is to deceive yourself. To embrace this fact is to accept reality and work through it.

Consider Non-Profit Work

The truth is that anyone who has ever worked in ministry or in the non-profit sector has experienced this as well. Regardless of the nature of the organization, there is the need always to balance your focus between impact activities and fundraising (or profit) to pay for the activities.

On one hand, you need to be thinking about what you can do to make the programs more effective. You ask how we can serve more people and meet more needs.

On the other hand, you also need to be thinking about how to add more donors or givers and raise more money. You cannot have the impact through the activities unless there is funding to make those activities possible.

Same True For Christian Business

The same is true in a business where the goal is to be a platform for ministry. Without a healthy and growing business, there is no opportunity for ministry.

As a result, we must manage this constant tension. We cannot eliminate it and we cannot ignore it. We must simply manage it.

So the question is…How do you do it?

Well, there are several options that I will offer.

Managing The Tension

1. Get outside help rather that going it alone. For me, being a member of a C12 group provides me with a group of like-minded business owners who all need the same type of support. We offer each other accountability in this area as well as ideas on how to better manage the constant tension. You could also choose to create your own board of directors or even enlist a life coach. The key is to gain an outside perspective.

2.Develop an inner circle of leadership within your company. Having other like-minded leaders that are walking with you every day can be a great source of support and ideas. They can warn you quickly when they sense something is out of balance. They know your company best and will have the same goals.

3. Create a personal life plan with a weekly review. While this is a solo activity, it is one that has gone far in helping me stay balanced over this tension. The weekly review helps me to get a 10,000 ft. view of where I have been and where my energy has been allocated. Any imbalances are quickly evident and correctable.

Have you recognized this tension in your life or business?

How do you manage it?

What do you need to do differently?

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Advice To A Christian Business Leader

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Based on the advice given in the last post, you have spent the time necessary to redefine success in your business. You are now looking at it from an eternal perspective. Now you want to know how to measure that new definition of success. What are the results and rewards you should be looking for? That should be easy enough to figure out, right? Not so fast!

advice

Jim Reese – CEO, Atlanta Mission

This is the second post in a series of five that describes the advice my brother and I received from business and ministry leader, Jim Reese. Mr. Reese seen incredible success in the business world over a stellar career with executive positions in companies such as Randstad N.A., Frito-Lay, and HoneyBaked Ham, but he has also significantly impacted people for eternity through his work with Atlanta Mission. He has taken his exceptional business skills and is applying them in Christian ministry.

Below, is the second of five main points I gained from our conversation. The first point was described [here]. Mr. Reese’s advice is directed at anyone trying to buck the norms of this world and integrate their faith into their work. If you are trying to run your business from an eternal perspective, then you need to heed this advice.

[box][typography font=”Cardo” size=”18″ size_format=”px”]Recommendation #2:[/typography]

    [typography font=”Cardo” size=”24″ size_format=”px”]Remember that results & rewards are not always immediately evident or measurable.[/typography]

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Two Issues With Redefined Success Advice

There are two issues that come with the advice to redefine success toward an eternal perspective as described in the last post.

Problem #1: Observing Results

First, these success results are not always easily observed or measured.

Profit, shareholder wealth, and even cash flow metrics are most often easily obtained through mathematical formulas. You can look in virtually any business book or online and find many easy formulas to measure financial success and results. While the formulas can get complicated when looking at cash flow or other financial metrics, at least there are definite answers. Once calculated, these results are not difficult to interpret.

Christian Business

But when you turn to a business being run as a platform for ministry, the results get muddy. Unfortunately, the spiritual growth and life change that result from doing ministry are not measurable. How do you really know if someone was impacted by your efforts?

Sure, you can look at the fruit they bear, but how do you know it is real and not faked or based on wrong motivations? Even if you could validate the authenticity, how do you measure it?

Ripple Effects

And what about when the impact happens two or three persons down a chain of events? How do you observe or measure the impact when it is the friend of a friend of your employee? How would you know if a employee’s family member shares something from your company newsletter with one of their co-workers and a life is changed?

What about a customer that takes a copy of the Gospel of John from your customer lounge or one of your New Testament Owner’s Manuals for Life from their glove box and God uses it to draw them to Him. If they do not come back and tell you about it, you will never know! You could be having an impact on family members, acquaintances, or customers that you will never meet here on earth.

Problem #2: Timing of Results

Second, the results my be delayed. You will reap what you sow, but you rarely reap when you sow!

In most secular businesses, results are somewhat immediate. Again, good operating processes and disciplines produce net profit and cash flow in the near term. If not, leadership is under significant pressure to make changes.

Christian Business

But for a Christian business operating from an eternal perspective, desired results are often not immediately evident. Sometimes, the impact you have on someone may not show up for years! Maybe one of the ministry actions in your business touches an employee, but they leave your company and it is years before the results are evident. Another example may be that years later, an employee that you impacted begins teaching and impacts someone else.

We Need Celebrations!

All of these examples should be part of your success picture. You should be able to celebrate them, but because of the nature of the results, you likely cannot. This is not a big deal until you consider that we all need celebrations! We need to be able to see our progress and know that we are moving toward our goals.

This is most important when we have a streak of a couple of disappointing days. Have you ever had a couple of those days? Have you ever felt like you are not gaining ground and wonder why you are even trying?

Well, this advice does not eliminate those days, but it certainly helps us to know what to do. While we know and recognize that our rewards will come later, we can better deal with these days if we can remind ourselves of the nature of these results.

Trust God

If we can trust God and know that He will be faithful to honor our efforts by producing fruit in those we minister to, then we can better maintain our passion even when the fruits of our labor are not obvious.

How do you remind yourself that you are making an impact even when it is not evident?

How do you think about measuring impact?

How would you respond to his advice?

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Great Advice From A Voice Of Experience

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Would you jump at a chance to get advice from someone with an incredible career in both business and Christian ministry? I got that chance!

Jim Reese – CEO, Atlanta Mission

My brother and I had the privilege of spending a couple of hours this past week with business and ministry leader, Jim Reese. I first met Mr. Reese when he was a speaker at the Catalyst conference in Atlanta this past October.

After attending his session, I sought him out and we spent a few minutes talking about the integration of faith and business. It was then that I asked for the opportunity to visit his ministry, Atlanta Mission, and get his advice on how he thought I could better use our business as a platform for Christian ministry.

advice

Though we have been working at this for over eight years, we know there is still so much to learn! We know we have just barely scratched the surface and therefore are always on the look-out for opportunities to learn. This was clearly one of those opportunities. In fact, we came away with much more than we could have hoped.

Extensive Experience

Not only has Reese seen incredible success in the business world over a stellar career with executive positions in companies such as Randstad N.A., Frito-Lay, and HoneyBaked Ham, but he has also significantly impacted people for eternity through his work with Atlanta Mission. He has taken his exceptional business skills and is applying them in Christian ministry. His leadership is taking the Atlanta Mission organization to new heights.

I could take the rest of this post telling you how gracious and helpful Mr. Reese was in taking the time to pour into us. He clearly has a passion for what he does and is very willing to share that passion. We will not know the full impact of this short visit for many years to come, but I can tell you that it will be huge!

His Advice

Below, I have listed the first of five main points I gained from our conversation. I will discuss this first one in detail today and the other four points in my next posts. This advice is directed at anyone trying to buck the norms of this world and integrate their faith into their work. If you are trying to run your business from an eternal perspective, then you need to heed this advice.

[box][typography font=”Cardo” size=”18″ size_format=”px”]Recommendation #1:[/typography]

    [typography font=”Cardo” size=”24″ size_format=”px”]You must redefine success.[/typography]

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Secular Company

In a publicly-owned corporation, success is most often defined as an increase in shareholder wealth (stock price). Maybe revenue growth is a close second. In private business, net profit or net cash flow probably leads as the definition of success. Growth may also take a top spot in some of these businesses as well.

Since virtually all of us have worked in a secular job for a non-Christian company at some time or another, you probably know exactly what I am talking about. I do not know the statistics here, but success in most companies is defined this way. I am not judging them (not my job to do so). I am simply pointing out the facts.

Christian Company

But when you step out and say that your business is God’s and you are just a steward of it for a time, then you must redefine success. The normal business metrics will not work for this purpose. Instead, you must determine what is most important to God for His business.

Of course, the best place to look for this is in the Scripture. You may need to translate what you find into various specific definitions of success for your own business based on variables such as type (manufacturing, retail, services, etc.). It may be different specific results for different businesses, according to God’s will for each, but I guarantee it will be related to the Greatest Commandment and the Great Commission.

When Jesus says that all of the law and prophets hang on loving God and loving others as ourselves, then you can bet your success definition needs to be founded on this. When Jesus’ last words on earth charge us to go and make disciples of all nations, then you need to include this as well.

Redefining Success

I will not attempt to give you a single rule of thumb for redefining success for your business from an eternal perspective. This is something that you need to determine for your business through searching the Scriptures and fervent prayer. I will tell you that I think it is solid advice to redefine success for your company.

By redefining success from an eternal perspective, you will change the way you make decisions. You will hire differently. You will invest your time, talents, and treasure differently. When you have redefined success, your motivation changes and that picture of success begins to permeate your thoughts, actions, and words. Success redefined is a powerful force!

What is your definition of success in business at this point?

How have you prayed about this?

What do you feel God is leading you to do?

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Are You Making This Common Mistake With Your Life Plan?

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LIFE Plan

A couple of weeks ago, I posted a series about the process I use in creating and maintaining my LIFE plan. I have received a great deal of feedback from a variety of sources, mostly positive! I have been told this was the first time many of you have even considered doing a life plan or something similar.

For others, a life plan seems daunting and too time consuming. Regardless of which way you lean, I encourage you to read on and think about how the following illustration applies to your situation. Are you making this common mistake?

life plan

Read the following illustration from Herschel Hobbs’ My Favorite Illustrations….

River vs. Canal

    Have you ever looked down on a river while riding in a plane thousands of feet above the ground? If so, you know that the river’s course winds here and there like the track of a large serpent. This is because, in its formation, the river followed the path of least resistance.

    On the other hand, a straight canal calls for advance planning, toil, and suffering as those who make it dig and blast their way through the terrain.

    Lives are like that. Crooked or unrighteous lives follow the lines of least resistance. They twist and turn as they adapt to the changing mores of society. In doing so, they wander aimlessly with no certainty as to their final destination.

    Like those who dig a straight canal, the righteous determine their goal and pay the price necessary to achieve it. That is the way of Christ.

Just think about this for a minute and then take a look at your own life.

Do You Have A Destination?

First, do you have a certain destination or purpose in mind for your life?

The river has no specific destination and therefore any path will do. So many people today make a critical mistake and just take life as it comes, with no real plan or idea of why they are here. Others have plans, but they change with the winds. As shiny objects catch their eye, they run off in a new direction, seeking the newest pleasure or escape.

The canal, on the other hand, is designed with a specific destination in mind. For most of us, we were not handed a road map in school with the destination or purpose of our life highlighted for us, along with the directions to get there. Instead, we have to determine it for ourselves. For the majority of the readers of this blog, the desire is to base this path on the Bible.

On What (Whom) Is It Based?

Second, on what (or whom) are you basing your life’s purpose decisions? Are you striving for something you have seen on TV or in a movie or magazine? Are you chasing the wind?

Or are you following a plan based on One who designed you and knows the best for you? It’s up to you, but I know my choice!

The destination I have set at the end of my canal is to hear from Jesus, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”

Are You Still Following It?

Finally, if you have determined the purpose or direction of your life, are you still on track or have you reverted back to following the path of least resistance?

Are you allowing outside influences to determine your course or are you working hard, with advance planning and sweat, to overcome outside influences and stay on course? For the short term, just winging it may seem easier, but over the long haul, that method will bring more hardship and disappointment.

However, intentional effort and decision-making toward the right purpose can lead to fulfillment and contentment.

Do you have a certain destination in mind for your life?

Are you digging a canal or following the path of the river?

Have you allowed outside influences to distract you from your canal?

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Are You Doing God’s Work or God’s Will?

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Have you thought about this before? Is there a difference between doing God’s work and doing God’s will? If so, what is it? Is it really that important anyway?

I think there is a huge difference and I think it is critical to know what it is.

God's will

Let’s first take a look at Scripture to see what it says about this.

In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
– Matthew 5:16

Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
– Matthew 6:1

Confused?

If you only looked at these two verses, then you could get confused! Which is it…do deeds before men or not?

Notice in Matthew 6:1 a brief phrase that makes all of the difference. The phrase, which describes the motive for the deeds, is “to be seen by them….” Jesus is telling us that we should not do His work with the motive of being seen, and honored, by men.

Is there a similar indicator in 5:16? Take a look at this phrase, “that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Instead of having a motive of being seen by men, the desire here is to bring praise to the Father. That is why these deeds are encouraged.

Difference Between God’s Will and God’s Work

The whole difference between doing God’s work and doing God’s will is in your motives.

If you do God’s work for the purpose of having people see you and think highly of you, then you are not in God’s will. God tells us often (Amos 5:21-23; Isaiah 1:11-15; Psalm 51:16) that He hates our rituals and sacrifices when they are not genuine. He does not want us to do hundreds of hours of charity work and give millions of dollars to the church unless our motives are right.

If this is the case, and Scripture certainly makes it clear that it is, then how do we determine the right motives so we are in God’s will?

Determining Right Motives

Great question! Fortunately, I think I have the answer for you! Let’s go back to the Bible…

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” – Matthew 22:37-40

Do you see that last phrase? It says that “All of the Law and Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Based on this, I think it is safe to draw a connection between these commandments and our right motives. If our motives match up with loving God and loving others, then I think they are good. If not, we need to beware.

Having established this, what are your motives in business? Do you approach business for your own purposes or for God’s? Have you thought about the results God expects from your business? Do you think they are eternal or temporal? Do your motives match up with His desires?

Have you thought about your motives as they relate to your work?

Are you doing more of God’s work or God’s will?

What do you need to change first?

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My Top Posts For 2011

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In case you missed any of these, I thought I would share my top posts for 2011.

posts

1. Why I Decided To Walk Away From The Family Business…

    This one is close to my heart because it is truly what started all of this. Interestingly enough, this post received almost three times as much traffic as #2. It was certainly a turning point in my life – one I will never forget.

2. Reason 2 of 5 To Run Your Business According To Your Christian Faith

    In this post, I look at how the Greatest Commandment(s) relate to our business purposes. This really hits at the core of what drives my efforts in business.

3. Pursue The Gifts You Have, Not The Ones You Want!

    This is a great post about embracing our God-given gifts. This post received more comments than any of the others on this list.

4. Why Acknowledge Christ In Christmas?

    As a result of a friend sharing a video with me, I ran a Christ-centered TV ad leading up to Christmas. I posted about this video and the bigger issue of acknowledging Christ in Christmas.

5. Taking Action: Owners Manual For Life!

    Here I describe one of the various methods our company employs to do ministry in the course of doing business. I also explained how I was heeding my own advice to just take action!

6. “Go Make Yourself Useful!”

    Jim Collins heard these words from Peter Drucker many years ago, but they have stuck with him. If you read about the context of the conversation, I believe you will feel the same!

7. 10 Reasons For An Exit Interview (With Purpose)

    Many leaders fail to execute exit interviews on a consistent basis. In this post, I share some reasons for a Christian business leader to reconsider this practice.

8. Reconcile And Forgive Immediately!

    This was the fifth post in a series on character issues for leaders. I confessed my own struggles in this area as well.

9. Why Do You Need An Inner Circle?

    Without a doubt, my inner circle has had more influence on my growth than any other system I have put in place. I strongly recommend you do the same.

10. What is Christian Ministry?

    This sounds like an easy question, but I believe too many people have the wrong answer to it. Take a look and let me know what you think.

Did any of these impact you?

What was your favorite? Why?

What was the top post on your blog?

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Are You Willing To Walk Away?

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I love movies. One of my favorites is the movie Heat, with Robert Deniro and Al Pacino. Likely my favorite scene in that movie is the coffee shop scene. During this scene, Deniro, a bank robber, is talking face to face with Pacino, a cop. During this conversation, Deniro shares advice he once received about being willing to walk away from anything.

walk away

Don’t let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner.

While Deniro is referring to “heat” in the sense of law enforcement catching up to him and his crime-filled lifestyle, I think we can apply this same advice to our own lives and even our businesses.

Strangers In This World

See, we are strangers in this world (1 Peter 2:11). It is not our home (Philippians 3:20). We will only be here a short time (Job 8:9). Everything we have here will be destroyed by moth and rust (Matthew 6:19). It will burn one day (1 Corinthians 3:12-15).

At the same time, we are disciples of Jesus…not just for this life, but also for the life to come. We are God’s children, now and forever. The treasure we lay up for ourselves in heaven is also eternal. It will never be destroyed by moth or rust. It will never burn.

Can you see the contrast here? Our relationship with this world we live in is temporary. Our relationship with our Lord and Father is eternal. Therefore, our attachment to the things of this world should be temporary and our attachment to the things of God should be eternal.

How Does This Apply?

How does this look in our daily lives? How does it look in our businesses? How should it look in our relationships?

I think we are to take the mindset of Deniro and apply it here. We should not become so attached to anything here in this life that we are not willing to walk away from it. We should be be so consumed with our love for Jesus and the life we want to live for Him that we would not hesitate to walk away from anything if He asks.

Would You Walk Away?

What if He asks us to walk away from a highly profitable business deal because it would require us to be unequally yoked with an unbelieving partner? What if He asks us to walk away from our home town because He has another plan for us? What if He asks us to walk away from our dream home so we can have more resources to give? What if He asks us to walk away from some friendships we enjoy because they are damaging our commitment to Him?

Do you get the picture? Whether material things, business deals, or relationships, I believe the Bible is clear that we are to have a detached mindset and a willingness to walk away from them. Here is a quote from Watchman Nee in his book Love Not the World.

I am not suggesting by this that we must try to dispose of everything; that is not the point. The point is that as God’s children, you and I may not accumulate things for ourselves. If I keep something it is because God has spoken to my heart; if I part with it, it is for the same reason. I hold myself in the will of God and am not afraid to give if God asks me to give. I keep nothing because I love it, but I let it go without regret when the call comes to leave it behind. That is what it means to be detached.

God Honors The Decision

I went through this very process myself roughly eight years ago. I posted about it here (Why I Decided To Walk Away…). While I have not yet seen the end of this path, I can give you my word that I would not change my decision for anything in this world! God has honored that decision many times over since then. I have confidence He will continue to do so going forward.

I still struggle with this mindset in every area of my life. It is not easy to maintain a willingness to walk away. I fail at it as much as I win, but I will continue to fight. I am determined not to attach myself to a temporary world. I will trust Him instead.

What attachments do you have?

Have you seen God honor your decision to walk away from something?

Is He asking now?

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How To Face Your Anti-Audience

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In my previous post, I quoted from L.L. Barkat, in her post The Perverse Monstrosity of our Beautiful Work over at The High Calling blog community. In my post, I described how our “good work” as Christian leaders will meet opposition and criticism in this world. Using Barkat’s quote, I labeled this rejection as “anti-audience.”

“Good work doesn’t just find audience; it also finds anti-audience.” – L.L. Barkat

anti-audience

Knowledge of Anti-Audience Enough?

While it would be nice if the simple knowledge of this “anti-audience” was enough to give us the strength to press on in acting out our Christian faith, I am sure that it is not. It is not enough for us to know this any more than it is enough to tell your husband or wife you love them on your wedding day and expect them to know it from then on!

We are just not that good. We forget the things we learn. We forget important truths and fail to recall them when we need them most. I think that is the primary reason God has given us the Bible. With His Word in our hands, we can regularly remind ourselves of His promises and truths. By memorizing His Word, we can refer to it when we need it.

Everyday Battle

As Christian business owners and leaders, we go into battle everyday. We battle this anti-audience (the world) as well as the enemy that is in charge of it for a time (Ephesians 6:12). Every time we try to impact someone else for eternity, we are going to face this anti-audience. Whenever we make strides to grow closer to God and bring others along with us, we will get resistance from the world that hates us (John 15:19).

Tools For Battle

In an effort to help you in this battle, I want to give you some tools that you can use when you face opposition. This list is not an exhaustive list. I am sure you can add some of your own favorite verses or tools that have helped you in similar situations. Either way, I hope you find this list to be helpful.

1. Memorize God’s promises – Pick out a handful of verses that clearly speak to your heart about God’s promises regarding the plans He has for you. Memorize these verses and practice calling them to mind when trouble comes. God’s Word is living and breathing…use it! Here are a few that I recommend for a start.

Even if you (likely) have read these before, try to read them again for the first time, as if offered by the most esteemed mentor you can imagine. Don’t just memorize the words, but internalize them.

    Matthew 6:33 – Seek first the kingdom of God, and all these things will be given to you.

    Romans 8:39 – For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

    Isaiah 54:17 – No weapon formed against you will prosper.

    Psalm 37:5-6 – Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun.

    Romans 8:31 – If God is for us, who can be against us?

2. Find an accountability partner – Find someone of like mind that can understand the fight you are in. Someone who is not out on the field of battle themselves, but is instead on the sidelines, likely won’t make a good partner in this case.

Find someone that has been bloodied a few times themselves. This person will understand what you are going through and can encourage you when you need it most. You can do the same for them!

3. Begin a journal – If you will start by taking roughly 10 minutes a day to write (or type) your thoughts and experiences, you will benefit greatly. First, it always helps to get your thoughts out of your head and onto paper (or the screen). For some reason, this just makes it easier to deal with.

You will also find that you can go back during those times of heavier opposition from the anti-audience and read about your past successes. This does wonders for your confidence! Many electronic journals (I use LifeJournal) allow you to tag and categorize entries for easier searching later.

4. Get in the habit of prayer – Of course, this seems like a no-brainer. It is also really tough to do because so many people feel like their prayers need to be clean and organized. I read something the other day about praying sloppy (I know the grammar doesn’t work, but it fits!).

God does not need us to clean up our thoughts before we pray any more than He wants us perfect before we enter the church. Give God everything on your mind AS IT IS in your mind. He can handle it! The more you do this over time, through smooth AND rough times, the more peace you will have.

5. Keep reminders of your positive results – Build a scrapbook, Evernote folder, or other method for organizing any evidence of past results. I have an Evernote folder where I store such reminders as “Thank You” notes, letters, voice mails, and other scraps that remind me of successes I have had in the past. I return to these when I am feeling worn down by the anti-audience!

I hope these tools help you. If you have other ideas I can add to the list, please include the in the comments section below! I would love to hear your thoughts.

Which of these do you need to add to your arsenal?

What has worked for you in the past?

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What Is Anti-Audience?

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anti-audience

When I hear or read a great quote, it usually sticks with me. I have a hard time letting go of it. I posted about just such a quote last month, “Go Make Yourself Useful!” Well, I have found another quote that has captured my thoughts. This quote about our “anti-audience” comes from a post called The Perverse Monstrosity of Our Beautiful Work by L.L. Barkat over at The High Calling blog community.

Criticism

In this post, Barkat described a letter she had received that criticized her writing. Evidently it was aggressively worded, because it elicited strong reactions from her friends when they read it. They encouraged her to ignore the letter. She was tempted to allow it into her heart.

Barkat went on to tell how several examples came to her mind of popular artists and performers that had received similar criticism. She realized that this was not an indication of bad work, but likely the opposite was true. Here is her quote that stole my attention…

Good work doesn’t just find audience; it also finds anti-audience.

I am sorry, but that is just powerful. Think about it…some of the best performers and/or performances are polarizing. In any given “audience,” regardless of the category of performance, there are always people that find some reason to complain about or oppose a good performance.

Human Nature?

I guess it is human nature. I am sure that someone with training in psychology could tell me why this is the case. Regardless of the reason, I know it is true. I have seen it when watching Tiger Woods or Tim Tebow. I am sure you could name your own examples.

What Is The Point?

So, we agree that this is true.

What is the point as it relates to a Christian business?

What should a Christian leader learn from this truth that would strengthen them in their effort to integrate their faith into their business?

Why do I think this quote is so important?

Expect Opposition

My first thought is that it is important for anyone planning to “perform” in front of any sort of public audience to be prepared for criticism. As Christian business owners and leaders, we certainly fit this category! While criticism is never easy to take, it is less painful when you are expecting it. Just as we are more likely to survive a storm when we make preparations, we can better handle rejection when we know it is coming.

Look at this quote from Dave Ramsey in his book EntreLeadership:

You can’t lead, market, and/ or run a company successfully without drawing fire from people who don’t understand. So as you win prepare to be misunderstood and lied about.

What Is “Good” Work?

As true as this is, I have an even bigger thought that is the main point of this whole post. To help me make this point, let’s take following quotes from Jesus. In the first quote, Jesus is referring to Himself and God. In the second, he is relating trees and their fruit to men and the things produced from their hearts. The Greek word translated “good” is the same in both quotes.

“Why do you ask Me about what is good?” He said to him. “There is only One who is good.” – Matthew 19:17

“A good man produces good out of the good storeroom of his heart.” – Luke 6:45

In this context, reconsider the meaning of “good work” in L.L. Barkat’s quote…

Good work doesn’t just find audience; it also finds anti-audience.

When we look at Barkat’s quote from this perspective, it takes on a whole new meaning! Rather than thinking about the criticism drawn by good work in general, consider what it means to a Christian leader producing “good” out of the “good” storeroom of his heart.

Anti-Audience

Does it make sense to you that our “good” work as disciples of Jesus will find an anti-audience? Do you expect it or are you surprised when it happens? Do you prepare for it and deflect it, or are you tempted, as Barkat was, to give it permission to enter your heart and deter you?

Just in case you need some reinforcement, let’s take a look at more of Jesus’ words.

In this world you will have trouble. – John 16:33

If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. – John 15:19

There Is An Enemy

Folks, there is an enemy that hates you because of your family name. You are not of this world and therefore the world is going to hate you. This “hate” may not show itself to you on a daily basis, but I submit that it will show itself to you with a frequency that is directly proportionate to the impact you are having on people for eternity!

See, I believe “good” work finds an anti-audience. I believe that the more we do in the name of Jesus, the more resistance we will meet from the world. I believe that you know exactly what I am talking about if you have tried to run your business based on your Christian faith.

Anti-Audience Is Unavoidable

I do not believe this anti-audience is avoidable or I think Jesus would have said, “In this world you might have trouble.” In fact, if you are not experiencing what I am describing, then I would encourage you to look for hard evidence of your faith. I am NOT saying you do not have it. I am simply asking you to do a deep dive and look for any evidence someone could use against you in court if they were accusing you of being a disciple of Jesus.

If you HAVE experienced what I am describing, then I have good news for you! I left out some of Jesus’ words in one of the verses above! Let’s look again at the full quote…

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33

Good And Faithful Servant

Despite the trouble we are told we are to face, we are also promised peace! We get this peace because Jesus has overcome the very world that is against us! This is great news! It is news that should drive us to do the “good work” that we know we are designed to do. We should do this good work without fear of ultimate loss. If we will do this work, we will hear the words that we should long to hear – including that same Greek word for “good”…

“Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” – Matthew 25:21, 23

Has your work found anti-audience?

Do you need to step up your good work?

Do you find encouragement in Jesus’ words regarding the anti-audience?