Tag Archives: ministry

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Are You Waiting To Be Told What To Do?

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Our business is not a big one in the grand scheme of things, but we do get a good cross-section of employees with roughly 100 people working here. As a result, I have seen those that learn the job quickly and others that do not. Some understand their job and do what is necessary without being asked while others are waiting to be told what to do.

waiting to be told

Waiting To Be Told

If you have been working for any length of time, you have probably witnessed this. For the most part, any new employee needs to be told what to do in the beginning, right? Unless they have worked that exact job before, there are things they need to be told first.

They probably need to know WHAT to do, WHY, WHEN, and HOW they are to do it, and maybe a few other tips. Once they get this, they should be able to go forward on their own with only occasional guidance along the way.

Still Waiting…

The problem is that some employees are still waiting to be told what to do. You probably know some of these people where you work. Maybe they work for you. No matter how many times they have read the job description or listened to the training, they refuse to take action on their own. They can sometimes be found actually standing around because no one stopped to tell them what to do next! It really amazes (and frustrates) me!

To be clear, I am not talking about waiting to be told about NEW tasks, responsibilities, or ideas. As employees are being developed for promotion or more responsibility, they need to be taught more. They cannot know the new stuff until it is taught to them. I am only now talking about what they already know (or should know) they are to be doing.

What About Us?

So now that I have you worked up and as frustrated as I am, let’s (again) turn this around to be about us. You probably knew this was coming, didn’t you? For the sake of this discussion, we are the “employees” in this picture and God is the “employer”.

As you go through the rest of this post, ask yourself if you are acting just like one of these employees. Ask yourself if you are “standing around” waiting to be told by God (again) what He wants you to do. Be honest with yourself and allow Him to guide you. He will show you what He wants you to see.

Examples

Let’s take an easy example to start with.

Our “handbook” (the Bible) says that we are to love God (Matthew 22:37-40), right? This is called the Greatest Commandment and we should all be aware of it by now. We have probably read it many times and have likely heard sermons (training) on it as well.

So, are you DOING it? Are you really LOVING God? Are you doing it with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength? OR are you waiting to be told again that you are to do this?

If I am honest in answering these questions for myself, then I would say I am doing it sometimes and I am trying to do it other times. I can’t really say that at any point in time I am sitting around waiting to be told again to love God. I think I have a passing grade here, but not by much.

Another Example!

Let’s get a little tougher. We have all likely heard of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) as well, right? We are told here to go and make disciples of all nations. Again, we have read it and heard many sermons on it. I doubt there are any of us that can honestly claim ignorance here.

So, again I ask the question. Are you DOING it? Are you truly making disciples? Are you mentoring someone in the Christian walk? Are you engaging your employees, co-workers, and others in Christian ministry? Are you teaching what you have been taught?

In the past, I could answer this question with an easy “Yes!” without blinking an eye. Lately, I have allowed distractions to creep in and now I am unable to answer with confidence. What about you? Have you made an effort? Have you allowed distractions to interfere?

More Examples!

I won’t go into detail with each of the following areas from our “handbook,” but I will at least list them and let you ask yourself the questions. Think about each category and ask yourself the tough questions. Where are you waiting to be told what to do? If that is difficult for you or if you think you will go too easy on yourself, ask someone else to help you. Maybe that can be the start of a discipling relationship!

Evangelism (Acts 1:8)

Tithing (Matthew 23:23)

Love your enemies (Matthew 5:43-44)

Forgive your enemies (Luke 17:4)

Praying for others (1 Timothy 2:1-4)

Bible study (2 Timothy 2:15)

Take Action!

When you have had enough abuse for one day and you are ready to close out this post, stop and do one more thing. Decide on one, only one, of these areas and commit to do something!

Commit to make at least one change. Start doing something that you already know you should be doing. It will be the first step down a great and rewarding path!

Where are you doing what you know you should be doing?

Where are you waiting to be told what to do?

What are you going to do about it?

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Are You Living The Truth You Know?

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In my last post, we looked at Apostle Paul’s resume and talked about how he thought of it as filth and counted it as loss. My goal was to get us to take a look at the goals we have for our lives and compare them to what we see in Scripture. Like Paul, we should be heading in a different direction from the world. If not, are we applying the truth we know to the lives we live?

truth

***If you have not read my last post, you might want to do that now [HERE] so you are on the same page as the rest of us.

Accountability From Scripture

Just to make sure we do not escape the accountability that Scripture gives us, let’s take a look at another verse that comes up just after the ones we looked at last time:

In any case, we should live up to whatever truth we have attained.
Philippians 3:16

Now, that is a pretty short verse, but I think it is also a very powerful one. Do you get the meaning? Paul is telling us that attaining truth, or gaining knowledge, is not enough. We cannot simply know something and leave it at that. We have to also apply it! We must LIVE UP TO IT!

Truth Applied

Therefore, if we know that this world cannot offer us anything eternal and that only a life lived for Christ will survive the fire that is to come, then our lives should reflect this knowledge (1 Corinthians 3:11-15).

And as an extension, our business lives should also reflect this knowledge.

Assuming you agree with me at this point, or at least are willing to read more before making a decision, let’s take a look at some key areas where we might be likely to exhibit inconsistencies in our workplace.

Potential Areas Of Inconsistency

It is in these areas that many of us fail to fully live up to the truth we have attained. As you read through these areas, think about your own work life and how you might need to rethink your approach to some of them.

1. Business Mission
Every business book will tell you that the purpose of a business, the reason it exists, is to produce a profit. It is similarly believed that the main purpose of a job is to provide income.

I believe the Bible says otherwise. I think the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30) shows us that a business exists to produce a return for its owner. The problem is that we are not the actual owners…God is the owner (Psalm 50:10-12). And as the owner, He wants a return.

Since God already has all of the money in the world, I believe He wants what He does not already have – souls. I believe the Bible shows us that the purpose of our business (or job) is to impact others (souls) for eternity by pointing them to God. Sure, income and profit are necessary to sustain us and our businesses, but they are not the purpose.

2. Money
Even those of us that agree with #1 above can still fall victim to erroneous thinking about money. We may see the eternal purpose of business, but then turn right around and hoard the money that comes from it. It is not always one big decision that we make, but the accumulation of a bunch of little ones.

One of the questions in the C12 Yearly Audit I recently shared with you talks about becoming less acquisitive. When we are assessing our lives in light of the truth we know, we should look hard at our use of money.

Are we freely giving it to those who have needs greater than ours? Are we treating it as stewards of it rather than owners? If pressed, are we more likely to leverage it for eternity or spend it on temporary pleasure or luxury? We likely know what this SHOULD look like, but are we living up to the truth we have attained?

3. Time
An area of our lives that often receives less focus is time. We tend to spend it even more frivolously than we do our money. We often fail to budget it. Even when we do budget it, we frequently allocate too much of it to the wrong uses.

Think about your calendar. What types of activities get the most preference as you schedule out your time? How much time are you committing to a personal relationship with God, the owner of all you steward?

Does your family get more than adequate time or are they generally the last to receive a ration of minutes? Is the time they do receive considered your higher quality time or your leftovers? Would they answer the same way you are right now?

Other Areas?

I can keep on going, but I think you get the idea. I encourage you to take some time and come up with some of your own areas of inconsistency. Pray through each of these and ask God to help you see clearly into each one. He is faithful to do so.

Once you have seen the truth, apply it. Live up to it. Don’t simply accept it and move on from it. Stop and take action. Map out a plan to make corrections over time if the initial results are too overwhelming to take in at once.

In any case, we all should live up to whatever truth we have attained!

What other areas of inconsistency did you consider?

How do you make sure you apply the truth you attain?

Where do you need to take more action?

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What If You Won The Lottery?

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The other day I was thinking about all of the worthy Christian ministry organizations I have become aware of in the past several years (e.g. TrueLife Mission). I thought about how much money they are all trying to raise in order to accomplish the mission God has given them. At one point I even thought about how much I could help them if I could just win the lottery!

lottery

Not About The Lottery!

Now before you start commenting one way or the other on the morality of a lottery or anything like that, please know that this post is not at all about the lottery itself. We are simply going to take a look, in this post AND the next one, at how we would (and should) handle such enormous wealth if it were at our disposal.

Have you ever thought about it? Have you ever dreamed of winning the lottery? I have and I don’t even play it! In fact, I have thought often about what I would do with that kind of money. Whether it came from a sudden windfall (like the lottery) or even from a successful business endeavor – what would you do with a huge sum of money?

Failed Previous Winners?

Certainly, when you look at the stories of many of those who HAVE won the lottery, it is sad to see how it has so often destroyed the winners. So many lottery winners have had a short and wild ride, but then end up in worse financial condition than they were in before the lottery paid them.

Reasons For Failure

There are many reasons for this, I am sure. One, they are not trained in how to handle such large sums of money. Another reason may be that with their additional income, they likely see themselves in another “class” of people. They feel they have to spend more to keep up with these people.

I am sure they also underestimate how expensive the higher class lifestyle can be. The more expensive house comes with higher property taxes, higher utilities and maintenance costs, etc. The expenses begin to snowball before they even realize what has happened.

An obvious reason is likely that they are not focused on what God would have them do with the money. While some are charitable to a point, many spend more of their time trying to protect their wealth from anything or anyone that may threaten it rather than seeing how they could give more.

It Would Be Different!

If you have ever thought about what you would do if you won the lottery, then you have likely told yourself you would never let those things happen to you, right?

You have probably said, like I have, that you would first tithe on the winnings. Then you would probably plan to give away a huge portion of the lottery winnings to other organizations. I have picked out several mission organizations that would benefit from my lottery winnings.

Debts Gone!

You likely determined that the next amount would be carved out to pay off all of your debt. Then, you would probably be determined not to let that debt get so high ever again. If you cannot afford something with your new lottery winnings, then you just won’t buy it!

You have also probably said that you would never allow your expenses to outrun your winnings – even unexpected expenses. You probably decided, like I did, that you would carve out another portion for savings – to be used in the event of an emergency. This is just smart thinking, right?

Avoid the “Jones'” Trap!

I would also bet you thought about how you would not allow yourself to fall into the trap of trying to keep up with others (the Jones’) who had similar or greater incomes. In fact, you have probably determined that this winning would not really change who you are or how you live today (for the most part).

Finally, if you are like me, you probably decided you would set aside some of the money for those small, unpredictable times when someone you know is in need. You would want to be able help those around you when they come upon a crisis and with your newfound wealth, that should not be a problem.

What Else?

If I have left anything out, please let me know in the comments. Otherwise, stay tuned for the next post where we look at what I think we SHOULD do if we were to win the lottery. You may have some idea of where I am headed with this…we’ll see!

Have you thought about this?

What thoughts would you add?

What would you offer for our next post’s discussion?

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What Will Your Funeral Look Like?

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I have said many times before that I am a reader. I love reading and learning new things. For some reason, it is a burning desire of mine. However, there is something I love more than reading – that is being able to actually apply what I have learned in a way that changes how I live! The best example of this came from Stephen Covey and the image of my funeral!

funeral

Start With The End In Mind

If you are a reader and also a leader in the business world, then the likelihood is high that you have read Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. If you have not, please stop now and go get it. His writing is a lot better than mine!

Well, if you are still with me, then I assume you have read Covey’s book. One of my favorite parts of the book was called “Start with the end in mind.” In this section, Covey recommended that we imagine our own funeral and what is being said about us. He then went on to effectively say that we should determine what it is we want people to say about us and begin living that way.

When I combined this idea with Scripture that talks about the rewards in eternity versus the futility of chasing what this world offers, I began to form a picture of what I wanted my life to look like.

“Well Done”

In fact, the one thing I am most driven to hear said about my life is, “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 in your Master’s happiness!” (Matthew 25:21)

The challenge with hearing this is making sure to focus on those things with which He wants me to be faithful. I have to tell you, He is not concerned with the money I stack up or the luxuries I accumulate. He is not going to praise me for my wealth or my fame.

He Wants Eternal Impact

He already owns all of that and does not need any more from me.

What Jesus wants from me is eternal impact. He wants me to leverage all that He has given me in a way that points more people to Him. He wants me to spend every ounce of energy and effort that I have in me to increase the number of souls in eternity with Him. I picture these as silhouettes HERE.

Your Funeral?

So, if we go back to Covey’s illustration of our funeral, I think there is something you need to think about. As you picture yourself lying there and your funeral is in progress, what is going through your mind? What are you proud of? What are your regrets?

If your funeral was happening today, would you be pleased with how you finished?

The Difference

When we reach the end of this life, we will all wish we had done more ministry. None of us will wish we had done more business. The difference is that the person with the eternal perspective recognizes this now and tries to live accordingly.

What is God leading you to change?

Have you ever taken the time to imagine your own funeral?

Were you pleased with what you saw?

What would you want to change?

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Significant Work – Book Giveaway!

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[title color=”orange-vibrant” align=”scmgccenter” font=”georgia” style=”normal” size=”scmgc-7em”]Free Book Give Away!!![/title]

significant work

Another Free Book Give Away?

You read that right! I am offering FIVE (5) free copies of Paul Rude’s book, Significant Work: Discover the Extraordinary Worth of What You Do Every Day!

How Do You Win?

If you scroll down just a bit you will see the Rafflecopter entry form which outlines a bunch of ways to enter the Significant Work: Discover the Extraordinary Worth of What You Do Every Day giveaway. Just complete as many as you would like to be entered to win!

Why Am I Doing This?

I started this blog in an effort to spread the message of integrating the Christian faith into our businesses. I want to see more Christian business owners and leaders begin looking at their businesses from an eternal perspective and running them as platforms for Christian ministry.

While I know my posts are written toward this effort, I thought I would try to step it up a notch for 2013. My plan is to give away one book a month for the entire year! All I am asking from you is to follow the Rafflecopter instructions below. As you enter, you will be helping me to spread the word about this blog at the same time. We both win!

This Month’s Book: Paul Rude’s Significant Work

Have you ever wondered if your work is less significant to God than the work of pastors, missionaries, and humanitarian relief workers? Is your life less significant? The answer is a resounding no! Your work is not less significant to God—and neither is your life.

But maybe you’re questioning your calling, wondering if you missed it somewhere along the way.

With engaging stories and sound theology, Paul Rude invites you to discover the extraordinary significance of your everyday work. Never again will you doubt the eternal value of your work or of your life. You’ll find peace with your calling. And you’ll know that through your unique, God-given vocation today, God is preparing you for your eternal vocation—your own unique capacity to reflect His glory forever.

Discover why your work matters, understand the purpose behind it, and fully grasp the biblical motivation for everything you do.

Because this topic is so important to him, the author has agreed to give away FIVE (5) copies of this book! Make sure to enter so you can be one of the five lucky winners!

Enter The Give Away

Follow the instructions below to enter the Significant Work contest and then spread the word to others! The contest ends at midnight on Monday, September 30th and the winners will be announced on Tuesday, October 1st.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Do You Already Pray?

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This is the fifth and final post in a series on recommendations I would make to someone at the beginning stages of deciding to use their business as a platform for Christian ministry. While this list of recommendations is not exhaustive, it should be a great start on which to build. Today’s recommendation is (again) to pray!

pray

Sunscreen Battle

If you have kids, you have probably experienced the sunscreen battle. You go to the beach, pool, or lake and plan to spend the day. One of the first actions you take is to slather them up with sunscreen – the highest SPF you can find, right?

After you have been there for several hours, you ask them to come to you so you can apply more sunscreen. They whine and attempt to refuse, saying they have sunscreen. “Remember? You put it on when we first got here!”

One Application Not Enough!

Of course, with a calm and measured voice you ask again, explaining that the initial application you gave them has now washed off and they need more. Back and forth you likely go until they are close enough for you to physically reach them.

Then, like a frog’s tongue, your arm streaks out and grabs them. You pull them in and apply the cream as they wriggle and squirm. If you have missed this experience, then you at least have witnessed this scene unfold with others around you, right? You know exactly what I am talking about!

How Is This Related?

Of course, you may be familiar with the scene, but you are likely still wondering what this has to do with using a business as a platform for Christian ministry. You think I may have gone a little off track.

Actually, I think this picture has a lot in common with our discussion on Christian business. Before I get into the details, let’s look back at the first four recommendations in this series.

New Christian Business Advice

In each of these posts, I have attempted to describe what I believe are the most critical actions you can take if you are interested in running a Christian business. While each of the first four posts were distinct, I am going to risk repeating myself a little in this fifth and final post.

Going all the way back to Recommendation #1, I suggested you pray for clarity of purpose, strength, and commitment. I also suggested you give thanks for the position into which God has placed you. Of course, I believe these prayers are critical to your ministry.

At the same time, I believe that prayer has a lot in common with sunscreen. One application is NOT enough! Prayer is something that we need to reapply every day! Paul tells us to pray constantly…does that sound like one application?

Recommendation #5 – Pray Again!

Let me repeat that again: One application of prayer is not enough! Instead, you need to accept the concept that you will need an ongoing commitment to pray. For those who are serious about seeking eternal impact from the operation of their business, the commitment to pray is an absolute must!

When we pray, we commune with the Creator. He created us and He created business itself. Given that, does it not make sense that He can best direct us in a way that will produce the greatest impact?

Pray For Specifics

While I could just leave off there and have made my point, I will go on to give you specific topics that I believe are critical for you to cover when you pray. Again, my list is not exhaustive. Hopefully you will add to it over time. At the same time, you will be ahead of the game if you start with these.

Clarity of Purpose – Yes, this was already covered in Recommendation #1. The difference this time is that you are praying for God to keep this clarity in the forefront of your mind. You should pray for reminders in your spirit of the “Why” that drives you and gives you the energy to continue.

Strength and Commitment – Again, this was already covered before. Again, it will become more and more necessary as you progress into the territory of the enemy! Your quest is one of conquest and the opposition will intensify! Be prepared for this and make sure you pray for the necessary endurance.

Humility – At some point, you will likely see success in your efforts. It may happen instantly or it may take more time than you ever expected. Either way, pride is an easy trap to fall into. It will be tempting to take credit or accept praise when your ministry begins to bear fruit.

This is when you have to go back and read John 15. This is a reminder that you are only the conduit that Jesus is using. You are not the source of the fruit – He is. Keep that in mind and you will maintain a healthy perspective. You will also remain teachable.

Wisdom – You are simply crazy if you do not pray for wisdom. In both James and Proverbs, we are clearly told we will receive wisdom if we ask for it. If Solomon asked first for wisdom when faced with leading God’s people, then we should follow his example in our business.

Romans 8:29 – While most people like to quote Romans 8:28, verse 29 is one that I think is more important to remember. God wants to conform us to the likeness of His Son. We should pray that He is doing this on a daily basis. We should pray that we are allowing ourselves to be molded in that way. The more He is able to do this, the greater our impact will be in all we do.

Matthew 25:21 – Keeping the end goal in mind is a tremendous motivator. That is part of the reason to pray for clarity of purpose. But another way to do this is to pray this verse from the Parable of the Talents – when Jesus is talking to the servant that multiplied his talents.

Jesus says, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” If we will pray regularly for the opportunity to hear the same thing, then I believe our decisions, motives, and actions will fall more into line with His will.

What would you add to this prayer list?

Are you consistent in praying like you think you should be?

What should you change about your prayer life?

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Focused On The Eternal Perspective?

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When most of us think about the future, what we think about often depends on our age. So much of the focus of our thoughts depends upon what the world has told us we need to be thinking about at our age. Despite Scripture to the contrary, we worry about temporal things instead of focusing on things from an eternal perspective.

eternal perspective

God Will Provide

In my last post, we looked at a passage in Matthew 6:25-32 in which Jesus teaches us not to worry about the temporal things of this world. He tells us that God knows our temporal needs and that He will provide for us because of His love for us.

We discussed how difficult it is for us to avoid thinking (and worrying) about these things because our flesh is so weak. Knowing this is true, what are we to do?

First Priority

I think the first priority should be determining what we should be focusing on. If we want to get our thoughts off of the wrong things, it helps to know what the right things are, right?

To figure this out, let’s look at the next verse in that same passage, as well as two related verses.

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.
Matthew 6:33

So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:18

Fight the good fight for the faith; take hold of eternal life that you were called to and have made a good confession about in the presence of many witnesses.
1 Timothy 6:12

Eternal Perspective?

Based on what you read here, what is it that you think you should be focused on right now? What perspective should you have as you go through this life here and now?

I think it is clear that our thoughts should be focused on the eternal perspective, not on the temporal worries of this life. Instead of worrying about our retirement or the travel we are going to enjoy, we should instead be focused on impacting other people for eternity by pointing them to God and sharing His love with them!

Somehow, we need to learn to stop allowing our minds to be occupied with the stream of material desires, social status, and career success. Thoughts of the kind of car we drive (hurts ME to say!) and the clothes we wear should take be replaced by thoughts of how we can best meet the needs of those around us in a way that points them to God.

Don’t Miss The Point!

The point of this is NOT to simply stop spending on ourselves and start giving it away to others. Not at all!

The point is that we should begin to look at our existence in light of a 1,000 year picture instead of the next 30 days, 18 months, or 5-10 years. This is the eternal perspective. When we do this, the worries of today fade and suddenly we begin to realize how meaningless these thoughts are in light of eternity.

When we realize that our actions today could mean the difference between someone else spending an eternity with God or separated from Him, our actions begin to change.

When we realize that 1,000 years from now it will be too late to share the love of Jesus with someone who does not know Him, our attitude toward money will change.

Eternal Perspective!

We we stop focusing on what is seen and begin to focus on what is unseen, then we are seeking first His kingdom. We are taking hold of the eternal life we were called to. It is then we are fighting the good fight. It is then we are seeing from an eternal perspective.

I realize this is easier said than done. I struggle with this myself, probably more than you do. At the same time, I am determined not to give up on myself. I am committed to continue training my thoughts to seek the eternal. It is not an easy battle, but it is one I will not quit fighting.

Stay Tuned!

In my next post, I plan to give some tips on how we can fight this battle. Stay tuned!

Do you have trouble seeing this life from an eternal perspective?

What is your biggest challenge in changing this mindset?

What are the potential downsides of seeing from the eternal perspective?

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Culture Victory!

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Every once in a while I get frustrated with the business I am in. Either the month does not turn out like I thought it should or something goes wrong that I was not expecting. Whatever the case, it is always nice when something happens at the same time that makes it all worth it – especially when that something is related to the culture we are trying to create.

culture

Recent Culture Example

While I will not go into too much detail (in an effort to protect the innocent!), I will give you a rough sketch of what happened. Hopefully you can get some encouragement that your efforts in this area of culture will bear similar fruit over time!

One of our employees had a very critical, time-sensitive situation that required additional money they did not have. Hearing about this situation, a co-worker made the quick decision to seek assistance from our Impact Fund. As a result, the employee was able to successfully resolve their situation in a way they would remember for the rest of their life.

Without My Knowledge!

While this is pretty amazing to me on its own, the more incredible part of this situation is that I knew nothing about it until days later! We are not a huge company, but clearly I cannot always know what is happening in the life of every employee. None of us can.

At one point in time, this frustrated me because it meant we could not help those whose needs went unnoticed by me. As badly as I wanted us to be able to meet every need as it came up, it just wasn’t feasible. I knew there was not really anything we could directly do about it, but it bothered me just the same.

Culture & Process

What COULD be done was to engage the other leaders in the company and create a process that could address the individual needs of the employees as they came up. This process, reinforced with a culture of serving and giving, could address this overall need. That is what brought about our Impact Fund.

Effectively, this is a fund made up of voluntary contributions from employees. The money is deducted from their paycheck each pay period according to whatever amount they choose. Some give $2 per pay period and others give $50.

This money is accrued as given. It is only used to meet employee needs that come up in emergencies. It may be a family health crises or a community disaster like damage from a tornado. It could be as simple as supplementing their utility bill payment or putting gas in their car.

Victory!

It is not a complex process and fortunately does not require onerous paperwork or applications. If there is a valid need that can be met with a reasonable amount of money, the decision is made quickly and the funds disbursed immediately. Obviously, based on the recent situation I described, it is working as intended. To quote a friend of mine, “Victory!”

It is exciting to see results like this come from such a process. It is more exciting to see it happening without my knowledge. It is a reflection of the culture we have been working to create over many years.

It is also a reflection of the quality people we have working here. It makes me very proud to be a part of this company.

What kind of culture are you creating?

Is your culture constantly being reinforced?

What kind of culture victories have you seen?

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Jeremie Kubicek Book Give Away!

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[title color=”orange-vibrant” align=”scmgccenter” font=”georgia” style=”normal” size=”scmgc-7em”]Free Book Give Away!!![/title]

Kubicek

Another Free Book Give Away?

You read that right! I am offering a free copy of Jeremie Kubicek’s book, Leadership is Dead: How Influence is Reviving It!

How Do You Win?

If you scroll down just a bit you will see the Rafflecopter entry form which outlines a bunch of ways to enter the Leadership is Dead giveaway. Just complete as many as you would like to be entered to win!

Why Am I Doing This?

I started this blog in an effort to spread the message of integrating the Christian faith into our businesses. I want to see more Christian business owners and leaders begin looking at their businesses from an eternal perspective and running them as platforms for Christian ministry.

While I know my posts are written toward this effort, I thought I would try to step it up a notch for 2013. My plan is to give away one book a month for the entire year! All I am asking from you is to follow the Rafflecopter instructions below. As you enter, you will be helping me to spread the word about this blog at the same time. We both win!

This Month’s Book: Jeremy Kubicek’s Leadership Is Dead

Jeremie Kubicek is the president and CEO of Giant Impact and a founding partner of the GiANT Companies. He has been growing and leading domestic and international companies for two decades that value people over processes and integrity above all else.Today he leads the global leadership event and training company and has added key new partnerships with Dr.Henry Cloud, Pat Lencioni, Andy Stanley and Mark Sanborn along with Dr. John Maxwell.

Anyone can make an impact. All you need is influence—the most potent professional asset on the planet. The problem is that influence is also the most underused asset on the planet. This book shows that the key to effective leadership is learning how to influence in a way that engenders greater trust, stronger partnerships, and more impactful endeavors.

Enter The Give Away

Follow the instructions below to enter the Leadership Is Dead contest and then spread the word to others! The contest ends at midnight on Wednesday, July 31st and the winner will be announced on Thursday, August 1st.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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How Do You Pray?

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Recently, I have been working harder at getting back to basics in my relationship with God. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I had hit a dry spell because my times with Him had gone stale. In an effort to draw closer to Jesus again, I have renewed my efforts to pray, read His Word, and memorize it.

pray

My Prayer

Just last week, I was praying and trying to communicate the best I could that I wanted to get rid of any plans or desires in my heart. I was trying to tell Jesus that I wanted ONLY what He wanted for me. As I struggled with the words (it happens often!), the following thoughts came to mind. I want to share them in case they can help you do the same thing.

I wanted to tell Him that I was open to anything that He would ask of me and here is how my prayer flowed [and looking back, how I see it applies to business]:

Jesus, please give me…

    Open Hands – that I would be prepared to accept and use whatever it is You want me to have, but nothing else. I am not reaching, but receiving. Let these hands also be giving of whatever is in them.
    [Give me the resources You know I need to effectively run Your business. Help me not to seek more than You give and to be faithful to share whenever You send me opportunities to do so.]
    Open Eyes – that I would be able to see whatever it is You want me to see relating to where You want me to go or what You want me to do. I do not want to miss anything You are trying to show me. Make it clear to me where there are opportunities to act. Show me weak areas in me and help me to improve.
    [Give me insights into business opportunities, understanding the risks, but trusting Your leading. Help me to see through my leadership blind spots and to work to correct them.]
    Open Ears – that I would always be listening for that still, small voice. I want to hear all instruction from You. I want to be aware of all going on around me that You want me to notice.
    [Show me how to be still and listen to you, despite the noise during the work day. Give me the patience to wait on Your instructions, coming to You for my decisions.]
    Open Mind – that I would be willing to accept anything You ask of me, regardless of whether I understand it, agree with it, fear it, or feel equipped to do it.
    [My business mind is trained to think from a temporal perspective. Help me to mentally step away from my paradigms and to trust Your ultimate business knowledge.]
    Open Heart – that I would always be sensitive to Your leading and instruction to me regardless of my desires. I only want to seek Your will and renown, not my own.
    [Help me to beware of my own motives when it comes to business decisions. Remind me that You own this business and that I am only part of Your story, not the other way around.]
    Open Mouth – that I would speak any and all words You give me to speak. I always want to trust You to give me the words to say in all situations and want to hold my tongue until You do.
    [Please give me wise words to use when dealing with others at work. Give me the boldness to share the reasons for my faith in You and the awareness to know the right timing. Speak through me.]

Simply A Thought Starter

I do not share this as a comprehensive solution to your prayer life. I do not even share it as an example to follow with repetition over time. I am simply sharing this prayer as a thought starter for you.

Hopefully, it will cause you to see something you are doing (or need to do) from a different perspective. It is full of thoughts that I plan to pore over for a while. I want to take the time to hear from God in each case – hopefully gaining clarity and wisdom in the process.

What are your thoughts?

What would you add to this prayer?

Do you pray something similar at times?