Is “How?” A Stumbling Block?

So, if we are completely willing to put our faith in and depend upon cell phones without understanding the technology that makes them work, why do we treat God differently? Why do so many people doubt God simply because they cannot see exactly HOW He works? Why do they allow the “How” question to be such a stumbling block?

In my last post, I talked about the difference between the reactions of Mary and Zechariah to Gabriel’s news. If you have not read that post yet, please do so now! This post will make more sense if you do.

Zechariah’s Doubt

As we look at Zechariah’s reaction to Gabriel’s news of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, we see the same mentality I described above relating to cell phones. Zechariah was looking at the facts (he and Elizabeth were old and she was unable to bear children) and doubted God.

Zechariah questioned the “How” because he could not understand “How” it could happen. He allowed it to be a stumbling block to his faith and was punished as a result.

Mary’s Faith

On the other hand, Mary did not express doubt. She also asked “How” it would be, but evidently Gabriel saw faith in her heart. It is for that reason that he did not punish her.

What was it about Mary that gave her such strong faith?

How can we mimic that same faith in our lives and businesses?

Willing Suspension Of Disbelief

The first key to doing this is similar to what is called a willing suspension of disbelief. We learned about this in high school literature class. In that context, it means is that we voluntarily ignore the apparent impossibility of something we are about to experience for the purpose of being entertained.

While our purpose is different than that, the action is similar. Mary did this and so can we. She knew she was a virgin and therefore could not be pregnant. She ignored that fact and trusted God. We can do the same thing in our lives and in our businesses.

Application

Let’s say you are faced with a huge decision and you have been praying that God would lead you to the best outcome. As you come to a decision point, the path it appears that God wants you to take seems impossible. Maybe the numbers don’t work. Maybe it would require too many components to come together at just the right time.

Whatever the case, you know on one hand that God is in the decision. You have seen evidence of that as you have prayed for guidance. On the other hand, the facts appear to contradict the wisdom of the decision He is presenting to you.

Rather than allowing the facts to become a stumbling block to you, I am recommending you act like Mary and ignore them. Rather than following Zechariah’s example, trust God to be Who He says He is. Trust Him to do what He says He will do.

Submission

Now that you have ignored the facts opposing your decision, your next move is to submit. Maybe this seems obvious, but it is not always the case. The following illustrates my point:

There are four frogs on a lily pad and one decides to jump off. How many are left? Four! The decision to jump off is not the same as the act of jumping off!

After we have decided to act, we must then act. This action should come in the form of submitting to God’s will. This is key because God looks at our heart. He is not interested in what we do as much as the intent behind what we do.

Mary’s Example

Look back at Mary’s reaction to Gabriel. Right after Gabriel explained what would happen to bring about the conception and pregnancy, Mary spoke words of faith.

“I am the Lord’s slave,” said Mary. “May it be done to me according to your word.”
Luke 1:38

These words not only confirmed that she had decided to move forward with the plan Gabriel had announced, but they also conveyed the condition of her heart. She was completely and totally submitted to God and whatever He had in mind for her.

Application

Just like Mary, we need to pray these words on a daily basis! I don’t mean we do it to the point of it becoming a habit without sincerity. I simply mean that we do it to condition our heart to a point of submission. Without this submission that Mary exampled for us, we cannot experience the fullness of God’s plan for our lives!

When we are unfairly targeted or slandered by a competitor and we want to react in kind, it is only a submissive heart that will hear God’s still, small voice talking us down. When our instinct tells us that we need to take action despite the clear godly counsel recommending we wait patiently, a submissive heart will keep us in place.

Give Him Praise!

The final step in this process is to give God the praise for whatever happens. Mary did this in Luke 1:46-55. She credited God with His great mercy and mighty deeds. She was quick to acknowledge that He was her source.

We must learn to do the same. Our first thought after a victory should be one of thanks and acknowledgement to God. He alone is our source. Without Him, we can do nothing! The sooner we recognize this and acknowledge it to Him, the sooner He can use us for incredible victories!

Has this been a stumbling block for you?

If not, how have you kept it from being a stumbling block?

What part of this do you need to work on?

Photo by LDProd/iStock

Success vs. Fulfillment

Fortunately, there is a plethora of articles, books, and courses out there to help the budding entrepreneur get started and build a viable business (see info on a strong, new resource, Brazzlebox, at the bottom of this post). Unfortunately, I believe there is just as much of a lack of articles written to help the entrepreneur achieve fulfillment.

Success in business is one thing. Fulfillment is something else entirely.

Sure, most small businesses fail in the first year and many more during the first three years. But many succeed. Even for those that succeed for three, five, even 10 or 20 years into the future, the question of fulfillment remains.

For those entrepreneurs that succeed, many become serial entrepreneurs and start multiple businesses over their career. It seems many are trying to scratch an itch that will not go away. While they continue to find success in each endeavor, they also continue to come up empty when it comes to the true fulfillment they seek.

Why No Fulfillment

Why is this true? Why do so many of them succeed in multiple businesses without ever finding the true fulfillment they desire? What is missing?

I think I have the answer. In fact, I think there are 3 questions an entrepreneur must answer first, before doing anything else about starting their new business.

Entrepreneurs often find many challenges when they begin the work that starts once they finally decide, “OK, I’m starting a business.” They have to find funding. They must determine the initial scale of their business based on resources they have and can acquire. There is MUCH work to do.

My advice is to put a hold on all of that work. Before taking the first steps toward overcoming these challenges, I believe the best advice I can give them is to answer the following three questions. It is my experience that they will find future challenges easier to overcome as a result of the clarity they achieve with the answers to these questions.

1. WHY am I doing this?

I believe this is the central question to virtually any endeavor we undertake in our lives. The “Why?” is so critical that I cannot imagine operating without it ever again! When you have operated with it AND without it before, you know EXACTLY what I mean!

Simply put, the answer to this question is whatever is driving you to this point of starting a business. It could be the need for full independence or additional income. It could be the desire to work from wherever you want or the belief that you have a better way of doing things.

Whatever the case, your “Why?” must be a core driver for you. Don’t answer this question quickly or without deep thought and consideration. This answer needs to have staying power.

It will give you the fuel you need to get through the messy parts of starting a business. It will get you up in the morning and put a kick in your step when everything around you says to hit the snooze button. If your answer to “Why?” will not fit this description, you have the wrong answer. Keep looking.

Warning

BEWARE!! Many entrepreneurs before you have tried to answer this question with the stuff of this world and have failed. Maybe they have succeeded in building a business, but they failed to find fulfillment. The ONLY way your “Why?” will not lead you to the same disappointment is if you get it from God.

Bathe this question in prayer. Seek God’s wisdom for your answer here and He will be faithful to lead you to the fulfillment you were created to experience. Any other path is certain to end without it.

2. WHO owns this business?

This is another question that will bring clarity to future decisions and challenges. It could be that you are starting this business with a partner. It could be that you are doing it alone, but your spouse is going to be involved at some level.

Whatever the case, the ownership of this business must be determined at the VERY beginning. Any confusion or doubt here will create serious difficulties in the future. This decision alone could wreck the business at a time when it is beginning to look like it will succeed. Do not rush past this question.

You will likely find plenty of advice about whether or not to have a partner. You will probably hear multiple opinions on how to structure your business in the event you have more than one person involved in the ownership. Do you due diligence here and make a wise choice.

One piece of advice I will give you here – make sure any partners you enlist are in alignment with your answer to the first question of “Why?”. If you have any disagreement here, you are already in trouble.

Warning

BEWARE!! As with the “Why?” question above, this question has caused many entrepreneurs before you to end up empty and unfulfilled – even with a successful business. The reason they end up there is because they did not recognize the true Owner of their business from the start.

God owns your business. In fact, He owns EVERYTHING and is not afraid to say it. To whatever extent you try to act otherwise, you will find trouble.

If you will acknowledge that God owns your business and operate it in a way that aligns with His Word…from the very beginning…then you will put yourself on the path to fulfillment you can only imagine at this point.

3. WHAT is the vision for this business?

When I bring up vision, most business people immediately think about it in the context of a mission statement and core values. While this is somewhat true, your own personal vision for the business may be slightly different.

When I say you must determine your vision for the business, I mean that you need to sketch out a destination. Where do you want to end up? If you imagine this business will exist for 30 years, what will it look like in 30 years?

Almost like Stephen Covey’s funeral exercise, you need to put in writing what you want people to say about that business at the end. What kind of reputation do you want it to have? Who and what do you want it to impact? How?

Without a clear destination in mind, you will waffle over too many decisions during the coming years. If you have clarity here from the very beginning, these decisions will come much more easily to you.

Warning

BEWARE!! You knew this was coming, right? A vision that is centered around temporary results (worldly results) may help you succeed in the business world as an entrepreneur, but you will not find the fulfillment you need.

Pray through this answer. Seek guidance in the Bible for this vision. If you allow God to give you this vision, you cannot imagine the impact it will have on your results. I promise you He is faithful to give it to you when your heart is ready for it.

Encouragement To The Entrepreneur

If you are an entrepreneur (or desire to be one), I want to encourage you! You are a critical part of what God is doing today. You will likely create jobs and improve lives as a result of your work. That is admirable and deserving of praise!

I urge you to take these three questions to heart, answering them before moving on to the work you have ahead of you. You may feel they are slowing you down and keeping you from the real work you need to get done. I get it.

Ignore that “feeling” and plow through them. Take the necessary time to answer them well and you will thank me later. It will make all the difference in the world!

Have you already answered these questions about your business?

What challenges have you faced when these answers helped (or could have)?

Are you prepared to answer these questions now?

Photo by mavo/Shutterstock

What about you? Are you living a great adventure? Or are you just watching (and envying) those who are?

What Is Adventure?

Before I go any further in applying this to our Christian business efforts, let’s take a minute to define what I mean by “adventure” living. One dictionary defines adventure as “an unusual and exciting, typically hazardous, experience or activity.”

I want to key in on two words – unusual and hazardous. I believe an adventure is “unusual” because it is something we have never done. There is an “unknown” factor that gets our blood flowing and excites us.

The “hazardous” element is the presence of risk. In an adventure, there is usually risk involved. It may be the risk of injury or the risk of loss. Whatever the case, pairing the risk and the unknown makes for an exciting experience – one that can bring great reward!

God Wants This For Us!

This is what I mean by adventure. This is also what I believe God wants for us in our relationship with Him. I do not think God is looking for those who want to play it safe or avoid all risk. I do not think He wants us clinging to the pew (or anything else!) and living for consistency or monotony.

If we just read His Word, I think we will see that God is looking for those who want an adventure with Him. You can probably name the same examples I can – Abraham was asked to leave his homeland and travel far away without knowing the destination. Noah was called to build a boat without water nearby or rain in the forecast.

Moses was called back to Egypt and then to the wilderness. Peter was called to leave his career and was later called out of the boat. Lazarus was called out of the grave and Zacchaeus was called out of the tree. I could go on, but you get it. In each situation, these people were on an adventure with God. There was the unknown factor and the element of risk in each story!

Elements of Adventure

So, let’s bring it back to you and me today. What great adventure is God calling us to join as we run our businesses? It will be different for each of us, but the same basic elements will be there.

There will be an unknown factor. God is calling us to an adventure, but He is not giving us a detailed map of the journey! He is calling us to accept the unknown and trust His wisdom and guidance. What we CAN know about the journey and the destination – they are worlds better than any plan we could create on our own!

There will also be an element of risk involved. God is not calling us to maintain our grip on everything we own while we “pack” for our trip with Him. He is instead interested in seeing us loosen our grip on everything other than Him. He then wants us to grab hold of Him and not let go – saying “Here I am, send me!”

What Is Your Adventure?

Letting go means we risk losing it all – at least in the short run on this earth. At the same time, I believe He is good for His promises – like 1 Corinthians 3:14, Matthew 6:33, and Luke 6:38. If we completely trust Him to make good on His promises, then in the end, we will see rewards we cannot comprehend – not to mention the adventure between now and then!

Like I said before, the great adventure God wants for you in your business is different from the one He has in mind for me. Your adventure might include going out on your own and starting the business He has placed in your heart. It might mean you stay right where you are, but you quit playing it safe and start taking some risks for His purposes.

4 Simple Steps

I cannot tell you the details of your adventure. I will leave that up to God. What I can do is give you four simple, powerful steps to getting started. If you will follow these steps to the letter, I guarantee you an adventure beyond your imagination!

1.) Get intimate with God through consistent Bible study and intense prayer.
2.) Let go (mentally, emotionally) of everything else you value.
3.) Ask Him to use you.
4.) Hold on, buckle up, and obey!

Is He Safe?

I will close with one of my favorite quotes of all time. It comes from C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. When asked if the lion, Aslan (representing Jesus), was safe – here is his response:

“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver; “don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”

Jesus is not safe. There is no promise of safe in all of Scripture, as it pertains to this life. Instead, I encourage you to determine that this year you will step out into the great adventure in your relationship with God. Give Him control and see where He leads…you will never look back!

Where would you rate your life on a 1-10 adventure scale?

Do you believe that God wants this kind of life for you?

What actions do you need to take to get started this year?

My Best Year Ever

As with anything I share here, I do not claim that my process is the best. I do not pretend to have it all figured out. What I will say is that I am personally coming off of my best year ever in regards to my annual goals. I was able to accomplish more this past year across every area of my life than any year before.

For that reason, I encourage you to start with my last post (Steps #1-3) and then pick up below with Step #4. Go through this process and see if you think it can work for you. As always, if you have any questions, please contact me HERE and I will do my best to answer them.

Step #4 – Review Last Year

My next step in the process is to review my prior year. This review can provide key insights into what I do and do not need to work on in the upcoming year. Thinking back through the last 12 months can be very helpful in determining my goals for the coming year.

There are a couple of tools I use to accomplish this review in a structured way. The first tool is the C12 Yearly Audit. You can find a copy of this tool ** HERE ** in my Resource Library. The C12 Yearly Audit walks you through 10 different areas of the life of a disciple of Jesus. Each area is scored according to your effort and results.

Another tool I used for the first time this year is Michael Hyatt’s Lifescore Assessment. This is a tool that is similar to the C12 tool because it also assesses 10 different areas of your life. It is not specific to the Christian faith like the C12 tool, but it does go a little further in the scoring process and is easier to get a more objective score. Plus, it comes in an Excel spreadsheet that is very cool to use!

Regardless of the tool you use, the review of your prior year is a critical step in completing your plans for making the upcoming one your best year ever. I encourage you to try one (or both) of these tools to get started. I think you will quickly see the benefits!

Step #5 – Set Your Goals

If you ask 100 people whether they set goals every year or not, it is likely that most would say they do. Unfortunately, I am betting that the majority of those who would say they do are actually referring to their New Year’s resolutions. While I understand their perception that this practice qualifies, I would have to disagree. I see these two practices as completely different from each other.

The reality is that the vast majority of New Year’s resolutions are abandoned before the end of January! I don’t know the stats, but I would bet heavily that very few resolutions make it past March. Why is that? What is so different about setting goals and making New Year’s resolutions?

When I describe goal-setting, I am talking about a very serious process that consists of several steps (including my steps 1-4 in my previous post). While I have been setting goals for years, I have not found a better process for doing so than Michael Hyatt’s Best Year Ever program. Quite simply, I have had more personal success since I started using this program. It is fantastic and I strongly recommend it to everyone that is serious about seeing results next year. I will most certainly be using it again this year!

The bottom line is that you must spend time in this part of the process if you want to see results. You need to make sure your goals are spread across your various roles, not focused on only one or two of them. You should make sure they follow the SMART guidelines. Finally, you MUST write them down! Commit to them and you will achieve them.

Step #6 – Find Accountability Partners

One of the keys to follow through on setting goals is accountability. The odds are low of pushing through and completing all of your “best year ever” goals on your own. A select few may be capable of doing it this way, but the rest of us need help. We need support, advice, and the occasional kick in the rear from accountability partners. When this support is in place, the odds of achieving your goals will skyrocket!

The best practice is to find a couple (or more) like-minded individuals that are just as serious as you are about setting and accomplishing goals. Engage these individuals in the process with you and set regular group meeting times throughout the year (monthly is best for me). At these meetings, each member reports to the group on their progress toward their goals, their greatest accomplishments, and where they are struggling or need help.

If you have found the right partners, you will see the group come together through the process. You will likely see a high completion rate and an ongoing sense of confidence and excitement. Once you have gotten stuck a couple of times and experienced the “kick” from the group, you will appreciate the value of this part of the process!

Step #7 – Review Regularly

The final step is to create a process for regular review of your goals and plans. While the monthly accountability meetings are certainly helpful in this regard, they will not meet all of your needs here.

What is necessary is a more frequent review of your goals, the corresponding motivation factors, and your timelines. This review is best done on a weekly basis. It will likely require you to set aside an hour or so of your time, but it is worth it. In fact, this is probably my most valuable time every week!

In this review time, you simply read through every goal, your reasons for setting the goal, and your next steps on your timeline for each. You then plan out your next week and assign appointments for completing each step. You map out your next week in advance!

Summary

I sincerely hope you see value in this process as I have outlined it. If you already have a year-end process for laying out your goals and plans for the upcoming year AND you are seeing tremendous results as you execute this process, then by all means, continue your process! Don’t change a thing!

If, on the other hand, you look back over the past few years and see missed opportunities, abandoned goals, and regret, then please do something for me. Draw a line in the sand and say, “No more!” Determine right now that you are going to make a change this year. Start with Step #1 and don’t stop until you have completed all 7 steps I described. When you do, send me a note and let me know about your decision. I would love to hear your results!

photo by Paige Foster

The quote in the spotlight today is from Billy Graham. Graham is not one of the original disciples or even the author of any of the lesser known books of the Bible. At the same time, he is someone that most of us look up to and respect immensely. He has lived a life true to his talk. He has certainly remained committed to spreading the gospel and is arguably one of the all-time greatest evangelists. Here is his quote:

When you first read that quote, what are your thoughts?

Do you think about your preference between the two choices?

Do you wonder which is more likely?

Two Choices

There are two areas I want to focus on regarding the success lesson we can learn from this quote. If you will stop and think through these two areas with me, I believe you will see that this quote can be life changing for all of us.

The first thought I want to discuss is the actual decision between these two choices. On one hand, hearing “What a great guy” from the crowd is something most people would desire. There are very few people out there that would not be excited to hear the crowd consider and announce them as great. This is especially true of those of us in business. Don’t you agree?

However, if we are disciples of Jesus, then it stands to reason that we should want to hear, “Well done!” from Him. This commendation is straight from the parable of the talents and is an indication that the servant pleased the master. For us to please Jesus should be something we desire, right?

Decision Between The Two

So the first decision we need to make is which of these we will seek. Will we, as Christian business owners and leaders, seek to hear commendations from the crowd? Or will we seek to hear Jesus express His pleasure with the way we have lived our lives.

While this seems like a clear-cut decision to some, to others it is a real challenge. The simple decision between the two can be a tough one, even when there are no specific circumstances to show the contrast between them.

Well Done!

Regardless of the difficulty, I think it is clear from the teachings of the Bible that we are to seek to hear, “Well done” from Jesus instead of pleasing the crowd (Matthew 22:37-40; James 4:4). This should be our very definition of success in this life! I encourage you to pray through this very decision if it is not clear to you yet. God is faithful and will guide you.

Assuming we have all made the decision to seek to hear, “Well done” from Jesus, a riddle comes to mind. Here it is:

Success Defined

So, the decision to define our success as hearing Jesus say, “Well done” is certainly the first step. However, that decision is not enough. We must now live it out! What does that look like?

Simply put, our every action should be measured and determined according to whether or not it will lead us closer to hearing, “Well done.” It really does not get any more complicated than that.

The problem is that it does get more complicated than that when you throw in specific circumstances. At least it appears to! In my next post, we will take a look at this second part of our success lesson from this quote. We will see what this definition of success looks like in the face of tough circumstances.

Questions

How do you define success as a Christian in business?

Are you eager to hear, “Well done” from Jesus?

Does your definition of success ever drift under tough circumstances?

Background

Two posts ago, I shared how we see our community as a critical part of the answer to the question, “Why does our business exist?” Our answer to that question, also our mission statement, is that our business exists to honor God by impacting the lives of our employees, customers, and community.

In my last post, I gave a specific example of how we attempt to create a culture of impacting the community by hosting monthly car wash events to benefit local, faith-based organizations. To get the whole picture here, you really need to go back and read these posts first.

Blanket Drive

About a week or two after our last car wash event for the year (due to the weather getting colder!), we held an employee blanket drive for Emmaus Women’s Shelter, a local homeless shelter for women and children. With the cold weather quickly approaching, they had a need that we wanted to help meet.

In order to deliver the 100+ blankets we collected from employees, we enlisted the help of one of our Clean-Up department employees, “Joe”. He was eager to help and the blankets were delivered without incident, or so I thought!

Surprise Twist

The next day, “Joe” came to me and asked if he could have a minute to share something. I quickly agreed. What I heard was incredible to me! He told me that he had helped to deliver the blankets to the shelter and was shocked to find children there. He could not believe there were so many children that were homeless.

Keep in mind that “Joe” is in the most “entry-level” position in our company and has more financial needs than most. He went on to tell me that he could not get the children off his mind, wondering what they were going to do for Christmas. He said he wanted to help make sure they had gifts at Christmas.

He then asked if we could do another car wash event where we asked people to bring toys instead of paying for the car wash. I then asked him who would actually work the event, washing the cars, since that was typically the job of the organization we were helping. He said he would get other employees to volunteer their time (their Saturday off) to do it.

Another Car Wash?

My first reaction (transparency here – it wasn’t culture!) was to think about the cold weather (this was mid-November) and many other reasons it would not work. I really did not think we would have many employees volunteer to give up their time off to do it. I am not knocking them, but that is a big deal when they work so hard during the week.

To check his commitment level, I gave “Joe” a test. I told him to go create a sign-up list and see how many employees he could get to volunteer for this car wash event. I told him we would talk further when he came back.

Less than 90 minutes later, he was in my office with a list of 25 employees willing to staff the event! I was shocked!

Not The Best Conditions

I have to tell you, I still did not know what to do. Thanksgiving was less than two weeks away and people were not going to come out in droves for a car wash. It could be snowing that day (it’s possible!) or raining and cold.

My mind continued to flood with excuses. The problem was that I had a very committed employee in front of me, and whether he knew it or not, he was calling me on my commitment to real ministry.

I told him it was a done deal. We would hold the event on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, hoping that the natural shopping traffic would help our cause. We posted details about the event on Facebook and our normal channels.

Not satisfied, “Joe” got another employee to create a paper flyer for him and he went from gas station to grocery store and to the WalMart parking lot, passing them out. He did this by himself!

Culture Victory!

The day of the event was cold…maybe not cold for some of you, but sub-40 degrees. That is cold enough when you are washing cars with hoses, buckets, etc.! The traffic was not overwhelming, but it was decent. My brother and I joined in and worked the whole event right there on the hoses! We were soaked and exhausted, but I can’t remember being more fulfilled recently.

The end results amounted to roughly $1,200 raised along with a truck load full of toys donated! “Joe” ran the entire event and delivered the toys and the money. He was on cloud nine (and deserved it).

He single-handedly motivated 25 employees to volunteer their time washing cars in the cold and provided Christmas for a crowd of homeless children. In fact, when we later recognized his efforts with a “Lightning Strike” award at the company Christmas party, everyone in attendance gave him a standing ovation!

Tough Question

Folks, I still get emotional thinking about the impact that one guy had on so many people. He had the least to give, but produced amazing results. What about you and me? In anyone’s book, we have so much more to give than “Joe” does.

So the question is this:

What are you doing with your time, treasure, and talents to impact eternity?

Walk vs. Talk

Let’s start by reading from James 2. To get the full effect, you should read James 2:14-26, but in the interest of space, here is the core of what I want to discuss:

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them?…faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
James 2:14,16

In reading this entire passage, some people think that James is contradicting Paul’s words in Ephesians 2:8-9 when he says we are saved by grace through faith and not by works. Actually, James’ message does not contradict Paul’s, but complements it. James is simply adding that it takes deeds or actions to validate faith. In other words, like I said in my prior post, we can talk all we want to about faith, but the true test is in our actions.

Do They Match?

Do our actions bear out the faith we claim? If we profess to BELIEVE in an all-powerful God, then why do so many of our actions only reflect the confidence we have in ourselves or our team?

Why are we not taking bolder steps in our faith? Why do we not pray throughout the day and trust God’s wisdom to answer the challenges we encounter? Why do we pray quickly in the morning and then go out the door to face the day alone, hoping we have what it takes to overcome and emerge in victory?

Why is it so difficult for us to have those tough conversations with friends, family, or co-workers that we believe are living without a relationship with God? If we BELIEVE God is real and Jesus is truly the only path to Him, then why don’t our daily actions reflect this belief?

Why The Gap?

The more I think about this, the more I believe it comes down to one word: LOSS.

We fear loss.

Maybe it is loss of esteem among our friends, family, or co-workers. It could be loss of wealth or other gain due to being alienated for our beliefs. It might even be that we fear loss of our lives in certain circumstances.

As Christian business owners, we might fear loss of customers, revenue, or even the business itself. Regardless, I believe it is the fear of loss that drives most, if not all, of our actions.

What Does Scripture Say?

The problem with this is that this thinking is in direct opposition to what the Bible teaches us as Christians. We are told, very clearly, that God already owns it ALL (Psalm 50:10-12). We own nothing.

Did you get that? We own nothing therefore there is nothing for us to lose.

We do not even own our very lives…we are not our own; we are bought at a price (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

Why Fear Loss?

If all of this is true (and we SAY we BELIEVE it), then why the fear of loss? Why do we act like “practical” atheists while professing a belief in an amazing God? What will it take to shake us out of this pattern of behavior?

Maybe my last post did not hit the mark that I intended. I take responsibility for that. However, I encourage you on your own to read the Scripture listed below. There will not be much confusion in it! Then take a long look in the mirror and ask yourself two questions:

1.) Do I TRULY BELIEVE what I am reading?
2.) Is there clear, consistent evidence of this belief in my actions?

For the Son of Man is going to come with His angels in the glory of His Father, and then He will reward each according to what he has done.
Matthew 16:27

And everyone who has left houses, brothers or sisters, father or mother,[l] children, or fields because of My name will receive 100 times more and will inherit eternal life.
Matthew 19:29

Whoever exalts himself will be humbled and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
Matthew 23:12

Therefore, my dear brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work, knowing that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
1 Corinthians 15:58

You are being protected by God’s power through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
1 Peter 1:5

And everyone who has left houses, brothers or sisters, father or mother, children, or fields because of My name will receive 100 times more and will inherit eternal life.
Matthew 19:29

Resume Builders

As a result, there are many in our position of Christian leadership that clamor for recognition in a variety of areas. They seek it wherever they can find it and add another corresponding line to their resume or platform as soon as they can. Are these people aware of something we are missing? Do we need to imitate them and attempt the same accomplishments?

My Annual Planning

In a recent post, I mentioned how I was frustrated with my current state. One of the reasons for that frustration was that I missed my normal time for annual review and planning this past fall. I allowed issues at work to consume me and I failed to carve out the time.

As I am now beginning this process (better late than never!), I am looking into 2014 to see what can be accomplished. My natural tendency is to think big and I have many ideas about what I would like to achieve this year. However, I began to rethink this mentality recently after reading a passage in Philippians.

Apostle Paul’s Resume

I was reading Paul’s words (talking about himself) in Philippians 3 when I came across the following verses:

…although I once also had confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he has grounds for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised the eighth day; of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; regarding the law, a Pharisee; regarding zeal, persecuting the church; regarding the righteousness that is in the law, blameless.
Philippians 3:4-6

Add one fact to this passage that is found earlier in Acts 22:3. Paul was educated by Gamaliel, a well-known teacher of the law and a respected member of the Sanhedrin (similar to a Senate body). Now that you have this picture, do you see a pretty strong resume here?

Impressive Platform!

I am not a Bible scholar, but I know enough to say that Paul’s resume at that time would be the equivalent to a present-day, third-generation Ivy League law school graduate with internships at one of the top law firms and an invitation to practice law or teach anywhere he wants to go. It was that strong!

With that kind of a resume, or platform, you would think Paul would be proud and flaunt it wherever he went. Just to verify that, let’s take a look at the verses that follow:

But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ. More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of Him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them filth, so that I may gain Christ and be found in Him,…
Philippians 3:7-9

Paul’s Choice

Wait a minute…huh? Did we read that right? Paul considers EVERYTHING that was a gain (his resume) to now be a loss? He actually calls it all FILTH? Is he serious?

Of course, you already knew this, right? You have read this passage and you have known that Paul traded everything on his resume for the simple life of a traveling evangelist. He traded the life that came with his impressive platform for one that included shipwrecks, being stoned (by others), chains and whips, prison, etc. because he saw something most people miss.

Knowledge Proven In Actions?

So if we already know all of this, is this knowledge proven out in our actions? If someone from the outside were to look at you or me to determine our main goal in life, would they guess it to be an impressive resume or something else entirely? Would they see our actions matching up with our knowledge of something greater than this life?

If your answers are anything like mine, then there is some serious work to be done. If you are seeing inconsistencies in your actions like I am seeing in mine, then we need to stop and assess what gets us up in the morning.

Work To Be Done!

Maybe you do not require a complete overhaul, but some serious tweaking instead. I think that is where I am. I have allowed distractions to take my eyes off the prize and point me in other directions. Hopefully you are either in a similar position or better.

Either way, I encourage you to join with me in intentional, intimate prayer. We need to ask God to reveal those areas in our lives where we are seeking to add to our resume. We need to seek His guidance as to where we are to place our focus. We need to submit our plans to His plan.

If we will do this, I believe peace will replace frustration. Trouble will not disappear, but our peace within the trouble will increase. I don’t know about you, but I can handle that!

Have you ever been guilty of this resume building?

If not any longer, what changed?

What needs to change now?

Question Explained

Let me explain a little so the question is more clear. As Christian business owners that are interested in multiplying silhouettes, we want to give of our financial resources where we see the most potential for eternal impact. Typically, we do this behind the scenes and often with complete anonymity.

We are also business owners that see the need to build a brand for our business by participating in the community. One way to do this is to give publicly to causes that match up with our mission and vision AND to do this in such a way that generates public goodwill and word-of-mouth for the business. As Tom’s Shoes has shown, giving is good for business!

Give Publicly Or Privately?

So let me repeat the question:

Should a business give publicly or privately?

On one hand, the Bible makes it clear in the following verses that we are not to seek favor with men and that we should give in secret. Take a look:

So whenever you give to the poor, don’t sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be applauded by people. I assure you: They’ve got their reward! 3 But when you give to the poor, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Matthew 6:2-4

On the other hand, should this really apply to a business desiring to do what I have described? Sure, I know we could give publicly in such a way that would scream “Pride!” and make us look like spotlight seekers. That is a danger, but is there an alternative?

Can’t we give to like-minded causes, market that giving in a tasteful way, and build a better brand for the organization?

Your Thoughts?

Maybe I am taking too hard a look at this issue, but I really would like to hear your thoughts on the topic. Even if you have never commented on a blog before, if you have an opinion I would like to hear it!

Even better, if you can back up what you are saying with Scripture (even if you are not sure of the book/chapter/verse), please include that in your comments. If you are unsure of the exact verses, just give me your best description of it!

Have you struggled with this decision to give publicly or privately?

Do you have any Scripture references that apply here?

What would you do in this situation?

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?