day 501: Learning Platforms

How we learn in the world of business varies. Some organizations struggle to train or provide corporate development so most learning happens “OTJ”, on the job. This is not all bad, but other organizations want to take learning further and have established training departments who have people who are skilled in instructional design, assessment and delivery. Corporate training is a skill that companies can hire and hone. Certain corporations have become world-class at training and this has become part of their hallmark and their employment brand. But, what any trainer knows is that training only goes as far as the willingness of the person who is being taught. Regardless of the learning platform that has been created, without active and enthusiastic participants, the platform is not of much value and while it may look good, the money invested will not yield the results desired. However, if there are people who are hungry to learn and passionate about growing and becoming better, then the learning platform can be only just cobbled together and it still will work. So, learning is really about us and our desire to be developed and to learn something new. David told us that we should be learners when he called upon God in Psalm 119:135, and said; “Look down on me with love; teach me all your principles”. David was a learner and he modeled that there is one teacher who provides us with all we will ever need, if we only approach Him as active and willing learners. Today, what is there for you to learn that you haven’t yet allowed yourself to be taught?

Reference: Psalm 119:35 (New Living Testament)

day 500: I Never Imgained...

I started Purposed worKING on October 1, 2008, which will be two years this coming Friday, which will be the 502nd post. I thought the 500th post was going to fall on the two-year anniversary. It didn't but it sure was close. As I mark 500 posts today I marvel at how this idea of doing a daily blog was laid on my heart back in the summer of 2008 when I was wondering what I was going to do with the extra time I had been given after SNOCAP was sold. While trying to determine if I should go back to work full-time, I decided that I needed to do something worthwhile with my extra time and also with the knowledge I had been gaining from reading wholly through the Bible for the third time and collecting verses on the topic of work. I had no idea back when I first started this and into the summer of 2008 that what I began on October 1, 2008 would turn into two years and over 500 posts on the subject of how to find the true purpose of our daily work. But, here we are and 500 posts have happened and two years will have passed. I smile because when I mark this much time it reminds me that I would have completed two years of college in the same time frame I have been daily writing this blog. That seems wild to me. Many times in life and in our work we never know where something might lead when we start it anew. A new job, a new assignment, a new hobby, a new relationship; they will all lead to new opportunities and doors being opened and our lives changing. Purposed worKING is a joy for me to write. I will be honest too and tell you that sometimes it is also work to ensure that I meet my deadlines. It has spurred many new conversations and new opportunities for me to share my faith and meet new people. It is also a great discipline for me personally to stay in God's Word and to draw upon the lessons for myself too. One never knows where God will lead us, but if we use the talents and gifts He has given us then we can say like Mordecai said to Queen Esther; "What's more, who can say but that you have been elevated to the palace for just such a time as this?" We never know where our talents will send us, but God does and those talents will get used for His glory if we listen and allow Him to work in our lives.

Thank you for letting me be a small part of your work day for these past two years and 500 posts. If Purposed worKING supports or touches you in any way, please pass it along to others. I may never know where it goes, but you may be able to make a difference in someone's life just by exposing them to something that means something to you.

Have a blessed and purposeful day of worKING!

Reference: Esther 4:14 (New Living Testament)

day 499: Goals That Carry Us Forward

Goal setting is just part of work. If we don't have goals and objectives that we strive to achieve then we will end up standing still and the rest of the world will pass us by. We have to have goals to know where we are going and to also mark milestones of what we have accomplished. Goals can be those big hairy audacious ones that they talk about in the book "Built to Last", or they can be small goals that give us sense of forward movement and accumulated with other goals end up completing something big and important. Regardless, we have to have goals. Goals also can carry us through the hard or confusing times when we are not getting clear direction from our boss. We can use them as clarifying tools to go back to those we work for and say, "I am doing this, is this right or wrong for me to try and accomplish?". Too many times we wait for others to set our goals for us. We should instead be always reevaluating and setting new goals for ourselves so that we are always strengthening and getting better. I was just reading the book of Job. Each time I read this book in the Old Testament I pray a prayer of thanks for not every having been tested like Job. Early in Job's account he says in Chapter 6, verse 11: "But I do not have the strength to endure. I do not have a goal that encourages me to carry on." Job describes goals as not only a positive but also as a way to work around the negatives in our life. When faced with adversity, trouble or perceived calamity, we can set goals that help carry us forward. What goals have you set for your yourself for the rest of this year, this coming month, this week or today? Without goals we will not move forward. Let us find the goals that we know will carry us forward to work for God's glory.

Reference: Job 6:11 (New Living Testament)

day 498: Walking In The Shadows

As the dog days of summer fade and fall is starting, we still find ourselves on the hot days looking for shade and shadows to find cool and respite. The same can happen to us at work when things start heating up. The shade we find at the office is usually the shadows of the leaders that we can tuck ourselves within to relieve the heat. We each cast a shadow too that others will be looking to find so that they can find cover from us. How we manage our shadows, which means how we conduct ourselves, how we behave and how we treat other people. Yes, our shadows are how we role model and how we set examples. Our shadows create a shade for others that they then decide what and how they are supposed to do their work and their jobs. It is a very large responsibility that we each have, whether or not we know or like it. This past week a popular football player for the NFL's New York Jets cast a shadow with a mistake he made away from the football field. He now carries the responsibility to ensure that others who are his co-workers, his fans and the youth who look up to him, understand that this is a shadow that he is not proud and would not want others to follow. We all fail, but we must pay attention to the shadow that we cast. We also should be sure that we are evaluating and watching the shadows that we walk into and behind. The shadows that we step into will never be pure or perfect. There is only one shadow that we can truly count on; "How precious is your unfailing love, O God! All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings."Consider today the shadows that you are walking under and the shadows that you are casting.

Reference: Psalm 36:7 (New Living Testament)

day 497: Controls

Every business has a set of controls that keeps an organization running. These controls can be what sets the tolerances on a product or a standard for service. They also can be controls that are set on the culture and people to ensure that people behave and act in a certain way. Controls go by many names; policies, procedures, standards, specifications, values, norms, principles, etc. But at the end of the day, they are a set of words and numbers that ensure we stay within a zone of tolerance. Controls are not bad, but they are to be recognized and actively managed. What we tend to do in business is "over-control". We set up policies that while seemingly are good for everyone, are actually only being written and deployed to control a very small group of people who can't control themselves without the policy. What can happen is that everyone else rounds themselves down to the same policy and before long the standard of deviation becomes tighter and tighter and everyone becomes the same and no one wants to test the limits and push themselves beyond what others prescribe for them. This is a fast way to stifle creativity and individuality. In our own lives the same can happen and we must be careful to not let ourselves become controlled by influences that are not good for us. 2 Peter 2:19 reads; "...For you are a slave to whatever controls you". We get held back and enslaved to those things that control us. Today, take a look around yourself and see if you can see what is controlling you. Do you have the right controls on yourself or are you being controlled by others, or even self-imposed influences, thoughts, and emotions that you know are not good? The only way to break the cycle is to remove the controls. But, first we have to be honest enough with ourselves to recognize and know what the controls are and where they are coming from.

Reference: 2 Peter 2:19 (New Living Testament)

day 496: Mouthing Off!

Okay, someone has just given you a hard time at work and you have had just about enough, so what is the first inclination you have? If you are like me, it is to get in their face and give them a piece of my mind. Or there is that someone in the office who is the burr under everyone's saddle and someone speaks poorly of them and everyone who hears knows that words spoken, while mean-spirited, have enough truth in them, that what do we want to do? We want to pile on and add our own derogatory words to affirm the point. Why is it that getting stuff off our chest and speaking out can sometimes feel relieving, when in truth, we are only hurting someone else and our own reputations? It's like those words that get exclaimed are like moments of instant gratification that feel good for now but hurt for a long time afterward. The world is full of working professionals who but for a few words poorly chosen, or words misspoken, would have enjoyed a long and esteemed career, but careers were cut short for the meanly said or inappropriate words. There are too many examples to list and we all have our own examples to describe. Not mouthing off is a discipline and one that must be daily reminded and practiced. If we want our reputations to be that of someone who others see a reflection for the glory to God, then we can start with ensuring that the words that come from our mouths are the right words. Peter tells us this in 1 Peter 3:9-10; "Don't repay evil for evil. Don't retaliate when people say unkind things about you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. This is what God wants you to do, and he will bless you for it. For the scriptures say, 'If you want a happy life and good days, keep your tongue from speaking evil, and keep your lips from telling lies." God is saying, if you are one of mine, then take the high road and don't above all else, mouth off!

Reference: 1 Peter 3:9-10 (New Living Testament)

day 495: How Much Effort? All You Got!

I learned early on, if you are going to do something, do it well and don't cut the corners or take shortcuts and don't above all else, not give it your all. There are few feelings like quitting or stopping when you know down deep inside that you haven't given it your all. The disappointment that comes afterward when the results align with the effort, and fall short, is impossible to reel back in and becomes something that we have to live with. When we don't give it our all, we squander an opportunity and we let ourselves and others down. After we do this a few times we start to become conditioned to a less than full effort and that is a very dangerous and slippery slope to stand upon. A friend has a son who has the innate talent to be a very good golfer. He was told throughout college that if he stuck with it, practiced, played and studied the game as if it was his job that he has the potential to turn professional. That is what he is doing. He has given himself a full calendar year to give it his all and at the end of the year if he has not broken through, then he will realign his efforts to another profession. What is most impressive about this is that within that year, there are no compromises and only a fully focused, all out effort. No day can be wasted and every hour that he has prescribed for practice must be maximized. It's impressive to see. His example makes me stop and evaluate how well I am doing at putting my efforts all out there. Peter tells us something similar when he writes of the gifts that God has given us. In 1 Peter 4:11 as he describes how we are supposed to use our gifts; "...Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then God will be given glory in everything through Jesus Christ. All glory and power belongs to Him forever and ever. Amen." There is no question, we are to give every bit of ourselves with an all-out effort. When do we do, then God's glory can be seen and delivered through our efforts. Anything less, and we come up short. Today, there is work on the docket that demands all we got. Call on God for His strength and power and then go all-out and give it all you got and watch for what God does next!

Reference: 1 Peter 4:11 (New Living Testament)

day 494: The Intangible Gifts

I was on a panel where the first question that was asked of me was beyond the core skills that someone has what do I look for when interviewing someone as it relates to the soft skills or the intangibles? My answer came in four parts; 1) I look for an alignment of a person's value and principles to the values of the company. Getting down to the true values that someone lives and works by can tell you much about the person, including even whether or not they consider their values and principles to be driving influences for them; 2) An attitude of achievement and winning. Work is about winning and battling the competition of the company and to achieve there must be an attitude and passion to win; 3) The ability to play well with others in the sandbox. This is the teamwork that we have been reading about the last few days. The ability to be a good team member and team player is essential; 4) And finally, the ability to communicate with others. Especially in a small company, or a start-up, if one can't communicate what she/he is doing and do so in a way that others understand and want to follow or support, then it doesn't matter how good they are at what they do, they wall fall short of their full potential. How do we describe these intangibles, other than call them intangibles that are hard to teach and sometimes very hard to discern and evaluate? Peter talks about some of these as "gifts" that come from a great variety of spiritual gifts, many which, have been defined for us in God's Word. However, since God made us all and put us here on this earth to bring glory to Him, then we can look at all of our talents and skill as gifts from God that are to be put to work, for Him. In 1 Peter 4:10, we read; "...Manage them (gifts) well so that God's generosity can flow through you." Are we using our gifts today well enough? Are we using our gifts to the point that can feel that God's generosity is being magnified and flowing from us? Consider today that the talents, the skills, the set of experiences that we have been given are the intangible gifts of God that we get to open each and every day and like we marvel and are excited about any new gift, we need to make the most of them, today and every day.

Reference: 1 Peter 4:10 (New Living Testament)

day 493: Teamwork, Part Three, Back-To-Back

I often write of the politics of the office and that while we should not engage in the politics, we need to be aware and cognizant of these happenings so that we are not blindsided or taken unaware. We have all experienced that moment when we are sitting at our desks wondering why someone who yesterday supported something that we were proposing or doing and then out of the blue, from left field, that person changes their position and we are left alone, now wondering what to do next. Pure and simple; politics have been played. That is why we hear so often, "I got your back on this one". If there were no politics and no one was gunning for someones job, position or assignments, then there wouldn't be any reason to have to cover someones back or watch out over them. But, that is human reality as it relates to work. So, without playing into the game, we can certainly secure ourselves and use teamwork to ensure that we are able to do our best without having someone else undermine our efforts. This is why we need to be good team members and learn to practice teamwork! Solomon tells us in Ecclesiastes 4:12; "A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken." Just as we need to have someone standing at our backs, there is someone else, or more than one person, at our job who needs someone to stand at their back today. Think through who is standing alone today and go and offer to support them, and assist them in what they are doing. At the same time you are giving to them, they will be giving to you and before you know it, you will be back-to-back or as the verse says, "triple-braided". To have one standing back-to-back to us, we have to do the same. Let's be the first to offer. This is what it means to practice teamwork.

Reference: Ecclesiastes 4:12 (New Living Testament)

day 492: Teamwork, Part 2, Falling

This is part two in a series of the power of teamwork. We talk a lot about teamwork but we don’t talk much about what it means to be a good team member, that is unless it applies to someone else who we are quick to point out their deficiencies. Funny though, we do know what it feels like to have a great team member or partner. We know that we can count on that person to be there, no matter what as people who can almost anticipate our problems and failings and there to catch, support and prop us back up. How often do we do the same for others? Are we good at that? There aren’t schools that teach us to care and subordinate our own agendas and desires to help others. We are taught from an early age to achieve, move ahead and up, perform to our own highest potential and be the first to cross the finish line. Not many get something special for stopping to help even if that means someone else wins. However, this is what we really have to be willing to do if we want really want to WIN. We have to be there for others. Solomon tells us this in Ecclesiastes 4:10; “If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But people who are alone when they fall are in real trouble.” We’ve all probably done that trust exercise where you fall backwards into the arms of someone you don’t know and they catch you. Today, there is someone who could sure use your arms to catch them. If you just stop and think about those that you work with you will come up with someone who is carrying a heavier burden than usual or who is struggling. Look at them with fresh eyes and you will see that they are falling backwards and if you choose, you can be there for them. Don’t let them fall because they are alone. That’s being the team member they need.

Reference: Ecclesiastes 4:10 (New Living Testament)

day 491: Teamwork, Part 1, "1 + 1 = 3"

Over the next few days I want to spend some time on the power of teams and teamwork. It's obvious in many ways but there are some principles and applications that are always good to be reminded of now and then. In our jobs teamwork is often encouraged and some times incentives are established to promote teamwork, but when the rubber meets the road we can find ourselves flying solo to get the job done. Companies and organizations are paradoxical in this way. Organizations are structured into, by their own definitions, teams. A department, for example, could be a team. Committees are established to create teams of people working on or overseeing some piece of particular work. However, most people don't receive merit increases or their promotions because of the work of the team. They are rewarded instead on their singular contributions to the business. Paradoxical. So, teamwork has to be driven from the willingness and the acceptance that working with others can be more intrinsically, if not externally, rewarding than working alone. In Ecclesiastes 4:9 we can read; "Two people can accomplish more than twice as much as one; they get a better return for their labor." Solomon is saying that 1 + 1 = 3. We should be be efficient with our energy and time. We should definitely multiple our efforts through working with others and being a strong team player. How much of the extra stress and burden that we feel in our jobs is just because we are trying to take on too much on our own and shoulder all the burden? Today, think about this and see if there is an area, a project, some work where you can get more done and get it done in a better way because you partner and be a team player.

Reference: Ecclesiastes 4:9 (New Living Testament)

day 490: WorKING Context

I get asked by believers who work outside of the ministry if the work they in their day jobs really matters to God? I usually smile because I have only asked myself that question a million times. The question usually comes from someone who has an inclination and a gnawing inside of them to go into the ministry or get more involved in their church, etc. My conclusion to the question is that God does care about the work we do, but not in the way that the world measures or values the work. For God, the work we do daily to feed our families is the means to a different end. If God gives us all that we have and God created all that is around us, then God recognizes the value of work and the value of our jobs, but He cares about the "how" of what we do, not the earthly "what" results. Don't let this sound offensive but the people around us don't care that much either in what we do. If they did, then we would all know and remember and be able to quote the accomplishments and accolades of the person who is doing the exact job that we have right now, 50 years ago. Do you know who was sitting in the office that you sit in 50 years ago? Do you know who had the job title that you have 50 years ago? You may be in a job that you are the first to do it, or you are self-employed, but even for you, think, who was doing what you are trying to doing 50 years ago at another company, or in the same community? The fact is that few people are remembered for what they did. What God cares about is "how" we do it. That is evident all over the Bible and the teachings that we receive. Just read Romans 12:1-8 and apply that to our work and we can see the emphasis that He wants us to have. What is great is if God truly cares more about the "how" than the "what", that it does not matter what we do for a living but we are all in very important jobs. We can be a CEO or a student. We can be a teacher, a maintenance worker, a salesperson, an assistant, an accountant, a director, a writer, a lawyer. The substance of the work is really inconsequential. How we go about our work and use the platform that we have to bring glory to God is the context that does matter. So, as you ask yourself the question about your job, your profession, or your work and how it matters, know that the answer lies not with what is on your business card but in how you do the job that has been given to you.

Reference: Romans 12:1-8 (New Living Testament)

day 489: A Farmer's Lesson

The other day I heard someone use the old adage, "we have to make hay while the sun is shining". We probably all have used that line at some point in our lives, regardless if we were ever farmers or not. It's a good lesson and one that can make us work a little harder and be more productive in the times when we may want to slack off. However, there is another lesson that the farmer probably knows better than anyone and that is that regardless of the conditions, work must get done everyday if the crops are going to grow and yield the produce at harvest time. Sure, there are sunny days but there are also rainy days, cold days, oppressively hot days and days that are so windy, foggy and dreary that all you want to do is roll back over into bed and wait for the weather to clear. If a farmer only waited for the best conditions then not much would get done. We do this at work too; we look for other conditions than the weather to direct our attention and efforts. We wait for the mood of the boss to be right, we look for the day of no meetings before we start on the project, we put off making the return phone call until the afternoon is clear to talk. Basically, we wait until the weather is clear. The lesson is that the conditions are never quite perfect and that we have to put our shoulders down and "weather the storm" if we want to get things done. In Ecclesiastes Solomon opines the same; "If you wait for the perfect conditions, you will never get anything done." Today, you may have some piece of work that you really need to get done but you have been in waiting mode for just the right conditions before you start, complete, present or send it in. Those perfect conditions might show up, but more than likely there will be something else that gets in the way that disrupts perfection. Consider today as the best conditions you will have and like the farmer, just get out in the field and get it done.

Reference: Ecclesiastes 11:4 (New Living Testament)

day 488: Just Another Manic Monday

I rose this morning to more to do than I would have the hours to complete. Was this what the Bangles were referring to when they wrote the song "Manic Monday"? I looked at the to do list and I realized that there were two important calls that I needed to make before my day even started and since I was scheduled to go run at 6:00AM with my training group, one of the calls would have to wait until I was done. So, I performed my own triage, made a call, ran, made the other call and then scrambled to get to my first meeting. This sound at all familiar to anyone elses Monday? As I was running and my mind was moving too, I was reminded of yesterday's church message about what Jesus said about the most important commandment; "And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and and with all your strength". What is so great about that verse is that in the midst of the things on the list, the emails that have to be returned, the calls that have to be made, etc. that we can still love the Lord with all our heart, with all our mind and all of our strength. God knows that we have a long and arduous to-do list and He gives us the strength and the capability to handle it all while still being able to love Him with all we have. Monday's should never be manic. They can be busy and they can sometimes be daunting for the time, but God gives us all enough that we don't have to let them become too much to bear. What I also like about the Bangle's song is that the second line of the chorus, is "I wish it were a Sunday". :)

Reference: Mark 12:30 (New Living Testament)

day 487: What Is Required?

"To whom much is given, much is required". We all know this statement and Word of God. Some people take it very seriously, others don't think much about it all. Those who take it to heart usually end up doing something good with the rewards they have received from their talents, their work, their financial gains. But, how often do we think about what is really required from us, especially at work, from what we have been given? This is not about giving back financially but about doing an inventory of our talents, skills and experiences and seeing how we could spread those to other people. A missed opportunity for most of us that we don't see is that we can be teachers and developers of others. And all we have to do is think about what we are good at and pass the learning and the knowledge on to someone else who doesn't have the skill or yet the experience. If we are good at something, we are blessed. That blessing has been given to us. Now, what are we required to do with it? If we take the time to look around at others with who we work and begin to see part of our requirements to build them up and make them better, then we may be fulfilling why those talents were given to us in the first place. So, today, think about what you are good at and thank God for that! Then, become deliberate about passing it forward and passing it along. Do this and who knows how much more might be given to you!

Reference: Matthew 25:29 (New Living Testament)

day 486: Vision

Somewhere along the way in our work lives we will engage in an exercise that asks us, and likely a group of our co-workers, to think about the vision of our company. It may be that we are told what the vision statement is, or we may find ourselves right smack in the middle of defining and writing the vision for the organization. Regardless, the vision of the company or organization is part and parcel to how a business runs. Without a vision of where we are going, how would we know when we get there? What is hard for many people is to see a vision and embrace it with full emotion and commitment. Either the vision seems too lofty and unattainable or the vision is something that we tried a long time ago and its just a bunch of new people at the top restating what we already knew. It's easy to be a "vision cynic". But, to survive, thrive and grow there must be a well stated and well understood vision that everyone buys into and everyone supports. The best visions of the future are those that are clear enough that they make us decide on whether this is the best company or place for us, or not. Visions that force us to evaluate and recommit to going where the company wants us to go are the ones that are most inspiring and compelling. Still, it takes something down deep in all of us to really commit and sign up. As believers, we know that our faith should never placed in those things that are here on earth but rather on the things that are of God. That said though, we can look at the faith of those who came before us and learn lessons on how to act and conduct ourselves in this world that we now live. In Hebrews Chapter 11, many times referred to the "Hall of Faith" chapter, we read the accounts of many of the most faithful people of the Bible. The lesson I take from this chapter is that each of the people of faith described, once committed, never wavered and never faltered in following the vision that was put in front of them. If these people could be like this, then so can we. We may not be asked by God to do something extraordinary like Noah, Abraham or Moses, but we are called upon daily to put our faith in God and to believe that the work we are given here on earth to do is to bring glory to Him. We are just like these other men when we read in Hebrews 11:13; "...but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed the promises of God." They had vision. We can have our own vision in looking ahead to the promises of God for what can happen when live and work according to His will and glory.

Reference: Hebrews 11:13 (New Living Testament)

day 485: Friending

There was a time when the word friend seldom got used as a verb. To "friend someone" meant to help, aid, encourage, or to lift up someone. Today we use the verb friend to mean that when we "friend someone" that we have added them to our social network page. And it still is rare to find the word used as a verb in the purest definition. We have also stretched the definition of friend. It is not unusual for someone to reference someone who is really more of an acquaintance as a "good friend". At work we have many "work friends" but few transcend the workplace and become true friends who we would share our leisure time and share our family time. Yet, they are friends but at a superficial level. Knowing our true friends at work is sometimes hard to do as when the pressures mount and decisions are made, finding those who have our back and will stand with us regardless, are few and far between. It's almost like there should be a different definition of "friend" for work than all other places. I have been fortunate to have friends from work who have actually become some of Patti and I's closest friends long after our years of working together have passed. We are all blessed if we have any of these relationships that can withstand time and distance. As we think about friendships and work, it is a good reflection point for all of us to remember that where we need to put our faith is not in others, but instead with God. David talks about his friends in Psalm 55:20 and demonstrates to us that friends are temporary and friends are not always what they seem; "As for this friend of mine, he betrayed me; he broke his promises." David tells it like it is for all of us. Those we have "friended" will let us down but God will not. We should all build up many friends and then be sure that we are the friend who never willingly lets another down. That is the example of "friending" that we want to leave for others.

Reference: Psalm 55:20 (New Living Testament)

day 484: Following Instructions

It would be very interesting to see the amount of productivity that is lost each day from the lack of people following instructions and having to "rework". All day long we are given, or give, instructions only to find that at the end or in the middle of something someone didn't follow the instructions, cut a corner, or decided to change the instructions to their own liking and everything falls apart. Sometimes these events in the business world can have a huge impact. As we wait to see why the fail safe of the BP gulf oil rig didn't work we are left to believe that the fail safe faulted because one person didn't follow the instructions and allowed the batteries to die and then didn't replace them. Not following instructions can have a severe impact on the lives and livelihoods of many people. So, what are we to learn from this? I believe instructions are given to be followed and only after those instructions either don't yield the desired results do we then try and change them. Every good boss I have had has been open to my ideas, if I have followed their instructions well and found ways to improve, or I went the extra mile to do more than required. Seldom was anyone happy about my ideas if I hadn't already followed the instructions given to me. I have reflected on this many times and I am also amazed at how God demonstrates for us in the Old Testament (many times) how important it is to follow instructions when given to us. Numbers, Chapter 4 is a great example as God doled out the duties to the Clans through Moses and Aaron. He was very detailed in the instructions and expected each person to follow them thoroughly and fully. The lesson we can take from this is that if we are here to bring glory to God in our work, then we will never be able to do so if we don't follow the instructions well, complete the job as given to us, give it all that we have and then when it is over, we can look at ourselves in the mirror and know that all that could humanly possible occurred and we can give glory where it belongs to the God who gave us the talents, the skills and the attitude to be the best we can be.

Reference: Numbers 4

day 483: The Best Part Of Waking Up...

If you are over 40 years old you can probably finish the rest of the jingle of the title of this post. There is something always new and fresh about the mornings. It is the time when we have the greatest amount of energy, well maybe that is after the second cup of coffee. :) The mornings are the time when thoughts can be gathered, lists can be made, and there is enough quiet time to get things squared away before everything reaches its full fevered pitch. I find that the mornings can be the most productive time, if we make the most of it. It is also the time for when we can prepare ourselves for the day both physically and mentally. Those who hit the office with their heart, lungs and mind warmed up and ready to go, might get an extra step on the rest. There is nothing better than starting the work day already at a running start. We can also best prepare ourselves by being warmed up spiritually so that by the time we get to the office we know that God is there with us and has already heard us early in the morning. David writes in Psalm 5:3; "Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly." Today, or tomorrow, if today has already started for you, try starting the day with bringing yourself and your work to God early in the morning and then wait and listen for what He says and does. While I always liked the Folgers jingle, it may be that there is a better part of waking up than how the jingle goes.

Reference: Psalm 5:3 (New Living Testament)

day 482: "Getting The Call"

Who hasn't fantasized about getting "the call" that offers us the dream job of our lives? Maybe that dream was to be something totally different than our work today; to be an actor, a musician, a sports player, a published author, etc. We have all had that dream and even in our current occupation the flicker of the dreams survive as we would love to get the call for the big promotion, the transfer, or the assignment of a lifetime. The question is if we got "the call" would we really be ready? Many times in my career I have had to sit and talk to someone and reset their expectations as their dreams and their capabilities were so far apart that they were working with very false expectations and were being set up for a big let down. There is nothing wrong with being a dreamer and I firmly believe that if we don't dream, we won't reach our full potential, but it is also a reality that we must be as much of a preparer as a dreamer. We have to attain the skills, the experience and the knowledge to be ready when the call comes in. Without the readiness, if the call does come our chance of success will be much less. We must also be ready with our attitude so that we can respond in the right way and step up with full energy and confidence. In 1 Chronicles 28, David challenges Solomon as he calls him to be the next King. These are words that we can apply to our own lives to help us get ready for our own call; "And Solomon, my son, get to know the God of your ancestors. Worship and serve him with your whole heart and with a willing mind. For the Lord sees every heart and understands and knows every plan and thought. If you seek him, you will find him. But if you forsake him, he will reject your forever. So take this seriously. The Lord has chosen you to build a Temple as his sanctuary. Be strong and do the work." What a great lesson embedded in that call from David to Solomon; seek and know God, serve Him with all we have, be serious in what we have been given, be strong and work hard.

Reference: 1 Chronicles 28:9-10 (New Living Testament)