day 665: Venturing

"It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when god called him to leave and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going."

In the neck of the woods where I live the word "venture" is part of the common vocabulary. If you are not a part of a venture you probably know someone who has brushed up with a start-up venture. And then there are those who are venture capitalists and the VCs invest other people's money into new ventures. Dictionary.com defines venture as: "An undertaking involving uncertainty as to the outcome, especially a risky or dangerous one: a mountain-climbing venture. A business enterprise or speculation in which something is risked in the hope of profit; a commercial or other speculation." Speculation, risk, hazards, hope. These are all words that describe a venture. And, it fits for as we can be prone to say, "Nothing ventured is nothing gained". So, we venture for something that if we take the risk and it pans out will have rewards attached. But, even then when we venture we do all we can to keep the risk down, even if it means less rewards. VCs want to mitigate the risk by ensuring the best team, the right kind of capital and opening up ways to go to market. But even if we are in a position in an established company, we still venture when we take initiative or try something new for us. Venturing is just part of business.

But to venture with no idea of where we are going seems kind of crazy doesn't it? But, that is exactly what God asked Abraham to do. He went out totally blind to where he was going or what he was supposed to do. When Abraham got the message that he was to venture out he laid all of the risk and hazards back on God and by faith allowed Him to lead and Abraham followed. We are being asked to venture out from where we are in order to bring even greater glory to God in our work and lives. Can we find the courage in God to venture? It could be that God is challenging you to move your business forward in a new way, or to use your investments differently, or to reallocate your time and energy. Whatever the venturing that is in front of you right now, don't ignore the push and pull inside of you as it could be that God is asking you to trust Him.

Reference: Hebrews 11:8 (New Living Testament)

day 664: Memorial Day Weekend II

"Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is."


First published day 162: Memorial Day Weekend 2009

Memorial Day weekend is one of my favorite three-day weekends of the whole year. This break marks the beginning of summer and a new attitude and feeling around the office. Some companies swing into "summer hours", company softball teams start playing, the days are longer and it is more common to get together after work, etc. We all know the feeling when summer is in the air. When we go home we see green shoots on the trees, flowers poking up their blooms, green all around us. Memorial Day weekend is the kick-off of that period for me. It's like the caterpillar that was all bundled up for winter then can come out to fly and enjoy the outdoors like a butterfly. So, needless to say more, I really look forward to this time. The original purpose of the holiday in the United States was to stop for a moment and remember those who have served and died for our country. While this gets lost in the picnics, cookouts, beach, parties, etc. we should not lose sight of this remembrance and honoring of those who have, and who currently are, fighting on our behalf.

I also think that Memorial Day is a great time of the year to also remember who we are in this world and the role that we play. One of my favorite verses in the Bible is Romans 12:2: "Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is." Read that again slowly and feel God speaking to you. This is a good time of the year to also feel like the spiritual caterpillar who can be transformed into the new spiritual butterfly. As we go into this long weekend and we have time to reflect on how things are going at work, at home, or in other parts of our lives, take the time to ponder the words of Paul and see if this summer season cannot be a time of allowing God to make a transformation in you so that as you come back to work the others around you see and ask about the change in you. It is a marvelous time to be living and better yet, to be alive in our faith and living out our purpose for God. Have a great long weekend!

Reference: Romans 12:2 (New Living Testament)

day 663: Time To Make The Move

"The the Lord told Abram, 'Leave your country, your relatives, and your father's house, and go to the land that I will show you."

As the economy recovers and companies start hiring there will return the need for people to begin relocating for new jobs. I am beginning to see it happening and it is always one of the most stressful actions on a person, a relationship or a family. But, it is a reality for anyone who works for a global company and wants to move up. Somewhere along the way the request is going to come and the decision must be made to go or stay. I am helping a number of organizations who are looking for people who will have to relocate for the new job. It is not an easy sell to get someone to uproot. This is why if we lead organizations where we will ask people to relocate for a position then we need to be ready to listen with great empathy and then solve for the difficulties. Solutions are one size fitting one and any organization that tries to cookie cutter their approach in this day and age will find that they will struggle more to get the best talent than they should have to do so. Finding the balance for what is good for the company and the employee is the answer. Win-wins when relocating people can go a long way in building good-will and loyalty with the employee and the family unit.

Imagine being Abraham (Abram at the time) and God telling him to uproot and leave all behind and just go. What courage and faith that must have taken. I think we tend to think that it was easier to follow and obey God back then because God would speak directly and burn bushes and things. But, let's be real. If we were any more obeying then there wouldn't have been cities and people wiped out by fire and floods. Just as it is now, it was then; some followed and listened to God and many others didn't. Abraham made the move when he was requested to do so. We may not be being asked to physically move and leave all behind, but God is asking us to move today. He is asking us to move closer to Him and to leave behind the stuff that is in the way. Are we up to making the move He is asking for us to make?

Reference: Genesis 12:1 (New Living Testament)

day 662: The Ups And Downs Of Culture

"A glad heart makes a happy face; a broken heart crushes the spirit."

Why is it that certain corporate cultures are generally "up" and others are "down"? There are certainly differences and of course the state of the business makes a big difference as if a company is growing it is hard to not have some of the downers to be masked. But, growth doesn't guarantee an up culture. What guarantees a culture either being up or down is the spirit and attitude of the leaders. Show me a generally positive, optimistic and happy CEO and I will show you a corporate culture that reflects that attitude. And vice versa. Unfortunately, not many CEOs or Senior Leaders can stay consistent enough in their attitude and approach to deliver a culture that consistently reflects what it should. But, when it does, it is magical and it's almost palpable when you walk through the doors of the organization. I love that feeling and I wish we all could experience it every day. If you are a leader, then you have the chance to counter a down culture with your own up approach. You won't be able to mitigate all of the downers but you can do a lot within your own team or function.

As believers we have to work even harder to be up as much as we can. Remember, we have some good news, really good news, to share and if we are down in our attitude then why would anyone ever want to hear, or believe from us any good news. It's a constant battle to stay up, but that is what we have to do. Today, before the day gets too far along, stop for a moment and ask our Lord to give you a positive and up disposition today that others would recognize and appreciate. Ask also for your up attitude to rub off and be a part of creating an up culture for everyone.

Reference: Proverbs 15:13 (New Living Testament)

day 661: The Power Pause

"Those who control their tongue will have a long life; a quick retort can ruin everything."

I was told the story of a CEO who had the chance to meet the Dali Lama and have a private session with him. Each time the CEO would ask a question the Dali Lama would take an abnormally long pauses before he answered or spoke. The CEO said it felt very uncomfortable to just sit there and wait for the responses, so as his time was winding down he asked the Dali Lama why he took so long to answer between each question. After another long pause he answered, "Before I respond I ask myself three questions about what I am about to say, before I speak; 'Is it kind?', 'Is it true?', and 'Is it necessary?'. As I listened to this story I was struck by his answer because wouldn't our work places be so much better if we all were to ask ourselves those three questions before we spoke? We work in the land of the opposite where there is a competition for the first word to be spoken (or written). How much better off would we be if we could step back and not be so impetuous with our speech? I have watched more than one career go on a derailment path because of a word spoken in haste or worse, anger. Trying to put the genie back in the bottle looks easy compared to reeling back in words that didn't want to be spoken.

In Proverbs we are told the same thing. We are told to control our tongue and to curb the quick retort. One can lead to long life. The other can ruin everything. Today, let's check our words and learn that there is a power in the pause. We may not have any other way to do it other than to try to ask ourselves the three questions before we speak. But, that's cool too. Whatever it takes to let our minds and souls catch up with our tongue. Let's today practice pausing and see what good can happen.

Reference: Proverbs 13:3 (New Living Testament)

day 660: NOW!

"Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it's in your power to help them. If you can help your neighbor now, don't say, 'Come back tomorrow, and I'll help you."

Imagine having the luxury of our boss coming up to us at work and asking us for something that she/he needs help on and we being able to say, "Sorry boss, too busy to help, let me get back to you tomorrow." Well, I guess we can do that every now and then but we do it too often and before long the boss doesn't ask us for anything but our resignation. The same can be said for when our co-workers approach us for help. Yes, we can put them off occasionally, but more often than not we have to stop what we are doing and help them out. "Now" is a very subjective word and not really all that situational. Just about everyone in business is about getting things done "Now". If we aren't ready to accommodate and adjust our own priorities to assist others we will get tagged as not being a good team-player or worse, not being good at working with others. It's a fine line and we all have to walk it each and every day. Our best course of action is to always be ready to help and do the best we can to leave some flex in the schedule knowing that there will be at least one, if not more than one, interruptions to help someone else out each and every day. If we adopt the principle of "now" for our ability and willingness to help others then the interruption and the distraction can seem far less of an impact.

What we do has a lot to do with who we are, or at least who others perceive who we are. If we are not willing to help those who need help, today, then it's hard for others to see in us the love and caring that we are to be exemplifying. At the core, helping others when they are in need, whether in a big or small way, is a strong sign to others whether or not we are someone who can and will be there for them in other times and ways. We are given the direction from Solomon in Proverbs to not put off our assistance to others because it's easy for us to do so and we need the constant reminding. It is important because if we don't get this right, then we can find that we have undermined ourselves and our ability to be positioned to be called upon or asked about what is it like to live a Christ-like life. Today, when approached to help someone else, practice the power of "now" and give of your time and yourself and don't put it off. You may find that "now" opens up doors you didn't know were there before.

Reference: Proverbs 3:27 (New Living Testament)

day 659: The Joy of Work Redux

"Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord."

This topic came up a few times this week and I thought it was worth restating what real joy can be. Enjoy. :)


(Originally posted March 12, 2010 - day 360: The Joy of Work!)
I have been providing some career counseling this week. Yesterday I found myself talking to someone who is very concerned about what job is going to make her happy as she has been in a job now for three years where she just doesn't like the work or the people. I tried to remind her that happiness in a job is at the intersection of being where you want to be, doing what you want to do, with the people you want to do it with. In the center of that Venn diagram there is happiness. But even then, that does not guarantee that there will be joy in the work. Joy is a different animal. Joy is defined as "the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying." Joy probably doesn't come from work, but joy can come from doing work. Joy is caused by something that triggers delight and/or happiness. Joy can be found in the process, more than in the result. I was watching that TV show with Ray Romano; "Men of a Certain Age". When the character Ray plays wins a bet on a basketball game he is happy, but he is not joyful because the way he got to the result is one of his addictions. When we achieve a result at work but it wasn't gotten there with great teamwork or great process, we are happy but we are not joyful. The Bible tells us how to be joyful in Psalm 119:1; "Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord." If you are missing joy in your work, or your life, then the question needs to be asked if you are working at your highest level of integrity and instruction of how you know you are supposed to work, according to God? A joyful day comes from a high integrity day! As we close off this week, think about today as a day of the highest integrity in all that you do and then measure your joy. I suspect that today could be a great day of joy for you!

Reference: Psalm 119:1 (New Living Testament)

day 658: Impressions

"Don't be selfish; don't live to make a good impression on others."

The first impression is a moment to manage. We all know how important a first impression can be and in business where time is precious and patience runs short, the first impression's importance is multiplied many times over. We can do our best to make the first impression our best in how we speak, hold ourselves, and yes, how we dress. Yet, it can't be completely controlled as long as there is another person involved. The person on the other side of the table or the handshake comes to that moment with their own set of preconceived notions, emotions and filters. It is nearly impossible for us to know what is in their mind or what they have already faced that day that is going to enhance or taint their impression of us. What we can do is put our best foot forward and ensure that we are doing our best to make a connection with them. If by nothing else, if we make those first moments together a time of listening closely and allowing the other person to talk about themselves for a bit so we can get a sense of the mood and their willingness to open up, then we have a better chance of doing well with them. I was listening to a very senior executive describe an interview she recently had where the person doing the interview never asked one question during their hour long session. She said that the interviewer would just throw out random thoughts, sometimes provocative and challenging, and then let those thoughts just sit there until she would pick up on them and continue the riff. As she left the interview she had no idea what impression she had made but she had a really good feel for what kind of person he was and had felt that she had been able to adapt to his style. I suspect because of this, she made a good first impression. So, we never know when we are going to be making a first impression, but let's remember, it is a moment to manage, be thoughtful around, and most importantly be sure that we put the other person first.

For those of us who are purposefully working to bring glory to God in our work and lives the first impression, and every ongoing impression, is even that much more significant. Paul gives us a tip in Philippians when he tells us that we not to live to make a good impression on others. He is right, if we were to totally focus and live just to make a good impression then we would spend all of our time thinking about ourselves, thus why he says in the beginning of the verse, "Don't be selfish". That said, we still must manage our impressions as we know others are always watching and those impressions whether the first, or ongoing, are critical in how others can or can't see Christ reflected through us. Take a moment and reflect on yesterday. What type of impression did you leave on others? Were there actions and words that if you could take them back you would? For me personally when I ask myself that question the answer is always yes, because I know that I can only get better. Today is the day to make your impressions better than yesterday, especially those first impressions that are there for you to begin today in the best and right way.

Reference: Philippians 2:3 (New Living Testament)

day 657: Keeping

"While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost"

In business we all at some point or another are "kept" by someone else or by the organization. It we weren't then each of would likely be flushed out from one company to another much faster than normal. Of course, yes we are all capable, but at some point or another we get "kept" and for that we should count ourselves fortunate. What this means is that someone is watching out for us and when we slip up we got the second chance or we got a pass for something that we did that was either wrong or just silly. I'm not talking about something that is wrong in the sense of being immoral or illegal, I'm talking about those times that because of inexperience, poor judgment, or just the wrong decision that we just make a mistake. And then, because someone is keeping us, we get talked to but we don't lose our jobs and we don't have our careers derailed. Some companies are better at this than others. Those cultures that are dog-eat-dog or up-or-out are not so good at this, but others are really great at keeping us propped up even though we stumble and fall. I can't judge cultures but I can say that one or the other only happens because of the people in the organization who make the decisions based on their personal philosophies. It is good for us to check and understand what a culture is like and not like before we join up. Or once we are in them then we need to understand and adjust to that culture and how we can best succeed. It is not easy, but it can be done and we can adapt and learn to understand how to operate in a company successfully.

David Wilkerson, before he died, wrote about how God keeps His disciples. He wrote, "Peter said, '[We] are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation
ready to be revealed in the last time' (1 Peter 1:5). I see in this a prophecy
that in these last days, God is once more going to reveal his keeping power to
his people. Christ prayed to the Father concerning his disciples: 'While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and
none of them is lost' (John 17:12). The disciples did not keep themselves in
the will of God, they were kept by a mighty power outside of themselves. They
could not have made it a single day without Christ's keeping power.
What a glorious prayer Christ prayed on our behalf: 'I pray not that thou
shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from
the evil' (John 17:15)."

What a great promise and assurance we have in that God is "keeping" us and keeping us close and within His protection. Regardless of what you face today, know that you are being "kept".

Reference: John 17:12 and 15, 1 Peter 1:5

day 656: Interceding

"I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them."

Business is filled with those who intercede on the behalf of others. We have managers and supervisors who intercede on the behalf of us to the next layer of management. We also have others in the organization who intercede on our behalf because they want us to do well and they want us to be recognized, etc. However, there are also people and times when we are interceded on by another that is not so positive or desired. We see this happen all too often don't we? Sometimes we can end up spending quite a bit of our time trying to be sure that others, when they do intercede, do so correctly. We can also call this staying on the right side of someone else. Regardless, when someone intercedes for us it can become disconcerting. The same can be said about us when we intercede for others. How and when we step in for others is an important responsibility that we carry. When we speak of others, we must ensure that we carry messages in a positive and encouraging way. If we can't, then it's better to not say anything at all. Interceding is never going to go away, so our best management is to not play into the games and to stay above the fray.

We are so fortunate to know that we have available to us the One who can intercede on our behalf as well as who we can ask to intercede for others, and NEVER be concerned that that there will be something bad or disparaging said. This is the gift that God gives us with prayer. We can ask God to intercede in anything, big, small, significant, or insignificant. And, God does not mind if we ask for that intercession to be about anything. He wants to be there for us and be in all aspects of our lives. Work remains an important part of most of our lives and there is no reason for God to not want to intercede there as much as anywhere. Today, is God coming to work with you? Have you invited Him into the middle of the conversation? If not, think about changing that up today and putting Him right there in the cubicle with you.

Reference: 1 Timothy 2:1 (New Living Testament)

day 655: All-Hands Meetings

"Now in the early Autumn, when the Israelites had settled in their towns, all the people assembled together as one person in Jerusalem."

In start-up organizations there is a thing called, "All-Hands Meetings". These are usually done on a very frequent basis, like once a week, or once a month. In these session everyone in the company comes together with the CEO to talk about the business to ensure that everyone is informed of what they need to know going forward. It is a great way to gain alignment and unity and best yet, most employees look forward to these meetings as the place and time when they will get the most up to date information and also interact with the leaders of the organization. As companies or organizations get bigger there comes a day when it becomes nearly impossible, or at least very hard, to get everyone together at once, so new methods are taken to achieve the same objective. Webcasts, or conference calls replace the All-Hands Meeting and typically the frequency elongates so this happens once a quarter, or once-a-year. There is a power in having everyone together that shouldn't be missed or ignored. Being able to have everyone in the organization hear the same thing, at the same time, brings a unity and shared experience that can rally, align and ensure cohesiveness for some time. Organizations that have lost this activity, should find it and at least once a year bring everyone together.

In the book of Ezra we learn about the Israelites who were going to rebuild the altar. In verse one of Chapter three we learn that before they started reconstruction Jeshua held an "All-Hands Meeting" to get things going. We have an example right here of the power of assembly and unity before a big task is to be tackled. In this lesson is also the message of the importance of church and fellowship with other believers. If each of us is to be strong and aligned in purpose, the assembly we receive when we go to church for God's "All-Hands Meeting" is important. When we stray or not feel close to God, we can question how diligent we have been in assembling with other believers. The next time we don't feel like going to church, or small group, or other times when we gather with other believers to worship, learn and fellowship, we should ask ourselves, "Do we really want to miss the All-Hands Meeting"?

Reference: Ezra 3:1 (New Living Testament)

day 653: The Right Tools

"If you keep yourself pure, you will be a utensil God can use for His purpose."

I was speaking with a senior member of an executive team and he was complaining about all of the things that he couldn't get done with the current amount of resources he had been allocated. As I listened to him describe the challenges he was having I began to see some solutions that could be easily implemented. As I asked about these he said, "that would be great, but I don't have those systems and software." I asked why not, since some of these are programs that are available nearly, if not totally, for free. After a fair amount of hemming and hawing I got to the crux of the problem and found that neither he, nor anyone on his team, had explored or sought out any new tools for quite a long time. They had become satisfied with what they had, even though they were deficient, and had gotten used to using antiquated and not the best systems and tools in the marketplace. It was no wonder he and the team were always scrambling to keep up. What I saw was someone trying to compete in the Indianapolis 500 with a car that had technology from ten years ago. This is not unusual and it does take someone in an organization to keep us up to date and then to push us to change and adapt. What is also true is that we if are not using the up to date, and the right tools, that we can not work to our best.

A wonderful thing about our God is that He always wants to work to the best! But, the same can be said in that He also needs the right tools to get His work done effectively. We are God's tools and utensils who can bring to life His purpose to those around us. But, we also have to be right in order for the best work to get done. Paul writes to Timothy about this and says, "If you keep yourself pure, you will be a utensil God can use for His purpose." Paul didn't say that we had to be on the cutting edge, or sophisticated, or fancy. All he said was that we needed to be pure and we would become the right utensils, the right tools, that God could use. Ask yourself today as you go about your work, and God's work of bring glory to Him, are you pure? Have you done all that you can do today to be the utensil that He wants and needs to get the work done? Another of God's wonderful gifts to us is that He gives us everything we need to continuously purify ourselves to be ready for the work He asks us to do. From there, the choice is up to us.

Reference: 2 Timothy 2:21 (New Living Testament)

day 652: Instruction Manuals and Handbooks

“All scripture is given by the inspiration of God.”

I was recently in a Best Buy where I overhead a customer telling a salesperson that he had just bought a TV and he couldn’t find the owner’s manual in the box and wanted to see if he could get a copy from the store. The salesperson told him that the TV manufacturer no longer prints manuals and that he could go online and pull down what he needed. The customers was caught a little off-guard and then reluctantly said, “okay” and moved on. The following week I was working with an Executive from a good sized private company and he showed me their employee handbook and was asking my advice on how best to update and disseminate policy changes. I found myself giving the same type of answer as the Best Buy salesperson in that it was time for this company to get everything online and then just push out the changes that occur instead of taking on the cost and headaches of printing something that is out of date the day it comes off the printer. We each need to get more and more comfortable with what it means to obtain knowledge from a screen. As you read this, that is exactly what you are doing. And to this, if we know that our customers, clients, employees, etc. are moving quickly to everything being online then we need to get better and better at the communication that we can create for online consumption. Some say that blogs are dying or already dead. The same is being said about websites. So, it is up to us to figure that out and stay ahead of the curve so we don’t fall behind. Better to know than not know in today’s day and age.

Regardless of whether it is online or written on parchment paper, God has given us the ultimate Instruction Manual and Handbook for work and life. 66 different books, written by forty different men all inspired by the same and one God, written over a span of 1600 years and holding up today as well as it did at the time of its’ writing. Like the person who decides to jump into a project before reading the directions or the instruction manual, we can end up going into our work and our lives without direction if we don’t spend time in God’s Word. There is no guarantee that any of us will put together our lives in the best way, but with God’s instruction manual don’t you think that it can be much better than guessing and trying to go it alone? Have you taken the time today to check in and see what instructions there might be for you today?

Reference: 2 Timothy 3:16 (New Living Testament)

day 651: Archiving

“In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”


Back in 2002 when the Sarbanes-Oxley corporate transparency Act came into effect most every public company had to revamp its policies on data retention and archiving. Since the point of the legislation was transparency one might have thought that the retention of data would have been lengthened not shortened. That was true with some documents, but for the most part companies began putting in policies that forced employees to destroy and delete more frequently emails, paper documents, etc. that were not required to be kept. Since companies and their documents would become more transparent and open for review and discussion, Chief Legal Counsels didn’t want anything hanging around that could be used against the company in the future. At the same time, since there were now documents that needed to be kept longer than before, new companies arose that would store and manage these in a way that met all requirements but also got the boxes of paperwork, discs, etc. offsite and secure. Archiving and document retention has become a big business. It pays to know that to store and what not to keep. Problems can arise from each, if you are not aware.

God’s archive of love for us is unlimited. He also stores within His Word and His Spirit all that we need to know to live an abundant and eternal life. Paul tells us in Colossians that not “some” of the treasures, but “all” of the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are waiting within Him for us to find. Think today what it would be like to walk through the archives of God’s house and to find one treasure after another. That is what each of us can do today by opening up His Word and start uncovering what He has in store for us. What a tremendous archive He has for us and to think, an archive that never goes away!

Reference: Colossians 2:3 (New Living Testament)

day 650: Open Eyes

"Keep alert and pray. Otherwise temptation will overpower you."

It's not new to hear, "keep your eyes open on this one", or "go into this with your eyes wide open". These are common business phrases that are telling us to stay sharp, stay alert and to stay vigilant in our efforts. They also are telling us to stay cognizant of the things going on around us and to be sure that we are aware. Those who are most successful in business seem to have that extra sense of what can make a market or how consumers will react when presented with a product or service. I am amazed by those people who have these things instinctively. The rest of us have to work at it with data, facts, logic and the help of others. We might be able to become as good as the others but it will never come as naturally. Still, we can keep our "eyes open" and learn and get better. But, open eyes also means not allowing ourselves to falter, or fall asleep at the switch. We must remain alert and pushing forward to be able to grow, develop and get better. We can't afford to allow ourselves to nod off in the business climate we are in today.

In no other place was it more important that others keep their eyes open than when Jesus asked his three most-trusted disciples to stand with him in the final hours while he prayed in the garden. However, as we know, they drifted and they couldn't keep their eyes open, even for one hour for Him. This is the issue for all of us. When God also asks us to keep ourselves alert and awake for Him throughout our lives, we will do so for a time and then we find ourselves drifting off again, proverbially falling asleep. Is God calling you to wake up for Him? Is he asking you to have open eyes for the time and the challenges that He is providing for you? Is the difference between failure and success in His eyes, not what you are achieving, but in how you are going about it? Today, ask yourselves these questions and see if you are wide awake for Him?

Reference: Matthew 26:41 (New Living Testament)

day 649: Who Really Matters

"...Our purpose is to please God, not people."

Question: How much time will you spend today trying to please your boss? Have a number of minutes or hours in mind? Now, take that number and multiply it by five and that gives you the amount of time you will spend this week. Now, take that number and multiply it by the number of weeks of the year that you work (52 minus vacation weeks) and there you have it for the year. One hour a day and you could be looking at 1200 hours or more of just pleasing your boss. That works out to be three weeks or more a year doing nothing but pleasing and making one person happy. Now, add on the co-worker who demands to be pleased, and the subordinate who needs the extra time and attention to be pleased. Okay, add on the external vendor or the hard to please customer, etc. You get the picture, work is a lot about pleasing others, but the question is not about the pleasing but about understanding who really matters. If we find ourselves having to please everyone, the math tells us that we will never get anything done and our work will turn into being only about running around pleasing others. What we have to do to be effective in our work is to be able to ascertain the difference between those that really matter and the people who really don't. Not that we shouldn't be sensitive to others' needs, but we have to know the difference and focus on what really matters if we are not to get all of our time eaten up and thus become ineffective.

Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians who really matters first and who we are really here to please and then let the rest follow. It is hard to not want to be one who pleases others but we need to recognize that by pleasing God first we will end up being the person that we are supposed to be and from there we will be holistically pleasing. If we are walking in the shadow of Jesus and we follow closely then we become the person that God wants us to be and at that point it is impossible to not be pleasing to the others who who we share our earthly time. All day long we work hard at pleasing others, when what God wants us to do is to work harder at pleasing Him first and then letting Him take care of the rest. He wants us to be great at how we work with and treat others so He will ensure that we succeed in how we interact with others and how they perceive us, if we keep our focus on Him as Who really deserves to be pleased.

Reference: 1 Thessalonians 2:4 (New Living Testament)

day 648: The Power Of Staying Close

"Meanwhile, Peter was following far behind..."

The debate has raged every since the creation of the "field office" whether or not those who are in headquarters or the field have better chances of career progression. While it is not scientific, there is definitely truth that those who are closer to the boss, just because of familiarity and the convenience of proximity, will be provided some opportunities that those who are just "not around" will not receive. "Out of sight of mind" does play into this. This doesn't mean that we all have to work within a headquarters, but it is does mean that we should ensure that we stay close to those who are making decisions about our careers, certainly close enough that they know and understand who we are and what we desire in our careers. The other reason that we need to stay "close" is that it is only when we are close that we stay consistent with what needs to be happening or not. This can shape our actions and keep us on the right path and not allow us to stray and get off strategy. Know who you need to stay close to and be sure and develop a strong relationship of trust and open communication. This way you will always be close enough to have the knowledge you need.

The same can be said about our lives and our walk with Christ. When we are close to Him we stand the best chance of being consistent and pure in our lives. When we stray and distance comes between us and Him then we can end up falling into things that are not good. No where is that better described than in the account of Peter at the time of Jesus moving to the cross. After the scene in the garden, the Bible says that the Disciples dispersed and Peter decided to follow well behind Christ. He hung back and put distance between himself and Jesus. It was in that distance that he was asked his affiliation with Jesus and he denied Him three times. God never leaves us. It is only us that can put the distance between ourselves and Him. There is power in staying close and certainly diminished power in straying and losing proximity. We need to stay close by being in His Word, praying, and listening for Him and also in fellowship and worship with other believers. Today may be the day that we either will stand up for Him or do our own denial dance. Being close will help ensure that we want to stand up for Him and not leave Him behind. How close are you today?

Reference: Matthew 26:58 (New Living Testament)

day 647: Probationary Periods

"...don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through... Instead, be very glad-for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world. "

During the Great Recession companies began to revert back to using probationary periods or hiring someone on as a temporary before bringing them on full-time. These "temp to perm" or trial periods were ways to provide a time of trial before making the commitment to hire. This practice is not a new one as many a company had done it in the past but once the talent market heats up it is hard to ask the best of the best to leave one job to go to another with a period of uncertainty before a commitment. I suspect that with the hiring market beginning to recover we will see less and less of the formal probation happening but certainly it is there informally, and that never goes away. Anyone who starts a new job will serve under watchful eyes and will be put to the test to see if the right hiring decision has been made. When asked on how to best manage during this time I always tell new hires the exact same things; Establish clear expectations from your boss for the first six months; work harder than the other guy; and build as many deep and close relationships as possible. If you know what is expected of you, you can meet or exceed those expectations. If you work hard and put in the extra effort then that can carry you far. If you have strong relationships with others and get to know them and them you, then when you stumble (which you will) they will be there for you and will also want to give you a second chance. It's always smart to go into any new situation with the attitude that you still have some proving to do. That way your attitude doesn't turn into taking it for granted or worse, putting on an air of complacency or entitlement.

Work and life is a set of trials. We get stronger through these trial and they force us to rely on the One who is stronger than us and who has gone through more of for us than we could ever give back to Him. How we handle our trials and out challenges can be a clear signal to others that we have something inside of us that they desire and need. If we can handle our trials and our tribulations in such a way that they can see God in us, then we are likely going to get our chance to tell His story to them. God doesn't put us on probation with Him. It is the one part of our lives where the love and protecting arms of the Lord are never taken away. If we believe, remember and count on this then there isn't any trial or any testing that He won't give us the power and grace to handle.

Reference: 1 Peter 4:12-13 (New Living Testament)

day 646: "There Should Be An App For This"

"Publish his glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does."


"There should be an 'App' for this." Twenty four months ago, this was becoming a popular saying as people played with their iphones and thought about their soon to arrive ipads. Two years later, as we have our ipads and wait on our ipad 2 and we have upgraded our iphones to newest generation, we say less often, "there should be an App for this" because today, there seems to be just about an "App" for everything so we say more often, "there is an App for that." In actuality, it's probably about a few hundred thousand Apps that have been created for the Apple platform and then a fraction of that many for the Android operating system. Still, it now seems that there is an App for about anything, other than some of the more mundane things we may still do at work. But, watch out, those are coming soon. It may well be soon that an ipad for work becomes standard issue. As all of these innovations continue to occur it is important that we stay on top of what is new and that we understand what is coming next. To be most competitive in our field or industry, we have to be ahead of the competition and in touch with the next generation of talent that walks through our doors. To not be in touch with the future is to live in the past. There is no App for telling and understanding the future. That is on us to do.

An App is also a publishing tool that allows a developer and innovator to share his/her creation across the users of a platform and spread this software virally through sharing it with their social graph. Technology is the tool for evangelizing a resource, tool, service, etc. If you think about it, God was ultimately the first App developer in that He created all of us to be the spreaders of His Good News. We are God's Apps and as we are told in in 1 Chroncicles, we are to be the publishers of his glory. Think about this today and know that God is looking at us and saying in all of the situations that we are given and face, "Here is my app for this."


Reference: 1 Chronicles 16:24 (New Living Testament)

day 645: A Good Mood Day

"The Lord is king! Let the earth rejoice! Let the farthest coastlands be glad."

People can be known for their moods. We all know someone who is known for their good moods, someone who is known for their bad moods and someone who is known for vacillating, or what we would call them to be, "moody". Companies and organizations can be the same. There are companies that have a general positive disposition. Usually they are characterized by customers and clients as friendly, positive and helping companies. They can also be organizations that are in growth mode and therefore have lots of positive momentum and that mood follows. Then there are organizations that are known for their bad mood. Have you ever been to the Department of Motor Vehicles? Need I say more? And yes, there are the organizations that are also moody and can swing back and forth confusing both the consumer and the marketplace. What is true about all of these organizations is that it is the people within them that cause the mood of the culture, not the other way around. There isn't some robot or machine that sets the mood. Mood and tone is usually set at the top and trickles or roars down from there. If you are in a management position then you set the tone and the mood for your team. You are getting some message from above (in the organization) and you can either reinforce or run against the tone/mood and from there decide what mood you personally want to be in and what mood you want your group, team, or department to share. Suffice it to say that your mood and your personal mood management makes a difference.

Sharing the purpose to bring glory to God in our work and all we do means also managing our mood. How can we be filled with God's spirit and not be happy and rejoicing in it? Every day should be a day that we wake looking forward expectantly to what can be a day where great things happen. Those great things can be big, they can be small, but if our heart, mind and actions are all in the right place, the things that happen will be meaningful. I cannot tell you who you will touch and impact today, but I can tell you that each interaction you have is a possibility to leave something positive in someone's life. You can start that with going into this day in a good mood and rejoicing and being glad that He is our Lord and He is alive and well! King David said it best, "The Lord is king! Let the earth rejoice! Let the farthest coastlands be glad." His is a the mood that is good.

Reference: Psalm 97:1-3 (New Living Testament)