day 1329: Who Can Be Faster?

"We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy..."

For a long time now we have been told that with only 15 minutes we can save 15% on our car insurance.  Driving on 101 North by the San Francisco airport is a new billboard.  It comes to us from esurance.  The sign says something about finding your insurance savings in 7 1/2 minutes.  Wow! That's 1/2 the time of Geico.  Well, maybe not really a wow?  Some things in life 1/2 the time is a competitive advantage, but in others, it sends the wrong message.  If I want fast food I know where to find it.  But, when I sit down at a fine restaurant, like I did recently, and the food comes out in the same time that a McDonald's order arrives, (which is what happened), everyone at the table looks at each other and says, "Something is not right."  Knowing the difference between speed and quality is important.  Sometimes, a little more time can be way better than 1/2 the time.

Our God never claimed to be the God of fast.  He is the God of forever.  I am glad that He is not the God of fast as those things that come to us too quickly usually end up ruining us.  We implode under too fast and our spiritual and eternal life is too important critical to let it rush by.  God works in His own time and that time is always the perfect pace for us, if we will only believe and allow ourselves to accept that fact.  Today we may be waiting on a deal to close, or a test result, or the conversation about a promotion or salary raise, or a decision that can have major effect on us.  Let's see if today, and over this weekend, if we can't let God work in His time and then sit back and marvel in why it's not always about being faster.

Reference:  Colossians 1:11 (New Living Translation)

day 1328: Better Problems

"We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us - they help us learn to endure."

When I am in an airport airline lounge I love to listen the conversations happening around me. At the root, they are all the same. They are business people all trying to fix some type of problem. It can be a problem with their travel, a problem with a deal, a problem with an employee, or a problem with a customer. It can be any type of problem and they are working as hard as they can to fix it and make it go away. This is one of the fundamentals of work. We fix problems. But, problems can be weighty and disheartening and they can create stress that leads to other problems. All of the emotions that come from problems and our need to resolve them can be managed. The problems will still be there but our emotions and reactions to problems are ours to control and create. The answer is all in our outlook and how we look at the problems when they come to our doorstep. We get a choice each and every time. We can either let them take over us or we can take over them.

In Romans 5:3 Paul says; "We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us - they help us learn to endure." He goes on in verse 4 with; "And endurance develops strength of character in us, and character strengthens our confident expectations of salvation." I love those two verses because in them we learn that in those problems, way down deep, are the beginnings of the reminder to us of what our God has sacrificed for us to that we can receive His salvation. So, today, each and every problem can be looked at as happy problems because if we remember these problems that seem so hard to overcome are just the first steps of what is the ultimate expectation! Hard to do, yes. But, that is the strength that God wants us build each and every day, starting today!

Reference: Romans 3:3-4 (New Living Translation)

day 1327: Hashtag This!

"Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see."

There's a very funny TV car commercial about the guy who finds himself dreaming about all the things he missed out on in life, while the car salesman is trying to sell him a new car.  He missed out on the girl who grew up to be a model.  He missed out on investing in Twitter.  This is the one that is funny.  He's sitting at his desk, talking on the phone and says, "140 characters?  I just don't get it."  The next scene is him standing on the deck of his friend's yacht, which is named, "Hashtag This".  The first time I saw it, I laughed out loud because I too had the same reaction to Twitter when I first heard of the service.  (BTW, I wasn't pitched on the investment).  When Twitter showed up it was the time of an explosion in blogging; long-form self-expression.  What could at all makes sense in that time for saying in something when limited to 140 characters.  Well, I was wrong as was the character in the commercial.  Sometimes, things that are so far fetched come along that only a few people can see their potential.  Occasionally we might be on the side of being the predictor, but in most cases we will be the naysayer or the unbelieving. The trick is to stay open to the pitches.  Don't turn down the meeting with the young entrepreneur or the wet behind the ears new person in the company. Staying open to the unforeseen and the unbelievable is the only way any of us will be able to be in touch with the future.

Our faith is all about being open to what God has done, will do and wants to do in our lives. Close our minds, heart and spirit to those things that we can't see or are hard to believe and then we don't have faith.  Praying with suspicion that God will answer?  Then likely that prayer won't be answered.  If we approach God like He is less than God, then we aren't really giving Him all of us.  Let's imagine and believe that today, God will show up and do something amazing in our workplace.  It might be that the person who hasn't smiled in weeks because of a loss, smiles from the encouraging and caring word that you offer.  It might be that because you have prayed for things to go smoothly in the big meeting, that they do.  It might be that you find yourself with the idea and approach that unblocks a problem.  It might be that you leave the office this afternoon feeling full and satisfied that you worked and acted in Christ like ways, all day long.  I'll be curious to hear from you on how today goes!  Expect that God can deliver those assurances on the things we can't yet see, and then He will.

Reference: Hebrews 11:1 (New Living Translation)

day 1328: "Hello, And Welcome To..."

"...his mercies begin afresh each morning."

If you read the title of today's post and were immediately able fill in the rest of the sentence, then you are the by-product of a time when digital technology began.  No, this was not the internet.  This was the telephone.  Not too long ago the phone was analog and those content/data hungry, but unfulfilled phone lines were begging to be used more fully.  Remember what a dial-up modem started as?  We would put the phone receiver in a cradle where the microphone could hear the modem sending the data sounds through the phone. And then came push button phones that allowed for tones to be sent.  That was the beginning, for those tones meant ways to capture choices, like "yes" and "no".  Shortly thereafter, we got "Moviefone", or as we may remember it, "777-FILM".  It was a cultural smash hit.  We called it to just see how it worked.  And, worked it did for a long time. Until this week. We have reached the end of that technology arc.  It's come and gone, replaced by links, touches and apps.  What does that tell us about how fast technology moves?  What does that tell us about our own relevance?  Are we still using the same approach as we did before:  "Hello and Welcome to Moviefone?"  If so, it's time to change.

Sometimes our testimonies and accounts of God's work in our lives can get dated and to those around us who hear us speak up about God, using the same stories from long ago over and over, we begin to sound old and a bit out of touch.  If God is working in our lives daily, (like why we are here on this site day in and day day out), then we must also have new stories and accounts to relate to His love, grace, mercy, and salvation.  Think about it today and ask God to refresh your life story so that the next time the opportunity arises to share about Him, we don't sound like yesterday's news.

Reference: Lamentations 3:23 (New Living Translation)

day 1327: Point Of No Return

"Later, the Lord sent this message to King Ahaz: “Ask the Lord your God for a sign of confirmation, Ahaz. Make it as difficult as you want—as high as heaven or as deep as the place of the dead."

I've been watching the progress of young team of entrepreneurs for a while now.  They have a very interesting and intriguing app idea where I also have interest.  There are three core team members and a couple of other people who are also working on the project.  The idea, the talent of the team and the opening in the market could be promising.  But, here's the rub.  These guys all work in different companies and none of them have been willing to make the leap to quit their full time jobs and dive fully in.  They are frustrated because they can't get funding or support outside of a few friends and family.  There is a reason.  Unless they are willing to show that they are ready to pass the point of no return, their commitment will be questioned.  We ask ourselves, "What was it about those people that made the difference?"  Many times, it is about the willingness to burn the ships and not go back.  This is true across so many aspects of business, entertainment, creativity, etc. Unless we can show that we are all in, there will be someone else wondering why they should follow someone who isn't giving it their all?

This is the same question that those around us in our workplaces are asking about following Jesus.  When they see someone who is all in, then they are more open to finding out what this thing of following Jesus is all about. But when they see someone who professes to be a follower but instead cuts a corner here and there, talks behind someone the back of a co-worker, drops four letter words in meetings, etc. well, they don't end up see anything much worth following.  God encourages us to take Him to the difficult places and call upon Him for the hard and seemingly undo-able. When we stop short of being willing to pass the point of no return for Him, then we cut off what might have been the next person who would ask, "Can you tell me more about your faith?"

Reference: Isaiah 7:10-11 (New Living Translation) 

day 1326: Time Mistakes

"Teach us to make the most of our time, so that we may grow in wisdom"

Every once in a while comes along one of those days when the calendar is clear and we look to that day as the day that we are going to get so much done. We start thinking about the goals for that day and we set aside our projects or the list of what needs to happen and we wake enthusiastically for this day of productivity. But then, something happens. What starts as a day of tight objectives and a high sense of efficiency, somehow unravels into too much time talking on the phone to someone else, getting lost and meandering down the hallways to catch up with someone that we haven't talked to in a while, spending too much time digging on the Internet for something that is really not that important, cleaning out a file cabinet that needed cleaning but really isn't a priority right now, or just not pushing ourselves very hard. Then at the end of the day we say to ourselves, "Where did that day go?" I am making the assumption that I am not alone in this phenomena. What happens is that we become so conditioned to back to back meetings, lists of phones calls that need to be returned urgently that day, emails that must be answered, and deadlines that are precariously looming, to set a pace and cadence for our days. When those milestones and markers aren't there, we tend to allow ourselves to drift and our productivity falls. How we use our time is how we find the usefulness of time. Time moves on with or without us making the most of the hours we are given. When we use up our time well we feel good about that. When we don't we beat ourselves up for wasting something we know is precious. Focusing on how we manage our time and how we expend it is a skill that we all should continue to learn about, practice and try to master.

We can call on God to help us in this area. David did in Psalm 90 when he prays; "Teach us to make the most of our time, so that we may grow in wisdom". The more we become better at utilizing our time the more effective we can be and ultimately gain the wisdom we need to meet any situation. I am reminded today that God so wants to come to work with each of us. He wants us to work for His glory and even in the area of time management, He desires us to be the best we can be. Today, let's take our day to Him and ask Him to help us manage what can be the most useful of times.

Reference: Psalm 90:17 (New Living Translation)

day 1325: "WhatsApp With That?"

"In Christ Jesus, then I have reason to be proud of my work for God."

The news broke yesterday afternoon that Facebook is buying "WhatsApp" for $19 billion.  Yes, $19B!.  "WhatsApp (up) with that?", you might ask about WhatsApp getting that type of valuation.  Well, let's see, they have 450MM users and they add 1MM new users a day.  And, they also have a revenue model of $.99/ year for each user, after a one year free trial.  What's kinda cool about this 50 person team is that lots of people knew about WhatsApp, but not that many people knew about them from a bragging and boasting perspective.  This wasn't a group of people who were the headlined in blogs and conferences as "the next big thing".  They just went about their business, building something extraordinary until, bam!, the unimaginable happened. There is a lesson in here for all of us.  Yes, we have to market.  Yes, we have to ensure that we are known and recognized, but more so we just have to be awesome at what we set out to do, and as the one of the oldest sayings goes, "The cream will rise to the top".

We learn in much of the New Testament about what the Apostle Paul did a a spreader of the Good News.  As the Associate Pastor at my church, said this past weekend, "Paul was an entrepreneur as he started and grew church after church, in land after land after land."  Yes he was, and with his works, he led.  Paul was proud of his work because he could see God working in each place that he went.  But, Paul was not a boaster.  He didn't go back among those who he once worked and bragged about what he was doing.  He just went about doing it and we still read, write and talk about him and his works today.  Our workplaces don't need any more boasters or braggarts. We wouldn't be looking like or acting like Christ and Paul if we were one of those.  If we go about our work in the same way of excellence that we are taught through Paul and Jesus, then we will have people around us wondering what's up with them?  That then becomes our time to share!

Reference: Romans 15:17 (New Living Translation)

day 1324: Authority?

"The Man answered, "'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength and, all your mind.', And, 'Love your neighbor a yourself.'"

Where does authority come from?  We tend to think that it comes from hierarchy and titles within a company.  While that is part of where authority emanates, it also comes from credibility.  Credibility can be earned in many way, but from my experience the fastest and more sustainable method to build credibility is to be ready to have a point of view that is grounded with both data and facts and supported by emotion and conviction.  The analyst that just reports the numbers doesn't gain authority without having a point of view about the data that she/he believes and will stand behind firmly.  I've seen youth supersede and trump experience many times because the young and bright come at it with all they have and they become almost impossible to ignore or not to call upon in the future.  Don't miss the opportunity to establish your authority by just being ready, grounded and sure.

Would you be surprised that the greatest commandments of all were reported by Jesus, not actually said by Him first?  In Luke we learn of the questioning by Jesus of an expert in religious law.  In one answer, this person summarized the commandments that had been given to the people over all the ages and Jesus affirmed his answer by saying, "Right!"  Now how cool would that have been to have been the one who God Himself commended for summing it all up?  We, even in our flawed human state, can have a huge impact if we only will step forward, respond and be ready to state our beliefs.  God has given us the opportunity to carry His authority into the world for Him.  It's an awesome responsibility and one that we need to step up to with all the seriousness we can muster.

Reference: Luke 10:27 (New Living Translation)

day 1323: Next Door

"He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him"

Social media sites have begun to evolve as we knew they would.  After all of the large scale platforms, would come the sites where we hone down interests, commonality and ultimately, only capture and share the information that we want, with the closest people in our lives. Path is the perfect example of this.  The neighborhood site, NextDoor, also embodies these traits.  What I find fascinating about these types of services is that we will certainly see more and more of them beeing created with more and more specific sets of shared interests. I envision that before long Facebook feels more like the front page section of the newspaper and we will run over to other sites to go deep into what might be covered in the other sections.  Example; we don't look for jobs or business stuff on Facebook - we use LinkedIn and others for those efforts.  What will make these interest specific sites work will be how well we are allowed to know each other and how deftly they can find our commonalities without being in our face, or too obvious about it.

Have you ever been amazed that you find out something about someone else, that when you do, you find it in common with them?  Sometimes it is shocking that we never knew.  It's those moments that it feels like we are bonding and creating a relationship that will last forever.  If we can only get to that moment.  How many people in our workplaces do we know are believers and followers of Jesus?  There are many that we don't know because we haven't had that moment of sharing with each other. And who best to be the first to share than us?  One well placed word of our faith opens up the opportunity to create a bonding friendship and a strengthening of our faith by having other believers around us.  Can we find a moment this week to share this important part of us with others?

Reference: John 1:10 (New Living Translation)

day 1322: Stop Comparing!

"...what is that to you? As for you, follow me.”

Yesterday I wrote of looking right and left and how we compare ourselves to others.  It's easy to write and talk about it. It's hard to stop doing. I found myself in a Board meeting yesterday trying to bring a point home and the only way I could do it was to make a comparison to another company. I watched as a number of people were writing down what I had to say.  I hope I didn't create another false competition.  There is nothing wrong with competition, or even comparing, unless we become obsessed so much on others and how they are doing that we forget who we are ourselves and how well we are doing, how we can get better internally, and never full of bragging or arrogance when we actually do exceed those in our peer set. It's about attitude and how we carry ourselves.  One of Major League Baseballs greatest of all time, Derek Jeter, announced his retirement yesterday. It was not lost on me, or many others who I read, that Jeter made his announcement without comparison, fanfare, or any hubris. Imagine if our companies and CEOs were more like Derek Jeter.

In church a few weeks ago at Reality LA the pastor said that there were the four things to do to stop comparing:

-Affirm and honoring the good that God has given to other people

-Immediately pray that God will give and bless those people more

-Support them in their blessings and then serve them to add to their blessings

-Gladly take the lesser place in service 

This is hard stuff to do, but if we find ourselves turning ourselves inside out to stop making comparisons with others, then we are living out the example that Christ has given us and that can only lead to good.

Reference:  John 21:22 (New Living Translation)

 

day 1321: Looking Left and Right

^"Peter asked Jesus, “What about him, Lord?” Jesus replied, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? As for you, follow me.”

It’s about this time of the year that I start taking interest in the three-year old thoroughbreds that are racing throughout the country.  I love horse racing because I love the majesty of these beasts who are bred to run and do so with all they have each and every time they are taken to the starting gate.  I used to say that I wanted my company filled with thoroughbreds.  It is a good analogy, but also one that can backfire if taken to the extreme.  Thoroughbreds are great comparators of each other.  From the time they see another, they begin to size them up and the adrenaline starts flowing to see who can outrun the other.  Get them next to each other and it takes a good trainer and jockey to keep them from looking left and right to see who is ahead or behind them.  When this happens they lose focus and can become distracted.  Sounding familiar?  Yes, we do the same in our work.  We start running and then we start looking left and right to compare and see how we are doing.  And, with “big data” there will be more and more of the opportunity to compare.  Looking left and right gets us only one thing; a sore neck.  Sure we need to know where our competition stands and what they are doing, but becoming fixated and obsessed about where we stand in comparison can take us off our game and ironically, make us lose ground.

God doesn’t want us to look left and right.  He asks us to fix our eyes on Him, without distraction or comparison to others. If we have found ourselves in a place of obsession about how we are tracking (titles, salary, material things) versus our peers, then today would be a good day to spend time asking God to take this from us, and instead instill fulfillment and joy in knowing that we are doing our best for Him.  They say Thoroughbreds are a little crazy about what kind of horse they are compared to the others.  We want to run our race well and do so to our best abilities and potential but we don’t want to let ourselves take on the obsessions that can come with comparison. 

Reference: John 21: 21-22 (New Living Translation)

day 1320: Windows, Mirrors and Doors

It’s pretty difficult imagining a world where we wouldn’t have windows, mirrors and doors.  We like to set up our offices where we have open door policies, or all sit in cube or bullpens where there are no doors.  But, we all know that every workspace needs at least one room with a door on it so that we can conduct confidential business when necessary.  Plus, we have to have a front door to lock when we leave.  Windowless environments (I don’t mean operating systems) can drive people batty after a while.  And, no mirrors in the restrooms would be unheard of doing.  Windows, mirrors and doors are basic to how we live and work.  And they are also metaphors to how we can view business.  Windows represent possibilities.  Doors represent opportunities.  And, mirrors represent reflections on what we can and can’t do with those things out the window or through the door.  What happens too often is that we become fixated on the windows and doors and we forget about paying attention to what the mirror is telling us.  We have all seen it before; a boss or a team who dream and talk big but never live up to either because they can’t deliver or just don’t know how to get from here to there.  If we paid as much time on our capability as we do our dreams and opportunities, we’d find that getting through the door to those things we could only see through the window, would be a lot easier.  Maybe time to install some mirrors?

I was in church recently in Los Angeles when the Pastor described the parables of Jesus as windows, doors and mirrors.  Windows being what God wants us to learn. Doors being how God can deliver us to those learnings.  Mirrors being what we must change within ourselves to realize what God has in store for us.  It’s so simple, but yet so profound. If we approach our purpose of bringing glory to God in all that we do, we will find that everywhere God speaks to us he is revealing windows, mirrors and doors.  Sometimes it feels like Jesus uses his carpentry skills right there on us!  Be on the lookout today for windows, mirrors and doors.  They will be all around you, if you want to see them!

Reference: The Parables of Jesus - New Testament

day 1319: Ridiculous Resistance

 “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him.

Where we live in the Bay Area we have been plagued for the past 14 months by what the weather service is calling an “RRR”.  RRR stands for “Ridiculously Resistant Ridge” of high pressure.  The RRR has kept all of the major rain storms way north of us and even though we finally got some rain this past week, the RRR continues to make the rain go away.  There many things in our work that we need but because someone else holds back the resources, time, or money we just can’t get things done.  When you peel back all of the reasons it always comes down to one person who has made the decision to be resistant.  Sometimes for good purposes, but other times, it will just look ridiculously resistant.  How do we break through this resistance?  Well, like the droughts and rain, sometimes we just have to wait it out.  Consistency and time have a way of eroding resistance.  In other instances, we have to take a stand against the resistance and do what we can to break through by using influence, creativity, data and persistence.  It may be that we feel like we are up against ridiculous resistance right now.  Use what is holding you back to try new ways to push against the resistance. Don’t fret. Each time we come up against one of these, we learn better ways to move forward.  We get better and strong by using resistance to our strengthening.

Jesus was being tempted with all that Satan could offer Him.  Satan offered Jesus power over everything without having to remain in God’s will and having to face what was to come to Him at the end of his earthly life.  We can thank God for Jesus’ resistance against the temptation and force that could have overcome Him.  He didn’t waver or falter.  He put Satan behind Him and he moved forward with His mission and calling. Sometimes in this world we have to be ridiculously resistant to what we are being offered.  Jesus’ overcoming Satan proves that we will never be put in a situation that we can’t, with His support, overcome.  Try being resistant today to that calling inside of us that tempts us toward sin.  We may be glad that we were ridiculous in pushing back.

Reference: Matthew 4:10 (New Living Translation)