day 1350: Implied Free?

"Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy."

It used to be that if you wanted to access the internet in an airport that you had to pay for it through services like Boingo, or T-Mobile, AT&T, etc.  You can still pay for that internet access if you want, or you can access it through what I call, "Implied Free".  Implied free is telling the consumer that something is free, but it isn't really.  In the case of airport internet access, you watch an ad and then you get a half-hour or so, and then you can watch the same ad again, and get another half hour or so. And on and on it goes. It seems free, but it's not because we have taken our time to look at the ad and distract ourselves from doing something else. What is the cost to us? It's the cost of what we could/would be doing otherwise.  "Implied free" is not new.  Broadcast media was built this way and we now see the same for the "implied free" of ad supported streaming entertainment services.  We are just a moment away from walking into a coffee shop and receiving what appears to be an "implied free" cup of coffee, but we will have to show that we watched the ad, tweeted or create a Facebook status about being in the store and trying the coffee.  I personally don't mind "implied free". It feels active and full of choices.  If we can find the goodness in the approach, there is much we can do and have our consumers and customers join in to help.

Believing in Jesus is free.  Following Him is not.  Jesus never implied otherwise. To follow Jesus, as He asks us to do, comes with a cost. That cost is giving up ourselves and the ways of the world for Him. It means that if we are going to receive the full abundance of what He has to offer, that we have to empty out those things in our lives that are filling us up and getting in the way.  As we know, it's all worth it and more!

Reference: John 16:24 (New Living Translation)

day 1349: Investing In Home

"Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal."

I was back at Purdue (my alma mater) this week. On Wednesday, General Electric announced a partnership with Purdue around advanced manufacturing practices and technology, and that GE would be building a new jet engine manufacturing plant in the Greater Lafayette, Indiana area.  It was a big deal for Purdue and the community.  In the same week I read that BMW is investing and expanding in South Carolina and Ford is doing the same in the Midwest.  It's a good sign to see multinationals investing in the U.S..  We still have a ways to go as Shenzen, China claims now to be the largest manufacturing location for smartphones.  I predict that might change over time as well.  It's not an easy decision to invest at home.  It can be more expensive and the regulations around the environment, safety and labor can add to that cost, but once the plunge is taken, the reduced complexity of time, travel and cultures, can win the day. At least an honest discussion about the tradeoffs looks to be being held with certain segments of our economy. Here's to more and more of those decisions landing back to home.

Let's not get confused about where home really is for those who are believers.  Jesus tells us where we are to invest and what is our temporary home is not the place.  Home is His Kingdom and it is there that we are to invest and store up.  What seems so important today to us, is truly here today and gone tomorrow. We can't run and hide from the world, but we can make sure that the best of our time, treasures and talents are going towards the Kingdom.  It's the best that we tend to hang onto, collect, store up and keep to ourselves.  Consider what it means to turn over our best to God.  I'm a morning person.  I am at my best early in the day. By the late afternoon, I've burned up what energy and thinking ability that I have.  So, what day part should I be giving to God?  You got it.  If we analyze each part of our lives against whether or not we are giving Him our best, we will find out where we are investing in our real home.

Reference: Matthew 6:19 (New Living Translation)

day 1348: Closer Than It Seems

"When the Lord saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, “Moses! Moses!” “Here I am!” Moses replied."

Success and failure share a trait; they both, like the images in the right-hand side mirror of our cars, can seem closer than they really are.  Success can feel close, but might still be a ways away so we have to stick with it, don't take our foot off the gas, and don't assume that we can change course before we achieve the success that we are trying to achieve.  Failure, on the other hand, can feel so close that we start to get fearful and paralyzed of what might happen next, when we are still far from failing.  The truth is that success and failure are located just about the same distance away from where we are.  We can't over anticipate either nor overreact to what we encounter along the way.  I have seen too many people who make decisions based on not accurately knowing where they are on the road to either success or failure.

God can seem close and far, but here's what we have to remember: He is always closer to us than He appears.  What that means is that if we just allow Him to be as close to us as He desires, that it just gets better and better.  We can't go wrong in that He wants to inhabit every part of our day, our thoughts, our actions and our attitudes.  As we work through today, and the meetings, phone calls, emails, etc., take a moment between each activity and ask Him to come closer.  He will and the closer we get to Him, the more great and wonderful things can happen.  When Moses got closer to God, Moses could hear God call His name. Now how cool would that be? Why don't we find out?!

Reference: Exodus 3:4 (New Living Translation)

day 1347: Greener Grass?

“You must not covet your neighbor’s house. You must not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor."

A former colleague of mine is up for a big promotion. It's the job he has waited for his entire career and if he gets it then he is at the top of his functional area and the years of working hard within the company will have been worth it all!  I checked in him the other day to see where things stood.  He told me that the decision was down to him and one other person.  I was puzzled because who else inside the company could be in competition for the job?  He responded, that it was him against an external candidate!  I cringed for him.  I was quickly reminded of how easily we look to the outside and think the grass is so much greener.  Sometimes, when it is time to upgrade or change direction we have to go to the outside but I have always been of the mind that internal choices need to be decided and dismissed before that decision so that those who have worked hard and held their loyalty are not put in this awkward position of, "Am I not good enough?"  While the grass looks greener, let's not forget that it takes more fertilizer, water, nurturing and caring to keep that grass green, than it does to maintain the turf that we know that is not as fragile or will fail under who we already are.

Somewhere in our human nature we are built to want what we don't and can't have.  It's a problem in us, otherwise we wouldn't have been given the Commandment about coveting.  When this desire of ours translates into people, positions, promotions, raises, etc. we are treading on think ice.  We need to check our motivations as it hard to be wrestling with these issues and still be bringing glory to God in our work.  Let's consider today if we are working with a gratitude for what we he, or are we working with obsessions over what others have that we want? That grass, while it looks greener, can't be come our obsession.

Reference: Exodus 20:17 (New Living Translation)

day 1346: Congestion vs. Freedom

"For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom."

Last week I wrote of the 25th anniversary of the Internet.  A week later there is lots of new talk about the congestion of the internet as both Netflix and Apple are talking to Comcast about streaming their services over cable.  The internet, for a moment there, looked like the end of cable.  We were all to be free of the high fees and reliance on what was programmed.  But, it appears that for those who dropped their cable service for an Apple TV set-top-box, the freedom is ending.  But, of course Apple will still stream over the internet, but I will say here and now that not too far after the deal is done, along will come a program that only those who are on Comcast will be able to view. It will be disguised as a benefit, an extra, or a bonus, but we will know better.  What does this mean for the rest of us? It might mean more choice. Or, it might mean more consolidation. What it will mean is that some of the beauty of the wide open and far ranging internet is being lost and that we didn't think far enough ahead to keep the pipes large enough to handle all internet traffic, that the congestion is starting to change the rules.

When we get congested, we have no choice but to slow down and be patient and wait for the congestion to pass.  Or, we find other ways to get done what we need to do. Congestion brings a feeling of the loss of freedom and ability to choose.  Sometimes it feels like we get congested spiritually.  But, God is just the opposite.  When if feels like God has moved from us, we need to question who really moved...Him or us?  Easy answer, but sometimes hard to accept. He frees and allows us to flow with His spirit, when we allow Him honestly into our lives. I am always in admiration of those who look to God in both the good and the bad times, with same amount of dependence and trust, regardless if things are up or down. This is what He asks of us.  Will we today listen and accept the gift?

Reference: 2 Corinthians 3:17 (New Living Translation)

day 1345: Busted Brackets

"With their words, the godless destroy their friends, but knowledge will rescue the righteous."

Last Thursday morning, there were many billionaires in the making as millions of people joined in the NCAA Quicken Loans/Yahoo! Tournament contest.  By Friday night there were only four intact brackets left and the following day, no one was perfect and Warren Buffett's $1 billion dollars were safe. March Madness brackets can feel like a shortened version of what a year in business can be.  At the beginning of the year, all is possible.  By the end of March, the first quarter we can start to see slippage and begin to lose hope.  Even then, we need to be sure that if we are on the positive side of the brackets that we not get filled with hubris and chest thumping. The mighty can fall quickly and what looks so sure now, can slip beneath us without warning.

When the brackets bust in our lives and work, we can only hold onto what we know to be the truth.  God's Word draws us back, like being called back to the original playbook.  What we are given, if we trust and believe, will right and steady us. To think that we are the one to always beat the odds and try to go it alone without relying on our Lord, is to be foolish.  As we start this week, let's start with being reliant on Him so that whatever hits us, whatever feels like the bracket is lost,  we can handle, we can persevere and move forward.  

Reference:  Proverbs 11:9 (New Living Translation)

day 1343: Time

"I love all who love me. Those who search will surely find me."


This week we celebrated the 25th anniversary of the internet.  The world wide web as it was called early on did more than open up our ability to tap and consume any type of data, information or knowledge.  The internet also recreated how we think of time.  For the past 25 years, we have sped up. We search and find immediately. We consider what is slow and fast differently now than we did before the internet.  And, I suspect that won't change and that what we consider fast now, will look very slow 25 years from now. What does that mean for us as we think about our businesses?  It means that we need to do our very best to look over the horizon and imagine what it might look and feel like to have to be right about our consumers choices and needs, before they even know they have them.  Chew on that and see what it means for the future? But, chew fast!

God's timing is hard to understand.  We live in fast and faster and yet, He can move slowly in our lives, when we expect the answer "now".  A friend has been for month trying to hear God's will, search for a job and be ready for an open career door that has not swung open yet.  His blessing to me is that he can state confidently that with every day of waiting he draws closer to the dependence and grace of God, and for him, that is the gift of the slowing the time of his search.

Reference: Proverbs 8:17 (New Living Translation)

day 1342: Resolving to Resolve

 "Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose."

How easy it is at work to have fall outs with co-workers over the most minuscule of things. The work environment, while trying to be a place of common purpose, mission and unified efforts is fraught with opportunities to become disjointed, fractured and misaligned. It's as if everyday there is a scattering force that takes over the minute we get to the office. I often think of it like when we were kids and would play with magnets and as hard as you tried you couldn't get all the magnets to stick together in line because there was always the negative force of the other end pushing away other magnets. And so, we wake up in the morning thinking not only about what we can achieve for the day, but we also think about how are we to overcome the petty fight that is lingering, or the boardroom battle that is looming, or the argument with the person who sits next to us. It doesn't make work as fun as it should be, does it?

What are we as people of faith to do in these situations? Paul gives us a word in Philippians 2:1-2. He says that there is an encouragement we are to receive from belonging to Christ and that true happiness can be generated by finding a way to work together in agreement, a love for one another and working together with one mind and purpose. Paul wrote his letters to those who were doing ministry work in far-off places. But, his words are just as important for us who are seeking God's purpose in our work and trying to lead a life of example. If we can find a way to be a beacon of unified spirit and harmony in the workplace, then we will become a center of where others come to resolve conflicts and not be the source of conflicts ourselves. A day going into the office with all the arguments and conflicts resolved is a day that will be productive and purposeful. If you have some unfinished business today at work, take the time today to wipe the slate clean and be the leader of that resolution. The rest of the day, and tomorrow, will be better for sure.

Reference: Philippians 2:1-2 (New Living Testament)

day 1341: Still Missing

"...And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Until something miraculous happens, when you are reading this, Malaysian airlines flight 370 will still be missing and the speculations over the reasons for the disappearance will still be raging.  We get enthralled with those things that can't be explained and something like a plane full of passengers going missing captures our attention.  The same could be said for anything that is in the ordinary that can't be found.  Money.  People. Items. All, when expected to be one place and not there, become a mystery for us to solve. What if we were this curious and obsessed with the mystery of why someone stopped buying our product, or using our service?  Would we, do we, become obsessive about their disappearance, or do we instead, rationalize that they are only one of so many that w couldn't possibly ever really track and know the reasons, therefore, we should let it go?  I hear this all the time and each time I wonder if that business or organization will ever fully reach their potential?

If God disappeared from our lives, how long would it take for us to know that He was gone?  An hour?  A day?  A week? Longer?  We can only answer that question with the honesty of how often we are reaching and calling on Him.  If its once a week on Sunday, then He could be gone for a long time before we would know.  If He disappeared then would we become more curious and do all that we we could to find Him?  Jesus created the greatest mystery of all when He died, rose, and then ascended into Heaven. Are we as passionate about this as we are the mysteries and the disappearances of the world? Adding a layer here for us today, what do we think the reaction is of others around us when they see us slide back into our old ways and not act Christlike in our workplaces? Do they wonder where that God of of ours has gone?  He is always with us.  He never goes missing! Let's be sure that we don't, for any reason, turn our back and leave Him out of our lives!

Reference: Matthew 28:20 (New Living Translation)

day 1340: Ramblers

"A truly wise person uses few words..."

Shakespeare wrote in Hamlet Act 3, scene 2, 222–230 these words for Queen Gertrude: "The lady doth protest too much, methinks". That statement has been twisted and turned to be used many ways to make the point that those who talk too much can end up being thought of as trying too hard to make a point, or full of themselves, or trying to weave and spin a story to cover a lie. Or sometimes, all of the above. I have always been cautious of the person who "goes on and on" as I have found that many words can spill lots of beans and just create more drama and worry than is necessary. Not to mention, that I remember as a kid when I would try and spin a story to my parents to cover myself I would make the story bigger and bigger thinking that they would think "if all of that happened, "it must be true". I just assumed that my parents never read Shakespeare. :) So, we should be cautious of others and also cautious of ourselves with the number of words we use to make a point if we want gain the highest credibility and respect.

The Bible states this also in Proverbs 17:27: "A truly wise person uses few words...". As we go through the work day and we strive for efficiency, productivity and clarity in our work and purpose, we should take measure of this passage. Those that are wise learn to use few words. By default that means that they also listen since they aren't talking. The instructions guide for wisdom that we find in Proverbs is chocked full. Starting now to pick, choose and limit our words will put us on that wisdom path and as we know, everyone respects those who are wise.

Reference: Proverbs 17:27 (New Living Translationt)

day 1339: Invasions...Not!

"And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow - not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love."


I can't think of anyone who likes an invasion.  The world is nervous about what is happening in the Ukraine. We are concerned about invasions of our privacy.  We don't like it when rules, regulations, government becomes invasive in our ways of doing business. Every so many years we read of the fear of an invasion of red army ants or killer bees that will invade our communities.  And, once a year there is a hit movie about the invasion of earth by aliens that we successfully fend off so that we can cheer for those who turned back the invasion. Let's face it, we don't like invasions. What does that mean for us in our businesses?  It might have us asking whether or not we should be having someone call someones house at dinner time to sell a product.  It also might mean that we better be more than ready for the cyber-threats that could compromise our billing systems and cause our customers financial information to be invaded.  It could also mean that we think and care more about when it is okay, or not okay to have a a manager take over the work of her/his team, just because she/he feels they can do a better job.  Invasions are big and they are small, but it's worth thinking about before we make the next move.

Our relationship and life example for Christ is under threat of invasion at every moment.  When we feel that temptation, lose our temper, take credit for what is not ours, become too self-reliant, or just ignore what God is telling us to do, then our relationship with Christ is being invaded by the other side.  The old adage is that the best defense is a strong offense.  In God's Kingdom that also rings true.  The more that we actively and proactively deepen our lives in the Word, prayer, church and fellowship, the more we can be ready to ward off the invasions that will come. And, yes they will come.  When we are living out the example that God desires, we become a greater and greater target and threat to those who want to see us fail.  But, as we are promised, nothing can separate us from God's love and protection, if we only seek and allow Him in.  So, take this weekend and spend time with God.  It will be good readiness for the invasions that will inevitably show up next week.

Reference:  Romans 8:38 (New Living Translation)

day 1338: Ready For The Fire Drill?

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

Even though they are technically called Emergency Evacuation Drills we still call them by the name we learned long ago; Fire Drills. We've all been through them at work at some point or another. Just when we are in the middle of an important phone call or meeting, the alarm sounds and out we go to stand on the lawn or concrete and wait for the evacuation manager and the floor wardens to clear the building and allow us back in when the "all clear" is sounded. It always seems like such a pain and a bit of a waste of time, even though in the real one, we all want to be prepared and out the door pronto. Because we all have been through the drills many times, we have come to call those assignments and requests that come to us in the last moment or the least acceptable time and don't end up producing anything of substance, as another "fire drill". There is nothing more precious that we have at work than our time so when someone wastes it with an unnecessary request it can take us all the way to angry and make us quite resentful. Which makes it all the more important that we not waste others time either. We have many choices each day when we ask for time from others. Before each request we should evaluate to ensure that what we are asking for will make a difference, yield a needed result, and most importantly, be the best use of the other person's time. No one like a fire drill exercise. All that said, the real evacuation and fire drills are to keep all of us on our toes and for us to be alert at all times so that we can be ready and prepared if there is an emergency. This is not a bad lesson in life as well. There are certain dangers in life, both literally and figuratively that we must always be ready for and prepared to avoid.

Mark tells us in his gospel that we must always, "Keep alert and pray. Otherwise temptation will overpower you." Certainly at work we are faced daily with temptations that don't show up in other parts of our lives and we compartmentalize them because they are on the job, away from home, and away from others who know us. The danger is there that we will begin to live two lives...one who we are at work and the other who we are away from the job. God tells us how to avoid this by staying alert in prayer. Mark's words go on to say that we need to do this because, "For though the spirit is willing enough, the body is weak". Today, you will face temptations on the job. These temptations are personal to you. Think of them as the needed fire drill, not the time wasting ones, to keep you on your toes and alert. Use these "fire drills" as productive outcomes to remove those lingering temptations before the real emergency hits. Not far from your office, down the hall or around the corner, is a red box with a handle on it. When the emergency comes that is where you go to sound the alarm. When you see the red box today, stop and say a prayer to God to keep you alert spiritually too and cognizant of the temptations that you face and to help you overcome each and everyone of them today. This is a "fire drill" that is actually productive and good to have every day.

Reference: Mark 14:38 (New Living Testament)

day 1337: Going Direct

"Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me."

Part of the power of the internet is that we can go direct to consumers without having to go through third parties, like retailers, brokers or dealers.  But, not all industries are allowed to do so. The most glaring is the car industry where a manufacturer can't sell directly to consumers but must have a car dealer in the middle to make the sale.  I don't know where this practice came from, why or who it protects but it is causing problems for Tesla as they try and expand across the U.S. with their electric cars.  We might take for granted how great it can be to build a direct relationship with our customer and consumer, but we shouldn't.  If we were the music, book or movie industry we would try anything to establish and keep that relationship.  Who really knows our customers/consumers?  It's Amazon. It's Apple.  It's Best Buy, Target, etc.  Where we can, go direct, go with all humility as this is the best relationship to have.

Who at work have we built direct relationships with that really matter?  With the boss?  With co-workers?  With those who work for us? I hope the answer is all of the above.  Direct relationships can yield real and life-changing conversations.  Yesterday, a colleague who who I have invested alongside and known for a while, opened up about an experience that he recently had. It was a very deep conversation and it contained the opportunity for me to share some of my own life story and faith. I reflected last night on the times in the past that led up to our ability to talk so freely and honestly and yesterday was the result of many, many earlier direct conversations of accessibility and openness. Jesus modeled this for us.  He proved that in being man and God that He was and is always there for anyone who seeks Him. When we allow others to come direct to us, we are modeling His love and grace.  Think about it today and see where going direct can be fruitful.

Reference: John 14:6 (New Living Translation)

day 1336: Wearables

“So commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these words of mine. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders."

There is much talk about wearable computing.  I'm a believer that what we see right now with wearable fitness and biometrics is only the tip of the iceberg to come. Some are fearful of what will become of us if we are monitoring ourselves constantly.  Of course, anything that we become overly obsessed with can be bad for us, but I think that more information and data about how our bodies are operating and reacting to the food, drink, stress and exercise that we put into our bodies, is a good thing.  Expect an explosion of new gadgets and monitors.  Expect that we won't be able to go online or open a newspaper without something popping about the latest in this area.  And, be thinking about the applications of wearables in your own business.  There will be applications, the question is who will find and take advantage of those opportunities first. 

Isn't is comforting to know that God already covers us with his presence at all time and then gives us the clothing and armor from His closet?  Having God with us at all times, is the best wearable of all.  As we dress for work today, or as we head out the door to work out with that watch, heart monitor, etc. let's consider what it will mean today to have God as our wearable throughout the whole day. What if we prayed this morning for Him to monitor us and make us aware throughout the day of the actions and times where we are deviating from His plan for us?  What if today, we stayed so close in prayer that it felt like the Holy Spirit was alerting us to opportunities to touch and reach others?  What if today we cared so much that we would store a verse in our heart to carry with us all day as our alert for when we were in and out of God's beat for us?  You get the point.  Today, let's wear God with us in all ways!

Reference: Deuteronomy 11:18 (New Living Translation)

day 1335: Altitude Awareness

"Haughtiness goes before destruction; humility precedes honor."

I know a company that is hitting the ball out of the park day after day.  The growth is impressive and all things point up and to the right. It becomes easy for this company, and others to come down with, if they are not careful, a case of altitude sickness.  When we reach heights that we are not used to, all kinds of weird things can happen and if we are not careful, the higher we go, the sicker we can become, all the way to death.  We've seen it many times in companies where they think they have manifest destiny only too soon to be crashed back to earth.  Does MySpace come to mind?  Or AOL?  Being "altitude aware" is what allows us to fly high but still not lose our bearings or get ahead of ourselves. Any time we feel that we are succeeding, let's be sure and stay aware of where we are as we climb.

As followers of Jesus, we must always keep our egos in check and remain aware of where we are at all times. The minute we begin to think that we are above others, then we have lost the way of the Father.  God humbled Himself beyond our comprehension when He sent us Jesus.  For us to not live and work in that same humility is to miss the opportunity to walk in the footsteps of God.

Reference:  Proverbs 18:12 (New Living Translation)

day 1334: Here Today...Gone Today!

"And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son."

It caught my attention that the SAC Capital Advisor trader, Mathew Martoma, who was convicted of insider trading, had his MBA from Stanford rejected. He had earned that degree in 2003, but Stanford has now taken that degree back.  I actually didn't know that a university could do that, but it makes sense to me.  By breaking the trading laws, Martoma proved that his education didn't sink in and he never learned the lessons taught.  I suspect he is learning his lesson now.  This is a stark reminder that what we think we have today, can be taken away from us tomorrow if we don't respect and honor that with which we know and keep in trust. A brand's reputation can be tarnished forever if we don't care for it and cherish it closely. An employee that we need, can can leave at a moment's notice because we overstepped our boundaries and didn't do all we could to keep them happy.  A partner won't  renew because we didn't treat them like a real partner. A customer never comes back after the salesperson refused to truly listen to them. The old adage is, "Here today, gone tomorrow".  In today's world, it's more like, "Here today, gone today".

Thankfully, "Here today, gone today", is not God's way.  His way is "Here today, here eternally". That is, if we believe in Him with all our heart, mind and soul. God asks us to give all of ourselves to Him and in return He will do the same with us.  As we close this workweek, let's reflect on how, where and when have we given our all and where have we instead, held back from Him? The things of this world are so temporal.  Whether it be jobs, relationships, activities, health, interests, and what feels ordinary around us. To stay on solid footing and to be who God wants us to be for Him, we need to prioritize less those things that are only here today, and instead focus more on those things that are here forever.

Reference:  1 John 5:11 (New Living Translation)

day 1333: Travoltify It

"Their own tongues will ruin them, and all who see them will shake their heads in scorn."
You'd have to be living in a cave to not have heard of John Travolta's mangling of Idina Menzel's name during his introduction of her on Sunday night's Oscar telecast.  By most accounts, it seemed it was an honest mistake, but when on the biggest stage, an honest mistake can turn into a major gaff and news story.  Of course, we learn once again about the power of social media when the next day on Facebook an app appears where you can put in your own name and out spits how Travolta would say it.  My name would be "Ramsey Reez". One mistake and we can have our name, company name, or brand forever associated with the error.  When in time has it ever been more important to be really careful out there?

Earlier this week I wrote of the power of the slip of the tongue.  Today only reinforces that same message, but not just in the bad words that we may use, but also in the care with which we speak. The truth, the careful examination of the words we choose to criticize, and even the times when we need to remember someone's name, can all be moments of powerful reinforcement of how we have chosen to live and act, or a disappointment to the One who asks us to live for Him.  Let us today, be in control of what we say.

Reference:  Psalm 64:8 (New Living Translation)

day 1332: Respecting Those Who Came Before Us

"The godly walk with integrity; blessed are their children who follow them."

Two weekends ago Patti and I visited her past boss from PepsiCo.  Even after all these years, I still see him as the senior executive who led the company into and through some of its most exciting days.  We are all "grown up" now, but some things can't be let go of and being with him always gives me a special feeling of being in the presence of one of those people who was the best of the best in industry.  Corporate memory is short and once a person is gone from the company, they will soon be forgotten.  Apple announced yesterday that their long time CFO is retiring.  I remember when Steve Jobs promoted him up from being the Controller of the company.  But, will a new college Finance hire, five years from now even know of Peter Oppenheimer?  Will she/he ever benefit from his experience and learning?  We need to find a way to better institutionalize corporate and executive history.  Maybe it's time to provide oral/video histories as a way for new employees to be oriented and have self development?  I don't know, but its something for us to think about.

In our spiritual lives we have giants in faith that have come before us and who still walk among us today.  Rather than letting them come and go, we can deepen our own spiritual being by reading these men and women, listening and watching them teach, and even reaching to them to meet and spend time.  More people are accessible than we imagine. All we have to do is ask.  That is the example of our God.  He is always accessible.  All we have to do is ask.  We should also be living in that example as there is someone in our workplace today who is struggling and needs us to be there for them, for them to learn from and carry that lesson forward.  Let's open ourselves up today for that moment to be there. We have no way of knowing if that moment might not be the one that opens their future that will always remember.

Reference: Proverbs 20:7 (New Living Translation)