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 1252: Strategic Thinking

"So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you." 

How many times do we all say that we wish we had more time to sit down and get some strategic thinking time? It used to be that an airplane was the only time I felt I could really sit and think but now with extended life batteries, power jacks and Go-Go s it feels like that time has been taken from us too. Yet, we know that we need the time to think ahead and that those who do take this time are the ones who seem to have it all under control. Those who scramble and are always thinking on the fly, miss important points and inevitably will have an important ball dropped, and that is never good. So, we can all be better by finding the time to think ahead; to think strategically.  It is not only hard because we can’t find the time, but it is also many times because we have a hard time starting. It takes some courage to start and get the ball rolling, especially when our backs are not up against the wall. Thinking ahead, planning strategically, and being ready is a skill we should all strive to perfect.

This is a place where God wants to have us bring Him to work. In Deuteronomy, God shows us how He not only stands behind and next to us, but He will also go ahead of us if we allow Him to do so; "So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you." What a great promise God provides the Israelites  and each of us. Today, let us let God go before us and then we can begin to start thinking strategically ahead with Him there with us.

Reference: Deuteronomy 31:6 (New Living Testament)

day 1223: Keys

You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life...

It seems so long ago that we went to work with keys in our pocket. We had one for the door into the building and then one for our office and maybe another for the storage room, or even the washroom.  Keys are a thing of the past and before long all offices, cars and homes will be without them and we won't even need them any longer.  But, I imagine that even generations from now we will still use the word "key" and consider that those who have the keys are the most important.  When I was a boy I told my Dad that I wanted to be the like the janitor at our school and have a big key ring with hundreds of keys on a ring that hung from my belt.  My Dad smiled and said to me, "No son, you want to be the person who only has one key on his key ring."  It was a great lesson and one I never forgot.  We should think about this in our business as well.  Our customers, partners and employees want to feel like they only have to have one key to access everything they need.  Consider how many keys we ask them to carry today and how hard or easy it is to open the doors that they desire to pass through?

We want the key to life and we are told what that key is in Deuteronomy.  To pursue any other key, we will only end up standing at a locked door of frustration and futility.  What keys are we carrying to work with us today?  The keys looking for power, fame, or prestige?  Let's leave those behind and instead carry only the key that is the one that unlocks love, grace, mercy and forgiveness!

Reference: Deuteronomy 30:20 (New Living Translation)  

day 915: Breakage

“… He will neither fail you nor abandon you."

In business there is a term; “breakage”.  In most businesses breakage is a bad thing.  It means that what was supposed to have been in the business ends up disappearing.  In retail the product that comes in the back door never makes it past the cash register, but instead ends up walking out the door being unaccounted.  In other businesses, breakage is counted on to making the business model work.  Subscription models are built this way. Health clubs are a prime example. If all of their members showed up everyday they wouldn't have nearly enough room to accommodate everyone.  They probably couldn't handle it if even half showed up.  The same breakage works for any digital subscription service.  Spotify, Rhapsody, etc. all count on more subscribers as they couldn't afford all of the royalties if everyone was using the service to their maximum.  Insurance companies are built on the principle of breakage.  It's all good until lots of claims come in. Yep, breakage...it's like fire.  As a new friend said to me, "Fire can either burn down the house or warm it up".  We each need to look at the breakage points in our businesses to see which is the advantage and which is a danger.

We don't have breakage in our faith.  God doesn't ever fail us nor does He leave us without His saving grace.  While it may be that we feel like there is breakage all around us and that we can't hold onto what we have or can't take advantage of what we have been given, that is not the feeling that God wants us to be filled.Instead, He challenges us to find the positives and to make something extraordinary of problems or things that are being taken away.  A thought for us today would be what is the breakage that we are experiencing in our lives and in our work and how are we using both what we are given, and what we are losing, so that we always bring glory to Him through what we do each day. Let's take the concept of breakage seriously to make our lives the examples that can move the Kingdom forward.

Reference: Deuteronomy 31:6 (New Living Translation)

day 914: First Mover Advantage

"So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you."

Start-ups prefer first mover advantage.  First-mover advantage can be very powerful but also quite challenging because if fortunate enough to gain the first position, there will always be someone gunning for you.  It isn't cheap to keep ahead and it is not for the faint of heart investor or team.  While some companies make it look so easy, it is not at all either easy to get there or stay there.  I'm involved with one of those companies who have pioneered in their space and now either have the opportunity to distance themselves from the rest of the pack or they slow down, miss a step, or allow someone else to pass them up.  It's scary but exhilarating.  What must be aligned is a full vision and commitment from investors, management team, and employees.  Then, it is about putting the pedal down and not looking in the rear-view mirror.  Is there a part of your organization that you have or can find for a first mover advantage?

As believers we always have a first-mover advantage because as we are promised in Deuteronomy our God goes before us and carries the heavy lifting. We are also told to be courageous and we can be so because He moves ahead of us into the places where we are weak.  In the workplace it is hard to always be strong and courageous in our faith.  This is why we need to not leave God behind but instead invite him into our workplace daily. If we can find a place where we can be trustful, purposeful and calm in our daily walk, then our great first-mover will open His way for us. 

Reference: Deuteronomy 31:6 (New Living Translation) 

day 735: Unlocking Potential

"You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life..."


In the start-up world investors hope that their capital will unlock potential from a company and their founders that they may not be able to see or know just yet. At the early stages of a company it is seldom that the business will stay the same as first envisioned. Some call it “pivoting”, others just call it continuing to seek, try and then stop the things that aren’t working so new things can be tried. It’s hard to let go of work that has many hours and dollars already invested. So, it’s like having a locked door in front of us with a huge ring of keys that we continue to use and try until the door unlocks. What we know about business is that once that door unlocks that just behind it will be another door and the key that opened up the first door is not guaranteed to open the next one, or any other door. But, we have to continue to try and keep unlocking the doors in front of us. Companies that don’t, or aren’t willing to try and keep the doors opening in front of them will miss opportunities. It’s important that we find a way to keep working to unlock the potential.

We read in Deuteronomy how to unlock the potential in our life and the key to doing so. Like a business, we make choices and to receive this key to life we have to make the choice to love God, then obey Him, and then ensuring that we have deeply committed ourselves to Him and the life that He asks us to live. We should continuously be asking ourselves if our choices are the right ones and are we committed daily to following and bringing glory to God in all that we do. All day long we use our keys (literally and figuratively) to open the doors that are put in front of us. God wants us to pick up, accept and adopt the keys to life that God has given us. Today, what keys are we using to open the doors in front of us? Are they our own, or are they God’s. He is asking us to unlock all the potential that He has given us. Let’s be sure that we are choosing His keys today.

Reference: Deuteronomy 30:20 (New Living Testament)

day 675: First-Hand Knowledge

"Be careful never to forget what you yourself have seen...And be sure to pass them on to your children and grandchildren. "

Reporting is a universal part of business. Without regular and credible reports then we have no idea how a business is performing. The best reporting is usually followed up by first-hand anecdotes/knowledge. There is nothing better than knowing someone inspected the activity, or the numbers, or the results before attesting to and sharing the information. It's not always possible but being able to see and put your hands on the information just builds the credibility and comfort level. Too much time is taken up in the defense of reporting that doesn't have substantiation or close enough knowledge to explain and answer questions. Any time we hear, "let me get back to you on that", probably means that somewhere someone hasn't dug in deep enough or isn't close enough to the data. We serve our companies, our bosses and our peers well by not serving up that which doesn't have a set of eyes that have been on it.

Many generations passed in the Old Testament. While there was some form of writing, accounts, stories, and lessons were passed down through the words spoken. Not everything got written down and people depended on each other to remembers what they saw and heard to pass along and down through the generations. We are fortunate to have God's Word as the written history of what happened in the early times. That doesn't mean that we shouldn't still be passing along what we have seen and learned about God and what He has done for us. There is nothing more powerful than what we have seen with our own two eyes. If we see God at work, there is no reason to hold it to ourselves either. We are to share God's glory with others. Today, what will you see that you can pass along as first-hand knowledge?


Reference: Deuteronomy 4:9 (New Living Testament)

day 673: Strategic Shifts

"So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you."

One of the scariest things to do in business is to conduct a real strategic plan exercise. When done right, strategic plans have the input of many stakeholders and should feel like a comprehensive 360 degree look at the business, the market, the opportunities and the challenges. Coming out of the study will be a set of new targets and direction for the organization. Then, whoever is in charge has to answer the questions of "why not?" to all of the great ideas that have been presented. These can be as daunting like, how to double the size of the business in a specified time frame, or adding to or shedding parts of the business, or even as drastic as changing course and entering into new business segments. Whatever they are, they take courage to adopt and fortitude to implement. Someone once told me, "Vision is imagining that which cannot yet be seen." That is what we do when we make strategic shifts, we vision what cannot yet be seen. That is why it is scary and why we need to be courageous and strong to make the shifts. Businesses, or any organization, need to undertake regular strategic evaluations to stay healthy, pointed in the right direction and growing.

We also should take strategic inventory every now and then to be sure that our lives are pointing the direction that they should. God has given us the direction and the path to follow but are we sure that those things in our life where we spend our time, our energy and our resources are aligned to that plan? It is one thing to know the direction, it is another to align ourselves in that direction. Just like the strategic shifts and the tough decisions a business may have to take, we personally have to make those same hard calls. And yes, sometimes it does take courage. But, God gives us His promise that He will go in front of us so all we have to do is follow Him and He will not fail us or leave us alone. To have that promise should give us all the courage and strength we need to make the necessary and needed strategic shifts in our lives.

Reference: Deuteronomy 31:6 (New Living Testament)

day 607: Staying Grounded

"This regular reading will prevent him from becoming proud and acting as he is above his fellow citizens"

We all have to have something that keeps us grounded. We live in an age where business leaders can become rock stars. With a few successes we see leaders on the front page of magazines, newspapers and featured on TV shows. We are all human and it is hard to stay grounded when the acclaim and accolades come our way. This can happen even when we are just getting recognized by our boss or peers. We have to work to ensure that we don't let it go to our head and begin to think that we are above the rest of the people in the office. I have noticed over the years that the most humble of leaders will usually have a poster or sign in their offices reminding them they are like everyone else or reinforcing teamwork, etc. This visual statement of humility is not just for others, it is a marker for them to never forget who they are really are or where they came from. We are to be humble in our successes and not let ourselves think that we are above others or taken too seriously, especially by ourselves. We are given a great example of how to stay grounded in the book of Deuteronomy when we read the guidelines for a king in Chapter 17. Kings are told to keep the laws in front of themselves and with them on the throne to stay grounded.

As believers, to stay grounded, we can keep God's laws and God's Word with us at all times. And for this to work, we are told that "regular reading" is required. When it begins to feel like you might be taking it all too seriously or that you have allowed your actions and words to not be in touch with those who helped you get to where you are, then you are overdue to get back into God's Word. Preventive reading never hurts either. Let today be a great step forward in staying grounded.

Reference: Deuteronomy 17:20 (New Living Testament)

day 606: Give Or Take

"Give freely without begrudging it, and the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do."

We are likely to hear these kinds of statements throughout the business year: "We've got to take back market share", "We've taken in XXX millions in profit this year.", "We've taken control of their business." The operative word is "taken" or "take". Business is built around taking in more and more until ultimately we have "taken over". So, it would not be that unusual for a day to be filled with activities that are about also taking. We can only hope that this taking is from the competition and not from each other, but that would be naive to think. Yes, we also take from one another all day long. We take people's time and talents. We also take their ideas and put them to work. Not all taking is bad, but it is important that we balance this with giving. Giving is a word that is less used in the office unless we are are trying to make a point like, "Let me give you some advice", which we hope that they will take.

Imagine that we were to split our time today just evenly between taking and giving and how much better our workplaces would be? The real question is how much giving will we do today? Do we have certain activities and times where we can shift the emphasis and see if others around us can see us trying to give to them, versus taking from them? At the end of today count what percentage of your day was about giving. God tells us to give and give begrudgingly and if we do we will be blessed. That in itself is a gift worth taking.

Reference: Deuteronomy 15:10

day 601: Give At The Office

In earlier times, before telemarketing, people would come to our front doors and solicit for a good cause. It became a standing line in our culture to avoid giving that we would say, "I gave at the office". There were times that it was true as many companies did, and still do, run campaigns for charities like Easter Seals, United Way,or The Red Cross and their blood drives, etc. So, it is true that we can say, "I gave at the office". The question is, are we giving enough at the office? What I mean is, are we giving enough of ourselves to others? We have all known people who give way more of themselves to others and they do so almost sacrificially and they become known for being the most giving of all. One of the greatest gifts we have is our time. The impact that can be made by giving a few minutes, or an hour, to someone who needs advice, help, or support can be multiplicative. What we think is nothing can be something tremendous and potentially life-changing to someone else. We can also give of our talents. What we can do to help along someone else with our talents is also so important. And of course, we have our treasures to give back. Our tenth that we should tithe to our church is the right place to start if we are wondering how to honor God for what He has given us. When we give of ourselves and what we have not only will others want to follow that example but God will bless. We read in Deuteronomy 15:10, "Give freely without begrudging it, and the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do." How can we become more of a giver that does so without thinking, much less begrudgingly? We can start today by giving a little more of our time, giving a little more of our talents and giving a little more of our treasures. May giving become a habit in all of us!

Reference: Deuteronomy 15:10 (New Living Testament)

day 446: Bonus Time

Yes, even in these days, some companies are continuing to pay bonuses and beginning to add back on some of the extras that were taken away over the last few years. Bonus plans are usually built around the time frames of the business cycle. For some that is annually, others semi-annually, quarterly or monthly. As we have just come through the April, May, June business quarter and the halfway point of the year, there are many who are calculating their bonus payments or getting ready to deposit a check. A bonus, by definition is what we receive when we go above and beyond and what is paid to us above and beyond what is regular to receive and expected. Bonuses can be great things but they can also be dangerous. A number of years ago when companies were going to direct deposit instead of paper checks, I had a lot more people that I ever imagined who came to me and pleaded to not have their bonus checks go to direct deposit but instead to have them given to them personally as a check that they could go and cash themselves to deposit. Every reason imaginable was given to me including some that seemed honest, although sad, like, "I don't want my spouse to see this money" and "this is my fun money and I don't want to mingle it with my other monies." Regardless, it proves that sometimes when we receive something extra that we don't always do the best things when they come our way. As humans, I have long thought that we aren't well built for too much, too fast or too often. God was saying the same things to the Israelites about what happens when prosperity comes. His words were words of warning; "But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today. For when you have become full and prosperous and have built fine homes to live in, and when your flocks and herds have become very large and your silver and gold have multiplied along with everything else, be careful! Do not become proud at that time and forget the Lord your God, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt." The next time an extra or a bonus comes your way, think about what God would have you do with it. He wants you to remember where it comes from so that our human nature doesn't take over and we not only forget but we deny the true source of our talents, abilities, opportunities and rewards.

Reference: Deuteronomy 8:11-14 (New Living Translation)

day 433: Thinking Ahead

How many times do we all say that we wish we had more time to sit down and get some thinking time? It used to be that an airplane was the only time I felt I could really sit and think but now with extended life batteries, power jacks and on-plane wireless it feels like that time has been taken from us too. Yet, we know that we need the time to think ahead and that those who do take this time are the ones who seem to have it all under control. Those who scramble and are always thinking on the fly, miss important points and inevitably will have an important ball dropped, and that is never good. So, we can all be better by finding the time to think ahead. It is not only hard because we can’t find the time, but it is also many times because we have a hard time starting. It takes some courage to start and get the ball rolling, especially when our backs are not up against the wall. Thinking ahead, planning and being ready is a skill we should all perfect. This is a place where God wants to have us bring Him to work. In Deuteronomy, God shows us how He not only stands behind and next to us, but He will also go ahead of us if we allow Him to do so; "So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you." What a great promise God provides the Israelites and each of us. Today, let us let God go before us and then we can begin to start thinking ahead with Him there with us.

Reference: Deuteronomy 31:6 (New Living Testament)

day 403: Financial Independence

While some will say that they work for things more meaningful than financial rewards, I know few people who say they want to work for their entire lives. They work, invest and save for a day when they won't have to work and they will have some financial independence and freedom. That said, there are many, many who focus so much on this goal that financial independence becomes the end game and they miss the joy of work and the purpose that they can bring to their jobs. When we let our quest for financial freedom overtake us then we have missed the point and we are skating towards what could be a difficult career and disappointment. The Fidelity 401K ads encourage us to know and walk around with our "retirement number" in our arms or hanging over our heads. There is certainly nothing wrong with a goal and without them we likely don't achieve what we want to achieve, but we also don't want to find ourselves in a situation where we become obsessed or overtaken by the quest to make money. In Deuteronomy Moses warns the Israelites of can happens when they lose the right perspective; “But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today. For when you have become full and prosperous and have built fine homes to live in, and when your flocks and herds have become very large and your silver and gold have multiplied along with everything else, be careful! Do not become proud at that time and forget the Lord your God, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt" Let us not, as we work towards the purpose of bringing glory to God in our jobs, lose the context and perspective that we only are able to earn and share in the rewards given to us because He gave us the talents and skills to achieve and succeed. Keeping our eye on Him as the prize will provide us with way more than financial independence, it will provide us with eternal rewards!

Reference: Deuteronomy 8:11-14 (New Living Translation)

day 371: Direct Deposit

Back in the 1990’s direct deposit was introduced. At the time few people wanted (or trusted) a company to deposit their paychecks directly into their personal bank account. I can even remember running contests to incentivize people to make the change. We had gotten so used to receiving that weekly, bi-weekly or monthly paycheck handed to us by our boss or one of the administrative staff that we didn’t want to have it any other way. One thing that I think was lost with this change was the personal touch of having another human being hand us our paychecks. When it was our boss and with the envelope came a, “Well done” or “Good job”, an extra meaning was added onto the dollars and cents. A few years ago I had a manager in a company who had gotten so out of the habit of having much at all contact with the people in his department that when bonus time came around he allowed the bonus checks deposit slips to just be put in the employee’s mail slots with no words of thanks included. He was the same manager who came to me and asked where his bonus check was and I said, “It was direct deposited to your account and the stub was mailed to you”. He said to me something of the sort, “I wanted that check today and I wanted to hear what amount I got, etc”, I let him know that he should have done the same for his employees and he could have had that conversation. He got the message. We all work hard and we all want to know what the rewards of our work are and more importantly we want those extra words that make the money that much more fulfilling. As believers, we are still human and we want that too, but we also should remember that all that we receive comes from our God who we are working to achieve His purpose in our jobs. In Deuteronomy 8:17-18 Moses tells the Israelites that it is very easy for us to forget where our resources come from. He tells the Israelites that God put them through many tests and many days of challenge so that they would know definitively from whom their blessings flow. We read; “He did it sp you would never think that it was your own strength and energy that made you wealthy. Always remember that is the Lord your God, who gives you the power to become rich, and he does it to fulfill the covenant he made with your ancestors.” It’s easy for us to forget where our direct deposit comes from. Today, remember that what we have is only because of Him.

Reference: Deuteronomy 8:17-18 (New Living Testament)

day 363: Are We Really Teachers?

Purposed worKING is written for each of us to know our Purpose and to give us lessons and examples on how to put that purpose to life each and every day within our work. There is an old adage, "He who teaches, learns twice." Not only are we to be examples, role models and living illustrations of how Jesus would live within our lives, we are also, by default teachers of others. God puts us in situations and also gives us opportunities and challenges to follow His plan so that we can be the teachers of others. Pastor David Wilkerson posted this message about how we are all teachers but also how through examples of how we face and deal with the blows of life and let God be in control, we are being trained by God so that we can teach further. Enjoy the words and message of Pastor Wilkerson:

"By the close of the book of Genesis, God had chosen a small, insignificant people to become a teaching nation. He wanted to raise up a people who would be living examples of his goodness to the heathen world. So, to bring about such a testimony, God took his people into places that were beyond their control. He isolated Israel in a wilderness, where he alone would be their only source of life, caring for their every need.

Israel had no control over their survival in that desolate place. They couldn’t control the availability of food or water. They couldn’t control their destination, as they had no compasses or maps. How would they eat and drink? Which direction would they go? And where would they end up?

God would do it all for them. He would guide them every day by a miracle cloud, one that glowed at night and dispelled the darkness before them. He would feed them with angels’ food from heaven and provide them with water from a rock.
Yes, every single need would be supplied by the Lord, and no enemy would be able to defeat them.

“Out of heaven he made thee [Israel] to hear his voice, that he might instruct thee” (Deuteronomy 4:36). God’s people would hear his very words guiding them, and in turn they would testify, “Who is there of all mankind who has heard the voice of the living God?” (see 4:32-34).

The nations surrounding ancient Israel were filled with “other gods,” idols made of wood, silver and gold. These gods were mute, unable to see or hear, unable to love, guide or protect the people who worshipped them. Yet any one of the nations could look to Israel and see a special people whom God carried through a terrible wilderness. They would see a God who spoke to his people, who loved and felt, who answered prayers and provided miracles. Here was a living God, one who guided his people in every detail of their lives.

God raised up a people who would be trained by him. There had to be a people who lived under his authority, who would trust him completely, giving him full control of every aspect of their lives. That people would become his testimony to the world."

What do you have to teach today to others? The answer is obvious...a lot!

Reference: Deuteronomy 4:32-34 & 36

day 259: Consistently The Same

My wife Patti and I sometimes choose to fly on the redeye, overnight, to the east coast. We do this when we are just going for a short time and don't want to lose a day flying, or when we are flying with Louie, our French Bulldog, so he can sleep overnight. We actually hate the redeyes because even though we save the time, the flights tend to wipe us out physically. That said, when we get on the flight we prepare ourselves to get the best short night of sleep as we can. This last flight, it was hard to get a good sleep as the airline did not have any pillows to provide their passengers. When we asked about this, they said, "we don't know what happened, no overnight flights tonight have pillows, sorry". While it didn't mean that much to the flight attendants, who were going to go through their regular routine, regardless of pillows or not, this inconsistent quality meant much to the passengers who were depending on a pillow as part of the baseline offering and foundational tool for them to gather a few hours of sleep. It would be interesting to understand where the breakdown was in their operating system that allows for them to not have pillows provided, and especially on the redeye flights. As consumers and co-workers we depend on, and expect others to deliver consistent quality and a sameness in their jobs. While the flight attendants seemed nonplussed over the fact that flight operations had not provided pillows, in reality, they had to answer that question over and over on that flight, taking away from the ambiance of service that they were prepared to deliver. And they had to answer for others less than consistent quality of work. This adds a stress to their jobs. Our co-workers and our customers want a consistency from us. They want to know what to expect and then be able to count on a consistent level of delivery and quality. They want the same out of us today as yesterday. Our ability to be consistent and work to a level of predictable quality is an example that we can attain from our Lord. God made sure, even from the beginning that He was the same, day in and day out. And even when humans make mistakes and are the inconsistent link in his quality, He recovers and reinstates His sameness. We see this in the story of the Ten Commandments. When Moses broke the first tablets, God did not start all over, He instead returned to the sameness that was Him. We read in Deuteronomy 10:2 "and I will write on the tablets the same words that were on the ones you smashed. Then place the tablets in the Ark." As humans we want and expect the sameness from each other. While we want to be different and not live and work in the same, a consistent delivery, a sameness can be exactly what others need to work well with us, continue the work started, or even to get a good night's sleep. Think today about how consistently you are delivering the "same" that others need and expect from you.

Reference: Deuteronomy 10:2 (New Living Testament)

day 37: Met Needs

The Israelites wandered around the desert for 40 years. When Moses exhorts his people to remember and obey the almighty God, he had to point out some of the most basic things to the people to get them to realize that while they were in the desert that God did indeed remember them and watched over them, meeting their most basic needs. Not only did God provide food in the form of manna and water from rocks, he also provided for them in other supernatural ways for their basic needs. In Deuteronomy 8:4, Moses points out to them, "For all these forty years your clothes didn't wear out, and your feet didn't blister or swell". Those are the most basic of needs, beyond food and water, if you are going to be lost in the desert. They had their clothes and they could walk to travel. What I find most fascinating about this is God's attention to detail when it comes to our needs. God doesn't waste his time on the superficial things, He gets right to the heart of matters and establishes a way for the baseline needs to be met. And, in this example, He did it even though the people couldn't recognize the miracle that was occuring. I love it, a miracle that no one notices and had to be pointed out later. What this verse tells me is that we can depend on God to provide for all of our basic needs, no matter our situation. Sometimes at work it feels like we are wandering in our own desert and not sure where to turn or what to do next. Could it be that God is allowing us to live that test and all He wants us to do is recognize that He is there with us providing for our needs and that is the confidence we need to break through and find what it is that He wills to happen? We are given talents that God is wanting to put to work at work. Today, let's not worry about our needs and let's turn those over to Him and allow ourselves to work within His will and glory. I suspect that that feeling of wandering and worrying might just change when you hand the needs back over to Him.

Reference: Deuteronomy 8:4 (New Living Testament)