“I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end,” says the Lord God. “I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come—the Almighty One.”
The Per Research Center asked this question: "As billions of devices, artifacts and accessories are networked, will the Internet of Things have widespread and beneficial effects on the everyday lives of the public by 2025?" The overwhelming answer was, "Yes!". We are only a nano second away from all things being able to deliver to us messages to replace, fill up, fix, recharge, move, buy, throwaway, consume, take, etc. Every manufacturer has to be thinking about this now. Every retailer needs to be considering what to do with the wearables that we will have have on as we walk through stores and along streets. And, along with the hundreds of thousands of data scientists we will need, there will be fantastic opportunity for those who can design and understand the optimal human interaction.
Ours is the God of all things. He is always on, always ready and always with us in real time. If we think of his Kingdom in a networked way, we are each His devices that He desires to be connected and able to spread His message throughout the world. When we enter our workplace, we may feel alone and in a hard environment to practice our faith. Even so, know that He walks into the office before us and is there with us at all times. Nothing can compare to what we have available to us, if we only choose to accept and depend on what He has given us.
Reference: Revelation 1:8 (New Living Translation)
Showing posts with label revelation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label revelation. Show all posts
Monday, May 19, 2014
Thursday, April 4, 2013
day 1109: Half and Half
"Because you have obeyed my command to persevere, I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world to test those who belong to this world."
One of the harder conversations to have as an investor or a Board Member is to tell the enthusiastic, optimistic, excited, anxious, CEO and/or Founder, that history and experience says to always plan on half and half; half the revenue forecasted and that the time you think it will take to get that revenue is underestimated by half. You can almost see their spirit drain from them if this isn't communicated in the correct way. What I see happen a lot is that the investors/board members don't want to have that tough conversation so instead they will use other forms of control and influence versus communication. This is when we see the metering out of funding, or an increase in oversight from the Board, or the increased frequency of reporting. It's a hard lesson to learn, but once that pattern is recognized and appreciated then going forward the plans are already baked with half and half to better ensure for success.
What happens in our lives when we are forced to have to deal with the half and half phenomena is that we have to learn to persevere. Perseverance is hard and it's not what everyone can/will do. Those who can/do are looked up to and respected. When we are taking God to work with us and asking for Him to give us the perseverance, motivation, commitment and energy to finish strong and well, then we are doing what He desires; for us to lean on Him. He promises His protection if we stick with Him! The journey of life is not easy. You don't need me to tell you that. But, we all need others who will prop us up, encourage us and make sure that we aren't quitting at the half. Can you be that someone to someone else today?
Reference: Revelation 3:10 (New Living Translation)
One of the harder conversations to have as an investor or a Board Member is to tell the enthusiastic, optimistic, excited, anxious, CEO and/or Founder, that history and experience says to always plan on half and half; half the revenue forecasted and that the time you think it will take to get that revenue is underestimated by half. You can almost see their spirit drain from them if this isn't communicated in the correct way. What I see happen a lot is that the investors/board members don't want to have that tough conversation so instead they will use other forms of control and influence versus communication. This is when we see the metering out of funding, or an increase in oversight from the Board, or the increased frequency of reporting. It's a hard lesson to learn, but once that pattern is recognized and appreciated then going forward the plans are already baked with half and half to better ensure for success.
What happens in our lives when we are forced to have to deal with the half and half phenomena is that we have to learn to persevere. Perseverance is hard and it's not what everyone can/will do. Those who can/do are looked up to and respected. When we are taking God to work with us and asking for Him to give us the perseverance, motivation, commitment and energy to finish strong and well, then we are doing what He desires; for us to lean on Him. He promises His protection if we stick with Him! The journey of life is not easy. You don't need me to tell you that. But, we all need others who will prop us up, encourage us and make sure that we aren't quitting at the half. Can you be that someone to someone else today?
Reference: Revelation 3:10 (New Living Translation)
Thursday, March 14, 2013
day 1095: The Day of Pi
“I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end,” says the Lord God. “I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come—the Almighty One.”
Today is March 14, or 3.14, which happens to be the first three digit of Pi. Matthew Hutson recently wrote a sidebar article in Wired Magazine that tells a few "SmartThings about Pi"; "Pi contains everything. Pi is non-repeating and also thought to be 'normal' - that is, 0, through 9 seem to occur in equal proportion among its digits. If that's true, any series of digits can be found somewhere in pi; since it's infinite, they'll eventually show up by chance alone. Convert Lord of the Rings or the entire Simpsons oeuvre into a code and look at the raw numerals. They'll appear in Pi, in that order somewhere". What does this tell us? Well for one, there always is a rhyme and reason for everything and that in our businesses we should look for the patterns that can be recognized and either positively duplicated or actively revised to make better. Nothing is by chance and if we are engaged and paying attention we will see that these patterns are there for us.
Oh by the way, Albert Einstein's birthday is Pi Day. He was born on March 14, 1879. A smart day for him to be born. :)
If Pi contains everything and God created everything including the recognition and definition of Pi, then we can today on Pi Day, praise our God for the world of everything that He created for us and for the patterns that can depend on that we use to mark time, seasons and recognize change. We can also praise and thank Him for being even greater and giving us more than the day or life of Pi (pun intended), by proving to us each day that He is awesome, great, and infinite in His love and grace given to us. I like to every now and then look to the stars and reflect on all that He has created and all that He has given me in the midst of everything else. He is a magnificent and tremendous God! On this day of Pi, what pattern will you recreate or create that will be sure and bring ultimate glory to God?
Reference: Revelation 1:8 (New Living Translation0
Today is March 14, or 3.14, which happens to be the first three digit of Pi. Matthew Hutson recently wrote a sidebar article in Wired Magazine that tells a few "SmartThings about Pi"; "Pi contains everything. Pi is non-repeating and also thought to be 'normal' - that is, 0, through 9 seem to occur in equal proportion among its digits. If that's true, any series of digits can be found somewhere in pi; since it's infinite, they'll eventually show up by chance alone. Convert Lord of the Rings or the entire Simpsons oeuvre into a code and look at the raw numerals. They'll appear in Pi, in that order somewhere". What does this tell us? Well for one, there always is a rhyme and reason for everything and that in our businesses we should look for the patterns that can be recognized and either positively duplicated or actively revised to make better. Nothing is by chance and if we are engaged and paying attention we will see that these patterns are there for us.
Oh by the way, Albert Einstein's birthday is Pi Day. He was born on March 14, 1879. A smart day for him to be born. :)
If Pi contains everything and God created everything including the recognition and definition of Pi, then we can today on Pi Day, praise our God for the world of everything that He created for us and for the patterns that can depend on that we use to mark time, seasons and recognize change. We can also praise and thank Him for being even greater and giving us more than the day or life of Pi (pun intended), by proving to us each day that He is awesome, great, and infinite in His love and grace given to us. I like to every now and then look to the stars and reflect on all that He has created and all that He has given me in the midst of everything else. He is a magnificent and tremendous God! On this day of Pi, what pattern will you recreate or create that will be sure and bring ultimate glory to God?
Reference: Revelation 1:8 (New Living Translation0
Thursday, February 28, 2013
day 1085: Sequestration
"He seized the dragon—that old serpent, who is the devil, Satan—and bound him in chains for a thousand years."
Sequestration is the word of the week. When Congress first started using the word to define what would happen with government spending if a financial deal could not be struck, I had to look up the word. Here is the Dictionary.com definition:
The book of Revelation is a believers guide to the future. While when we read this book of the Bible, we can become frightened, confused, bewildered or circumspect, we can glimpse into what we can expect. Revelation can challenge the faith and belief of the most steadfast, but there is a great promise in what is written. God says that He will seize Satan and take back control of the earth and each of us. We are so blessed to have free choice and to be able to live our lives for Him, but not because He makes us do so. At any time God can sequester back what He created and what is His. We need not worry though because when He does, it will be because He has returned for us and to seize each of us as His treasures. That is a sequestration that we should all look forward to happening.
Reference: Revelation: 20:2 (New Living Translation)
Sequestration is the word of the week. When Congress first started using the word to define what would happen with government spending if a financial deal could not be struck, I had to look up the word. Here is the Dictionary.com definition:
- The action of taking legal possession of assets until a debt has been paid or other claims have been met.
- The action of taking forcible possession of something; confiscation
The book of Revelation is a believers guide to the future. While when we read this book of the Bible, we can become frightened, confused, bewildered or circumspect, we can glimpse into what we can expect. Revelation can challenge the faith and belief of the most steadfast, but there is a great promise in what is written. God says that He will seize Satan and take back control of the earth and each of us. We are so blessed to have free choice and to be able to live our lives for Him, but not because He makes us do so. At any time God can sequester back what He created and what is His. We need not worry though because when He does, it will be because He has returned for us and to seize each of us as His treasures. That is a sequestration that we should all look forward to happening.
Reference: Revelation: 20:2 (New Living Translation)
Friday, October 26, 2012
day 1003: Indifference
"...so be diligent and turn from you indifference."
Indifference is a killer in business. Whether it be a company that becomes indifferent in their attitude towards their customer or quality, or internally when people become indifferent to their work product or to the people around them. Regardless, if you want to see a company go quickly down the toilet then look for indifference. No better place that we have seen that in our lifetime than the American car industry. Once at the top of their game by miles, over decades they let one company, or country, creep in at a time and bring to the consumer new and fresh concepts, leaving themselves behind and without a way to catch back up. When the Japanese saw the rising cost of gas in the late 1970's they responded with smaller and more fuel efficient cars. Detroit stayed with the gas guzzlers and lost multiple decades of sales. Some one would say this happened because of the blindness of arrogance. I would take it further and say that indifference was also a part of the problem. It might have been arrogance at the top, but anything you read or hear about during those times had the American car worker feeling, a the best, very indifferent. Gone was a sense of pride. Gone was the motivation to work harder and more efficiently. Gone was the trust of senior management that must be there for innovation and risk taking to occur. Where new companies would open, like Saturn in Tennessee or Subaru in Indiana, those workers were far from indifferent. They wanted to win. The point is that indifference is a silent killing disease and one that must be constantly watched for and avoided.
We know where indifference in our spiritual journey will take us. The whole lukewarm thing doesn't have to be restated. It's easier than we think to become indifferent and we need to constantly protect ourselves from waking up one morning and feeling indifferent about our faith. When things are good, it's more likely to become indifferent because we begin to take for granted what God has done for us. The danger in indifference is not only to ourselves but those around us who might see us slipping back into old habits or not being the person that they knew us to be that they counted on as an example and inspiration in their own lives. Today, as we head into the place where everyone is always watching, our workplaces, let's be sure that we are not being indifferent in our faith, but instead being intentional and committed to Him who brings it all together for us.
Reference: Revelation 3:19 (New Living Testament)
Indifference is a killer in business. Whether it be a company that becomes indifferent in their attitude towards their customer or quality, or internally when people become indifferent to their work product or to the people around them. Regardless, if you want to see a company go quickly down the toilet then look for indifference. No better place that we have seen that in our lifetime than the American car industry. Once at the top of their game by miles, over decades they let one company, or country, creep in at a time and bring to the consumer new and fresh concepts, leaving themselves behind and without a way to catch back up. When the Japanese saw the rising cost of gas in the late 1970's they responded with smaller and more fuel efficient cars. Detroit stayed with the gas guzzlers and lost multiple decades of sales. Some one would say this happened because of the blindness of arrogance. I would take it further and say that indifference was also a part of the problem. It might have been arrogance at the top, but anything you read or hear about during those times had the American car worker feeling, a the best, very indifferent. Gone was a sense of pride. Gone was the motivation to work harder and more efficiently. Gone was the trust of senior management that must be there for innovation and risk taking to occur. Where new companies would open, like Saturn in Tennessee or Subaru in Indiana, those workers were far from indifferent. They wanted to win. The point is that indifference is a silent killing disease and one that must be constantly watched for and avoided.
We know where indifference in our spiritual journey will take us. The whole lukewarm thing doesn't have to be restated. It's easier than we think to become indifferent and we need to constantly protect ourselves from waking up one morning and feeling indifferent about our faith. When things are good, it's more likely to become indifferent because we begin to take for granted what God has done for us. The danger in indifference is not only to ourselves but those around us who might see us slipping back into old habits or not being the person that they knew us to be that they counted on as an example and inspiration in their own lives. Today, as we head into the place where everyone is always watching, our workplaces, let's be sure that we are not being indifferent in our faith, but instead being intentional and committed to Him who brings it all together for us.
Reference: Revelation 3:19 (New Living Testament)
Monday, March 5, 2012
day 838: Take A Walk
"The nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the world will enter the city in all their glory."
A few weeks ago someone who I am doing work with suggested that instead of meeting over a cup of coffee that we instead go for a walk with each other and go through our business while we were walking. This was not the first time I had done walking meetings as I have worked with/for people who do this regularly, and I also have used walks for meetings with people who worked for me. But, what I used to do with a walk was to use it to help diffuse a situation or just change the venue to clear the heads in involved. What I found in this most recent walk was that instead of having some ulterior motive that just being outside stimulated some creativity. Maybe it was the extra oxygen to my brain or just the beauty of the day, but there was a freeing that came with the time. Patti and I went for a walk last week and she had a bunch of stuff for us to cover off on. I may get addicted to the walking meeting.
As believers we get the wonderful opportunity to walk with Christ each and every day. He walks with us through our workday and beyond, if we allow Him to do so. What is so great about our walk with Christ is that the walk goes well beyond the life we have here on earth. Walks are made up of steps and each step that we take towards our eternity should be deliberate and worthwhile. As we start this workweek, let's pray that each step of our walk will be ones that are pleasing to God and that we do not lose our way but walk within His will at all times.
Reference: Revelation 21:24 (New Living Testament)
A few weeks ago someone who I am doing work with suggested that instead of meeting over a cup of coffee that we instead go for a walk with each other and go through our business while we were walking. This was not the first time I had done walking meetings as I have worked with/for people who do this regularly, and I also have used walks for meetings with people who worked for me. But, what I used to do with a walk was to use it to help diffuse a situation or just change the venue to clear the heads in involved. What I found in this most recent walk was that instead of having some ulterior motive that just being outside stimulated some creativity. Maybe it was the extra oxygen to my brain or just the beauty of the day, but there was a freeing that came with the time. Patti and I went for a walk last week and she had a bunch of stuff for us to cover off on. I may get addicted to the walking meeting.
As believers we get the wonderful opportunity to walk with Christ each and every day. He walks with us through our workday and beyond, if we allow Him to do so. What is so great about our walk with Christ is that the walk goes well beyond the life we have here on earth. Walks are made up of steps and each step that we take towards our eternity should be deliberate and worthwhile. As we start this workweek, let's pray that each step of our walk will be ones that are pleasing to God and that we do not lose our way but walk within His will at all times.
Reference: Revelation 21:24 (New Living Testament)
Thursday, August 25, 2011
day 719: Open Doors
“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me”
All kinds of companies like to talk about their "open door" policies. To further the thought we have added "transparency" to our current business language. Both are about businesses and business executives being open to new ideas, listening to their customers and employees and opening up their businesses for shareholders and others to see inside their working operations. Some talk a good game and never follow through. Others work hard to open the doors but rarely see anyone make the effort to walk through. While this can be discouraging, after all of the work and effort to open doors and be transparent, these are the right actions to take. Everything is a two-way street and it takes interest and commitment to walk through the open door or to research and learn about a company. But having the opportunity to do so is a good thing. As employees, customers and shareholders, we should applaud those companies and Executives/Managers who open their doors. If we lead any part of a business, even a single team, keeping the doors open, whether anyone walks through or not, should be our standard operating procedure.
When Jesus says that He stands at the door and knocks, He is talking to not only those who don't believe, He is talking to us as well. He is saying that He wants an open door into our lives and He, and we, should be able to pass through freely with Him. Jesus probably feels like anyone of us who strives to have our doors open at work for our employees and customers and then wonders why no one walks through and takes advantage of the opportunity to sit, talk, learn, listen, and know more. The difference is that Jesus keeps knocking and waiting whether we open the door or not. How cool is that? We love and serve a Lord that doesn't give up on us, but keeps wanting us to open the door to Him. As we go into this day, are we hearing Him knocking and we are ignoring it, or doing all we can to not open the door? The next time no one walks through our open door at work and we wonder why, let's be reminded that there is a door for us that we should be opening even further to Jesus.
Reference: Revelation 3:20
All kinds of companies like to talk about their "open door" policies. To further the thought we have added "transparency" to our current business language. Both are about businesses and business executives being open to new ideas, listening to their customers and employees and opening up their businesses for shareholders and others to see inside their working operations. Some talk a good game and never follow through. Others work hard to open the doors but rarely see anyone make the effort to walk through. While this can be discouraging, after all of the work and effort to open doors and be transparent, these are the right actions to take. Everything is a two-way street and it takes interest and commitment to walk through the open door or to research and learn about a company. But having the opportunity to do so is a good thing. As employees, customers and shareholders, we should applaud those companies and Executives/Managers who open their doors. If we lead any part of a business, even a single team, keeping the doors open, whether anyone walks through or not, should be our standard operating procedure.
When Jesus says that He stands at the door and knocks, He is talking to not only those who don't believe, He is talking to us as well. He is saying that He wants an open door into our lives and He, and we, should be able to pass through freely with Him. Jesus probably feels like anyone of us who strives to have our doors open at work for our employees and customers and then wonders why no one walks through and takes advantage of the opportunity to sit, talk, learn, listen, and know more. The difference is that Jesus keeps knocking and waiting whether we open the door or not. How cool is that? We love and serve a Lord that doesn't give up on us, but keeps wanting us to open the door to Him. As we go into this day, are we hearing Him knocking and we are ignoring it, or doing all we can to not open the door? The next time no one walks through our open door at work and we wonder why, let's be reminded that there is a door for us that we should be opening even further to Jesus.
Reference: Revelation 3:20
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
day 666: What's In A Number?
"Let one who has understanding solve the number of the beast for it the number of a man. his number is 666"
I knew this day was coming and I wondered whether or not to ignore it and not reference the devilish number of 666, but since Purposed worKING is about how we bring glory to God in our work, even the day of 666 can be woven into what we do in our jobs for in business the bottom line is also about a number. The numbers that we have to pay attention are only one of three things; too large, too small, or just right. But, we always have something to say about the numbers and yes, the numbers we work with all day long can be their own "beasts" that we have to deal with and bear the burden of explaining, rationalizing, massaging or pushing through. No matter where we go, numbers are with us and they won't go away. How we do deal with numbers is important though. If we decide to "shave a number" or not count all of the numbers, or inflate or deflate a number, or hide a number then we run the risk of putting our reputations in danger and destroying all that we have worked so hard to build. No number is worth throwing it all away, which is what can happen when we allow the numbers to control us versus the other way around. So, today, take a look at the numbers in front of you and provide them the respect they deserve and don't allow yourself to become enslaved to any of them to where you would lose your perspective. Many a person has lost a great job over not caring for the numbers or trying to manipulate them for their own advantage. Don't allow yourself to be or become one of those people.
Reference: Revelation 14:18 (New Living Testament)
I knew this day was coming and I wondered whether or not to ignore it and not reference the devilish number of 666, but since Purposed worKING is about how we bring glory to God in our work, even the day of 666 can be woven into what we do in our jobs for in business the bottom line is also about a number. The numbers that we have to pay attention are only one of three things; too large, too small, or just right. But, we always have something to say about the numbers and yes, the numbers we work with all day long can be their own "beasts" that we have to deal with and bear the burden of explaining, rationalizing, massaging or pushing through. No matter where we go, numbers are with us and they won't go away. How we do deal with numbers is important though. If we decide to "shave a number" or not count all of the numbers, or inflate or deflate a number, or hide a number then we run the risk of putting our reputations in danger and destroying all that we have worked so hard to build. No number is worth throwing it all away, which is what can happen when we allow the numbers to control us versus the other way around. So, today, take a look at the numbers in front of you and provide them the respect they deserve and don't allow yourself to become enslaved to any of them to where you would lose your perspective. Many a person has lost a great job over not caring for the numbers or trying to manipulate them for their own advantage. Don't allow yourself to be or become one of those people.
Reference: Revelation 14:18 (New Living Testament)
Thursday, November 11, 2010
day 532: Master Key
When I was a boy I saw a custodian at our school who had one of those huge key rings with what appeared to be a hundred or more keys attached hanging off of his belt. I said to my Father, "When I grow up, I want to have that many keys to carry too." My Father replied to me, "No son, when you grow up, you want to be the person who only has to carry one key." I was too young then to understand the message, but over the years, I learned that he was correct. When you are the person who only has to carry one key, that being the master key, then yes, that is what you want. When given the master key, every door is yours to open and to lock. The master key comes with responsibility and accountability and it is a privilege not a right. The master key is a great metaphor for leadership. Leaders open, shut and lock doors for others. They must learn to do so with wisdom, caring and grace. Decisions made are like doors opened or locked. Decisions unmade are like doors that are left open but must be shut. Having the master key is a big responsibility. Fortunately for us, as we bring God to work with us today, we have with us the One who carries the true master key. In Revelation 3:7 we read, "He is the one who has the key of David. He opens doors, and no one can shut them; he shuts doors, and no one can open them." Today as we walk through the doors of our offices, let's be reminded that those doors that are open and shut for us in our careers are because He wants them open or shut for us. Let's pray to Him for the continued guidance and wisdom for the opening and shutting of the doors that are within our own control. Let's also remember that we have been entrusted with our own set of master keys that affect and influence others and may we each use and wield those keys wisely and for His purpose.
Reference: Revelation 3:7 (New Living Testament)
Reference: Revelation 3:7 (New Living Testament)
Thursday, October 7, 2010
day 506: Open Door Policy
It's often heard when a new leader comes onto the scene that she or he will tell their team that they operate under an "open door policy". This means that the leader is trying to tell everyone that he/she will be accessible and that people on the team should feel free to stop by any time and talk about what is on their mind. In all reality, few really can follow up on that promise as the calendar fills with meetings, travel, management duties, etc. I saw a tweet recently from a friend who said that the person who created the open door policy never got anything done. Having personally worked in a cubicle for seven years and then another two and a half years just out in the open, I can relate to the statement. When our entire management team was sitting out in the open, our version of the closed door was when we would put our iPod ear buds in our ears. Even then, it was very easy for anyone to just walk up and start a conversation. In hindsight, there was many a day when I sure wished I could have been in an office for a few hours each day and shut a door to think and just do. But as a leader, being accessible for those who felt they needed me, probably far outweighed those lost hours of concentration and focus. Even if we don't have an office with a door, being available and having our proverbial doors open to others is a good thing. This is not the only time that we should pay attention to doors that are closed or open. Jesus tells us; "Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends." So, today, it is not only someone who works for you, or someone you work with who wants you to open the door. God wants you to have the ultimate open door policy for Him at all times.
Revelation 3:20 (New Living Testament)
Revelation 3:20 (New Living Testament)
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