Posted in Bible, Encouragement on September 23, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Do you need this for your work today? I know I do…
“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”
Ephesians 3:20-21
Posted in Prayer, Rest, Worship on September 16, 2010 | 2 Comments »
How often are you “still”? Does watching TV count? Still for how long?
This morning, in our 6:30 Bridging the Gap group meeting, we discussed how often we practice Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God.” We talked about “meditating on God’s Word”. We went around the table and told stories of (rare) times in our lives when we pulled back and spent a few hours, maybe a day, just listening. Being God-centered, not self-centered.
The stories were inspirational because most of them were not huge sacrifices. They were intentional uses of time to seek God. Here are a few examples:
We are all running so fast. Some of us manage a quiet time in the morning. But how many of us pull back and look for a window of time to seek God and listen? I have been inspired to do just that. I would covet your prayers as I spend the next 24 hours being still, and knowing that He is God.
“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” Mark 1:35
Posted in Excellence, Faith and Work, Integrity, Jesus, Seven Pillars of Faith and Work on September 13, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Most of our companies have a mission statement don’t they? But, do you have a personal mission statement?
It seems that Jesus did. What do you think?
“But you will receive the power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8
WorkMatters DNA is to mobilize the army of Sunday Christians sitting in our churches and workplaces, and inspire them to live their faith Monday through Friday at work, just as they try to do on Sunday. If we could all break through that barrier, can you imagine the witness that would be to the non-believing world?
We can do it! You can do it! You can start by doing your work with Excellence and Integrity (Faith and Work Seven Pillars) and grow from there.
This Monday morning, let’s challenge ourselves to embrace Jesus’ mission statement with our work witness!
Posted in Bible, Purpose on September 9, 2010 | 1 Comment »
…not a particularly spiritual job, is it? Do you ever feel that way about your job?
You may not read the book of Amos very often. I know I don’t. But Amos, as a simple Shepherd, became a channel for God’s message to others.
Your job may not make you feel all that spiritual. You may or may not be “successful”. But if you are in the place God wants you at work, how powerful that can be! God can work through you to do extraordinary things, no matter how ordinary your job may feel.
“The words of Amos, one of the shepherds…” Amos 1:1
Posted in Bible, Economy, Faith and Work, Heaven, Honesty, Integrity, Leadership, Seven Pillars of Faith and Work on September 8, 2010 | 2 Comments »
I have been blessed to build a friendship over the past few years with a business leader who “gets it” about as well as any I know. Donnie Smith, new CEO of Tyson Foods (located here in northwest Arkansas), has worked at Tyson Foods for 30 years.
On Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal published a feature interview with Donnie. I have enclosed excerpts of the interview here (the entire interview is here). This is powerful. Whether you are just out of college and getting started in your career, a millennial trying to decide how you want to live at work, or a boomer still “working it out”, Donnie’s words will inspire you.
Finally these men said, “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.” Daniel 6:5
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Mr. Smith, who teaches a Sunday school class, says one of his most important jobs as CEO is to promote an ethical culture. The company employs 120 chaplains and he blogs about integrity.
From his egg-shaped office, Mr. Smith shared his views on leading his flock.
Excerpts:
WSJ: What’s your management style?
Mr. Smith: I’ve got this little saying: the answer is always in the room. We have to free people up to operate in an environment where there is no fear. We are going to make mistakes. Don’t worry about it. Let’s fail fast and fail forward. Then take that empowering spirit, and let’s go solve some problems.
WSJ: On your internal company blog, you mention the Bible as a favorite book. Does your faith affect the way you manage?
Mr. Smith: I don’t think you can say, “I do all my church stuff on Sunday between nine and noon, and the rest of the time I am either out for myself or running my business.”
My faith influences how I think, what I do, what I say. There are a lot of great biblical principles that are fundamental to operating a good business. Being fair and telling the truth are biblical principles.
WSJ: How moral can a company be?
Mr. Smith: We are going to do what is right. And we’re going to do what is right for one reason: because it is right. Now listen, we’ve got 117,000 people. There might be somebody that steps out of line occasionally. We will correct that.
WSJ: The Bible says the chances of a rich man getting into Heaven aren’t good. Can a Fortune 500 CEO get into Heaven?
Mr. Smith: This one will, because I did what the Bible said I had to do to get into heaven. Feeding people is a laudable purpose in life.
WSJ: The recession has brought widespread complaints of Wall Street greed. What do you think?
Mr. Smith: There seems to be this attitude that big is bad. And it really does bother me. Big banks are bad. Big Ag is bad. And you know what? We’re not bad.
We provide jobs for 117,000 people around the world. We make great, safe food products.
WSJ: Last thing: Which of your beef customers makes the best hamburger?
Mr. Smith: There is zero chance I am answering that question. No, I will tell you who makes the best hamburger: I do.
WSJ: So it’s not McDonald’s? Burger King? Wendy’s?
Mr. Smith: On my grill.
Posted in Excellence, Serve on September 2, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
I am reminded that we can honor and glorify God in many ways. My friend Kelsey is doing it through her work. Can you imagine the joy God feels when he watches Kelsey serve “the least of these”?
NOTE: I received the following email from Kelsey’s proud husband. Make sure you read the last paragraph.
The past few years, as summer has begun to wind down and the kids begin to trickle back to their schools, I am again reminded how lucky we all are to have the lives that we do. On Friday, I made my first visit to Kelsey’s school to meet her newest Kindergarten class. Every year it just breaks my heart to see what little these poor kids have. What little amount of love they are shown, what little amount of food they are fed, what little amount of support they are given, what little amount of stability is in their lives… I could go on and on.
For instance, Isabella is a sweet little, brown hair, brown eyed doll of a girl who is being raised by her Grandma. She is doing her best to raise sweet little Isabella and is working the graveyard shift to try and provide for her. Yesterday Isabella’s mom was released from jail and showed up at school to pick her up. Kelsey said that her mom opened the door to her classroom and Isabella said “MOMMY!”. I have it in my mind kind of like the videos you see of soldiers returning home from war. Our hope is that the mom, who is 22 years old, can get herself on the right path and make life a little better for Isabella. Like Isabella, every kid in her class has a story…like the one whose mother is in the state prison and whose father was murdered by his uncle. Countless other stories will surface, as this is only the second full week of school.
BUT, here is the good news for you. Every single Monday thru Friday these kids come to school and walk into their classroom to a teacher with a big bright smile, open loving arms and a passion for getting these kids on the right path towards an education. The way that Kelsey puts them in her lap or kisses their dirty cheeks and accepts them unconditionally is beyond anything you can imagine. I can’t imagine waking up every day knowing that I am being counted on by 19 five-year-old kids to be the teacher/parent/support system in their day. And every year, as school comes to an end, I approach Kelsey about moving to a different school. A school in a safer neighborhood, a school where parents help with their kid’s homework or a school where kids can focus on learning because they aren’t distracted by hunger. And every year Kelsey thinks about it for a few weeks and then says “these kids need a teacher that cares about them and I’m afraid if I leave, the next teacher might not care.”
Matthew 19:14
Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
