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Archive for the ‘Faith and Work’ Category

The Simple Sounds of Silence

Posted in Balance, Faith and Work, Family, God, Mind, Peace, Thoughts on March 21, 2013 | 1 Comment »

Lately I have been trying to do without things in my life that I have become accustomed to having and which have been part of my busy life for decades.  As I get older however something seems to be happening that I was not expecting….imagine that!

I have always been a person that enjoys having stuff on….my radio, TV, stereo, laptop, iPhone.  Often all at the same time if possible.  Not sure why, but a couple of months ago, I started turning stuff off…not everything all at once, but here and there and from time to time.  Somehow I have found that I don’t miss it all as much as I thought I would.  As it turns out, turning off the noise has been a blessing and has allowed me to simplify my life.

I wondered about what was happening to me.  I still enjoyed my music, my sports talk radio, my Food Network shows, etc, but found that all that noise  kind of deadened me to other things going on around me calling for my attention and thoughts.

I have found that turning stuff off has been a blessing in many ways that I was not expecting.  Most of all, I have felt that I have been able to hear and discern that still small voice of my Creator which most often is heard in stillness and silence.

Most of you probably are way ahead of me on this.  But I also know many who like me, the noise has become so much apart of our lives, that we don’t even realize how much it has drowned out many other important sounds that can only be heard when we turn it all off.

Take a few days and just try it…what you may hear instead might amaze you!

Our 2013 Chick-fil-A Leadercast is about learning how to simplify your life in order to strengthen your leadership. Hope to see all of you there!

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Difference between Excellent and Perfect

Posted in Excellence, Faith and Work, Perfect, tagged , , , on March 1, 2013 | 1 Comment »

Excellence is one of WorkMatters Core Values and one of our 7 Pillars of Faith and Work. It’s something we believe in strongly. But, I have struggled over the years discerning the difference between pursuing Excellence and Perfection.

Perfection

Here’s how Webster defines them:

I’m not so sure about “good”. “Great” makes sense to me. “First-Class” makes sense to me. That sounds like “working with all my heart as working for the Lord, not for men” (Colossians 3:23). But being entirely without fault or defect? We are all sinners. Only one was perfect.

So together, let’s continue to pursue excellence in our work and in our lives. But let’s all (especially me) keep a watchful eye on striving for perfection.

God, please give us the wisdom to see the difference between excellence and perfection in our work, and the courage to push up to excellence but step back from perfection. AMEN

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Five Realities of a New Job

Posted in Balance, Calling, Faith and Work, God, Job Search, Marriage, Relationships, Stress, tagged , , , , , on February 20, 2013 | 2 Comments »

How long has it been since you started a new job? Before you make that big move to the next thing you feel “called to”, let’s consider a few simple truths.

Image

I was reminded of this when a young professional friend who I co-lead a Leadership@Work Nehemiah Study with, started a new job on Tuesday. Josh Richardson moved from a global corporation serving Wal-Mart, to a super cool, high growth small company, also serving Wal-Mart. Talk about a 180. Here was his tweet yesterday: Day 1 at the new job was amazing – better than I could have ever imagined. Praise God for his sovereign timing, purpose, and design!

Josh’s experience reminded me of the sometimes bitter sweet experience of changing jobs. Here are a few simple ideas to consider:

  1. Commit to a six month increase in work life focus – before you say yes to the new gig that you are so excited about, make sure you deal with this reality. Your work life WILL need more focus and time. This is especially critical if you are married and/or have children.
  2. Finish strong where you are – in both execution and relationships.
  3. Enjoy powerful growth with God - because He makes things  ”brand new” (Isaiah 48:7) in a new job, fear and anxiety can be very real. It’s a perfect season to sit daily in His lap.
  4. Be hyper focused – focus with intensity to build new relationships, learn the business,  and find small opportunities to add value to the business.
  5. Enjoy the new adventure - it will be stressful, but it will also be an exciting adventure of personal, spiritual and relational growth!

Have fun,

David

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Amazing Grace@Work

Posted in Adversity, Culture, Faith and Work, Grace, Relationships, tagged , , on February 10, 2013 | 2 Comments »

This past weekend, my wife and I Redboxed Flight, the Denzel Washington movie that earned him a best-actor Oscar nomination. It is a powerful movie full of painful, real life stuff worthy of it’s R rating.

I won’t expose any more of the plot here. Suffice to say that you have a man who is very well respected in his ability to do his job. In fact, he is hailed as a hero at work! But he is living with extraordinary difficult circumstances in his personal life. And guess what? His personal circumstances spill over into his work life. Of course they do! We don’t live compartmentalized lives.

As I sat in church, I couldn’t quit thinking about this movie we had watched the night before. The pain of his addiction. How many people come to work with secrets. With personal issues that are impacting their lives and work in monumental ways. How should we handle these issues? How do we help a co-worker who is suffering with an addiction or an illness? And at what point do their circumstances intersect accountability?

I don’t know the answers. But I know this. There are people all around us suffering at work. Maybe, just maybe, we can help.

“Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me….
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now, I see.”

Maybe we can share some amazing grace at work.

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A New Mission to Close the Gap

Posted in Faith and Work on January 30, 2013 | 1 Comment »

Today, I want you to read an incredible story.

But first this…the faith@work “market” has changed dramatically. Do you sense it? For many leaders living their faith@work is no longer a misnomer. It’s staring them right in the face. Life is too fast paced. They have too many pressures. And their work is killing them. There has to be a better way!

So building a bridge between faith and work is no longer the “market” need. The need now, is “help me close the gap”. I need no gap. I need to live whatever faith I have (large or small) in all aspects of my life, especially my work!

That’s our focus now at WorkMatters. We are all about helping leaders close the gap. All of our “programs” have changed to better focus on this mission. And this incredible story says it all. Hear from Adam White, an Engineer, a young professional, talk about his journey to close the gap:

Like most professionals, the idea that faith and work were correlated never dawned on me the first few years of my career.  I was your typical recent college graduate.  I had been fairly involved in campus ministry, but was struggling to carry that momentum into the workplace and had developed the “Me against the world” mentality.  Instead of using this struggle as a chance to embrace my faith, I chose to give up completely and walked away from the Church.  

A few years ago, my boss invited me to a young professionals gathering hosted by WorkMatters.  I didn’t know a thing about WorkMatters, but I saw it as an opportunity to network with other young professions, so I decided to attend.   Thankfully, the WorkMatters vision of fusing faith and work peaked my interest just enough that I signed up for a small group, where I learned the biblical connections between faith and work.  I started regularly attending WorkMatters events, and soon it felt like my faith was snowballing inside of me.  I got back into the Church, started serving in the community, became more pleasant around my peers, and shed the “Me against the world” mentality.

Today, I can comfortably say that God is involved in everything I do, especially my work.  I owe a large part of this to everyone at WorkMatters who helped stretch my spiritual limits so that I can share the virtues of faith, hope, and love in all aspects of life.

Inspired? Ready? Let’s close it…

David Roth

President, WorkMatters

WorkMatters Logo - Tagline 10-12-12

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2013…Living Life on Purpose

Posted in Faith and Work, Faith at work, Family, Goals, Marriage, Parenting, Purpose, tagged , , , , on January 1, 2013 | Leave a Comment »

Did you look back at 2012 yesterday?

As I wrote down some thoughts and graded myself (yes, I am that analytical) on my faith, marriage, children, work, etc., it beautifully prepared me for 2013. Just as a business forecast comes from historical data, so can the forecast for our lives in 2013!

2013 year beginning blog post

Let’s keep this simple today. I have shared in the past these basic ideas to help you shape your 2013 to live with more purpose. Let me encourage you to block some time, find a quiet place, buy yourself a cup of coffee (or other stimulus), and just think and listen. Write down what comes to you.

If you are a person that needs some structure, try this on for 2013:

  • Purpose – a simple statement that describes your focus for the year.
  • Word – one word that  summarizes your purpose.
  • Verse – a single Bible verse that supports your purpose.
  • Goals – this can be as short (4-5 goals) or as long (family, work, financial, serving) as you wish.
  • Book – this is a freebee…go to Amazon and buy a book that you really need to read. Here’s mine.

I pray that your 2013 focus will intentionally include closing the gap between your work and your faith. That’s WorkMatters purpose and passion for your life!

Let’s do this,

David

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2012…Are You Looking Back?

Posted in Faith, Faith and Work, Faith at work, Family, Goals, Gratitude, Marriage, Parenting, Planning, tagged , , , , , , , on December 31, 2012 | 2 Comments »

Wherever you are around the world, today is a unique day. Every one of us are living the final day of 2012. Will you treat it like any other day?

I have always believed strongly in using the end of the calendar year as an opportunity to both reflect and project. The Bible tells us that “God will call the past to account“ (Ecclesiastes 3:15 NIV). Knowing that God will be “reflecting”, don’t you think  we should, as well?

2012 yearend blog post

Think about your faith, your family, yourself.

What were the highlights, the memories, the markers that altered your life? Did you check an item off of your bucket list?

What were the lowlights, the things you are still struggling with, the things that were so bad but you are now seeing some good?

How did you grow in your faith? What did you intentionally do to make that happen? Did you get more or less involved in a church? Did you read the Bible? Pray? Did you spend time with other men or women sitting in a circle growing?

How about your work? Did you catch a new vision for why your work matters? Did you begin to close the gap that exists between your faith and your work? Did you take a step towards God …attend an event, read a book or a blog, participate in a biblical leadership study?

Let’s stop right there. This is not a guilt trip session. This is a time for honest reflection on both the incredible blessings of 2012, as well as the struggles and missed opportunities of 2012. We can see our God in both of them as we learn from the past to prepare us for the future!

2013 can be a fresh start. It’s a new opportunity. We’ll talk more about that tomorrow. For today, make sure that you invest some time learning from 2012. It will bless you in ways you never imagined.

Closing the gap,

David

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A New Mission

Posted in Faith and Work, Faith at work, Leadership, Purpose, Vision, Work, tagged , , , on November 30, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

For nine years, WorkMatters’ mission – to bridge the gap between faith and work – was perfect.

But not anymore! Churches are beginning to get it. Books have been written. Marketplace ministries are emerging. Universities are beginning to teach it. Simply bridging the gap is no longer good enough.

So this year, as we approach our 10th anniversary in 2013, we have changed our mission to closing the gap between faith and work. I know, it’s only one word, but it’s an enormous change in our focus.

Now we must push into the next generation. We must push beyond just sitting in rows at events where we learn – to sitting in circles in groups where we grow. We must continue to encourage each other. And increasingly, we must equip each other to actually live biblical leadership principles in our work and then export those principles to others in the process.

Closing the Gap graphic

So our mission to “close the gap between faith and work” is both timely and intentional.  In the coming weeks, you will be introduced to some cool new opportunities from WorkMatters. Opportunities that can take your work and your faith to a place of increasing purpose and significance.

Our passion is to help you live a Matthew 22:37-39* life at work in 2013. Are you ready?

David Roth

President, WorkMatters

* Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’…”

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5 Ideas for Giving Thanks

Posted in Appreciation, Faith and Work, Gratitude, Prayer, tagged , , , , , , , on November 19, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

This is my favorite week of the year. Maybe it’s just me, but I see and feel Jesus more in Thanksgiving than I do in the busyness and commercialization of Christmas. How about you?

Regardless of your answer, know this. This week can change your life. This week can change others lives. This week is tailor-made to make a difference.

So, here are a few suggestions for giving thanks:

  1. Send a hand written note to your boss thanking him/her in a genuine and appropriate manner.
  2. Do the same for your President/CEO or location leader. No matter what you think, they need encouragement.
  3. Texts are easy and simple. Pick five people you work with (coworkers, customers, suppliers, partners) and tell them how grateful you are.
  4. Prayer is powerful. Pick five people you work with and thank God for them.
  5. Read 365 Thank You’s before 2013 to be inspired to put into action saying thank you to the myriad of people in your work and personal life who bless you. 

Finally, I want to say thank you to each of you! Thank you for your desire to grow in your faith at work. To be the same person at work that you are in your personal life. To allow your work to be a testimony to others.  And, to many of you, thank you for your heart, time and resources that you have given to WorkMatters in 2012. You have no idea what your encouragement and support mean to us personally and corporately.

May you feel God’s blessings in your life and work this week. Philippians 1:3

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Follow Through Changes the Game

Posted in Excellence, Faith, Faith and Work, Influence, Integrity, Relationships, Work, tagged , , , , , , , , on November 6, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

How often do you let emails or phone messages pile up before you communicate back? Have you ever had a business meeting with a customer, but never followed up with them? Or committed to do something but never followed through with it?

What if Tiger didn’t follow through with his shot? How about you at work?

These are issues we all face at one time or another.  So, what’s the big deal?  Read what our guest blogger, Michael Dodd, former University of Arkansas ASG president, WorkMatters Kairos alumni, and now a Walmart associate in the Merchandise Leadership Program, has to say on this subject…

The Sundown Rule was Sam Walton’s twist on that old adage “why put off until tomorrow what you can do today.” It is still an important part of the Walmart culture and is one reason Walmart is so well known for its customer service. The observation from the Sundown Rule means that Walmart strives to answer requests by sundown on the day they receive them, following through in a big way.

I have learned a few lessons in the workplace as a young associate, but none has stuck with me more so than the importance of following up and delivering what you say you’re going to do. Through many failures and successes, I’ve seen the power that following up has in defining my competence, trust, and in some cases, integrity. I’ve also seen how it can mean a lot to spiritual growth opportunities, as well.

But at what point do you put emails before quality time with others? At what point does it take too long to answer emails, and you just stop answering? Think about this…

  • While email communication is losing value, God desires us to be excellent in our work and in our communication and replying to requests or just shooting a quick “nice to meet you” is something that sets the tone for a relationship.
  • The ability to follow up can add more value to a career or relationship than nearly anything else, by simply being intentional to follow up and doing it in a timely manner.
  • Following up on prayer requests is something that God has been pointing me to do more and more – and revealing his ability to answer prayer can be a great testimony to his power!
  • Following up to set a relationship in motion that could be kingdom-oriented is exactly how you make work a calling.

“For he says, ‘in a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.’ Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” 2 Corinthians 6:2

The more we follow up, the more we are able to influence lives for the Lord. And when we’re too busy to follow up with everyone, we should seek the Lord’s counsel on how best to spend our time.

Mike Duke recently spoke to a UA class that I visited, and passed on this last piece of advice to those of us that were there: “Be trusted first; deliver what you say; when you make a promise, keep it.” As we look toward our Heavenly boss, let us strive to follow up: “I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.” John 17:4

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