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Archive for the ‘Planning’ Category

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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Too Many Priorities?

Posted in Balance, Faith and Work, Leadership, Planning, Prayer, Purpose, Workplace Prayer on April 2, 2012 | 1 Comment »

Many times we rush into a new week after a super hectic weekend with way more on our plate than what we might have remembered being there on Friday.  Most of the time, all that work stuff that we thought we would get done early Saturday morning or maybe Sunday evening gets taken over by all the other priorities of the weekend.  Well, I guess that is often how I feel entering Monday morning.  Is it just me?

As I enter this new week, I find that I have many competing priorities and most of them feel like they need to get done immediately.  There are times when it seems that it all needs to get done, but often times I get lost in trying to make the decision of what to do first.  (Guess I need to read Steven Covey’s “First Things First” again…).   Yes, I know that I need to focus on the most important things and not necessarily just what seems most urgent.  I sometimes however,  need help knowing which is which because that often changes from week to week.

Our Lord is once again waiting and wondering why I don’t just ask Him about it.   He sees the big picture as opposed to our perspective of not even seeing the next step and will most willingly be our guide if we would just submit to his leadership.   Our plans should be His plans, therefore, we are most likely out of step with His will if we don’t seek Him in regards to our priorities.

Hopefully you will take some time today at the beginning of another super busy work week and step back to ask for His direction and for His clarity.  As the day/week progresses this constant seeking of guidance will make a huge difference in how you get it all done this week.  You will most likely look back at the end of the week and see that somehow you accomplished much more than you thought you would AND you will realize where your help came from.

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need.  Luke 12:31

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Discovering Your Calling

Posted in Calling, Faith and Work, Planning, Purpose, Seven Pillars of Faith and Work, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on February 24, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

Why should we care what work we do? Why should we care where we work? It’s just work right? It’s something we have to do. We have to pay the bills, so we work.

          If that is our perspective, we are surrendering half of our lives                     to the landfill. 


One of our WorkMatters Seven Pillars of Faith at Work  is CALLING. This is the idea of aligning our God-given gifts and skills and passions with our work. But why should we care? How about this:

  1. We spend half our lives working. Shouldn’t it have purpose and meaning?
  2. Work is hard. Many of us are dissatisfied and frustrated.
  3. God cares about our work!

Let’s clarify what Calling is. As human beings, we are called into a personal relationship with Jesus. Then as believers, He calls us all to “go and make disciples of all nations”. This is a universal Calling which applies equally to all of us.

But, we have a 2nd Calling…to do the work that God created us to do! In Jeremiah 1:5, God said, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

God has a job for us to do!

The question is, will we invest the time and effort to better understand our calling? Most people don’t. They are essentially stagnant until they feel forced to make a move or they are reactive to a phone call. We need to be proactive in understanding who we are, what our skills are and what brings us joy.

Seven Ideas to Discover Your Calling

  1. Intimate relationship with God: pray, listen, wait, obey
  2. Learn who you are
  3. Step out of your comfort zone
  4. Determine the difference between a great idea…and an assignment from God
  5. Seek counsel
  6. Beware of your Enemy
  7. When its time…be courageous!

This should get you started. Don’t wait until you are forced to consider your calling. Invest some time now. Stay true to your current work. God has you there. Do it with Excellence. But spend some time on these seven ideas. It will change your life!

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Lessons Learned from the Tornado

Posted in Adversity, Faith and Work, Leadership, Planning, Serve on January 23, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

Rob Hey continues to share his thoughts  this month on how we can serve more effectively at work.

It is amazing to see people around the office that will step up and serve when the time calls for it.  We all have talents and gifts that can be used in powerful ways if we will just decide that serving is a priority and open our eyes to the opportunities that present themselves all over the workplace.  These opportunities can come from all kinds of directions.  Let me share a story with you about someone I work with who was a real inspiration to me in this way.

We all remember the tornado that went through Joplin, MO last year as if it were yesterday.  It was one of those moments in life you will always remember what you were doing when you heard about the devastation so close to home.  The next day at the office, so many people were asking, “what can we do”?  Several wanted to immediately drive to Joplin to help with the recovery effort, yet nobody was really sure how to get started or what to do.  After listening quietly to all the concern throughout the day, one of our associates, John, asked if he could talk to me in my office.  John lives in Monett, MO, very close to Joplin, and had served as a Missouri State Trooper in a previous career.  In a very short amount of time, John showed me a plan he had put on paper of how many volunteers we would need around the clock to feed emergency workers in downtown Joplin.  The plan included supplies, location, emergency phone numbers, vehicles, and everything else that would have us serving food within a couple of hours.  Once the plan was in place, the volunteers were assembled and a schedule was put together allowing us to serve food in Joplin for the next two weeks.

What started as concern and a lot of uncertainty, quickly turned into action when one person stepped up with a plan.  Over the next two weeks, our entire office staff had taken time out of their schedule to serve emergency workers in Joplin.

Many times in our day-to-day routine, it just takes someone to step up and provide the leadership necessary to make something happen.  So many people around you want to help serve others, yet they don’t know where to start.  As you start to respond to these opportunities, your co-workers will be inspired by the example you set and serving others can become a common part of your workplace experience.

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Begin with the End in Mind

Posted in Decisions, Excellence, Faith and Work, Goals, Planning on November 22, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

Trying to define excellence is like trying to say how long a string is.  I’ve talked a little about the process of determining our strengths, understanding our job, and defining expectations as a process to excellence.  And so, excellence will be different for everyone.

But I’m reminded of another way to approach this.  One of Steven Covey’s 7 habits (from his book Seven Habits of Highly Effective People) is to begin with the end in mind.  This can apply to an immediate task, a career, or even your life.  In fact, he suggests a mental exercise to help with this by imagining you are a witness to your own funeral.  What would you hope people say about you?  Specifically, your children, your spouse, your friends, your co-workers, your boss?

            John Piper, in a blog last month called “Desiring God” was talking about funerals, and how the idea that we have a limited time on earth tends to give us focus on what’s important.  He writes about Steve Jobs, and how Jobs’ cancer focused him.  He cites this excerpt from an interview with Walter Isaacson: He talked a lot to me about what happened when he got sick and how it focused him. He said he no longer wanted to go out, no longer wanted to travel the world. He would focus on the products. He knew the couple of things he wanted to do, which was the iPhone and then the iPad.

Piper goes on to say: The wisdom Steve Jobs learned, he said, was this: Do a couple things, and do them well. You don’t have time for much. And most of things are not lasting. So do two or three things, and do them amazingly.

            But Piper goes one step further and reminds us that as Christians, those things we do should also be under the authority of the Lord and pleasing to him.  He reminds us of a verse from Paul’s writings:  Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.  (1Corinthians 15:58 NLT). 

            Therefore, if we focus on excellence, and do so under the authority of God, we will not only excel, but the work we do will be useful for the Kingdom of God — whatever we do.  We can have excellence, and work that matters.

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2011…A Defining Year?

Posted in Goals, Planning, Purpose on January 3, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

Friends,

Welcome to 2011! Unless you are a Razorback fan in New Orleans for tomorrow night’s Sugar Bowl, you are likely at work today with a new year and new priorities staring you in the face.

It has always been important to me to reflect on the year past and to pray about the year ahead. We need to slow down long enough to count our blessings and learn from our mistakes…and to look ahead to see how we can live our life with more purpose. If you haven’t already, let me encourage you to block some time (maybe this weekend?), 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 2011:

  • Verse – a single Bible verse or quote that frames up your theme for the year.
  • Word – a simple word that you can easily remember that provides focus.
  • Purpose – a statement that describes your focus for the year.
  • Goals – this can be as short (4-5 goals) or as long (family, work, financial, social, serving goals) as you wish.
  • Book – this is a freebee…go to Amazon or Barnes & Noble and buy a book that you really need to read.

I pray that your 2011 focus will very intentionally include your faith and how you can choose to be the same person at work that your are in your personal life!

To a defining year,

David

P.S. Thank you for praying for us and with us over the past 60 days! As soon as we close the financial book on 2010 we will share with you what God did! 2010 was an extraordinary year at WorkMatters. And our Board and Staff are more excited about 2011 than any year of our seven years of serving you in the  marketplace (more on that tomorrow).

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60 Days…The Next Generation

Posted in Faith and Work, Influence, Leadership, Planning, tagged on December 30, 2010 | Leave a Comment »

Yesterday, our team spent some time praying, planning and preparing for this upcoming new year.  We are so pumped about how God is using WorkMatters and the opportunities he has provided.  I was thinking about all the wonderful places that God led us this past year and my thoughts kept going to our new ministry for young professionals called ENGAGE!.  I know we have mentioned it before during these 60 Day posts, but as I have been contemplating this upcoming year, this ministry really excites me with its incredible potential for the marketplace!

We have some amazing young people with a deep and authentic passion for letting their light shine in the marketplace.  This is a group of dedicated young men and women who are investing a great deal of time to lead and launch this new ministry that seems to really be meeting a specific need.  Today, I want you to hear about ENGAGE! from the people that are making this happen.  The ENGAGE! Leadership Team put together a video that will hopefully inspire you.  Just click on the link below and you’ll see what I mean.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yXKjFVwx3Y&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

Please pray for the ENGAGE! Leadership Team and for God to bless their efforts for the Kingdom in a powerful way in 2011!

Blessings!

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60 Days…Paul on Prayer

Posted in Goals, Influence, Planning, Prayer, Wisdom on December 29, 2010 | Leave a Comment »

Friends,

Consider these words of the apostle Paul from his first letter to Timothy:

“I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people.  Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them.  Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.  This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.  For their is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Jesus Christ.  He gave his life  to purchase freedom for everyone.  This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time.  And I have been chosen as a preacher and apostle to teach the Gentiles this message about faith and truth.  I’m not exaggerating—just telling the truth.

And in every place of worship, I want men to pray with holy hands lifted up to God, free from anger and controversy.”  (I Tim 2: 1-8)

The NKJV translation of verse 8 reads ” I desire therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.”

As you read this over, think about it in the context of your workplace. Think about how our work life would be transformed if all believers began to intentionally pray for our work using the message from Paul above as a guide.

As you think about your plans for  2011, consider the teaching of Paul when he instructs Timothy that the first thing he wants him to do is pray.

Have a blessed day!

 

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60 Days…Time Well Spent

Posted in Balance, Planning, Prayer on December 27, 2010 | Leave a Comment »

As this new week begins, I know many of you are will be going back to work after a busy holiday weekend.  I hope that everyone had a fantastic time and were able to spend time with family and celebrating the birth of our Savior.  It has been non-stop for our family and now that everyone is beginning to make their way home, I am looking forward to some serious quiet time this week.

David and I have often talked about the value of this week between Christmas and New Years.  As far back as I can remember, this week has usually been a vacation week for my family.  Our parents have always lived far away from us, so normally we were traveling.  I have always enjoyed the opportunity to get up early, make my hot cup of coffee and spend time alone with the Lord praying and thinking about the upcoming year.  This week has provided many moments of clarity and inspiration as I spent some long, uninterrupted time with the Lord very early in the morning.

I hope as this week begins, you will find extended periods of alone time to pray, plan, journal or spend time in the Word.  As this year draws to a close, it will be helpful to reflect on how God has moved in your life over this past year. Write down the blessings and challenges of this past year and as you write, you will find how God has impacted your life.  Pray those blessings back to God as praise and worship!

As often as possible Jesus withdrew to out-of-the-way places for prayer. Luke 5:16 (The Message)

Blessings!

Sam

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60 Days…Power Through Prayer

Posted in Encouragement, Planning, Prayer on December 18, 2010 | Leave a Comment »

Friends,

E.M Bounds wrote what many consider the “greatest book on prayer ever written.”  The book is called, “Power Through Prayer.” I remember reading it for the first time when I was a freshman at Harding University many years ago. It was one of those books that had a profound impact on my spiritual growth and development.  I have since read many other excellent books on prayer, but none have ever surpassed this classic.  Over the next couple of days, allow me to share a few passages from this book that have both blessed and convicted me.

“The men who have done the most for God in this world have been early on their knees.  He who fritters away the early morning, its opportunities and freshness, in other pursuits than seeking God will make poor headway seeking Him the rest of the day.  If God is not first in our thoughts and efforts in the morning, He will be in last place the remainder of the day.”  E.M. Bounds

As another year draws to a close, please consider this as you are making plans for 2011.

Blessings!

Sam

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