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Posts Tagged ‘Prayer’

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.

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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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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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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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Are You Grinding or Grounded at Work?

Posted in Attitude, Faith, Faith and Work, Prayer, Stress, Work, Workplace Prayer, tagged , , , , , on September 27, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

Do you feel like your life is so hectic? Overwhelmed at times by all the busyness?  Grinding through your day and feeling on edge about everything? You are not alone!

Are you grinding through your workday? Too busy and always feeling stressed?

Now that summer is a distant memory, life is crazy again. It’s early to rise and late to bed around our house and the pace is non-stop.  I’ve noticed that there are some days where my work seems harder, my attitude is less than stellar and my creativity has gone AWOL for the day.

Why is it that some days I feel like I’m grinding through the day and other days I feel grounded.  Is there anything in particular about my morning routine that explains the difference? Nothing obvious comes to mind. Then I thought about yesterday – it was a good day – yes, I was busy (i.e I’m writing this blog at midnight) but I felt at peace throughout the day. The possible answer? I had a morning conversation with God.

Yesterday I had a little extra time before getting ready for work, so I decided to take a quick morning walk.  While I walk, I have the best conversations with God.  I talk, but I also listen.  When I finish my walk, I have “a peace that transcends all understanding.” Phil 4:7.  And that peace keeps me feeling GROUNDED all day instead of feeling like I’m GRINDING all day.

If you can invest some time, here are a few ideas for your morning prayer time:

  1. Your prayers don’t have to be marathons.  If you don’t have a lot of time, give yourself 10 minutes. If that isn’t possible, then pray while you’re getting ready or driving to work. “Never stop praying” 1 Thes 5:17 (NLT)
  2. Listen to the bible.  I have the YouVersion Bible app on my phone. There is an option to listen to the scriptures being read. You can listen to it while getting ready, exercising or driving.
  3. Get grounded. Paul sums it up perfectly when he said “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation… present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Phil 4:6-7

Want more suggestions? Check out our website on Workplace Prayer.

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5 Things to Consider While Locked in a Stairwell

Posted in Adversity, Jesus, Marriage, Prayer, Relationships, Time, tagged , , , , , , on September 8, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

Being locked in a stairwell was not on my list of things to do this morning. As I sat on those cold concrete steps, God taught me a few lessons I thought worthy of sharing with you.

  1. Be thankful you stopped at Starbucks first.
  2. Be thankful you didn’t leave your phone next to your keys.
  3. Be thankful your wife has a sense of humor.

Seriously,

  1. Slow down! I am always thinking, always moving forward. What am I missing?
  2. Why am I where I am right now? Beyond the obvious stupidity answer, the stairwell has reminded me that God allows things to happen in my life to get my attention.
  3. Quiet time! Ironically, the reason I am locked in a stairwell at work is because I came here to deliver a book to a business leader I met with yesterday. Title of the book? “Quiet Time”! We need to find a quiet place (like a concrete stairwell) to talk and listen to Jesus.
  4. Who are my 2? When I got locked in the stairwell, my first phone call was to my awesome wife. But who would my second call go to? Who is the brother (ladies … sister) who I have developed a relationship with, who I have invested time with, who I can share the real me with … that I would call to save me from my stupidity?
  5. Did I mention slow down?

“But seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”   Matthew 6:33

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Praying for Leaders Today

Posted in Leadership, Prayer, tagged , , , on May 3, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

Today is National Day of Prayer. I can’t share a more fitting post today than the email I received this morning from Sam Bates, my teammate at WorkMatters. Tomorrow 125,000 leaders will assemble in 800 locations around the world to grow as leaders at the Chick-fil-A Leadercast.

WorkMatters is hosting three sites this year, two in northwest Arkansas and one at WorkMatters Marietta (GA). Over 2,200 leaders will participate in our WorkMatters Leadercasts! We are so excited and so blessed to be used by God in this powerful way to help build more purposeful leaders. And, we are grateful to be able to partner with such a humble and excellent organization as GiANT Impact, who delivers the Leadercast. Here is Sam’s message:

I wanted to let you know how grateful we have been for the prayers all of you have offered over these past couple of weeks.  It is such a comfort to know that others are lifting us up in prayer during this  busy time. 

It’s  hard to believe that all these months of work will come together tomorrow.  We have exceeded last year’s ticket sales now in Rogers, Ar and have surpassed our goal for ticket sales in your first year of hosting the Leadercast in Fayetteville, Ar.  We have more volunteers (100) than ever before serving and have had incredible Leadership teams helping us in so many ways.  It’s good to pause for just a moment in the middle of the crazy busy details of the Leadercast and reflect on all that God has allowed us to accomplish.

WorkMatters has a location in Marietta, Georgia as well that is hosting the Leadercast.  They have blown the roof off their goals as well and are now “standing room only” with well over 500 in attendance.  Praise God!!

If you would just continue to pray today for all the many details to come together for all locations, especially for our brand new location in Fayetteville and our friends in Marietta, Ga we would be grateful.  Please pray that some will experience life change and will draw closer to the Father as a result of attending tomorrow.

We are very excited about tomorrow and truly looking forward to a great day!

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Are You Courageous at Home and Work?

Posted in Culture, Faith, Family, Friendship, Influence, Integrity, Jesus, Job Search, Marriage, Money, Parenting, Prayer, Trust, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on October 6, 2011 | 1 Comment »

Yesterday was the 20th anniversary of one of the most important days of my life. On October 5, 1991, Theresa and I said “I do and I will”!

In honor of that day 20 years ago, we spent the entire day together just having fun. We reflected on the past 20 years. We looked at old pictures, we told stories, we laughed, we questioned why on a few things that have happened in our lives. We shared two fabulous meals. We visited the site of the soon to open world renowned Crystal Bridges Museum.

And then we went to the movies. But this was not just any movie. This was a movie about life. About the very fabric of why we are here. About our marriages, our children, our work, and our faith. About being COURAGEOUS in living with great purpose in each of those arenas of life.

You may be familiar with the organization that also brought us the movies Fireproof and Facing the Giants. These are powerful examples of using media to impact our culture in positive ways.

For men and women, but especially Dad’s, take the time this weekend to see this movie. I find it impossible to believe that your life at home and at work will not be profoundly impacted.

Proverbs 22:6

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“How To” Tips for Relationship with God at Work

Posted in Bible, Faith and Work, God, Prayer, Serve, Seven Pillars of Faith and Work, Small Groups, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on September 26, 2011 | 1 Comment »

For those of you that could not attend the WorkMatters Eight to Five event in early September, here are some tools to help you on your faith@work journey.

This month we are focusing on the first and most important of the Seven Pillars of Faith at Work – RELATIONSHIP. Here are seven simple “how to” tips to help you be successful in abiding with God at work:

  1. Morning bible reading and prayer - include your work!
  2. Wear a wrist band as a reminder to “think God.”
  3. Meet weekly with trusted co-workers to discuss/pray for your work.
  4. Ask God for his peace in your work.  Start watching for it.
  5. Crazy but…the privacy of the bathroom makes an awesome prayer room.
  6. Over lunch one day, fast and serve in a food kitchen or homeless shelter.
  7. Be intentional with the Seven Pillars of Faith at Work.

What suggestions do you have?

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