At Work On Purpose

Over-Employed and Out-of-Balance

2010-08-30T09:43:00.000-04:00

In today’s marketplace, all of us are painfully familiar with unemployment (no job) and under-employment (work that does not tap our full potential). These are realities in our working world that are likely to be chronic problems for the foreseeable future.

Interestingly though, the media isn’t addressing another employment condition that is reaching epidemic levels – I like to call it “over-employment”. This is when the volume of work exceeds the sustaining capacity of the employee. In popular terms, it’s when we find ourselves “buried” at work.

The key cause of over-employment is obvious – employers, facing profit pressures, are cutting costs by reducing the number of employees responsible for sustaining the same volume of work. While we can shoulder this load for a time, it can become an overload in a hurry!

As early as Genesis in the Bible, we see God modeling a manageable pace to work and a definitive time to rest. In Genesis 1 and 2, God creates the universe in stages, one day at a time, over the course of six days. On the seventh day, God rests and blesses His creation. More than that, he makes the day of rest holy (Genesis 2:3).

Both at work and at home, in our contemporary society, the pacing is harried and resting is elusive. As Christians, this is an area where we need to lead by example. We need to set boundaries around how much we work, and how often we rest. Take the initiative to frame this out and find balance in your life!

Giving: It’s Our Full-Time Job in Life - Part 2

2010-07-27T08:45:00.003-04:00

Second in a Series

We need to steward the prosperity we create at work, not just pocket it. But what’s the best approach?

First, let’s define what prosperity is: a condition of wealth.

Defining Prosperity and Stewardship
What exactly does prosperity, or wealth, mean to you? Is it money? Possessions? Leisure? True prosperity, true wealth, encompasses much more. Priceless blessings include our health, a free society, beauty of nature, the pleasure of friendships and the joy of helping others. Have you set artificial limits on your concept of prosperity?

Now think about stewardship. Stewardship is the administration of wealth. How do you define stewardship? Saving? Investing? Protecting? Strong stewardship is all this and more:

We push past ourselves to serve other people.
We deny some of our wants to meet some of the world’s needs.
Strong stewardship is a critical component in building God’s kingdom, here and now.

In a spiritual sense, we own nothing and steward everything. God calls us to steward our wealth, and God shows us how. We begin with gratitude for what we have. We proceed with determination to serve others, as well as ourselves.

How to Succeed in Stewardship
Success in stewardship is all about technique. It’s about mastering the fundamentals. It’s about giving generously of our time and harnessing the best of our talent. It’s about sharing our treasure.

You’ve heard these words before: time, talent and treasure. But have you ever really lived them?

Think about time. ALL of us have exactly the same 24 hours in a day. Yet some people are much more generous than others with those 24 hours. Some people really show up when you need them; others disappear into the woodwork.

Think about talent. Harnessing talent is at the center of successful stewardship. People give their best service where they’re best suited. This is how we give God our greatest “return on investment.”

Think about treasure. God doesn’t just recommend that we share financially. He commands it! In Malachi 3:8-10, God says, “You rob me . . . in tithes and offerings. You are under a curse because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this, says the Lord Almighty, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.”

Making a Difference
How much have you contributed to that storehouse?

Are you giving time?
Are you harnessing talent?
Are you sharing treasure?

When we combine these three stewardship techniques, we create a greater good. We make a difference, as well as a dollar.

Giving: It’s Our Full-Time Job in Life

2010-06-28T09:50:00.002-04:00

First in a Series

In Luke 12:48, scripture teaches that “from everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” So, let’s ask ourselves:
How much has God given us?
How much more will he ask of us?
How do we take care of what God’s entrusted to us?

We believe God creates each one of us for a special purpose. The vision of At Work on Purpose is to unleash full Christian commitment and contribution, advancing God’s kingdom, in and through work.

Our “job” in life is to glorify God in all we do, including our work. When we go to work with God, we experience what it’s like to be part of something much bigger than we are. It gives us ordinary people an opportunity to do extraordinary things!

What Fuels At Work on Purpose?
The engine behind At Work on Purpose is a model we call THE POWER PROFILE. This model is about power in the sense of electricity, the charge we get when we plug into God’s will for our work.

THE POWER PROFILE helps Christians fulfill The Great Commandment and The Great Commission in the workplace. The Great Commandment is to love God and others. The Great Commission is to develop disciples. This model focuses us on four key things, the four P’s:

Purpose. Determining God’s purpose for our work
Pursuit. Pursuing our work purpose to God’s standards
People. Growing people as we go – professionally and personally
Prosperity. Stewarding the prosperity that God grants us through work

When we follow God’s purpose for our work, and grow people as we go, God blesses that effort. Prosperity follows and points out how much we’ve been given and how much is expected of us.

So how much has God given us? In the eternal sense, everything. Scripture tells us, in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Or, as the Apostle Paul explains in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ.” Jesus’ sacrificial death reconciles us with God, and enables us to spend eternity with him.

We celebrate the promise of eternity, but we often miss the gifts God grants us every day. They’re so familiar, we take them for granted.

Growing in Christ’s Likeness, Focusing on Others
We are given a great deal on a material level and on a spiritual level as Christians. And to whom much is given, much is demanded. If WE are the body of Christ, how should we respond?

As the body of Christ, we need to grow in Christ’s likeness. Consider Matthew 16:24, where Jesus says, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” Or, from the Apostle Paul in Romans 6:11-13, “Count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus . . . offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness.” We must deny our own plans, and follow God’s plans.

On a material level, we need to focus more on the needs of others, rather than ourselves. Jesus describes this kind of righteousness in Matthew 25: 35-45, “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” And then later, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”

What is the bottom line? God calls us to make a difference as well as a dollar.

Next in the series: steward the prosperity we create at work, not just pocket it

Census 2010 – Precedence is Not Law

2010-06-08T09:38:00.001-04:00

One of my favorite lines in the “welcome letter” of my census mentioned that if I don’t fill this out, I or my community might not be eligible for tax dollars to build roads and other government sponsored structures.

I understand the constitutional main use of the census to be determining the number of representatives for regions from Article 1 Section 2.

http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_transcript.html

And the 14^th Amendment Section 2

http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_amendments_11-27.html

Well – they’re asking mostly for how many people live in my house, the SSN/DOB of my kids, and our ethnic backgrounds. (What if a friend or family member was living with me trying to get back on their feet? The IRS gets my dependent’s SSNs/DOB. Why is the color of my skin relevant?)

http://2010.census.gov/2010census/why/constitutional.php

Now the Census Bureau cites their ability to do this based on precedence. If the Census is asking for this information now (and we’re not sure exactly WHY they’d need to know ethnic info and SSNs), what will they be asking for next time? My issue with this, is this principle:

Precedence is Not Law. And as a result, we just need to be aware of what We the People actually want from our government in regards to securing our Liberties.

I cite what Jesus taught about this precedence issue in regards to divorce in Matthew 19:3-8

3 Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?"

4 "Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,'

5 and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'?

6 So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."

7 "Why then," they asked, "did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?"

8 Jesus replied, "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning.

In this regard, we need to watch more closely what we somewhat blindly do or are asked to do – like how some retail stores ask for your phone number so they can get your address and put you on mailing and call lists. This principle applies to all legislation. It’s not that the census is “necessary”, but it’s all in how you look at what’s going on. I did fill mine out by the way as I pick my battles (don’t get me started on taxes). Did you have fun filling yours out, or did you sort of feel a little intimidated to do it and question some things? For me, I would rather have simply replied with “2 voting adults and 2 kids”.

Spiritual Triangulation: Good Things Come in Threes

2010-05-05T12:13:00.003-04:00

Within the scripture of Colossians 3:23-24, we find three themes that empower us to “triangulate” our way to greater spiritual significance at work. This is the significance we can find in any job, at any point in our careers. Here’s how it works:

Theme One: Purpose
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart . . .”

This theme reminds us that every kind of work can be spiritually significant, and therefore purposeful, if we approach it in God’s way. We need to focus on the “who” and the “how”, not the “what” and the “where”. The world is most interested in “what” – what kind of work do you do? Is it lucrative? And in “where” – where do you work? Is it prestigious?

In contrast, God is interested in the “who” and the “how”:

Who are you serving spiritually at work? Spiritual service at work may sound mysterious or even intimidating. But it doesn’t need to. Think of it as simply ministering to the people right in front of you at work. For example, it’s spiritual service to pray for a colleague who is grieving the loss of a loved one.

How are you serving to God’s glory? Serving may be “going the extra mile” to expedite an order for a customer who is behind. God can use these acts in powerful ways. When people ask why we are doing these things on their behalf, God has given us an opportunity to share our faith with them.

Theme Two: Authority
“. . . as working for the Lord, not for men . . .”

This theme reminds us that God is our ultimate boss. And we need to obey Him by standing firm in His standards. This sounds nice, but it’s a tough challenge when the standards of God and the standards of our employer don’t mesh well.

Typically, when you bring issues forward to an employer in a clear and constructive way, the employer is willing to work toward a positive resolution. The solution may not be perfect, or even permanent, but there is usually progress. In that rare, but real, instance when an employer refuses to work toward a positive resolution, we need to find a different employer!

Theme Three: Reward
“. . . since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.”

This theme reminds us that God is looking for our faithfulness to Him at work, and He will reward it accordingly. God’s reward is not about the present, like a raise or a promotion, but rather about the future.

The word “inheritance” is our clue here. We inherit something when the old passes away and the new begins to emerge. The Bible speaks in the context of the current heaven and earth passing away, and a new heaven and earth rising up into eternity.

It is in this eternal future that we will find our reward with God, working alongside him to advance his kingdom throughout the universe. A spiritually significant future indeed, reminding us that good things come in threes: Spiritual Triangulation!

Coaching: The Ultimate Discipling

2010-04-09T09:58:00.001-04:00

Part 2 in a Two-Part Series

In Part 1, we looked at “Discipling is More than just Sharing the Good News,” capturing the discipling process that Peter and Jesus used. In Part 2, let’s explore the practical application of becoming a “Comprehensive Coach.” “Comprehensive” invites us to reach both Christians and non-Christians, and becoming a “coach” reminds us to use language that can be understood and embraced by a wide range of people.

Steps to Becoming a Comprehensive Coach
We start by reaching out to connect with a person based on reputation and relationship. Next, we begin diving in to understand the person’s situation, based on issues and insecurities. We proceed by anchoring down, or cementing, the coaching relationship based on clarity and consistency. The final step is building up a person to develop character and capabilities based on education and encouragement.

Although I’ve laid out steps in a straightforward manner, spiritual coaching is a bit unpredictable. We may be moving through a step, and need to retreat. We may get distracted or spiritually sidetracked. Regardless, when we get involved with discipling, the steps may not be readily stacked or easy to negotiate.

Step 1: Reaching Out
In scripture, we see how Jesus reaches out to Peter. Andrew, Peter’s brother, brings Peter to Jesus because of Jesus’ remarkable reputation as a rabbi. Consider John 1:40-42: “Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, ‘We have found the Messiah.’ And [Andrew] brought [Simon] to Jesus. Jesus looked at [Simon] and said, ‘You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas.’”.

Step 2: Diving In
Jesus gets involved as Peter confronts challenges. A key issue for Peter occurs when his mother-in law suddenly becomes ill, and Jesus steps in. Consider Luke 4:38-39: “Jesus left the synagogue and went to the home of Simon. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Jesus to help her. So he bent over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her.”

Step 3: Anchoring Down
Jesus anchors down the spiritual coaching relationship through teaching opportunities that produce clarity and consistency. A great example of this is when Jesus helps Peter confirm clearly that He is the Messiah. In addition to clarity, Jesus provides complete consistency in His coaching with Peter. Over and over again in scripture, Jesus helps Peter internalize his “rock solid” role in the emerging Christian church.

Step 4: Building Up
Jesus’ rounds out Peter’s spiritual coaching by building up his capabilities and character through education and encouragement. Perhaps one of Jesus’ most powerful and poignant teaching moments is when He demonstrates servant leadership by washing the disciples’ feet, beginning with Peter.

The Ultimate Discipling: to “Make Disciples of All Nations”
Jesus built up Peter as a disciple, and called him to become a discipler. Jesus commanded him to leave the vocation of fisherman, and undertake the vocation of a shepherd, a spiritual leader. As Peter followed Jesus’ command, he entered the next level of his comprehensive coaching curriculum on a massive scale. Peter reached out to the world as an apostle with the confidence, commitment and consistency he never achieved earlier, as a disciple.

Like Peter, we need to follow God’s call to “make disciples of all nations.” We need to be discipled, and to disciple. We also need to be coached, and to coach others.

Putting the “New” into Perspective

2009-12-28T15:18:00.002-05:00

The book of Revelation is challenging to read, but inspiring to consider. The apostle John describes the end of life, as we have known it, and the beginning of a fresh start in Christ. Consider the Bible’s description of the new Jerusalem in Revelation 21:1-4:

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

New year. New start. New perspective.

With this “bigger picture” in place, we can have a healthy spiritual context for the smaller “new beginnings” in front of us for 2010. No matter how challenging the past year has been for us, we can find avenues for progress by starting with ourselves.

The apostle Paul gives us timeless direction for self-renewal in Romans 12:2: “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

As you reflect on your resolutions for the New Year, consider these questions:

In what areas of your life do you conform to the world, rather than mature in Christ? Consider these opportunities for you to let go of priorities or passions that do not honor God, and can pull you away from the path He has for your life.
Do you intentionally focus on renewing your mind? Do you take time to pray, study God’s word, and learn from fellow Christians? Consider these opportunities to redirect your focus in line with God’s will for your life.
How do you gauge your thoughts and actions from a spiritual perspective? Would God smile on the direction your life has been taking? Consider these opportunities to check your progress, and stick to the straight and narrow path.

As the New Year represents new opportunities, resolve to honor God, focus on His will and walk the path with Him.

Discipling: The Ultimate Team-Building Experience

2009-11-12T15:18:00.001-05:00

Discipling: The Ultimate Team-Building Experience

Part 1 in a Series

Discipling is More than just Sharing the Good News

You’ve heard the expression “a company’s greatest asset is its people.” If that’s true, why are people so often shortchanged as organizations push for profits and prestige?

In fact, people are invaluable to organizations. Unfortunately, when you look back over you career, probably just a handful of colleagues cared enough to invest significantly in your development. On the other hand, remember the blessing of that rare manager, or colleague, who cared about your development at work. Exhibiting selflessness and generosity, these people gave the best of themselves to grow the best in others.

They exhibited the qualities found in Matthew 28:19, the Great Commission, to “make disciples of all nations.” Discipling is much more than just sharing the Good News, or coming to Christ. It’s sharing God’s truth AND strengthening its application.

Living out the Great Commission at Work

Discipling is not just relevant at church, or on the weekends. It’s relevant anywhere and anytime that God gives us an opportunity. This includes the workplaces where we spend 20, 40 or even 60 hours every week.

At Work on Purpose® understands the need for a practical approach to live out the Great Commission at work. That’s why we’ve created a model called THE POWER PROFILE® to help workplace Christians fulfill The Great Commission and The Great Commandment.

The Great Commission: to make disciples.

The Great Commandment: to love God and to love others.

THE POWER PROFILE focuses us on four key things:

Purpose: determining God’s purpose for our work
Pursuit: pursuing our work purpose to God’s standards
People: growing people as we go – professionally and personally
Prosperity: stewarding the prosperity that God grants us through work

How do we bring professional and personal development to work by sharing wisdom, which is ultimately the Gospel? Most of the work world isn’t Christian. It’s filled with spiritual seekers who are unconvinced, spiritual sleepers who are unaware and spiritual snipers who are uncomfortable. Even worse, we Christians typically behave no differently at work than our non-Christian colleagues.

The bottom line? We’re created in God’s image, and we have great value to Him. Yet, we fall short of God’s glory, as we struggle to grow closer to Him.

The Process of Discipling

Discipling is the patient process of polishing diamonds in the rough; polishing each other toward spiritual maturity.

Discipling takes time. We may take two steps forward and one step back.
Discipling takes method. It works best when it’s life-on-life, long term, and Biblically based.
Discipling takes acceptance. We need to accept that, because of our imperfection, our discipling experiences will be imperfect.

Perhaps no disciple in history better illustrates this challenge than the apostle Peter. He was our quintessential diamond in the rough, with many jagged edges. Like all of us, Peter fell far short of God’s glory. Yet, through Christ, he radiated God’s glory!

The Peter Principle and Paradox

It’s from the disciple Peter that we have the work world concept of The Peter Principle: people rise to their level of incompetence. However, the Bible reveals something far more hopeful. Through Christ, Peter grew from an erratic disciple to an exemplary apostle. The Peter Paradox: people can rise beyond their level of incompetence.

Peter and Jesus modeled the process of discipling, which is as relevant today – even at work – as it was over 2,000 years ago. Peter and Jesus demonstrated discipling results in spiritual growth. A discipled person grows in Christ, and then invests in others to do the same.

Part 2: Coaching: The Ultimate Discipling

Faith at Work: A Voice in the Wilderness?

2009-07-23T10:56:00.003-04:00

At work when you speak or act in faith, do you feel like a voice in the wilderness?

Have you built God’s plan into your work?

Is your formula, for work purpose, God’s formula?

God makes a purposeful declaration in Jeremiah 29:11 . . . “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” God repeatedly uses the word “plans.” Plans for you. Plans to prosper you, including your work.

Building God’s Plans into Our Work

Our work purpose belongs to God. Ultimately, our work isn’t about us. It’s about Him. For the workplace Christian, loving Mondays is about loving God enough to surrender ourwork plans for His work plans.

This is not easy to do. We work in a world that focuses on the self: self preservation, self development, self advancement and self fulfillment. All these things can be good, but they’re incomplete. We quickly come to the end of ourselves, the end of our capabilities. Also, we’re a fallen people; we consistently fall short in serving others as we serve ourselves.

The World’s Formula for Work Purpose

Like us, the world’s formula for work purpose is incomplete. We can consider the world’s formula for work purpose to be Passion + Performance + Profitability = Worldly Purpose.

Passion—work we love. This is a good thing, as long as the passions we hold are in line with God’s passions. But what happens when our passions are misdirected? In an extreme example, what happens if we’re a dictator, passionate about persecuting people on the basis of faith? Passion is necessary for fully purposeful work, but it’s not sufficient.

Performance—doing well at the work we do. Once again, this is a good thing when we’re working hard at things that God smiles upon. God has given each of us gifts – skills – to use at work. But misdirected, extreme examples can include the promotion of pornography, the abuse of children and the deception of shareholders. Performance is necessary for fully purposeful work, but it’s not sufficient.

Profitability—doing work that can support us financially. God has plans to prosper us. He desires us to meet all our financial needs, but not necessarily all our financial wants. What happens when wealth becomes our ultimate goal? Profitability is necessary for fully purposeful work, but it’s not sufficient.

When all we do is follow the formula of the world, all we have is a worldly purpose that easily leaves God out of the equation.

God’s Formula for Work Purpose

God’s formula for work purpose takes the best of passion, performance, and profitability and replaces the rest with elements far more significant and enduring: Perception +Perseverance + Perspective = Godly Purpose.

I believe a way to illustrate God’s formula is to explore the life of the apostle Paul. Paul is a towering figure in the New Testament and an icon of fully purposeful work.

Paul perceived the need to transcend his own passions to take ownership of God’s passions. Paul’s work life also shows us that perception alone isn’t enough. We can perceive what needs to be done, and still fail to do it.

Paul persevered in coupling his vast knowledge of Old Testament Scripture to the requirements of emerging Christian doctrine. He persevered through rejection by his family, the outrage of the Jewish leadership, the initial skepticism of Jesus’ disciples, and more.

But through it all Paul kept God’s perspective, the third element in God’s formula for work purpose. Paul recognized that God’s economy transcends our own. He earned the financial resources he needed to support himself—tent making one day and preaching the next. But Paul was never distracted by material concerns. He understood that the prosperity of Jeremiah 29:11 is far deeper than profitability.

Godly Purpose: Finding the “Sweet Spot”

At work, you may well feel like the lone voice in the wilderness. Your colleagues and associates might not believe in the same work formula that you do. The world’s formula for finding work purpose is to find the “sweet spot” where passion, performance and profitability come together.

It is God’s purpose to find where perception, perseverance and perspective come together.

Swimming with Sharks

2009-08-14T09:47:00.002-04:00

What would it be like…
To experience the same uplift at work as we do during worship music?

What would it be like…
If, every day at work, we felt peace knowing we are upholding God’s standards of integrity?

In Matthew 22:39, God tells us to “love our neighbors as ourselves.” In the work world, we don’t have to look any further than headline news to see how far away from this we really are.

The Sea of Sin in the Marketplace
We readily see the mental and physical costs of sin in the marketplace:
- The anguish of wrongdoers once they’re caught in deception
- The despair of employees losing retirements because of bad management
- The tragedy of young people looking for wholesome role models in the work world, and often coming up empty-handed.

What the working world often misses is the spiritual dimension of sin. The costs are much higher. They include a failure to advance God’s kingdom in the work world. They include a legacy of corruption that’s inherited and perpetuated by future generations. We’re engaged in a spiritual battle for the future of the work world.

Recovering Sharkaholics
For Christians, the walk at work isn’t a walk in the park. In truth, we are swimming with sharks. Worse yet, we Christians are sharks too! At our best, we’re recovering sharkaholics who keep our jaws in check when we smell blood in the water. At our worst, we go on the attack just like our non-Christian colleagues.

Consider the foundations for recovering spiritual integrity at work:
1. Introspection versus Satisfaction. We must never assume our thoughts and actions honor our colleagues and God. Instead, we must remain introspective enough to spot our inevitable faults, and responsive enough to address them.
2. Implementation versus Stagnation. We need to take God’s Word, and make it REAL in the work world. This is the litmus test of being At Work on Purpose.
3. Integration versus Separation. Consider Colossians 3:23: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.”

We live in a country built on a separation between church and state. The intent of our country’s Founding Fathers was to ensure that the state never imposed a faith on our citizens. But it was NOT their intent to keep the faithful from living out their spiritual convictions at work!

God calls us to fully live out our faith at work; not to implement part way, but all the way. We must recapture the heart and the passion of God for the work world. We must rise above swimming with the sharks and restore our full Christian commitment, and contribution, to the work world.

Welcome to the At Work On Purpose Blog

2009-07-08T13:18:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the AWOP Blog!