Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Calling out the American Church
See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. Col 2:8
This was written to the church. It was a warning to believers. Have we heeded this warning? Most in the church are, in judging by our lifestyles, just as materialistic and humanistic as non-believers. We largely use our money and resources to satisfy our carnal nature and do not give a second thought to using them to advance the gospel in Africa and other third world countries where they are starving, both literally and for the gospel. The success of the American work ethic and dependance upon God proved successful but, over time, we have forgotten God. What was a blessing has become our curse. We don't need God when our bank account is fat. We largely have no concept of what it means to live by faith. Clothes, cars, houses, landscaped yards, the mall, it is these which have become our gods, our idols.
Ok, so most of you already know I have feelings in this area. I would prefer not to speak up but God has put, speaking globally, the impotence of the American church on my heart. Recently I made the statement that "I more admire my atheistic friends than I do those who attend church and even profess Christ yet show no evidence of Him in their lives". Though I obviously disagree with those who say there is no God, at least they are honest in their beliefs. I do pray that my atheistic / agnostic friends will come around to know Christ but at least their actions align with their mindset. Two months have passed and I still stand by this statement.
Honestly, what scares me to death, is my current belief that likely 75% of Americans that
attend church have never experienced a genuine, life changing encounter with Jesus. We may have walked aisles and muttered a prayer but when I look around, I cannot distinguish much difference, if any, of that of society and the majority of church goers. Quite honestly, if you didn't change as part of that profession, nothing happened. If I am right in My statement above, that means 75% of the church will not be in heaven. Worse yet, a few of us in this enlightened post-modernistic society still believe in a literal place called hell. That's obviously worse news yet.
If you're a professing Christian who would be found innocent from lack of evidence if on trial for being a Christian, please reconsider your eternal status. Remember that being a Christian is not going to church or doing more good deeds than bad, it's about having realized you needed Christ, yielding your will to His purpose, and subsequently allowing Him to live that out in you. When we live for Him, we don't resemble society at large. Charles Stanley says, "The call of God has always inspired His followers to act in ways that others don't understand". Here's a clue - If you're not different, you would be wise to consider why.
As I said earlier, it would be easier and much more popular just to remain silent on this subject. But I love everyone far too much to remain silent and then have you hear these words one day without having heard this from this wierd guy from Texas you knew. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ (Didnt we go to church? attend youth camp? drive the church van? Try not to cuss?, etc..) Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
Monday, February 21, 2011
When you die, is that it?
Several of my friends have been asking questions about becoming a Christian. I thought it might eventually be helpful to some others if it's laid out fairly simply in writing.
So, back to the question above, what do you think? A 1997 poll by Opinion Dynamics showed that 88% of Americans believe in Heaven while 71% believe in Hell. Quite honestly, these numbers were higher than I expected.
My question is this: if you believe that there is life after death, what are you doing to prepare yourself for it? The Bible indicates that our earthly bodies are mortal and we all know that death is inevitable. Yet, if our souls live forever as the bible also teaches and as most apparently believe, what would be more important than having considered what determines where our eternity will be spent? Just as people try to save money for their retirement years, it would be even more wise to consider these matters as they relate to eternal matters.
Asking people what gets you into heaven draws a wide variety of responses. Living a good life would likely top the response list. Going to church, doing more good things than bad, having been kind to people, being a good person, or just being religious in some form would be
certain to be included as well, among other things.
Without going into great lengths on this blog discussing each of these responses, (while stating that I am a believer in both Heaven and Hell myself as based on their mention in scripture) allow me to say that according to the Bible, everyone of those answers will keep
you out of Heaven.
The Bible teaches that there is one way to Heaven. It's not good works or helping ladies across the street or attending church. It's because of what Gods son Jesus did for you and I on a cross just over 2,000 years ago. Because each of us are born and have a sinful nature (inclined to do wrong)and because sin separates us from a Holy God, He sent His only Son to live and die once and for all to pay sins price. Romans 6:23 tells us the wages of sin is death.
It's a free gift. But like all gifts, it must be accepted. We simply have to acknowledge (confess) our sin, be sorry for it, and ask God to forgive us and come into our hearts and be
our Lord (boss) and Savior. Sound easy? Yes and no.
It's easy from a procedural standpoint but most people never do it because it means yielding control over their own life to the God who created us. It means being willing to lay down our control and agenda's and follow someone else's. It is, in short, humbling yourself to say I'm
not in control and I need help God. Pride was the first sin in the Bible and was committed by Lucifer aka the devil. And Satan is still using pride to keep millions of people from knowing the joy of finding what their heart has been longing for all along.
Apart from God, we try to find satisfaction in possessions, power, family, relationships, wealth, alcohol and drugs, or something as simple as just living as we please. We are still our own boss. But, and there is no arguing this point, not a single one of us ever finds true and lasting happiness in any of these things. I've been there as have we all, I suspect.
If you've never understood how to know God or have simply been unwilling to turn over control
of your life, I can unequivocally tell you that you are missing the happiest, most contented state one can experience on planet earth. At this point in my life, Jesus is as real to me as the keypad upon which I am now typing. I know He's with me. Not to mention, more importantly, that you are guaranteeing your eternal separation from God.
Please don't miss this my friend. You were created, not to live 75 years and then cease to exist, but to know God, to serve Him, and glorify Him now and forever. I have messed up many times along the way and have a long way to go but I can promise you that life begins at the cross. It does not solve all of lifes problems, it does not make life easy, but God will give you a purpose and contentment that cannot be found outside of Him.
I am including a link to a little booklet called the four spiritual laws. It is an excellent resource which has probably been used more than any other as people give their lives to
Christ. If you have never done so, I hope you will do so now.
http://www.campuscrusade.com/fourlawseng.htm
Feel free to communicate with me @ jball999@gmail.com
So, back to the question above, what do you think? A 1997 poll by Opinion Dynamics showed that 88% of Americans believe in Heaven while 71% believe in Hell. Quite honestly, these numbers were higher than I expected.
My question is this: if you believe that there is life after death, what are you doing to prepare yourself for it? The Bible indicates that our earthly bodies are mortal and we all know that death is inevitable. Yet, if our souls live forever as the bible also teaches and as most apparently believe, what would be more important than having considered what determines where our eternity will be spent? Just as people try to save money for their retirement years, it would be even more wise to consider these matters as they relate to eternal matters.
Asking people what gets you into heaven draws a wide variety of responses. Living a good life would likely top the response list. Going to church, doing more good things than bad, having been kind to people, being a good person, or just being religious in some form would be
certain to be included as well, among other things.
Without going into great lengths on this blog discussing each of these responses, (while stating that I am a believer in both Heaven and Hell myself as based on their mention in scripture) allow me to say that according to the Bible, everyone of those answers will keep
you out of Heaven.
The Bible teaches that there is one way to Heaven. It's not good works or helping ladies across the street or attending church. It's because of what Gods son Jesus did for you and I on a cross just over 2,000 years ago. Because each of us are born and have a sinful nature (inclined to do wrong)and because sin separates us from a Holy God, He sent His only Son to live and die once and for all to pay sins price. Romans 6:23 tells us the wages of sin is death.
It's a free gift. But like all gifts, it must be accepted. We simply have to acknowledge (confess) our sin, be sorry for it, and ask God to forgive us and come into our hearts and be
our Lord (boss) and Savior. Sound easy? Yes and no.
It's easy from a procedural standpoint but most people never do it because it means yielding control over their own life to the God who created us. It means being willing to lay down our control and agenda's and follow someone else's. It is, in short, humbling yourself to say I'm
not in control and I need help God. Pride was the first sin in the Bible and was committed by Lucifer aka the devil. And Satan is still using pride to keep millions of people from knowing the joy of finding what their heart has been longing for all along.
Apart from God, we try to find satisfaction in possessions, power, family, relationships, wealth, alcohol and drugs, or something as simple as just living as we please. We are still our own boss. But, and there is no arguing this point, not a single one of us ever finds true and lasting happiness in any of these things. I've been there as have we all, I suspect.
If you've never understood how to know God or have simply been unwilling to turn over control
of your life, I can unequivocally tell you that you are missing the happiest, most contented state one can experience on planet earth. At this point in my life, Jesus is as real to me as the keypad upon which I am now typing. I know He's with me. Not to mention, more importantly, that you are guaranteeing your eternal separation from God.
Please don't miss this my friend. You were created, not to live 75 years and then cease to exist, but to know God, to serve Him, and glorify Him now and forever. I have messed up many times along the way and have a long way to go but I can promise you that life begins at the cross. It does not solve all of lifes problems, it does not make life easy, but God will give you a purpose and contentment that cannot be found outside of Him.
I am including a link to a little booklet called the four spiritual laws. It is an excellent resource which has probably been used more than any other as people give their lives to
Christ. If you have never done so, I hope you will do so now.
http://www.campuscrusade.com/fourlawseng.htm
Feel free to communicate with me @ jball999@gmail.com
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Cartels have infiltrated the American church - A message to Christians
Yesterday 18 people were murdered just south of the Texas border in Mexico. In the past 15 years, our neighbor to the South has literally become infested by warring drug cartels who have little to no regard for human life and are ripping the country apart at it's seams.
We've all heard the adage that birds of a feather flock together. Look around. By and large, it is human nature to enjoy being around those who share like interests with ourselves. Drug cartels are primarily comprised of ruthless, no nonsense people with a bottom line of profiting from the sale and distribution of illegal narcotics. Many will simply let nothing stand in the way of that happening. Human life is cheapened and regarded as expendable and, when it comes to those who stand in the way of the groups goal, the end justifies the means in removing that threat. There is no respect for authority and police and politicians are assassinated as hindrances. Many innocent civilians and perceived threats in Mexico suffer the same fate.
Cartels are loosely organized groups who form loose agreements or "collude" in order to advance an agenda, normally illegally. It can entail controlling supply, price fixing, bid rigging, or controlling profits while limiting or reducing competition threatening the cartels
agenda or profit motive.
Last night Pastor Rick Warren tweeted that some folks who've had their souls saved now need their emotions to be saved because they are still as mean as ever. This got me to thinking about the condition of today's church. It is probable that the reason their emotions remain unchecked is because the ownership of their soul never changed hands. Worth considering!
Anyway, I got to thinking tonight about some things I have observed over time within the American church. The church is one of the primary institutions, along with marriage, family, community,etc.. that has held American society over the years. What I say from this point forward is sure to upset / possibly alienate plenty of people but this is on my heart and I
think it needs saying. With the caveat that much of this my opinion / belief / and Gods leading with me, I know that God is big enough to deal with each of us on His own terms and in His own time. Couple that with the fact that is primarily a burden I have for the church and not so much to non-churchgoers. I don't expect non-Christians to think like me.
So, here goes: While my next statement obviously does not apply to all churches, it does apply to far too many. The American church, by and large, has been infiltrated by Satans cartel and he is intent on advancing his agenda. Many clergy have grown soft and far too many preachers are unwilling to call sin for what it is - sin. Preferring instead to tickle the audieces ears, they preach comfortable, feel good messages in an effort to avoid offending the congregation. God forbid that unbelievers or nominal Christians might go down the road somewhere and take their money with them. "The church budget and its programs, powerless though they are, must go on"! Paul forecasts this very event in 2 Timothy 4: 3-4. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. II Tim 3:5. Another way to say this is that they have a form of Godliness but deny it's power.
There was an old saying growing up that Baptists don't dance, drink, or chew, or hang around those that do. I'm willing to wager that more baptists today drink than don't. What happened? Preachers, when is the last time you spoke about the evils of alcohol from the pulpit? Most will not do it. They may talk about drinking to excess (be not drunk with wine) but how have we moved from the vast majority of Christians having nothing to do with alcohol 50 years ago to the majority of the church being social drinkers, or alcoholics, today? What business do we as Christians have associating with and financially supporting these beverage companies (aka drug companies) which are killing people and destroying lives? How do we justify that?
Does Satan have cartels operating in many of America's churches? Christians or those who profess to be who are so worldly that there is no difference, no power evidenced in their lives? Cliques and gossips intent on tearing individuals down instead of building them up? Ladies more concerned with what each other is wearing than the condition of their soul? Cartels of pride and vanity showcasing the weekly soloist or featured group, turning it in to
that of a Hollywood production? I have heard there are churches that regularly pay their
singers or choir members to "perform". We have worldly Christians (or those who believe they are) in church for appearance sake but living like Hell the rest of the week. Business people attending to make connections for the sake of making potential contacts. The list goes on and on. Sin cartels, similiar to the drug cartels, have little to no regard for the spiritual life or condition of others as they are certainly not drawing their friends closer to Jesus. In fact, they turn or lead people away from God. Are we attempting to use God for our own selfish purpose? While I do not think that most of these people are intentionally evil or that they all have ulterior motives, the fact is that it does not matter. Satans agenda is simply to keep people from knowing and serving the one true God. We know Satans intent and it matters
little to him whether they know they are being used or not. The result is the same,
the impacted people and the others they turn off remain far from God.
Bottom line, we should follow Christ and worship Him to give praise and adoration to the God we profess to love and to be a light in this dark world. If we position ourselves as believers and/or church goers for any position other than this, we are guilty of trampling the grace
under foot that has been given to us. We are heaping sins upon ourself, thumbing our nose at the one who was ransomed on our behalf that our relationship be restored to the Father as it was in the beginning.
Have you looked around lately? Our world is a mess. Meanwhile, is it any wonder that little difference is observed between many professing Christians and those that don't know Him? Do we wonder why many people want to have nothing to do with Jesus? It's largely because they see no difference between themselves and many they know who claim to be Christians. Why should they want anything to do with Jesus when they see us living this way?
In the spirit of full disclosure, I would have say that I am guilty of having dabbled in certain spiritual cartels at times along the way. I certainly have been guilty of being only partially engaged. Perhaps you have been as well. Perhaps you are now? None of us can change the past but we can do something about the future.
Over the past 6-12 months, God has been calling me to do more for Him. I fully believe He is showing me that time is short and it is imperative that I / we / I make up my mind and pick a side.
Jesus is real. I know that and He has given me a purpose and zeal in life that I have never felt to this degree. That said, He is asking me how I can justify yielding only part of me to Him. I simply can't. I no longer can. I've come to a point of knowing that I can't speak for others but I'm determined that I will speak up for God as he leads me to. I will confidently stand up without regard for what others may think because I believe the one who died for my
sins is soon to return. No longer compromising or settling for giving Him anything less than all of me. Yet I remain a work in progress. But my heart is right with Him and that feels great. It's high time that we all stand up and insist that there is no room or time to play church any longer. Its time our pastors get back to preaching from the heart as opposed to speaking with the church budget in mind. And its time that we are filled with His Spirit to empower us to actually become contagious with something that the world wants to catch. There are millions more Americans that will follow Christ if we will get ourselves out of the way and allow them to see their desperate need for Him instead of a bunch of people who go to church but act no differently than anyone else. At some point, if they are honest with themselves, they will realize that there must be more to life than these temporal things that fail to satisfy here on earth. All human beings long for love, acceptance,and purpose, and there is no one, no one that holds a candle to Jesus. The old song says that "they will know
we are Christians by our love".
Speaking for myself, and you can hold me accountable, I am resolved to no longer be reserved and silent when it comes to what He has done for me. There is no time for that. There simply is no time. I hope you agree
Jim
We've all heard the adage that birds of a feather flock together. Look around. By and large, it is human nature to enjoy being around those who share like interests with ourselves. Drug cartels are primarily comprised of ruthless, no nonsense people with a bottom line of profiting from the sale and distribution of illegal narcotics. Many will simply let nothing stand in the way of that happening. Human life is cheapened and regarded as expendable and, when it comes to those who stand in the way of the groups goal, the end justifies the means in removing that threat. There is no respect for authority and police and politicians are assassinated as hindrances. Many innocent civilians and perceived threats in Mexico suffer the same fate.
Cartels are loosely organized groups who form loose agreements or "collude" in order to advance an agenda, normally illegally. It can entail controlling supply, price fixing, bid rigging, or controlling profits while limiting or reducing competition threatening the cartels
agenda or profit motive.
Last night Pastor Rick Warren tweeted that some folks who've had their souls saved now need their emotions to be saved because they are still as mean as ever. This got me to thinking about the condition of today's church. It is probable that the reason their emotions remain unchecked is because the ownership of their soul never changed hands. Worth considering!
Anyway, I got to thinking tonight about some things I have observed over time within the American church. The church is one of the primary institutions, along with marriage, family, community,etc.. that has held American society over the years. What I say from this point forward is sure to upset / possibly alienate plenty of people but this is on my heart and I
think it needs saying. With the caveat that much of this my opinion / belief / and Gods leading with me, I know that God is big enough to deal with each of us on His own terms and in His own time. Couple that with the fact that is primarily a burden I have for the church and not so much to non-churchgoers. I don't expect non-Christians to think like me.
So, here goes: While my next statement obviously does not apply to all churches, it does apply to far too many. The American church, by and large, has been infiltrated by Satans cartel and he is intent on advancing his agenda. Many clergy have grown soft and far too many preachers are unwilling to call sin for what it is - sin. Preferring instead to tickle the audieces ears, they preach comfortable, feel good messages in an effort to avoid offending the congregation. God forbid that unbelievers or nominal Christians might go down the road somewhere and take their money with them. "The church budget and its programs, powerless though they are, must go on"! Paul forecasts this very event in 2 Timothy 4: 3-4. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. II Tim 3:5. Another way to say this is that they have a form of Godliness but deny it's power.
There was an old saying growing up that Baptists don't dance, drink, or chew, or hang around those that do. I'm willing to wager that more baptists today drink than don't. What happened? Preachers, when is the last time you spoke about the evils of alcohol from the pulpit? Most will not do it. They may talk about drinking to excess (be not drunk with wine) but how have we moved from the vast majority of Christians having nothing to do with alcohol 50 years ago to the majority of the church being social drinkers, or alcoholics, today? What business do we as Christians have associating with and financially supporting these beverage companies (aka drug companies) which are killing people and destroying lives? How do we justify that?
Does Satan have cartels operating in many of America's churches? Christians or those who profess to be who are so worldly that there is no difference, no power evidenced in their lives? Cliques and gossips intent on tearing individuals down instead of building them up? Ladies more concerned with what each other is wearing than the condition of their soul? Cartels of pride and vanity showcasing the weekly soloist or featured group, turning it in to
that of a Hollywood production? I have heard there are churches that regularly pay their
singers or choir members to "perform". We have worldly Christians (or those who believe they are) in church for appearance sake but living like Hell the rest of the week. Business people attending to make connections for the sake of making potential contacts. The list goes on and on. Sin cartels, similiar to the drug cartels, have little to no regard for the spiritual life or condition of others as they are certainly not drawing their friends closer to Jesus. In fact, they turn or lead people away from God. Are we attempting to use God for our own selfish purpose? While I do not think that most of these people are intentionally evil or that they all have ulterior motives, the fact is that it does not matter. Satans agenda is simply to keep people from knowing and serving the one true God. We know Satans intent and it matters
little to him whether they know they are being used or not. The result is the same,
the impacted people and the others they turn off remain far from God.
Bottom line, we should follow Christ and worship Him to give praise and adoration to the God we profess to love and to be a light in this dark world. If we position ourselves as believers and/or church goers for any position other than this, we are guilty of trampling the grace
under foot that has been given to us. We are heaping sins upon ourself, thumbing our nose at the one who was ransomed on our behalf that our relationship be restored to the Father as it was in the beginning.
Have you looked around lately? Our world is a mess. Meanwhile, is it any wonder that little difference is observed between many professing Christians and those that don't know Him? Do we wonder why many people want to have nothing to do with Jesus? It's largely because they see no difference between themselves and many they know who claim to be Christians. Why should they want anything to do with Jesus when they see us living this way?
In the spirit of full disclosure, I would have say that I am guilty of having dabbled in certain spiritual cartels at times along the way. I certainly have been guilty of being only partially engaged. Perhaps you have been as well. Perhaps you are now? None of us can change the past but we can do something about the future.
Over the past 6-12 months, God has been calling me to do more for Him. I fully believe He is showing me that time is short and it is imperative that I / we / I make up my mind and pick a side.
Jesus is real. I know that and He has given me a purpose and zeal in life that I have never felt to this degree. That said, He is asking me how I can justify yielding only part of me to Him. I simply can't. I no longer can. I've come to a point of knowing that I can't speak for others but I'm determined that I will speak up for God as he leads me to. I will confidently stand up without regard for what others may think because I believe the one who died for my
sins is soon to return. No longer compromising or settling for giving Him anything less than all of me. Yet I remain a work in progress. But my heart is right with Him and that feels great. It's high time that we all stand up and insist that there is no room or time to play church any longer. Its time our pastors get back to preaching from the heart as opposed to speaking with the church budget in mind. And its time that we are filled with His Spirit to empower us to actually become contagious with something that the world wants to catch. There are millions more Americans that will follow Christ if we will get ourselves out of the way and allow them to see their desperate need for Him instead of a bunch of people who go to church but act no differently than anyone else. At some point, if they are honest with themselves, they will realize that there must be more to life than these temporal things that fail to satisfy here on earth. All human beings long for love, acceptance,and purpose, and there is no one, no one that holds a candle to Jesus. The old song says that "they will know
we are Christians by our love".
Speaking for myself, and you can hold me accountable, I am resolved to no longer be reserved and silent when it comes to what He has done for me. There is no time for that. There simply is no time. I hope you agree
Jim
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Vive la difference
This saying, translated "long live the difference", is usually used as an appreciatory term concerning the differences between genders. For the purpose of this post, I would like to take it in a different direction and focus more on the differences between people.
Were we all the same, life would be very boring. I believe we can all agree on that. God has uniquely created every one of us and we each have different personalities, looks, and behaviors, among other attributes. We are each gifted in various ways, each bringing strengths and weaknesses to the table.
This is why a strong team is comprised of various individuals who have certain roles to play which contribute to the success, or failure, of the team. I could manage a football team of the NFL's 11 best quarterbacks and put them up against the worst arena league team. The quarterbacks would lose because they are primarily gifted in the same ways. The diversity of the other teams athletes would propel them to victory. The quarterbacks would suffer from too much ego, not enough size, too many chiefs and not enough Indians.
Putting football aside, the same holds true in life. That which can make us strong can also divide us. The greater the diversity among us, the greater the opportunity for misunderstandings, conflicts, and problematic issues. Different beliefs, politics, language, levels of understanding on certain issues, upbringings, etc.., often complicate matters. A good team has to work hard to "gel", learn their roles, set aside differences, and learn to appreciate the strengths that each person brings while mitigating any areas of weakness.
My main point: I am learning that it is important that we value others viewpoints and treat them with the same respect that we appreciate ourselves. It is important that we learn to be open-minded and at least give the ideas of others a fair shake. We do not all have to believe the same things but if we will all get outside of our comfort zone and realize there are things we can all learn from each other, wouldn't our job, our church, our entire life be much more pleasant and enjoyable? I believe it would.
Were we all the same, life would be very boring. I believe we can all agree on that. God has uniquely created every one of us and we each have different personalities, looks, and behaviors, among other attributes. We are each gifted in various ways, each bringing strengths and weaknesses to the table.
This is why a strong team is comprised of various individuals who have certain roles to play which contribute to the success, or failure, of the team. I could manage a football team of the NFL's 11 best quarterbacks and put them up against the worst arena league team. The quarterbacks would lose because they are primarily gifted in the same ways. The diversity of the other teams athletes would propel them to victory. The quarterbacks would suffer from too much ego, not enough size, too many chiefs and not enough Indians.
Putting football aside, the same holds true in life. That which can make us strong can also divide us. The greater the diversity among us, the greater the opportunity for misunderstandings, conflicts, and problematic issues. Different beliefs, politics, language, levels of understanding on certain issues, upbringings, etc.., often complicate matters. A good team has to work hard to "gel", learn their roles, set aside differences, and learn to appreciate the strengths that each person brings while mitigating any areas of weakness.
My main point: I am learning that it is important that we value others viewpoints and treat them with the same respect that we appreciate ourselves. It is important that we learn to be open-minded and at least give the ideas of others a fair shake. We do not all have to believe the same things but if we will all get outside of our comfort zone and realize there are things we can all learn from each other, wouldn't our job, our church, our entire life be much more pleasant and enjoyable? I believe it would.
Positive attitudes
Isn't it a blessing to be around those who are happy? Happiness can be a temporary state or a permanent choice. People who constantly fluctuate would be referred to as moody and the good Lord did not bless me with much of a tolerance for moodiness.
But there are others that naturally look on the bright side of things. These are people I love to be around. I was reminded of this yesterday while working closely with a few co-workers on a little project.
Is happiness or our attitude really a choice? Take a look at my favorite quote and decide for yourself.
The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.
Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home.
The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude... I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.
And so it is with you... we are in charge of our attitudes.
Charles Swindoll
But there are others that naturally look on the bright side of things. These are people I love to be around. I was reminded of this yesterday while working closely with a few co-workers on a little project.
Is happiness or our attitude really a choice? Take a look at my favorite quote and decide for yourself.
The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.
Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home.
The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude... I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.
And so it is with you... we are in charge of our attitudes.
Charles Swindoll
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
The death of loyalty in the workplace
This is one topic I have thought about a lot over the past decade and it effects every one of us in some fashion. My disclaimer is that it is all based on my experience and observations. I certainly have no profound expertise in the area other than my own first hand experience.
I love to read. When I moved from Tennessee to Texas in 1992, I somehow got introduced to Louis L'amour, best selling author and old west storyteller. Within a year, I had completed nearly every Western he had ever written, somewhere around 100 books I believe.
One topic neatly woven into nearly every story was what was called "Riding for the Brand". Every ranch had their own brand which would uniquely identify their cattle. When a man would go to work for a rancher, it was his pledge and committment to ride for the brand, ie, the ranch owner. Paid $40.00 a month, room and board, the owner had his loyalty no matter what arose and these men would often fight and die, if necessary, out of honor and committment for their word. Ranchers, likewise, owed a great deal for such committment and took good care of their "hired hands".
From my earliest memories as a child, somewhere around 5 years old or so, we would load up the lone family car every afternoon and drive downtown to pick my dad up from work at Provident Life and Accident Insurance Company where he had gone to work in college. My father, like many of your dads and moms, retired from that same insurance company 30 something years later. (I'm not lying X'ers and Millenials, it really used to happen) Many of my younger readers are at this point asking, even if such a thing were possible, why would someone want to work at the same place for 30 years, let alone two! Hold your horses (imagery tieing this paragraph to the last), we will discuss that soon.
Here's one for you boomers and Veterans: Do you realize that the youth of today will have 17 different jobs by the time they reach 35 years of age. Pick up those teeth because I heard your jaws hit the ground! That is a true statistic and what is scary is for the 20% who defy the odds by only working 10 jobs, there will be another 20% who will work 40 something. Think on that one a minute!
This mutually beneficial relationship between employee and employer existed in America from the 1880's (actually much earlier than this) until it began to erode sometime in the 1980's. 100 years! That's a long time, my friend. But as I mentioned, certain events and trends (which I will not even try to explain, since I'm not sure what they are) triggered an erosion in trust and partnership between boss and worker right around this time period.
It is my proposition that the loss of trust and committment between worker and employer has had a very negative impact upon the workplace. As Stephen R Covey claims in his book "The Speed of Trust", trust is foundational in relationships and a key attribute that must exist to allow humans to move beyond a certain baseline level in our relationships of any sort. With trust generally missing today, we have nullified a key ingredient in our abilities to move to deeper relational levels at which greater things begin to occur. Jim Collins discusses crucial conversations in his best selling book "Good to Great". Crucial conversations, our ability to openly discuss tough, sometimes sensitive, issues are beneficial in cutting through hidden agendas, addressing sacred cows, or our ability to tackle tough subjects in the name of progress. I have had tremendous results using this tool but, without trust, these will rarely if ever occur. If I cannot trust my boss to push back or question him when something is not adding up, guess what? I will likely not be willing to stick my neck out and do it. But if my employees know that they can "use their voices" to ask hard questions or offer input without fear of retaliation, the climate is improved and our relationship can move to deeper measures which will yield better results and outcomes. Morale increases exponentially when an employee knows his input is valued.
To be frank, Wall Street and the unrelenting pursuit of the mighty dollar has had negative impacts as well. Employees are measured up and down and from side to side in the name of productivity gains. Employers are often guilty of not replacing vacancies but instead of dividing the duties of the departed and asking the remaining workers to shoulder those duties. This is acceptable to some point but there comes a point when it is not healthy and is not fair, especially if wages are not reflective of the increased duties. Workers are now seen as expendable and a certain level of employee churn is accepted. Job security is, by and large, a thing of the past. I understand that's the way it is and we will never go back to the atmosphere that existed in the past, but it's a shame in my book as we have lost some of the tenets which made our country great.
Lastly, we may like the new arrangement with shorter periods with the same employers or we may not. But, it is a reality and we must mentally adapt if we are to work in that environment successfully. This is difficult for people like me who tend to like stability and display loyalty to my employer. I am by nature a brand rider. Today's brand is a company logo and it leaves me a little bit empty. I'm still searching for the branding fire.
What do you think?
I love to read. When I moved from Tennessee to Texas in 1992, I somehow got introduced to Louis L'amour, best selling author and old west storyteller. Within a year, I had completed nearly every Western he had ever written, somewhere around 100 books I believe.
One topic neatly woven into nearly every story was what was called "Riding for the Brand". Every ranch had their own brand which would uniquely identify their cattle. When a man would go to work for a rancher, it was his pledge and committment to ride for the brand, ie, the ranch owner. Paid $40.00 a month, room and board, the owner had his loyalty no matter what arose and these men would often fight and die, if necessary, out of honor and committment for their word. Ranchers, likewise, owed a great deal for such committment and took good care of their "hired hands".
From my earliest memories as a child, somewhere around 5 years old or so, we would load up the lone family car every afternoon and drive downtown to pick my dad up from work at Provident Life and Accident Insurance Company where he had gone to work in college. My father, like many of your dads and moms, retired from that same insurance company 30 something years later. (I'm not lying X'ers and Millenials, it really used to happen) Many of my younger readers are at this point asking, even if such a thing were possible, why would someone want to work at the same place for 30 years, let alone two! Hold your horses (imagery tieing this paragraph to the last), we will discuss that soon.
Here's one for you boomers and Veterans: Do you realize that the youth of today will have 17 different jobs by the time they reach 35 years of age. Pick up those teeth because I heard your jaws hit the ground! That is a true statistic and what is scary is for the 20% who defy the odds by only working 10 jobs, there will be another 20% who will work 40 something. Think on that one a minute!
This mutually beneficial relationship between employee and employer existed in America from the 1880's (actually much earlier than this) until it began to erode sometime in the 1980's. 100 years! That's a long time, my friend. But as I mentioned, certain events and trends (which I will not even try to explain, since I'm not sure what they are) triggered an erosion in trust and partnership between boss and worker right around this time period.
It is my proposition that the loss of trust and committment between worker and employer has had a very negative impact upon the workplace. As Stephen R Covey claims in his book "The Speed of Trust", trust is foundational in relationships and a key attribute that must exist to allow humans to move beyond a certain baseline level in our relationships of any sort. With trust generally missing today, we have nullified a key ingredient in our abilities to move to deeper relational levels at which greater things begin to occur. Jim Collins discusses crucial conversations in his best selling book "Good to Great". Crucial conversations, our ability to openly discuss tough, sometimes sensitive, issues are beneficial in cutting through hidden agendas, addressing sacred cows, or our ability to tackle tough subjects in the name of progress. I have had tremendous results using this tool but, without trust, these will rarely if ever occur. If I cannot trust my boss to push back or question him when something is not adding up, guess what? I will likely not be willing to stick my neck out and do it. But if my employees know that they can "use their voices" to ask hard questions or offer input without fear of retaliation, the climate is improved and our relationship can move to deeper measures which will yield better results and outcomes. Morale increases exponentially when an employee knows his input is valued.
To be frank, Wall Street and the unrelenting pursuit of the mighty dollar has had negative impacts as well. Employees are measured up and down and from side to side in the name of productivity gains. Employers are often guilty of not replacing vacancies but instead of dividing the duties of the departed and asking the remaining workers to shoulder those duties. This is acceptable to some point but there comes a point when it is not healthy and is not fair, especially if wages are not reflective of the increased duties. Workers are now seen as expendable and a certain level of employee churn is accepted. Job security is, by and large, a thing of the past. I understand that's the way it is and we will never go back to the atmosphere that existed in the past, but it's a shame in my book as we have lost some of the tenets which made our country great.
Lastly, we may like the new arrangement with shorter periods with the same employers or we may not. But, it is a reality and we must mentally adapt if we are to work in that environment successfully. This is difficult for people like me who tend to like stability and display loyalty to my employer. I am by nature a brand rider. Today's brand is a company logo and it leaves me a little bit empty. I'm still searching for the branding fire.
What do you think?
Monday, January 17, 2011
Things are tough for millions right now
2009 - 2010 was a tough period for our family. I, along with 15 - 20 million other Americans, was out of work for much of that period and it was difficult making ends meet. We learned a lot through this period and thankfully I am gainfully employed again as of mid-December.
Last night, I got to thinking about the difficulties so many are going through these days. A severe recession has led to more Americans being on food stamps than at any time in our nations history. Work is scarce and our governments efforts to reverse this trend have proven largely unsuccessful. The housing crises has millions more citizens displaced, unable to afford their mortgages any longer. Many others have family problems, health problems, etc.. The list could go on and on.
As humans, I have learned that we are happiest when we take our eyes off of ourselves and put them on others. Most people I know are far more blessed than they even realize, including me. Meanwhile millions across the world continue to suffer, some losing hope that significant change will ever come.
What can I do to give someone hope? What about you? Would you join me in committing to seeking out at least one opportunity per day for the remainder of January and attempting to spread a message of hope to someone who may need it? Do you know someone out of work? Do you know someone who has given up? Someone recently divorced? Someone having financial challenges? Would you make one positive interaction a day a priority and bring some light to someones world? Would you just look for such an opportunity with someone you may pass on the street? It may just take a smile or a hug. Perhaps someone needs some financial help. Maybe it's a meal for a homeless person. Whatever it is, would you join me in taking my eyes off of myself and looking to help another who needs it worse than you? I think we will see that, in doing so, we will be a blessing to someone else but will likely me blessed more ourselves as a result of giving. As a friend of mine said, "Hope for the hopeless, help for the helpless, strength in the weakness". And from me, "God bless you for making a difference!"
Last night, I got to thinking about the difficulties so many are going through these days. A severe recession has led to more Americans being on food stamps than at any time in our nations history. Work is scarce and our governments efforts to reverse this trend have proven largely unsuccessful. The housing crises has millions more citizens displaced, unable to afford their mortgages any longer. Many others have family problems, health problems, etc.. The list could go on and on.
As humans, I have learned that we are happiest when we take our eyes off of ourselves and put them on others. Most people I know are far more blessed than they even realize, including me. Meanwhile millions across the world continue to suffer, some losing hope that significant change will ever come.
What can I do to give someone hope? What about you? Would you join me in committing to seeking out at least one opportunity per day for the remainder of January and attempting to spread a message of hope to someone who may need it? Do you know someone out of work? Do you know someone who has given up? Someone recently divorced? Someone having financial challenges? Would you make one positive interaction a day a priority and bring some light to someones world? Would you just look for such an opportunity with someone you may pass on the street? It may just take a smile or a hug. Perhaps someone needs some financial help. Maybe it's a meal for a homeless person. Whatever it is, would you join me in taking my eyes off of myself and looking to help another who needs it worse than you? I think we will see that, in doing so, we will be a blessing to someone else but will likely me blessed more ourselves as a result of giving. As a friend of mine said, "Hope for the hopeless, help for the helpless, strength in the weakness". And from me, "God bless you for making a difference!"
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
The older I get.....
... the more I find myself thinking about what is important in life:
You know, sitting here thinking, life used to be about having fun. Living moment to moment, day to day. Looking forward to that next event, party, function at school or work, trip or vacation, get-together with friends. While there is nothing wrong with any one of these things, I have noticed recently that my values have begun to change. Although I still like to have a good time, I have begun to believe that life is somehow about much more than these things.
The law of diminishing returns dictates that the thrill or excitement that we get out of something is slightly reduced each time we repeat it. Therefore, if we hope to keep the thrill or challenge as high as it once was, we need to push a little harder - add a little more - escalate the challenge a little higher. Is it simply that I have been to enough parties, taken enough trips, accomplished enough goals in business and now these things no longer motivate me the way they once did? I don't believe so. I look at friends both in real life and on facebook and many seem to very much still be living and thinking the way I once did.
Is it possible that God is working on me, trying to show me that there is much more to life than the things I used to value so highly? That's exactly what I believe it is. While I still enjoy each of those activities discussed earlier, none of those seem to motivate me like they did prior. What seems to motivate me now is simply doing my best to make a difference in people's lives. Being nice to that person who nobody else seems to be talking to, offering a kind word and a pat on the back to the physically challenged person in the wheelchair, waiting to hold the door for the mother with a child in her arms, sharing a word of encouragement and motivation to the job seeker at work who has given up finding work, etc.. Nothing glamorous by any means, but enough.
I find that God just wants me to be content with who He made me to be and to seek to be more like Him. I have no real desire to impress others with certain accomplishments, I do not need to keep pushing to make more and more money so I can have more and more stuff. If you have not realized it, the more "stuff' you have, the more worries you have. (I threw that in for free) I think maybe that I am maturing spiritually and I am enjoying that. I did not so much enjoy some of the hard lessons that I have gone through to get here but they have been worth it. I certainly have not arrived and have plenty yet to work on, more than I probably know.
Anyway, just a few of my thoughts. I'm a work in progress.
Jim
You know, sitting here thinking, life used to be about having fun. Living moment to moment, day to day. Looking forward to that next event, party, function at school or work, trip or vacation, get-together with friends. While there is nothing wrong with any one of these things, I have noticed recently that my values have begun to change. Although I still like to have a good time, I have begun to believe that life is somehow about much more than these things.
The law of diminishing returns dictates that the thrill or excitement that we get out of something is slightly reduced each time we repeat it. Therefore, if we hope to keep the thrill or challenge as high as it once was, we need to push a little harder - add a little more - escalate the challenge a little higher. Is it simply that I have been to enough parties, taken enough trips, accomplished enough goals in business and now these things no longer motivate me the way they once did? I don't believe so. I look at friends both in real life and on facebook and many seem to very much still be living and thinking the way I once did.
Is it possible that God is working on me, trying to show me that there is much more to life than the things I used to value so highly? That's exactly what I believe it is. While I still enjoy each of those activities discussed earlier, none of those seem to motivate me like they did prior. What seems to motivate me now is simply doing my best to make a difference in people's lives. Being nice to that person who nobody else seems to be talking to, offering a kind word and a pat on the back to the physically challenged person in the wheelchair, waiting to hold the door for the mother with a child in her arms, sharing a word of encouragement and motivation to the job seeker at work who has given up finding work, etc.. Nothing glamorous by any means, but enough.
I find that God just wants me to be content with who He made me to be and to seek to be more like Him. I have no real desire to impress others with certain accomplishments, I do not need to keep pushing to make more and more money so I can have more and more stuff. If you have not realized it, the more "stuff' you have, the more worries you have. (I threw that in for free) I think maybe that I am maturing spiritually and I am enjoying that. I did not so much enjoy some of the hard lessons that I have gone through to get here but they have been worth it. I certainly have not arrived and have plenty yet to work on, more than I probably know.
Anyway, just a few of my thoughts. I'm a work in progress.
Jim
Life can change in a hurry brother! November 2010
How do you define yourself? In what do you take pride and gain confidence? Your job or occupation? Children, spouse, friends? A hobby? Your house, car, earthly possessions? Your church or relationship with Christ?
I want to challenge you along with myself as I recant a few recent experiences.
Nearly 16 months ago, I lost my job. Most of you would have considered it a very good job. Our family had lived quite comfortably as an upper middle class family for close to 20 years. I worked hard with a healthy amount of stress in my professional roles and we really did not want for a whole lot. God had blessed us.
For the past 16 months, myself and 15,000,000 other Americans have been either unemployed or underemployed. Because of the severe recession, many very employable people, including myself, are unable to simply walk out and find a job as we could do in normal economic times where unemployment is around 3-5%. Dealing with this has been difficult psychologically and from an income standpoint, among others.
We have had to take a hard look at our priorities and actually, (hang on to your hats) begin living with a budget. This has been the toughest period of my life and yet, an experience I'm coming to believe that I would not trade.
God has been teaching me things that it took putting me here to get me to listen. I'm learning to depend on Him to meet our day to day needs whereas that has never been necessary before. As a result, my faith in Him has grown considerably. It has not been fun but it has been good. Isn't that a strange combination?
I have learned that bad things do happen to good people. In fact, the bible tells us we will experience tough times. This goes for believers and unbelievers as well. "Into every life a little rain must fall". Being "down and out" forces Christians to look up. At some point, when we come to the end of ourself, there is simply nothing left to do but look up and yell for help. I've learned that when we do, He is there.
I have learned that we as Americans have our priorities way out of order. Many of us with credit card debt, living above our means. Far more clothes and shoes in the closet than we need. Mortgages that stretch our pocketbooks all in the name of getting as much as we can to keep up with the Jones's. I have been guilty of these things.
I have learned that there are millions of people out there hurting amongst us. People losing homes, families breaking up. Do you realize there are people taking their lives over this stuff? This experience has given me a new appreciation for how they feel. Do you know what it's like to go through something like this?
I have had it reinforced that it's not what you know but who you know. Sad but true.
I have learned that there are only a few people who "really care". Oh, people will offer to pray but how many actually hurt for you? How many take the time to slow down and really care? Have you checked on a friend who is out of work this week, if only to offer a kind word of encouragement? Have you offered to help them out a little financially during this tough time? If you are in a position to do so, wouldn't God have you do so? What are you waiting on?
I have learned that the church (on the whole) is particularly negligent in knowing what it's members are going through and actually doing something to help. We have deferred Jesus commands to meet our brothers and sisters needs to the Government who cannot do this nearly as effectively or compassionately as the church could be. Do we leave it up to the church staff to know about these things and react to them? I've been guilty in this area.
I have learned that it's up to me to make a difference. As with everything in life, we can know about things but until we have experienced it, we do not appreciate the situation in the same way that someone who has lived it can. As a result of what I am experiencing, I am committing now to assist others. I know what it's like.
Christians - What tough lessons have we learned individually? Have you lost a job, a spouse, a child? Been through a divorce? Been betrayed by a friend? These are all tough realities of life that are difficult to get past. Are we using that experience to meet a like need in someone else's life? I have learned that this is one area I will be able to help others in the future and I commit to doing so starting now.
And, if you don't have a relationship with Christ, please know He loves you and wants that. I could not be as positive that I will get through this without a God who has been there all the way for me. He alone gives me hope and a reason to fight on and make a difference with others. He alone is the reason that I now say I am glad I am going through this experience. I will also be glad when it ends but I will never forget.
God bless you all my friends. Let's make a difference in someone's life today!
I want to challenge you along with myself as I recant a few recent experiences.
Nearly 16 months ago, I lost my job. Most of you would have considered it a very good job. Our family had lived quite comfortably as an upper middle class family for close to 20 years. I worked hard with a healthy amount of stress in my professional roles and we really did not want for a whole lot. God had blessed us.
For the past 16 months, myself and 15,000,000 other Americans have been either unemployed or underemployed. Because of the severe recession, many very employable people, including myself, are unable to simply walk out and find a job as we could do in normal economic times where unemployment is around 3-5%. Dealing with this has been difficult psychologically and from an income standpoint, among others.
We have had to take a hard look at our priorities and actually, (hang on to your hats) begin living with a budget. This has been the toughest period of my life and yet, an experience I'm coming to believe that I would not trade.
God has been teaching me things that it took putting me here to get me to listen. I'm learning to depend on Him to meet our day to day needs whereas that has never been necessary before. As a result, my faith in Him has grown considerably. It has not been fun but it has been good. Isn't that a strange combination?
I have learned that bad things do happen to good people. In fact, the bible tells us we will experience tough times. This goes for believers and unbelievers as well. "Into every life a little rain must fall". Being "down and out" forces Christians to look up. At some point, when we come to the end of ourself, there is simply nothing left to do but look up and yell for help. I've learned that when we do, He is there.
I have learned that we as Americans have our priorities way out of order. Many of us with credit card debt, living above our means. Far more clothes and shoes in the closet than we need. Mortgages that stretch our pocketbooks all in the name of getting as much as we can to keep up with the Jones's. I have been guilty of these things.
I have learned that there are millions of people out there hurting amongst us. People losing homes, families breaking up. Do you realize there are people taking their lives over this stuff? This experience has given me a new appreciation for how they feel. Do you know what it's like to go through something like this?
I have had it reinforced that it's not what you know but who you know. Sad but true.
I have learned that there are only a few people who "really care". Oh, people will offer to pray but how many actually hurt for you? How many take the time to slow down and really care? Have you checked on a friend who is out of work this week, if only to offer a kind word of encouragement? Have you offered to help them out a little financially during this tough time? If you are in a position to do so, wouldn't God have you do so? What are you waiting on?
I have learned that the church (on the whole) is particularly negligent in knowing what it's members are going through and actually doing something to help. We have deferred Jesus commands to meet our brothers and sisters needs to the Government who cannot do this nearly as effectively or compassionately as the church could be. Do we leave it up to the church staff to know about these things and react to them? I've been guilty in this area.
I have learned that it's up to me to make a difference. As with everything in life, we can know about things but until we have experienced it, we do not appreciate the situation in the same way that someone who has lived it can. As a result of what I am experiencing, I am committing now to assist others. I know what it's like.
Christians - What tough lessons have we learned individually? Have you lost a job, a spouse, a child? Been through a divorce? Been betrayed by a friend? These are all tough realities of life that are difficult to get past. Are we using that experience to meet a like need in someone else's life? I have learned that this is one area I will be able to help others in the future and I commit to doing so starting now.
And, if you don't have a relationship with Christ, please know He loves you and wants that. I could not be as positive that I will get through this without a God who has been there all the way for me. He alone gives me hope and a reason to fight on and make a difference with others. He alone is the reason that I now say I am glad I am going through this experience. I will also be glad when it ends but I will never forget.
God bless you all my friends. Let's make a difference in someone's life today!
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