Archive for the Category »At work «

12
Jan
Discover the Christian’s Secret to Business Success

Sign pointing to successWell dang, I’ve started a new direction in my writing and need to know the secret to success. I’ve check Google for articles and mentors in the Succeeding in Business Department and have received all kinds of advice—most indicating that there is no magic bullet unless I purchase their “Magic Bullet Online Marketing Course” that will guarantee me instant, millionaire, awesomeness business success.

So I’ve gone back to what I know and value. I can do the work of getting my books up in ebook format, updating my website and blog, and learning the ins and outs of social marketing, but none of it will mean diddly-squat if I neglect this one, foundational ingredient for success in business:

Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful (Joshua 1:8 NIV).

First bit of work, which is more important than any other work I do for my business, is to meditate on God’s Word during the day and let it marinate in me during the night.

OH, but there’s more! (I copied that line from the Magic Bullet Online Marketing Course ad.) The next condition is that I have to be strong and courageous—unafraid in the face of economic hardships and a huge amount of competition. *looks for the nearest blanket to hide under*

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go (Joshua 1:9 NIV).

Are you feeling overwhelmed yet? Ready to drop this like a hot potato and purchase that online millionaire’s course mentioned earlier?

Let’s break this down, shall we?

My responsibility:

  • Memorize, meditate, and marinate in God’s Word.
  • Obey the instructions I find written there—think them, do them, and let them adjust my attitude and my actions.
  • Don’t let my self-talk go the direction of discouragement and fear. Grab onto the Word that has been marinating inside of me and let it be what motivates me—not fear.

God’s responsibility:

  • He will be with me wherever I go—through all the twists and turns of running a business and learning new things.
  • Fulfill his promise of making my business prosperous and successful.

So the questions now are:

Will I mind my part of the business and let God take care of his?

Can I keep my mental musings out of his arena of responsibility and focus on mine?

I have a little book of flip cards where I write down all the promises God has for my business. Joshua 1:8-9 heads the pack. I read it, recite it, pray it, and muse on it everyday. Amazingly, the Spirit Holy will bring those words up to my memory when I’m tempted to let discouragement invade my mental musings. (I think that has something to do with the Spirit being the guard of peace around my heart and mind mentioned in Philippians 4:6-7.)

So, what you have found helpful in marinating in God’s Word, and how has that influenced your business? Inquiring minds want, and need, to know.

Susan Gaddis, Helping you build your spiritual legacy

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Category: At work, Brain overhaul, Ebooks, The Backward Kingdom  Tags: , , , , , , , ,
08
Oct
How to Recover the Lost Art of Reverencing Others

“Reverence begins in a deep understanding of human limitations; from this grows the capacity to be in awe of whatever we believe lies outside our control—God, truth, justice, nature, even death. The capacity for awe, as it grows, brings with it the capacity for respecting fellow human beings, flaws and all.” So says Paul Woodruff in his book Reverence, Renewing a Forgotten Virtue.

The difference between reverence and respect

Reverence and respect are close cousins, but not twins. Humility is found in both, yet only reverence honors in a way that respect cannot. Reverence lives in the heart, where as respect resides in the mind. Respect can be taught and given without a heart connection, but reverence can’t—reverence flows from the heart. You can respect wrong things and people, but you can’t reverence wrong things or people in a life giving way. Reverence stands as the wellspring of respect.

Indications that reverence is a lost art

I don’t know about you, but I’ve found myself losing the capacity for reverence in little ways—and it scares me.

  • I’ve been known to call my son on his cell phone while he is doing homework in his bedroom instead of walking down the hall to talk with him face to face.
  • I grow frustrated with people who can’t always comprehend what I am trying to explain.
  • It becomes easier to set dinner out on the counter and let the family eat on the run instead of sitting down as a family to have dinner and talk over our day.
  • I can mentally dismiss people if they fall short of my expectations or have flaws that irritate me.
  • I’ll notice the orange sunset as I pass my living room windows, but not stop to reverence the God who created the sunset.

How about you, can you relate to any of the above? (Now—on to the positive….)

Recovering the lost art of reverencing others

Our capacity for reverence is diminished in a culture full of fast food, fast technology, and little commitment. How much of this erosion spills over into our relationship with God? More than we realize I suspect.

Here are some tips for recovering the lost art of reverencing others.

  • Worship God from a place of awe and do so often. It is from this position that reverence flows.
  • Talk with people face to face more than by phone or email.
  • Realize that frustration with others can lead to a lack of reverence for them—catch yourself and put reverence first. It will change the way you communicate.
  • Stand in awe of others—see the image of God in them—even people that drive you nuts. They are valued and loved by God, and they belong to him. Reverence him and reverence his kids.
  • Take time—intentionally be present to people. Take the time that is needed to be with people physically, mentally, and spiritually.

So, what can you add to my two lists above? Where do you lack reverence and what tips can you share for recovering the lost art of reverence?

In Him together, Susan Gaddis

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22
Sep
Here’s the Secret to Being a King

Have you ever wanted to know the secret to being a king? During the eleventh century when King Henry III of Bavaria ruled, the pressures of being a king caused him to grow tired of court life. Believing that the role of a monk would relieve the stress of responsibility and provide a more restful life, King Henry pleaded his case to Prior Richard from the local monastery.

“Your Majesty,” said Prior Richard, “do you understand that to become a monk you must make a pledge of obedience? This might be a hard thing for you to do since you are used to being a king and making all the decisions.”

“No problem,” replied Henry. “For the rest of my life I will be obedient to you, as Christ leads you.”

“In that case, you are welcome to become one of us,” said Prior Richard. “Here is my command for you. Go back to your throne and serve faithfully in the job where God has placed you.”

A statement was written when King Henry died, “The King learned to rule by being obedient.”

I do not know if this story is true or not, but I do know that all of us are placed in positions of responsibility in different arenas. Although we are not kings, all of us feel overwhelmed and tired at times of our jobs. Yet to enter heaven hearing, “Welcome home, good and faithful servant,” we have to learn to be obedient and serve where Christ has placed us. Only then will we be prepared to rule and reign with him.

Consider this:

How would your life be different if you viewed your job as an obedience training assignment from God on how to rule and reign?

Your remarks are always welcome in the comment section below.

In Him together, Susan Gaddis

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08
Sep
Finding Your Way Through Personality Clashes and Opinion Differences

Have you ever had a work or social situation where one person stood out as “difficult”? You know the kind I mean–your opinion is always minimized and you just can’t seem to warm up to this person’s personality.

Sometimes these people pass through our lives quickly. Often they remain. Either way, they provide us opportunities to grow in our people skills and boundary-setting techniques.

Be encouraged—personality clashes and opinion differences are normal. If everyone got along there would be no need for the Bible and its stories of ordinary people experiencing frustration with one another.

In the New Testament, Paul and John Mark fit this description. Something happened in their relationship or in their definition of Paul’s mission that caused a breach. We know it wasn’t serious sin, such as immorality or slander on John Mark’s side, or Paul would have applied Matthew 18 to the problem with John Mark. Instead, Paul simply asked John Mark to not be a part of his ministry.

Barnabas disagreed with Paul concerning John Mark and also quit traveling with Paul’s ministry because of his views. One has the feeling from Scripture that this was an “agree to disagree” parting. Later, Paul changed his mind about John Mark and requested his participation in Paul’s Gentile ministry.

Personality clashes are not sin—how they are expressed can be. In an agree to disagree parting, it is important that grace and respect be the flow of the disagreement. If things have been processed improperly, then repentance and forgiveness are necessary. However, one doesn’t have to repent or forgive for their personal opinion. Unity doesn’t mean that we have to agree about everything!

People will always be a part of our lives or else we each wouldn’t have much of a life. How we handle the personality clashes and opinion differences that come with living in a people populated world will vary depending on our level of maturity and willingness to process such things in a godly manner. Repentance, forgiveness, and extending grace continue to be part of the kingdom culture we learn and practice on a daily basis.

What have you found to be helpful in dealing with personality clashes and opinion differences? (Leave your opinionated comments in the comment section below or click on the blue comment link.)

This post is taken from my book, Help, I’m Stuck With These People For the Rest of Eternity.

In Him together, Susan Gaddis

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01
Sep
Things Your Mother Never Told You About Teamwork

Working as a team doesn’t always come easy, whether in marriage, church, or on the job. Yet teamwork is part of our calling—God describes us as living stones in the process of being built together to be a spiritual house and a royal priesthood (see 1 Peter 2:5). He refers to us as a living body made up of many different parts. No part can function independently (see 1 Corinthians 12:13-27). I hope you enjoy this short clip on teamwork from one of my favorite teams at Igniter Media.

If you received this post via a RSS reader or email and cannot view the video, please stop by the Holy in the Daily blog to view it. You’ll be smiling the rest of the day! (After that, just click one of the icons–email, facebook, twitter, or other icon–at the very bottom of the post to share your smile with a few friends.)
In Him together, Susan Gaddis

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25
Aug
Warning: Stress Can Steal Your Sanity

I used to blame my painful stress levels on external events and obligations piling up on my desk. I now know that the stress causing my blood pressure to rise is my internal reaction to such events.

My internal stress is caused by:

1. My self-imposed sense of obligation to complete assigned, assumed, or volunteered for tasks.

2. My inability to say, “I’m not able to do that,” because my dad always told me I could do anything I set my mind to.

3. My failure to set boundaries on my work—I enjoy what I do and I’m pretty good at it.

4. My need for the feeling of accomplishment that comes with projects completed.

Even the discouraging events in my life that cause stress, such as the decline and death of my parents or the struggles my kids and friends go through, pull out more than compassion in me:

I carry a sense of obligation to fix a situation so another will be free of pain.

I’m internally a teacher, so I tend to teach others how to handle life rather than let them experience life.

I want to control my external world—my world gets uncomfortable when the messes of others collide with my world.

I don’t think this is a pride issue as much as it is one of obligation—self obligation. Most of my stress comes from self-imposed obligations and it is mostly internal.

Here’s what I have been learning over the past few years:

1. I need to be honest and practical about what I can and can’t do within the boundaries of my work hours and then live within those boundaries. Working overtime steals time from other important things in my life.

2. I don’t have to be available to others, even family, 24/7.

3. I need to be content with things left undone.

4. I need to let others live in their pain without feeling obligated to relieve the pain.

5. I need to remember that just because someone wants to put an obligation on me, I don’t have to pick it up.

6. I need to remember that I can’t control my external world, only my internal world.

7. I need to spend more quiet time with the Lord at the beginning and ending of each day.

In reading over the above list, I realized that Jesus practiced all of these things. No one ever experienced such external stress as Jesus. Yet Jesus never experienced worry, anxiety, burnout or other symptoms of internal stress. Spending time with him and reading the Scriptures can teach me more than anything else about dealing with stress.

What have you learned about external and internal stress and how do you handle your internal stress load?

In Him together, Susan Gaddis

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16
Aug
Holy As the Day is Spent

Carrie Newcomer’s Holy As the Day is Spent stands as one of my all time favorite songs. It speaks to the everyday holy moments of “folding sheets like folding hands, to pray as only laundry can.” May your week be full of the Holy enmeshed in the daily.

If you received this post via a RSS reader or by email and cannot view the video, please stop by the Holy in the Daily blog to enjoy it.

In Him together, Susan Gaddis

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Category: At work, Celtic Christianity, Daily, Daily chores, Monday's Moment Videos, Quiet moments  Tags: , , , ,
28
Jun
The Celtic Art of Knitting Work and Prayer Together

Celtic Christians lived an intertwined life of work and prayer, knitting the two together in such a way that the work of the day became the prayer of life.

In her book, The Celtic Way of Prayer, Esther De Waal explains the Celtic practice of work and prayer. “… there was no separation of praying and living; praying and working flow into each other, so that life is to be punctuated by prayer, become prayer.”

Morning hygiene happened slowly and in the name of the Trinity as each palmful of water was splashed upon the face.

The palmful of the God of Life,
The palmful of the Christ of Love,
The palmful of the Spirit of Peace,
  Triune
  Of grace.
 

The task of making the bed became a time of prayer as seen in this Irish prayer, one of many collected in 1906 by Douglas Hyde.

I make this bed
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit
In the name of the night we were conceived,
In the name of the night we were born,
In the name of the day we were baptized,
In the name of each night, each day,
Each angel that is in the heavens.
 

Alistair MacLean recorded this prayer in Hebridean Altars for days when our work load seems overwhelming or dull.

Even though the day be laden
and my task dreary
and my strength small,
a song keeps singing
in my heart.
For I know that I am Thine.
I am part of Thee.
Thou art kin to me,
and all my times
are in Thy hand.
 

And finally, this prayer from Hebridean Altars:

Seven times a day, as I work upon this hungry farm, I say to Thee, “Lord, why am I here? What is there here to stir my gifts to growth? What great things can I do for others—I who am captive to this dreary toil?” And seven times a day Thou answerest, “I cannot do without thee. Once did My Son live thy life, and by His faithfulness did show My mind, My kindness, and My truth to men. But now He is come to My side, and thou must take His place.”
 

What comes out of your heart and mouth as you work your way through your day?

In Him Together, Susan Gaddis

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09
Jun
Are You Living With Flat People?

Three Musicians by Picasso

A story is told of Pablo Picasso riding on a train when a man approached him and asked him why, as a famous painter, he did not paint people “the way they really are.” Picasso asked the man what he meant by that expression.

The man opened his wallet and took out a snapshot of his wife, saying, “That’s my wife.”

Picasso responded, “Isn’t she rather small and flat?”

Most of us live and work with flat people and fail to realize that our limited perception misses the realms of possibility and wonder hidden within. Seeing people the way they really are is impossible, but we can see them as more than flat.

Usually we form a quick opinion of a person gleaned from a few interactions with him or her. That information is then filtered through what others have told us about the individual. As time goes on, we view this person through the stories we ingrain within—stories based on what we continue to hear and experience of his or her actions and life events.

Some of these stories are good, and some are not, but all stories are limited, since we cannot know a person’s thoughts, motives, hopes, dreams, or the details of the past that have shaped his personality.

Without realizing it, we trap ourselves into certain patterns and ways of thinking concerning the people around us. We see only what we are inclined to see derived from our interpretation of the stories we’ve collected about them in our mental file cabinet.

Finding the Holy in the daily often means looking at people through new glasses—seeing the wonder that God has placed within them, finding the unexpected sparkle behind their story, and assuming the best about them.

Are the people around you flat? Are there aspects to their stories you are missing? How can you change the way you interpret these people?

In Him together, Susan Gaddis

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10
May
Have You Heard the Latest God Gossip?

What’s the latest God gossip? That’s one question you never hear voiced around the water cooler at work! Yet, God keeps a journal of all the things we talk about concerning him.

One of the heavenly scribes jots our name and our God gossip down in God’s Book of Remembrance. “Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored his name” (Malachi 3:16 NIV).

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I wince when I think about that journal:

  • Is there much written next to my name?
  • What did I say?
  • Did it sound like I even knew what I was talking about?
  • Dang, if I knew he was taking notes, I would have said more!
 

Thankfully the bad gossip doesn’t end up in God’s journal. He only writes down the good stuff—the stuff of grace. Funny how much our mouth contributes to the Holy in our daily. “My mouth shall recount your mighty acts and saving deeds all day long; though I cannot know the number of them” (Psalm 71:15).

What’s your God gossip today? What has God been up to that you have heard about, and how much of that information have you passed on to others?

In Him together, Susan Gaddis

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