Potential Endeavors

This morning I started reading “Sun Stand Still” again from Steven Furtick.  I had started reading the book after the Leadership Summit, but had put it down a couple of months ago and had not read it since.  The chapter I started with today was about a simple theology – God is Great, God is Good!  Under God is Great, the book said “Dream God-worthy dreams.  Pray faith fueled prayers.  Live a life that can be explained only by the existence of a God who is infinitely great.”  “If your problem is too big for you, it’s just the right size for God.Under God is Good, the book said, “Knowing God is great enables you to dream, pray and live beyond your means because you know He is able to repond.  But knowing God is also good enables you to dream, pray, and live beyond your means because you know He wants to respond.”The chapter ended with this comment: “Build your confidence in his goodness and his greatness, and he will do the impossible.  In our day, in your life.  For his glory.”This chapter was so powerful in its timing – Eagle Brook Church’s Christmas message was on “Doing the Impossible” and being a willing a servant, the same story as I had blogged about in Mary’s Message.After reading this chapter it made me want to go back and read the chapter before to see where I had left off.  That chapter was the “Surcharge of Sacrifice.  It talked about the sacrifice of Joshua and the personal sacrifice you have to make to do something amazing, as he said “Trade off to Trade up”.  In the book it said: “There’s always a trade-off.  Before God can bring his promises to pass in your life, he has to strip away all the stuff that keeps you from trusting him wholeheartedly.”  “Crossing over into God’s promise is always accompanied by a cutting-away process.”  and it continued:  “The things that God will call you to lay down or walk away from will depend a lot on where you’ve come from and where he’s taking you.”The book continued with the story of a corporate leader who was fired due to his decision to do what was right and not lie.  He lost his job, but took this opportunity to take on a job leading a mission area that is sending a thousand people to help dig wells in a foreign land.  Some of the comments that hit me:”But God stepped in and initiated a divine downsize.” “God often has to cut away our selfish goals to make room for the gospel in our lives.” “Now the question loomed:  was he willing to follow Jesus into a place of costly obedience?” “Now he realizes that when God removes something from our lives, it’s not because he’s trying to take away something good.  It’s because he’s trying to make room for something better.” “The same divine downsize that threatened to break him down laid the foundation for God to build him up to a greater height of peace and potential.” “Will we let God take away something we want now in order to make room for the thing we ultimately want?” “It’s a trade-off.  It will definitely cost you something.  But it’s always a trade-up.  Why?  Because God always gives back so much more that he takes away.  When he takes something or someone out of our life, he’s just clearing space in your hard drive for an update.”These comments hit me right where I am today. I feel that leaving Target was a “Divine Downsizing” and God is preparing me for something amazing. Hebrews 12:11 – No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.  Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.The book then talked about the story of Joseph.”Before God positioned Joseph to save an entire nation, he cut away all of Joseph’s security and tested all his loyalties.” “Don’t let anybody but God himself put you in your place.  And don’t stop forging ahead when you encounter opposition.  The fact that you’re fighting big battles means that you’re close to even bigger blessings.  The reason you’re facing fierce resistance now is that God is preparing an astonishing reward in your future.” “A high calling often exacts a high price.  But it always yields an astronomical return.” “He’s aligning your desires with his desires so that he can accomplish the impossible in your life.  And once you’ve made up your mind to pay the price and to trust the Lord with all your heart, no level of spiritual achievement is out of reach.  Because when you want what God wants for the reasons he wants it, you’re unstoppable.”It ended with a pledge: “By God’s grace, no matter what it costs me, I’m going to live by audacious faith.  I’m going to believe God for the impossible, to accomplish by and for him what I cannot accomplish on my own.  No matter what people think about my Page 23 vision for my life, I’m going to take God at his word.  I’m going to to trust him with my whole heart and follow him step by step, even when my surrender requires sacrifice.  Even if it seems like he’s taken me over the edge, I will trust that he’ll be there to catch me if I fall.  I will trust that he is good and that somehow, someday, he will work all things in my life together for my good and his glory.”This was the last chapter I read several months ago.  Why did I stop after this pledge?  Was it a God prompting to wait to read about the action steps until after I was ready to move on the pledge. I found myself crying as I thought how God worked these together.  The Leadership summit and this book began the process of moving my mind to something else other than Target. In my journal on September 18th I wrote the following prayer: God give me the faith to do great things for you.  Help me to know what you want me to do that I can only do because of you and with your help!Next thing I know, God begins the process of answering my prayer by removing my “Golden Handcuffs” at Target and the tradeoff process begins.  Then after the past 3 weeks of beginning the “trade-up” process, God prompts me to pick up the book and it was the perfect chapter to begin to move my process forward.What is the impossible that God wants to do through me? I feel God leading me in a direction. I find myself thinking about some pretty impossible things that only He could do, but I would sure be excited to be part of. I am finding the people around me affirming this direction in my life by their suggestions and thoughts. Could I be at the beginning stage of being part of helping an organization do some impossible things that are truly God sized. Has God been preparing me the past 20 years for a role that can use the gifts he has given me to do something impossible?    When I left Target, I received many notes and emails from people I had worked with over the past twenty years sharing with me the impact that I had made in their lives. The comments over and over affirmed that God has given me the ability to lead teams, develop people and connect value with the work that people do. It broke down into three simple words – engage, inspire and empower. I feel God leading me to use these three simple words to do the impossible.How exciting to see how God is weaving this all together!

During this Christmas season, a lot of time is spent thinking about gifts – gifts for your family, friends and a list of things that you want for yourself.  Most of these gifts lack eternal value – they are things we will play with, use, wear and then find a place in our closets, storage areas or garage.

But do we really think about the gifts that are given that have eternal value?  Think of the gift that was given to us by Jesus coming to this earth as a baby and dying for our sins.  A gift of eternal value that all we have to do is accept.

This Christmas is different for me as it is the first that I have experienced without a job and with having to think about how much should we spend on gifts for others.  It has also been a time where I have had more time to reflect on the many gifts that God has given to me.  I think of the great health my family and I have had, the great job that I have had for 20 years that has richly provided for my family needs, the great friends that God has given to me to share my life with and many more.

But one thing I had not thought of as a gift was this job change until having a lunch with a friend from Target yesterday.  He asked what has been the hardest part of leaving Target and I explained it was explaining why had left Target.  As I explained to him how I answer this question when asked, he said to me:  “It sounds like you have been given a gift”.  I had not thought of it this way.  But yet what a gift I have been given – I have had time to spend with friends and family.  I have had time to spend listening to God and let Him work in my life.  And I  have had time to look at other things to do with my gifts that God has given to me in with my skills and experiences and time to look for where He would like me to use those gifts to help His Kingdom.  What a gift!

What gift has God given to you that you have not recognized because you saw it as a hardship or loss?  What does God have to give you if you just listen and accept what He is giving.

As I begin my journey looking for the next phase of my career, I can’t help but compare what I am going through to a “free agent” in professional sports. A free agent has to put together their career accomplishments and stats and put a compelling case together why another team would want to spend their money on you. There are all kinds of free agents – there are those that everybody wants but only few can afford, there are those that you’ve heard about but the team has to spend more time with to see that they are the right fit for the organization, there are others who are the missing pieces a team feels they need to make them better.When I think about myself, what are my career stats? What skills, production, intangibles do I bring to the table that would make another team want me? What are my skills worth? Do you look for where you can make the most money or where you feel it is the right fit, even at less money than others can offer? How do you market yourself? Do you relay on your past successes to speak for themselves, rely on the word of mouth of past team mates or peers or agressively market yourself with a stat book and DVD of yourself?Now in human terms this would all be overwhelming, but as a Christ follower, I have a great Agent (God). God has a plan for my life and He will be there to help open the doors and negotiate the contract. That doesn’t mean I do not have to do anything. I have to take the time to listen to Him, take the time to study His Word, and be willing to follow His paths, no matter what. I have to be able to hear His ideas and be able to speak God’s vision into the opportunity that I may be applying for.Will this be easy? No way – I want to be in control and make things happen. I see the season starting and want to get on a team so that I am ready to play on day one. Allowing things to happen in God’s timing is not always easy, as His timing and plans may be very different than my own. This is why I have to lean into my Agent and trust Him. He has my best interests and wants to see me end up on a team that brings honor and glory to His Kingdom and in the end, His team always wins.

During this Christmas season, I found myself thinking about some of the parrallels in my life to how Mary felt and reacted when she was told that she was going to give birth to the Savior:
In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!” Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!” Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.” The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.” Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her. (Luke 1:26-38 NLT)
When I knew that my time at Target was coming to an end, I felt confused and disturbed and did not understand, but I felt God saying to me – “Don’t be afraid”. That night I journaled that I believed this change was driven to remove the “Golden Handcuffs” that I had at Target that would keep me from looking at other opportunities that God had planned for me. And while God’s plan for me is nowhere near His plan for Mary, her response is a lesson for us all: “I am the Lord’s servant”. This has been my prayer through this change in my life – make me Your servant. Help me to see what your plan is for my life.
While I have not had an angel come to me and tell me the plan for my life, I have had many of God’s people come and provide opportunities and encouragement about what the next step should be in my life. There probably won’t be a census that brings me to my new Bethlehem, but I do believe that there will be a door opened that God will call me to walk through and it is up to me to get on my donkey and go through the door and trust that God will provide for financial needs of my family.

The devotional, “Jesus Calling” had this teaching for yesterday December 12th:Be willing to go out on a limb with Me. If that is where I am leading you, it is the safest place to be. Your desire to live a risk-free life is a form of unbelief. Your longing to live close to Me is at odds with your attempts to minimize risk. You are approaching a crossroads in your journey. In order to follow Me wholeheartedly, you must relinquish your tendency to play it safe.Let Me lead you step by step through this day. If your primary focus is on Me, you can walk along perilous paths without being afraid. Eventually, you will learn to relax and enjoy the adventure of our journey together. As long as you stay close to Me, My sovereign Presence protects you wherever you go. – http://bit.ly/eF5kSq What a great challenge for me.  How am I demonstrating that I am willing to go out on a limb with God and be a risk taker.  What does it mean to go out on a limb?  What is taking a risk? Is it making yourself available for a position that does not exist, but that you know you could add value to the organization? Is it applying for a job that fits yours skills, but is an environment that is totally different than what you have done before? Is it looking at jobs or opportunitunities that have eternal value, but pay significantly less than what you used to make?  Is it moving to another state or country to serve Him?God help me to be a risk taker in following You.  Help me to listen to Your voice to hear what You want me to do with the skills and gifts You have given me.  I don’t know what that is, but help me to have a an open mind and to listen to Your voice. You have sent messages to me letting me know You are in control. Help me to continue to listen to those messages.I need to leave it in your hands.  I do not want to get so excited about an opportunity that if it does not work out I get disappointed and stop listening to you.  But I also know that I have to take some risks to make those opportunities become a reality.Thanks for this time to help me to lean on you.  Thanks for your promises to take care of us and to provide for us.  Thanks for the hope you give me of not only this life but more importantly the future we have in You and eternity in heaven.  Help me to hear your voice and follow you in Your plan for my life.

Today I had lunch with a friend who’s wife recently died after a long battle with cancer. While it is sad to know that she is gone, it was amazing to hear how God has provided support for my friend and how God used his wife’s journey with cancer to show how God can provide hope even in the midst of sickness and ultimately death.
While the loss of a job is nothing compared to the loss of a spouse, it was interesting to think about my friend’s journey and how to pull lessons from her life and from my friend’s loss.
I was amazed by the community that surrounded my friend and his wife. Who is the community that is coming with me in my journey?
Her Caring Bridge site was filled with comments on how God was evident in her life and in her journey. Am I letting God lead me in my journey?
The loss of his wife means the beginning of a new phase of his life. My job change is the beginning of a new journey for me.
My friends had opportunities to create some memories and spend some special time together before her death. How do I make sure that I spend some time with family and friends before starting a new job.
My friend’s wife has died and is now in heaven and she has reached the ultimate destination. Her life was a shining example of a life lived well. How do I make sure that what I do with my life is focused on my final destination and not just the things of this world.
I am fortunate to have known these two people in my life and my prayers are with the surviving family as they go through this Christmas season.

Today I had lunch with someone who has been a friend high school. We talked about job changes that we have each recently gone through. As we were finishing our lunch he shared with me how he has viewed me over the years. He shared that he has always seen me as the type of leader who did not need to be in limelight. He remembered that I was a left tackle on the offensive line in our high school football team. He said he always saw me as someone who was content to do the dirty work of blocking for the running backs and protecting the QB’s blindside and did not need to be the star. I had the desire to see the team win and was willing to do what was needed to help the team. Then he shared that is how he has seen me in my professional world as well. This discussion reminded me of I Corinthians 12 where it talks about the parts of the body:The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit. Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything? But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. How strange a body would be if it had only one part! Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.” In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad. All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it. (1 Corinthians 12:12-27 NLT This brought me to think about my role in leadership. I have always been the left tackle in my jobs. Target wanted me to be the QB, but I knew that was not my leadership skills. As I transition to a new role, it is important to look for a role where I can continue to be the left tackle, be behind the scenes helping the RB’s, WR’s and QB’s be stars. This is where God has gifted me. What is your role? Whatever it is, always strive to be the best in whatever gifts God has given you. If you are a left tackle, be happy about it. Always know that the the only time an offensive lineman is noticed is when the QB gets sacked or you are called for a penalty, but without the work that they do, the offense would not score and the team would not win.

As I have begun this journey, I have found myself being very philosophical. I have used this time to put my life into three 25 year buckets: The first 25 years was focused on my education and preparation for my future life The second 25 years was focused on raising my family, preparing my kids for their future lives, and developing the experiences and skills to use during the last 25 years of my life. The last 25 years I want to use my time to focus on taking the skills and experiences that God has given me and look for ways to use them to give back. Does that mean you only give back the last 25 years? No, giving to God should be a part of all aspects of your life, but as your family is raised, what is your focus – to build your retirement nest egg or to use the gifts that we have been given to make a difference in the world. For some that may be by being able to give more, for others that might be using your skills for organizations that have eternal value rather than making corporate profits. This is where my journey is at. What is it that God wants me to do with the gifts He has given me? How can I give back?