Faith

I suppose the breaking point could have been when the TSA agent pulled Sarah out of line and required additional information to prove she wasn’t taking a child on a plane against their will, which apparently is standard policy whenever they see a “child in distress.” Indeed, Sadie was pitching quite a fit, protesting the stroller straps that kept her from running freely all over the airport. The TSA agent had no idea. It had been a week. Sadie was done, and so were we. But that’s not where things began.

My week “off” started with a 6 a.m. workout prior to going to the airport. Once there, I met a man while waiting in line for food at Frontera. A quick chit-chat led him crying as he informed me his 53-year-old brother was in a coma, and most likely would die by day’s end. I asked if I could pray for him, then staying bold, I put a hand on his shoulder and prayed out loud for him in the middle of Frontera.

I have never done that before. But the experience was something I pondered during the week to come.

San Diego began incredibly. The zoo, some good meals, and before we knew it, we were on the Disney Cruise. “Let the Magic begin,” we were told.

Did it ever!

Ben began puking early Tuesday morning. The nights blend into one, so Sarah will have to verify the chronological order of what I am about to share, but I can assure its accuracy. The puking was followed by stomach issues too vile to describe. So as the ship bounced around the bumpy Pacific – a factor we only thought of too late – Ben became “made new.”

The following night began with Ben getting sick again, this time all over the room. “All over” included his sister Sadie sleeping in the pack-and-play. So, we cycled kids through the shower around 1130 p.m. To up the level of parenting difficulty, the toilet clogged. So, enter the repair man into the dungeon of doom.

It wouldn’t be his last visit…

By morning, Will joined the party. Rinse and repeat. Literally. As the ship bounced through the Pacific, I had that feeling you get when you know the doctor is going to ask you to do something you know is going to be painful. It was only a matter of time until Sadie would get sick.

Needing perspective, I asked the family to pray. So, we did. We thanked God for the problems we had, which in retrospect might be a little selfish to thank God we only have “these problems” and not the ones we really don’t want, but it was perspective we needed. These were #firstworldproblems! We closed by asking God to heal, and keep the rest of us healthy.

Thanks be to God, He did.

Will puked all over the place Wednesday afternoon, and by Thursday Ben was still having stomach issues – as I write these words in the United Club Friday afternoon, he is STILL having stomach issues! –but, we survived. Of course, the cleaning people on the Disney Cruise might think otherwise given the number of sheets they changed, and as I mentioned earlier, there was another repair man visit when the toilet stopped working at 3 a.m. Friday morning.

But we made it.

We made it!

Walking down the ramp I was as happy as I was that morning in Paris when I heard Pat Hughes say that the Chicago Cubs were World Champions. Okay, that’s an exaggeration, but I was still pretty darn happy to leave the dungeon of doom behind.

“That was SO much fun,” Ben told us as we drove away. Channeling my inner Clark W. Griswold, I looked at him like he was possessed by the devil. Fun?

But you know what? He was right. Interspersed in all the fireworks were moments of fun with my sisters, their husbands, and our nieces. All of these were times to cherish! Plus, our kids never had a frown – seriously, this is something they inherited from Sarah – and I could not be prouder of their attitudes.

As we left, and as I quickly transition back to bald in business – a trip to Vienna is no less than 48 hours away – I leave with new perspective. I often hear people say that God doesn’t give you more than you can handle. Gag me. Of course, he does. But when life happens – and it will keep happening until He fixes this broken world forever –dealing with more than you can handle is prime time for looking up to Him. With His help, you can handle anything.

For, He is good all the time.

And thank God for dry ground, an amazing wife, and clean home!

Much has been written about an organization’s need for a well-written mission statement. It should not only provide clarity on the driving force behind the work the organization does, but its contents should be easily digestible to everyone in the organization, as well as everyone the organization attempts to serve. Simply stated, it should simply state what the organization is all about.

This is easier said than done. Most organizations, Hoffer Plastics presently included, have mission statements containing phrases not easily understood. Phrases like “value-added services,” “increased efficiency,” and the like, might have good intentions behind them, but often fail to provide the clarity that a good mission statement provides.

At the end of Jesus’ time on earth, he provided one of the simplest, easiest, and arguably best, mission statement of all time. The Great Commission, as it has come to be known, is easily digestible. Let’s look at how simple Matthew 28:19-20 is:

“Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Matthew 28:19-20

If this was a corporate organization, Jesus just outlined that our business’ default action is to “go,” our market is “all nations,” and our value-proposition is in “teaching the nations to obey everything he commanded.” This is worth it because it leads to life in the full (John 10:10).

There is nothing murky about this. Not only are these words easy to understand, they leave little room for debate.

How clear is the mission statement at your organization? I admitted above that ours isn’t as clear as it needs to be, something my sisters and I are committed to addressing. In the meantime, we are working with our team to clarify what our true mission is. The conversations are energizing.

I challenge you to clarify your mission statement. A clear mission statement does not solve all issues. You see, no matter where you work, if you are a Christ follower, Jesus’ command is your personal mission statement. This is what it’s all about. Nothing else you do in your day matters in light of eternity so much as this. Yet many western Christ followers fail to live up to the directive. That doesn’t mean the mission is any less clear; it just means there is a lack of obedience to the mission – but that’s a topic for another time.

Clarify the mission your organization is on. Make it easy for all to understand. And remind yourself of your ultimate personal mission as well.

Then go!

For the last ten years, I defined my strongest ability as my willingness to hustle. I answered emails immediately, even around the clock when I could. I returned phone calls from customers within minutes. And I always pursued “inbox zero,” the holy-grail of Outlook and email productivity.

It didn’t stop with work. In addition to reading close to 40 books per year, there were magazines like HBR, more podcasts than I can mention, and always an inkling for more inputs.

Whatever would make me “better.”

Perhaps most telling, and easily most embarrassing in retrospect, I created a self-bio that stated what I was most excited about was whatever came NEXT!

But, no “NEXT” was ever enough.

And while I haven’t missed any big family events, or milestones for the kids, my bodily presence did not always mean that I was fully present.

I now realize that I have become an adrenaline junkie to a certain extent. One who, at least metaphorically speaking, realizes they are in need of rehabilitation. For continuing to take hits of adrenaline, continuing to hustle past God’s limits for me, will only end in regret.

Of course, a voice always whispers that hustling won’t cost anything visible to others. Maybe it will just be something internal…

But aren’t concessions like these exactly what put me in this condition in the first place?

Only the fool thinks internal costs are free! Not only do these costs carry external interest, their payments are spread to those who love me most.

What I have come to realize is this:

The rat race is a journey to fool’s gold.

Of course, we call it something more acceptable. Maybe “climbing the ladder,” or “career development.”

There are many nice phrases.

But we all know what it is.

The simple reality is that no “next thing” will ever be enough.

Whether you are a Christ follower or not, I imagine you’ve felt this, too. The truth is, we were all created with a void in our hearts that can only be filled with Christ. This void is what makes us seek Him. We were never meant to find our identity outside of Him. We were never meant to do life in our own strength. In fact, Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians that God’s “power is made perfect in weakness.”

The question is, when we face our weaknesses and insecurities, do we look for the “next thing” to provide a sense of fulfillment or a quick fix, or do we turn to the Creator? Do we pray when we need wisdom or competence or strength, or expect another podcast to deliver? Do we allow Him to remind us who we are, or rely on our own accomplishments to bring fulfillment?

I have found again and again that the rat race is a journey to fool’s gold.

Theological thoughts about the workplace

“Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10

The last two weeks I have written about how I pray for Hoffer Plastics, and how Bible reading impacts my leadership. These “disciplines” are easy for someone with a Type A personality because both involve “doing.” Solitude, the last discipline I am going to discuss, is about “being.” It is one of those topics, like observing the Sabbath, that I know I should be implementing more, but

I often lack the intentionality to implement.

Unlike the previously discussed disciplines, the idea of solitude is something embraced by many people these days. Atheists, spiritualists, Eastern Religions, just to name a few groups, all embrace silence in the form of solitude or meditation. It is no wonder this idea is attractive given how fast-paced, “crazy busy”, and instantaneous this world is.

In January, my Executive Coach challenged me regarding silence. He had the guts to tell me that I was “soul sick,” that my “doing” was far outpacing my “being.” I could list all the books, podcasts, activities, (noise!) in my life, point to how constant they were, and yet couldn’t remember any time where I was still and silent.

It was humbling.

Since then, I have begun implementing silence into my life. To be sure, I haven’t gone on any retreats. I wish I could take a month-long sabbatical, but that isn’t realistic in the season of life (small kids), and leadership role I am in.

This reality used to make me feel like a victim. “See,” I thought, “these self-help book authors and pastors don’t get my season of life!”

This was intellectually lazy.

What I discovered was that I can implement silence into my life. Moments of silence lessen stress, quiet the noise inside my head, help me think through leadership dilemmas, and most importantly, reconnect me to God.

So, I invite you to create moments of silence into your life this week.

Notice, I am not giving you a formula to do this. The reason being that this isn’t about “doing.”

It is about “being.”

Give yourself the gift of momentary silence this week.

The Bible is often misunderstood. For starters, it is important to realize that it’s a collection of 66 books in one, consisting of various literary genres, with all 66 books telling a single story: the story of all stories. With the limited space of a blog post, today’s post attempts to answer the question: How does the Bible impact my leadership? If what you are about to read piques your curiosity, I challenge you to crack the Bible open yourself. A good starting point is the book of Mark, one of the four Gospels of Jesus’ life. 16 chapters long, it can be read in a couple of weeks if you allot ten minutes a day.

The Bible reminds me that we all were created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27). So, everyone I am attempting to lead is a treasured child of God (Galatians 3:26-29). Further, all these children have sinned, and so have I (Romans 3:23). Because of this Fall, the ground we all work on—and even the corporate boardrooms we meet in–is cursed and will never reflect fully the way things were meant to be this side of heaven (Gen 3:17-19). Thus, I am not surprised when there is division, strife, or relational conflicts in business, or even the Church (James 4:1). Jesus, after all, said that life is full of trouble (John 16:33a). And, when our hope is in things of this world, like personal gain, the business being profitable, or even in our family – as good as families are – we will eventually learn that this, too, is chasing after the wind (Ecclesiastes 1:14).

So, maybe there is nothing better than to eat, drink, and be glad? (Ecclesiastes 8:15).

Jesus, however, tells us he came to give us so much more than personal gain (John 10:10). So, I can approach trouble with the reality that God is big enough to hear my cries (Psalm 142). More so, that I have hope despite this trouble, because Jesus overcame the world (John 16:33b). He overcame it by paying my ransom (Mark 10:45), and he offers the same gift to every human being that comes to Him (John 3:16). Thus, thousands of years before “globalism” and “inclusion,” Jesus gave the greatest commission to his followers, and the greatest invitation to the world (Matt 28:18-20).

Therefore, I am reminded every day that every person I meet matters. And every person deserves to receive this invitation.

I must admit that this news isn’t accepted by all, and even some of Jesus’ contemporaries doubted it (Matthew 28:17). But our God is bigger than any human thought or way (Isaiah 55:8-9), and is apparently okay with questions (Psalm 13:1).

As I face the challenges of each day, I am encouraged because God is with me (Deuteronomy 31:6, Isaiah 41:10). I have hope and joy because “Truly, he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken” (Psalm 62:2).

Of course, one day I will die and face judgment (Hebrews 9:27). But even though death is like a thief in the night (1 Thessalonians 5:2), I still have hope because of what Jesus did for me (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14). More importantly, I have hope for what Jesus will do, and for that day when “there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain” (Revelation 21:4). That puts our daily company conflicts in perspective.

I guess the real question is…

How doesn’t the Bible impact my leadership?

The topic of prayer has gotten a lot of attention from mass media the last few years, and most of it is not good. Look up “prayer shaming” on Google, and you will see many references to how worthless prayer supposedly is.

This post isn’t going to dive into any of that. #TheoThursday posts are not intended to be “apologetic.” What follows is just an example of how I pray for our business–and hopefully some encouragement for you to pray for yours.

As I begin, remember prayer is more about changing me, than changing my circumstances. It is the ultimate realization that, to quote the Priest in the movie “Rudy,” there is a God, and I am not him. In a business sense, this means remembering that our business is not the center of the universe.

Practically, I use a helpful acronym in all my prayers: CHAT.

C – Confess. Yes, in praying for Hoffer Plastics I begin with confessing that we are sinful. This is a loaded term, and may be offensive to some. But “sin” just means choosing a path not aligned to God’s ways. For example, daily we can contribute to relational strife; we can put our hope in more sales rather than in God; we can put ourselves – and our company – before others; and we can even ignore the limits God has placed on our work life. The list could go on for miles. Realizing this, confessing this, and asking God for help in turning back to him, is the starting point of this prayer.

H – Honor. Next, I honor God by praising Him for his character. To a non-believer, this may sound trite. “Does God really need to hear how great he is?” Perhaps not, but I need to remember who God is: Every sale, every human being working here, are all provided by the PROVIDER. He is SOVEREIGN, and watches out for our business. He also TEACHES, REBUKES, and CORRECTS. These can be hard lessons, but even then, he is GOOD. These reminders quickly put everything else into perspective.

A – Ask. Now I ask God for specific things. This is what most people think prayer is. It is so much more, but we do need to ask. The most common thing I pray for is WISDOM. 99% of leadership is dealing with things a human being cannot possibly “know” with certainty. Thus, I rely on God’s WISDOM. And to be sure, he provides (this after all, is why some of my direct reports think I am good at hiring others. NO WAY. God just provides wisdom. He is faithful).

T – Thanksgiving. Finally, I end by thanking God for everything. The good things and the bad, the hard things, and even the things I do not understand. I even thank God for being big enough to hear my frustration that I don’t get what he is up to in certain regards. But giving thanks for His faithful provision and his answered prayers gives me the fuel I need to trust nonetheless.

I challenge you to grab a cup of coffee this week and pray through these steps. Then watch for changes in yourself and your circumstances. Look for God’s answers. And you can decide for yourself if this is a worthwhile exercise.

I know what I would say.

Theological thoughts about the workplace

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Ephesians 4:29

In point 3 of Monday’s post, I talked about language as an indicator of organizational health. I observed that sometimes leaders use personal pronouns to take sole credit for their leadership achievements, or occasionally to pass responsibility on to others when discussing perceived failures. What about the use of profanity? I believe these word choices are likewise a strong indicator of our own spiritual health.

As a follower of Jesus, such words should not come out of my mouth. That said, they occasionally do.

Like lust, greed, and pride, the use of profanity is something I am not proud of. There are countless spiritual reasons this is so, but since these posts are about the workplace, here are just three (there are more) reasons why profanity is unbecoming of a leader:

1. Profanity is an indicator of a lack of self-control.

2. Profanity is an indicator of a weak argument, or weak leader.

3. Profanity is entirely unhelpful “for building others up.”

Jesus said, “what goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, this is what defiles them (Matthew 15:11). “Defile” means to spoil, and that’s exactly what profanity does to one’s leadership.

It takes intentionality, wisdom, and an unhurried spirit, to not use profanity when stress compounds (remember: stress = fear. More to come on this in a few weeks). Left to my own sinful desires, however, and the ugly words emerge.

I have discovered that trying harder to stop this does not work.

As spiritually aloof as this may sound, reconnecting with God through prayer, immersing myself in His word, and practicing solitude, all help me in this pursuit. In fact, over the next three #TheoThursdays I am going to consider how these “spiritual disciplines” impact my leadership, and our business.

But first, let’s put a bow on the topic of profanity.

Whether you are a Christ follower or not, I challenge you to reconsider your words. Do they tear down, or build up? Sticks and stones do break bones, and watch the news, because when a leader uses words callously, they’re not only defiling their own leadership, but abusing others in the process.

Let’s choose them wisely.

Theological thoughts about the workplace

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather in humility, value others above yourself.” Philippians 2:3.

The other day I wrote about my desire for the approval of others with regards to this blog. The Bible often calls this desire “pride.” Or as a contemporary dictionary defines it, “a feeling of deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one’s own achievements.”

While the Bible clearly–and often–condemns pride, today’s culture encourages us to look to our achievements as a source of personal fulfillment.

So how do we maintain a spirit of humility in the achievement-driven, results-oriented modern workplace?

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.” In his first letter to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul challenges Christ followers to “do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). Self, in the Christian life, is not primary. God is. Thus, “one’s own achievements” are not ours at all—they have been done through Him and for Him. Humility is being thankful for what God gives us. Both good and bad. Any glory we receive should be deflected off of us and on to Him. Any setbacks we encounter should not shake us when we remember all is ultimately part of God’s perfect plan. (Actually, in 2 Corinthians 12:7, Paul recognizes a “thorn in his flesh” as a tool to “keep [him] from becoming conceited”! Could setbacks even be used for our good?)

“Rather in humility, value others above yourself.” Problematic with the world’s view is that nothing is ever gained solely by “one’s own achievement.” In fact, nothing in human history has ever been achieved by one individual. (This blog took the help of several people after all!) Humility is being thankful for all the people who have helped you achieve what you have. But it goes even beyond that. Humility “values others above yourself.” It means making decisions not based on what it best for us, our schedule, or our wallet; but rather, what is best for others.

When you really think about it, valuing others above yourself IS LEADERSHIP.

It is the kind that everyone applauds, but can never be found when applause is what is being sought.

For there is no true leadership without true humility.

“The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath.” Mark 2:27

In last week’s post, I wrote about how leaders should stop, and take a sabbath. So, what are the implications?

What I have learned, and what can be true for you:

Resting reminds me that I am not indispensable. The world keeps moving, and so does our business. Thus, the second benefit of rest is its ability to produce humility in one’s soul. I am reliant on others for everything, and so are you.

Deeper, however, is rest’s ability to sharpen trust.

Perhaps I need to ask a question to explain this.

Why won’t I rest? Why did I refuse to take a week off lifting weights in 2018?

Why do others struggle to rest? For example, why does our sales team resist turning their phones off for a day?

Because, in this life, enough will never be enough.

Rest rips the band-aide off this reality, exposes the fool’s gold for what it is—foolish–and forces one to contemplate the sober reality that all their efforts will not produce enough.

Enough of what?

Anything!

And this is why – I won’t speak for you – I resist rest with every fiber in my being.

Pausing the chase for one second puts me two seconds behind.

And yet…

“On the seventh day he [God] rested from his work” (paraphrase) Genesis 2:2.

And it was good.

Here is the epiphany: Leaders that rest can truly lead because they trust God to provide, and others to thrive.

Leadership is no longer about their search for enough.

It is no longer about them.

It is about us.

And that’s why the organization benefits when the leader rests in this reality.

A final note to the skeptic, God worked six days out of seven. And then he rested. Get it?