Monthly Archives: October 2014

Posted on

Prayer: Voicemail Or Live Call?

by

I have a confession to make. I am not good at prayer. I am not someone who is consistent with long, meaningful prayer time on a daily basis. Sure there are times when I pray more than others, but more often I struggle with doing it at all. While this may surprise you, I am betting many of you struggle the same way.

prayer

What Is The Problem?

So what is the problem? Why is it so hard for us to pray? Why does it feel so dry at times, like it is one-sided rather than a conversation between friends or a father-child talk?

Since I am one that struggles with this, I will go ahead and tell you that I do not have all of the answers. I do not have a simple 3 step plan that will turn you into a prayer warrior. If that is what you were hoping for, then I am sorry to disappoint you.

What I will do is walk through my thoughts on the roots of the problem. Hopefully, something I say will help you move closer to a more meaningful prayer life. If so, I would love to hear your thoughts on this in the comment section.

Prayer Is A Privilege!

First and foremost, we have to realize that prayer is an incredible privilege. It is not meant to be a burden to us, but a remover of burdens. It is not to be an item on our daily “To Do” list that we simply check off. Instead, it is the unimaginable opportunity to speak directly with our Creator!

Prior to Jesus, only a select few (priests) were allowed to pray on behalf of the people. Now, after the curtain has been torn during the crucifixion, we are given the freedom to approach God as individuals. We are no longer forced to make our requests or give our praises through someone else as our mouthpiece.

We are His children with the right to approach Him directly! Until we see God as a Father that loves us more than we can imagine, we will struggle to pray. Until we recognize that He wants a personal relationship with us, we will see prayer as a burden.

Prayer Is Live!

Along that same line of thinking, we have to recognize that prayer is not like leaving a voicemail for God. We do not have to call and leave a message for Him. We are given the freedom and opportunity to call Him anytime…and we get Him live! He is listening to our every word, observing the feelings in our hearts, and speaking back to us.

Sure, I agree that it would often be a lot easier if He would simply speak audibly and give us the instructions on what we are to do. It would make life simpler if we heard His voice in a back-and-forth dialogue!

At the same time, we must remember that God’s goal is not our ease or comfort. His goal is to conform us to the likeness of Jesus. He is not interested in making everything easier for us. He is more interested in our growth.

Through His Word

Instead of speaking to us audibly, God has already given us His Word. If we would treat the Bible as His Word, spoken directly to us, to be learned, internalized, and followed as we live our lives, I am convinced we would find prayer to be less of a struggle.

I do not think it is a coincidence that I see my times of least effective prayer to be happening at the same time I am also struggling to spend focused time studying the Bible. I think there is a direct relationship between our confidence in prayer and the amount of time we spend reading God’s Word.

Practice Required!

Finally, I think we cannot ignore that sometimes we simply have to keep doing something for a while before we become “good” at it. Whether it is giving presentations, analyzing reports, or interviewing candidates, nothing is normally easy and comfortable the first few times we do it.

It takes commitment and dedication to the practice of prayer before we feel natural when doing it. We must realize there are going to be dry spells. There are going to be times when we feel our prayers are bouncing off the ceiling. We are going to experience days when it feels like we are leaving a message after the beep.

Despite this, we must continue to try. We need to spend more time in God’s Word and begin building our relationship with Him, one brick at a time. Over time, I think we will see our prayer muscles begin to develop and we will see more fruit from our efforts!

Do you approach prayer like voicemail?

Do you see the connection between effective prayer and being in His Word?

How much effort are you actually giving to extended time in prayer?

Posted on

Anger Without Madness?

by

If you have not been full of anger to the point of expressing it in a way that you later regret, then it is likely you have not been in the business world very long. If you are a business veteran and have never overreacted in anger, then you are to be admired. For the rest of us, this is something we likely need some help with on a regular basis!

anger

Anger At Work?

When was the last time you got angry at work? More important than what caused your anger to come to the surface, how did you handle it?

Looking back (maybe even just minutes ago!), are you proud of the way you acted or do you wish you could have a do-over? Would you be okay with a quick video of your reaction showing on the news tonight or being shared all over Facebook and Twitter? Or more likely, would you prefer everyone who witnessed your actions would forget all about them?

If you are in the majority of us that on occasion allow their anger to get the best of us, then maybe you need to stop and take a look at this issue with me. I can promise that you are not alone, but at the same time that is not a valid excuse anymore than jumping off the bridge because everyone else did!

The Right Topic

The Bible is pretty clear when it comes to anger and how we express it. In fact, I will share quite a few verses that address this very topic. However, before I do this, I want to make sure we are addressing the right topic.

While you may think the topic of anger should be fairly self-evident, there is actually more to it than you might think. See, anger is not the problem. In fact, anger by itself is not a sin. There is nothing in the world wrong with anger.

God is perfectly holy and without sin. Yet throughout the Old Testament, there are descriptions of God’s anger – always in response to sin (Deuteronomy 11:16-17). Jesus walked this earth without sin, but we all know about the scene at the temple when, in anger, he overturned the tables of the moneychangers and those selling animals for sacrifice (Matthew 21:12-13).

Anger Without Sin

Anger is simply an emotion that God gave us. We can experience anger without committing sin. God can use our righteous anger to drive us to improve conditions around us that do not honor him. Pure (sinless) anger can motivate us to act when other emotions cannot.

The problem is when we add other emotions or motivations into the mix. For example, when we add pride to anger, we are driven to verbally abuse an employee or coworker because their performance made us look bad. Adding jealousy to anger may cause us to lash out at someone else on our team that is getting more credit for their work than we are.

Of course, not all sinful anger is acted out by the tongue, but I think this is probably the most often used tool for expressing anger – especially in the workplace. The tongue can bring healing, but it can also cut and seriously injure those around us when not controlled (James 3:3-12). Unfortunately, it is not easily controlled!

Closed Loophole

Before you think you have found a loophole, I want to close it quickly. Whether you are using a smart phone, tablet, or a computer, your keyboard is also a tongue! Sometimes we kid ourselves and think that we can lash out with our texts, emails, or social media posts and that this is somehow different than using our tongue. Sorry, but that won’t fly.

We simply cannot allow our anger to drive us to sin. We are instead to be shining examples of mercy, forgiveness, and grace. We are Christ’s ambassadors in the marketplace and we cannot afford to dishonor His name. We CAN get angry if we will make sure that anger remains controlled and is directed at injustice or evil in a way that honors the God who gave it to us!

Avoid The Madness!

In a recent discussion on this very topic, a wise friend of mine described it in a way that makes it clear to me:

Don’t let madness come into play with your anger!”

In your free time, read through the following verses and see if you have any further thoughts on anger and how it affects you. Share your thoughts in the comment section below!

Ephesians 4:26-32

Matthew 12:36-37

Ecclesiastes 7:9

Colossians 4:6

1 Thessalonians 5:11

Posted on

Overcoming Career Challenges

by

[The following is a guest post, written by Jasen Lawrence. Jasen is President of City Wide Maintenance of Washington. He shares about his experience in overcoming career challenges through his faith in God.]

Even the most talented, hardworking, and well-meaning people encounter career challenges. Whether it be a demotion, dismissal, or confrontation with a colleague or superior, it can be hard to overcome obstacles in the work place.

overcoming

Overcoming Challenges

Throughout the course of my career, which has included corporate sales and management positions, I have faced many of these obstacles head-on and developed strategies to navigate roadblocks.

Today, fortunately, my perseverance has paid off. I now own and operate City Wide Maintenance of Washington, a successful building maintenance management company that continues to grow steadily in the years since its launch.

I firmly believe the success of my business and the progression of my career would not have been possible if I hadn’t placed my reliance on God. It’s through God’s guidance that I learned to navigate many corporate and personal roadblocks.

Here are three defining moments that exemplify the important role God has played in shaping my career:

Learning to Walk in Humility

Fresh from college and eager to kick-start my career, I began applying for positions in sales and business management. The first position I secured proved to be one of the most trying jobs I have held throughout the course of my career.

Full of ambition, I dove head first into my new job with the hopes of climbing the ladder quickly and transitioning into a more managerial role. While I lacked professional experience, I knew I had the drive and determination to reach the next level.

The next thing I knew, five years had passed. While I achieved many awards and recognition for my work, I was never promoted to the managerial level I desired. As a result, I began to become discouraged.

One day, I built up the courage to approach my supervisor to ask his advice on what steps I needed to take to earn a managerial promotion. Calmly, he explained to me that I needed to reign in my ambition. Not only was I told my achievements were not good enough, but that I should not even apply for the managerial position.

Obviously, I took this news hard. After half a decade of hard work, and proving myself time and time again, I could not understand why I had been dealt this blow. Fortunately, my family – especially my wife – were by my side to love and support me.

Looking back, I understand God was testing me. God was showing me that if I am willing to walk humbly before him, I will then understand my need for him to work in and through my life. Humility is the quality I need to reach the next step in my career, and I remain humble by placing my confidence in God.

A Time for Faith, Not Fear

I remember the first time I was introduced to the Oddo family and the City Wide Maintenance franchise model. A friend had suggested I explore the opportunity because he thought it would be a good fit. For several years, I had been in search of an opportunity to own and operate my own business.

It did not take long for me to sign-on. I was immediately attracted to the building maintenance management company’s philosophy and mission statement, both of which focused on being of service to others and supporting the surrounding community.

But, nonetheless, it was a huge step – an investment that would dramatically change the course of my career. From the onset, I was nervous. I desperately wanted to have the opportunity to bear the fruits of my own labor. Owning my own business would provide this opportunity. However, it would also require I invest everything I had. It was a decision that weighed heavily on my mind.

It was with God’s help I managed to overcome my nerves. I placed my trust in God and walked through these feelings of doubt and hesitation. Today, I am grateful I took the leap of faith and plunged into entrepreneurial waters.

Hope, Patience, and Faith

In my new position as president/owner of City Wide Maintenance of Washington, I faced an entirely new set of challenges – including my own impatience.

After being an owner for approximately 14 months, our team was approached by a prospect that was struggling to choose whether to work with us or one of our competitors. To help with the vetting process, the company allowed us to manage one of their properties so they could assess our services.

Our team worked hard to earn the new business. Despite this, the prospect decided to hire one of our competitors.

Frustrated, I could not understand why we hadn’t been chosen. I was both disappointed and frustrated. Impatient, I hastily moved forward and came to terms with the prospect’s decision.

Several months later, I received a call from the same prospect who let us know the other company had not met its standards. They also shared their interest in hiring us to conduct maintenance on all of their properties.

This is another example of how God tests me. Whether I needed to be patient for five months, or five years, God blessed me with reminders that his plan for my life and career was already perfectly laid out for me. All I needed to do was place my reliance on God and everything would work out.

In summary, I am grateful for the challenges I have faced. Each obstacle I have overcome has brought me closer to God and helped instill the importance of faith in achieving success in my life and my career.

Jasen Lawrence currently lives in Renton, Wa. with his wife and two kids; also serving as an active member of his local church.

Jasen joined City Wide in 2011 as President after 5 years in sales roles experience. He believes the most successful client relationships derive from a complete understanding of their pain. According to Jasen, the most advantageous building maintenance solutions for clients will directly address their pain, saving the client time and frustration.

To learn more about Jasen and City Wide, please visit: City Wide Maintenance website