Ups and Downs of Career Convergence

Linda Fields :: JoCo Ambassador

How’s your career path going? oh, not quite what you expected? I’ve been reflecting on some great advice I received from a mentor who held up his hand and said, “See my hand?” (and he ran a pencil up and down the path from his thumb to each finger and finally the pinkie.) That’s how you reach convergence in your career – by traveling the peaks and valleys of opportunity and the school of hard knocks.

I’ll have to say that’s true of most careers. It certainly is true of my journey to a successful Director of a Corporate Learning Center. I relish the accomplishments of creating and managing a state-of-the art corporate learning center that impacted the lives of thousands of people. That was convergence of dreams, goals and fulfillment in my career at the time. That high didn’t come without lots of peaks and valleys, figuring out processes, learning how to deliver against ridiculous timelines, and creatively aligning resources to fill a gap. And those valley’s of opportunity are the places where the greatest lessons were learned. Writing about this gives me joy because I’m hoping you can learn from my valleys! BITS of Wisdom for the Crossroads is compiled from day-in-the life experiences on my journey.

I challenge you to share a lesson from one of your valleys and I’ll send you a free copy of the book. Just email me your lesson in a 3 paragraph description of: 1. the challenge you encountered; 2. the solution you came up with 3. The lesson you would share with others.

I encourage you today not to quit too soon; I believe your best days are ahead of you if you should choose to live them. Look up, reflect on what can be done instead of what cannot be done, find a solution and be part of the Good News for those around you.

Linda Fields

http://lindafieldsintl.blogspot.com/

Wells of JOY!

Cherie Blair :: Comrade & Writer

³You said there would be joy in the letting go. You said there would be joy in the laying down. You said there would be joy in the giving up my rights.
And now I see. Your River it rushes to the lowest place. Let Your River flow. Come and rush over me. I¹ve gotta go lower, lower. I¹ve gotta go deeper, deepr. I¹ve gotta get to the wells of joy. I¹ve gotta dig for the wells of joy!² ¬ Laura Hackett

These words penetrated the core of my being as I let go of everything I¹ve been clinging to in life and embraced the fullness of joy found only in God¹s presence!

Do you wonder about the purpose of life? Is it to fulfill some grand business venture or leave behind a family legacy? When we stand before the Lord how will He measure the success of our lives? Will God consider our wealth, our accomplishments, or our children? What is the standard He will use to determine our eternal inheritance? What must we do to hear those words, ³Well done good and faithful servant²?

Paul gave us the answer when he showed us the most excellent way: LOVE.
Absolutely nothing we attain in this life will remain for eternity except this one heart motive. The evaluation of our entire life will come down to this one question, ³Have you learned to love?² What is this love? It is patient (long-suffering) and kind; it is not envious, boastful, or self-seeking! I have spent most of my life absorbed with my Self! The other day my roommate pointed out that we have a much greater burden to rally prayer for issues that affect us personally. So are we willing to look out for the interests of others and consider their needs as more important than our own?

Jesus showed us the greatest love of all in laying down His life for us. Are we willing to love by ³suffering-long² with Jesus? He died for the joy of having each of us as His inheritance. That¹s how we experience ³joy in the letting go² and ³in the giving up our rights². His river of pleasure rushes to the lowest place of humility. We must be emptied of ourselves so that we might be filled to overflowing with His Spirit. Like John the Baptist our role is to decrease so that Jesus might increase.

As I participated in a small group discussion about 1 Corinthians 13 I became acquainted once again with my love deficit. Afterward a friend challenged me to ³let go² of the things I was clinging to. On my way home I decided to stop by the renewal services taking place at the International House of Prayer where the Holy Spirit had begun to move powerfully setting people free of self-hatred, eating disorders, and addictions, as well as healing people both emotionally and physically. Upon entering the celebration Jesus encountered my heart with ³joy in the letting go.² I danced around with such freedom and excitement! When I stopped for a moment to enjoy His love I began to sway like a weeping willow tree in the wind. As I leaned back to one side I heard Him speak to my heart, ³Do not lean on your own understanding.²

During the course of the next few days the Lord continued to do a work in my heart to purge my selfish ambition. I remember saying over and over, ³Lord, help me to suffer long with You. Your people shall be my people.² Various manifestations of God¹s presence occurred as He continued to realign my heart and motives with His. At one point I repeated, ³More of You and less of me,² over and over. The Lord reminded me that the one who fears is not made perfect in love because perfect love casts out fear.
God is doing a deep work in my heart to deliver me from fear, perfect me in love, help me let go, and teach me to love as He loves. Later I told Jesus, ³Not my will but Yours be done. I don¹t want my own way any more. I want Yours!² I committed my heart again to fulfill the greatest two commandments of loving Him and others. As I surrender to the Master Potter He is truly transforming my heart to rid me of selfish motives and reshapes my priorities. I find myself growing in His love, becoming more conscious of others¹ needs, and actively seeking to prefer the interests of others above my own. I share my experience to remind myself of the things God is doing to change my heart and as a testimony to others of how He humbles His people to fashion vessels of honor equipped to carry His glory to the nations!

May the Lord reshape us on His potter¹s wheel as we surrender our control to Him. May He carve out a place of humility and empty us of ourselves so that we may be filled to overflowing with His love. Let us decrease so that He may increase. There is joy in the letting go. Let¹s get to those wells of joy!

- Chérie Blair
www.uniquedove.com

When Life is Under Construction

Kris Edler :: Operations Director

SCRIPTURE
“…but God is the builder of everything.” – Hebrews 3:4

BLOG
There have been many times this week I have felt as though my life has been “under construction.” Literally, our office has been in a remodel project for almost three weeks straight, which has had me working remotely from home. You can imagine the disaster there! After so much traveling the last six months, I feel like I have that yellow “Do Not Cross” tape running across my mind to prohibit any new projects or commitments from popping up.

Being that it’s tax season, many of you are looking at the track record of last year while simultaneously looking to the future to see what the Lord has in store. Your lives are also under some construction. If you are like me, the winter months always bring times of introspection where I can give myself a check up from the neck up. In the midst of this, it’s important for us to maintain the right prospective and keep our eyes fixed on the Lord. Otherwise, the mundane tasks of these winter months can easily get us down.

This morning, as I sat down to work on our new budget for the next fiscal year, I was presented with a divine invitation from the Lord to see His face in the midst of crunching numbers and asking for wisdom on how to plan. Reaching in my desk at home, I pulled out a marker and paper and started writing various faces of God (aspects of His character) on each sheet. Posting them on the wall in front of my desk I began to verbally proclaim those faces over the next year’s budget.

You are the GOD WHO LOVES BUSINESS.

You are the GOD WHO DELIGHTS IN PRODUCTIVITY

You are a MASTER BUILDER

You are the DEDICATED GOD who believes in my success

As soon as I began, the atmosphere of my home office began to change. I used those little phrases as a launching pad to set my heart on a 15 minute journey in the middle of my morning.

As I proclaimed, the way I saw the budget shifted and I started to see the face of Jesus in the midst of the project! In addition, I started getting insight into a better way to do the budget and use the finances the Lord had provided. The “DO NOT CROSS” signs over my heart began to fall off and were replaced with the professions of His faces that I was declaring out loud. This shifted not only my spirit, but also the circumstances I was in and the way I was performing on the job.

I would challenge you, whether you work from home, an office, or are sitting in a cubical to do the same. In the midst of the construction of life, let’s declare the faces of God and watch the way He shows Himself as the God of Fruitful Labor. Who knows what might happen if we declare His face over our taxes.

- Kris Edler :: Operations Director

Holy Strangers

Cherie Blair :: Comrade & Writer

Scripture Focus
But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” – 1 Peter 1:15-16 NIV

Blog
What does it mean to be “holy”?

Often holiness is viewed as religious. Many people cringe at the word thinking they must somehow achieve perfection by their own efforts. Our hope lies not in our ability to attain righteousness but in the grace given us through Jesus Christ. We were redeemed from our empty way of life by the precious blood of this pure and spotless Lamb.

We have been bought with a price. Our life is no longer our own. We have been shown a love that’s real, a love that never ends. Jesus laid down His life for us so that we would no longer live for ourselves but for Him who died and rose again on our behalf.

And He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again. – 2 Corinthians 5:15 NKJV

Our sinful flesh has been crucified with Him making us new creatures. Our former way of life is history (2 Cor. 5:17). Christ now lives in us. This being the case it is possible for us to “be holy as He is holy” so long as our lives remain fully surrendered to the Lord.

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. – Galatians 2:20 NKJV

As our Bible study group discussed this topic from 1 Peter 1:13-15 someone highlighted the portion of text that says we are to “live as strangers here.” Perhaps this is the key to becoming holy.

When visiting another country we are considered foreigners. Cultural practices, customs, clothing, food, and many other facets of life are different than those of our home country. In order to live a “strangers” on the earth we must become “foreigners” to this worldly culture. We must see life on earth as different than the norm and live according to the customs of our eternal home. In order to do so we must learn what it looks like to be citizens of a heavenly country.

Jesus taught His disciples to pray, “Your Kingdom come Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” There has to be something different taking place in heaven for Jesus to emphasize this prayer for a heavenly Kingdom to be manifest on earth. Well, what exactly is going on in heaven? Jesus, the Great High Priest, is standing at the right hand of the Father daily interceding on our behalf. Elders cast their crowns at His feet. Living creatures full of eyes fix their gaze toward the One seated on the throne (Rev. 4). Night and day the echo resounds, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!” Angles sing, “Glory to God in the highest!” There is a river producing life and fruit continuously. Intercession, rejoicing, worship, and healing abound. This is just a glimpse into our heavenly culture. Do we know where we come from?

How interesting that when the Israelites entered the Promise Land they were not to intermarry or integrate the culture of the nations they conquered. We enter this world as babies straight from the hands of our heavenly Creator. All to quickly we adapt to a new culture and find ourselves integrated into the customs of this foreign land.

If we are to “be holy as He is holy” we must be reprogrammed. This is why Peter tells us, “Prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled.” We prepare our minds by reading the Bible and meditating on the Word of God. We have been brainwashed to believe that this foreign earthly culture is normal, which is why we must continually wash ourselves with the water of God’s Word. Once we discover the truth of our original culture we must exercise self-control to restrain from participating in common practices we see others, even believers, engaged in. We are simply strangers on the earth (Heb. 11:10-16). His commands are our roadmap to holy living.

I am a stranger on earth; do not hide your commands from me. – Psalm 119:19 NIV

To be holy is to be set apart from the culture of this world. Let us commit our hearts to live counter-culturally and remember that heaven is our home!

– Chérie Blair (www.uniquedove.com)