This was a letter I wrote to my now fourteen year old son shortly after he was born. I had the privilege to read it to him for the first time at his confirmation this past May.
August 29, 1993
Dear Kyle,
I was sitting with you in my arms today and watched you sleeping. I couldn't help but notice those tiny little hands.
As I sat there and examined your tiny little hands, I couldn't help but wonder what would become of those hands in your lifetime. Would they toil in hard labor, becoming callused and hard? Maybe they would pen words that would inspire generations to come. Possibly they would point the way as you lead men into battle. Maybe they would mold great works of art from a clump of clay.
Could they play inspired music to soothe the soul? Would they produce the cure for dreaded disease? Maybe develop the plan for a leveraged buyout. Is it possible that they could hold the bat that wins the deciding game of the World Series, throws the winning touchdown in the Super Bowl or sinks the twelve-foot putt to win the Masters?
And as I sat there I also thought of the things I hoped for those hands and the little man who owned them.
I hope that they will serve you well in all you try. I hope you will learn from their exploration of this big old world. May they allow you to hold on to all that's important in your life.
As they wipe the sweat from your brow, may you find satisfaction in a job well done. May they defend you well when faced with adversity? May they also hold you back to reason before fighting. It's O.K. to back down but never back away from those things that you truly believe.
I hope these hands will know the gentle touch of a good woman and loving children. May they never be too busy to hold those things that are truly important in your life? And even though they may grow tough and hard may they also be gentle enough to reassure and comfort those in need.
In closing, I want to remind you to get down on your knees and fold those little hands to give thanks to a loving and caring God that makes all we have in this life possible.
Love,
Daddy
Friday, November 09, 2007
Energy To Succeed
In recent weeks I have been leading my church congregation through the discernment of our future. It has really come down to focusing on the ministry of our church and whether we as church members have the energy to engage in a new ministry focus.
We are a small congregation with a small core group of members who carry the bulk of the load. It’s the eighty-twenty rule in action, twenty percent of the members doing eighty percent of the work. What we are discovering is the twenty percent are very tired. For several years we have worked hard to maintain a building, meet payroll and care for the financial needs of our ministry. We have been in survival mode.
Most of our energy has been expended working on the church instead of in the church. The realization is we can no longer stay in the “status quo”. If we are to survive and more importantly thrive, we must change our focus to ministry and mission. In working towards that goal our church council has created a ministry plan and are now holding a series of congregational meetings to gain input on this new direction. The options presented to our congregation were to create a ministry plan, which would revitalize or members, stay in the “status-quo”, or turn our assets over to the synod and lock the doors.
The new ministry plan is radical and bold. We refer to it as an “All-In” plan. In this plan we would liquidate all of our assets including our current building, the land we have purchased for a future building and devote all or our resources to ministry. This would mean a temporary worship space and a radical departure from our past. Sort of dying so we can live.
You might wonder why I am sharing this with you. It’s because I believe there are valuable lessons for you and your business in the process my church is now going through.
First, how are you doing? Are you tired and burnt out? Feeling overwhelmed by the day-to-day responsibilities of your business?
Now, Is your business vital, meaningful, and serving the purposes for which it was created? Where is the energy? The vitality? What is the mission you are on in your business? These are tough questions. However, they are vital to sustaining and growing your business.
Most importantly, what are you going to do about it? You may not need a radical departure from what you are currently doing. Maybe you need to tweak and modify one or two key elements to move from survival to thriving.
But, if you are so beaten down and beaten up by your business that you no longer feel you have the energy to continue, it is time for an “All-In” plan for your business. The question for you becomes, “What things do I need to do to change the scope and focus of my business to achieve the goals I have?”
Consider this as a process. Begin by thinking about the core of your business and why it has become essential to what you do. You may find the core is the problem. It may be too time consuming and unprofitable to continue.
The energy you are expending may be in the wrong places. Are you spending your time on tasks and in areas of your business, which are not helping your business to grow? You need to be working in your revenue streams.
The common quote is “working on your business, not in your business”. This simply means you need to be doing the work of growing your business. Not spinning your wheels in tasks, which take your focus away from the important work of your business.
The process of identifying and capitalizing on those things, which will re-energize you, revitalize your business and allow you to experience the success you desire begins when you recognize the need to make change.
So like my church, you have choices. The choice to stay in the status quo, to recreate your business and move in the direction which will make you succeed or lock the door and recognize you are not equipped to succeed in this business. You see the choice is yours. If you choose to create a new plan or tweak your existing plan, contact us. We can help
We are a small congregation with a small core group of members who carry the bulk of the load. It’s the eighty-twenty rule in action, twenty percent of the members doing eighty percent of the work. What we are discovering is the twenty percent are very tired. For several years we have worked hard to maintain a building, meet payroll and care for the financial needs of our ministry. We have been in survival mode.
Most of our energy has been expended working on the church instead of in the church. The realization is we can no longer stay in the “status quo”. If we are to survive and more importantly thrive, we must change our focus to ministry and mission. In working towards that goal our church council has created a ministry plan and are now holding a series of congregational meetings to gain input on this new direction. The options presented to our congregation were to create a ministry plan, which would revitalize or members, stay in the “status-quo”, or turn our assets over to the synod and lock the doors.
The new ministry plan is radical and bold. We refer to it as an “All-In” plan. In this plan we would liquidate all of our assets including our current building, the land we have purchased for a future building and devote all or our resources to ministry. This would mean a temporary worship space and a radical departure from our past. Sort of dying so we can live.
You might wonder why I am sharing this with you. It’s because I believe there are valuable lessons for you and your business in the process my church is now going through.
First, how are you doing? Are you tired and burnt out? Feeling overwhelmed by the day-to-day responsibilities of your business?
Now, Is your business vital, meaningful, and serving the purposes for which it was created? Where is the energy? The vitality? What is the mission you are on in your business? These are tough questions. However, they are vital to sustaining and growing your business.
Most importantly, what are you going to do about it? You may not need a radical departure from what you are currently doing. Maybe you need to tweak and modify one or two key elements to move from survival to thriving.
But, if you are so beaten down and beaten up by your business that you no longer feel you have the energy to continue, it is time for an “All-In” plan for your business. The question for you becomes, “What things do I need to do to change the scope and focus of my business to achieve the goals I have?”
Consider this as a process. Begin by thinking about the core of your business and why it has become essential to what you do. You may find the core is the problem. It may be too time consuming and unprofitable to continue.
The energy you are expending may be in the wrong places. Are you spending your time on tasks and in areas of your business, which are not helping your business to grow? You need to be working in your revenue streams.
The common quote is “working on your business, not in your business”. This simply means you need to be doing the work of growing your business. Not spinning your wheels in tasks, which take your focus away from the important work of your business.
The process of identifying and capitalizing on those things, which will re-energize you, revitalize your business and allow you to experience the success you desire begins when you recognize the need to make change.
So like my church, you have choices. The choice to stay in the status quo, to recreate your business and move in the direction which will make you succeed or lock the door and recognize you are not equipped to succeed in this business. You see the choice is yours. If you choose to create a new plan or tweak your existing plan, contact us. We can help
November 2007 Inspirational Corner
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
1 Corinthians 10:31
God doesn’t care! That’s right he doesn’t care. He doesn’t care who we are, where we live, what we do for a living, how much money we do or do not have, our social standing, our political affiliation, whether we are a fan of the Cubs, the Cardinals, the Bears or the Rams. It doesn’t matter to him whether we use a Nikon or Canon camera.
But he does care! He cares for us as his children. The way we are loved by our parents and the way we love our children. Unconditionally, without strings, without expecting anything in return, without us loving him. When Christ died on the cross we were all given the gift of the kingdom. We didn’t earn it, we can’t buy it, and we sure don’t deserve it. It is simply there for us.
Pretty amazing. It is when we understand and accept this gift that we can truly be set free to live his purpose and do what he intends for us. Share His love with those around us. Our family, our friends and those we have the privilege to create our art. Work with love, work with passion, and work with the knowledge you are a special child of God
1 Corinthians 10:31
God doesn’t care! That’s right he doesn’t care. He doesn’t care who we are, where we live, what we do for a living, how much money we do or do not have, our social standing, our political affiliation, whether we are a fan of the Cubs, the Cardinals, the Bears or the Rams. It doesn’t matter to him whether we use a Nikon or Canon camera.
But he does care! He cares for us as his children. The way we are loved by our parents and the way we love our children. Unconditionally, without strings, without expecting anything in return, without us loving him. When Christ died on the cross we were all given the gift of the kingdom. We didn’t earn it, we can’t buy it, and we sure don’t deserve it. It is simply there for us.
Pretty amazing. It is when we understand and accept this gift that we can truly be set free to live his purpose and do what he intends for us. Share His love with those around us. Our family, our friends and those we have the privilege to create our art. Work with love, work with passion, and work with the knowledge you are a special child of God
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