Word of the Week - Certainties - Impact Leadership Conference

Therefore, we do not lose heart.  Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  2 Corinthians 4: 16-17

Our firm, Founders Advisors, was honored once again this year to serve as the Title Sponsor of the Impact Conference 2022 on behalf of Highlands College .  Highlands College is a biblical higher education institution that exists to supply the Church with leaders of competence, character, and spiritual maturity, holistically trained to lead lives of eternal impact by fulfilling the Great Commission.  I personally love the Vision and Mission of Highlands College that addresses the challenge in Luke 10:2 “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few”.    

It was an amazing day with Dr. John Maxwell, Pastor Chris Hodges, and Jamie Kern Lima.  I was encouraged, inspired, and equipped by all of these leaders.  If you were not able to attend in person or virtually, I would highly recommend that you take some time to listen to the talks from the Impact Conference by clicking the following link Impact Leadership Conference Talks .

My friend Dr. John Maxwell, who recently turned 75, shared some wisdom and insight from his perspective looking back over his life.  He said you can gain great insights by learning from those who have gone before you, especially as they reflect and look back over the ground they have travelled.  He shared that as he gets older there are lots of things in the world that seem more complicated and uncertain, but there are a few things that grow more assured and certain.  The 13 certainties of life and leadershp that John shared resonated with me, so I wanted to share them with you.  You can get more insights by watching Johns 50-minute talk by clicking here John Maxwell - 13 Life Certainties .   

John Maxwell’s 13 Certainties of Leadership:

1. Attitude is the difference maker

   • Attitude is not everything, but it is the main thing

   • Attitude can’t make up for incompetence, but experience + attitude the winning combination

   • Attitude is a choice – choose a positive life stance everyday

2. Adding value to others adds value back to me

   • Zig Ziglar: put others at the top of your agenda and you’ll get where YOU want to go

   • Judge the success of your day by how much seed you sow – harvest is automatic

   • Giving (unconditional) vs swapping (expecting something in return)

3. Personal growth is the only way to guarantee tomorrow is better than today – be INTENTIONAL

   • Aging is inevitable, but growth is optional

   • There is no finish line: if you cross the finish line, you are DONE

   • Focus on growing in areas you are strong in

4. Everyone needs forgiveness, so forgive everyone – KEEP SHORT ACCOUNTS

   • Giving and forgiving requires a generous lifestyle and unconditional love

   • Forgiving is not forgetting, but acknowledging what was done and forgiving anyway

   • Travel life without the emotional baggage of unforgiveness

5. Everything rises and falls on leadership

   • Good skills + good values = leading well

   • Your team deserves to be led well

   • How well you lead determines how well you succeed

6. Intentional living maximizes life

   • Good intentions are worthless unless you move good intentions to good actions

   • Someday vs today – dreaming vs doing – Love/give/serve TODAY

   • Small deeds are better than great intentions – traction requires action

7. One is too small a number to achieve greatness – TEAM

   • “I want to make a difference with people that want to make a difference”

   • If you are self-made, then you haven’t made much

   • We need others to achieve our full potential – we are better together

8. Your perspective becomes your world

   • How you view things is how you do things / what you see is what you get

   • Choose others over yourself / gratitude over complaining

   • Choose faith over fear, gratitude over entitlement, generosity over stinginess

9. Consistency compounds

   • It’s not sexy and no rewards the first week

   • When you can afford to quit is the point when you really can’t afford to quit, this is where compounding kicks in

   • Sowing and reaping principle

10. Keep success and failure together – win and lose each day

    • When you are on a roll, failure will give you humility

    • When you bomb out, failure will give you resiliency

11. Success is having those that know you the best, love and respect you the most

    • If people that don’t know you well like you better than people that do know you well, watch out

    • Social media – a lot of people fake it until they make it

    • Be bigger on the inside than you are on the outside – if you have good values on the inside, you need less validation on the outside

12. Significance satisfies

    • Success is about having stuff but significance is about serving others

    • Once you have tasted significance, success will never satisfy

    • Life of significance = my life is not my own

13. Faith works – it gives us true identity and purpose, which drives everything else

            “Now faith is the substance of what we hope for and the certainty of what we cannot see” Hebrews 11:1

I hope this adds value to you and blesses you as much as it has blessed me. 

Have a great week…

 -Duane

Word of the Week - Spiritual Growth

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness;  and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.  For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  2 Peter 1:5-8

Spiritual Growth is the process of growing over time as we mature in our walk with the Lord.  I love how Peter challenges us in this verse to grow in our godliness and outlines 8 specific virtues for us to evaluate in our journey of spiritual growth. He says that “if we possess these qualities in increasing measure, we will be effective and productive” disciples in our calling as followers of Christ.  I think it is edifying to dig into scriptures like this one so we can reflect and self-evaluate to determine if we are growing in these areas.

Virtues of Spiritual Growth outlined in 2 Peter 1:

• Faith – It begins with faith. Faith is the “the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen” Hebrews 11:1 Throughout scripture we are reminded that faith is the key to our relationship with God.  We must truly believe in our hearts if we are to experience the power and fruit of our faith.  At the same time, Faith is a gift and is not something we can’t just muster up in our own strength.  This is challenging, but as we pursue God and seek to know Him our faith will increase.  We can also pray for our faith to increase. I have found that the more I know and experience a walk with God the more my faith increases. 

• Goodness – Goodness is love in action; the state or quality of being good.  Moral excellence; virtue, kindly feeling; kindness; generosity; excellence of quality; it’s not something we do only for the sake of being virtuous but is more about our heart motivations as we serve and interact with others.  If we do something good out of obligation or just for the sake of being seen as virtuous it is good, but if we do it from a place of love motivated by the love of God in our hearts it is godly goodness.  I believe this is the goodness that Peter is referring to in this scripture.  This is one of the fruits of the spirit listed in Galatians 5 that flows from abiding in Christ.  “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” Mathew 5:16     

• Knowledge – Is to become familiar, educated or experienced on a particular topic, person, or subject.  From a biblical perspective it is to become familiar with the person of God the Father, Son and Holy spirit through the Word of God, His commandments, and our experiences with Him.  Knowing God helps us understand His essence and heart, so we can know Him and be in communion and relationship with God and His church.  Just like many things of the spirit, it is one thing to have intellectual knowledge of God and an entirely different thing to have heart experiential knowledge.  “The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, for the ears of the wise seek it out”. Proverbs 15:14

• Self-control – Is defined as the ability to control oneself, in particular one’s emotions and desires or the expression of them in one’s behavior, especially in difficult situations.  From a biblical perspective it is defined as a virtue that allows us to resist the temptations of our flesh and avoid conforming to the things of this world.  It is one of the 8 fruits of the spirit outlined in Galatians 5 and is surely one of the hardest things to master without the power of the Holy Spirit.  I have found that it is very hard to control my impulses and behaviors by simply desiring or willing to do so, especially in the middle of trials or stressful situations.  We are surely creatures of habit and many of the behaviors we don’t want to do are not even conscious to us.  This is why we submit our lives and personal will to the Lord and pray for self-control.  I am pretty sure we cannot attain self-control in our own strength.  Even with the power of God, self-control can be challenging at times, but it is God’s desire for us to overcome by His spirit living within us.  “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline”.  2 Timothy 1:7

• Perseverance – Is defined as persistence in doing something despite difficulty or adversity in circumstances that delay achieving the desired outcome.  Is also referred to as long-suffering.  This is the virtue of having the internal strength, commitment, and fortitude to continue to do the right things for the right reasons despite how we feel.  Perseverance produces proof that our faith is real and thus produces hope, which increases our faith.  It is part of what we sign up for as followers of Christ in that we must be willing to suffer with Christ to become Christlike and godly. “because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything”  James 1:3-4

• Godliness – Is the quality or practice of conforming to the ways of God; devoutness and moral uprightness.  Reflecting the nature of the kingdom of God in the course of our everyday lives.  Someone who has a healthy fear and reverence for God and delights in His commandments.  Other characteristics that demonstrate a godly person include someone who loves God and loves others and lives out the great commandment.  They put others before themselves and live a life thinking beyond themselves.  They are gracious, forgiving and full of compassion.  A person who is godly will live life with a deep respect and obedience to God’s word and use God’s word as their path towards character development.  They are also mind of dependence and live a surrendered life trusting God completely.  “But godliness with contentment is great gain.  For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.” 1 Timothy 6:6-7

• Mutual Affection – Is used in some translations as brotherly kindness and it simply connotes a tender affection to all our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.  This suggests a selfless attitude that makes it easier for us to put the interest of others before our own.  It carries a sense of reciprocity or having to do with give and take, the back and forth of human relationships.  Graciousness towards one another in the effort to achieve unity and harmony.  It is also demonstrated by showing hospitality towards others and making them feel welcomed and at home.  “Be devoted to one another in love.  Honor one another above yourselves.  Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.  Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.  Share with the Lord’s people who are in need.  Practice hospitality.” Romans 12: 10-13

• Love –  “My command is this; Love each other as I have loved you.  Great love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends”. John 15:12 God is love and He demonstrated His love by His amazing sacrifice of dying on the cross so we can have the gift of eternal life.  This is the ultimate act of love.  Of all the commands and all these virtues, Love preempts them all.  In fact, love is the foundation of all of the virtues above.  It is the heart of the matter.  God defines Love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 “Love is patient, love is kind, it does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Lover never fails.”  “And now these three remain; faith, hope and love.  But the greatest of these is love.  1 Corinthians 13:12

We are in a great season for reflection as we move into the year end Holiday Season.  I would challenge us each to take a little time to assess ourselves in each of these areas.  If we are really brave, we can ask our spouses for input 😊!!!!  No better time to ask the Lord to help us grow in any or all of these virtues!!!

Have a great week…

 -Duane

Word of the Week - Thanksgiving

Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever. Let them give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for mankind, for He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things. Psalm 107:1,8-9

Thanksgiving defined by Webster is the act of giving thanks; a prayer expressing gratitude; a public acknowledgment or celebration of divine goodness.  I love Thanksgiving and the fact that we as a nation set aside a day to give thanks and acknowledge our blessings both individually, as a family and as a country.  It is by far my favorite holiday, a time to slow down to “express gratitude and acknowledge and celebrate God’s divine goodness”. 

Give thanks in all circumstances - Life can be very difficult at times.  In fact Jesus tells us this in John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But Take heart!  I have overcome the world”.  The real question is how we will respond to the challenges and disappointments we face.  Will we focus and dwell on the negative or will be decide to focus on our blessings?  The tendency of the world is to focus on the negative, which is our natural inclination. This is not God’s will for us and does not lead us to the abundant life Jesus desires for us.  By focusing on the challenging issues of life, which will always be here this side of heaven, we often lose perspective on the blessings of life and God’s goodness towards us, which can easily lead to the trap of negativity, despair, bitterness, envy, depression etc, this is bad thinking.  Or, we can choose the Lord’s way, which is to “Give Thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” 1 Thessalonians 5:16.  This approach leads to peace, hope, joy, encouragement etc., a life giving perspective.

A few benefits of a grateful heart:  

• It gets our eyes off ourselves, and helps us to focus back on God.

• It reminds us we're not in control, but that we serve a Mighty God who is.

• It takes our attention off of our problems and helps us instead to reflect on, to remember, the goodness of His many blessings.

• A grateful heart reminds us that ultimately God is our Provider, that all blessings and gifts are graciously given to us by His hand.

• A heart of gratitude leaves no room for complaining. For it is impossible to be truly thankful and filled with negativity and ungratefulness at the same time.

• It makes the enemy flee. The forces of darkness can't stand to be around hearts that give thanks and honor to God. Our praise and thanksgiving will make them flee.

• It opens up the door for continued blessings. It invites His presence. Our spirits are refreshed and renewed in Him. 

Count your blessings each day and give Thanks to God - This is a simple and powerful spiritual principle.  There is no question that we will reap what we sow in this very important area of life.  Therefore, I challenge us this week to begin each day (First Fruits/Priority) by acknowledging God’s goodness by counting our blessings and giving thanks to Him.  Before we put your feet on the floor each morning think of something we are grateful for and give Thanks.  No matter how bad things are we can always find something to be Thankful for.  God loves it when we enter His presence with praise and thanksgiving, it blesses Him but it also really blesses Us.  “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name” Psalm 100:4

I am thankful for each of you and pray you and your family had a blessed Thanksgiving.

 -Duane

Word of the Week - godly Wisdom

For wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her.  Proverbs 8:11

As I seek to grow in godly Wisdom, the truth of Proverb 8:11 becomes more profound; godly Wisdom is defined as “supernatural skills for day to day living”.  Our world/culture seems to be moving further away from pursuing godly wisdom and more towards the ways of this world.  The bible tells us that there are two kinds of Wisdom “Who is wise and understanding among you?  Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from Wisdom.  But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth.  Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.  For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.  But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” James 3 14-16

6 Attributes of godly wisdom outlined in James 3:

• The wise are pure hearted – We must make it one of our highest priorities to keep our hearts pure. When we see things within our lives that are not good and pure, we should ask God to remove it from our hearts and deeply desire to “not be that way”. Most importantly we should guard our hearts from the being contaminated by the things of this world. This includes what we take into our hearts and souls through media, social media and hanging around with the wrong crowd. We know that “friendship with the world becomes enmity with God” James 4:4 We must be vigilant in choosing to guard our hearts and minds from the things of this world that are not pure and of God. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” Matthew 5:8

• The wise are peace loving – The spirit of God is a spirit of love, unity, peace and harmony not of disunity. There is definitely going to be conflict in this world and we will be tested by situations where we are unjustly attacked. That being said, human anger and strife does not produce good. This is quite apparent in the current strife of our culture. All we see is one side pitted against the other in a spirt of anger, strife and disunity. It only sows seeds of discourse and that is of the enemy not of God. Our goal as followers of Christ should be to sow seeds of love, peace and unity. “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone”. Romans 12:18

• The wise are considerate and gentle – To be considerate is to think of others and how we can love and serve them. A wise person practices gentle courtesy and always considers the needs, desires, and feelings of others. Part of the fruit of God’s spirit that comes from abiding in Christ is the capacity to be others focused. We can only love others if we are secure in Christ and take time to understand the needs, wants and desires of others. As Christians we should be others focused because that is the focus of the Lord Jesus. “Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up. For even Christ did not please himself”. Romans 15:2-3

• The wise willing to yield and submit – Our willingness to yield our will to the overall good of family, community, or our local church is a mark of godly Wisdom. We must be willing to admit that we are human and don’t know everything. We must be willing to admit when we are wrong. We must be willing to submit to authority. We must seek to understand and be reasonable (reason able). “The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice”. Proverbs 12:15

• The wise minimize the mistakes of others – A wise person will demonstrate charity and forgiveness toward those who have offended him. It is much more profitable, and life giving, to be full of grace and mercy rather than to prosecute to the full extent even with justification. If we realize what God has done for us and the amazing grace and mercy He has shown us, we begin to grasp this concept. “While we were still sinners Christ died for us” Romans 5:8 We will be judged by the same standard in which we judge others; therefore, “Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgement” James 2:12-13

• The wise are real and authentic – We should value people above status and reputation. All people really matter and God desires for all to come to know Him. God made each of us in His image for a special and unique purpose, including you. There is not another you and thus we should celebrate our uniqueness by being true to who God made us to be. Being authentic allows us to live our lives with integrity, our goal should be to become the best version of ourselves in and through Christ. We don’t put on fronts to try to be someone we aren’t, we are uniquely ourselves. “What you see is what you get” in Christ. “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works that He prepared in advance for us” Ephesians 2:10

So, let’s pursue godly Wisdom to be salt and light to a hurting world and reap the amazing benefits because “Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness” James 3:18

Have a great Thanksgiving week, we surely have much to be Thankful for in Christ Jesus!!!!! 2 Corinthians 9:15

 -Duane

Word of the Week - Tree of Life

“He who has an ear, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.  To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God” Rev 2:7

The Story from Genesis – Among all the tree in the Garden of Eden, God identified two special trees: of life, and the knowledge of good in evil. “And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food.  The Tree of Life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil”.  Genesis 2:9  God allowed Adam and Eve to eat from all the trees except the tree of knowledge of good and evil, warning them that death would result.  “The Lord God commanded the man, saying, ‘You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but the tree of knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” Genesis 2:16-17 After being tempted by the serpent, Adam and Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in disobedience to God.  “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.  Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked.  And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.” Genesis 3:7 After eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil – in part to become “wise” Adam now possessed the knowledge of good and evil like God does, as well as the knowledge of their nakedness.

Living from the Tree of Life vs. Knowledge of Good and Evil – We have this same decision today except with the benefits of the Cross of Jesus and His amazing grace.  Do we submit our lives to the Lordship of Christ and trust God or do we go by the ways of world and trust the knowledge and wisdom of this world.  Do we live from the judgmental and condemning spirit of the law and religion trying to determine if we are good enough, or do we live from the life-giving spirit of grace and relationship with Jesus.  Are we motivated internally in response to the love of God or are we being driven by external obligations to try to be good enough.  I call it moving from the “got to” to the “get to”.  Moving from the head (knowledge) to the heart (relationship).  I have eaten from both of these trees through my life journey and can personally attest to the fact that the tree of the knowledge of good and evil brings death but the tree of life brings the life that is truly life.  For the first 33 years of my life, I was eating out of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and pursuing the things of this world (success, the approval of man, financial security, status etc.) by trying to accomplish.  The last 21 years since submitting to Jesus as my Lord through a personal relationship with Him, I have simply made God my first and greatest life priority and have truly experienced the abundant life that Jesus speaks about in the Gospel of John 10:10.  “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that you may have life, and have it to the full (abundance)”.

Choosing the Tree of Life –  “There is a way that seems right to a man but leads to death”. Proverbs 14:12. The way of the world seems right, natural, and good - the ways of God are supernatural, spiritual and can be hard to understand in our head. How we see God is most important.  Many see God as a scary and angry force that is upset with them because they have failed at being a good Christian.  They have this false idea that we have to become a certain way to win God’s approval!  The truth is that God loves each of us as His son or daughter and there is nothing we can do to earn His love or become good enough to win Him over.  He is already in love with each of us and simply wants to be in relationship with us.  He wants to bless us and our families.  He is for us not against us.  His Word and His commandments are not to keep us from enjoying life, they are truly there to help us through life and give us what is needed to live an abundant and flourishing life no matter our circumstances.  We must simply trust God by faith (believe even though we can’t see it or prove it), submit our lives to His authority and remain connected to the vine of Christ John 15:5, so He can use us to do His good work and bear fruit through our lives.  If we are eating from the tree of life, we will develop childlike faith and innocence.  Like a child trusts his/her parents this is how we should trust God.  “At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”  And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:1-3.   

Jesus is the Tree of Life – The bottom line is that Jesus came to redeem all mankind back to the Father through His death on the cross.  Jesus declares that He is the bread of life.  “Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life.  Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” John 6:35 If you eat of the tree of life you will be transformed into a new creation and operate with a new paradigm.  The tree of life produces a life-giving spirit that has amazing godly characteristics of its source, which is Jesus.  It is much different than the religious spirit of the law from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  Instead of guilt, shame, and condemnation it produces security, trust and conviction.  It also produces the fruit of God’s spirit which is “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  Against such things there is no law”. Galatians 5:22-23.

Challenge Questions:  Are you eating from the tree of life or the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (the ways of the world/culture)?  Do you see God as your loving Father and friend who wants the best for you or as a scary heavenly force who is disappointed in you?  Are you excited about sharing what God is doing in your life?  Do you feel secure in Christ?  If not, today is the day you can begin to eat from the tree of life by submitting your life the Lordship of Christ.  “Taste and See that the Lord is good, blessed are those who trust in Him” Psalm 34:8

“Do not love the world (tree of the knowledge of good and evil) or anything in the world.  If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.  For everything in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – comes not from the Father, but from the world.  The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.” 1 John 2:15-17

Have a great week!

 -Duane

Word of the Week - Ministry

“But I do not account my life of any value nor as a precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God” Acts 20:24

Ministry defined – Ministry is from the Greek word diakoneo, meaning “to serve”.  In the New Testament, ministry is seen as service to God and to other people in His name.  Jesus showed us what it looked like to minister to others.  He came, not to receive service, but to give to others.  “Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” Matthew 20:28 As followers of Jesus, one of the fruits of our abiding relationship with the Lord is a desire to serve others with love and humility and share what God has done in us.  We minister to others out of our love and devotion to the Lord as a response to His amazing grace and love for us.  Whether believer or unbeliever, we have a desire to love others the way God has loved us with an impartial and unconditional agape love, always seeking to help others as Jesus would. 

Ministry of all Believers – Ministry is often thought of from a vocational ministry perspective as we call pastors and priests to full time service.  There is certainly a group of believers that are called to full-time ministry, and they are rightly designated as ministers, but pastors and priests are not the only ones to be involved in ministry.  As followers of Jesus, we are all called to be ministers.  This starts with the fact that as the Church, we are part of a body of believers, and all have a part to play.  Our ministry starts by being plugged into a healthy local church, so we have connection and covering.  This is the proper order of things and how we grow and are fed as part of the community of believers.  Within our church, we are given opportunities to be part of the team effort to serve others within our church family and those within the community who may not have a church family.  We are surely better together as a body of believers and God uses the collective gifts and resources of all believers to spread the good news of Jesus and literally “change the world”.  I am very fortunate to be part of an amazing church where I have been able to serve for over 20 years.  I am awe struck when I reflect on how God has used our church in building His Kingdom by “ministering to others” in the name of Jesus.  For example, year to date 2022, we have had over 16,000 people come into a personal relationship with Jesus through our church.  It is one of the most fulfilling aspects of my life to be part of such an amazing ministry.  We get to play a part in His Church while we grow and mature in our faith and ministry.  Ephesians 4:12-13 says we are  “to equip His people for the works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ”.

Unique calling and gifting – God created us all with unique interests, passions and giftings and He desires for us to use these things in ministry.  This was one of the most exciting things I discovered when I came into a personal relationship with Jesus and started walking out my faith by using my gifts to minister to others.  I was so excited about my newfound faith that I considered going into full time vocational ministry, which felt a little awkward, especially for my wife Amy who was not feeling it.  I shared this with my pastor over lunch one day and he asked me why I was thinking about going into full time ministry and I told him that I thought that was what you were supposed to do if you got serious about your faith.  He laughed and encouraged me to simply pray about how God might use me in my current vocation of business.  He then said something profound that I had never really considered, He said “Duane you can minister to people from your business platform that we may never be able to reach from the church”.  That was one of the best days of my life, as I realized that God can use me right where I am if I am simply willing to be used.  Well, that was 21 years ago and all I can say is praise God and “wow”.  “Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly; if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shoes mercy, with cheerfulness.” Romans 12:6-8

Just Do it!!!!  Minister from where you are with what you have and watch God do His great work in you and through you - As I shared in last week’s word in the spirit of gratitude and encouragement, I continue to be amazed with what I get to do and how God allows me to be part of so many amazing ministries.  Just in the past few weeks I have been part of ministering (serving, sharing my faith, equipping, encouraging, admonishing, loving, giving etc.) to hundreds of people using my simple but unique gifts and passions through several ministries that I get to be part of that include: Church of the Highlands, Highlands College, JH Outback, FCCI, and Heritage Forum.

I want to encourage us all that each of us has a unique set of skills, gifts, interest, and passions that God wants to use to minister to others both within and outside of the body of believers.  He can use each of us right where we are if we are simply willing to be used and remain connected to the vine of Christ, John 15:5.  By the way, Christian ministry is as practical as it is spiritual.  We do not have to be overly spiritual, evangelistic or bible scholars, it simply requires a heart to love and serve God and others.  To simply share what God has shown us and what He is doing in our lives.  Ministry can and should simply ministering to the physical, emotional, mental, vocational, and financial needs of others in the name of Jesus, just like Jesus did.  He simply fed people because they were physically hungry.  He met them and loved them where they were.  This is ministry, and I have found it to truly be the joy of our faith.  God created us for this purpose to love Him and love and serve others.

Challenge Questions:  Are you plugged into and serving at and through your local church?  Are you using your gifts and passions to serve others in the name of Jesus?  Do you feel like God is using you and your platform of life to make a difference for eternity?  If not, today is the day to begin!!!!

“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit.  And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord.  There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons” ” Ephesians 3:20 but this only happens if you remain connected to the vine of Christ.

I apologize for the length of this “word of the week”, I am just a little fired up about this topic. 

 -Duane

Word of the Week - Abiding

“I am the vine you are the branches, if you abide in me, I will abide in you, and you will bare much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing” John 15:5 (Jesus)

I had the privilege of serving with my wife Amy and some great friends at the Birmingham Outback www.jhoutback.com this weekend.  JH Outback is an amazing family focused ministry that I love and highly recommend.  I was again reminded of what God has done in my life and my family over the past 21 years since I gave my life to Christ and began abiding.  For the first 33 years of my life, I was not abiding in Christ, and I cannot point to any spiritual fruit from that period of my life (nothing).  By the grace of God and being part of great ministries like JH Outback, Church of the Highlands, Heritage Forum, Highlands College and others, God has produced amazing spiritual fruit in my life, family, ministry, and business over the last 21 years.  There is no doubt in my mind that this is all God’s work and the byproduct abiding in the vine of Christ. 

Abiding in Christ - I truly believe that a daily abiding relationship with the Lord is the single most important thing we can do after we make a decision to follow Christ and receive the gift of salvation.  This is where our faith becomes active and we receive the power and benefits knowing God. The word Remain is used synonymously with Abide in several translations, simply put it means to stay connected and become one with the Lord.  What is interesting about this quote from Jesus, is how He makes it clear that there is a condition for us to stay connected to Him, we must go first and be the initiator/pursuer.  He says that if we Abide in Him, then He will Abide in us.  God wants to be our first priority. “Seek first the Kingdom and His righteousness and all things will be added unto you” Matthew 6:33  I am convinced that abiding is an active process that manifest in daily actions of pursuing the Lord, which allow us to respond in love to what Jesus did for us on the cross.  Abiding is not just an idea or a nice thought or feeling, it is truly a passionate pursuit to connect with the Lord and remain in ongoing relationship with Him. 

What it looks like to Abide - So what does it mean to Abide in the Vine of Christ and how do we actively connect with an invisible God.  Similar to connecting with another person in relationship, there is no one right way to abide in Christ, the biggest thing is that we make it a priority and daily pursuit. Here are a few examples of how we can abide/connect with Jesus: 

1) Prayer - talking with the Lord daily and intimately,  2) God’s Word / Bible -  reading or listening to the book He gave us that tells us about His very nature and what He cares about, 3) Praise & Worship – letting Him know how great He is and how much we appreciate what He has done for us, 4) Ministry - making a point to care about what He cares about by loving and serving others, 5) Evangelism / Discipleship - telling people about Him and how great He is, 6) Fellowship of believers - encouraging each other in our walk of faith, and 7) simply thinking about Him and meditating on who He is and who you are in Him.    

Fruit of Abiding in Christ - The best part of all of this is that the Lord blesses us with amazing fruit/blessings when we stay connected to Him in an abiding relationship.  These are fruits/gifts that we cannot manufacture for ourselves, they are simply a byproduct of His very nature at work within us.  They include but are not limited to: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self Control.  Who would not want these wonderful gifts that are the fruit of God’s spirit being produced in us so our lives become a blessing that produce Kingdom fruit.  “Therefor by your fruits you will know them”.  Matthew 7:20  The spiritual fruit of our lives is truly the evidence of God power at work within us. 

“God will do immeasurably more than you can ever ask or imagine, in and through you, by His power at work within you” Ephesians 3:20 but this only happens if you remain connected to the vine of Christ.

 -Duane

Word of the Week - Good Soil

“Still other seed fell on good soil.  It came up, grew, and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty and some a hundred times” Mark 4:8. 

The principal of Sowing and Reaping is one of key truths of life both on earth from a practical sense and in heaven from a spiritual sense.  Whether we like it or not, over the course of time, we will Reap what we Sow.  Just like many of God’s principals within His economy, this is a wonderful truth that can really be a blessing if we understand it and align our lives accordingly. 

Are we Sowing Good Seed into Good Soil - If you have lived any amount of life, you have a general understanding of how this works.  If we Sow good seeds that are life giving, we will generally Reap good fruit, like for like.  Of course life is not perfect and there are times when we may be Sowing good seed into bad soil or Sowing during seasons of drought that prevent the seed from sprouting and taking root.  We cannot control the outcome, but we surely can resolve to continually be Sowing good seeds and look for good soil to Sow into.  Since we only are given a limited amount of seed (time, resources, wisdom, influence, etc.), we need to make it our goal to find good fertile soil to sow our seed into.  This is the opportunity we have each day, and over time, the sum of our Sowing is what results in the fruit of our lives. 

3 Attributes of Good Soil – I read this morning in Church of the Highlands One Year Bible Devotional by Larry Stockstill  https://www.churchofthehighlands.com/bible.  In this scripture Paul is referring to the concept of training up the next generation to carry forward the mantle of leadership to continue to share the good news and expand God’s Kingdom.  In doing so he outlines 3 key virtues to look for as we are discerning if those we are investing in are “Good Soil”.

A Soldier who Endures Hardships – A faithful person is like a soldier, who will endure hardships as part of his calling.  Good soldiers do not get involved in things that distract them from following their commanders; no matter what, they maintain their focus.  In order to stay faithful to Jesus, our focus must be on fighting the battle of faith with Him, not getting distracted by pursing the things of this world. “No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer” 2 Timothy 2:4

An Athlete who Lives Pure – A faithful person is similar to an athlete who trains hard, maintains discipline, and follows the rules.  The image of the athlete reflects the need for character in the life of the Christian.  Only those who live pure lives with self-control and constraint will be qualified to lead and reproduce. “Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules” 2 Timothy 2:5

A Farmer who is Diligent, Patient and Hardworking - The last image of a faithful person is that of a farm who is diligent, patient and hardworking.  The seeds they sow into the soil will gradually grow into crops.  If the farmer wants to reap a harvest, he must work the ground, pray for rain, and not grow impatient.  Similarly, we must be patient with our growth ant that of others in the Lord.  Patiently we must wait for the harvest of Spiritual Growth.  “The hardworking farmer should be first to receive a share of the crops”. 2 Timothy 2:6

Let’s be good soil and look for good soil to sow into – Its starts with us becoming good soil that God can use to reproduce.  Do we have these attributes present in our own lives.  Are we living lives prioritized and focused on what matters most or are we distracted by the things of this world?  Are we living pure and holy lives are allowing ourselves to be exposed to things that are not pure?  Finally, are we diligently and patiently sowing seed on a consistent basis and looking for good soil to sow into.  The greatest opportunity we all have every day is to sow into others by using what God has given us to be a blessing to others. “Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.  In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life”. 1 Timothy 6:19

Remember this:  Whoever sows spraining will also reap sparingly, and whoever Sows generously will also Reap generously. 2 Corinthians 9:6 

So, let’s be Good Soil, identify Good Soil, and Sow seed generously!!!!!!!!!!

 -Duane

Word of the Week - Family, Heritage, Legacy

One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.”  Psalm 145:4

I am preparing to host our 10th Heritage Forum www.heritageforums.com, which begins tomorrow evening at 5pm.  As I pray and prepare, I am reflecting on what I have learned over the last five years since starting the Heritage Forum and how I am growing and maturing as a husband, father, grandfather and leader.   If there is anything I have learned in this journey, it is that as-long-as we are pursuing God and abiding in Him, He will continue to stretch us in the process of growing and maturing.  There are going to be seasons of pruning in life, which are quite painful while we are in them, but if we yield and remain connected, the process of pruning leads to new and exciting growth and blessing.  I have recently been through a season of pruning and am now entering a season of some exciting new growth that I pray will produce much fruit in my family, ministry and life. “He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” John 15:3 In the context of family, Heritage and Legacy I wanted to take the opportunity to share a few things I am learning.

Definition and purpose of family: Family is the first institution God created for instilling values for the purpose of preserving culture to impact the world generationally.  As outlined in the verse above, God desires for every person to have a spiritual heritage.  The reality is that God instituted family so we can train and equip our children with godly values so they live to their full God potential and pass godly values on to their children, live multi-generationally. “Train them up in the way he/she should go, And when they are older they will not depart from it” Proverbs 22:6   God imparted into all humans a innate desire to be part of something that will last.  “He has set eternity in the human heart” Ecclesiastes 3:11

Building healthy family communication and identity:  We serve a God of order, peace and continuity.  “For God is not a God of disorder but of peace”. 1 Corinthians 14:33 To understand how to build healthy families we must first become healthier people, especially in our family relationships.   It starts with us as leaders of our families having a personal intimate abiding relationship with Christ so He can impart His wisdom into our hearts and minds.  We do live in a broken world and without God’s covering in our lives our families will be susceptible to the reality of generational curse with the sins of the fathers flowing down to the next generation.  This is the way of the world and our culture at large.  So how do we break this cycle?  First and foremost, we submit ourselves and our families to God and put our faith and trust in Him.  I believe the Lord is the only one who can set us free from these generational curses.  Practically I am learning from my wife Amy and my adult children that we must build an environment within our families that allows our family to be safe enough to communicate wounds and issues.  The things of the past and present that create angst, especially associated with the dysfunction that has been passed down from our families of origin.  Many of these dysfunctions/curses are subconscious blind spots that we can’t even see, which is why we need others to help us.  This includes in-laws and outside advisors like counselors and family coaches who can bring a fresh and less biased perspective.  I am not personally a big fan of traditional therapy where we are going back in time to analyze and try to figure the why of our past, I think there is a place for this but it can lead to being stuck in the past.  On the other hand, I am a big fan of identifying the wounds and curses of our past that are influencing our thinking, behaviors and relationships and working to have our minds renewed in God’s truth, His Word, so we can be healed and transformed.  There are times in our journey of life when we need outside advisors both professional (therapist, counselors, coaches) and non-professional (friends, family, pastors etc.) to help us navigate through this process. 

Family values, vision and purpose:  I believe family identity is key to building a godly family Heritage.  Our families must have a strong understanding of who we are and what makes us the Donner’s or Smiths etc.  Family values define the moral and ethical principles of behavior for a family.  Values can be passed down from one generation to the next and this is the most important Heritage we can give our kids and descendants.  Many of our godly values are apparent from our families of origin, but some need to be discovered and can often times be revealed as we think about our past and some of the defining stories/events in our lives.  Our family went through a values exercise about 7-8 years ago and since then we have taken time each year to set aside time in family meetings to talk about our values and assess how we are living out these values.  Asking questions to determine if we are intentionally sharing and communicating these values with our kids and grandkids. Our families stated values include: Faith, Family/Heritage, Perseverance, Health and Generosity. 

As I have stated in past “Word of the week messages” Vision and purpose are key to Heritage living.  “Without vision the people perish” 29:18 I find it interesting that the prior verse is related to disciplining our children “Discipline your children, and they will give you peace; they will bring you the delights you desire”. Proverbs 29:17   If you cannot see where you are going (Vision) and understand why you are going there (Purpose), it is hard to know what to do.  Lack of Vision and Purpose leads to wandering through life and leaves us lacking identity and much more susceptible to attacks from the enemy of our soul while purposeful living with vision towards something of eternal value is like medicine to our soul that gives us energy, health and protection.  This is the abundant life that Jesus speaks about in John 10:10 when He says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that you may have life, and have it to the full”.  Live life on offense with Vision, Mission and Purposes and you will have life.  Amy and I went through a family Values and Vision workshop with Bill High and the folks from the Signatry https://thesignatry.com/who-we-are/our-history/ just over a year ago, and it was very powerful.  We refined our family vision and statement to “Lasting goldy Heritage for 10 Generations” with the mission to achieve this by “Abiding in Christ, Loving God, Serving Others and Living Generously”.

Married Adult Children and the next Generation:  One of the main things I have learned through this season of pruning is that we need to be careful in our efforts to share our Vision, Mission and Values that we don’t impose them on our married adult children and their families but use the process to help them develop their own family vision, mission and values.  If we have done a good job of communicating and living out our values, they will be reflected in the values of our children and grandchildren.  A second lesson learned is related to family meetings.   As a family we have reaped many benefits by consistently hosting family meetings over the past decade as my children have entered adulthood.  These are typically intentional times set aside over a weekend to communicate around important topics like family vision, mission, values, heritage, inheritance, estate planning etc. I have realized recently how critical it is to use 3rd party facilitators for these meetings.  Based on family history and dynamics, it is too difficult for a family member to be the primary facilitator and communicator.  It is much more effective to have outside advisors (financial advisors, family coaches, legal advisors etc.) who are familiar and have relationship with the family to facilitate key components of the meetings especially when it comes to more challenging and sensitive topics like money and family values.  If we are truly about godly Heritage and Legacy, we must understand that our role is to help equip the next generations to grow and mature into what God has for their family unit and Heritage.  Our goal and role should be to ensure that they have a meaningful voice and seat at the table so they can be heard. 

God promises us that if we live our lives with God’s values He will bless our descendants up to a thousand generations.  “Know therefore that the Lord God is God; He is the faithful God, keeping His covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commandments.” Deuteronomy 7:9  What an amazing and powerful promise of God.  I hope this encourages you toward living on purpose with intentionality to plant seeds for Generational Blessing in your family.  The is the opportunity we have as followers of Christ and Kingdom builders.

Have a blessed week,

 -Duane

Word of the Week - Spiritual Warfare

"For God did not give us a spirit of fear or timidity but a spirit of power, love and sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7

Spiritual Warfare – I was reminded once again last week that we have a common enemy of our soul whose goal is to destroy us.  His name is satan and he is real and is also known as a thief and a great deceiver.  “The thief comes to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” John 10:10  The “Good News” is that those of us who are in Christ are equipped with power and authority to reign victorious over this enemy.  To not fall prey to the schemes of this enemy, we must see ourselves as spiritual warriors and use the spiritual weapons that we have been given to battle in the spirit.  The following are some key spiritual weapons we have at our disposal.

The Armor of God – Knowing that we are in spiritual battle, God provides spiritual armor and equips us to take a stand when battles come our way, and they certainly will.  “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of the dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.  Ephesians 6:11-18

• Belt of Truth – Stand firm with the belt of truth buckled around your waist.” We must stand on “The truth”. Our enemy is a master of lies and will do everything possible to plant lies and deception. We need to seek the truth, speak the truth and advocate the truth in all things. Jesus said, “If you abide in my Word, then you will know the truth and the truth will set your free” John 8:31-32

• Breastplate of Righteousness – We must stand on the righteousness that is only found in Christ. He is our righteousness and give us solid ground to stand on no matter the circumstance. “The righteousness is given to us through faith in Jesus Christ, to al who believe.” Romans 3:22 There is power and authority in the name of Jesus and all things have to bow and flee at His name.

• Feet shod with the Gospel of peace – We stand on the rock of Christ and what He accomplished through His death and resurrection. This is the Gospel of Christ that gives us peace and confidence in the reality that Christ overcame death on our behalf so we can stand on the rock of the Gospel. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in times of trouble” Psalm 46:1

• Take up the Shield of Faith – We must actively take hold of the shield of faith by remembering what God has done through the Word and in our own lives, and continuing to exercise our faith and trust in the Lord. That is why it is important to be in a community of believers so we can encourage and build each other up in faith through the power of our witness and testimony, especially during times of trials. Faith in Christ is our ultimate defensive weapon from the attacks of the enemy. “Be on guard, stand firm in the faith, live like men, be strong! Let everything that you do be done in love.” 1 Corinthians 16:13

• Put on the helmet of salvation – The assurance of eternal salvation through Christ is our impenetrable defense against anything the enemy throws at us. Jesus said, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both the soul and the body in hell”. Matthew 10:28 There is amazing power in our salvation “To live is Christ to die is gain” Philippians 1:21

• Take up the sword of the spirit – This is the word of God and it is our main weapon of offense. Jesus modeled for us how to use the Word of God in Matthew 4 when he was tempted by Satan after 40 days in the wilderness. Three times Satan tempted Jesus and on all occasions Jesus overcame by the quoting the word of God. “If you are the son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread. But Jesus told satan, “No! The scriptures say, “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”” Matthew 4:4

Daily Warfare Prayer – Prayer is not only communion with God; it is also confrontation with the enemy.  When praying warfare prayers it is important that we pray lots of scripture and pray everything in “the name of Jesus”.  Speaking declarations over people and circumstances actually has power in the heavenly realm.  Declaring that we have authority as a child of the living God.  “The weapons we fight with are not weapons of the world.  On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:4-5.  We must commit ourselves to God and submit to His authority each day because under God’s covering, we have authority.  We protect ourselves and families by not opening doors that would allow the enemy to infiltrate our lives or the lives of those around us. We confront the enemy in prayer.  We confess our sins and pray for forgiveness.  We pray for the spirit of humility.  We pray to break generational curses and bondage.  We pray for unity in our marriages and families.  We pray for healing. This is warring in the spirit and taking ground in the name of Jesus.

As followers of Christ, we have been equipped with the offensive and defensive weapons to overcome the enemy of our soul.  Let’s stand as warriors in the spirit so we can live victorious in Christ Jesus.  Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.  Ephesians 6:13  And when we don’t know what to do, Stand on the Rock of Christ!!!!!! 

Have a great week.

 -Duane

Word of the Week - Empowered

“I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.” Ephesians 3:16

To Empower simply means to give someone the power or authority to do something.  I think it is important to be reminded that God almighty through His son Jesus and the Holy Spirit has empowered each of us.  As believers we have access to the same power that raised Jesus from the dead, WOW!!!!!  As we live day to day it is easy to forget that we are empowered by God through faith to do even greater things in the name of Jesus.  “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.  And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father will be glorified in the Son.  You may ask anything in my name, and I will do it.” John 14:12-14  I attended the Fellowship of Companies for Christ International (FCCI) annual conference https://www.fcciconf2022.com this week in Amelia Island, FL and the theme of the conference was “Empowered to Serve”.  I was reminded that God has empowered each of us for great purpose in Christ. 

Here are just a few ways that we are Empowered as Christ followers.

Empowered to be overcomers and live in victory

“Who is that who overcomes the world?  Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God” 1 John 5:5  If you have lived any life you know that you will face adversity and challenges.  God in His divine wisdom created us to be in relationship with himself so we could access His divine power to be able to overcome the challenges we will face and live in victory.  This is the life of an empowered believer.  No matter how strong we are in our own abilities, we cannot live in victory without the power of the spirit of God living within us.  For believers we see the challenges of life as opportunities to see God’s power at work in our lives.  This is the process of sanctification and becoming more Christlike.  If we depend on Him, we will find victory through the trials as outlined in James 1:2-4 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything”.   

Empowered to be salt and light to others

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven”. Matthew 5:16  The Lord has put each of us on this earth at this time for a specific assignment and purpose.  He empowers us so that we can do what He has called us to do and play our unique part in building His kingdom.  As we walk out our faith day to day by the power of the Holy Spirit and do what God has called us to do, we become salt and light to those around us.  We have the opportunity and responsibility to be a positive influence on the world around us, our circle of influence.  This is especially true if we are in positions of leadership.  As we tap into God’s spirit and divine economy through our daily abiding walk with Christ, He empowers us through faith to make an eternal impact and do way more than we could ever imagine doing by our own talents and power.  This is one of my favorite verses because I see it happening and it is so encouraging.  God is doing way more than I could ever imagine by His power at work in my life.  “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask ore imagine, according to His power that is work within in us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations for ever and ever! Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21

Empowered to Serve

“Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and give His life as a ransom for many” Matthew 20:28  God has empowered us through His son Jesus to love and serve others just as Jesus modeled for us.  Though there are amazing benefits to being empowered by God, He does not give us this power for ourselves.  He gives us this power so we can live out His great commandment “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all of your strength and with all your mind and Love your neighbor as yourself” Luke 10:26 And, so we can fulfill the great commission, “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore, go and make disciples to all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Matthew 28:18-20

God in His divine goodness empowers us to use all that He has given us including our gifts, talents, relationships, resources, businesses etc…for His purpose and mission.  He also encourages us to partner with others as a body of believers because we are much better together, not to mention it is much more fulfilling to do life in community with others.  I love 1 Timothy 6:17-19 as I believe it gives us clarity on why the Lord empowers us.  “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.  Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.  In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life”.  

Have a great week.

 -Duane

Word of the Week - Gratitude

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 
1 Thessalonians 5:18

Many believers and even non-believers often wonder and ask the question of what God’s will is for their life, this verse in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 makes it pretty clear, it is simply to “Give thanks to God in all circumstances” to live with a heart of Gratitude.  Developing a healthy God perspective and attitude of gratitude is a key to healthy living.  Researchers have found a correlation of gratitude to mental and physical health as reported in a 2018 “Mind and Body” article https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/is_gratitude_good_for_your_health.

We all know that living with a Heart of Gratitude and sincere appreciation is good and healthy, so how do we foster a heart of Gratitude and live with a spirit of Thankfulness even when our circumstances are not so rosy:

We Understand Who God is:

If we truly understand the truth of who God is: 1) Our Abba Father who loves us, 2) Our savior and redeemer who gave His life so we can have eternal fellowship with Him, 3) Our comforter who desires to walk in intimate fellowship with us each and every day as we navigate life.  Understanding and walking in a personal daily relationship with the triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, gives us tremendous life and hope that will foster a heart of gratitude.

We Realize Who we are in Christ:

If we truly understand who we are in Christ, that we are adapted as His sons and daughters who have full access to His kingdom.  That we are co-heirs with Jesus to the Kingdom of God and all of the benefits.  That we will live in fellowship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in heaven for eternity.  This is very exciting news that should fill our hearts with gratitude since we really did nothing to deserve this, we simply gave our hearts to God and trusted Him.  “For those who are lead by the Spirit of God are the children of God.  The spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.  And by Him we cry, “Abba, Father.”  The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children”.

We Recognize friends, family and others who have helped us along the way:

Thank God that He set things up for us to do life with others as a community of believers.  We are much better together as a body of Christ each with different and unique gifts and personalities.  None of us can do this life successfully without others.  It is important that we take time out to show our sincere appreciation by recognizing those who have helped us along the way.  “So in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others”. Romans 12:5  

We Remember to Count our blessings Daily and show sincere appreciation for those who are in our lives:

We should make it a habit each day when we wake up in the morning and throughout the day, to simply thank God for the grace to be alive and to be able to have simple things like use of our arms, legs, ears and eyes if we have them.  We should not take for granted things like family and relationships and the ability to go out and enjoy the day and use our talents to influence the world and make a honest living.  As bad as things can seem at times, there is always a silver lining if we take time to look for it. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change”. James 1:17 

Have a great week.  

-Duane

Word of the Week - Celebration

“This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it”.  Psalm 118:24

Celebration is one of the most exciting aspects of our Christian heritage that I find most believers overlook.  It simply means to set time aside to remember and rejoice in what God has done.  It was common practice in the Old Testament.  The Jews were known for having multi-day festivals to celebrate and commemorate the work of God in their lives.  These celebrations were communal as well as theological.  In modern terms I would call this a party with a purpose, whereby we gather to recognize our blessings and give proper honor and thanks to the Lord and to those who have helped us along the way.  Taking time out to count our blessings as we walk through the journey of life.

Being from South Louisiana, I grew up in a culture that valued partying and probably took it a little too far.  It was “fun” but after the party was over there always seemed to be a feeling of emptiness.  As I have grown in my walk of faith, I have learned that our God is a God of celebration.  There are many examples throughout the old and New Testament of people coming together to enjoy life and celebrate together.  The big difference is that they are coming together to celebrate with a heart toward God and using the celebration as an opportunity to give thanks and honor to God.  I believe there is something holy and meaningful about taking the opportunity to set aside time and resources to celebrate what God has done and looking forward in faith to what He is going to do.  To take time out of our day-to-day schedule to celebrate victories and mark milestones in life. In our family we call this having a “Donner moment”.  This is one of the joys of life.  All too often we are so busy achieving we forget to take time out to celebrate. 

Heart of Gratitude

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances: for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18  One of the keys to our walk with the Lord is to have a healthy perspective of God as our provider.  All things come from Him and it is good and healthy to continually count our blessings and give proper thanks to the Lord.  As noted in this verse, we should make this part of our daily communion with the Lord.  It is also important that we set aside time to celebrate special occasions such as big life victories, milestone birthday & anniversaries and the like. 

God’s principle of Sabbath

“There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from His”. Hebrews 4:9-10  God is so good that He desires for us to enjoy this life and fruit of our labor so much so that He commands us to take time out to rest, rejoice and restore our souls.  Rest for our souls is at the core of Sabbath but it is also a time set aside to celebrate the goodness of God in fellowship with those we love and are close to us.  It is hard for most of us to relate with the reality that God is divine and Holy and to be feared but He is also loving and relational and desires for us to Rejoice in His goodness and celebrate.  To set aside time specifically to enjoy the fruits of this life and those who we are doing life with.

A Time for Everything

“A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;.” Ecclesiastes 3:4  Celebrating life is part of our worship. We engage in celebration when we enjoy ourselves and our lives in conjunction with our faith in light of God’s greatness, beauty and goodness.  We see our lives as simply a part of God’s great plan.  Typically this means that we come together with others who know God to eat, drink and relate stories of God’s blessings and work within our lives.  To honor God and those who have shared the journey.  Holy delight and joy is the great antidote to despair and is a wellspring for genuine gratitude.

“A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their work.  This too, I see is from the hand of God.” Ecclesiastes 2:24

God is great so let’s celebrate and rejoice in His goodness!!!!

-Duane

Word of the Week - Contentment

“But godliness with contentment is great gain.  For we brought nothing into this world, and we can taking nothing out of it….But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.  1 Tim 6:6-12

Labor Day is an annual celebration of workers and their achievements, originated in the late 1800s during one of America’s most challenging chapters during the height of the Industrial Revolution.  There was much achieved by our young and ambitious country at the expense of many.  During that time the average American worked 12-hour days seven days a week to eke out a basic living.  Many of these folks had no choice because they were simply trying to survive and they had the grit to do whatever it took.  Today the pendulum has seemed to have swung the other way with a culture fraught with apathy and entitlement.  God put us on this earth first and foremost to know and love Him and each other (great commandment), and secondly to be productive and purposeful.  This is godly contentment.

Contentment

So what is contentment?  The world generally defines contentment as a quality or state of being satisfied with your portion and condition in life.  This definition is mostly geared towards the physical or material state of being.  The biblical definition of contentment goes beyond the physical realm and focuses on our internal condition and perspective.  Godly contentment is much more focused on the condition of our heart and soul.  Are we at peace with God and our eternal condition? 

Contentment in all Circumstances

Saint Paul spoke clearly about his amazing contentment in the face of many external trials and challenges in Philippians 4:11-12 “For I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.  I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.  I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want“.  I am convinced that if we receive the gift of internal contentment through our hope and trust in God, it will permeate into our external lives allowing us to find contentment in all things and situations, which is truly a blessing that we all desire.  That being said, our Western values and self-focused culture of materialism and social media makes it very easy for us to get sucked into the swamp of envy and discontentment, which at its core leads to discontentment.  It is clear that God has called His people to a life marked by contentment.  So how do we gain godly contentment and extricate ourselves from the pervasive appeals of our materialistic culture?  We seek godly purpose and contentment!!!

Godly Contentment vs. Worldly Ambition

“Better one handful with tranquility than two hands full with toil and chasing after the wind.” Ecclesiastes 4:6 This has always been an interesting and challenging topic for me.  On one hand, I love the ideal of the American Dream and grew up believing that personal ambition was a very good characteristic that gave me the drive to pursue and achieve my dreams.  I learned early in my life/career that too much ambition if not tempered with godliness and contentment can lead to destruction.  I almost lost everything (wife, family, health) during my mid to late 20’s because I was so ambitious and insecure.  Through the pain of this experience, called the school of hard knocks and by the grace of God, I discovered the amazing gift of godliness with contentment in my early 30’s and it has been life changing.  It is a beautiful thing when we come to the realization that God is our provider and He is truly the one that we should be striving to honor and please.  Most importantly that He has a plan and purpose for our lives that is way bigger and better than our own, and if we submit and align to His plan for our lives, we can live with godly contentment that Paul describes in Philippians 4 above.  This is an amazing sweet-spot where we are living to our full potential by using our gifts and talents to the full while at the same time keeping our lives in good and healthy order.  This does not mean that it is easy and we don’t give it our full effort, it simply means we are doing what God created us to do.  In this place, we can sustain high performance for long periods because we are working from our gifting.  If we “Seek first the Kingdom and His righteousness” Matthew 6:33, then we find godly contentment and will flourish.  Divine order leads to divine blessing which produces godly contentment.

“Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil – this is a gift from God”.  Ecclesiastes 5:19

Have a great Labor Day…..

-Duane

Word of the Week - Renewing our minds to be transformed (Old beliefs vs. New Beliefs)

“Do not conform to the patterns of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind”.  Romans 12:2

As I have walked through a season of pruning and maturing in all areas of my life, I have been reminded that even though we are a new creation in Christ, we must continue to renew our minds so we can continue being transformed into the image of Christ.  I also realize that remnants of our old nature and identity remain in our soul and body.  It all starts in our mind as we buy into false beliefs even though we know the truth of God’s word.  As followers of Christ, we have a new “power source” – Christ living within us.  However, some of the old automatic feelings and responses remain.  The battle, which is being fought in the mind, is ours to win or lose according to the choices we make.  Bringing this to the forefront equips us to fight the good fight and win the battle in the mind.  Even though it is a bit deep, I wanted to share some of what I am learning and practicing from a new spiritual mentor and a workbook I am studying titled “Old Beliefs vs. New Beliefs (Be transformed by the Renewing of Your Mind)” by Anne Trippe.

The Problem:  Since the fall of Adam, our human nature is that of sin.  Everyone inherited sin and spiritual death from the fall.  “For all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God” Romans 3:23 This death through sin is simply separation from connection and fellowship with God.  Although our natural man’s spirit is dead to God, it is very alive to sin and the power that drives our independence from God.  As a result, we are born empty and needy; therefore, it is our nature to try to regain what was lost;  to have our needs met and be “filled” so we can find the basic human needs of love, contentment, security and a sense of value.  Before the new birth and being made alive in Christ, we think we are alive, be we are truly striving in our will and emotions to regain what was lost and become whole and healthy, but we are not equipped without our spirit coming alive.

Patterns:  Unfortunately, in our fallen nature and while under the power of sin before we know the truth, we look to those around us (family, friends and our culture) the ways of this world (possessions, power and prestige) to try to fill the void.  In doing this we develop false beliefs about how we can manage and live emotionally, fill our emptiness and find acceptance.  We bring into our our daily situations and relationships both conscious and unconscious beliefs about how we should approach life to satisfy our emotional and spiritual insufficiency.  Behaviors such as control, performance-based acceptance, insecurity, self-reliance etc.  Over time these beliefs are reinforced in our minds and basically hardwired into our beliefs and thought patterns. Our neuropathways continue to be reinforced with patterns of lies and bad thinking.  Even St. Paul struggled with this battle.  “We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin.  I do not understand what I do.  For what I want to do, I do not do.  But what I hate, I do.” Romans 7:14-15   

The Solution:  The Word of God tells those of us who have been born again in the spirit and become new creations that all of our needs are supplied by Christ.  But for many, this may not be our experience.  However, because of our new birth, we have been empowered by God’s Spirit and are able to choose to focus on Truth and change our false mindset about how our needs are to be met.  As a result, our old ineffective patterns of trying to find peace and fulfillment can be changed.  Romans 12:2 refers to this change as being transformed by the “renewing of our mind”.  As Christ followers born anew in the spirit, our transformation does not happen by behavior modification, it happens by learning to walk in the spirit rather than in the flesh allowing Christ’s life to be lived out through us.  “Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the spirit desires” Romans 8:5 It is a daily process of setting our minds on the things of the spirit.

Renewing our Mind:  As believers, we must continue to renew our minds in the Truth of God’s word and promises. As we face life’s situations and difficulties, we can identify our old beliefs and replace them with God’s Truth.  For example, instead of believing that I must be strong and independent to survive, which is old false belief I have subscribed to throughout my life, we replace this lie with God’s truth that “Christ’s strength is made perfect in my weakness” 2 Corinthians 12:9. We can learn to receive the trials we are facing as God’s instrument to break our hold on old patterns of thinking and behaving.  This involves our humbling ourselves in order to surrender our fleshly life to find God’s divine life.  This is when we find freedom from our striving and our fears.  When this happens, we can begin to experience contentment, peace, joy and righteousness of Christ as we live life and relate in a more healthy way with others. We become more secure in our relationship with Christ.  This is transformational!!

I pray that we make a choice each day to submit our minds and hearts to Christ so we can be renewed and transformed by the power of Christ living within us so we live as overcomers.  “I have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives within me” Galatians 2:20

Have a great week!!!

-Duane

Word of the Week - Joy

May the God of hope fill you with all Joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Romans 15:13

I was reminded this morning as I was reading the one-year bible of the power of Joy, and the fact that if we have Joy in the Lord, we are strengthened.  So, I spent some time meditating on several scriptures related to Joy pulled up this Word of the Week.  This is a repeat I shared awhile back but I don’t think we can ever hear enough about pursuing Joy in the Lord.

Joy defined by Merriam-Webster is the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires: Delight: The state of happiness or felicity:  a source or cause of delight: (verb) to experience great pleasure or delight: rejoice:

Joy vs. Happiness - Even though it is similar to the concept of happiness, Joy is much deeper because it is an attitude and condition of our soul.  Happiness tends to be more short term and based upon circumstances and driven by our feelings, whereas Joy is more foundational and based upon a deeper inner condition that can withstand the waves of feelings and circumstances that we all face in our day to day lives. 

Joy is powerful - It is pretty amazing how both James and Paul talk about the power of Joy at work in our lives and how it can produce within us an inner fortitude that can supply us the strength to live in victory no matter what circumstances we are facing.  “Consider it pure Joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance” James 1:2-3.  James is reminding us of a key concept as it relates to Joy, if we trust God and know that He is using us for His plans, then we understand that there is purpose in the pain and we can find the Joy of the process of being sanctified in Christ Jesus.  This gives us hope, peace and strength, which are all foundational to having Joy.  Jesus our savior modeled this for us as He was sacrificing His life for us on the cross.  “So we fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.  For the Joy set before Him He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2. 

Joy is a choice and a gift - Most importantly I think we need to realize and remember that Joy is a choice.  We receive Joy by faith when we decide to trust God by surrendering our lives to Him and choose to abide daily in Christ through His word and truth, which gives us deep security in our eternal destiny.  Joy is a fruit of God’s spirit that is a byproduct of abiding in Christ. We know that as sons and daughters of the living God our names are written in the Lambs book of life, this is a Joyous reality.  We are co-heirs with Christ Jesus in God’s Kingdom.  If we believe God’s truth then you cannot help but be overjoyed by the reality of what God has so graciously done for us.  “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to test you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s suffering, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy”. 1 Peter4:12-13

I think it is pretty amazing how our God so deeply desires us to experience the Joy of the Lord, so much so that He uses the word Joy over 200 times in the bible and encourages us to “Rejoice, always (experience Joy over and over continually), pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

I pray that “The Joy of the Lord will be your strength” Nehemiah 8:10 

Have a Joy filled week…

-Duane

Word of the Week - Humility

"For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Luke 14:11

Humility – In January of this year I shared a word of the week on Humility, see below.  Since then, I have personally learned more about humility as I am navigating through a season of pruning.  As I reflect over the past few months, I realize that being humbled is a large part of the pruning process and likely why it is so painful.  Realizing that we have limitations in life and from time-to-time certain things need to be trimmed or removed from our lives is a humbling process.  “I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener.  He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” John 15:1-2 Even though I think the Word I shared back in January is good and accurate, I have learned more on this virtue that I would like to share.   

Humility is not weakness perse’ but it is a mindset of brokenness and surrender – Jesus was meek but not weak.  He had all the power of the universe at his disposal but chose to be sacrificed as a lamb led to the slaughter.  There were times that he showed his strength and power, like when He entered the temple and flipped over the money changer tables because people were not honoring the house of God, but for the most part He lived a life of surrender and total dependance on God the Father.  God has reinforced in me that humility comes when we are surrendered (realized we are not in control) and dependent (out of the mode of self-reliance).  Outside of my walk with the Lord this is somewhat of a foreign concept for me.  I have been trained most of my life to pull up my bootstraps, take charge and make it happen.  This approach has worked well for me in many aspects of my life.  As followers of Christ this approach is flawed and surely not humble.  First of all, God is our provider and has given us all that we possess so even when He allows us to accomplish things it is because of how He has gifted us.   Secondly and most importantly, we really don’t control anything except maybe our attitude.  Thus, we lack humility if we really believe that we are calling the shots and forget that God is our provider, and we are and have nothing apart from Him.  “Trust in the Lord with all of your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.  Acknowledge Him in all things and He will direct your paths and keep them straight”. Proverbs 3:5-6

Humble yourself or you will be humbled – Ultimately, I don’t think humility is optional for those who are in Christ,.  I truly believe that if we stay the course in our walk with the Lord, we will have to humble ourselves or God will humble us.  I would go as far as to say all of God’s children are humbled along the path of maturing as a believer.  There are lots of stories in the bible of great men of God being humbled, King David and Saint Peter come to mind.  I believe this is part of process of being sanctified.  Like all things in God’s economy, there are surely degrees of humility, and I am not sure any of us ever achieve humility in its fullness this side of heaven. That being said, there are lots of ways that Jesus demonstrated humility and we can surely learn from Him. 

The following are a few ways that I am learning about how we can humble ourselves:

• Being willing to share weaknesses and be transparent, even in my failures

• Obeying out of a love motive, because I desire to not because I have to

• Looking to the Lord to fulfill me rather than trying to be fulfilled by people, performance, and accomplishments

• Willing to receive my trials as God’s instrument to perfect me

• Willing to not be defensive or to justify myself, willing to be misunderstood and be ok

• Relinquishing control and being comfortable with others fixing and directing

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up”. James 4:10

Have a great week.

-Duane

Word of the Week - Willing Spirit

"Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me." Psalm 51:12

What is a Willing Spirit?  When it comes to our walk with the Lord, I believe a Willing Spirit means we have a posture of “yes”.  God is always leading us towards growth and maturity and for us to be able to receive what He has for us we must have a Willing Spirit, or we may not receive the best things that God has for us. 

Trusting God by His Word – By knowing the Lord and walking with Him, we grow in our trust and confidence in Him, which produces a more Willing Spirit .  Knowing that God loves us and has our best interest at heart gives us the reassurance we need to trust and be willing to say yes.  “Trust in the Lord with all of your heart, do not lean on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths and keep them straight” Proverbs 3:5-6

Renewing our Minds in God’s truth – The renewing of our minds through God’s word is key to maintaining a Willing Spirt.  We must stay grounded in the truth so that we can be transformed.  “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:2

God alone is our source – Knowing that God is the source of all life, and everything we need comes from Him gives us a posture of dependance.  King David, a man after God’s own heart, knew that his posture towards the Lord was key to his blessing from the Lord.  A Willing Spirit positions our hearts and minds to receive what God has for us and to be open and willing vessels, with the “Yes Lord” on the inside.  David gives us the key to having a Willing Spirit in verses 10 and 11 leading up to verse 12.  To have a Willing Spirit we need a pure heart and the Holy Spirit leading us. “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me 11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.”  Psalm 51:10-11.  This shows David’s dependence upon the Lord and his deep desire for God’s presence in his life, knowing he could not even trust his own motives but needed God’s spirit to lead and guide Him.

A Willing Spirit sustains us – God promises us that if we keep a Willing Spirit, He will be there for us.  “If you seek me you will find me if you seek me with all of your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13  Jesus also promises us that “if we abide in Him He will abide in us and we will bear much fruit but apart from Him we can do nothing.” John 15:5  

I pray that we would have a Willing Spirt toward God so we can receive all that God has for us; for He has great things in store for each of us.  Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Have a great week.

-Duane

Word of the Week - Servant Leadership Continued

"Not so with you.  Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant." Matthew 20:26

Servant Leadership – As I noted a few weeks ago, I am in a season of reflection and pruning whereby I believe the Lord is calling me to a new level of serving as a husband, father, friend, and leader in business and ministry.  This is surely a process of dying to self and is counter to many of the typical mindsets of our world and culture.  As part of this process, I am studying a book titled “Servant Leadership in Action – How you can achieve great relationships and results” by Ken Blanchard and Renee Broadwell.  It is a great book that compiles principles in short chapters from over forty world class leaders who are leading organizations using the Servant Leadership model.  It has been insightful for me to understand what it really looks like to be a Servant Leader and how to practically implement this at a new level into my life and business.  The following is a short excerpt from one of the chapters that I found especially insightful and worthy of sharing.

Great leaders Serve – This chapter written by Mark Miller https://tmarkmiller.com/about/, who was an early employee at Chick-fil-a and served on their leadership team for over 40 years.  Over twenty years ago, Mark and his team began a project to accelerate leadership development across the Chick-fil-a organization.  One of the main goals of the project was to develop a common definition for leadership.  They knew the stakes were high to get this right because it would drive countless hours of leadership development and millions of dollars of investment and would shape the caliber of their leaders and the organization for decades to come.  Well, we all know what has transpired with Chick-fil-a over the past 20 years as they have become the “gold standard” in the fast casual food industry among other categories.  They were just recognized as America’s favorite restaurant for the 8th year in a row by the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI).  I would suggest that their success has been driven by the investment Mark and their leadership team defined and committed to over two decades ago.  This process resulted in a book that Mark co-authored with leadership guru Ken Blanchard titled The Secret: What Great Leaders know and do. 

The following is a quick overview of five strategic ways Great leaders SERVE from the book: 

• Great Leaders See and Shape the future – Leadership begins with a picture of the future and being able to paint a picture of a preferred future. When the vision is clear and compelling it will create life, energy and momentum. Our people want to know where they are going, what we are trying to accomplish, what we are trying to become and why it matters.

• Great leaders engage and develop others – Engagement is about creating context for people to thrive. It is incumbent upon leaders to proactively develop team members to help them grow and realize their full potential. Our job as leaders is to engage our people in the process and aligning dreams and goals.

• Value results and relationships – This is the tenet that generates the most angst for many leaders. Most leaders have a default bias towards one or the other. The best leaders value both!!! There is a tension here and our challenge as leaders is to manage the tension.

• Embody the values – People always watch the leader – whether we want them to or not! They are trying to determine if the leader is trustworthy. If a leader says something is important, people expect that person to live like it is important. Leaders must do everything humanly possible to walk the talk!

• Reinvent Continuously – If you do what you you’ve always done, you’ll get what you have always got. To make progress, to move forward, to accomplish bigger and better, something has to change. This includes Self: How are you reinventing yourself? Systems: Which work processes need to be changed to create better results? Structure: What structural changes could you make to better enable the accomplishment of your goal?

Are you ready to become a servant leader?  It is not a strategy or shortcut to success.  However, if we are willing to begin the long journey of adding value to others, putting their interests ahead of our own, helping others win, and mastering the five fundamentals we just reviewed, we will enjoy new levels of success, satisfaction and impact.  Most importantly we will develop other Servant Leaders that will reproduce and multiply.  This is not only the right thing to do but it is a huge opportunity to walk out the gospel in our day to day lives while adding and creating value for others.

Have a great week.

-Duane

Word of the Week - Service

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and give His life as a ransom for many” Mark 10:45

Service is defined as someone providing help and assistance to those being served.  I would suggest that Service should always involve adding value to the person or organization being served.  I believe that Service is as much an attitude and perspective as the specific Service being provided.  The majority of us work everyday Serving others to make our living by providing something that is of value such as food, repair, maintenance, computer or financial advisory services.  We have the opportunity to be both providers and recipients of Services and typically have a sense for what constitutes bad, average and good Service.  Service is typically evaluated and measured relative to our comparable Service experiences.  For instance we compare our experience eating at one restaurant vs. another restaurant and would typically not compare a fine dining experience to a fast food experience.  Service makes the world go round and creates a tremendous opportunity to influence others and make an impact in this world.  This is what we see with companies like Chick-fil-a who have taken service to entirely new level and set the gold standard for the restaurant industry.

Heart of Service – I believe the single most important key to providing great Service is ensuring that we have the right heart attitude, which begins on the inside.  Understanding that it is truly a blessing and privilege to be able to Serve others.  Not seeing it as a burden but as a blessing. “Remember the words of the Lord Jesus himself said; ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive”. Acts 20:35  With the right perspective we realize that there is true joy in the act of Serving and giving of ourselves, especially when it is done with pure motives.  This is really the essence of the Gospel, that Jesus “Gave His all for us” to model what it looks like to be a follower of Christ.  As believers, we exist to Serve others by showing God’s love in practical ways through meeting the needs within our communities, families and spheres of influence.  Simple acts of personal kindness can open hearts to the love of Jesus for both those being served and those serving. 

Going the Extra Mile  – “Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two” Matthew 5:41  Having a willing spirit to go the extra mile is one of the things that differentiates typical Service from exceptional Service.  When we are willing to go way past what is expected or the minimum threshold, we typically make a meaningful impression and engender goodwill with those we are Serving.  It is important to keep a pure heart and not do it so that person “owes you” but do it out of the desire Serve them well.  This is the true heart of ministry Service and what the Lord has done for each of us who call upon His name.  That being said, these principals work well in any and all areas of life, especially in business.  If you want to differentiate yourself in business and build strong and loyal client/customer relationships then go the “extra mile” by going well beyond what is “expected” and you will win clients and friends for life.  Moreover, the person who Serves selflessly, lovingly, without complaint, and without seeking recognition is highly regarded in the Kingdom of God.   Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. Philippians 2:3-4

Serving others – One of our values at Founders Advisors is Service.  We value serving our clients, our team, and our community/others.  As a firm/team, we take the opportunity a few times a year (on MLK day and one day during the summer) to Serve our community.  This gives us the opportunity to walk out this value in a tangible way Yesterday, in conjunction with Church of the Highlands Serve Day, we had approximately 25 of our team members invest their Saturday morning serving at Restoration Academy https://www.restorationacademy.org/ .  It was a great opportunity to Serve an organization that is making a difference.  There is truly something special about coming together as a group and serving others, especially in the name of Jesus.  I am grateful to the Lord Jesus for living a life of service and making that the example for us as Christ followers. 

Have a great week,

-Duane