Blog

Rejection of the 1 Percent

Wed, 09 May 2012 15:32:00 GMT

This month I’m pleased to share a guest post by Russell Verhey, of Colorado Springs . Russell went through YOD in 2010, has been a small business owner for 15 years and currently also serves as the men's ministry leader in his church. Enjoy!

You can give your all and it still it’s not enough. We talk about giving 100%, excellence in our work, and we miss the mark. What is the cost of perfection?

I found myself literally in that position for work. We finished a project that required 425 man hours to complete, and we missed a few items that required another team to complete what we failed too that took 4 1//2 hours. We missed the goal of perfection by a measurable and miserable 1%.

A child can relate, she works so hard preparing for a test and misses perfection by a question and gets an A-. An extra minute in the oven can determine the success of a meal for company visiting, and what feels like the whole enjoyment of an evening.

We all know that feeling of missing the mark, rejection. It’s a measurement of performance, control, in system built around rules instead of relationship.

It begs the question, what is the source of your value?

A man serves faithful at his job for 16 years, giving his all into the company and striving for excellence in everything only to be served a pink slip. A new season begins, but not before that man finds himself in a crisis of identity. Asking who am I? What am I supposed to do? What value do I have beyond my outdated skills? It’s a transition that often cripples a man from the inside out.

The subtlety of this message goes straight to our souls that if I have nothing of value then I am no value. The lie of this message leads to all kinds of evils and we see the carnage of it everywhere in society.

What is the source of your value? As you consider the depth of the question, I would encourage to mediate on the depths of this truth, a promise.

‘For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! (1 John 3:1)

As you reflect on your value today, your performance or failure to perform, even to 1%, reveals your need for the Father’s love and grace to you. Let’s embrace a full measure of it today as we honor him in everything we do and say.

We live in abundance to the measure we believe we are loved in abundance.

Why You Should NOT Respond to Every Need

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 19:11:00 GMT

Nearly every day we hear about needs, often extreme needs, of people around the world, not just our community. Most of those needs are ones we can’t or won’t help meet.

How do we decide whom to help? How do we avoid serving in a half-hearted way, over-committing ourselves, or just becoming numb to needs of others?

There is a difference between an interest, a concern, a burden, and a passion. With an interest we may like to learn about a need. With a concern, we may seek ways to meet a need, perhaps serve some. With a burden, we think about the need often, pray about it, and maybe occasionally meet the need.

With a passion, we can’t help thinking about it; we consistently devote significant resources (time, talents, money) to meeting the need.

There’s room in our lives for only 1 or 2 passions beside our family and our faith.

Are you OK with letting go of interests, to focus on passions? Do you believe that if everyone did this, all needs could be addressed? I do.

We can ask ourselves, “What do I most care about, or what gets me angry or sad?” Discover what it is, then ask the Lord what He wants you to do about it.

Dave

“Muscle Cars! Really?!”

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 15:24:00 GMT

“Yeah, I know a lot about the cars, the industry, and the people who attend the events. I’ve always been interested in them!”

This was the response from one man when I asked him what things he’d learned a lot about over the years. I then asked him, “How do you think the Lord could use your knowledge of muscle cars for His purposes?”

He’d never thought about it.

As we talked about using his life experiences, struggles and drivers in conjunction with his knowledge of muscle cars, a possible ministry opportunity emerged--one that really excited him.

What things really get YOUR motor running?

There’s a reason why you know a lot about certain things—hobbies, history, computers, sports trivia. You were wired to learn these things or were put in situations that required you to learn them. Most of us just take these things for granted. “They’re just things I do or know”, we say.

Pay attention to these things and ask God how He wants to use them for His purposes.

Perhaps a One Degree coach could help you. (That’s what WE love to do!)

Your Life Story Matters!

Thu, 29 Sep 2011 22:47:00 GMT

Your life story matters!

And, how you respond to your life story matters!

One of the main things that help a person move toward their One Degree is understanding their story and coming to peace with it.

Boldness, trusting God, taking risks are essential components to living a One Degree life. But everyone has had experiences, events, and people in our lives that have hurt or confused us. We wonder why God didn’t protect us or why He brought/allowed those things in our lives. We question His love, goodness and plans for us.

Are you confident that you can trust Him for the future?

Unresolved questions and lingering doubts about God can hold us back from trusting Him and taking the necessary steps toward His best life for us.

Though we may never know why these hard things happen, we need to come to the point of deciding to trust that God was good, loving, and working things for our good. He understands how much we struggle with trusting Him. Really.

He will meet us where we are as we commit to trust Him.

Are You Working More for God and Enjoying it Less?

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 21:50:00 GMT

First of all, He wants to work THROUGH you, not you working FOR Him. “He’s at work all around us, constantly,” as Henry Blackaby says. He invites you to join Him in what He’s doing. If you aren’t paying close attention you can miss the invite, or simply misinterpret it.

Secondly, He will usually invite you to do things according to your DESIGN. When you’re serious about aligning with your DESIGN, He’ll show you how to steward it. You won’t take on responsibilities out of guilt or because, “no one else will do it.”

Thirdly, you’ll enjoy your serving when you pace yourself to your REAL capacity, doing what naturally energizes you. As you do this, you’ll be bringing your “A” game to those you’re serving.

Lastly, to get to the point of thriving, you’ll likely need to say “no” to some needs that are pressing. Saying “no” will become easier when you know it’s an issue of being a good steward of yourself.

Are you thriving or just surviving in your serving?

Dave

Loving People with the Abilities that Energize You

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 14:28:00 GMT

Do you view your Drivers (abilities that energize you) as some of your best resources for touching people’s lives—for showing them Christ’s love? Often we don’t think of building, envisioning, designing, improving, facilitating, strategic thinking, etc., as important for God’s purposes.

People who have done accounting, strategic thinking, and coordinating for me have been a huge blessing. I have felt profoundly loved by them as they’ve used their drivers. Often they even thank me for the opportunity to serve me that way.

It’s vital, though, to have the right goal in mind as we use our Drivers—to serve His way, in His timing, and for His glory. Otherwise we can miss the opportunity to bless by simply focusing on completing a task or accomplishing our own a goals.

Isn’t it exciting that God has prepared you for each day, and each day for you? He’s teed up people and situations for you to touch/love for His glory. The trick is to stay alert and willing to be used by Him.

The trick is to really start believing that your Drivers can be used to love people. Stay alert and watch God use you!

Are You On Schedule, or Behind in Life?

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 12:19:00 GMT

Many people I meet feel like they’re behind, that they’ve missed opportunities, or that they aren’t where they’re supposed to be by now.

We’re right on schedule when we finally reach the point of only wanting to do what He wants, and in the way He wants to do it. Sounds too simple, right? But when you look back at your story, as you explore Your One Degree, you’ll see how He has been faithfully preparing you.

People who have made mistakes, messed up, and suffered have much to offer others.

The question on the table is, “What does He want to do today with who you are at this point in life?” Answering this requires a more precise knowledge of who you are today, and the path you’ve been on. Your experiences don’t have to be wasted or ignored – they are another facet of your DESIGN.

When you’re living out Your One Degree, you’ll no longer wonder if you’re on schedule. You’ll see the big picture; how He can use your story and your DESIGN today.

Do you feel like you’re “behind schedule”? We can make peace with the past, and get “on schedule”!

Dave

You can’t THINK your way to Your One Degree

Sun, 15 May 2011 19:52:00 GMT

You can’t THINK your way to Your One Degree. You CAN think your way to discovering and clarifying your DESIGN elements and commit to use them as new decision criteria.

God will disclose Your One Degree over time as you DECIDE and ACT on your DESIGN. God wants intimacy with you. He wants you to go on a journey with Him of abiding with Him and becoming an alert and master steward of Your DESIGN while you are growing in your obedience to His Word and sensitivity to His Spirit.

If you’ve been through some or all of the YOD process, and haven’t revisited your notes in a while, take some time right now to remember your “Drivers”. How can you apply them today? What can you say “NO” to this week to give yourself some margin?

Remember, this is about living your design in very practical ways to impact your daily life.

If you haven’t started Your One Degree journey, get started right now!