And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan!  For it is written,  ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’  ” Luke 4:8 Yeshua says to Satan here that we should only serve Yah, and yet Yeshua demonstrated serving others and called us to do the same. Friend when serving wife says it’s for Him not her Don’t have to keep score who’s giving more if we’re filtering our service through the Father, if we’re considering all of our service being for Him not others, though others may benefit from that service My challenge for you in your work this week is to check in with yourself at lunchtime each day and think about the ways you served over the last 24 hours through your work, think about who you served.  Was it an individual, your employer?  If you can't honestly say you were primarily serving your Father, think about how your heart would have been different and how your service might have been different if you had.  Commit to Father Filtering over the next 24 hours.

Father Filtering Service-Saleh108-CMAW212

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue and those who love it will eat its fruit “ Prov 18:21 “a fool’s voice is known by his many words.” Ecclesiastes 5:3 “In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, But he who restrains his lips is wise” - Prov 10:19 James 1:19 says " let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath;" In corporate prayer my Pastor Julio Calderon challenged us to make sure that anything we say that day be more beautiful than silence I've talked in the past many times about the power of our speech, particularly in our work. One thing I don't I have discussed, however, is the power of the Father Filter in reverse.  Not only should we filter what we are about to say, we should also filter what we hear. If someone speaks something to you and your instinct, your fleshly response, it to be offended by it, try to instead filter what they've said through Your Father and His Word. If what someone is saying is true based on what God has to say about, even if it's paintful your correct response very well may be to say "I'm sorry, please forgive me, please pray for me, I'll try not to do that again". if what someone has said is NOT true, or only half a truth, filter out the portion that is not true and, if possibly try not to let it bother.  Don't defend yourself or react negatively, just let it roll off your back.  I realize that it's easier said than done especially when you've conditioned to react to certain negative things spoke over you, but I believe this is so important that it's worth us trying to intentionally change the way we filter what we hear about ourselves and others. Here are my three challenges I have for you this week in your work to apply Father Filtering with your speech, and if you want you can simplify by just picking one of the 3 to make it easier to apply: 1. Try to apply active listening technique with at least one person, specifically do not interrupt the person who's talking, and if you do, only repeat back to them what you think you heard they just said to you and them to confirm it's correct.   Resist the urge to share your wisdom, limit your speech to questions 2. Check in with your self lunch time every day and ask your self, did I speak more life or death with my words that morning?  Was what I said more beautiful than silence? 3. Next time someone says something to you at work our outside of work that is painful and that you want to react to defending yourself, ask the Father to show you what is true and what is not true.  If it's true, apologize, if it's not true don't react and let it go.  You may need some time in-between when you hear these words and your response and that may be best.

Fathering Filtering Speech-Selah107-CMAW211

Father Filter 4 parts: Sight, Speech, Service, Being Content Each will be brief but felt best to split them up so you could focus on each specific topic and make an application in your life rather than taking them all on at once. Term I heard from Dr Joe Martin Beyond “what would Jesus do” and trying to be like Him, but rather about literally partnering with Him in our walk here in the flesh as justified but ongoing sanctified children of Yah Josh 1:9 says "do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”" As believers, we all recognize that God exists and that He's always with us, but since most of us are not hearing an audible voice from Him, we may wonder sometimes what His constant presence in our lives means and looks like. One way I've begun to understand His presence is through this concept of Father Filtering.  It recognizes God's presence while also recognizing our free will and the role we play in how God is part of our daily journey. God is the perfect filter.  He is holy.  He is perfect.   Jer 29:13 says "And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart."  What I'm going to be talking about with Father Filtering is not a passive activity.  We have to recognize God's presence in our lives and intentionally seek His will, or you could say His filter for every part of our lives, what we consider the big stuff and the little stuff. It's interesting when I did a search to look up this chapter and verse to quote since I remembered the verse but not the location, a 2nd verse also showed up from Ecc 2:3 "I searched in my heart how to gratify my flesh with wine, while guiding my heart with wisdom, and how to lay hold on folly".  What an interesting contrast between how Solomon search in his own heart how to gratify his flesh, vs what we're going to talk about which is seeking our Father's heart instead of our own. Jer 17:9 says "“The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?" We can't trust our heart, we can completely trust the heart of our Father. Sight “Not Even a Hint” by Joshua Harris based on Eph 5:3 "But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people".  He defines lust as craving sexually what God has forbidden, or to want what you don't have and weren't meant to have.  God's standard with regard to lust is spelled out clearly in Eph 3, He desires that we no lust whatsoever, not even a hint. Though lust is a heart issue, our eyes or sight, particularly with men, are often a part of it. As Joshua Harris says in his book "Lust tells you lies, the truth sets you free" Song by Leland says “what are you doing when nobody’s watching”. With Father filtering it’s more than just knowing our Father sees all that we do and look at with our eyes, as a Father who is outside of us (which He is), but rather recognizing His Holy Spirit is inside of us as well and inviting Him to filter what we see. This can lead us to make different choices like not looking with lust at women, can also help us see others with more compassion, empathy and kindness. To see others and circumstances with His eyes. Work application - women at work your tempted to look at with lust?  Are there co-workers tend to look own upon or with judgment, seeing their flaws and not their pain?  Start Father Filtering what you see at your job this week and see how it changes your heart.

Father Filter 4 parts: Sight, Speech, Service, Being Content Each will be brief but felt best to split them up so you could focus on each specific topic and make an application in your life rather than taking them all on at once. Term I heard from Dr Joe Martin Beyond “what would Jesus do” and trying to be like Him, but rather about literally partnering with Him in our walk here in the flesh as justified but ongoing sanctified children of Yah Josh 1:9 says "do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”" As believers, we all recognize that God exists and that He's always with us, but since most of us are not hearing an audible voice from Him, we may wonder sometimes what His constant presence in our lives means and looks like. One way I've begun to understand His presence is through this concept of Father Filtering.  It recognizes God's presence while also recognizing our free will and the role we play in how God is part of our daily journey. God is the perfect filter.  He is holy.  He is perfect.   Jer 29:13 says "And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart."  What I'm going to be talking about with Father Filtering is not a passive activity.  We have to recognize God's presence in our lives and intentionally seek His will, or you could say His filter for every part of our lives, what we consider the big stuff and the little stuff. It's interesting when I did a search to look up this chapter and verse to quote since I remembered the verse but not the location, a 2nd verse also showed up from Ecc 2:3 "I searched in my heart how to gratify my flesh with wine, while guiding my heart with wisdom, and how to lay hold on folly".  What an interesting contrast between how Solomon search in his own heart how to gratify his flesh, vs what we're going to talk about which is seeking our Father's heart instead of our own. Jer 17:9 says "“The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?" We can't trust our heart, we can completely trust the heart of our Father. Sight “Not Even a Hint” by Joshua Harris based on Eph 5:3 "But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people".  He defines lust as craving sexually what God has forbidden, or to want what you don't have and weren't meant to have.  God's standard with regard to lust is spelled out clearly in Eph 3, He desires that we no lust whatsoever, not even a hint. Though lust is a heart issue, our eyes or sight, particularly with men, are often a part of it. As Joshua Harris says in his book "Lust tells you lies, the truth sets you free" Song by Leland says “what are you doing when nobody’s watching”. With Father filtering it’s more than just knowing our Father sees all that we do and look at with our eyes, as a Father who is outside of us (which He is), but rather recognizing His Holy Spirit is inside of us as well and inviting Him to filter what we see. This can lead us to make different choices like not looking with lust at women, can also help us see others with more compassion, empathy and kindness. To see others and circumstances with His eyes. Work application - women at work your tempted to look at with lust?  Are there co-workers tend to look own upon or with judgment, seeing their flaws and not their pain?  Start Father Filtering what you see at your job this week and see how it changes your heart.

Fathering Filtering Sight-Selah106-CMAW210

NPR Hidden brain Interview lady Erica Boothby social illusions, liking gap, invisibility cloak illusion In conversation we overestimate negative thoughts toward us, observing we understanding how much they’re noticing us Good to ask questions Think less of us and more of them Giving compliments help dismantle liking gap for other person Just listened to a fascinating interview on NPR and thought that you would have appreciated it. The show was “Hidden Brain” and he interviewed Erica Boothby, psychologist who has identified what she called social illusions, specifically the liking gap where people tend to overestimate in conversations negative impressions they’ve made and when not in conversation underestimating how much others notice us vs us noticing them.  They noted we can reduce the liking gap for others by complimenting them and for ourselves by asking others questions about thi ngs we’re worried about. Also should focus less on ourselves and more on the other person to reduce our liking gap. Speaks to power of being others focused as Bible says Phil 2:4 "Let each of you look not only his own interests, but also to the interests of others" Phil 2:3 "do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves" Rom 12:10 "Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor" 1 Cor 12:24 "Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor" Rom 12:16 "Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight" What didn’t address is importance of caring more what God thinks than others If we could truly care only what thinks and not other fallen humans, imagine how many of our challenges and worries and sadness, discontent would be gone "Psalm 56:11 "In God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?"

Liking Gap at Work-Selah105-CMAW209

Work Tips from Genesis 33 1. Glorify God and esteem Him for all the people and things with which He has blessed me 2. Consider others with the goals I pursue and the pace with which I pursue them 3. Keep in my mind always the end goal to arrive safely in the place God has intended for me as well as those with whom He has entrusted me with. 4. Along the journey, have a giving heart and esteem others above myself.   Follow up to prevent a dreaded meeting outcome Avoid the worst: Holding a meeting to ensure a previous meeting met its purpose!   You planned the meeting well. You had all the right people there. You controlled it with the precision of a brain surgeon.   So that’s that, right?   Not quite. Now comes the time to focus on what to do after the meeting ends. Taking on more work after a meeting might seem to betray the goal of unlocking more time to focus on the right projects.   But in the long run, good meeting follow-through will save time for everyone involved.   A recap supports good outcomes — and prevents redundancy   Many people will agree this is one of the worst meeting outcomes: scheduling a meeting-after-the-meeting to ensure the original meeting served its purpose. Good planning and follow-up can make this a thing of the past. Some meetings are succinct enough to be self-contained, but most benefit from a recap to ensure everyone is on the same page. Here are just a few of the reasons for a written recap:   In meetings with virtual participants, it can be hard for everyone to hear everything.   If the host or note-taker can’t verbally recap the meeting at the end, a written recap makes sure everyone took away the same conclusions.   A recap for meetings with multiple action items creates an extra layer of accountability.   If someone doesn’t need to be in a meeting but does need to know the outcome, a recap or summary can reduce the number of meeting attendees.   ​​​​​​​ If the meeting generates actions, be clear on what they are and who needs to carry them out. And make sure to send out a recap within 48 hours so items are fresh in everyone’s mind. Recap structure matters Following a standard format will help readers quickly identify the main points and know what’s expected.   Start the subject line with the word RECAP to make it identifiable.   Structure the recap in sections: decision, actions, key takeaways and additional information.   Bold or “@” the names of people with action items so they can easily spot their name.   List major conclusions and lessons learned.   Provide links to recordings and presentations.   ​​​​​​​ Gather feedback   How did your meeting go? Feedback is important, and there are various methods to seek it.   Use polling tools to solicit feedback or follow up with a few participants to gauge their opinions. For larger meetings, plan to save a few minutes at the end for live feedback.

Work Tips from Genesis 33 1. Glorify God and esteem Him for all the people and things with which He has blessed me 2. Consider others with the goals I pursue and the pace with which I pursue them 3. Keep in my mind always the end goal to arrive safely in the place God has intended for me as well as those with whom He has entrusted me with. 4. Along the journey, have a giving heart and esteem others above myself.   Follow up to prevent a dreaded meeting outcome Avoid the worst: Holding a meeting to ensure a previous meeting met its purpose!   You planned the meeting well. You had all the right people there. You controlled it with the precision of a brain surgeon.   So that’s that, right?   Not quite. Now comes the time to focus on what to do after the meeting ends. Taking on more work after a meeting might seem to betray the goal of unlocking more time to focus on the right projects.   But in the long run, good meeting follow-through will save time for everyone involved.   A recap supports good outcomes — and prevents redundancy   Many people will agree this is one of the worst meeting outcomes: scheduling a meeting-after-the-meeting to ensure the original meeting served its purpose. Good planning and follow-up can make this a thing of the past. Some meetings are succinct enough to be self-contained, but most benefit from a recap to ensure everyone is on the same page. Here are just a few of the reasons for a written recap: <ul> <li> In meetings with virtual participants, it can be hard for everyone to hear everything. </li> <li> If the host or note-taker can’t verbally recap the meeting at the end, a written recap makes sure everyone took away the same conclusions. </li> <li> A recap for meetings with multiple action items creates an extra layer of accountability. </li> <li> If someone doesn’t need to be in a meeting but does need to know the outcome, a recap or summary can reduce the number of meeting attendees. </li> </ul> ​​​​​​​ If the meeting generates actions, be clear on what they are and who needs to carry them out. And make sure to send out a recap within 48 hours so items are fresh in everyone’s mind. Recap structure matters Following a standard format will help readers quickly identify the main points and know what’s expected. <ul> <li> Start the subject line with the word RECAP to make it identifiable. </li> <li> Structure the recap in sections: decision, actions, key takeaways and additional information. </li> <li> Bold or “@” the names of people with action items so they can easily spot their name. </li> <li> List major conclusions and lessons learned. </li> <li> Provide links to recordings and presentations. </li> </ul> ​​​​​​​ Gather feedback   How did your meeting go? Feedback is important, and there are various methods to seek it.   Use polling tools to solicit feedback or follow up with a few participants to gauge their opinions. For larger meetings, plan to save a few minutes at the end for live feedback.

4 Work Tips from Gen 33-Selah104-CMAW208

S God's voice stills you, Satan's voice rushes you God's voice leads you, Satan's voice pushes you God's voice reassures you, Satan's voice frightens you God's voice enlightens you, Satan's voice confuses you God's voice encourages you, Satan's voice discourages you God's voice comforts you, Satan's voice worries you God's voice calms you, Satan's voice obsesses you God's voice convicts you, Satan's voice condemns you   From Greg Pruett's interview: Confusion-Me Condemning, Divisive-Demonic Bears fruit-from God also-Human Expectations   Dr Joe If self serving-from Me if selfish-from Satan if selfless-from God   E-example Nikola Jokic vs Ray Kroc Nikola defers to his teamates when interviewed, rather than taking credit he always says "It's a team effort" and when he was asked about the MVP trophy for the Western Conference Finals he said "this means nothing".  I also noticed the way he engages with others, there seems to be a genuine playful friendship and mutual respect with those he works with. Watched Founders about McDonalds "founder" Ray Kroc. He divorced his wife to marry someone more ambitious, he treated the McDonalds brothers poorly and went back on his word about paying them royalties, and he was an alcoholic and very self centered and selfish and prideful. Unfortunately, I recognized some of Ray Kroc in my earlier life, and I have to be careful to check some of these traits now.  I used to be very into self-help and Ray would listen to speakers talk about the power of persistence but they weren't talking about doing things in a Biblical way.  Ray was a Billionaire and successful by the world's standards, but if his legacy is accurately depicted by this movie, he's not someone I want to emulate. leader at work about making sure we all go home safe, and added "in the end that is all that really matters"   H-Handy   Better meetings   ·     Purpose — The “why” behind the meeting. Start with a verb.   ·     Participants — Who should be there? If a person won’t have an active role, don’t invite them.   ·     Agenda &amp; Approach — The format and order of discussion. If a topic doesn’t contribute to the meeting results, leave it out.   ·     Results / Outcomes — What should be different when you are done?

Jokic vs Kroc-Selah103-CMAW207

Greg Pruett-CMAW206

Greg Pruett has served as president of Pioneer Bible Translators, based in Dallas, Texas, since January 2007. Before that, Greg, along with his wife, Rebecca, and their three children, lived in West Africa for more than 12 years, where they completed a translation of the entire Bible into the Yalunka language and shared Christ’s love with people who traditionally follow the Quran. He has a degree in civil engineering from Texas A&amp;M and both a master’s degree and a PhD from Fuller Theological Seminary.

Greg Pruett has served as president of Pioneer Bible Translators, based in Dallas, Texas, since January 2007. Before that, Greg, along with his wife, Rebecca, and their three children, lived in West Africa for more than 12 years, where they completed a translation of the entire Bible into the Yalunka language and shared Christ’s love with people who traditionally follow the Quran. He has a degree in civil engineering from Texas A&amp;M and both a master’s degree and a PhD from Fuller Theological Seminary.

Hearing from God with Greg Pruett-CMAW206

You may have wondered when you saw the title what principles and whistles have to do with faith at work Perhaps you thought I would talk about living out your faith as a principal of a school, or since we’re in the middle of the NBA playoffs I might talk sharing Christ while blowing a whistle as a basketball referee. Well, neither would be correct. First of all the principles I’m talking about are spelled with an les on the end not an al. I heard a message recently from a friend and teacher Roger Hadad including a portion on principles. Values are very personal and temporary Our society is driven by values, which are not attached to principles Principles are impersonal, objective and eternal Values are temporary, based on culture and subjective Yeshua or Jesus showed how to take principles out of commandments, eg looking with lust is adultery The principle behind the commandment is fidelity which can be applied to anything (faithfulness) Turn the other cheek-teaching something higher than the commandment of an eye for eye which is love Values can become something negative if not rooted in principles We find principles in the word by asking what’s behind the statement we’re reading So I’d like to challenge you be in the word regularly and devote some of your time while in the word asking yourself what is the principle behind what you’re reading. Specifically as it relates to your work, what principles can you apply to your work life. Another question you might ask while at work is whether your employer is encouraging you to adopt certain beliefs or you might say values or principles. If they are, see if you can find in the Bible verses which support what your employer is encouraging. If you can then celebrate that your employer is encouraging biblical principles even if they aren’t quoting Bible verses. If there is a conflict, you now have a filter through which you can receive and interpret these messaging you receive at work and hopefully you can start to have a conviction about what your work principles are and actively live Out those principles So what does this have to do with whistles? Well, nothing actually but I wanted to share an ah-hah moment I had at work recently. I was walking around my workplace and noticed a fellow employee was whistling. I let him know I thought it was great he was whistling and to keep it up. In the past I’ve talked about simple things you can do to live out your faith at work. One of them has been to smile while at work. Another is to be encouraging to others while at work. While I’d like to add to that list whistling. First of all, it’s hard to have a bad mood when you’re whistling. Second of all, there’s a good chance you could lift the spirits of a coworker without saying but rather by puckering your lips and blowing some air.

Principles and Whistles-Selah102-CMAW205

Adam Rasmussen-CMAW204

Pandemic Study with Adam Rasmussen-CMAW204

Want to be distressed, look within myself, at my own power.     Want to be defeated, look behind me, at my past. The enemy is happy to remind me of all my sin and mistakes. Want to be dismayed, look ahead, to the future. No one but God knows what will be. Want to be distracted, look around. There are plenty of things to keep our focus.   Want to be delivered, sanctified, and transformed, then look up. Keep my eyes on Jesus.         Article on better meetings called "Don’t let the ‘Dominator,’ ‘Downer,’ ‘Derailer’ or other derailing behaviors hijack your meeting!"    Every train needs an engineer to keep it on track, and you can apply that principle to meetings, too. When you hold a meeting, consider yourself the engineer — the person who keeps the meeting moving forward and the purpose from being derailed. You may even have to deal with the “Dominator,” “Downer” or “Derailer,” but not to worry. We address that and more later in this story.      Almost everyone has organized or attended a meeting that was derailed, and those off-track meetings can quickly become a costly time suck. Preparing for various scenarios and knowing the tools you can use will keep things on track.    Manage for impact    You don’t want everyone pitching in at once, but it’s valuable to encourage full participation from those attending so you can get to the outcomes of the meeting, and everyone feels fully engaged and their ideas heard. Use polls, hand-raising and breakout groups to ensure everyone is heard. If a group is particularly large, establish some rules to promote interaction. Call out quiet attendees so their perspectives are heard and seek out new perspectives that people may hesitate to share. Plainly tell people you want more guidance or feedback on certain subjects.   Don’t be afraid of quiet — meeting silence can be your friend! It may feel awkward, especially for virtual participants, but pause for eight or more seconds after certain questions. That will tend to prompt people to speak, even if only to fill the void. It can also break the tendency for one person to do all the talking.          Managing derailing behaviors in your meetings                            You want everyone in the discussion but watch out for attendees who can reduce meeting effectiveness. Use these tactics to keep things moving in the right direction.   The Derailer goes off on tangents and introduces new ideas without making a connection to the purpose. Tactics: Offer separate times to talk about issues that aren’t the point of the meeting. Interrupt if you have to. Offer to set up a post-meeting talk.   The Dominator interrupts, dominates the conversation and never asks anyone else questions. Tactics: Politely remind interrupters that everyone has to be heard for a broad discussion. Don’t be afraid to jump in and tell Dominator that you want to hear the rest of what an interrupted person has to say.   The Downer shuts down new ideas and exclusively points out what can go wrong. Tactics: Ask downer to suggest improvements rather than just saying something won’t work.   If you recognize any of these meeting derailing behaviors, you may also be familiar with the Distractor (Arrives late, has side conversations, multitasks), the Disappearing Act (Did they accept or decline the invite? Who knows?) and the Determined (Fixed on their view and is sure everyone should hear it).   Wrapping it all up​​​​​​​All good things must end and so must your meeting. If you’ve kept it on track, you should be able to wrap it up while offering some buffer time (close at 11:20, for example, rather than the stated 11:30). For any actions that need to take place afterward, clarity will go a long way.   Don’t say, “Someone should look into this.” Do say, “Richard, make sure this is done by 10 a.m. tomorrow.”   Don’t say, “We will keep this in mind.” Do say, “I will email everyone and give a decision on this within 24 hours.”   If time has run out, still end the meeting. You can send a wrap-up afterward but say before shutting down the meeting – in-person, Teams or hybrid – that you expect everyone to acknowledge they got the message and understand what’s next.

Want to be distressed, look within myself, at my own power. Want to be defeated, look behind me, at my past. The enemy is happy to remind me of all my sin and mistakes. Want to be dismayed, look ahead, to the future. No one but God knows what will be. Want to be distracted, look around. There are plenty of things to keep our focus.   Want to be delivered, sanctified, and transformed, then look up. Keep my eyes on Jesus.     Article on better meetings called "Don’t let the ‘Dominator,’ ‘Downer,’ ‘Derailer’ or other derailing behaviors hijack your meeting!"   Every train needs an engineer to keep it on track, and you can apply that principle to meetings, too. When you hold a meeting, consider yourself the engineer — the person who keeps the meeting moving forward and the purpose from being derailed. You may even have to deal with the “Dominator,” “Downer” or “Derailer,” but not to worry. We address that and more later in this story. Almost everyone has organized or attended a meeting that was derailed, and those off-track meetings can quickly become a costly time suck. Preparing for various scenarios and knowing the tools you can use will keep things on track.   Manage for impact You don’t want everyone pitching in at once, but it’s valuable to encourage full participation from those attending so you can get to the outcomes of the meeting, and everyone feels fully engaged and their ideas heard. Use polls, hand-raising and breakout groups to ensure everyone is heard. If a group is particularly large, establish some rules to promote interaction. Call out quiet attendees so their perspectives are heard and seek out new perspectives that people may hesitate to share. Plainly tell people you want more guidance or feedback on certain subjects. Don’t be afraid of quiet — meeting silence can be your friend! It may feel awkward, especially for virtual participants, but pause for eight or more seconds after certain questions. That will tend to prompt people to speak, even if only to fill the void. It can also break the tendency for one person to do all the talking. Managing derailing behaviors in your meetings   You want everyone in the discussion but watch out for attendees who can reduce meeting effectiveness. Use these tactics to keep things moving in the right direction. The Derailer goes off on tangents and introduces new ideas without making a connection to the purpose. Tactics: Offer separate times to talk about issues that aren’t the point of the meeting. Interrupt if you have to. Offer to set up a post-meeting talk. The Dominator interrupts, dominates the conversation and never asks anyone else questions. Tactics: Politely remind interrupters that everyone has to be heard for a broad discussion. Don’t be afraid to jump in and tell Dominator that you want to hear the rest of what an interrupted person has to say. The Downer shuts down new ideas and exclusively points out what can go wrong. Tactics: Ask downer to suggest improvements rather than just saying something won’t work. If you recognize any of these meeting derailing behaviors, you may also be familiar with the Distractor (Arrives late, has side conversations, multitasks), the Disappearing Act (Did they accept or decline the invite? Who knows?) and the Determined (Fixed on their view and is sure everyone should hear it). Wrapping it all up​​​​​​​All good things must end and so must your meeting. If you’ve kept it on track, you should be able to wrap it up while offering some buffer time (close at 11:20, for example, rather than the stated 11:30). For any actions that need to take place afterward, clarity will go a long way. Don’t say, “Someone should look into this.” Do say, “Richard, make sure this is done by 10 a.m. tomorrow.” Don’t say, “We will keep this in mind.” Do say, “I will email everyone and give a decision on this within 24 hours.” If time has run out, still end the meeting. You can send a wrap-up afterward but say before shutting down the meeting – in-person, Teams or hybrid – that you expect everyone to acknowledge they got the message and understand what’s next.

Which Direction-Selah101-CMAW203

Dave Hilgendorf from DaveHilgendorf.com interviews men from all walks of life who are choosing daily to be led by the Holy Spirit and live out their Christian faith at their work and because of that they are leading, prospering, glorifying God, and experiencing joy and purpose in their work, and you can too.  Have you bought into the lie that your work has no real significance or meaning beyond a paycheck?  How about the lie that the time you spend working is not kingdom work and not part of God's plan unless you're a full-time pastor or missionary or you're volunteering at your local church?  The Devil is thrilled when you spend your work day feeling like the work you do is somehow second class spiritually.  In this podcast I interview Christian men who have made a simple choice, regardless of what particular denomination their church is a part of and regardless of their job title.  That simple choice is to invite the Holy Spirit to lead them at their job and in so doing to surrender their work, the biggest part of their life in terms of time, to God.  The various reasons why they've made that choice may be different for every man but I believe there are two primary common reasons.  The first is they know both from scripture and from a feeling deep down inside that this is God's will for them.  The second reason is they know that this is the only chance they have of having a job and a career that really means something beyond simply earning money.  This is the one and only way to have a sense of joy and purpose in the work they do.  What kind of work they do and whether their work lines up well with their desires, talents, and strengths are both important, but they pale in comparison to whether or not God is in their work.  God must be at the center of your work or your work truly will be the necessary evil the world and the Devil wants you to believe it is.  The men I interview don't have it all figured out (none of us do!) and I encourage them to be real and transparent about both the victories and struggles of their journey of being Spirit led at their work.  Hopefully, in this way, you'll find someone and something in every episode that you can relate to and through which God can help guide you to be closer to Him and more fulfilled and joyful in your daily worklife.  Your work can truly be marketplace ministry and much more.

2 Ways to Win at Work-Selah100-CMAW202

Jerry Jacobs-CMAW201

Save Your Marriage with Jerry Jacobs-CMAW201

I have a gift for you today, something that will provide you peace in a way that few things can. That gift is the awareness of the power of forgiveness Forgiveness from AJ Boncore interview on RealMenConnect podcast, he said there are 3 levels of forgiveness Upward, Inward, Outward Unforgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting it to kill someone else My thoughts Need the first two to get to the outward Ideally we’d get the first two as done deal, and focus on outward the rest of our lives, but reality is we need to continue to experience the first two daily to get to the third.  We need to ask for forgiveness from God and repent of our sins, and we need to regularly forgive ourselves.  1 John 1:9 says "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. " so in that verse we are told of the importance of confessing our sins and it also assures us that we will be forgiven.  This was made possible by the once and for all sacrifice of Jesus Christ. I don't believe our salvation is dependent on repeatedly asking for and receiving forgiveness.  Yet it's clear confession and repentance is a part of the daily Christian walk that we should all be living out. On the outward journey, forgiving others, another tip I got from the AJ interview was the power of writing a letter. I also learned this through some counseling I had the last few months. I was challenged to write a letter to someone in my life, my father, that I needed to forgive. My father is no longer alive, so I didn’t actually deliver or read that letter to him, I read it to my counselor as if he was that person. It was very powerful to write down what I needed to forgive including how that person’s actions and lack of action impacted me. To dig deeper on this topic of forgiveness I encourage you to read the books Total forgiveness and forgiving yourself by RT Kindell.  I will probably expand on this topic of forgiveness drawing from those two books in the future. Currently I have in my pile of books I want to read Forgiving Forward, a gift from my friend Allen. I’ll let you know after I read it my thoughts on that. I also encourage you to listen to the AJ Boncore interview in its entirety.  Link in the show notes. So, in your quiet time with God, be sure to confess your sin that the Holy Spirit is convicting you of.  At the same time, be sure to forgive yourself and especially let go of your sins from the distant past that are haunting you.  If you continue to beat yourself up over sins you've already been forgiven, the Devil is winning and you are arguably making the statement that you don't believe Christ sacrifice was good enough and you therefore have to finish the job by punishing yourself.  Stop doing that. As Paul says in Phillippians 3:13-14 "Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

I have a gift for you today, something that will provide you peace in a way that few things can. That gift is the awareness of the power of forgiveness Forgiveness from AJ Boncore interview on RealMenConnect podcast, he said there are 3 levels of forgiveness Upward, Inward, Outward Unforgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting it to kill someone else My thoughts Need the first two to get to the outward Ideally we’d get the first two as done deal, and focus on outward the rest of our lives, but reality is we need to continue to experience the first two daily to get to the third.  We need to ask for forgiveness from God and repent of our sins, and we need to regularly forgive ourselves.  1 John 1:9 says "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. " so in that verse we are told of the importance of confessing our sins and it also assures us that we will be forgiven.  This was made possible by the once and for all sacrifice of Jesus Christ. I don't believe our salvation is dependent on repeatedly asking for and receiving forgiveness.  Yet it's clear confession and repentance is a part of the daily Christian walk that we should all be living out. On the outward journey, forgiving others, another tip I got from the AJ interview was the power of writing a letter. I also learned this through some counseling I had the last few months. I was challenged to write a letter to someone in my life, my father, that I needed to forgive. My father is no longer alive, so I didn’t actually deliver or read that letter to him, I read it to my counselor as if he was that person. It was very powerful to write down what I needed to forgive including how that person’s actions and lack of action impacted me. To dig deeper on this topic of forgiveness I encourage you to read the books Total forgiveness and forgiving yourself by RT Kindell.  I will probably expand on this topic of forgiveness drawing from those two books in the future. Currently I have in my pile of books I want to read Forgiving Forward, a gift from my friend Allen. I’ll let you know after I read it my thoughts on that. I also encourage you to listen to the AJ Boncore interview in its entirety.  <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/real-men-stories-abandoned-addicted-and-angry-ep-742/id1072876705?i=1000603313646" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Link</a> in the show notes. So, in your quiet time with God, be sure to confess your sin that the Holy Spirit is convicting you of.  At the same time, be sure to forgive yourself and especially let go of your sins from the distant past that are haunting you.  If you continue to beat yourself up over sins you've already been forgiven, the Devil is winning and you are arguably making the statement that you don't believe Christ sacrifice was good enough and you therefore have to finish the job by punishing yourself.  Stop doing that. As Paul says in Phillippians 3:13-14 "Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

Forgiveness-Selah97-CMAW199

Your Two Testimonies Your past and your present First your past The first you can’t change what happened but you can change how you think about it Do you look back with regret and sadness and feel sorry for yourself and self condemned? Or instead do you see Gods hand through it all, His faithful presence, and His plan to change you and shape you through and because of your past experiences, leading you to be the man He wants you to be. Your second testimony is your present. Story of man at work saying he was fantastic and that he decided long ago he would be fantastic just for today, not worrying about tomorrow. I don’t know if he’s a believer. I hope to find out soon. So I don’t know the source of his philosophy on being fantastic, but I agree with the sentiment. Yeshua on do not worry about tomorrow. "Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." - Matt 6:31-34  "This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it." - Ps 118:24 We cannot change the past, we can only change or affect how we think and talk today about our past. Will we focus on ourselves or on God. Will we see God in our past? If we do, it may be the only way we can be fantastic today which will allow us to have a powerful testimony today, which is our second testimony. Here’s another thought. Every day we contribute to our first testimony, our past, i.e. today's present becomes tomorrow's past. So as we make positive changes in our daily testimony we make positive changes in our past testimony as well. Over time these seeds were sowing will reap a harvest so that over time we’ll have a better outlook on our past testimony. "11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death." - Rev 12:11

Your Two Testimonies Your past and your present First your past The first you can’t change what happened but you can change how you think about it Do you look back with regret and sadness and feel sorry for yourself and self condemned? Or instead do you see Gods hand through it all, His faithful presence, and His plan to change you and shape you through and because of your past experiences, leading you to be the man He wants you to be. Your second testimony is your present. Story of man at work saying he was fantastic and that he decided long ago he would be fantastic just for today, not worrying about tomorrow. I don’t know if he’s a believer. I hope to find out soon. So I don’t know the source of his philosophy on being fantastic, but I agree with the sentiment. Yeshua on do not worry about tomorrow. "Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." - Matt 6:31-34 "This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it." - Ps 118:24 We cannot change the past, we can only change or affect how we think and talk today about our past. Will we focus on ourselves or on God. Will we see God in our past? If we do, it may be the only way we can be fantastic today which will allow us to have a powerful testimony today, which is our second testimony. Here’s another thought. Every day we contribute to our first testimony, our past, i.e. today's present becomes tomorrow's past. So as we make positive changes in our daily testimony we make positive changes in our past testimony as well. Over time these seeds were sowing will reap a harvest so that over time we’ll have a better outlook on our past testimony. "11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death." - Rev 12:11

Two Testimonies-Selah96-CMAW198

We want God to Be in our lives because He is the source of all blessings Like Israel we gather and do certain things looking for the blessing of God We worship, we keep the commandments Blessings are complicated, sometimes the prosperity we seek doesn’t come We often associate blessings with material vs spiritual growth Building a Life Which God Can Bless Not a believer in the law of attraction Think positive thoughts and work hard and you attract good things magically God is not obligated to respond to what we do He doesn’t owe us anything, we owe Him everything We can create in our lives the right circumstances so that if God chooses to bless us, then He can The proper conditions are there for blessings Blessing is favor from God that brings happiness, joy, and or fulfillment. It can manifest as material wealth, good health, success, happiness, peace and spiritual growth. 6 types of blessings   Generic or double blind blessing-see Matt 5:45 "that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust" (common grace), this blessing doesn’t care who it goes to, it doesn’t discriminate, available for everyone, double blind because we don’t recognize it, story of man who complained “if I were only rich”, God disguised as business man offering $5M but must be blind, or $10M for arms, $15M for ears, he said no, Lord said “you are so rich already you just don’t know it”   Potential or latent blessing-clearly in King David, David looked beyond his blessings and sinned with Basheba, 2 Samuel 12:8 “I would have given you much more”. This is heartbreaking. We pursue what WE think will make us happy. 3 things that make blessings latent (sin, we don’t ask (James 4:2-3) or have wrong intentions)   Mirage or hamster wheel blessing-Ecc 6:2 "A man to whom God has given riches and wealth and honor, so that he lacks nothing for himself of all he desires; yet God does not give him power to eat of it, but a foreigner consumes it. This is vanity, and it is an evil [a]affliction", we don’t have the capacity to enjoy because always wanting more  Fruitless blessing-a man had a great harvest, Luke 12:19-21 " And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” ’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ 21 “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”", he only cared about himself,   Vanishing blessing-Ecc 5:13-14 "There is a severe evil which I have seen under the sun: Riches kept for their owner to his hurt. 14 But those riches perish through [a]misfortune; When he begets a son, there is nothing in his hand."   Blessed blessings-blessing falls on the right place at the right time and we are ready for it, Ecc 5:19-20 "As for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, and given him power to eat of it, to receive his [a]heritage and rejoice in his labor—this is the gift of God. 20 For he will not dwell unduly on the days of his life, because God keeps him busy with the joy of his heart.", this is where we all want to be, but we have to be ready, we have to grow spiritually so we can handle it.  This is true of every type of blessing including financial and relationships.   Riches Luke 16:20-blessed are you poor Fame and Popularity Luke 16:22-blessed if people hate you Joy and Happiness Matt 5:4-blessed who mourn Power and Influence Matt 5:5-blessed are the meek If we want the blessings of God, we have to align with who he is Luke 12:30 and Matt 6:33, seek first the Kingdom of God It’s not a sin to be rich, famous, popular It’s wrong when we make those our priorities So if we want to receive and be blessed by God's blessings, we need to be ready.  We need to prepare our hearts.  And if we find an area in our lives where we are not experiencing blessings, it may be that we are not ready to receive them, and our question with the answers found in his Word are what do we need to do to be ready?

We want God to Be in our lives because He is the source of all blessings Like Israel we gather and do certain things looking for the blessing of God We worship, we keep the commandments Blessings are complicated, sometimes the prosperity we seek doesn’t come We often associate blessings with material vs spiritual growth Building a Life Which God Can Bless Not a believer in the law of attraction Think positive thoughts and work hard and you attract good things magically God is not obligated to respond to what we do He doesn’t owe us anything, we owe Him everything We can create in our lives the right circumstances so that if God chooses to bless us, then He can The proper conditions are there for blessings Blessing is favor from God that brings happiness, joy, and or fulfillment. It can manifest as material wealth, good health, success, happiness, peace and spiritual growth. 6 types of blessings <ol> <li> Generic or double blind blessing-see Matt 5:45 "that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust" (common grace), this blessing doesn’t care who it goes to, it doesn’t discriminate, available for everyone, double blind because we don’t recognize it, story of man who complained “if I were only rich”, God disguised as business man offering $5M but must be blind, or $10M for arms, $15M for ears, he said no, Lord said “you are so rich already you just don’t know it” </li> <li> Potential or latent blessing-clearly in King David, David looked beyond his blessings and sinned with Basheba, 2 Samuel 12:8 “I would have given you much more”. This is heartbreaking. We pursue what WE think will make us happy. 3 things that make blessings latent (sin, we don’t ask (James 4:2-3) or have wrong intentions) </li> <li> Mirage or hamster wheel blessing-Ecc 6:2 "A man to whom God has given riches and wealth and honor, so that he lacks nothing for himself of all he desires; yet God does not give him power to eat of it, but a foreigner consumes it. This is vanity, and it is an evil [<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ecc+6%3A2&amp;version=NKJV#fen-NKJV-17420a" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">a</a>]affliction", we don’t have the capacity to enjoy because always wanting more </li> <li>Fruitless blessing-a man had a great harvest, Luke 12:19-21 " And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” ’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ 21 “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”", he only cared about himself, </li> <li> Vanishing blessing-Ecc 5:13-14 "There is a severe evil which I have seen under the sun: Riches kept for their owner to his hurt. 14 But those riches perish through [<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ecc+5%3A13-14&amp;version=NKJV#fen-NKJV-17412a" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">a</a>]misfortune; When he begets a son, there is nothing in his hand." </li> <li> Blessed blessings-blessing falls on the right place at the right time and we are ready for it, Ecc 5:19-20 "As for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, and given him power to eat of it, to receive his [<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ecc+5%3A19-20&amp;version=NKJV#fen-NKJV-17417a" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">a</a>]heritage and rejoice in his labor—this is the gift of God. 20 For he will not dwell unduly on the days of his life, because God keeps him busy with the joy of his heart.", this is where we all want to be, but we have to be ready, we have to grow spiritually so we can handle it.  This is true of every type of blessing including financial and relationships. </li> </ol> Riches Luke 16:20-blessed are you poor Fame and Popularity Luke 16:22-blessed if people hate you Joy and Happiness Matt 5:4-blessed who mourn Power and Influence Matt 5:5-blessed are the meek If we want the blessings of God, we have to align with who he is Luke 12:30 and Matt 6:33, seek first the Kingdom of God It’s not a sin to be rich, famous, popular It’s wrong when we make those our priorities So if we want to receive and be blessed by God's blessings, we need to be ready.  We need to prepare our hearts.  And if we find an area in our lives where we are not experiencing blessings, it may be that we are not ready to receive them, and our question with the answers found in his Word are what do we need to do to be ready?

Blessings-Selah95-CMAW197

S   Change Share about separation In a spiritual war for the last 6 months Denial, negotiating attempts with God and others, counseling Come to a few conclusions It doesn’t matter what portion of this situation is from my actions vs someone else, in fact it’s futile and you could say to devote any energy to something you cannot control other than turning it over to Yah in prayer is foolish Where my primary focus should be is to change what I can change, ie what I actually have the ability to change, and that is pretty much limited to my own personal thoughts, words and actions But if I stopped there I would be only in the realm of the world, of Babylon, the world of self-help, self-improvement or taken to the extreme the goal of self-actualization, which is right in the devil’s playground. An earlier low point in my life, I responded that way-self-help the worlds's way-13 traits from Benjamin Franklin-put up post-it notes and repeat each trait for a week. Exhausting Looking back to that season in my life, the true lasting positive changes I made was limited to the following: 1. I married a woman who was much farther along in her faith journey and in her commitment to her faith than me 2. I got plugged into a vibrant church and men's ministry as well as an evangelical mindset with a lot of discipleship opportunities and started a journey of sanctification which resulted in a number of positive changes: the removal of the majority of really stupid, really obviously bad outward sins of the flesh. Also I started thinking about what I could do to share with others what little I had learned in my journey.  Some results of that included me writing a book about faith at work as well as starting this podcast.  What I’m partially realizing now that I did not change was what Yeshua said was the most important thing to change and that was my heart, and that I may have short-circuited my heart change by launching into sharing with and helping others, not to mention my motivation for writing the book and doing the podcast had a large element of pride which only hindered the heart change I needed. Back to the point of surrendering, if I do what I did nearly 20 years ago and just try to do a Christian version of self-help, I will still be self focused and my efforts will be in vain and will fail.  This is true regardless how great those efforts of mine are (and trust me I can put out some great effort when I put my mind toward a goal). The only true path to change is to surrender to the most High and let His Holy Spirit change me from the inside out. Now don’t get me wrong I believe it’s important to identify what needs to change and to be purposeful toward that specific area of change, and to be mindful and aware of when we are not living our lives in line with that desired change. But the way to change is not through us but through Yah. To be specific and personal with you, My 3 areas of change I need most are to be: 1. Be positive not negative 2. Be encouraging not critical 3. Be content not discontent What does this mean with regard to this podcast I'm not sure.  I know I really enjoy doing these episodes and I'm praying they are some benefit to those of you listening to these.  I believe I can continue to do these while still focusing on the personal growth that is most important. I plan to be more selective in the interviews I do, focusing on issues that I think are most critical to me and to other men, issues that men don't talk about much but are very important.  That will likely mean I deal with topics that aren't necessarily just about faith and work, but we'll see. I also continue to feel led to talk about things I've learned on Messianic/Hebrew roots side of things but haven't decided if I will incorporate that into this podcast or do a separate podcast.   That's it for now on what's on my heart.   E Coworker said in the Maint shop he was over 3 important machines, someone joked that he keeps those Machines going so he can bring home a paycheck and he responded that actually by running those 3 machines he was allowing us all to bring home a paycheck Reminder of Value of our work, not just as a good witness to others by doing good and living a life that is respected by others But by doing good work in a very practical way we are blessing others. By being effective our organization we are a part of are better able to succeed in their goals which results in everyone in the organization prospering. This time of here my employer gives out bonuses based on individual performance as well as performance as larger organization. This year much lower than in past and than expected primarily due to factors outside of the organization, issues with the economy including inflation. This was a reminder to me that there are some things in our lives and our work lives that are outside of our control, but just as bonuses are calculated by both individual and corporate performance, there are some things that are in our control. Past retreat talked about “focus on your zone” meaning your area of influence.   L Appreciate different laughs. I’ve noticed how different are the sounds of people’s Laughs, more so maybe even than the sound of their voice when speaking.  Just another aspect of diversity and how God us all unique and special in so many ways. This also reminds me that in the past I have made judgements about people’s Laughs. Some I like to hear and some are annoying to me. I’m not OK work that about me. I should not be annoyed by someone’s laugh any more than I should dislike looking at the color of their skin. I’m quite sure that God is pleased with the sound of each one of our laughs and so should I. My final thought on this that we won’t know how unique each of our laughs are unless we actually laugh, so I encourage you not to just appreciate the uniqueness of the laughs of your coworkers, be someone who laughs and also someone who through their actions and words encourages and leads others in your workplace to laugh as well.   A But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. 1 Peter 5:10 - NKJV   H Week 11 Day 4

Change-Selah94-CMAW196

S Lessons from Rocky 2   E Lessons from Rocky 2. Work Pray before work-Prayer from priest before going to fight, prayed that if he gets beat up it won't be too bad Have a sense of humor Be humble Don't see anyone's work as beneath you (carrying spit pails at gym) Don't put your work before your family Relationships Always built up Adrian and spoke well towards her and about her (heard this is important to always live by) Put his marriage before his work Arguing playfully over who they want their kid to be like (each other) Self-depricating Have a sense of humor L From Rocky 2 - Why do cows wear bells, because their horns don't work   A  For adversity, which fits in well with the Rocky 2 theme, I have a passage from 2 Cor 4:8-18 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. 8 We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— 10 always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. 11 For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So then death is working in us, but life in you. 13 And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak, 14 knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, and will present us with you. 15 For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God. Seeing the Invisible 16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. A few observations - if you feel crushed, in despair, forsaken, or destroyed, remember this passage which says we are none of those things, but rather we may be hard-pressed, preplexed, persecuted, and struck down.  I guess the point is not exagerate what's going on in your life and choose your descriptive words with care. Second, even though our outward man is perishing, our inward man is being renewed day by day. Third, the things which are seen are temporary and those unseen are eternal. Whis is more important?  Of course, the things which are eternal.  The Bible says to set your mind on things above, not on the things on the earth.   H Week 17 Day 3 from Proverbs for Business by Steve Marr

S Lessons from Rocky 2   E Lessons from Rocky 2. Work Pray before work-Prayer from priest before going to fight, prayed that if he gets beat up it won't be too bad Have a sense of humor Be humble Don't see anyone's work as beneath you (carrying spit pails at gym) Don't put your work before your family Relationships Always built up Adrian and spoke well towards her and about her (heard this is important to always live by) Put his marriage before his work Arguing playfully over who they want their kid to be like (each other) Self-depricating Have a sense of humor L From Rocky 2 - Why do cows wear bells, because their horns don't work   A For adversity, which fits in well with the Rocky 2 theme, I have a passage from 2 Cor 4:8-18 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. 8 We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— 10 always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. 11 For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So then death is working in us, but life in you. 13 And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak, 14 knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, and will present us with you. 15 For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God. Seeing the Invisible 16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. A few observations - if you feel crushed, in despair, forsaken, or destroyed, remember this passage which says we are none of those things, but rather we may be hard-pressed, preplexed, persecuted, and struck down.  I guess the point is not exagerate what's going on in your life and choose your descriptive words with care. Second, even though our outward man is perishing, our inward man is being renewed day by day. Third, the things which are seen are temporary and those unseen are eternal. Whis is more important?  Of course, the things which are eternal.  The Bible says to set your mind on things above, not on the things on the earth.   H Week 17 Day 3 from Proverbs for Business by Steve Marr

Rocky 2-Selah93-CMAW195

Quiet Time-Selah92-CMAW194

S A couple follow-up thoughts from the last Selah Episode #90, CMAW191. In that episode I talked about God's Master Plan that including 4 steps: 1. Redemption 2. Baptism 3. Tutoring, Sanctification 4. With Freedom, choosing to whom we will be slave In Luke 3:7-14, I read this week an interesting passage about the 3rd step of sanctification.  This passage takes us to John the Baptist, where he's preaching the multitudes a message of repentance.  7 Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, “Brood[b] of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. 9 And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” 10 So the people asked him, saying, “What shall we do then?” Before I go on I just wanted to point out that these people were coming to be baptized.  And just like all the people who had lived before them, the Messiah, Jesus Christ, had not yet died on the cross and paid the penalty for their sins, but like so many before them including Abraham, Moses, David they were believing in the one true God, humbling themselves, and looking for the Messiah.  Because God is eternal and perfect, the penalty Jesus paid was an eternal payment and therefore served as redemption for all those in history, past, present and future.  And like those before them and like you and I today, they were asking, "OK, we believe, we repent, we choose YHVH the one and only God" and we are following His commandments, but what specifically does that mean for me uniquely, how should I change my life, in other words how do I now walk out this life, how do I do this sanctification process.  How does the spirit of Law apply to my individual life? 11 He answered and said to them, “He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.” 12 Then tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” 13 And he said to them, “Collect no more than what is appointed for you.” 14 Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, “And what shall we do?” So he said to them, “Do not [c]intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages.” So a few lessons we can perhaps take from this. We all should be more giving and think of others more than ourselves. Second, we don't necessarily have to change our occupation to walk out this journey, but how we conduct ourselves in our occupation should change to align with God's will. I challenge us all to think about what might need to change in how we conduct ourselves within our current occupation.   Another follow up from the last Selah episode.  I'm reading the book "Boundaries" by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Tensend.  In the book they list 10 laws of boundaries and Law 7 is the Law of Proactivity. One section says the following "..." This made me think about our discussion last time where we talked about true freedom was not about fighting for our rights but rather choosing our freedom to submit to our Master, Jesus Christ, and taking up our cross, following Him and living out His ways.    E Encouragement 2 verses about fear. 2 Tim 1:7 "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind" Romans 8:15 "For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”" So if you're feeling fear this week, remember that fear does not come from God, but rather you have power, love, a sound mind and you have a perfect Daddy who has adopted You and loves you. Sunrise over factory parking lot    L Two hunters are out in the woods when one of them collapses. He's not breathing, so his friend calls 911. 'My friend is dead! What should I do?" The operator replies, "Calm down, sir, first make sure that he's really dead." There's a silence, then a loud bang. Back on the phone, the guy says, "Ok, now what?"   A “The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and sees such as have a contrite spirit “-Ps 34:18  Going by David   H Handy tip on How to do work Gods way Isaiah 43:18-19

S A couple follow-up thoughts from the last Selah Episode #90, CMAW191. In that episode I talked about God's Master Plan that including 4 steps: 1. Redemption 2. Baptism 3. Tutoring, Sanctification 4. With Freedom, choosing to whom we will be slave In Luke 3:7-14, I read this week an interesting passage about the 3rd step of sanctification.  This passage takes us to John the Baptist, where he's preaching the multitudes a message of repentance. 7 Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, “Brood[<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke+3&amp;version=NKJV#fen-NKJV-25033b" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">b</a>] of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. 9 And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” 10 So the people asked him, saying, “What shall we do then?” Before I go on I just wanted to point out that these people were coming to be baptized.  And just like all the people who had lived before them, the Messiah, Jesus Christ, had not yet died on the cross and paid the penalty for their sins, but like so many before them including Abraham, Moses, David they were believing in the one true God, humbling themselves, and looking for the Messiah.  Because God is eternal and perfect, the penalty Jesus paid was an eternal payment and therefore served as redemption for all those in history, past, present and future.  And like those before them and like you and I today, they were asking, "OK, we believe, we repent, we choose YHVH the one and only God" and we are following His commandments, but what specifically does that mean for me uniquely, how should I change my life, in other words how do I now walk out this life, how do I do this sanctification process.  How does the spirit of Law apply to my individual life? 11 He answered and said to them, “He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.” 12 Then tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” 13 And he said to them, “Collect no more than what is appointed for you.” 14 Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, “And what shall we do?” So he said to them, “Do not [<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke+3&amp;version=NKJV#fen-NKJV-25040c" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">c</a>]intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages.” So a few lessons we can perhaps take from this. We all should be more giving and think of others more than ourselves. Second, we don't necessarily have to change our occupation to walk out this journey, but how we conduct ourselves in our occupation should change to align with God's will. I challenge us all to think about what might need to change in how we conduct ourselves within our current occupation.   Another follow up from the last Selah episode.  I'm reading the book "Boundaries" by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Tensend.  In the book they list 10 laws of boundaries and Law 7 is the Law of Proactivity. One section says the following "..." This made me think about our discussion last time where we talked about true freedom was not about fighting for our rights but rather choosing our freedom to submit to our Master, Jesus Christ, and taking up our cross, following Him and living out His ways.    E Encouragement 2 verses about fear. 2 Tim 1:7 "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind" Romans 8:15 "For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”" So if you're feeling fear this week, remember that fear does not come from God, but rather you have power, love, a sound mind and you have a perfect Daddy who has adopted You and loves you. Sunrise over factory parking lot    L Two hunters are out in the woods when one of them collapses. He's not breathing, so his friend calls 911. 'My friend is dead! What should I do?" The operator replies, "Calm down, sir, first make sure that he's really dead." There's a silence, then a loud bang. Back on the phone, the guy says, "Ok, now what?"   A “The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and sees such as have a contrite spirit “-Ps 34:18  Going by David   H Handy tip on How to do work Gods way Isaiah 43:18-19

What Shall We Do-Selah91-CMAW193

 Brent Dusing is the CEO and founder of TruPlay, a gaming platform created to bring high-quality, fun and biblically-sound entertainment to audiences worldwide.     Over his career, Dusing has been featured on CNN, Fox News, ABC News, The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, USA Today, Entertainment Weekly and other news media.    In addition to the latest NFTs and upcoming gaming projects, the CEO and founder of Truplay, Brent Dusing, is a thought leader in the space of protecting children from harmful and inappropriate content online.

Brent Dusing is the CEO and founder of TruPlay, a gaming platform created to bring high-quality, fun and biblically-sound entertainment to audiences worldwide.   Over his career, Dusing has been featured on CNN, Fox News, ABC News, The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, USA Today, Entertainment Weekly and other news media.   In addition to the latest NFTs and upcoming gaming projects, the CEO and founder of Truplay, Brent Dusing, is a thought leader in the space of protecting children from harmful and inappropriate content online.

Truplay Gaming with Brent Dusing-CMAW192

Full of honest and open dialogues about the challenging issues men of God face. I especially loved listening to the episode with the police liaison officer Theo Schaffer. Worth the listen!!

The Real Deal

Thank you for your time and energy producing this podcast.  It provides a meaningful discussion and insight on living our faith at work.  I have been looking for podcasts on this very issue.  The episodes with Ed Libby and Hugh Whelchel were very helpful!

Thank You.

Dave Hilgendorf from <a href="http://DaveHilgendorf.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">DaveHilgendorf.com</a> interviews men from all walks of life who are choosing daily to be led by the Holy Spirit and live out their Christian faith at their work and because of that they are leading, prospering, glorifying God, and experiencing joy and purpose in their work, and you can too. Have you bought into the lie that your work has no real significance or meaning beyond a paycheck? How about the lie that the time you spend working is not kingdom work and not part of God's plan unless you're a full-time pastor or missionary or you're volunteering at your local church? The Devil is thrilled when you spend your work day feeling like the work you do is somehow second class spiritually. In this podcast I interview Christian men who have made a simple choice, regardless of what particular denomination their church is a part of and regardless of their job title. That simple choice is to invite the Holy Spirit to lead them at their job and in so doing to surrender their work, the biggest part of their life in terms of time, to God. The various reasons why they've made that choice may be different for every man but I believe there are two primary common reasons. The first is they know both from scripture and from a feeling deep down inside that this is God's will for them. The second reason is they know that this is the only chance they have of having a job and a career that really means something beyond simply earning money. This is the one and only way to have a sense of joy and purpose in the work they do. What kind of work they do and whether their work lines up well with their desires, talents, and strengths are both important, but they pale in comparison to whether or not God is in their work. God must be at the center of your work or your work truly will be the necessary evil the world and the Devil wants you to believe it is. The men I interview don't have it all figured out (none of us do!) and I encourage them to be real and transparent about both the victories and struggles of their journey of being Spirit led at their work. Hopefully, in this way, you'll find someone and something in every episode that you can relate to and through which God can help guide you to be closer to Him and more fulfilled and joyful in your daily worklife. Your work can truly be marketplace ministry and much more.

Christian Men at Work Podcast

The best philosophy podcast episodes. Asking questions about how to live a better life, what it means to be and do good, to the idea of God. This topic includes episodes that bring about important questions that everyone should be asking themselves. Add episodes you're interested into your queue below!

Best Episodes on Practical Philosophy & How To Live

The best podcast episodes about true crime. For any thrill seeking podcast listeners who just can't get enough of the captivating stories of murderers and criminals. This topic has all the best episodes from many different true crime podcasts.  Add episodes you're interested into your queue below!