Prayer for our Nation


Almighty God, who hast given us this good land for our
heritage: We humbly beseech thee that we may always prove
ourselves a people mindful of thy favor and glad to do thy will.
Bless our land with honorable industry, sound learning, and
pure manners. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion;
from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way. Defend
our liberties, and fashion into one united people the multitudes
brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues. Endue
with the spirit of wisdom those to whom in thy Name we entrust
the authority of government, that there may be justice and
peace at home, and that, through obedience to thy law, we
may show forth thy praise among the nations of the earth.
In the time of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness,
and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in thee to fail;
all which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Taken from the book of common prayer, accessed through bcponline.org under prayers and thanksgivings. 

In God we trust?

Our printed money here in America has this printed on every single coin and bill:

"In God we Trust."

But as Christians is that really true. I don't expect it to be true for those who don't trust God with their lives, but for those of us who have, do we trust God or have we given in to fear. The US government was just downgraded. Instead of searching for solutions, they are busy playing the blame game. The stock market is going haywire again. America is in a state of panic again.

But our trust isn't in the American Economy. We have a God who can supply all our needs. We have a God who guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus when we cast our cares upon Him. We have a God whose perfect love casts out all fear. It is God who gives us the ability to earn income, gain wealth and provide for our family. How is your trust in God right now?

Are you investing in your Financial Future?

Yesterday I saw a status update on Facebook that was along the line of the following statement:

“I was going to sign up for Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University, but then found out it cost $100. Its ridiculous to have to spend that much on how to manage my money. If I had $100 then I wouldn’t need his class.”

Unfortunately this comment is not an isolated thought. After leading financial ministries at churches for a few year now, this is a common theme. The idea of having to spend money on learning how to manage money is not one most people enjoy. Especially when money is tight. However, this line of thinking will keep you trapped in a cycle of poverty for the rest of your life. Those who are wealthy “invest in their economic future.” They are willing to spend money if they know that it will help them.

In the corporate finance world, we call this ROI. ROI stands for return on investment. Is what I am getting from this expense generating a larger value for me down the road (whether that benefit is realized in the short-term or the long-term).

Getting back to the individual, are you willing to invest $100 to $200 in your financial education? Do you view this as an expense or an investment? Are you looking at the cost or the benefit of what you will gain out of it? What if that investment saved you $100 a year? What if is was $100 per month? What if the $100 per month well invested made you a millionaire? Would it be worth it then? What if the way you stewarded your money changed your entire life? What if it allowed you to be a more generous person thereby changing others lives? What if it changed your marriage? What if it improved your relationship with God? With others?
What if that simple $100 investment changed everything? Would it be worth it then?

How about as a church? Have you invested in the economic vitality of your church lately? Do you see financial books, or coaching, even being selective about your financial committee as an investment or an expense?

I need a Staycation

A few weeks ago I went on a staycation. For those of you who don't know what that is, it is when you take vacation time but don't actually go anywhere. I spent the week connecting with those who mean a lot to me in life. I met with my best friends, old mentors, current mentors as well as those who I just hadn't connected with in a while. It was an amazing time of catching up and resting and reflecting. Here are a few things that I learned during this time. 

Intimacy with God and others- I am continually amazed and blessed by the friends God has placed in my life. Getting the time to decompress with close friends and pray with them was rich. We had a lot of time to just hang out and laugh and have fun, but we were also intentional about going deep. The last few years on my life have been spent chasing after the fullness of God and I am continually realizing that we can never attain the fullness of God in our lives in isolation. Having people to pursue God with you and alongside of you is absolutely vital and I am filled with gratitude for that. 

The Presence of God- On that Thursday morning I woke up early for a 7AM breakfast with my mentor. Most people want to sleep in during their time off but I was so excited for this time at breakfast. Everytime I get to meet with this man my life is rocked. I get there and our conversation was great as always but when we walked out, I realized something else. The presence of God rests on this man. I got in my car truly feeling light-headed and euphoric. The presence of God has been welcomed into this mans heart and it doesn't just visit there occasionally, The Holy Spirit resides in this man. I decided I want my life to be marked by that. I want to be so full of the Holy Spirit that people are change just being around me. 

Rest- Rest is best when it is spent with God. I had two reasons for taking time off. First was that I have extra time that needed to be used. Second, I have not felt more exhausted than I have over the last few months. I felt like I had truly poured myself dry. I am used to running at a high pace but these last few months caught up to me in a strong way. But I realized that while time off is good and necessary, it doesn't refresh us unless it is spent with God. God is our source of peace, joy and rest and we need to continually seek Him in order to remain full of those. 

Hopefully this post will inspired you in the same ways. 

Recommended Reading

So I am a reading nerd. I love to find a comfy place and just get lost in a book. While it is still January, I wanted to get a recommended reading list out there for the year.

Personal:

Making Ideas Happen by Scott Belsky - This book as done wonders for me for personal organization and productivity. I have always considered myself organized but this book took it to the next level. I have been able to bring action into many of the ideas that I have had in my head for a while.

Financial Peace by Dave Ramsey - If you want to get your finances under control, read this book!! I am leading a Financial Peace class here at Vinelife this Spring and his stuff works. Everyone that I know that has read his stuff or taken his class and put it into practice has raved about how much help it has been to them.

Spiritual:

The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer - This is my favorite book outside the Bible. Everytime I read it, it ignites a desire to chase after God with everything that I have. This book is a must read before you die.

Leadership:

Next Generation Leader by Andy Stanley- This book is a book to return to and re-inspire you to lead. Are we going to sit back and allow the world to direct our lives or are we going to step up and direct the world around us?

I will leave you with those four for now. There are so many more but four is a good start. I will post some more later this year.

Leaders are Readers

Ok ok. I know this line sounds a little cheesy and cliche, but the truth of it still remains.

Good leaders are committed to continual learning and growing.

Leaders recognize the fact that they don't have all the answers on their own and therefore are willing to find it wherever it exists.

Leaders want to lead their tribes well enough that they are willing to be disciplined so they can continually serve their tribes effectively

Meetings

In our rapid pace society meetings more and more are being discouraged. They are seen as pointless, a waste of time, irrelevent, boring and demotivating. These general perceptions came about because for the most part, they are true. So many writers on leadership and management are discouraging having meetings. They have looked at the current culture and decided that meetings are overrated.

Books such as "Death by Meeting" and "Rework" talk about the pitfalls of meetings and how it kills productivity. But I would like to suggest a different view. Our problems with meetings are real but instead of giving up on meeting, lets rework meetings.

What if meetings guided productivity? What if they energized people instead of draining them? What if they reduced each persons workload because everyone was on the same page and people were able to gain from collective wisdom.

I am not advocating for more meetings, but I am suggesting that with some thinking, vision casting and some work, we can make meetings one of the most valuable parts of our week instead of a necessary evil.

I have been in meetings that just absolutely drain me and leave me frustrated. But I have also been in meetings where I didn't want to leave. I could have been there all day, But when it did come time to leave and get back to work, I was so energized because it refreshed the vision and what my work was accomplishing. It redefined my roles, my focuses and gave me new insights.

Our problem with meetings is real, but lets reshape them instead of nixing them.