Serving God means you'll have to do something you hate

Last week I posted a virtual tour of the Sistine Chapel. I think part of the reason it impacted me so much is because I read The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett over Christmas.

The central activity in this [long] book is the building of the Kingsbridge Cathedral. It gave me some appreciation for just how hard it would have been to build the Sistine Chapel or a similar structure.

One of the main characters – Prior Phillip – is a monk who leads Kingsbridge Priory. While he definitely feels called to the life of a contemplative monk, he realizes it’s not for everyone, not even for every monk.

One exchange in particular stood out to me. Phillip is talking with a young monk named Jonathan who is trying to figure out just what kind of monk he should be (one who lives a contemplative life, one who tends the priory’s sheep, or one who sells and trades goods).

The conversation sounds similar to ones I’ve had with friends, or gals I’m mentoring. When we feel stuck about which job we should do next or wondering what our “calling” is. We'll look around and find the "hardest" thing and assume that's what God is calling us to.

The dialogue starts out with Jonathan speaking about what God might be calling him to[i]:

        “It’s hard to imagine He has a role cut out for me.” Says Jonathan.
        “I can’t think He would have gone to so much trouble with you if He didn’t,” Prior Phillip said with a smile. “However it might not be a grand or prominent role in worldly terms. He might want you to become one of the quiet monks, a humble man who devotes his life to prayer and contemplation.”
        Jonathan’s face fell. “I suppose he might.”
        Phillip laughed. “But I don’t think so. God wouldn’t make a knife out of wood, or a lady’s chemise of shoe leather. You aren’t the right material for a life of quietude, and God knows it. My guess is that he wants you to fight for him, not sing to him.”

Do you ever feel the same as Jonathan - afraid God is going to make you do something you can’t imagine doing? That in the name of serving God with your life, you’d end up doing something you can’t stand and feel you can’t do well?

I’m not saying that God won’t call you to develop new skills – which could be painful. Or that you won’t ever serve Him in a place that feels uncomfortable to you because of the good you can do there or the character He can develop in you.

But I want to encourage you to look at the hints of God’s calling that He gave you in your personality and preferences – what do you enjoy doing? What are you good at? Could it be that God is calling you somewhere you can use those gifts?

Also, look to God's word -

• In Jeremiah 29:11, it reads: "I know the plans I have for you" declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future."  (NIV)
• James 1:17 says "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." (NIV)
• Matthew 7:9 - "Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone?" (NIV)

PS: I found Pillars of the Earth to be a very moving story, but I’ll give some disclaimers before you pick it up. The book includes some graphic and violent details of living in war-torn England in the 1100s – so read it knowing your own sensibilities.

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[i] Follett, Ken. The Pillars of the Earth. Penguin, 1990. Page 836.

Should "Christian" be part of your brand?

(This post is the third in a 3-part series.)

1. Two weeks ago we talked about choosing 3-to-5 words to describe your brand.
2. Last week we talked about re-branding in case you feel like you’ve developed a brand you aren’t crazy about.
3. This week we’ll talk about whether your faith [and the word “Christian” specifically] should be part of the brand you use at work.

What words did you choose? What do those words mean to you? What do you think those words mean to other people?

One of the points I mentioned the first week is that this list is for you, to remind you of how you want to act at work. It’s not for you to have tattooed on your forehead for others to see.  But it’s not a bad idea to know what others’ initial responses are to your branding words. What are their first thoughts (and perhaps, any baggage associated with those words) when they hear them?

If you say “I’m innovative” , some people see that as  code for being an original thinker. For others, that’s code for “this gal is looking for a trendy word to describe herself, but if she has to say she’s innovative, she probably hasn’t had an original thought in years.”

There are more potential interpretations for the word “Christian” than there are for “innovative.” An article by Cathleen Falsani in the Huffington Post, the Trouble with Christian Labels, demonstrates that words like “Christian” and “evangelical” are defined in multiple ways (and not uncommonly negatively).

Does it mean you’ll be extra nice and not swear (which may be some people’s interpretation of “Christian”)? Does it mean you’ll put a few strategically placed Bible verses up as decorations on your desk? Does it mean you’ll fight for justice and the oppressed?

Show, Don’t Tell

“Show, Don’t Tell” is an old adage for fiction writers. It’s the idea that it is more effective to allow the readers to “experience the story through a character's action, words, thoughts, senses, and feelings rather than through the narrator's description.”[i]

It applies to our personal brand as well. We aren’t going to tell someone we are thought-leaders, honest, imaginative, influential, teachable, creative or any of the other words we came up with. We are going to show our colleagues that we are those things. We want our colleagues to experience our brand.

So what kind of experience do you want to create as a Christian?

Your faith is the foundation of your brand. It influences each of the words on your list. Use a verse from scripture to emphasize each of the brand words you chose. For example:

• “Encouraging” - sarcasm is an often-used method of communication in a lot of work places. Do you want to be known as someone who builds others up? Proverbs 15:4
• “Excellent” - create excellent products, keep an excellent attitude, because you are working for God. Colossians 3:22
• “Creative” - there are plenty of people who don’t believe in Jesus who are creative, but your creativity is modeled off God’s character, who was the ultimate creator. Romans 1:20

Putting the word “Christian” on your branding list and trying to act Christian-y is a bit messy. Figure out the attributes of God that are most needed in your workplace and let them drive your brand.  Your faith is the foundation of your brand – all of it – not just one of the words you put on a list.

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[i] Wikipedia definition for Show, Don’t Tell

More than just a cool video - Faith and Work Conference in Dallas

A few weeks ago I showed you this video about the Right Now Work as Worship Conference. Isn't that cool? This past Thursday we got to hear speakers from around the country and meet conference attendees, some of whom came from around the world!

My favorite part was a breakout session called "Why God Calls us into the Marketplace." It was facilitated by Mark Russell - the author of several books at the intersection of business and ministry. He led a discussion between Bill Peel - the Executive Director for the Center for Faith and Work at LeTourneau University and Michael Craven - President of the Center for Christ and Culture. It was a great perspective on the intrinsic value of the work we do.

A lot of the conference highlighted "business as mission" and the instrumental value of the work we do: how it allows us to be a presence for God in the workplace, or how we can use the money we earn to support Godly goals. This breakout session focused on the fact that business does a genuine good, in-and-of-itself. They said the gospel is greater than salvation, evangelism is greater than an event, and mission is greater than ministry.  Awesome insight.

We also heard from several other great speakers:

• Matt Chandler reminded us not to "live vicariously through someone else's faith." He cited it as a common problem in the information age when "everyone's revelations are available online, you don't have to go into the Word yourself."
• Norm Miller who said "life is about the maximum utility of assets" and we want to maximize the assets God gave us, for His purposes.
• JR Vassar who addressed the common concern of "maybe I should go into full time ministry?" by saying "don't do something different [go into ministry] - but do what you're doing differently [do your job with purpose and passion and as a form of worship]."

Plus, we just enjoyed being in Texas! Good food and good friends!

What I learned from Kathie Lee Gifford today

 I don't know a lot about Kathie Lee Gifford. If I had any assumption about her, it would be that she could "write her own ticket." She's accomplished, wealthy, a generous philanthropist, she’s overcome personal and professional scandals. I would have assumed she could do whatever she wanted at the click of her ridiculously high heels. If I had a second assumption, it would be that she's basically chilling until retirement. After a lot of hard work she has a nice job and can generally relax and enjoy.

But then I saw an article about how Kathie Lee wrote and composed the lyrics for a play called "Saving Aimee." Aimee Semple McPherson was a Christian woman who led massive revivals in the 1920s. The play follows her life as a "superstar evangelist" through her tragic "fall from grace." It opened last Thursday in Seattle.

Kathie Lee is interesting. Aimee Semple McPherson sounds fascinating. But as I read the article, what stood out to me was not the women and not the production, but the fact that Kathie Lee has been working on this for ten years. 10 years.

This woman – who I think of as having all the money and media connections you would need to put together a major musical – has been working on this for 10 YEARS.  She has written and re-written. Explored ways to bring the story to the stage. She’s had setbacks. She’s lost opportunities. And yet she persevered to see it open last week.

If I didn't read the back-story, I would have assumed she was the patron of the play, and that she pulled a bunch of strings and got it on stage. Easy for her, right?

My dreams As I think about the dreams I have for my life, I never envision working ten years (or more) to get from idea to reality. The dream itself may be 10 years away, but I think it will magically appear when I get there.

It's not a new lesson, but it is worthwhile to repeat it: most dreams aren’t easy and they don’t come quickly. They are made up of lots of little steps that don’t always make sense and make you want to quit. While they can be richly rewarding, at the very same time they can be painful and exhausting.

What we can learn from Kathie Lee Gifford:

• Dreams are hard work – for everyone. Your dreams may take a lot longer than you think they should. Whether it’s looking for a new job or writing a play, you have to be committed because it may not be easy.
• Never stop dreaming. While I thought she was resting on her laurels until retirement, here she was pouring blood, sweat and tears into this production, to make her dream come true. I can only hope I have that much determination when I’m her age.
• People are usually working really hard to make things look easy.

What are you willing to work on for 10 years?