Oh I know that's rather cynical but let's face it - how many employees do you know have their corporate Mission Statement taped to the bathroom mirror because it gives them an emotional jolt on Monday morning? Now, how many employees do you know who frankly don't care if there is a Mission Statement or not? Exactly! What did we do before we had Mission Statements? Did we wander around in a pointless daze wondering what to do? Of course not! We did our jobs. Now that we all have Mission Statements what do we do? We do our jobs.

Does anyone else get the feeling that something is missing here? The "something missing" is called spirit. It's the fire in the belly. The light in the eyes. The spring in the step. The thrill of innovation. The pride of quality. The satisfaction of service. The delight in reward. Wrap these all up and you have something called Vision.

I define "Vision" as "seeing the future as though it were already here." The evocative phrase I like to use instead of "vision" is "The Richly Imagined Future." I think it has more life and action in it, more spirit than the simple words "mission" or "vision." It requires more than some vague goal hygienically written so as not to arouse provocation.

If I were to ask you to describe your richly imagined future, I would expect to hear something truly grand about how you imagine a better world tomorrow. It would be grand because imagination has no limits, especially if you are richly imagining it. It would be vibrant and tasty. It would be intense in color and depth. The richly imagined future is not anchored to last quarter's results or to political complexities. It is the world as you dream it could be

Economic or Ecological? Grand statements of intention can be created on one of two levels: an economic or an ecological level. Most corporate missions are economic - and that is where any possible passion is hissed out of the human spirit. Economy (from the Greek oikos nomos) literally means "the rules around here". It refers to those things we measure and for which we have hard data. Ecology (oikos logos) refers to what is really going on, the deeper meaning of the situation. The latter is a fuzzy area - "the soft stuff". We don't have ready language for it and it makes most corporate leaders uncomfortable.

The economic is more about "what" and "how". The ecological is about "why". Without an answer to the question "WHY?" there can be no purpose or passion. "Why?" is the universal question created into every human heart. We are born asking it and, unfortunately we have it pretty well bleached from our souls by the age of seven.

This is precisely what makes exciting our employees to vision so difficult. Most people go through life without a "Why?" The job and joy of leadership is to put the "Why" back! Why are you doing what you do? It does not take much to see that if we who lead the company do not have a "Why?" for ourselves, it will be impossible to instill purpose and passion in anyone else. So - why are you doing what you are doing?

If it is only because you are the fifth generation owner and you feel obligated to your heritage, so be it. If it is because it was simply the best job you could get at the time, that too is nothing to mock. On the other hand just do not expect anyone who works for you to wake with a burning passion to get to work.

Now, if what you do glows in your soul, so that as a manager you can't look at an employee without marveling at the responsibility you've been granted, you can't take a Sunday afternoon drive without seeing a new application for your product, you swell with pride when you see the team surpass an impossible performance goal, you bow in respect and admiration toward the one who went far beyond the call of duty to serve the customer - then we are getting close to the spirit of vision. Make your Vision ecological and your Goals economic. Without a "Why?" there can be no Vision!

Here is a typical why-less mission statement. "Our mission is to become the preferred supplier in our chosen marketplace." Sends shivers of excitement through your body doesn't it? NOT! This is no vision - it is a neutered statement of survival. If you walked into your doctor's office and read on the wall, "My mission is to reach a million dollars in patient billings" would you stay for a single minute? If that disgusts you, what makes you think that an economic mission statement would excite your employees or customers? I want you to make a fortune, but please, put your economic intentions into your goal statements not your vision statement.

Again, why does your company do what it does? Are you protecting treasured history? Are you bringing color and joy into people's lives? Do you bring wisdom to those who have to make decisions? Are you dousing the anger and self-destruction so rampant in our world? Do you bring nourishing food to kitchen tables? Are you keeping people healthy and safe? Are you preserving that which is precious? Do you help children get a decent start in life? In short, "How are you making the world a better place?" You will know when you have reached an ecological vision because it will make you stand back, almost like it is too big a responsibility. You will feel that you do not deserve such a privilege. It will make you tremble. And then you will begin to know the meaning of your work.

For those of us who are followers of Jesus Christ there is an even deeper and more meaningful reason to dicover the "Why we do What we do" in both our personal and business lives. Our "Why we do What we do" can be found in our desire and commitment to fulfill God's purposes in our lives and businesses. The question then is…What are God’s purposes in our world of influence and how do we develop a Vision for our lives and businesses that will enable us to fulfill His purposes.

Join me next time as we unpack this powerful and compelling question.

        

I just read an interesting article off the web from the Business as Mission Network. The opening paragraph captured my attention. “The greatest 'unrealized potential' in the Christian movement for the next 20 years probably rests on the shoulders of Christian business people. That's great news for every Christian person who loves business. Talk about a life of adventure. What more could you ask for when your faith and your love for business intersect?”

 

They go on to talk about the potential of unleashing 6 million businesspeople with a vision of reaching the world. The potential not only makes sense, but brings us back to the Biblical model. It is interesting to consider the apostle Paul. Not only was he involved in touching lives and strategically planting churches, but he ran a business. And it wasn’t a non-profit business. Acts 20:33, 34 states, “I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing. You yourselves know (Ephesian elders) that these hands have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions.” Then he quoted the Lord, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Paul knew about profit and loss, keeping books, paying business taxes, marketing, sharing his wealth with others, etc. The marketplace was his mission field as well as a place of provision.

I was just with a man who has taken his business skills to another country. What an impact Steve has had in the lives of the national business team that he is apart of and in the lives of those that the business supports. I have known this man for some time and what struck me was his excitement when we talked about the business and its impact. He has found his niche and is living the adventure. 

 

The moral of his story is you don’t have to be a vocational missionary or pastor; your current vocation has great opportunity for you to be salt and light. So take your skills and passion to the marketplace and allow God, through His Spirit, to work through you. So “let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

Grow where you are planted until He plants you elsewhere.

        

I typically don't use the IAP blog to make a direct ask, but this is too good to keep silent!

100% is the amount of your donation in 2010 that will go directly to those who need it most. IAP has received commitments from a couple key supporters who will cover all of the Letta Micro-Finance Institution's administration expenses for the entire year! That is a huge commitment! That means that all funds donated to IAP as loanable funds for the women & families of Ethiopia will be placed directly into the hands of the loan recipients. These micro-loans will be used to start small businesses which are key to bringing economic relief and ending extreme poverty in this region of the world.

Furthermore, IAP typically retains a modest 6% administration fee to cover the costs for running our organization here is the United States. This amount has also be underwritten, so truly every dollar that you give to IAP in support of Letta MFI will be placed in the hands of the loan recipients and used to build these small businesses.

IAP is committed to making every dollar count and provide opportunity for you to give generously knowing that your gift will be used to directly change lives around the world. Now is the time to partner with us. Your support is vital and it will end the cycle of poverty for families who have been praying for such a time as this.

Click on DONATE to place 100% of you donation into the hands of an Ethiopian family.

        

Recently I was struck by a quote that came from a workshop I attended. “Live each day as if it’s your last...because one day you will be right.”  We all smiled when this was read because we knew it is true, but then came the challenging question and exercise. Where are you on your journey?

Take out your pencil and multiply your age by 365 days. Mine came out at 25,550 (you figure out my age...smile). Now subtract that from 27,375 days and you will have the estimated days you have left (assuming the average life span for those living in the U.S. is 75). That means I have a possibility of 1,825 days left on this side of heaven. Whoa!! That puts life in perspective!

However as I recall, Columbus opened up a whole new world in five years. I also realize that I have just as many hours in a day to make an impact on the world as Mother Teresa, Billy Graham or others that have helped to impact the world. The question is what am I going to do with the hours I have left? Waste them on me and my pursuits? Feel sorry because I am struggling in the valley of despair? Or will I take those hours and help change the world?

How many of us can name the most famous or wealthiest people in the world or past Nobel Peace Prize winners. Yes, I know most will remember Obama and Gore, but over the past ten years few are remembered...and probably by next year I will forget Obama and Gore. We tend to quickly forget those whom we have applauded because we have no personal connection with them.

However, there are some people that I remember very well and will until I die. A professor that challenged me to fall in love with Jesus. A coach that took time to pour more that baseball skills into my life. A mission leader that saw in me leadership skills and believed in me before I believed in myself.

Someone has said, “The people that make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money or the most rewards. They are the ones who care."

So how many hours do you have left? Want to make a difference? Invest in lives and it will be the best investment you will ever make.

        

I have been enjoying Richard Stearns book, “The Hole in Our Gospel”.  In chapter two he shares his personal testimony and the challenge to resign his position in the corporate world as CEO of Lenox and take a position in the non-profit world as President of World Vision.  His story and openness of the struggle is worth the cost of the book.

A phone call is made by a recruiter for World Vision and is very direct in challenging Richard to become the next president.  He didn’t want the job and gave all kinds of excuses. The tipping point was when the recruiter asked “are you willing to be open to God’s will for your life?”  Great question!!

Almost 40 years ago we were pressed with the same question. I responded before Karen and had a couple of frustrating years waiting for my dear wife to catch the vision. One Sunday after church I had taken my children to the park while Karen cleaned up after dinner. I came back home to a sobbing wife. She related the story of how God got her attention while washing dishes and directed her to a devotional, “The Daily Bread”.  The title of the devotional for that Sunday was “Channels Only”.

It reads:

The year was 1872. The setting was a small congregation gathered in a barn for a Gospel service. A quiet-spoken preacher by the name of Henry Varley was conducting a message on 1 John 2:17. Lifting his eyes to the nearby haymow where an interested youth was seated, he said with emphasis, "The world has yet to see what God can do with, for, in and through one man (or woman) who is fully consecrated to Him”. One of the listeners was a young man by the name of Dwight L. Moody. He was stirred by what Varley preached and Moody said to himself, “He didn’t say he had to be educated or brilliant or anything else.. just a person who is willing to be used! I will try and be such a man.

Karen read the words "just a person who is willing to be used" and her will was broken and declared to the Lord that she was willing. Forty years later we both look back and although the road was not always smooth we marvel at the blessing of obedience.

Question to you:  Are you willing to be open to God’s will for your life?

        

In my last post I left you sipping on your cup of coffee inviting you to be missional in your everyday life - considering the beneficiary of the products you consume or use on a daily basis. So what now? Two weeks have passed. What has been done to meet the basic needs of so many around the world?

Please friend, do not underestimate the power of awareness, because with awareness comes a response. But awareness does have an enemy. It is us. We as Americans have been so blessed for so long that we have begun to feel a sense of entitlement to what is "ours" and it numbs our senses. Entitlement? Really? What have any of us done in our own strength to achieve our current successes or lifestyles? If we pause and think honestly, we will eventually come to the realization that, though many of us have worked very hard, our society and upbringing are major influences in shaping who we have become.

It is hard to imagine, but every so often I place myself in the midst of poverty. Not as one working for an NGO or non-profit bringing humanitarian relief, but as one who has been born into a family plagued by generations of extreme poverty. Every morning I wake up to a life of hunger, sickness and death. What did I do to deserve such a state in life? What did my parents do to warrant such a task as feeding me and my siblings on a daily budget of pennies? The answer is...absolutely nothing.

There are no easy answers to why some have been born into a life of poverty and others into a life of abundance. The question should not be why this disparity exists; but rather, since we have been blessed with a life of abundance, what should be our response?

And that is the question I am working out in my own life. What should be my response? What does the Lord require of me as a result of His richest blessing and abundant provision?

God grant me Your wisdom as I seek Your will for me in my life. You have been so good for so long and for what? What do You hope to accomplish by blessing me so richly—a person who for so long has been so numb to the great need around me? You have awakened me to this disparity. What now? What do you require of me?

        

The news media continues to record the weakness of the American economy and the lack of values of men and women who fall to the god of wealth and corruption. We are seeing the practical application of the Bible verse “For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.”  Yet it is in this environment that we find ourselves thinking and sometimes concerned about the future. Will I have enough to carry me through these “golden” years? What about the future of my kids and grandkids?  What will happen to those faith-based ministries that depend on donated income (my focus)? These are trying times and certainly none of us escapes the questions that invariably come at such a time as this.

As I pondered these thoughts I couldn’t help but be reminded of the roads of this world where I have traveled and watched people who don’t know about stock markets or country economy. What they do know about is today. What is happening today? How will I meet the needs of my family today?

Someone has concluded that America is an enormous frosted cupcake in the middle of starving people. This conclusion doesn’t change inspite of the adverse economy that we find ourselves in today. We are still a blessed country.  May we continue to take Christ’s admonition to heart when He said, “Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.” In the midst of a financial challenge or financial blessing we need to make sure that we make wise investments. Could it be that the best investment is a pass through to those in need? 

        

I recently returned from my 4th trip to Ethiopia in support of the Letta Micro-Finance Institution. It was another very productive and blessed trip of which I will blog about in the coming days, as I am able to meet with the team that accompanied me and debrief. While on the ground in southern Ethiopia the thought once again crossed my mind, if people would only come and see poverty first-hand this world would change. Immediately after thinking this I was deflated because the reality is the need of Africa is so great and the rest of the world is so consumed or busy with life to make significant commitment.

Forgive my cynicism.

After returning stateside and having opportunity to digest my experience I was reminded that we live in a global economy and we don’t have to look far to have an encounter with other nations and their influence. Even this keyboard that I am typing on was made in China. Robert Wuthnow in his book Boundless Faith takes a look at American Christianity in relation to globalization. He writes that over the last few decades America’s exposure to the world has increased exponentially and as a result the American church has stepped up its work abroad. An online review states, “This fresh and revealing book encourages Americans to pay attention to the grass-roots mechanisms by which global ties are created and sustained”. My take away is, that we have an amazing international network at our fingertips interwoven into our daily lives – whether it be from passed duty stations, family vacations, relatives living abroad, a friend who has adopted a couple African children or the simple cup of coffee that you just purchased at your favorite latte stand. All these have international scope. Are we going to take these opportunities for granted or embrace them as catalysts for thought, discussion and action?

I mean, how much more grass-roots can you get than a cup of coffee. But it is not just a cup of coffee; it is a cup of coffee brewed from beans roasted by a local roaster, who himself has a family and an international network. That roaster purchased those very beans from a trade agent at the Port of Djibouti in West Africa. That trade agent received those beans from a commodity exchange in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. That exchange accepted those beans from a Yirgacheffe coffee union in southern Ethiopia. That coffee union is comprised of 22 cooperatives which are operated by 43,000 coffee farmers in the hills and outlying areas of the small towns and villages of Dilla, Kercha, Chelchele and Yirgacheffe. This area is home to millions of people that wake up daily to a life of extreme poverty, but your cup of fair-trade coffee has provided one coffee farmer the money required to feed at least one of his children this morning.

I am going to leave you here for now with that thought marinating your mind. Let that thought bring joy to you as sip your coffee. But may it also haunt you as you finish your cup, because it is only in the next cup that the other children will have opportunity to be fed.

        

Abraham Lincoln said, “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.”

 

Into this arena of power walk Asa and his son Jehosaphat. Both at different times stood as kings of Judah. It was said of them “they did what was right in the eyes of the Lord their God.” Yet in their last years when they could not only celebrate their past, but also enjoy the victories...they fell. They began to take situations into their own hands and not rely on the Lord. The past had clearly found them faithful, but the final chapter found them empty. Relying on ungodly men to get to their goals they were chastised by God. Forgetting to call upon Him and get His blessing before they made decisions was the key to their downfall.

 

How naive of us to think that we can’t fall. What will fend off stupid mistakes and help us finish the race well? One verse comes to mind Hebrews 12:1, 2. “Since we have we have such a huge crowd of men watching us from the grandstands, let us strip off anything that slows us down or holds us back, and especially those sins that wrap themselves so tightly around our feet and trip us up; and let us run with patience the particular race that God has set before us. Keep your eyes on Jesus, our leader and instructor. He was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy he knew would be his afterwards.”

 
Let's Finish Well!