The Road Ahead

2013 dawns on a new set of circumstances – mostly variations of past circumstances – many the consequences of our decisions or indecisions - there is nothing new under the sun. Our Pastors encourage us with sermons on renewal and hope, political rhetoric is spouted about budgets and new beginnings, last minute donations and IRA contributions are made for tax deductions – fresh starts are resolved. For a moment we whimsically imagine outcomes that might be. Weight loss programs and fitness centers have their peak season. Exercise equipment manufacturers work overtime. January 1^st is the day we cast off the past and celebrate the first day of the rest of everybody’s life. But EVERY day is the first day of the rest of life … or eternity for that matter.

I have a gathering sense that more of us are beginning to make plans again. The last few years have deflated our sense of control over outcomes but I’m finding myself around folks who are patching that hole and re-inflating their future. But a smoldering ember of pessimism persists and we have to snuff it out.

A few weeks ago I had the flu and some undistracted time with God. I came away from that with a keen sense of His truth and absolute nature and how He abhors masqueraders and hypocrisy. He is not relative nor does He change with the “times”. He was and is and always will be. Everything is relative to Him. Isn’t it good to know that He doesn’t change – that He’s not a moving target?

In my supplications I asked God what interfered most with His progress through me for His purposes and He brought me to self examination and the exposure of petty sin in my life. What might seem inconsequential to you or even to me and certainly not imposing or hurtful toward anyone else, He revealed things in my life that impede His usefulness of me to His glory. The two words “suitable vessel” kept popping up.

I’ve quoted the words of Ian Thomas from his book, The Saving Life of Christ (©1961, Zondervan, ISBN 0-310-33262-1) before and I’ll quote them again, (p.13), ”Christ did not die simply that you might be saved from a bad conscience or even to remove the stain of past failure, but to “clear the decks” for divine action.”

Being convicted afresh I was nevertheless mindful of past failed attempts to “throw down” those petty things in my life. Now a whisper suggested a different approach – “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord.” (Zechariah 4:6). And so began a process of understanding that led to the idea that I should give to God as my Christmas gift to Him those things He had revealed to me that stood in the way of my being a suitable vessel for His work through me. The Bible instructs me that God wants these things. His Son willingly came and had poured on Him all of our transgressions so we might become “suitable vessels”. And by the power of God He will take them and keep them and I give them (bearing the desire of the temptations that will surely come to recall them) with no desire to take them back. What true gift was ever given that was ever taken back?   

SO WHAT’S HOLDING US BACK?

Following a thread from a message from my Pastor I was anxious to get to the bottom of a chronic problem that I see facing many business leaders with whom I network; call it the “Victim Mentality”. It has to do with that phenomenon I mentioned earlier about our deflated sense of control over outcomes. I believe that this condition permeates our society and is the motive for the rising and somewhat uncontrollable entitlement mentality that is driving division in our nation.   

I did a little research and found that there’s a whole lot of stuff written about victimization syndrome and self-pity. Considering that adjacent to all the lude placations, forms of sublimation and petty indulgences being offered and succumbed to all about us I suppose it’s reasonable to conclude that our nation suffers from an epidemic of self-pity and blaming. So where do we go from there?

Helen Keller said this about self-pity; “Self pity is our worst enemy and if we yield to it, we can never do anything wise in this world.”

Victimization is a trap. Recognizing that you have fallen into the snare of embracing victimization is the first antidote. Call it depression, call it grief, maybe its just plain old disappointment borne from an unrealized outcome. There is a place for that and a season. But we were not created to dwell there. Seasons are supposed to change and cycle through. We have a life to carry on. And so we have to, at some point, whatever the reason for our circumstances, take responsibility for your own life, leave the blame game to someone else, re-awaken an attitude of gratitude, nurture a forgiving heart toward our transgressors (real or imagined) in order to free not the transgressor but ourselves from the burden of the (real or imagined) offense, and defocus on ourselves by refocusing on helping others.

Why are things not going as we had hoped? First examine within and then look to what’s next – and do it. Make a plan and do the next thing. There are no victims – there are casualties and survivors in an often seemingly benign universe in which we swirl. I have grasped onto God’s outreached hand and I believe that He knows the end from the very beginning and that He does all things well. Stand up, dust off your feet and DO THE NEXT THING.     

Happy New Year and all the best!

Bill

As You Manifest … life is like a box of chocolates

You never know what’s sitting next to you. On a plane in that middle seat, next to you in line at the DMV, in the doctor’s waiting room. You just don’t know. A whole universe of perspective, life experience and, perhaps a serendipitous nugget of precious, timely, life-changing advice or idea may be sitting right next to you packaged in the form of a stranger. A gift, an opportunity, may be sitting right beside you. You never know.

Why is that person sitting next to you? Is it just chance and "nothing" or is it a divine appointment? That’s for you to decide, because you have a role in this. I’ve had enough “accidental” experience with divine appointments to know that “every” encounter with another human being is an opportunity to uncover something and to reveal something. In this stage of my life I therefore tend to initiate conversation with a bright-eyed expectation for what might and will follow if I contribute my portion and “open up” enough.

Do something or do nothing – that’s the proposition. Initiate or don’t. Sometimes, but not often, the other person initiates and when they do it may seem presumptuous at first but usually winds up being a refreshing diversion. Sometimes (often) my persona assumes a serious and perhaps intimidating visage so I try to radiate a more inviting luster and I may tend to initiate - go into “active” mode. I try to maintain a force field that is inviting if not engaging and initiating.    

Our “force fields” are a consequence of a decision. After all, the circumstances about us are what they are and life and the world is in motion. The windows of life intersections approach, dwell for an moment, and then pass. We are part of a kaleidoscope of ever changing images and perceptions; one chip of brightly colored uniquely shaped glass, tumbling and bumping about amongst the others, reflecting the light as it bounces off our surface. We all reflect something.

Some of us nurture a light that shines from within us that adds to the cacophony around us. Some of us, like prisms, also bend and split the light, discerning it, sorting it, organizing it and interpreting it ... making sense of it from a perspective not anchored in this mere life reality but from an eternal vantage. Some absorb the light fully; dark, drawing, draining. If you are out and about amongst humanity, there you tumble, there you reflect and there you project or simply draw.

Circumstance ~ Consequence ~ Providence

Life is a cornucopia of circumstances. Try as we might to exert our plan on the universe, unforeseen events and distractions cross our path, obscure our view and frustrate our single-minded ambitions. We are presented with distractions that provoke our imaginations in positive and negative ways. Oh, our blessed imaginations and our conscience that inspire us to better things! Oh, our damned imaginings that conjure fear and deepen our struggle with the knowledge of what is right and what is wrong. Are our circumstances the consequence of our decisions and actions or are they ordered by the hand of Providence? I would say, yes and yes!

Most have seen the movie “Forrest Gump” or have at least heard the quote about ‘life being like a box of chocolates…’. It wasn’t until I was grown up and head of a household that I was able to behold and control an entire pristine box of assorted chocolates and like a naughty child poke each one to the point of puncture in order to find out what was inside each before committing to the first. I still do it - after the guests are out of sight - and my reproving wife still scolds me for my lack of control … and then carefully examines the damaged contents to discern her favorites ....

So - - - I recently took a flight to visit my daughter in Florida. In my former life as a marketing and sales executive air travel was a weekly affair. I don’t miss the deadlines and the pressure and the close connections. I do miss the people-watching and the people-meeting. As I settled into my aisle seat and grabbed the in-flight magazine I wondered if there would be an occupant for that vacant middle seat between myself and the window. Before long a young lady about the age of my daughter stopped short in front of me and, cocking her head, looked straight at that middle seat and announced, “that’s me!”

I helped her lift her carry-on “safe” into the overhead bin (I don’t know what she had in that thing) and she slid into her seat. The first thing I noticed was the dog hair all over her black jacket. There it was - my invitation to initiate!

My wife and I had recently lost our American Eskimo dog of 12 years and - let me tell you – you cannot wear anything black or dark with that breed around. American Eskimos don’t shed, they BLOW fur. Their individual fur fibers also possess an extrordinary electrostatic charge characteristic that enables them to literally leap feet from a surface and onto your pristine jacket or slacks. I was trying to figure out what breed of dog this young lady might own by the fur on her coat when she caught me looking and apologized, “I’m not getting any of that on you am I?”  “No”, I said, “and I really wouldn’t mind”, I said, “on account of my experience with dog fur...”.

And so a conversation began. It was about dogs. It was about her fiancé. It was about her career as a teacher and her passion for children and about how poorly she felt she was being treated by her boss. It was about a broken family and a need for a father's advice and love. It was about differences in generations and the importance of proving oneself. We drifted to the possibility of overseas teaching and then to missions work with children. We crossed the line and talked about faith. I dared to ask her how I might pray for her. It was okay.

I recommended a book and then she recommended a book. She recommended, The Art of Racing In The Rain by Garth Stein, a book supposedly narrated by a dog from the dog’s perspective. Her suggestion followed the line of our conversation. I made a mental note, we eventually landed and went our separate ways.

In the airport during my return trip several days later I wandered into the concourse gift shop to get some gum and, maybe, a magazine. There was nothing that interested me so I glanced at the books offered (I never buy books in the airport – too expensive) … and there it was right in front of my nose, The Art of Racing In The Rain! I bought it not even checking the price.  

I devoured 70 pages of the book on the flight home. I might have read more but I have this habit of making notes in every book I read when I come across a contemplative passage, a unique phrase or a clever arrangement of words. I know that authors consciously embed these verbally succulent tidbits in their books and I give them their due chewing them slowly and savoring every essence of them. Anyway, (though I don't agree with the reincarnation slant of the book) this read was whimsically entertaining and had quite a few “tidbits” early on and many were metaphors about race car driving (... the book title begins to make sense …). The greatest of these metaphors was captured in the following statement, “That which you manifest is before you.”  As you act and how you engage all that you encounter in life, so will your life be. Let that percolate for a moment.

That phrase was already "quickened" to me when I read it, as was the phrase, “I am and I do” and Proverbs 23:7 “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.”, 1 Samuel 16:7, “the man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”, Matthew 15:19,”for out of the heart proceed …” and Psalm 139:23,”Search me oh God and know my heart …”.

The heart. The heart. That which I manifest is before me. That which I am in my heart is before me.  My heart is my destiny. I had been praying to God about my heart, whether or not it was right and aligned with His. In devotion I had been asking for a right heart about many things. I came to embrace with a fullness that God knows my heart better than I and that He is the changer of hearts.

When I wonder why God’s plan is not “manifesting” I have only to consider that, perhaps, he knows that my heart is not yet right for it. And so, He tests and trials me until that right heart is indeed manifest and then His “Plan” begins to manifest as well. Oh the simplicity and the complicity of it all!

                                            James 4:1-17

Ezekiel 11:19, “I will give them one heart and I will put a new spirit in them and take the stony heart out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh.” and 2 Corinthians 5:17, “ If anyone is in Christ he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new.”

If I am truly His it is no longer my heart or my character but His heart and His character that manifests. My joy becomes not mine but His as I enter into it.

Coincidence? The very day that I publish this post, today, I had to make a revision and add something. My Pastor delivered an electrifying  message anchored in the gospel of John, chapter 14, verse 21; "He who has my commandments and keeps them (authentic obedience), it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him."

Life is indeed a box of blessed chocolates! But you’ve got to give yourself to Him, engage the world as His and share unafraid.

Be unafraid. Initiate. Let the light without reflect on your character (His character) and let the light within (Him) shine out. Like the chocolates, ‘You never know what you’re going to get’ - but it sure will be good and you will sense His pleasure in it.

'Ask and it will be given, seek and you shall find.'

MANIFEST!

All the best!

Bill

Satanic Attack or Refining Fire?

When you think you’re under attack ~ make sure you know who’s doing the shooting.

A week ago I was on my way to a local monthly Prayer Breakfast group to deliver my testimony and to speak about the work I am doing to establish Truth @ Work Christian Business Roundtables in Southern New England. It was a wonderful and unplanned opportunity made possible by a number of chance circumstances and a mention of the work to a new friend.

The weekend prior to the breakfast the battery of my main vehicle (a pickup truck) had failed but the occurrence over a weekend was a fortunate one as I was able to replace the battery at my leisure using our other car. I was pretty sure it was the battery and not the alternator and considered the “fix” to be complete. The evening before the breakfast I remarked to my wife how it might have been very inconvenient for the battery to have failed the next morning when the weather was supposed to be messy. The next day I was up early in prayer and preparation. At the appointed hour I set out in the early morning darkness and a heavy, driving rain. I have to admit a hint of uncertainty as I put the key in the ignition but the engine turned over without hesitation and I was off. It was cozy in the cabin protected from the elements.

The wind and rain buffeted as I made my way to the highway – traffic was slow in the poor visibility and puddles on the highway caused the truck to pull every now and then. As I was rehearsing my opening remarks there was a faint thud somewhere on the left hand side. I had seen nothing and wondered what I might have hit. Then a dashboard light came on warning me to check tire pressure on my left front tire. The truck almost immediately starting pulling in that direction accompanied by a low and rising humming sound. I couldn’t believe it – I had a flat!

The thought of angelic warfare crossed my mind for a split second – but I had more pressing things to dwell on for the moment.

“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil,” ~ Ephesians. 6:11

It couldn’t have happened in a worse spot. I was between an “on” and an “off” ramp where there was no breakdown lane. Merging traffic was heavy and urging me on with nowhere to pull over. So I continued on with images of a mangled tire and a possible ruined rim coursing through my mind. I had to “get over”. The highway split and merged onto another more major highway with tractor trailers sailing along at full speed. I managed to pull over under an overpass but the break down lane was only as wide as my truck. The windblast from every vehicle that went by me shook the truck. I was afraid I was going to be hit. Getting out was out of the question. The next off-ramp was a mile up. I hit the flashers and called AAA keeping my eyes glued to the rear view mirror and pumping the brakes every so often to warn overtaking traffic. Sheets of rain whipped and swirled around outside. The rain was so heavy that there were several inches of water on the road as it tried to run off. I wasn’t going to make the breakfast.

The AAA dispatchers were great and warned me to stay put in the vehicle. An emergency vehicle would be there in fifteen to twenty minutes. Was I okay? The question puzzled me. I guess I was supposed to be hysterical. I told them I was fine and thanks.

Now the mind began to re-engage. Was this a spiritual attack or what? Luckily I had the cell phone of the Pastor who organized the breakfast. So I called him with my status and, with disappointment and understanding in his voice, he wished me well and said we’d “reschedule” sometime in the future. Then I called my wife who had the day off. I woke her from a rare “sleep in”. Her reaction was immediate. She’d get in our other car, drive up, swap out vehicles with me and wait for AAA in my place – I could still make the breakfast after all. My response was equally immediate – no way, too dangerous but – wow - thanks for offering.

I was angry, I was sad, I was mad, I was frustrated, I was feeling sorry for myself, I was resigned, I was feeling helpless and self righteous – all at once. I had waited several weeks for this opportunity. Now it had slipped though my fingers on account of some freak piece of debris that had made quick work of one of my brand new heavy duty P275/55R20 truck tires (… which are $200 a pop by the way).

We’ve all heard it before. When you step out for God you will come under fire. It is the mark of a true soldier in the battle! Satan will attack with petty things and inconveniences (or worse) to break your will and to discourage. As I waited I marinated in that thought and it drifted into prayer. I suppose there were much worse things that could have happened to prevent my appearance at the breakfast. Thank God they had not. The reality of Job’s situation came to mind; how God had allowed satan to mess around with Job’s life – for a purpose. Was “this” for a purpose? What purpose? God has “the” plan and so this was in His plan somehow. I asked Him to reveal it to me.

Then it came. My wife. Her offer to “take my place”. The realization of it (and the tears of joy) just came and in that truck by the side of that highway in the pre-dawn darkness, in the rain, strangers whishing by on their hectic schedules and I was so, SO thankful to God. And then a second wave came – IN MY PLACE - - - JESUS. I didn’t have to ask – He just did it - He went first. He always goes first.

Sometimes you have to live it - to get it.

All was well. When AAA arrived they couldn’t figure out how to remove the spare from under the pickup bed and I had to show them. My wife could not have done that. Then their heavy duty floor jack miraculously failed spewing hydraulic fluid everywhere … we had to use my dinky jack and scavenged the weeds by the highway for pieces of lumber to put under it. I got all wet. As it turned out the speaker for a breakfast in two months let me have his spot. I’ll be better prepared then (with a pertinent testimony to share) and there will probably be an attendee or two who was not at the breakfast I missed who need to hear what I will have to say. The tire was not lost and the spare had air in it. Four hours and only thirty dollars later (plus the cash in my pocket as a tip for the good natured and easy going AAA fellows) – and I was back where I started – but with a measure more of patience and blessed assurance.    

P.S:  In my previous blog post titled, “A Peace That Surpasses Understanding”, I wrote about how God sometimes communicates in exquisite personal ways if we have ears to hear and eyes to see. A post script to that blog is that I have prayed for assurance that my wife and I are equally yoked and committed in this adventure that “we“ are on. You will recall the hawk feather. Well a few days after posting that blog my wife was out jogging alone and while running past a freshly cut lawn – just feet from the road – was another hawk feather, pristine, sticking up like a flower calling out "pick me". She came home beaming and presented me with “her” message from God. You don’t find hawk feathers sticking out of lawns like that. We are indeed in this together. 

“God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” ~ James 1:12 (NLT)

All the best!

Bill 

A Peace That Surpasses Understanding

God speaks to us in some pretty amazingly simple yet utterly effective ways.

We can debate about it – whether or not God literally speaks to us - but anyone with an abiding heart and an ear to hear has discerned from time to time a most succinctly authoritative, urgent and even commanding word like YES, NO, NOW, WAIT or GO!

I was recently on a trip to the mid-west to meet the founders of an organization called Truth @ Work. Once there I would also receive several days of intensive training to be a facilitator of their Christian Business Roundtable Groups program here in New England. The trip was the capstone of six months of due diligence on their part and mine. I was excited and committed – looking forward to meeting the people I had come to know and respect for their vision and passion bringing a life and business changing experience to Christian business leaders.

In the days leading up to the trip several personal complications and issues seemed to pop up and cloud my focus on the trip. I was peppered with doubt and second guessing of my decision to invest in the trip and the cost of the training both financially and personally. My travel plans had me arriving the evening prior to my scheduled appointment. I went through the motions of air travel, took a shuttle from the airport, checked into my room and ate a quick meal at a restaurant a short walk from my hotel. My mind was in a haze. It was very hot and muggy and I went to sleep with mild indigestion and a bit of gathering anxiety.

The next morning I awoke in the predawn darkness disoriented and under spiritual attack. What was I doing here? This was a mistake. I was not qualified. My motives were all wrong. This would never fly in New England. No one will care. No one wants or needs this. I’m wasting my time. I should be more responsible and look for a real job. The accusations and projections were relentless. I took it to prayer. The next thing I knew I was putting on my jogging gear and was headed out the door.

The sun had not yet risen when I started to run. This would be my morning devotional. The plan was simple; jog out twenty minutes along the industrial park road that ran in front of the hotel and back - praying all the way. I quickly discovered that the sidewalk ran intermittently on both sides of the busy road and I had to keep crossing the boulevard or jog on and off the curb as traffic went by. All the while I was praying for peace, encouragement, an overcoming spirit and soundness of mind – a word.

After only five or ten minutes my legs were burning and a I had a growing cramp in my side. My mouth was dry. This wasn't working. I turned back and was about to give up when a side street leading into the industrial park presented itself and I took a right turn onto it. Not in my plan. There was no traffic. I prayed. That road came to a "T" so I took a right and I followed it vaguely keeping track of my direction and position relative to the main road. I prayed.

Lost in prayer. After a short while that road ended at an overgrown area and I realized that I would have to take another right, cross a grassy section, a few office building parking lots and go over a small hill in order to intersect the main road that I believed was on the other side of that hill. I had stopped praying.

I was loose and warmed up now and the off-road jogging was invigorating. I noted one or two cars parked in the lot – their early bird occupants dozing, reading their tablets, buried in their smart phones or listening to “whatever” through earbuds while drinking their beverage of choice. Then I was climbing that hill that now seemed a little steeper than I had thought it might be. I was wondering how close I would be to the main road when I came to the top of that hill when something suddenly erupted into the air right in front of me!

A big bird! And I mean BIG! A wing span as large as my outstretched arms. I thought I was being attacked and cowered back then realized that the bird was launching almost straight up pumping hard with its wings. Fifty feet or so into the air a feather separated from the beast and appeared to levitate in mid air as its owner, hesitating for a split second, continued to rise. The feather just floated there as if attached to a string. I think both myself and the bird (a hawk?) were watching that feather. I wanted that feather.

It occurred to me that maybe the bird wanted to reclaim its feather and would fight me for it. But before long it flew off a little way and began to soar over an overgrown pasture-like field. After a mesmerizing while the feather finally floated down and landed at my feet. I picked it up and marveled at its beauty while before me its owner did undulating figure-eights around the trees that dotted that pristine pasture-like field. Just then, the sun peaked over another distant hill as it rose and a peace that surpasses understanding came over me. To my back an industrial park; before me a moment of creation orchestrated to perfection with me in mind. Not one word.

Later that week in a still moment I received three words – THIS IS IT.

The feather - in my travel Bible

Philippians 4:6-7 (NKJV) “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

All the best!

Bill           

Tacking Away From The Fleet

In sailboat racing there is a maneuver known as tacking away from the fleet. Just after the start or along one of the course legs a boat (possibly followed by another) will perform a deliberate change in course that, from all appearances, seems radical and even foolish. The new course generally takes the boat on a right angle away from the path toward the destination marker being pursued by the rest of the “fleet” and their “line”. If you are the skipper or tactician on one of the other boats racing – your reaction is a wave of initial mockery followed by suspicion and then doubt in your own judgment. This wave of doubt passes quickly as comfort is found amidst the “pack” and its linear path but one finds himself often looking over the shoulder to gauge the progress of the one or two renegades who have tacked “away”.

There are many factors that go into making the decision to “tack away”; one being a poor start that leaves the boat at the rear of the “pack” and, perhaps, out of contention. In this case the “gamble” of the tacking away maneuver is as much a disengagement from the race in the hope of a miraculous set of circumstances that may exonerate the whole performance. Other considerations are intuitive or local knowledge based that relate to local wind anomalies, set, drift and current behavior and navigational obstacles. Another reason is simply to be free from the pack and its restriction to one’s creativity and maneuverability. Or maybe one discovers something radical and compelling that causes them to put over the helm and divert.

Those who remain with the fleet are generally following the wisdom of the whole and the culture of the sport. The collective knowledge should be better than any one constituent. Also – the pack generally follows a “leader” who is the “one to beat” and any competitor who believes that their experience, their crew and their equipment are better will also believe that over the long haul of the race and its many legs and opportunities that they can outmatch their opponents in close quarters – if only by seconds. Indeed racing of this type is a social event that encourages close quarters competition and encounters that “sharpen the edge”. There are also a host of subtle rules of right-of-way, drafting, blanketing and marker rounding tactics that leverage quick wits, the element of surprise and sometimes dirty tricks that factor into the pack’s competitive mentality. And so sailboat racing comes complete with its own set of rules and a mechanism for post race litigation. It’s the game of life in three or so hours on the water.

Life is not really a sailboat race but we can make it one. Business is not a sailboat race but we can make it one. Fleet racing is, after all, a relative thing. That’s why each race is followed by a results sheet and perhaps even an award ceremony with trophies for first second and third place. Margins for victory can be seconds apart. Boats are rated and even handicapped to keep it all interesting. We leave the yacht club and go our separate ways …

Life and business do not begin at a common starting line. All boats are not of the same class. All crews differ. In business, seeking and winning by fine margins is unwise and unsustainable. Who wants to do that day in and day out? Unless one is the clear leader and “walking away” from the “fleet” as it were, the pack may burn you out and hold you back with its relativistic friction – the rat race.

A comment that sparked a thought that led to this blog piece came from the CEO of a renewable energy startup aimed at harnessing ocean wave energy. Competing with scores of other emerging innovators around the world he and his “crew” recognized that the cost to produce power from this type of technology would probably remain prohibitively expensive for some time relative to traditional fossil fuel sources and emerging solar and wind alternatives that had a head start. This gentleman remarked that he and his “crew” had decided to “tack away from the fleet”. The course that they decided to tack onto with their precious ideas and resources was to harness wave energy to convert salt water into fresh water in remote coastal regions of the planet where pristine seacoasts, time and need endure cost. This meant integrating their wave energy equipment with power transmission and reverse osmosis desalination technology as a package. In other words – creating their own race, a new race outside of the race – a race they can win. This sort of thing takes smarts, a creative and open mind, innovation, willingness to learn new things and courage. The new course also introduces opportunities to innovate at the technology intersection points (read The Medici Effect, by Frans Johansson for more on that). The new course now becomes less linear and more intersectional! Myriad outcomes are now possible. I love it. I’m also drawn to the altruistic element of it - fresh water for those in need. I think that destiny has good things in store for this company - they will have their up-side.

The Road Not Taken

Robert Frost, 1920

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I - -

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

In life I believe we run a race not against one another but a race to explore, discover and express a uniquely created purpose that is in each of us and draws us to the backdrop of eternity - uncharted water indeed. The trophy for victory is surprising joy, contentment and a return to the eternity from whence we came.

“For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.” ~ 2 Corinthians 10:12

All the best!

Bill

Serendipity

Serendipity; The occasion of or an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident.

This I believe; there is an all great eternal power, a Creator, and that Creator is in control. I do not fully understand it all and never will in this life - but His markers are plain. He is so in control that when one gives their trust to Him, He rewards them with all sorts of serendipity - for the service of others. Genuine service to others and expressions of unconditional love return a currency rarely redeemable in this life but for a profound joy derived from them AND it is the only currency of the realm of the here-after.  

The other day a friend (Craig) and I were having a passionate conversation about leadership, vision, the nation and gridlock in the affairs of present society. There is nothing new under the sun. I was expressing my growing belief that the form of democratic pluralism in our society had gone to an extreme resulting in;

·         a popular, self-centered and divisive mentality of "every man for himself" and a cynical skepticism of the motives of all others,

·         a dimming of national and regional unity and common vision,

·         a diminishing sense of the virtue of unconditional love and service to others and

·         the marginalization of any sense of belonging to something bigger than our individual selves.

This, I said resulted in an increasingly rootless citizenry with little or no sense of duty and the entitlement mentality we all complain about. I went on to say that I believed this rootless-ness resulted in the unfortunate loss of joy and satisfaction in life that might otherwise be experienced when one commits to something larger and outside of themselves and sinks their roots deep into the soil of it and receives the resource that results from that commitment and the perseverance that is often demanded of any worthwhile greater endeavor.

My commentary was on the greater whole of society and the individuals and institutions that endeavor to cater to its whims, fashions and trends, thereby justifying their own existence and increasing their security and power in the process. Again - there is nothing new under the sun. 

Craig, eyes wide, grabbed my shoulder and said, “You seem to have a real passion for what you say. Have you ever read the poetry of Mary Oliver?” I did not recall that I had. He went on, “There is a poem Mary Oliver wrote that tells of someone sinking their fingers deep into mud. I think it’s titled ‘Wild Rice’. You’ve got to read it.” And he went on to recite a few lines. I quickly wrote down a note to Google® it.

In my office the next day I did. What I came up with was “Wild Geese”. I accounted the Rice/Geese mix-up to my wrong hearing of what Craig had said. I mean really, a poem titled “Wild Rice”? What was I thinking? The poem ministered to me.

Wild Geese ~ Mary Oliver

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
For a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about your despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting --
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.

No mention of "mud" as I had expected but that poem had a purpose. It wasn’t an hour after reading it that I received an email from another friend going through a lonely and despairing time of uncertainty and sense of losing heart being caught in a threatened and passionless job with no end in sight. That Mary Oliver poem was a perfect prescription for the sentiments I was receiving so I responded with a link to the place where I had found it. I shot another email off to my friend Craig expressing my thanks for the thought along with a little note on how I’d mistaken “Rice” for “Geese”. Craig shot back; “There’s also a Mary Oliver poem titled “Rice”.   

Rice ~ Mary Oliver

It grew in the black mud.

It grew under the tiger's orange paws.

Its stems thicker than candles, and as straight.

Its leaves like the feathers of egrets, but green.

The grains cresting, wanting to burst.

Oh, blood of the tiger.

I don't want you to just sit at the table.

I don't want you just to eat, and be content.

I want you to walk into the fields

Where the water is shining, and the rice has risen.

I want you to stand there, far from the white tablecloth.

I want you to fill your hands with mud, like a blessing.

Oh precious SERENDIPITY!

All the best!

Bill

The Prospect of Prospecting

Disregard this blog if you run one of those rare businesses in which you wait for the phone to ring or the website to bring the orders or the email to bring the RFQs. Disregard this blog if the market comes clamoring to you and lines up for service.  Most of us have enjoyed brief seasons of profitable market dominance only to be discovered by competitors eager to pick away at our customer base and draw us into a profit eroding game of tag.

Perhaps you innovate and stay ahead of your competition through product development and value-added service only to find that costs rise and customers still expect value regardless - and profits are squeezed. Maybe you rely on residual sales and contracts. All of these will be tested.

Sustainability requires that new clients enter the mix as old ones are allowed to be drawn away to alternatives that you chose not to chase. And so every business has to contend with the prospect of prospecting the universe of potential clients and narrowing them down to sales.

As business organizations refine and become more lean there emerges an imperative of three performance consciousness components. Cross-functional management teams must visualize, anticipate and communicate on a common frequency. If profitable revenues are the goal, then the process of customer identification and conversion to a sale is everyone’s concern and priority. And so it is important that everyone understand the process of prospecting.

Enter the humble Sales Funnel diagram to help everyone visualize that process. Do a Web search of “Sales Funnels” and you will be met with all sorts of versions. One is right for your business. The concept is simple – wide at the top and narrow at the bottom – many prospects enter, they are qualified and pursued and a few convert into customers. Every business type has a ratio model that seems to result; e.g. 100 prospects narrows to 30 qualified and ready prospects, that narrows to 5 that will participate and accept a proposal resulting in 1 that will buy.

Successful after-market customer maintenance aided by the proliferation of information sharing and communications mediums brought on by the internet and social media has transformed the traditional sales funnel into a useful converging/diverging shape that facilitates customer retention, up-selling, conversion of customers into evangelists for your company and the attraction of qualified network prospects from those same customers. Intake on one end, Uptake on the other.    

Here is a sales funnel diagram version that works for a client of mine;

Let’s apply some detail.

From the “Universe” are gathered prospects from a variety of gathering methods such as advertising, active sales prospecting solicitation, referrals and the like. Based on the proven conversion model for your type of business the number of required “Universe” prospects to be gathered will vary for the success rate goal you set. You’ve got to KNOW and DO the numbers!

Leads are “Qualified” by identifying need, determining that the prospect has the resources to make the purchase, understanding the competitive landscape you are up against, exploring buying influences particular to the customer and understanding their purchasing decision process. At this point it is necessary to involve the potential customer in the process so that they are investing in the outcome along with you. No investment in the process on their part lowers the potential for closure.

“Positioning To Win” involves a detailed validation of the need and the budget to meet the need, establishing buyer and seller roles and responsibilities in the process, establishing and adhering to a scheduled trajectory toward closure, aligning your solution to the need (and conducting field trials to prove the fit), continued building of the relationship with both parties investing in the process and rooting out pitfalls that lead to “leaky funnels” – such as; the person you’re dealing with is not really the decision maker, you’re dealing with a nice person who just can’t say no … until you ask for the order …

The “Proposal” must; be submitted when promised, be clear, stay within scope (no surprise add-ons or hidden agendas), leave nothing unanswered, be visual (use customized sketches, pictures and diagrams) to facilitate comprehension, be bottom line sensitive, be easy to execute, be clear on next steps if executed.

The “Closing” process involves; negotiating for a win/win and ensuring no buyer remorse by making a great first impression and following through with fresh energy, positive relationship building and clear point-of-contact establishment. This phase proves to the customer that their decision and the process that led to it were worth it. Customer conversion to evangelist starts here.

Post closing, attention on relationship development should ramp up and lead to eventual up-selling and qualified network referrals (inward funnel leaks are desirable). Don’t spike the ball – wrap it in a bow and gift it to the customer. Think WIN WIN !!

Happy funneling & all the best!

Bill                 

In praise of Journaling

I’m a committed “journalist” which means that I maintain a personal record in which I document “moments” of introspection and inspiration in a binding of blank sheets of paper. I wouldn’t call it a diary. This volume is focused exclusively on personal, spiritual expressions of desire, hope, anxiety, supplication, realizations, moments of clarity and epiphanies. Found there are many precious and enlightening insights particular to my struggles, triumphs, defeats, joys, disappointments and spiritual pursuits that – had I not written them down – would be forever lost in life’s halestorm of distractions.

At the beginning of my book, Fruition~Reflections on a life grafted-in, I emphasize the importance of recognizing moments of spiritual clarity and, “once discerned I further encourage that the experience be documented along the way. Such journaling can be revisited for inspiration and shared with others. Such notations serve as a source of encouragement and proof of the fruit of the true and living God in our lives. The world has a way of erasing our memory of moments of sublime spiritual consciousness and understanding. Written down over time, our personal encounters with eternity reveal the tapestry of our life that is unique and significant. Yet and in spite of its value, journaling is a habit that is hard to establish and rarely practiced among believers.”(pg. 2)

The words “Journal” and “Journey” share the same Latin root, “diurnal”, meaning; of the day. The word “Journey” refers to an act or instance of traveling from one place to another, something suggesting travel or passage from one place or condition to another. Perhaps the word originally referred to one day of travel. A “Journal” is a day-to-day record of transactions, an account of events, a record of experiences, ideas, or reflections kept regularly for private use; a deliberative record of transactions. In the exacting field of financial accounting journal maintenance is practiced down to the penny and with great diligence, pride and discipline. One has only to peruse the journal entries of any business to derive a precise account of activities and the direction in which that enterprise is headed. Should our own accounts of the back and forth relationship with the Almighty go on with any less accounting attentiveness?

So it’s safe to say that a Journal, in the context of a spiritual narrative of one’s life, is a record of the unique transactions between the one drawn and the Divine from day-to-day. Spiritual journals document the relationship. Furthermore, journal writings made in direct connection with devotional time are embellished by the Holy Spirit working through us to illuminate His personalized message of insight and encouragement to each of us.

“Journal writing is a voyage to the interior.” ~ Christina Baldwin

Why journal? Journals are compilations of contemplations – memorials to meditations. If actions speak louder than words, no act initiated by the inspiring power of the Holy Spirit ever came without first a thought or contemplation of the act. Journal writing can galvanize an individual into action. Donald S. Whitney, in his book Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life (Navpress, Colorado Springs, 1991), writes about the power of journaling to instigate action with specific reference to the life of the martyred missionary Jim Elliot; “Missionary Jim Elliot used his now-famous journal to irrigate the practice of the disciplines in his life when the tide of zeal for them ran low.” Whitney draws from Elliot’s November 20, 1955 journal entry regarding Elliot’s departure from regular formal scripture reading as a part of his daily devotional. Elliot writes, “’ … Now it’s too hard to get out of bed in the morning. I have made resolutions on this score before now but not followed them up. Tomorrow it’s to be – dressed at 6:00 a.m. and study in the Epistles before breakfast. So help me, God.’” Whitney goes on to elaborate; “Apparently the desire to revitalize his devotional life had surged though Elliot’s mind and emotions many times before. Transferring that desire to paper, however, seemed to channel it like water into a turbine, so that what was once mere fluid desire began producing power.” (pp.216-217) Whitney also cites an old adage that “thoughts disentangle themselves when passed through the lips and cross the fingertips.” (pp. 213)

“While reading makes a full man, and dialogue a ready man, writing makes an exact man.” ~ Francis Bacon

The scriptures are silent on commands to journal but they are replete with references, inferences and endorsements to its value. Read First and Second Samuel and then read the Psalms of David to experience David’s private journal, of sorts, come alive with power. If the Canon of Scripture is the inspired word of God, then each authentic saint’s journal (epistle?...) contains words inspired by the indwelling Holy Spirit. The much referenced Jim Elliot quotation; “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” comes from his own hand printed notes on a piece of graph paper dated October 28 (1955?). Jim probably jotted that down after a morning devotional in the mountains of Ecuador mere months before his life was taken from him by the very Indians he was trying to reach with the Gospel. Is that quotation not the stuff of Proverbs?

And what is mediation without some record of the wisdom derived therefrom? Joshua 1:8 encourages us to meditate day and night. The Psalmist declares the blessedness of the man who delights in the law of the Lord and who meditates on it day and night (Psalm 1:1-2). Psalm 4:4 instructs us to meditate within your heart on your bed and be still. Psalm 119:15 declares “I will meditate on Your precepts and contemplate Your ways.” And who can forget Philippians 4:8, “Finally brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, it there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things.” Such things are the fodder of journaling.

If, as Hebrews 11:1 states, “…faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen.” then, I dare boldly paraphrase; journaling is the tangible substance of our meditations, the evidence of introspection and reflection.

There are many more inferences to journaling in the scriptures but let me end with this one; Psalm 90:12 “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Is not a spiritual journal a daily accounting worthy of diligence?

I can go on and on about what should find its way into a journal but let me say that a journal tells our story of progressive sanctification as we explore, discover and express our faith. Going from self-centered- anxious, restless, nervous, frenzied, being tossed to and fro, independent of God, unavailable, fearful, joyless and lost toward – all of the opposites of those – our journal records our petitions, prayers, declarations, failures, successes, pleas, thanks, heard whispers, realizations, inspirations, visions, dreams, temptations, brushes with eternal wisdom and moments of extraordinary clarity along the way.

“Journaling can bear fruit at any level of involvement, requires persistence through the dry times and must be engaged and practiced before its value can be perceived.” ~ Donald Whitney

Let me help you get started. Try a few “fill in the blank” sentences to personalize your contemplations like these;

1. The things that prevent me from having an authentic walk with God are:_________________ (e.g. temptations to which I surrender, bad habits, lack of good habits, attitude …).
2. When I _______, I sense God’s pleasure. (e.g. serve in ministry, pray earnestly, give sacrificially, compliment and build-up my children, am there for the widow next door, give of my time at the food kitchen …).
3. What bothers me about the world is _____. (world hunger, the multitudes of chronically ill people in the world due to contaminated drinking water, abandoned children, forgotten prisoners behind bars, victims of drug abuse, single Moms raising young men who have no proper father figure in their lives, homeless people …)
4. It occurs to me that ___ . (e.g. I whine a lot, I belong to a pretty good and supportive church even if some of the people in it get on my nerves at times, God has blessed me with many things that I simply take for granted, I have the resources to do more supporting worthy causes, I have a lot of spare time that I waste on worthless activities …)
5. I’m beginning to realize ______. (e.g. that I should start journaling ?? ….)

What bothers you? What occurs to you? What are you beginning to realize?

I suppose the most common question asked by believers in their private times with God is probably this, “What is Your plan for my life God? Please show me, reveal it to me! I can’t make sense of what is going on in my life and I need that peace of knowing Your plan.” For that we have Jeremiah 29:11; “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” But He doesn’t reveal all, He doesn’t tell us the plan. Rather, He reveals His plan to us day by day, situation by situation. And so we have our journals to remind us of the path we have traveled and we know that what is past is prologue.

All the best!

Bill

Thresholds & Portals

With the New Year there is closure and speculation about the future. We find ourselves at a formal portal to things different and new and an opportunity to view what is past as prologue and to live the saying, “today is the first day of the rest of your life.” All outcomes, of course, depend upon follow-through. And follow-through can be boiled down to steps taken in commitment.

Faced with the future and desiring favorable outcomes I’ve put a great deal of my trust in belief that there is a “God Plan” for my life in which I believe there is to be found purpose, joy and a paradoxical source of refreshment and energy draw from the challenges and trials I encounter versus having energy drawn from me by them. In the midst of uncertainty and change I have often asked God to show me the way – to show me a doorway to His perfect plan for me - that I might walk through it. Those doors, however, do not always materialize and I struggle to identify them.

Saying that one puts faith in a “God Plan” does not by any means imply that one's foot never hits the gas pedal or that one sits around passively waiting on God to act. God does what we cannot do but there is plenty we can and must do. We all have unique talents, abilities and things we do that make us come alive. Those are the things we are to do. Those are the things that, when done, trigger resources and energy and vigor in the doing. But you already know that.

What distinguishes between who takes what action and when, in my opinion, lies in the “initiation” factor. Although the subject of this piece is not “initiation” the concept of it bears some discussion as it is an element of activity associated with doorways, thresholds and portals. God is love and His love and character are initiating in nature. He goes first. After all, He is the initiator/creator of everything. John 1:1-4 (NKJV); “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.”

God leads and He leads by example. God also leads by first seeking (pursuing) us. In Romans 3:11 Paul is very clear to point out that the unconverted do not seek after God. God initiates the relationship. What follows is another matter. God pursues us as a lover pursues and He is possessively jealous of the relationships that He initiates. Initiating action is leadership action. Initiation goes first. Initiating action can be a thought, a vision, an idea, a notion, a glimpse of something that inspires or bothers us - a cause of which we become aware. In my opinion, those initiator things are “of God”. In a sense they are the things that draw our gaze toward His doorways. What follows is our action from natural ability and talent combined with energy fueled or inspired by and in response to the initiating impulse.

The Gospel of John, Chapter 10 captures the image of God’s initiating leadership and of doors and thresholds together (NKJV verses 1-4); “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.”

This concept of “doors” had me wondering what is really true about doors, portals toward new realities and new beginnings. Have I had a correct perception of doors? When I think of doors I think of something solid with hinges and a knob for opening. Maybe there’s a small peep-window, but generally the door is solid, probably of oak, and surrounded by a frame. There may be light coming from a gap under the door but, in general, the door is a barrier to what is beyond. It’s easy to get stuck in the notion that doors are barriers we must confront and open as if to penetrate a wall to get at what is on the other side. Maybe that’s not right.

Someone once said that the door of progress swings on hinges of resistance. The Bible warns us to guard our “door” for what is let into us and for what we let out. Where we interface with what surrounds us are our doorways; our eyes, our nose, our mouth, our mind. God advises us to keep a guard over the door of our lips in Psalm 141:3 and to “guard the doors of your mouth” (Micah 7:5). In Proverbs 4:23 (NIV) we are exhorted; “Above all else, guard your heart (the door to the soul – my interpretation), for everything you do flows from it.” If there are barrier doors they are our open/closed eyes, our open/closed mouths and our open/closed ears and after that our open/closed minds.

A plea for God to show me a door implies my abandonment of self-sufficiency and a receptive availability to His plan. How often has it been said that God uses and guides those who are available? When I’m preoccupied with my own agenda, my own intended outcomes, my own doors - then I'm not really available, am I? My senses, my doorways are closed and I don’t see the entrances He presents before me. The "oak" door is of my own construction. The resistant hinges are my will. God’s “doors” have no oak member, they are wide open portals!

There is a famous painting by William Henry Hunt (1851) of Jesus standing at a door. The door is overgrown with vines and appears that it has not been opened for some time. Jesus holds a lamp and appears to be knocking (Revelation 3:20). To those of the Christian Arminian bent the door signifies volition; the free will of all men to accept or reject the Christ as savior of the world and their soul. To the Calvinist the rendering is false – there is no door that can be put between God and man if God does not will it. On the other side of conversion, the door is the will against post-salvation discipleship. To me the door is figurative. Jesus might as well be standing directly in front of an individual who’s eyes are shut, hands are over his ears and head is turned away. The oak door is the hardened heart turned toward itself - the glow of His lamp calling us promisingly from beneath the door.

What really makes one portal different from another is a willingness to know that it’s there, to face it, enter it and commit with a step across its threshold. I expound a bit on commitment in my book, Fruition ~ Reflections on a life grafted-in. Once across the threshold, once that first step is taken, we enter the new reality and perspective of being in that new space. Everything hits us from a different direction, perspective shifts, opportunities present. Where there was no light there is now enlightenment. The horizon advances bringing vistas and destinations into focus that, before, were unseen and unknown.

Life is a continuum of doorways, thresholds and portals all transitioning and linked. Each step through one results in manifold outcomes and new realities. Every step is like piercing the veil of another dimension. Who can know what is next? This is exciting. We are forever at the threshold of what is next. One ounce of commitment converted into the smallest step makes the difference between the reality that is now and the next. To embrace what’s in store one must simply do the next thing whatever it is!

God show me a door? You’re at the door! Take a step in commitment!

All the best!

Bill