MVP (Men of Vision and Purpose)

This is for a class I'm teaching at church this Saturday morning at MVP.  Just thought I'd share.  It is MY blog, after all!

VIOLENCE IN THE WORKPLACE

Ephesians 6:12 (New Living Translation)

¹² For we^[a] are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

There is a battle going on every day in your workplace.  It is a battle of epic proportions, fought in plain sight, but very often overlooked.  This is the battle for your good name, your integrity, your character and your testimony.  Men of vision and purpose will see the hidden strategies of the enemy and combat them.  The fiery darts thrown at you in this environment most always come at you in subtle ways, but they are relentless and you must always have your guard up.  Even Jesus was tempted, so you are NO exception! Be vigilant in your daily walk at work. This is how.

I.                   The battle that goes on every day in the workplace is fought over your:

Accountability

Character

Testimony

Integrity

Values

Exampleship

A.)  Accountability

-Most of us don’t work together outside of the church, so you are “on your own” a lot of the time and must remember how we have been discipled and taught. You probably don’t work with your wife either… so..

-Things will happen, “situations” will arise.. often disguised as “opportunity” or fun

-Know when to call somebody.  Don’t expect to be able to handle every situation on your own.  Some situations can’t be.  Stand up for yourself, but don’t be a hero.

-Know WHO to call.  An accountability partner can’t be just anyone.  It has to be someone that you can be open with, vulnerable in front of, and someone that you trust.  Be careful when picking this person, or call your leader!

           

B.)   Character (Galatians 5:22-23)

- Probably the MOST tested attribute of the MVP in the workplace. 

-Work is stressful.  Work is not fun sometimes.  Work can be your biggest challenge some weeks.  Stress brings out the worst in all of us.  I don’t care what they say about working well under pressure… Fire brings out impurities, stress brings out character flaws.

-Character is the easiest trait to lose points on in the world’s eyes.  They’re already looking at you differently, expecting you to react differently, waiting for you to contradict yourself by your actions.  All it takes is one slip-up when you get mad to tarnish your character.  Trials are good though, as long as there is some self-evaluation going on behind the scenes.

-Work is where the pressures of life show in you the most.  It can certainly be the “Fire” that causes those impurities to show.  It’s easy to leave work problems at work when you go home… but almost impossible to leave home problems at home when at work.  Compounded by stress, these have a tendency to bring out your ugly side!

C.)   Testimony. 

-It only means something if you are LIVING IT.  If no one can see

                        what sets you apart, or makes you different then you are doing it wrong!

a.) everywhere you go, everything you do and say, should reflect the miraculous thing that God has done in your life.  This includes everything.  There is nothing that is outside the changes God has made in you, and your life should be the evidence.

-Your testimony is a gift to you from God, the personal storyline of the      relationship between you and Him.  You need to LOVE IT.

            a.) Revelation 12:11 says that it helps to defeat the enemy!

b.) Love to tell the story!  You and I should be overjoyed that we have been redeemed, snatched out of the clutches of Satan by a God that loves us.

-PROTECT IT.  Don’t let situations, actions, words, people, or yourself (!) cast a shadow of doubt on your testimony.  It is a powerful tool you have against the enemy, and for evangelism

            a.) back to accountability

            b.) stay out of the “no-fly zone”

            c.)  PRAY without ceasing

            d.)  READ consistently

            e.)  attend church (people talk, you know)

-Testimonies by definition are made for sharing, so SHARE IT! 

a.)  take every opportunity to let someone know what has been done for you so that they know what Jesus can do for THEM.

b.)  don’t discount your testimony because you think it’s “nothing special”.  You can connect with people I can’t and vice-versa.

c.)  Don’t bogart Jesus!

II  MVP Leads in the Workplace

            The men of MVP are different. We are a rare breed. In this era of power-hungy, jet-set, corporate ladder climbing, motivated go-getters making their way to the top there are far too few that maintain Godly and biblical principles and set a good wholesome example for the next generation.  That’s where we diverge from the norm.  We lead the way Jesus led.

A.)  through INTEGRITY. You do the right thing even when you think no one is around to see it. 

-MAINTAIN IT.  In order to maintain your integrity, you must be in constant communication with God, and hiding his words in your heart so that it comes naturally.  Walk away from questionable situations or environments.  Sometimes it’s just not worth it to stay and fight. 

-As MVP, we are plugged in.  We are present and visible.  We are devoting ourselves to God

-Follow the rules! (2 Cor. 8:21)

-be a man of your word and be known for it (Prov. 16:7)

-respect.  Give it where it’s due, and it will come back to you.

-SHOW IT.  Let people know where you stand… and STAND THERE!  If you waver in this, you have lost something that is very hard to rebuild.  If the integrity (solidity) of a vehicle’s frame is compromised it becomes weak.  It can be straightened using the proper tools but, unless reinforced, will fail again.  It’s ok if you have compromised your integrity, you just have to redouble your efforts to build it again. As MVP, we show our integrity through our actions.  We stand apart from people at work and they notice something different about us!

-PROTECT IT  We are accountable to and hold each other in high regard.  We have a calling on our lives, vision for our future, and disciples to make.. Hold tight to your integrity so that NOTHING comes between you and what God has designed you to be.  Remember, you are different so they are watching you!

B.)   MVP leads through VALUES.

Our values line up with the word of God

Our values line up with our Founders

Our values line up with our Pastors

Our values line up with our leaders

All of the areas that we have covered are highly visible traits that someone can see in you just by watching you.  Your values, however, are tested through your responses to different stimuli.  It could be a dirty joke, a “hey, look at that girl over there”, a “no one is looking, let’s take some, they’ll never miss it” 

      Let them know!

      Let them show!

-          We value things that the world does not.  Things like:

o       Our marriage/singleness

o       Our family

o       Our church (“no, I can not work on Sundays!”)

o       Our leadership.. Yes, you must respect your boss

o       Hard work.

-          We uphold our values in the face of temptation (examples)

-          We uphold our values when others do not share them

-          We uphold our values when others do not respect them.

-          Never let them slip, they are the very CORE of the Christian man in the secular workplace.  HOLD FAST.

If you are not in tune with God and you are not united with your leaders, pastors and founders, your values could waver or falter under pressure.  KNOW the cloth you are cut from.

C.)EXAMPLESHIP

                        As men of vision and purpose, we are called to the task of living out our testimony, setting an example for other men to follow, and staying in tune with God and our pastors in a way that SHOWS in everything that we do.

-we are men of vision.  This means that we are seeking out God’s will for our lives and walking in our calling.  We know who we are in Christ and are undeterred, unrelenting, indomitable and unstoppable in our pursuit of His will for our lives.

- We are men of purpose.  Everything action is dedicated to a forward progress.  Nothing is left to chance or whim.  We are CALLED AND CHOSEN by God Himself, and take heart in the fact that He has created us for a time such as this; a day and age where men are wishy-washy, lukewarm, task-oriented, obsessed with worldly things, being tossed to and fro by the whims of the world. 

Men of Vision and Purpose are men after God’s own heart.  

The battle in the workplace is a very real one, and there are often casualties. Dead values, dead integrity, dead testimonies.  To win this war, you must remain vigilant.  You must guard your heart, because that is where all of these things originate.  If you look back at the beginning, you’ll notice an acronym: ACTIVE.  To win any fight you can not stand still.  You must remain active.  Constantly plugged in, constantly praying and reading, constantly upholding the things in your heart that make you a man of vision and purpose.

Harder than it looks...

I thought I'd be able to keep up with a blog.  It's simple, right?  Just like a journal.  Well, I never was any good at keeping journals.  I think the longest journal I ever kept was during my stay at a rehab facility.  I wasn't too keen on AA's ideas concerning the source of my power to change.  I knew that 12 steps were not enough to keep me going in the right direction, and that I have GOD, not a "higher power".  In that journal, I wrote letters to God every day.  I told Him about my failings, my shortcomings, my hangups and my hurts. It's easy to write when you can just bear it all without fear of rejection, humiliation or rebuttal.  God is a good listener huh.  I'm going to treat this blog in the same way, and just start writing things.  Who knows what will come out?  Especially since you can't do anything about it!  Ha, I kid.  Maybe I'll find a good entry from my old journal and share it.  Not many people know what I went through, or how messed up my thinking was during that time in my life.  Even I have to wonder sometimes.  Looking back, I feel so grown up now.  If I find something in there worth sharing, I'll share it... but for now, let us speak of new things.  After all, I am a new creation.  Let the blogging begin.

quitting time

What is it that keeps some people going past the place where others call it quits?  Is it drive?  Determination?  Willpower?  "Guts"?  Lately I have had an image stuck in my head regarding this question.  I am standing at a crossroads.  One of the old fashioned ones like you see in old movies with two dirt roads intersecting in an open field.  There is a wooden stake with arrows pointing in both directions, but only one has any markings on it.  It simply reads "reason".  I can tell by looking at the track leading in that direction that most of my fellow sojourners have heeded its gentle prodding and gone that way.  At first, I can't  say that I blame them.  The road is wide, flat, safe and with promise of shade somewhere not too far up.  However, as I look down the road marked by "reason", I get the feeling that I have been there before.  Something inside tells me that along the way I would probably find the wreckages I have left on that road in the past.  It looks different this time, as it always does.  It looks safer, more comfortable and even possibly more fun than the last time... but it always ends in varying degrees of the same kind of awful disappointment
.        Looking forward, I am greeted with a much more rugged scene.  The road becomes a simple dusty path overrun by weeds.  It is obvious that very few people choose this way, but still, there are enough to keep the path established.  Further on, the track leads through a forest and then up to a mountain.  This is the point at which people begin to "reason" with themselves, making up any excuse to take the easy way.  They tell themselves they can't do it, that it's just too hard, It's just too much work, It's not FOR anything, or it's just not enough fun.
       I stand at that crossroads and think to myself "why?"  WHY would anyone choose the road most traveled when they already know EXACTLY where it will lead?  If, even IF they are fortunate enough to survive the trip down that road again with minimal losses, it only leads right back to here.  The choice will be presented again and again until the right one is made.  So now we have come full circle... What is it that keeps some people going past the place where others call it quits?  Is it drive, determination, willpower or guts?  No.  It is, quite simply, a choice.  We all have the power to make that choice.  No matter how great or small your personal bank of determination of willpower, all it takes is the tiniest amount of faith to keep you moving forward.  Faith that the reward is waiting for you over the mountain and through the woods.  Faith that you will be given the strength to see it through to the end.  Faith that you are doing this for a reason, even if it seems like the task is too great.  As hard as it is to continue pressing forward, the long term rewards outweigh the short term comforts significantly.
      I am writing this from a spiritual perspective, but this is applicable to every situation and every tough decision you may ever have to make.  It could be physical challenges like an IronMan triathlon, moral challenges, emotional challenges, or even personal challenges such as changing deeply ingrained habits.  It all comes down to the choice that you make when you come to that crossroads.  Choose the easy way and you will undoubtedly be right back here again.
     I press on.

the beginning..

...My Mom always said that I was a writer.  My wife says I should start a blog.  I'm going to give it a shot and see what comes of it.  I guess blogging is a little like Facebook, in that you get to write about any nonsense you feel like writing about, just on a "lonelier" level.  Who knows if anyone is even reading it?  Good and bad I suppose, but I'll try and limit the nonsense to the social network and keep it off of here.
...This is more of an experiment than anything else.  When I was young I always wondered why "old" people were so opinionated, and why they felt the need to bore everyone else in the world with their views.  Now that I'm older I find myself more inclined to talk about things in great detail that could quite possibly have bored a younger me to tears.  Now I have a place to put those things so that you can be bored to tears as well.  I have no predetermined course for this blog, and no thematic limitations.  It will be whatever it will be, piloted by my imaginations and focused ramblings.
...Let's see where this thing goes.