DeneenTB

Helping you to do MORE for God through your Work

Filled to Overflowing

Reach Your Potential

By 2 Comments

“The secret to success can be found in people’s daily agendas. If they do something intentional to grow every day, they move closer to reaching their potential. If they don’t, their potential slowly slips away over the course of their lifetime.” John Maxwell

Business & Faith-life

Working to reach your potential begins with working on YOU from the inside out. It is like a three-tiered fountain from which water bubbles up through the center and fills the first cup, you. As this first cup slowly fills it begins to glide over the edges to the other parts of the fountain, this is you, overflowing to the other parts of your life. You cannot be the person you want to be, the person you are called to be, if you have not filled yourself up first.

Ultimately it is your Faith-life that defines how you are filling up because only by drawing from God can you hope to live in the purpose and potential you were designed to live in.

How’s that going for you? Are you setting apart time for thinking, reflecting, and sharing your heart with God?

Faith-life

There is a super-abundance of power available to you by meeting with God each day. Power to handle the day’s stresses, power to overcome the negative thoughts in your mind, power to rise above the temptations that are presented to you. You can access His Power by learning more about Him and communicating with Him.

I have been studying many Spiritual Disciplines and have come up with these eight.

Prayer & Meditation

Bible Reading, Study, & Memorization

Praise & Worship

Service & Hospitality

Fasting

Journaling

Sabbath

Creative Silence & Solitude

You can find a more detailed explanation of each of these Practices as a FREE e-book to download on my website.

Daily-life

Start today with one of these practices. The first two are internal practices. This is where your first cup on the fountain fills up, YOU. Not only do you ‘pencil in’ an appointment with God into your daily agenda . . . come to this appointment with enthusiasm and excitement about what you are going to learn about God and how your relationship with Him will grow.

Where are you stuck? How are you showing up when you attempt Bible Reading and Prayer? You CAN make time for God. You CAN be filled with His presence. You CAN tap into His super-abundance. You CAN live up to your potential. It is all found in your daily agenda and being intentional.

Business-life

John says-

Good Decisions – Daily Discipline = A plan without a payoff

Daily Discipline – Good Decision = Regimentation without reward

Good Decisions + Daily Discipline = A masterpiece of potential

Apply this in your business life as well. Fill up on good things so you overflow in all parts of your life in a way that is meaningful and in alignment with your calling.

God has called you to the marketplace and He wants you to live up to your potential. He has called you to show His goodness to those in your sphere of influence. He can only work through you if He is IN you.

Are you looking for something MORE to help you connect to God’s super-abundance and tap into His power in your life? Do you want to do MORE for God in your day-to-day activities?

Join me for the Clarity Leadership Conference & Retreat. This interactive, hands-on experience will give you the tools to access God’s power in your life and live out your calling as you serve others.

Be filled to overflowing,

Deneen

Philippians 1:9 I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding.

The Person Driven Life Can Be Your Life

By 2 Comments

I have read through the Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren twice now. I went through the book the first time with a group at my church when it first came out. Then recently, I lead my Christian Women’s Network Group through the book for our Bible/Book Club.

What did I learn the second time around?

I want to change the wording. . . instead of Purpose-driven life I want to change it to the Person-driven life.

AND, I want to give you three ways to look at this Person-driven life for your Business.

Relationship

First, God has created you to be in relationship with Him.

This is the easy part for me because I truly believe that if you don’t fill up on God each day you will not overflow in your life in the way you are meant to. The vertical relationship with God is what He calls us to FIRST when we accept Him as Savior and Lord our lives. Don’t think anything will go the way it is supposed to go if this relationship is not consistent and growing.

Plan

Next, God has created you to do something specific.

You are part of God’s story. You are alive now to fulfill your part in that story, HIStory. I don’t want you to think though that it is ONE thing you are to do. God leads us to different parts of our ‘something’ as we live our lives. We can only stay on the path if we are willing to meet with our ‘boss’ and align our lives with Him. Staying in God’s Will means carving out time to allow Him to speak to your heart. Listening to what His heart is for you.

Belief

Last, God has created you equipped to live out your Calling.

You are the only YOU that will ever exist. God has given you the unique qualities that are designed to help you live out your Calling. He brings ideas, resources, and growth opportunities into our lives so that we can show up as our authentic selves. Your values, strengths, gifts, and experiences all work together so you are equipped to do what satisfies you most. He really does give you the ‘desires of your heart’.

All In

God is calling you to a life that is ALL for Him. There is no division between the personal, professional and spiritual parts of your life.

Does this mean you have no ambition? No, God has given you a will to be successful.

Does this mean you don’t utilize good business practices? No, God actually brings resources that are best for you.

Does this mean you have to give all your money away? No, God wants you to be financially independent.

It does mean that you have been given the opportunity to BLESS others through your business. God has given you a way to SOLVE the problems of your clients. That’s what a business is all about, solving problems. AND, as you build your business you can BLESS others who join your team.

By focusing on this Person-driven life you have your priorities in order. God filling you up in relationship with Him. Growing in your spiritual life as you become MORE like Jesus. God revealing your part in His story. Growing in your professional life with MORE of a passion for your business. God equipping you to live out your Calling. Growing in your personal life as you learn MORE about how He created you.

God’s vision for your life if so much bigger than yours. Trust Him and take the first step. Where are you not aligning with Him: in relationship, in His plan, in belief in yourself? Get these first three things in order; be Person-driven, you will succeed.

Be filled to overflowing,

Deneen

 

How to Show Your Faith at Work

By Leave a Comment

We have been slowly unraveling what it looks like to show up in your work as a Christian. Your faith is part of who you are and there should be no pieces left behind as you go to your work each day. There should only be wholeness.

So, how can you show your faith at work and not break some unwritten, unspoken rule? Before we look at that, let’s back up for a minute and talk about where you are in relationship to faith and business.

Faith Levels

There are basically four types of Christians in the marketplace. Where do you place yourself?

  1. A Christian who is simply trying to survive.

You see no purpose in your job or business. It is the time between weekends. Your life is compartmentalized and you don’t see how your work has anything to do with your faith. You feel defeated in your faith.

      2. A Christian who is living by Christian principles.

You live your life ethically and morally. You like a set of structures and systems that are proven and make you feel like you are doing something. You want to do the right thing and that includes being good at what you do both at work and at church. The two never mix and you can be a little overwhelmed

      3.  A Christian who is living by the power of the Holy Spirit.

You have a heart toward God and are actively listening to what He wants to tell you. Prayer, Bible study and obedience to God are important to you. You also seek out opportunities to show God’s goodness in your marketplace.

     4.  A Christian who is transforming their workplace for Christ.

You have a mindset that is looking at the big picture to change the world for Christ. You see yourself as an integral part of what God is doing. You are looking to have a bigger impact in your industry so you can change it for good by watching for and acting on ‘God-incidences’ that show His power.

Source: Ed Silvoso, Anointed for Business

 

1 Corinthians 6:17 says, “. . . the person who is joined to the LORD is one spirit with Him.”

Do you think that by showing your faith through your work, you are breaking the rules? Are you afraid to move into the deeper levels of connecting your faith and business because you will get into ‘trouble’?

Faith Solutions

God has you at your job or in your business for a specific purpose. It requires a mindset shift to see your work as the place God wants you to show up as who He created you to be. He doesn’t want you sitting around, waiting to go to heaven. He began this relationship with you and now asks you to trust Him to start to show it by having a good attitude and seeing others as He sees them.

God has given us all we need to show others our faith. He has you ‘on mission’ as you enter your work week. There is no difference between the church you, the parent you, the friend you or the work you. Every place you go God is asking you not to follow a set of rules so you can check off the boxes. He wants to equip you to feel like you are the same person in all situations. He wants a you that is integrated and living to please Him in all things, not the expectations of others.

Growing your personal relationship with Jesus is important. Only by getting into the Bible on your own will you grow your faith so that it can overflow in your life. I always say, “If you are so filled up with God, He can’t help but stick out all over the place in your life.” This is where God wants you, in a relationship where He can show you just how wonderfully He designed you. See yourself as Christ’s ambassador in your workplace and business. You are to impact your sphere of influence and that includes the people you see during your working/waking hours.

God called you to step out and do more for Him as your live your Christian faith. It is not part of your life, it is ALL of your life. You have the power of the Holy Spirit living inside of you. Pray and ask God for His Spirit to give you the confidence to walk in His truth, His love, and His power as you enter your work week. Look for ways to be helpful, have a good attitude, and show others you care about them. God wants you to work with excellence not just for the paycheck but for Him.

Faith Life

God is looking for those who will step up to follow Him no matter the cost. He has you in your work (that job or business) so you can live out and share the gift He has given you. Bring your whole self to your work each day. Believe you are in relationship with Him so you can have relationships that matter with others.

There is no rule at work that says you cannot be you. God’s goodness comes through when you take time to listen to a colleague or invite someone to lunch to get to know them better. God designed you to be in community and to care about others. It is messy, but it is necessary. The more others know that you care about them, the more open they will be to hear about your faith. The more you open up about Whose you are, the more opportunities you will see to live whole, holy and authentic.

 

Be filled to overflowing,

 

Deneen

 

Time Blocking and Serving God

By 7 Comments

My day is broken down into time blocking tasks. For example, it is Monday morning and I have time blocked to write this blog. I ‘try’ to take away all distractions and just write.

During any day I have time carved out to get tasks and projects completed. I also have time blocked out for preparing dinner, going on appointments, and working with coaching clients. Is your day similar?

One thing I like about time blocking is that I get a lot more accomplished. Another thing I like is that I have an excuse not to deal with every distraction from others. I think that’s called, boundaries.

Advantages of Time Blocking

When you have many different things to do in a day, time blocking can make it easier. I am not just talking about in your business. I use it for everything (like when I said, ‘preparing dinner’). It gives me a way to break up my day and prioritize what I need to do.

So, with such a great tool for my schedule . . . How can I FIT serving God into my day? Since I believe I am called to the Marketplace, and I am assuming you are too, I need to figure out how to do it during my work day.

It may be simpler than you think. ? AND, I have an acronym to help you remember.

FIT in Time Blocking

The F in FIT is for Flair. The definition of flair is a natural ability to do something well. Some of the synonyms are Style, Aptitude, and Gift. You are exceptional, a one of a kind. God wants you to be your true self, not someone’s image of you or even someone you think you should be. You have something special that makes you the perfect person to do His work at any time.

The I in FIT is for Individuality.  This definition says, ‘a specific personality, character, or characteristic that distinguishes you from others’. Whoa! You need to grasp how special God made you. You are distinct from anyone who has ever lived or who will ever live. AND, He has called you to a specific job that is different from anyone else. He is shaping your character to be more like Him every day.

The T in FIT is for Timely. Again, you were born and live in this generation for His purpose. The business you’re in is no mistake. You are there to do the work, the calling, He has for you. Your service to coworkers, friends, and others belongs to you alone. God tells us that the ‘time is short’ and we are to make the most of each moment. Use your day-to-day moments to see God opportunities to serve Him.

Did you notice there was no time blocking in that? It’s because you have a unique ROLE that God has called you to. That ROLE also fits into your time blocks because it is designed for you.

Your Time Blocking ROLE

Of course, I have another acronym to help you. ?

R- Be the REAL you. God wants to grow you into His image so you shine for Him. Do it, every day, at home and in your work, while commuting and when having fun. See the people in your life as your way to serve God. Share yourself with them in ways that are natural and build relationships.

O- Be Obedient to Him. Have you ever felt the Holy Spirit pulling at your heart to do something or say something? Don’t squelch those promptings. Ask God for courage to act on them. He will not give you an assignment He has not equipped you for. It is in the little things, the care and attention you give someone that can show them Jesus.

L- Love others. On our own we are incapable of really loving others. Let’s face it, many people are not lovable. That coworker, boss, intern . . . will feel love when you allow God’s love to show through you. Make sure to fill up on God each day so you have His power to love others.

E- You will have an Effect. Those around you will take notice. Each day you will make others stop and think about you by the way you interact with them. Your depth of influence will grow. AND, opportunities will open for you to share your faith.

Time Blocking is a Tool

While time blocking is a great tool for you to grow your business and to take control of your life, it is not something you can utilize to serve God well. He doesn’t want you to FIT Him in along with your other activities. He wants to be woven throughout your day, your week, your life.

When you understand that your ROLE is to show others God’s goodness all the time then it becomes as natural as breathing. This Christian adventure is ‘figureoutable’ because it is simple.

Let me help you ‘figure it out’ with the Calling Clarity Course. God wants you to shine for Him in the way He has uniquely designed you. You have it inside of you to know how to FIT service into your life and how to live out the ROLE God purposed for you.

Check out the info and sign up today.

 

Be filled to overflowing,

 

Deneen

 

Stop Feeling . . . Guilty

By Leave a Comment

We are coming off a busy Season. Do you feel relieved now that it is over? Have you had enough of organizing, cooking, cleaning, shopping, serving, volunteering, partying. . . Should I go on?

Do you feel like your life is a bunch of pieces in perpetual motion as you attempt to get IT all done? Are you filling up the time that you have with things you think you MUST do or SHOULD do? AND, are you trying to please people because they told you how fabulous you would be at doing just one more thing?

STOP STOP STOP STOP

Listen to yourself for a moment. What it is that one thing you would LOVE to do? What is pulling at your heart and bouncing around in your head. THAT is the thing God wants you to do.  As an entrepreneur and business owner, a working woman, you need to have focus. Just as focus is good for your business; it is good for your life.

Focus begins with journal in hand

Here are the steps:

  1. Ask God to come into the time (even if it is five minutes).
  2. Write down three to five things that are important to you. The things you most value in your life.
  3. Make a list of all the things you are doing outside of your work and family responsibilities.
  4. Circle any activities that reflect an extension of your work or family.
  5. From those activities, draw a line from each to the value it exemplifies.

It may take many sessions before you get it all out. Be patient with yourself and the process. Only items that can be legitimately connected to your values stay on your list. All the other activities? Start removing them from your life.

I am giving you permission to say NO and to QUIT. I am giving you permission to spend time with your family, to stay home in the evening, to skip a church service on the weekend, to not volunteer your Saturday away, and to focus on what is important to you. By cleaning out your ‘busy’ life you will make room to make MORE of an impact on your sphere of influence.

God has given you a specific assignment, a CALLING. It is specific for you. Your first responsibility is to take time with Him to listen and hear what it is He wants you to do, not listen to the SHOULDs. Jesus promised that your life in Him would be easy. Matthew 11:30 MSG says, “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

The lie is that your life has a secular part and a sacred part. That somehow you MUST keep the two separated. God wants you to be WHOLE. Living a life that is seamless, where you show up in any situation as YOU.

Keeping you busy and in motion is a tactic of the enemy to make you unfocused and confused. Align your WORK with your values, align your ACTIVITIES with you values. See your WORK, your job and business as your CALLING. God has placed you where you are right now for a specific reason. When you see your WORK as your SERVICE then you have focus to do more for God.

Being close to Jesus does not mean signing up for every volunteer opportunity. It means asking Him what the next step is in your work and life. Take time to listen to the Father instead of all the SHOULDs. Follow your true values, those things most important to you. Find the way to SERVE God through that and you will have focus, feel more fulfilled, and show His goodness in the overflow that happens.

The CLARIFY book can bring you into focus. It has examples and activities to help you discover what God is calling you to do through your WORK. It gives you permission to STOP the perpetual motion and REST in Him and His plan for you.

Be filled to overflowing,

Deneen

P.S. Get your copy of CLARIFY 12 Principles to Illuminate Your Calling to the Marketplace on Amazon starting January 18th. 

 

Serve God More at WORK

By 4 Comments

So, it’s Monday, time to go to ‘Work’.  How do you feel?  Excited? Depressed? Or do you feel just plain tired?  How do you see your work?  Is it something that pays the bills OR are you passionate about what you do?  How do you think God sees your work?

Your Week to Serve

I want to give you some statistics about your week. You have 168 hours to make the most of it. Here is the breakdown (on average):

40 hours- Work

05 hours- Commute

15 hours- Meal Prep & Eating

06 hours- Domestic Duties

35 hours- Sleep

03 hours- Health (physical, mental)

2.5 hours- Bible Reading

10 hours- Kids (homework, driving, talking, etc.)

If you are a numbers person like me I have broken it down into each day too. ?

8 working + .5 commuting + 3 eating + 1.5 cleaning + 7 sleeping + .5 exercising + .5 Bible/Prayer + 2 kids = 23 hours! (You have one hour to do whatever you want!)

Are you tired? Do you see this list and think, How can I do it all? That’s where a little planning can go a looooong way to create space for doing MORE to Serve God Daily.

Look at where you spend your most waking hours, WORK. This may be in an office, factory, store, or in your own business. It is the place you are most engaged with multiple people over the course of the day and week. This is EXACTLY the place you can be the most effective for God.

Your Day to Serve

As a Christian Woman in business or in the workplace you can serve God by serving those you have direct contact with each day. He calls you to use your unique personality, strengths, gifts, and abilities to show up as you. He wants to use you in a mighty way right where you spend most of your waking hours.

Let me give you a tool to begin thinking about this. Ask God to show you 5 people in your everyday life that do not know Him. Write down their names and commit to pray for them each day. Even if it a quick prayer when you see them in passing. Next, start to grow your relationship with them inside and outside of the ‘office’. Pour into those relationships until you have the opportunity to share your story about what Jesus has done for you.

There is no pressure here. BUT, this is what we are called to do as believers in Christ (Matthew 28:19,20). It begins with kindness, interest, affection, caring, and love. For me, Priscilla’s story in the Bible shows me how she not only used her relationships with other believers to give her strength but she also gives me an example of how to reach out, mentor, and tell others about Jesus while I am at work.

The plan is not hard. I am not asking you to preach on a soap box, start a Bible Study, or wear a button to proclaim your Faith. I am asking you to SERVE God by thinking differently about your Work. Don’t make the next volunteer activity at church take you away from spending time with your kids or giving up your exercise time. Make your everyday life count for God. Use the 40 hours of ‘marketplace time’ your place to show others the goodness of God.

Is this the first time you have thought about this way of connecting your Faith & Business? Are you shocked that I would suggest not doing something at church? We have been ‘taught’ for so long that in order to do anything for God it must be through the church. I want to shake you up to think differently and get your Faith ACTIVE in your daily ‘work’ life.

Sharon’s Service

I told this story a few months ago and want to repeat it now.

Sharon came to my Christian Women’s network group one month and asked this question. “How can I serve God at my work?” I began to laugh. Why? Because she had just told me this story. . .

“There is a new woman at work and she is having a difficult time adjusting to the culture of the company. Up until this point I have been the only female in the office. I have adapted my style of communicating and functioning to reflect the male dominated atmosphere. I had not realized how flexible I was at being able to adjust my style based on the person in front of me. I have been working with her the last two weeks to coach her through email language, speaking directly, and confidence issues. She has come a long way in being able to deal with what she has called ‘male abruptness’ and has learned to match her style with the person she is speaking with.”

Why did it make me laugh when she asked the question? For me it was clear that she was serving God by being a mentor to this woman. She was sharing her expertise and giving insight to this woman. I reminded her that she does not need to be at church, volunteering at a soup kitchen, or helping the underprivileged to be serving Christ. She was showing kindness, hospitality, love, and concern for someone at work. That is enough.

It really is enough.

Your Plan to Serve

God wants you to be in relationship with HIM first. That vertical relationship needs to be fed and nurtured before anything else.

Start with spending more time with God and reading His Word.

Pray for those He puts in your mind and on your heart.

Show those people how much you care about them through your words and actions.

Then be ready to share your Story about what Jesus has done for you.

THAT’s the Plan. God wants you to have an Impact. He wants you to make Him known to specific people, the people in your marketplace. That’s how you SERVE Him MORE.

 

Be filled to overflowing,

 

Deneen

P.S. The Clarify Book will be released this month. If you are interested in being one of my Promoters please send me your name and email address. I need your help to spread the word about the Book. Thanks!

Three Tools for Your Calling Clarity

By Leave a Comment

The faith and business connection begins with understanding who God has made you to be. This is a lesson that has been evolving for me since I was in college (a long time, I know). I remember the day a very thoughtful girl told me I was a pretender. She went on to say that I seemed like I had everything together and was sure of myself but that it was a lie. She called me a fake and said I could not possibly be what I portrayed.

Wow, looking back I know these words were spoken from her insecurity. At the time though it hit me hard that I was thought of as a pretender. I prided myself as always being up front with people and not afraid to say what I thought. I also had that voice in my head saying, “Maybe you are a phony”.

The next few years were a battle to be authentic and really figure out who I was and how I wanted to show up in the world. I was in the teaching program and it was there I got my first glimpse into the tools that helped me understand myself. The unfolding of these various tools has been a discovery of self, a deeper connection to God, and a course in living out my Calling.

Personality Profiles

The first time I heard about the Myers-Briggs assessment was my last year of college. I remember the book title, People Types and Tiger Stripes. Remember, this was before the days of the internet and everything was at your fingertips. I devoured this book and created an entire unit of study for a classroom based on the 16 learning styles outlined in the book.

I LOVED taking the assessment myself to see how I operated AND loved applying it to more than the classroom. I was able to start to see others as separate from me in a new way. I could analyze why their thinking was different, understand their point of view better, and be able to speak their language so they felt heard. Amazing.

_____________________________________________________________

I worked in this model for a long time throughout my career as an educator. I got married, became a mom and started to do more and more volunteering. I realized I needed to deepen my commitment to my faith and expand what I was doing to serve in my church.

Spiritual Gifts

My experience with this assessment tool did not happen until I had been serving as a children’s teacher for many years at my church. I began to feel restless, that I could do more than what I was doing. But this was all I knew and I did it well.

We joined a new church after a move. I was determined not to go back to teaching kids. That was the first time I took a Spiritual Gifts assessment. Some things were to be expected, teaching, but other things surprised me. Figuring out how to use these ‘other’ gifts was key. I can tell you, serving in these other areas brought a new happiness and energy to my faith-life.

_____________________________________________________________

As my children got older, and I did too, I started to need even more clarity around what was important to me. I felt I was going through the motions at times. I needed to know what was next and why I thought it was the right next step. I needed a way to make decisions based on the opportunities that were being presented to me.

Values

This tool has been a filter for me for whatever activity, event, or opportunity arises. I remember a time when I was super busy and super stretched. I was always saying ‘YES’ to things because they were always things that came easy to me. Just because you CAN do something doesn’t mean you SHOULD do it.

The Values’ assessment is a stack of words. Sorting through these words really gives you a sense of what is important to you. I realized for the first time why I got bored with projects and needed certain environments to thrive. It gave me a way of filtering out the good so I could do the better. I was able to say, ‘NO’ and feel I had valid reasons.

_____________________________________________________________

Three little assessments to help me understand ME. God is so good that He puts things in our lives at just the time we need them. I have my Calling Clarity. It has taken longer than I want it to take for you. God had me doing other things in my life to get me to this point. Maybe He has you at a point where you need these three assessments and MORE.

I am taking a group of women through the process right now. They are moving through their Values and Personality as well as their Spiritual Gifts, Talents, Experiences, Strengths, and Expertise. My prayer is that God will reveal to them in eight short weeks what it has taken me a long-time to put together.

It is for your GOOD that God does everything. He is calling me to help you go from choosing good things in your life to choosing God’s BETTER for your life. No matter if you are in the college stage through the young mom stage to the empty-nester stage, you have a Calling on your life. Discover it now and live FULLY in it.

Connect with me and tell me to put you on the LIST for the next opening in the Calling Clarity Course. Start your adventure to connect your faith and business and live out God’s BEST for you.

 

Be filled to overflowing,

 

Deneen

 

Recall Yourself

By 2 Comments

As I write this I am sitting in the dealership of my local Mazda. I say local but it took me almost an hour to get here. I have had a horrible rattle in my exhaust area, I am in desperate need of an oil change and I have to get something repaired because of a recall. Whew! What a mess.

I have been putting off this appointment for a while. If you know me, you know I am not a person who procrastinates BUT I really hate having to deal with my car issues. I just want things to work and let someone else take care of the details for me. The mechanic asked if I needed a tire rotation and I realized I am so detached from my car maintenance routine that I forgot I had new tires.

Oil

I am telling you all my complaints because the way I treat my car is sometimes how I treat God in my faith and business connection. Most days I meet with my CEO to discuss the activities of the day. I pray for those I lead and have time to read His Word and listen to His voice (through my journal). I want God to be in my plans and I strive to cooperate with Him for my success.

Other days I get busy and don’t carve out the time I need to meet with the Boss. I try to run on the leftovers from the reading the day before, the Sunday sermon, or the Bible study from last week. Like the oil in the car, I cannot keep running on the same old fluid. I must Grow so I can Overflow. God promises to renew us when we come to Him. Just like remembering to change the oil in the car at regular intervals, you need to fill up on God’s living water at daily intervals to keep everything running smoothly.

I know my days go better when I have planned my time with God and enjoyed His presence. I also know it is not always easy to let go of everything else that you have to do so you can meet with Him. I challenge you not to keeping putting this appointment off. Change the oil often.

Rattle

However, maybe you have not yet decided to make God the CEO of your business. Maybe you feel the relationship is broken in some way. You would LOVE to connect your faith and business but you are content to live with the noise of the world just like the rattle I have been living with in the car for the last few months, it’s not so bad.

You may have even had success in your business while following the ‘blueprint’ of the endless business coaches there are to choose from in the market. God is ready to show you HOW you can be unique in your industry. He is ready to propel you forward in ways you can’t even imagine.  BUT, right now, you are content to live with the rattle. Your heart knows there is more to serving your clients and customers. You feel that pull to make a real difference. But the noise is too loud, too distracting.

I have been there. I remember a time when I chased every online coach for her expertise. I wanted to be successful just like each of them. I listened to the noise of their advice. It is not bad to get expert guidance, but it can be full of pit-falls. For me it was the endless comparison of my success to theirs. I got tired of trying to make it work by doing it their way. When I finally pivoted to doing things in my style, with my personality, and with God leading, it all started to change. I found my voice and my brand started to emerge.

That’s exactly where God wants you, dependent on Him for your success. He will lead you in the way that is exactly right for you.  Getting rid of the rattle allowed me to listen to God’s ONE voice.

Recall

Where are you right now with your faith and business connection? Are you letting God lead in the way you are showing up?  What needs to be adjusted? Take some time to ‘recall’ yourself. Personally, I use my quarterly Quiet Retreat as a time to re-evaluate and set goals. My car recall is not something that is too serious, but the adjustments are necessary for it to run at peak efficiency. Let God make some adjustments for you so you can show up in your business the way He planned.

You are the only you to ever exist and you have your business, during this time, to complete your purpose. God wants you to run at peak efficiency by filling you up each day, turning your attention to Him, and adjusting your parts until you live the adventure He designed for you.

No one can ‘take care of the details’ for you. You must take yourself in ‘to the shop’ to be fine-tuned and kept running well.

 

Be filled to overflowing,

 

Deneen