Saturday, November 17, 2012

Why Church Matters

The last two weekends for me have meant work and lots of it.  Normally I try to keep my work schedule confined from Monday to Friday, but when a big project comes my way, I'm left with little choice.

And while working on the weekends means less social time, a delay in getting the Christmas decorations up in the yard, and less time to spend unwinding, one thing it's not going to mean this weekend is me missing out on church.

While some people have said that church is our way of showing obedience to God, for me it's that but it's more than that too. Church is like having the fire fanned so I can keep running the race with passion from Monday to next Sunday.  When I miss out on either Sunday morning service or meeting with my incredible small group, I feel it. And I don't like the way it feels.

I want to live my life with passion and purpose, not with mediocracy.  So meeting together with other people who get that is like giving water to a thirsty soul.

Yes church is about worship and teaching and obedience, but if you haven't found a congregation or small group where it's also like an incredible family who has your back, picks you up when you are stumbling, and cares for you, you're missing out.

So where are you going to be this Sunday morning?  It's my prayer for you that it's in a community who gets what the Christian life is all about and equips you to run your race with endurance.

Thursday, November 08, 2012

Business Learning

As I'm in the process of transitioning from "employee" to "entrepreneur" I have been learning a lot about what it takes to captain your own ship and build a business that is going to not just stand the test of time, but be an environment in which I can truly thrive.  While it's impossible to share all I've been learning in just one blog post, I wanted to share some of my favourite quotes on the subject:

"The important thing is not being afraid to take a chance. Remember, the greatest failure is to not try. Once you find something you love to do, be the best at doing it." – Debbi Fields

"Business opportunities are like buses, there’s always another one coming." – Richard Branson

"There is no royal, flower-strewn path to success. And if there is, I have not found it. For if I have accomplished anything in life, it is because I have been willing to work hard." – C.J. Walker

"Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is best to admit them quickly and get on with improving your other innovations." –Steve Jobs

"To the degree we’re not living our dreams; our comfort zone has more control of us than we have over ourselves." – Peter McWilliams

"People are definitely a company’s greatest asset. It doesn’t make any difference whether the product is cars or cosmetics. A company is only as good as the people it keeps." – Mary Kay Ash

"I don’t pay good wages because I have a lot of money; I have a lot of money because I pay good wages." – Robert Bosch