As I’ve aged over the years, sometimes I lean towards being more cautious than courageous. In those moments, it’s encouraging to examine the story of Caleb. At 40 years old, Caleb displayed great courage and desired to overtake the Promised Land—but he didn’t get that opportunity, due to the Israelite’s disobedience and fear. Yet, at 85 years old, Caleb had ...
Two people can have the same experience, but completely different viewpoints. Some will see a challenge as a dangerous pursuit and flee. Others see the challenge as an adventure and charge ahead. When Caleb and eleven other Israelites spied on the Promised Land, they all experienced the same thing, but Caleb saw a possible adventure. Caleb believed God could deliver ...
In Numbers 13, Moses sent twelve men, including Caleb, into the Promised Land for a reconnaissance mission. When they returned, they told the Israelites the people they saw in the Promised Land were powerful and had fortified cities. What Caleb heard was an exhilarating challenge. He jumped in and proclaimed in Numbers 13:30, “We should go up and take possession ...
The book of Nehemiah has some great insights about Nehemiah’s career transition that may be helpful to us today. The fourth and final phase of Nehemiah’s career transition was pursuit. Nehemiah had prayed and prepared for God’s favor, yet when the king asked Nehemiah why he looked sad, Nehemiah needed to decide between being courageous and pursuing his dream or ...
In Exodus 4, God instructs Moses to return to Egypt to free the Israelites from slavery. Most of the chapter, however, is Moses making excuses for his involvement. First, Moses asks, “What if the elders don’t believe me?” God answers Moses by turning Moses’ staff into a snake. Then Moses complained that he wasn’t a very good speaker, and asked ...
A Harvard Business Review article by Weldon Long pointed to a research study that discovered an amazing truth. 48% of business to business sales reps are afraid of making “cold calls!” There were two primary reasons Long noted for this fear. The first is the fear of sounding like a sales person, and the second is a fear of failure. ...
At times, I’ve risked my livelihood to start a new organization, but I've never risked my life like Christopher Columbus did when he went exploring. Even if Columbus’ premise of reaching the East Indies by sailing west had been correct, it was uncertain whether they would have adequate supplies, time, or weather. They took a big risk! In 2 Corinthians ...
The hard thing for many to grasp about the “Me Too Movement” is why these women did not speak up sooner? A professional woman who has been at high levels in corporate America recently shared with me her perspective. She stated that women serious about their vocation come to realize that speaking-up has been typically a death wish to their ...
Jim was a new Athletic Director at a university that was building a new stadium. Jim lined-up an appointment with a past donor to the school, known to be a crusty oil and gas executive. Jim charged in with an aggressive pitch and boldly pronounced, “We need you to give us $1 million!” This executive said, “Who in the world ...
My friend, Rick, shared some exciting news! His wife had been asked to give the commencement address at this year’s Business School graduation ceremony for a major university! Rick went on to say, “Denise has given many important speeches and I’ve never seen her nervous. But this time she’s nervous.” I pondered several reasons why this talk might have her ...
Equipping Others to Do Work Differently
