My nephew, Shawn, gets bussed daily to a local machine tooling business where he operates a laser. This job gives him relief from his prison cell, provides him purpose, and enables him to make restitution to his victims. The most meaningful benefit to Shawn, however, is what this job has done for his relationship with his daughter. Shawn’s past mistakes ...
While touring a prison in Hutchinson, Kansas, I witnessed the value of work. Inside the Hutchinson prison there exists a private company called Seat King. Seat King hires inmates to assemble seats for riding lawn equipment. This gets the inmates away from their small prison cells, pays them a fair wage, and provides dignity. Nationally, most inmates, when released, will ...
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 ...
For many people the last thing they want to celebrate is their labor. A Gallup poll revealed that 67% of people surveyed are disengaged with their work. Labor Day celebrations are more likely to commemorate the day off than for their work. God created Adam specifically with a purpose to work as a rancher. In Genesis 1 we read, “Then ...
Nehemiah’s vision for rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem is only two verses long, but it identifies four elements helpful to us in our own vision casting opportunities. The third element is to “make an emotional appeal.” People typically get behind a project based on their emotional connection to the project. In Nehemiah 2:17, Nehemiah said, “You see the bad situation ...
In the kids movie “Up,” there’s a dog named Dug. Throughout the movie, Dug gets distracted by squirrels. He drops whatever he’s doing to yell, “Squirrel,” then turns back to his task. A friend of mine jokingly accused both my wife and I of being squirrel hunters like Dug. Our friend knows we can both get distracted by new ideas ...
Gallup’s new book, “It’s the Manager,” uncovers several findings that point to the critical nature of hiring the right managers. One factor is understanding why engagement is so important. Gallup highlights that in previous decades workers ranked their family, having children, owning a home and living in peace as priorities that came in above having a good job. But in ...
P.K. Bernard said, “A man without a vision is a man without a future. A man without a future will always return to his past.” Creating a vision statement, working “on” the business, can seem like a waste of time, energy and human capital resources when compared to working “in” the business. Proverbs 29:18 says, “Where there is no vision, the ...
In a recent article by Neil Kokemuller, he writes, “A business card comes in handy when you need to establish your credentials.” As a tool in the marketing quiver, a business card can be leveraged to share more than contact details. A business card can give your prospective clients insight into your personal or corporate purpose and vision. Luke 9:20 ...
My friend, Adam, recently contrasted his experience between two different cruises. His first cruise was a Disney Cruise with his entire family. The second cruise was a Carnival Cruise with other couples. The Disney Cruise was expensive but had tremendous entertainment value. Carnival Cruise was very inexpensive with limited entertainment. Adam felt both served their purpose. Carnival’s limited options met ...
Equipping Others to Do Work Differently
