Daniel Im's Blog, page 6

October 7, 2020

You Are What You Do – Audiobook





As a podcaster, recording an audiobook was such a fun experience. If you find that you don’t have the time to sit down and read, I know that you’ll love listening to the truths inside of my newest book.





If you aren’t already on Audible, click here to get a free trial and download my audiobook for free. Otherwise, click here to see all the different ways you can grab a copy of the book (paperback, kindle, or audible).





Here’s the summary of You Are What You Do: And Six Other Lies About Work, Life, and Love





The way that we’ve done things for centuries has been unsettled and unseated. We’re living in a new normal. And while on the surface many of these changes look like the next best thing, there’s actually a complex and fragile web of lies holding it all together:





You are what you do
You are what you experience
You are who you know
You are what you know
You are what you own
You are who you raise
You are your past





In You Are What You Do, author and Pastor Daniel Im considers these seven lies and the context that causes them to flourish. Through personable stories, research, and pastoral insight, Daniel will show you how to recognize these everyday lies in your life so that you can discover the truth on the other side. The truth that leads to freedom. The truth that moves you from surviving to thriving. The truth that will unlock a life of purpose, adventure, meaning, and destiny.


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Published on October 07, 2020 08:07

September 28, 2020

Do You Have a Culture of Co-Signers or Authorized Users?









Everyone on your team is either a co-signer or an authorized user.



You might be familiar with the difference between the two — especially if you are a parent to a young adult, or if you’ve ever needed help building your credit. A co-signer on an account takes a shared responsibility for payment, but an authorized user simply has access to the credit line. While this is typically a financial conversation between parents and children, within this concept lies a powerful leadership lesson for anyone leading a team. Every employee is one of the two. Which would you rather have?





Would you rather have a team of co-signers or authorized users?
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In other words, are you building a culture of co-signers or authorized users? It’s quite simple to tell the difference. You know you have a team full of co-signers when everyone feels a personal attachment to your mission, vision and bottom line. And I’m not talking about individuals who have equity in your company — I’m referring to employees, not shareholders.





When you have team members who care about the soft side of culture building and organizational health — and they’re not in your HR department — you know you’ve built a team of co-signers. And when your team is willing to roll up their sleeves, double down on projects and make personal sacrifices in the face of low projections, you have a team of co-signers.





A team of authorized users looks quite different. They might be worried about the consequences of a bad quarter, but they’re not willing to go beyond their scope of work unless you talk about overtime pay or some sort of incentive. Authorized users would obviously like a positive work environment, but if something needs to be fixed, it’s someone else’s problem. And if a team member is willing to jump ship to a competitor, regardless of how much you’ve invested into them, you know they were an authorized user.





Here are three tips that will help you cultivate a culture of co-signers:







1. Envision, don’t task



As the leader, always start with the why. I know it’s easy to go straight to the what or to the how, but without starting with the why, you’ll never cultivate a culture of co-signers. Authorized users don’t care about the why because they’ll feel like it’s wasting their time. It’s “above their pay grade,” and they’ll feel like it doesn’t actually matter. However, co-signers feel personal responsibility to your company, so they want to know the why behind the what.





Without starting with the why, you’ll never cultivate a culture of co-signers.
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2. Develop, don’t dump



When you’re busy, the quickest and easiest thing to do is to dump work on your team. You’re their boss, after all, so they have to do it. However, if you want to cultivate a culture of co-signers, you need to develop your team so that they are able to anticipate and pick up the work before you even feel like you need to assign it. The only way you can get there is by investing in and developing your team. Develop them with the skills and competencies you have so that they are able to do what you do. And don’t worry about losing your job or being replaced, because I’ve never met anyone who has been fired for being an expert people developer.





You’ll never be fired for being an expert people developer.
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3. Share, don’t tell



Authenticity beats autocracy every day. No one is willing to go the extra mile for a dictator who lives up in their ivory tower. Authentic leaders who are willing to admit when they don’t know something or when they’ve made a mistake, on the other hand, will find themselves with a legion of loyal team members who will die on the hill for them. So when you need to implement change, invite your team into the process and share what you’re thinking.





Authenticity beats autocracy every day
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If you practice these tips over and over again, you’ll wake up one day with a culture of co-signers rather than authorized users.





*My article here was originally published on March 27, 2020 on Entrepreneur.com


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Published on September 28, 2020 21:02

September 22, 2020

How to Live When You’re in Transition

If you feel like you’re living in the middle, you’re not alone.



Are you in transition? Are you living in between one thing and another? If so, then beware! Because when we’re living in the middle, we often forget the past, turn inward, and drift off course.





Here’s a message I preached at my church on living in the middle by examining how God’s people have historically navigated this tension.

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Published on September 22, 2020 22:24

September 1, 2020

What COVID-19 is Revealing about Your Church





Have you ever noticed that one of your arms is stronger than the other?



I find that most days, this goes unnoticed—it doesn’t matter if I’m lifting a box that came from Amazon, or setting up tables and chairs for an event. It’s only when I’m lifting weights at the gym—or these days in my makeshift home gym—that I recognize just how much my right arm is stronger than my left.





It’s not immediate though. I don’t necessarily notice it when I start bench pressing. It’s only when I get to my third or fourth set of reps that I start realizing the imbalance because the bar starts dipping slightly lower on my left side.





Let’s think about this for a moment.



Why do you think this is happening? Is it that my left arm suddenly got weaker? And that the weight lifting caused my muscles to deteriorate?





Or, is it that my left arm was already weaker from the outset? And when pressed, put under pressure, and tested, the true strength and health of my arm was simply revealed?





Friends, this global pandemic has not only pressed us to our limits, pressured us beyond our point of comfort, and tested us in ways that we never thought we could handle, but it’s also done the same to the church.





The church is being pressed. The church is being put under pressure. And the church is being tested.



Global pandemic or not, the church has always been a body of believers that are both scattered and gathered. We are called to scatter and share the good news of Jesus making disciples of all nations (Matt 28:18-20), but we are also called to gather regularly and be of an encouragement to one another (Hebrews 10:25). We are called to scatter and gather. Scatter and gather.









Global pandemic or not, the church has always been a body of believers that are both scattered and gathered.
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This is how it’s always been since the birth of the early church.



In the Book of Acts, you see the early church gathering together to devote “themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer” (Acts 2:42). And “every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple, and broke bread from house to house” (Acts 2:46). But then you see them scattering when Peter and John ministered to the man who was lame from birth, and also when they’re then arrested for teaching about the resurrection of Christ (Acts 3-4). This pattern is repeated over and over—not only in the Book of Acts—but also over centuries of church history. And it continues today—the church is still gathered and scattered.





This global pandemic that we’re living through didn’t cause the church to scatter. No, the church was already both scattered and gathered! This pandemic has simply revealed which “arm” was already weaker from the outset.





I wonder if God—in his sovereignty and providence—is allowing this pandemic to take place because he wants to reveal and remind us how scattering is just as important as gathering?



I wonder if God is wanting us to work on our “weaker arm” to prepare us for something that we do not yet see?





And I wonder what gospel impact your church will have in your city when your scattering becomes as strong as your gathering?





So here’s my encouragement to you and to your church: As your church begins to re-exercise its gathering muscle, may you not forsake the scattering of the church, as is the habit of some. And if you have to close the doors again because of this virus, may that serve to remind your church of its true nature, and further strengthen your church’s love for both gathering and scattering.





Let’s rise up and be the gathered and scattered church.


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Published on September 01, 2020 05:00

August 25, 2020

God Will Never Give You More Than You Can Handle?!

Did God really say that he will never give us more than what we can handle?



Are trials punishment from God? What’s the role of endurance and the testing of our faith? Is it more about our ability to do things or God’s ability to do things through us?





Here’s a message I preached at my church debunking this very myth, “God will never give you more than you can handle.”












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Published on August 25, 2020 05:00

August 19, 2020

5 Steps To Easily Increase Connection During COVID-19









Start an online book club.



It’s super simple and a fool proof way to increase meaningful connection with others around you during this weird season of masking and social distancing.





Here are 5 steps to get started:



Reach out to a few friends, or write a quick post on your favorite social media platform. It can go something like this: “Anyone up for an online book club? I’m about to read [INSERT NAME OF BOOK], and would love to discuss it with a few others.” Agree on a start date, time, and frequency. Clarify which chapters to read by when.Connect using your platform of choice (FaceTime, Instagram, Messenger, Zoom, Hangouts, Houseparty, etc.)Facilitate the discussion by sharing favorite quotes, what stood out to you, and what you are going to change in light of the chapter.



That’s it!





If you’re looking for book ideas, check out this list of 15 recommended books from LifeWay that are all on sale for under $8.





My newest book, You Are What You Do: And Six Other Lies about Work, Life, and Love is on the list for only $8!!

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Published on August 19, 2020 22:16

July 6, 2020

Is God Trying To Get Your Attention?









A couple years after getting married, Christina and I moved to Korea. Until then, though we had visited other countries, neither of us had ever lived outside of Canada. In fact, we were about to purchase our first home in Montreal, but when I got a job offer to work at one of the largest churches in the world—I’m not exaggerating, it was a church of 50,000 people—our priorities conveniently changed in an instant.





I found myself saying things like:





Isn’t this a once-in-a-lifetime sort of opportunity?

I’d be stupid to say no, right? After all, we don’t even have children yet.

This would skyrocket my career. Just imagine what this would look like on my résumé!

God has to be in this, otherwise, why else would I get such an opportunity?

I’m going to make such a greater impact there than I would here, so isn’t this a no-brainer?”





I’ve forgotten which of those phrases I said to Christina, which ones I kept hidden in my heart, and which ones I wasn’t even aware of myself, but that pretty much sums it up—and I’m not proud of it.





Within a couple months, we sold everything—including my beloved Volkswagen GTI—packed what we could in a few suitcases, stored what we could at Christina’s parents’ place, and bought a one-way ticket to Seoul, South Korea.





The plan was to stay there long-term.



Christina enrolled in Korean lessons, was working with me at the church, and started her Masters in Counseling. I was pastoring, finishing up graduate school, and teaching English on the side. Life was good and things were fruitful. In fact, they were so fruitful that a year after we moved to Korea, we became a family of three!





So with our baby girl, we decided it was time to grow up and move out of our furnished apartment in the party district. We wanted to lay down roots, so we found a nice little two-bedroom apartment and furnished it ourselves. We even bought an oven, which wasn’t a normal appliance for a typical Korean home. Can you tell momma bird was nesting?





Life was really good, until everything started to unravel.



And by everything, this time I really do mean everything. A few months after moving into our new apartment, we lost our jobs, our closest friends, and our home. We lost our livelihood and everything was taken out from under our feet. In short, my ladder-climbing-résumé-building-career-rocketing adventure abruptly came to an end, and we had to move back to Canada.





I was devastated.



Once the dust settled, I started wondering if we had somehow made the wrong decision. Maybe we were never supposed to go in the first place. Perhaps I incorrectly assumed that God was leading us (because of my mixed motives), when in fact, it was just a good opportunity.





I was also ashamed.



What would I say to the doubters who thought we were making a mistake to sell everything and move halfway across the world? What would I say to my parents who were leery of us going in the first place? How was I supposed to support my wife and child now that I was without a job and essentially homeless? And why did I feel like someone had just punched me in the gut, stolen my keys, and driven off with my car? After all, it’s just a job, isn’t it?









What do you do for work?



As children, we’re asked what we want to do when we grow up. As adults, we’re asked what we do for work. And at the end of our lives, we’re measured by what we’ve done. It’s not surprising, then that we believe the lie that we are what we do. It seems to be the primary way that we ascribe value and worth onto one another—and ourselves.





The lie that “you are what you do” seems to be the primary way that we ascribe value and worth onto one another—and ourselves.
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If you remember telling your parents that you wanted to be an artist, musician, or athlete when you grew up, you probably learned from an early age that not all jobs are created equal.





What’s up with that?



Who made the decision that becoming an engineer, lawyer, or doctor was fundamentally better than being a creative anyway? And what does “better” even mean? Just more money? And why do parents feel like it’s their universal responsibility to set their kids straight and teach them this proper hierarchy of jobs?





Referencing an article in The New York Times, Timothy Keller put it well:





So many college students do not choose work that actually fits their abilities, talents, and capacities, but rather choose work that fits within their limited imagination of how they can boost their own self-image. There were only three high-status kinds of jobs—those that paid well, those that directly worked on society’s needs, and those that had the cool factor. Because there is no longer an operative consensus on the dignity of all work, still less on the idea that in all work we are the hands and fingers of God serving the human community, in their minds they had an extremely limited range of career choices. That means lots of young adults are choosing work that doesn’t fit them, or fields that are too highly competitive for most people to do well in. And this sets many people up for a sense of dissatisfaction or meaninglessness in their work.





No wonder we over identify ourselves with our jobs—we’ve been conditioned to do so, both from within and from without. So to satisfy both our internal craving for meaning and our external drive for a particular quality of life, we look for the perfect job. A job that boosts our self-image and also pays the bills. And if the latter is lacking, no worries—that’s why the gig economy exists. An extra gig here or side hustle there never hurt anyone, right?





No wonder we over identify ourselves with our jobs—we’ve been conditioned to do so, both from within and from without.
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Pressure, Platforms, and Pretending:



What happens when our being is defined by our doing? When we believe the lie that we are what we do? And when this becomes the primary lens through which we measure success?





1. Pressure



Wouldn’t you feel an enormous amount of pressure to do more so that you can get more, have more, and be more? Unfortunately, this is a never-ending cycle because there’s always more to do. It’s kind of like laundry—it never ends. And even when you think you’ve done enough, there are always others who have accomplished more than you, which then leads to even more pressure to do more.





2. Platform



In today’s world, in order to do bigger and better things, don’t you have to have a platform? If people don’t know what you’re doing, are you really doing it? While platforms in and of themselves are neutral, the problem is that they often open the door to a compartmentalized life. This leads to a separation between the private and public, and as it grows over the years, fewer people are let in on the inside, until eventually you’ve locked everyone out—including yourself. Now to be clear, this doesn’t have to happen, but unfortunately, it’s often what does. Isn’t that why it was so shocking to hear of Robin Williams’, Anthony Bourdain’s, and Kate Spade’s suicides? Weren’t they finally enjoying the benefits of all they’d done?





3. Pretend



If you can’t keep up with the pressure, and building a platform isn’t going as well as you thought, isn’t the next best option just to pretend? Fake it ’til you make it, right? Buy followers on social media, pay people to purchase your products, and pad your numbers. If it worked for some of the most recent startups, why wouldn’t it work for you? Just listen to the podcast, How I Built This, and you’ll see how many hacked their way to success.





Unfortunately, the thing about pretending is that it always leads to anxiety. You’re constantly looking over your shoulder, wondering when you’ll be found out, and what will happen then.





Pretending always leads to anxiety.
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A life dictated by doing is not much of a life at all



How many more executives, entrepreneurs, and spiritual leaders need to lose their families, and their own souls, for us to get it? And how many more public personalities need to implode, before we learn from their mistakes and pivot? When we let this lie define our lives, we inevitably end up neglecting the relationships that mean the most to us, our emotional well-being, and our spiritual health. Isn’t that why we’re called human beings, and not human doings?





A life dictated by doing is not much of a life at all.
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When we arrived back to Canada, we moved in with my parents.



With no job, no purpose, and nowhere to go, they graciously let us stay in their house until we could get back on our feet.





I was resolved to move out as soon as I could—not because I didn’t love my parents, but because I was a married man with a child. So instead of bumming around in my PJs, I started handing out my résumé to everyone and anyone who would take it. I started with churches that were looking for pastoral staff. To be honest, I was expecting a flood of phone calls—after all, who wouldn’t want to hire me? I had experience in a church of 50,000 people!





Silence.





“Maybe they want to receive a few more résumés before getting back to me,” I thought to myself. So to keep myself busy, I figured that I’d just work at Costco or Starbucks until the right opportunity rolled around—but they didn’t call me back either. I even applied to teach English as a foreign language, which wasn’t my favorite thing to do, but at least I had years of experience doing it.





Nothing. No one would call me back for an interview.





Perhaps God was trying to get my attention.





This was an excerpt from my book, You Are What You Do: And Six Other Lies about Work, Life, and Love.

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Published on July 06, 2020 21:00

June 18, 2020

Pivoting and Planning in a New Day of Mission





When we moved back to Canada last year, one of the first things that I did with my wife was sign up for a gym membership. When Christina and I were figuring out which gym to join, one of the sales associates decided to go with the “personalized” approach to try to “tailor” what his gym offered to our needs.





Anyway, he started with Christina and asked her what her goals were and why she wanted to join the gym. She said things like, “I’m thinking about doing a marathon,” “I want to stay healthy,” and other reasons along those lines. With quite the approving head nod, he wrote down her answers, made a few encouraging comments, and then turned to me. How about you Daniel?





I still remember his reaction to this day. When he heard my answer, it was utter shock. In fact, he stumbled over his words—not quite as long as Prime Minister Trudeau did when he was asked about President Trump’s response regarding the protests—but it was something like that.





“Chips. I love eating chips. I also love smoking meat on my BBQ. I just love eating. That’s pretty much the only reason I’m working out.”





Alright, so what’s the point?



We ended up joining the gym that day, and for several months, I made the commitment to not go into work until I first went to the gym—even if it was for only 30 minutes.





While I didn’t hit that goal 100% of the time, I actually did quite well.





For the first time in my life, I was working out more than once a week! My body, my health, and how I physically, mentally, and emotionally felt was the best it had ever been. And then COVID-19 hit. And then the gyms closed. And then grocery shopping got a little more complicated. (But, fear not, I still had my chips!)





In that moment, instead of hunkering down and just waiting for things to go back to normal, Christina and I decided to pivot and figure out a new rhythm and routine for exercise.





Pivot. Doesn’t it seem like the word of the year?



Although it seems like everyone and their mom are using this word, it really does encapsulate what we’ve had to do over these past few months. It’s either pivot or die.





Pivot or Die.
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There’s no going back to pre-COVID days. Yes, COVID-19 will eventually fade away, but it’s so deeply changed the fabric of our society and the way “church” looks, that even when we’re gathered together again it will be different.





It’s kind of like how Jesus interacted and ministered with his disciples pre-resurrection versus post-resurrection.



Let’s think about that for a moment.









After he was resurrected, things didn’t just go back to normal. Sure, he still ate fish, but it wasn’t the same. There was a new normal—there had to be—because something was fundamentally different. It was a big “C” change, not a small “c” change.





Well, it’s the same with COVID-19. There is no going back. So, if you don’t pivot, you won’t survive. If you don’t pace yourself, you won’t survive. And if you don’t practice rhythms of rest, you won’t survive.





Pivot, pace, and practice. Pivot, pace, and practice.





If you don’t pivot, you won’t survive. If you don’t pace yourself, you won’t survive. And if you don’t practice rhythms of rest, you won’t survive.
Click To Tweet





You need to pivot your plans in this new day of mission, which we’ll get to in a moment. You need to pace yourself since we’re not in a sprint, but in a marathon. And you need to practice healthy rhythms of rest—daily, weekly, and seasonally—so that you can be responsive to the leading and movement of the Holy Spirit.





What does it look like to pivot our plans in this new day of mission?



Although the future is uncertain, the opportunity that we have to look to Jesus and be the church is unprecedented. In fact, when we entered into this COVID season, God laid those two phrases on our hearts at my church, Beulah—look to Jesus and be the church.





Let’s look to Jesus and be the church.
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Yes, we don’t know how long this is going to last, but we can look to Jesus and be the church.





Sure, we don’t know how low our offering and giving is going to dip—or how long it’s going to last for that matter—but we can look to Jesus and be the church.





Absolutely, there’s a lot of noise out there with polarizing views and solutions to this whole thing that make it hard to know left from right, but we can look to Jesus and be the church.





In other words, there’s a lot that is still uncertain, but there’s even more that’s certain because we worship a God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. We worship a God who will never leave us nor forsake us!





There’s a lot that is still uncertain, but there’s even more that’s certain because we worship a God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
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I love what it says in Isaiah 55:8-9 CSB,





“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
and your ways are not my ways.”
This is the Lord’s declaration.
“For as heaven is higher than earth,
so my ways are higher than your ways,
and my thoughts than your thoughts.”





Friends, although the future is uncertain, this doesn’t mean that we should put planning to the wayside, since the harvest is still plentiful and the workers are few.



So in the midst of our uncertain future, here’s what I want to leave you with. As it relates to planning, obviously soak yourself in the Scriptures, wait on the Holy Spirit, and do this in community with other leaders, but make adaptability the lens in which you do everything.





Make adaptability the lens in which you do everything.
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Plan in shorter timeframes so that you can continue to pivot as you learn what’s effective and what isn’t. Ideate, test, and then evaluate. Ideate, test, and then evaluate. Do this over and over again to see what works and what doesn’t.





Ideate, test, evaluate. Ideate, test, evaluate. Ideate, test, evaluate.
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Let me end with the words of Jesus in John 4:35 CSB,





“Don’t you say, ‘There are still four more months, and then comes the harvest’? Listen to what I’m telling you: Open your eyes and look at the fields, because they are ready for harvest.


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Published on June 18, 2020 20:49

May 27, 2020

Dear Graduate during COVID-19,









Congratulations! What a momentous occasion that you’ve worked so hard toward. Honestly, hats off to you! I’m sorry though that it had to be in the midst of these crappy circumstances. It really does suck.





But here’s the silver lining in the midst of the interruption and disappointment of COVID-19.



You NOT being able to find that job you’ve worked so hard for might actually be a gift.





A gift?!





Yeah, a gift.





It’s a gift because you’re learning what took me YEARS to figure out…and what many people much older than you STILL don’t know.









Ready for it? Here it is: You are NOT what you do.





I know that might seem obvious, but it actually isn’t.





As kids, we’re asked what we want to BE when we grow up, but then we’re conditioned to answer that question by naming what we want to DO. As adults, we’re asked what we DO for work—and unfortunately then measured according to our answer. And at the end of our lives, we’re measured by what we’ve DONE .





No wonder we believe this lie that we are what we do!





If you can get this right, you’re going to shave off decades of striving after something that never actually satisfies.



And this is where my book comes in. You Are What You Do: And Six Other Lies about Work, Life, and Love can act as a guide for you during this season of waiting and uncertainty. It will help give clarity in the midst of the fog that you might be feeling.





And the best part of it all is that it’s 50% off at LifeWay.com right now.





So if you just graduated, do yourself a favor and ask one of your family members or friends to buy you this book as a grad gift. And if you’ve made it this far in the article and aren’t a recent grad, perhaps you can purchase a copy or two for those in your life who just graduated!


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Published on May 27, 2020 21:14

May 19, 2020

Creating New Habits and Rhythms









When we left Nashville and moved back to Canada, I was resolved to fix this one thing that had eluded me my entire life.



No matter how hard I tried, I could never figure it out.





Was it that I didn’t care? Or was it just that the pain of changing was greater than the pain of staying the same?





All I knew was that if I didn’t address this one thing, it could potentially lead to the downfall of my marriage, my family, and my ministry.





Before I share this one thing that I’m referring to, I’m curious whether you have something like this in your life? Is there something that—if left unattended—could eventually undermine your life and ministry? Some part of your life that isn’t necessarily an example for others in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity? (1 Timothy 4:12)





Is there something that—if left unattended—could eventually undermine your life and ministry?
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For me, it was my health. What is it for you?



As I shared in my book, You Are What You Do: And Six Other Lies about Work, Life, and Love, it was pornography and lust at one point in my life. At another point it was alcohol. But, as it says in 1 Corinthians 15:57, “thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!”





For some reason though, even though I found victory over those matters that plagued me in the past, I thought my health was a different matter. Well…that was until my annual physical showed otherwise. The results showed that if I were to keep eating the way I was eating and only exercising once or twice a week, my life, ministry, marriage, and testimony could be cut short.





So I was resolved to change. I was resolved to create new habits and rhythms so that I could experience victory in this matter, like I had experienced victory over my prior addictions.





It is a well known fact that in order to change, you have to create a new rhythm and habit, and resolve to stick with it for at least a few weeks.



So when we moved back to Canada, I decided that I wouldn’t allow myself to go into work unless I first went to the gym.





I know this sounds extreme, but I had to do something extreme, since I wanted to be around to see my children get married, to hold my grandchildren, and grow old serving Jesus together with my wife.





So that’s what I did. I started every day with a 30 minute workout at the gym before heading into work—no matter what the weather. And I’m proud to say that I did this for seven straight months—other than when I was doing physiotherapy because of a couple car accidents.





To change, you need to create a new rhythm and habit.
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And then COVID-19 hit and my gym shut down.



Then my office shut down.





Then we bought lots of COVID snacks because…why not?!





To be honest, I was pretty devastated, since I had finally created a new rhythm and habit and I was feeling better (and looking better) than I ever had. But here’s the thing: In the face of opposition, we need to choose resilience. We need to choose tenacity. We need to choose to move forward, rather than feel sorry for ourselves.





In the face of opposition, always choose resilience.
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So instead of being angry at COVID-19 for ruining our rhythms and habits, Christina and I chose to pivot instead.





We cancelled our gym membership and decided to finance a Peloton bike instead, since it cost the same amount of money. (As a side note, if you’re interested in purchasing one, just use my referral code ZN38HX and you’ll get $125 off). And I’m proud to say that today was my ninth straight week on the Peloton in my new rhythm and habit!!





So while COVID-19 has likely disrupted many of your rhythms and habits, the solution isn’t to wait until things go back to normal, since there’s no going back. Because





If you don’t pivot, you won’t survive.If you don’t pace yourself, you won’t survive.If you don’t rest, you won’t survive.And if you don’t create new rhythms and habits, you won’t survive.



If you don’t pivot, you won’t survive. If you don’t pace yourself, you won’t survive. If you don’t rest, you won’t survive.
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So what’s your next step toward change?



In Chinese, the word “crisis” is made up of two characters. One represents danger and the other represents opportunity. So how are you going to leverage this global and personal crisis as an opportunity for change? To create the new rhythms and habits that will help you move forward and pivot?


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Published on May 19, 2020 05:33