Daniel Im's Blog, page 7

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.

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.
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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.

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!

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?

What Hurry Does To Your Soul

A few weeks back when Christina and I were sabbathing (I’m not sure if it’s a verb, but it should be!), I was reading Soul Keeping by John Ortberg.

Let me share a quick excerpt from the book that floored me. It’s an interaction that John Ortberg had with Dallas Willard, when John was serving at Willow:

Many years later I had moved to Chicago. Entering into a very busy season of ministry, I called Dallas to ask him what I needed to do to stay spiritually healthy. I pictured him sitting in that room as we talked. There was a long pause — with Dallas there was nearly always a long pause — and then he said slowly, “You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.” I quickly wrote that down. Most people take notes with Dallas; I have even seen his wife take notes, which my wife rarely does with me.

“Okay, Dallas,” I responded. “I’ve got that one. Now what other spiritual nuggets do you have for me? I don’t have a lot of time, and I want to get all the spiritual wisdom from you that I can.” 

“There is nothing else,” he said, generously acting as if he did not notice my impatience. “Hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life in our day. You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.”

Hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life in our day. You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life. – John Ortberg
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Do you feel hurried?

It’s important to understand that the state of your soul has as much—if not even more—to do with your feeling of hurriedness, as the work awaiting for you on your desk or in your inbox.

So today—and everyday—make sure you have moments where you’re breathing out the stress and hurriedness of your soul and work, and breathing in the life giving presence of the Holy Spirit.

Breathe out the stress and hurriedness of your soul and work, and breathe in the life giving presence of the Holy Spirit.
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To dig deeper, I want to encourage you to pick up both of these books:

Soul Keeping: Caring For the Most Important Part of You , by John Ortberg The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World , by John Mark Comer

Money, Conflict, and Marriage

A few days ago, my wife and I launched a weekly FB Live show called After Hours with Daniel and Christina Im!! It is an opportunity to connect, to ask your parenting and marriage questions, and to be reminded weekly that we are in this marriage/parenting marathon together! 

This week, we discuss:

How knowing your money personality can save you and your spouse a lot of heartache, tears, and frustrationHow the Enneagram gives you the language to both express how you feel and understand how your spouse is feeling during a conflictAnd we answer a listener’s question: “What advice do you have for online/long distance dating?”

Watch this inaugural episode, “Money, Conflict, and Marriage,” on our brand new YouTube Channel! (and please subscribe too, since we’re just getting started

How Our Brains React in Crisis

Yesterday on a podcast, I heard Dr. Henry Cloud share a profound insight on the way our brain reacts during crisis—like the global pandemic that we’re all living through at the moment. Here’s my attempt at a summary and paraphrase.

Generally speaking, our brains make maps about how to do life.

For example, when we are hungry and want to eat a sandwich, our brains have a map that will show us how to get out of our chairs and walk to the fridge. But let’s say, someone rearranged the furniture in your living room over night, and the next time you were hungry, a couch was blocking your way. In this instance, your brain will actually register this as an ERROR according to neuroscientists.

Generally speaking, our brains make maps about how to do life.
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When this happens, your whole system amps up. And for a moment—when your system is really amped up—you lose emotional, spiritual, psychological, and physical functioning and you are thrown off. However, once you recognize that it’s just a couch and that you can walk around it, your body begins to go back to normal. 

Right now, we are living in an ERROR.

Because of this global pandemic, our entire lives are registering on our brains—with red lights twirling around and sirens blasting—ERROR ERROR ERROR.

As a result, our bodies have quickly amped up and our normal everyday functioning—emotionally, spiritually, psychologically, and physically—is off kilter. And when we are amped up, according to research, our IQ actually goes down about 30 points, which means that our decision making, planning, and ability to emotionally regulate is all negatively affected.

There’s a reason your decision making, planning, and ability to emotionally regulate might feel off kilter at the moment.
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So if you’re feeling off kilter, that’s actually normal. No one is exempt from this. We’re all in this together.

During a crisis, according to Henry Cloud, we need to find a way to hit the reset button.

Here are the five areas where we need to hit the reset button:



Connectedness: We need to get incredibly intentional about connecting with God and with others to reset our system, since all the previous ways we had to connect with others—in particular—have been disrupted.Structure and Routines: We need to create new schedules and routines to reset our system, since the previous ones have been disrupted. The more you can organize your day and structure it, the more your brain is going to be able to calm down. Control: We need to outline the things that we can actually control in order to reset our system, since many of us have lost control of what we can and can’t do on a daily basis. Mental Space: We need to “take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Cor 10:5, CSB) to reset our system, since the stress hormones in our brains are creating thoughts  that aren’t actually our thoughts. The stress hormones in our brains are creating catastrophic reactions that panic attacks are made out of. Spiritual practices: We need to practice the spiritual disciplines to reset our system, since only Jesus can give us rest.

5 areas where we need to hit the reset button: Connectedness, structure, control, mental space, and spiritual practices.
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I love what Jesus says in Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Let’s offer this ERROR to Jesus and ask him to lead us in finding reset and rest from all that we might be feeling right now.

Do You Believe These 3 Lies of the Side Hustle Culture?

The side hustle. 

To some, it’s something to do in your spare time that’s more productive than binging on Netflix or Disney+. To others, it’s the new credit card. And for everyone else, it’s become the new normal. After all, if you don’t have one, you’re likely funding someone else’s.

The allure of the side hustle is that it promises a life of freedom and flexibility—or control.
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The allure of the side hustle is that it promises a life of freedom and flexibility—or control. It goes something like this:

“You have unlimited earning potential, so if you want to go on a trip, just gig for a few hours.”

“Want that new outfit? Sell a few things.” 

“Want the latest phone? Hustle for it. After all, everyone has free time that they waste, so just use that time and earn some extra cash. Be productive! You’re in control, so make it happen—rise and grind and get it done.”

Experts are calling this the gig economy and in 2019, according to a study commissioned by Upwork and Freelancers Union, 35 percent of the American workforce was a part of it — up from five years prior. That means 57 million Americans were self-employed in a part-time or full-time capacity getting paid for their time, skills, possessions or expertise. To give you some perspective, that’s more people than the entire populations of Canada, Liberia, Greece and Puerto Rico combined! 

57 million Americans are a part of the gig economy.
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What’s so surprising about it all is just how rapidly the gig economy has grown. I mean, can you believe that 68 percent of all gig workers surveyed joined the gig economy in the last five years? You see similar trends in Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia, where the growing gig economy continues to affect normal everyday life.

Although the news is covering how the gig economy can be both positive and negative to your mental health — or how Uber and Postmates are suing the State of California to stop the new AB5 Gig-Worker law — no one is talking about the unintended consequences that this rapid shift in culture is silently ushering in.

On the surface, the glitz and glamor of a side hustle lifestyle sounds great.

After all, you’re in control and are the master of your future. But underneath the surface, it’s a different story. The gig economy is changing the way we think about work, life, and love by feeding us a series of lies about ourselves. Here are three of them:

You are what you doYou are what you experienceYou are who you know

Although these lies seem harmless because they’re not outright harmful, evil or unjust, they are actually quite dangerous since they mingle truth and falsehood with the subtle and deliberate intent to deceive. Here’s how:

1. You are what you do

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 this lie that we are what we do. But there’s no end to a life of doing. Doing does not result in done. It only leads to more doing. In fact, there is no badge of honor in a life of doing — only exhaustion and despair.

There’s no end to a life of doing. Doing does not result in done.
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2. You are what you experience

Experiences have become the new currency. Amassing stuff and getting things aren’t as valuable anymore. Even when we buy those new things, we’re often buying them for the experiences that they’ll help create. The problem is that experiences are temporary, and a life driven to get more, do more and have more experiences will only lead you further down a path that you might already be familiar with — a life of comparison that’s filled with jealousy and envy.

Experiences have become the new currency.
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3. You are who you know

This lie that you are who you know is so deceptive. On the surface, while smartphones and the Internet appear to be increasing our connection with one another, they’re actually doing the very opposite. They’re exacerbating problems of disconnection, isolation and loneliness. The fact is, we are more disconnected than ever before. And a life built on this lie doesn’t lead to the thing it promises: greater levels of meaningful connection with others. Ironically, it actually produces the exact opposite: isolation.

We are more disconnected than ever before.
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What you do, what you experience, and who you know all hold a critical role in the way that you see yourself and approach work, life and love, but they are not the way to view yourself because they all come up short. They’re incomplete precisely because they’re half-truths, or lies.

There’s nothing wrong with having a side hustle.

Heck, I have multiple! But to go around thinking that you’re immune to the unintended consequences of it is incredibly naïve and harmful—both to yourself and those around you.

So before you head back to your side hustle, take a moment and reflect on the subtle ways that it’s affecting your work, life and love.

*My article here was originally published on February 5, 2020 on Entrepreneur.com

Bold Confidence

I love seeing the world through the eyes of my 5 year old son.

When we’re together, he feels like he’s invincible. When he’s with me, he has the confidence to stand up to anyone—regardless of their size or age. It’s like he thinks he’s superman or something.

It’s like something inside of him changes when he knows that I’m there. He stands a bit taller, walks with his head up, and isn’t afraid to speak. It’s as if there’s this bold confidence that seems to well up from within him when he knows that I’m there…together with him.

I think this is what the David is referring to here in Psalm 27. Here are the first six verses.

1 The Lord is my light and my salvation—
whom should I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
whom should I dread?
2 When evildoers came against me to devour my flesh,
my foes and my enemies stumbled and fell.
3 Though an army deploys against me,
my heart will not be afraid;
though a war breaks out against me,
I will still be confident.

4 I have asked one thing from the Lord;
it is what I desire:
to dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
gazing on the beauty of the Lord
and seeking him in his temple.
5 For he will conceal me in his shelter
in the day of adversity;
he will hide me under the cover of his tent;
he will set me high on a rock.
6 Then my head will be high
above my enemies around me;
I will offer sacrifices in his tent with shouts of joy.
I will sing and make music to the Lord.

The reason David here is saying “Whom should I fear? Whom should I dread?” and then everything else in verses 2-3 isn’t because he’s some testosterone filled machismo guy with a moustache and no neck who’s trying to prove himself!

No, he’s saying all of this because he realizes—just like my son—that regardless of what comes his way, there’s always someone there with him.

Regardless of what comes your way, there’s always someONE there with you.
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His confidence is not in himself or in the size of his bank account, his retirement funds, his job, or his ability to weather whatever virus or unexpected circumstance comes his way.

No, David here in this Psalm is able to say all of this because his confidence is in his Heavenly Father.

His confidence is not in things…it’s in God who owns all things, is over all things, and is the one who has created all things.

Is your confidence in things? Or in the God who owns all things?
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So if the first part of this Psalm is a declaration as to where David has placed his confidence, the second part is his prayer and it’s likely how he was able to place his confidence in God—regardless of whatever storm he was facing.

When’s the last time you prayed a prayer like this?

4 I have asked one thing from the Lord;
it is what I desire:
to dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
gazing on the beauty of the Lord
and seeking him in his temple.

If someone were to have listened into your inner thoughts over these past weeks, what would they say your “one thing” is? What would they say is your desire above all else?

Safety from this virus?Protection from job loss? Finding a new job? That the stock markets would go the other way? To go back to normal? To press the reset button on 2020?

Or would it be David’s prayer here to “dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of your life? To gaze on the beauty of the Lord? And to seek him?”

When our eyes are on the here and now, our confidence follows suit, and is accordingly in the here and now as well….with all of its ups and downs. BUT when our eyes and confidence are on God, we’ll find ourselves concealed in his shelter in the day of adversity as it says here in verse 5. We’ll be hidden under the cover of his tent and he will set us high on a rock because he is our Lord and our Protector.

Friends, let’s pause and place our confidence in the only one who is trustworthy enough to hold our confidence!

Be Rooted

Doesn’t it feel like everything’s different?

I know everything isn’t actually different, but doesn’t it feel like it is? In this season of uncertainty, it sure feels like we’re dealing with the aftermath of an earthquake, tornado, hurricane, AND a tsunami. Not OR a tsunami, but AND—all of these things put together.

I wonder what God’s up to?

Doesn’t it kind of feel like He is exposing our roots? That he is exposing what kind of soil we’re planted in? Exposing where we are getting our nutrients from? And exposing how deep our roots actually are?

What is God doing in your life? What is He exposing? What is He up to?
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For some of you, everything’s been turned upside down. You’ve been completely pulled out of the soil, thrown up into the air, beaten around and around and now you are lying bare on the ground. Finances, work, school, children, relationships, loneliness.

For others of you, yes things have obviously been shaken, but by and large, you’re still smooth and steady. And the rest of us are somewhere in-between.

In this season, as your roots have been exposed, I pray that you would look to Jesus.

In this season, as your roots might now be laid bare, I pray that you would dig deeper into the Word. Because when we dig deeper and daily plant ourselves more and more into the living word of God, here’s what will happen.

WE WILL be more firmly established in love, as it says here in Ephesians.

I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love, and to know Christ’s love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:17-19 CSB)

And when we do this, we will better be able to comprehend the length, width, height, and depth of God’s love. But here’s the cool thing. This won’t just be a comprehension of the mind…it’ll be a comprehension of the heart!

When we dig deeper into the living word of God, we will more deeply feel and experience the depth of Christ’s love that surpasses all knowledge. And the result is that we will be filled with all the fullness of God.

Fullness of his love. Fullness of his joy. Fullness of his peace. Fullness of his patience. Fullness of his kindness. Fullness of his goodness. Fullness of his gentleness. Fullness of his faithfulness. And fullness of his self-control.

SO THAT we can recover from the storm that has passed, endure the storm that is still here, and withstand the storm to come.

Friends. Let’s be rooted deeply in Jesus.

God will help you recover from the storm that has passed, endure the storm that is still here, and withstand the storm to come.
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