Does your life regularly feel a bit off-balance?

 A great post by Rick Warren and applicable to all!  

Does your life regularly feel a bit off-balance?

It’s a vital question in our frantic, fast-paced culture, but one few people pursue with intentionality.

The principle of balance is one of those laws upon which God established the universe. Every nook and cranny of creation is built on this principle of equilibrium. For instance, the earth is perfectly tilted on its axis to sustain and nourish life. A few degrees one way or another and we’d either burn up or freeze. It is perfectly balanced, and God intended it that way.

And he wants balance for you as well . . . along with the peace, purpose, and joy that comes with it.

I want to give you a quick preview of the seven biblical principles to help you live a balanced life that are found in my series, Building My Life on Values That Last. 

1. Build your life around Christ. In Matthew 22:37-39, Jesus summarized life’s priorities in this way: Love God and love people. If that's the only thing you get done in life, you’ve struck the right balance. That’s how Jesus lived, and he was the only perfectly balanced person ever.

2. Accept your humanity. When you overwork, you're playing God. You're saying, “It all depends on me!” No, it doesn’t. You can resign and it's not going to fall apart. God will take care of things.

3. Limit your labor. God wired you to be in a rhythm of work and rest. Our best requires rest because that’s how God knit us together. That’s why Exodus 20:9-10 says, “You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God” (NLT). It’s commanded because it’s needed. Take God at his word and get some rest!

4. Adjust your values. The reason we get out of balance is that our values get out of balance. We expend all our effort chasing after less important things at the expense of more important things. A balanced life recognizes what’s of eternal importance and pursues those things first.

5. Nourish your inner life. God puts an inner fire within each of us that gives us a passion and zeal and a reason to get up in the morning. And if you don’t tend that fire, it’ll go out and you’ll be left with a cold heart. Psalm 119:16 says, "I will delight in your decrees. I will not neglect your word" (NIV). If you're finding the fire in your life has gone out, get back in contact with the living God through his Word and let him begin to light the fire in your heart again.

6. Commit your daily schedule to God.Psalm 31:15 says, "My times are in your hands" (NIV). When you understand that God knows what you’re supposed to be doing on any given day, you’ll begin to move towards the healthy balance he intends for your life.

7. Enjoy the moment. The Bible says it like this in Ecclesiastes 5:19 (and I’m paraphrasing): "All of us should enjoy what we have worked for. It is God's gift." There are two reasons you were put here on this earth. One, know God, and enjoy a relationship with him. Two, use the talents and gifts he gave you to serve others because that builds character for eternity. And while you're living that life he intended, enjoy all the moments!

HOW TO STOP ASKING, “HOW ARE YOU?” AND CREATE REAL CONVERSATION

 A great post by Leadership Freak!

Stop asking stupid questions like:

1. How are you?
2. How are you doing?
3. How are you feeling?

You already know how people are doing. The future feels like mushy spaghetti.

Answers to, “How are you?” sound inane because they are. What’s worse than “Fine”?

What if “How are you?” comes from your heart. Chances of connecting are like a forecast of rain in the Sahara.

Better questions:

1. What are you working on?
2. What’s next on your agenda?
3. What challenges are you facing?
4. What’s working for you?
5. What’s new in your life?
6. What are you looking forward to?
7. What would you like to get done today?

Noticing:

“Open your eyes before you open your mouth.”

“Let’s say you’re talking to the CEO of a large, iconic company who is about to retire, and you noticed a row of empty boxes along the wall of the CEO’s office. You might start with the question, “How hard is it for you to leave this job?” Gary Burnison, CEO, KORN FERRY

Last interaction:

I’ve been imagining that I’m having my last interaction. (I keep my imagining to myself.) What would you ask or notice if this was your last interaction with someone?

The advantages of a ‘last interaction’ approach:

1. Deep listening.
2. Noticing expressions and gestures.
3. Responding with genuine interest.

I ask about people’s stories when I imagine it’s my last interaction. Recently I asked someone about the first teacher they remember from elementary school.

In another conversation I asked, “What was your most embarrassing moment?” You could ask, “What was your proudest moment?”

How might you have authentic conversations?

What’s the value of having authentic conversations?

10 SIGNS YOU MIGHT BE IN A SPIRITUAL RUT

A challenging post by Chuck Lawless.    Read it and be honest with yourself!

It happens to most of us – we deal with spiritual ruts at some point in our lives. 

Here are some signs to see if you’re in one now.

1. You read the Word, but it’s only a “check-the-box” perfunctory reading. You do it because you know you’re supposed to, not because you want to.
2. You pray, but your prayer is brief and repetitive. It’s lost any real sense of relationship between you and God.
3. You can’t readily talk about what God’s been teaching you lately. That’s because you haven’t been in the best spiritual condition to learn from Him.
4. You feel “spiritually tired.” I don’t know how else to describe it: you just feel blah about your spiritual walk.
5. You’ve not shared the gospel with anyone for a long time. That happens when we’re in a rut—our attention to evangelism gets diverted.
6. You go to church, but with no sense of excitement or anticipation. You’re still faithful Sunday after Sunday – and you might even serve each week – but you have no expectation that worship will move your heart.
7. You’re less sensitive to the Spirit’s conviction when you’re under temptation. It used to be that you turned to God and fled temptation quickly; you still fight temptation today, but with less zeal.
8. All of your testimony relates to what God has done in the past, with no present-tense stories of God’s work in your life. All the high points of your spiritual growth have been in your yesterdays. Today is just routine.
9. You find yourself less interested in hanging out with other believers. Fellowship has become routine, so it doesn’t motivate you to join with others.
10. Your spiritual walk is on autopilot. You do what you’re expected to do as a Christian, but you’re just going through the motions.

Are you in a spiritual rut? Tell us how we might pray for you.

AN ESSENTIAL THAT SKILL THAT FUELS SUCCESS

A good post from Dan Rockwell

It’s natural to consider your own concerns. It’s leadership to reflect on the concerns of others.

The dripping faucet of others is opportunity for perspective taking.

Perspective taking – an essential but neglected skill – enables success.

Concerns:

Deadlines, personnel issues, and pressing problems are dripping faucets for leaders. It’s short-sighted and self-defeating to think you don’t get paid to share those concerns.

Usually the boss brings up pressing problems and deadlines, for example. But perspective takers bring up dripping faucets first.

Refresh your boss by respecting their dripping faucets. The corporate team doesn’t want sympathy.

Their dripping faucet is your opportunity.

(If you can’t share the concerns of your boss, you’re in the wrong organization.)

“An essential component of communicative competence in a pluralistic social world…is our capacity to adopt the perspectives of different others” Rommetevit

Perspective:

Take the perspective of the boss, even if you aren’t the boss.

1. Practice curiosity. Learn to see how others see by using gentle inquiry.
2. Listen a bit longer. Answer a bit slower. Quick answers may feel more like disrespect than concern.
3. Say, “I’ve got that.” Who experiences more fulfillment? The tight fist or the open hand?
4. Inquire about personal concerns. “How’s your mom doing?”

Dedicate yourself to see life as others see it. You don’t have to agree. You just have to acknowledge.

Taking perspective enables you to contribute more and take less.

A narrow lens leads to a small room.

The ability to take the perspective of others multiplies opportunity.

Busy:

You’re too busy to practice perspective taking. But lack of perspective taking might create unnecessary busyness.

Perspective taking questions:

1. What’s on your mind?
2. What’s important to you about this?
3. What important issues are you facing?

Be the person people love to see come and hate to see go.

What hinders perspective taking?

How might you practice perspective taking today?

Bonus material:

Perspective Taking (Lifehack)

The Power of Perspective Taking (PT)