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Saturday, May 19, 2007

The last post for Ministry Exec, Thank You

Dear Friends,

This is the last post that will appear on this blog. I have decided that since I took ownership of Relevant Message (RM) it would be more practical for me to combine efforts and interests into a single Christian Ministry blog. So, if you are subscribed to this blog and wish to continue keeping up with my Christian life, please visit RelevantMessage.org and subscribe to that blog.

Thanks and hope to see you there.
-Ryan

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Wednesday, April 11, 2007

A missed opportunity to exercise my blogger duty

One of the great benefits to writing is that it gives one the opportunity to collect his thoughts and gain perspective on matters. Blogging in particular gives me the ability to explore my position on subjects and establish points of view so that I can make decisions. Blogging is most useful in that you are putting these thoughts and writings on public display which leaves them open to others for interpretation and scrutiny. For this to be effective, we bloggers must be truthful and open with ourselves and our readers in order to establish trust.

Well dear readers, it appears that I have been failing to exercise my rights, duties, and responsibilities as a blogger. Worst of all, I have lost an opportunity to take advantage of this particular blog and share a most important circumstance unfolding right now in m life. Here I sit on the eve of what appears to be a pinnacle of events in my career and my faith which I have not been writing about, while the whole purpose of this particular web log is to discuss workplace ministry.

There is no way for me to share all the details at this point, but I can at least share a testimony with you of how God has been working with me on my career as of late.

You see, tomorrow I am appearing for a third interview with an extraordinary company about an excellent job opportunity that we have been exploring together for more than a month now. The position offers financial stability, job security, growth opportunity, great benefits, you name it. And the work itself would be exciting for me, as well. The strange thing is that in the midst of our talks these past weeks, another excellent opportunity has presented itself which is even more in harmony with one of my life-long dreams...to own my own business. The kicker is that the self-employment path, of course, does not offer all the stability and peace of mind that employment with the afore mentioned corporation would, but the opportunity however is real.

The months leading to this have been done in constant prayer and counsel with those that I trust. The test of faith is for me to look upwards for making this decision and to strive for a constant state of mystery and mystification. This is important because it wouldn't not be dutiful for me to seek out an opportunity to fulfill a life-long dream without God's blessing. By the same token, if I push for an opportunity because of the security and peace of mind that it offers, well then that is straight up idolatry and that wouldn't be good either. In fact, what this really comes down to is my intent. If my intention is not centered around seeking and glorifying God, then that would not make me a faithful servant.

The point is that there is no right or wrong selection here when it comes to making decisions like this. No matter which path I choose, I will make the best of either one to the best of my abilities. The essence of the matter is how God is being glorified. Although I have not effectively shared this quest on the blog, I have shared it with those close to me and I believe that not only has it strengthened my faith in and relationship with Christ, but also I think that those I have spoken with got a chance to see God working in my life. And that, is holy glorifying.

Be sure to always include God in your plans, especially when making life-altering decisions with your career. Always remain mystified. In addition, be sure to take advantage of the tools we have in place as well. I regret not having shared this on the blog these past months and I will try to delve more into it in time, but that opportunity has past and I did not take advantage of that. Fortunately, I can always remember this oversight and learn to be more adventurous with the tools (blogs) I have produced.

Godspeed!

Sunday, March 18, 2007

A New York Prayer Breakfast (NYPB) is a sign of things to come

Last week I had the pleasure of attending a prayer breakfast in Rochester, NY hosted by Rick Chavoustie and Charlie Craddock. The breakfast is held every month and lasts for about 60-90 minutes and has been going on now for about 6 years. It is a quaint and informal Christ-centered event. Each month they invite a guest to talk and give testimony and this month I was that guest.

The breakfast consisted of about 30 people, primarily automotive professionals being that Rick and Charlie both are in the automotive industry. Also in attendance were a vocalist and a few pastors from the area, one which had an extraordinary testimony to share that I might seek to publish sometime.

The topic of my testimony was faith in the workplace and I shared how God has become the decision-maker not just in my personal life but also in my career. I brought up things like Os Hillman whose TGIF devotionals I use daily and The C12 Group which has opened up to me the idea of a Biblically-minded career. I also shared the two blogs I write on – RelevantMessage.org and then this one for workplace content; plus I introduced them to the HomeNet Ministry blog (my now former employer).

I think the message was well-received. The important part for me while there was to be a messenger of Light and to be an expression of humility and trust in the Lord.

While there it became apparent to me that the much anticipated career changes I have been experiencing were coming to a head. I was there in place of my own boss who was originally scheduled to be the guest speaker but then chose to attend a higher-profile industry event instead. It took tremendous love and selflessness (which is hard for me) to be a genuine steward of the situation. But I guess that is what this is all about – working for Christ and not your self, that is.

Rick and his family welcomed me into their home the night before which made for a hearty and blessed stay. All-in-all it was a great trip and a refreshing experience. Thank you to Charlie and Rick for having me and to those that took the time to share with me their own stories. I hope that this visit is not only the first of many more in Rochester, but also that it may lead to additional fruitful benefits for us all in the times to come.

God Bless!

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Friday, March 09, 2007

The Holy Trinity identified in 1 John

The other day in the same Bible study class as was mentioned in my previous entry, we discussed how in 1 John 4:7-12, John effectively ties in the Holy Trinity by stating:

"…God is love" (Father)
"…God…sent his son as an atoning sacrifice" (Son)
"…God abides in us…" (Holy Spirit)

Within these six verses John writes "love one another" three times and identifies how we can know God simply through His love. In the next few verses, John describes how that with the confession that Jesus is the Son of God, the cause of loving your brother results in God abiding in you. By this you can "see" God through his love. Finally, in the latter verses John explains that because of the Holy Trinity and your confession of Christ’s sacrifice, we must love one another in all situations.

I posted this on RelevantMessage.org as well which is a Christian life blog on which I write, but I wanted to share this on here too for whatever reason.

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Thursday, March 08, 2007

Loving Your Brothers in the Workplace


Last night in my Bible study group we discussed 1 John 4: 7-21. The central theme was about loving one another and it brought to mind a couple situations I have been facing recently in the workplace.

One situation has to do with an employee feeling powerless about his interaction with and relationship with his manager while his manager feels that his team member is not living up to his full potential and is responding in counter-constructive ways. Both of these men are fellow brothers in Christ but are struggling with acceptance of each others’ situation and behavior. The other situation has to do with me and my own boss, where his actions and his thinking are destructive to his own best interests because he is unwilling to accept his responsibility of certain situations. I can not control his actions or his thinking and so I am faced with the choice of acceptance and love versus rejection and hate.

In both scenarios, the vital message at hand is the wisdom to accept these situations as things under God’s control and to love one another so that God ultimately may be glorified. Without the desire to do so, situations like are not likely to result in progress, or more accurately, the deepening of one’s faith and relationship with the Father. For my self, this love for my brother (boss), which comes from God, is giving me the ability to accept the scenarios presenting themselves and in a loving and constructive manner.

1 John 4: 20-21 reads:
If someone says, "I love God,: and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can[b] he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.

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