Serving someones vision

I have been in many different companies and organizations. Some have been small companies of just a few employees and others have had 50K employees. They've all had one thing in common. There is always a vision in the organization. Those who don't, tend to be persuaded by popularity or money. But those who have a vision never loose focus on where they are going. Every leader I know promotes people who support the vision of organization. They may disagree on how to do it, but they stay on the same direction of the vision.  So, from a leader's perspective, they want to raise people, but they also want to have people on their team that support the vision. True leaders do not enslave people, but rather raise them in order to accomplish the vision together. So, if the vision is big enough, it will require more then a generation to fulfill it.

But what about the servant or employee point of view? That's very good question.  There is a trend I have noticed in many organizations. People tend to start serving someone's vision but end up leaving for the wrong reason. I hope in the posting I will address some of the reasons on why people abandon the people they serve, and how to avoid this mistake. Now I don't know all the answers, but looking back to my experience, I have come to learn some things that have allowed me to stay faithful to the people I am serving.

Here are some questions that all of us have asked ourselves.

• "They don't care about me. Do they see how hard I am working ? Don't they know I am going through the most difficult thing in my life?
  
  These questions always hit home. And, for the most part, these questions are valid and the pain is very real. This is where we cannot allow our personal pain to interfere with our view of leaders. If you allow that then everything we say might be in disagreement with them. It's OK to disagree with leaders, but if your disagreement becomes personal, then you will end up attacking the leader personally. One of my favorite characters in the bible is Joshua. One of his greatest strength was servanthood. Joshua was in the circumstances with everyone. He grew up in slavery for all of his life. He went through the desert just like everyone else. No matter what the circumstances or what his point of view was, he always followed his leader, Moses, and he stayed faithful to the promises of God.
  
  How do we stay faithful when we are going through circumstances? First, communicate to your leader about what you are going through. This way he will understand what you're going through. Many people I know have left organizations and the leaders never knew why. Leaders may not resolve the situation, but they will at least start making decisions that will allow you to heal and grow faster. Give them some time for this because you're not the only one that is going through the pain. In fact, leaders usually have to deal with other people's personal issues. If we knew some of the responsability that our leaders carry, we would be a lot more patient.

• "I am finding out who I am and where I want to go, but there's no place for me here."
  I like this statement because you are growing in knowing your identity and are looking for ways to go deeper. Much like that last point, it is important to communicate to your leader about what you are going through. Two things usually happen here:
  
  1 - Your leader finds a talent that he has needed for a while and gives a you new role in the organization. Most organizations do not want to hire outside the company because they have to build relationships all over again. So if they can use someone internally, it helps them and at the same time  , it allows you to grow into something you want to do. The key is relationship! And the best relationship you can have with a leader is sonship. However the role may not be ready immeidatiely, or the mail not disclose to you because of many reasons. It could be they dont have the funding or it could be that they are waiting for you to mature in some are areas in work.
  
  3- If  there's no place for you at the organization, then it could be the start of a transition for you. If it is, then that's great because you are growing into something bigger than you can handle. And if you are in this place you want to transition as a son. As a son you can be sent out instead of you leaving without a blessing. Most people who are "sent", are sent with a recommendation for the other organization. However,  people who "leave", burn bridges.
  
  
• How can I serve someone if I don't agree with their values?
  
  You can serve and honor someone and still not agree with them. If we were to serve only with people that we agreed with, then you could not work anywhere. Eventually you will be under someone that has different core values than you.  If you position yourself as a son in every situation, you will influence your leaders in a way in which they can value your opinion even if your core values do not align.
  
  
• "My vision is not aligning up with that of the organization"
  
  If your vision does not line up with the organization's vision, then it could be that it's time for you to leave. But you want to be sent. It is possible for you to be sent to fulfill your purpose even if your vision does not line up.  Communicate it your leader because I have found your leader has other pierce from other organizations that could help you. They may setup a meeting for you so you can transition well. If no opportunity opens up, do not rush it! Everything should be done out of relationship. Forcing things can wiil put you in a position pleese people instead of serving people.

On a note if you do "leave" an organization, dont speak against them. Even if you had the worst experience in you life, you dont want to say anything to theres about it. Most leaders know each other especially if they are in the same industry. They get together at conferences and golf courses, to discuss strategy. You dont want to hear your name in a negative way. 

Ultimately the best way to serve someone, is to stay as son. Whey you position your self as a son, you will always server the best way you can. Even if you leader does not take you in under his wing, he/she will feel the support you give them. Also your leader will value more then just a servant. When you value someone, you will notice their needs and grow until the serve someone else vision. No matter where you go you will serve someones vision. If you leave to start something on your own, you will ways serve someone. Even the president of the united states role is to serve the people. Stay has a son and serve someone else vision, and others will serve your vision.

From moment your born God gave you a vision for you to full fill but at the same time you were born under your parents leadership.

Value Inheritance

For  the past month or so, I have been in a journey understanding the value of inheritance. It started when I went to Redding, CA and I saw what was built, after years of sacrifice. I walked into the place and felt so much grace and power freely. I did not have to pay anything for it. It was available for me for free. I was very humbled on the flight back as I reflected on what I sensed. I realized I had to value what they did for me. They sacrificed something for me and they had never met me.  The tendency is for us to value something that cost us something, but if someone else did then we really don't value it. This is how inheritance can be thrown away.

Inheritance is when someone leaves something that's of value to someone else. So, as a father I want to make sure my kids' inheritance has high value so they they can invest it and pass it on to my grandkids. I do not want them to inherit my debt. It's important for me to pay the price now so my kids will not have to go through the same path I did. It's important that my success is the ground they build upon. For me to accomplish this I have to value what my parents gave me in life. I have to value the price they payed for me so I could walk in what I am walking in now for free. Inheritance is not money. If your great, great, grand father took time every Saturday and played with his kids in sports, by the time you are born, you walk in a family of athletes. So,  do I value inheritance ?

1. First, find out what you carry at the present. You can't value something if you don't know what you have.  This was the case in the The Prodigal Son story of the older brother.
   
   
    28 “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’ 31 “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. (Luke 15:28 - 31)
   
   The brother saw his younger brother receiving a great deal of riches even though he blew it away and became very angry. But I believe if he knew what he had, he would have been part of the celebration.
   Even his Dad reminded him that he had it all this time.
   
   
2. Second, find out how you received your inheritance. Go back and listen to the stories of your family. It may not be the most dramatic events, but in their times it was. You get to listen to their hearts while they talk about their times of faith. Write it down so that your kids will remember what your family did. This is not for the next generation to repeat the same sacrifices, but is to remember the price they payed for you to go further. When you do this then one day others will the do the same for you.
   
   
3. Third, learn how to steward the inheritance. A great example would be if your parents gave you a car when you turn 16. If you took care of the car, it can last you for some time. You would have to clean it, matain it, etc.. But if you did not steward what was given to you, then the possiblity of the car breaking is high. Therefore, you can end up working to pay the bills to fix it, when you could have just enjoyed something for free.
   
   It's the same thing when you go to a work place or a ministry. When you start  a job, you actually are working for someone that started something from nothing. Their sacrifices allowed for you to work and make money. And if you steward it well, you will be be promoted and eventually hire other people for the company.
   
   
4. Last, do not be ashamed of what has been given to you. You will find after sometime valuing inheritance, people will take notice on what you carry. This so important because what you carry is what they need. Some folks may envy it, others may serve you many ways. But it's because God is highlighting you so others can receive the inheritance also. Freely you receive, freely you give away. This is how the inheritance increases.

What happens if you value inheritance ? Then what gets started increases after each generation! Movements and ideas are not meant to die. They are meant for increase and the only way to do that is to learn to value inheritance.

Keep moving foward

As many of us, there are challenges in our lives that we have been waiting for break through. We have tried many different things to overcome them. We have prayed and applied principles that should help us. But still nothing. I believe in those moments, is where you have to "keep moving forward". One of my favorite leaders is Walt Disney. this is what he said.


"We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths."
Walt Disney


All the problems he faced and many times he faced them alone. There were times where he failed, but he still kept on moving forward. Even his wife question some of his decision making. But he continue moving forward. This is view is not just for business, or money. But its for all aspects of life.


"If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward." 
— Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King had a dream to see that all man are created equal. Even after his assassination, his dream keeps moving forward. So if you have dream for business, family, education, church, government, entertainment, or media view the following clip from the movie "Meet the Robinsons"

Graduation Day and whats next ?

This pass weekend Terey and I graduated from BASSM. I finished 2nd year and Terey finished 1st year. What a year it has been for us. Last year it was great for me, but going through it with my wife is even better.

This year has been a year of dreams. I started with questions on how I can pursue my dreams. Like many of us, I wanted to lay out steps to get there. But during a time with friends, I was reminded of a dream of mine to create a music CD. At those moments, we have to run with what God gives you and then worry about how to do it. The tendency is to figure out how to do it before you obey what he says. So I knocked on some doors and months later a CD was released.

We also went to Nicaragua on a missions trip. We were able to minister from the poor to the wealthy. One of the highlights of the trip was that another dream of mine came to pass: to minister to government officials. Not only was I able to minister to him, but he may be running for a higher office for the nation.

I also went on a couple of ministry trips with my pastor to conferences and churches. I learned so much about how to preach to different audiences. I also learned to honor different cultures that do life differently while also recognizing what you carry when others do not recognize it.

So what's next for us? Well, over the summer, Terey and I will be doing some writing. Whether is blogging, or a book, we feel we need to pursue what God has given us to write. I will pursue it just like when I did the CD without having a gifting in music. I am not very gifted in writing, but this is not going to stop me from writing  what God has placed in my heart. With each project I am a part of, I have others helping me. Where I am weak, they are strong. Even with this blog, my postings are edited by Terey. I am very grateful to have Terey be detail-oriented where I am not. I am looking forward to God's plans for me and Terey!!