It seems we are so quick to segment our lives into these little compartments…family, spiritual, work, friends, hobbies, etc… We then talk about and aspire to this thing called “work-life” balance. Have you, like me, been chasing work-life balance and have yet to find it?

While the notion of living a balanced life is a noble one, I believe the main reason we struggle so much with this is that it is simply impossible to balance work and life. Here’s what I mean. Work is a part of life, it is not separate from it. Therefore, it is impossible to balance something that is a part of something else because the “something else” will always weigh more. I believe this false belief has gotten us in trouble because we are striving after something we will never find. At times you will need to spend more time in one area than another. This doesn’t mean your life is out of balance though.

Because life is integrated, we get out of line when we put the wrong thing at the core. If money is at our core, then we will be out of line. If our family is at the core, we also will be out of line. I believe the only way to be in alignment is if we place Jesus at the core of who we are in all areas of our lives, even at work.

Pastor and author John Piper said this, “The aim of all human life in God’s eyes is that Christ would be made to look as valuable as he is. Worship means using our minds and hearts and bodies to express the worth of God and all he is for us in Jesus. There is a way to live-a way to love-that does that. There is a way to do your job that expresses the true value of God. If you can’t find it, that may mean you should change jobs. Or it might mean that verse 2 is not happening to the degree it should.”

I love Piper’s quote. The verse 2 he is referring to is Romans 12:2 which says, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Most of us need to transform our minds…in other words, change our thinking about our work.

Work is a very spiritual act. In fact, it was created by God for us on earth as a form of worship. Seriously, this is true. In Genesis, God told Adam to go and work the garden. This was before sin entered the world. This was God’s perfect world…and it included work! In addition, the Hebrew root word from which we get the words “work” and “worship” are the same, Avodah. So in God’s eyes, when we work, we are worshiping Him.

With this in mind, do you need to change your thinking about your work? How would you approach your workday differently if you really understood this? Does this help you to think more positively about your work?

Who Am I?

I am your constant companion.

I am your greatest helper or heaviest burden.

I will push you onward or drag you down to failure.

I am completely at your command. Half of the things you do you might as well turnover to me and I will do them – quickly and correctly.

I am easily managed – you must be firm with me.

Show me exactly how you want something done and after a few lessons, I will do it automatically.

I am the servant of great people, and alas, of all failures as well.

Those who are great, I have made great.

Those who are failures, I have made failures.

I am not a machine though I work with the precision of a machine plus the intelligence of a person.

You may run me for profit or run me for ruin – it makes no difference to me.

Take me, train me, be firm with me, and I will place the world at your feet.

Be easy with me and I will destroy you.

Who am I?

I am a habit.

I was recently interviewed by the Greater Toledo House of prayer for their monthly newsletter. I thought I’d share the text of that interview to make you aware of GTHOP and how they have benefited our region. It also tells a bit more about some of the work I’m doing so I thought this would be worth sharing…

GTHOP: Jim, how did you come to be the chapter president of Truth@Work in this region?

Jim: I was the chairman of Toledo’s National Day of Prayer Breakfast in 2008. Ray Hilbert was our speaker that year and he is also the founder of Truth@Work. Ray did a great job at the breakfast that year and many were impacted by his message. Immediately afterward, he and I spent close to three hours together at a local Bob Evans getting to know one another. During that time together we both knew the Lord was doing something in our midst. That led to me investigating Truth@Work further and them investigating me. We then decided to work together sometime that summer.

GTHOP: What exactly is Truth@Work?

Jim: Truth@Work provides a forum for Christian business and ministry leaders to share their struggles as well as successes and to receive input from trusted advisors. This is delivered through a roundtable setting in which 12-15 peers sit around a table together once per month to guide and encourage one another. In doing so, we help one another to grow our organizations in a God-honoring way while at the same time helping each other to grow personally and spiritually. Currently we have 60 or so members and over the past three years I have witnessed God do some incredible things in the personal lives, families and businesses of our members.

GTHOP: Jim, how did you become connected with GTHOP?

Jim: At the 2008 prayer breakfast, Denise Emerine completed a response card saying that she wanted to connect with some business leaders. As a result, I invited her to our initial introduction session about Truth@Work and she attended along with Bonnie Mohan. God spoke to them and Denise approached me afterward to tell me that she felt strongly that she was to provide prayer support for Truth@Work. I was humbled, to say the least.

GTHOP: What role has GTHOP played in Truth@Work’s success?

Jim: I must tell you that I have not been one who understood the importance of prayer. However, that has been changing over the past three years. I believe that the prayers coming from GTHOP have been vital to the success of Truth@Work…and I don’t say that lightly. Around the country, I know other Truth@Work chapters who are struggling and I know in my heart that prayer is one of the primary reasons God is doing such amazing things here.

GTHOP: Why are you so passionate about GTHOP?

Jim: Not only have I seen the benefits of GTHOP on Truth@Work, but I have seen significant growth in my family as a result of GTHOP’s ministry. Denise Emerine has really been instrumental in ministering to me and my family and discipling my wife and me. We have really formed a great relationship in which I am very thankful to God for. To add to this, I look around at some of the amazing things happening in our city (that I don’t see in other cities) and I marvel at what God is doing. I attribute much of that to GTHOP’s prayers for our city. It was a couple of years ago when I attended OneThing in Kansas City that the light bulb went on for me. When I heard Mike Bickle explain that all of the revivals that occurred in the Old Testament were preceded by day and night prayer, that’s when it hit me…this region NEEDS 24/7 prayer. It is not just a nice thing to have, it is a necessity!

GTHOP: Jim, if someone would like some more information about Truth@Work, how would they get that?

Jim: They can simply leave a comment at the bottom of this post and I will follow-up with them. They can also go to our website at www.truthatwork.org.

GTHOP: Thanks so much Jim!

Jim: My pleasure, anytime!

If you’d like to learn more about the Greater Toledo House of Prayer and how you might be able to participate, you can visit their site here.

The 23^rd Psalm. We have heard it at funerals. We have heard it read at church. We may even have it memorized. But do we really grasp its full meaning?

I decided to take this Psalm line by line over the past week to really try to understand it better. Though I probably only touched the surface of the true meaning, this well-known passage became much more meaningful to me as I jotted down thoughts that came to my head for each line. Here are some of the things I wrote down—I hope they help you to come up with some of your own:

Day 1: The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.

• He cares for me and loves me
• He will protect me and keep predators away
• He will provide for me
• He will comfort me
• He will carry me when needed
• He will help me with difficulties I face
• He will look for me if I wander
• He will call out to me and give me instructions
• He owns me
• He is all I need so I want for nothing
• He will take care of everything so I can be content right now knowing that He knows what is best for me

Day 2: He makes me to lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters.

• He made me to require and have rest
• True rest is found when I follow Him
• Rest is pleasant
• Rest is mandatory
• Even when moving (beside quiet waters), I can have rest
• When stressed, I need to listen and look for the quiet waters
• My shepherd does not want me hurried, stressed and worn out—I was not made to live this way!
• There is great contentment in Jesus

Day 3: He restores my soul. He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

• He makes me whole
• He, and only He, completes me
• He makes me shine again
• He makes me run well
• He takes pride in me and likes to show me off
• He gives me lots of loving attention
• He thinks I’m special (He may even take a cloth diaper to polish me up…only hard core car enthusiasts might understand that!)
• He shows me the way to go
• He leads me
• I walk in righteousness because of His name
• He brings me back to life

Day 4: Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.

• Regardless of my circumstances, He is there
• He will never leave me
• Because of Him, I don’t need to fear…no matter what!
• He is the only answer in the shadow of death
• My Daddy is at my side!

Day 5: Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

• He loves me so much that He disciplines me when needed
• He guides me in the way I should go with His staff
• His correction and guidance is all for my betterment and this brings great comfort to me

Day 6: You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.

• He serves me…amazing!
• He hosts me in His house!
• He shows me I’m important to Him
• He protects me regardless of the circumstances
• He presence is the only place I want to be
• He brings peace in the midst of chaos

Day 7: You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

• He prepares me
• He consecrates me
• He cleanses me
• He gives me power and strength
• He covers me
• He blesses me abundantly
• He gives me so much more than I need
• He gives me more so I can share with others
• Thank you God!

Day 8: Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

• He wants the best for me
• He promises to take care of me
• He is love. He promises to never leave me. Therefore, love will follow me always.
• Goodness and love are with me even on my darkest days
• I am a resident in His house forever and ever—Hallelujah!

Recently, I was reflecting on one of my past assignments while serving as a Leadership Consultant. During this time, I worked  at a local company for a couple of days per week providing leadership in turning the company around. My role was to develop a game plan to help the company wherever I felt they needed help, and then help them to implement that plan.

I worked for almost two years with this particular client. The owner of the company had built an impressive company but was currently not actively involved in the operation of the business.  However, she still liked to maintain control.

So when she would call me with ideas or directives that were contrary to my plans, I would simply adjust my schedule and move tasks to future days and then not think of it again.  I wouldn’t get stressed about it at all, because my client was paying me and if she wanted me doing something else, I would do as she requested.

It was during this time of reflection that it hit me.  Why can’t I have this same mentality with my schedule now?  Why can’t I have a “consultant’s mentality” in what I do? Even though I own my businesses, in reality, God is the true owner and I am working for Him…as if I am His consultant.

Because I have a tendency to do things on my own and feel that everything is up to me, I needed to do something to remind me of Who is actually the one responsible for any success I might achieve. This might sound silly, but for each of my businesses, I created a certificate of title which says, “This certifies that the owner of (Company Name) is God.  This further certifies that Jim Lange will be taking the role of Consultant unto God.”  I then signed it and dated it and I have all of them sitting on top of my book shelves in my office as a reminder to me.

Psalm 127:2 says:

It is vain for you to rise early, come home late, and work so hard for your food. Yes, he can provide for those whom he loves even when they sleep. (NET version)

This verse is a great reminder to me that it isn’t all up to me. That if I don’t get everything done that I want to get done today, the world will not end. God can provide for me even when I’m sleeping.

A few nights ago, the movie Die Hard 2 was on TV, so I watched it with my son. Though I was very tired and I needed to get up early the next morning, I stayed up and watched it until the very end which was unusual for me. The reason? It is one of my favorite movies. Actually, I like all the films in the Die Hard series.

While watching this I was pondering why I like these movies so much. I then began to think of my other favorites, Gladiator, Braveheart and my all-time favorite, It’s a Wonderful Life. You may be thinking like me, Why is that last movie listed? It doesn’t seem to fit with the others at all. On the surface, it doesn’t seem to fit, but when you look a little deeper you’ll find it really is just like these other movies.

While It’s a Wonderful Life does not involve fierce fighting and blood, it does contain the essence of each of the other stories. That is, each of these stories involve the main character dying to themselves for the betterment of those around them. In each Die Hard story, John McClane puts his life on the line to save hundreds of lives. In Gladiator, it is Maximus who saves the day and dies in doing so. William Wallace is brutally killed while leading Scotland to freedom in Braveheart. And in It’s a Wonderful Life, George Bailey continually looks out for others before looking out for himself. No, he doesn’t die or have to battle enemies who want him killed, but he gives up his life, the one he wanted, and in doing so truly finds life.

This common story line is so intriguing to me and is applicable to each of us because I believe we were all made with this desire embedded in us…to die to ourselves for something greater. The stories shown in these movies are really our stories. God wants each of us living like this…losing our lives for Him. It is in surrendering our life (and everything in it) to God that we truly find life.

“Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life
for my sake will find it.” Matthew 10:39

You may have heard the story of the new bride who was cooking her first roast for her husband. Upon tasting his dinner, the husband said, “Honey, this is delicious!” Then after eating a few more bites he turned to his beautiful wife and said, “Why did you chop off the ends of the roast before you cooked it? I always thought that was the best part.”

She responded, “I’m not entirely sure, but that’s the way my mom always did it.” After cleaning up, she phoned her mother to ask her for the reason for cutting the ends off. Her mother said, “I don’t know. That’s how your grandma always did it.”

So she called her grandma, who chuckled and said, “That’s because we had a very small oven and a full roast would never fit.”

And so it is with many of us that we continue doing things in our lives because that’s the way it’s always been done or because we believe that’s expected of us. What would happen if we took a really hard look at the way we do life? I’ll bet we’d find a lot of things that could be improved in areas that we feel can’t be changed or that we think are fine right now. If we did this, we just might find that…

• we don’t need to feel worthless
• we don’t need to eat to comfort ourselves
• we don’t need to drink to kill the pain
• we don’t need to yell in order to prove that we’re the boss
• we don’t need to work 80 hours per week because we believe it’s what’s required
• exercise can be enjoyable if we give it a chance
• we don’t need to promote ourselves to show that we matter
• we don’t need to judge others to make us look better

The list could go on and on. A question that’s been asked a lot lately in the Bible study I’m a part of is, “How do I know if I’m being deceived?” This is a great question. The fact is, we could all be believing lies in certain areas of our lives. The keys are to pray that the Lord would show you any areas in which you are being deceived and to surround yourself with wise counsel, those who can and will speak truth to you. Then once that is revealed to you, stop cutting the ends off your roast!

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Romans 12:2

I attended a funeral home Monday afternoon to visit Jim, a good friend whose mother-in-law recently passed away. As I was chatting with him, he shared with admiration about his wife’s mother. He said that though she was in the care of Hospice and very weak, she wanted to keep their Christmas tradition of gathering together as a family on Christmas eve.

So, despite her condition, the night before Christmas, she was leading the troops in laughter and song with a big smile on her face. Jim said they even sang the traditional Christmas favorite One-Eyed One-Horned Flying Purple People Eater! He said that was her, someone who was very giving of herself.

Just hours later, very early on Christmas day, Jim received a call from his wife who told him through tears that her mother was dying. She had used up everything she had the previous evening celebrating the birth of her Savior with her large and loving family.

She did not end up passing away on Christmas, but made it all the way until late last week. Jim said that in the last two weeks, she was not herself because she was so weak. However, when visitors would come, she would come alive and bring out her patented smile. Again, giving of herself until the very end. She was a great example of running the race laid out before her and finishing strong.

The Apostle Paul wrote about these same characteristics that Jim’s mother-in-law modeled when he encouraged us with these words:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Romans 12:1

Today we celebrate Martin Luther King Day in which we honor this great man who sacrificed so much. He was a true change agent. What made Martin Luther King so different? I believe it is because he knew his purpose.

I’ve heard John Maxwell say that the two greatest days in your life are the day you were born and the day you discover why. Yet so few people ever experience that second day…discovering why they were born. In fact, William Marston once stated that 94% of people are born and die without ever discovering their purpose. How sad.

Martin Luther King was very clear on his purpose. He found why God had made him and he was willing to die for that vision. In this he found life. William Wallace, who led Scotland to freedom from England’s tyranny, was another such person. In trying to encourage his troups to fight for freedom, for something greater than themselves, he said this in the movie Braveheart, “Every man dies, not every man really lives.” How true.

Jesus didn’t just come to save us from eternal damnation, He came to give us life to the full (see John 10:10). In order to really live, I believe we must discover our purpose, the reason we were born.

If you are searching for your purpose, I would suggest spending some quiet time in the presence of God and asking some questions. Here are some suggested questions to ponder:

• Is there anything you find easy to do that others find difficult?
• What are your hobbies?
• What do you love to do outside of work?
• What were your favorite subjects in school?
• What jobs in your past have given you the most satisfaction?
• What problems in your past have you learned from?
• Describe a “mountaintop” experience in your life.
• Have you ever volunteered? If so, what have you done? How did that make you feel?
• What would you say you have done in your life to grow personally?
• Can you think of anything that, when you are doing it, time seems to stand still?
• Is there anything you can think of that others seem to always be asking you or asking you for? (Eg. Help with their problems, simply to listen to them vent, help fixing something, your advice,…)
• If your life were absolutely perfect, what would it look like?
• What would you like to be doing in 20 years?
• What would you like to be said about me at my funeral?
• What do you do now to grow/learn?
• Is there anything in the world (injustice) which makes you really angry?…that makes you say, “This can’t be any longer!”?
• If money was not an issue, what would you do?
• What do you daydream about?
• What is a dream you’ve had that you’ve never told to anyone else or that others would laugh at?
• What would you be willing to die for?

Finding your purpose may take some time, so be patient and be open to what God may be saying to you. After all, it is He who gives you your purpose.

If you find that your purpose doesn’t match up with your current career, don’t fret. Begin to seek God to see what He has planned for you. He might be trying to get you to look at your current career in a different way. I don’t believe that purpose is relegated to a specific career or job. Your purpose can be acted out in a number of ways. No matter what, I would recommend you stay where you are and work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men (Colossians 3:23) until God clearly gives you a new assignment.

I have to tell you that I have entered 2012 wanting to find a new way. I’ve been running pretty hard so I’ve been asking God to show me a better way to do things as I know I cannot continue at the pace I’ve been going.

He has been revealing some cool things to me and bringing things to my attention at exactly the right time. One of those things was a monthly email I received last month from my friend Patrick McBane from Marketplace Solutions. I’ve included his email here although I’ve modified it a bit to fit the season we’re in:

As we depart the Christmas season and enter into a new year, it is a great time to evaluate our lives. During the holiday season, we’re exhorted from all directions to embrace the true spirit of Christmas. But how do you keep your eyes on Jesus when you’re under siege by the pressures of Christmas marketing, travel plans, deadlines, family drama, bills, and everything else that encroaches into the spirit of the season? Now as we enter into a new year and back into the normal routine of work and the accompanying stress, it’s even easier to forget all about Jesus. For many of us something’s got to change and prayer can be the key.

As we pray it’s important to ask for the things that matter and that move us closer to our Heavenly Father.  Let’s read these two key scriptures together:

“Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you.” - Matthew 6:33

“Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” – Psalm 90:12

“What does that mean, “to number our days aright”? Well, let me ask you another question. If I were to ask you, “What is the thing in your life that you find hardest to manage? What is the thing that you so often find yourself short of, that you don’t have enough of?” What would you answer?”

(Seriously… take the time to answer these questions before you go on)

Derek Prince once answered this way, “You might perhaps think money, but in my experience there’s one thing that’s much harder to manage than money, something that I’m much more often short of than money and that is time. I believe time is the hardest thing to manage properly in our lives. I believe that the stewardship of time is perhaps the supreme test of our discipline and our real Christianity. And so I pray like the psalmist, “Teach me to number my days aright.” Teach me to set my priorities aright, teach me to give enough time to the things that matter most.

“You see, your priorities of time really indicate the values of your life. Things that have low priority probably will drop off the bottom of the list. If you don’t give high priority to the things that really matter, your life will be out of order. So you, like me, need to echo that prayer, ‘Teach me to number my days aright, teach me right priorities, teach me to manage my time.’”

Based on those questions you answered above what will you adjust so that your Short-Fall is eliminated? What will you bring the King of Kings this year? I’d encourage you to bring Him the gift of time.

Here is a great prayer for us for 2012: Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of Your Son – Jesus. Thank You for eternal life – a dimension of time with no constraints as we know them today. Bring that eternal perspective into view today. Thank You for Your patience with a stubborn, often unwilling people that find time slipping through our fingers day after day – year after year. We ask that you would Teach Us to Number Our Days. Teach us to spend our TIME extravagantly on You and those You have given us to love all around us. Redeem the time that we have wasted on unnecessary things so that we can use it for Your purposes, plans and glory.