It’s broken.  You know it.  The people on your team know it.

If we stepped back from it, it’s a perspective we hadn’t seen that is the answer.

You need gas in the car to get you where you are going.

No one is arguing that.  It’s a constant.

But…

If you have a car that hasn’t been taken care of, all the gas in the world isn’t going to make it move.

The same thing happens on our teams.

You can tell your people how “lucky” they are to have a job in this economy.  But if you honestly think that is going to inspire them to give everything they have to you, your team and your organization…it’s a misguided notion at best.

Paychecks are gas.  They pay bills.  They maintain.  They help you survive.

But they never reach your heart.  They were never designed to.

The work you do and the reason why will.

Some questions to ponder, absorb and then begin to act on…

1.  What am I doing to pour into my people beyond cutting their paychecks?

2.  Am I asking them to do a job or casting the vision to why we have the opportunity to change the world the way we do?

3.  Do I value spreadsheets, P&L’s, policies and procedures more than conversations with my people?

We’ll leave it here today…

The next time you catch yourself saying…”We don’t have the time”…I want to challenge you to think about it this way…

Time is all you have.  And you never know how much of it is left.

The two greatest assets in your organization are time and people.

If you don’t take care to invest the first into the second,

you won’t have to worry about either.

Your team won’t exist.

They will either leave on their own…or you all will…when the doors are shut for good.

The good news?

You can start right now, and it’s as simple as a conversation.

Don’t pass them in the hall and nod and smile.  Say hello and ask them how you can help them today.  Know one more thing about them today than you did yesterday.  It takes 30 seconds to learn it, and builds relational equity worth much, much more over time.

Stop rationalizing staying in your office to prepare for the next meeting…and actually go talk with people.

Listen to them.  Resist the urge to immediately explain, fix or tell someone why “it is the way it is”.

Take the conversation in.  Thank them for sharing.  Let it marinate.

Paychecks gas up the car.

Paychecks are a transaction.

Time invested into people is the answer you are looking for.

Relationships.

Stop looking for more time and better people, and invest what you have into who you have with you.

Build relationships, and the ROI that matters will show up early…stay late…and run through brick walls for and with you for your cause.

All we have is time.

Invest it well today and it will return ten-fold when you least expect it.

Invest your time in your people.

You will never regret serving others with the best you have to offer.

Back when I started http://www.BrettWGould.com, I typed three words that would be the gps for my content here.

Perspective brings focus.

Everyone has an ability to change the world with a craft that they are uniquely positioned to do, to teach, and shape the world around them with.  Those who know me well will tell you quickly that you don’t want me to help you with plumbing, electricity or carpentry.  Left to me, the resulting work will likely (sooner than later) become a flood, burned down or collapse entirely.

Once I stopped beating myself up for what I couldn’t do,

I got excited about what I could do.

I started to notice a pattern.  Any time that I was able to sit with someone and hear what they were struggling with, I could help.

It wasn’t because I had all the answers.  It was because I could bring a different perspective.  A fresh approach to something that had been tossed around, kicked around and become stale at best. (And we ended up developing a really cool teaching tool to help people).

I could see how to tweak, salvage, build from, pour into and otherwise get more out of something than the person sitting across from me was able to.

For the first time in my life, I began to understand my purpose.

I existed so that people who were frustrated where they were at were able to get excited again about where they could go.

I existed to bring a fresh perspective, so that people had a renewed focus.

And after we met, they’d get there.

SO…

today’s post.

It’s gonna be a long one…(hey, I warned ya with the title…”Manifesto”)

But it’s also going to be an eye opener for many.

I want to lift the veil, and quite possibly scare you…errr…I mean share with you…what life looks like through my lens.

And maybe it’ll help you realize it’s time we talked.  Or maybe it’ll be an encouragement to you to focus on you instead of everyone else’s version of you.  Either way, I hope that once you finish reading this, it’s 10-15 minutes that changes your life.

It’s changed mine.  It’s made me a better husband, father,

friend, brother, son, mentor, and leader.

It will help you lead your organization to be full of people who feel the same way.

So here it is.

Your willingness to be completely transparent

will be directly tied to your success and effectiveness

as you live out who you are.

Some people will take steps to improve.  That’s good, I suppose.  But for me, it’s not enough.  I don’t think it should be for you either.  I want you to drop “good” from your vocabulary today.  Replace it with “great”.  The only way to do that is to change your posture.  You have got to stop leaning on what props you up, and start leaping towards what can leverage your potential and launch you forward. (To be where you were always called to be).

As an employer, boss, organization.  As a spouse, parent, friend, child, sibling, mentor, leader, employee.

There is a business term that I wrapped into the title.  Human Resource people got all nerdy excited when they read it.  It was like me speaking directly to them in their own little language.  I want to peel back that onion to show you how you can learn from it in any area of your life.  Whether you are one of the many HR professionals in this world, or any other position at work, home, church…anywhere.

EAP.  It means employee assistance program.  It’s all that mumbo-jumbo jargon in a benefits package that you probably just glanced at when you got hired.  It’s the health insurance and beyond category.  It would help you deal with substance abuse issues, emotional distress, life events (birth, death and marriage), financial stress, non-work related legal issues, family/personal relationship issues…heck, work relationship issues…and even aging parent concerns.

WHY offer an EAP?

Easy.  Employers need their people happy and functioning at a high level.  Period.  It lowers medical costs, reduces turnover, lowers absenteeism…and brings the general hope that their people will be a happier and more productive employees.

In reality…it’s a financial focus.  It’s a money issue.  They need people happy, so they will be productive.  Sure…most good employers truly do care about their people…but at the end of the day the goal is to eliminate the negative so they bring the positive.

BUT…it’s not all about the employee.  Most EAP’s also offer the employer things like consultations to deal with trouble they are having in leading their staff.  Troubled work teams and critical incident services are a couple of examples.

And here is where I am about to open our eyes to some serious reality.

Everything an EAP brings focuses on one thing…

AFTER THE FACT.

EAP’s are all about reactive, best of intentions, transaction-based after-the-fact correction.  Something is already wrong, and now they need to stop the bleeding.  It’s about basic needs.  It’s maintenance-mode, survival-mode and just “holding on” until it hopefully improves or gets better.

WOW.  Thanks, Brett.  That was sufficiently depressing.

Relax.

I am about to show you why I do what I do, and how one letter will change everything.

“L”.

It’s time that our approach to life shifted.

From after-the-fact reaction to before-the-fact instruction.

Do I still work with people in after-the-fact situations?  Absolutely.  But I do it to bring a focus that teaches them how to correct where they are by teaching them how to implement a before-the-fact approach to everything they do.

I don’t tell organizations WHAT to think, I teach them HOW to think.

Will there be times when we need the triage unit because circumstances existed beyond our control?  Yes.

So EAP’s aren’t from the devil.  They serve a purpose.  They can be, and have been very helpful to many, many people.

But left as the only option, they do a dis-service.

Enter the letter “L”.

It’s time to LEAP.

Go re-read the paragraph (bolded) about how EAP’s are defined again.

Then come read this description about what it means to LEAP.

LEAPing is proactive.  It’s before-the-fact teaching, not after-the-fact punishment.  It’s intentional action not having the best of intentions and never seeing it happen.  It’s about building relationships that bring community rather than seeing people as transactions to take care of later.  It focuses on pouring into people ahead of time so that they will have a posture and approach to life that leaves the legacy they always wished they would, later.  It’s a foundation to build on to bring agreement, that supports a structure of healthy progress.

It’s not about maintaining the status quo, or employees for that matter.  It’s about leveraging their potential.

It’s not about surviving, it’s about adopting a mentality of thriving.

It’s not about just holding on and getting through, it’s about launching people forward to lead others to do the same.

Here is the bottom line.

Uncommon results require uncommon actions.  And you get there when you LEAP.

It matters not if you are some high-powered HR Professional in a corner office that has thousands of employees, or you are a frustrated parent that can’t seem to reach the heart of your ever independent teenager.  You may be a business owner with dozens of employees that can’t make the progress you need to, or simply not able to be who you need to be in your marriage.

This whole manifesto is about the individual.  The individual needs, for individually-unique people.

People that make up businesses, ministries and other organizations.

The very same people that make up marriages, families, and friendships.

So what stops us from LEAPing?

We know how walking feels as we deal with problems after-the-fact,

but we are scared to move before-the-fact because of how LEAPing might feel.

LEAPing is an unknown.

SO…let me encourage you as a leader in your organization.

Doing the “known” gets you where you’ve gone before.  The “unknown” takes you places that are higher, greater and better than ever before.  (Scarier at times?  Yes.  But BETTER).

“Known” is predictable, and because you can predict it, you choose it.

“Unknown” is unnerving, and because you don’t like the feeling you ignore it and rationalize how you are being responsible to avoid the pain that might come as a result.

The fact remains that the whole time…you will feel pain either way.

1.  Pain if you stay where you are (after-the-fact triage only) brings more of the same now and only regrets later.

2.  Pain if your LEAP brings change (the stuff you really wanted) and the potential of game changing, life-changing results now and immeasurable, incredible joy later.

The LEAP Manifesto is really about 2 words.

Regrets vs. Results.

Still trying to figure out if where you are now is where you should be?

Still trying to figure out if where you are now is where you should stay?

Still trying to figure out if you should…LEAP?

The pain you choose now will determine the legacy you leave later.

Your legacy as an organization, and the legacy each of your employees have the potential to leave.

It’s really that simple.

As much as this should make every HR professional, business owner, employer and organization re-think, re-assess and re-structure how they approach what they do everyday…it isn’t just for them.

It’s for you.

The person.

The dad, the mom.  The husband, the wife.  The brother, the sister.  The parent, the child.  The friend.

The person who really, truly knows that they need a fresh perspective that will bring a renewed focus.

This is my life’s work.

You’ve been meaning to re-focus…I know.

That’s the whole “best of intentions” getting in the way again.

Today…choose.

Be intentional.

Choose you.  Choose your organization to be an incubator for legacies.

Choose to leave a legacy of impact.

If starting this makes you want to puke on your shoes, you are in good company.  For any of us that have taken the LEAP, we have felt that very same feeling.  Heck…it still creeps in from time to time.

But feelings don’t determine outcomes, actions do.

If you are ready to learn how to LEAP, let’s talk.

Email me : BrettWGould@gmail.com

Hit me up on Twitter: @BrettWGould

Call to set up an appointment for your organization : 716-672-9661.

It’s time you gave your organization, business, and ministry the perspective that will bring focus.

It’s time you gave the families, marriages, parenting, teenagers, parents and friends who make up your staff what they deserve…

An organization that has taken…The LEAP…so they can too.

We have packages available to teach your organization and your leadership how to make this happen.

And we have the single coolest teaching tool on the planet to bring you through your LEAP.

We can chat about those details when you reach out to us.

Thanks for taking the time to read the “EAP” Manifesto.

Now you know the missing letter…”L”.

Just don’t let it stand for…later.

Let it mean you are ready to…

LEAP.

Thanks for stopping by.

It’s an honor to be able to share with you what is helping organizations understand their purpose and the posture to make it happen.

Are you on twitter?

Starting today, I will be sharing from my personal experience working with and leading game changers in the Millennial Generation.

It’s all happening on twitter.

Lesson #1:  Millennials live there.  It you want to get to know them, get there.

You can find me here: @BrettWGould.

Quick Facts: 

Millennials were born between 1982-2000.

Millennials are 37% of the workforce in America now.

Millennials will be 75% of the workforce by 2025.

Who should be following #MillennialMonday?

You. (Parent, teacher, coach, business owner, anyone trying to recruit Millennials to anything of significance. AKA…all of you!)

RT the posts.  (That means Re-Tweet.  As in, share it with people you know.)

You can do this.

See you at #MillennialMonday on Twitter @BrettWGould.

Get there.  You will be glad you did.

There is a difference between signing up and buying in.

Actually there are lots of differences.

Here are a few that hit me tonight…

Signing up doesn’t have to cost you anything.  Buying in can cost you everything.

Signing up gives you an out in case it get’s hard.  Buying in is something you do even though you know it will be hard.

Signing up is for the curious.  Buying in is for the committed.

Signing up is something you do because everyone else is doing it.  Buying in is something you do even though others don’t want to.

Signing up is a neat idea because you have nothing else going on.  Buying in is found in your passionate response to bring change.

Signing up fills a space on your calendar to replace boredom.  Buying in takes over your calendar to act on the burden your heart feels.

There is a difference…

Choose well.

Clutching the very thing that will teach him more than I ever could on my own…

It’s become one of my favorite prayers.

“Dear Jesus, thank you for this food.  Amen”.

I know it isn’t the “deepest”.

But it is…deep.

When our 3 year old speaks that prayer…there is so much more to it.  Especially since it isn’t when we are eating.

He will pray it as we sit on the couch, the edge of a bed or in the jeep.  Anytime on any day.

I shared on facebook a while back that my first instinct was to correct him.  Like I said, we weren’t even about to eat.

But then I caught myself.  Actually, God smacked me in my heart.

Who was I to think his prayer needed to be corrected.  What he prayed was from his heart, specific and with great purpose.

And then it hit me…

“Give us this day our daily bread”.

Matthew 6:11

My son was asking God to take care of us.  Today.

Perspective I needed.

And that is why I now ask Sawyer, quite often, to pray for our family.

Because secretly…deep down…I want to hear his little voice simply say.

“Dewah Jezuz, tank you for dis food. Amen”.

Say that out loud the way I spelled it.  It will come pretty close to the blessing I hear through him as he prays over our family.

We complicate so much in this life.

The simple words of an innocent child teach us otherwise.

Slow down and seek Jesus through intentionally simple conversation, action and obedience.

Yesterday it was our 7 year old.

Today our 3 year old.

Tomorrow…

I’m sure I will have something to share with you about our 10 year old.

His smile. His heart. His compassion for others. And the lesson he taught me…

Bill Cosby has always been a favorite of mine.  The Cosby Show was a staple of my childhood.  I don’t think I missed many episodes.  He is famous for his “Kids Say The Darndest Things” television series as well.  And a couple of nights ago I experienced what would have been the show’s best live recording ever had I had a film crew in my living room.

At the end of the day I was sitting on our couch talking with our 7 year old son, Oscar.  We had finished his homework, read from one of his favorite chapter books, and started chatting about his day.  I asked him how things went at school.  ”Good”.  I asked him what was his favorite part about school.  ”I’d say recess, but I always say that…so I guess I have to say something different”.  I encouraged him that he could say recess if that was truly his favorite part.  I was met with a large grin after he heard that.

Whereas a hurried, “normal” night would have been the end of that conversation…I had the feeling that we just needed to slow down and talk more.  Spend more time.  It wasn’t lost on me that as I looked into the face of my 7 year old, with his teeth missing and sweet smile there was a family in Boston, Mass. that wouldn’t be able to do that again.

It made my heart pause, my hands wrap his little frame closer to my side, and my mind come up with questions…any questions…just to talk with him more.  I didn’t want him to go to bed yet.  I just wanted more time with him.

So I asked him what it was about recess that he loved so much.

“LEGOS!”.  It took him less than a second to answer that one.

I asked what it was about the legos he likes so much.  He went on to tell me how he likes to make things that aren’t on the pamphlets they [the manufacturer] included with the building pieces.  And he proceeded to tell me that he really likes making ducks with the legos.  Not only that, but he was teaching others to make them…and now his whole class liked to make ducks out of the legos.

I paused.  A smile came over my face that caused a chain reaction in that little boy of mine sitting next to me.

I said…”Oscar, do you realize what you did there?  You were a leader.  You showed others how to do something.  Something new.  Something different.  You showed them it was ok to use their imagination and create something new, instead of just what is “on the box”.

A simple “Yeah”, with smile came back to me.

I followed that up with “Do you like being a leader?”

His response was something I will never forget, and we can all take something away from.

“Yeah. I like how when I teach them that they can make new things, then they can go teach other people too”.

And there it is.

At 7 years old…

He isn’t afraid to try something new.

He enjoys the friendships that are built as they build “the new thing”.

And most of all?

He enjoys that because of that, other people will lead…and lead well. Other people will invest in the lives of others.  They will teach.  They will see the value of the person next to them and do anything they can to pour into them.  They will “do life” together.

In my perfect world I am a very healthy old man that just passes away in my sleep one day.  Having been able to live a full life, watch my children grow.  See them get married and raise families of their own.

But when a day like April 15, 2013 in the beautiful city of Boston, Mass. takes place…

I can’t help but re-assess.

I don’t know how many tomorrows I will get.  For that matter, how many minutes left in today I will see.

My heart grieves with and for those who have hurt in unimaginable ways that can’t be taken back.  And trying to figure out how to honor and cherish those who lost their lives, those who were harmed so severely physically, emotionally…

What I’ve realized is this.

I can’t change things for them, but I can be changed because of them.

I can honor their memory and pain by leading well, loving always and pouring into every life God let’s me interact with.

I will slow down.  Bed-time can wait.  I will spend, steal, and grab every extra moment I can to pull those I can close to me to experience their lives intersecting with mine.

Talking about recess and legos for a few extra minutes showed me something that will stay with me forever.  And my sticking to a “routine” of bed-time would have gone right past it.

See…there aren’t really rules for how to and what to build with legos after all.

And there won’t be excuses for why I rush to get my kids into bed.  I will tell more silly stories to them.  I will drink way more coffee with a friend.  I will make the time to plan romantic and spontaneous dates with my wife.  I will stop to say hello to someone on the street even if I don’t know them.  Especially when I don’t know them.  To encourage them, lift their spirits if I can.

If I lead well, I will posture my life to reflect the lesson I learned from my 7 year old.

Lead by example.  Take chances.  Invest in the lives and hearts of others.

May God’s hand of love, grace, healing and blessing be upon those that grieve today.  Most of us weren’t in Boston on the day an unspeakable tragedy changed lives forever.  But all of us can honor the memory of those no longer with us, the resolve of those healing from their wounds, and the courage and bravery of those who ran into the direction of the dangerous unknown to bring others to safety.

We can stand with them, learn from them, and move forward with them.

In our hearts, our minds, and our actions.

We can lead well today.  We can lead better than we ever have today.

Our actions may very well be the thing that teaches someone else that love does win.  It is here.  We can change the world with it.

Thanks for listening to my heart today.

Thanks for spending some time with me.

Please make sure you make the time…find the time…to pull those closest to you…closer.

Spend the time.

May God Bless you.  May God Bless your family and friends.  May God bless those we will never meet.

May God Bless Boston and help them heal.

And…

May God Bless America.

Being first means you will be misunderstood by many. You ok with that? I am.  (Photo by NYTimes)

The NFL draft is a little over a week away.  I’ll admit that the whole thing fascinates me.  From the finest statistical detail to every sports pundit posting their “mock drafts”.  They have about about as much clue about what teams will choose what players as any of us.

Or do they?

NFL teams have employees that are charged with unearthing every piece of athletic, character and integrity dirt on every player.

They call them scouts. The NFL pundits are scouts in their profession. And I enjoy listening to their take on who will end up where.

I was reading Nehemiah 2:11-20 this morning and something struck me.

God values a scout that is willing to go first, so that his team can finish first.

Here is what I mean…

Earlier in the Old Testament God sent 12 leaders into Canaan to “scout” out the land that He had promised to them.  (That’s in Numbers 13 and 14).  Here in Nehemiah 2, something similar happens.  In the cover of night, Nehemiah, his horse and a few men close to him went into scout mode.  They were inspecting the deteriorating walls of Jerusalem.  They told no one they were coming.  Just as Joshua, Caleb and the others told no one they were headed to scout out the land of Canaan.

Nehemiah saw broken down walls, and fire ravaged and destroyed gates.  He even had to leave his horse behind at one point, because to go where he had to, he had to squeeze through some tight situations.  (Ever felt like that?  Yeah, Me too).

Then verse 16, specifically the end of it, jumped off the page to me.

“The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, because as yet I had said nothing to the Jews or the priests or nobles or officials or any others WHO WOULD BE DOING THE WORK”.

Read the words I capitalized above.

That’s a rather presumptuous scout wouldn’t you say?

I am a HUGE Philadelphia Eagles fan.  I am trying to picture a scout taking it upon him/herself to gather information no one knows they are taking in, and being so bold as to guarantee that the owner of the team, the general manager and coaching staff are absolutely going to do what he/she says.

That’s either bold or stupid.  Maybe a combination of both?

But I would suggest that when you know ahead of time where you have been called to, you are confident in the ending and the how to.

The rest of this story ends in him laying a challenge to the leaders, and the leaders accepting his challenge without hesitation.  (Yes, God can make those you wouldn’t think would listen to you, act on the wisdom you bring to the table).

And like any good story, the critics came calling.  They mocked them.  They ridiculed them.

I imagine it was a little like a Dallas Cowboys beat writer assessing the Philadelphia Eagles selections.

And Nehemiah, ever so gently…yet firm in it’s delivery says…

“The God in heaven will give us success.  We His servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it”.

Kind of a Bill Parcells style interview.  ”We’ll win, and there isn’t a darn thing you are gonna be able to do about it”.

I share this story because of the scout.

Some things “we get” in life.  We see when something is broken.  We can tell when the dreams that once leaped in our heart feel like they are gone forever.  We know the sights and we’ve felt the feelings that go with them.

But it’s the person who will step up and head into the cover of night armed with God’s promises that will experience the restoration.

We’ve all been there at some point in our life.  Maybe at home.  Maybe it’s at work.  A relationship.  A marriage.  We don’t understand how to connect with our teenagers.  We shake our head at the generation coming because they aren’t like us.  It’s them, not us…right?

Or we need people to step up.

We need scouts.

We need trailblazers.

We need people who will set aside what they think they know and Go where God has prompted them to go.

The most storied franchises in the NFL are teams you either love, or love to cheer against.

The Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers, Pittsburgh Steelers or New England Patriots.  Take your pick.

The reason they have gotten where they have is shared in a rather quiet, yet integral part of their process.

They are organizations who value the scout.

They are teams that will go first, into the dark, and take chances.

And here we are.

Will we go where God is asking us to go, even when we don’t know the results ahead of time?

Some teams sign everyone else’s “star players” after they’ve been let go.

Do you know how many times those teams have gone on to win championships?

Ask the Washington Redskins, and most recently, my beloved Philadelphia Eagles.  It doesn’t happen.

I guess that’s why this NFL draft really intrigues me.

My team has a new coach that’s a bit of an unknown.  He does things other see as unconventional.  BUT HE WINS.

You might say he’s the kind of guy that’ll head into the cover of night against all odds to bring home the win.

Just like Nehemiah.

Just like Caleb.

Just like Joshua.

Is that just like you?

Will you go first?

Watch the video linked below.

And then GO.

BE FIRST.

First Is Everything by New Era Cap Co.

Get ready to see some stuff others can’t when you are willing to do things others won’t.

He will supply the #vision if we act in #obedience. Daniel 10:1-21. Read the story, then look at verses 2, 7 and 12. #Monday #GameChanger

——————————-

I tweeted this earlier today.  I thought I’d add some thoughts around those 140-ish characters here.

When I was reading Daniel 10 this stuff literally jumped off the page.  I was struck how when we are willing to do something most people won’t ever understand (v.2 fast for three weeks), what happens after that is equally as remarkable.

Listen to what (v.7) says:

I, Daniel, was the only one who saw the vision; the men with me did not see it,

but such terror overwhelmed them that they fled and hid themselves.

I get it.  They had no idea what was going on, so they high-tailed it outta’ there when things got intense.

But dude!…even Daniel was scared.  (v.8) He was alone, had no strength, was deathly pale and helpless.

So here is the big question of the day…

What makes one person stay (able to see the vision) and another person bail (only able to feel terror, not see the vision)?

It’s a verse 2 moment.

Daniel sacrificed and went without to get close to God, and God honored him by drawing closer to Daniel.

(v.7) never talks about the people with Daniel also fasting. It says “I” three times in that one verse.

If we don’t put in the time in a relationship we can’t expect to see anything come out of that relationship.

Read the rest of Chapter 10.  Daniel was scared and weak.  But God made him able to stand and be strong.

And just to offer a little reassurance, I love verse 12.

¹² Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them.

God heard Daniel way back on day one.  It took a little longer to get to him than Daniel wanted I’m sure.  God was fighting off the opposition.(v.13)  Apparently Daniel was popular!

Newsflash…

Anyone set on chasing after God’s best for their life will be popular too.  To God of course, but also his adversary as he tries to stop you.

BUT HE HEARD HIM from day one!  Remember that!  He hears you from the moment you call on His name!

When we set our mind to know God and humble ourselves to do so?

God hears and responds.

Every time.

It may not be the timing we think is best or want…

But it’s always right on time.

So wherever you are at today…filter your thoughts through this.

If you can’t hear God, make some intentional moves to create the space to do so.

If you feel like He hasn’t heard you, and you’ve been faithful to “set your mind” and humble yourself, hang on.

He’s coming.  He has heard you!

Get ready to see some stuff others can’t when you are willing to do things others won’t.

And as some of my southern friends like to say…

“Holy Dang!” it will be amazing what you experience!

Pop the popcorn ahead of time…

Stop trying to move it on your own, getting mad when it won’t budge, and trying to throw in the towel.  Determination, grit, fortitude…pick your favorite descriptor.  You can bleed, sweat and cry yourself into a frustration that will cause you to shed your commitment to the very thing you once felt so strongly about if your perspective is out of whack.

And about now you are saying, “Thanks for the encouragement, Brett”.  (With about as much sarcasm as you can muster)

Before you go there, allow me to share the reason I started the way that I did.

The beginning is a reality check we all need to hear.

The next part is the promise we need to cling to and live by.

“…’Not by might, not by power, but by my Spirit’ says the Lord Almighty.  What are you, O mighty mountain?  Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground…”

Zechariah 4:6b-7a

One of the most frustrating emotions we process is reconciling that we aren’t in control.  Is it a license to sit on our butts and be lazy?

Absolutely not.  We have to work every angle we’ve been given, with every ounce of every resource we have.

But it’s important to realize that the work of our hands alone, pales in comparison to the power of God’s hand on us.

Here is the recipe to remember.

Keep working with everything you have at the thing God has placed in front of you.  All the while remembering that just because you don’t see a way, doesn’t mean God doesn’t already know how it will come to pass.  Our job is to press in and press on.

Our job is not to focus on what isn’t, but rather WHO is.

WHO is able will always show up on time when our faith remains in Him.

How did Zerubbabel know that he could count on this?

His obedience to the voice of God.  (Haggai 1:12)

The evidence of his commitment to his calling.  (Haggai 1:14)

The reward of his resilience to see it through.  (Haggai 2:20-23)

I know it’s a little bit of reading to dig those out.  But take the 5 minutes to do it.  It will flip your perspective.  It makes Zechariah 4:6b-7a come to life in a way that will provide great encouragement to you today.

Don’t quit now.  Press in harder.

Don’t walk away.  Run towards.

Don’t throw in the towel.  The finish line is in sight.

Don’t despair at what things look like to you.  Call on God and the power of the Holy Spirit to reveal what He sees.

You’ve got this.

But…

“…Not by might, not by power, but by my Spirit’ says the Lord Almighty.”

Now it’s not frustrating to see a difficult circumstance.  It’s an opportunity to watch God move in all His glory.

That’s a show I’d pay any ticket price to sit in the front row for.

Pop the popcorn when no one knows why ahead of time, and you’ll be ready for HIM when He show’s up right on time.

That’s a recipe worth remembering!

I have started (hence the theme) creating some graphics that will encourage, challenge and move us all in the direction we need to go.

I hope these help you. They are reminders that help me.

Take a minute if you haven’t and join me on Twitter too.

www.Twitter.com/BrettWGould