December 12, 2011
Not much left of 2011, is there? We’re both pushed – you and I – to make some pretty big things happen between now and the time the crowd cheers the end of ’11 and the start of ’12.
Some of our to-do is personal – the paraphernalia of holiday celebration is daunting! – and some is professional. You’ll be at parties feigning fa-la-la while checking e-mails; shopping for friends and family will converge with gift-match challenges for work-related colleagues. In the midst of the melee, you’ll keep reminding yourself of The One.
That’s The One whose entry into History we’ll be recognizing on the 25th. Retailers will cringe at saying, “Christmas;” you and I will boldly recall that “the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us.” In the midst of the Yule yore is the timeless Truth; his name is Jesus Christ.
Most Christians have the challenge of balancing work life and their faith life, often in a tough tension. The demands of their Wednesday life contrast with the devotions of their Sunday life. Avoiding compromise, they still experience conflict. Career and Calling exist under an unsigned truce that is amplified as we approach the Advent Season.
If you believe in “group prayer,” I stopped writing and just prayed for you as you navigate through these crucial final days of 2011. I prayed that your demands won’t displace your delights; that you’ll be more blessed than burned; that the mundane won’t crowd out the Magnificent, as you join with us all – one more time – in proclaiming the unimaginable: the Creator mixed with His Creation, and brought Salvation to the lost…
My Career and Calling unified, back in 1984. My Marketplace life morphed to Ministry. My Wednesdays and Sundays all blur into a singular focus. To put it as Paul did: “The mystery in a nutshell is just this: Christ is in you, so therefore you can look forward to sharing in God’s glory. It’s that simple. That is the substance of our Message. We preach Christ, warning people not to add to the Message. We teach in a spirit of profound common sense so that we can bring each person to maturity. To be mature is to be basic. Christ! No more, no less. That’s what I’m working so hard at day after day, year after year, doing my best with the energy God so generously gives me,” (Colossians 1:26-29, from The Message).
I would love to trade prayers. For me, the final days of 2011 are very different than the 346 days that have come-and-gone. In the non-profit ministry field, we’re a lot like the retail sector. The retailers have their “Black Friday” – the day after Thanksgiving – when their financial fortunes for the year shift from loss to gain. In the “mail it in” world of ministry contributions, we provide ministry at a steady rate all year long… but won’t know until the end-of-year tallies whether we covered the cost of producing that ministry. Historically, nearly half of our contributions for the year will arrive in the next three weeks…
Would you pray for me as I provide the leadership to The Master’s Program movement during these final days of 2011? You receive my weekly Point of View; you may connect with us and our associated efforts to serve Kingdom serving leaders, whose career assignments place them in business, church and parachurch roles. The multiplier on those efforts happens when we’ve helped leaders – like you – to increase their leverage in what matters most.
If you’d like to help us finish the year in a healthy financial position, I would welcome your partnership. If you would like to consider a non-cash contribution to The Master’s Program, such as securities, real estate, or other assets, please contact Steve or Brent to discuss the details:
Steve Esser 714-282-7058 steve@mastersprogram.org
Brent Caldwell 949-307-3624 brent@mastersprogram.org
If you would like to mail a check or donate online, please go to our website to initiate your contribution.
Financial markets don’t offer much in the way of returns or security these days; God continues to promise 100x multipliers – in Heaven – for people who invest in His Kingdom…
You’ll continue to be in my prayers as we finish the year, together,
Bob Shank