Follower of One : Missions For The Rest Of Us

This is an encore presentation as we take a summer break from recording. We hope you are well and rested!

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I recently discussed this chapter of 1 Corinthians 13 and even this verse a bit in episode 234. But this verse needs more attention because today's topic is appreciating others. Paul tells us that even if we give away everything we have, but we don't love others, it profits us nothing. What kind of profit do you think he's talking about?

Our service to others, without love (or in a business setting) appreciation for them doesn't count. But you may ask what I mean by "counting" and I would tell you the word translated "profits" here is what I'm talking about. In Matthew 6:19-21, Jesus tells us to lay up or store up treasure in heaven rather than treasure on earth. This is part of a longer section of the Sermon on the Mount about rewards.

There are rewards for us, both here on earth and in heaven. The key to those rewards seems to be our love and appreciation for others. When we do something for their good, because of our love for them, then it counts. If we do it for any other reason, that's another story. So today, ask God to give you an appreciation for others. I've wrestled with this in my past, and God continues to work on me so that I won't judge others or label them, but appreciate them and bless them.

Everything you give away today because you appreciate someone else matters. That's why appreciating others is our #2 daily activity on the Marketplace Mission Trip, too. Let's ask God to increase our appreciation for others so that it overflows and they become aware of our appreciation of them, and God's love for them, too.

This is an encore presentation as we take a summer break from recording. We hope you are well and rested!

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Do you have Attention Deficit Disorder? Many things compete for our attention. As I get older, I know my energy follows my attention and I only have so much energy left. I want to control what grabs my attention. 

Temptations are those interruptions that take us away from God. Often, marketplace ministry is being ready for the interruptions that take us toward God. So we have to allow the interruptions. Many people report that they didn't do very well on their first Marketplace Mission Trip. They get surprised at how distracted from God they get at work. Our tasks are the things that take us away from God. Our attention goes with them and we miss the "way of escape" that Jesus offers us. Often a good thing like trying to do a good job can tempt us away from an opportunity God puts in our path. We need to train our minds to evaluate every interruption to see if it pulls us away from God or if it is an opportunity to serve others and make God visible.

And once we know it will take us away from God, we need to look for our escape route. God puts an escape route in front of us each time. If you think your interruption will take you away from God, look for the escape. It will be there. Interrupt yourself by writing a note to a friend or praying for a coworker. We can train our minds to cooperate with God. It just takes practice.

This is an encore presentation as we take a summer break from recording. We hope you are well and rested!

--

Do you have Attention Deficit Disorder? Many things compete for our attention. As I get older, I know my energy follows my attention and I only have so much energy left. I want to control what grabs my attention. 

Temptations are those interruptions that take us away from God. Often, marketplace ministry is being ready for the interruptions that take us toward God. So we have to allow the interruptions. Many people report that they didn't do very well on their first Marketplace Mission Trip. They get surprised at how distracted from God they get at work. Our tasks are the things that take us away from God. Our attention goes with them and we miss the "way of escape" that Jesus offers us. Often a good thing like trying to do a good job can tempt us away from an opportunity God puts in our path. We need to train our minds to evaluate every interruption to see if it pulls us away from God or if it is an opportunity to serve others and make God visible.

And once we know it will take us away from God, we need to look for our escape route. God puts an escape route in front of us each time. If you think your interruption will take you away from God, look for the escape. It will be there. Interrupt yourself by writing a note to a friend or praying for a coworker. We can train our minds to cooperate with God. It just takes practice.

This is an encore presentation as we take a summer break from recording. We hope you are well and rested!

--

Yesterday we talked about how we aim our lives. We can aim our life toward God or our flesh. Our flesh is where we put ourselves in control. Later in that same chapter, Romans 8, we learn a bit more about that choice. We live according to our flesh or we are led by it. Our alternative is to be led by the Spirt of God. This is where the name Follower of One came from.

I believe in the Trinity, that God is One, represented in 3 distinct persons, the Father, the Son, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. When Jesus left Earth after his resurrection, he said we would receive the Holy Spirit. And now when people decide to follow Jesus, they receive the Holy Spirit. If we're being led by the Holy Spirit we are children of God. 

We learned yesterday, that we can choose to follow our flesh or live according to our flesh. But when we are led by the Spirit of God, we experience his joy. We don't have to know all the details about this. We can make a choice right now to take our direction from the Spirit of God. Simply tell Jesus you trust him and you want to do what he wants. Each choice is our chance to be led by the Spirit of God. As we make more and more of those steps following Jesus, or his Spirit, we grow as his child. We experience his meaning and purpose in our daily circumstances. And we experience the joy and satisfaction of an everlasting relationship with him.

Who is leading you? Why not ask the Spirit if he wants you to grow more like him. A disciple is someone who grows toward God. And a minister is someone who helps others grow one notch closer to God. Why not become a full-time minister today. Decide that in your job, or in your life situation, you will be led by God, move closer to him, and help others do the same.

For practice, check out the Marketplace Mission Trip. You can learn more about this free, 2-week experience at MarketplaceMissionTrip.com. The next one begins in a few days. 

This is an encore presentation as we take a summer break from recording. We hope you are well and rested!

--

Yesterday we talked about how we aim our lives. We can aim our life toward God or our flesh. Our flesh is where we put ourselves in control. Later in that same chapter, Romans 8, we learn a bit more about that choice. We live according to our flesh or we are led by it. Our alternative is to be led by the Spirt of God. This is where the name Follower of One came from.

I believe in the Trinity, that God is One, represented in 3 distinct persons, the Father, the Son, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. When Jesus left Earth after his resurrection, he said we would receive the Holy Spirit. And now when people decide to follow Jesus, they receive the Holy Spirit. If we're being led by the Holy Spirit we are children of God. 

We learned yesterday, that we can choose to follow our flesh or live according to our flesh. But when we are led by the Spirit of God, we experience his joy. We don't have to know all the details about this. We can make a choice right now to take our direction from the Spirit of God. Simply tell Jesus you trust him and you want to do what he wants. Each choice is our chance to be led by the Spirit of God. As we make more and more of those steps following Jesus, or his Spirit, we grow as his child. We experience his meaning and purpose in our daily circumstances. And we experience the joy and satisfaction of an everlasting relationship with him.

Who is leading you? Why not ask the Spirit if he wants you to grow more like him. A disciple is someone who grows toward God. And a minister is someone who helps others grow one notch closer to God. Why not become a full-time minister today. Decide that in your job, or in your life situation, you will be led by God, move closer to him, and help others do the same.

For practice, check out the Marketplace Mission Trip. You can learn more about this free, 2-week experience at MarketplaceMissionTrip.com. The next one begins in a few days. 

This is an encore presentation as we take a summer break from recording. We hope you are well and rested!

--

How do you prepare to explain your beliefs to others? Today, Mike draws a parallel to the command given to Timothy and the one given to each of us. Do you ever feel like you had a chance to explain your faith and you dropped the ball? Don't be ashamed, accurately handle the Bible and your faith. Study the Bible and practice being able to explain why you follow Jesus. This command is to pastors, but in your workplace, you are a pastor. Today, let's all prepare to explain our faith to others. 

This is an encore presentation as we take a summer break from recording. We hope you are well and rested!

--

How do you prepare to explain your beliefs to others? Today, Mike draws a parallel to the command given to Timothy and the one given to each of us. Do you ever feel like you had a chance to explain your faith and you dropped the ball? Don't be ashamed, accurately handle the Bible and your faith. Study the Bible and practice being able to explain why you follow Jesus. This command is to pastors, but in your workplace, you are a pastor. Today, let's all prepare to explain our faith to others. 

This is an encore presentation as we take a summer break from recording. We hope you are well and rested!

--

In this week's episode of the Follower of One podcast, Mike speaks with Claudio Morelli. Claudio is a retired education professional that now works as a Technical Consultant for The Wellspring Foundation for Education. he Wellspring Foundation for Education is a Christian organization working to empower the next generation of Rwandans through quality education. Please welcome him to our Community!

Episode Breakdown

1:00 - Meet Claudio Morelli

2:55 - The Wellspring Foundation for Education 

4:05 - How Claudio joined The Wellspring Foundation 

8:55 - Claudio's challenges with Faith in the Workplace

13:45 - God puts us in places we are not Comfortable

14:55 - Praying for the People of Rwanda and All of Africa

17:00 - Leadership Solutions are at the Heart of Most Problems

21:10 - Living Differently with People You Work With, Everywhere

23:30 - Claudio's Advice on Living Your Faith Everyday

26:10 - Connect with The Wellspring Foundation for Education

Leadership Based on Biblical Principles

Being a leader at any organization within any level is difficult. It takes time and attention to build upon leadership skills. However, we want leadership skills that are rooted in our biblical teachings. These lessons are imperative to both how you live through faith, and how you inspire others to build relationships. Claudio talks about this with Mike while giving examples of why he was inspired to take a job after retirement with The Wellspring Foundation. His inspiration served as a vessel for engaging and changing the lives of the people in Rwanda who needed it most. What type of lessons have you learned over the years that can apply to how you lead in your workplace? Are those lessons bringing you and your coworkers closer to Jesus with every action?

Living Differently Through Technology

Technology has been in a boom period for a long time now. It seems every day we learn of something new that makes it easier to stay connected. Yet, we don't want that to become stale. We as Christ-followers need to be molding to our changing environment and it is now more evident with a pandemic at hand. Claudio talks about how he is still able to bring extreme value to people in the country of Africa via Zoom or Skype and it is all because of technology. So how do we make our experience different? How can we ensure that although we are interacting across the globe, we still bring value to the person on the other end of the computer? Stick with the basics. Make time for the Bible and lessons. Make time for empathy and make sure that each opportunity you have to connect is a chance to build God's kingdom!

Interview Quote

"People from all over the world can get together and share voices and help each other... my passion is to bring these African voices to the forefront and make everyone aware of what they are doing"

Connect with Claudio

The Wellspring Foundation for Education

The Wellspring Foundation for Education LinkedIn

Connect With Follower Of One

Join us over in our Online Community, get social with us; Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn and subscribe to our YouTube channel. Listen to our podcast on your way to work and subscribe using your favorite podcast app. Be a part of our next Marketplace Mission Trip!

This is an encore presentation as we take a summer break from recording. We hope you are well and rested!

--

In this week's episode of the Follower of One podcast, Mike speaks with Claudio Morelli. Claudio is a retired education professional that now works as a Technical Consultant for The Wellspring Foundation for Education. he Wellspring Foundation for Education is a Christian organization working to empower the next generation of Rwandans through quality education. Please welcome him to our Community!

Episode Breakdown

1:00 - Meet Claudio Morelli

2:55 - The Wellspring Foundation for Education 

4:05 - How Claudio joined The Wellspring Foundation 

8:55 - Claudio's challenges with Faith in the Workplace

13:45 - God puts us in places we are not Comfortable

14:55 - Praying for the People of Rwanda and All of Africa

17:00 - Leadership Solutions are at the Heart of Most Problems

21:10 - Living Differently with People You Work With, Everywhere

23:30 - Claudio's Advice on Living Your Faith Everyday

26:10 - Connect with The Wellspring Foundation for Education

Leadership Based on Biblical Principles

Being a leader at any organization within any level is difficult. It takes time and attention to build upon leadership skills. However, we want leadership skills that are rooted in our biblical teachings. These lessons are imperative to both how you live through faith, and how you inspire others to build relationships. Claudio talks about this with Mike while giving examples of why he was inspired to take a job after retirement with The Wellspring Foundation. His inspiration served as a vessel for engaging and changing the lives of the people in Rwanda who needed it most. What type of lessons have you learned over the years that can apply to how you lead in your workplace? Are those lessons bringing you and your coworkers closer to Jesus with every action?

Living Differently Through Technology

Technology has been in a boom period for a long time now. It seems every day we learn of something new that makes it easier to stay connected. Yet, we don't want that to become stale. We as Christ-followers need to be molding to our changing environment and it is now more evident with a pandemic at hand. Claudio talks about how he is still able to bring extreme value to people in the country of Africa via Zoom or Skype and it is all because of technology. So how do we make our experience different? How can we ensure that although we are interacting across the globe, we still bring value to the person on the other end of the computer? Stick with the basics. Make time for the Bible and lessons. Make time for empathy and make sure that each opportunity you have to connect is a chance to build God's kingdom!

Interview Quote

"People from all over the world can get together and share voices and help each other... my passion is to bring these African voices to the forefront and make everyone aware of what they are doing"

Connect with Claudio

The Wellspring Foundation for Education

The Wellspring Foundation for Education LinkedIn

Connect With Follower Of One

Join us over in our Online Community, get social with us; Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn and subscribe to our YouTube channel. Listen to our podcast on your way to work and subscribe using your favorite podcast app. Be a part of our next Marketplace Mission Trip!

This is an encore presentation as we take a summer break from recording. We hope you are well and rested!

--

In this week's episode of the Follower of One Podcast. Mike talks with Anne Small. Anne is President and Founder of Blessed by Networking where they help professionals build a successful network of strategic partners, referrals, and increased revenue through faith-based Support for Business Professionals, Non-Profit Organizations, and Ministry all while building strong leaders. Please welcome her to the community! 

Episode Breakdown

1:05 - Meet Anne Small

3:05 - Anne's Story to Christ

5:10 - Why Blessed by Networking?

9:10 - Blessed by Networking is Different

18:25 - Anne's Thoughts on the Marketplace Mission Trip and Ministry Mindset Challenge 

20:55 - Anne's Tips on Moving Forward with your Faith

24:00 - Connect with Blessed by Networking

Be Different Yet The Same

One of the main themes in this episode is how to be different with your faith. Anne talks to Mike about Blessed by Networking and how through the network itself, it has inspired change in the way these Christians live their faith beyond Sunday. Yet the question remains - How are we different? How can we build an aura around us that makes people want to know more about us? To stand out, you have to bring something to the table that helps others around you recognize that this conversation, this interaction, this project, this weekend, and this story is different when you are around. We want to be the same too. So, what does that mean? It means that while we want to be different, we also want to lead by example and have others in their walk with Christ act differently as well. Through a group effort, we all are unique but have the same goal. In conclusion, be different but the same! 

Stay Connected to Learn and Know

Networking is what Anne Small does extremely well. In her discussion with Mike, Anne talks about how you have to be purposeful when networking yourself and your business with others. Ask yourself, why do I want to connect with this person/team? What are my goals by connecting and building this relationship? We learn that networking can become a connection that enables you to learn new things every day. If you want to be better in your job, you speak to like-minded people who are building something better than what you have, right? That is the goal but it doesn't stop with learning new information. You also want to be in the know! Know what your relationships are doing on a daily, weekly, or even monthly business so you can reflect that energy to your microclimate which is your daily life. Don't forget, we are not perfect so there will be mistakes. How are you handling your obstacles that come your way? This is more important than anything and shows your character as both a Christian and a business professional. Get after it!

Interview Quote:

"The Church is the People, it is not a building. We are finding that out right now, more than ever... We need to be supporting each other as a whole." 

Connect with Anne Small

Anne’s Linkedin

Blessed by Networking

Blessed by Networking Facebook Group

Connect With Follower Of One

Join us over in our Online Community, get social with us; Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn and subscribe to our YouTube channel. Listen to our podcast on your way to work and subscribe using your favorite podcast app. Be a part of our next Marketplace Mission Trip