Do You Have a Vision and Mission for Your Life?

Every company needs a vision so everyone can follow it and get where they want to go. Many companies fail because they didn’t have a vision. How do you know how to get to where you’re going if you don’t even know where that place is?

The Bible says in Habakkuk 2:2-3 (NLT)

“Write my answer plainly on tablets, so that a runner can carry the correct message to others. 3 This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed.”

Companies and businesses also need a mission that answers the question: Why do you exist? What is your purpose? Most companies exist to service people, whether they are for profit or not for profit, the end goal is usually to help others by producing services or products that will help people in the end.

Well, the same way, we as humans, need a vision and a mission in life. The vision will help us know where we want to go during our life’s journey. Where do we want to end up at the end of our lives? It’s amazing how many people never think about that and live their lives directionless.

The mission will reveal to us why God created each one of us. He created us for a unique purpose—one that only each of us can fulfill during our lifetime. We need to ask God to reveal our mission to us. Otherwise, we will live purposeless lives, not feeling useful to society, and will also be unfulfilled.

And in the same way that most companies’ vision and mission are related to helping people in some form or another, our personal vision and mission is connected to helping others too. Even the people who dedicate their lives to helping animals or the environment, in the end, they are also serving people so we can all have a better place to live.

Knowing God’s vision and mission for us in our lives is crucial to living the life that God intended us to live. I pray that you ask God to reveal to you His vision and His mission for you. You don’t have to be a world changer in order to feel that you contributed to the world but you do have to feel that you did your part—regardless of how small you may think your part is.

We all have a part to play in the plan of God and it is our responsibility to discover what our part is and then do it.

God Gives Gifts to Us All…Do You Know Yours?

Some of you know that I teach a women’s leadership program called The Master’s Program for Women. The purpose of this three-year journey is to discover our talents and gifts, and pursue the calling of God in our lives. Our last session was dedicated to finding our natural talents and discovering if our jobs align with the work God wants us to do in His Kingdom, which is our calling. The goal is for our careers to either align with our calling or, if they are different, then to allow the career to fund our Kingdom calling.

One way to find out your natural talents is by taking assessments such as the Strengths Finder (based on the book “Now, Discover Your Strengths” by Marcus Buckingham and Donald Clifton). The purpose of this assessment is to help you find your raw talent that, when cultivated and developed, can become a strength. These strengths can help you then identify the types of jobs or roles where you have a better chance of being successful in the workplace. The authors analyzed the research performed by The Gallup Organization of about two million people. The purpose of the study was to find out why some people excelled at some areas and others don’t. They also want to bring the concept to the business setting and encourage companies to focus on the strengths of their employees versus focusing on only improving their weaknesses.

I want to encourage you to pursue finding your talents, the natural gifts that God gave specifically to you. In addition, God also gave you spiritual gifts that, when combined with your natural abilities, you can maximize your work for God while you’re here on earth. I want to share two Scriptures where God clearly tells us the different types of gifts we find amongst all of us brothers and sisters in Christ.

Romans 12:4-11 New Living Translation (NLT)

4 Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, 5 so it is with Christ’s body. We are all parts of his one body, and each of us has different work to do. And since we are all one body in Christ, we belong to each other, and each of us needs all the others.

6 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out when you have faith that God is speaking through you. 7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. 8 If your gift is to encourage others, do it! If you have money, share it generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.

9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection and take delight in honoring each other. 11 Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.

In addition to these types of gifts, God also gave us spiritual gifts:

1 Corinthians 12:8-11 New Living Translation (NLT)

8 To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. 9 The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. 10 He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. 11 It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.

1 Corinthians 12:28 New Living Translation (NLT)

28 Here are some of the parts God has appointed for the church:

first are apostles, second are prophets, third are teachers, then those who do miracles, those who have the gift of healing, those who can help others, those who have the gift of leadership, those who speak in unknown languages.

These are spiritual gifts that God has distributed amongst all of us and it is our responsibility to discover them, develop them, and use them for His glory. As you can see, “He (the Holy Spirit) alone decides which gift each person should have.” We don’t have any control over which gifts God gives us. He chooses for us. He does the same with the natural talents and the color of our skin. God decides all of that at the moment when He created each one of us. He knows the best combination of gifts that we each should have in order to fulfill our unique calling and serve Him the best way.

I encourage you to ponder on these Scriptures and ask God to reveal to you not only your natural talents but also your spiritual gifts. If you look at the list above and think, “Oh no, I don’t have any.” I would disagree. We are all the church and at the minimum, God gave us the gift “those who can help others.” I always say, we’re all here to help others, you just have to find your niche!

So, find your gifts, pursue your calling, go out and serve God by serving others. You can do it!!

A Letter to My Dominican Friends

I just came back from a vacation in Dominican Republic so today’s blog is a Letter to My Dominican Friends. Enjoy!

It was June 24, 1979. I was only 13 years old when I arrived to the Dominican Republic from my war torn country of Nicaragua. The D.R. was the only country my family could fee to because my dad’s sister married a Dominican and his family was willing and able to help us. That help was no little undertaking as my family of eight arrived with nothing but 26 pieces of luggage and six kids ranging in ages from 14 to 1 ½ years old. That’s a lot of people to feed and open up your home to without knowing how long we would stay.

The exit from Nicaragua was an adventure like the ones you watch in the movie theater. My father found out that the Red Cross was sending a cargo plane to rescue people from El Salvador. There were no commercial airlines flying into the country anymore as these were the last few weeks before the revolution won. We left the house at around 2 a.m. and went to a motel next to the airport. At around 5 a.m. we went straight to the runway at the airport and my dad went to talk to the pilot. The plane was full and the pilot told my dad “There is no way I can fit your family into this plane plus you’re not on the list.” He continued to help the other passengers (who were natives of El Salvador and were being rescued) into the plane so my dad started sneaking suitcases into the cargo plane. All of the sudden the pilot realized the number of suitcases that were in the plane and asked around “Who do these suitcases belong to?” My dad said, “They’re my family’s.” Then the pilot responded, “There is no room for your family at all.” My dad then replied, “I’ll trade you one or two suitcases for each one of my kids and my wife.” The pilot agreed and soon all the kids were in the plane along with my mom… But there was no more room and my dad had to stay—with 25 suitcases. Only one suitcase made it in the plan. It was mine—and I had to share everything with the entire family later!

So my dad stayed behind, sitting on top of one of the suitcases looking down at the ground… alone in the runway… no planes on site. We didn’t know if we would see our dad again. That scene is forever in my memory and to this day brings tears to my eyes…But that is when God interfered. One passenger plane came from Argentina and was going to Costa Rica. The plane had one seat open. And my dad was allowed to get in the plane. He left all the luggage with the Red Cross and gave instructions to send them to my mom’s sister’s house in El Salvador, which is where we were going. God is good!

My dad contacted friends in Costa Rica and they bought him a ticket to El Salvador. The next day we reunited with my dad in El Salvador. Meanwhile my aunt from Dominican Republic arranged to have eight tickets bought for our family to fly to the D.R. the next day.

So that was the story of how we arrived to the Dominican Republic. My aunt and uncle converted their little office into a bedroom for my parents and put a small crib for my youngest sister. The rest of us were placed in the garage. Yes, I lived in the garage with the heat and the bugs that live in a garage in a Caribbean island. But we were not thinking of the heat or the mosquitoes or the mice that frequently visited. We were thinking, “We are free.” No more war, no more going to bed each night listening to the noise of machine guns or helicopters in the background, no more sitting on the floor with a mattress over our heads praying and asking God to show us the way out of the country. He had opened a door and we were now in D.R.

Even though we moved to D.R. empty handed, my parents had their faith in God and were willing and able to work hard to start their lives over in a new country. The Dominicans adopted us and opened up their hearts to my family. The Dominicans adopted me. I was the “Nicaraguan girl with the funny accent.” That’s ok, I thought the Dominicans were the ones that talked funny. And so I adapted wonderfully to their culture and learned new words and slangs. I also learned not to say some words from Nicaragua because they meant something completely different there—usually it was no good. Yes, I had many embarrassing moments but most of the time we simply all laughed and had a good time learning each other’s cultures. Oh, and of course, I learned to dance Merengue and also learned to love their food like mangu, croquetas and verengena.

I lived in the D.R. until I was 19 years old when my family decided to move to the United States, to Minnesota…probably the furthest State from the D.R. and for sure the coldest! While in D.R. I attended El Calasanz school in Santo Domingo and then spent the last three years of high school at the Colegio Santo Domingo where I graduated. I then attended three semesters at the UCMM (Universidad Catolica Madre y Maestra). The four older kids in my family left D.R. one at a time. I was the third one to leave D.R. and came to Minnesota in January, 1986.

I built my life here again and wasn’t able to return to D.R. until 2007, 21 years later! I went with my husband and kids so they could see one of the countries where I grew up. Now 8 years later, I came back with my husband again. The first time I went back I was able to reconnect with a few of my Dominican friends but this time I reconnected with most of my friends and I’m so happy!! Thanks to technology I’ll be able to stay connected with them going forward.

So to all of you who made the effort to see me on this trip. Thank you so much! To all my “Bubbles ’84” dear classmates who made it to the little reunion, thank you! Thank you! That meant so much to me. Friendships are very important to me and I have deeply missed my Latin friends all these years, the friendships from my childhood and teenage years. But now I feel I have an opportunity to continue and grow athose relationships that started so long ago. I have a special heart connection with each one of you that will last a lifetime. When we see each other again, it feels like time has not passed by and we pick up where we left off because we have that special connection and trust.

I promise you I will be back way sooner than 8 years and that I will stay in touch. Thank you for your love and friendship. I treasure each one of you!

The Rain

What do you do in a rainy day? Sometimes rainy days bring me down and make me feel sad for some reason. Other times, I look forward to a rainy day so I can slow down and take it easy, relax, and enjoy doing nothing… I can’t remember the last time I did nothing…

We all look forward to the sunny days because physically we feel happy. We know that we need vitamin D and the sun gives it to us for free. We feel inspired, energetic, and excited to be outside enjoying the weather. Even though we love sunny days, however, we need rainy days as well. Just as nature needs the sun and the rain to grow and flourish, and to survive, we also need both for the same reasons.

The rain allows us to replenish our soul and to do activities that we otherwise would not do. For example, when I was growing up we used to go to the ocean every weekend. During the sunny days, we would spend them outside at the beach, playing in the waves and picking up shells from the coast. But in the rainy days, we would spend it in the house, together, playing games, reading, and laying in the hammocks. We had no TV at the beach house. We had fun whether it was sunny or rainy. We had fun together, as a family.

During the spring, I get to see from my bedroom windows how, from week to week, all the trees come to life. It’s fascinating and amazing to see how God created nature’s cycles. Today, the trees look as if they’re soaking every drop of water that falls from the sky. They are flourishing and getting fuller by the minute. The leaves are so green! The scenery inspires peace and silent.

So today, I encourage you to enjoy the rain. When the sun comes out again, you will be refreshed and ready to go!

My Car Was Broken Into!

As I’m writing to you today my vision is blurry and I can hardly see the screen because my eyes are dilated from an impromptu eye exam I had to get done today.

It all started last night. My husband and I attended a non-profit gala in a well-known hotel downtown Minneapolis. The evening was wonderful and we had fun bidding on the auction items using the new cell phone technology. We decided to leave at around 10:30 p.m. and as we walked toward our car, my husband noticed something was wrong and said, “The car window is broken…” As I approached the car, I realized, what we don’t think that can happen to us, just happened. I said, “Oh no, my purse!”

I took my “big black purse” and a “little black purse” and transferred some things from the big one to the little one so it would be more comfortable (and fashionable) for the gala. I also had brought another “little white purse” because I couldn’t decide if I wanted to use the white purse or the black purse… (I brought extra shoes too, LOL). When I was done transferring my items to the little purse, I put the bigger black purse on the floor behind the front seat. I thought, it’s dark in the parking ramp, the purse is black, the carpet and the seats are black, and the windows in the back are tinted dark. My purse should be safe. Then I thought I should also put the little white purse in the back, on the floor. So I did.

So as we approached the completely shattered window, I saw that someone had taken both the little white purse and my big black purse. At first, I was shocked. You know the feeling when you feel your blood goes to your feet all at once? That’s how I felt at that moment. Then with the little blood I had left in my brain to think, I started to recollect what was in my purse that was of value. They had taken my wallet, which had my checks with my home address and our driver’s licenses on them. They took my ATM/Debit card which has access to my checking account. There were also three other charge cards for department stores.

At the same time, my husband was also thinking what his first steps should be so we decided to call our insurance company first. I’m glad I had his phone number in my cell phone. Once that call was completed, I remembered that my husband had his ATM/Debit card and that the phone number to call is on the back of the card so I called and cancelled mine. I don’t know where I would have found the right phone number to call at 11 p.m. on a Saturday night. I am thankful that I decided to take my driver’s license and my personal and business credit cards with me to the event. I was also glad that, for the first time, it was great that I didn’t have any cash in my wallet. My husband always gives me a hard time that I have worked at a bank for 23 years and never carry cash. Well, today it paid off! There was no cash in my wallet and there was nothing in the little white purse. It’s sad that I never got to use it because I had just bought it a week ago. But that’s ok. It’s replaceable.

I proceeded to look up my bank accounts on my phone and noticed that they had already made three transactions to Best Buy. One transaction went through for about $538 and the other two had a plus and a minus amounts so I’m not sure if their system detected something or not. Then I had, what I think was a great idea. I decided to transfer ALL the money from my checking account to another account that does not have access to any cards. I thought to myself, “If the card cancellation doesn’t go through right away, then at least they will be denied because there is no money in the account.”

My husband and I continued to clear the glass from the window that was scattered inside the car, everywhere. I was just hoping I didn’t sit on any glass. We drove home with the open hole in the back sit behind the driver’s seat with a storm coming upon us. The rain came down and it poured just a few minutes after we got home.

When we got home I decided to check my account on the Internet and saw that there was one more transaction at Walmart for around $65 and when I checked again right before going to bed at around 1 a.m. there was already another transaction for $436 that apparently went through as well. All of these transactions are “pending” so my financial loss from money taken out of my accounts will not be much, if any. However, guess what else was in my purse? My prescription eye glasses. I usually leave them in the car when I attend evening events or bring them in my purse but my new “little black purse” was too small and I couldn’t fit them in. So today, I went to the vision store to replace my glasses but they said in Minnesota it’s illegal to replace glasses on an expired prescription so I had to get a new eye exam. Luckily they had a doctor on site and the next appointment was only 30 minutes away so I waited and got it done. While waiting, I was laughing at some of the dumb videos people post on FaceBook!

I’m glad they didn’t steal anything else from the car and my sun glasses were still there. They knew that if they opened the door the car alarm would go off so all they could do was take the purses. So, what did I learn from this experience?

• I realized that we are all vulnerable and exposed to crime. I felt so violated. It’s a weird feeling that we only experience when it happens to us.

• I realized that in the grand scheme of things, they only took material possessions. Everything they took can be replaced. The situation could have turned out worse. It’s better not to think of “what could have happened” but I know it could have been much worse than just losing two purses and its contents.

• I also now will be much more aware of my surroundings and will for sure never leave a purse in the car, even if it’s dark. The thieves can use a flash light and easily see what’s inside.

• The technology we now have available can be used for good or evil. I looked up the balance and activity in my account and was able to transfer money out of my account from my cell phone. I had my insurance agent’s name in my contacts in my phone. I made a call to cancel the stolen card from my phone. At the same time, the thieves were able to purchase items at Best Buy using their cell phone to get to the Internet and used my card immediately after stealing it.

What I am concerned now is about identity theft. My husband and I signed up to LifeLock immediately when we got home. The monthly cost is worth the peace of mind knowing that whoever stole my personal information cannot steal my identity—or at least that’s what I hope at this point.

Even though I fear that the thieves have my home address now, I trust that God will protect my home and my family—and my identity. I will put my trust in God and will remember these Scriptures:

Romans 8:31 (NLT) What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?

Psalm 23:4 (NLT) Even when I walk through the darkest valley I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.

So today, I encourage you to do two things: 1) Be careful and be on the alert. Crime can happen to any of us. 2) Trust that God will protect you wherever you go and He will be with you!

Enjoy Each Season of Your Life

As I look out my bedroom window, which is the place where I write every Saturday morning, I realize how wonderful nature is. It is amazing how each day during the spring, the little leafs start to grow on the trees and the little buds start to come out. It’s almost magical. What was bare and colorless is turning all green and picturesque. The frozen creek is now flowing water with turtles, ducklings, and frogs making a home of it.

This scenery reminds me of how we also go through seasons in our lives when we feel bare and lonely, with no one around us to encourage us, and lifeless activities surrounding us. How do we get out of these seasons? I think there are several ways. First, we must remind ourselves that seasons are just that—a season, a time period—and they will end. There will be a change in site. It’s just a matter of time. Just like the winter in Minnesota that sometimes, those of us who live here, feel like it will never end, it does. It always ends. Spring comes around each year and then the summer. Then the fall comes and hopefully we had time to get re-energized and rejuvenated during the warmer months.

The second way we can get out of a long, dry season in our lives is to surround ourselves with positive people, those friends that always look at the bright side even in a cloudy day. We need those friends. They have the gift to lift us up when we’re down and to remind us that we are not alone. Don’t get closed up and stay in your cave at home. Go out, even if it’s cold and dry outside. Go out in the rain and enjoy the smell of rain touching the dirt and melting the snow. Go out at night even when it’s dark. You can still laugh and create new happy memories with friends in those days.

The third thing we can do to not remain in our low times during our lives is to cling to God. He is our daily companion and the One who loves us no matter what or where we are in our journey. When we are alone, it’s easy to turn on the TV and seek entertainment that way but wouldn’t it be better for our souls to sit down and read the Word of God? That is true enrichment to our souls and our spirit. Let us “be still, and know that He is God” (Psalm 46:10).

So enjoy today. Enjoy every season of your life. Surround yourself with those who love you to get you through the hard seasons in your life and then be there for your friends when they need you. And most of all, don’t let go of Jesus during every season in your life.

Reconnecting with Old Friendships

These past few days I have been thinking about friendships and what really makes a true friendship last. Do you wonder sometimes why you used to be so close to a person during a season in your life and now, for some reason, you are no longer that close? I think one of the main reasons is because you both grew apart. The things you had once in common may have passed and now you are left with almost nothing to talk about. I think this happens for various reasons. It could be you were best friends in high school and when you went to college you lost touch and went completely separate ways. It could be you were best friend in college but then you each took a job in different parts of the country and lost touch. As you get older, get married and start having kids you get busier and no longer have time to nurture your relationships as you used to.

As your kids grow up and you attend all their activities, you make friends and get close to your kids’ parents but when the kids are done, you lose touch with your new friends. Another situation could be your workplace. You work at a company for a season in your life and you get really close to a co-worker. Then, when one of you leaves the organization, the friendship cools off and sometimes it goes away completely. Another reason could be that you and your friend experience completely different life circumstances that causes your world views to change and you then grow apart. I think this is the hardest things to overcome to keep the relationship close and moving forward.

Despite all the circumstances and changes in your life that happen throughout the years, however, I believe that if you and your friend have God as the center of your relationship, you can be close friends forever. You and your friend can talk about the things of God. You can share what God is doing in your life right now, how He’s molding you to be what He created you to be, how He’s helping you get through a challenging situation you’re currently facing, and you can also simply pick up a Bible verse and share what you each think about it.

So today, I encourage you to think of things you have in common with some of your friends you haven’t been in touch for a while and reconnect with them. Sharing and discussing about the topic of God, His Word, His love, and everything about Him, should keep you connected for the rest of your lives.

Birthdays - Why Do We Celebrate?

This week was my birthday and I spent the day in Jury Duty. Everyone I told said, “Oh, I’m sorry you have to spend your special day there.” I spent the entire day before my birthday in the waiting room… waiting to be called. But I never did that day. So I shared with the ladies at my table that the next day was my birthday and they, of course, also said, “Oh no, I’m sorry!”

The next day, we all showed up again to wait and one of the ladies bought me a cup cake that morning and said, “Happy birthday!” I was so touched and told her how sweet and thoughtful of her that was. She said it was nothing… but it was not nothing. That small gesture meant a lot to me—especially because we didn’t even know each other’s names. Then I said, “Oh no, I forgot my drink today.” And the guy at my table took out 50 cents and said to me, “Here, go buy yourself a bottle of water. Happy birthday!” Even though I had 50 cents and could have bought myself the drink, the acts of kindness from these two strangers really touched my heart that day. I also don’t take for granted that those are the little details that God does for me to remind me of His love for me and that it doesn’t matter where we are. What matters is that He loves us and He sends people to love on us on our special day.

Despite the fact that I spent my birthday in Jury Duty, it was one of the best birthdays I’ve ever had. No party, no drinking, no dancing… just the gift of love that I received from all my friends and family was so special that it made my day. The emails, phone calls, voice mails with friends singing to me, texts, and FaceBook posts kept me so busy that morning that the time just flew by. Then I was called to be on a panel of jurors but I was dismissed that afternoon for good. My service was done.

Some people don’t like to celebrate their birthday because they feel they’re getting older and what’s the point anyway? A birthday is not a big deal, they think. But I disagree. I celebrate birthdays because I am thankful to God that He allowed me to live another year. It also represents a new beginning, a new year to work toward our goals, another opportunity to serve God fully and pursue our calling.

So the next time your birthday comes around, tell people it’s your birthday, take the hugs, accept the love from your friends and family, and celebrate life!

Spring... A Time to Produce New Fruit

 I love spring. Even though the beginning of it looks dry, boring, and with no colors at all, I know what’s coming. I know the trees “look dead” but they have life inside. They just have been sleeping and resting during the winter and now they’re ready to give birth again and bring forth fruit. Spring also reminds me that summer is coming, which is my favorite season because I love warm weather.

Like the trees, sometimes we may feel dry, boring, and with no excitement in our lives. Some of us may even feel dead inside because of life events that affected our lives. But it is during those hard times, when we can reach out to God to help us bring life again. Spring reminds us of the opportunity we all have to start fresh. We have a new year to try things out, to forgive those who hurt us in the past, and to move on.

Today, I encourage you to look inside of your heart and if you’ve experienced a dry, cold winter these past few months, it’s time to revitalize yourself. It’s time to get going and produce some fruit—good fruit.

Enjoy spring—every moment of it!

We NEED Rest!

I have been meditating about the concept of rest. Those of us who are type A personality have a hard time resting or making time to rest and slow down. You add to that the American culture of doing more with less—both at home and at work. And on top of that, you add the fact that you need to work harder to make it and get ahead. You now have the perfect recipe to eliminate the concept of rest from your life altogether. How can we slow down when there is so much to do? If our kids are not involved in fifteen activities the whole family may feel like it’s being left behind! Once you’re on the treadmill of life, it’s hard to get off—especially when you intentionally want to get off.

Last weekend, the pastor at church talked about the Sabbath and how it relates to us taking a sabbatical from work. Take time to refresh and do other things different and away from your daily work. I once did a research on sabbaticals and every person that I interviewed that had taken a sabbatical said it was the best thing they had ever done in their lives. Some companies now are starting to require the executives to take sabbaticals so they can come back refreshed and renewed.

Right now in my life I feel God has given me the opportunity to take a sabbatical from my bank job. But I have decided to start my own company so I have invested a lot of this time into the business startup. In a way, I feel that I should be resting. On the other hand, I feel the pressure to produce and get going with the new business venture. So what is the right thing to do? I think there has to be balance and I’m purposed to do both during this time. It may take me longer to get the business going but I will be more rested and energized to grow the business. I am also using this time to invest in volunteering for non-profit organizations, which is one of my passions. If not now, when?

I just got back from one week of vacation and the purpose was to relax and do nothing—no workouts, no work for the whole week… By day three of not working out I was going crazy so I decided to go lift weights. By day four I felt the urge to check my emails so I did. I told my husband I was only reading the e-newsletters so when I got back I didn’t have so many emails to go through. The truth was I wanted to work. But why can’t we have both—work and leisure at the same time? Work and rest integrated into our lives all the time? I think that’s the best way to always feel rested. The same way athletes take time off after working out certain muscle groups, we need to take time off every so often to rest our minds.

So today, I encourage you to make time to rest. Schedule time to slow down. Yes, even us type A personality people can do and should do that. I leave you with these Scriptures that reminds us that God can help us rest.

Hebrews 4:9-10 (NLT)

So there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God. For all who enter into God’s rest will find rest from their labors, just as God rested after creating the world.

Exodus 23:12 (NLT)

“Work six days, and rest on the seventh. This will give your ox and your donkey a chance to rest. It will also allow the people of your household, including your slaves and visitors, to be refreshed.”

The American Dream – Freedom!

Last Saturday I was on the plane on the way to Cozumel, Mexico for our family vacation and as the plane took off and the sunrise was in the horizon, I was thanking God for my life. I then started to ponder on the “American dream.” I asked myself, “What is truly the American dream? Is it having money? Is it being educated? Is it owning a home, being married with a couple of kids, two cars, and a dog? Is it having a job or high paying occupation? Is it being an entrepreneur and thus being your own boss?

The answer could be all of the above or any of the above but I think it’s none of the above… The American dream is to have Freedom! The freedom to choose what to do with your life. It’s the freedom to pursue happiness—whichever way you choose to do it.

The first settlers came to America because they wanted to be free. Freedom is an innate desire of all human beings. God created us to be free with a will to choose. Having lived through a revolution in my country of origin, Nicaragua, where the people lost their freedom to a communist regime, makes me appreciate the freedom I have by being now an American.

Those of you who had the privilege of being born in this nation, always remember there is a price to pay for freedom. Those of you who came to this nation as an immigrant and chose to become an American, don’t forget what it took to accomplish it and obtain that gift.

Either way, all the people who live in this country enjoy the freedom to choose what to do with their lives. America is still the land of opportunity. It doesn’t matter so much what you choose to pursue, what matters is that you have the choice to pursue happiness.

It doesn’t matter, really, what your background is, or where you came from. What matters is your desire to pursue happiness. What matters is your passion and enthusiasm for life and the realization that you are able to succeed if you choose to.

There is one choice I hope you make during the course of your life and that is the choice to pursue God above all. Once you do that, He will ensure the rest is taken care of. When you choose to have God in your life then He will be there for you and with you through all your hurts and tribulations as well as all your successes. Then you can share Him with others throughout your journey.

Enjoy your freedom and thank God every day for it!

BUILT on a Solid Foundation

Back on October 25, 2014, I wrote a blog titled “Building on a Solid Foundation.” I was reading it today because I was reflecting on the fact that, since I wrote that blog, I have worked very hard to get this new engine going and now it is ready. I am “open for business” like they say. In that blog, I refer to two key scriptures that I chose to be foundational to my business:

Matthew 7:24-29 (NLT)

24 “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. 25 Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. 26 But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. 27 When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”

Today, I want to remember again what I shared in that blog: “I will build my company on the Solid Foundation, which is Jesus Christ, the Rock. He will give me wisdom, knowledge, and understanding to do the right thing, to do what is right, and to do things right the first time. These are not only Biblical concepts, these are business concepts that create efficiencies throughout the organization and a strong work ethic, which in turn increases shareholder value.”

Romans 12: 6-11 (NLT)

6 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. 7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. 8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.

9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. 11 Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.

In my new role, I believe I will be operating within my gifts. I will be doing both sales as well as the work itself for a while until the company grows. As a sales person, I will need to identify and discover the prospects’ needs and see if we are a good match to work together. I will need to listen more!

As a worker, I will need to focus on each project and ensure the “billable hours” are truly billable and that I don’t spend any other time on anything else at that moment. I have to stay focused!

Being a good sales person, in my opinion, goes beyond having sales techniques and knowing when it’s the right time to approach a prospect or what to say. It’s about being a person of integrity, character, and truthfulness. An exceptional sales person is genuine, sincere, and truly wants to help others. That’s what I want to be!

When doing sales, you need to connect with people, at the heart. You also need to be ok being yourself. You need to believe in your product. If you are a consultant, you need to believe in yourself—you are your product. Your reputation is all you got. The work you perform once hired, also has to be done with the highest level of integrity and following the highest standards. Like my marketing person told me once, “Your brand is your promise. It’s what you promise to deliver when they hire you.”

So as I start my new adventure, I build this business on the foundation of Jesus Christ, my Rock while working hard and reaching for the highest standards. Doing the best that I can and being the best that I can be with God by my side every step of the way. Please pray for me that I can bless many people through this new business.

You can visit my new business website at www.malzahnstrategic.com and send me an email with your comments or feedback either through the website or as a comment on the blog.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Today is a special day because we’re supposed to show our love to our loved ones. It’s a day to celebrate love and even though it’s traditionally marketed toward couples, I prefer to think it’s a day to show our love for everyone. I love people! I love to love on people. It’s amazingly rewarding to love others because, most of the time, it is reciprocated. And when it’s not, God fills in the gap.

God loves us with an unconditional love with no expectations of us loving Him back. But when we choose to love Him back, a whole new world of love opens up to us. God fills us up with His love and then we can pour it out unto others. I want to learn to love others unconditionally, with the love of God and with no expectations.

Today, I want to encourage you to tell the people you love the simple three words that can change a life, “I love you.” Then show them how much you love them by doing something special for them. Sometimes written words can express way better than actions so you need to tell the special persons in your life how you feel. Other times, a small gesture, like a hug, shows appreciation and a deep love that no words can express. Praying for others is also a silent, private gesture of love. God listens to all our prayers. Tell the ones you love that you prayed for them. You have no idea how far those simple words and gestures of love go for a person.

We all need to be loved because we are human beings. God made us that way because we were created in His image, which means He also wants to be loved. The best gift we can give to others and to our God is to love people and love Him back.

To all my friends and family, I love you! You each have a piece of my heart that is reserved just for you. God has my whole heart.

This Sunday Is the Big Game. Is Your Life a Big Game Too?

The “game of the year” is happening Sunday. People across America prepare and plan who they will invite to their party, what food they will bring or serve at their home. This Sunday, church attendance is low because everyone is either at the grocery store buying food or preparing the house to have guests. Many people plan way ahead and are so excited to see the new commercials that debut for the first time during the game. Then the anticipation of watching the half-time show builds up until it finally comes and they can see it. Soon the game is over, the party ends, everyone goes home. Those who hosted have to clean up the mess and everyone talks about the game, the winners and losers, the food, and the commercials. Life goes back to normal until the next season starts and culminates in the big game again the following year. This annual event takes probably an entire year to plan. Thousands of people across America plan for it—from the stadium workers to the commercial producers to the cleaning crew—everyone does their part to produce an amazing show.

While all of this anticipation and planning is a lot of fun, and there is nothing wrong with doing it, sometimes we focus too much of our time and energy on the external things. In other words, are we spending the same amount of time, resources, and our energy on the things that really matter –the eternal things? Today, I was meditating on the thought of “The Game of Life.”

Your life – is it a big game too? Do you approach your life like a game? Do you take the time to really plan your life out and take the steps to make it happen? If you don’t take the time to plan your life, who will do it for you? If you don’t plan your life, you will never realize your dreams. You may not be able to do all you want or make all your dreams come true but if you don’t plan at least some of them, you will get to the end of your road and will have a lot of regrets.

Life is not a game. Life is real and everything we do here on earth is preparation for our eternal lives in heaven with God. That’s what I believe as a Christian. Many people live through their lives without ever thinking what they really want to do or be. They let life happen to them. They never figure out their calling and thus never pursue it. Many Christians don’t plan their future with the hope that “Jesus is coming soon.” I think that is unwise. No one knows when Jesus is coming back. Therefore, we should live our lives as if He’s coming today while planning for the future as if we will be here until the end of our earthly lives.

I encourage you today to plan your life out. Take charge of your life. Discover your dreams, plan them, and then do them. Create your plan and give it to God. Trust God with your plans. Let Him change your plans and redirect you if necessary. Let Him guide you.

Just as the big game of football takes a lot of careful planning, preparation, and practice so does our lives. Except we only have one life to live. At the end, it’s game over! There is no next season or the next game. There is no more time to plan it again, prepare, nor to practice… It’s done. At the end of our earthly lives comes eternity. Everything we did here will affect our eternal destiny. So let’s make sure we spend our time here planning, preparing, practicing, and doing the things that really matter—the things of God and His Kingdom.

Enjoy the game and enjoy planning and living your life too!

From Success to Significance

Most people you know, and probably including yourself, strive to be successful in life. But, truly, what is success? What is success to you? And once you are successful, are you also achieving significance in life? Are you making a positive impact in other people’s lives? Are you accomplishing anything to build the Kingdom of God? Do you know your personal and unique calling in life?

Today I want to share with you about The Master’s Program – for Men and for Women. Bob Shank authored this program to help men and women achieve their highest potential and fulfill their calling in the Kingdom of God. He founded The Master’s Program with the mission "To prepare Christian leaders to change their world and build God's Kingdom through their irresistible lifestyles and influential works of service."

I am privileged to know Bob Shank personally and to sit under his teachings while I’m in training to lead the first Women’s program in the Twin Cities, which I started last April. I am preparing to start my second women’s group in Minneapolis, MN on April 16th and possibly starting one also in Chicago, IL. There are several men’s groups starting across the nation as well.

I encourage you to look into this program as it will take you from success to significance. If you want to find your Kingdom calling and then pursue it, this program is for you. If you feel you’re stuck and are not sure how to jump into doing the things of God, or want to make a difference in people’s lives, this is the program for you. It’s a three year journey of discovery with quarterly meetings with a group of other believers seeking the same thing as you are—their unique calling of God in their lives. They are small groups of 10 to 15 people and it’s a confidential and professional setting where you will learn how to become the person God intended for you to be. You will have a positive and godly influence in those around you and leave a legacy of significance in your life.

You can find information on the men’s program at www.themastersprogram.org and the women’s program at www.themastersprogramforwomen.org. Enjoy the journey!

Striving to Become Holy

This weekend I entertained my Graduate School of Banking friends here at home. We had a great time remembering the great experience we had at the school and the lifetime friendships we formed. Because of that, I wasn’t able to write my weekly blog on Saturday so I’m doing it now.

Today, I want to focus on the topic of holiness. This word can be controversial because we live in a world where this word is never mentioned and people’s lives are, overall, far from holy. But the Bible tells us that we are to be holy as Christ is holy so we can do His work. 1 Peter 1:14-16 (NLT) says, Obey God because you are his children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of doing evil; you didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God—who chose you to be his children—is holy. For he himself has said, “You must be holy because I am holy.”

But, what does it mean to be holy? The first step, of course, is to give your life to Jesus and accept Him as your Lord and Savior. Then you can start working on your life and taking steps toward becoming holy. To start explaining, I want to share one of the devotionals from my first book, Devotions for Working Women, that applies to everyone:

Lord, Teach Us Your Ways

# 199

Psalm 86:11 (NLT)

Teach me your ways, O Lord, that I may live according to your truth! Grant me purity of heart, that I may honor you.

Psalm 86:11 is a prayer I want to keep close to my heart and live out. When we know the ways of the Lord, we can live in His truth. By studying and meditating on His Word, we get to know Him and receive a revelation in our hearts of the truth. We can then live our lives according to what He wants for us.

The King James Version of the Bible says the second part of this verse this way, “Unite my heart to fear thy name.” When we ask God to put in our heart the fear of His name, our heart becomes pure. When our heart is pure, God can mold it and transform it into the heart He wants us to have—His heart. Remember, He made us in His image.

When we live our lives according to this truth, we become a light to the world and are able to influence people for His Kingdom. This applies for our work, home, and community involvement.

To be holy means to have “purity of heart.” It means to have the fear of God in our hearts. To be holy means you separate yourself from the things of the world and seek those things that are pure, true, and honorable to God. The things of the world are those that have the potential to control you and take you away from God such as alcohol, pornography, drugs, lying, and stealing, among other things. The things that are pure are honesty, truthfulness, fairness, self-control, and loving others with the love of God, for example.

When you decide to serve God and to live for His purposes, to follow your calling, and to do “Kingdom work,” you are taking on a huge responsibility. When you choose to do God’s work, you are His representative everywhere you go. Your life becomes transparent to those you help, and the people who listens to you and ultimately follow you as their leader. Therefore, you must strive to be holy. 1 Peter 3:4 (NLT) says, You should be known for the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.

You may be thinking becoming a holy person is impossible while you’re living in this world and are submerged in it. But it is possible. Don’t be discouraged. God has equipped you to do His work and has given you the tools and guidelines that are key to your success in this area. It’s all in the Bible! The first step is to strive to live a holy life, as Christ Jesus did. Yes, Jesus was God BUT He was also human and, therefore, He struggled with sin just like you. Doing what’s right consistently and in every area of your life is key to your success in becoming holy. 1 John 3:7 (NLT) says, Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it is because they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous.

I leave you today with the encouragement and hope that you can become holy like Jesus was. As you strive each day toward that goal, God will be able to use you beyond what you ever dreamed and you will help and influence many people along the way. Spend time with the Lord, in His presence. 2 Peter 1:3 (NLT) As we know Jesus better, his divine power gives us everything we need for living a godly life. He has called us to receive his own glory and goodness!

The Forgiveness of the Father

Why is it that when we sin we move away from God instead of running to Him? I think it’s because we feel shame—just like Adam and Eve felt when they saw that they were naked in the garden of Eve. We feel ashamed of going to God because we don’t feel pure in our hearts. But that’s precisely when we need to run to Him and put our sins at His feet.

Jesus died on the cross for us and He forgave all our sins—past, present and future—and we cannot forget that. We need to come to the cross along with the big baggage made up of our sorrows, our sins, and our hurts. Jesus will take our burdens and make them light. He will walk the road with us and get us out of the sinful life or behavior we’re in at the time.

We all have sin in our hearts. Nobody is sin free. Jesus was the only human who ever lived on this earth who was sin free. But also because He was a human, He understands the struggles we go through and He wants to help us be free of sin by granting us forgiveness. God the Father loves us so much that He sent His only Son Jesus for that purpose—to forgive our sins, to save us from hell, to give us everlasting life, to restore our relationship with God.

So today friends, I encourage you to run to Jesus and bring all your sins to Him and ask for forgiveness. It doesn’t matter how big or small your sin may be. We are to live holy lives and the only way we can do that is one day at a time, asking God to forgive us as we sin.

Writing Your Goals beyond SMART

It’s the New Year and most of you are planning your year and writing goals. Most of you have heard of creating goals that are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely) and I’m sure you’re striving to write goals that meet that criteria.

I categorize goals in four main areas: 1) Personal (health, fitness, finances, relationships, family), 2) Intellectual (learning, education, acquire new skills), 3) Career/Business (new job and/or business opportunities, growth goals, improvement goals, networking), and 4) Spiritual (my relationship with God – time spent in prayer, reading the Bible, working for the Kingdom – doing work that has eternal value, fulfilling the call in my life). I write these goals with the SMART concept in mind but when it comes to the Spiritual goals, it gets a little more challenging. How do you measure the impact you have in someone’s life after a deep conversation about God’s love? Is it realistic to think that every person you touch will be changed by the power of God’s love? Can you time every interaction with people that God may put in your path so you can help them? Can you put an attainable number of people you want to minister to each day or week or year? And how specific do you get with the concepts of God explained in His Word? The answer is yes to all of these questions. You just have to plan and set a goal and then let the Holy Spirit guide you each day, each moment, and each interaction with others.

There are some things of course we cannot measure in natural terms like the impact of God’s love in someone’s life but that’s when we trust God that His Word and His love will always produce results. We do our part, which is to share and God does His. We may never see the results while we’re here on earth but we will see them when we get to heaven.

After writing all my goals in all the various categories, I stopped and thought for a while about this key question: Which goal (or goals) will get me closer to fulfilling the call of God in my life? Those are the most important goals that I should focus on because when I am doing what I’m called to do first, then everything else falls into place.

This year, I want to challenge you to write your goals and then prioritize them based on that key question – which goals will get you closer to fulfilling the call of God in your life? If you don’t know what your calling is, it’s time to find out. Seek God with all your heart and ask Him to reveal it to you. He will.

Time to Remember and to Look Ahead

Another Christmas, another year. These last few days of the year, people usually take time to reflect on everything that happened during the past year and also think about the things that couldn’t get done. Some people lost a loved one during the past twelve months and this was the first Christmas without him or her. It was different. It was probably sad. Other families got a new addition, a new baby arrived, and this was probably their happiest (and probably the most tired) Christmas they’ve ever had. Yet other people got married and this was the first Christmas they spent together as a couple.

As the New Year comes along I encourage you to think of the happy moments you had during the year, the time you spent with your loved ones, and also take time to grieve those you may have lost. I personally lost two co-workers within the past thirteen months. That was hard. They were my friends and I miss them dearly. I also got a new nephew, whom I adore and my daughter got married. I got a new son-in-law, whom I love as my own son.

When we remember the happy moments in our lives, our hearts fill up with gratefulness, which helps us then deal with the sad moments we experienced during the year. When we focus on what we have versus what we lack, it gives us a different perspective in life. There will always be people who have more and who have less than we do. That’s ok. God meets our needs and blesses us immensely, each day.

So enjoy today and each day you have left of 2014. Then celebrate the New Year!

Christmas - A Time to Give... A Time to Forgive

Today most of you are probably doing some shopping either at the busy stores or online hoping your orders will arrive on time for Christmas. Some of you may already be done and enjoying family that arrived from various places. The busyness of Christmas often overshadows the reason behind the true meaning of the season. Every year you may say, “next year it will be less hectic, I’ll prepare with more time, or I won’t buy as many gifts…” But each year it seems we spend more money and the stress of the season continues unchanged.

I was talking with some friends at lunch yesterday about how difficult it is to buy gifts for some family members and even the little kids in the family because we truly don’t know what they want or need. The truth is, here in America, most people don’t need anything material, like more toys to play with. Most of the time, people make a list of what they want—their wish list. But true need? Only a few people have real need for material gifts.

However, there is a gift that we all need regardless of our material possessions, social status, or work success and that is forgiveness. Jesus gave us the gift of forgiveness that comes along with the gift of salvation and eternal life. Only Jesus can give us the last two but we can give other the gift of forgiveness. When we hold a grudge against others, we are the one who carry the extra burden with us. When we forgive, we let go of the extra weight and our load becomes lighter to carry.

This Christmas, if you hold a grudge in your heart against someone, it’s time to get rid of it. Give the other person the gift of forgiveness so you can move on with your own life.

Merry Christmas to all my friends and loved ones!