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This is a show for marketplace Christians to energize and encourage you to live out your faith every day, right where you are. Begin your day with Christ-centered ideas to share your joy with those around you. Add in weekly interviews with other like-minded Christians so you can share in their joy and learn how they make Jesus visible in their workplace every day.”
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Do you have a lot of secrets? "No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you." John 15:15 NASB Notice how Jesus explains further the idea of us being friends. Since we're friends he's showing us the difference between being a friend and being a slave or an employee. We're part of the family, not hired help. One of the benefits of being family is that we're "in" on what Jesus is doing. He's saving the world. He's using us. We're friends. We not just given a task, but we know the plan. We're part of the strategy. Today, what are we doing with the knowledge we have? Do we keep our faith to ourselves? Or does our faith inform the way we live? We can live so differently, and still be great employees and friends. When we do, others will ask us what we're doing, or why are we different. And when they do, we can tell them our relationship with Jesus is what causes the difference. We speak for ourselves, which is our 5th daily habit. When we state our faith as being a normal part of how we live, it makes a difference and it causes others to have to think differently. Why not try to live differently. Be a blessing to others. Practice our 5 daily habits and watch Jesus put you to work. Learn more and join us at https://community.followerofone.org.
Are we friends of Jesus? "You are My friends if you do what I command you." John 15:14 Jesus is speaking and he's calling the disciples his friends. He's telling all of us that if we obey his commands, we are his friends. What command is he talking about? Probably the one he talked about 2 verses before, that we love one another just as he loved us. Are we friends of Jesus? If so, we do what he says? Can you ask yourself today where you can be more loving? Maybe a better question is, "How can I love this person I'm talking to or thinking about or working besides?" What is Jesus saying? Also, listen for something that sounds like Jesus. I don't think he's going to tell you to fix the people you're praying for. He may tell you to pay for their mistake without judgment. He may tell you to find a way to give them a break. Can you give people the benefit of the doubt even if you don't agree with them? Today, ask Jesus to to show you who he would have you befriend and love. We have a great blessing as the friends of Jesus. We also have a great opportunity. Thank you for being a marketplace minister. Remember, everything you do because you follow Jesus matters forever. Please consider making a gift to Follower of One. We're donor supported. We have a matching gift that will expire in just a couple of weeks. Everything you give before the end of October, 2023 will be doubled. Your gift will make a huge difference helping us with this podcast and helping us mobilize Christ-followers. Thanks for considering an investment in Follower of One so we can help more grow as friends of Jesus.
What does it mean to lay down our life? Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13 ESV The words are very clear, but if you're like me, I start looking for loopholes. The translation of the Greek to English is pretty plain. Most every translation has the same words. But what do they mean? Laying down our life is a challenging idea. It's not every day that I get to put my life on the line for someone else. In Romans 12:1 Paul reminds us that this illustration includes everything up to dying for someone else. We're challenged to consider ourselves as living sacrifices. Have you ever realized that you live according to your identity? We don't do things that contradict how we really see ourselves. We may say we're one thing, but our identity, or our true picture of ourselves takes over. I say I want to be healthy, but I often find excuses to exercise. We may want to get out of debt, but we keep spending. Or we say we want to memorize scripture, but we end up watching YouTube videos or listening to our favorite playlist instead. Jesus is calling us to be the people who lay down their lives for their friends. If we love someone the way Jesus did, that's our job. The day-in-day-out hardest thing to do is serve others instead of our own agenda. Can you go out of your way for someone else? Can you change your plans? Can you give up time or money? Will you ask the Holy Spirit today to show you how you can lay down your life in our daily situation. Maybe you're a student. What can you do for a fellow student or for a teacher simply because you follow Jesus? Or maybe you're an employee? What can you do over and above what is expected that might demonstrate your love for someone at work? I have found that if we genuinely ask God and expect him to answer we will get an idea. Don't tell yourself (or God) "No, that's silly." It may be the very thing God wants. He's working in the life of everyone you interact with today. Your silly idea may be his strategy for including you. Don't pass up the opportunity to join God and then experience his joy. Remember, what we do because we follow Jesus matters, forever.
In this episode of the Follower of One podcast, Mike Henry Sr. interviews Sondra Calhoun, a leadership consultant from Strata Consulting. Sondra shares her journey into the consulting world, the role of her faith, and how she helps leaders grow and develop.
Today's Guest...Sondra Calhoun is a certified executive coach and organizational development consultant. In her 25 years of professional experience, she has led organizations through growth cycles, strategic planning, mergers & acquisitions, implementing new processes, and engaging employees. Sondra is the founder of Strada Consulting, an organization that helps leaders and organizations unlock, execute, and deliver on behaviors that lead to success.
In this EpisodeHow Sondra Got Started(1:05) Sondra's career began in training and development within large organizations, offering valuable learning experiences and mentorship. Sondra pursued coaching training to address the challenge of workshop participants not translating knowledge into practical growth, eventually creating a coaching role within T-Mobile.
Faith Journey(4:45): Sondra's faith journey began in childhood, witnessing her parents' transformative experience with faith, which strengthened their family.
Coaching and Consulting(5:54): Sondra provides one-on-one and team coaching, helping leaders align their values with their leadership approach, emphasizing holistic integration of faith.
Challenges in Leadership(7:54): Mike and Sondra acknowledge that leadership can be difficult, particularly in environments that downplay faith.
Prayer in Leadership(14:12): Sondra starts her day with prayer, seeking wisdom, guidance, insights during conversations with others.
Marketplace Mission Trip Experience(14:48): Sondra participated in a marketplace mission trip with Follower of One, appreciating its practical, engaging content and the importance of community and prayer support for believers in the workplace.
Resources & People Mentioned Follow Sondra CalhounConnect on LinkedIn
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How do we love one another? This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. John 15:12 NASB Can we really love someone we don't know? We can love a certain place or a certain kind of food. The Greeks had at least 4 words that are often translated with the word "love" in the English. This is the grandest of those words, and it means unconditional love. It means we actively choose to do what's best for the other person. It doesn't have as much to do with affection, or emotion as much as it is an active choice. We do what's best for them. Jesus makes a point that this is a command. We don't have to guess. And he gives it to them on the last night he is a free man with his closest friends. Judas isn't around. We must perform this "others-first" love. But how? He will repeat this command in 5 verses. In between, we have some conditional phrases that help us understand what he meant. The first is, "just as I have loved you." So, how did Jesus love these guys. He spent a great amount of time with them. He taught them. He's going to die for them. Jesus has the greatest others-first love for us. He is the standard. Here he commands us to pass that standard along "just as" he has loved those disciples and all the disciples after them. He chose them. He invested in them. He gave his life for them. In Romans 12, Paul challenges us to be a living sacrifice. We don't have to give up our lives, we give our time and energy away. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you how to love someone extra today. If we increase just a bit every week for the rest of our lives, we still won't get close to where Jesus is, but we will experience his joy, purpose and presence filling our lives. Ask God to expand your love for the people you interact with today. It's harder to love people you're not around. The people that you interact with are the first people we get to love. What ideas come to mind? Make a note and do them. Don't let anything stop you. Then, do it again tomorrow. Love "just" as Christ loved us. Build the habit. Either Jesus is King and we do what he says, or he's not.
Do you consider yourself a joyful person? "These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full." John 15:11 NASB95 Joy is pretty cool. The more I experience it, the more I appreciate it, and the more I realize that you can't substitute anything for it. Happiness seems to be based more on what happens. Joy transcends my circumstances. Joy just seems more valuable, too. It can be addictive. It changes those things I do because I should, and turns them into what I do because I want to. When I do what Jesus wants, and I see him working in and through me, I experience a joy that I can't replicate. Others may have another method, but I don't believe that method produces this joy that Jesus is talking about here. Jesus is speaking and said he was talking about "his" joy. This joy comes from Jesus. it's his. He wants us to have it and for it to be complete, full, to the brim. This isn't green, unripe joy. This is the full-blown, 5-alarm joy. He wants us to have all of it. So how do we get it? By listening to "these things." Basically, what he said in John 15:1-10 is the key. When we abide in Jesus and obey his commandments our joy becomes full. Today, take a few minutes right where you are unless you're flying or driving and ask Jesus to give you an idea for how you can abide in Jesus today. Celebrate the joy you've received. Or wait quietly on a word from him. It may seem like forever, but wait a minute or two and let him speak. He wants to be glorified through you and he will give you his joy when he does. Give him a moment or two today and then do what he says.
What does it mean to abide in Christ's love? "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love." John 15:9-10 ESV Abide means remain or stay. The idea is that we're fully connected, engaged. In our multi-tasking world, this is a single-tasking word. We're doing one thing. We're remaining tethered to Jesus. We draw our life from him. We take our direction from him. I've learned that no matter how much I think this means that I'm single-minded in my focus on Jesus, I believe there is more room. I don't believe I achieve anything near the ideal or the standard Jesus is describing. He is greater than all I can ask or imagine. If I can keep his commandments, I can remain in his love. It seems simple. We know the 2 greatest commands. They're from Matthew 22:36-38, which paraphrased is love God all you can and love others the way you love yourself. If I'm honest, I have a gap. If you're in between me and where I want to go, I'm not so loving. I can easily find ways I don't measure up. Fortunately, Jesus paid for the gap. But I'm still called to grow. Today, let's grow. Let's try to remain a bit longer or to abide a bit longer. Let's try to be slower to get angry at someone else and let's be quicker to love others. In fact, ask God to show you how you can display love to someone right now and do it. If at any moment, you sense a gap between where you are and the center of Christ's love, you know the key: keep his commandments. Let's be a people marked by keeping his commandments today. And if you want to do that better, check out our online community called Follower of One. Head over to https://community.followerofone.org and check it out.
How do we prove we're disciples of Jesus? "My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples." John 15:8 NASB95 We prove our relationship to Jesus by bearing fruit. But if you read what it means to bear fruit, you can get differing opinions. Some talk about the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5 which includes love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. We can always demonstrate more of these. The supply of the fruit of the Spirit is only limited by the strength of our relationship to Jesus. Others think bearing fruit is leading others to trust Jesus. We actually talk about helping others move one notch closer to Jesus. We know from this verse that when we bear fruit, we glorify the Father; we help others see him and know him better. My working definition for bearing fruit is living a life that can't be explained without including Jesus. When an apple shows up, we know it's an apple tree. When a grape shows up, we know it's a grape vine. When the evidence of Jesus is present, we know the person acting is a Jesus follower. Our job today is to live our lives following Jesus. In the end, we won't look like everyone else. We can practice any of our daily habits and expect Jesus to become a bit more visible to the people around us. Right now, the Holy Spirit may be giving you an idea that he can use to glorify God. Don't tell him "No." Rather figure out how you can do what he asks. You'll experience joy. You'll see the Father glorified. And you'll prove to be a disciple of Jesus'.
What do you want? "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you." John 15:7 NASB I wonder about this passage regularly. I wonder if I really abide. How many of the things I ask Jesus about are still being answered? How many did I blow because I stopped asking? How many were me being wrong about thinking I remained in Jesus but I was really trying to do my own thing? Do you have the courage to abide in Jesus and then trust until your request comes to pass? I want to. I want to see Jesus working miracles in my life all the time. I wonder where I don't abide, or in which things I really don't trust him. I know God answers prayer. I prayed things 35 years ago that are being answered now. I'm not any better than anyone else except that the Holy Spirit helps me remember. I remember praying that God would use the frustration of my career and he is. I remember praying that God would provide for us and he has. So many answered prayers. And yet, I can still get afraid thinking about how we lead this ministry or how we handle our finances. Today, let's ask God to show us where we can trust him more. As I record, I choose to trust Jesus. I choose to tell myself not to consider my own anxiety. It is less real than the Holy Spirit. May I trust Jesus and invest in the next person I meet. May I trust Jesus and boldly choose to do any crazy thing he tells me to do when I'm interacting with coworkers, customers, vendors and friends today. Life following Jesus seems too good to be true. That's the kind of God we serve. Let's believe him for more and believe him to be bigger and more powerful than we can ask or imagine. Then let's live accordingly.
What do you do with yard trash? If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned." John 15:6 NASB When you trim a tree, or pull weeds in your yard, you pile them up somewhere and eventually they're burned. Jesus continues his analogy of the vine and the branches. When we don't abide in Jesus, we are cut off, hauled off and burned. That's a pretty vivid analogy. Do we believe this? Abide can also be translated remain. Our life, both the temporal life and the eternal life, come from God the Father. We get them by being connected to Jesus. Eventually, if you don't connect to Jesus, and remain in him, you'll burn up. It's not a pleasant thought. Fortunately for those of us who put our trust in Jesus, he is the one who helps us remain, or abide in him. When we abide in him day-to-day, we can do work that will last forever. But in this verse, Jesus isn't talking about our accomplishments. I believe he has flipped the analogy to people, not works. This clearly says, "If anyone..." It's like Jesus has said up through verse 5 he was talking about our fruit. But now he's talking about those who don't remain in him. Do you remain in Jesus? If you have trusted and bent your life to follow him, I believe you will abide and that will result in salvation. In a 5-minute devotional, it's hard to finish the argument. Let's trust Jesus today. Those that don't abide in him will end up being cast off like dead branches. It's a challenging thought. Today, let's abide in Jesus. That may mean that we remind ourselves what we know and trust about him. It may mean doing something you know he wants you to do. Whatever it is, do it, and let us know what happened. Send a note to info@followerofone.org to share your experience. Thanks for being a marketplace minister and for remembering that what we do because we follow Jesus matters, forever.
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