A Better Interview

I had an interview yesterday morning with a company in Greenville.  It is a national staffing agency with temp/temp2hire/permanent jobs available.  I had a much better feeling about this interview than the last one.  It is interesting that you can interview with one company and potentially interview with hundreds at the same time.  I am excited to see how this plays out.  I don’t know how long it will take to get my first opportunity, but it will no doubt be a learning experience.

On a different note, I was mildly disappointed by some of the things that I noticed in the office.  The test that I took had copy errors in it.  The monitors were severely outdated and the systems were running windows NT.  Either way, it was still better than the last interview.

Camping

I am about to go camping with three or four guys from the small group that I lead.  We are going to Brasstown Falls near Westminster, SC.  It should be pretty awesome.  We are definitely going to have a camp fire and roast some hot dogs.  There are four sets of falls involved, and several trails to explore.  I am going to challenge these guys with a double dose of Jesus both tonight and tomorrow morning.

I haven’t gone camping since October.  My family went camping in Virginia during a family reunion where we made apple butter and cider.  It was pretty awesome.

I suppose that I will post how things go after I get back tomorrow.

Daniel Chapter 6

This is a continuation of my reading of Daniel.

6:1-2    Each adviser was in charge of 40 high officials and probably many other staff around and under them. I can’t imagine having the problems and concerns of hundreds of thousands of people be on my shoulders.

6:3    Daniel had a great track record. No one just walks into a position like that without having done some sort of management previously, and excellently for that matter.

6:4    What am I doing to create/maintain/protect that kind of reputation and work habit?

6:5    The strongest attacks come from your blind-side/seemingly unrelated direction. These men were able to complete the same job, so religion was an additive, not a requirement. These men attacked what he believed/who he was, not his job. Daniel had to be attacked in the one area that he found success through, that he felt secure about. Probably not an area he felt he needed to protect. Never assume that people respect God.

6:6-9    The administrators went full force to attack Daniel, but it was in a passive aggressive manner. When people have a problem with the way you live, not the job you do, they will not likely confront you about the problem they have. They went straight to the top and put Daniel in a tough but fantastic position. His life was now on the line, where he chooses honoring God or potential death.

6:10    AS USUAL! This threat did not inspire a renewing/rededication of Daniel’s heart and affections. This came in the middle of a lifestyle of honoring God, not after a long rebellion or a drunken weekend. Not only did he consistently pray, building the relationship, but he also thanked God in everything. That kind of peace and genuine attitude can only come from habit or second nature.

6:11-13    The accusers “strike” by telling on Daniel behind his back. They don’t even have the decency or courage to confront him like real men. The king is then tricked into a position to fire his most valuable employee.

6:14    How valuable are you to your boss? Do you have the kind of integrity and work habit that your supervisor would scramble to find a way to keep you?

6:21-23    God honored Daniel and himself by sparing Daniel’s life. God didn’t barely save him, with Daniel recovering after several months of rehab; Daniel came out unscathed and in good health. This is the same kind of protection that God gave Daniel’s friends in the fiery furnace.

Daniel Chapter 5

This is a continuation of my reading of Daniel.

5:1-4 Am I using something that God has set up to honor himself to glorify something other than him? Am I setting myself up for a confrontation with reality?
5:5 God’s creativity in how he gets our attention is endless.
5:10-12 Daniel’s reputation is built off of what God has given him, not on personal accomplishments. That is how I wish to be known now/remembered when God is done with me on Earth.
5:13 Sometimes God has to take us out of our home and people to put us in a place to fulfill our purpose. Daniel would not have had the chance to advise the king of Assyria from Judah. We don’t have to be the guy in charge to change the world. We only need to be available, obedient and have a reputation of integrity when we are near kings. When we are stable and integrated individuals who are constantly looking out for the best in our leaders, they, who are often living precarious lives, will look to us for advice and support. That is when we have the chance to change the world.
On a side note: My father has taught me so much about having integrity and doing the work right the first time, every time; even if you have to work outside your expertise to do it. He has set a high bar and put plenty of ground under me to jump off.
5:18-24 In a related note, what a father passes to his child can mean the world, literally life and death, to that child. God calls all of us who are fathers, or will be fathers to teach our children all the lessons that God has taught us. I can’t imagine potentially throwing my kid’s life away because a conversation is tough or might be awkward. But then again, I am not a father yet, so I don’t know all of the pressures involved.
5:25-28 I guess this is where the phrase “the writing is on the wall” comes from.
5:30 God is never wrong. What he says goes. That hasn’t changed since… ever.

Daniel Chapter 4

This is a continuation of my reading of Daniel.

There are several things that God showed me out of this letter that Nebuchadnezzar  wrote to the kingdom.

First:    God does as he pleases.  What he says happens, without question.  God is completely sovereign over all creation, including us humans.

Second:    How awesome is it that Nebby bragged on God to the entire known world?  He used his position as king of everything to promote the name of God.  How do I use the platform that God has given me to make his name famous?  Does everyone in my world know that God is good and sovereign?

Third:    God has a habit of humbling the proud.  Not just the proud, but those who choose to exalt themselves to a level where they don’t see or respect God as above them.  They see themselves as a god to be worshiped and feared.

Fourth:    If your boss is not a believer, treat him/her as if they are.  Give them honor and respect for the position that God has put them in.  You never know what God is going to accomplish through a person in power.  While Daniel was serving/advising the king of Babylon, God was setting the stage for what Ezra and Nehemiah would accomplish in Jerusalem.  Daniel was not only building rapport for himself, but also for his people and their God.

Daniel Chapter 3

This is a continuation of my reading of Daniel.

3:1     Selfishness’ goal is to put you in the center of everyone else’s world, in plain view, so they can value you. Lack of security makes you project yourself a dozen times larger than you actually are.
3:5     Why are non-Christ-followers more in tune with excellent/full-scale music than people who honor God? God’s original plans for his people were to give them the best the world had to offer, and he demanded the best from them. Why do we think we can give God second, third or fourth best? I am tired of the best writers, best musicians, best artists and best web designers not honoring God. Why have we settled into a place where we don’t dare ourselves to become the best in the world at what God has put a passion in our heart to become? Why am I not dying to find out what that is for me?
3:8-12     No one (especially a Christ-follower) likes to see people prosper because of God’s blessings. I need to become really good at that.
3:15     God can use anyone he wants in any circumstance he wants to bring himself glory. Nebuchadnezzar sets the stage for God to come through unchallenged, with his boast about who has the power to save them.
3:16-18     Daniel’s tenacious obedience set not only an example, but also the bar for his friends. They could boldly stand on the actions/results of Daniel’s leadership. How am I setting up the people who are behind me for success? Have I set a high bar, or one that I didn’t have to try to get over? Am I setting the bar with integrity so that they can be supported/upheld by my actions, or did I cut corners/dishonor God in the process and give them nothing but quicksand? Rack, Shack and Benny all put God’s glory ahead of their own well-being. I need that kind of God-centered obedience in my life. These guys didn’t have to pray about what to do, they knew it and went with it. No questions asked. Why do I act like stuff that God clearly stated in scripture is up for debate/needs to be prayed through?
3:21     These guys did not compromise on issues that matter to God, but were willing to change their culture to be effective in the role that God placed them in. Clothing preference, music preference and anything else are not to be put ahead of fulfilling the calling of God in your life.
3:25     Jesus showed up to support/stand up for the guys who did the same for him. The same still happens today. The Spirit is with us wherever we go and in whatever we do.
3:28-29     Nebby starts praising God for what he had done, then answers his own challenge from before in verse 15. Only God can do what only God can do.

Daniel Chapter 2

This is a continuation of my reading of Daniel.

2:10-11    God set up this tough situation to bring glory to himself. This is do-or-die, literally, for everyone who thinks that they know anything in the Assyrian kingdom. God used the arrogance of a king to show his true nature as ruler of everything.
2:14    Daniel takes the lead once again. His first step is to get on his face before an omniscient God and beg him to do what only he can do.
2:27-28    Daniel honors God before the king. This is the greatest audience that anyone could ask for; Daniel takes the opportunity to tout God as the only power in the Universe.
2:29-30    Humility from the wisest man on Earth at the time. Makes me wonder why I am not so humble, I have nothing to boast about of my own making or doing. I can only boast in what God has given me.
2:31-43    The dream is super-accurate. God speaks to Nebuchadnezzar about the kingdoms to come after him. This would seem a little disheartening and threatening, but that is not how the king reacts. Here is the Kingdom breakdown, historically speaking: Assyrian (gold), Medes and Persians (silver), Babylonian (bronze), Greek (iron) and Roman (clay/iron).
2:44    During the “silent” period of the Bible, God is setting up the world for his Kingdom, “the rock” (cephas/Peter) to take over. The Hellenistic period puts all the known world under one language/culture. This means there will be little to impede/resist the spreading of the Gospel when the time comes, as Greek is the least common denominator during the early Church movement.
2:46    Daniel is rewarded for diligent obedience. This should not be motivation to obey, but it sure makes it nice.
2:47    God ultimately gets the glory. He always does, no matter what.
2:49    Daniel uses the rewards as leverage for his friends. It is never about him, but about how he can serve everyone around him. This puts them in a highly visible position to obey God later.