 How can we set our mind to be renewed? Mike talks about how we can train our brains to listen to God and to be available to him. How does our environment, the work world, keep us from walking with God? One way is to habitually do the same things every day so our minds are attentive to God and tuned to God's signal. A renewed mind is critical to making God visible in our workplace. 

Follower of One : Missions For The Rest Of Us

Encore - Renew Your Mind - Romans 12:2

 Know what you believe - Here's a man who was formerly possessed by an army of demons. They just left the man, went into a herd of pigs and the pigs all rushed into the sea and drown. This man has only been with Jesus less than a day, maybe only a couple of hours. And he wants to go with Jesus, but Jesus gives him a job. Notice here and in Mark 5, which I also discuss, Jesus tells the man to tell others what Jesus did for him. That's what Jesus asks us to do, too. Has Jesus changed you? Has following Jesus changed your life? Remember it like it was this morning. Think about the things Jesus has done in your life. Our minds are full of so much stuff, our to-dos and our commitments and our desires. Imagine Jesus saved you this morning and your life from then until now has taken place in time warp. How would you summarize what Jesus has done for you? Cook it off to one or two sentences. You want to give a curious coworker or customer just enough info to challenge them to ask for more. We don't want to be the type of people who give a ton when we were asked for a couple of ounces. If people want to know more, they'll ask. Point your brain today. Bring it under your control. Think about the great things Jesus has done for you and how he had mercy on you. You'll have a better day at work, but you'll also have a great answer to this question when someone asks. Practice saying it out loud. Write it down. Get a friend and take turns asking one another, "Why are you doing this?" Then listen to the answer. Help someone else with this. This answer is key to opening the door to Jesus for your coworkers, customers and friends. Tomorrow, we'll talk about how to make our lives more inviting, too. 

Encore - What Has God Done For You? - Luke 8:39

They asked Jeremiah to pray to God for direction. They said they would do whatever God told them to do through Jeremiah. Then everyone waited. Verses like this one take a second to read. But it took 10 days to live.   How do you wait for God? Mike confessed that he doesn't wait well. What about you? Can you persist in waiting on God? Can you resist moving before you're clear? Can you wait 10 days or longer?   Often God makes us wait to show us what we already know, we're selfish and impatient. Today, let's give God some time. Whatever you are asking God about, promise to wait another day. And in an hour when you're thinking about it again, remind yourself that you're waiting a day. Let's develop a long view. Can you wait as long as it takes? And check out Draw the Circle by Mark Batterson which is where Mike first got the idea to wait as long as it takes.   Finally, in just a few weeks, we begin our 14th Marketplace Mission Trip. Will you join us? There's no cost. Head over to MarketplaceMissionTrip.com to learn more and sign up.  

Encore - Patient Listening - Jeremiah 42:7

In this week's episode of the Follower of One podcast, Mike speaks with Kim Spence-Mullen. Kim is the founder of Your Story Speaks and the founder and president of the Tulsa Women's Fellowship. Do you want to tell your story? Speak to Kim! Please give her a warm welcome to the community!     Episode Breakdown   1:05 - Meet Kim & Your Story Speaks 2:00 - Legacy Stories 9:55 - Tulsa Women's Fellowship 14:00 - Post-Covid Update for Kimi 16:10 - Kim's Faith at Work  20:30 - The People in our Lives 26:45 - Kim's Thoughts on the Marketplace Mission Trip   Turning Obstacles into Opportunities    God gives us miracles every day. Some of them are visible and some are only known to us after the fact. As Christ-followers, you have probably heard something like this - "When God closes one door, he opens another". I can speak from experience that this is unequivocally true! However, God doesn't do everything for us. We must have the aptitude and purpose to turn something that is not positive and making a positive impact. You can do this from what you learned in your experience, taking the time to adjust your strategy to make it work, or even use what you know to build a better process to make sure you succeed in what was setting you back. The goal is to always fight for God in everything we do. Do you have experience taking a setback, and turning it into a leap forward? Let us know in the comments!       The People   We miss opportunities all the time, it is just a fact. Typically we talk about Faith at work, we talk about how we can live our faith out every day. Sometimes, we lose sight of one of the most important things about our Faith, the people! Make sure you take time in your day to connect on a deeper level with everyone around you. The people you speak with, work with, and even pass by each day is an opportunity to live your faith. Don't forget about the people you see. We serve God and through Him, each person on this planet is a key opportunity.     Interview Quote   "The value of our lives, starting at whatever point in time, impact the people coming into our lives in the future"       Connect with Kim Spence-Mullen   Your Story Speaks Website  Kim's LinkedIn Tulsa Women's Fellowship Facebook     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!  

Your Story is Powerful, Speak it with Kim Spence-Mullen, # 94

Bonus Episode! Happy Easter and this will be the bonus episode for this week titled: Called According To His Purpose - Romans 8:28.    Are you called according to his purpose? Mike explores how you can understand and translate His purpose into yours!   Don't forget to sign up for the Marketplace Mission Trip (www.MarketplaceMissionTrip.com).

Encore - Called According To His Purpose - Romans 8: 28

Your actions matter. Do you witness with your life? When we practice excellent behavior around others, because we follow Jesus, God uses our behavior as a testimony to others. Even if they speak badly of us, deep down inside, they know differently. And God may use that conflict in their life. It may be when he visits them personally about trusting him. And it may be in the final judgment day. Either way, God will use your good deeds for his glory in his time.   Don't forget about our upcoming Marketplace Mission Trip! Sign up is active now and will last through the end of this week.

Encore - How to Witness with Your Life - 1 Peter 2:12

We spoke in the previous episode (Episode 266) about being intentional, or purposeful in how we live. Paul goes on to use a sharp word as the opposite of living with intention: foolishness. If we blow our life, living for ourself instead of being careful, and intentional in how we walk, we are foolish. Many people, myself included search for God's will for their life. We want to know if it's God's will that we take a particular job.    Paul says we can avoid being foolish by understanding God's will. Have you ever struggled with that question? First, why is that important? We know that when something is created, the one who created it had a purpose. There was an intent. You were created for a reason. It sounds a little circular, but some of that reason is to have a relationship with God. He wants us to know him and understand him. Following what we do know is the first part of that purpose.    Don't forget this is the last week to sign up for the Marketplace Mission Trip. This is a free 2-week exercise to practice living our faith full-time, in our regular daily life and circumstances. There's not cost to try it out. Learn more and sign up at www.MarketplaceMissionTrip.com.

Encore - God's Purpose for Us Ephesians 5:17-18

Paul acknowledges that Jesus strengthened him and put him into service. The word translated service can also be translated ministry. This is the same Greek word from which we get the word we translate Deacon. Is this an official role, or is it a practical one?   Mike used to think "ministry" was reserved for those special people who were super-Christians, like the Apostle Paul. But when he realized that Jesus himself said that he came to serve, not to be served (Mark 10:45), Mike started to think differently. Certainly we can all serve? Do we have to go to work for a church, or become an overseas missionary to serve Jesus?   Mike decided to define his service as helping others move one notch closer to Jesus. He realized he could serve, or minister, to anyone, in any job, at any time. That's when he became a full-time minister.   Jesus will put you into service, too. All you have to do is obey him. He will give you ideas of ways you can serve others so that Jesus will become visible to them. In fact, we practice this every couple of months on the Marketplace Mission Trip. Why not check it out and sign up at MarketplaceMissionTrip.com. You'll realize that Jesus will put you into service, too.

Encore - Going Into Ministry 1 Timothy 1:12

What difference does belief make? There are a few references to this passage in the Bible. What does it mean to trust in the Lord with all of your heart? We acknowledge him in all of our ways. We do not lean on our own ideas and thoughts.    Today, Mike talked about a few ideas he believed were given to him by God, but he leaned on his own understanding and gave himself a pass. When we do that, we fail to follow Jesus. We stop listening to God. When we acknowledge him in all of our ways, he directs our paths. He lets us experience his joy and we get to see him work.   Join Mike today. Do what God prompts you to do, even if it seems difficult, expensive or inconvenient. Trust the Lord with all of your heart and watch him work.   And maybe, one thing you can do is sign up for the next Marketplace Mission Trip. Maybe you think, "Well, I did that already." But what is God telling you? When we trust him with our whole heart and follow him, he directs our path and we experience his joy. Sign up for the next mission trip at MarketplaceMissionTrip.com.

Encore - On Following Jesus Proverbs 3:5-6

n this week's episode of the Follower of One podcast, Mike speaks with James Madison. James is a 25 year veteran in executive leadership and currently runs his leadership and executive coaching company called OnPurpose Life. Please give him a warm welcome to the community!    Episode Breakdown   1:02 - Meet James Madison with OnPurpose Life 3:32 - How to find your Purpose 6:27 - Get In Touch with James  7:07 - James' story to Christ 9:07 - Using Your Faith Everywhere 11:52 - What is Your Gift? 14:17 - Marketplace Ministry   Understand Your Purpose   As Christians, we carry ourselves through life with God's purpose in mind. But what is our purpose? Sometimes shifting through the debris of our experiences makes our purpose a bit blurry and hard to find. Meet James Madison. James works tirelessly for all of his clients to help them find their purpose and it all comes down to our passion, talent, and experience. What is your passion? Talent? Experience? When those three meet, that is a good indication of what you should be doing. I believe we all have this struggle in our lives when we reach a certain point. Sometimes you can discover this at an early age, and other times it is much later in life. The goal is to find it no matter what. So, what purpose do you have? No idea? - Contact James!    Faith in Everything James uses this quote from St. Francis - "Preach the Gospel at all times and if necessary, use words". This sums up how we should view faith outside of the church! It should be through our actions and our example, not through quoting scripture, or trying to make everyone we meet a believer right there and then. Our faith is designed to lead not make them drink. We have a duty to the people around us. That duty is to be the shining light we see in God. How have you been the example you want to see in others? Has God shown you ways to live your faith in every action? If these are still lingering questions for you, join us for the next Marketplace Mission Trip!      Interview Quote   "What is your purpose? There is this idea that it is a luxury to know what your purpose is. You have to become aware of your purpose first and then walk in it let these things call upon you. It is what I call more flow, and less hustle."     Connect with James   James' LinkedIn OnPurpose Life Website James' Email

Understanding Your Purpose with James Madison, #93

The problem of fear. In this second message from the Parable of the Talents, one slave was afraid. His fear directed his actions. When fear directs our actions, we make bad choices. He chose to protect himself, to avoid the risk of loss and as a result, he lost. When we live generously, we win. We make Jesus visible when we're generous because we follow Him. Today, be generous. Give more than you get and make others successful.   Don't forget about our upcoming Marketplace Mission Trip! Listen to the end of all episodes this week to learn how to join and become a minister at your work. Thank you for being a Follower of One!

Encore - The Problem of Fear - Matthew 25:25

Is God bringing people to you to talk about your faith? If not, why not? Are you practicing the 5 daily activities (Pray, Appreciate others, Know what you believe, Serve others, and Speak for Yourself)? If you are practicing these activities and still, God is not prompting others, maybe there is sin in your life you need to address. Mike talks about how evil is present with us all the time and how we might need to address sin in our lives before we get to speak with others about our faith.

Encore - The Presence of Evil - Romans 7:21

Do you ever frustrate yourself? Do you have challenges with anger? Mike had a bad day by repeating a frustrating mistake. He said today was the "broken Mike" podcast. What do you do when you fail? Or what kind of grace can you offer to others who may be having a hard day? Pray for others and try to put them ahead of you and ask God to sustain you. He can restore the joy of your salvation.

Encore - On Screwing Up Psalm 51:10

What is, not being in want? Do you wonder if you're broken? Do you know you shouldn't "want" but notice that you still do? God puts the desire for good things in us. He created us to want good things. Mike used to think of himself as the perennial "before picture." But recently, he has learned to wait for God to provide. When we ask God for good things - things He desires to give us - and we wait on Him, we will see Him work. Find good things to ask God for and wait for Him. He will encourage you about your good desires. Trust Him and wait for Him. Deliver God's grace rather than searching for it all the time and you will see your wants diminish.

Encore -How to Avoid Want - Psalm 34:10

Encore - God's Purpose for Us Ephesians 5:17-1

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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Follower of One : Missions For The Rest Of Us

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