JonathanBenz.com

Rising to the Top in Tough Times

I've been hearing from quite a few of people who are feeling the impacts of the declining economy.  Some are having trouble paying their mortgages, others are facing cutbacks at work.  Probably the biggest challenge each one is facing though is fear:  fear of being laid off, of not having enough, of losing what one already has, or of mismanaging an ever-tightening budget. 

Michelle Powery 1965-2008

My friend Michelle Powery passed away from a brain aneurysm on Sunday April 20 at the age of forty-two. I had the honor of speaking at her funeral—the celebration of her life—on Saturday the 27^th. I'd like to share with you my thoughts about Michelle that were shared on that day.

I knew Michelle Powery as a Sister in Christ—that is to say as a spiritual sister. I first met Michelle and Lazaro and the three kids at the time, twelve years ago and Covenant. Michelle and I flowed much the same way in the spirit. She was a woman who moved by the Spirit and in the Spirit.

My Enemy, My Friend

I'm a big fan of Buddhist thought—especially when it comes to mindfulness, peace, and non-violence. I try to live a very mindful life, aware of how my actions affect both those close by and those far away.

Living mindfully means that I stay actively aware of what motivates me.  The intentions of my heart have a manifestation in virtually every situation.  The Buddhist monk Hsing Yun says it this way:

Motivational DNA

My friend Tamara Lowe has compiled extensive research culminating in what she calls "Motivational DNA".  She outlines six components that lie at the heart of human motivation for every individual.

I recently heard Tamara speak at the LifeWorks breakfast in Palm Beach Gardens.  For the early hour of seven a.m., she was highly motivated and captivated the fifty or so business persons at the breakfast.  Her explanation and understanding of what motivates and de-motivates us was not only interesting but made complete sense.  So I had to go take the online inventory to learn more.

Finding Your Rhythm

A University of Chicago study released the top ten occupations for where America's happiest people work. Leading the list was clergy, followed by firefighters, ticket/travel agents, and architects. It seems that some of the trends for career happiness involved creative freedom and being able to help others. People who are generally happy at work—and in life—seem to have found their effective life rhythm. Work is what we spend most of our time in life doing. We might as well enjoy it!

Recently, I've been in a lot of conversations about what works and doesn't work in career fulfillment. Many people find themselves working harder and harder and not getting different results. Others follow good principles—but the wrong ones for their life or career—and end up stuck in a rut. Still others try to exert more control over their lives and end up only frustrated and tired.

How do you cooperate with what life brings your way? How do you navigate unforeseen events, irregular people, and unmanageable situations?

Relating Wholly, Creating Space

I've been meditating the past couple of weeks on a quote from Henri Nouwen:

The vision that Jesus gives us is this: That I am unconditionally loved, that I belong to God, and that I am a person who can really trust that. When I meet another person who also is rooted in the heart of God, then the spirit of God in me can recognize the spirit of God in the other person, and then we can start building a new space, a new home, a house, a community. Whether we speak about friendship, community, family, marriage, in the spiritual world we are talking about spirit recognizing Spirit, solitude embracing Solitude, heart speaking to Heart. And where this happens, there is an immense space. (In a Lecture at Scarritt-Bennett Center)

Intellectually, I can run with the idea that I belong to God and that he unconditionally loves me. But trusting that is where the proverbial rubber meets the road, because relationships only really come into their fullness when we know that we know—deep in our spirits—that we are loved and accepted first by God.