THE BEGINNING OF WISDOM

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Do you remember when you first counted to 100?  Or, the first time you finally got your ABC’s figured out?  I remember the excitement and thrill of finally getting it, while my mother clapped and cheered because I understood something that I didn’t before. How about when you first learned to ride a bike, or when you first got behind the wheel and learned how to drive a car. There is a wondrous feeling in finally getting it. Hopefully after reading my article, you will learn something new and exciting that will change the direction of your life forever! The direction of my life changed from chaos to peace that passes all understanding. Once I was a drug addict and alcoholic with a foul mouth that cursed God.  I watched porn and slept with various women, who I didn’t care about. I was always angry and frustrated when things didn’t go my way.  I became selfish and unhappy with my lonely, ungodly life.

I am none of these things anymore!  In fact, I’ve been changed since I started to fear God! The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Proverbs 9:10  I never used to fear God because I didn’t believe in God, which was a foolish thing. The fool has said in his heart, there is no God. Psalm 14:1  There was always something deep inside of me that wanted to know the truth about whether God was real.  After all, I like you started out as a single cell divided into two cells, then four, then eight and so on. I thought about the biology of the human system and all the various parts that work together.  I am amazed at the complexity of our brains and emotions. Did you know that there are 125 million photo-receptor cells in your eyes?  Did you know that your heart beats over 100,000 times a day? Your heart also pumps all the blood in your body every 4 minutes. Actually, the list of amazing things is endless when you really begin to look into it.  If you’re interested in finding God, like I was, then you will find Him in His creation. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse. Romans 1:20  We have no excuses when we go before God to be judged. We are all given the ability to know right from wrong, good from evil, early in our lives as young children.  As time went on, we’ve allowed good to be called evil and evil to be called good. There’s no sin left that hasn’t been given a pass except for the sin of pedophilia.  It’s literally the last sin that is detestable and shameful, while the rest are openly celebrated!  We have become an ungodly generation because of not believing in, or fearing God. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.  Jesus said And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Matthew 10:28  The end of the age is upon us and the day of the Lord is about to dawn. And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!  For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?’Revelation 6:15-17 Who is able to stand when that day comes? Read the last book in the Bible and remember that it is about to unfold just as it is written.  It will be as though a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him! Or as though he went into the house, leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him! Amos 5:19  If this truly concerns you and you fear the thought of being judged and sent into utter darkness forever, then this is the beginning of wisdom. It means you have a chance to be saved from the eternal separation of God and the punishment of hell.

My first part of this article, you could say, was the bad news.  The good news is that you can be forgiven and saved once you repent and believe in the life, sacrificial death and rising of Jesus!  I always heard the sayings “Jesus died for me” or “Jesus died for my sins” and I never really understood what that meant. It just went over my head.  So let me take a moment to thoroughly explain exactly what this means, so you can better understand His sacrificial death. God the Father is holy, pure and just.  Because of this, “all” sin has to be punished and cannot go without being punished.  This is why there is a place called hell. God sent His Son who was exactly like His Father, to be an example for us in His perfect life. He was also a sacrificial lamb for our sins.  The punishment for every sin you have committed OR will commit have been laid on Jesus at the cross. This is why He said “it is finished”. John 19:30  All the wrath of a holy God was laid on Him to punish Him instead of you, only when you believe. If you don’t believe in Jesus and that He paid for your sins, then you’ll have to pay for them yourself.  It really does revolve around belief.  If you don’t believe then you won’t receive, it’s just that simple.  To not believe, is to be condemned. Mark 16:16 You can say “sorry Lord for all my sins, I believe in what Jesus did for me on the cross. I believe He shed His precious blood for me and rose from the grave on the third day just as it is recorded in the Bible.”  You could say all of that and it would mean nothing unless you meant it with all your heart and  you turned from all your sin’s and began living a holy and good life for God. This is called true repentance. Have you ever hurt someone, and felt bad?  This is the attitude of true repentance because you’ve offended God in all your sinful ways and you need to feel sorrow for all of your sin’s as they are brought to your memory. True repentance will entirely change you!  Then you will delight in God, in Jesus, in keeping the commandments of Christ and in His people by going to church. When you truly repent, God sends his Holy Spirit to be in you and with you, to guide you in all truth.  Before long, you notice your old sinful desires vanish away only to be left with the desire to please God.  This is the regeneration of your soul, and is the work of the Holy Spirit. He cleans you up and sin’s that offend God, offend you as well.  When someone takes His name in vain around you, it feels like a knife being plunged in your heart. That’s the way God feels as well. We don’t become sinless, we just sin-less because we are bothered when we do sin as the Holy Spirit convicts us. He also convicts unbelievers of their sin, remember we know right from wrong and we have no excuse before a holy God.

In closing, be aware that everything you have ever said, thought or done has been recorded in the book of life.  Even reading this article, guiding you in the way of truth and eternal life, will be a part of your judgement on that day if you continue in your sinful ways. There’s no going to heaven by following the road to hell. Admit your a sinner and run to God in repentance as fast and direct as you can. Read the Bible, pray and seek God with all your heart and you will find Him waiting for you with open arms!

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. Matthew 7:7

Managers!! Get out of the office

One of the best things that managers can do is get out of the office and get some face time going with the workers on the front line.  Get out and interact with them. Not in an event way like “ride the big bike” for charity event once a year. I mean get out there as individuals and create friendships with the employees.  Too many times there is a distinct separation between management and hourly employees, which causes a distancing effect from your workforce that can undermine your corporate goals as a whole.

When a regular hourly employee knows your name and you give genuine recognition, then you have an employee who feels like you care about them and they will stop at nothing to do the best job they can to aid and assist in the success of the corporate goals.

Employee Wellness, Morale, and the Bottom Line

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Keeping your employees happy is a key component to getting the most out of your bottom line.  With a business being ran by a bunch of unhappy campers who don’t want to be there, you can bet that your production rates will decrease as well.  Not every job is glamorous.  As a matter of fact, most jobs are the complete opposite.  However, that does not warrant the assumption that every day has to be a living hell.  Understanding the connection between employee wellness, morale, and the bottom line will help any frustrated supervisor transform their workforce.

Tracking Employee Wellness

Your employees are simply human beings who are trying to make a living.  They do not need or wish to be treated as slaves – machines that can take a beating without uttering a complaint.  Even machines break down; and your employees will as well if you don’t take some time…

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Morale

Morale, also known as esprit de corps when discussing the morale of a group, is an intangible term used to describe the capacity of  people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal.

Right from the start of every military career, esprit de corps is taught to young recruits as an essential part of being in the military.  It is the “Glue” that keeps a unit together, ready for whatever challenge may arise.

Being posted to a warship I know how true this really is, for example, when a ship has a high morale  things are good. The food is great, everybody is rested and feeling energized.. smiles.. jokes and high fives all around.  Nothing can stop us!

On the flip side, when the morale is low it can be like a jail with no escape.  People are upset, frustrated and even emotionally damaged.  You just don’t want to be there anymore, but you don’t really have a choice because you can’t just get off a ship in the middle of the ocean.

Interestingly enough, the Captain of the ship and how he treats the crew, is the sole reason for good or bad morale.

“One With The Strength Of Many“

“The Right to Refuse”

We here in Canada have some great laws that protect the worker’s safety, however,  they’re widely unknown and unused.

The most unused law is the right to refuse unsafe work.  It’s probably the most powerful and important “right” workers have, yet it goes unused.  Just think of all the deaths and accidents that could have been prevented if they had used that right.

Every person I hire starts their fist day with me.  We go through training videos, have a safety tour of the plant at which time I show them all the does and don’t s and what to watch for.  I also explain in detail the right to refuse unsafe work and I encourage them to use it.  By doing this I give them the knowledge and tools to stay safe and go home at the end of each shift.

 

Is it possible to achieve a high-five slapping, relaxed, stress free work environment?

    

We’ve all worked in places where we had stress from high demands, low reward, unreasonable expectations, gossip and even political games that can get pretty nasty!

Some of us have had the privilege of working in an almost utopia of positive reinforcement by senior staff combined with a genuine caring for your over all well-being.  Everyone is made to feel welcome and part of a team. It’s relaxed, stress free and you may even get excited about going to work to do the best job you can!

I am a fan of the T.V. series Undercover Boss, mostly because it’s shed a light on the subject of psychosocial aspects in the workplace.  I like how the “boss” connects with the regular workers and listens to their concerns.  The “boss” always addresses the concerns and even finds a way to reward peoples loyalty and dedication with great gifts.

So  is it possible to achieve a happy, stress free workplace?  YES, only if the boss is behind it 100%.  Without that clear support from the top it wont have legs and eventually it will fade away.

 

If you build it, they will come!