Don't find a job, find a mission

Celeste Headlee gives a great TED talk about finding the dream job. Nine out of ten people in America don't like their jobs, so it's safe to say that we are terrible at choosing the right job. Research shows that we tend to pick our jobs based on things like how much money we will make or how close to home the job is situated. None of these factors have been linked to happiness at work. Out of all the different factors that affect how happy we are at work the most important factor is purpose. People who feel that their work has significance and meaning are more than 3 times as likely to stay in their jobs and they also have higher job satisfaction and are more engaged at work.

Deeper

The boot camp of spiritual growth

God's ultimate goal for all humans is to soften our hearts and to make us more and more like Jesus every year; loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle and self-controlled. Code Orange Revival is an event at Elevation Church where different pastors and Christian speakers from all over the world visit Elevation and speak on different topics that can help us grow. Code Orange Revival is a little bit like a boot camp for spiritual growth.


Christine Caine speaks on the topic of timing in this sermon. Most of us are fully aware of our personal issues that we need to work on but instead of dealing with our issues today we say "tomorrow". We postpone dealing with our issues until tomorrow or until next year. Personal growth is uncomfortable, a bit scary and quite inconvenient, so we put it off until tomorrow and let our issues continue to mess up our lives. We let our relational issues sit there undealt with and one day they may ruin our marriages and lead to divorce. We let our financial issues be postponed until next year and one day they may grow so big that personal bankruptcy is the only option left. Change is always possible with God. God is willing & able to change us and heal us but it starts with us saying "I am willing". I will deal with this issue today, not tomorrow. What issue in your life is plaguing you like the frogs in the story about Pharaoh?


Most of us sincerely want a breakthrough in our lives, we want to see a change but we keep coming up with excuses why we can't do it today or why we are too busy to deal with our issues this year. Freedom is awaiting us and God did not create us to live in bondage. God wants to set each one of us free from what is holding us back in our lives. It all starts with me deciding to take that step of faith and say: "Today is the day to deal with this issue".


It is also good to remember that the enemy wants to keep us stuck in the past, so instead of beating ourselves up for not changing we can be aware of the reality that there is a power working against us. We have the power to choose who we follow. We can either choose to keep listening to the voice in our head that says: "You will never succeed at this so don't even try it" or "You will never change". We can choose to listen to God who says: "For I know the plans I have for you. Plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." (Jeremiah 29:11) God has the power to heal every broken thing within us. The enemy's goal is to kill, steal and destroy every good thing in our lives. We get to choose who we will give our allegiance to, the enemy or God.

God & Community

Why do we need community? What role do others play in our spiritual growth? The Curiosity Collective brings together thought leaders, subject matter experts, pastors, and theologians to explore these questions.

Coming Home

Pastor Charlotte Gambill from Life Church in the United Kingdom teaches a sermon about God's house, the church. Many of us can sometimes find ourselves spiritually homeless, we are lost and drifting around in life. Sometimes we are lost because we don't know that God even exists but other times we are drifting because we have a consumer attitude towards the church. We come to church with a check list and if the church doesn't live up to all our expectations on it we will move on to another church. We might stay in one church for awhile but when we start to disagree on something with other people within the church we quit and move on. We are looking for a perfect church and we will never find it, just like we will never find a perfect person to marry. God's house, the church, is filled with imperfect broken people seeking God so it's always going to be an imperfect place.


I sometimes hear people say "I'm a Christian but I don't need a church, other Christians annoy me so I don't want to go to church." The problem with us deciding to love God but to avoid his people is that one of God's main commands for us is to love each other. God isn't calling us to love only those who agree with us on everything, who have the same hobbies as us and have the same priorities in life.


It is difficult to love people who are different than us. We are drawn to people who are exactly like us because loving them takes less effort. Loving people who are different than us takes effort, maturity and commitment. We are always tempted to quit a romantic relationship when it gets difficult rather than to stay and figure things out, the same way we can be tempted to quit church every time we disagree with others on something or feel like the church isn't living up to all our personal preferences.


Sometimes God calls us to move, to leave a relationship or a church and go somewhere else, but often he calls us to stay. It is very tempting to quit when life gets uncomfortable. Staying planted in one place can be one of the most difficult things in life but it's also one of the things that will grow us the most. There are some lessons that can not be learned any other way. There are also gifts that God wants to bless us with that he can't send us before we have set our roots down in a church. God knows that without the support, encouragement and wisdom from the church we won't be able to use the gifts well. We were built for community and on our own we can only grow so much. God chose people to be his hands and feet on Earth, we will not flourish in isolation.


God's house is the church and it can become the place where we belong, a place where we learn, get help, advise and wisdom, but if we keep looking for the perfect church we will never find it. God's aim is to transform our hard hearts and to make us more and more like Jesus, this will definitely be an uncomfortable ride at times. Life outside of our comfort zones can be difficult, scary and very inconvenient at times, but those who decide to stay planted will experience a growth that they would not have been able to attain any other way.

It's Not Over Yet

A Social Media Break

I'm so excited, tomorrow one of my friends from Finland is coming to visit me in Toronto and on Saturday my Mom and Dad will be arriving in Toronto. I want to make the most out of this time with friends and family so I will take a social media break for the rest of the week. I know updating your social media accounts often is considered important in today's culture, but if you ask me I say: "Life's too short to update your social media every single day of your life, especially when the people you love are coming to visit!" :) Have a good week everyone!