“Be all that you can be” was one of the longest running Army recruiting slogans. It was brought back for another tour of duty earlier this year. It works well because the Army’s goals and challenges transform a soldier’s life. We, like Army recruits, hope for transformational jobs. But dare we hope for more than the Army’s promise? Can a job make you more than “all that you can be” and make you all that Jesus can make you be?

Sick of hearing about A.I. yet? I’ve got the best fear-mongering A.I. article yet. Scroll down and see if you can resist reading it.

Journey On,
~Mark

​Mark@BruisedCamels.com | LinkedIn​ | BruisedCamels.com
​​

Jesus | Spiritual Growth

Transformation for Type-A’s

Are you a self-starting, responsibility taking, action-oriented kind of person? I certainly wouldn’t be embarrassed if people described me like that. People with those traits transform opportunities into success.

Those traits also bring physical, social, and emotional transformation. Nobody makes you a better person. You’ve heard from countless experts in human flourishing, Christian and not, that you need a sense of agency, a growth mindset, and an internal locus of control to be the best version of yourself. You are the boss of you! But…

You’ve been around the block enough times to know you can’t control everything. Weather, traffic, co-workers, interest rates, pandemics, etc.

Oh…and then there’s God. You know he should fit into the transformation process somewhere. “Let Go and Let God” has sold a lot of mugs and wall plaques over the decades. It seems true, but it also feels kind of passive for Type A Bruised Camels.

God’s in charge. You don’t control your circumstances. So, what’s your role in your own spiritual growth? Especially in light of the fact that you have a 9 to 5. You can’t pray and study the Bible all day.

Dallas Willard to the rescue. Willard has written widely on spiritual transformation and practices (Amazon Author Page). Back in the day (Aug. 1990 to be precise), he wrote “Looking Like Jesus: Divine resources for a changed life are always available.” He laid out a framework for spiritual formation called The Golden Triangle. The Triangle connects your proactive practices to everyday reality and the work of the Holy Spirit.

As a business person, I think you intuitively understand how your professional circumstances form your professional character. In my world of lending and investing we talk about “seasoned investors” and people that have “been through multiple cycles.” We admire people who have used work challenges as springboards to career success.

Work-life has no shortage of problems, temptations, and everyday frustrations that can make you a better businessperson.

• Sales prospects that ghost you
• Bugs in the software (again)
• Vendors that raise prices and deliver late
• Writing when you prefer numbers
• Analyzing data when you prefer negotiating and selling

Can these make you more Christ-like too? Willard says “Yes!” What’s more, he says they’re essential.

The three sides of the golden triangle of spiritual transformation belong together. No one of the three will give us a heart like Christ’s without the other two. None can take the place of any other. Yet each, connected to the others, will certainly bring us to ever-increasing Christlikeness. – Dallas Willard

The Holy Spirit doesn’t work in a vacuum. Whether it’s the silence and solitude of monastic life or the hustle and bustle of Wall Street the Spirit works with and through your circumstances, not despite them.

And the Holy Spirit doesn’t work alone. You must make choices. You must take action. You do your part, not to earn your salvation, but to work it out. Spiritual transformation requires workouts, just like physical transformation.

Paul sums it up in Philippians 2:12-15

…continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, ‘children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.’ – Phil 2:12-15 (NIV)

Self-starting, responsibility taking, action-oriented Bruised Camels charge off to work each day to make a difference. But maybe we have it flipped. Maybe instead of focusing on what God is accomplishing in the world through your work, you should pay attention to how God is transforming you through the circumstances you face at work.

Kitchen Sink | In Case You Missed It

A.I. Rewrites St. Paul

I couldn’t resist using a click-bait title to point you to the most click-bait article I’ve ever seen. I’m not sure who’s trying to scare whom with this, but it made me chuckle.

Go ahead. Click it. You know you want to 😉

“World Economic Forum Contributor Says A.I. Could Rewrite the Bible, Create ‘Correct’ Religions”