SPEAKER_00 0:00

Men. Welcome to the most important podcast that you'll hear in a long time. It's the Men's Leadership Community Podcast, and it starts now.

SPEAKER_07 0:17

So just a little recap of what we talked about a couple of weeks ago. We started with our MLC story, where out of a necessity for community, uh, this ministry, this organization was created for men um who are isolated and alone, and kind of God stirred the hearts, Andy's heart and other man's hearts, to create a place that offers a um a transformative journey through authentic manhood that's guided by a Christ-centered discipleship, entrepreneur leadership, and authentic brotherhood inspired by our true and ultimate hero, Jesus. Right. So um then the following Friday, we talked about the hero's paradigm shift with Christ being at the center, and you know, it goes contrary to kind of how our world operates. Um, there's this paradigm shift that happens where we're no longer compartmentalized. You know, we don't separate our parts of our life. Christ begins at the center, transforms our lives. The gospel of Jesus Christ radically changes. And now every part of our being is affected by the gospel, right? So that means that Obi at work, that means that Obi at play, that means that Obi at church, that means that Obi at home has Christ at the center. And this is the driving force behind how we operate in our everyday.

SPEAKER_04 1:44

You know, and we saw that once again in the news this week with some baseball players that revealed that Christ is at the center of their lives, no matter what. And no matter what the consequences, which is pretty huge. So, guys, there there it never says in the Bible, by the way, Jesus at the center, and then everything will be rosy. There's no consequences to your faith. I mean, sometimes there are some consequences with having Jesus at the center and knowing that that is who you are everywhere that you go. But that's why the brotherhood is important to encourage and and promote one another moving forward through moments like that. Yeah. So big talk this week about what it means to have Jesus at the center in your workplace. So if you're like, well, I can't do that at work, we got three public figures that did it in their workplace that are now bearing the consequences of doing that, but they sure are getting a lot of support for it.

SPEAKER_07 2:37

Mm-hmm. And, you know, of course, this isn't just pulled out of Andy's and Obi's Well of Wisdom. Um, this is we actually uh pull everything that we say out of the scriptures, and this is taken out of Galatians 2.20 that says, I have been crucified with Christ. I no longer live by Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God who loves me and gave his life for me. So that is what drives us. That is that's the center of our organization, of our ministry. The engine, and that is the engine. Without it, we're just another men's club.

SPEAKER_04 3:14

That's right. Hair club for men on Friday mornings without Christ at the center.

SPEAKER_07 3:20

So, Andy, I really like what we're gonna be talking about today. We're you know, discovering our heroes' vision, mission, and values. Um I I I can't tell you how many men I talk to that when you ask them about vision, mission, and values, they they don't know what that is. They kind of tell you what they like, you know, what their passions are in life, but to actually sit down and say, hey, tell me a little bit about your vision, you know.

SPEAKER_04 3:46

Absolutely, you know, yeah, we're we're gonna hit on a couple of things just right up front on why it's so important. And most people will share with you an accidental vision, mission, and values. They won't share with you an intentional one that they've actually sat down, thought about, written out in our living by. And, you know, we'd be, oh gosh, we're gonna spend a whole Friday morning on vision, mission, values. I do that at work all the time. But do we actually, and we're gonna find out, actually, not very many people do. And it, and you know, one of the old sayings that we've had throughout the MLC is you're creating culture, whether you know it or not. It's better to know that you're creating culture and what kind of culture you're creating. Because if you're creating culture by accident, it's probably not healthy. It's probably not good for you, and it's probably not good for others. So to have an intentionality about our vision, mission, and values means this is actually understanding the culture you're creating in your household, men, as a husband and a father. This is the culture that you're creating in your brotherhood with other brothers. This is the culture that you're creating at work, right? With Christ at the center, wherever you go, or at your church. So are we doing it accidentally or are we doing it intentionally? Is a big one for me. And this came to mind a long time ago, because we've been doing this a long time now. But you know, does God, here's the question, man, does God ever do anything by accident? And the answer is no. Then why in the world would you expect that he wants his people to do stuff by accident? And then God wants his people to have intentionality. And actually, when you read through especially the old testament, the reason why they get in trouble over and over again is because they're doing stuff accidentally instead of intentionally with a vision that came from God that they're following through on.

SPEAKER_07 5:30

Yeah, and you know, Proverbs 29:18 says, where there is no prophetic vision from God, people cast off restraint and perish. But blessed is the one who heeds wisdom, instruction through God's word.

SPEAKER_04 5:42

You know, and this is the actual translation from Hebrew. So your English Bible probably won't lay it out quite like this. It probably says where there is no vision, people cast off restraint and perish, but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom. But actually, when you read through the context of it, it's if you have no prophetic vision from God. So all of a sudden, then what we're doing here on a Friday morning with the men's leadership community, Obi, is not only do you need to be intentional about your vision, mission, and values, but are you actually receiving it from God's word? So not only intentional, but we might get into the conversation about is there alignment from scripture with your personal vision, mission, and values?

SPEAKER_07 6:26

Yeah. And so I think that addresses what we're just talking about, addresses our problem, our number one problem, which is the lack of invested intentionality. When we talk about the spiritual realm, when we talk about our journey um through this earth while we make our ways towards uh glory, um there's accidental is never a word. You know, uh DA Carson said nobody ever stumbles into holiness, right? You you can't just lay down or you can't just you know fumble your way to it. It there's an intentionality about it. Then and that's what we highlighted that word, intentionality.

SPEAKER_04 7:08

Uh there it's red, it's bold, and then it's got an underline about it because so was God accidental about stumbling towards you through his son Jesus Christ, Obi? No, there was an intentionality of sending his son from heaven to earth, right? To be born as a baby, to grow as a man, to be a rabbi, to die on the cross, to rise from the dead, so that he might ascend back to heaven, live inside you and be the center of all things. And now all of a sudden, well, we'll just stumble our way through this thing called discipleship and Christianity and leadership.

SPEAKER_07 7:41

And that is a no. You know, you see it through the old testament. Uh otherwise, that would be, I don't know, 2,000 years, 3,000 years of accidental prophecies, right? And it's not, it's intentional intentional. Intentional. This is a Nostradamus just throwing things at the wall and see who and see what sticks. So this is intentionality. So, did you know that only about 10 to 15% of people walking around daily are sufficiently self-aware, despite most of them believing they are?

SPEAKER_04 8:12

Now, for me, you know, I don't know if you guys have seen the the movie Elf, uh, but this is one of those things that Obi and I talk about over and over again. This is an elf moment where Elf walks in and he sees Santa sleigh, uh, and his you know adoptive father wants him to work on the sleigh with him, Obi. And, you know, he goes, Well, how does you know, how does Santa get around? And and and you know, Elf says, Well, you know, the deer pull him. And he goes, Well, that's the way it used to work. And then he shows him the closometer and how low Christmas spirit has gotten. And now there needs to be a rocket to actually propel Santa Claus's sleigh, right? And what does Elf say? He says, Shocking. Yeah, and I love that because this right here, guys, like, why are we spending time on a Friday morning talking about this? This is shocking. Yeah, think about that that 10 to 15 percent of people walking around in the world today are sufficiently self-aware about who they are, where they are, why they're here, and where they're going.

unknown 9:07

That is shocking.

SPEAKER_04 9:09

But you know what we'll find is the number one issue on why people don't actually invest in this is number one, number one, it takes time, and nobody wants to take the time to write this stuff down, which is ridiculous. So okay, I'm I'm just being straightforward today. And then number two, they don't think, right? They don't think that they need it. So I don't want to take the time, and by the way, I don't think that I need this, yeah. And again, you know, these are two big reasons why not only 10 to 15 percent of people walking around, but we're gonna see a stat on executive leaders in them, which is yeah.

SPEAKER_07 9:45

So the the my question is do you intentionally exercise your purpose? Not and I and I will tell you that this is not something that comes to us naturally. No, this is something that we have to do, that's what we exist as a ministry and as an organization, right? This is what we gather together because we have to be intentional about exercising our purpose. And there are times when we have to have brothers, our brothers in Christ, spur us and iron and sharpen us.

SPEAKER_04 10:14

Now, there was a moment in human history, Obi, where two people walked in the cool of the evening, walked around extremely self-aware because they were walking with God. But then all that got broken a chapter later. And ever since then, now the intentionality to walk with God is something that we have to encourage and hold one another accountable to.

SPEAKER_07 10:36

I yeah, and you know, that's heartbreaking, right? It really is, because we, you know, there was a time when we we did, we there was no mysteries to unravel. Man and woman just walked with God and talked with him face to face, and we knew our purpose, and it was good, right? Um, did you guys know also know that intentionally investing and understanding and exercising your purpose leads to a healthier and more impactful lifestyle through a deeper understanding of your identity, your environment and surroundings, as well as the unique situations and circumstances of daily life. Look at that healthier and more impactful. Who doesn't who doesn't want that? I do.

SPEAKER_01 11:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 11:21

Namely, namely, your understanding of who you are. Again, here we go, where you come from, what's happening around you, how to respond to it, where you're headed, and how are you going to get there?

SPEAKER_04 11:33

Boy, those sound like some pretty important questions for somebody that wants to be a leader. Yeah. Men's leadership community. You know, not men's accidental stumbling around community.

SPEAKER_07 11:47

Men's leadership.

SPEAKER_04 11:48

Attentionality. That would have been a longer acronym. Men's accidentally stumbling around community. Mask. Oh, that doesn't even sound good. Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 11:58

That's an 80s cartoon, by the way, which are pretty awesome. Um, so listen to this research indicates that only 23% of senior executives engage in the intentional exercise of investing in personal visioneering. So this statistic suggests that intentional visioneering is not a widespread habit among most key leaders, and therefore, even so less in the lives of everyday leaders at home, at work, and in the world.

SPEAKER_04 12:29

So if only 23% of executive leadership is doing personal visioneering, then it just correlates that regular average Joes, leaders at home, at work, and in the world in everyday life, probably do it less. Let's let's let's destroy that statistic today.

SPEAKER_07 12:47

Yeah. So uh an intentional exercise, guys, the act of bringing into reality through intentional action. We're gonna hear that intentionality, intention. Um, we're gonna hear that to intentionally put into action, practice or use to apply um a faculty, a ride, or a process, or a process or activity carried out for a specific purpose, especially one concerned with a specified area or skill.

SPEAKER_04 13:21

So, this is just kind of where we came up with the concept of the exercise of vision, mission, and values with the MLC and why this is so important. Uh, so think about this: the act of bringing into reality through intentional action. You want a better marriage? Stop accidentally waiting around for your wife to bring it about. Like be intentional about being the man that God made you to be by intentionally loving your wife and intentionally being about the purpose of improving that marriage, healthier, more impactful. Same with parenting, same at where it just extends outward from the home, Obi, but it begins with our intentionality. Uh, we live in a very transactional world uh that has a return on investment baked into everything. And it's so messed up now in our world, Obi, that now we want the return on investment before we'll actually act and do the good thing that we're supposed to do. Show me what I'll get, and then I'll go do the right thing. Well, that's not how love works. That's not how grace works, that's not how compassion works. Careful, Andy. Careful.

SPEAKER_07 14:28

Um, so we're talking about all of this, right? About knowing where we're going, knowing what we, you know, what we're doing, what we think about. So, um, where do we start? Frederick Butner, the American writer and theologian theologian, said the kind of work God usually calls you is, A, the kind of work that you need most to do. And what do you need?

SPEAKER_04 14:51

What is it deep down in your heart that you're like, I have to do this? You know, uh we were talking about Sam and his decision about baseball in college, and he's decided not to play, right? So now he's he's rightfully so going through the process of missing it. And my question to him, what we sit down, I was talking to Jen about this. My question is there's missing it, there's wanting to play it. Okay, so the qu the these are three things. There, I'm missing baseball. Okay, that's natural because you're not playing it anymore. Your life has changed. Okay, wait a minute. I'm not only missing it, but I want to play again. Okay. All right. And then when you get there, the third one is okay. So you want to play again. Are you ready to invest in it? And and and are you ready to move forward with the work that it takes to get back into the game? So the third one is I have to play it. If I don't play, I'm gonna be miserable. Did you see that? I'm missing it. I I want to play again. No, I have to play or I'm gonna be miserable. We're talking about the I have to play.

SPEAKER_07 15:59

Andy, this sounds a lot like you during COVID.

SPEAKER_04 16:02

I thought you seriously, like I'm missing my friends. I think drinking and eating a lot is gonna fill the space. I want to drink and eat a lot like everybody else. Wait, no, I have to connect with people. Yeah, which one was the intentional, healthy one? The drinking and eating a lot was not healthy and not intentional. I don't know if any of you else went through that. You know, we confess stuff here, so I don't know if anybody else gained the what was it, the COVID 40? That was the accidental side of COVID. The intentional was, gosh, I got I have to connect with some people. So we're talking about the kind of work you need most to do. What has God put into you that you're like, I have to do this thing?

SPEAKER_07 16:48

Yeah, and again, go and going back to what Buchner said, and I love this, okay? Um, the kind of work God usually calls you to is a the kind of work that you need most to do and that the world most needs to have done. The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet.

SPEAKER_04 17:13

Now, uh-oh, all of a sudden my vision, mission, and values aren't just about me. No, it includes the world's needs, which begins with your wife's, your child's, your work. But you know, so again, at home, at work, and in the world, it's not just you, but now it's all the people in the surroundings and circumstances around you.

SPEAKER_07 17:34

And now we can ask questions. Um, do we know our why? Do you know your why? And so we have this, we have this God, what are these called? The Venn di A Venn diagram, goodness gracious. Uh, so you have so it looks like a Venn diagram where on one where in one circle you have your core passion, and then on another one, you have the world's needs, and where they where they join together, right, is your why. And and that's and that's what Buchner said. And we no, we didn't come up with this.

SPEAKER_04 18:05

This is in Genesis. So God created them male and female, he created them, and then he said, What? And now go cultivate and take care of the garden. So their core passion was their love for God, love for one another, love for creation, and then the world's needs. Now it needs shepherd poet kings to go cultivate and take care of it. And that's where Adam and Eve's why that was their why at the beginning until Genesis chapter three, when all of a sudden, here's the sinful part all of a sudden they were only focused on their core passion and no longer the world's needs that God gave them to attend to. So when it became self-centered, they lost their why. That's a pretty powerful statement.

SPEAKER_07 18:52

Yeah, it is. Um, so so you have your why, right? Um, and and it's where God is calling you to grow the most in order to make the greatest impact.

SPEAKER_04 19:05

Here we go once again. Where is God calling you to grow the most so that so that you might make the greatest impact? And that's then how we come up with this personal vision statement that we want guys to intentionally think about and write out.

SPEAKER_07 19:21

Yeah, and and if you want to take a screenshot of these guys, uh, this is a good exercise. If you have not done this, man, I encourage you just at this weekend, as you're progressing through the weekend, write this down and think about it, right? The person our the personal vision statement is you know, and Obi, this is this is why it begins right here.

SPEAKER_04 19:40

Why we want guys to invest in the time to visit with you and me one-on-one and go through this. Because by the way, this is I'm just gonna tell you, not only is it time consuming, but extremely challenging to do this by yourself without feedback from another brother.

SPEAKER_01 19:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 19:56

So the the the conversation of talking through this with somebody else, and and you can ask guy time guys time and time again, it's the conversation, like, well, I don't know what my personal vision is. Well, tell me a little bit about yourself, and all of a sudden you're getting into who you are and your story, you know. So I don't know is if Steve, Steve McNeese, if you're still on, you know, you you've you've shared with a couple of guys the importance of these kind of things and actually working through them with another brother. I know you're one of them. We got several guys on the call, but why is it so valuable being a conversation about this instead of doing it on your own, Steve?

SPEAKER_06 20:33

I think oftentimes you don't even see, you know, what your ongoing transformation is yourself, and and having those relationships with other brothers that can point out things that they see in you then gives you ideas of kind of how you have been doing things. I I you know, I've I've always found it very difficult to self-assess. Yeah, I don't like doing it, you know. I think probably because it points out my flaws. Nobody likes to do that, yeah. But, you know, I hear things from people that I interact with that I don't recognize I do. Uh so I think that's extremely important when you're trying to do this. It's not an easy thing to do.

SPEAKER_04 21:20

No, it's not. And if you try and do it on your own, yeah, frustration that comes, you know, all of a sudden you push it aside and say, I have things I have to get done. And then you lose the centrality of this is the thing that has to get done so that it flows into everything else that you have to get done.

SPEAKER_06 21:37

And I went for years with that.

SPEAKER_04 21:39

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 21:39

I just I don't have time, I don't have time to do this.

SPEAKER_04 21:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 21:42

You know, I quit meeting with you, and it never got done.

SPEAKER_04 21:48

This is where the task oriented takes over the actual Jesus at the center stuff.

SPEAKER_01 21:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 21:55

Yeah. So what what is what is your personal vision statement? So this is what it looks like, okay? The this statement should express your driving purpose, a cause or belief that is at the core or at the center of your being or passion. Um this statement should express the underlying belief in a purpose or cause that is bigger than yourself.

SPEAKER_04 22:21

Uh-oh. Uh-oh. Now we have to be a part of something.

SPEAKER_07 22:26

Yep. Well uh this is the reason you get out of bed each and every day. It's a vision of the future that does not yet exist, but that you are striving towards.

SPEAKER_04 22:40

Not stumbling towards, no striving towards. Paul's very clear. He doesn't say I'm stumbling toward the goal. He said I'm striving, I'm leaning into, I'm pushing forward towards the goal. There's an intentionality to Paul leaning into Christ in the future that he's promised.

SPEAKER_07 22:58

Yeah. So when you're writing this, this is kind of like what we suggest the prompt. Um to this is the ongoing transformation you want taking place in you, so that, and this is the contribution or impact you want to have on others.

SPEAKER_04 23:18

So it is about you, but it's also about then the impact of that growing you is going to have on other people.

SPEAKER_07 23:26

And we get this from Proverbs 29:18, um, which we um read just a little bit ago, where there is no prophetic vision from God, people cast off restraint and perish. But blessed is the one who heeds wisdom's instruction through God's word. And then Ephesians 1 through 3 says, As a prisoner for the Lord, then I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle, be patient, bearing with one another in love, make every effort to keep the unity of the spirit through the bond. And this is go wait, go back there real quick, Obi.

SPEAKER_04 24:03

This is really big in Ephesians chapter 4. You see the two and the so that. So you this is where we we're pulling from scripture these two statements of your vision. I urge you to live uh a life worthy of the calling you've received. That's that is about you. What has God called you to to grow in, to to really strive toward being an expert at, or the you know, uh wanting to be the best at, or whatever. What has God called you to do? And we have different callings, yeah, you know, but then be completely humble and gentle, be patient, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to actually now share that calling with others for the impact that it can have on them. So this is where we're getting that to and so that statement is everybody in this world has a calling that God has given them, whether they know it or not. Yeah, but then everybody in this world also has an impact that God is expressly wanting that to have to other people through you.

SPEAKER_07 25:01

You know, and Andy, and I think that it's so important to understand this and to know this and to go over this. Um, because some people have a hard time seeing how God can use their accounting skills, right? Uh their law degree, their creative writing degree.

SPEAKER_04 25:21

You know, you know, Jen and I talk about this. We have very different vision statements. And some of them are going to be the passion that you have that is that is also why you're in the career field that you're in. Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_07 25:34

And God created God created you and put you in that specific place so that.

SPEAKER_04 25:44

So I yeah, and I'm going to tell you, this has taken 20 some odd years to actually hone down, Steve. So, you know, getting to what you were talking about and working through it with other people. Um, but this this isn't just something like I woke up one morning and I spitballed it out on paper and said, Oh, that sounds pretty good. You know, I've been working on it, honing it over time. And and what I don't want people to miss, Sobe, is when we share ours and we start talking about other people's, this is now then what makes its way into your marriage, your parenting, every aspect of what you're doing. So I hope you guys will see that when we talk about this. So for me, it's been a long time coming to share that uh uh, you know, my personal vision statement is to advance holistic human flourishing. I want to see that in myself, I want to see that in other people, and to cultivate kingdom community together, developing that together through the gospel. So that's my two statement. I want to grow in that myself. I want to grow in my own whole life wellness. I want to grow in cultivating that with others through the gospel of Jesus Christ, because I don't think it can be done any other way. So that now here's the impact: more people might discover, experience, and share in the shalom that God has promised in Christ, which is that we actually seeing lives growing in health and wellness, right? So that is uh, you know, some other people might call that, you know, mind, body, spirit help, you know, wellness or whatever. But when we're talking about through the gospel and through scripture, that is my why. And it doesn't matter if that's through the MLC, through being a pastor at a church, or through consulting with other, you know, other churches or businesses, or if it's meeting with men and mentoring them one-on-one. It just runs through everything, it runs through my marriage. That's what I want. I want to advance holistic human flourishing in Jen and Sam. Cultivate kingdom community together with them through the gospel so that they might discover experience and share and shalom. I want Jen to have whole life wellness. I want Sam to have whole life wellness. I want you guys to have whole life wellness. And now, even if I were to go in uh, let's say back into the business field, this would be the underwriting passion and why of whatever I would do in business. Is I would want whatever I was involved in in the business world to actually impact people in such a way that they're getting healthier and growing and striving in alive towards Christ.

SPEAKER_01 28:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 28:11

Well, that's that's awesome, Andy. Well, um, I'll share mine. Yeah, and I'll share mine. And again, this is something that I've also worked through. I didn't I didn't wake up, you know, I had to take time and and really talk about and think about what God has called me to, my my desire that that I have, the um what what I want, what I want to see in other people's lives around me. Uh, and for me, the my two is to use whatever resources the Lord has given me to teach, to share, encourage, and lead by example. And and this is this is what I want to do, right? This is the me part about it that that means that my house, that means that my car, that means that my talents that God has given me, that means that my family, that means that every resource that the Lord has given me is going to be used for the for the teaching, for encouraging, for sharing, for leading by example. Uh, that that's in my home. I want my kids to be able to see that. So that everyone that comes in contact with me or my family may hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. That was transformative for me. That's a defining moment in my life that completely changed the trajectory of my life. And because of that, I want others to know that. I want other people to be free to understand and to walk even through the hard times with the hope that we have in Christ Jesus, the hope that I now have. And regardless of what I'm doing, regardless of whether I'm here with you guys or whether I'm here in the secular, a secular environment working, it's gonna be the underlying drive, driving force behind how I work. People are gonna see, yeah, go ahead, Andy.

SPEAKER_04 30:08

Yeah, no, I was gonna say, and just to just to share with the other guys, so a very different one is Jen's. So Jen's in the pharmaceutical world. And and we did, I Jen and I walked through the vision, mission, and values with each other and kind of I took her through it so she could take her team through it, you know, in her company and and not only help them to grow, but learn more about them. And when we were talking about it, she looked at mine and yours, Obi, and goes, Well, you know, how you know that that's just not what's coming to me. I mean, of course, she believes in Jesus Christ, he's at the center of everything. I said, No, it doesn't, it's not supposed to be. What is your core passion? And Jen goes, I hate preventative disease. I hate it. With and she said, with a passion. Well, there you go. So I said, Well, your two statement then begins with your passion of I want to advance the education against preventative disease so that, and I go, then what why? And she goes, so that more people might become healthier and not have to go through the, you know, these preventative diseases, specifically for her, cardiovascular and diabetes. These are in and now liver disease. She's she's got kind of these three different disease states that most of us have now in our world, especially in Western culture, we have cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or we have liver disease based, and and most of those are preventative, not genetic. And she goes, I hate that because people are dying way too young and way too early and way too painfully when they don't have to. And I and I said, Well, what you know, what's the underwriting, you know, behind that? And she goes, Well, I mean, just this is she goes, this is just because of the fall, you know, from Genesis 3.15. And now we have to teach people that, you know, how to prevent diseases and stuff. So that that just you may be in a field where your passion is driving you to be in that field, is all I'm trying to say, Obi. And hers isn't to advance whole life wellness or to use resources the Lord has given her to, you know, teach, share, encourage, lead by example, so that people may know the gospel. But hers is beginning with her passion of I hate preventative disease. I want to do something about it so that people might live healthier lives. And that may then open them up to who is Jen Whaley and what's driving this passion in her. Does that make sense?

SPEAKER_07 32:27

Absolutely. And God is using and God is actively using Jen in her field through what she's doing, right? That means that the gospel has illuminated her heart and he's using the God-given aptitudes that she has to further the gospel through the work that she's doing.

SPEAKER_04 32:43

Yeah. Right. So I asked Sam this recently again about his own personal vision statement. And his is not going to be like mine or Jen's, because I've asked him, Do you want to go into ministry? It was a very quick no. And Jen asked him, Do you want to go into a pharmacy? And it was a very quick no. Like, what do you want to do? So he wants to go into kinesiology and wants to go into sports medicine. And we were kind of asking him, Why do you want to do that? And he goes, I believe that's my way to serve people because I believe God gave us sports in order to engage our bodies to worship him. I'm like, okay, that's not the one I came up with, buddy, but that sounds pretty good. So, you know, but like you talk with JB and his passion for CrossFit. I mean, God gave us our bodies to enjoy and experience him through sport, through play, through exercise, right, JB.

SPEAKER_05 33:32

Sorry, I was just muted, but but I I'm a firm, firm believer that men, men especially, need to be doing something to help be more open. That men sitting around a circle is hard to be open. That if we're going for a walk or if we're shooting baskets, if we're doing something else, we're gonna be a lot. That's why so much happens on the golf course and stuff. We need to be men are meant to be active and then they can share more and be more vulnerized.

SPEAKER_04 33:55

That's awesome. Yeah. Good deal. We I just wanted to throw out some very different ones, Obi, just so not everybody's like, gosh, I don't know how to come up with my Jesus statement. That's not the point. If Jesus is at the center, whatever your vision statement is, he's gonna be at the center of it.

SPEAKER_07 34:12

Yeah, and that's what's beautiful. That's what, and I think, and I'm glad that you did that, Andy, because I think people look at somebody that's ministry driven, that's that's you know, like we are, right? And and they think that theirs has to say, you know, you know, to deny my body, you know, of worldly positions, so that others, you know, and and it doesn't look like that. Sometimes it looks like so I can code, you know, programs and and expand my knowledge and programming and everything so that I can use those to further the gospel. And in in Steve's Steve's case, you know, he's using his God-given talents to drive our website and to make it efficient, to make it useful.

SPEAKER_04 34:54

Here we go. So when I look at guys like Steve, Jabe, Jeff Pressler, you, like a CJ Marks, you know, I see guys that God is gifted in problem solving, you know, who love to solve problems in order to help people, uh, you know, in some capacity. So when I see a lot of the IT-driven guys or the guys that are really great at, you know, programming or whatever, a lot of those guys are really gifted with a passion to solve problems. I do not have that gift. That is not my calling. I usually cause problems in order to call you guys and say, what in the world just happened over here? Because I don't want to do that. You know, but problem solving is actually, you know, guys, you might think through that. Problem solving might be at a core or a passion of who you are that God's given you to impact other people. Or let's look at like our Kevin Wileys and people that are in, you know, the hospitality and service industry. Kevin Wiley is off the charts in hospitality. Greg, Greg Caldwell is off the charts in hospitality and service. I mean, they have to be serving people in some capacity through food and hospitality. If they're not welcoming people and putting food on the table in front of them and getting to see them smile that they're enjoying their time, they're, you know, what what did we do today?

SPEAKER_07 36:19

Oh man, you know, that was probably one of the most beautiful things that I saw when I first met Greg Caldwell um at the retreat. He came by, uh, Elliot introduced me to him, and he says, What can I do? And I was like, brother, I you can help with anything. What what are you like doing? And he goes, See that food over there?

SPEAKER_04 36:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 36:39

Let me take, let me, let me, let me take care of this. He's like, I've been in the food industry for many years. I know how to do that. And to watch him rearrange the tables and to say the people are gonna, the workflows, the people are coming this way. They're gonna their eyes are gonna be drawn here. This is how we arrange this. And to watch him, it was like watching somebody paint something beautiful, right? Because he was doing it as if he was doing it for the Lord. He was taking his own. He was doing it for the world, right?

SPEAKER_04 37:06

Do everything that that might come up today. You know, do what whatever you do, do it as if serving the Lord and then serving his people. Anthony with his truck and laying hands on his truck every morning, and and the passion that he has to deliver goods or services to people, uh, you know, and be that guy that is, you know, I love it. Isaiah says, you know, give me the scroll and let me run with it. That's what I think of Anthony. Like, give me the scroll and let me run with it, because I'm gonna tell people I'm delivering this stuff as a servant of the Lord. It doesn't matter what you're in or what your passion is, Christ is gonna be at the center of it. So be open and honest about what you're passionate about doing. Amen.

SPEAKER_03 37:49

Thank you. Yeah, you bet, Anthony. Thank you. I I do it I tell people I'm not in this business for myself, I'm in this business for the Lord. And I honor him with this because I know it's God and it's not me. Yeah, and this business has helped a lot of people, you know, all over the country. So I move people for free from one end of the country to another end. You know, my business donated money to all these different organizations. I say it's only God, not me. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 38:26

Yeah, and it's just beautiful to see the smile on your face when you say things like that, Anthony, and to know that that is generally genuinely your passion. Uh and we can see it in you, and we love you for it.

SPEAKER_07 38:39

And it's world-changing because it impacts, you know, you saw the way everybody it really did change a lot the way we view our our the assets, our work assets, right? I know for us when the first time we met Anthony live and we got to pray for his truck and and hear his story, it transformed the way I view things, it transformed my attitude about about my work, the way I view the the things at work. And so you see that even something uh God uses whatever you have, whatever He's given you for that, so that we can come, you know. So then now we have our vision statement, and then we get our mission statement, our personal mission difference.

SPEAKER_04 39:18

And a lot of people, by the way, a lot of people in corporations get these things wrong. This is a big deal. A lot of people confuse vision and mission, and uh you'll find a lot and and values, by the way. So the three of them, it's important to understand the difference. Your vision is your why, and your mission is your how. Yeah, and a lot of corporations and individuals actually believe that their mission statement is their vision when it's not. And I'll give an example of that when we get down to values in just a second. So we'll try and get through these so we can, you know, get through it for the day. But people confuse these with one another, one another, and that's why we're actually going through them. And I'll share an example of how churches do it all the time.

SPEAKER_07 39:59

Yeah, this statement provides a description of the route, the guiding principles, the how you intend to create the future and make steps towards it. This statement is action-oriented and has an intentional trajectory, right? And again, we got our Venn diagram where we have a circle that says, What are you passionate about? What are you gifted to strive to be your best at? What fuels and drives your actions and decisions, and they intertwine with Jesus at the center.

SPEAKER_04 40:30

So now you have your why that's connected to what you're good at and what drives you to act with Jesus at the center. So we're acting, actually, act adding some different things, excuse me.

SPEAKER_07 40:42

Yeah, and Proverbs 19, 21 says, Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails. Yeah, and uh 1 Peter 4 10 says, Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms.

SPEAKER_04 41:00

Very action-oriented. Use your gifts to serve others. Okay, so now we're getting into the how. You mean scripture gets into the how. So this is what's different. So this is my personal mission statement. No, we're gonna look at yours, and then hopefully this will get guys to think about their own. To inspire, equip, and empower an intentionally diverse group of entrepreneurial leaders to leverage their influence and resources toward advancing whole life wellness through the gospel transformation at home, at work, in the world via their various vocations. So now, not just the vision of to advance whole life wellness so that other people might experience, you know, more shalom, but now the how is to inspire, equip, and empower. So now you're talking about how you're going about it, which means there have to be opportunities to do that, which we have with the MLC regularly on Friday mornings, through the one-on-one calls of uh, you know, mentoring brothers one-on-one, through the annual retreat, through the happy hours. And you have to have things where you're actually now, you know, this is how we're gonna go about it to inspire equipment and power. Okay.

SPEAKER_07 42:09

All right, so let's talk about mine. Uh, to change the world through the gospel of Jesus Christ, one person at a time, starting with my own family. So my wife and I believe that our first ministry is our family, and through that transformative power of the gospel, um my family is impacted. And then after that, which mine is one person at a time.

SPEAKER_04 42:34

So, would you say that your how begins with uh your family's discipleship and then works its way out into the world? Okay. Yeah, so when you're looking at your how, guys, you you know, it's really important to understand uh not only that you have this vision of the future, but how am I going to go about it? Uh, so for Jesus, let's talk a little bit about real quick with churches and how they get this kind of messed up, in my opinion. When we get to values here in just a second, your values are the proof of concept of what you do to show that you're going after your why through your how. Uh, Jesus's vision statement, I'm gonna share with you, is not Matthew 28. It is not the Great Commission. Uh, so I'm gonna throw that out there just to freak some people out before we get to values. So Jesus actually has a grander vision than disciple making, but go ahead and go to the values and we'll share why these things are so different.

SPEAKER_07 43:31

Yeah. So values is where the rubber meets the road. This is a place where all the tangible stuff of everyday life happens. So this is where we hold out in front of us the tangible things that we are intentionally and actively doing that clearly represent our why, our vision statement. So, what you do should serve as tangible proof of what you believe, what you value. Okay.

SPEAKER_04 44:00

Stay there real quick. Oh, the guys, hold on, just say this is so huge. So I would argue, and boy, do I get a lot of pushback from other pastors and churches and ministry. Oh, oh man. So I like to start trouble. I would argue that Jesus' personal value statement is the Great Commission. This is what you're supposed to be doing to show proof of concept that you're my disciples. Go make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, Holy Spirit, and teach them everything that I've commanded you to do, and surely I'll be with you always to the end of the age. Awesome, right? But did you know that most churches and probably most individual Christians place that as their vision? This is Jesus' vision. Make disciples. No, that's his value. That's what you're supposed to be doing. So I would argue that actually Jesus' vision is brand new people. So Revelation 21 says, Behold, I've come to make all things new. So I would actually share with you that Jesus' vision and the whole reason why he came and where we're headed and what we're striving towards and him coming back and everything is brand new people. That's Jesus' vision. No longer broken in sin, it goes on to say, no longer shedding tears over sickness and death, right? There'll be no more crying, no more weeping. So Jesus' vision, his vision of the future is that all things have been made new in him. Okay? Brand new life. That's his vision. Then his mission statement, how did he go about it, Obi? The gospel. Well, God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. He died on the cross and rose from the dead. The gospel is how he went about it. And then his value is then guess what? Go make disciples of all nations. Why? So that they might be brand new.

unknown 45:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 45:57

So that they might be made new. So now you can see the proof of concept in why does Jesus want us making disciples of all nations? Because when you baptize people in the name of the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit, what happens to them? They become new people. They go from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light. You see what I'm saying? So you we misunderstand this all the time. And as people that are transactional and we love to-do lists, guess what? We really want, we really want our vision to be our values. Just give me a checklist of stuff to do, and I'll say that's my vision. But it's not. So that's why we go through this and why it's so huge, Obi. But do you I mean pastors in churches put push back and be like, no, Jesus' vision is to make disciples. I'm like, why? And do you know I I'm not being rude in any way, but I go, why does Jesus want us to make disciples? And people literally stutter because they don't have it. Well, he told us to. What a reasonable. How well is that going to how well did that go in your parenting, Obi? Because I told you to. You know, and and what is a what is a child's response when a parent says, because I said so? Well, why? They want to know the why.

SPEAKER_01 47:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 47:15

Well, the why is bigger than the what. So why bigger than the what and what? There you go. Why is bigger than the what?

SPEAKER_07 47:24

Yeah, there we go. Our what is, you know, again, our Venn diagram, our unique skills and talents, vocational areas of opportunity, and another one of the places, people and activities of interest with Christ at the center.

SPEAKER_04 47:38

So look at this is pretty huge, though. Now we're adding, we're going from now your unique skills and talents, which is different for everyone, but then also, guess what else is different? Your vocational areas of opportunity at home, at work, and in the world are different. The people, places, and activities of interest are different. Okay. I'm not a not alone guy. I'm not, you know, that I would I would be dead if I was out there, but there are other people that love that adventurous lifestyle. Could there be an opportunity, Obi, in the whole conversation of not alone that you guys had this morning of actually talking about Christ? Well, sure. Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 48:23

So anyway, there you go. So Philippians 4, 8 through 9 says, Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me or seen in me, put these into practice, and the God of peace will be with you.

SPEAKER_04 48:49

And I love this because this is totally a value statement. Look at all these things that are valuable: true, noble, just, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy. Guess what? Go practice those things. Because it'll show proof of concept about your why, right? Which is striving toward the goal of the higher calling that God has given me in Christ Jesus for Paul.

SPEAKER_01 49:11

Amen.

SPEAKER_07 49:13

So, Andy, why don't you uh share with us? You guys just hang with me.

SPEAKER_04 49:17

Real quick, yeah. We're we're gonna go just a few more minutes. We're gonna get to a life first, real quick, which is a big one. But just so this, you'll see the personal value statements of what you do at home to journey together with my wife into this new season of empty nesting, intentionally exercising our spiritual, physical, mental, emotional, and relational health with one another and with others immediately. If Jen and I are exercising and working on our health and wellness and all this, does that not point to my why to advance holistic human, you know, flourishing and more shalom? Yes. To continue to mentor Sam through his college years, yes, to continue to lead and expand the reach of the MLC, you know, yeah, to daily engage in thoughts, words, and deeds that inspire equipment apart. You can see now how they all connect, but here's a big one. I just had this conversation with somebody yesterday at lunch. Uh, we all we so we ask everybody to write five personal value statements, okay? But we all share the fifth one, Obi, to confidently say no to anything that would distract or prevent me from my top four values. And that is a tough one, not only for men, but for leaders. Because oftentimes we find ourselves saying yes to things that actually prevent us from accomplishing one through four. And then all of a sudden our values get screwed up. So we all share the fifth one because there have to be barriers that are put around your values in order to accomplish them. Does that make sense?

SPEAKER_07 50:50

Yeah, you know, and and and for me being involved in my church, um I've had to say no. I've I've had to say found out that it got in the way.

SPEAKER_01 50:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 50:59

Yeah, I've had to say no to things that I would, you know. I mean, I want to. It seems like the right thing to do. Who, you know, but these get in the way of what I what actually my my, you know, it gets it's in the way of what prevents me from carrying out my my values, to give my children a strong foundation based on sound Christ-centered gospel, so that they may grow in the fullness of Christ and pursue them all the rest of their days, to be transparent with my family about my weaknesses, my struggles, my mistakes, so they see God's mercy active in my life. And to love and pursue my wife in a manner that reflects Christ, so that my children can have an example of a Christ-driven marriage. They're going to get married one day. Um, to be an active member of my church, so that my children can see what it means to be a member of the body of Christ, to be a godly friend, neighbor, employee, and citizen, so that everything that I do always points towards Christ, and so I can surrender everything I am to Christ so that I may know him deeper and walk the rest of my days here on earth until he calls me home.

SPEAKER_04 51:59

And you can even see right here that Obi's still struggling with saying no.

SPEAKER_02 52:03

So yeah.

SPEAKER_04 52:08

That's awesome. Well, here's the last part. This will only take a few minutes, but it's really important. Not only problem number one, a lack of intentionality, Obi, what's what's problem number two? Lack of alignment. And I love those puzzle pieces that don't fit with one another because a lot of guys are struggling with why doesn't my vision, mission, and values make sense? Well, there's oftentimes not alignment that holds the three of them together with one another.

SPEAKER_07 52:36

Yeah, and this is where our personal life verse comes in, right? Here, life verse is a particular verse of scripture that speaks into as well as aligns you to tell a story of your intentional personal vision, mission, vision, mission, and values. Yep. Um, and 2 Timothy 3, 16 through 70 says, All scriptures God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

SPEAKER_04 53:05

Isn't that funny that we got the whole two and so that for our vision statements directly from scripture? Like to utilize God's word, which is God breathe, so that.

SPEAKER_07 53:18

So that love it. And Colossians 3, 16 to 21 says, Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms, hymns, and spirit songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And in whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

SPEAKER_04 53:40

Which happens to be on the back of our retreat t-shirt. So hey, hey, Andy, share your personal life verse with us. Yeah, so Ephesians 2:10 is one that brings alignment to me. We are God's artwork created in Christ Jesus. So there's number one, to do good works, so that which God prepared in advance that we should walk in them. So continuing to grow and being God's artwork created in Christ Jesus, so that I might do good works and walk in them daily. So that's the that is the godly alignment for me.

SPEAKER_07 54:12

Uh, mine comes from Micah 6, 8 that says, He has told you, oh man, what is good and what does the Lord require of you to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. Awesome.

SPEAKER_04 54:27

Well, thanks, guys, for holding on a little extra. Obi, if you don't mind saying a prayer to wrap us up, and the guys that want to stay on can. And for those of you that got to go, we hope you have a great weekend at Jesus. And don't forget to come back next Friday when we actually talk about the hero's journey and storytelling.

SPEAKER_07 54:42

All right, God, I just want to thank you for everyone that's here. Um, we could sleep in an extra hour. Some of these guys could sleep an extra hour, but man, there's an intentionality uh in their hearts, in all our hearts, to know you more and to not just be people who um listen to your word and just read your word, but who are stirred by the gospel of Jesus Christ and are spurred into action. And we want to be those kind of men. And I ask you that you open our eyes and ears, that you enlighten our hearts uh and that your Holy Spirit begin moving in us so that if some of the men here don't know their vision, vision, mission, um, and values, Lord, that they will take time to reflect upon that. And that you may challenge us. You may challenge us and collide with with who we are and align us with your word. We love you, and it's in your name we pray.

SPEAKER_00 55:36

Amen. Thanks for joining and listening. We hope that you were truly blessed. Now you can join the live call every Friday morning at 7 a.m. Central Standard Time, and please bring a friend. And to learn more about the MLC, visit our website at the MLC.life. That's the MLC. Have a great day.