What motivates you to work?

What motivates you to work?

Believe it or not, for most of us, the #1 motivator for getting up and out the door each day is FEAR.

Fear of getting fired. 

Fear of getting evicted if the rent isn't paid. 

Fear of freezing if the electricity is cut-off. 

Fear of starving if you can't afford groceries. 

Fear of living on the streets.

Hebrews 2:14-16 tells us why Jesus came. "Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could He die, and only by dying could He break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could He set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying."

There it is; most humans are in bondage to the fear of dying and it's that fear that gets us out the door every day. What a bondage! What a gun-to-the-head existence.

When Jesus instructed His grieving disciples to cast their net on the other side of the boat, they were using all the same skills and expertise they'd always used. After a morning of catching nothing, their simple act of obedience brought in a huge catch that nearly tore their nets. 

So, what changed? Only the motivation of their hearts, that's all. With that in mind, what could motivate millions of Christians to go to work each day and maximize their impact for the Kingdom's sake, literally turning communities upside-down? Simply change the motivation from one of fear to one of faith. 

Go to work with a Kingdom agenda.

Clock-in knowing that Christ lives in you and anticipate those daily Divine appointments where you can speak an encouraging word, pray for (or with) a coworker, start a prayer group, or lend a listening ear to a hurting member of the team.

Show up looking for an opportunity to serve. You may have a job description already but look for that extra "thing" you could do that will be meaningful to someone else. A birthday, an anniversary, an award, a new baby, an engagement... you get the idea. We spend up to 70% of our lives there. Make it count! 

I recently spoke with a woman whose daughter died during the holidays 45 years ago. As a result, she detested the holiday season. Last Christmas, after a healing encounter with God, she put up a Christmas tree for the first time in all those years! She's a changed person now, but Christians came and went for 45 years without helping her while she suffered silently. She told me she's now considering taking a course on grief counseling. 

Arrive early, leave late and work hard in between. Guess who's likely to get promoted for doing so? Remember, no matter who signs your checks, your REAL boss is a Jewish carpenter named Jesus.

1 Corinthians 10:31: "...whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

If you or your Christian group could use an encouraging message on Faith at Work, let's talk! Heck, I've even shared this message by phone a time or two!

Every blessing,

Michael Tummillo

Founder, The Church @ Work (TCAW)

ONE YEAR AGO: The Bastrop Fire!

WATCH THE VIDEO AT THE END! My CISM Experience  By: Daniel Geraci Executive Director, ADRN In early September 2011, as every TV station in Texas was covering the Central Texas fire disaster, ADRN was deployed to help Red Cross operate shelters in Bastrop and Smithville.  I too was in Bastrop at the Command Center, set up in the Bastrop Convention Center.  The scene was intense as workers/leaders from organizations around the state gathered to work together in response to the disaster.  Most of us were getting 2-3 hours of sleep per night.  ADRN's call center was in full-swing at Hill Country Bible Church NW, receiving an estimated 500-750 calls per day from desperate fire survivors wanting to know more about their homes and when they could return.  At the convention center, I meet Lisa Jackson, the victim services coordinator for the Bastrop Sheriffs department.  She was working on mobilizing the State of Texas' CISM team to be deployed into the residential areas just prior to the families returning to the remains of their homes.  I had recommended inviting ADRN's CISM team into the field to help her with this response but Lisa wasn't 100% confident in ADRN as this was her first interaction with us.  Fortunately, she decided to drive me into one of the hardest hit areas of Bastrop to ask me questions on how we would deploy CISM trained volunteers in the area if deployed.  It wasn't easy to get in these areas because the fire departments were still trying to put out the smaller fires and DPS had blocked off all roads leading into the Bastrop communities affected by the fires (Hwy. 71 was closed).  By God's grace, we were able to pass through the barricades, see the devastation and I had a chance to share our plan for deployment.  As we were combing through the neighborhoods, she suddenly receives a call from the State CISM coordinator telling her that they had been re-routed to another city in the state that needed their services leaving her with no one but ADRN CISM trained volunteers.  She looked at me nervously and asked if I could pull together a large team by the next day to lead the deployment.  In faith, I said "yes!"  Shortly after this, she receives a call from officials at the Command Center  recommending to cancel the next days deployment of CISM teams and not allowing residents back into their homes.  The reason for the decision was the ash in the area was toxic and officials feared that residents health would be greatly affected by the ash in the air.  City officials recommended that a facemask needed to be handed out to every resident.  Lisa looked at me and said "do you know where I can get thousands of facemasks?"  I told her that I had received 21,000 facemasks 8 months prior to the disaster and that I could get her 8,000 facemasks by the morning.  She asked me to get them there by evening due to the pressures from the state.  So God enabled us to get 8,000 facemask within hours.  She also told me to "call in the troops and deploy in the morning!"  After this short trip in Bastrop, I drove to the McDonald's in Bastrop to use their internet service to get a deployment email out to our CISM team as soon as possible (the convention center internet was practically jammed due to the high volume of internet use).  I also emailed my friends at Austin Bridge Builders Alliance (ABBA) to send an email to Pastors throughout Greater Austin, asking them to join us in the morning.  At this point, all I could do was commit my plans to God, have faith in Him to stir the hearts of CISM volunteers and pastors to join us in the morning!  I had no idea if 1 or 100 people would show up?  Day 1 of our deployment was to join the Red Cross at the Home Depot in Bastrop to begin debriefing victims as they drove up to the back of the Home Depot to pick up sifters, tools and the placard that would get them back into their neighborhood within the next few days.   By the grace of God, over 80 ADRN CISM trained volunteers and pastors showed up!  They would split up into 3 different locations to debrief families as they picked up their supplies.  At my location, the Home Depot, cars and trucks wrapped around the building and as far as an eye could see.  As victims drove up to our area of the drive-thru line, going behind the Home Depot, we began asking victims "Hello. I am with the Austin Disaster Relief Network.  We are a network of churches that are sponsoring families affected by this disaster.  Would you like a church on our network to walk with you through this process?"  As people began to say "Yes!" - I told them to drive up on the side parking lot of Home Depot and like a Sonic restaurant, find an open slot and one of our Yellow Shirt volunteers will take your information.  This was how the ADRN CISM team debriefed hundreds of people that day!  The cars/trucks continued to come non-stop for at least 3-4 hours.  Some victims couldn't drive another inch once asked if they wanted to be adopted due to the emotion that erupted through them like an open fire hydrant.  It took the loving arms of pastors to embrace these people as they wept uncontrollably.  This was a glorious day in the Kingdom because pastors and volunteers became the hands and feet of Jesus, loving on the victims, debriefing them, collecting their information in order to be adopted and praying with them.  To me, it was a great day in the Kingdom!    Over the next 4 days, ADRN set up our Incident Command Post tents in 100+ degree weather, at the heads of neighborhoods to deploy CISM volunteers and pastors into the residential areas before the victims were allowed to return to their home.  The Sheriff's Department told me if our volunteers were not wearing the YellowADRN's objective was to assign 2 CISM trained volunteers and one pastor per team to cover several streets in the neighborhood to ensure that by sending 20-25 teams, the entire neighborhood/each home owner would be greeted by an ADRN team.  Each team also was assigned a driver to become their personal chauffeur, taking each team from one house to the next since each home was so far apart.  The plan was to greet the victims with cold water as they drove up to the remains of their home, comfort them, debrief them (most were in a state of shock/trauma), help them bury pets and livestock as needed and most importantly, pray with them, inviting God into their situation.  After 4 days of debriefing over 1,400 people, ADRN had collected close to 500 "sponsor  a family" forms!!  Also, stories began to pour in from our CISM volunteers on the impact that was made between them and the victims through debriefing and praying.  Many families were incredibly touched and moved by the hand of God working through His church!  Many CISM volunteers quickly saw the benefit of their CISM training and how powerful it was to help take traumatized victims to a greater state of peace so they could begin moving forward in their lives.  I think about all the individuals that have given their life to Jesus through the Churches sponsoring them. We saw volunteers who were led by God to become CISM trained volunteers enabling them access to love people in their greatest time of need.  Thank you Jesus!     ADRN is offering its next CISM Training on September 21st & 22nd.  I want to encourage you to join our CISM team today. I believe every Christian should get this valuable training!  Visit our website for more information and to register (click here for CISM video).   Click here to visit the ADRN website.   Michael Tummillo is a Workplace Chaplain in Texas and a Volunteer with the ADRN. If your Christian church or group would like him to give a FREE Disaster Preparedness Orientation within a 3 1/2 hour radius, contact him at miketummillo@me.com

ATTENTION... all who believe in miracles!

ATTENTION... all who believe in miracles!

Please go to this website and read about this precious Christian woman, her horrible accident, and PRAY in faith believing for her miracle! 

Multitudes are watching and following her situation. She's a willing vessel God could use in a major way!

CLICK HERE!

Who's naked? Not me!

Recently, I sent this message out to many people electronically. It resonated with folks. Great response. Last night, I felt compelled to send it to my oldest son, Justin, now in doing time in a Texas prison on drug and theft-related charges. He's been there over 6 months and will be there till Christmas, I'm sure. Of the many things my flesh wanted to say to him in a letter (he has not requested any visits from me), the only thing I feel at peace about saying to him is what you are about to read. 

Truth is, all of us know someone who needs to know these things. Maybe even you?? Please forward the message. Please pray for my son, too. Thanks! 

Every blessing,

Michael Tummillo

Who's naked? Not me!

Today is Sunday. By 8AM, my wife and I were at the City Park, me on my bicycle, her walking briskly. The breezes were cool, the leaves were showering us, the water fall was the only thing I heard loudly when I rode past it. I was so blessed and couldn't help but pray prayers of thanksgiving, thanking the Father for my wife, our health, the freedom we had to come and go at will. I prayed for my family, those who lost our beloved Tommy last Wednesday (Barbara's last remaining uncle) as well as the new baby still being knitted together in my oldest daughter's womb. My heart was filled with praise and thanks! 

My wife told me she had prayed, too, while she was walking. On a beautiful morning like this, apparently, we just couldn't help ourselves. 

When we climbed into the truck to head home, we heard a preacher on the radio, lovingly reminding his congregation how sinful they were and how those sins separated them from their loving God. 

YUCK! I was disgusted and changed the station. 

After we got home, my wife made some eggs and turkey sausage for us while I surfed the TV. I found a denominational minister, clothed in a bright, shiny green robe, lovingly reminding his church members how sinful and awful THEY were! 

YUCK! I shut the TV off. 

After we'd eaten, I called out to my wife and asked if she wanted to pray with me in the parlor (after all, it IS Sunday). At this point, I'd like to clarify something: Barbara and I do not expect our convictions to become anyone else's. Your relationship with God is between you and Him. Our personal belief is The Church is the people, all the time, 24/7, everywhere we are. We choose to fellowship with others in homes on a weekly basis whenever possible, but we are no more "churchy" there than we are at the park or in our parlor. 

Now you know. 

Anyway, in a moment, my wife was in the room with me and sat down on the couch in our peaceful old sitting room in this 100-year old house. Again, with gratitude in my heart, I thanked God for saving us and setting us free, even from manmade rules and regulations and from the trappings of denominationalism, church hierarchies and doctrines of man and of devils that once held us in bondage. I thanked him our sins of scarlet have been made as white as snow by the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. I thanked Him, most of all, that NOTHING would EVER separate me from His love. NOTHING! 

No thing. 

No person. 

No how.

No sins.

We are the righteousness of God in Christ. In other words, when He sees us, He sees Jesus. 

Think about this… if it were all about how "good" you were required to be, how would you ever know you'd been good enough?

If it were all about how many good deeds you accomplished, how would you know when your obligations had been fulfilled?

If all that mattered was how pious and spiritual you could act outwardly, though some might be impressed, the Father only cares about what's in your heart. We can't hide that. Sure, as long as we walk around in these "earth suits," we will be prone to sin. No, that doesn't give us a license to do so, but we WILL sin. At our best, we STILL need a Saviour. 

Guess what? God already sent us One!

Personally, I became crazy about Father God when I FINALLY realized my salvation had nothing to do with me and everything to do with what He did FOR me. I sure couldn't do it for myself! Now, I have been made worthy to enter His throne of grace, NOT because of my good deeds and religiosity, but because of the Blood which atoned for my sins; they are no longer held against me!

Consider this: How many sins had you committed at the time of the crucifixion? 500 years later? 1,000 years later? A week from today? You get the point? All your sins were forgiven for all time. Period. When I finally wrapped my mind around those concepts, THAT is when I fell wholeheartedly in love with the Father. He truly has an unfathomable love for us, just as I have for my own flesh and blood children, only GREATER!

"Who told you that you were naked," God asked Adam, after he and Eve had sinned. Likewise, who told you that you were a sinner saved by grace? Who told you anything could separate you from God? 

Well, THEY LIED! 

I heard two ministers flat out LYING to their congregations this morning over the airwaves, and I'm sure there were others doing the same. I'm sure because I used to do the very same thing. 

Folks, you have been made HOLY by the sacrifice at Calvary. You are a SAINT! You are a child of God! You are NOT a Sinner, but you have been saved by God's grace, His unmerited favor and unconditional love. 

Chew on that truth for a while. 

As well-meaning as those electronic ministers were this morning, I'm convinced such sin-centered preaching does little to strengthen and deepen the love of those who hear that message. People already KNOW they've sinned (they are reminded all the time by preachers and family members… and by the devil). They've already been told their sins are separating them from the love of God, that they are unworthy, etc. 

The Church must now be reminded nothing will separate them from the love of God any longer. I'd rather see people serving God out of love than out of fear. I think the Father prefers that, too.

Don't you?

Every blessing,

Michael Tummillo

Founder, The Church @ Work

1-Hour FREE ORIENTATION, Whitney, TX

Mitt's Mormonism

Mitt's Mormonism

Jesus said we would know a tree by its fruit. He did NOT say we would know a tree by its religious affiliation.

In Bible College, I was introduced to the so-called “cult” of Mormonism, or the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, also known as the LDS (I have since decided anyone who doesn't think as we think they should think is often referred to as belonging to a cult). At one point in the course on cults, we watched a 6-minute cartoon called “The God Makers” (Google it), exposing the doctrines of the LDS organization. Some of these were not only foreign to me at the time, but they were downright odd.

At this point, I'd like for you to imagine an army consisting of mainline Christian denominations, shoulder to shoulder, arrayed against the Mormon church, not unlike the Crusaders marching against Islam (where is the love we're to be known by?). There they are - Baptists, Catholics, Methodists, Presbyterian, Church of Christ, Lutherans, Pentecostals, etc., all marching lockstep in opposition to the Mormons.

Along the way, the Captain of that army calls the force to a halt. He asks them, “How many of you come from a denomination that does not use musical instruments in its gatherings?”

Hands are raised here and there.

“How many of you believe in praying to dead Christians?”

More hands are raised.

The questions continued: “How many of you believe in baptizing infants? How many believe in salvation by baptism? How many believe you can lose your salvation purchased by the blood shed on the cross?”

On and on the Captain inquired of His troops, until they realized their love for Him and desire to serve Him was the one thing they held in common and was the only thing that, ultimately, mattered.

You see, man will always look at the outside rather than the heart while God does the polar opposite. Where Mormons are concerned, they are on the same road to God as the rest of us, doing the best they can to love and serve Him by loving and serving one another. They believe in Jesus. They read the Bible and believe other books are equally as inspired. Catholics do the same and, frankly, many other individuals will spend more time ingesting books other than the Bible from which they get their own, extra-Biblical, spiritual notions, even while attending mainline congregations. 

Personally, I had to repent of the disdain I once held for the LDS church. Though I don't believe in much of what they profess, I DO believe in the same Jesus they believe in. My responsibility to the next Mormon I meet is to love him or her with the love of Christ shed abroad from my heart by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5).

Are they preaching a doctrine foreign to most of us? In part, yes. Is that a big deal? 2 Cor 11:4 declares, “if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different Gospel which you have not accepted - you may well put up with it!” In other words, “you seem to tolerate all that well enough!”

A different Jesus? You decide. The LDS teaches Jesus was Lucifer's brother. Let's examine this belief: The Mormon teaching that Jesus and Satan are brothers stems from the concept of God being the Father - the Creator - of all pre-existent spirits. In other words, if God created ALL things, logically, that must includes Satan, right? Therefore, can they BOTH claim God as Father? Since Jesus is the Son of the Father, and all other spirits, including Satan, are sons of the Father, then ALL are brothers, right? Had we ever considered this? I know, it's certainly not a mainline teaching. This idea has been part of Mormon teaching from the time of Joseph Smith to the present.

A different Gospel? The very word means “Good News.” Is there any good news outside of Jesus?

Statistically, I just heard today only 18% of Americans are actually bothered by Romney's faith. Many were bothered by JFK's faith, too, but when that Catholic president was assassinated, the nation mourned.

Perhaps you've heard the story of the ten blind men and the elephant. Each man placed his hands on the elephant and described what an elephant was like. Naturally, each man had a different report. Spiritual experiences can be much like that. Just because one has never spoken in tongues, for example, does not mean no one should or can speak in tongues. We cannot deny anyone their spiritual encounters any more than we can deny them their gender or ethnicity. I've decided that, for the work each of us has been given, the lessons we will be taught must differ from person to person. Life on earth is like a big school; we're all here to learn something and when we're just not comprehending things, we need a smack on the forehead.

Consider yourself smacked. Is the Captain of our Army using a Mormon Presidential Candidate to do the smacking? Is this a test? The Romney's are not perfect - the ONLY perfect person died for the rest of us - but they DO exhibit much more fruit than, well... many people who refer to the LDS as a cult.

One last thing: Mormons are BIG on survival preparedness. I recall the story of a Baptist preacher who ignored his new Mormon neighbors until, one day, the two men met while working in their yards. As the conversation progressed, the Mormon invited the preacher into his home and wound up showing him their store of food. Surprised by the sight of so many provisions, the Baptist asked why there was so much. The Mormon said, “In a disaster, we figured we needed enough to care for YOUR family, too.”

With disasters on the increase, as any blind man can see, I wonder… was Mitt born for such a time as this? Perhaps. This goes for Mormon Glenn Beck, too.

And you and me as well.

Every blessing,

Michael Tummillo

Founder, The Church @ Work  

How may I serve you?

How may I serve you?

"Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant," (Mt. 20:27).

Os Hillman shared the following story. He said it was true: A friend told a story about one of his closest friends who experienced great suffering for the soul of his persecutor in his place of work on a cargo ship. His boss was the captain. This man was a committed Christian who shared his faith with others and was a good worker.

One day the friend led the sea captain's girlfriend to Christ. The sea captain already hated and ridiculed the Christian worker because of his faith in Christ. When his girlfriend came to Christ, she stopped sleeping with the captain. The captain blamed the Christian man for the change in his girlfriend. 

One day he entered the restaurant where the Christian man was having lunch. He walked over to his table and began hurling obscenities and began beating him. The Christian man simply tried to defend himself but did not fight back. The captain kept beating him until eventually the man lay on the floor bleeding.

Two men entered the restaurant and saw what was taking place. They jumped the sea captain and took him outside and began beating him. The sea captain was beaten so badly that he needed immediate medical attention. The Christian worker saw the condition of the sea captain, came to his aid, and began helping him. 

The sea captain was so moved that this man could do this after he had literally beaten him bloody that he began to weep, not understanding what could move a man to have such love in the face of being beaten. The sea captain accepted Jesus at that moment.

Amazing, isn't it? 

The Bible tells us "while we were yet sinners Christ died for us." Jesus came and paid our penalty so that sin would have no hold on us and NOTHING would ever again separate us from the love of God.

NOTHING!

 Many people in your workplace have never known the love of Christ. They've never even seen it exhibited and have surely not had the experience. You might be the only one they ever meet who can introduce them to this love, even without saying a word. 

Jesus came as our example. He modeled love and service in the marketplace. In fact, of His 52 parables, 45 had a workplace context. Of 40 divine interventions recorded in the Book of Acts, 39 were in the marketplace. He modeled servant leadership and taught his disciples serving others was the central focus of His life and should be the central focus of anyone who would choose to follow after Him.

"Jesus called them together and said, 'You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many,'" (Matt 20:25-28).

A Christian singer named Rich Mullins, now deceased, had just won the coveted Dove Award for the best album. Afterward, at the reception, where all the famous Christian singers gathered to celebrate, Rich grabbed a white waiter's jacket from the kitchen and spent the evening serving the others.

You've heard the phrase, "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." When you genuinely take an interest in another person in the workplace, you will become credible in their eyes. You will stand out among the crowd. You may be the only REAL Christian they may feel they've ever met - and outside the walls of a church at that! 

A quick read of Gary Chapman's book "The 5 Love Languages" reveals how important it is to learn what it takes for OTHERS to feel loved by you. To some, it's quality time. To others, it's a small gift. To others, it's physical touch.  To someone else, it might be an act of service while others might feel most loved through affirming words. 

Love and acceptance; these are what the world is looking for, things that are so rarely seen or experienced.

Every blessing,

Michael Tummillo

Founder, The Church @ Work