Benefits of Penitence

Benefits of Penitence

Lent - Will you be ready?

Don’t roll your eyes and moan, “What is he thinking. Lent doesn’t begin until February 13, 2013?” I am thinking that Lent is only a few weeks away? If you intend to have a good, meaningful Lenten experience, you must prepare. You can’t just let it sneak up on you, catching you unaware and unprepared.

Penitence has held a place of great importance in the lives of most ancient peoples. It was closely linked with an intimate sense of religion connected with the progress of culture. Hmm! Is the culture of your business progressing? Culture: the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution or organization; the act of developing the intellectual and moral faculties especially by education.

In the Old Testament, external penitential practices were accompanied by an inner attitude of conversion whose aim was love and surrender to God – fasting for the sake of God, not for one’s own self. And Christ, who always practiced what He preached spent 40 days and 40 nights in the desert praying, fasting, preparing, in synergy with God The Father, before beginning His public ministry.

Prayer, fasting, charity, preparedness are fundamental means of complying with the divine call to penitence. This penitence should be not only internal and individual but external and social. How to accomplish this? Preparation!

What can you do today to become a better example of yourself today? What can your team do today to become better examples of them self today? What one thing can we learn, practice and become better doing today as a team?

The Desert

Jesus went into the desert for 40 days and 40 nights after being baptized in the river Jordan by John the Baptist. Why? To set an example! To fulfill the law of the Old Testament! To show us the way to overcome sin and moral weakness, and how to avoid the temptation of sin! He surely knows we are continually tempted to go astray. The devil tempted Him.

Can we use some time in The Desert?

Did you know that better than 56% of U.S. executives feel their single greatest obstacle to growth is their corporate culture (Economist Intelligence Unit)? One of the reasons it is important to have events such as this upcoming Christian Automotive Super Conference, March 13 and 14 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway In Charlotte, NC is because they encourage us, or challenge us, even force us to step back from who we are, where we are, and what we're doing; and take another look at who we are, where we are, and what we're doing.

If we don’t stop and re-charge our batteries, change direction and head to the desert for some penitential time, how do we ever expect to better ourselves? We are human, meaning we are freely capable of getting stuck in mediocrity, stuck in same old, same old, stuck in individualism, hedonism and minimalism. We need Church and private prayer. We desperately need community, fellowship with each other to help hold ourselves accountable to become the best example God created us to be.

Just as we need sleep, food and water to assure life, we need balance in our lives to assure we don’t go astray (individually, family, team, business).

We are Spiritual Beings

A balanced life centers on our Physical, Mental and Spiritual balance. We were Spirit in Heaven. We have our Spirit and the Spirit of God in our human body. When we die our Spirit lives on in either Heaven or Hell; the choice we make in how we live our lives today until our bodies are reunited with our Spirit come judgment day. God not only made clear that He resides in us and us in Him, He speaks to us, or the devil speaks to us, every time we listen to whom speaks to us inside us. Jesus made it crystal clear we can do nothing without Him, so PRIDE is typically that ugly sin that creeps into all of us whenever we put ourselves before others.

Is the life of your business in balance?

How balanced is your Spiritual life? How balanced is the Spiritual life of the life of your business? What? Yep! The Spiritual life of the life of your business is every bit as important as the physical and mental. God created each of us, our world, and everything in it. God created your business through specific people He called to be part of it. Everyone and everything needs Spiritual balance.

At the Heart of Lent

The Christian Automotive Super Conference (www.automotivesuperconference) occurs in the heart of Lent, a perfect time to step back from who we are, where we are, and what we’re doing, and take another look at who we are, where we are, and what we are doing. Consider attending as one of your benefits of penitence; fasting, preparing, praying, meeting Jesus in the desert to rejuvenate, refocus, recommit, reappraise our ways, our culture, our own little world, and perhaps even reinvent it as we reinvent ourselves --- together as one in Him! Think about it! Pray on it! Fast on it. Act on it!

Lenten Daily Retreat

Face the fact we need each other! Would you want to either participate or get a link to a daily (10 minute) live broadcast for each of the 40 days of Lent to help us (together) endure, prepare, fast, pray in the desert? I am considering hosting so long as several want to take the co-host role and offer up short wisdom clips that will help others become better each day while in the desert of Lenten Penitence. Pray on it. Let me know. May God bless you abundantly!

Tom Wiegand, 1TeamSynergy Evangelist; 443-910-7702, tom@1TeamSynergy.com/blog/

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Craig Lockerd on January 23, 2013 at 2:51pm

Honored to have you speak there Rod!

Permalink Reply by Tom Wiegand on January 23, 2013 at 3:12pm

Thank you, Rod. "Start your engines!" How cool is it that we will be at the Charlotte Motor Speedway for a much needed and wanted conference that will charge up everyone at one time. Our God is an awesome God!

Permalink Reply by Jodi Adkins on January 23, 2013 at 3:09pm

Thank you for sharing this wonderful and true post. I love what you said: And Christ, who always practiced what He preached spent 40 days and 40 nights in the desert praying, fasting, preparing, in synergy with God The Father, before beginning His public ministry. That is something we all need to do in our everyday lives. Stop and think deeper and pray harder and be thankful for each day we are able to have pentience to rejuvinate our lives both personal and business.

Permalink Reply by Craig Lockerd on January 23, 2013 at 4:04pm

You're right of course Jodi,for me to stop and make sure I pray during the course of the day is always a challenge.I start my day right and end it the same...but it's the middle that I try to do it on my own that gets me into trouble.

Permalink Reply by Tom Wiegand on January 23, 2013 at 9:01pm

Thank you Jodi; I appreciate you. We have quite a team in Father, Son, Holy Spirit, and Mother of God Mary all ready at an instant to lead us to The Son of Man, who told the world, you can't get to the Father other than through Jesus. The desert offers many opportunities to grow, prepare and draw closer to Him. This conference can begin a wonderful journey for many. All will leave this conference better than when they came in, for certain!

Permalink Reply by Bobby Compton on January 23, 2013 at 9:37pm

This stands out to me - We are Spiritual Beings

Excellent education on the lenten experience my friend.

Embrace humility is paramount opportunity!~

I believe it's all in the sacrifice................

Thanks for sharing, Sir!~

Permalink Reply by Tom Wiegand on January 23, 2013 at 9:49pm

I appreciate you, Bobby. Thank you! We very much are 100% Spiritual Beings, co-heirs to the Kingdom. Can you imagine if each of us just lived every day with the focus of helping bring Home a great harvest of souls, how much more Spiritual all of us will become? How much more close to each other we would be as brothers and sisters in Christ? The idea has to sound utterly peaceful, doesn't it?

Permalink Reply by Bobby Compton on January 23, 2013 at 10:12pm

Interesting you should say that.

Give it your best everyday for those who count and pray the rest count themselves in.

We all live and die by our choices my friend, I believe your share, and sincerity to help others you are already living the idea - daily!~

Excellent work, Tom Wiegand!~

Permalink Reply by Marsh Buice on January 24, 2013 at 9:24pm

In the wilds of our life, we all could use a wilderness experience- and this conference will be that renewal and refocus we could all use. Thanks for the share Tom; I'm looking to learning from some of industry's best.

Permalink Reply by Tom Wiegand on January 25, 2013 at 8:28am

Well stated Marsh. Far too often we don't step back and take a closer look of who we are, where we are on our journey, and what we're doing, and everyone get's this breather where sharing and fellowship open us up and draw us closer to Him through others. Powerful indeed!

Permalink Reply by Joe Lockerd on January 25, 2013 at 3:57pm

Awesome article Tom! I needed this today....It seems to get harder and harder as I get older to just take a step back from the daily grind, gather my thoughts and realize what is TRULY important. Self-reflection is the only true way to discover who we are and who we want to be. No one can be complete without finding their spiritual center and being at peace with themselves. No amount of success or money will fill this void. Thanks again.

Permalink Reply by Tom Wiegand on January 25, 2013 at 4:39pm

The pleasure is mine, Joe. Jesus told His disciples leading up to the Last Supper that He no longer called them (us) slaves (as in the Old Testament), but 'Friends.' Not 'friends' as you and I might think, but as the 'Friend' was recognized in the Old Testament as a special office of the King. And, we are all part of this special office with Jesus resurrected and King of Heaven and Earth. He, as King, calls us "Friends" because we represent Him to the people. We can do nothing without Him. Yet, through Him, we are to gather together at a retreat style Christian conference like this Automotive Super Conference and take a fresh look at who we are, where we are and what we are doing, making certain when we depart we are more Christ-centered than when we began. Make sense? I appreciate you, Joe.