Chaplaincy Blog

Excellence

Over the course of the last couple months, we have been applying Biblical principals to our new core values here at Newby Management. We have come to the last letter in our acrostic S.E.R.V.E. which is “E” and represents the word excellence. The tag line for this core value is “surpassing expectations.”

During our staff devotion, I asked participants the question “How is excellence gauged?” We had a lot of good contributions to the question. Ultimately if we are going to rank something as bad, good, great, or excellent there must be a standard by which its performance is gauged against. When we speak in terms of employees performing their responsibilities, we must reject the notion that excellence is unrelated to opinion and especially the opinion of the doer. There must be a standard by which we measure.

In his instruction to the Believers at Colosse the Apostle Paul wrote in Colossians 3:22-24

“Slaves, in all things obey those who are your masters on earth, not with external service, as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, do your work heartily as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance, it is the Lord Christ whom you serve.”

Woven within this passage we find several very practical principals that when applied to our efforts can help us achieve excellence in everything we do. Look at the passage of scripture for yourself and find the following truths.

1. Truly apply yourself, don’t just go through the motions.
2. Do your work “heartily” literally this means from the depths of your soul. Love what you do!
3. Never forget who you really work for. Read I Corinthians 15:58 if need a word of encouragement in your work.
4. Ultimately, our reward is from God, not in the payment of men.

Applying these principles can help us stay focused on the right things in our labors and bring about results that surpass expectations in all we do.

Barry Campbell

Corporate Chaplain

 Value

You may remember I have been working through the revised core values of Newby Management. We come to V the fourth letter in our acrostic S.E.R.V.E representing the new core values. The tag line definition for this core value is “Striving for consistent personal and professional growth.” While it may seem directed solely at the employee / team member, however, a team member valued for the proper reasons adds value not only to Newby Management, but the property owner and the properties we manage for them as well.

I spent some time asking Newby Management employees this question; “How does a team member bring more value to the team? I received a myriad of answers. None of which were surprising, and most were spot on.

A team member brings increasing value to the whole (that is owner / investors, residents, and the entire Newby team) when they contribute to the organization in such a way it allows the company to expand its footprint. They contribute experience, capability, knowledge, performance, these are examples of areas impacted by a team member who understands the importance of each role and the task each of them does, which makes up this company,

However, value is not only found in the new and exciting, not only is it in the change, the letting go of the old and embracing the new! It is of equal value to remember from where we come. Regardless of the success or failure, the past is an educator for the future. A team member brings tremendous value to the organization when they can recognize the importance of those roots that have made the tree strong. Equally so they can see the dead wood in need of pruning. Considering Newby Management’s forty-seven-year history, there has been a lot of new seeds sewn and old limbs pruned over many years.

For a company trying to follow biblical principles Ephesians 4:11-16 is a great passage to look at when considering the value, a team member brings to an organization. Of course, this passage is referencing the Church and Jesus equipping it with the proper team, in the right positions to ensure the “body” or church experiences healthy growth. That it would grow healthy, stronger, and larger at the right places and times.

I want to make a few observations from this Biblical passage that certainly apply to what we are trying to accomplish at Newby Management.

1. Everyone on the team has a job to do! While those “jobs” were very different they shared a common goal.
2. Equip the saints for the ministry
3. Edify the body of Christ
4. Until Jesus comes!

In contrast we all have a job to do here at Newby Management. Our roles may be very different, but they share the common goal of equipping each other to build up the entire triangle of service. Each one bringing greater value to each team member, greater value to every owner / investor, and greater value to the residents. And we find the biblical example to be that we continue to do that continually.

2. There is an expectation of maturity and responsibility to the whole placed on the entire team!

I hope this would be reflected throughout the triangle of service. Maturity and responsibility being reflected in the decision making and actions of management, investor, and resident.

3. Notice an important factor here in verse 16. Here it is: All the work we do is not simply for the sake of getting bigger… but rather it is for the “edifying” or “building up” of the Church. As mentioned before here at Newby growing bigger isn’t necessarily the goal. Growing stronger and healthier which equates to more productivity, better stability, more opportunity, better investment, the list goes on and on. The natural biproduct of doing these things right will be the enlargement we often seek.

What a privilege and blessing to be a part of a company where we can bring value to the organization and in return have value added to our lives, investments, and homes!

Stewardship

Newby Management has always operated with a faith-based perspective. From its beginning faith and Christian business principles touched every facet of the company. In recent years it has become important to our ownership and leadership to be intentional about the legacy we leave as a faith-based company and preserving that position for the future of Newby Management.

Over the course of the last year we have spent much time and prayer reviewing and refreshing the companies core values. As a result of that process a Vision Statement was cast, as well as a new Mission Statement. In addition a set of core values was established to act as a guide for accomplishing all that we endeavor to do. The new Core Values have been set to an acrostic to make a statement in and of itself, S.E.R.V.E.

Stewardship – diligent care of resources entrusted to us

Encourage – listen, understand, act, encourage

Relationships – others first, warm welcome, fond farewell

Value – striving for consistent personal and professional growth

Excellence – Surpassing expectations

Currently I am working through each of these core values with our corporate team in our devotion time. The word stewardship is the first word of the acrostic and was the first term of discussion. Stewardship is mater that applies to every facet of life, not just our work or personal lives.

God’s word states in Galatians 6:7-10

“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.”

We can see three simple principals identified in this scripture.

The first is the principal of sowing and reaping. It is a fact; you harvest what you plant. If you plant corn, you get corn. In contrast the writer in verse 8 makes a spiritual application. Plant or sow corruption and you will harvest corruption. Plant or sow spiritual things and you harvest righteousness. The application for us here at Newby in the workplace becomes; what are we sowing as it relates to our responsibilities both individually and as a company?

The second principal I see is what I call the principal of Life isn’t fair! The writer in the first part of this passage make it sound as if one does everything right in life (sow good) Things will be good. While that may be true in an eternal sense, it sure isn’t true in an earthly / sense.

Matthew 5:45 says “…. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”

Verse nine clearly has a word of encouragement as it sates “do not lose heart” Why would the writer gives this encouragement if there weren’t going to be difficult days! The truth is it isn’t easy doing good / working hard day in and out, but we are called to carry on. Effective stewardship requires consistent sowing of good work habits.

The third principal of get it while the getting is good. This is not meant in a greedy sense  but rather scripture identifies that seasons of opportunity come and go. We should make the most of the opportunities that are provided to us by the Lord above. None of us know what tomorrow will bring.

Team; More Than a Catchword

Here at Newby Management, we hear the term “team” used a lot.

The idea or concept of teamwork is a biblical principal that we can see modeled by the church when it is functioning properly. The term team comes from the early industrial / agriculture world. It refers to the use of animals being used in groups to pull in unison to accomplish a task.

For a company that desires to model itself after the direction of scripture, teamwork is an important principal.

I encourage you to take the time to read I Corinthians 12-14-26.  The Apostle Paul truly brings to light the importance of recognizing the importance of those that make up a part of the whole… or the “team.”

Recently, I asked our corporate staff during a devotion “Why would any of us be here if it wasn’t for the position and task of another?”

A fresh look at these truths have helped me gain new perspective. It has made me ask the question; “How can I be more cognizant of the team and their individual contribution to the whole?”

The term mission driven means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. Having a mission or purpose in life is nothing not a modern or isolated to the corporate world. The Bible declares “A people without a vision will perish.” Here at Newby Management the term “Mission driven” takes on a specific meaning. We have adopted as a Mission Statement “Sharing the love of Christ while providing exceptional management services.”  Recently I asked during a staff devotion, “What is your motivation to fill the role you have here?

Think about it this way, every task, every position here at Newby Management is an extension of our mission.

Often, what drives us in our work is less than spiritual. We are most often driven by outside influences such as:

Debt, job demands, needs, wants or material possessions or the pursuit of success. Don’t misunderstand me, I am not saying all these things are necessarily bad. What I am saying is there is a proper order in how we prioritize them and what motivates us to perform day after day.

Listen to Colossians 1:13-18

“For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities- all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.”

Scripture calls us here to order our lives in such a manner that Christ has the preeminence or is given “First Place”

Colossians 3:23 states “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men,”

How do we do this? How do we let our motivation be about more than ourselves?

• Recognize what God has accomplished through Christ on our behalf.
• Recognize the authority that has been given Christ.
• Recognize the reward for putting Him first.

When Christ is put first and pleasing Him becomes our motivation it provides a cause greater than ourselves, it gives value beyond monetary value, it shapes our responses to negative situations, it energizes when we become weary, and it replaces just making a living with reward from the Lord!

What motivates you for your life’s mission?

Barry Campbell

Corporate Chaplain

Newby Management

Strawberry Social season is winding down here at Newby Management. For thirty-five years our corporate team has traveled to various communities in the portfolio and put together and served a delicious strawberry dessert to the residents. When we complete the season next week, we will have served desserts in thirty-five communities this season.

These socials require extra work on the part of our local management team as well as the corporate team. However, this small act of generosity and service finds big favor with the residents. Not only this we believe it is one of the simple acts of service we do that finds big favor with the Lord.

In Job chapter thirty-six Elihu paints a contrast between the person who does not honor and serve the Lord and he who does. Listen to what he says in verse eleven “If they listen and serve Him, they will end their days in prosperity and their years in happiness.”  What a tremendous promise of prosperity and happiness! When you put this truth together with the truth of Colossians 3:23 which says, “Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people,” It gives reason and value beyond the act of giving out a dessert. Securing the blessing of this promise is all about harnessing an attitude bent on serving.

That simple act of service whether it be serving a strawberry dessert, BBQ chicken, resolving a community issue on behalf of a resident moves from the earthly realm and now has eternal merit. Why? Because we seek to honor God in all we do, especially our service to others.

This biblical principal has driven Newby Management for years and will continue to be at the forefront of what we do as a corporation who seeks first to honor God. Applying principles such as these has blessed this company and the people we serve.

Choose to serve someone in the name of the Lord today.

 The Music Will Never Stop

I was thinking about all the loss that has been experienced throughout the communities we serve. As well, the loss that we have experienced among our own staff. To lose a loved one is so difficult! We must be reminded to look past the temporal of this world to the permanence of eternity. I think of what Paul wrote in Philippians 3:20ff “For our citizenship is in heaven….,”

So often we concentrate on what we are losing rather than what we are gaining.

 Reflection

I used to think –

Loving life so greatly –

That to die would be

Like leaving a party

Before the end.

Now I know the party

Is really happening

Somewhere else;

That the light and the music –

Escaping in snatches

To make the pulse beat

And the tempo quicken –

Come from a long way

Away.

And I know too

That when I get there

The music will never end.

(Evangeline Patterson)

I am certain we have all heard the saying “All good things must come to an end” Speaking in terms of earthly things, this seems a fair assessment. However, cast against the backdrop of eternity and heaven’s reality it cannot be true! All the ugly of this life; death, sin, illness, pain will be consumed by the eternal promise of our Lord Jesus to a new life hidden in Him.

“But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.”

I Corinthians 15:54-58

We often hear the regurgitated words of importance concerning communication today to the point that often they fall on deaf ears.

In today’s area of technology not only do we need to listen and speak with clarity but read and write as well since so often now we are communicating via some form of electronic device. We need remember these tools are merely an extension of the tongue and the use of them come with the same responsibility as if we were speaking them.

I recently tried an experiment during a staff meeting devotion time. I simply had the person next to me read silently a sentence I wrote on a piece of paper. It read “A bear stole a beer from the refrigerator and drank it, but he didn’t get drunk.” The person then, from memory had to repeat it quietly to the person next to him. This sentence was quietly passed from person to person until it had gone around the entire conference room. When it had made its way through the approximately eighteen people in attendance, I asked the last person to report what had been shared with her. She stated, “The operator drank a beer and got drunk.” Wow, how did we get there! Was it really that difficult of a task? I thought they would do much better at this. However, when I consider all the people sitting around the table, all the different accents, all the different backgrounds, I began to understand how this could happen. It only solidified my position that communication in whatever form we use is so vitally important.

This exercise truly does reveal how important our communication is and how it can have great impact on the work we do. However, we should consider all our communication and how it impacts those around us as well. As Christians we are warned about the power of the tongue. Proverbs 18:21 declares “The tongue has the power of life and death.” The Apostle James had more direct words to say about our communication when he wrote speaking of the tongue “with it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God, from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way.” James 3:9-10

May we speak with clarity that all would understand.

In His service,

Barry Campbell

Corporate Chaplain

Newby Management

Good to Great

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to the Father.”  John 14:12

John 10:10 “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that you may have life and they may have it more abundantly.” 

Because Christ is now seated at the right hand of God, through His death, burial and resurrection, He has empowered you and I here on this earth to not only do good works as Christ did, but to do even greater works than Christ did.

Question for you this morning; how many of us feel as though we are without question experiencing these truths in their fullness this morning?

Fullness is defined as: The state of being full, it comes with the idea of being at maximum capacity. Let me also ask you, how many of our lives are full of God this morning to the point of capacity or overflowing?

Illustrate: I gave Nathan a fishing reel some time back and he was taking the old, braided line off to replace it with new. When he got about two thirds into the reel the line (the good stuff) ended, and the cheap monofilament line started. He asked me, what is this? I said it’s just backer. You will never use more than two thirds of the reel, the good stuff, why waste it. I suspect many of our lives are just like that; we are not “full” of all that God has to offer but rather we have merely put the good stuff on the most exposed parts of our lives. How much more effective for the Kingdom would we be if the character and nature of Christ ran all the way to the core of who we are, not just two thirds deep?

Jim Collins, author of Good to Great stated “Good is the enemy of great” So many Christians are willing to settle for a walk that is good and in doing so we are giving away greatness.

Our walk in Christ…our service to the body, the church; our public display of the Gospel… our investment to study the word, so often is based on what is least expected of believers in this culture and social climate rather than what was exacted from Jesus Christ…His life! Therein is the standard of worth for all things earthly and heavenward.

I am convinced most believers are not in danger of ruining their lives by falling into some form of sin, more times than not we are more at risk of simply wasting it. We have amazing potential for greatness in Christ!

Are you experiencing God’s fullness in your life?

Barry Campbell

Corporate Chaplain