GYC 2010: No Turning Back

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Generation. Youth. Christ. (GYC)

Adventist Women, Inc.: Professional Women in God's Service

Magda Rodriguez

Business Case: Consecrated Women Needed

This message was presented at the GYC 2010 No Turning Back Conference in Baltimore, Maryland.

For other resources like this, visit us online at GYCweb.org.

Our heavenly father, we wanna thank you this morning for the opportunity that you're giving us to get together here in this meeting.

Father, you know that in my heart, I have the desire to share what you have done in my life and the experiences that you gave me the opportunity to live, Father.

Help me to be a good witness in that everybody that is here can benefit, that can grow in your relationship with you as a result of what I share with them.

First thing, I am really excited to be here.

From 1 side, I just need to tell you, it is nice to see other women and people that share the same burden that I share.

As a professional Christian woman, it's limited the relationship that I have with other Christian professionals that share the burden for sharing Jesus Christ in the workplace.

1 of the things that we have as an objective in this seminar is we want to share, Amy and I, we wanted to share what God have put in our hearts, but we wanted to make sure we share with you how to be a successful Christian woman in the workplace.

Now, let's define successful, because I think when we talk about successful, what it comes to your mind is the worldly definition of what is successful.

In our mindset, what is successful is that as a Christian woman, in the midst of the demands of your work, you can keep your relationship with God, and at the same time, you're able to successfully share the goodness of salvation with the people that God allow you to work with.

And at the same time you can also have a personal life, balanced work life, how they call it.

So that is why we have the different topics for these seminars.

And I just want to give you a high level overview how we are going to actually organize all the topics.

First thing, I just want to tell you that I'm sharing these seminars with Amy Shepard.

Amy Shepard, I was actually thrilled when I found out that I was presenting with her, co-presenting with her, because it is so nice when you have just a different perspective of a very important topic.

You have me with 15 years of experience in the corporate world, and then 5 years of experience in the educational system, and then you have Amy, a professional woman that is just entering into the workforce, that has some experiences.

I think between both of us, you will actually connect, okay?

So, the first thing that I want to also clarify in all our topics is, by nature, you will see that I will tend to mention corporate world.

It was almost like there was nothing else but that.

But when we are talking the things that we are going to be talking over here are going to be applicable or is the same in any work environment.

It could be a hospital, it could be a school, it could be a manager of a retail store.

It's applicable to any of the circumstances that you're working on.

It's just that by nature, I will say worker, if I say that, just ignore it.

Zoom out at that point when I say corporate.

When I share my testimony tomorrow, tomorrow at 11, I think the plenary session, I will be sharing my testimony and You will understand.

I may share some, you know, things here and there.

It is the first time, by the way, that I'm sharing this with the audience at GYC.

Now, Saying all that, let me see if there is anything else that I, it was important for me.

First thing is where is my changing thing?

Let me just tell you a little bit about myself And that will give you a little bit of perspective.

Right now I am the chair of the business administration program at Washita Hills College in Arkansas.

But prior to that, I worked 15 years in the corporate world.

That includes places as Aetna and GE and Allianz, the couple of last year in my corporate experience.

So everything that I will be sharing with you, it just comes from my heart because I enter into the corporate world as a Christian woman.

And when I started working in the corporate world, I was new to the Adventists.

I got baptized like 3 or 4 years before I started working.

So I learned actually in the hard way, but it was a very effective way.

Because when you go through experiences like the ones that I went through, you really learn.

1 of the things that I come with, I come with an earnest desire to share with you this sense of responsibility that I feel we all have.

I really had a privilege of working with people that basically we lived in our office.

I know what it is to go to the office at 3 and 4 o'clock in the morning to be able to read my emails.

I know what it is to leave at 10 and 11 o'clock or 9 o'clock at night.

You almost find that you spend more time with these people than with your family.

Because when you go home, what do you do?

You're just dead tired and there is no time to even talk with your spouse.

And it is true, I'm just talking real situations.

I am just so thankful that I have a very wonderful spouse that he was not only patient, but he always found his way to find time with me.

And I will share with you how God the Lord transformed my heart.

But I will tell you that when I travel with these people, many of them were, I don't know if you had that experience, but there are some people that are very intimidating.

In my case, it was in the corporate world, very intimidating.

They have these strong, very solid walk and also a communication style that tend to intimidate anybody that is new to the company.

And I like because I see heads just nodding.

So that's fine, it was not my only experience.

But I will tell you that after I spent time with them, I will tell you 1 thing.

I just found that many of them are such a soft-hearted people that it was amazing.

It was amazing that I sometimes believe that they had this strong personality to protect their soft heart.

But it just took time to figure that 1 out.

It took time and patience, time and patience.

So when I am sharing this with you, my hope is that you can just get energized and inspired that in your work experience you can actually reach out to those souls.

Those are souls that God is already calling them.

But we need, I was always impressed with this quote.

The Gospel, the Pro Medical Ministry, page 312, It says, the gospel invitation is to be given to rich and poor, the high and the low, and we must devise means for carrying the truth into new places and to all classes of people.

Now let me just ask you this, when and how are you going to witness to somebody where their lives is basically in a very secure place to get into those buildings, sometimes it's not, it's actually impossible, and not only that, that they just get in at 3, leave at 07:00, 08:00 at night.

Tell me how are you going to be able to reach to them?

When they get home the least thing that they want is somebody knocking at their doors.

Just the time that they have during the weekend the only thing that they want to do is actually rest and be with their family.

So we do have actually a window of opportunity that is amazing and I wanna share this with you.

Do you know that there's 157 million people in the workforce right now in the United States.

Now what I did was I said, you know, let me just think about 30% of them are the ones that work from 5 o'clock in the morning until 10 o'clock at night.

So you are talking of 47 million people that we do have an opportunity to reach out while we are working with them while God put us in you actually in contact with these people for me it is overwhelming so we need more of you out there Even though this seminar was actually labor for female or woman, let me just tell you 1 thing, 90% of what we're going to be sharing here is applicable to all.

You will see that in the second seminar, that is the part when we probably talk on more things that are challenges for women.

Now I forgot, I said I was going to do something and then I forgot.

This first seminar what I want to do is to energize you and explain to you the big opportunity that we as a woman have in the workplace.

And hopefully you can get very energized with that.

The second presentation and the second seminar is gonna be talking about, you know, It is a great opportunity, but let me share with you how many challenges and traps you can fall into.

It is being in the workplace many times, I'm talking about in a more worldly workplace, It is a risk.

And you better have the call from God to work in those places.

Risk Management: Avoiding Common Mistakes

Our heavenly Father, we wanna thank you for the privilege that we have of serving you in our workplace.

Father, we wanna ask that your Holy Spirit can guide this presentation this morning.

Help us Father to be faithful and to be instrument in your hands this morning in Jesus name we pray, amen.

I do have some challenges with my voice and this way I don't have to project my voice that much.

Now let's start with this seminar is going to be focusing on the dangers of working in my case corporate world but working in the non-Christian environment.

But I will tell you 1 thing, this is applicable anywhere that you work.

There are many dangers and that's what we need to be aware of.

Now Last time we talked about the fact that we need to be in prayer because the reality is we need God's guidance when we are in a work environment that is not a Christian environment.

But let me just read to you this quote from Evangelism, page 561, it says, prayer are often requested for men and women in affliction, and this is as it should be.

But the most earnest prayers should be solicited for those who are placed in where?

These men are in the greatest danger of losing their soul.

In the valley of humiliation, we can walk securely while we reverence God and make him our trust on the lofty pinnacles where praise is heard where our wisdom and greatness is exalted we need a special power and a special arm to sustain us amen now I will tell you that I am a witness of this quote.

The reason why I'm saying that, I had a godly friend that I will never forget her telling me, I'm praying for you, I'm afraid of you.

By nature, I grew up in an environment where there was no time to play.

So for me, even if I don't get paid, I just enjoy working.

For me, it is fun to do windows, believe it or not.

Some of you may look at me like, you gotta be crazy.

But I had the most memorable fun just cleaning windows in my house.

So the point that I'm trying to make is by nature I will tend to work really hard.

I don't need the outside incentive to work hard and be excellent in what I do because that's how I learned that's what we should do.

So in a corporate world I had actually many old doors open, and it was really fast when I was climbing, actually, the ladder of the corporate world.

But I had a Christian friend that never, never, never gave up on praying.

Never gave up on calling me and calling me and praying.

But I will tell you, For those that are here for the first time that did not go to the first seminar, I will tell you that working and being in a work environment is 1 of the privileges that God gives you to share His love with so many other people.

So I am not by no mean undermining the value on the way that God can use you in your workplace.

Okay, for those that are coming new to this seminar.

But I will tell you that it's very dangerous to be in a place where God, I think it's applicable in everything in life.

If God is not calling you to be in a place it's dangerous.

Even if it's you know visiting or a vacation.

If God is not leading you to that it's very dangerous.

The other thing that is a foundational that we need to be aware is that, and we talk in the first 1, what is influence is the key.

So what that means is if your position is of secretary, will that make you less effective in reaching out to others?

So the position is not what it matters is the influence so we as a Christians our focus should not be in what in positions but guarding our influence that's what we need to guard our influence Let's read this quote that I find it very powerful.

In Christ's Object Lesson page 339, it says, this is a responsibility from which we cannot free ourselves.

Our words, our acts, our dress, our deportment, even the expression of the continents has an influence.

Upon the impression those made their hand results for good or evil which no man can measure.

Every impulse those imparted is seed sown which will produce its harvest.

It is a link in the long chain of human event.

If by our example we aid others in the development of good principles, we give them power to do good, in their turn they exert the same influence upon others and they upon still others, those by our unconscious influence, thousands may be blessed.

Now when we are talking about influencing the workplace, we are talking about simple things that makes a big difference.

We're talking about actually in the way that you answer the phone.

Have you noticed that I don't know if you had that experience when you have somebody really speaking loud on the phone and you always hear that person on the phone and you're hearing things that you don't even want to hear?

But the same way that that person has an influence, you even know what is happening with their kids and everything.

You know things that you don't even want to know.

The same way when you answer the phone in a very courteous way, When you have a very angry customer on the other side and you're just answering in a very polite way, you just excel and influence that you cannot imagine.

And it's not with the person that you're talking, it's the people that are listening around.

The same way that you come, 1 thing that is, it's something that for me was always very important.

It was something that I just can't understand.

I come from a Hispanic culture, so it was only the, it was not only the good morning, but the hug.

That was 1 of the things that I missed the most.

I just could not understand why people did not want to hug me.

But I will tell you 1 thing, when I started working, that time I was working for Pratt & Whitney and I remember that The first couple of months I did not by the way when I came to the US I did not speak English So I started that job.

They hired me when I finished my MBA in Puerto Rico and I remember that they said that they hired me because I had potential.

I had nothing to lose so I decided to come and at least learn English.

I said well if something goes wrong I'll go back.

But I will tell you that after 2 months, I was so homesick.

I was so homesick that the only thing that I would do is just going back home and cry, literally cry for hours.

My husband got to the point where he said, I don't want to see you crying anymore.

But I realized that 1 of the things that was important for me, it was the hugging part.

It was actually the, it was not hugging, it was just the lapping you, the touching.

Until I realized, because I could not understand how they will express that they care, you know, that they were grateful for what I did.

And at that point, I was immature enough to just think that I needed that reward.

I was not focusing on what God was thinking about me.

But I will tell you 1 thing, it had a huge influence.

When my boss 1 time realized it, I didn't say a word, but he came and actually touched me.

Then I realized that the ways that they express actually that they care is with a good bonus and things like that, and I was fine with it too.

So hugging, I just let my husband hug me, and that's it.

But just keep in mind 1 thing, not that I am encouraging you to talk, but sometimes some people have specific needs and you just be sensitive to that and doing minor things, you can make a huge difference in people's life.

Execution Plan: Office Outreach

During the morning we had the opportunity to review a few topics and 1 of them that we reviewed at the beginning it was understanding the opportunity that is out there to serve the Lord as women.

And we found that right now it's about 51%, the percentage of women that are in the workforce.

And many people ask me about this statistic.

Is that because probably you have more men in the military?

Is that because the proportion of women and men probably have changed?

I am pretty sure that has some influence, but I think when you're talking about a 1.% in a 157 million people in the workforce, that's just not that relevant.

But yeah, maybe it's there, maybe influencing, but people cannot tell about that.

The only thing that you have to keep in mind with the recession that we are going through, the reality is that many males are losing their jobs because they are actually not in need of their skill sets anymore.

So just to complete or answer some of the questions of this morning.

This afternoon I'm going to be presenting right now, and we talk about this morning also about the risks.

You know, I am so grateful for all the questions that you brought to my attention after we finished.

It is really nice to see you really, you are in the right path.

You're really focusing on the issues, on the fact of, you know, what are those risks?

How can I protect myself from falling into those traps as I am in my working environment?

Somebody brought me the issue of, I am working in an environment where it's mostly, it's actually all men and just me as a female.

How can I work in an environment like that?

And I was just telling her, sometimes when you're working in an environment like that, we cannot get into competing or trying to win any battle.

And as women, don't get into that cycle or that game of competition.

It's very important that whatever we do, do not get into the competition game.

That's always where Satan tries to get you.

And usually when I work in an environment that is male dominated, it's really good when you, in your humble way, actually I enjoy mostly have a friendship with them in terms of, you know, they start, you notice that the common game is a competition.

They're trying to kind of get even, or you know, get into the competition game.

And usually what I do is just I just make fun of them, you know, usually meetings.

Just not fun in terms of, you know, putting them down, but it's more like, you know, I'm relaxed, you're just in that game.

But, trust me, you do it once, twice, then they give up.

If you think God is calling you to be there, if you think God is not calling you to be there, just walk away.

When God closes 1 door, He opens another 1.

So the thing is sometimes we want it our way and not His way.

1 thing this afternoon, what we are going to do in this seminar is we are going to be sharing ways, what are some ways that you can share your faith in your workplace.

I think this is the most important part of my seminars.

And the reason why I'm saying this is because that is the only reason why we exist.

If we do not have that heart of sharing, you sooner or later will die, trust me, spiritually speaking.

And 1 other thing is, I just want to just present this quickly and then go straight to the point.

You know, in Acts 1, 8 God told us, but ye shall receive power and when the Holy Spirit is come upon you and ye shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

It is God have calling you, Jesus called us to share, to share the gospel and that's, there is no question about that.

Now, life for Christians has 1 goal, accomplishing God's mission.

There is 1 thing that is fundamental for us, It's just 1 thing is, have you noticed, 1 thing is intellectual knowledge.

Have you noticed a difference when you know that you should not eat something versus when you really ate something and you just, there's no way that we can eat that again.

It's almost, there are 2 levels of understanding.

1 level is the acknowledgement and the other level is like not only acknowledgement but commitment to follow that.

And as long as it stays as only a head knowledge, it will not be ingrained in you.

You almost have to ask the Lord to give you that knowledge that just makes you change your mindset, that every single thing that you do, every single thing that you say, it should be for His honor and His glory.

Answering a phone and a customer, it should be for his honors and his glory.

There's 1 thing that got convicted me lately.

There are many things that I learned in the corporate world that I, God have helped me to unlearn.

But still once in a while you can see things coming up that you're like, oh, here we go again.

And I will tell you 1 thing that happened coming here to GYC that for me was like, oh God, help me, please.

Series

Adventist Women, Inc.: Professional Women in God's Service

Lessons Learned: Real Life Experiences of Professional Women

Transcript

Parent Series

Parent Conference

Sponsor

Recorded

Adventist Women, Inc.: Professional Women in God's Service

Strategic Plan: Is God Calling You?

59m

I Know Something You Don't Know

The Lure of Conspiracies Q&A Panel

1h 9m

GYC 2011 totalChurch

Total Church: Leadership

2h 16m

GYC 2013 Seminar: The Law, the Sabbath and Worship in the End-time Crisis

06-Danger Signals, Part 2

1h 10m

The Great Controversies: Relativism's Beauty and Fundamentalism's Beast

On What Basis: The Beginning of Controversy

1h

Adventist Women, Inc.: Professional Women in God's Service

Business Case: Consecrated Women Needed

58m

The Shaking and the Shaken: How to Face the Shaking of God's Remnant

How You Can Survive the Shaking?

1h

The Sabbath

“Do Not Neglect the Gatherings”

52m

Till I Die: A Study on the Commonality of Tears, Blood, and Sweat

Burn the Boats: Challenges to Commitment

1h 11m

Cosmic Conflict

2. Good God, Evil World?-Theodicy

1h 8m

Adventist or Fragmentist: Avoiding Apostasy 101

Amnesia in Adventism: A close look at our face

58m

Medical Missionary Work & the Three Angels' Message

2. Medical Missionary Work: Lessons From History

1h

Sound Doctrine