Imagine you’re hiring a new VP of sales for a Fortune 500 company. You’re deep into the first round of interviews.
 
Your secretary leads in the next candidate. He’s clearly in his 70s or 80s, not the fresh blood you were expecting to lead the department. But you can’t discriminate against age and you know it's good to keep an open mind.
 
You pull his resume out of a folder. To your astonishment, it shows no experience for the last 40 years. Ok, he managed a regional grocery store in rural Indiana. Looks like his father-in-law owned the flagship store and did a favor for a family member.
 
You move to his application file. He’s checked the “felony” box. For murder. 
 
Question: Do you hire this man as VP of Sales?

​Would you believe it if I told you that the story above describes Moses from the Bible? The same Moses who freed Israel from Egyptian slavery? The same man who almost saw the face of God?
 
It’s true. Moses spent forty years of his life herding sheep in the wilderness. God called him to free the Israelites at 80 years old. When he was younger, Moses killed a man.
 
My friend and coach extraordinaire, Tim Storey, explains what God is doing with improbable candidates like Moses. Tim says, “God uses shaky people to do sturdy projects. As you abide in him you’ll grow stronger, and stronger, and stronger each day.”
 
God uses broken, lowly, frightened people to do his good work.
 
Moses isn’t the only example. Saint Paul imprisoned and killed people before his conversion. Rahab was a former prostitute who is listed in the genealogy of Jesus. When we first come upon Gideon, who later becomes a heroic Israelite commander, he’s hiding from his oppressors in a wine press.
 
What about you? Have you ever felt like your personal resumé disqualifies you from important work?
 
Maybe you think, “My family life is so messed up, I could never be a dad.” Or, “If anyone knew about my addictions, I’d be shunned from every social group imaginable!”
 
Startup Nation, here’s the truth…

​WHAT A RELIEF!
 
Tim Storey explains, “God isn’t looking at you with a magnifying glass to expose your weaknesses.” He wants to embrace us with his life-changing love.
 
I understand the church gets a bad rap for blaming “sinners” like you and me. The church sometimes says that if you fix yourself, then God will love you. If you obey perfectly, then God will accept you.
 
Don’t believe this lie. The opposite is true.
 
God first accepts you, inviting you into a relationship with him. This love is what transforms your life. It's what gives you the strength to do good and love others. Earlier in this post, I mentioned all those Bible characters. The thing that set them apart from your average person was that they trusted God. God asked them to follow him and they did. They didn’t have everything figured out. They just trusted God step by step.
 
Coaches like Tim and me like to model our coaching off God's example. I’d say God provides a pretty good blueprint. 
 
In Tim's approach, he doesn’t bring up weaknesses until week 3 or 4. Instead, he focuses on the person’s strengths. He discusses the nature of God and who he is. And the Bible says that God is love. 
 
Tim is known as the “Pastor to the Stars.” He’s walked alongside celebrities like Robert Downey Jr. and Kanye West. He takes broken people on a journey toward Jesus. Healing happens on this journey. It’s where true success lies. 
 
If you're struggling with a checkered past, here’s a practical question for you: What’s working in your life? 
 
I use this question to start my coaching sessions. It shifts the conversation away from shame toward positive things. I know for a fact that you’re doing something right in your business life. I know that no matter how bad your relationship is, there’s something you still do that makes your spouse smile.

What is it? Make a list of three positive things that are working in your life and post that list above your desk. Meditate on the things that are working. After all, God is working in your life. And he is good.
 
Key Takeaway
God uses shaky people to do sturdy projects. As you abide in him you’ll grow stronger, and stronger, and stronger each day.

If you’re ready, I want to build you up and encourage you in your business, family, and faith. I can help you reclaim your joy and start on a journey back to God.
 
It’s time for a Spiritual Clarity Call. 

It’s simple. You and I will jump on a no-cost, 45-minute Zoom call. We will find a time that’s convenient for you. 
 
Typically, a coaching call like this would run about $500. For you, it’s free.
 
Obviously, the benefits of a Spiritual Clarity Call go much deeper. On our call, we can discuss one or two actionable steps for realigning your personal life with your business life. 
 
After a full coaching boot camp, my clients have avoided devastating divorces, escaped long-term addictions, and overcome serious depression. My clients have also negotiated raises at work, rediscovered their life purposes, and reconnected with their kids. Over time, these positive changes could save you $1,000s.
 
But both you and I know that your life isn’t measured by a price tag. Your life is about the people you love and the purpose for which you were created. If you feel like you’re missing out in either of these areas, we need to talk.
 
Ready to get clarity on your life? Click the button below and set up a Spiritual Clarity Call.

​Tim Storey is known as the “Pastor to the Stars.” He works with celebrities like Oprah, Robert Downey Jr., and Kanye West. He’s one of the most thoughtful, genuine men I know.
 
Recently, he shared a lifechanging lesson about slowing down and overcoming anxiety. A stranger taught him this lesson, and it has been so inspirational to him that he thinks about this person every week.
 
I can promise you, Startup Nation, this person is not who you’d expect. 

​Startup Nation, today I’m going to share a story, and it’s going to be a story about Jesus. I know not all my listeners are Christian or even religious. That’s ok. But this story reveals a critical mindset that allows entrepreneurs like you to overcome tiredness, frustration, and depression.
 
One day Jesus was on a mountain teaching a large crowd of people. He was teaching them about how to live and about who God is. This crowd wasn’t full of professors, or priests, or billionaires. These were regular people like you and me.
 
Jesus understood the problems facing regular people. He knew that we worry. We worry about jobs, and food, and clothing. So, to encourage the crowd of listeners, he said, “So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’… But seek first [God’s] kingdom and his righteousness, and all of these things will be given to you as well.”

​Startup Nation, I want to invite you to join me on a free Spiritual Clarity Call. There are a lot of business coaches who can guide you in pitching investors or marketing your product. But few coaches address the heart-level issues that affect our business and personal lives.
 
The reason I’m passionate about spiritual coaching is because I get to see behind the entrepreneurship curtain. Some of my coaching clients make tens of millions in annual revenue. They own the Ferraris and the beachfront condos. From the outside, they look like they’re absolutely killing it. 
 
But I’ll tell you looks can be deceiving. I’ve seen it firsthand. For all the money and success my friends have achieved, they’re miserable. I see the pain and sorrow so many entrepreneurs struggle with. And maybe this sounds a little too familiar. 

​As a spiritual coach, I’ve helped dozens of business owners tear down and replace negative mindsets. Most of these perspectives come from childhood wounds. To some extent, every person has internalized messages from family and friends. We also listen to lies our culture tells us about ourselves. Sometimes the lies are so pervasive that we don’t realize we’re acting out of these negative spaces.
 
Time and time again, I’ve seen clients wrestle with three, distinct mindsets. These mindsets hold them back in their businesses and personal lives. 

Religion and coaching. Both can be polarizing topics. Some people have great experiences with them. Others (for legitimate reasons) hate both.
 
In this article, I’ll try to address a few common questions people have about business, Christianity, and coaching. How to they relate? Can they coexist? Of course, if you get to the end and you still have questions, email me at joseph(at)josephwarren(dot)net