Inspiration Station: Integrity and Do We Have It

Could the way you live your life today transform your tomorrow? Join us on the All Purpose Pod as we reflect on the exhilaration of anticipated positive change and the indispensable role integrity plays in personal growth. Drawing from personal experiences, we explore the journey of aligning your private and public personas to become a beacon of love, empathy, and compassion. With insights from both dictionary definitions and biblical teachings, we discuss how to build a life of integrity and share a sneak peek into real-life examples of integrity—or the lack thereof—in the workplace, sparking a conversation that's both personal and universally relatable.

What happens when sudden wealth meets a lack of foresight? In our second chapter, we unravel the cautionary tales of those who have gained and lost fortunes, delving into the essential elements that sustain financial success. From diversified income streams to the pitfalls of a consumer-driven mindset, we emphasize the critical need for integrity and prudent management. This episode offers philosophical insights and cultural references that challenge you to examine your readiness for potential financial responsibilities, urging you to steward any newfound wealth with self-discipline and a strong moral compass. Whether you're preparing for a wealth transition or seeking to live a more meaningful life, this thought-provoking discussion promises to offer valuable lessons for everyone.

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Chapters

• 0:36 Building a Life of Integrity
• 12:59 Wealth, Integrity, and Priorities

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:36

Thank you, welcome back to the All Purpose Pod for an all-purpose life. Wherever you are and however you're listening to the Call Me, mr Uther podcast. Thanks for making us part of your week. I'm a little bit giddy today, a little bit excited. Have you ever been in a place in your life and this is not what the episode is about today, this is just a random thought I had this morning, this afternoon but have you ever been in a place where everything around you doesn't quite reflect what you've been hoping for? You don't really see it yet. You know it's there, you know it's coming, but you don't quite see it yet. That's kind of where I am right now. I'm giddy because I can feel it so strong that the things I've been believing for, the things I've been hoping for and pressing into, are not as far away as my circumstances may dictate. It's closer than it appears. I'm kind of excited a little bit. I'm a little bit giddy. Even, like I was saying earlier, I'm just excited. I'm excited that you guys are here with us. I'm excited that you're listening to our podcast and you're continuing to not only subscribe to our podcast on our YouTube channel at TheyCallMeMrU and, of course, on Apple Podcasts. We can download all the seasons of our show and subscribe there and follow us. But anyway, you listen to our podcast. Wherever you get your audio and video podcasts from, you can find TheyCallMeMrU the podcast. So we thank you again for listening.

Speaker 1: 2:00

I'm excited about the fact that you're here. I'm loving what I'm hearing from you guys about what you think about the show, where things are going, some of our new content coming up soon. I'm excited that you're excited. I heard about it just a couple of days ago. You're excited about what we're excited about. We haven't even launched it yet, but you're excited about it. You want to hear about this kind of stuff. This is the kind of content that you want from us. So I'm excited that we can deliver it and I'm praying that we're going to be able to do a good job of doing so. So just excited about everything that's going on. Hopefully you can follow us in our show notes. At the end of the show I'll remind you again how to follow us, how to subscribe to our show, how to support us if you want to.

Speaker 1: 2:37

I'll share all that stuff at the end, but I want to just take a little bit of time today to kind of just talk to you about just the idea of integrity. The title of this episode is the Building Blocks of Integrity. I want to make sure you guys understand my heart in this because if you're listening for the first time you may not understand where I'm coming from at first. If you haven't heard the four plus seasons of our show, you might not understand kind of my MO for why I do what I do. It's a lot to get into right now, but just know that I have the best of intentions with whatever I talk about. I don't talk about things as a judgment or to blast you in the place where you are in life. My only goal here is to share with you what I've experienced, the downfalls I've had, the pitfalls I had to deal with and how I came through those and how perhaps my mistakes can help you not have to make them. That's my main goal for a lot of what we do here on our podcast. But in regards to the topic of this episode today integrity this is really all about how we can be the best version of ourselves that we can be for our families, for our ministries, for our world at large. So I'm hoping this will be encouragement to you. If it's not, let me know why it's not. I'd love to hear back from you guys.

Speaker 1: 3:59

But let's talk about integrity and, like I always do, the English major in me always comes out like that. Let's define integrity in a couple of ways. If you're looking at Merriam-Webster or a dictionary, you're going to probably say that integrity is defined as the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles and moral uprightness. The quality of being honest, having strong moral principles and moral uprightness. The quality of being honest, having strong moral principles and moral uprightness. Now, if you're looking at it from a biblical standpoint, which I do very often here are some of the hallmarks of a life that has integrity in it or has lived with integrity. The private and the public life are in sync with each other Really important, don't miss that one. The state of being whole, undivided and unified. Also, there's a positive impact coming from your life, presently with those around you and future in regards to generations. And lastly, you're exhibiting consistently a character of love, empathy and compassion and don't forget grace. That's what it looks like biblically to have integrity. Hope that all makes sense. We jot it down. Just rewind it back so you can get those little points to jot in your notebook so we can keep moving forward.

Speaker 1: 5:18

I want to give you an example of what it looks like to have or to not have integrity, especially in workplaces. Like to have or to not have integrity, especially in workplaces. Many of you talk about that kind of stuff with me privately and you share that even in our comment sections on different episodes In a corporate structure. I used to be with the government. I won't go into all the details. I got shows in the past. I guess the first three seasons, I guess that kind of get into it. It needs me to rehash that.

Speaker 1: 5:44

But the main point I want to make is that in every corporate situation there's a structure. There's a structure or a hierarchy of leadership. You may have the director at the top of the food chain, you may have the manager and you may have an assistant manager and then you have an associate or team lead and then the associate Excuse me. So what I've noticed in that structure is something that I've noticed also in the church's structure. It's not a good thing, just to be clear about that, but it is something that is very common.

Speaker 1: 6:17

So in the corporate structure if the associate complains to a manager about something that's going on on the floor or complaining to a team lead about something that needs to be changed, the manager will go to the director maybe to discuss this. But when a director and I've seen this with my own eyes when a director comes to the manager, wants to know what's going on, the manager is number one, always going to look out for himself, his or herself, going to look out for herself, his or herself. They're always going to put the the best spin on it where it it does not reflect badly on them in front of their direct boss and it may look more poorly on the team leader or the associate. So the management, upper management especially is always going to protect themselves, always. Now, what happens in that case and I've seen it with my own eye because I was an associate and I wasn't in management in upper management with the government, so I've seen it on both sides it's almost like a telephone game.

Speaker 1: 7:15

What the associate tells the manager is what the director hears. By the time it gets to the manager, the story or the account that's been given from the associate is changed. By the time they're directing it. He's like I didn't hear that. He or she says I didn't hear that part. The manager said this, but that's not what the associate told the manager. The manager has begun to shift the information to make it more palatable or to make it suit, maybe, perhaps, the manager's goals or desires, or even self-preservation.

Speaker 1: 7:46

That's not integrity. Integrity is taking what's been given and functioning in the best way for the sake of the corporation, for the sake of the business, but also to not put yourself in a situation where you don't have integrity or strong moral uprightness and you can't be trusted trusted with the responsibility and resources you've been given. Now I've seen that in the corporate world. I've also seen it in the church. There's times where the lead pastors or any level of upper leadership in the church they don't always have time to deal with small disputes or things that may be considered lower level issues. So a lot of times they don't hear all those things that's going on and they can build up and grow before you know you have a big situation Like why didn't I hear about that before? Because all you got, like a telephone game, is somebody else's version of what's taking place.

Speaker 1: 8:41

Some things have been neglected, they've been overlooked. They may be deemed as unimportant, but when it comes down to integrity. Everything's important, everything matters. I don't care if it's a single dispute or grief that's been going on for months. It matters because there are a lot that are impacted by that. Look at it in the construction world. You tell me that every little tool and resource and element and product and service doesn't matter in the building or in the construction field. It matters. Everything matters because we've seen it in the past If a building is missing a key element in the foundation, if it's not built correctly, if it's built too speedily and it's not areas that are important or neglected, that entire building, no matter how high you build it, it can come tumbling down and millions of dollars are lost and in some cases lives are even lost because the details are overlooked.

Speaker 1: 9:39

I know anybody that's in upper leadership on campus, in the corporate world, in the church or in any kind of business organization. They may say they don't want to know, but they want to know anything that's going to impact the entire business. It's going to impact the integrity of the organization. Trust me, they may be busy, they may have piles of paperwork on their desk and phones that are ringing all day long, but they want to know the details about what's going on in their business. If they work their salt as a leader, they want to know what's going on with their business, because what they ignore can be the thing they have to end up trying to overcome later on. They need to know what's going on with their organization, with their business, with their structure, whatever it is. So integrity is important. Hopefully I clarified that for you today.

Speaker 1: 10:26

But there's a big thing. I feel as though integrity is weird for a lot of people because in today's time, we seem to be able to be bought and sold very, very easily. To be able to be bought and sold very, very easily, integrity seems to be really hard to find in a lot of cases. There's a millionaire out here that's offering a million dollars randomly to people in certain swing states, if you will, before the national election in a matter of weeks from now, and I know a lot of people that would jump at the chance to have a million dollars in their hands right now.

Speaker 1: 11:07

My only question to them we're talking about integrity here, right, imagine if you had a million dollars in your hands right now, where you are in life, your state of mind, the mindset you have, how you treat other people, the things that you are dealing with, that you haven't overcome yet, all those things going on, plus the stresses of life and family and business and relationships and ministry, et cetera, et cetera. What does a million dollars do in your situation right now? I know a lot of folks by asking on social media. I'd hear some of the most vain answers that they are. I'll probably hear that. But my question to you is would you be able to handle a million dollars in your hands right now? Should we be in a naming claimant kind of mindset? Especially in spiritual circles, people want to call the blessing down and just call the past whatever it is that they want New house, new car, new husband, new wife, new everything, new job, no job. But can you handle that kind of situation Now? I won't get to the political part of things that could be considered illegal, so those are legalities that have to be worked out. But I'm asking this because it's so easy for us to try to take hold of things that we can't handle. We want things that we've always wanted but in real terms we couldn't handle it if it was given to us Now. I know people who are rationalized. I've had access face-to-face. I've had access to the podcast through several seasons of this show. Could you handle a million dollars being put into your hands today, where you are right now mentally, physically, psychologically, emotionally and spiritually? Could you handle $1 million in your hands right now?

Speaker 1: 12:59

Do you know how many millionaires that have become millionaires quickly have already gone broke? Do you know how many folks have won the lottery and now they don't have anything? They're literally destitute. I mean like nothing in savings. Their living situation is tenuous at best and everything they had financially they had several zeros at the end of it. Now they don't have anything. They barely even have. All they may have is a zero. That's a real situation and people look at that and they might mock it. So that won't happen to me. But why did it happen to them? Even if it's a cautionary tale, it's wise for us to learn from it. Why did that happen to them and why can it happen to us? What makes us different from that lottery winner? What makes us different from that self-made millionaire?

Speaker 1: 13:54

In the United States, one out of every 11 adults are millionaires. 80% of US millionaires still go to work. Why? Because most millionaires that statistically go broke. It's a staggering number, but it happens because they lose their primary source of income. They should have at least three income streams. And it's just wisdom, because if you put all your eggs in one basket and you rely on one thing, you find yourself in a situation where, if anything happens to that primary resource, you're in trouble and it can end badly for you. And we've heard that so so many times. It's really about integrity. I know, if I ask that question about the million dollars, would you be able to handle that? I'd probably get a million yeses, one for every dollar.

Speaker 1: 14:48

But the wise and the prudent will consider the route. They'll consider the attachment that comes with it, that stat I was telling you about, with the millionaire giving out a million dollars, there's a that's considered a crime for what I'm hearing. So that means that the person who accepts the money Is guilty of the person that gave them the money. It could mean a ten thousand dollar fine or could mean five years in prison, from what I'm understanding. So what did that tell you? It's not about the politics. I don't want to really get into that part. I will use it as an example for you. So what that tells you is that, even though it may look good for you to have this, there's a cost attached to it. The wise and prudent consider the route. They consider the attachment that comes with the offer. They consider the attachment and whatever comes with the opportunity. They don't just grab whatever they can get. That's a consumer mentality and that can't last but so long, because those kind of problems hang out long after the money runs out.

Speaker 1: 15:55

What you're attached to, who you're attached to, who you're attached to, that's really about integrity as well. I know a lot of folks that maybe everybody I know perhaps that they will offer $1 million, they will take it and they will talk about how they will invest into the kingdom and they will do this, they will do that. But a very wise philosopher said this many, many years ago, probably about 20, almost 30 years ago, and it still stands true today that being rich rich only makes you a wealthy version of whoever or whatever you were before you got the money. It's about integrity. We hear songs to talk about Beale said you can't buy me love. We hear songs to talk about bills that you can't buy me love. The OJ said that the love of money makes you do things that you otherwise wouldn't want to do. The Wu-Tang Clan says that cash rules everything around me. Disney Child said we got bills, bills, nothing but bills. Grand Guffey said nothing going on but the rent. We know that money can answer any issue out here. Money can solve problems, no question there. But there's an integrity that's attached to this.

Speaker 1: 17:50

I just caution my friends out here who feel as though they can handle a million dollars. I will caution you to do something outside of the norm. Check you out, look at where you are. Why are we talking about this? Simply because I believe that if it doesn't apply to you now and tomorrow it did, would you be ready for the changes? Would it crush you, would it turn your life into turmoil and mayhem, or would you be ready to transition into that place? Because I really believe. I believe it's by the spirit of God that a huge wealth transfer is getting ready to take place. It's been prophesied, it's been spoken, it's been declared everywhere for several months now, even from the beginning of this year. Just let's just say that you're one of those people who is in line for this wealth transfer. You may not know where it's coming from, who is being transferred from, or you know it's coming to you and now you instantly become a greater level of steward than you are right now. If you've been stewarding $10,000 faithfully, now you're stewarding a million. If you've been stewarding $50,000 right now, now you're stewarding a million. If you've been stewarding $50,000 right now, now you're stewarding $5 million.

Speaker 1: 19:05

It's not easy to be a wise and faithful steward. It takes diligence, discipline, it takes a level of self-esteem, but most of all it takes definitely that strong moral uprightness that we were talking about earlier. It takes integrity to be able to do that. You could be surrounded by money, but if you don't have integrity, it won't serve you well.

Speaker 1: 19:29

Judas was Jesus' treasurer. He was surrounded by all the money. His thoughts about the money were unclean and it cost him his life. It can cost you your life if your heart posture is not right. When you're in a position to have more, you can be praying for it and asking for it and believing for it and even actually need it. But if your heart posture is not right, it will just destroy you. It won't profit you, it won't help you. Will you have the same thoughts about others that you have right now? If you had a million dollars? Would you fall for the same traps that you've been falling for up to this point. Would a million dollars solve that issue? Would you still be struggling with a broke mentality because you grew up like that? But now you have a million dollars, a lot of folks that were lottery winners that lost all of their winnings and don't have any savings or any kind of assets because they had the same mentality before they got the lottery winnings and they carry that into that and it caused them to lose everything. Essentially, it's like having a big paper bag with all of your goods in it and a hole in the paper bag. It's only a matter of time before you lose it all.

Speaker 1: 20:44

I posted on social media this thought that I had because I thought it was so funny. I thought it was interesting to kind of reflect on it and go ahead and close the show right after this. But at work, as a manager, I've noticed full well. I've seen this with my own eyes. If your shift starts at 8 am, what does it mean when you sneak into work at 9.15? It acts like you were always at your desk, like we couldn't see you, like me, as the manager couldn't see you.

Speaker 1: 21:12

You wouldn't do that in most cases because you value your job. You prioritize your job. It's important to you, you get a check from it to do with it whatever you need to do. So you show respect to your job, you show respect to your position, the time frame, et cetera, et cetera, in most cases, I guess. How about with church, though? Service starts at 8 o'clock and you have responsibilities or you are a part of this community and family and you sneak in the church service at 8 or 9 o'clock and you sneak in at 1030, 1130. And then you stay around as if you heard everything that went on. You heard the word, you are a part of the worship, you are part of the prayer, but you missed all of it. What's the priority there? What does it say to anybody that could be watching you? Are you saying this is a priority? Because I know most folks that do that would never do that on their jobs. They would get to work early before they're allowed to happen. They know that's going to be crowded on acetalphosphate. They will leave home early to make sure they get to work early and be on time. Why is it different for a business meeting or for a Sunday service? Why is it different for a business meeting or for a Sunday service? Why is that different then? Why does that matter less, then? It's about priorities.

Speaker 1: 22:35

What's the integrity for us is what we stand on, what we believe in. If you believe that your private and public life should be in sync, that's biblical integrity. If you believe that you should be undivided and whole and focused and single-focused and unified with what matters in your life. If you believe to be positively impacted those that are around you not just in your family, but in your circle, along with future generations. If it matters to you to exhibit the kind of consistent character that makes us different than those that claim to be like us. The Bible says in John 13 and 35,. It says that the people will know us as disciples of Jesus Christ by the way that we treat each other. That's how we're going to be known. The kind of integrity that we show to one another is're going to be known. The kind of integrity that we show to one another is how we'll be known.

Speaker 1: 23:32

It's just something to think about that you guys can kind of join me in this little exercise today, but if integrity matters to you, I really hope that you take to heart what we talked about today. If integrity was not on your mind and you just started to think about it. I'd love to have a conversation with you, kind of talk through some things and maybe answer some questions that you have, and perhaps I might help you kind of see things a little bit differently. If it'll help you, I'd be happy to help. If you listen to our show audio wise Apple podcast of course, you're going to find our show there and you can download all of our episodes from previous seasons four plus seasons and, of course, you can follow our show there and subscribe If you're listening and you've already done that already on Apple Podcasts, of course, spotify, iheartradio, pandora, amazon Music you can listen to our show anywhere that you are. If you're watching us on YouTube or on some simulcast of social media Facebook, tiktok, instagram, twitter you can find us there as well. Linkedin as well, you can find us there. So we are definitely glad to have you.

Speaker 1: 24:34

However you listen to our show, however you're watching us today, but wherever you are and however you're listening today, call me Mr U, the podcast and the inspiration station. Thanks again for making us a part of your week. We definitely enjoy spending this time with you. Reach out to us, let us know what you think about our show, the content for today. If you have any questions for us, know the heroes from you Reach out. I'll reach out as soon as I can. Of course, if you have a question for us, you have the show notes fan mail. You can send us a text to me directly and I'll respond on the next episode. Have a great day. Enjoy the music we're out of here you.