A Biblical Role Model: A Businesswoman
Mats Tunehag hada great post about of looking at the Proverbs 31 woman and her role in business. Seriously, check out Mats blog, he's always got some great stuff to say. Labels: Biblical Basis for Business as Mission, Editorials, Mats Tunehag, Proverbs 31
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Business as Mission Conference Coming to Dallas Oct 14-16
This fall the Global CEO Network has been of longer standing Business as Mission gatherings across the country. Now it will be coming to Dallas October 14-16.Labels: Events and Conferences, Global CEO Network, Tom Sudyk
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Pro-Line Racing Business Serving Casa Hogar Belen
By Todd Mattson - This is a simple story of running my business and encouraging associates to make a difference in a ministry activity. While, I’ve always had opportunities for ministry at work, home and in the community, I couldn’t have guessed what plans the Lord had for my business and our people to minister to others in a unique way.A friend invited me on a day trip to a Mexican orphanage. Although I’d been to Mexico before for ministry, it had been many years. The few minutes we traveled south of the border transported us to a place seemingly much farther from home. This small orphanage, Casa Hogar Belen, is home to 70 children and the small staff who love and care for them. In minutes, those children embedded themselves into my heart. The orphanage, though small, was tidy and well supplied with food and clothing. The children ranged in age from infants to older teens. Their needs were the same as my own children, to be loved and cared for, but their lives were markedly different.
Among the many challenges of keeping 70 youngsters fed, clothed and healthy, the small staff had another problem. The orphanage’s outdoor play equipment was dilapidated and dangerous. My friend and host suggested I bring a group from my company and build these children a proper playground. I was interested, but unsure what the response would be from my associates. Would they want to help children south of the border or were they too busy with their own lives? I took a few pictures of the children and the orphanage to share at our next company meeting.
Eagerly, I shared the pictures and the opportunity we had to make a difference with the entire company. We could take an unpaid day off, travel to Mexico, assemble a playground, play game sand spend time with the children. The response was overwhelming. Of the 40 associates, 30signed onto the project.
I handed over the reins to an associate who arranged the date, made a transportation plan and all other arrangements. The friend who introduced me to the orphanage planned the playground construction, logistics and established a budget for the project.There was a lot of excitement surrounding the upcoming trip. I overheard conversations about the ninos (children) and what our trip might be like. Along with 30 company associates, our group included associates’ family members, friends and one of our suppliers. The video, taken by an associate, shows highlights from the day and is a precious record of one of the best days we’ve ever had together. From this trip, another was planned and executed by the associates, who are now invested in this ministry.
I spent very little personal time on the project and was very impressed with what we accomplished. Certainly, the lives of the small children were changed, but so were the lives of many associates. I supplied the idea, a “day off ”, spent about 2 hours in meetings and prayer on the project and paid all expenses. Very little given, great return.
Labels: Case Studies, Convene, Pro Line Racing
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A glimpse into Heavan - Following up from the Call 2 All conference in Hong Kong
By Buck Jacobs, Chairman of the C12 Group - My trip to attend the Call2All conference in Hong Kong was a kaleidoscope of impressions, relationships, and sensory input that is going to be hard to capture. So many were packed into such a short time.I was invited to be a part of the strategic planning group who were called together to begin forming strategic objectives to accomplish the integration, and did meet with that group on three afternoons. As might be imagined getting agreement on even simple terms was awkward at first and there is way more yet to be done than was accomplished in the three days.But it was a start and if we are willing to listen to God and set aside preconceptions and personal prejudices who knows what might happen?
I distributed a few books and pamphlets and exchanged a bunch of business cards and as always it is hard to measure the direct benefit from attending an event like this. Some people that seem to be very interested disappear and others who you meet only briefly pop up and are indeed "divine appointments." I believe that I was supposed to go and that God will use the trip in His way and time. Time will tell. I didn't go to make business contacts but there were many of them as well.
Labels: Buck Jacobs, C12 Group, Events and Conferences
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Living an Integrated Life
By Keith Ferrin - Founder and President, True Success Coaching - Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. Colossians 3: 23-24 • Attitudes
• Reconciliation
• Our calling
• Service to the church
• Maturity
• Our minds
• Sexuality
• Honesty
• Work
• Our attitude toward money
• Our willingness to forgive others
• Our relationships with nonbelievers
• Wisdom
• Purity
• Marriage
• Our duties as parents
• Our relationships with bosses and employees
• Prayer
• Unity
• Our encouragement of one another in our calling
Labels: Corey Cleek, Devotional, Devotional Ventures, Keith Ferrin
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South Africa, Gateway to the Continent
By Kent Humphreys - It is Monday evening, and I just boarded my plane to go to Dakar and onto Atlanta (19 hours on one plane) and then to Oklahoma City after nearly two weeks in Africa. As I stood in line I met two of our FCCI members from Colorado, Dan and Deb Lowery, who has been on a mission trip for several weeks. It is a small world! Yesterday afternoon I spent with the Africa Crown leaders and some key pastors from Nigeria as we walked along the beautiful beach in the bay in Cape Town. That morning, I was enjoying their beautiful early fall weather. It is even better than the spring weather that we are having back in Oklahoma. As I walked down the pathway, I was thinking about the huge impact that business leaders here can have all over the continent.During the last ten days I have spoken to two marketplace conferences. One was sponsored by the Navigators in Johannesburg and the second was put on by Crown Companies here in Cape Town. In both places my simple messages were extremely well received, and the participants wanted to apply the concepts back in their workplaces. Crown Companies is our FCCI partnership that we operate with Crown Financial here in Africa, in Latin America and Europe. At this first ever African conference we had leaders from twelve African nations including Egypt. The enthusiasm was very high throughout the three days. The pre-conference tour on the first day was sold out with a bus load full of 52 leaders visiting three different companies. Dick Wynn, formerly of Crown and who has spoken at our FCCI conference, Jerry Forster, who owns a large financial advisory firm, Graham Power, of The Power Companies and who also started the Global Day of Prayer, were also on the platform. The teaching was solidly biblical and very practical. The questions and interaction in the workshops was perhaps the best that I have seen anywhere in the world. The participation by the women and spouses was also are high as I have seen anywhere in the world. Of course the worship and dancing and singing definitely went a step beyond our worship in the USA. And you should have seen our African leader, Mario Denton, trying to dance with the African praise team. I just wish that I had my camera!
This continent has perhaps the greatest reserve of natural resources of any continent in the world. The amount of mineral resources just here in South Africa alone of gold, silver, platinum, and diamonds is amazing. Yet, the entire continent of Africa produces only 1.9 percent of the global GNP. The reason for this disparity is that corruption in the leadership of government and business destroys the productivity and efficiency of commerce. This means that if there is anywhere in the world that our FCCI ministry to business leaders is needed, then it is here in South Africa and on this continent. Transforming the world…thru Christ…One company leader at a time. That is a vision for which these leaders can give their lives. Davidene and I first visited here in 2005, and since then the Crown leaders, Jan and Alet, have taken the Business by the Book seminar across South Africa and now to many other African nations. They have been building a base for this business ministry. Now with Mario leading the marketplace area, we have an opportunity to start groups and build a sold ministry here and up the continent. We need to pray that these efforts will move forward.
Africa will not be transformed by just evangelizing more people and planting more churches. Every nation needs companies to provide real jobs and stable income for their people. They do not need another handout but real models of Kingdom businesses that are run for Christ’s glory. My prayer is that we in FCCI along with many other workplace organizations and mission agencies and churches can serve our brothers and sisters in Africa by helping equip hundreds and thousands of models that others can look to as an example. Graham Power has a large construction company here in South Africa, and he is just one business leader. But, God has used him in a marvelous way to impact this nation and the world. I will tell Graham’s story in my next letter. Thanks for your prayers and support as we as the staff and volunteers of FCCI take this message to business leaders around the globe. May I encourage you to venture outside of our nation this next year to Africa or another continent. Give one week of your life to serve other business leaders, and you will be changed forever. Jesus told us to disciple the nations, and we are obeying His command.
Kent is the longtime leader of Fellowship of Companies for Christ International, a great group that is looking to connect business and ministry together. I encourage you to check out their website by clicking here.
Labels: Africa, Editorials, Kent Humphreys
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Cardone - Business as Mission in the US
For over 35 years, Cardone has been doing some dometic grassroots combining of business and ministry. A little over a year ago, the Philadelphia Business Journal highlighted the new Urban Health Clinic Cardone opened up to help their intercity employees with healthcare. Here's an excerpt:Labels: Cardone, Case Studies
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Pioneering Business as Mission Company in India Looking for Strategic Partnership
The successful candidate would be capable of placing skilled mission minded personnel in India to increase operational capacity and be able to develop additional clients in the US or UK. Staff assigned to India would be provided company sponsored business visas and the company would provide housing/relocation assistance. A significant investment in the business is required.
To learn more about EC Group International and EC Group India please visit our websites at http://www.ecgroup-intl.com/. Qualified parties please contact Alicia Fuller at EC Group International afuller@ecgroup-intl.com for more details.
Labels: EC Group, India, Recruitment and Job Opportunities, Tom Sudyk
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Kingdom Business Success
by Patrice Tsague - This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Joshua 1:8Labels: Patrice Tsague, Regent Center for Entrepreneurship
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What if God Moved?
by Kent Humphreys - Cape Town, South Africa, October 17, 2010.The first evening of the Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization concluded with an astounding revelation: “God Has Moved!” Church leaders from around the globe reported that over the last twelve months there has been convincing evidence that the Spirit of the Living God has moved outside of the walls of local churches and into the workplace. In keeping with the model of His Son Jesus while Jesus was on the earth, it appears that God began moving sometime in late 2008 or early 2009 outside of the confines of religious institutions.
It took several months for even the most spiritual churches to realize that God was moving. For nearly a year most of them continued with their normal activities and services with not much of a drop in attendance. However, by the fall of 2009, it was obvious that God has moved His center of operation to where the majority of the lost population was located: in the workplaces of the villages, towns, and cities around the globe. Lausanne’s purpose of the Whole Church…with the Whole Gospel… to the Whole World was coming alive.
The leaders reported that this move of God was similar to the experience of the children of Israel as they traveled for in the wilderness. God showed Himself as a cloud by day and fire by night. The leaders admitted that they had been so busy in their committees and conferences that they had taken their eyes off of the Lord for just a short time. They certainly meant well in all of their sacrificial efforts, but God had literally placed His presence into the hearts of ordinary believers out in the workplace. This move of God has caused church leaders to make some drastic renovations of their facilities and programs in order to keep up with what God has been doing.
Worship centers became a lot less like entertainment venues and looked more like staging zones for a large army. While worship was even more vibrant, the primary focus shifted away from the large gathering to small group equipping. As various churches took seriously the Great Commission, they experienced lower attendance. Once the retooling was in place and working, churches began to see true followers of Jesus flocking to join them. These changes were accompanied by times of deep repentance and prayer.
Leaders from the marketplace, education, government, the media, and the arts joined hands which church leaders to concentrate on the lost in their everyday world. Many pastors confessed that they had taken their eyes off of their high calling. They admitted that the pressures had been so intense to build their churches, they had neglected His Kingdom. Church leaders had been gradually deceived into measuring success by the size of their buildings, budget, and attendance. They had focused on bringing people into their facility instead of sending them out.
As this process worked its way into the fabric of many churches, the talented professionals had taken center stage and the paid staff had grown rapidly. The ordinary Christians in the pew became demanding consumers wanting to be entertained and willing to pay for the professionals to do the work of the ministry. Never before have Christian institutions been this flexible to change this quickly in response to a move of God. Local churches now look more like equipping centers as the primary focus is to equip the saints for the work of the ministry out where the lost are located in the workplace. Pastors began to ask the question, “How can we help YOU in the ministry that God has given YOU where He has sovereignly placed YOU in your workplace?”
These passionate followers of Jesus have been meeting in small groups in homes and office complexes and factories. They are learning how to recognize the open doors of crises and are building relationships and sharing the good news of the Gospel of Christ. Some workplace chaplains are leading more people to Christ than their entire church did last year. Baptisms are taking place in factories in China. Prayer meetings are now allowed in government offices in the United States. Biblically based seminars are being presented in companies in South Africa. Young believers are leading house churches in Iran. Business leaders in Europe are modeling their values and beliefs in the secular culture. Latin American marketplaces are being transformed by the Holy Spirit as the leaders have chosen to be led by Him alone.
Leaders now expect this Congress to be the most strategic meeting in centuries. The whole church is focusing outward in Kingdom unity, replacing methods with relationships, institutions with community, and human efforts with the transformation of God’s Spirit. It is exciting to be able to report the movement of God instead of the plans of men. There is a spirit of expectancy not seen since Jesus Christ walked on this earth. May we say together, “Come, Lord Jesus, and work among us!”
Kent is the longtime leader of Fellowship of Companies for Christ International, a great group that is looking to connect business and ministry together. I encourage you to check out their website by clicking here.
Labels: Editorials, Kent Humphreys, Lausanne World Pulse
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Hometown Missions by Wayne Cerullo
A Business Missionary Travels Abroad to See with New Eyes at Home - By Wayne CerulloLabels: Rep, Wayne Cerullo
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I Have a New Hero - Stanley Tam
From Mark Batterson's Blog - " I have a new hero. His name is Stanley Tam. Can't even put into words how wonderful it was to listen to him preach and then share a meal. Stanley has made 93 trips around the sun! And he's still preaching. That, in and of itself, impacted me. I hope I'm still preaching when I'm 93. He has the spirit of Caleb. I had read two of his books, God Owns My Business and God's Woodshed. So I felt like I knew Stanley. I knew he had made God the Senior Partner of his business in 1955 giving God all of the stock. I knew he'd given away more than $100 million. And I knew he was a soul-winner. So I couldn't wait to meet him. But he shared some things in his message and over dinner than blew me away.He talked about the way he was inspired by George Mueller who never asked for money and God always provided. He said, "I've got the same God George Mueller has." It was so blunt yet so true. I couldn't help but think: "I've got the same God Stanley Tam has." One of the principles he shared was: get started. He shared how he started his business with $12 from his dad and $25 of his own, but he didn't let the fact that he only had $37 in capital keep him from getting started. Over dinner he said something so profound I'm still trying to grasp it. "God cannot reward Abraham yet because is seed is still multiplying." Wow. Never thought about it that way, but the truth is that everything we do for Christ multiplies for eternity! That's the tip of the iceberg, but I hope it inspires you the way it inspired me." Read more about Stanley Tam's story in his book God Owns my Business.Labels: Books and Articles, God Owns my Business, Mark Batterson, Stanley Tam
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Acknowledging Faith in the Workplace - Jon Venverloh of Google
By Jon Venverloh - Strategic Partnerships, Google - "Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven." Matthew 10:32Submitting to God and the decrees of His Word are contrary to the prevailing secular humanist mind-set in which the individual is esteemed above all and God is perceived as a fairy tale or as an opiate for the masses. In the workplace, reliance on God is often seen as irrational, non-intellectual and perhaps even irresponsible.
people. A lot of brilliant minds are hard at work in the Googleplex, where the culture is dominated by computer science and where scientifically observable proof is highly valued. For many, this culture leaves no room for matters of faith.
What does God want from us in the workplace? As in other contexts, He calls us out of the mainstream to a different standard—one of holiness:
- Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you (2 Corinthians 6:17).
- Jesus promises to bless us if we honor Him publicly with our words and actions: Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven
(Matthew 10:32). - Finally, His Word calls us to exemplify integrity to nonbelievers: Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us (1 Peter 2:12). I believe God wants to bless those who believe in Him. In the context of the workplace, “blessing” usually means success in our work and perhaps career advancement (though not always, as sometimes He has something different and better in store). Regardless of my specific circumstances at any given time, however, I want God to approve of what I am doing, for if He is with me, who can be against me?
- I want to honor the Lord in my workplace, being faithful to and honoring my employer through exceptional performance. I want to glorify the Lord through sanctioned forums such as a workplace Bible study or lunchtime fellowship meetings.
- It is my prayer that the Lord will show me opportunities each day to share with my coworkers that I believe God is to be thanked for the abundant life we all lead. For the Lord truly can bless the work of our hands and let our words and actions glorify Him, not just at home or at church, but also at work.
POINT TO PONDER
Our faith will be tested when we seek to give glory to God instead of to ourselves in the workplace.
Questions to Consider ...
1. What can you do today to glorify God at your specific place of business?
2. Do you think God can use you to glorify Him even in a place where talking about what God has done in your life might feel uncomfortable?
3. Do you think you can live in such a way that even the “pagans [will] glorify God” on the day He returns, as it says in 1 Peter 2:12?
This is an excerpt of Devotional Ventures: 60 Inspiring Devotions by Business Professionals for Business Professionals. Corey Cleek, the author and editor is a friend of the Business as Mission Network and has given us the ability to share some of them with you. Used with permission, all rights reserved. Pick up a copy of the hardback book on amazon, right here.
Labels: Corey Cleek, Devotional, Devotional Ventures, Google
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A Conversation with Ken Eldred, Author of God is at Work
Interview by Janet Maxim - Ken Eldred is author of God Is at Work: Transforming People and Nations through Business, a benchmark analysis of BAM published in 2005. He holds an MBA from Stanford and has developed several successful businesses practicing Scriptural principles. Eldred’s new book, Living the Abundant Life: How to Live at the Intersection of Faith and Business is available through his website, http://www.godisatwork.org/newbook.html Q: At the end of God Is at Work, your chapter titled “Outrageous Visions” suggests how Kingdom businessesmight transform people and society on a grand scale. Four years later, what progress is being made toward those visions?
churches.
No! The U.N. has certifi ed that Almolonga’s fi elds are 42% more productive than anywhere in the world. But when you go there, the fi elds don’t look any better, and they’re actually pretty small. My son, who speaks Spanish, overheard a woman say that she bought seeds from Almolonga and planted them in her garden in Guatemala City, but the carrots were only regular-sized. But in Almolonga, the radishes grow to the size of baseballs...and it is just the blessing of God. The pastors of that area got together and prayed, and there was revival. When the people
changed, and practiced godliness in their lives and businesses, He blessed them. When God commended Job (in Job 2:3) it was for his integrity—that is the most important issue to God.
When we are Christians, but we operate as non-Christians in our business lives—God doesn’t bless our businesses.
Labels: Editorials, Interview, Janet Maxim, Ken Eldred
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Why are Small Groups so Important to a Christian Business Leader?
By Kent Humphreys - I listened carefully as “Charles” explained how the nightmare had begun. Charles was now being forced out of his own firm as CEO. He explained how the equity partner wanted to save money and did not hire an attorney to write up the company’s operating agreement. Charles arranged for two other Christians to put up most of the money for the startup. They had a Christian friend who was an accountant who knew how to set everything up properly. Having left a successful sales career, Charles was not ready to make his mark as a business owner.Do you have a friend that may be in trouble? Is someone you know starting a new business? Is your own business having cash flow problems? Why not take that friend out to lunch and join an existing group or start one yourself? The financial rewards of these groups may be large, but the emotional and spiritual rewards are much greater. Can you really afford to take the risk and continue to stand alone? Make that call today. The life you save or business that you spare may be your best friend’s or it may be your own!
Labels: Editorials, Kent Humphreys, Small Group Ministry
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What's the Opposition to talking about Faith in the Workplace?
Read an interesting collection of data on a post by Sam Rainer. Check more from Sam out at http://samrainer.wordpress.com/. Labels: LifeWay, LifeWay Research, Sam Rainer
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Video Spotlight: Isolated and Alone at the Top
CEO Painpoint Videos by Convene - The life of a Christian CEO or Business Owner is filled with a myriad of challenges, often leaving us believing we're alone in the struggle.Labels: Convene, Video and Media, Video Stories of Business as Mission
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Acknowledging Faith in the Workplace - Jon Venverloh of Google
By Jon Venverloh - Strategic Partnerships, Google Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. Matthew 10:32In many areas of the country, and particularly the San Francisco bay area that I call home, the culture of political correctness and multiculturalism frowns on any favorable mention of the God of the Bible.
Submitting to God and the decrees of His Word are contrary to the prevailing secular humanist mind-set in which the individual is esteemed above all and God is perceived as a fairy tale or “opiate for the masses.” In the workplace, reliance on God is often seen as irrational, non-intellectual and perhaps even irresponsible.
Google, my employer, has its origin in academia and retains incredibly bright, high-performance people. A lot of brilliant minds are hard at work in the “Googleplex” where the culture is dominated by computer science and where scientifically observable proof is highly valued. For many, this culture leaves no room for matters of faith.
Of course, Google is not unusual among Silicon Valley tech companies. Many workplace cultures are ambivalent and even hostile towards religion in general and Christianity in particular. So as a Christian, I pray and ask God regularly how I can best honor Him in the workplace. But I must confess that I have often feared that my faith will perhaps alienate my peers and superiors.
What does God want from us in the workplace? As in other contexts, He calls us out of the mainstream to a different standard—one of holiness:
Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you (2 Corinthians 6:17).
Jesus promises to bless us if we honor Him publicly with our words and actions:
Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven (Matthew 10:32).
Finally, His Word calls us to exemplify integrity to non-believers: Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us (1 Peter 2:12).
I believe God wants to bless those who believe in Him. In the context of the workplace, “blessing” usually means success in our work and perhaps career advancement (though not always, as sometimes He has something different and better in store). Regardless of my specific circumstances at any given time, however, I want God to approve of what I am doing, for if He is with me, who can be against me?
I want to honor the Lord in my workplace, being faithful to and honoring my employer through exceptional performance. I want to glorify the Lord through sanctioned forums such as a workplace Bible study or lunchtime fellowship meetings.
It is my prayer that the Lord will show me opportunities each day to share with my coworkers that I believe God is to be thanked for the abundant life we all lead. For the Lord truly can bless the work of our hands and let our words and actions glorify Him, not just at home or at church, but also at work.
Questions to Consider
1. What can you do today to glorify God at your speicific place of business?
Labels: Corey Cleek, Devotional, Devotional Ventures
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Business as Mission Company Attracting Top, Young Talent
It is always encouraging to talk to others God has called to help move forward His call of the business person. Since I work for a video publisher, I love short videos. Here’s a couple that highlight the vision of Enterprise International. - Brandon Wade was an intern who went on to get a job with Accenture consulting due in large part to his experience Enterprise International.
- Jim Caya was the #1 Finance student to come out of the University of San Francisco and joined Enterprise instead of going to the marketplace.
Enterprise International is a part of several businesses that have been featured on the website, most notably Little Texas (Romania), rated number 5 in our list of most admired kingdom companies. eKreative (Ukraine) was nominated also nominated and they are also involved in other companies like Kafe Kreative (Ukraine), Spohad photo studios (Ukraine), Wholesome Bakeries (South Africa), Pangani Tours (South Africa), Christo Auto Rebuild and Sales (South Africa), and Buythegood.com (Los Angeles). In the coming months they will also be opening a couple of other businesses, a dentistry—practice and lab (Cambodia) and a new import/export businesses going into Venezuela.
Labels: Colin Crawley, CRM, EKreative, Enterprise International, Little Texas
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Business as Mission - Service to Man as Service to God
By Janet Maxim - The “businessman” has long had a black eye— many people falsely assume he cheats customers, misrepresents products, exploits employees and pockets all the profits. The enemies of private enterprise regularly use this stereotyped perception to undermine a free market economy and, unfortunately, the ongoing fi nancial crisis has given them more talking points to use against the global expansion of business enterprise.states Crossworld, a Pennsylvania-based group that sends 400 missionaries in 80 teams to 25 mission areas of the world.
Labels: Editorials, Janet Maxim, Jeri Little, Ken Eldred, Tom Sudyk
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Busy for God - Katie McNerney - Marketing Manager, eBay, Inc.
By Katie McNerney - Marketing Manager, eBay, Inc."For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God." Ephesians 2:8
Most people would call me an overachiever, a label that for me has generally positive connotations. I enjoy staying busy. It makes me feel productive. Being productive also often translates into accomplishing goals, which typically lead to some kind of reward. It's an appealing cycle, and one that I've practiced much of my life.
In my life, I have found that the benefits of being an overachiever have typically outweighed the disadvantages. The pleasure I have taken in accomplishing a goal usually has trumped the long days and sleepless nights. Throughout my life, I have been rewarded (at least in the worldly sense) for my accomplishments. Whether is was praise from my parents, acceptance by teachers, or wins on the soccer field, my achievements always seemed to translate into the value I offered to the world. In turn, I overbooked my schedule with activities in order to stay busy, and therefore productive.
One February morning a few years ago, I achieved the pinnacle of my goals when I was accepted into one of the country's top business schools. At the time, I couldn't imagine a more perfect reward for all my hard work. To top it off, I was engaged to a wonderful man, and we were busy preparing for our wedding.
My life looked pretty amazing, clearly the result of a lifetime of hard work (or so I told myself). Not one month later, however, the perfect little world I had worked so hard to build suddenly fell apart. My fiance' died of a heart arrhythmia. I remember waking up the next morning wondering how I could be in this place after all I had accomplished in my life.
It has taken a while for me to realize that my destructive pattern of motivation came from an insecurity of wanting to prove my significance in the world. And, yes, I've even been tempted to work hard at fixing that. The good news is that we don't have to fix ourselves, because God has already done the work for us.
In Ephesians 2:8, Paul reminds us that it is by grave we have been saved, not by works. God wants us to work, use the gifts he has given us and not stand idle, but we must remember that we do this work not because it will save us but because we are already saved. Our motivation for work must be gratitude and praise for God's mercy. "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works." (v. 10)
No accomplishment or act we can do will save us.
It is only through God's grace that we are saved.
Questions to Consider...
- Do you attempt to achieve goals just to achieve them? Does achieving a goal sometimes feel more important than the reason for achieving that goal?
- When you analyze your work habits and your schedule, what do you find truly motivates your actions every day?
- Where do you find your worth and significance as a person? Is it found in the things you achieve or in God's love for you?
This is an excerpt of Devotional Ventures: 60 Inspiring Devotions by Business Professionals for Business Professionals. Corey Cleek, the author and editor is a friend of the Business as Mission Network and has given us the ability to share some of them with you. Used with permission, all rights reserved. Pick up a copy of the hardback book on amazon, right here.
Labels: Corey Cleek, Devotional, Devotional Ventures, eBay, Katie McNerney
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Tony Campolo, Rene Padilla at 2nd AnnualTransformational Development Conference
This August 2009, Food for the Hungry (http://www.fh.org/) and Eastern University (http://www.eastern.edu/) will be co-sponsoring the 2nd annual Transformational Development Conference (http://www.tdconference.org/).This meeting is scheduled for August 7–9, 2009 on Eastern University’s campus in St. Davids, PA. Confirmed speakers include Rene Padilla, Tony Campolo, Jaisankar Sarma, Lisa Sharon Harper, and Benjamin Homan.
Labels: Eastern University, Events and Conferences, Food for the Hungry, Rene Padilla, TD Conference, Tony Campolo
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How I Caused the Credit Crunch
By Dr. Peter Heslam of the University of Cambridge - It was me. That's what a bright, young, Eton- and Oxford-educated former banker called Tetsuya Ishikawa, who spent seven years at the forefront of the credit markets, admits about himself. During a banking career within some of the world's major banks, he structured and sold subprime securities to global investors. Now he confesses all in the form of a novel that is taking the bestseller lists by storm.The title of his book, How I Caused the Credit Crunch, is as intriguing as its contents. Too often during the current financial crisis the emphasis has been on technical problems of risk management, and on what technical fixes now need to be imposed. Ishikawa's book provides, in contrast, a vivid reminder that financial markets are not the workings of cold mechanical forces, but of warm flesh and blood. Reflecting human choices, they have innate moral dimensions.
But attempts to use bad morals as an excuse to eliminate moral responsibility from markets – whether through the imposition of secular worldviews or of mechanical fixes - will be as misguided and counterproductive as the attempt to use examples of bad religion as an excuse to banish religion from public. For most people in the world, religion is the magnetic field in which they set their moral compass. It is the context in which they perceive and pursue visions of the common good, stimulated by the sense of personal moral responsibility that religion tends to engender.
Labels: Cambridge University, Editorials, Peter Heslam
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Can a business be Christian?
By Buck Jacobs - Chairman and Founder of C12 Group Can a business be Christian? Of course it can! In the same way that a school, or a family, or a genre of music or literature can Christian, so can a business. For years I have heard the spurious arguement that since “a business can’t go to heaven” that the use of the term Christian applied to same is invalid. This is nonsense. The word can and is completely properly used as an adjective, to modify and further clarify a noun, And it is amazing to me that every one of the pious critics that I have encountered who declaim the term when used to describe a business have no trouble at all using it in the previously mentioned contexts and others. This distraction is not helpful. The question is not really can a business be a Christian busines but how and what does the term mean?So, the term is proper but is it appropriate? Can we flawed and struggling humans perfectly apply the ways of God in Christ in an organization? Of course we can’t but does that mean that we shouldn’t try? Or should we wait until we have it all together before we claim to represent Jesus Christ or to be called by His Name?. Do you know of a perfect church? A perfect Christian song? School? Family? Novel? No, you don’t and I don’t either. But we both know that our God has chosen to shine His light through earthen vessels wherever He places them, individually or gathered into groups. Wherever. God is not limited and His Kingdom extends to our businesses. The question isn’t can a business be a Christian business but “how ?”
Labels: Buck Jacobs, C12 Group, Networking
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Telling the Truth will not always get the Business but the World is Watching
By Kent Humphreys - (Based on Matthew 5:33-37) Last year while traveling in Jakarta, Indonesia, I shared a taxi with three other people. I ended up sitting in the back seat with a pastor who introduced himself and stated that he was from Cape Town, South Africa. I told him that we would be there a couple of months later. We shared business cards, and he subsequently arranged for us to come to his church while we were in the country. He personally called sixty business leaders, and on a stormy night, all sixty showed up. After our presentation, he made the following statement; “In the past, we have not emphasized workplace ministry, but I want you to be in a weekly group and even to lead one.” Before the meeting he made soup in the church kitchen and served us. After the meeting we had coffee, after which he took us on a tour of his clinics. During the tour, he told us the following story.Kent is the longtime leader of Fellowship of Companies for Christ International, a great group that is looking to connect business and ministry together. I encourage you to check out their website by clicking here.
Labels: Editorials, Integrity, Kent Humphreys
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Competition, Honesty and Dishonesty in Business as Mission?
By David Skews - A few good people met in Singapore to talk, think and listen about BAM in SE Asia. A discussion developed on the topic of competition and as a result we thought we might submit this paper for feedback...We submit that the result of competition is that customers and resources are attracted to those businesses that best meet purchasers’ wants. The other side of the story is, of course, that other businesses lose customers and therefore require fewer resources. Some of these firms lose so many customers that they have to close.
God told Moses what the Israelites were to do when they reached the Promised Land: ‘For six years sow your fields and for six years prune your vineyards and gather their crops’ Lev.25:3, a reference to the private ownership of resources to be used for business purposes. God also saw that land would be sold by one person to another and he gave instructions about the price to be set (Lev.25:14-16). In fact the buying and selling of land would later be a sign of God’s blessing and the restoration of the nation’s fortunes, Jer.32:42-44.
The workers that James mentions would be men hired by the day who would be in a very weak position, unable to stand up against an unscrupulous employer who could employ a new group of workers on the next day.
Lenders are usually in a stronger position than borrowers, especially when the borrowers really need the money. God, speaking through Moses, told the Israelites, ‘If you lend money to one of my people among you who is needy, do not be like a money-lender; charge him no interest’, Ex.22-25. ‘You must not lend him (a poor countryman) money at interest or sell him food at a profit’, Lev.25:37. Moreover the needy would benefit from the requirement that at the end of seven years ‘Every creditor should cancel the loan he has made to his fellow Israelite,’Deut.15:2.
The majority of the Israelites worked on the land and anyone who sold his land would become poor, economically weak. Although not against trading land as such, God laid down the terms of that trading; the price was to be set according to the number of years until the next Year of Jubilee. The greater the number of years, the more crops could be harvested and therefore the higher the price that should be paid.
Competition often times creates too many shades of gray and posses challenges to every Business as Mission leader. So how do we manage it? How do we be unashamedly competitive while also sharing the love of Christ and keeping our integrity?
Labels: Competition, David Skews, Editorials
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BBL Forum Changes its Name to Convene
BBL Forum, a nationwide organization for Christian CEOs and business owners, has changed its name to Convene as it positions itself for continued growth. Founded in 1996 Convene is a peer group organization for business leaders that uses a Biblical worldview to solve business and personal issues.Continue reading 'BBL Forum Changes its Name to Convene'
Video Spotlight: Building Islands of Integrity
Labels: Integra Ventures, Video and Media, Video Stories of Business as Mission
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Turning business expertise into second half significance – without abandoning either
by Lloyd Reeb. Click here to read the full article. You don’t have to abandon your corporate experience and expertise to add meaning and purpose to the second half of your life. As we’ve watched the markets drop and the economy unwind, it’s forced many to take a more focused look at our remaining years. What will our legacy be?In September 2008 Ken left Fluor and joined World Vision as their new CFO. He’s discovered his expertise makes a direct contribution to an organization with a $2.5 billion annual budget and almost 30,000 staff. He gets to work with people that share a passion around justice and compassion, but he recognizes that his role is behind the scenes supporting those who are out on the front lines in poor countries doing the hands on work.
Labels: Bob Buford, Halftime, Lloyd Reeb
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OPEN Network Conferences Come to Pennsylvania + Oregon
This year marks the 10th year of the OPEN Network. Led by Patrick Lai, they currently have about 200 tentmakers from around the 10/40 Window involved. They are expanding in a variety of ways which is leading us to have two OPEN Trade Fairs.Labels: Events and Conferences, OPEN Network, Patrick Lai
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The Church and Business: Working Together in God's plan of Redemption via Kingdom Business
by John E Mulford, Ph D (Origninally published in VOICE for All Nations, a publication of Church For All Nations). Click here to read the full article on the Kingdom Business Blog. Most people don’t have a full appreciation of the church and of business, much less an appreciation of how they should work together to accomplish God’s plan to redeem mankind and the earth. Instead, they see them as oil and water—they don’t mix.
Christians wearing their “church” hats often see business as worldly, even sinful. Seeing business perhaps beyond redemption, they want to save people out of business rather than get their hands dirty in business. Christians in business often see the church as, at best, irrelevant to the issues they face, and, at worst, attacking them for participating in a sinful occupation. By sowing this confusion and distrust, Satan has disabled one of the most powerful redemptive tools God has given man—business.
Business has been central to God’s plan for man and the earth from the beginning. God’s creation mandate was for man to “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.” (Gen 1:28) When God created man in His image, he gave man all of the attributes needed to discover how the world works, to develop technology to make products and services, and to create organizations to deliver those life-improving products and services to a growing population.
Man’s fall into sin greatly distorted his image and introduced significant obstacles into the creation mandate. In Gen 3:17, God said, “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.” Although God renewed his covenant with Noah after the flood, saying, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth.” (Gen 9:1), the work is made much messier by the tentacles of sin and the wiles of Satan.
But God had a plan to redeem the mess. He reconciled man to himself through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the end, when Christ returns, he will usher in a new heaven and a new earth (Rev 21). In the meantime, he is spreading the gospel to the whole world. Those who receive it are reborn and begin a process of transformation into the image of Christ. As they are transformed personally they extend God’s kingdom on earth, transforming others as they live the whole gospel among them.
Kingdom business people are ideally positioned to be engines of transformation that can change a nation from one of self-centered individuals to one of other-centered people who love God and each other.
Someone might say, “I thought the church was the engine that transforms society.” But who is the church? It is the body of believers, many of whom spend most of their time in the marketplace, where they are to be salt and light. So when the church is operating as it should, much of the transformation it brings will happen through business. Read the rest of the article on the Regent Website
Labels: Church, Editorials, John Mulford, Regent Center for Entrepreneurship, Sacred and Secular Divide
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