In just a few shorts weeks, Christian Business Leaders will gather in the home of the Alamo ... San Antonio, Texas.

President Don Barefoot, Founder and Chairman Buck Jacobs and the C12 Team have invited Doug Sherman the CEO, Breckenridge Properties as the keynote speaker.

One of the main themes will be Elevating Our Vision. CEO’s know the critical importance of vision for their company. Elevating the team’s horizon for what’s possible and then organizing them to achieve the vision is core to our leadership challenge. But what about our personal vision of what’s possible in our walk with our Lord every day? Could it be that beyond the boundary of our current imagination God has much more to give us in everyday encounters with Him at work and at home? God is calling each of us to “step over the line” and experience more in our relationship with Him.

Here's more about Doug ... He currently serves as the CEO of Breckenridge Properties, a student housing real estate development firm, headquartered in Austin, Texas. From September, 1992 to February, 2007, Doug was Founder/CEO of DSG Consulting Inc., a mid-size consulting firm helping Fortune 500 technology and manufacturing corporations develop and implement market strategies to improve revenue performance and market share. During his 15-years with DSG, Doug led a team of consultants serving over 100 clients in 30 countries. In 2006, he led the team that created the market strategy for Boeing Commercial Aircraft. Doug is also a best-selling author in the ‘faith and work’ space with five books, including Your Work Matters to God, and travels extensively to speak on this subject. Doug has a BS in Engineering Management from The Air Force Academy, where he was deeply involved in the expansion of campus Christian ministry and later served for 5 years as an instructor pilot in the Air Force’s Advanced Jet Training Program. Doug and his wife Jan have three adult children, two grandchildren, and reside in Austin, Texas.

Of course a trip to San Antonio wouldn't be complete without a tour of where Davy Crockett and the Texas heros took a stand at the Alamo. Online Registration is now available. See the Leaders Conference page which contains all of the links you will need to plan your trip. You will also find the conference itinerary, accommodation details along with a full Conference Itinerary.

Labels: C12 Group, Events and Conferences

Continue reading 'The Alamo, Davy Crockett and the C12 Leaders Conference Nov 4-7 in San Antonio'

by Timothy Stoner Financier to the Poor Timothy Jokkene - I am spending three days in northern Uganda with a businessman named Timothy Jokkene (pronounced Jo-keh-neh). In a country where anecdotalestimates place unemployment near 80 percent, Timothy is an amazingsuccess story. He is a rags-to-riches kind of a guy, except that his riches are noton display. I soon learn that he is piling up treasure, but it is not on this earth. Outof love for Jesus, to whom he has given his life, Timothy is sending his treasure onahead, where his heart is.

During this period of suspicion and confusion, the army arrested upwards of5,000 people in towns across the north, from Timothy’s tribe—the Acholis—and the neighboring Langi tribe to the east. Many others were killed, including one ofTimothy’s brothers who was murdered in front of him. In 1988 Timothy was putin maximum security prison—a facility that would make Guantanamo look likea tourist resort.

When he was finally released, he learned that all 1,000 head of his family’s prizedcattle had been stolen by marauders on both sides of the conflict. Timothy had losteverything, including four of his uncles who had been killed. He had no income,no assets, no one to welcome him home. Because of the ongoing tribal conflicts itwas impossible for him to return home, at least not until hostilities ceased.

“Since there was so much suspicion I had to look for a job in this strange capitalcity of Kampala to sustain me and my family,” he says. By this time he was marriedand had three children. He found work as a day laborer, off-loading freighttrucks in the industrial area of the city. This once-wealthy cattleman was reducedto working for poverty wages. The only housing he could find was a small oneroomapartment. During the day it was a kitchen and living room, and at nightit was a bedroom for five people. “Life was not easy,” he tells me, “especially forsomeone used to living in the country.”

Read the rest of the sample from My Business my Mission on their website.

Labels: Books and Articles, Doug Seebeck, Greg Elzinga, My Business My Mission, Partners Worldwide

Continue reading 'Financier to the Poor - My Business My Mission'

By Kent Humphreys - What is the most valuable asset that your firm possesses? Is it your technology, trade secrets, credit line, or customer base? Is it your exclusive product line, production capabilities, available case, or unique equipment? While all of these are important, most of us would say that our most treasured possession is our people or our leadership. However, there is another asset that may be even more important as your business matures. A good name or reputation allows your firm to attract quality leaders, excellent employees, key customers, and financing.

Proverbs 3:4 tells us that we should desire the favor of both God and Man. We are reminded that a good name is more valuable than great riches (22:1). Ecclesiastes 7:21 explains that a good reputation makes the day of our death even better than the day of our birth. In a business environment in which we demand performance quarterly and where we exchange CEO’s more often than our cars, a good name is a rare commodity.

In recent years I have been reminded that a good name could produce investment returns for many years. A few years ago our marketing firm was looking for key brokers to represent our new product to the nation’s larger retail chains. Our Vice President was interviewing a broker to call on the world’s largest retailer. The broker asked him about the owners of our firm and the Vice President shared my name. The broker immediately volunteered to take our line. He shared that fifteen years ago he had made the worst decision of his career. As the buyer for that same retailer he took away the business from my distribution firm in order to go direct to several manufacturers. Within three months he knew that the decision was wrong. When he went to his boss to change the decision, he was prohibited from doing so because of a company policy to seek to intimidate distributors. He respected our distribution firm and me as leader. He would welcome any opportunity to represent our young firm and would gladly put his reputation on the line for us. When our Vice President shared with me the story I was shocked. We had lost 34% of our business at that time in 1988 and it took us two years to make it up and survive as a firm. That heartache could now give us a new business opportunity, years later, in a different firm because I had maintained a good name. A good name may be working in ways that you are never allowed to see. How is your reputation even with the clients that you have lost?

A few years ago I was speaking to a conference of Korean Christian business leaders from around the world. As I was introduced the first evening, Henry came to my table to introduce himself. He asked if I remembered him, and I could not. He then gave the firms name and I remembered it as one of our suppliers back in the seventies. Henry explained that he was not a believer at that time, but several times a year our firm would use holidays to share Christ in letters and in other ways. Henry could not understand why I would be reaching out and serving our suppliers. My open testimony had a large impact on him as one of the many circumstances that eventually brought him to Christ. He was still in business with different product lines in his same firm. Henry is active today in encouraging other believers in the workplace in the United States and around the world. He asked that he be allowed to give a brief testimony the next day before I spoke. He shared with the conference that I had been living out my faith in the marketplace for over thirty years. His testimony communicated in a way that I could never do through a Korean translator. A good name has a tremendous impact for years. Do your suppliers know about your faith?

A few years ago the employees of a firm that I used to own had a reunion at a local park. Some former employees who now work at firms all over our city put the reunion together. We had sold the firm seven years before, and I left as CEO three years after that. Then the firm was moved to another state. On the day of the reunion 160 people came from several states. Some of the guys came from over five hundred miles away. I was amazed that we had created such a “family” atmosphere that they still wanted to get together and share old times. All afternoon we told stories, laughed, and enjoyed being together. I was reminded that a good name and good experiences cause employees to take pride even in their former employer and co-workers from years ago. Are you giving your employees an experience that they will remember favorable and want to share with their family and co-workers after they are no longer working there? A good name brings co-workers together in a unique family.

When my brothers and I purchased our parents’ firm we had a name that was outdated. “Jack’s Service Company” sounded like a corner service station. We lost our military business within two years and started serving retailers. We retained only three employees and a few small customers. We later grew the firm nearly thirty times in size. The only thing that the name helped us with was with our banker and suppliers. That name and our limited experience in our twenties were about all that we possessed. So, years later we kept the “Jack’s” and added “Distribution” and “Merchandising”. The “Jacks” name became known, within our country’s largest grocery, drug, and discount chains, as one that meant excellence, service, and integrity. Today the name is no longer used, but its reputation remains. So does the reputation of its owners, leadership team, and employees.

In business and in life your name is a treasured possession. Paul writes in I Timothy 3:7 that we should look for leaders with a good reputation with those outside of Christ’s body. Are you a leader who understands what influence that your firms name or your name can have in your community or industry? Do you realize that few of us as leaders or as firms finish well? Our name is something of rare value and we must endeavor to present it to God as one that seeks to glorify Him. What are you doing today to protect and elevate the name on your business card? What is the most valuable asset of your company?

Kent Humphreys www.lifestyleimpact.com Kent@fcci.org http://www.fcci.org/

Labels: Editorials, Kent Humphreys

Continue reading 'A Kingdom Comapny's Most Valuable Asset'

Are you a Christian Business Owner looking for coaching and community with others looking to use their business for Christ? Do you struggle walking the balanace of business and ministry?

• Denver, CO
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Launching Soon:

• Chicago, IL
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Use their New Locator Tool to find a Group Near You

Labels: Convene, Recruitment and Job Opportunities

Continue reading 'Opportunities for Christian Business Owners to Get Involved in Small Groups in Denver, LA, Twin Cities, Chicago and More'

By Chris Widener - President and CEO, MadeForSuccess.com - "Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you." 1 Thessalonians 4:11

Never does the Bible tell us to not be ambitious, but it does tells us five times that selfish ambition is not of God. We demonstrate the character of God in our ambition when we avoid selfish ambition and instead demonstrate selfless ambition. The key is to always be aware of the state of our heart.

Are we ambitious because God has placed a desire in our heart to achieve a dream that glorifies Him? Then we should pursue it with all our hearts! But if we find that there are selfish motives in our ambition, we need to take the time to pray and ask God to show us His grander ambitious plans for our lives. It is our job to wait on God, hear His voice and pursue His ambitious plan.

Point to Ponder

Selfless ambition triumphs over unhealthy ambition every time.

Questions to Consider

1. Are your plans selfish or selfless? Does the very fact that you have made plans necessarily mean that they will be carried out or completed?

2. Are you pursuing a dream or desire that God has placed in your heart that will ultimately glorify Him? How can you surrender your own ambitions and join in God’s plan?

3. Are you demonstrating the character of God in your ambitions? What might be the end result of living a life of selfless ambition?

From Devotional Ventures, © 2007 by Corey CleekPublished by Regal Books. Used by permission. Allrights reserved.

Labels: Chris Widener, Corey Cleek, Devotional, Devotional Ventures

Continue reading 'The Right Kind of Ambition'

By Justin Forman - I live in Dallas, Texas. I'm a part of the leadership team of an organization that doesn't rely upon donations, is self sustaining, it creates jobs for over 100 people, gives them an opportunity to use their passions and skills and has a completely kingdom agenda to glorify God in our office, with our team and with our customers.

Labels: Definitions, Editorials, Sacred and Secular Divide

Continue reading 'The Wrong Definition of Business as Mission. Its not just in the third world ... Its Everywhere.'

Milton Friedman was asked, "How do you make the world a better place?" His reply is instructive for us. "If you want to improve the world, you have to create more capital. While creating nonprofits makes people feel better, the only way to fundamentally improve living conditions is to create more business."

Labels: Editorials, Quotable

Continue reading 'Quotable - "We need businesses the most, we need jobs"'

By Greg Elzinga - The dates are set for the 2009 Partners Worldwide Partnership Summit. This event will take place October 8 - 10 in Grand Rapids, MI. Our events are structured in such a way that in odd-numbered years (2009) we have a smaller event focused on North American business people and in even-numbered years (2010) we have a larger event which draws in business people from over 20-25 countries. The focus of our 2009 Partnership Summit is the following:

• To provide a venue for current Partners Worldwide members to share best practices and lessons learned as they pursue our vision of Business as ministry with for a world without poverty. We are expecting approximately 75 of our current members that are currently engaged in cross cultural partnerships with emerging entrepreneurs in Africa, Asia and Latin America with the goal of creating sustainable employment to help end the cycle of poverty.


• We are also expecting another 75+ people that are interested in learning more about our business ministry and exploring ways that God can use their business skills and experience in global ministry.


• An overarching theme will be the affirmation that God has called them into business. We want to encourage and equip Christian business people to view their "business as their ministry"...whether they are a business owner or employee of a company.

Whether you've been in Business as Mission for years, or looking to get involved this is a great opportunity. For more information and to register, click here .

Labels: Events and Conferences, Greg Elzinga, Partners Worldwide

Continue reading 'National Business as Mission Event in Grand Rapids, Michigan'

By Buck Jacobs Founder & Chairman of the C12 Group - Is there hope for America? Can our slide down the slippery slope to godless secular humanism, greased by relativism, falsely defined tolerance, and self-centered greed be slowed and stopped? Can the impotence of the American Christian church be reversed and can we regain the moral authority and influence we once had and that Jesus Christ surely deserves? No, there is no hope and it won't happen unless...

In 2006 we surveyed our membership that had been a part of our groups for 10 years or more. We found that, not only had they outperformed a comaprable group of typical businesses selected by the Business Roundtable in top and bottom line performance by over at a three to one ratio, but in two of 16 businesses they had recorded over 250 salvations that occurred through business contacts. That is and average of 25 per year or 2 per month! If these businesses had been churches where do you think they would rate against the national average? Do you see 2 per month come to know Christ in your fellowship? Chances are about 95 to 1 you don't. In fact you are more likely not to see ANY in a year based on national statistics, But wait, these are not churches - they are businesses, a construction company and a steel distributor. And they are exceptional only by degree, they have the most but far from the only similar results, and salvations are not the only form of ministry that we see. Employees, customers, vendors, and even competitors are being discipled and placed in local Biblically based congregations across our nation. Profits are given to those in need in the Name above all names in and through these Christ-centered businesses led by Christ-centered leaders. I have observed and participated in this work for 35 years and it is real. But to see it happen requires a basic paradigm shift in the heart and mind of the leader. An eternal prespective must replace contemporary thinking influenced by the world around us, and we must recognize our true identity as Ambassadors for Christ. All of this is happening every day across our nation but will it coalesce quickly enough to make the difference and reverse the downward slide? I don't know, but I believe that we do represent the greatest and perhaps best hope for transformation and renewal we have.

Buck Jacobs is the Founder & Chairman of the C12 Group and a regular contributor to the Business as Mission Network. To learn more about the C12 Group visit www.c12group.com.

Labels: Buck Jacobs, C12 Group, Max Depree

Continue reading 'Is There Hope for America?'

By Lloyd Reeb - Lessons he has learned - Ten Years Into his Second Half - Halftime, by its very nature is a journey. It’s a brand new phenomenon that very few in previous generations experienced, and perhaps that’s why we find it perplexing. So we can learn a lot from our peers who are a few steps ahead of us. Ten years ago Rich Stearns left his post as CEO of Lenox, Inc. to become CEO of World Vision. On his watch millions of poor kids have been impacted. I asked him to unpack for us what he’s been learning since his Halftime transition. “I remember when I got to World Vision I sent Bob Buford a letter saying I could be the poster boy for the Halftime movement (http://www.halftime.org/). I had read his book in 1997 and ended up at World Vision in 1998”

Now Rich has written his own book chronicling his ‘Halftime’ experiences. It’s called: The Hole in Our Gospel. I interviewed Rich about the themes from his book.” I asked Rich to take us back to what was happening in his career at Lenox when he read Bob’s book and what spawned the desire in his heart to be involved in serving the poor?

“I had grown up a relatively poor kid. My parents didn’t go to high school. The fact that I could go to two Ivy League schools was a miracle. So when I got into the corporate world and had early success I couldn’t believe it, it was the American dream come true. I was living a life my parents could have never imagined, and yet I was trying to do it as a follower of Christ, to be a Christian in the work place. I was on church boards, school boards, and the board of Gordon College in my thirties. I thought to myself this is what it’s all about. It was about following the Lord, doing my thing, and never really looking for something deeper or in addition. I was a donor to World Vision, and I said hey I’ll send the check but I don’t need to get involved. I’m too busy. So, when a friend of mine called in 1997 and said that World Vision was looking for a new president, and ‘I think you’re the person that God is preparing for this,’ it was one of those crazy prophesy things. It was that friend, Bill Bryce that sent me a copy of Halftime. He said I’ve got a book I want you to read. I said Bill, I’m not interested in this job, I’m not qualified, I’m not available, I’m doing just fine. If you want to send me a book fine but I’m not going there. I did read the book and found it quite convicting as I kept thinking about the World Vision job. I read it and I thought wow, this is a whole different way of looking at life, looking at your giftedness, and how you might serve the kingdom. I think that’s why Bob’s book resonates with so many people. It was a radical re-thinking of the question ‘what does God expect of us? -- which incidentally is the subtitle of my new book The Hole in Our Gospel. “

Of course, not everyone is called to sell their company/practice or bail from corporate America to take a full time role in a ministry. Many Halftimers partner with organizations like World Vision in non-staff roles. So I asked Rich, “for people who are just starting this journey, and perhaps wish they could do have the impact you are having around the world, how has your view changed of what God has called you to, and what a life of significance looks like?
“First of all, back then I was looking at the decision very much was a pro’s and con’s exercise. Sometimes I use the metaphor of the old show Let’s Make a Deal with Monty Hall. The contestant had won something, maybe a dining room set and a complete set of Lenox china, and Monty Hall says ‘will you trade what you’ve won for what’s behind the curtain?’ And they hem and they haw, and they say well gee I don’t know. There could be a year’s supply of pork-n-beans behind the curtain. I’ve won the dining room set and the china. That’s worth a few grand.

“Well, that’s what it looked like to me. I had won the CEO job, the ten bedroom estate, the Jaguar XK8, the seven figure income, and the earning potential. And here’s the Lord saying will you give all of that away for what’s behind the curtain, and by the way I’m not really going to let you look behind the curtain to see everything you’re going to get. You’ve got to trust me. All I could see is that it was a pay cut; it was give away the home, the CEO title, the Jaguar, move the kids, move the wife, and trust. Then of course I thought, well this is a job I can’t even do. What do I know about World Vision, and I’ll probably get fired in a year, then I’ll be unemployed on top of all of it. The words, “Ye of little faith,” come to mind. From where I sat it seemed to be all about what my family and I had to give up. It wasn’t about looking at what the Lord was going to do. God tells us, I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11)

“I now look back and laugh at myself because what I was clinging to was dross. It was vanity, vanity as Solomon would say, chasing after the wind. What I gained was solid, substantive, spiritually deep, rewarding, relational, and significant. You know there’s a quote from the book of Jonah, “Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.” I came very close to forfeiting the blessings that God had in store. God can’t fill your hands with His blessings if they’re clinging to something else. Those things all of a sudden make sense to me looking back ten years. It has been ten years of tremendous spiritual growth and blessing.

“After ten years I went back to Lenox to see if there was anybody there that still remembered me. They gathered in a conference room, about a dozen people that had been there under my watch, and they told me a story of tears and sadness. There had been five CEO’s since I left, all hired and fired, they had been divested by the parent company, they had been merged, closed five of their six factories, and the people sitting there wore hollow eyed, grim expressions, they’d been through miserable hell in the corporate world.

“I think the Lord was saying do you see what I saved you from? That was what you thought was your safety and security. All that glitters was not gold. Look where I’ve taken you. I shared with them about my life at World Vision, and they literally couldn’t believe it because when I left they all thought it was the most stupid thing they’d ever heard. Some of them admired me but they just shook their head and said who would quit this job to go do that, he’s crazy. At the end of the meeting they said, have you got any job openings? We would love to work for an organization like that. Then three weeks after that meeting I read in the newspaper that Lenox declared bankruptcy and went into Chapter 11. So those were the idols I was clinging to ten years ago.”

One more lesson: There’s one big surprising observation Rich makes that you simply don’t want to miss.

“So many people who were in my position might have felt I should keep my corporate job for the sake of my family. To move my kids, to take that pay cut, to jeopardize the money that might be in their trust fund someday, that’s not fair to them. I think a lot of men and women might use that excuse to say we would do this but we can’t do this to our kids, or a man might say I can’t do this to my wife.

“Neither my wife nor I grew up with money. Her dad was a career military enlisted man, and my parents never went to high school, went bankrupt, and had no money. One day, probably in our thirties or early forties, we realized, oh my gosh, we’re raising rich kids. Our kids are rich kids, and it surprised to us. Everything that goes along with that moniker of ‘rich kids’ – they were kind of spoiled, had a limited world view, pretty self centered, they’d gotten everything they’ve ever wanted. As much as we tried to raise them with understanding the value of a dollar, they’re growing up affluent. “Our transition to World Vision happened very suddenly, and I’ll never forget something my wife Rene said, ‘our kids will remember very little of what we’ve told them about values, but they will never forget what we did. They will never forget that mom and dad nuked their comfortable life, stepped away from that CEO job, turned in that Jaguar, sold that dream house for one reason, to follow Christ.’ She was right; it’s had a profound affect on my kids, and my family in a very, very positive way.”

“Rich has written a new book The Hole in Our Gospel which the Halftime team highly recommends. I asked Rich what he hoped we’d get from the book. “The message of total surrender, that what the Christian faith is about is taking up our cross daily, and completely surrendering our will, our ambition, our money, our time, our treasure and talent and laying it all at the foot of the cross. That’s where God wants to get us, and in some ways it’s only then that the Lord can really take us on a journey of adventure and significance, and joy.”

Labels: Halftime, Lloyd Reeb, Richard Stearns, World Vision

Continue reading 'Rich Stearns, CEO of Lenox China to President of World Vision: Ten years later'

The Group has been a longstanding partner of the Business as Mission Network. Their heart to network Christian CEO's together to inspire and encourage each other to use their business for ministry is a big match with the vision of the network.

C12 is steadily growing (in the process of launching in St. Louis, New England, eastern TN, Las Vegas, Nashville, Miami, Minneapolis, and Columbia SC and coming soon to San Diego and west Chicago.

They are also still looking for some leaders to start groups in Fort Worth and Houston. If you have a passion for business leadership and ministry, check visit http://www.c12group.com/.

Labels: C12 Group, Don Barefoot

Continue reading 'Business as Mission Groups Starting in St. Louis, New England, Las Vegas, Nashville, Miami and More'

Labels: Jonathan Shibley, Marketplace Memos, Quotable

Continue reading 'Quotable: A truly succesful life is measured by ...'

By Buck Jacobs, the Founder and Chairman of the C12 Group - My wife Bonnie and I recently returned from a trip to Ongole, India, where the Lord provided for us to be used to build two Church / Orpahanage buildings for two growing Indian congregations. It was a short visit but I came away with an insight that made very real to me something that had been shared with me by my friend Dennis Peacocke years ago. It has to do with the difference between “wealth” and “riches.”

Let me give you an example. Before the opportunity to fund the buildings came to us I had an IRA. In reality it was just a bunch of numbers on paper that I received regularly from my broker. It was a bit interesting to watch the numbers go up and down with the value of the stocks but it had no real value to me or to anyone else. I exchanged some of the numbers on paper for two buildings in India that will serve Christian believers and orphans for years to come and was privileged to see and share in the joy and hope in the lives of others that I had never met and who could never repay me (nor should they have to). As we celebrated God’s goodness together in dedicating the buildings to His glory and purpose we shared in His wealth, even though there were no riches to be seen. Riches can be exchanged for wealth, wealth never can be exchanged for riches.

The numbers on the paper meant so very little to me, or to anyone else, but the exchange we made is eternal. Matt 6:19-21

Buck Jacobs is the Founder & Chairman of the C12 Group and a regular contributor to the Business as Mission Network. To learn more about the C12 Group visit www.c12group.com.

Labels: Buck Jacobs, C12 Group, Wealth

Continue reading 'Thoughts on “Wealth” vs “Riches”'

By Mark McClain - CFO, SailPoint Technologies - "Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ." 2 Corinthians 9:13

Three things have always struck me about this story. First, the boss provides almost no concrete direction to the managers. He simply provides them with resources and then lets them use their abilities and talents to provide the best results they can.

Second, he doesn’t provide each manager with the same amount, which seems to imply that he already suspects that different members of his team have different abilities.

Third, although the CEO gives the second manager less, he provides the same level of commendation to him as he does to the first manager, because both of them doubled his investment.

It strikes me that we can learn a great deal about effective management from this story. In fact, the story provides us with great insight into both the management of our own God-given resources and the management of the resources He provides to us in business, especially human resources.

God doesn’t micromanage us, and He doesn’t want us to micromanage others. He expects us to honestly assess ourselves and those under our direction to maximize the Kingdom impact of what we have been given.

Far too often as leaders, we don’t allow people to use their creativity and initiative to solve problems. We need to let people show us what they can do with what we entrust to them, just as God expects that of us.

God also shows us through this story that we shouldn’t show favoritism when showering praise. We need to remember the same rule we were taught as children playing sports or learning an instrument: Do your best.

Of course, we have to recognize those who are more gifted and generally give them more responsibility. But we should never forget the importance of praising each and every person who does the absolute best with what he or she has been given.

Nothing is more motivating to a worker than to hear “well done!” God has entrusted each of us with so much. May we all strive to consistently deliver a great “return” on His investment in us.

Point to Ponder

God provides each of us with different abilities but expects us to make the most of what we’ve been given.

Questions to Consider

1. Are you a good manager of the resources, both personal and professional, that God has given to you?

2. How are you making the most of the gifts, abilities and resources that God has given to you?

3. How are you praising others at work as they learn to manage their own talents?

From Devotional Ventures, © 2007 by Corey CleekPublished by Regal Books. Used by permission. Allrights reserved.

Labels: Corey Cleek, Devotional, Devotional Ventures, Mark McClain

Continue reading 'Managing Your Talents'

by Kent Humphreys - Daniel is my favorite Bible character. He was taken from his home country at about 14 years of age and went on to be one of the most influential leaders in Babylon over the next seventy years. A few weeks ago in Hong Kong I was able to spend time with a modern day Daniel who does business in the countries of Central Asia. Daniel’s father was a pastor in India back in the 1960’s, and before Daniel was born his father believed that Daniel would be a pastor in Russia. During his teenage years Daniel struggled in his faith and wandered away from his Christian heritage. About the age of 18 years he returned to walking with God. Then Daniel began to learn the Russian language in the university. But, as he got ready to graduate from college, the chaos occurred and the walls of the Soviet Union came down. In 1993 Daniel showed up in Central Asia and went to work for a large software firm as a marketing agent. He had no business training but adapted well and made many friends. For the next two or three years Daniel worked very hard and traveled twenty five days a month throughout the region of Central Asia.

Daniel was promoted three times because of his marketing and sales success. Finally in 1996, he was offered a move to Africa to head up a new office in Uganda. Daniel turned down the great financial offer because he felt called to Central Asia. For a year he worked for a financial services firm and tried to help a local church make up a fake platform for business. He spent a year on a church staff thinking that it was how he was going to serve God. Some ladies in his church began to pray and had a vision that Daniel would go into business and bring wealth to the nations. A pastor from Singapore met Daniel and told Daniel that God had called him to be a minister to the marketplace. Daniel had saved $60,000 from his earnings and started a trading business. His firm packaged and branded tea from India and grew a very successful business in just a few years. But, in 1999 the currency was devalued 50% and his savings were gone. While his inventory was devalued, he still owed his vendors over $500,000 and did not want to go bankrupt and hurt his trusted vendors. So, just as he got married, he was suddenly in deep debt for the next two years. His office was robbed, his key employee stole from him, and the KGB raided his facility. He could not even work for four months. Finally, the church in Singapore called him to come to Singapore. On a Sunday in Singapore, 12,000 members of the church gathered to lay hands on Daniel and pray for his business back in central Asia.

In 2000, Daniel started a new business in the Oil and Gas industry. He met with a firm in London and began to try to sell the 100,000 items in their CD catalog. For days Daniel called on perspective clients back in Central Asia. Finally, one night at 7:30pm he met a guy on the street who suggested that he visit an office in a basement of a certain office building. There Daniel met the key executive of a firm which would spend $4 billion on an oil and gas project over the next few years. After he saw Daniel’s CD, he asked Daniel if he really knew anything about all of these products. Daniel sadly admitted his ignorance. The man promised Daniel that if he would be a faithful supplier, that the executive would send key suppliers to Daniel to sell through Daniel as a distributor to his firm. He gave Daniel an initial order for $2,000. He had a huge project and needed distributors that he could trust. For some reason he felt Daniel could be one of those faithful distributors. This late night divine appointment changed the future of Daniel’s life and business.

Daniel’s business started with that small order and began to grow. It has doubled most years over this decade. Daniel’s oil and gas product distribution firm now has offices in fourteen nations across Central Asia employing 400 employees. In a Muslim nation where Christians are often discriminated against, Daniel has such an important business in the community and such a good reputation for service and integrity, that they can not make threats to him. He is respected by the top governmental and business leaders. Daniel’s business has started two schools and two children’s homes. By the way, the key executive that befriended Daniel back in 2000 had a heart attack a couple of years ago. Through the episode Daniel was able to lead his friend to Christ.

Daniel was named the “business person of the year” in 2006 for Kazakhstan and in 2007 began pasturing a church part time. He spends one day a week in the church besides Sunday and the rest of the time in the business. Understand that these nations are among the most unreached for Christ. Less than one percent of the population is considered evangelical. Daniel is an example of God’s grace. His story is how one man with the anointing of God on his life, the prayers of a supporting church, the provision of Divine appointments, combined with the hard work and courage to overcome continual difficulties works together to bring glory to Jesus Christ in the midst of atheistic nations. In some of the most “closed countries” to the Gospel in the world, Daniel regularly meets and does business with government and business leaders in the oil industry. He is a modern day Daniel in the secular nations of Central Asia. Check out Daniel’s company Gateway Ventures at http://www.gvcal.com/. Daniel is a business leader doing Business as Mission for the Lord Jesus Christ.

Kent is the longtime leader of Fellowship of Companies for Christ International, a great group that is looking to connect business and ministry together. If you haven't checked it out already, be sure to visit their website by clicking here.

Labels: Case Studies, Kent Humphreys

Continue reading '14 Nations, 400 Employees and Business as Mission in a Muslim Nation - The Story of a Modern Day Daniel'

God Is at Work describes the emerging business-as-missions movement in which Christians are meeting significant spiritual and economic needs in the developing world.

Labels: Books and Articles, God is at Work, Ken Eldred

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