And instantly a whole line of thinking appeared.  That’s the way it works for me with God.  I used to think I didn’t hear His voice much. I still don’t actually hear much in the still, quiet places with Him.   Then I learned something big.  Telling God when and how He should speak to us just does not work. When I finally stopped using that approach and let Him teach me I learned some fascinating things about hearing God:

1. The Prayer of Silence is different than the Prayer of Petition (you know that one – where we tell God what to do:)
2. The Prayer of Silence is to simply enjoy His company and share with Him how thankful and happy we are to be His (I used to do very little of this type).
3. Basics of the Prayer of Silence:
   1. Start with Thanksgiving and Gratitude
   2. Spend time Praising Him
   3. Let Him decide when and how to show up – be okay with whatever He decides
   4. Give Him all the Glory for ALL my life
   5. Relax and enjoy Him

Then I noticed something interesting.  I usually get “God Thought’s” as I walk not while I am practicing the Prayer of Silence. Which brings me back to my story.

I am nursing a hurt and a God thought shows up.  I realize this is the question for all of  the challenges in my life.  Will I choose to let them make me more like Jesus (a challenging thing to do particularly in the more personal problems) or more like the world.

I find the more I choose the former the more at peace my life becomes.

Believing God is active in your life!

Mark

And when I ask what they do in these busy times to keep the Word of God and Spirit of God in the middle of their business they don’t have an answer.

As I have pondered this I felt God teaching me something.  The difficult times of the last five years have caused many of us to positively reexamine our priorities and the role God plays in our businesses.  I have seen substantial shifts in business owners letting God “Own” their businesses.  But we seem to be anxious to jump back into the Ownership role when abundance returns.  Is it possible that too much business can actually be destructive to our God relationship as business owners?

This dilemma creates a problem for God.  If He pours out prosperity on us we disconnect from Him because of our busy-ness.  If we disconnect He can’t count on us to use those blessings for His purposes.  So He has to wait until we learn the lesson before He can pour out what He truly desires.

If you are reading this your desire is to grow into a Kingdom Centered Business Owner.  Beware of the trap of prosperity. If it draws us away from God there is only so much He can give us.  If prosperity draws us closer to Him then the blessings can flow.

NOW is the time to work through this dilemma.  It is IMPERATIVE that we learn to successfully bring in the harvest while staying in rhythm with God.  God’s plan is to use the Kingdom Centered Business Owners to change our culture for Jesus Christ.  Impacting our culture often means using significant amounts of money for His purposes.  Are we ready for the pressures that come with large amounts of money?

I agree, the first mandate of the Christian business owner is to build and steward such a Christ Centered culture.  And it requires continual stewardship.  And it can take a long time to mature. And it is very good when it is functioning properly.  And then what?

This is the question many successful business owners struggle with.  They understand their job is to build a company with Integrity, representing Christ well, running the business profitably and reaping the ensuing profits.  When this finally manifests (if it ever does) the business owner takes a breath, often backs off the throttled to enjoy life more and then says “now what”?  And the ones I talk to overwhelming say “I have no idea”.

I believe the answer is a second mandate.  The mandate to utilize the business we have built, with its culture, resources and finances and go influence the 7 Mountains of our Culture.  This mandate asks us to look to God for how He would have us use our business to influence the ungodly area(s) of our culture. To look forward with God to how we can use the influence Godly and worldly success has given us to impact areas outside of our customers, vendors and employees.

In the 7 Mountains Strategy espoused by Loren Cunningham, Bill Bright, Lance Wallnau, Oz Hillman and others our job as Christians is to redeem the world around us.  The interesting point is that the most effective way to do this is from the Mountain of Business because this is where all the resources and financing emanate. I encourage you to watch the video link for a more thorough explanation.

So the two biblical mandates for the Christian business owner are:

1. Build and Steward a Christ Centered business culture
2. Once built use the business culture to go influence other areas of culture as led by God.

That begs the obvious question of how we prepare ourselves to do this.  More on that next time.

Mark

When I reminded this person that we are commanded to pray for our leaders (1 Timothy 2:1-2) he was appalled at the thought and said so vocally.  Something about “how could I ask him to do such a thing”.  As we talked the Holy Spirit showed up and showed us some important stuff.  Namely that the facts (NOT Truths) of our current difficult situation are being used by the enemy to drive wedges between Christians and between Christians and the world.  And these wedges are creating strife and discord that are actually fueling Satan’s purposes.

Do we truly believe “Love never fails” (I Corinthian 13:8)?  If we do, then why are we getting so caught up in complaining, attacking and bad mouthing our government?   Don’t get me wrong, I don’t agree with much of what is coming out of Washington DC BUT I do believe that my God is more than enough and that by “doing” His word (praying for the government) and loving my fellow man as we are commanded (John 13:34-35) that we provide the best opportunity for God to use us to impact those around us and through that change our world.

So let’s quit trash talking our government, pray for them and walk as the world changers God has made us to be!

While meeting with a friend of mine (Doug Cunningham) Friday for coffee, God showed up and taught me a great Truth (at least a great Truth for me).  The Truth is that growing into the person God has called us to be is simply a matter of experiencing and learning from the Touch Stones God has laid out for us.  The revelation is that IT DOES NOT MATTER WHAT ORDER WE TOUCH THEM IN.  In other words I am never a head of or behind any person I work with.  I have experienced different Touch Stones and learned different things and while that is valuable it does not make be better, more mature, more spiritual etc.

The power in this thought lies in being free from the tyranny of linear growth.  We can be Transformed.  We can stop looking at our coaches/mentors/models assuming we can never “achieve” their results.  We can simply glean from their experience and wisdom, joining it with our Touch Stones and rocket into being who God has called and equipped us to be.  Let’s stop spending time trying to get the “order of growth” right and simply experience all we can, learn from those experiences using a God context and Trust God to Transform us as we “do our part”.

1. God Intersections – the concept that as we turn over responsibility for our life and business to God, He will lead us by the Intersections He creates on the journey
2. Cooperative Capitalism – the idea that we can positively impact the marketplace by building communities of capitalists built on a foundation of Trust, shared values and a common purpose (which includes but is not limited to profit)
3. Poland – the God Intersection with Gabe Phillips of www.WorldVenture.com that is providing the opportunity to share God, Cooperative Capitalism and Truth@Work with business owners in Poland.

The reason for my note is to share with you that the intersection of the above three highlights has been consummated in the form of a marketplace mission’s trip to Poland. As a matter of fact, as you read this note Gabe, myself and Glen Reiley will be on our way to Poland to share God, Cooperative Capitalism and entrepreneurship with Polish business leaders. We really have no idea what to expect from the trip. We have half a dozen meetings set up, reservations in Poznan, Warsaw and Krakow and little else. We go with the assurance of the living God that He has a purpose for our visit.

We ask your prayers and thoughts over the next week or so, not so much for our safety and comfort as for the ability to see the God Intersections He will create during the trip. I have never been this far out on the limb of life with just God. While it certainly feels strange it also feels really right. Like this is the way I am supposed to go.

Thanks for reading.

It is much easier to apply the Heart of God to our customers than to our suppliers and employees and even families. We naturally understand the importance of treating our customers with fairness, respect, kindness, honesty, generosity, supportiveness or however you define God’s heart.  Any experienced business owner will tell you how important it is to treat your customers “right”.

But what about our suppliers and employees?  How important is it to treat them fairly, respectfully, with kindness, honesty, generosity and support?  Do we apply the same standard to customers AND employees and suppliers?  To everyone?

Just what are our obligations to these three constituencies?  The Bible is clear, we are to treat everyone with the same standards.  Not only that, we also have an obligation to pay employees a fair wage and prefer our suppliers.

What, we say, that is impossible!  Particularly in today’s economy.  What about when there is not enough money to go around?  Who gets paid then?  Or when my competition is pricing things so cheaply that I can’t afford to pay a fair wage.  Or I’ll pay my suppliers after I get paid.  Or I’ll have to borrow money to pay my expenses. Or, or, or…..

These decisions all tie back to the central question: Whose Business is it Any Way?  Mine or God’s?

If it is truly God’s business then He is responsible for the results.  We are responsible for our actions.

My Current Best Thinking regarding the effective stewardship of God’s business is that it is a journey.  What is right for this time in our growth as business owners might be different tomorrow.  The goal is to consistently apply the heart of God to the best of our knowledge and ability, while being the best steward possible today.

Let me tell you a story.  I have a client who has owned his business for 22 years.  In the course of those years he has had good times and bad.  He has had an employee steal customers, partners steal money and customers love him.  But he has always consistently applied God’s Heart (using his Current Best Thinking) to his business.  In the last two years he has seen revenue’s drop and competition do some “unfair” things.  But he never wavered in action.  He had doubts and thoughts and we had lots of conversations but he never wavered in ACTIONS regarding God’s heart.  He even took half salary on months when the cash flow was low and employees needed to be paid.  He has paid me rather than take a full salary.

The results, the last 90 days have been the best in over 5 years.  His cash flow has doubled.  He is on track to exceed his 2013 goals in 2011!  He has other companies interested in purchasing his business.

Great story, right?  But I promise you that even without those results, his behavior would not have changed.  If things had continued their decline he would have gracefully and Godly dissolved the business and looked for God’s next Intersection.  He is living God’s blessings.

So be encouraged.  Apply God’s Heart EVERY DAY in your business, do your best and enjoy the journey.  You are on your road to discovering God’s destiny.  It is a great place to live.

One of those Intersections was last week when I spent a couple of hours with a new client (Andrew Pinch of www.dandlpress.com ) for our first coaching session.  Andrew was sharing his goals, challenges and vision for the future, basic questions I discuss with all of my clients, when God showed up (or more specifically a God Idea showed up).  We were talking about the reason Andrew’s grandfather had started D & L Press 50 years ago and how the consistent application of that purpose had produced the company that stands today (they grew 80% last year).

I found myself saying “The blessings of God ALWAYS follow the consistent application of God’s heart in our businesses”. As soon as the words left my mouth I knew they from Him and told Andrew so.  We discussed the statement for a minute agreeing it was a God Idea and moved on to finish our session.

But I have been pondering and sharing that statement for over a week.  What does it mean to “consistently apply God’s heart in our businesses”?  I believe it means to build a company culture that represents God’s heart and values and to “DO” that culture EVERY DAY.  Company cultures that represent God’s heart have a Purpose, Vision and Core Values that align with God and His word.  I have found these types of cultures to be truly High Performance Cultures.

But being able to create and talk about your culture is much easier than APPLYING it.  Creating these words in a meaningful way is a process all to itself (it usually takes 6 months to a year with my clients) but applying them is where it really gets challenging.

I have found several keys to success when it comes to applying them:

1. Discipline yourself to WRITE DOWN your Purpose, Vision and Core Values
2. Share your values with people EVERY WEEK
3. Engage a small group of trusted folks to account and encourage you.

The best part is that after 3 years of doing my best I can now see His blessings in my life in a whole new way.  People calling I haven’t heard from in a year saying “you made a huge impact”.  New clients from out of the blue.  Opportunities to speak in places I can’t imagine (looks like I will be headed to Poland in May).  And a deep sense that a purpose bigger than I can see is unfolding.

So take a minute and use your Current Best Thinking to define your culture or PPP (Passion, Principles and Purpose} as my friend Kyle Morgan calls it (www.kylemorgan.me).  Consistently apply your PPP in your business and watch God work.  You will be amazed.

And remember to enjoy the journey!

Why don’t more businesses achieve their dreams and goals?

I believe there are at least three significant factors that are required to build the business of our dreams and the associated goals.

1) Skills – certain skill sets are required to be a successful business owner.  Skills surrounding serving and finding customers and skills required to operate and innovate our businesses.  Leadership and management skills fall in this category.  As an example, if you are a carpet cleaner you need to skillfully clean carpets, effectively find the next customer and invoice and collect from them.
2) Vision and Goals – in business as in life it is critical that we write down and regularly review where we are headed.  Things like:

• Why we do what we do
• What we want our business to look like in the future
• SMART Goals
• Identifying the core values of our business

3) Self-Belief – this is our sub-conscious silently telling us what we can or cannot achieve and what we are or are not worthy to accomplish.   This is the more difficult area to change.

If you lack the Skills (#1 above) to manage and execute you business find a model or coach to help.  Contact a successful business owner doing what you do and ask his help.  You will be surprised by their positive response.

If you lack clarity of purpose, vision, goals or values (#2 above), simply sit down and start writing.  Print what you have written and look at it at least monthly.  If you need a template to start your effort, email me and I will send you ours.

If Self-belief (#3 above) is the problem, that is a little more difficult to address.  First, because it is usually difficult for us to see.  Secondly, if we do see it, how do we change it?  Our Forum’s deploy one approach to positively impacting self-belief.  YOUR SELF-BELIEF IMPROVES when you regularly execute Vital Activities that are aligned to an important Goal that is aligned to your Vision and Purpose in a 100% encouraging environment (think small group).

The start of a new year is a great time to look at our dreams and goals.  Take a minute to assess which of these three areas is the biggest hindrance to your success in 2011 and DO ONE THING TO CHANGE IT.

If I can help please don’t hesitate to contact me.  That is what I do!

1. Focus on growing your businesses and helping other’s grow theirs
2. Willingness to practice  transparency
3. Willingness to engage the Business Purpose and Vision of the Community
4. Willingness to abide by a consistent set of Community Organizational Principles
5. Interest in developing and living in a Community of Trust.

The foundational thought of Cooperative Capitalism is collaboration.  I don’t think I have ever met anyone who said they were AGAINST collaboration.  But when we actually sit down and give it a wing it rarely works out.  Why is that?  I believe there are at least 4 difficulties in effective collaboration:

1. Lack of agreement on the ground rules for the Community – I call them Operational Principles.  They are the Purpose, Vision, Core Values, Senior Organizing Goal, Roles and Principles of Behavior for ALL Community members.  Discuss them, haggle over them BUT gain concurrence.  Then have EVERYONE sign the Operational Principles document
2. Engaging too many businesses up front.  Start with a minimum of 3 but no more than 5 businesses in the original group.  Too many cooks in the kitchen means you struggle to find consensus and an even more difficult time enforcing it
3. Good intentions, poor execution.  We love to talk about collaborating but we rarely lay out clear actions, responsible parties and due dates for Community work
4. Unwillingness to have the difficult conversations. Due to the lack of a hierarchical leader of the Community, resolving the day to day disputes that arise requires Community members to regularly have tough conversations.  And to have them in an encouraging manner.  My experience is that having these types of conversations regularly is almost impossible for the vast majority of people.

The most effective way to overcome these challenges is to engage an impartial third party to guide and facilitate the process.  Someone whose belly button is not engaged in the decisions or outcomes of the Community.  This facilitator can obviously help set up items 1, 2 and 3 above but that is NOT their real value.  The real value lies in the moderation of the regular gatherings of the Community.  The purpose of these gatherings is to:

1. Review the quality and timeliness of the tasks assigned to Community members
2. Determine new tasks that need assigning based on new business the Community has closed
3. Work through the “disconnects” that have occurred since the last meeting.  Balls that have been dropped, innuendo among members, behavior that doesn’t fit the Core Values or Purpose etc.

We recommend these meetings occur twice a month – once face to face and once over the internet.  If done effectively over time we have the start of a REAL Cooperative Capitalistic Community.

Be patient.  Trust takes time.

More later…..