Strategies@work Podcast

You prosper in a depression by recognizing that it is an opportunity to increase your true wealth. God is in charge of His universe. He is not surprised by calamity, rather He ordains calamity as a vehicle to prosper us by enabling us to grow in true riches. Therefore don’t be distracted by economic calamity. Don’t buy into the fear, gloom, and doom that are so prevalent. Face reality knowing that this is an opportunity to prosper by seeking the Lord for wisdom to navigate these challenging financial times. You will emerge on the other side more prosperous than ever because you will gain more wisdom—true riches—as to how to live well in God’s universe.

Gleanings - February 2009

Invest money to discover and fulfill the will of God for your life and your organization. Encourage everyone in your sphere of influence to obey the Lord and therefore grow in wisdom. Invest in people who are seeking to obey the Lord, as they are the ones who will gain wisdom. Never let money stand in the way of your obedience to God’s will and your faithfulness to His values and principles. Be willing to sacrifice money to what is right. Always denominate success in terms of obedience to God. This will lead to wisdom — true riches and lasting success.

Gleanings - January 2009

Gleanings - December 2008

There are only two ways to build an organization—either you build monuments to yourself or you build sons. You glorify God by building sons who will continue the legacy of the organization after you are gone. Therefore succession planning is a vital strategy for the long-term success of your organization.

Gleanings - November 2008

In recent years, many Christians have stated that the workplace will be the venue for the next move of God. A by-product of this focus is a concept known as “integrating faith and work,” which implies that work can exist independent of faith. The concept of integrating faith and work is not explicitly found in the Bible; hence, we don’t have a clear biblical definition. Furthermore, as far as I know, no prominent theologian has offered even a biblically inferred definition. So the question is, what does the phrase mean?

Gleanings - October 2008

Obedience is about discerning and doing the will of God. This should be the focus of every organization (James 4:13—17). And every organization should build disciples who are personally discerning and doing the will of God in their individual lives. These disciples will then enable the organization to fulfill its mission. This is how great organizations are built and God is glorified.

Gleanings - September 2008

If Jesus is the model for excellent workers, employers should look for people who work like Jesus. Finding someone who works as Jesus did is very difficult. If you can’t hire people who work from a biblical worldview, you must train them.

Gleanings - August 2008

Developing a successful career is challenging. Whether you are a business owner or an employee, there are obstacles at every turn. Hence, everyone needs wisdom to discern the intricacies of career management. This month I am pleased to offer a special presentation of the C4 principle by my friend Stu Schlackman. This message was given at the baccalaureate service for Dallas Christian College in May 2008. Enjoy!

Gleanings - July 2008

In Colossians 3:17, the apostle Paul gave us a mandate for business standards. Paul was saying that whatever you say or do in life, including work, should reflect the values that Christ embraced. In other words, we should be incarnating Christ’s values.

Gleanings - June 2008

Everyone wants to enjoy success and prosperity in life. The question is how. What is the secret? Is it hard work or networking or a great idea or a rich relative or so called ‘luck’ or all of these or a combination of these —or something else?

Gleanings - May 2008

For most people the purpose of Christianity is to insure that they will not go to hell. Apart from this, many do not see much purpose. Certainly, it is difficult to see much connection between Christianity on Sunday and work during the rest of the week. At best, Christians believe that they should be ethical in the workplace and, when possible, share their faith. Is this the only connection between faith and work?