Years ago, my wife, Kathy, and I interviewed Sheri, a high school coach, about her faith at work experiences. We discussed several students whom she loved despite their past poor decisions. Kathy asked Sheri, “How hard is it to love these kids when they make such poor choices?” Sheri’s response was profound. “I’ve learned,” she replied, “that I don’t have ...
An executive of a financial organization shared with me recently that his company’s CEO, and most of his executive team, are Christians. But anytime my friend has encouraged the Executive team to be more forward with their Christian values his ideas get dismissed. Fear of getting sued, or a fear of upsetting employees or customers, causes many to shy away ...
In President Ronald Reagan’s autobiography, he shares a story about his college football days. Before a big game, President Reagan’s football coach asked the team if they prayed. Out of fear that he would be ridiculed by his peers, Reagan did not admit that he was someone who prayed, even though he did regularly. Reagan was surprised when every teammate ...
Harvard Professor, Arthur Brooks, points to four pillars of happiness that include faith, family, friendship, and work that serves others. Regarding faith, Professor Brooks says, “A religious, spiritual, or even philosophical outlook allows us to transcend the self and see the bigger picture, admitting our smallness in the grand scheme of things and reminding ourselves that life is more ...
In a Christianpost.com article, Michael A. Youssef, pastor of Church of the Apostles, emphasized that a Lifeway study reveals that 53% of Protestant church goers admit that many who know them do not know that they are Christians. Pastor Youssef highlights that “a silent Christian is not a neutral Christian; a silent Christian is a weakened witness. Because truth that is never spoken will eventually become truth that is never seen.” If we go to work with ...
Florence Chadwick’s 1952 effort to swim from Catalina Island to the California coast is a favorite motivational story. The day was so foggy she could barely see the boats that accompanied her. Exhausted after swimming for more than 15 hours, unable to see her destination, she gave up. She learned later that she was less than half a mile from the coast. She told reporters, “All I could see was the fog… I ...
Lifeway, a Christian publishing organization, performs a research study called Living Unashamed. In their recent study, they asked Protestant churchgoers whether they agreed with the statement, “Many people who know me are not aware I am a Christian.” In 2013, 14% of polled churchgoers strongly agreed that others wouldn’t know them as Christians. Unfortunately, that number has now dramatically increased to 30%. Protestant Churchgoers have more than doubled in hiding their faith. In Matthew 10:32, Jesus ...
One of my favorite movies is Rocky. There’s something about seeing a resilient underdog who keeps getting up and fighting even when it doesn’t make sense. In business, there are times when you may feel like you’ve been beaten like Rocky Balboa. Then, just as you struggle to get back up, you get punched again. Many will give up the ...
As we celebrate our nation’s 250th anniversary, I’m highlighting some foundational pillars for business that our Founding Fathers established. The final pillar for our discussion is religious freedom. Centralized control over ideas was not uncommon to our Founders. From the beginning, freedom was a driving force behind many of our forefathers coming to America. The first amendment to the Constitution ...
Brooke Rollins, the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, was recently sued by some employees because of the content of an Easter message she sent to her staff. Her email discussed Jesus’ resurrection as being the foundation of our faith. The offended employees claim that this was government-sponsored religious coercion. This case will likely be a significant test of how far the ...
Equipping Others to Do Work Differently
