This week we’re discussing the struggle some have over their business flourishing economically. A philosophy around since the first century claims that poverty is good for all. Material possessions were considered bad. Although some leaders are called to poverty, we cannot assume that to be true for all. Material possessions are not the problem. The motivations we have for acquiring ...
A friend is concerned that his business partner may leave their business soon, primarily because of his partner’s ingrained belief that building wealth is bad. His partner’s fears have surfaced due to rapid growth in their business. The belief that material possessions are bad has caused many to stumble since the first century church. Although the Bible can be used ...
In 1903, Mary Anderson patented the first windshield wiper. When Mary tried to sell the rights to her invention, however, the prospective buyer saw no value in her invention. In 1920, her patent rights expired. Cadillac then began using her invention, which led to the rest of the car industry following suit. Mary sowed seeds towards our gain. In John ...
One movie I’ve enjoyed watching multiple times is “Groundhog Day.” Phil Connors, played by Bill Murray, is a mean-spirited, egocentric, malcontented reporter who has been forced to cover the annual Groundhog Day ceremony in Pennsylvania. Caught in a time-loop, Connors relives Groundhog Day over and over again. At first, he exploits his knowledge of what will happen for personal gain. ...
When President Trump signed the recent tax reform bill, many businesses had an immediate response. Some gave bonuses or raises to their employees, some donated millions to charity, and some businesses passed it along to shareholders. Most of us will also receive a windfall this month in our paycheck. With a windfall, we have a choice as to how we ...
This week we’re discussing some of the causes of conflict in today’s workplace. One of those causes is greed. Years ago, I helped a contractor establish a bonus plan for their branch locations. The bonus plan worked fine and everyone played by the rules except for one manager. He became greedy and manipulated the numbers to increase his part of ...
Two researchers from Harvard Business school reported in the Wall Street Journal about a study they completed on “happiness.” According to Grant Donnelly and Michael Norton, their study focused specifically on wealth and happiness in millionaires. They surveyed over 4,000 millionaires to determine if increased wealth brings happiness and if their happiness was impacted by whether the wealth was earned ...
Early in our Christian journey, Kathy and I were rationalizing away any thought of increasing our giving. Then God began convicting us. So, Kathy and I made a commitment to increase our giving to 10%, which was a stretch. Then God decided to test our commitment. Soon thereafter, Kathy quit her nursing job to care for our son. Increasing our ...
One of the joys of nonprofit work is to see God working through generous people. Many years ago, Luke was in town and asked to have lunch. During lunch, Luke asked, “How many miles does your car have?” When I replied, “160,000,” Luke said, “Rick, meeting with influential business leaders, you should drive something nicer. Fly to Texas, and I’ll ...
Many people pursue wealth at the expense of relationships with family and friends. Why is that? I think it’s because, Money appears easier to achieve than healthy relationships, and We mistakenly think money will insulate us and give us the upper hand when we have relationship problems. Proverbs 23 teaches, “Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich. Be wise ...
Equipping Others to Do Work Differently
