When I was a new Christian, I struggled with choosing between pleasing friends or pleasing God. A pivotal moment came when my drunken peers at Graduate School of Banking decided their mission was to get me to a strip bar. The Holy Spirit convicted me to take a stand. I told them, “No,” and locked myself in the restaurant bathroom ...
In the book, “The CEO Next Door,” the authors did a deep-dive on survey data to determine what attributes surfaced for successful CEOs. Their findings debunked several CEO Myths. One of the myths was, “to become a CEO you need a flawless resume.” Instead, these researchers discovered that 45% of CEO candidates had at least one major career blowup that ...
My prayers were leading me towards exiting banking to teach business leaders to integrate their faith into their business practices, but I had doubts. God knew I needed affirmation. So, God sent a bank customer who owned a heating and air business. With “Christian-owned business” embroidered on his shirt, this man cussed profusely as he proceeded to tell me about ...
While walking in downtown Springfield Illinois, Kathy and I were stopped by a very articulate man. He shared how he was on staff with a well-known ministry visiting Springfield for a conference with his family. This middle-aged man claimed that his keys were locked in his car, and that he was $11 short in paying the locksmith. Kathy recommended that ...
According to the Wall Street Journal, William Voge, the chairman of a large law firm and a Christian businessmen’s ministry board member, became entangled in a tragic story. Mr. Voge was asked to negotiate a sex scandal involving the founder of the businessmen’s ministry and Andrea Vassell. This action strangely led to Voge and Miss Vassell having a “sexting” relationship, ...
In the book, “How to Win Friends and Influence People,” the opening chapter drives home that many people think they’re faultless. Dale Carnegie gives the story of “Two Gun Crowley” as an example. Crowley had been parking with his girlfriend when a policeman approached. Crowley shot the police officer. Then used the officer’s gun to shoot him again. Later, while ...
A Chief Financial Officer of a well-known organization in his community called to seek my counsel. He had recently discovered that a past employee had embezzled a significant sum of money. When the facts were presented to the board, the board was divided on whether to prosecute. The most “influential group” was leaning towards keeping the theft secret to protect ...
When I was a loan officer, a man pulled up in a new Mercedes, was dressed very flashy, and was wearing lots of expensive jewelry. Afterwards, my assistant said, “That man looks very wealthy. Why does he need to borrow money?” I told her, “Like they say in Texas, he’s all hat and no cattle.” His Mercedes was about to ...
My friend, Phil, isn’t proud of it, but admits that occasionally he lies to avoid confrontation, to protect someone’s feelings, and/or to cover forgetfulness or errors. For many of us, lying happens without thinking. Some call them “white lies.” Proverbs 6:16-19 says. “There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands ...
Recently, I spent three days serving as a juror. One lesson I learned is the importance of restitution. During the jury deliberation the jury struggled with how to assess an amount for the intangible value of “pain and suffering.” In Numbers 5, God told Moses, “Any man or woman who wrongs another in any way, and so is unfaithful to the Lord, is guilty and ...
Equipping Others to Do Work Differently
