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 ...
Recently, I spent three days serving as a juror on a personal injury case. There were many lessons learned that I would like to share. One lesson I learned is that justice doesn’t always prevail in the courtroom. My naïve belief going into jury deliberations was that twelve reasonable people would come out with a fair and impartial verdict. That ...
Recently, I learned several lessons as I spent three days as a juror. The first lesson is how differently people can view the same set of facts. The defendant had run a red light, then crashed into the plaintiff’s car. The plaintiff’s car was “totaled,” and, she racked up $107,000 in emergency room and subsequent medical bills. Her request for ...
Equipping Others to Do Work Differently
