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Chris Patton

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Does God Only Speak Through The Bible?

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I recently posted about my quiet time process and how it occasionally needs an overhaul. I listed the materials I am currently using in this process. I also included a timer that helps me stay on track. I got some good feedback from that post, but I had one reader question the materials I listed in that post.

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Is The Bible Our Only Source?

Her approach was very professional and considerate. She simply stated that she feels the Bible is the best and only proper component for use in a quiet time for building one’s relationship with God through Christ. She made some very good points about the potential for mistakes or false teaching in materials produced by man. She posed an excellent argument and never got personal or rude.

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Employee decisions: Rigorous or Ruthless?

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As Christian business owners and leaders, we are usually very involved in employee decisions on a consistent basis. In fact, that part of our job can absorb a majority of our time. Our ability to handle these employee decisions well can also be one of the biggest influences on the success of our company, as well as the ministry we desire.

employee decisions

Ruthless vs. Rigorous Employee Decisions

Assuming this is true, then it is clear that we must devote time to learning how to best handle these employee decisions. While we all agree that issues concerning people often account for the majority of the time and energy we spend in our jobs, many Christian business owners fail to spend much time thinking about their approach to this important subject.

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Do You Need A Quiet Time Fixer Upper?

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Have you come to a place where you have lost your passion for what you do? Maybe you are in a rut or just burned out. Maybe you are just not that “into” the purpose you once felt. It could even be that business going better than ever, but you just don’t “feel it” anymore. I have a couple of ideas that might just help you regain your passion for your God-given purpose!

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Forgetting Their First Love

In my last two posts, I have referred to a passage in Revelation where Jesus chastised the Christians at Ephesus for forgetting their first love. He praised them for some of their good works, but He called them out for their wrong motives. In drifting from their relationship with Jesus, they abandoned their first love.

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Do You Remember Your First Love?

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When I say, “First Love”, what is the first thing to come to mind? If you are like most people, your mind goes back to high school and that first love or first kiss. For others, a certain type of food comes to mind! There are even those who think of their first car! Whatever the case, almost everyone has some clear association with the phrase “First Love”.

first love

First Love Forgotten

In my last post, I talked about how I had read a passage from Revelation that resonated with me – up to a point. Jesus was praising the church at Ephesus for their works, labor, and endurance.

But then He turned and criticized them severely for forgetting their first love (Him!). Evidently, this church was doing good works, but their motives were out of whack. As I began to assess my own motives, I realized there was definitely room for improvement!

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Have You Forgotten Your First Love?

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How long has it been since you stepped outside of your business and looked back at it? How long since you assessed how well you are integrating your Christian faith into your business? Are you pleased with the progress you are making? Do you feel Jesus would give you (mostly) good marks for your results at this point?

first love

Good Self-Assessment

Over the past six months, I have had multiple opportunities to do this very thing. Of course, I was pretty critical of our progress in many areas. In other areas, I felt like we were doing a fairly good job.

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Are You Living The Story?

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I love what I do! I love to tell others about what I do! I get to go to work every day and use my business to try to impact people all around me for eternity! I have the privilege and opportunity to mentor and teach what I believe is Truth to everyone who works in our company. I get to work with people of like mind and overcome the challenges inherent in living and running a business from a Christian perspective! I really do love what I do, but I have a problem.

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Background

Before I disclose the problem, let me tell you how I discovered it. At a Catalyst conference, I had the surprise of hearing a potent message from someone that I had never heard of before. The speaker’s name was Eugene Cho, pastor of Quest Church in Seattle, WA and founder of an incredible organization called One Day’s Wages. You really need to take a look at what this organization does!

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7 Steps To Prevent Dangerous Hiring Practices

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With all of the recent news about mass shootings, have you ever stopped to think about how you would respond if you had advance notice of a similar pending tragedy and had the time to avert it? Would you step in and prevent the crisis? What if this exact same danger is coming from your hiring practices?

hiring practices

Proverbs & Business Practices!

I have been going back through the book of Proverbs with my “business glasses” on. I have been looking for business truths that we can apply to our business. If you have never done this, I strongly recommend that you try it. If you would rather let someone else do that and tell you about it, then keep reading!

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Should A Christian Business Terminate Employees?

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In a previous post, 10 Pitfalls To Running A Christian Business, I included the fact that “People think a Christian business does not terminate people” as one of the pitfalls. What do you think? Should a business that professes to be run according to Christian principles terminate employees?

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Is It Wrong To Terminate?

Many people associate Christianity with always being nice and kind, turning the other cheek, and overall just being weak. Or they believe that a Christian should never “wrong” anyone else…and they consider any sort of termination to be wronging the employee. The problem is that this does not match up with what the Bible teaches.

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Why Do You Get Out Of Bed?

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This is not the first time you have heard this question. It will not be the last. I guess the real question is whether you can quickly answer it or not. If you are given no time to think about it or wordsmith a response, how would you answer the question, “Why do you get out of bed?”

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More Than Meets The Eye

Obviously, there is a lot more depth to this question than meets the eye. This question demands more than a shallow, off-the-cuff answer. This question is not really about getting out of bed at all.

Instead, this question really drives at what drives you.

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What is Christian Ministry?

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Christian ministry

Have you heard anyone say, “I think I am going to quit my job and go into the ministry!” Have you ever heard a pastor talk about so-and-so that left the business world to go into full-time ministry? Has anyone ever told you that you should not be in business, but should be in full-time Christian ministry?

“The” Christian Ministry

So, what is all the fuss over “the” ministry? What exactly do you have to do to qualify for Christian ministry? What exactly is full-time ministry? Is it something you must be called to do?