Sometimes the exact same image can communicate two totally opposite ideas or concepts. I recently posted about this picture, describing 7 Ways Christians In Business Kill Their Witness. In this post, I took the position that “blending” with the world was a recipe for trouble. Today, I want to take the opposite position – encouraging you to engage culture!
Have you ever made so many copies of copies of something that you eventually end up with a copy that barely resembles the original? Sometimes that is the way I think we can be as Christians – even Christians in business. Maybe we model ourselves after someone else who has modeled themselves after someone else. Eventually, we lose our resemblance to the original – Jesus!
Business is not easy. You know exactly what I am talking about. There are challenges and resistance almost every day. Some are larger than others, but it is rarely smooth sailing for very long. As a Christian business owner or leader, what is your prayer when you are challenged or even overcome with resistance? Do you pray for relief or do you pray for boldness?
The days get faster and faster sometimes. Deadlines and headaches rush at us at a high rate of speed. We do well just to survive to fight another day, right? It is in this kind of environment that Christian business owners or leaders can get so busy and we forget some key truths about our ministry. Hopefully, this post will remind you of some ideas you need to revisit.
I do not have secret knowledge of your business so I cannot tell you all of the reasons your customers might be going elsewhere. What I can tell you is one reason I have found to be true in our family business that may also be true for yours. This is the critical truth: Good is not good enough.
Odds are, your pastor doesn’t talk much about applying your Christian faith to your business. If he does, then you are lucky. If not, I am not surprised. While it is unfortunate, you are not alone. Christian business is simply not not a common topic.
If you are in business then you have been frustrated, even all-out angry! Things happen so often in business that can cause frustration. Whatever the cause of the issue, we have all felt our blood boil and we start looking for a way to take action. We have to do something or we will explode! Today, I am going to give you a list of things you should NOT do when you are angry!
If you look around at the world we are living in today, you will see a lot of confusion and chaos. There is so much uncertainty and fear whether you look at politics, the economy, or most any other arena. It is in many ways a frightening time to live. On the other hand, this is an amazing time to live if we look at the opportunity from an eternal perspective. We simply have to stand.
You likely already know this, but I am in the car business and I have been for all of my life. As a result, I love cars! I enjoy all kinds of cars (even those I can never afford!), but one of my favorite kinds of cars is the bumper car. Imagine my excitement when I recently discovered that bumper cars are more spiritual than traditional cars! Do you want to know why?
I am an idea thief. I am very good at taking someone else’s bright idea and applying it to my own business, my parenting practices, or even my hobbies. There are many ways I do this, but one of the main ways is simply finding those who are successful and mimicking their practices. Obtaining godly counsel from others who have proven track records is a skill that all leaders need to learn.