Seeing our Work through Christ’s Eyes

Who are we and why are we here? Paul says “we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Eph 2:10). We, in Christ, have been created by God to work for a purpose, and are empowered by Him as we fulfill this destiny. We’re Jesus’ hands and feet as we live out our calling through family, friends, the Church and those we...

Seizing the Moment (part 2)

Here we are, in the middle of an extended recession, hunkered down and unsure as to when the pressure will let up. Many of us are praying for restored demand and a healthy backlog that will allow us to “breathe easy” again. Is this where you are today? Is your attitude one of simply waiting out the slump and surviving to play the game another day the same way we always did? One of the grand...

I Coulda Been a Contender!

“I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.” Jude v3 Marlon Brando’s pitiful angst in delivering the most famous line in 1954’s“best picture,” On the Waterfront, still resonates with us since it deals with a common condition: being burdened by regret for previous actions and lost opportunities. Brando’s character,...

Loyalty: An Engine For Healthy Growth

We’re quick to overly complicate what’s involved in building a healthy company. Overwhelmed by a continuing barrage of ‘helpful’ input from authors and consultants, we continually seek the latest ‘breakthrough’ ideas and techniques to catapult us past competitors and ‘beat the odds’ in becoming a long-term success story. Sadly, in spite of all the expert advice, just 22% of the...

Ministering from the Overflow

For people committed to such concepts as fairness and justice, God’s grace is beyond “amazing.” As those adopted by God and eternally viewed as righteous solely through our faith in Christ, we must constantly remind ourselves of the indescribable and undeserved nature of this free gift. Our crucified and risen Lord lived perfectly, and died, that we might escape sin’s hold and the law’s...

A Word of Encouragement

I have some good news for you today! God isn’t participating in the recession! And He won’t be needing a stimulus package or bailout, either! These tumultuous days may be the greatest season of our lives… the most fruitful that we have ever known! It will all depend on how we perceive them. It’s been said that “The circumstances of life don’t make me who I am; they reveal whose I...

Marketing Demystified

 Marketing Demystified  “If the circus is coming to town and you paint a sign saying “Circus coming to the Fairground Saturday,” that’s advertising. If you put the sign on the back of an elephant and walk it into town, that’s promotion. If the elephant walks through the mayor’s flower bed, that’s publicity. And if you get the mayor to laugh about it,...

Wise Counsel

  Solomon is widely considered to be the wisest man who ever lived, although his decisions to have multiple wives and scores of concubines may make us wonder. Nevertheless, he is thought to have authored most of the book of Proverbs, which contains a rich store of godly wisdom for practical living.    Throughout Proverbs there are many themes which are repeated for emphasis and presented in...

Breakthrough Discipline: Balancing Strategy & Execution

There’s much to consider under the broad banner of strategy and execution. The fact is that it’s relatively easier to develop a topnotch strategy, based on your industry’s future direction and competitive opportunities, than to discipline yourself to execute ‘stretch’ operating objectives. During growth periods this becomes even more difficult due to the challenge of hiring and training...

Guerrilla Marketing – Doing a lot with a little

Jay Levinson, a long-time major ad agency executive, first popularized the term ‘Guerrilla Marketing’ in his 1984 best-selling book of the same name. In the generation since then, the guerrilla marketing label has morphed into a ‘hip’, catch-all banner which dozens of authors and speakers use to encompass marketing for small businesses, as well as various techniques in the digital, viral,...