Train Spotting: How a Church is like a Train.

Typically I take the 7:24 train into Grand Central station, but recently I have had two occasions to come in at either an earlier train (6:30 am) or a later train(8:15 am). Taking the earlier train I noticed many people on that train slept and appeared tired and seemed to walk slowly while leaving the train. This compared to the train I usually take where most of the people are reading the paper or working on their laptops, and it seems like a sprint to the exit with people checking their blackberries as they walk. In the later train, I noticed people walked extra slow, I assumed that this was not due to lack of sleep but because they didn't want to go to work, they were just dragging themselves to their jobs. Something as simple as picking the right train in the morning can dictate your success in the work place.

Which train you ride means a lot as far as the experience of getting to work and your success in the workplace. Trains are a lot like churches, they will all get you to your destination but you can have very different experiences depending upon the train you are on. My church has enough elements to challenge and support me, encourage and comfort me. Like my train, my church feels "just right."

Buy Gold Coins (or have fish produce them)

Investors typically look to gold coins as a safe investment in turbulent times. I personally know of several investment professionals that at the height of the market turbulence this year bought gold coins in the event their bank failed or the dollar became worthless. If highly intelligent professional investors are tucking gold coins under their mattress or more likely putting in the safe they bought at home depot, what is the novice investor or Joe the plumber to do? I believe they need to put our trust in God.

As believers we need to look toward God not gold in turbulent times. In Matthew 17, Jesus tells Peter to go fishing and in the mouth of the fish will be a gold coin in order to pay their taxes. This implies that either this fish started producing gold coins, someone lost the coin and the fish swallowed it up, either way God provided.

Fierce Determination

Determination is the act of deciding definitely and firmly. Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try. Without a battle there can be no real victory. The Bible says, in Phil 4:13 "I can do all things thru Christ who strengthens me" It also says in Rom 8:37 "In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." This means our battle has purpose.

The Bible has many examples of fierce determination. Jacob working 14 years for his wife Rachel. Moses pleaded with Pharaoh 10 different times to let the Israelites go. Elisha follow Elijah for years in pursuit of the mantle. Hosea pursuit of Gomer as a wife. Christ fasting for forty days. Paul spread the Gospel during early days of church suffering imprisonment and torture.

A determined person sets themselves up to win by choosing words and actions that build and give life (control thoughts). A fiercely determined person partners with God. They seek revelation by going up the mountain to get a better view.

The Great Stock Market Crash Myth

According to John Kenneth Galbraith in The Great Crash 1929, 'the suicide wave the followed the stock market crash is also a part of the legend of 1929. In fact, there was none.' Instead what we find is that for several years prior to 1929 'the suicide rate had gradually been rising.' This is of particular interest because it suggests that people loosing all their wealth was not the cause of suicides, in fact suicides had been on the rise while the stock market was doing incredibly well. How can we explain this increase while the market was doing well?

While I have only anecdotal evidence I would suggest that society had become dissatisfied and this was the cause for the increase in suicides prior to the great crash. The years prior to the great crash there was a massive increase in speculators in the stock market as it became the modern day gold rush. The stock market was a road to quick wealth based on a house of cards. As investors gained wealth there was was also an immediate dissatisfied with the wealth they acquired. As the old saying goes, "wealth doesn't bring happiness." Likewise those that did not play the stock market or lost money doing so also became dissatisfied because they saw those around them gaining wealth and they felt left out.

The increase in suicides prior to the stock market crash suggests that people were not content. Paul says in Philippians 4:11 'I have learned to be content in all circumstances.' It is important for us in this modern day stock market and economic downturn to remember to be content in all circumstances. How can we be content in all circumstances? We need to know that God is still in control and that He will work it out if we continue to put our trust in Him.

Make me a Macedonian

In 2 Corinthians 8:1-9 the apostle Paul describes the Macedonians as having the gift of generosity. It seems as if more often than not we wish to be the beneficiary instead of the deliverer of generosity. I don't think I have ever heard someone open a prayer by saying, "God, make me more generous" We can blame society as the reason for our selfish nature, but the reality is that it is we are born with it. We can see this lack of generosity or selfish behavior early on in children in the playground with their refusal to share their toys.

The Macedonians were commended by Paul because of their generosity. In fact he called it a gift, one that others need to follow their example. What I find even more compelling is that the Macedonians we generous despite their poverty. It is easy to be generous when you are Bill Gates or Warren Buffet, but God expects us to be generous when we have nothing. We find an example of in the Old Testament when the prophet asks the widow woman to use he last bit of flour and oil to make him something to eat. This was all she had, she tells the prophet that she was going to use it to prepare a last meal and die. Her ability to muster up generosity in a time of famine was what later on gave her access to the miracle healing of her son.

In these difficult times there is nothing more powerful that we can do to during difficult times that giving. This past weekend I saw an incredible amount of giving at the Here's Life Inner City "Boxes of Love" packing party. It is an annual event where hundreds of people from all over NYC line up in the cold just for the opportunity to come together to pack Thanksgiving dinners to 4000 of NYC most neediest families.

Give to our church, give to our community and those in need. If you are looking for places other than just the church to give to here is a list of my three favorite non profits in alphabetical order:

www.betel.org/us
www.charityis.org
www.hlic.org

Market King

"The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord; he directs it wherever he pleases" Prov 21:1

In our modern marketplace our Kings maybe our bosses or the companies we work, but God needs to rule over our lives. When we let him reign we are submitting to the destiny he has in store for us, irregardless if the circumstances appear dire. We have faith and trust in his word that he can change those circumstances.

God is a jealous king, he wants us to have no other kings above him. If you have made your employer, business or the market king over your life, it is time to remember that he is sovereign and he reigns over all. It is time to submit to his will and stop putting your trust in your business and start putting your trust in God.

Peace in (Market) Turmoil

"Come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest"

This verse in speaks specifically to those of us that work and work in the marketplace. The last time the market was in this much turmoil I was but a child, so I can't say that I know what it was like to experience previous recessions, but I do know the result, we came out the other side and stronger.

I know that God's promises are true. In Matt 11:28 he gives us a promise of rest (peace) for such a time as this. It may seem hard to find peace in the midst of all this volatility, it may seem like trying to drink a cup of tea on a roller coaster ride; impossible. But God's promises are true. His peace surpasses all understanding.

This market feels like a roller coaster market ride and during this time we have to pray for God's peace. Jesus gives us the ultimate example of peace, he was so peaceful he actually fell asleep in the boat while his disciples thought they were going to drown. Sometimes we feel like Christ is asleep, he is silent, we feel he is not with us in the midst of the storm, but He is there. If you are not praying in this market turmoil it is not too late to start, cry out to God and he will hear your plea. He will give you peace and in that peace will come wisdom and clarity as to what to do during this market. He will direct our sails and set us do north to were it is he wants to take us.

Praying fo alimighty $$ -NY Post Article

The mighty are falling on their knees in prayer at Trinity Church on Wall Street. The number of worshipers at the midday service has jumped from about 50 to 110 on some days, said lay minister Carlos Mateo. "We're seeing more people come in to pray and to think," the Rev. Mark Bozzuti-Jones wrote in the church newsletter. A hedge-fund executive who identified himself only as Charlie said, "I've been to Trinity four times in the last month and I hadn't been here in over a year." Worshiper James Fazio, 43 who works at a downtown insurance company said, "I pray that God will be watching me, my family and everyone else, and the bad people will have to pay for what they've don." -Kerry Willis, Rebecca Rosenberg and Tim Perone of the NY Post

1907 Market Panic: J.P. Morgan leaves Church to save the Market

Back in 1907, there was a similar panic to the one we are facing today. It was a time that involved a failed attempt to corner the market on a stock of a copper company that lead to a run on the banks. Like this past week's injection by the Treasury department of billions of dollars, bank in 1907 the Treasury injected millions of dollars into the system. While this injection of capital helped, it was actually J. Pierpont Morgan (aka J.P. Morgan) the banking magnet that actually saved the day. J.P. Morgan was attending a church conference in Virginia when the panic hit Walls Street. That night he took a train back from to New York City, where immediately got others to join together to form a pool of capital that was then used to pay the depositors at the banks. Once the depositors realized that they were able to get their money, the panic eased.

Today I heard a sermon by Pastor Stephen Hickson of C3 Manhattan (www.c3manhattan.org) entitled, "For such a time as this" that was on how Christians are to rise up during desperate times like 9.11 to be leaders that guide people to Christ in such a time. This sermon made me wonder if history would have been the same if J.P. Morgan was not at a church conference when the panic broke out. Would he have had the spiritual fortitude, peace and confidence to stabilize the market, or would he too have been acting out of panic?

We as believers during this current market turmoil must use our spiritual fortitude to lead others toward stability, peace and Faith.

1857 Market Panic leads to 10,000 gathering to pray

At noon on September 23, 1857, a businessman Jeremy Lamphier, started a prayer meeting in lower Manhattan on Fulton street only a couple of blocks from Wall Street. He invited many people but only six showed up, however this did not discourage Lamphier as he already knew the history of prayer and its ability to bring revival.

What does a prayer meeting have to do with Stockcasting and business on Wall Street? In times of crisis we need to pray. Seventeen days after Lamphier started his prayer meeting on October 10th, 1857 the stock market crashed. The crash is now described as the "great panic of 1857".

Within six months Lamphier's little prayer meeting had grown to nearly 10,000 people a day. This revival in prayer spread to other American cities as well. In Chicago 2,000 gathered daily for prayer. Other cities like St. Louis, Cleavland, Louisville experienced similar revivals. By February 1858 the media caught wind of the revival and several articles were written including ones in the New York Herald and the New York Tribune. It was this small prayer meeting of six men led by Jeremy Lamphier lead to what is now known as "The Third Great Awakening". This revival spread quickly to Ireland, Scotland, Wales, England, Europe, South Africa, India, Australia, and the Pacific islands.

Praying for Success in Shanghai

The head of SMIC is a born-again boss who mixes evangelical Christianity with business
This article was published in Buisiness week July 14/21st 2008:
by Bruce Einhorn and Chi-Chu Tschang

Shanghai - On a gray Sunday morning, some 800 people are crammed into Thanksgiving Church in Shanghai. Among the congregants is Wang Cuimei, a 21-year-old from a village in northern China. She just started working at Semiconductor Manufacturing International, whose headquarters are down the street. While Wang isn't a Christian, she decided to attend the service after hearing about it from the leader of her new-employee training program.

It didn't hurt that top SMIC executives had helped set up the church. "The leaders care about us," Wang says. "Apparently everyone is a Christian, so we wanted to take a look." Adds her friend Liang Shuihong, 21: "We have a responsibility and a duty as employees to go." So the pair made the five-minute walk to the church from their SMIC dorm. Following a sermon from the government-approved pastor and much singing of hymns (with Chinese lyrics projected onto giant screens suspended from the ceiling), Wang says she is impressed and plans to return. "There is a lot of kindness in this place," she says.

That's good news for Richard Chang, the Taiwanese-American chief executive of SMIC. Chang, who eschews the expensive suits, flashy watches, and other bling favored by China's new business class, says spreading the gospel is a key part of his work. He and his colleagues "were called to China to share God's love," Chang says. That sort of talk is rare in a country ruled by a Communist Party that is officially atheist and has a long history of hostility toward Christianity. Yet Chang, 60, feels no hesitation in describing the role his faith plays in his business life. "The Lord says, 'Do good things to those in need,'" he says.

Chang could use some help himself. He spent nearly three decades at Texas Instruments (TXN) and other semiconductor companies before launching SMIC in 2000. Since then, he has built the company into China's largest chipmaker, with operations in five cities, and the world's No. 3 foundry, or contract manufacturer of semiconductors. But even with a slew of A-list customers such as Qualcomm (QCOM), Toshiba (TOSBF), Broadcom (BRCM), and Freescale, Chang has struggled to make the company profitable. SMIC lost $19.5 million on sales of $1.5 billion last year, and its New York-traded American depositary receipts have dropped more than 80% since the company's initial public offering in 2004.

HELP FROM ABOVE?
Righting the ship is now Chang's biggest business challenge. In April, SMIC announced it had phased out memory chips, which once contributed a majority of the company's revenue, because it's so difficult to turn a profit in that cyclical business. Instead, SMIC is focusing more on higher-end chips. In December the company signed a deal to license advanced chip manufacturing technology from IBM (IBM). And SMIC says it's talking with potential strategic investors interested in taking a stake in the company to help fund new, multibillion-dollar chip plants. "We knew there would be challenges [in China], but we knew the Lord would help us to solve the difficulties," Chang says.

Chang's efforts are part of a growing focus on China by evangelical Christians from the West. Although Beijing requires all congregations to adhere to a one-size-fits-all Protestant church that doesn't differentiate among Methodists, Baptists, or others, there are signs that evangelicals are gaining popularity. Geoff Tunnicliffe, CEO of the World Evangelical Alliance, traveled to China in April, and Franklin Graham, Billy Graham's son and heir, gave a Sunday sermon in May to 12,000 people in the eastern city of Hangzhou.

Few mix the Bible and business as openly as Chang. He helped fund the church in Shanghai—which opened on Christmas Day 2005—and several others across the country. He emphasizes that the money is his own, not SMIC's, and says the company doesn't force anyone to attend services. "If they want to know more about Christianity," he says, "we encourage them." Pastor Shen Xuebin, associate general secretary of the Shanghai Christian Council, the government body that oversees official Protestant congregations in the city, stresses that it wasn't SMIC that built the Thanksgiving Church. "China's church," he says, "built this church."

CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP
Chang, who says he was born again as a teenager in Taiwan, has helped draw many other evangelicals to Shanghai. Matthew Szymanski, an evangelical Christian who joined SMIC in 2007 after working as a legislative aide on Capitol Hill for the Republican House leadership, estimates there are 1,000 Christians among the company's 12,000 employees, including "a substantial minority" of top managers. For instance David Lin, senior director of chip design services, became a Christian in 1993 while working for AT&T Bell Labs in Pennsylvania. Lin and his wife have been active in various churches since arriving in Shanghai in 2002. "Our decision to come to China was primarily because we hope to spread the Gospel," he says.

Pastor Shen says he's happy to get support from Chang and other SMIC executives. There's no conflict, he says, between the Party's goals and what the Christians are doing. "We are contributing to economic reforms," says Shen. Adds Chang: "The government realizes the value of good religion." Indeed, for a government that antagonizes the Vatican by appointing its own bishops, suppresses the indigenous Falun Gong religious movement, and vilifies the Dalai Lama, there might even be some propaganda benefits in courting Chang and his Christian community at SMIC.

Still, religion is a sensitive subject, and Chang makes it clear that his good works aren't just church-related. He has, for instance, funded schools and set up training programs for young SMIC workers, and the company donated $140,000 to victims of the May earthquake in central China. He boasts that SMIC was one of the first Chinese companies to provide psychological counseling services for employees. And SMIC offers stock and options to every worker. "With the Lord's blessing, we believe that stock options may significantly benefit employees," he says. And if more of those employees drop by Thanksgiving Church on Sunday mornings, all the better.

Einhorn is Asia regional editor in BusinessWeek's Hong Kong bureau . Tschang is a correspondent in BusinessWeek's Beijing bureau.

Reaching Beyond Our Grasp

There is a difference between holding on to a principle and having a vision. A principle does not come from moral inspiration, but a vision does. People who are totally consumed with idealistic principles rarely do anything. A person’s own idea of God and His attributes may actually be used to justify and rationalize his deliberate neglect of his duty. Jonah tried to excuse his disobedience by saying to God, ". . . I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm" ( Jonah 4:2 ). I too may have the right idea of God and His attributes, but that may be the very reason why I do not do my duty. But wherever there is vision, there is also a life of honesty and integrity, because the vision gives me the moral incentive.

Our own idealistic principles may actually lull us into ruin. Examine yourself spiritually to see if you have vision, or only principles.

Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp, Or what’s a heaven for?

"Where there is no revelation [or prophetic vision]. . . ." Once we lose sight of God, we begin to be reckless. We cast off certain restraints from activities we know are wrong. We set prayer aside as well and cease having God’s vision in the little things of life. We simply begin to act on our own initiative. If we are eating only out of our own hand, and doing things solely on our own initiative without expecting God to come in, we are on a downward path. We have lost the vision. Is our attitude today an attitude that flows from our vision of God? Are we expecting God to do greater things than He has ever done before? Is there a freshness and a vitality in our spiritual outlook?

This is an excerpt from Oswald Chambers My Utmost for His Highest www.rbc.org

Taking Risk

Next Pathfinders, May 1: Taking Risks In Our Careers and In the Marketplace

All business people are welcome to attend our next Pathfinders meeting on Thursday, May 1, at 7PM.

We've all heard the phrase, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained," and we probably also appreciate the idea that with risk comes reward. The marketplace certainly seems to run on this principle. But let's face it - taking risks is HARD! Can we mitigate our risk by "partnering" with God and putting to work Kingdom principles as we take on risk? The short answer is Yes. Please join us on May 1 to hear from C3M members who have taken big risks!

Become Legendary

It's not about the shoe; It's about knowing where you are going; It's not forgetting where you started; It's about having the courage to fail; It's about not breaking when you are broken; It's about taking everything you have been given and making something better; It's about work, before glory; and what's inside of you is doing what they say you can't. It's not about the shoes, its about what you do in them. It is about being who you were born to be.

The above monologue is from a voice over of Micheal Jordan in Nike's new campaign about the new Air Jordan sneakers. It shows some of the highest paid athletes prior to days of glory in their prime.



In this campaign one could easily imagine a shot of David tending after his father's sheep prior to becoming King of Israel. Jesus working as carpenter apprentice before entering into his ministry and changing the world.


Maybe we are all destined to become legendary and all we need to step into it.

When are you going to realize who it is you were born to be?