Pathfinders

Conquering Returning Problems

2011-07-19T11:26:00.000-07:00

Goliath wasn't the only giant David ever faced, years after Goliath's death, a descendant of Goliath attacked David. This time David was weak and exhausted and was not able to face his giant alone, Abishai, David's nephew came and killed this giant for David.

We all face giants in our lives and maybe even have kill those giants, but like a bad zombie movie sequel they come back to attack. Giants may represent sin or a problem that we may have had the victory over and thought we would never have to face again. David was known as a giant killer so it would surprise an outsider that he was unable to fight this battle, but Abishai as David's nephew would have seen David the man, not David the giant killer and realized that David was indeed human and at times weak and it was in his weakness that God used, not his strength. This gave Abishai the courage to face this giant in confidence that even though he was human like his uncle David maybe he too could slay this giant. Abishai had never fought a giant before but he had seen David have the victory so he had the courage to take on the giant and protect David during his weakest moment. Abishai learned from being in the house of David from being in communion with him and having seen what he did made him able to do the same.

As believers sometimes our victories are for ourselves and sometimes they are for others to witness and emulate. When we are weak and our giant returns, like David we need our closest friends to help fight our battle. Sometimes our weakness is an opportunity for others to step up and carry us giving them authority and strength they didn't have. This requires us to be weak and vulnerable, something men often don't want to be in front of other men. But in our vulnerability, friendships are strengthened and victory can be ours.

It was Abishai's ability to kill Ishibenob that enabled others to have victory over the giants. Up until David, no one had killed a giant, but after Abishai killed his giant, several others (Sibbecai, Elanan, and Jonathan) are credited as having killed giants. I would argue that if David had defeated this second giant, David's reputation would have increase as a giant killer but no one else would have been able to kill a giant. But in Abishai's victory, others realize that the power David had was not exclusive but was something that was available to anyone who believed.

David's inability to fight this giant is a great example of how we can't always rely on our leader's to fight our battle's for us. We have to learn from their example, grab our sword and slay our giants because YOU CAN.

Sun Stand Still

2011-02-23T08:56:00.000-08:00

Too Busy

2011-02-22T07:33:00.001-08:00

Once I was driving on the highway and I saw a bumper sticker that read, "Jesus is Coming: Look Busy." I thought this was hilarious, but it also got me thinking that we are actually sometimes too busy. We are busy with work, church, family, school, sports, entertainment, our days are filled with so much stimulation I wonder if Christ appeared in the room, would we realize he was there.

This reminds me of the story of Martha and Mary. Martha asked Jesus to to reprimand Mary because she was just sitting at the master's feet while Martha was doing all the work. I have found that whenever I pray I seem to find work or entertainment to do instead of just sit and prayer at the master's feet. Just now I was praying before writing this entry and I got up because I realized I hadn't put away all the fruit from my peapod delivery. I started to cut away the bag that contained a beautiful ripe pineapple, I took a whiff of this lovely fruit and thought I need to cut up this pineapple right now. Then it dawned on me, I had left the presence of the Lord to work and when the work was over it lead me not back into the presence of the Lord instead the work lead me to seek pleasure. I was Martha.

The Martha syndrome is the enemy's way to keep us from talking to God and hearing from Him. And if the enemy can keep us from hearing God, he can cloud our vision and without vision the people perish. That is why it is so important to keep the Sabbath holy. We need to dedicate quiet time every day but specially on Sundays to hearing from God and talking to him. There is nothing more powerful that spending some time in the presence of the Lord. When we read the passage on Mary and Martha most of us cannot identify with Martha. Jesus was right there in the room with them, of course we would be like Mary. But we are all Martha's because Christ left us the Holy Spirit and He is right there with you right now as you read this, knocking on the door of your heart wanting to sit down with you and spend sometime. There is no job, no deadline, no deliverable, no exam, no meeting that can't wait until after you have had time to sit at the master feet.

300 Culture Shifters

2011-02-08T07:47:00.000-08:00

When God asked Gideon to fight a battle he told Gideon that his army was too large and he decreased the size of his army by allowing anyone that was fearful to go home. He further dwindled down their size by watching how they drank water from the river. The majority of those that went to the river layed down on their bellies and lapped the water like a dog, 300 of them instead cupped the water with their hands and brought it to their mouth. I have heard many messages on why these 300 mighty men were chosen and all of them are correct. The first reason is that God wanted the glory so he had to dwindle their numbers to show that even at impossible odds with God we can be victorious. An alternative reason has been proposed as to why these 300 men were chosen was because in kneeling to drink the water they were more prepared for battle than their counterparts that laid down on the ground and drank it like dogs.

In addition to these reasons, I would also like to suggest a third alternative. God chose these men because they were culture shifters. Since 10,000 of the men drank water by laying on the ground and lapping it like a dog this suggests to me that maybe that was the culturally acceptable way warriors drank water from a stream. Instead these 300 men weren't conforming to the normal practices of their culture, they were culture shifters.

If God is going to use us we need to not conform to our culture but transform our culture. We need to look at new ways of conducting commerce, new ways of spreading the gospel, new ways of ministering to people. Are we still comforting to the way the world operates or are we being directed by the Holy Spirit to act in a new way, to fight battles in our workplace and in our homes in a new way. If indeed we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms, then why are we trying to operate according to the rules of our culture instead of using spiritual tools and approaches that are "outside of the box."

Lets become one of this generation's 300 mighty leaders and transform the world around us by becoming culture shifters.

Don't Give Up, Keep Growing!

2011-01-01T10:58:00.001-08:00

Our society wants to label every action as either success or failure, but God has a third label, "growth." If I were to tell you to hold my baby daughter who is only a few months old and then I call out to her and say, "walk to daddy" most of you would expect that little girl to fall a number of times on her way. Then if I asked you if her walking a success or a failure, you wouldn't really be able to label it as either. She didn't complete the task of walking across the room because she fell several times, but she didn't fail either, she tried, because she is still growing. She will continue to try and she will fall several times as she tries but one day she will try and not fall.

In our earthly walk are continuously in the process of trying to walk out the vision God has called us to. Often we will falter and make mistakes, but God wants us to pick ourselves up and try again. We learn from our mistakes and we are growing both spiritually, physically and emotionally.

In 2010, I fell a lot in my walk, I made a lot of mistakes, I made investments that didn't work out, I took risks in the stock market that didn't pay off and I made a number of poor choices. The enemy would love for me to label these events as "failures" so I would get stuck on the missteps and not try again.

However, in 2011, I plan to not dwell on the mistakes of my past but instead I plan to pick myself up and look forward, knowing that I'm am growing, that I am learning and I will never give up!

So I gave a gift to myself this New Year's Day, the book, "Never Give Up! relentless Determination to Overcome Life's Challenges" by Joyce Meyers. I have yet to read it, but here is a small excerpt:

"Some of the most successful people in history failed and, instead of being discouraged, refused to give up. For example, consider the following:

Henry Ford, who invested the automobile, went broke five times before he succeeded in business.
The great dancer and movie star Fred Astaire took a screen test at MGM studios in 1933. A studio memo reported he was slightly bald, could not act, and could dance a little.
The family of Louisa May Alcott, the great author who wrote the popular book 'Little Women', thought she shold abandon the idea of being a writer and become a seamstress instead.
A newspaper fired Walt Disney for lack of ideas, and he went bankrupt several times before building Disneyland.
Enrico Caruso's parents believed a voice teacher who said he hand no future in music - he simply could not sing at all. He did not believe the teacher and became one of the most famous opera singers in the world.
Theodore Roosevelt suffered the deaths of both his mother and his wife on the same day in 1884 before he became a war hero and a very effective president of the United States.
John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, was often asked to not return to churches after preaching in them once. When he preached on the streets, townspeople kicked him out. When he preached in a meadow, people turned a bull loose on him. But later, because he refused to give up, he preached in a pasture and ten thousand people came to hear him.

Waiting for God

2010-12-03T07:06:00.001-08:00

Ever wait on a long line at an amusement park? It requires an incredible amount of patience. The line seems to wind and turn and just when you think you are at the entrance to the ride, the line continues inside. The only reason we wait on line because we are expectant that eventually we will get on the ride promised.

Waiting on God to deliver on his promises can be a lot like waiting on line at an amusement park. Sometimes the road God has put us on takes twists and turns and we are not really sure what to expect around the next corner. Abraham, Moses or Joseph would have never thought that the promise of God would have taken as long as it did. Abraham waited nearly 25 years before his wife Sarah gave birth to Isaac, Moses and the Israelites spent 40 years in the desert before coming the promise land.

There are promises that I know God gave me that currently seem so far off they are like a dream. I have no capacity on my own to make them happen, all I can do is trust and believe God is going to deliver. When I am waiting on God and I don't know how long I have to wait my strategy is to bloom where I"m planted. Contentment is where you are. While waiting for God to deliver on his promise for that job, that wife, that dream business you need to live in the moment of where you are now and be content and know that God's promises are true and you need to exercise spiritual patience.

In our earthly eyes we look to the future and think the day that I reach this goal, then I will be happy. The problem with this thinking is that once you have gotten to where you were going the bar is reset and there is a new goal line, and we say again to ourselves if only I get to this new goal then I will be content. But God wants us to bloom where we are planted. The soil we are on is fertile ground. While Paul was in prison he was still preaching the gospel. While I am out of work, I'm going to continue to do my best to impact the kingdom. This requires me to be content in all circumstances and bloom where I'm planted.

The Power of a Whisper: Samuel's Ear

2010-09-13T19:02:00.001-07:00

My mother lost custody of three of her children before she met my father. Because of her age, my mother never expected to have any more children. So when my mother would called me her "little Samuel" I thought it was because I was an answer to prayer. I was a child she so wanted but didn't expect. I was God's consolation prize for to make up for the children she had lost in an ugly legal battle. This put an incredible burden on me as a child and teen to never let her down, but that is for another blog entry.

I now know that the reason my mom called me her "little Samuel" was not because I was an answer to prayer but because like Hannah my mom had dedicated me to the Lord and like Samuel as a young child I heard from the Lord. At a very early age I learned not only hear the voice of God but more importantly to respond. As I grew as into an adult, God's voice has seemed more distance, harder to discern. I remember recently telling my wife as we were trying to make tough decisions regarding our careers and our finance, that I felt I had all together lost the ability to hear God's voice. I no longer knew what it sounded like.

We arrived in Florida on Saturday to temporarily live with my in-laws since we rented our home in Westchester as my wife and I both seek career direction. I was pretty tired from our trip but I felt like I should go online and see if I could find a church we could attend the following morning. This didn't make sense, we hadn't yet unpacked our bags, besides, it wouldn't be as good as my church C3M in New York, yet despite these excuses I went online and found a church called the Bridge in Bradenton. The next day we got up early and made the long trek the chuch, where the pastor starting a lecture series based on a book he was reading, "The Power of a Whisper" by Bill Hybels. The message he gave was a simple , not anyway near the intellectual somersaults I was use to, but it was exactly the message I needed to hear. I realized, God hadn't stopped speaking to me, I forgot how to hear His voice and I would have to get back on a mission to having Samuel's ear to hear God's voice and obey it. In that simple but elegant message I realized God had been in fact whispering to me all along, and it started with the whisper to go online and find a church even though it would have been reasonable for me to take a Sunday off after 22 hours behind the wheel.

In the book, "The Power of a Whisper" Bill Hybels says, "Do you think anyone is orchestrating those ideas that float through your mind? I mean, do you think your thoughts are just random, or is it possible that God is trying to communicate to you in some way?" As I read this book, I find myself on a mission to have Samuel's ear and hear God's voice by slowing down, blocking out all the extra noise and distractions of this world and listen to His whispers.

Preserving Your Spirit

2010-09-10T19:06:00.000-07:00

I'm writing this from a bathroom in the Hampton Inn in Fayetteville, North Carolina on my way to Bradenton, Florida. I have just rented out my home in Bronxville, New York and I'm on my way to moving in with my in-laws. I sit here and think this doesn't make sense, this is not the vision God gave me for our future. I remember something I recently told my connect group, God typically reveals to us the end of the vision without given us the path, because if we actually saw the path our vision would take us we might not want to go. God is cheeky that way. If Joseph had known that he would have to be sold by his brothers and become a slave and put into prison in order for his vision to come true of his brother's bowing down to him, he may have asked God to give the vision to one of his other brothers.

As I uncomfortably sit in a sterile Hampton Inn bathroom so as to not disturb my wife, two year old son and one month old daughter asleep in adjoining room, I contemplate moving onto the army green and yellow diamond carpeting, in a hope that it will be more comfortable. It is then that I see Joyce Myers book "The Secret Power of Speaking God's Word" and I find inside the following verse: "You have granted me life and favor, and Your providence has preserved my Spirit." Job 10:12. I recognize that these gifts Life, Favor and Providence keep in in good cheer and preserve my spirit. Without the gift of life, I wouldn't be able to appreciate the vastness of His unfailing love and mercy, without His Favor I wouldn't be able to recognize His divine intervention even in the middle of trouble times and without his providence I would not have the faith to know that he will complete that what He has promised and that "All things work together for good for those to trust God and are called according to His purposes (Roman 8:28)."

So if your like me and the vision God gave you seems sidetracked, trust that like Joseph you are precisely in the place God wants you to be. His providence that will ultimately preserve the vision and the destiny He has in store for you. So preserve a cheerful spirit despite your circumstances.

Prayer at the Stock Exchange

2010-06-02T04:12:00.000-07:00

I recently joined a friend of mine Anthony DiMaio of Bold Ministries for a meeting at the NYSE. We met on the corner of Wall Street and Broad Street in front of the exchange, we pasted through the first checkpoint and then a second with a metal detector and once we were inside we took the elevator up to a room where six men and one woman joined us to talk and to pray.

In the meeting I felt the presence of God as thick as if I was stepping into a pool of water. I have become accustomed to feeling the presence of God when I’m with Anthony (Tony as he is known at the exchange) but I felt it particularly strong this morning. This morning I was reminded of the two other times I written on my blog. Both were times when people at Wall Street were praying and this ushered in a move of God

I was reminded of September 1857 when Lamphier gathered with six other businessmen gathered on Fulton Street, just a few blocks from Wall Street to pray. Seventeen days later the Great Panic of 1857 occurred. Subsequently, God started a move through Lamphier’s group where 10,000 men would gather regularly to pray, this move of God began the “Third Great Awakening.” I realized this event was approximately 150 years to the date of when Lehman’s failure occurred in 2010. Here we were in the NYSE gathered together to pray.

I was also reminded of 1907 when J.P. Morgan was in Atlanta in a church conference praying when he heard of the credit markets ceasing in New York. He immediately grabbed the first train to New York and gathered his banking friends to provide credit to the banks saving many from financial ruin. If J.P. Morgan had not been praying he might have also let the panic of 1907 grasp hold of his heart and not had the wisdom and guidance to hear the voice of the Lord and know what to do during this crisis.

And here I find myself in 2010, post one of the greatest economic catastrophes that occurred since the Great Depression in the New York Stock Exchange with eight other believers gathering to prayer. I realized in this room we have two more than Lamphier had when he helped usher in the Third Great Awakening. I believe we are on the verge of the Fourth Great Awakening. God is trying to get our attention and that is why the financial world is rocking. Whether is be the housing market, or the problem the Euro is experiencing because of the PIIGS (Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece, Spain), Korea, the Gulf spill or some other yet unknown crisis, the Bible says in 2 Chronicles 7:14, “If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and will heal their land.” Land is representative of our property and our place of wealth, now is the time to pray for forgiveness so that our land, our country and place of prosperity will be healed.

Fasting: Getting your career/business into the Fast Lane.

2010-01-04T07:00:00.001-08:00

Fasting is both a spiritual and physical tool that can unlock unprecedented growth and expansion in your business life. Join us this Thursday at 7pm for a very special Pathfinders where we will explore how fasting can clarify your vision in 2010 and set you up for a year of unprecedented growth and success.

Warren Buffet's 10 maxims to live by

2009-11-19T09:03:00.000-08:00

Hard work leads to profit, talk just leads to poverty
Laziness a sleeping lobster is carried away by the current
Earnings never depend upon a single source of income
Spending: if you buy things you don’t need you will soon sell things you do need
Savings: don’t save what is left after spending, spend what is left after savings
Borrowing: the borrower becomes the lender’s slave
Accounting, no use carrying an umbrella if your shoes have a leak
Auditing: beware of little expenses a small leak can sink a large ship
Risk Taking: never test the depth of a river with both feet
Investment: don’t put all your eggs in one basket

Overcoming the Challenges and finding Joy in Workplace

2009-09-28T07:47:00.000-07:00

As a business expands new challenges can take us out of our comfort zone. We are going to discuss how to gain the confidence needed to overcome new challenges and build the practical and spiritual skills that will help you complete new tasks all the while maintaining a joy and peace regarding your current circumstance.

Please join us Thursday October 1st at the Lauren Parson Pratt conference center 281 Park Ave South (@22nd Ave) at 7pm

Value of Relationships

2009-09-02T10:15:00.000-07:00

As current and future business leaders, the marketplace is our area of vocation and mission field. Despite the availability of and our modern reliance on technology, marketplaces are and will remain vibrant with human interaction. Building lasting relationships in the workplace is of value to our professions and to the Kingdom. Let's meet to consider, discuss and pray about how we can become people who are consistently well-liked, connected and serving others as we work.

Join us Thursday September 10th at the Lauren Parson Pratt Conference center 281 Park Ave South (@ 22nd Ave) Time: 7-9pm

Pathfinders Event: "Shifting Gears"

2009-07-20T18:57:00.000-07:00

Thursday,July 23rd:

Business like cycling requires that you shift gears in order to get ahead. In the modern workplace you have to constantly adapt to ever changing circumstances. It is God’s desire that we continue to grow and succeed in our place of business and this often will require that we shift gears spiritually. I believe that we are in a season where God wants to shift you into high gear so that you can spiritually accelerate and take your business and life into a new gear. Join us this Thursday at Pathfinders were we will help you transition/shift smoothly into the new gear in your career so you can strive ahead of the pack.

Location: Laura Parson's Pratt 281 Park Ave South (@ 22nd Ave)

Time: 7-9pm

PERSIST, PERSIST, PERSIST

2009-05-29T13:54:00.000-07:00

PERSIST, PERSIST, PERSIST... But do not be anxious!

Please join us for a special prayer meeting as we press into God for breakthru for those needing employment, new clients, contracts, funding, vision, & encouragement in their professions. We are God's people and as Paul advised, we are to be anxious for nothing but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God (Phil 4:6). Its going to be a great night!

High Performance

2009-03-26T12:44:00.000-07:00

Dana Torres attributes her Olympic gold medal winning skill to having her body and muscles professionally stretched 5 times daily. And while, in part, hers is a God-given talent, she maximizes her "raw material" with techniques that lead to high performance. Are you operating in your professional life in such a way that you are achieving high performance? Let's gather to consider and share what areas of our work and thinking need activating and / or realigning so we too are maximizing our natural, God-given talents and excelling as high performers.

Join us Thursday April 2nd at the Location Laura Parson Pratt Conference Center
281 Park Ave South (@22nd St.) please plan to join us after the meeting for a Pathfinders Social at Barbounia.

Be Strong and Courageous

2009-03-17T07:09:00.001-07:00

Assistant Pastor Anthony Ceccutti of Christian City Church Manhattan spoke a wonderful message on Sunday on Joshua chapter 1, where God tells Joshua to be "Strong and Courageous." In difficult times we often have a choice between fight or flight. Often when God allows an obstacle to obstruct us it is for us to attack and conquer.

Often we stand in front of an obstacle in defeat asking why God has allowed such a trial to enter our path. Instead we need to ask God what is the lesson we are to learn from this obstacle and how are we to overcome it? Are we to rely on our own abilities and ingenuity or are we to trust that God is going to provide a way of escape?

Obstacles will come and go but the lessons learned will last a lifetime.

Do you Soar or Slide?

2009-02-27T09:19:00.000-08:00

"Those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint" - Isaiah 40:31

Eagles use storms to actually lift them above the storms. If you are flying above the storm you are unaffected by the turbulence. This is a complete contrast to a snake whose entire body is earthbound. The snake is not only effected by the storm above but the ground below scraping his belly. If you listen to the spirit of God and abide in Christ Jesus you can soar like an Eagle, while those who live out of the flesh are earthbound.

When it comes to your business do you Soar like an Eagle or Slide like a snake?

Stepping on your Problems

2009-02-23T13:28:00.001-08:00

On Sunday, Senior Pastor Stephen Hickson of Christian City Church Manhattan had an amazing message on "Vision" and I had to share part of it that was particularly inspiring.

"When Jesus was walking on the water, he was walking on their problems, the water/storm and he commanded Peter to walk on his problems as well."

I love the image of Jesus encouraging us to walk on our problems. What is greater the problem or God and the direction He has for your life? If He has placed you in a boat and He is steering the vessel He will get you to the other side. Wouldn't you rather be where God is and where he wants to take you even if it means passing through turmoil?

Get out there and walk on your problems!

Gold will Rust

2009-02-18T08:55:00.001-08:00

As the market turns south, investors turn to Gold as a safe haven. Yesterday, gold rose 2.7% to $967 a troy ounce. It made me look to see what the Bible has to say about gold and God led me to James chapter 5.

"Look here, you rich people: Weep and groan with anguish because of all the terrible troubles ahead of you. Your wealth is rotting away, and your fine clothes are moth-eaten rags. Your gold and silver have become worthless. The very wealth you were counting on will eat away your flesh like fire. This treasure you have accumulated will stand as evidence against you on the day of judgment. For listen! Hear the cries of the field workers whom you have cheated of their pay. The wages you held back cry out against you. The cries of those who harvest your fields have reached the ears of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. You have spent your years on earth in luxury, satisfying your every desire. You have fattened yourselves for the day of slaughter. You have condemned and killed innocent people, who do not resist you."

Since gold is not iron ore it can't actually "rust" so I can only come up with one of two possible meanings behind this passage it is literal or figurative. As far as the literal interpretation I have read that it is possible that a nuclear fall out could cause gold to rust however, I haven't been able to verify this and I don't think we would survive it to see gold rust so I think we may need to look at this passage as figuratively. Silver and Gold has always been synonymous with money and or wealth. It is clear that the passage is warning not to count on the wealth that you have stored away.

As investors we need to not put our trust in our wealth but put our trust in the Lord. As employers we need to make sure we are taking care of our employees because the verse says, "Hear the cries of the field workers whom you have cheated of their pay. " We need to expand and not contract. If you don't take care of your employees during this time, why should God take care of you?

Consumption vs Production

2009-02-09T13:00:00.000-08:00

We have become a society of consumers rather than producers. Our spiritual and physical growth requires that we actually produce more than we consume. If your body consumes more food than it expends in work you get fat, likewise the more we become consumers of the things the world has to sell us the less spiritually fit we become.

As consumers it is important to keep account of where we are spending our money. In our household we call them buckets. We have buckets that can't be changed like the mortgage bucket, or the groceries bucket, but then we have buckets on things like the vacation bucket or the going out for dinner bucket. At the end of the month we can look at our buckets and see where our money has gone. Where your money goes is where your priorities in life are.

My wife and I made a promise to ourselves that with the exception of our mortgage none of our buckets would be bigger than our tithing bucket. What you consume determines where your heart is.

Train Spotting: How a Church is like a Train.

2008-12-16T07:55:00.000-08:00

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)

2008-12-10T12:05:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-02T15:30:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-30T14:28:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-24T09:24:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-21T05:30:00.001-08:00

"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

2008-11-20T09:00:00.000-08:00

"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

2008-10-10T07:57:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-22T08:23:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-22T08:22:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-06T15:18:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-09T06:24:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-24T12:32:00.000-07:00

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

2008-01-21T07:42:00.000-08:00

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?

How Faith-Based Networking Can Aid Job Searches -WSJ article

2007-10-02T06:58:00.000-07:00

By SARAH E. NEEDLEMAN
October 2, 2007; Page B4

When Amber Edwina Hampton began searching for her first post-college job last spring, in addition to praying, the recent convert to Islam took advantage of her new religious connections to network.

As a result, a classmate at an Islamic school told Ms. Hampton about a job opening at the NYU School of Medicine. The classmate, already an employee at the medical school, also agreed to hand Ms. Hampton's résumé to the hiring manager. Three weeks later, the 24-year-old was hired as a program associate.

If you're searching for work, consider reaching out to fellow congregants, spiritual leaders and others in your religious circle. These folks are often eager to help like-minded believers. What's more, many nonsecular institutions provide free job-search resources that are available to anyone.

Successful networkers say they often secure leads from their faith-based connections by bringing up their employment status in casual conversations about their lives. These conversations can take place after services, at holiday parties or at other religious gatherings, they say.

Mary Stutts, an associate pastor at Revival Center Ministries in Vallejo, Calif., says she regularly spreads the word about local job opportunities to worshipers before and after services. "In the last month, I've given out four job referrals," she says. Ms. Stutts even announces job opportunities from the pulpit when interesting ones open up locally. She learns of most openings from church members and through her work outside the church as a business-relationship consultant, she says.

Some religious groups use email and online forums to share job leads, facilitate networking and channel career advice. An example is the University of Washington's chapter of Hillel, a global foundation for Jewish students. It puts out a weekly email newsletter featuring ads for jobs and networking events in the Seattle area, says Josh Furman, a program coordinator for the group.

Alicia Post of New York says her rabbi regularly blasts emails about job opportunities in her area to current and past members of his synagogue who sign up for them. This past summer, an email describing an opening for an executive director at a Jewish nonprofit caught her eye. At the time, Ms. Post was in her seventh year at a similar organization and was craving a new and more challenging role. She expressed interest in the job to the rabbi, and he forwarded her résumé to the nonprofit's chief executive officer. The 29-year-old Ms. Post landed the job in July.

Between Jobs Ministry, a group started 15 years ago by a pastor at Northwest Bible Church in Spring, Texas, offers job-search assistance meetings weekly. The sessions are typically led by retired career experts and professionals, says Ed Bacon, a director at the ministry and a retired finance executive. The volunteers give talks on job-search topics, facilitate networking among members, critique résumés, organize mock interviews and provide emotional and spiritual support, he says.

Church membership and religious devotion aren't required, but attendees can expect the group to recite a Christian devotional during meetings, adds Mr. Bacon.

In 2006, Michael Schaffner joined the Between Jobs Ministry after being laid off from a position as chief information officer at an oil-field equipment company. A member introduced him to an executive recruiter who later got him an interview for a job as a director of information technology at a similar employer.

Ahead of the meeting, Mr. Schaffner was put in touch with a past member of the ministry who worked for the potential employer. This was helpful, he says, because he learned that the company uses Six Sigma, a business methodology he was familiar with. As a result, he added more details about his Six Sigma experience to his résumé and listed it higher on the page. Mr. Schaffner, 57 years old, landed the job in April.

While many job seekers may rely on prayer for support and success, career experts warn against discussing faith when meeting with hiring managers or executive recruiters. "You don't want to turn it into a religious conversation," says Kevin Zwetsch, a partner with the law firm Fowler White Boggs Banker in Tampa, Fla. "You're veering off the path of what you're there for."

An exception might be if your involvement in religion can promote your candidacy, adds Mr. Zwetsch. For example, if you mention that you are a deacon at a church during a job interview, "that demonstrates leadership and community involvement," he says.

But he warns that "if you go any further, employers will get skittish," because recruiters are prohibited by law from asking candidates questions about their religious beliefs unless they pertain to the job at hand. "[Religion] is one of those taboo topics," he says.

Pathfinder's YouTube Video

2007-09-09T15:22:00.000-07:00

Check out the Pathfinder's Video on Youtube here

Joseph's Vision and a Sevant's Heart

2007-09-02T19:03:00.000-07:00

We may have a dream for our business or lifestyle that may seem to be taken longer than we would like. This is similar to Joseph who had a dream that took many years to became a reality. In fact, soon after Joseph told his dream his brothers, they sold him into slavery, the totally opposite of what he thought would happen. Often, circumstances occur in our lives that seem to side track us from the vision God has given us for our business. Our dreams may become derailed and we feel stuck in a place we can't escape.

Although the circumstances seemed dire, Joseph's servant's heart was the key to his both his happiness and his ultimate success. First he severed his father Jacob by tending to his flocks, this was probably not the most desirable job otherwise one of his older brothers would have requested it. Instead, this was likely the job that no one else wanted, but Joseph did it to sever his father.

Then after his brother's betrayed him, Joseph served Potipher. When Potpher's wife tempted Joseph, someone else in his shoes may have fallen to Potipher's wife's desires both because she was attractive and because it would have been a means for him to better himself. If he gave into her desires he could have kept himself in good standings with her and kept out of prison. To add insult to injury, rather than defending himself and accusing Potipher's wife, he choose to serve Potipher by being silent. If he had accused Potipher's wife this would have brought disgrace to Potipher, instead he choose to go quietly to prison. Often our business are faced with the choice between what is right for our clientele and what is right for our business, often these are one and the same, but when they are not, do we choose to put our clientele's needs over our own?

Even in prison, Joseph severed the guards, the people that kept him captive. It was during this time that Joseph's helped the cup-bearer by interpreting his dream, however this didn't immediately to Joseph's release from prison. Often in business we have to do things that are right even if we don't get the credit or worst, someone else gets the credit. God is just and doesn't forget the acts we commit. It took two year but when Pharaoh had a dream, the cup-bearer remembered Joseph and this led to his release and subsequent elevation to second in command. Even though Joseph probably didn't understand why it took so long for his dream to come to pass, it was during this time that God prepared Joseph by developing the characeristics for his success.

If our vision for our business seems off track, we have to believe that God's purpose is greater than any circumstance, or any mistake we may have made. I'm sure that Joseph wondered if it was a mistake to tell his brother's of his dream, or to have taken the job in Potipher's house, or maybe he should have negotiated a better exit strategy with the cup-bearer. But instead he trusted that God had a plan that is greater than any circumstance.

In business, it is our responsibility to have a vision like Joseph that is unwavering in our trust in God, but also to have Joseph's heart of a servant, willing to do whatever is right irregardless of circumstances. Then and only then will God deliver upon his promise to our business.

Val thoughts on Visionary's Voice

2007-08-27T12:26:00.000-07:00

"When Mark spoke on Sat about Visionary, Leader, Minister and Servant I was was struck by something. In my biz I wear all of those hats at various times, but I was having weird feelings about one, the Visionary hat. I'm very comfortable with that role, what was weird was my "voice" as he called it - silent. I most often share my vision for various things with my Leaders (directors) and step out - sometimes I literally need to stay out of the office to know something is going to work, It's really weird because in my natural mind I keep thinking "get in there and manage.". But my spirit keeps telling me to stay away. It was so cool to hear that a Visionary's voice is silent. Really understood it for the first time." -Val Donati

Finding God in Market Turmoil

2007-08-12T16:29:00.001-07:00

August is typically the time of the year is when Hedge Fund managers go to their homes in the Hamptons for a little rest and relaxation, but this August has been anything but peaceful. The meltdown of the sub-prime mortgage market has caused multi-billion dollar companies like American Home Mortgage (AHM) to go bankrupt, Bear Sterns(BSC) to shut down some of its hedge funds and Goldman Sachs(GS) one of the most prestigious brokerage houses to suffer huge losses to their stock price. Yet in the midst of all this Market in turmoil how is it that we can have a peace that the Bible describes, "surpasses all understanding".

I was playing tennis with a successful executive friend of mine who ran a multi-billion dollar corporation and after the match he started telling me about a certain time in his life during which he found himself in a crisis. I expected him to tell me how God gave him comfort during this time but instead he described how challenging the time was and how he had a hard time understanding "Why" he was being put through this circumstance and "Where" God was hiding during this time?

It got me thinking that while there are many times in the Bible that God chooses to manifest himself in a Big way, but there are other examples where He remains silent. It occurred to me that almost all the great figures in the Bible experience periods in their life when God was "silent" and His presence felt far off. The Psalmist best describes this time in our Christan walk when he says, "though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death you are with me." I believe the psalmist wrote this because he is actually reminding himself that God is still there, even though he doesn't feel His presence. Incredibly even Christ for a moment in time felt separation from God's presence when He was on the cross and said, "my God, my God why have you forsaken me?"

God obviously loves his only son Christ, but at that moment even Jesus felt forsaken when probably needed God the most. If God allowed even Jesus to feel forsaken at the time when he needed Him the most it is likely that we too may feel alone in our greatest challenges. Why does He sometimes seems to disappear? The poem "Footprints" is very beautiful and speaks to the artist in me, but when I'm in trouble the more practical business person side of me emerges and I want to know where God is?

I believe that during our darkest moments when a trial is unbearable the reason God seems to intentionally hide is so we will do three things 1) recall our previous victories, 2) seek his presence even more fervently and 3) rely on His promise that "he will never leave us nor forsake us" and that He will never "give us any burden to difficult for us to carry."

So when everything is falling apart and the Market is crashing, my only hope is to follow Christ's example and cry out to God. It gives me comfort to know that on the cross He too felt forsaken and even though I don't understand "why", or don't feel Him there, He is in fact walking with me in the valley of the shadow of death.

I have come to accept that the "Why" is not necessarily for me to comprehend. The outcome is simply an increased faith and fortitude for the next battle.

Church in the Workplace

2007-07-12T08:50:00.000-07:00

Kim Garret's (CCC-Manhattan) has a brother is starting CCC-Toronto and he apparently was very impressed with a book "Church in the Workplace" by C. Peter Wagner. I have yet to read the book, but apparently it is very relevant to Pathfinders, please check out his review at

http://c3torontoconnect.multiply.com/reviews

Shant be an Ant

2007-06-28T09:31:00.001-07:00

Giving in the corporate sense can be a very scary concept - especially for an entrepreneur. Most worldly advice available gives the business owner guidance counter to the kingdom principles. Like little ants we store during the feast, to ensure survive during any possible famine.

I don't want to live like an ant. Period. Here's some advice I also heard: If it looks like a ant, walks like an ant, acts like an ant, it _IS_ an ant. Well, I don't want to be an ant. I want to be a king. I am not busy toiling away to build an ant hill? Ant hills have to be rebuilt after every storm - my corporation stands strong. I'm going to pause here and allow all business owners to pound their chest for a bit.

I think about that story in the bible where someone was describing the temple. And the water levels on the different sides of the throne were different. At times you could hop over the stream, other times you could wade through it, other times you had to forge through it, and yet other times, you HAD to leave yourself at the mercy of the water.

Business is the same way. Sales cycles , contracts, negotiations, accounts payables, accounts receivables are the same way. Depending on your outlook, you can either hop over it, or feel powerless over them. Either way, there is one certainty, it's coming, in some shape or form, all of the previously mentioned aspects are coming. You should welcome them - you just pounded your chest earlier. Well, my question is do you want to prepare yourself for this onslaught by being the best ANT you can be? Or the best KING you can be?

I will say it again. I am a king. Now I'm going to let you take another minute and say it. Now behave like one. Here, let me help you, let me give you your staffs - unity and favor. Build unity through mercy and grace and vision and yes, at times, through ruthlessness. Build favor by giving. Giving builds roots which builds connections and relationships. Through unity and favor, you can be sure that no matter what happens or you the king sees on the horizon, you will be prepared. Because you now have the power of the kingdom's army. And as I learned from a 3-year-old prince (upcoming king) in Kid's Church -- I'm in the Lord's Army.

That's how I have grown - through the realization that I am a king.

Build first the Kingdom

2007-06-28T07:49:00.000-07:00

We all have big dreams and visions for our lives. When we moved to NY, Pieter and I had to sacrifice a few of ours so that we could step into a new level of growth and faith. Over the past few years, God has challenged us to put our dreams and desires on hold , while we plant ourselves in His house and we commit to building His house first. Initially we thought that the process would include a standstill in our plans to move forward, but over the past year especially, we've seen God open so many doors for us - in the natural and spiritual world - and we've been able to see him working on our behalf and moving us closer to His purpose for our lives. As leaders, we all have incredible stories of sacrifice and building faith around that, and now it's time for us to impart that into the people around us to inspire and encourage them. We can't wait to see the incredible testimonies that will be birthed from our Rise and Build campaign - not only for ourselves, but especially for the people around us.

Peace, Provision and a Cat called Lucy

2007-06-26T10:50:00.000-07:00

Living in New York has it's challenges - especially when it comes to housing. Over the past 3 months Clara and I have lived in 6 different places as we have navigated the New York rental market. What we have come to experience is that God provides for us and we can have great peace in that.

Imagine coming to New York from another country with no US credit history, no income verification and no guarantor. On paper we look like the worst tenants ever. Nevertheless a property owner in Sydney Australia gave us an apartment in Grammercy Park (rent free) from June 2006 - May 2007. With just 3 days notice the apartment was sold in May, and the search was on to find a new place.

We literally had all our property in a truck. We had no confirmation where we would move in next. We ended up in Hell's Kitchen for 2 weeks while the owners were in Ireland. The problem with the property was that I am terribly allergic to cats and there was a cat called Lucy that lived in the house. A day before we moved in, Lucy was put down due to a serious cancer and we were provided Cat free accomodation.

Later we jumped out of the kitchen into the Union Square while another friend went to Australia. Time was running out - we had until June 16 to find a place.

We applied for 2 apartments but they were taken before our applications were submitted. One apartment was signed by another tenant in the 15mins it took to walk from the apartment viewing to the management office. Finally we found the perfect place - and the management didn't mind at all that we didn't have credit histories or all the normal documentation. We took occupancy on the 15th of June - all in perfect timing.

What we have learnt in the midst of all these adventures is that there is a plan and purpose for all of us even when we can't see it. Peace and patience in the face of seeming uncertainty is a great gift that grows as we trust God more and more.

It should be noted that even Lucy's owners took great comfort in the timing of her passing. It seems sad to say that a Cat died for us, but in a way it's true. The owners saw their loss as part of a bigger picture in God's perfect plan. They were actually encouraged to catch a glimpse of purpose and provision in the loss of their cat.

Getting Bigger Through Giving

2007-06-21T10:59:00.000-07:00

We love to give because this House has taught us to give . . . it's that simple. We've learned to trust God in our giving . . . trust Him enough to step "outside the box" in the way we approach our businesses and our finances to prove to ourselves that He can do it better and bigger than we can. While giving at c3m we saw our savings/investments accounts soar into 6 digits, we saw them drain to zero when we spent every last penny on a wedding and a home in the city, and we saw those same accounts recover and continue to grow since then. We now treat that account strictly as "God's account." Whatever He wants to do with it, He can (He's done so well, why stop Him now!?). While giving at c3m we've watched our annual tithes and offerings increase every year . . . and in bigger leaps and bounds than we had budgeted towards. We are continually amazed at the blessings we've experienced and have been able to give back out of. Our businesses have become testimonies to our God and to our family within this House. This year, even with one less salary, we have renewed our commitment to increase our tithes and offerings. It seems ridiculous in the natural, but with God, anything is possible! We've decided to focus on the fact that if we commit to larger giving, the money has to come from somewhere . . . and our God has proven faithful!

The Fellowship of the Unashamed - Commitment Statment

2007-06-18T12:58:00.000-07:00

I am part of the "Fellowship of the Unashamed". The die has been cast, the decision has been made, I have stepped over the line. I won't look back let up, slow down, back away or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense and my future is secure. I'm finish and done with lone living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tame vision, mundane talking, cheap giving and dwarfed goals. I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position, promotion, plaudits, or popularity. I don't have to be right first, tops recognized, praised, regarded or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on his presence, love with patience, live by prayer, and labor by power. My pace is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my guide is reliable and my mission is clear. I can not be bought, compromised, detoured, loured away, turned back, diluted or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, and ponder at the pool of popularity or meander in the maze of mediocrity. I won't give up, shut up, let up or slow up until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up and paid up and spoken up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know and work till he stops me and when Jesus comes for his own, He will have no problem recognizing me, my banner is clear, I am part of the fellowship of the unashamed.

Finance Seminar, 5/19

2007-05-08T19:01:00.000-07:00

Don't miss this amazing seminar on achieving your financial goals, including sessions on Expanding Your Financial Vision and Expanding Your Territory: How to Buy a Home in New York City. The seminar will be held on Saturday, May 19, 2-5PM. Cost is $25 per person ($20 with a valid student ID).

Led by Doug Pyle, Vice President of IT Mentors, a technology training company serving companies such as Microsoft and Morgan Stnley, and Erica Pyle, co-founder (along with her husband, Doug) of Acquire NYC, a real estate investment compnay, these sessions will focus on expanding your financial capacity, and take you through a discussion on how God provides for our needs and how we can attract the culture of heave into our own personal financial world.

Please RSVP at info@cccmanhattan.org as soon as possible to secure your spot at this information-packed seminar and to receive location details.

Cairn Builders

2007-04-24T05:05:00.000-07:00

A cairn is a non-natural pile of stones erected by a individual(s) at regular intervals along a moutain trail to indicate the path to travel to the summit. As pathfinders we are like hikers often driven to travel along uncharted territory to take new ground in our business.

Interestingly cairns are historical decendants of altars. In the Old Testiment, Altars were often errected after great victories, for example Saul errected an altar when the Isrealites defeated the philistines (1 Samuel chapter 14). Altars are places of worship or giving thanks to where God has brought you. An altar is also a place of sacrifice, where we are to give the first of our fruits or tithes.

Errecting an cairn in hiking is very much like errecting an altar. It is done typically when a hiker is resting. You can't be hiking and building at the same time. Similarly in the Old Testiment altars were not build during battles but at times of rest, reflections and worship, they served the purpose of commemorating a victory.

In business it should be the first thing we should when we reach a goal is take the time to give thanks to God and give of the first of our fruits or tithes.

A builder of a cairn does so to show the path to others hiking along the trail. As pathfinders we are trailblazers taking new ground and as we do we lead others long the same path. As we forge foward in our businesses we should all build spiritual cairns. Because cairns accomplish three things: 1) give praise 2) give offering 3) give witness. In this we demonstrate to others the power of being lead by God, our trust in him with our tithes and we inspire others to do the same.

Speed of Trust

2007-04-10T19:11:00.000-07:00

I recently read a very powerful book that I highly recommend, "The Speed of Trust" by Stephen M. R. Covey, in this book the author describes one of the most important but least understood business qualities, trust.

Trust is a fundamental quality that we all need to apply in our business, whether it is to trust an employee with a task or a vendor's ability to deliver on time.

Covey describes a direct correlation between Trust and productivity: As trust goes up, speed goes up and costs go down, conversely as trust goes down, speed decreases and costs rise. Covey gives an example of the airline industry post-911 where trust of passengers went down and that caused the time one spends in the airport to go up and ticket costs to rise.

Trust only comes with credibility and there are four cores to credibility: 1) Integrity, 2) Intent (motives), 3) Capability, and 4) Results (Track Record). The first two Integrity and Intent are both Character qualities, while Capability and Results are both a matter of competence.

As Christians business people we are called to the highest standard of character, but a Christian character can be summarized by Matthew 5:37 where Jesus says, "yes be yes and our no be no". The core principles of competence can be surmised in Luke 12:48, "to whom much is given much is required." As Christians we need to be forthright in our business transaction as a manner or character and responsible for delivering what we have promised as an example of our competence.

Covey then goes on to describe 13 behaviors associated with trust, the first five are linked to character, the next five with competence and the last three are qualities of both character and competence:

I. Character:
1. Talk Straight: Be honest in action, tell the trust and leave the right impression. The opposite of honest is lying, or spinning the truth. Proverbs 16:21 " Kings take pleasure in honest lips; they value a man who speaks the truth.

2. Demonstrate Respect: The Golden Rule-" Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Matthew 7:12. Bottom line is act in Fairness, Kindness and love. The opposite is Disrespect and the counterfeit is showing respect only to those that can help you.

3. Create Transparency: Opposite is hiding of failing to disclose. Having a hidden agenda. " He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him." Daniel 2:22

4. Right Wrongs: Based out of humility. We see Christ doing this often in the Bible. The opposite is ego or pride and being humbled only when found out. The counterfeit is a person that hides or covers up their wrongs. This has a double tax the first when you make the wrong and the second when you cover it up.

5. Show Loyalty: a) Give credit to others, the opposite is to take credit from others b) speak of others as if they are in the room. The opposite it to sell people out, the counterfeit is to sweet mouth to a persons face but bad mouth them behind their backs. "He who pursues righteousness and loyalty Finds life, righteousness and honor." Proverbs 21:21

II. Competence:
6. Deliver Results: The counterfeit is to look busy or deliver activity. "bearing fruit in every good work" Colossians 1:10

7. Get Better: Learning or continuously improving. The opposite is entropy, the counterfeit is always learning and never producing (i.e. the constant student). "He who walks with the wise grows wise" Proverbs 13:20

8. Confront Reality: Name the elephant in the room. it takes courage and responsibility, the opposite is to bury your head in the Sand, the opposite is to act like your confronting but actually skirt around the issue. " Be strong and courageous. " Deuteronomy 21:6

9. Clarify Expectations: Behavior of prevention. The opposite is assume expectations, counterfeit is smoke and mirrors, and to fail to nail down specifics.

10. Practice Accountability: Stewardship. opposite is not owning up and the counterfeit it to blame others.

III. Character and Competence:
11. Listen First: Understanding. The opposite is to speak first and listen last, this is all about your agenda. the counterfeit is to pretend your listening and instead of listening spend the time thinking of what you wan to say next.
12. Keep Commitments: It is the quickest way to trust and the opposite is the quickest way to loose trust.
13. Extend Trust: Trust as a noun to trust as as verb. When you trust, others will trust you. It is the principle of empowerment and reciprocity. The opposite is to withhold trust and the counterfeit is a) false trust: trust with no authority b) fake trust: where Big Brother is snooping on the person making sure they are doing a good job.

Now that we understand the Business principles of trust, do we understand the spiritual principles and how do we apply this to our lives? How do we trust ourselves? How does God trust us? How do we learn to trust God in our businesses?

Pathfinders 1O1: Kingdom Invesment Principles

2007-04-09T13:06:00.000-07:00

Finance and Faith, Religion and Money. Simple words but put in the same sentence these words can cause even the most devote to cringe. Instantly images of televangelists asking little old ladies to put $10 in an envelopes come to mind. So when I sat to write the opening to this blog on business and faith, I thought it best to start with an explanation.

Pathfinders 1O1: Kingdom Investment Principles

Our Mantra: Business people expanding the kingdom

Our Mission: Pathfinders seeks to nurture kingdom principles in people with business skills. It looks to expand their capacity, reach an influence in the market place an effort to impact the kingdom.

The fundamentals of Pathfinders can be found in John 21. The passage describes fishermen, friends of Jesus, who had been fishing all day with no results. Their failure that day was not due to their laziness or ineptitude. If you recall these fishermen were not weekend warriors trying to catch a fish on a lazy Saturday, they fished daily for their livelihood.

Jesus, a carpenter by trade, who knew little if anything about fishing tells them to cast their net unto the other side of the boat. It doesn't take a scientist to realize that Jesus advice makes no practical sense. It was the same water under the port or the starboard side of the boat. Casting their nets onto the other side didn't logically seem as if it would produce a different result. However these fishermen proved obedient and because of their obedience they caught more fish than they could bring in their boat.

What does this simple story have to do with your business and the daily challenge many of us face while trying to seek the best direction for our careers, businesses and or employees? As an analyst at a hedge fund on Wall Street, I identified with these fishermen. I was out there using all the tools I had and the knowledge I had acquired. But I was relying completely on my own mental acumen to pick stocks. I had a Ph.D from Yale working at one of the hedge funds with a reputation for outstanding results; yet God was not a part of the equation. It dawned on me that if God was willing to help these fishermen cast their nets and catch fish, God would want to help me as well in my daily work of selecting and finding the right stocks.

And what did he want in return? My trust in Him.

Trusting anything or anyone in the Stock Market is a challenge let alone a God that you can't see. Even those with an active prayer life have difficulty knowing the difference between His voice and the voice in their head. Many of the concepts that will be discussed in this blog is how to hear God's voice in our decision making process. And more broadly how to actively include God in your work life and trust in Him.

If you are asking yourself why would God want to guide me with something like stock picks or decisions regarding my employees or a new business venture? My response to you is why would God want to help those fishermen with their fishing? The answer is simple. Because he wants us to relinquish control of our world and trust in Him. When you arrive at a place where you can't do it on your own, that is when you need faith and God can act and show to you that He is real and very interested in your welfare.

Pathfinders is about giving up control to God in everything. It is important to relinquish control while things are good so that you can trust God when tough patches in your life come. As an analyst it is letting Him direct which stocks I should buy or sell and the timing as well. When I'm without work it is about then trusting that he has a plan even when I can't see the path ahead. Pathfinders is not a get rich quick scheme. This is not like asking God what are the numbers in the lottery going to be. It is asking God to very simply to be a part of my work -- show me where to focus my time and to wait for answers. It is about showing God that I trust him with my all.

The amazing thing that is often overlooked in about the story of John 21, is not that they caught 153 fish because they obeyed Jesus, but that without going out fishing Jesus was already on the shore and had not only provided them with fish already frying on the fire but the fire and wood to cook them on.

Philippians 4:19 says, " And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." If we really believe this then we need to trust Him in our decision making in our businesses. One of the greatest ways we can show God that we trust him is in our tithe and in our offering, yet this is one of the greatest challenges business people face. Tithing is often counter intuitive to business people because we are very familiar with the concept of investing and calculating a return, however in giving we can't control what is done with the gift and we may not even understand the return. In tithe and offering we are expected to give with no strings attached, without seeing any result, there is no profitability forecast that can be made to understand the results of our giving.

I had a very close christian business friend who would never tithe but when a non-profit with an orphanage came to visit our church he told me he wrote them a large check. when I asked him why he was moved to such generosity, he said that while he felt guilty about not tithing, this way he could give but have a direct account of what his funds were enabling. My friend was operating under the business principles, he looked at giving like investing in the stock market, where he needed to understand where is money was being invested. While my friend's giving probably did a lot of good for the orphanage, what he was missing was two amazing spiritual principles. The first principle is that tithing is investing in a church and community where the results are lives transformed. The second principle is that giving is an investment of faith. The reason God wants us to give is not because there is a need, but because if God is really God he can take care of the need without our money, what God wants is our hearts, He wants us to trust him with the thing that are most important to our lives, our finances, and for a business person giving is the first step moving closer to trusting God with our all.