Come to church: no faith required...
This week I was thinking about the irony of many large churches: they teach “faith” to attendees, but hugely discourage them from exercising faith at church. How so? Large churches, like some large corporations, only want to do what looks successful. If you have a new initiative and you run the idea up the holy flagpole, it will quickly get shot down unless it is a...Materialism is the opiate of the masses...
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Brett in
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June 15, 2010 |
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I don’ t think Karl Marx had it right. While religion may have been an opiate in the 20th Century (keeping people anesthetized to the need for radical action) I think that materialism seems to be a more effective drug in the 21st century. I just returned from a round-the-world trip which took just 12 flights and 40 days. I spent much time discussing what it takes to transform...
Global Day of Prayer...
It is slated to be the largest prayer gathering in history with participants from most nations on the planet. We will be there, and you can join us, of course. (See http://gdop.inst.net) What is equally interesting to me is that, over 200 years ago the ‘Father of modern missions’, William Carey, proposed a conference in Cape Town to be held in 1810… but it never...Part 4 – What about church plantin...
In December 2006 I was reading 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3 one morning. “We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. We continually remember before our God: your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” Since I know that the reason why we work is out of love for Jesus, I asked him the...Part 3 – Businesses reach Business...
The Institute has a small part to play in reaching the GBCs. Our purpose statement is “Repurposing leaders and corporations to discover and implement personal and corporate callings, thereby transforming communities and nations.” Our tag line is Repurposing Business—Transforming Society®. We have a particular focus on restoring God’s intended purpose for business simply because...Part 2 – The Global Business Consu...
Their location is global. The word “globalization” is not academic for them, but it is a force that has already given them opportunities to work globally, without regard to physical location. They answer phones for Lufthansa from Cape Town. They handle technical support for Cisco from Hyderabad, and they trouble shoot washing machines in the Mid-West from who knows where. They do...Part 1 – Beyond Business as Missio...
(A presentation given at WCC in February, 2010) In 1977 I faced a challenging decision. I had just graduated from the University of Cape Town and was approached by Youth for Christ to join their “full time staff.” I really wanted to do it because my wife, Lyn, and I had been active in serving youth for many years. My dad said, “If you want to, then go ahead.” But my mom said,...Potholes on the road to Business as Miss...
Those who know me recognize that I am no longer a proponent of the phrase Business as Missions. It is not a bad thing, in and of itself, but it can become a diversion from the real work that God has for businesspeople to do in the kingdom of God. In 2003 I wrote, “The marketplace movement is happening, it’s exciting, and it has lots of potential. Like other movements before it, the...They see, they blink...
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Brett in
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January 21, 2010 |
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I have been wondering about how often we have a critical moment when we make life decisions that greatly diminish our options going forward. We see an incredible opportunity, and we blink. The challenge is that it is hard to know when we are simply encountering just another demand on our time, and when we are upon, what one of my friends would call, a junction...
What’s the value of a changed life...
Many years ago Peter Drucker said that the product of a not-for-profit is a changed life. What happens when businesses are having an increasing societal role, and not-for-profits are running more like businesses? Do non-profits have more of an emphasis on real value for money? And how do businesses place a valuation on the life-change that they bring about? If they do so through a...Gallery