REFLECTIONS

MAKING CONNECTIONS BETWEEN OUR FAITH AND OUR BUSINESS

  • On September 8, 1860, the passenger steamer, Lady Elgin, was shipwrecked in Lake Michigan. Rescue teams were sent to help, including a team of Northwestern University students. One of those young men, Edward Spencer, rescued eighteen people from the sinking ship. When he was carried, exhausted, from the scene he kept asking, “Did I do my best?” Years later, at a class reunion, a speaker recalled this act of heroism. Someone called out that Edward Spencer was present in the audience. He was...

  • Author and psychologist Mary Pipher summed up Business in this statement: “In the world of business, all of life is boiled down to one word: profit.” The word profit sure can elicit some extreme emotions, from righteous denouncement to fanatical exaltation. At one extreme, profit represents injustice and exploitation; at the other end profit is the ultimate prize regardless of ethics. Where do you line up on the morality of profit? Once again, we need some biblical clarity to confirm...

  • Over the last couple of years, I have yet to come across many marketplace workers who are not weary–bordering on exhaustion–from the pace and demands of their business. The old statement, “It’s a jungle out there” feels quite current today. That reminds me of a story I’ve retold over the years.In the deep jungles of Africa, a traveler set out on a long trip. He had high hopes for a speedy journey, accompanied by the nationals he hired to carry his heavy cargo. One the first day they traveled ver...

  • I have heard that statement quoted my entire life–that Christians live in the world, but are not of the world. John 17:1-26 records the great prayer of Jesus the night before He went to the cross. His disciples were gathered around Him but Jesus’ prayer also included all the generations of believers that would follow after them. “In the world, but not of the world” . . . it sounds like it might be a slogan branding a Christian campaign. Actually it’s “stitched together” from four verses: “11 And...

  • Attention all architects, engineers, contractors and developers! Time to get out your calculators to evaluate the scope of two very important projects. Our first site is located in Jerusalem. It’s a very significant development—the original Temple built by King Solomon of Israel. The specs are detailed in the blueprints found in I Kings 5 and 6 of the Bible. The structure was 60 cubits long, 20 cubits wide and 30 cubits high. (Note: the long cubit was about 19.8 to 20.6 inches) Also note the pro...

  • Several years ago I was in the middle of the largest real estate transaction I had ever been involved in. The whole process took more than two years. I was representing a long-time client and property they had owned for over 100 years. We were under contract with a group for over $120 million and we had reached a major crossroad. The buyer was being asked to risk an additional $2 million of earnest money on top of what was already submitted. I was working very closely with the buyer while also t...

  • I have worked in the commercial real estate business for over 40 years. I love my work and my industry. I have tried to do business from the vantage point that I am serving under the Heavenly Father’s gaze. Colossians 3:23 has always meant something to me—”Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.” This perspective has aided me throughout my career. While I am not always as conscious of the Lord as my “employer” as I desire to be, I really do want Him to be magnified throu...

  • God’s power and creativity are incomparable and limitless. The first two chapters of Genesis summarize the beginning of Everything. From nothing, He created Earth, within a vast Universe. He spoke into existence the Sequoias, the Vaquita and the Middlemist Red (the most unusual, rare trees, animals, flowers). And ultimately, God designed Humankind, both male and female, to bear His inconceivable image. Amazing, right? Afterward, God planted a Garden and put Adam and Eve to work in it (Genesis 2:...

  • I imagine that many of you have heard about three bricklayers who were asked a simple but important question, “What are you doing?” The first bricklayer responded, “I’m setting a brick.” The second bricklayer answered, “I’m making a wall.” The third bricklayer looked up and exclaimed, “I’m building a cathedral!” I find it fascinating that all three bricklayers were doing the same work– laying bricks. The first bricklayer was simply doing the next thing. Like him, a whole lot of our daily work bo...

  • Is it possible to simultaneously be culturally “hip” and a faithful Christian, or does “fitting in” with the culture compromise essential beliefs? In different Christian circles this can be a controversial question. I still remember an issue of Christianity Today several years ago that asked, “Can Christianity Be Cool?” While vocational ministers may debate the answer, you and I are living with the tension. Like it or not, Christians must learn to function effectively in a culturally saturated w...