TwoTen Volume 1 Issue 4 - Q3 2013

Leverage Your Platform with Willie Robertson, CEO of Duck Commander

Dr. James P. Gills Life Lessons From An Ironman

Jon Acuff Learning To Be Awesome

water changes everything. charitywater.org

Contents

22

14

34 Cover Story

28

Features

14

Leverage Your Platform

22

Life Lessons From An Ironman

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The CEO of Duck Commander and star of Duck Dynasty talks about using the platform God has given him and his family.

D r. Ja m e s P. Gi l l s , J r. p us hes hi s mi nd , b o d y an d spirit to extraordinary levels to share the Gospel.

Living The Awesome Life Jon Acuff talks about punching fear in the face to pursue God’s plan for your life.

Honoring The Fallen Chaplain Jason Hohnberger speaks words of life at Arlington National Cemetery.

Table of Contents

56 62

08 66

46

06

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VOLUME 1

ISSUE 4 Q3 2013

Columns & Departments Welcome 06

Unique Platform – TwoTen hunts down the Robertsons from Duck Dynasty.

08

Families Matter To Jesus – Ken Blanchard on the importance of leading our families.

Articles 40

Humbly Exalted – The inspiring story of Ed Kobel and how God has transformed his life.

46

Creating Positivity – Author, speaker and consultant Jon Gordon, talks about the power of positivity.

50

Conversations That Can Convert – Entrepreneur Tom Wolf on how to redefine sales.

54

Calling All Leaders – Terence Chatmon, of FCCI on rallying leaders to a higher purpose.

Columns & Departments 56

Ask Dave On Business – Dave Ramsey answers questions about your business.

60

The Power Of Authentic Appreciation – Dr. Paul White on effective workplace communication.

62

Women Are Called Too – Bonnie Wurzbacher on the world-wide struggle for women leaders.

66

The 4 Tips To Vital Value – Chris Hogan discusses ways to build your team successfully.

68

Hearing God In The Workplace – Os Hillman on tuning into God’s vision for our business.

72

Working Women – Diane Paddison shares about the power of a mentor.

74

Ways To Improve Office Productivity – Jordan Raynor outlines five essential office productivity tools.

78

Quarterly Review – Recommended leadership books.

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Founders of TwoTen Magazine, Richard W. Hayes and John Faulkner got into character to deliver this issue’s cover story about Duck Dynasty.

UNIQUE PLATFORM Louisiana mud, hunting and camouflage may not seem like a likely platform for Christ.

Facial hair or not, the men and women of the fan-favorite, A&E reality TV series Duck Dynasty share their faith in Christ every week for the millions tuning in to witness their southern antics.

The TwoTen team was encouraged by Paul’s message to the Ephesians when he said; “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10). Who else could have planned for the Robertson family to spread the gospel with dirt under their nails and shotguns in hand but God alone?

TwoTen gets a look into the unique platform of Army Chaplain Jason Hohnberger as he represents his country and our God at Arlington National Cemetery by honoring fallen soldiers.

Military spy turned real estate investor, Ed Kobel, allows his faith to seep out after he and his wife balanced on the brink of bankruptcy.

Speaking of family, Dr. James Gills, founder of the St. Luke’s Cataract & Laser Institute, began writing books about the Christian lifestyle to inspire his own children. In this fourth issue of TwoTen, we read about the modern-day Renaissance man’s ability to maintain Iron Man status, a growing business and a philanthropic schedule all while fostering a family built on the rock of Christ. New York Times best-selling author Jon Acuff even shares his formula for launching an average life into awesomeness through his book START.

Jon Gordon, an author and motivational speaker, met with TwoTen in an interview that offered insight into the methods he uses to inspire positivity in the workplace, while Tom Wolf sorted through the psychology of communicating in sales, whether for a product or for Christianity.

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We heard from Terence Chatmon regarding his position as president and CEO of Fellowship of Companies for Christ International. The organization leverages collaboration over Unique Platform

competition in bringing together Christian companies to equip leaders of this generation and beyond.

Unlikely though it may seem, Dr. Paul White explains why all employee recognition is not necessarily good employee recognition. With the help of research, he shows that it means close to nothing if it is missing one vital component: authenticity.

Printed in the U.S.A. A publication of TwoTen Magazine, Inc. 16057 Tampa Palms Blvd. West #398 • Tampa, FL 33647

Office: (855) 4 TwoTen | team@twotenmag.com | @twotenmag

John Faulkner

Founder & Editor in Chief

Author of Work, Love, Pray, Diane Paddison shares her own unlikely platform as a mentor to South Sudanese, Olympic athlete Lopez Lomong.

Ken Blanchard, co-author of the New York Times best-seller Lead Your Family Like Jesus, brings us back to perhaps the most poignant discipleship opportunity for all of us, the one that starts at home.

We thank Dave Ramsey for coming back to answer several readers’ business concerns, as well as Bonnie Wurzbacher, Chris Hogan, Os Hillman and Jordan Raynor for their continued input on Christian leadership and technological advances in the workplace.

In the Quarterly Review of Issue 4, we provide commentary on one of Jon Gordon’s books The Positive Dog, Work Matters by Tom Nelson, Every Good Endeavor by Timothy Keller as well as Darrayl and Derrick Miles’ Superhuman Performance.

In over 80 pages, you’ll have the chance to dive into the stories of more than 20 unlikely platforms for the Gospel. From out of the bayous of Louisiana or up in the boardrooms of high-rise offices, the Spirit of God, the love of Jesus can and does move around us abundantly. After all, even Jesus had a beard.

Thank you for joining us as we experience it together.

Richard W. Hayes Founder & Publisher

Mark Whitaker Executive Editor Julie Faulkner Features Editor George Cline Associate Editor Miranda Faulkner-Smith Operations Manager Chandler Hayes Copy Editor Emily Moschner Copywriter John H. Rains, III General Counsel

Chris Whitten Creative Director Luke Haydel Project Manager Paul Tejera Technology Director Mike Crisp Social Media Manager Mike Glesenkamp Web Manager Robin Stafstrom Production Manager

Contributors Os Hillman Bonnie Wurzbacher Tom Wolf

Diane Paddison Jessica Burchfield Dr. Paul White

Lisa Huetteman Julie Faulkner Mark Whitaker

Founding Contributors Ken Blanchard Jordan Raynor

Dave Ramsey Edward L. Flom

Buck Jacobs Chris Hogan

About TwoTen Magazine The TwoTen brand was inspired by the New Testament Bible verse Ephesians 2:10, which says, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Our Mission is to inspire, encourage and equip business leaders with Christian principles to make an eternal, positive impact on everyone that God has entrusted them to serve.

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Inquiry Addresses Editorial editorial@twotenmag.com Distribution & Subscription subscribe@twotenmag.com Advertising sales@twotenmag.com Like us on Facebook facebook.com/twotenmag

Follow us on Twitter twitter.com/twotenmag

Cover photo, of Willie Robertson, taken by: Brian Bowen Smith

John Faulkner Founder & Editor In Chief

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&

Richard W. Hayes Founder & Publisher

© 2013 Two Ten Magazine, Inc. Reproduction without permission is prohibited. The articles appearing within this publication reflect the opinion of their respective authors and not necessarily those of the publisher and/or TwoTen Magazine. The contents of advertisements and advertorials are entirely the responsibility of advertisers. No responsibility is taken for unsolicited submissions and manuscripts.

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J esus FAMILIES MATTER TO

BY: KEN BLANCHARD The most important life role leadership position you will ever have is your role as a leader in your family! Yet most people have no training or framework to help them be the best leader of their family. That is one of the reasons that Phil Hodges, Tricia Goyer and I wrote, Lead Your Family Like Jesus.

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Families Matter To Jesus

B

y looking at how Jesus might lead your family, I hope you will learn how to build a more loving relationship with your spouse, children and extended family – no matter how you were raised and no matter what challenges your family faces.

To lead your family like Jesus, there are four domains – your heart, your head, your hands and your habits. Let’s take a look at each.

Your Heart First comes the Heart of leading your family like Jesus. Your heart has to do with a couple of things. One is character, which is the sum of all of your capabilities and how you use those to live your life in the way that God created you. He has a plan for your life and He wants you to serve people, not to be served.

The second part of the heart is your intentions. Are you actually serving God and serving your family, or are you really interested in serving yourself? If I asked you, which would you check on this survey?

“

Your heart has to do with

a couple of things.

One is character, which is the sum of all

your capabilities

and how you use those to live your life in the way that

God created you.”

- Ken Blanchard

I’m a servant leader I’m a self-serving leader I’m a little of both Most people say, “I’m a little of both.” Why? It is reality. The Lord made us in His image and made us loving, caring, serving human beings, but then He gave us free will, which allows our egos to get in the way, and we want things to be our way.

Your Head The second domain of leading your family like Jesus is the Head. This is your viewpoint or belief about leading and influencing your family. Servant leadership is the only leadership approach that Jesus ever endorsed.

There are two parts to servant leadership. First is the leadership part, which is vision, direction and goals. Leadership TwoTenMagazine.com

is about going somewhere. If your family doesn’t know where you want them to go, they’ll have a hard time getting there – let alone get excited about the journey. You’ve got to start with a sense of direction and goals. The second part is about implementation, which is how you help your family live according to the vision and accomplish your goals.

A compelling vision tells you who you are (your purpose), where you are headed (your picture of the future), what’s going to guide your journey (your values) and what you should focus on right now (your goals).

Did Jesus have a vision for His disciples? He called them and said, “Come with me and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). That was the business they were in. What do you think the picture of the future was? “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19).

What about values? The Pharisees came to Him and asked, “Which is the most important Commandment?” What did Jesus say? “Love God with all your heart, with all your mind and with all your soul and love thy neighbor as thyself” (Matthew 22:37-40). It’s all about love.

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Then what about goals? He was clear on goals, particularly on the first commission when He told them what to wear, where to stay and told them to preach, “The Kingdom of God is near” (Matthew 10:6-7).

Do you have a vision for your family? Do the people in your family know what business you are in? What you are trying to accomplish?

People say to me, “Blanchard, did you have a purpose and mission statement for your family?” We did. In fact, our son, Scott, says, “When I was young and got into trouble, which I often did, I wish I was disciplined like my friends. But, no, I had to go down to the dinner table and tell my mother, father and sister why my behavior was inconsistent with family values, which had been established in an offsite retreat.”

We realized that if we didn’t provide our family with a clear vision to serve, our kids would end up serving themselves. They would become self-centered. We wanted to get into their hearts that life is not just about them. As the Bible says,

“Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained.”

- Proverbs 29:18

Your Hands The third part of leading your family like Jesus has to do with the hands.

“Hands” are how you put into action what is in your heart and in your head. When Jesus washed His disciples’ feet, He was transitioning from vision and direction to action. To carry out this vision, Jesus empowered His disciples.

His role then became to work for them as their day-to-day coach.

Most parents don’t even get into coaching or set academic goals for their children. So what happens? The kids bring home grades that are unacceptable. Without clear goals, you have nothing to “coach” about.

We set goals for our children focused on their academic achievement, their relationships with adults, their relationships with their friends and their contribution to the family. Let’s take academics. We wanted them to have at least a 3.0 average.

Why not a 4.0? We thought a 3.0 average combined with school activities and student leadership positions could get them into a good college.

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How did we coach them? We learned that teachers filled out a weekly progress report for students with academic problems, but as a parent, you could ask for the weekly report even if there wasn’t a problem. So we asked for those reports. Scott and Debbie didn’t like it, but it gave us a way to monitor their progress. We would use this to praise them when things were good, and when they needed more time to focus, we used the reports to determine what they could and couldn’t do on the next weekend. We used it as a way to coach them.

Your Habits Habits help you stay on course in leading your family like Jesus. These are the daily ways you connect with God to refocus your commitment to lead your family like Jesus. Jesus modeled keeping connected to His Father. I just love, “I am the vine, you are the branches … without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). Jesus knew about being attached to His Father. In John 5:19 He says, “The Son can do nothing by Himself. He can only do what He sees His Father do.”

There are five habits that are really important. The first one is accepting the unconditional love of God, which trumps all the others because it keeps us from edging God out. How do you continue to build on and accept God’s unconditional love? The other four habits reinforce that you have a loving partner as a family leader.

The second one is solitude. Did Jesus use solitude? Yes. After His baptism, He went off for 40 days by Himself. He also went off by Himself when He found out that John the Baptist had been killed, probably to deal with grief. He went off by Himself after he fed the 5000, probably to deal with pride because they wanted Him to be king.

The one I love is where Jesus is doing a lot of healing, and there is going to be a big crowd the next morning. The Bible says, “Early the next morning, Jesus went off by Himself to pray” (Mark 1:35). When the disciples found Him they said, “Come, everyone is waiting.” Did He care about those people?

Sure. There was not a more caring person that ever walked on the earth. What did He say? “Come with Me, let’s go to the next village so I can preach, for that is why I’ve come.” So if you don’t make time for solitude, you’re going to get off purpose.

The third habit is prayer. I love the A.C.T.S acronym for prayer. It starts with A for Adoration – Lord, you are unbelievable, look at what you’ve created. C is Confession – what you did that day that you wish you could have a do-over, a mulligan. Tell the Families Matter To Jesus

“

Your habits help

you stay on course in leading your family like Jesus. These are the daily ways you connect with God to refocus your committment to

lead your family like Jesus.”

- Ken Blanchard Lord, He already knows anyway. T stands for Thanksgiving.

He loves for you to have thankful heart. S stands for Seek or Supplication – your wish list. Typically, when most people pray, it’s really, “Lord, do this,” or “Lord, I need/want that,” and that’s okay. He wants to know your requests, but I think it works better with adoration, confession and thanksgiving first.

The next habit is the study of Scriptures. When I first read about Jesus being tempted by the devil, I smiled, because I realized He could have dismissed the devil because of who He was. Instead, every time He was tempted, He would say, “It is written.” He quoted Scripture. What Scriptures help you in daily life?

The last habit is involvement in supportive relationships where you are part of a group that continually encourages you to stay on track and to be the person God wants you to be as a family leader. I meet with a men’s group at my church every Thursday where we study together, encourage each other and support each other to be the best we can be. I’m also on a telephone Bible study group every Wednesday morning.

Remember, be intentional about your love for your family and your spouse. Jesus said, “I will never leave you or forsake you.”

He also said, “Surely I am with you always until the end of time.”

Jesus wants to be your friend; He wants to be with you. Jesus is always there to help and guide you as you build a loving and caring family. VICTORY

Margie and I love Psalm 118:24, “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.” One of my favorite verses is Romans 8:31, “If God is for you, who can be against you?”

In addition to being a renowned speaker, consultant, and bestselling author, Ken Blanchard currently serves as the Chief Spiritual Officer of The Ken Blanchard Companies. His book The One Minute Manager has sold over 13 million copies and has been translated into 37 languages. He has coauthored over 30 other best selling books, including Raving Fans: A Revolutionary Approach To Customer Service,

Leadership & The One Minute Manager:

Increasing Effectiveness Through Situational Leadership, and Gung Ho! Turn On The People In Any Organization.

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“

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession,

that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

1 Peter 2:9

PURPOSE “God has given us two hands - one to receive with and the other to give with.

We are not cisterns made for hoarding; we are channels made for sharing.”

- Billy Graham -

...meditate on these things.

THE DEFINITIVE GUIDES

TO BEING THE BEST

PARENT YOU CAN BE.

ALL PRO DAD is designed to help fathers become passionate about their role in their family’s life by providing resources needed to rightly train up their children and give them a hopeful future.

www.AllProDad.com

Our goal at iMOM is to help mothers their children in a way that increases wisdom and stature while having with all those they come in contact

www.iMom.com

raise their favor with.

LEVERAGE YOUR

PLATFORM When There’s Vision, There’s Provision Written By: Mark Whitaker

If you are a fan of the wildly popular reality show, Duck Dynasty, and watched this season’s one-hour finale, you weren’t alone. Over nine million viewers tuned in to follow the adventures of the first family of fowl - the Roberstons.

A

After wrapping up its third season as A&E’s most watched program, they have launched into celebrity status and recently appeared on the Country Music Channel’s CMA Awards Show, and numerous talk shows. Yes, they are full-fledged celebrities! The history of their family and the struggles they have endured to launch their business are filled with plot lines not even Hollywood could dream up.

Born on the Bayou With its headquarters in Monroe, Louisiana, the Dynasty started in 1972 when the patriarch of the family, Phil Roberston, had a dream of starting a duck call business. By that time, he’d sown all of his wild oats, and then some.

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In addition to being a skilled outdoorsman, Phil was an excellent athlete in his younger days and was the starting quarterback for the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. Not bad, considering the second string quarterback was Terry Bradshaw, who went on to win four Super Bowls with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Phil turned down a shot at the NFL, because it interfered with hunting season. He went on to earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree in health and physical education.

Phil was only seventeen when he married his high school sweetheart, affectionately known as Miss Kay. She was only sixteen and pregnant with their first son, Alan. Their family quickly grew as Jase and Willie were born in quick succession.

Miss Kay had her hands full in trying to raise three young boys

Leverage Your Platform

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and trying to keep her husband away from the bottle and out of trouble. Unfortunately, her efforts were in vain. After getting into a barroom brawl, Phil fled the authorities and left his family for a few weeks, living in the wild until the situation cooled down.

While Phil would be civil for a while, he always slipped back into his reckless ways.

During one drunken episode, he told Kay to get the boys and leave, that he was sick and tired of them and wanted to be left alone. Kay did just that. After a few months, she found him crying in his truck in the parking lot where she worked. He begged Kay to take him back. She agreed, on the condition that he quit drinking. He honored her request and set out to rebuild the relationships that had been broken with her and the boys. Not long after that, when visiting with a preacher who Kay had sent to talk with him, he gave his life to the Lord, was baptized, and had a new lease on life. He has never touched a bottle since.

Phil and Kay were able to purchase a remote piece of land near the Ouachita River in Louisiana with two small houses on it. Phil thought that he could earn a living from fishing the river. The three boys loved having constant access to the outdoor life and helping their father with the fishing business. Willie learned his business skills early in life by selling fresh fish to the local markets.

The Call of the Wild Phil had a unique talent for being able to call ducks and earned the nickname “The Duck Commander.” Manufactured duck calls hadn’t changed much since they first started being mass produced in the late 1800’s, and Phil had some ideas on how they could be improved. With the help of some friends, Phil produced the first prototype of his version of the duck call. Excited by the success of the prototype, Phil borrowed $25,000 to buy a used commercial-grade lathe and put up a sign on his shop labeled “Duck Commander Worldwide.”

Alan, Jase and Willie became the production line along with Phil’s brother, Si, in the fledgling business, and orders started coming in. Every aspect of the business was run out of their house.

The kitchen phone rang with interested buyers from all over the country, even around the world.

As Willie got older, he had different plans for his future than working in the family business. He chose to attend seminary school and married Korie Howard. The next year he and his new bride left to attend college in Arkansas at the Alma Mater of her parents, Harding University. After graduating, he worked at a church camp where he helped develop new programs and streamline their organization.

Passing the Baton About this time, the Duck Commander business was starting to grow to the point that Phil couldn’t keep up with the business aspect of the company, and he did his best to avoid it. Willie and Korie kept getting the sense that he should go back to work at the family business. After praying for God’s direction for him, he approached Phil and Kay about it. They were excited to have him back but needed to find a position for him.

After getting back up to speed on the processes and operations, Willie realized that they desperately needed help running the business. He got to work revamping their e-commerce presence and reorganizing their finances to allow them to expand and grow.

Back in 1988, when he was still running the company, Phil had the idea to start filming some of their hunting escapades and to

“

While we have

a lot of fun with the show, sharing our faith is the main reason we do it.�

- Willie Robertson

document some of the techniques they use. He packaged the first set of videos in a VHS tape and called it Duckmen I: Duckmen of Louisiana. It sold a hundred copies. He didn’t realize it then, but it would one day turn out to be one of the most lucrative ventures he’d ever undertaken. Over the years they produced more of the Duckmen series of videos and eventually began producing a new DVD every year. Phil and Kay’s fourth son, Jep, had a knack for cinematography. He filmed and produced the Duck Commander videos.

The DVDs began to increase in popularity and went from being purely documentary-style to integrating humorous commentary from Phil, Si, Jase and the rest of the gang. It wasn’t long until some of the large companies that produced hunting equipment such as ammunition, shotguns and clothing began to take notice of the DVDs and offered to provide sponsorships to Duck Commander. Key relationships were also forged with the big sporting goods stores, and they began to carry Duck Commander products.

In 2009, the Benelli Firearms Company produced a show on the Outdoor Channel called Benelli Presents Duck Commander, TwoTenMagazine.com

featuring the Duck Commander business. It contained hunting tips and behind the scenes, information about the company and proved to be wildly successful. It appealed to a much broader audience and attracted more lucrative sponsorship opportunities.

Camouflage and Cuff Links The Duck Commander business grew exponentially with the success of their TV shows. Their biggest break came when a producer from the cable network, A&E, offered to produce a reality show about them. Although Phil was skeptical about whether a mainstream audience would be drawn to their show, Willie thought it was worth a shot. Duck Dynasty first aired on March 21, 2012 on A&E and has grown in popularity ever since.

They have just recently signed to produce the fourth season of their hit show.

While it may seem that their fame has been serendipitous, nothing could be farther from the truth. It has been the result of decades of hard work, putting all that they’ve had on the line time and time again. They have relied on the guidance and provision of God to fulfill the vision that God gave Phil over TwoTen Magazine

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“

Our family has

been blessed with a u n i q u e oppor tun ity

t o reac h i n t o the lives of so m a n y peopl e an d r eally br ing ou r f a i t h

t o a b r o ad au dienc e . �

- Willie Robertson

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Leverage Your Platform

forty years ago. There’s no denying the impact that the bearded boys from Louisiana have had on our pop culture (see bobble head inset). The Robertsons have gone from a platform that was literally the size of their front porch to a world-wide, multi-media platform that reaches millions of people. Every family member is capitalizing on the opportunity to leverage their platform to reach people that may have never heard about the message of the Gospel before. Because they have worked so hard, year after year, struggling to make ends meet, people can identify with them and their message. Just as the Apostle Paul wrote in Phillipians 4:11-13, “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” For Willie, the most important impacts are the eternal ones. “We think Proverbs 3:5-6 sums up how we do business.”

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

- Proverbs 3:5-6 When asked about the advantages and disadvantages of being in the public eye, Willie replied, “Our family has been blessed with a unique opportunity to reach into the lives of so many people and really bring our faith to a broad audience.

While we have a lot of fun with the show, sharing our faith is the main reason we do it. The disadvantage is that it has really taken us to a place where we are instantly recognized wherever we go.”

If you have seen an episode of Duck Dynasty, you know that they always end with the family praying at the dinner table. For Willie and the rest of the Duck Dynasty cast, it was important to depict the role that faith plays in their lives and in their business.

Willie explained, “The producers at A&E knew how important our faith is and that part of the deal for us was that this needed to be on the show. While it is certainly edited throughout the show (The producers didn’t want them to use the name of Jesus, fearing it would offend some people. Phil told them “No Jesus, no show!”), we still maintain that our faith [and family] are the most important things to us and it must be represented that way.”

There are challenges and rewards when having so many family members involved with a business, but for the Duck Commander Company, their motto is “Nepotism Rules!” Even though they affectionately refer to Willie as “Boss Hog”, it’s TwoTenMagazine.com

FAST FACTS ABOUT THE FIRST FAMILY OF FOWL Phil can still throw a football, not quite as far as in his younger days without stripping a gear. Back then he could throw it sixty-five yards, just shy of Bradshaw’s seventy-five yard bombs.

As for the beards, Phil says, “There are two people who don’t have beards, women and children, and I’m neither!”

Who’s the best shot among the Duck Commander crew? Phil is still the undisputed champ.

all in good fun and they wouldn’t have it any other way. They enjoy being able to spend so much time together and having the peace of mind in knowing that they can trust one another. The culture of the Duck Commander business has been a key factor in its longevity and growth. “Our culture has always reflected that of its founder, Phil: laid back, hard work and nothing being impossible”, Willie explained. “This process has permeated all of the sons and continues on through the hiring and developing of everyone at Duck Commander and Buck Commander (their spinoff company for deer hunting enthusiasts).” VICTORY

Mark Whitaker is the Executive Editor of TwoTen Magazine. He is inspired daily by his God, his wife Kim and his three daughters Hannah, Sarah, and Rhea.

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DR. JAMES P. GILLS:

I ronman LIFE LESSONS FROM AN

By: Edward L. Flom

When you think of a classical renaissance man, images of great historical figures such as Da Vinci, Galileo, Michelangelo or Copernicus may come to mind, or more recent examples such as Thomas Jefferson or Benjamin Franklin. Great men such as these are not relegated to the past. We had the honor to speak with such a man, a contemporary “renaissance” man, Dr. James P. Gills, Jr.

D

r. Gills is a world-renowned ocular surgeon who has performed more cataract and lens implant surgeries than any other eye surgeon in the world.

He founded the St. Luke’s Cataract & Laser Institute with six offices in Florida and over thirty eye clinics around the world, where he has trained numerous resident surgeons. Since St. Luke’s opened in 1974, Dr. Gills has been at the cutting edge of innovation in his field and dedicated his medical practice to the discovery and perfection of cataract surgery techniques that have given clear vision to thousands of patients around the world. He has received numerous medical and educational awards including the Duke Medical Alumni Association’s Humanitarian Award; was elected to the Johns Hopkins Society of Scholars; and was also selected to receive the Distinguished Medical Alumnus Award, the highest honor bestowed by Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

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His medical career would be demanding for even the most ambitious medical professional, but is just one facet of this amazing man’s life.

Accomplished Author Drawing his inspiration from his personal relationship with Jesus Christ, Dr. Gills is a prolific writer with over thirty books to his credit, most of which are about sharing the message of hope that God promises all of us. He also has a publishing company, Love Press, where he freely distributes over 40,000 books per month. Many of these books are shipped directly to prisons across the country. With the exception of the Bible, he is the most widely read and requested author in the prison system.

Dr. Gills has also written or co-written ten medical reference textbooks and nearly 200 medical articles.

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“

If you just give something, it often amounts to nothing.

Yo u m u s t g e t i n v o l v e d

in relationships to ensure that

it grows and endures.”

- Dr. James P. Gills

Successful Businessman

Benevolent Philanthropist

Dr. Gills is also a successful businessman and developer and a member of the Explorer’s Club. This is a prestigious society that promotes the scientific exploration of land, sea, air, and space by supporting research and education in the physical, natural and biological sciences. He has been selected as the Entrepreneur of the Year for the State of Florida, received the Tampa Bay Business Hall of Fame Award, the Florida Enterprise Medal and was honored as Free Enterpriser of the Year by the Florida Council on Economic Education.

He has applied these same principles to the founding of over thirty international cataract clinics. Each clinic invites eighteen residents to learn the techniques that have become standard protocol in the ocular specialty. These eighteen residents are then sent back to the villages of their own country to treat patients in need. It’s the theory of multiplication at work, in more ways than one. In addition to teaching the students how to restore physical vision to their patients, they are given spiritual training as well to pass on to their village patients. This understanding of the dual pathways of vision, the natural and the supernatural, originated from Dr. Gill’s practice at his first clinic, where

Dr. Gills is a proponent of empowering others to fulfill God’s vision. His close association with the International Cooperating Ministries (ICM) church planters illustrates this principle. ICM buys and donates the land for a new church and contributes forty percent of the building costs to launch the initial place of worship. The future congregation and the incoming pastor must not only fund their sixty percent of the remaining building costs but further commit to launching five new churches in five years under the same terms and conditions. ICM has planted close to four thousand churches in fifty-six countries, and those churches have raised up twenty thousand more daughter congregations! “If you just give something,” Dr. Gills explained, “it often amounts to nothing. You must get involved in relationships to ensure that it grows and endures. You see, when you structure all activities to truly fulfill the needs of others, you take the pressure off of yourself. The Lord then steps in and is the One who opens the doors and inspires others to work in relationship with you.”

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Dr. James Gills and his wife, Heather, of over 50 years.

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“

Everything is a catalyst

for the character of Jesus Christ...

I see a need and an outcome and then I find the very best people to achieve that outcome.�

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- Dr. James P. Gills

Dr. James P. Gills: Life Lessons from an Ironman

patients were often given an individualized scripture before surgery. Dr. Gill’s son, Pit, inspired by his father’s work in building these clinics throughout Central and South America, completed ten missionary trips to those regions before he entered medical school on his way to becoming a physician on staff at St. Luke’s Clinic.

In addition to his spiritual and professional philanthropic endeavors, Dr. Gills is also a world-class, endurance athlete.

He has participated in multiple Ironman Triathlons and a record-setting six Double Ironman Triathlons. His passion for triathlons ran so deep that he purchased the Ironman Brand and World Triathlon Corporation (he has since sold them). He has competed in over forty-six marathons, including eighteen Boston Marathons and fourteen 100-mile mountain runs.

Humble Servant With so many feats of significance to his credit, Dr. Gills maintains the humility of a servant. He says, “Everything is a catalyst for the character of Jesus Christ by the inspired Word of God filling the souls of men. Of course, everything comes from God,” he replied. “I see a need and an outcome and then I find the very best people to achieve that outcome. For example, I saw a need to free our cataract patients to go home on the day of surgery instead of spending two or three days in the hospital in recovery. We thought the outcome might be manifested in approaching the treatment of the eye in an entirely new way.”

“There was a friend of mine in Chicago who happens to know everything there is to know about the inner workings of the eye. He is a scientist who fully grasps their physiology and the mechanics of vision.” Dr. Gills went on to explain, “You know, if you really understand the way the eye works, then you can be certain that God exists. It’s absolutely extraordinary, perfect in design! Well, I spent a few days with this friend and came home with an innovative surgical technique that changed the way we treated cataracts. If you give for others, others supply everything.”

Lily Grace. The Gills’ son, J. Pit Gills, M.D., following in his father’s footsteps, is an ophthalmologist on staff at St. Luke’s.

He and his wife, Joy, have three children: Pitzer, Parker, and Stokes. You’ll seldom find the smile on Dr. Gills’ face larger than when he is doting over his grandchildren. Having the support of a strong family has allowed Dr. Gills to pursue God’s calling for him.

He is acutely aware of the struggles of our country in general and the family unit in particular. “We are in a state of constant awakening to the character of Jesus Christ by the inspired Word of God. It is imperative that we pass this on to our children. I started to write the books on Christian living to get my own children to listen. There is so much we can do to inspire people to embrace the words of Jesus Christ.” He thought for a moment to reflect on where his priorities are now focused and continued, “You know, it is no longer a given that a medical practice will succeed. I still do some surgery, but I have turned over the dayto-day operations of St. Luke’s to a management team. I am now spending four times my annual cash flow on endeavors that spread the love of Christ and the Gospel to others. That’s where the greatest need lies, and Jesus Christ is the way.”

When talking with Dr. Gills, it is remarkable how fully engaged he is in the conversation. When answering questions, his replies are always thought provoking and multi-layered.

He weaves in history, family, scripture, ethics, science, faith, economic impact and the character of Jesus into almost every answer. He deflects all praise to the One who is worthy of all praise, with the humility of the least among us.

Always aware of his schedule, the good Doctor glances at his watch and graciously bade us farewell, on his way to a round of golf, which will undoubtedly include a dose of contemplative discussion with his golf partners. VICTORY

*Editor’s Note: Shortly before going to print with this issue, our friend and brother in Christ, Eddie, was called home to be with his Lord. His fervent love for God was an inspiration to all who knew him.

Family Man None of Dr. Gills’ endeavors has been at the expense of his family. He has been married to his wife and best friend Heather for 51 years. She has always been actively involved in his missionary and philanthropic efforts. They have two children, Shea and Pit. Shea Gills Grundy is a former attorney and is now a full-time mom. She and her husband, Shane Grundy, M.D., have four children: twins Maggie and Braddock, Jimmy, and TwoTenMagazine.com

In loving memory of Edward L. Flom 1957 - 2013

Edward contributor

of

L.

Flom

TwoTen

is

a

Magazine

founding and

the

author of the book Thirty Three: The Story of the

Hope. book

You

can

by

find

visiting:

out

more

about

www.33hope.com

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L I V IN G TH E AWESOME LIFE WITH JON ACUFF Written By: Jessica Burchfield

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Living The Awesome Life With Jon Acuff

F e a r. We a l l k n ow i t . We a l l face i t . F e a r i s t h e co m m o n st r u g g l e of h u m a n i t y. “ W i l l I b e s ucce s sf u l? ” “ W i l l t h i s j o b p rov i d e fo r my fa m i l y ? ” “ W i l l I h ave e n o u g h to p ay my b i l l s t h i s m o nt h? ” At o n e t i m e o r a n ot h e r, we h ave a l l a s ke d t h e s e q u e st i o n s a n d m o re. J o n Acu f f, p o p u l a r a u t h o r, b l o g g e r, a n d m ot i vat i o n a l s p e a ke r, re ce nt l y s p o ke to TwoTe n a b o u t ove rco m i n g t h e g i a nt : f e a r.

J

on Acuff is a Wall Street Journal and New York Times best-selling author, the popular blogmaster of StuffChristiansLike.net, and a motivational speaker on Dave Ramsey’s Speaker’s Group team. He is the father of two beautiful children. He is a regular contributor to CNN.com. He is a social media guru.

How in the world did he get so awesome?

In his book START, Jon Acuff has crafted a formula that depicts the average man’s journey to awesome through the conquering of fear. “Since the dawn of time, every awesome life has gone through the same five stages: learning, editing, mastering, harvesting, guiding,” says Jon in the first chapter of his book. Throughout the course of his narrative, Jon describes that these five stages may look different for every person, but in the end, the building blocks of an awesome life only appear when we are willing to confront the average.

The cover of START gives three distinct directives to the individual seeking awesomeness within their professional or personal life: Punch Fear in the Face; Escape Average; and, Do Work that Matters. By embracing these three ideals, anyone can effectively break away from the average life in favor of the awesome.

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“

Voices are invisible bullies, and

they hate it when you make them visible.”

Punch Fear in the Face “In the fear chapter [of START], I talk about two things that you should do with fear: write it down and share it,” said Jon. “A third thing I think you should do is refute it. By that I mean not to get entangled in it, not to argue with it—that’s just a waste of time—but refute it. Refute it with truth.” Truth, as defined in John 17:17, is the Word of God. We cannot be successful in business or life without the counsel and confrontation of Scripture.

Jon describes fear as the voices in our heads telling us we cannot accomplish anything, let alone awesomeness. When ready to confront the voices promising a destiny of failure, we must take the first step towards conquering fear: we have to write it down.

“Voices [in your head] are invisible bullies, and they hate when you make them visible,” said Jon on his website, www.jonacuff.com. “The best way to [make them visible] is to dress them up with words. To write them down in a simple notebook. They can’t stand to be documented, because the minute they are, you can see how stupid they are. Lies hate the light of day.”

Another proven way to conquer fear is to share that fear with others. Jon encourages individuals to not only confront fear, but to share it. “Don’t try to go it alone,” he says. “Write down all the fears you have, try and identify them, then share them with

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- Jon Acuff

others. Fear is tricky because it is repetitive. You won’t have ten thousand fears in your lifetime, you’ll have a handful that disguise themselves in different ways, but that all come back to certain things. Identify [those fears] and find truth in them.”

Within the business world, it is easy to become isolated and to feel alone. Sharing both the keys to success and the fear of failure are monumental assets to punching fear in the face and achieving awesomeness.

Escape Average Jon Acuff didn’t become a celebrity overnight; rather, he embraced the abrasiveness of change and escaped an average life. Having known that he wanted to be a writer since the third grade, Jon pursued all things grammar and found himself a senior copywriter with no place to go but into a Creative Director position. “I hit a ceiling at my job,” he said. “I knew management of people wasn’t what I wanted to do.”

It was at that point that he decided to step out of his comfort zone and grab the brass ring of awesomeness. Beginning with grassroots social media, Jon has transformed his career from a senior copywriter into a self-made celebrity.

“I started the blog, and one of the big things for me was a comment from an atheist that said, ‘I’ve never seen faith talked about this honestly. If I wasn’t an atheist, this is the kind of Christian I would want to be.’ What was snarky and silly became Living The Awesome Life With Jon Acuff

something that could be bigger. Writing came naturally, but that doesn’t mean it was without work or grind. I always tell people that you work harder at what you love than what you like,” said Jon. By forging his own path, Jon found his niche. Social media became his platform to make a difference in the world. With over 5 million followers, his blog now reaches into the homes and hearts of America—something he never dreamed could happen when he first began a career as a copywriter.

“I don’t like the concept of reading a business book that says you have to do it this way or it doesn’t count or it isn’t right,” he said when asked about a generic plan for awesomeness. “Our culture fragments life—we think that we can’t take lessons from one part of our lives and apply it to another. I always try to encourage people to read books, listen to speeches, read magazines through the filter of you. The talent we have the hardest time recognizing is our own. If it’s your thing, [if it’s your talent], then you have the full wind of God behind you.”

By identifying his own unique talents and interests, developing his personal voice, punching the fear of failure in the face, and embracing the awesomeness of his own abilities, Jon Acuff escaped average.

Do Work that Matters What matters to you? What are you doing that matters? To live an awesome life, these are the questions that need to be answered. Being awesome is more than simply knowing you’re awesome; being awesome means that your world, your business, and your family know you’re more than average. It is about making a difference.

For Jon, the decision to join Dave Ramsey’s Speakers Group was more than just another successful career move. Joining the team was a purposeful choice to do work that mattered. On his blog, he answers the question about why he joined the team.

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“

I wanted

to be a leader.

Not a leader who leads on stage, but not at home.

That’s not a leader,

that’s an actor.

Not a leader who speaks about truth but doesn’t really live it out. I wanted

to be an honest,

passionate, and generous leader.”

- Jon Acuff

“I wanted to be a leader,” he said. “Not a leader who leads on stage but not at home. That’s not a leader, that’s an actor. Not a leader who speaks about truth but doesn’t really live it out. I wanted to be an honest, passionate, generous leader. I had the suspicion that Dave Ramsey was that kind of leader and could help me become one too.”

By becoming a motivational speaker for Dave Ramsey, by publishing books on fear, by writing blogs on awesomeness, Jon Acuff is showing the world how to matter. He is living an example of how to start being awesome today. He has found a work that matters for eternity and has embraced it. Truly, the countless millions of blog followers, book readers, and business achievers that have benefitted from his story are only a testament to his awesomeness.

But, he’s nowhere near done.

“For me, I don’t know what it means to have arrived! For every one person that reads one of my books, there’s an additional billion that haven’t heard. I haven’t arrived. I’m not done.”

The business world is full of possibilities of failure, but refusing to break away from that fear is a choice that results in a lifetime of mediocrity. Fear is either a policy for average or a platform for awesome. Today, embrace that awesome by punching fear in the face, by escaping the average life, and by doing the work that matters for eternity! VICTORY

S c a n t h e Q R c o d e o r v isi t t h e lin k b el ow t o p ur ch a s e J o n’s new b o o k , STA RT:

w w w. t h e s t a r t b o o k . c o m

Jessica Burchfield is the contract Communications Coordinator for Clearwater Christian College,

a

photographer

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freelance based

writer, out

of

and

a

professional

Tallahassee,

Florida.

Living The Awesome Life With Jon Acuff

The end of poverty begins with her.

While the world waits, she won’t.

Join Strong Women, Strong World to help equip women and girls around the world to be agents of change in their communities.

Visit strongwomenstrongworld.org or call 1.855.457.SWSW (7979).

World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families, and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice.

WOV135988_0513 Š 2013 World Vision, Inc.

JASON HOHNBERGER:

HONORING THE By: Mark Whitaker

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Fallen

Chaplain Hohnberger: Honoring The Fallen

A s J e s u s wa s p r e p a r i n g H i s d i s c i p l e s fo r t h e eve n t s t h a t wo u l d s o o n l e a d H i m to t h e c r o s s , H e to o k g r e a t c a r e to of f e r t h e m h o p e, j oy a n d l ove.

H

e would be sacrificing His life for them and for us. In John 15:13 He says, “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

For the men and women who valiantly serve our country’s Armed Services, they are the embodiment of the love that He described. Many of those who have given their lives to protect the freedom of our great nation are laid to rest at the Arlington National Cemetery near Washington D.C. Every business day, there is an average of twenty-seven to thirty funerals at Arlington. For a full military honors procession, as many as seventy servicemen and women are involved. Each memorial service receives the same level of dignity and respect, and the next of kin is presented with a folded American flag. Although it is a time of anguish for family and friends, the chaplains that perform the service are some of the best in the world. One such serviceman is Chaplain Jason Hohnberger of the United States Army.

For Chaplain Hohnberger, each service is an opportunity to share the hope and salvation through Jesus Christ.

Born to Serve Jason Hohnberger comes from a line of military servicemen. His grandfather was an enlisted man in the Army and served in Normandy during World War II. His

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“

It is a part of my history

a n d G o d ’s p u r p o s e f o r m e to become an Army Chaplain.”

father also served in the Army during the Vietnam era and later became a businessman and pastor. Jason was blessed to grow up in church and to accept the Lord at an early age. Coming from a military and ministry heritage, he says, “It is part of my history and God’s purpose for me to become an Army chaplain.”

Chaplain Hohnberger started his career as a student at Bethel University but ran out of money to finish his degree. He was at a crossroad in his life. During that time of regrouping, one of Jason’s friends invited him to his house for dinner with his family. His father was a colonel in the Army National Guard.

As Jason talked about his desire to join the ministry and how he loved camping, hiking and being outdoors, the colonel said, “You should become a chaplain’s assistant in the Army. You could pursue a career path that matches your interests as well as earn money to finish college.” It was at that moment that a light bulb went off in Jason’s head. He realized that this was God’s hand in leading Jason towards the purpose that God had for his life.

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- Chaplain Jason Hohnberger

Being the son of a military man, Jason had been raised to become a warrior. He was taught how to do proper pushups to build physical strength, how to properly address servicemen and women, to show honor and respect and how to stand for his beliefs and his country. Jason enlisted in the Army National Guard and says, “I felt right at home in basic training. Getting up early in the morning to run came naturally to me. I couldn’t believe that I was getting paid to go out and run obstacle courses.

It was great!”

A Glimpse of God’s Calling The first Sunday of basic training, Jason went to chapel service along with a bunch of his friends that he’d invited.

The chaplain walked out with a guitar and began singing a worship song. At the conclusion of the song, he said that he felt that there was somebody in the congregation that also had a song to sing to the group. Jason had been a worship leader Chaplain Hohnberger: Honoring The Fallen

LEAD BETTER. HIRE THE RIGHT PEOPLE. GROW YOUR COMPANY.

LIVE THE LIFE THAT

YOU DESERVE.

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Mr. Stewart is formerly the president and current CEO of Stewart, Inc., a 120-person, multi-disciplined engineering firm he originally founded in Raleigh in 1994. Willy is also the founder of a CEO Peer Advisory Group called Hispanic Junta, which can be found at www.hispanicjunta.com.

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and played the guitar and he knew that this was meant for him. He said, “I stood up, snapped to attention and said, ‘I’ll play that song for you sir.’” He stood up on stage and began to sing to all of the basic trainees in the congregation, who all began to join him. At the conclusion of the song, the chaplain told him to keep going, and he sang a few more songs before turning it back over to the chaplain. After the service, Jason formally introduced himself. The chaplain invited him to be his worship leader. Jason assembled a small worship team and got to lead worship during the rest of his time during basic training. God’s hand continued to guide Jason as he went on to get his degree from the University of Wisconsin, went to Fuller Southwest and became a full-time Army chaplain at Fort Bragg.

The Bible on the Battlefield In the role of a chaplain, he was always available for any soldier who needed a word of encouragement before a mission or at any time they felt the need. He cherished the opportunity to be the light of Jesus in the midst of the darkness of war. He often encountered children who would run to him and the other

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American soldiers, seeking protection and help. He helped to assist medics tending to wounded soldiers and offered comfort and prayers – living the three-fold mission of a chaplain: to nurture the living, care for the wounded and honor the fallen.

While in Afghanistan, he received the offer to serve as a chaplain at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington. It is a rare and distinguished honor and one that he couldn’t refuse. His role changed from serving alongside the military men and women to performing funerals for them. His motto had always been that he loved to get his boots dirty; now he is honored to get his knees dirty while kneeling to present the folded American flag to the soldier’s next of kin. He conveys the gratitude of every American when he says, “On behalf of the President of the United States, and a grateful nation, please accept this flag as a symbol of our appreciation for your loved one’s honorable and faithful service.”

Delivering Hope Even in the midst of the grief that is endured by those attending the memorial service, Chaplain Hohnberger gives a Chaplain Hohnberger: Honoring The Fallen

“

He cherished the opportunity to be the light of

Jesus in the midst of the darkness of war.

He often encountered

children who would run to him and the other American soldiers

seeking protection and help.”

message of hope that we all have through a living God: Jesus Christ. He comforts and counsels family and friends of the deceased with gentleness and humility and shares the words of hope and joy that can only be found in Him.

Commendation Medal (with Oak Leaf Cluster), the Army Achievement Medal, the Reserve Army Achievement Medal (with two Oak Leaf Clusters), the Parachutist Badge, the Air Assault Badge and the Noble Patron of Armor.

Each branch of the military has its own chaplains at Arlington National Cemetery and represent the best of the best.

Chaplain Hohnberger is honored and blessed to serve alongside men and women who are passionate about their roles and the purpose that God has for them. He now has a son and two daughters, giving him a more profound perspective of husband and father as he ministers God’s word. His accomplishments in the Army include: the Bronze Star Medal, the Army

It is encouraging to know that our nation has such an enthusiastic advocate for our country, our soldiers and, above all, Jesus Christ serving as a chaplain at Arlington National Cemetery.

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He is most excited about directing people to Christ. His calling is our blessing. VICTORY

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H U M B LY

EXALTED The Ed Kobel Story

By: Lisa Huetteman

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Humbly Exalted: The Ed Kobel Story

“You can’t even make this stuff up!” declared Ed Kobel, as he recalls the story of his life. He was born the product of an affair, to a single mother from a large tenant-farming family in rural western Pennsylvania. From paperboy, to military spy, to real estate mogul, the pieces of God’s plan for Ed’s life were neatly knitted together. “God had all that laid out.” Ed said.

E

d Kobel’s mother, the daughter of German/Swiss immigrants, left the farm to pursue her dream of becoming a nurse. While in college and working three jobs, she met Ed’s father, Ed Debartolo Sr., a handsome guy who swept her off her feet. Young and naïve, she held onto the promise that Ed’s father would get a divorce and they would be together as a family. When that dream never materialized, she resorted to alcohol, drugs and an abusive relationship to fill the void.

Ed felt it was up to him to take care of his mother and turned to the military to give him a head start. He took a bus to the Army recruitment office in downtown Pittsburgh and mistakenly followed a man in uniform thinking he would lead him there. “As it turned out, God had me follow a colonel who was involved in military intelligence,” Ed recalled.

After clarifying that he was in the wrong place, the colonel questioned Ed and discovered that he spoke a little German.

The Army needed recruits who could speak multiple languages, so after undergoing a variety of tests, Ed was offered a position in the counter-intelligence division.

Preparing to Lead “Spy School was a very intense and competitive program.

It was also where I first heard about the Lord. I listened politely as a stranger shared the Gospel message with me. When asked if I’d like to pray to accept Christ, I declined. I didn’t think being a Christian was in sync with success as a military spy.”

Undeterred, the gentleman amazed Ed by saying, “That’s okay.

I’m going to pray that you can get through this program. Is that okay?” Ed replied, “Yes, please pray that I can do the 100 chin-ups!” He did and Ed graduated.

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“I had a very cool undercover job as a student traveling in Eastern Europe during the cold war. When my time in the service was up, I had to decide whether to re-enlist.” Weighing his options, Ed decided to leave the Army, forgo an appointment to West Point and pursue an opportunity to team up with a former colonel in his real estate business while attending college at night. It didn’t take long for reality to set in.

“I was horrible at it. I was 21 years old and nobody wanted to buy a house from a kid. I only earned $600 in six months.”

Knowing that he couldn’t support himself as a real estate salesman, he approached the colonel about pursuing other options. The colonel convinced him to stay in real estate, focusing instead on investments.

Ed used his military benefits and bought a 4-unit apartment building with no money down and sold it 90 days later for a profit of $37,000; a lot of money in 1979! He did that 81 more times and was hooked!

Finding God’s Purpose As a promising real estate investor, Ed networked with successful businessmen who took him under their wings.

“What they were really doing,” Ed reflected, “was pointing me toward a personal relationship with Christ.”

Because he wanted to gain knowledge of the real estate market, Ed accepted their invitations to Bible studies and Christian Business Men’s Connection lunches where they would have a speaker followed by a prayer of salvation. Ed went for six months and every time declined to pray that prayer telling everyone he was uncomfortable with that “evolution thing.”

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One of the CBMC meetings featured a guest speaker who had been the lead scientist in the manned lunar missions. He spoke eloquently and in layman’s terms about evolution. Ed recalls, “I cried like a baby and I prayed to receive Christ that day.” His life had a new beginning.

Through his real estate company, Ed met his wife Becky.

She ran the title company Ed had used to close those 81 deals.

“Becky and I got married and I decided to go from slum lord to professional developer. Through the early 1980s, Becky and I developed $300 million worth of shopping centers and other large commercial projects.”

knowing we could call upon the God of the Universe, see the practical application of His Book and make it come alive in our life. The biggest part for us was listening to Him.” It took five years and every ounce of his spirit to work through all of the challenges, but at the end of that journey, one where God had an incredible hand working in and through them, the Kobels paid back every penny!

Exhausted, but out of debt, Ed was ready to abandon the real estate business and settle down in another career. Feeling that he was at a crossroad in his life, he knew that he had to rely on God’s direction and cried out to Him asking, “What would You like me to do?”

The answer came the next day with a call from a friend who needed help financing a project.

Ed was hesitant, but looked to God for direction. The Lord gave him a name and phone number. Ed called the person, got the project financed and ended up owning 40 percent of a shopping center.

Keeping the Faith

Tested through Trials The Tax Reform Act of 1986 dramatically changed the real estate industry, and Ed and Becky found themselves upside down on $115 million worth of loans. Their accountants and lawyers advised them to file for bankruptcy and walk away from all the debt.

“That didn’t sound right to us,” Ed remembered. “We decided to think and pray about it.” They had no peace when considering bankruptcy, so they decided to trust God’s lead instead and not pursue that option. Then everything got much worse.

“Becky and I backed away from the anxiety and pressure of the problem and went to the Lord to ask for help. On an earthly sense, this was a BIG problem, but we got this exhilaration

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Business took off again, and within a year, they headed to Wall Street to secure public funding.

After a week of making cold calls and sharing his business plan with the major banks, Ed came home with two term sheets—one from Lehman Brothers and one from Credit Suisse—totaling $500 million, and their business was reborn in a big way.

Years later, Ed asked why Lehman Brothers lent money to him, knowing what a failure his prior business had been. Their response was an affirmation to living according to God’s will.

They told Ed that because he and Becky had worked hard to repay their debts instead of filing for bankruptcy, Lehman Brothers knew they could be trusted with the investment.

Through his relationship with Lehman Brothers, Ed was presented with an opportunity to invest in a technology company that provided solutions to the National Football League.

Although he wasn’t a “football” guy, he knew of someone who was—the five-time Super Bowl winning owner of the San Francisco 49ers, Eddie DeBartolo.

Humbly Exalted: The Ed Kobel Story

“

I’ve had

a lot of success in business.

But God doesn’t

care about that. To Him, it is

all about relationships.”

- Ed Kobel

Healing a Family Eddie and Ed had shared a bond that only Ed was aware of. “I had a brother who didn’t know I existed, so when this opportunity came up, I decided to write him a letter to see if he knew anything about this technology company. I referenced a gentleman who could vouch for me. Upon checking my reference, Eddie learned that I was his brother. So he called me and said ‘We have to meet!’”

Personal Impact

Reflecting on that first meeting, Ed said, “I remember my brother saying ‘I’ve won five Super Bowls and had many accomplishments in business, and I’ve never been more nervous for a meeting in my life!’” Ed responded, “I haven’t had any of those accomplishments but I am still pretty nervous.” After a lifetime apart, God healed a family that day.

solutions firm, has worked closely with Ed Kobel over six years to bring large-scale initiatives to fruition.

In 2007, they provided key leadership to host the Luis Palau Festival; in 2008 Ed launched Lifework Leadership Tampa Bay; in 2009 they collaborated for the Super Bowl XLIII Prayer Breakfast, Impact Tampa

Over the next year, the Kobels and DeBartolos got to know each other as family, and Ed and Eddie did a few business deals together. Within two years, Eddie invited the Kobels to move to Tampa to form a partnership in the real estate business, DeBartolo Development, of which Ed is currently president and CEO. “I’ve had a lot of success in business. But God doesn’t care about that. To Him, it is all about relationships.” Although he speaks to many groups, the most rewarding encounters are the one-on-one meetings where he shares what he has learned about abiding in Christ.

“I have a whole drawer full of examples of things that God has given when we heard Him speak and stepped out in faith to see what He could do. That is what I’m trying to give away. If you give up and get with God, it is the greatest journey.”

VICTORY

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David L. Dunkel, Chairman and CEO of Kforce (NASDAQ:KFRC), a leading professional staffing and

Bay and many other significant, ongoing opportunities for discipleship throughout Tampa Bay. Dave says that he is blessed to count Ed and Becky Kobel as two of his closest friends. “Ed is a phenomenal, world-class business leader and ambassador for Christ who loves Jesus and is highly-committed to serving God. The Tampa Bay area is a better place to live because of the Kobel’s stewardship and desire to follow God and through discipling, pursue the vision of teaching people to abide in Christ.”

Lisa

Huetteman

is

Co-Founder

of

Black Diamond Associates, Executive Coach, Speaker and Author of the book: The Value of Core Values: Five Keys to Success through Values-Centered Leadership.

Humbly Exalted: The Ed Kobel Story

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C R E AT I N G

POSITIVITY AN INTERVIEW WITH JON GORDON

BY: JULIE FAULKNER

TwoTen Magazine caught up with Jon Gordon at the World Leader’s Conference in West Palm Beach, FL. Jon is an accomplished writer, speaker, and consultant for Fortune 500 companies, professional sports teams, schools, universities and nonprofit organizations.

TwoTenMagazine.com

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J

on develops positive and engaging leaders, organizations and teams as he both challenges and entertains his audiences. He is the author of The Wall Street Journal bestseller The Energy Bus, The No Complaining Rule, The Shark and The Goldfish, Soup, The Seed and his latest book, The Positive Dog. TwoTen wanted to learn more about how positivity can change the culture of the workplace, so we asked him the following questions:

TwoTen What are the keys to casting a positive vision that your team will want to follow?

Jon Gordon A great vision is simple, clear, bold and compelling.

It’s something everyone on your team can remember, recite and rally behind. It’s important for your team to know where you are going, but it’s even more important to know why you want to go there. Your vision must also have a powerful purpose behind it.

When you have a purpose that drives you towards your vision, your team will work harder, longer and more powerfully.

TwoTen How do you keep the vision in the forefront of the minds of the team members?

Jon Gordon As a leader you must share the vision all the time.

Doug Conant, the former CEO of Campbell’s Soup, said sharing the vision was the most important part of his job, and he did it every day. Share the vision in conversations, meetings, emails, signage, etc.

Start every meeting with the vision, and ask, “How are we doing?” Then, most importantly, know that it can’t just exist on a piece of paper. It must come alive in the hearts and minds of everyone on your team. Each person on your team must not only know the vision but also identify what it means to them and how they can contribute to it each day.

TwoTen Describe some ways to keep energy and enthusiasm up in an organization.

Jon Gordon Culture drives behavior, behavior drives habits and habits create our future. If we want our team

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to be energized, we must create a positive culture that fuels them and their performance. Too many organizations create cultures that drain people rather than fuel them. To do this I often share 4 C’s with audiences.

First, focus on being Contagious, in a positive way.

If you share positive energy, your team will feel it and respond to it. Smiles, kind words and positive emotions are contagious.

Second, make sure you Communicate with your team. Communication builds trust, and trust enhances teamwork and performance.

Third, it’s also essential to Coach your team by encouraging, mentoring and developing them.

When you develop your team and make them better, they will be more excited about working with you.

Fourth, it’s all about Caring. When people know you care about them, they are more engaged. It sounds simple, but it requires effort and focus to remember what matters most.

TwoTen How do you handle negativity?

Jon Gordon You have to confront it and weed it out of your organization. I believe the biggest impact I have had on leaders and organizations is helping them confront and handle negativity in a productive way. The best way to deal with negativity is at the cultural level. Explain to your team that mindless complaining isn’t acceptable. Energy vampires will be frowned upon.

Positive interactions should be fostered and encouraged and negativity that sabotages your morale and teamwork must be reduced. Share the costs of negativity and the benefits of positivity and optimism. Many organizations read The Energy Bus Creating Positivity

Stay Strong. Every loss we have is an opportunity to learn from it, grow stronger because of it. By staying strong and optimistic we create more success in the future. Everyone has losses. But winners, champions and successful businesses turn their losses into future victories.

TwoTen In all the companies you have consulted for, where have you seen the greatest impact of positivity?

Jon Gordon

and this helps everyone in the organization speak the same language and build a positive culture.

TwoTen When things are grim, how do you personally and corporately stay positive without being phony?

Jon Gordon

I’ve seen it in a lot of places. I’ve worked with professional and college sports teams and have seen a huge impact. I’ve heard from leaders of UPS in the Northwest region that saw a huge upside after introducing The Energy Bus to their 1,000 leaders and 11,000 employees. I’ve seen companies like Gallagher Bassett, Bona, Re/Max and others enhance their culture and infuse their organization with positivity. The research is clear. When we cultivate more positivity in our organizations, we enhance leadership, teamwork and performance. That makes for a better bottom line and a thriving workplace.

It’s my life’s work, and it is rewarding to see it make a difference.

To learn more about Jon and all of his books, visit www.jongordon.com.

The key is to confront the brutal facts, as Jim Collins often says. You understand the reality of your situation, but then you lead with optimism and create a plan to create a brighter and better future.

You ask what you can learn from this experience.

How you can grow from it. What do you want to do now? And decide what actions need to be taken. You move forward with faith and take action each day to move forward with purpose towards your vision.

TwoTen Is it possible to be positive in the face of a loss, e.g. loss of contract, bid, large project?

Jon Gordon Of course. You allow yourself to be disappointed, sad, upset for a little while. Then you get back up and use your LOSS as an opportunity for growth. In my family LOSS stands for: Learning Opportunity TwoTenMagazine.com

Julie Faulkner is the Feature’s Editor at TwoTen magazine and a business culture consultant.

Whenever

possible

she

enjoys

spending

time

with

her four grandchildren.

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CONVERSATIONS THAT CAN CONVERT

BY TOM WOLF

As I have worked with Christian coaches, counselors and solopreneurs, I have found that the idea of selling is very unappealing to them. Most people think of sales as manipulative, pushy, and even unethical! This paradigm comes from being on the receiving end of aggressive selling techniques used to make someone buy something they didn’t really need. The problem is that coaches, counselors and solopreneurs have to sell to build a business, and we are all selling something. So, how do we sell in such a way to avoid being pushy, manipulative and unethical yet still produce results? I have developed an approach which has taken the negativity out of the process, and has removed all the pressure from the seller.

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Conversations That Can Convert

A New Kind of “Sales” First, we need to start with a new definition of sales. I like to define sales as “an exchange of information in order to determine if a product or service can meet the needs of a prospect.” Let’s break this definition down. “An exchange of information” means that both parties are giving and receiving information. The seller should be listening 80% of the time while the prospect should be doing most of the talking. The seller should ask pertinent and probing questions in an attempt “to determine if the product or service meets the needs of the prospect.” Here the concept of “meet the needs” is crucial. The seller must be skilled at asking relevant questions to determine a need or identify a blind spot where a need may have been overlooked. Excellent questioning and listening skills are necessary for this sales strategy to be effective.

Identify Needs Once a need has been identified and agreed upon by both parties, the process can continue. If there is no agreed upon need or pain, then there is no motivation for action; no justification for going forward; no value in making a purchase. If there is no reason to buy, the process can stop. No games, no manipulation, no pressure, and everyone feels in alignment with their values. If a need is identified and value justified, then it is the salesperson’s role to provide information in order for the prospect to evaluate the solution. It is the prospect’s role to review and analyze the information provided and to make an “informed choice.” Two elements are important at this point. The first is that most people need help making an “informed choice.” This is part of the sales person’s role. Second, the prospect is responsible for making a choice which is either yes or no. They are the only two choices!

To summarize, the sales person is listening and asking questions while the prospect is doing all the talking. Both are looking for needs, areas of pain or issues which are to be eliminated. When these are found, both parties work toward mutual understanding and justification. The next step is information exchange and the activities leading to an informed choice. During this entire process, the overriding environment is one of two equals working in partnership with each other, in an attempt to find a solution to a problem and reach a decision. While this is a high level view of the process, there are many strategies and tactics to be mastered at each step. In order for both parties to have the partnership attitude, it is necessary to build rapport and educate rather than sell. Educating builds rapport while selling breaks rapport. Selling shows up when your agenda, as the seller, becomes more important than the agenda of the prospect. Selling will drive the prospect away.

TwoTenMagazine.com

Develop Rapport If you can master rapport development skills, you will create an environment of mutual cooperation and trust. While rapport will not guarantee that the prospect will buy, the lack of rapport will almost guarantee that they will not buy. So how do you develop rapport? Building rapport is a sophisticated subliminal process of building a bond based on the idea that we tend to like people who are like ourselves. It also finds areas of commonality. We all communicate using words, tonality and body language in a unique way, and we understand people who speak the way we do.

Physical Communication Composition 55%

Body language

38%

Tonality (or how we say something)

7%

Verbal (our actual words)

If we can match and mirror the physiology, tonality and verbiage of another person, we are basically speaking in the language they understand and thus are able to build rapport with them. When we are on the phone we only have tonality and verbiage to use in communication.

Telephone Communication Composition 86% Tonality 14% Verbal

By mastering the craft of building rapport and creating an environment of mutual trust and cooperation, you can eliminate the games and stress of the classic sales experience.

By following the process of need identification and solution justification you are helping your prospects to make informed choices that will improve their lives and businesses.

As Christians, we have the responsibility to take our products and services to the world and have a positive impact on The Kingdom.

By building rapport with your clients, you will be helping them fill a need or solve a problem; the result is a win-win situation.

The better the rapport that you develop, the more credibility you will develop. Once credibility is developed, not only will you develop a repeat-client, they will refer you to their friends. There is no limit to the impact that you can have! VICTORY

Tom Wolf is a “serial entrepreneur,” He has started

7 companies and sold 5

of them over the last 26 years. His current company, Identity and Destiny, helps business leaders

discover

their

God-given

purpose.

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“

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Isaiah 55:8-9

PERSPECTIVE “Talent is God-given. Be Humble.

Fame is man-given. Be Grateful.

Conceit is self-given. Be Careful.”

- John Wooden -

...meditate on these things.

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Visit us at www.convenenow.com/forme and download a free white paper, 24 Ways You Can Build a Christ-Centered Profitable Business.

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Calling All

Leaders

Terence Chatmon, President and CEO Fellowship of Companies for Christ International

BY LISA HUETTEMAN

I

n 1977, a small group of business leaders who shared a vision of leading companies for Christ came together in Atlanta.

Their goal was to invite and encourage other business leaders to join them in accomplishing their vision. This group became the foundation for the Fellowship of Companies for Christ International (www.fcci.org), an organization that serves Christian business leaders around the world through peer-to-peer relationships, traditional and technology-based resources, local business leader groups, regional and global conferences.

About the same time and over a thousand miles away in Chicago, Terence Chatmon was graduating from high school, not knowing that God would prepare him to take the helm of this marketplace ministry.

Born the youngest of five children to a strong Christian family, Terence was a talented baseball player with an 88-mph pitching arm. His talent was notable, but just shy of the 90-mph strength needed to make it in the “big” leagues, so Terence pursued a degree in marketing at the University of Illinois instead. Over the next 20 years, Terence had a successful career in corporate, entrepreneurial and non-profit ministry leadership.

It was the right preparation for the role of President and CEO of FCCI, a position he accepted in August, 2011.

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A Heart for Discipleship With his background, Terence approaches his role with the mind of a seasoned transformational leader and a heart for discipleship. “Our vision is to transform the world through Christ, one company and one leader at a time.”

When you measure FCCI’s impact, it is pretty impressive.

Today, the organization has impacted thousands of business leaders in 38 states and 61 countries. However, when you look at the market penetration of marketplace ministries worldwide— and FCCI does have a global view—there is an incredibly long way to go.

Terence explains. “There are 90 million registered businesses worldwide, and if you assume 10% are owned and operated by Christians, then there are 9 million Christian businesses in the world. But only about 3/10ths of one percent of these businesses is involved in marketplace ministry; that is, using their business as a platform for discipleship. That is an enormously underserved market!”

Terence sees that the only way to address this gap is through collaboration with other organizations like his that believe in Calling All Leaders

developing Christian-led businesses to use their platform for a greater purpose than shareholder value.

Collaboration, Not Competition “It is about collaboration, not competition.” Terence emphasized. “There are 47 other marketplace ministries out there. I believe if we advance this movement, every one of us will benefit. Together we are more powerful than each one of us going it alone. But more importantly, together we can make a difference addressing the 99.7 percent of the untapped market.”

FCCI’s plan to address this huge market of Christian business leaders that have not yet dedicated their businesses to Christ involves collaboration, new methodologies and use of technology. But Terence acknowledges there is no quick fix.

“Whenever there is great opportunity, there is also great responsibility, and you can’t find an easy way to get this done.

Our conviction and trust in God has to go to a new level, and we have to get back to His Word. While I’m excited about the use of new methodologies, techniques and technologies, nothing replaces getting our noses in the Word of God every day and then freely wanting to give it away.”

Leading the Next Generation Terence continued, “We have to be much more willing to give of our time and have a perpetual desire to reach and mentor the next generation. As leaders, we have an amazing opportunity to mentor the next generation and teach them how to lead the generation that follows.” He identifies four pillars that are essential to become a Kingdom Leader and Kingdom Company – transformation in life, business, community and nation.

“

All this is too large for any one organization to do. There is an

unprecedented opportunity to unite business leaders worldwide,

and see Christ honored in the workplace as never before. But, we must have

collaboration and cooperation

with other organizations and churches if we are to achieve this transformation.”

Terence identified specific opportunities in three areas.

First, there is a growing market of Baby Boomers who are TwoTenMagazine.com

becoming entrepreneurs. Second, there is a huge opportunity to reach and mentor the Generation Y market. And third, there is a vast potential in the international market. In all three of these markets, there is a need for equipping and encouragement and a need to make it accessible.

“China is open because they want business.” Terence observed. “They will turn their head to the fact that we are preaching the Bible and Christianity, because they want to learn business. Other markets in Latin America, Asia, Europe and Africa that were closed in the past are now open to us. The Lord is at work in a mighty way in these countries.”

Equipping Leaders FCCI has a goal to reach and equip one million new emerging leaders over the next 10-12 years and plans to do that through internships, mentoring and coaching.

Terence explains. “We want to allow the next generation of leaders to walk with legacy leaders and let them experience a Christian CEO who is leading his or her company through Christ. We want to expose them to business leadership groups and be mentored by these men and women who are talking about business issues and integrating Biblical principles in their business and personal lives. We can put young people in environments where they can see the love of Jesus demonstrated on a daily basis in business.”

Leading by Example Believing that Christ can change our world through how we do business, Terence is committed to serving with excellence. “God has given us gifts of business to train His shepherds. So Christian businesses must lead by example and set the bar high. We are not better than any other organization out there, but we should operate with a level of excellence greater than any other organization.

We have to raise our expectations as non-profit marketplace ministries as well as marketplace organizations to not be standard or substandard. We need to be operating at a level of excellence.

We must demonstrate that you can lead a company through Christ¸ operate with excellence and be successful.”

Terence speaks confidently about how Christian businesses can truly transform this nation. “We have to be bold, courageous, and lead with integrity. We have to understand humility, compassion, dependency, and sacrifice. When we leave this ‘me’ mentality and worldview and really think about Christ and what He’s done on the cross, that will change lives – one company and one leader at a time.” This nation and other nations will never be the same! VICTORY TwoTen Magazine

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Ask Dave ON BUSINESS W I T H

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D A V E

R A M S E Y

Ask Dave On Business

BALANCING BUSINESS AND PERSONAL Dear Dave, I own a small company, and lots of times I feel like I’m devoting too much time to the business and not spending enough time with my family day to day. How do you find a balance between home and work?

— Pat Dear Pat, I get asked this question a lot. Truth be told, the idea of everything being in balance on a daily basis is a myth.

No one can perfectly juggle all that life has to offer—the spiritual, emotional, financial, home, work, and physical— every single day. It’s just not possible. Still, you need to make sure you strive for balance over the scope of time.

I started running a few years ago, and I’m out of balance if I’m training for a marathon, because I spend more time training. The same is true with work. There are times when you have to work hard, and occasionally this can bleed over into other things. I think the answer lies in really being into whatever you’re doing. Listen and participate in conversations with your kids instead of watching television.

Take your spouse out on dates, and turn off the cell phone.

When you’re with your family you should really be with them. Then, when you have to work, chances are they won’t be mad at you.

We all waste so much time, and then complain that we’re out of balance. Ebb and flow takes place in every aspect of our lives. So, I think we should all stop wasting the time we have!

— Dave

IS MULTI-LEVEL ABOUT MONEY? Dear Dave, I got myself into a multi-level marketing group several months ago. I’ve heard that a lot of people in this organization are making good money, but I’m not one of them. At this point, I’m not sure if I want to stick with this type of business.

Can you give me some advice?

— Mary Dear Mary, First of all, you’re only being told about the ones who are making good money. Lots of people who become part of these organizations don’t earn a lot because they don’t have the proper skill set to succeed in that kind of environment. The big earners are the ones who are good salespeople and good recruiters.

It sounds to me like you’ve already discovered that selling the product you’re selling isn’t where the money can be found. The money is in recruiting others into the organization. So, you need to ask yourself if recruiting and building a high-turnover, large sales organization is what you want to do for a living.

Take a look at the future, and see if you can envision yourself with 50 to 100 people in your hierarchy, knowing that a certain percentage of them will disappear every 90 days or so. A lot of people like the idea of making money, but they don’t want to do the hard work and make all the contacts to get a large number of people to join the organization. In this type of scenario, you have to know that you want to be a recruiter and trainer, and you have to want to grow other recruiters and trainers of salespeople.

If that’s your thing, then you can make some money in a multi-level company. Stick with it, and build up your hierarchy.

But if you’re looking to simply make a little money by doing something on the side, you should probably look somewhere else.

—Dave

TwoTenMagazine.com

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ASSESSING PROSPECTIVE RENTERS

JUST AN IDEA, OR YOUR CALLING?

Dear Dave,

Dear Dave,

I’m a landlord, and I’ve always felt it’s not a good idea to rely entirely on previous landlords, or apartment complexes, for referrals on prospective tenants. Do you have any tips for selecting good renters?

— Jean

How do you know when you’ve found your true calling when it comes to your job or your business?

— Matt

Dear Jean,

I’ve met a few people who’ve had a spiritual experience in this area. Something has happened, almost like they were struck by lightning, and they knew what they were supposed to do with their lives. This isn’t the normal way people come to realization about their futures, but it does happen from time to time.

Most landlords aren’t thorough enough with the screening process. You can’t get to know someone without spending some time with them and digging into their personalities and backgrounds a little.

I have several rental properties, and here are a few tricks that work well for me. I always pull a credit bureau report on prospective renters. I also get a big deposit up front. I spend quite a bit of time talking to them one on one, as well, so with all this they’d have to be a pretty good con artist to get past me.

Another thing I do is to drive by the place they’re currently living. I like to see what condition the house is in, and if they keep the yard maintained. To me, this is a great indication of how responsible they are and how they would treat my property. It’s not a bad idea to get some proof of them having made previous rental payments on time, either.

Dear Matt,

I believe this kind of revelation usually starts out as a simple idea that grows into a job, and maybe into a career or business. Then, it evolves over time into a calling. That’s how I stepped into what I’m doing today. I can’t honestly tell you when I started on radio, or began writing and teaching, that I knew it was God’s purpose for my life.

But I felt the weight and the drawing of it, almost like a magnetic pull.

I’ve been doing it for 20 years, so it definitely evolved over time into what it is today. And I’m positive it’s the reason I’m on this planet!

—Dave

In some ways it’s a leap of faith any time you sign an agreement with a new tenant. But there are things you can do in order to make a more informed decision as to whom you’re doing business with. Lots of renters appreciate knowing they have a landlord who handles things in a professional manner.

— Dave

Dave Ramsey is America’s trusted voice on money and business. He’s authored four New York Times best-selling books: Financial Peace, More Than Enough, The Total Money Makeover and EntreLeadership. The Dave Ramsey Show is heard by more than 5 million listeners each week on more than 500 radio stations. Follow Dave on Twitter at @DaveRamsey and on the web at: daveramsey.com

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Transformational

THE POWER OF

T IPS

AUTHENTIC APPRECIATION: AN ALTERNATIVE TO INEFFECTIVE EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION

BY DR. PAUL WHITE

Over the past few years, business leaders have been told: “You need to recognize your employees for the work they do. You can’t expect them to feel important just because you pay them.” This has been repeated to the degree that now 90% of all companies in the U.S. have some form of employee recognition program in place.

U

nfortunately, both research and individual reports show that most employee recognition programs aren’t effective in helping employees feel valued. During the same time frame that these programs have been implemented, the levels of job satisfaction and “employee engagement” (the degree to which employees are emotionally engaged with their work) have actually declined at the same time!

If you take the time to actually talk to front line workers and their supervisors, their primary reaction to their employers’ employee recognition program is, at best, apathy and more frequently, cynicism.

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Realization: Recognition Isn’t the Same as Appreciation The key lesson is to understand that recognition isn’t the same as appreciation. Recognition, as it is practiced in most organizations, focuses primarily on external behavior, and specifically, employee performance. Team members receive a verbal compliment, or possibly some tangible reward, when they are observed to be doing well in the behaviors desired by the company.

Transformational Tips

By itself, rewarding desired behavior is not bad (in fact, it usually is good to do). However, if employees only feel recognized or appreciated when they perform well, or “above and beyond,” then resentment can build. Why? Because employees don’t just want to be viewed as a “machine” or valued for what they can produce. They also desire to be appreciated for who they are.

This is where Christian leaders can shine and stand out from their peers – we know that people have value because they are created in God’s image. (We also know that it is normative to make mistakes.) Performance-based recognition is an okay starting point, but you can really communicate value to a colleagues when you encourage them even when they’ve made a mistake. Calling attention to who they are, their character. can be incredibly impactful.

Key Components for Employees to Truly Feel Valued: We have been able to identify four key components for employees to actually feel valued by their supervisors and colleagues.

Appreciation must be:

Communicated regularly Once or twice a year at the employee’s performance review, or at the “team member of the month” ceremony doesn’t get it done.

People need frequent feedback that they are valued.

Individualized and personal A blast email to the team saying, “Good job, team. Way to get the project done.” doesn’t mean much to the shipping clerk who worked late to get the order out. Or having a group ice cream social to show appreciation for meeting the annual production goal can feel like a cheap, convenient way to say “thanks” to a big group all at once.

In the language and specific actions meaningful to the recipient Do you realize that 20-25% of people don’t want to go up front to receive a reward? Or that going to an unstructured, social gathering with a large group of people is more like torture for many introverts? Appreciation needs to be communicated through the actions valued by the recipient.

Perceived as authentic The biggest complaint about employee recognition programs is that they feel contrived: “They don’t really mean it – they are just doing this because they are supposed to.” If the message sent isn’t believed to be genuine, it’s just a waste of time.

TwoTenMagazine.com

Bad Things Happen When People Don’t Feel Appreciated For business leaders, one key point to understand is that, from a business perspective, this isn’t about making people “feel good”. A core issue is that when employees don’t feel appreciated, bad things happen, including: Higher rates of tardiness More absenteeism Increased internal theft by employees Higher staff turnover rate, and accompanying higher training costs More internal conflict and stress among team members Decreased productivity and quality of work Lower customer satisfaction ratings.

All of these results contribute to higher costs for companies.

Finding and training new employees has been found to be one of the most expensive, non-productive costs to organizations.

Absenteeism can be up to 30% of a company’s payroll expense, when including direct and indirect costs.

Foundational Fact: Not Everyone Feels Appreciated in the Same Way L eader s mu st u nder st a nd t hat not ever yone feels appreciated in the same way as they are. Team members have different “languages” of appreciation. Believe it or not: not everyone likes verbal praise. (Some people believe, “Words are cheap.”) For one type of employee, spending time with them is the most effective way to communicate they are valued.

For others, helping them on a project encourages them. Each person is different.

Leaders can make their companies more likely to survive these difficult times by learning how to communicate authentic appreciation (versus “going through the motions” recognition.) Effectively communicating appreciation makes good business sense and will make work more enjoyable for your staff and for you.

Dr. Paul White is a Christian psychologist, speaker, and consultant who makes work relationships work. Co-author of the 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace (with Dr. Gary Chapman), Dr. White provides practical advice in improving workplace relationships and successfully transferring family businesses across generations.

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WAO M E N RE CALLED TOO with Bonnie Wurzbacher GROWING UP AS A P.K. (PASTOR’S KID) IN THE 60’S AND 70’S, I HAD ALWAYS THOUGHT A “CALLING” WAS RESERVED FOR “FULL-TIME CHRISTIAN SERVICE WORK” LIKE PASTORS OR MISSIONARIES. THE REST OF US SIMPLY CHOSE OTHER CAREERS AND SERVED GOD THROUGH OUR WORK IN THE CHURCH! I EVENTUALLY LEARNED HOW WRONG I WAS ABOUT THAT AS I BEGAN TO DEVELOP A BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW AND REALIZED THAT ALL ASPECTS OF LIFE – INCLUDING OUR VOCATIONS – ARE MEANT TO GLORIFY GOD.

I

came to believe that a “calling” is determined by the intersection of our interests, our strengths and talents, and our discernment of where God is leading us. I call this “the want to, the can do and the led to” of your life.

Importantly, it is also the way we can best serve God and fulfill His purposes for us and His kingdom.

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Though it wasn’t always so clear at the time, upon reflection, my “calling” to business followed this model. I was drawn to it and motivated to make money through creative efforts, even as a young girl. I would hold puppet shows, magic shows, perform music, sell cookies and lemonade and even hold sporting events in the neighborhood! My parents noted this regularly in our Women Are Called Too

family Christmas cards! This entrepreneurial interest didn’t come to an end as I grew up.

When I did, eventually, take a job in business, I was surprisingly successful in it, even early on in my career -- and without formal business training at the time. The same skills and abilities I had honed in education (the first 5 years after college) seemed easy for me to transfer to sales. And there were many times where I most definitely saw God’s hand leading me in the process. So, although I certainly worked hard and put in long hours, my successes were definitely not only of my own doing.

There were a number of women in business back then and even a few in sales, like me. However, as I experienced success and my career advanced, there seemed to be fewer and fewer women as peers. At first, I didn’t really think that much of it -perhaps this was simply the case in the beverage business or at my company. But it began to nag at me. While in the first part of my business career, I didn’t really see that my gender was a factor, I certainly didn’t feel that way anymore. Where were all the female leaders? I began to read the research and pay more attention to those who were speaking up on the subject. The risk of being labeled a “feminist” seemed a small price to pay.

As I began to study this more intentionally, I learned that the numbers of women graduating from college are actually greater than men and that women are fully half of the professional workforce in U.S. Fortune 500 companies, yet the percentages fall off dramatically in leadership roles. (It also appeared to be the case in medicine, politics, law and in the church, though I hadn’t studied those professions). If 50 percent of the professional workforce were women, why weren’t there more female leaders? Were they simply not as gifted, motivated or “called” to lead? Did they simply choose not to hold leadership roles at work once they had children, or were there other factors at play?

And the Research Says….

About five years ago, the Harvard Business Review published a summary of the latest research on this subject in an article called “Women and the Labyrinth of Leadership.” The stated problem was that while women occupied 40% of all managerial positions in the U.S., they held just 6% of the Fortune 500’s top executive positions and just 2% of CEO’s. They concluded that this was not due to the notion of a “glass ceiling,” but stemmed from discrimination operating at all ranks, not just the top.

This was evidenced in men being promoted more quickly than women, in general, even with equivalent qualifications and in traditionally female settings, such as nursing and education.

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THE T OP 3 BA R R IER S TO WOMEN HOLDING

LEADERSHIP ROLES ARE

RESISTANCE TO WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP In a nutshell, they described how people (men and women) often viewed successful female managers as more pushy, selfish and abrasive than successful male managers. For example, when a strong male leader expressed his anger, he was seen as passionate and assertive. But when a strong female leader demonstrated similar behavior, she was seen as difficult, abrasive… and worse!

LEADERSHIP STYLE DIFFERENCES This was explained as the challenge many female leaders struggle with to reconcile the qualities people prefer in women (such as compassion for others) with qualities people think leaders need to succeed (such as assertion and control). Add to that the relatively few female role models in leadership positions, and the likelihood that they are the sole female member on a team, and it’s easy to understand the problem. (I could relate.)

FAMILY DEMANDS This barrier focused on the fact that women are still most often the ones who interrupt their careers to handle work/family trade-offs. Even when children are grown, women tend to be the primary caretakers of the extended family. This can overload them and may be compounded as they often lack time to engage in the professional social networking essential to advancement.

(This last point should not be overlooked.

While women are often more skilled at family relationships, men tend to have the advantage in building business relationships).

The article included specific recommendations for both companies and women to help address these issues on multiple fronts. I found their insights to be fact-based, comprehensive and applicable beyond business and I worked with my company to help them address the barriers they faced.

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In 2008, at the prompting of a small but committed group of female leaders in our company, our CEO chartered a 15 member “Global Women’s Leadership Council” to help our company better understand and address this leadership opportunity on a global basis. They now have an objective in every business unit around the world to “attract, develop and retain women, especially in leadership roles” with specific action plans to do so. Because 80% of their business is outside of the U.S., this is a far reaching effort, but one that is critical to our company’s long-term success.

I also examined my own hidden prejudices and poor management practices. I began, more intentionally, to understand and value different leadership and communication styles among my peers and colleagues and committed to becoming a more visible and positive role model and mentor to other women (and men too!).

MY ADVICE TO YOUNG, PROFESSIONAL WOMEN:

1

Aspire to leadership – you can and should be leaders…everywhere.

2

Know your strengths, gifts and talents, and use them in your work.

3

Learn to bring meaning to your work (versus getting meaning from your work) by understanding why it is important to God and to others.

4

Trust and wait on God’s timing and direction in life’s big decisions.

5

Marry someone who sees you as their equal and encourages you to be the best you can be!

Although women have made some great strides in the U.S. over the past century, sadly, this is still not the case in many developing countries of the world. Did you know that women perform two-thirds of the world’s work, but earn only 10% of the world’s income and own just 1% of the world’s property?

The injustices that women face in many countries around the world can make our leadership problems here in the U.S. seem somewhat trite. Thankfully, there are many organizations, both for-profit and not-for-profit, that have begun to tackle the underlying prejudices and power struggles that fuel these inequities. One of the best examples of such an organization that I’ve found is World Vision, a Christian humanitarian organization that is dedicated to working with children, families and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. Their most recent fund-raising effort in support of addressing these gender-based issues is called “Strong Women, Strong World.” Be sure to take a look at their ad in this issue of TwoTen Magazine to learn more about how you can support their work in this area.

In summary, the lack of women in leadership roles is, at its core, a complex, talent development issue. But solving it will unleash a powerful and lasting source of creative talent (for both women and men, by the way) that can and will benefit all institutions. What is your company doing to tap into all of its leadership talent?

Bonnie Wurzbacher has held various executive and global leadership roles at The Coca-Cola Company in sales, marketing and management, rising to Senior Vice President, Global Customer & Channel Leadership. Bonnie is currently engaged as a Senior Advisor to World Vision, the largest Christian humanitarian organization in the world, working in over 100 countries to tackle the causes of poverty and injustice. She and her husband, Steve, have homes in Atlanta and Texas and one son, Daniel, who is married to the former Jessica Fry.

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Women Are Called Too

CHRIS HOGAN ON LEADERSHIP

The 4 Tips To Vital Value WHO IS PART OF YOUR TEAM? DO THEY KNOW IT? DO THEY FEEL THAT THEY HAVE VITAL VALUE TO THE TEAM’S SUCCESS? 66

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Chris Hogan On Leadership

W

hether it’s a business team, sales team, or a marriage “team,” people need to be told and shown (and then reminded) that they individually are a vital part of the team.

I can remember taking over a mortgage banking division many years ago where the lesson was especially significant. We were going to have a daily staff meeting so that I could begin to build, manage, and grow the right culture and mindset. Along with a mortgage sales team, I had also inherited a mortgage processor and a receptionist, positions that are more administrative in nature as opposed to traditional sales roles.

On the day before our first staff meeting, I told each of them that we would have a staff meeting at 8:30 in the morning. At 8:15 the next morning, I was setting up for the team meeting and as I greeted the processor and receptionist, they each said, “Have a good meeting!”

I instinctively said, “Thank you!”

Then it dawned on me… they were not planning to attend the meeting! I quickly turned around and said to them, “This is a whole team meeting, you all are coming, right?”

They both looked at me in shock. They went on to tell me that they had never been included in such meetings before.

I was ashamed. Even though I was doing a good thing by putting into place a practice I thought was vital to a good team, I had not specifically told them how vital each of them were to the team!

I then shared that when I said “team,” that meant everyone! They both were surprised, but you could tell that they immediately felt valued.

They were a key part of our success over the coming years.

SO WHAT ARE THE FOUR TIPS? 1

Build

3

Whether you’re building a team from the ground up or inheriting one, carefully hire and include appropriate team members.

Consider whether there are some less “traditional” positions that might need to be included in the team. While people may have different roles on the team, don’t portray some as more or less valuable to the team.

2

Tell

Never assume that people know what they mean to the team; tell them. This should begin with having clear job responsibilities, but team members need to understand how their roles fit into the overall success (or perhaps failure) of the team, as well as how they individually as a person (not just their role, but their personality, qualities, etc.) bring value to the team.

Show

Talk is cheap, but sometimes actions aren’t even that expensive.

When teams are successful, there should be rewards – whether it’s something as simple as coffee and donuts or as engrained as profit sharing, people need to feel that they are valued.

Goal parties, employee of the week – the list is endless how you can show individuals and teams that they have value.

4

Repeat

As leaders, we have the ability to help people feel valued and appreciated. We need to use that power on many occasions, not just the incredible ones.

The Bottom Line: No one gets anywhere by themselves, especially not to places of feeling vital and valued to the team mission. Build the team, tell them, show them, and remind them of their vital value. It can make all the difference to the mission and their connection to the cause.

Chris

Hogan

speaks all over the country at businesses, associations and colleges on money and

leadership. He also conducts on-site training sessions for organizations of all sizes. As a former All-American college football player and business owner, Chris understands that leadership is essential for the success of any team. You can follow Chris Hogan on twitter at @ChrisHogan360 or check him out here: daveramsey.com/speakers/Chris-Hogan

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H EA RIN G GO D IN THE WORKPLACE

By: Os Hillman

God is raising up a new breed of man and woman in the workplace today. We have largely been a people who have operated at a “principle-based level” in regard to our relationship with God. 68

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Our culture has been such a formula-based society that it has penetrated the church with this philosophy. In the workplace movement, this is especially true. We often hear of programs like, 10 Steps to Better Church Growth or 5 Ways to Become a Better Leader, etc., that are designed to give us a formula for walking with God or succeeding in our jobs. Don’t get me wrong; there is a place for these programs. However, I believe God is calling forth a new kind of workplace believer who is operating at a higher level.

Hearing God In The Workplace

Knowing His Presence Moses was leading the Israelites out of Egypt when they did not have water. They began to complain to Moses. Moses cried out to God for help. God told Moses to speak to the rock, and water would come from it. In the past, God told him to strike the rock. This was a new paradigm for Moses to “speak” instead of “strike” the rock. Moses disobeyed the Lord but was still able to bring forth water from the rock. “Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes, and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink” (Num 20:7-8).

Today, we have many believers who refuse to operate at the “listening and obeying” level with God. They would rather use their skill and power only to accomplish their call. This will not produce spiritual fruit for the Kingdom. Rather, it will only produce “Ishmaels” which is attempting to accomplish something for God in our own strength, the one thing Jesus never did.

Moses recognized he could not effectively lead his people out of Egypt unless he had more than his skill and ability. He had to have God’s presence go with him. The LORD replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us?

What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?” (Ex 33:14-16).

It is not enough to have God’s Word in our heart. We must have His presence in our lives, too. We do not have a relationship with His Word; we have a relationship with Jesus and His Holy Spirit. Some parts of the Body of Christ act as though the Trinity is Father, Son and Holy Scriptures versus the Holy Spirit. Only when this relationship is two-way with the Holy Spirit do we see the power of God reflected through us.

Recently I was visiting a major ministry to discuss cohosting a major workplace conference. The morning after the meeting, I was awakened at 5 a.m. and was led to Exodus 33:15.

The Lord was showing me that the conference theme needed to focus on bringing His presence into the workplace.

A few months later, I was picking up a friend from the airport in preparation for another workplace conference. My friend told me this: “The Lord spoke to me on the plane and asked TwoTenMagazine.com

“

It is not

enough to have God’s word in our heart. We must have His presence in our lives too. We do not have a relationship with His word; we have a relationship with Jesus

and His holy spirit.”

- Os Hillman

me “What will be the way workplace Christians will overcome the shaking that is coming?’ He asked this several times of me and then said to me, ‘It is only through having my presence that they can overcome the shaking.’ He then told me to tell Os this immediately upon getting off the plane.”

My friend told me this when he got off the plane. Before he told me the answer, I said, “It is only through His presence - Exodus 33:15.” The Lord had been speaking to both of us on this important new paradigm God is speaking to the workplace believer today.

Why Don’t We Hear?

Many of us have been taught that we cannot hear the voice of the Lord in our lives. In the first centuries after Christ, the Greeks became Christians. However, their focus on knowledgebased systems and oratory skills began to move us away from our early Hebraic roots. You see, Greeks learned wisdom through reason and analysis; Hebrews learned wisdom through obedience.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Psalm 111:10).

Paul addressed this growing trend in the following passage: “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power” (1 Corinthians 2:4). The more we move towards knowledge and intellect, the less we see the power of God manifested in our daily experience.

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“

The Bible is full of Hebraic experiences with God. When God gave Joshua a strategy for defeating Jericho, it confronted the logical basis for winning a battle. Imagine telling your generals that the strategy to capture Jericho is to walk around the city seven times and blow a trumpet. Imagine putting all the pros and cons of this option down on a piece of paper and deciding what to do based upon the pros and cons of these options. God confronts our knowledge to test our obedience.

Therefore

I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it,

We need to realize that we are a product of a Greek system that encourages us to operate on a reason and analysis basis without the power of God mixed in with our God-given reasoning abilities.

and it will be yours.”

- Mark 11:24

Speak To The Books Then, I began to pray: “Lord, these books do us no good here. In the name of Jesus, we command these books to leave this office, in Jesus’ name!” That afternoon I received a phone call from a workplace ministry in Dallas. They ordered 300 books from us, the largest order we had ever had.

A few years ago my TGIF devotionals were published as a book. Our agreement with the publisher called for us to purchase 1,000 copies of the book. At that time we had few distribution capabilities. We would only get one or two orders of books a day for small quantities from our website. After several months we had many boxes of books sitting in our basement. I was burdened about this. I felt God said I was to do something unusual. I was led to go down and lay hands on my books and pray and to leave the basement. So, I went downstairs and began to pray based upon Mark 11:23 that said, “Speak to the mountain.”

“He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice” (John 10:2-3).

“He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God” (John 8:46-47).

“Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. “I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins” (Mark 11:22-25).

Os

God will speak in the daily grind of our workplace callings if we allow Him to. Invite the Holy Spirit into your work life, and listen to what He might say.

To learn more about Os and all of his books, visit www.marketplaceleaders.org

Hillman is Founder and President of Marketplace Leaders Ministries. He is also an internationally

recognized speaker, author, and consultant on the subject of faith at work. Hillman has written 12 books on faith and work s ub j ects

a nd

a

daily

w o r k p l a ce

em a i l

d ev o ti o na l

enti tl ed

T GIF

-

Today

God

Is

Fir s t.

For more information on Os and his ministry work, visit: www.MarketplaceLeaders.org

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Hearing God In The Workplace

“

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Joshua 1:9

PERSEVERANCE “Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent.

Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan “press on” has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”

- Calvin Coolidge -

...meditate on these things.

MENTORING LOPEZ

WORKING WOMEN with Diane Paddison Photo, by Peter Van Houten, taken at the “Portland Good Friday Prayer Breakfast.”

G od g i ve s e a c h of u s u n i q u e s tre n g th s a n d re s o u rc e s, a n d we a re c a l l e d to u s e th o s e re s o u rc e s to s e r ve H i m. A s I’ve g a i n e d ex p e r i e n c e i n f a i th, re l ati o n s h i p s a n d b u s i n e s s, o n e of th e b e s t way s I fe e l I c a n u s e my G od- g i ve n g i f t s i s to of fe r m e nto r s h i p a n d g u i d a n c e to oth e r s w h o m i g ht b e yo u n g e r o r l e s s ex p e r i e n c e d.

As a professional Christian woman who started a nonprofit to minister to professional Christian women, the most likely scope of my mentorship is pretty clear. I feel divinely called and prepared to mentor young professional women to reach their God-given potential. Over the past few years though, I’ve

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had the unique experience of mentoring someone whose life looks almost nothing like mine. In fact, his story is so different from mine that I initially had some doubts about whether I had anything to offer. But I felt God’s call to be a part of this young man’s life, and the experience has enriched mine beyond belief.

Working Women With Diane Paddison

Meet Lopez Lomong. My male, South-Sudanese, two time Olympian, athlete mentee.

In February of 2011, I was asked to be the warm-up act at a speaking opportunity for the Mentor’s Forum, a group started

by Greg Sherwood to utilize young professional men and women in Portland, Oregon to mentor college students. I was happy to speak and interested to learn more about the Mentor’s 360 professional men’s group, since we wanted to build a similar program for women through 4word. I didn’t imagine that God had much more in store that night.

The speaker after me was a man named Lopez Lomong.

Lopez was born in South Sudan in the midst of war. At the age of 6, he was kidnapped from his home and held captive in a prison camp. To escape, Lopez ran. And ran. He spent days running for his life, eventually making it to the relative safety of a United Nations refugee camp. Several years later, Lopez immigrated to the United States, where he began running for competition, instead of survival. He has since represented the United States twice at the Olympic Games (2008 & 2012), and currently holds the U.S. indoor track and field record in the 5,000 meters.

As I met Lopez and heard his story that first day, I felt God moving me to learn more about this remarkable individual.

So I took a first step and invited him and a friend to lunch the next week.

During lunch, Lopez shared that he was passionate about following God’s calling and had a vision of bringing hope to Southern Sudan. Lopez felt strongly that this was God’s calling for him, but he didn’t know how God would make it happen.

For me it was a light-bulb moment. One of my closest friends from business school is Kevin Jenkins, CEO of World Vision International, a Christian relief organization interested in exactly the kind of work Lopez wanted to do.

I knew that God had brought me together with Lopez for a reason. I was able to connect Lopez with World Vision and to see them work together to develop 4SouthSudan, a World Vision sponsored program to help provide clean water, health care, education, nutrition, and most importantly hope, to the South Sudanese and a broader Team World Vision. I also encouraged Lopez to write a book and start a foundation.

“

Yes, you may

have special knowledge to offer those whose lives look the most like yours.

But don’t underestimate God’s ability to work in the most unlikely circumstances.”

I’m the first to admit that Lopez and I are an unlikely pair.

But experiencing God make that first connection despite our disparate backgrounds gave me confidence to continue to open myself up to God’s work in both of our lives.

Lopez even lived for a short time with my family in Portland, Oregon, and my husband Chris and I had the honor of joining Lopez in celebrating the purchase of his own home and praying with him over it.

This past March I again shared a stage with Lopez, this time as part of the Good Friday Prayer Breakfast in Portland.

I played the role of interviewer, helping to guide Lopez in the sharing of his story. At one point, I asked Lopez about escaping his Sudanese captors. As he was recounting the truly horrific experience, he said simply, “I survived because God says I matter.” That phrase has stuck with me and inspired me ever since. For Lopez, everything comes back to that time in his life when, against all odds and by God’s grace alone¸ he survived.

In Ephesians 3:20, Paul writes that God is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us. When I think about me mentoring Lopez, this verse always comes to mind. No matter how much we do as individuals, no matter how much we plan, God does more, and His plans go beyond our wildest dreams, let alone our comfort zones.

So offer mentorship or — even better — sponsorship where you can, even if the recipient seems unlikely. Yes, you may have special knowledge to offer those whose lives look the most like yours. But don’t underestimate God’s ability to work in the most unlikely circumstances.

Diane Paddison is the author of Work, Love, Pray, and the founder of 4word, a ministry for professional Christian women (www.4wordwomen.org). She has served in the executive suite of three Fortune 500 companies. She is married to Chris and mother to four, and is passionate about leading, connecting, and supporting professional Christian women as they balance work, relationships, and faith.

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THE TOP 5

TECHNOLOGIES TO IMPROVE

OFFICE PRODUCTIVITY By: Jordan Raynor

I

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t seems like ever y day, there are new tech nological tools to help make work more productive.

These tools are becoming better and less expensive all the time. Here, I highlight f ive of my favorite off ice productivity tools that I would recom mend for nearly any business in any industr y.

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TwoTen Tech

1

Harvest Time is money. Do you have the tools to track it wisely? If not, Harvest is the solution you and your team needs. Harvest does time tracking better than anyone else on the market. Whether you are on your mobile phone, your desktop or your browser, Harvest makes it easy for everyone on your team to track their time. Smart businesses recognize that time tracking is not just for agencies or law firms who bill by the hour. If you are paying employees or contractors to do a job, you should know how their time is being spent. This is especially true of salaried employees. I have used Harvest in a big team (15+) and I have used it as a sole proprietor. Harvest makes it easy for me to instantly see where my precious time is going. Plans start at just $12 per month, and you can cancel anytime.

Start tracking your team’s time by visiting: getharvest.com

Google Apps For Business Chances are good that you use many Google products at home and maybe even at work: Gmail, Google Docs, Google Calendar, Google Voice, etc.. What would we do without these amazing tools? What if I told you that you and your employees can use all of these amazing tools under your company’s domain name and brand? Yup! For $5 a month per user, you and your employees can use all of the Google products you love under your company’s domain name. I have used Google Apps in every organization I have managed for the past four years. In my opinion, it is the single most undervalued technology for business. Not only is it a superior product to similar tools like Outlook, but it can also save you a considerable amount of money.

2

Calculate the savings for your business at: smb.gonegoogle.com

3

Basecamp Nearly every business manages “projects” of some form. Basecamp makes managing projects easier than ever before. I would argue that no company has innovated more in the “project management space” than 37Signals has with their redesign of Basecamp last year. Basecamp allows you to keep all of your projects, to-do’s, files, milestone calendars, etc. in one place and allows for different permission levels for your team (employees, contractors, managers, etc.). Still not sold? Consider this: 97% of Basecamp’s customers recommend the service to other professionals. As a business leader, you know how impressive a feat that is. If your project management process could use some simple yet sophisticated technological aid, Basecamp is the product for you.

Get your projects organized and managed at: basecamp.com

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4

The Internet Browser That is not a typo. The browser, or at least the type of browser, your employees are using may need an update. You may be shocked to learn that asking your employees which internet browser they prefer will yield passionate responses similar to the question of Android v. iOS. This stands to reason. We use our internet browsers all day, every day. I am even using one as I type this post in Google Docs (yet another use of Google Apps) in my browser. The younger your employees are, the more passionate they will be about not using traditional browsers like Internet Explorer. I have even known people who turned down jobs because the use of Internet Explorer in an office showed them it was not a good “cultural fit.” Since 2010, IE has been hemorrhaging market share.

You are never going to please everyone with the choice of one browser, so here is an idea: why not let your employees choose their own? I have yet to hear a compelling case for browser consistency in an organization. If you do not have one, consider giving your employees the ability to choose. They will thank you for it.

Find your internet browser at: web-browsers.findthebest.com

Dropbox Dropbox is certainly not a new technology, but I am still amazed at how many organizations I see emailing massive files back and forth to each other. Dropbox makes it so simple to access and easy your files wherever you are. Need to share a massive PowerPoint file or PDF? Upload it to DropBox, copy the private link and email the link to your contact. Concerned about storing corporate files in the cloud? That is completely fair. Dropbox recently added the option to require two-step verification before corporate data can be accessed via Dropbox products - a safeguard I, for one, am very thankful for. Sending files back and forth can be time consuming and frustrating.

Dropbox makes it easy at a reasonable price for individuals and teams.

5

Start sharing your business’s files at: dropbox.com

Ephesians 5:15-16 reminds us to, “Be very careful, then, how you live-not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” The above tools will empower you and your employees to make the most of every opportunity in the workplace.

I am always looking for new technological tools to increase productivity of my teams. Shoot some of your favorites to me at jordan@twotenmag.com.

Jordan Raynor is a digital strategist who has spent his career solving real problems in government, politics and business through technology. Jordan is a Co-founder of Citizinvestor and a Co-founder of Digital Doulos.

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THANK YOU TO OUR

NETWORK OF STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS

TM

Without you, TwoTen Magazine wouldn’t be possible. We are grateful for your contributions, your support, and your prayers. We can’t thank you enough, and we look forward to many more years of providing purpose, perspective, and perseverance to our readers.

Learn more about joining our Network of Strategic Partnerships by visiting:

www.TwoTenMag.com/Partnerships

We review a few noteworthy books and offer up our own opinion.

The Positive Dog by: Jon Gordon

Discover the benefits of being positive. We all have two dogs inside of us. One dog is positive, happy, optimistic, and hopeful. The other is negative, mad, sad, pessimistic, and fearful. These two dogs often fight inside us, but guess who wins the fight? The one you feed the most.

The Positive Dog is an inspiring, heartwarming story that not only reveals the strategies and benefits of being positive, but also an essential truth for humans: being positive doesn’t just make you better. It makes everyone around you better.

Jon Gordon has shared the simple, powerful strategies in this book with Fortune 500 companies, professional sports teams, college athletes, school districts, and nonprofits, and the proof is in the countless success stories shared by Jon’s clients. The strategies in this book have grown sales, motivated sales people, developed positive kids, enhanced careers, and lead to greater individual and team success.

For anyone looking to overcome negativity and challenges to become more positive, The Positive Dog provides the inspiration and an 11 day action plan with a daily strategy to feed yourself and your team with positivity. When you feed the positive dog and feed others, everyone benefits!

Learn more about The Positive Dog

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feedthepositivedog.com

Quarterly Review

The Spiritual Dangers Of Doing Good by: Peter Greer

Most Christians today are interested in more than just preaching the gospel; they also want to live it by serving others. But what happens when Christian service and social justice lead to burnout, pride, disillusionment, or worse? In this book, Peter Greer gives a firsthand account of how this can happen, leaning on his experiences as CEO of HOPE International. By sharing his own stories and those of others in ministry, Greer helps readers protect themselves from the previously unexplored—often ignored—potential pitfalls of ministry and service.

The Spiritual Danger of Doing Good illustrates how something that starts off with the noblest of intentions can get off track—and reveals how to get it back on again. This book serves as a compassionate warning and practical resource for everyone who works in ministry or charitable nonprofits, from CEOs to weekend volunteers.

Learn more about The Spiritual Danger Of Doing Good

TwoTenMagazine.com

peterkgreer.com

TwoTen Magazine

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Every Good Endeavor by: Timothy Keller Tim Keller’s most recent book focuses on our lives at work.

It is an outstanding resource in the juxtaposition of faith and work, drawing from numerous sources of religious and secular texts, as well as the Bible itself. As pastor of Redeemer Church in New York City, he founded Redeemer’s Center for Faith and Work over ten years ago as a means of filling the need for spiritual significance in the workplace. Katherine Leary Alsdorf is the executive director of the CFW and wrote an inspiring foreword to the book.

She describes wrestling with her “call to serve God in business” and her deliberation about the role of a Christian in the marketplace. Observing that many (if not most) churches are more concerned with helping marketplace workers serve inside the church rather than equipping them to serve in the world, Alsdorf sets the stage for the book, writing, “The answers will all hang on this essential theology: the knowledge of who God is, his relation to man, his plan for the world, and how the good news (or gospel) of Christ turns our lives and the way we work upside down.”

Every Good Endeavor goes to great lengths to show how God designed man to work and that all work is meaningful and is our primary way of pleasing and magnifying God. He explains that everything that is created is by God and through God’s direction. There are many misconceptions about what it means to be a Christian business or to be a Christian in a business. Keller describes the concept of “common grace” in which all of mankind benefits from advancements in science, art, technology and so forth. Even though such advancements may come from non-Christians, the benefits they provide are inspired and directed by God to further His purpose and for our benefit. Having this frame of reference allows you to see the hand of God in all things.

This book is a virtual textbook on faith and work. It will challenge your thinking and help you to refine the perspective that you have on your own workplace ministry.

Learn more about Every Good Endeavor

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timothykeller.com/books/every_good_endeavor

Quarterly Quarterly Review Review

Superhuman Performance by: Darrayl and Derrick Miles

After decades of readers being forced to choose between being touched or taught, fact or fiction, inspiration or intrigue, finally twins Darrayl and Derrick Miles pen Superhuman Performance and Superhuman Performance II, in which the authors combine many of these elements in one rare read.

Superhuman Performance instructs and inspires readers in using their God-appointed gifts to excel in the marketplace and beyond with extraordinary ability and power.

The Miles duo uses modern day, real life examples and words of wisdom from successful entrepreneurs and corporate executives to direct readers in assessing their own spiritual and natural gifts. Neatly organized in chapters that each tell a different success story, the Miles brothers ingeniously infuse storytelling, scripture and practical application in this must read for any individual aspiring to use his or her gifts to perform at superhuman levels, or any corporate leader looking for ways to recognize the gift in each team member and tools, to push them to superhuman success. One such invigorating passage from their book proclaims, “Deep in your soul you know there’s more to life than long commutes to a job. You sense God created you for good works, great adventures, and a lasting legacy” (Ephesians 2:10).

Learn more about Superhuman Performance

TwoTenMagazine.com

milestonemotivation.com/online-store

TwoTen Magazine

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Your Greatest Leadership opportunitY is in Your home

Whenever you influence the thinking, behavior, or development of another person, you are leading.

Nowhere, then, is your impact as a leader felt more dramatically than in your own family – no matter what role you play.

What kind of legacy will you leave?

Ken Blanchard, Phil hodges, & Tricia goyer have teamed up to help parents examine and model the leadership principles exemplified by Jesus Christ – the One who created families in the first place!

avaiLabLe at LeadLikeJesus.com or Your LocaL bookstore

WE NEED YOUR HELP DONATE NOW BY VISTING:

The Tebow CURE Hospital will be treating children, like Mussa, with physical disabilities such as cleft lip, clubfoot and bowed legs.

www.timtebowfoundation.org

The Tim Tebow Foundation, in partnership with CURE International, is building the “Tebow CURE Hospital” to serve deserving children of the Philippines.

This hospital became a reality because of generous donations, and with continued support, will provide life-changing surgeries to thousands of children.

“The Tebow CURE Hospital will deliver life-changing physical healing while sharing the great news of the Gospel with kids who could not otherwise afford care.”

- Tim Tebow

For more information, please visit: TIMTEBOWFOUNDATION.org

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