Twoten Issue 9 - Q4 2014

Living a R.I.C.H. and Authentic Life Dina Dwyer-Owens of The Dwyer Group

Joe Gibbs His Personal Playbook

Jim Caviezel Positioned for a Purpose

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Contents

12 Cover Story

18

24

30

Features

12

Living a R.I.C.H. and Authentic Life

18

Joe Gibbs: His Personal Playbook

24 30 4

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Dina Dwyer-Owens, Executive Chairwoman of the Dwyer Group goes undercover and learns not to be afraid to share her faith.

Joe Gibbs, NASCAR owner and former NFL Head Coach, openly shares lessons learned about coaching and being coached by God.

Positioned For a Purpose From portraying Jesus Christ in Passion of the Christ to his latest role in When the Game Stands Tall, actor Jim Caviezel embraces his purpose.

A Call to Hope Bob Williamson wasn't always an entrepreneur. He left a dysfunctional life and determined to build businesses as Jesus would.

Table of Contents

76 40

06

52

46

60

VOLUME 3

ISSUE 9 Q4 2014

Columns & Departments Welcome 06

What is TwoTen Magazine? – TwoTen Magazine's founders provide an overview of issue nine.

08

The Biblical Meaning of Success – Don't fall for culture's misguided idea of success.

Articles 40

God, Family and Work – Health by Design approaches health care guided by Biblical principles.

46

Not Building In Vain – Tom Strickland discovers the successful entrepreneur is the one who trusts God.

Columns & Departments 52

Ask Dave on Business – Dave Ramsey answers real-life questions from business owners.

54

The Secret to Dealing with Change – Chris Hogan provides the tools for facing and embracing change.

56

The Balance Sheet of the Entrepreneur – Are you seeing God in your business? Or is it all you?

60

Becoming an Authority in Your Niche – The Biblical formula for becoming an expert in your field.

64

Can a Christian-Led Business be a Toxic Workplace? – Identifying and correcting toxicity in your business.

68

The Label of the Christian Business – Being a Christian in Business versus being a Christian Business.

72

Baby Boomers, Aging Parents and the Marketplace – The big burdens faced by the Baby Boomers.

76

3 Words to Change the World – The mutual benefits of loving, serving and caring for other people.

80

Quarterly Review – Recommended leadership books.

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WHAT IS TWOTEN MAGAZINE? John and I are often asked the seemingly simple above question. The answer is quite simple; to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ through the marketplace in healthcare, media, government, finance, retail, manufacturing, technology, education, entertainment, sports and service industries in America. Our hope is that you’ll use TwoTen Magazine as a ministry tool in your work place to challenge and edify your team to live their lives with an eternal perspective.

This issue’s cover features the incredible story of Dina DwyerOwens, Co-Chairman of The Dwyer Group. She encourages and empowers her team and those she influences to live a full, rich and authentic life for the cause of Christ while blessing and serving others.

TwoTen Magazine caught-up with three-time Super Bowl winning coach, five-time NASCAR owner/champion and author Joe Gibbs who strives to serve Christ through his unique platform for ministry. Drawing from his personal playbook, Joe builds character into his employees, players and drivers.

Adoptive father, business owner and Hollywood actor Jim Caviezel, best known for portraying Jesus Christ in the 2004 film The Passion of the Christ and starring as John Reese on the 4th season of the CBS crime drama series Person of Interest. Jim shares how he has accepted his role in God’s kingdom.

Wow, the unique testimony of serial entrepreneur Bob Williamson powerfully demonstrates God’s redemptive grace.

Until Bob chose Christ he admittedly pursued a life of crime and depravity until he reached a moment of full-surrender. Then God used Bob’s energy, passion and drive to build value into the lives of those he leads. Bob is a tremendous example of the hope found in Christ alone.

A servant minded culture guides the leaders of Health By Design. Health By Design’s disruptive programs and services focus on wellness over traditional and emerging government’s managed healthcare. Preventative health care and education empower employees to live fuller and healthier lifestyles, unencumbered by avoidable and preventable diseases.

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What Is TwoTen Magazine?

Printed in the U.S.A. A publication of TwoTen Magazine, Inc. 33838 Americana Ave. • Dade City, FL 33525

Office: (855) 4 TwoTen | team@twotenmag.com | @twotenmag Founders of TwoTen Magazine, John Faulkner and Richard W. Hayes.

John Faulkner

Founder & Editor in Chief

Tom Strickland, Founder, President and CEO of Suncoast Team Services and wife Bonnie faithfully build large construction projects for God’s glory while exceeding their client’s expectations through quality delivery and personal communication.

Expanding on the concept of becoming an authority in your niche, Phil and Alan Robertson of Duck Commander expand upon Saint Paul’s model that is revealed in an often-overlooked verse.

Dr. Paul White, psychologist, consultant and author explores the subject of toxic leaders in the workplace.

He provides a succinct checklist, warning signs and encouragement to address these problem behaviors before they damage your culture.

We are overjoyed to have our regular contributors who deliver transformational tips. Dave Ramsey is back with informative questions and answers on critical issues.

Business owner and author Chris Hogan gives us secrets to dealing with change. Founder of Marketplace Leaders Ministries, Os Hillman challenges TwoTen Magazine’s readers to consider some key questions before beginning a new project. Dr. Mark Cress, founder of Corporate Chaplains of America challenges us as leaders to recognize an epidemic that is impacting our businesses.

He lays out a missionary approach strategy that can be implemented to reach aging parents. Best selling author Jon Gordon gives us a new creed to simplify how we approach and overcome busyness and stress.

Thank you for investing yourself and striving to be the leader that God desires for you to be. We at TwoTen Magazine are here to serve you and use the power of story to transform lives together. VICTORY

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

Founder & Editor In Chief TwoTenMagazine.com

&

Founder & Publisher

Chris Whitten Creative Director Luke Haydel Project Manager Paul Tejera Technology Director Mike Glesenkamp Web Manager Robin Stafstrom Production Manager Nicole Armas Distribution Manager

Jessica Burchfield Hugh Whelchel Os Hillman Don Shin

Alan Robertson Dr. Paul White Jon Gordon Lisa Cone

Lisa Huetteman Tricia Despres Chris Hogan Mark Cress

Founding Contributors Ken Blanchard Edward L. Flom

Buck Jacobs Mark Whitaker

Dave Ramsey Jordan Raynor

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.

TwoTen Magazine Network of Strategic Partners TM

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

Richard W. Hayes

Founder & Publisher

Contributors

facebook.com/twotenmag

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Follow us on Twitter twitter.com/twotenmag

© 2014 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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THE BIBLICAL MEANING OF SUCCESS BY: HUGH WHELCHEL

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The Biblical Meaning Of Success

BY HUGH WHELCHEL

Two great lies have been promoted in our culture during the past twenty years. The first is, “If you work hard enough, you can be anything you want to be.” The second is, “You can be the best in the world.”

T

hese lies are accepted by many Christians as well as non-Christians. Success, defined as “being the master of one’s own destiny,” has become an idol. New York City pastor Tim Keller in his book Counterfeit Gods, describes the idol in these words, “More than other idols, personal success and achievement lead to a sense that we ourselves are God…To be the very best at what you do, to be at the top of the heap, means no one is like you. You are supreme.”

Thankfully, Scripture gives us a strong antidote to the culture’s misguided idea of success through Jesus’ Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30). Through this parable, Jesus teaches that the kingdom of heaven is like a wealthy man going on a long journey. Before he leaves, he gives his three servants different amounts of money, denominated as talents.

To the first servant, the man gives five talents; to the second, two talents; and to the last, one talent—each according to his ability. Upon his return, the master asks each servant what he did with the money that was entrusted to him. The first and second servants doubled their investments and, in return, receive their master’s praise. The third servant, however, has safeguarded the money but has done nothing to increase it. As a result, he is condemned by the master for his inactivity.

The Parable of the Talents teaches us five important things about the biblical meaning of success.

TwoTenMagazine.com

1

WORK FOR SUCCESS

First, this parable teaches us that success is a product of our work .

In the opening chapter of Genesis, we find what is called the cultural mandate in which God commands Adam to work by growing the resources he has been given. This mandate was meant not only for Adam and Eve, but for us as well. As Christians, we have a mission that our Lord expects us to accomplish in the here and now. We are called to steward all we have been given while we wait for our Savior’s return.

The Parable of the Talents teaches that biblical success is working diligently in the here and now. The servant with five talents was industrious, for he “went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more” (Matthew 25:16). He used all the talents that his master gave him—without hesitation—to produce the expected return.

2

GOD PROVIDES

Second, the Parable of the Talents teaches that God always gives us everything we need to do what he has called us to do.

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The New Testament talent is likely a large sum of money, maybe even as much as a million dollars in today’s currency. We are tempted to feel sorry for the servant who received only one talent, but in reality, he received as much as a million dollars from the master and buried it in his backyard. Is it any wonder the master was so upset?

The master in the Parable of the Talents expected his servants to do more than passively preserve what had been entrusted to them, for he told the lazy servant, “You ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest” (Matthew 25:27).

Similarly, God expects us to generate a return by using our talents toward productive ends. Like the servants in the parable, God has given us more than enough to do this. It’s up to us to use the talents wisely.

3

WE ARE ALL DIFFERENT

Third, the Parable of the Talents teaches that we are not all created equal.

The most overlooked part of the story is the second half of verse 15: “each according to his ability.” The master understood that the one-talent servant was not capable of producing as much as the five-talent servant. We want to protest that this is unfair.

Yet we know this is true from our own experience. Diversity is woven into the very fabric of creation.

But even though we’re not created equal in regard to the talents we’re given, there is equality found in the Parable of the Talents and in God’s economy. It takes just as much work for the five-talent servant to produce five more talents as it does for the two-talent servant to produce two more talents. This is why the reward given to each by the master is the same. He tells each of his faithful servants the same thing: “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much” (Matthew 25:23). The Master measures success by degree of effort, as should we.

4

GOD HOLDS US ACCOUNTABLE

Finally, the Parable of the Talents shows that we will be held accountable.

The Parable of the Talents is not about salvation or works righteousness, but about how we use our work to fulfill our earthly calling. The unfaithful steward in this parable didn’t waste the master’s money; he wasted an opportunity. As a result, he was judged wicked and lazy. We are responsible for what we do for God with what he has given us, and one day we will be held responsible. What we hear from the Master on that day is up to us.

SO HOW SHOULD WE DEFINE THE BIBLICAL MEANING OF SUCCESS? The late John Wooden, a committed Christian who became the most successful college basketball coach in history, was once asked how he would define success. He replied: "SUCCESS IS PEACE OF MIND WHICH IS A DIRECT RESULT OF SELF-SATISFACTION IN KNOWING YOU DID YOUR BEST TO BECOME THE BEST THAT YOU ARE CAPABLE OF "BECOMING"."

We work at the pleasure of the Lord, and our work is to be driven by our love of God. Our only desire should be to hear him say, “Well done my good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of the Master.” VICTORY This article was originally published by The Gospel Coalition and is adapted from an article published in ByFaith Magazine.

Hugh Whelchel is Executive

The money that is given to the servants is not their own.

The money they earn with the master’s capital is not theirs to keep. The servants are only stewards of the Master’s investment,

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5

HONOR GOD IN EVERYHTING

Fourth, the Parable of the Talents teaches that we work for the master, not our own selfish purposes.

10

and it is the quality of their stewardship that the master seeks to measure. Therefore, we should maximize the use of our talents not for our own selfish purposes, but to honor God. It is all about our attitude, the motivation that resides in our hearts.

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Director of the Institute for Faith, Work & Economics and author of How Then Should We Work? – Rediscovering the Biblical Doctrine of Work. Hugh has a Master of Arts in Religion and brings over thirty years of diverse business experience to his leadership at IFWE.

The Biblical Meaning Of Success

EST D 2001

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DINA DWYER-OWENS, FOUNDER AND CEO OF THE DWYER GROUP

BY: LISA HEUTTEMAN

SHE MIGHT NOT BE THE PERSON YOU WOULD EXPECT TO SEE SEATED AT THE TOP OF A COMPANY IN A MALE-DOMINATED INDUSTRY. BUT DINA DWYER-OWENS, EXECUTIVE CHAIRWOMAN OF THE DWYER GROUP, IS VERY COMFORTABLE AT THE HELM OF A COMPANY OPERATING ACROSS THE FIFTY UNITED STATES AND SEVEN OTHER COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD. SHE EARNED THE POSITION AND RE-EARNS IT, EVERY DAY IN EVERY WAY. 12

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Living A R.I.C.H. And Authentic Life!

F

ounded in 1981 by Don Dwyer Sr., The Dwyer Group has grown from Rainbow International Carpet Dyeing and Cleaning Company to seven franchise concepts represented by more than 1,600 franchisees and almost $1 billion in annual system-wide sales. Don Dwyer started Rainbow International by recruiting loyal, ethical, and honest people who looked to the system for the guide to providing superior customer service and building a solid business. He wanted people who believed in the Code of Values which were the foundation upon which he lived.

He was a devout Catholic, a demanding leader and a great big dreamer. Although his life was cut short in 1994 at the age of 60, his legacy lives on with the support of his family, the company’s TwoTenMagazine.com

associates and the franchisees who embody Don Dwyer’s Code of Values in their businesses and their lives.

Her Father’s Daughter She is her father’s daughter. Like Don Dwyer, Dina is a devout Catholic, a dynamic leader and measures the success of her company by the number of people she can help become a success in theirs. But Dina is also authentically devout herself and leads the company from a firm foundation that is grounded in her faith.

In 1998, when she was first named acting President and CEO of The Dwyer Group, Glamour Magazine interviewed her for an TwoTen Magazine

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THE DWYER GROUP

CODE OF VALUES WE BELIEVE...

1

…in superior service to our customers, our community and to each other as members of The Dwyer Group family.

2

…in counting our blessings every day in every way.

3

…success is the result of clear, cooperative, positive thinking.

4

…that loyalty adds meaning to our lives.

5

…management should seek out and recognize what people are doing right and treat every associate with respect.

6

…challenges should be used as learning experiences.

7

…our Creator put us on this earth to succeed. We will accept our daily success humbly, knowing that a Higher Power is guiding us.

8

…in the untapped potential of every human being.

Every person we help achieve their potential fulfills our mission.

9

…we must re-earn our position every day in every way.

10

…in building our country through the free enterprise system. We demonstrate this belief by continually attracting strong people to The Dwyer Group.

“

The number one

thing is my faith. Without my relationship with God, I couldn't do what I do.

The second most important thing is being surrounded by an amazing team and support structure at work and at home.”

– Dina Dwyer-Owens

article about the secrets of successful “SheEOs.” Dina reflected that the key to her success was not a secret. “The number one thing is my faith. Without my relationship with God, I couldn’t do what I do. The second most important thing is being surrounded by an amazing team and support structure at work and at home.

The third ‘secret’ is systems. With franchising, operating systems are critical.” These three “secrets” still hold true today.

Live R.I.C.H. Recognizing the importance of operating systems for the success of the company, the executive team expanded on the original guiding principles established by Don Dwyer to create an operational Code of Values organized under the themes of Respect, Integrity, and Customer Focus While Having Fun in the Process. The Operational Code of Values provides measurable principles to keep the company on the right path and a memorable acronym that personifies their purpose – to Live R.I.C.H! At every opportunity, Dina passionately shares the Code with employees and franchisees throughout the company. “I am certain that successful growth of the company has been and will continue to be founded on the Code of Values. However, I don’t want the Code to be perceived as a list of overbearing rules. Live R.I.C.H. is something that is easy to remember, understand and a gateway to the bigger message.”

The Dwyer Group's history of brands...

1962 14

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1970

1980 Living A R.I.C.H. And Authentic Life!

THE DWYER GROUP

LIVE R.I.C.H. RESPECT Treating others as we would like to be treated.

Listening with the intent to understand what is being said and acknowledging that what is said is important to the speaker.

Responding in a timely fashion.

Speaking calmly and respectfully without profanity or sarcasm.

Acknowledging everyone as right from their own perspective.

INTEGRITY Making only agreements we are willing, able and intend to keep.

Communicating any potentially broken agreements at the first appropriate opportunity to all parties concerned.

Looking to the system for correction and proposing all possible solutions if something is not working.

Operating in a responsible manner; “above the line….”

Communicating honestly and with purpose.

Asking clarifying questions if we disagree or do not understand.

Never saying anything about anyone that we would not say to him or her.

CUSTOMER FOCUS Continuously striving to maximize internal and external customer loyalty.

Making our best effort to understand and appreciate the customer’s needs in every situation.

HAVING FUN IN THE PROCESS!

1992 TwoTenMagazine.com

1994

Dina Dwyer-Owens disguised as "Faith Brown" on CBS's popular show, Undercover Boss in 2012.

Going Undercover Dina always credits the Code of Values at The Dwyer Group for fostering the environment that makes the company unique.

To see if that message had spread throughout the seven franchise concepts across the country and around the world, Dina went undercover in 2012 on CBS’s Emmy-winning hit reality series Undercover Boss.

“We approached Studio Lambert, the company that produces Undercover Boss, because we wanted the opportunity to find out if our Code of Values was truly making it to the front lines.

Our company was celebrating its 30th anniversary, and with a woman at the top in a male-dominated business, we felt we had a winning story.”

While the original intent was to confirm the Code of Values was being honored throughout the organization, Dina soon recognized that God had intended something much more important.

1996

2010 TwoTen Magazine

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“

Dina Dwyer-Owens and Dwyer Group’s CEO, Mike Bidwell, with frontline team members

I learned

that no problem

I encounter

in business, no decision I make,

nor challenge

with any human, is more important than living God's will

for my life.”

- Dina Dwyer-Owens

16

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“As soon as I learned that they were interested in me going undercover, I started receiving all these messages which in my mind were from God. The morning of the casting interview, I was in Mass and Fr. John’s homily was about evangelizing. He said ‘Every time we get a chance, we should be sharing the Good News.’ That thought stuck with me as I went into the casting interview later that day.”

Authentic Leadership Armed with her pastor’s words of encouragement, Dina ignored her concern that the producers and the audience would not welcome the story of a CEO who was so open about her faith.

She chose “Faith Brown” as her undercover name, and the true Dina was revealed.

The episode began following Dina through a typical day; making pancakes for her children, chatting over the paper with her husband and attending church. “I need the nourishment I receive from daily Mass. I am not good at sitting at home and being prayerful. I see too many things around the house that need to be done. I put myself into a place where I can be prayerful and quiet, and all the busyness of the world is kept in perspective. It keeps me grounded in what is really important.”

Throughout the filming, Dina was touched by the people she encountered. She was overwhelmed by the awesome

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Living A R.I.C.H. And Authentic Life!

responsibility God has given her to lead this company.

“I am responsible, in some way, for so many lives, and these folks really do work hard to live our values. They really do care about our customers in the way we want them to.”

Her concern that being open about her faith could be viewed as negative proved to be unfounded.

Within moments of the show airing, Dina began receiving texts and tweets of encouragement.

Of Dina Dwyer-Owens interviewing George W. Bush at the International Franchise Association conference in 2010. the 2,000 messages she received from viewers, not In February of 2014, after holding the position of CEO for 15 one was negative about her faith. In fact, she received hundreds years, Dina handed those reins over to Mike Bidwell, an amazing of beautiful notes thanking her for being open, authentic and and capable leader who has been with the company for more than transparent. “I think I have the record for the most tears on 30 years, and she took on the title of Executive Chairwoman.

Undercover Boss, because I can get very emotional. There are Today, her primary responsibility is the culture of the company. times that I have to work very hard to hold it back, because it is “My number one priority is making sure that we live The Dwyer not the right occasion. But, on most occasions, if I tear up, I tear Group’s Code of Values no matter how large we get.” up. It is who I am.”

While Dina went “undercover” to learn about her company, she learned far more about herself. “I came away from the experience with the attitude, ‘Be not afraid.’ I learned that no problem I encounter in business, no decision I make, nor challenge with any human, is more important than living God’s will for my life. It is something that I have to remind myself of daily. If I pray for the wisdom from God, and listen and apply it, what do I have to be afraid of?”

Her second duty is public relations and networking. As such, Dina spends a lot of time speaking and telling The Dwyer Group story – mostly about the Code of Values and the team of employees and franchisees who live those values. “As the Executive Chairwoman of The Dwyer Group, I have to be my best authentic self. I am a Christian first. Every speech I do, even if they ask me to avoid politics and religion, I speak about my faith, because it is who I am.”

“I also learned so much about myself and my role as a Catholic Christian in evangelizing and being a light for His Kingdom. It is unbelievable the doors that God has opened when He says to me ‘Here is a door you need to walk through now, and I want you to talk about your faith.’ Or, ‘I know they are calling you because they want you to speak about The Dwyer Group’s values, but I want you to talk about your faith.’”

Thirdly, Dina is responsible for seeking out strategic acquisitions of businesses that fit The Dwyer Group’s menu of services. “Our mission at The Dwyer Group is to teach our principles and systems of personal and business success so that all people we touch live happier and more successful lives.

Personally, I will continue to work to do that for as many people as I can.” VICTORY

The audience responded favorably to the Boss of The Dwyer Group, and out of 56 bosses, Dina was one of ten who was invited back for the 2013 season finale “Epic Bosses.” While the viewers were impressed by her vulnerability, Dina considers it essential to authentic leadership. “If we are not taking some risks, we are not being great leaders.”

TwoTenMagazine.com

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.

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Photo courtesy of: Joe Gibbs Racing

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Joe Gibbs: His Personal Playbook

Joe Gibbs:

HIS PERSONAL

Play book B y : Tr i c i a D e s p r e s

It’s high noon in Huntersville, North Carolina‌and the preeminent coach is completely and utterly exhausted. During the last 48 hours, the always strong and stoic Joe Gibbs has confidently hired two new drivers, bravely launched a new diversity program for his race team and tirelessly prayed for a friend going through one of the most intense moments of his life.

And naturally, God has been coaching the coach through it all.

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Photo courtesy of: Joe Gibbs Racing

“I would have to say it’s been the busiest three or four days of my life,” Gibbs admits, with a sigh followed by a chuckle to end the definitive statement. “I’m no different than a lot of people in America. Everyone is on the go. The way I get through it is by spending a lot of time talking to God during the day. Most of the time, it’s as simple as ‘Jesus, help me with this.’”

Perhaps what sets Gibbs apart from all of the coaches that have coached before him is his eagerness to not only share his victories and disappointments in front of the world, but at the same time, to share his religious life with anyone who will listen.

A physical education major turned head football coach turned NASCAR team owner, Gibbs has undoubtedly seen the highs and lows of a life well lived. Yet, the gray-haired man with the trophies on the shelf and the Bible by his bedside remains a true winner in every sense of the word by relying on the Lord for guidance and mercy and direction….even when he has felt himself going off track.

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“Every time I have gotten in trouble in life occupationally, it’s when I haven’t been disciplined enough to stay close to the Lord and stay in His word and ask for His guidance and direction,” says the 74 year-old father of two and grandfather to eight. “When I have opened up myself to real adversity, traumatic things have happened to me, simply because I wasn’t following God’s game plan.”

His Beginnings Born in Mocksville, North Carolina, Gibbs first gained national notoriety when he was named as the head coach of the Washington Redskins after serving as an assistant coach for 17 years for various football teams. From 1981-1992, he led the much-loved team to eight playoff appearances, four NFC Championships and three Super Bowl titles. Just as Gibbs was preparing to hang up his hat on his football coaching career, Joe Gibbs: His Personal Playbook

Joe Gibbs praying before a race with his team.

“

Every time I have gotten in

trouble in life

occupationally, it's when I haven't been

disciplined enough to stay close to the Lord and

stay in His word

and ask for His

guidance and direction.”

– Joe Gibbs continues Gibbs. “That’s not the world I have ever lived in. I think that if I were in a job where I knew exactly what life would be like and what kind of money I would make, I think I would not be a very nice person to be with.”

he was approached by former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and good friend Don Meredith about starting up his own racing team.

Joe Gibbs Racing was launched in 1991.

“In both football and NASCAR, I always laugh that you are never more than two hours away from disaster,” says Gibbs, who resides in North Carolina with his wife Pat. “I used to complain about that. I remember once standing on the race track one day after we had gone through some big disappointments as a race team…and I looked up and asked God, ‘Why does this happen to me?’ and it dawned on me. This is exactly where God wants me. He wants me in these sports where you can’t count on what’s going to happen around the corner and the next day.”

Game plans have a way of changing at a moment’s notice.

“I do not have a life where everything is in place and you know what is going to be happening tomorrow and next week,” TwoTenMagazine.com

Proving that Gibbs has not always followed a straight path to success, he returned to the Washington Redskins for a four year coaching stint in 2004. But the lure and excitement of the track and racing team dominated his attention and is where his heart is now. Going into the 2015 NASCAR season supporting a multitude of drivers along with more than 450 employees at his 250,000 square foot racing team facility, Gibbs still says three NASCAR Cup Series Championships are nothing in comparison to the relationship he continues to have with God. “I feel like God is the perfect head coach in the game of life,” he says enthusiastically, as if to rile the troops up in a pre-game speech. “He left us with a game plan–God’s Word–and as far as I am concerned, I would love nothing more than to spend the rest of my life witnessing about this game plan to people. Life is a game…you and I are playing it, and we have the perfect Head Coach. Everything you need to know about living a successful modern day life is in the Bible…in God’s word. If you want to know about how we got here, it’s in God’s word. If you want to know about relationships, it’s in God’s word. If you want to know about life, it is in God’s word.”

It seems so simple, right?

Gibbs admits it’s not.

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“

Father, I know that I am a sinner,

and I know that you sent your perfect son, Jesus Christ, to this earth. He lived a perfect life. You allowed Him to go to that cross and be sacrificed there for my sins. I ask you to come into my life, forgive me of my sins, and be my Lord and personal Savior.”

“I mean, I got myself into some trouble financially years ago, because I wasn’t studying what He said about finances,” he says.

“When I have followed God’s plan, I have had some success.

When I didn’t follow it, I have gotten myself in some messes.”

Gibbs has been notoriously open to discussing these traumatic times in his life, both publically and through the stories he has included in his books Joe Gibbs: Fourth and One (1992), Racing to Win (2003) and Game Plan for Life (2009), where he goes into detail about a property deal gone bad, which had him teetering on bankruptcy. But through it all and through an illustrious career, Gibbs has always gone back to the backbone of God’s teachings for all the support he could possibly need.

SURROUNDING HIMSELF WITH GOOD PEOPLE Whether through his life as a winning football coach or as a successful race team owner, Gibbs has always referred to his teams as family. It’s those family members that not only helped him see success, but they also are the ones who have walked alongside him during his religious journey.

It’s not always about finding the right people.

It’s about finding genuinely good people.

“To be successful as a leader, you really need to know what motivates your team and what discourages them,” says Gibbs, whose two sons, JD and Coy, work alongside their father on the Joe Gibbs Racing team. “If I have the right 50 football players surrounding me, I’m going to be a successful coach. If I surround myself with 450 good people on my race team, I’m going to have the right people that will help us all succeed.”

Of course, essentially hand picking the right people is something Gibbs has much experience with, and something he has grown to learn how to do more effectively with each passing year.

Gibbs received much praise with building championship football teams with players that had mediocre careers with other teams.

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- A personal prayer of Joe Gibbs Sometimes, you have to look farther than the stats sheet.

“I remember scouts coming to me when I was coaching football telling me about how much a prospective player weighed and how high they could jump and all of these stats that were relatively easy to quantify…and I would always go back to simply asking what kind of person they were,” he says. “As a team leader, it can be hard to assemble a bunch of people who are dedicated to succeeding as a team rather than putting their individual goals first.”

WALKING IN THE FAITH Mixing his faith life with his professional life has always been of utmost importance for Gibbs, who purposely begins each week with the executive group at Joe Gibbs Racing in prayer. Yet, it’s the personal time he sits alone with God that Gibbs seems to treasure the most. “My study time is usually at night before bed, concentrating on God’s word and listening to tapes,” explains Gibbs. “And during the day, I don’t necessarily go to Him in formal prayer. And it’s not like I can hear Him talking to me.

But when I can see things flaring up or I can’t seem to explain why certain things are happening or especially when I need to make some big decisions, I go to God to ask Him to lead me through this.”

When asked of any verses he tends to live by, Gibbs chuckles.

“I’m not really a verse kind of guy,” he laughs heartily. “It’s not like I consciously study just one scripture or anything like that. I just like to lay out His principles in the Word in front of me.”

Of course, no matter how strong his own faith looks to be, Gibbs says he has encountered his share of religious naysayers through the years, both personally and professionally.

“I will have people say, ‘Joe, how did we get here?’ and I always tell the same story,” he begins. “Look at a watch. It has a second hand and a minute hand and is quite complicated. I ask Joe Gibbs: His Personal Playbook

the person if they believe that there was a watchmaker who made that watch. They haven’t met him or seen him, but they believe there was someone who made that watch. So, you then look at the earth and see men and women and plants, and isn’t it just common sense that there was a maker of this world?”

Gibbs says he has made it his mission to witness to people in this way, during fleeting moments when doubt can even overtake what he knows is true in his own heart. “If I come across someone looking to lead a modern day successful life…but who objects to God’s word because it was written over 2000 years ago in some thick book with a lot of strange language…it can be hard for me to convince them,” Gibbs says. “I personally feel that God’s word contains the principles we should all live by, and for me, I have decided to follow it via my own personal game plan for life.”

However, Gibbs has his times of doubts. One that weighs heavily on his heart was the recent on-track accident which his former driver Tony Stewart was involved in, in which 20-yearold Kevin Ward Jr. was tragically killed at the Canandaigua Motorsports Park in New York.

“I’ve seen many tragedies, and the only thing I know how to do is pray for the people involved,” says Gibbs. Feeling the need to help young people with life struggles, he was instrumental in helping to found Youth for Tomorrow, a residential youth home, private school, and counseling center for at-risk teenage girls and boys in the Washington metropolitan area in 1986. “Tragedies occur sometimes in life. It happens all the time. Horrible events take place every day. But when I see someone hurting, I always try to just lift them up in prayer, and let God do the rest.”

Joe Gibbs speaking at a Washinton Redskins press conference.

Photo courtesy of: Joe Gibbs Racing

And then there is the woman that has stood behind him and beside him when the cameras turned off and the games and races were through.

“When my wife Pat and I agree on something, we have never made a mistake,” Gibbs concludes. “When I have tried to do something on my own, I get in trouble. [Laughs] But yes, she has always been a big encouragement for me, and she has helped me make decisions in the most spiritual of ways. I also have both my boys working with me, so we also get to spend a lot of time together. I am fortunate that way. And then there is my racing family, many of whom I lean on a lot.. I’m lucky to have a great group surrounding me at all times.” VICTORY

HIS PERSONAL BACKBONE OF FAITH Through it all, Gibbs says he has felt extremely thankful to be able to lean on various accountability partners throughout his life. “My Sunday School teacher from when I was a kid served as one of my most treasured accountability partners throughout my life until his passing about twenty years ago,” Gibbs remembers.

“He never played a single sport. He, instead, played the piano.

But he mentored me through all of life’s ups and downs, and both personally and professionally.”

TwoTenMagazine.com

Tricia Despres is a Ch ica g o -b a sed enterta inment writer whose

work

publications Sun-Times,

has

such

as

appeared the

Advertising

in

Chicago Age

and

Country Weekly magazine. From making story deadlines to making dinner for husband Paul and

girls

Taylor and Amanda, Tricia leads a busy life....but is never too busy to listen to the whispers of God.

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Photo courtesy of: DFree / Shutterstock.com

JIM CAVIEZEL:

POSITIONED

PURPOSE FOR A

BY: MARK WHITAKER “I had moved to Hollywood with the hopes of getting into the movie business and took a job as a waiter for a catering business to make ends meet. The headwaiter told all of the wait staff there would be celebrities there and warned us to stick to our duties. I was serving champagne to the guests, and at one point during the evening I found myself face to face with Jimmy Stewart. For me, It’s a Wonderful Life was one of the greatest films ever made, and his role as George Bailey is a masterpiece.

The whole story of redemption and the redeemable character that comes from a negative space to a positive space are characters that I’m drawn to. And here I was, talking to the legendary actor.”

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“

I knew that I was just a man

with all of my faults, failures and sin.

'Why would God choose me for this role?',

I asked myself, full of self-doubt and fear.”

– Jim Caviezel

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Photo courtesy of: standtallresources.com

“At that moment, I felt like it was a once in a lifetime opportunity, even if it meant jeopardizing my job. I approached him and found that he was remarkably gracious, genuine and engaging, even asking me about my ambitions. I told him that my dream was to get into the movie business. His response is one that I will never forget and one that has guided my career. ‘You make good movies, just make good movies young man,’ he said in his trademark voice and penetrating gaze.”

Jim Caviezel has cer tainly taken Jimmy Stewar t's advice to heart.

Portraying Jesus Christ Since then, Jim has had numerous television and film roles, including The Count of Monte Cristo and The Thin Red Line.

His most notable role was his brilliant portrayal of Jesus Christ in Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ. Although Jim had always been grounded by his faith in God, he didn’t feel worthy for what he knew would be the role of a lifetime. “I knew that I was a just a man, with all of my faults, failures and sin. 'Why would God choose me for this role?,' I asked myself, full of selfdoubt and fear. When I expressed my concerns to Mel, he gave me incredible inspiration by telling me that I was made to play this part and that I needed to play it,” Jim recalled. “While still contemplating the role, I was talking to my young son about it, and he said, ‘you know dad, God doesn’t always pick the best person for the job [laughing].’ In his young innocence he was so right. Who was I to question God’s will for me?” Jim agreed to take the part but had no idea of the physical toll that it would take on him.

The Grueling Role of a Lifetime The movie was filmed in Italy, mostly during the winter months to capture the bleak terrain as the backdrop for the darkest days in human history. Jim endured ten hours of makeup for the shooting of the crucifixion scenes and suffered hypothermia while hanging on the cross in addition to being struck by lightning. He said, “I would go back to my trailer after being on the set for hours with nothing more than a loin cloth in fifty degree weather, and I would just curl up under a blanket shivering uncontrollably.” During one of the scenes where Jesus was being flogged by the Roman guards, Jim had a board attached to his back that the actors would hit. One of the strikes missed the board and lashed Jim’s back; the shocking pain took his breath away and left him with a fourteen-inch scar. He also suffered a separated shoulder when the 170 pound cross fell on him (the scene remained in the film). Needless to

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say, the film left not only a physical impression on Jim, but a spiritual one as well.

When the Game Stands Tall Jim has since starred in several feature films and has had recurring roles in the television dramas, The Prisoner and Person of Interest. In his latest starring role, Jim portrays Coach Bob Ladouceur in When the Game Stands Tall that opened nationally on August 22. It is the incredible true story of the De La Salle High School football team, who rose to national prominence by achieving a winning streak of 151 games spanning over ten years and included sixteen undefeated seasons–the longest winning streak of any team sport in American history. They were named USA Today’s High School Football National Champions from 1998 to 2003. To put the streak into perspective, the Oklahoma Sooners have the longest streak in college football history with 47, and John Wooden’s UCLA basketball team won 88 straight games spanning four seasons. The longest winning streak in high school football prior to De La Salle was 72 games. Prior to his 151-game streak, Coach Ladouceur had winning streaks of 34 games and 44 games in the mid and late eighties.

The Perfect Effort When Coach Ladouceur was hired as the head coach in 1979, he had no teaching experience and no coaching experience.

From the very beginning, his focus wasn’t on winning football games. His focus was on developing the character, integrity and brotherhood of the young men on his team. “One of the lines that is repeated throughout the film is one of Coach Ladoucer’s great sayings, ‘I don’t require a perfect game, just a perfect effort,” Jim reflected. “It is what drives these kids to give their all to their coach and their teammates. Many of them come from broken homes, never having a positive male role model in their lives. Coach Ladouceur invests into the lives of each young man and teaches them integrity, honor, accountability and how to become the men that God has called them to be.

They developed a love for their teammates and weren’t afraid to express it. This is depicted well at the end of the movie where they all join hands and pray the Lord’s Prayer.”

In 2013 Coach Ladouceur felt the time was right to step down and retire. After 34 years of coaching at De La Salle, he lost only 25 games. Although he had plenty of offers to coach Division 1 college football and at the professional level, he stayed where he felt God wanted him to be. Jim explained, “What a shame it would have been if he had left De La Salle. He

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“

He was able

to impact

the lives of thousands of young men, putting into a c tion wh at t h e

love of Christ is really about.”

- Jim Caviezel

referring to Coach Ladouceur of De La Salle High School

them how to be winners in life by producing great men who would become great husbands and great fathers.”

Sports were always a part of Jim’s life and were a source of inspiration for him. “My senior year in high school, we had a good basketball team and were fortunate to make it to the state championship,” Jim explained. “Our excitement was short-lived when we learned our opponent was the number one team in the state. Our chances of beating them were slim at best. A new movie was released about that time called Hoosiers. We all went to see the movie as a team the night before the game, and our spirits soared after seeing a small town high school basketball team overcome the odds and defeat a powerhouse opponent.

The next day we played the games of our lives and won the championship.”

Photo courtesy of: DFree / Shutterstock.com Jim Caviezel at the premiere for When The Game Stands Tall in 2014. was able to impact the lives of thousands of young men, putting into action what the love of Christ is really all about."

Jim continues, “The feelings that we felt after seeing that movie rallied all of us; it was incredible. It was then that I first experienced and realized the power of film to touch hearts and inspire people. Jimmy Stewart was right, it’s all about making good movies!” VICTORY

Inspiring Teamwork Jim continued, “I was blessed to be personal friends with one of the greatest coaches of all time, John Wooden. My father earned a basketball scholarship to UCLA and maintained a friendship with him through the years. Both Coach Wooden and Ladouceur approached their teams with the same philosophy of patiently teaching and inspiring their players to achieve more than they could have ever imagined themselves. They taught

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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.

Jim Caviezel: Positioned For Purpose

WILLIAMSO B N B O Businessman Entrepreneur Spokesman n

A

n

CALL HOPE TO

By: Jessica Burchfield

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A Call To Hope

“

I can do all things

through Christ who strengthens me.”

— Philippians 4:13

According to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, hope is a desire accompanied by the expectation of or the belief in fulfillment.

At its etymological root, hope is the anticipation of success; it is the personification of entrepreneurialism. For Bob Williamson, founder of 13 successful businesses, including Horizon Software International and Honey Lake Plantation Resort and Spa, hope goes much, much deeper.

T

A Personal Hope

he child of a dysfunctional family, Bob Williamson was clinically diagnosed as a sociopath by age 18.

“My childhood was very dark,” he said. “My father was very abusive. He wanted my brother and me to be mean, and he succeeded in making us so. I became very sadistic. I started drinking at age 12; I was an alcoholic by age 14 and a drug addict by age 17; I was married and divorced with a child by age 19. A court-appointed psychiatrist told me that I was on my way to becoming a serial killer and that I was an incurable sociopath without a conscience.”

of anger and hate, but as I read the Bible, I discovered that Jesus Christ was nothing like what I thought He was; rather, He was full of love and hope—two things I had never possessed. I came to Philippians 4:13 and gave up. I threw the Bible down and called Lydia to take it away. She put her hands on her hips and said, ‘Jesus is God. He can do anything he wants. He can change your sorry tail.’ Through that I confessed my sins, asked for forgiveness, and changed my life.”

On a downward spiral of violence and drug use, Bob eventually came to the end of the line through a head-on collision that landed him in the hospital with serious, life-threatening injuries. It was through this circumstance that God brought him to his knees.

After his salvation, Bob became a voracious student of the Bible, absorbing Christian principles and putting them into practice in his life. Through a series of menial jobs at factories, Bob realized that biblical principles applied to every aspect of life, including professional conduct in the workplace. Working his way up from hourly labor to plant management, he began to have aspirations of owning his own company.

“I befriended a nurse named Lydia,” said Bob. “She was one of the first friends I had in my life. She would bring me books from the library, one of which was the Bible. I was full

“I quit my job,” he said. “My wife wasn’t too happy, but I told her that I could do anything through Christ. Philippians 4:13 had become my life verse, and I was willing to put my

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A Professional Hope While it may seem that Bob became a multi-million dollar man overnight, there was quite a process through which he acquired his fortune. Due to the lack of mentorship in his life, Bob looked to the Word of God for answers both in his personal and professional walk.

“Once I became a Christian, I didn’t instantaneously become a gregarious entrepreneur,” said Bob. “I’ve always been a loner; I never had a mentor. My business acumen came directly from the pages of Scripture. By studying the Bible, I learned to be a wise businessman.”

Realizing that he needed to follow the example of successful men, Bob patterned his life after King Solomon, the wisest and richest man who ever lived. Proverbs and Ecclesiastes became both his business plan and the blueprint for his professional success.

“I sat at the knee of King Solomon,” said Bob. “The mission statement for my companies came directly from the Bible. I asked myself, ‘If Jesus Christ came to earth and started a business, what would His mission statement be?’ My professional standard of conduct grew out of that hypothetical divine entrepreneurial enterprise.”

Bob is an empire builder. Not only has he built multi-million dollar companies several times over, but also, in accordance with Matthew 6:19, he has built an empire in Heaven, one which neither moth nor rust will corrupt.

A National Hope trust in its promise. I started a little paint company in my basement by borrowing a thousand dollars on my credit card; six months later it was a multi-million dollar business. I went on from there and established 13 other companies, the last of which I sold for 75 million dollars.”

In the face of national turmoil and political uncertainty, Bob has created an outreach ministry geared toward renewing America’s hope in God. Based upon the Great Commission, the goal of the Jesus Alliance is to start a revival in the United States that would spread across the world.

Contrary to popular opinion about what makes a man successful, Bob knows that true, lasting success is only found in Jesus Christ. “Most people are wrong about success. I’ve slept on the side of the road in the freezing cold, eaten in missions, and bought my clothes at the Salvation Army. I’ve also flown on private jets, stayed at the finest hotels, eaten at the finest restaurants, and had every material possession that anyone could want. The dictionary defines success as the attainment of wealth, fame, power, or some significant achievement.

My definition of success is the attainment of peace, joy, and love through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It can be found in a mansion or a mobile home, a cardboard box or a castle. Success is salvation through Jesus Christ.”

“President Reagan once said that America is the last best hope of mankind,” said Bob. “Morality has sunken to an alltime low, and the United States is no longer the shining light of hope. With corruption, incarceration, abortion, and divorce rampant in American homes and families, people have nowhere to look. When I was without Christ, I wanted to commit suicide, because I had no hope. The Jesus Alliance can provide the hope that humanity so desperately needs.”

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Launched in March 2014, the Jesus Alliance is an international prayer coalition. An organization built upon restoring America’s hope, it is prepared to stand in the gap for the salvation of men and women across the country.

A Call To Hope

THE

BASIC TENANTS OF

BOB’S MISSION STATEMENT 1

Jesus Christ came to earth to serve mankind. Our number one goal is to provide outstanding customer service.

2

If Jesus Christ had a product, it would be of the highest quality imaginable. We will develop and provide the highest quality product available.

3

Jesus Christ would offer fair prices: fair to Him, to His customers, and to His employees. We will offer fair prices.

4

Jesus Christ would treat everyone the way He’d like to be treated. We will treat clients, employees, and vendors with honesty, integrity, and honor.

“

My story is about hope,” said Bob. “I always felt that if people could

see my testimony they would know that if I can do it, anyone could. If they could see that I made it, maybe they would see that all isn’t lost. So many people have lost hope in the world. Hope is the key. No matter what anyone else says — Jesus loves you. But for the grace of God I would be on death row or in an insane asylum. Why God spared me, I don't know, but He did. And He spared you.

He loves you.”

“It’s all about Jesus,” said Bob. “If we can change the hearts and minds of men and women about Jesus, the culture will be easy to change as well. We’re trying to get people to renew their faith in Christ and realize that in all four Gospels, in the last chapter of every book, the last thing Jesus said before He ascended to heaven was to preach the gospel and make disciples. We are simply reminding the body of Christ to witness. It burns my heart every day to think about the 1.1 billion lost people around the world, many of whom have never heard the Gospel. So many people are hung up on their next business deal or going to a party or playing golf. The urgency of the Gospel is gone. Our goal is to rekindle the fire, to reawaken the hope of an eternal home.”

Partnering with groups, ministries, and businesses across the country, the Jesus Alliance has formed a strategy for social media. With a goal to reach the 1.1 billion people across the world that have never heard the Gospel, Bob asks businesses and corporations to join the fight.

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Bob said, “We encourage marketplace people to become a part of the Jesus Alliance. I believe that business leaders will lead the next Great Awakening. Business leaders have a tremendous influence upon their employees. By standing up for Jesus Christ and being counted with Christianity, business leaders impact more people than they realize. Wealth, power, and fame can only VICTORY go so far; standing up for Christ will last.”

For more information about the Jesus Alliance, please visit www.thejesusalliance.org. Join the fight for hope.

Jessica

Burchfield

is

a

freelance writer and photographer based out of Clearwater, Florida. Offering writing services to global businesses, Jessica enjoys revitalizing corporate images through creative copy for marketing and advertising initiatives.

A Call To Hope

IMPACT YOUR MARKETPLACE ONE GOSPEL MESSAGE AT A TIME

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The League mobilizes and equips Christians from all walks of life to a lifestyle of evangelism, with pocket-sized Gospels and free online evangelism training. The result? The seed (the Word of God) sown faithfully every day!

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Visit www.ptl.org/TwoTen to order your pocket-sized Gospels of John and download our FREE white paper on how to share the Gospel in the marketplace.

“

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.”

– Ecclesiastes 9:10

PURPOSE “The purpose of life is not to be happy.

It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson -

...meditate on these things.

SUBSCRIBE FOR ACCESS TO

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Subscribe Today: TwoTenMag.com/Subscribe Call Us: (855) 4 TwoTen

Email Us: team@twotenmag.com

CONVEY YOUR MESSAGE AND CREATE YOUR CULTURE.

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Make it clear on tablets so that anyone can read it quickly.”

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God, Family and Work: Three Principles That Guided Health By Design to Create a Wellness Business Model That Is Changing Lives & Companies

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God, Family And Work

BY: LISA CONE

AS YOU TURN INTO THE PARK-LIKE SETTING OF HEALTH BY DESIGN'S OFFICES, YOU KNOW IMMEDIATELY THIS IS NOT YOUR TYPICAL CLINIC. SOMETHING IS UNIQUELY DIFFERENT–YOU CAN FEEL GOD'S PRESENCE ALL AROUND. IT STARTS WITH A GLISTENING POND, HOME TO GEESE AND TURTLES, AND THE CANOPY OF LIVE OAK TREES PROVIDING SHADE AS YOU WALK THROUGH A MINIATURE GARDEN OF EDEN.

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S

an Antonio-based Health By Design (HBD) was founded in 1982 by Dr. David Player, who began his career caring for patients with kidney disease. HBD’s team of thirteen physicians successfully blend medical care, physician knowledge, and personalized care to provide innovative health care for corporations, small businesses, and individuals. They serve some of the most prominent leaders of business and government in the region, including some of San Antonio's largest employers, like Valero Energy, USAA, NuStar, Clear Channel and Rackspace.

HBD's evolution is a three-decade journey down a rocky road that included two Chapter 7 bankruptcies and tremendous criticism, Dr. Player explains. “We did not invent Health By Design with forward intentions. I entered this realm by a side door. I am a nephrologist and learned internal medicine. My group and I were involved in over 2,500 kidney and 300 heart transplants. It is wonderful that we can transplant these organs, but it would be a lot better if we could save them before the organs die. Every one of our dialysis clients was a type 2 diabetic as a result of being young and overweight. That problem leads to type 2 diabetes, which in turn leads to kidney disease. Working with so many sick people, I developed a love affair with trying to teach people how to avoid unhealthy lifestyles in the first place. God did not let my vision of healthcare education die.

God took the pieces of this business plan and sent me Dr. James Ogletree and Barney Randol who knew we could offer effective, preventative health care and education solutions to our patients.

It just took awhile to figure out how to make it all work!”

Good Medicine Means Everybody Must Win Dr. Player believed that many of his patients could live longer and healthier lives by providing access to a health care system that focused on prevention as well as meaningful and caring patient/physician relationships. Today, HBD offers personalized, on-site clinic care to larger corporations and their executives, as well as to individuals. They perform comprehensive evaluations of a patient’s current condition and then develop programs that maximize the quality of their care, health and lifestyle. Care is focused on five critical components: body composition, nutrition, fitness, toxins/poisons, and spiritual health. By taking better control of these pieces of health, we can all live longer, higher quality lives.

A seasoned entrepreneur, Mr. Barney Randol, HBD's President and Chief Operating Officer, explained, “What makes us unique is the way God has allowed us to develop a culture that allows us to be servants. We serve our clients, employees

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“

What makes

us unique is the way God has allowed us to develop a culture that allows us to be servants.

We serve our

cl i e nt s, e mployees and patients, and that makes for a great work environment.

The employees have a servant's attitude and Godly hearts. ”

– Barney Randol

Health By Design President and CEO

and patients, and that makes for a great work environment. The employees have a servant’s attitude and Godly hearts."

When Mr. Randol joined in 2005, HBD employed a staff of ten, and the company was not profitable–actually losing money.

Like many mission-motivated founders, the leaders had wrestled with appropriately pricing their products and structuring the business to thrive and extend the mission. A great mission dies without correct capitalization, and, “Cash flow is critical to do the mission,” Barney explained.

Transformational Leadership Dr. James Ogletree, the CEO/Medical Director, has witnessed the business blossom from extremely humble beginnings. “Dr. Player and I knew we had a calling to press on and make this business work. We started growing our practices and visiting with the executive leadership of major companies like Valero Energy.

Our thought was, we are helping with education and wellness for the executives of this company, but what are we doing for the employees? People didn't go to the doctor to get preventative care or basic care like having their blood pressure checked, because it is expensive and not convenient. Until you secure good primary care for your people, you're going to continue to have big problems with health care expenses and lost productivity.

Companies that genuinely care about their people want to make it a great place to work. This is how the concept of the on-site clinic idea was created,” says Dr. Ogletree.

How it works: HBD provides the guidance, physicians, and care at on-site company clinics, and comprehensive executive God, Family And Work

Dr. David Player, Barney Randol and Dr. James Ogletree

physicals for key leadership. The employees have access to board-certified physicians and the convenience of not having to leave work. On-site care includes educational programs for better health, smarter eating and life style choices, and modifying behavioral risks such as smoking, obesity and diabetes.

This model is saving some companies up to 20% on overall health costs and producing a loyal, healthy, productive and motivated workforce.

Mr. Randol explains, “What differentiates us is that we will not take insurance, don’t use debt and we will not compromise on our values, ever. We need to remove all the barriers of taking care of patients. We are about early detection, prevention, wellness, behavior modification and quality visits–not quantity of visits. We believe our values call us to create a model to help patients truly experience wellness and do it in a way that helps our employer clients be good stewards of all resources. Relentless pursuit of this has proven it works!”

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Operating a God-First CompanyExtraordinary Pursuits Shaped

By Their Faith A God-inspired mission requires a God-shaped culture and rigorous business discipline to deliver good results to customers.

This is why the company has long anchored its culture in prayer and constant learning. Staff-led Bible studies occur all over campuses. Marketplace Chaplains minister to employees at all 9 locations in Texas and Louisiana. Mr. Randol and Dr. Ogletree are both members of The C12 Group, and multiple key staff members are active in C12 Key Players groups. Mike Sharrow, their C12 Chairman says, “Jim, Barney, David and the entire team are inspiring examples of what years of diligent pursuit of mission-without-compromise and crafting a culture of Godly values can mean. By building their business for the glory of God, not only have they served customers, but transformed the lives of their employees as well as their own!”

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Dr. James Ogletree speaking with a patient.

With a diverse workforce serving public sector companies, HBD has a vision to operate in a way that honors Christ in every aspect of the business. Their mission: “We are called to heal people and to bring transformational leadership to the way healthcare is experienced, for the glory of God.” Dr. Ogletree states, “We think for anyone who has faith that they should be able to live that out, not just on Sundays, but 7 days a week. We encourage prayer among our staff members and have a prayer group every Tuesday morning. Additionally, we have hired a chaplain service to support our employee’s spiritual needs. HBD runs on a priority of God first, family second, then work. It comes naturally, and our employees appreciate that we want them to have balance in their professional and personal lives.”

“What’s beautiful is that God has allowed this little company to care for top executives at some of the nation’s leading enterprises and then deliver this faith-fueled model directly to the employees. Jesus modeled bringing healing and truth to the marketplace in the Gospels, and HBD is a modern day illustration,” says Mike Sharrow.

"I know that God often creates goodness out of our brokenness.

The things that often seem so bad, like bankruptcies, criticism and hardships, can develop into a plan B, a new insight and a new vision,” says Dr. Player. With the Affordable Care Act adding strain

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to the American healthcare system, communities are desperate for a different model, and the team at Health by Design believes God has led them to build one example of “the way healthcare should work.”

From a struggling experiment with ten employees to nine locations in two states with dozens of clinicians, they have realized that if you wait on God's plans, you can live your values in business and medicine. Their vision is to see physicians and entrepreneurs around the country become inspired by their story and replicate the model in every major metro area of the country!

Isaiah 64:4 says, “Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.” What would the country look like if more leaders resolved to do business based upon Godly values, regardless of industry norms? VICTORY

Lisa Victoria Cone is a staff writer for The C12 Group, America’s leading roundtable for Christian CEOs and owners dedicated to building great business for a greater purpose. She resides in Austin, Texas and provides marketing and communications strategic support for companies nationwide in a variety of industries.

God, Family And Work

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NOT BUILDING

IN VAIN

TOM STRICKLAND, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF SUNCOAST TEAM SERVICES

BY JESSICA BURCHFIELD

"Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it."

Psalm 127:1 WITH 27 YEARS IN THE AUTOMOTIVE CONSTRUCTION BUSINESS, TOM STRICKLAND OF SUNCOAST TEAM SERVICES, BASED IN CLEARWATER, FLORIDA, KNOWS THE WAY TO CREATE A MARKETPLACE IN WHICH THE AUTOMOTIVE CONSUMER FEELS COMFORTABLE AND PAMPERED WHILE SEARCHING FOR THEIR DREAM VEHICLE. INVOLVED FROM THE GENESIS OF EACH BUILDING PROJECT, SUNCOAST TEAM SERVICES ACTS AS THE DESIGNER AND BUILDER COORDINATING LAND SURVEYORS, GENERAL CONTRACTORS, ARCHITECTS, SITE PLANNERS AND DESIGNERS, AS WELL AS REGULATORY OVERSEERS THAT REQUIRE NECESSARY PERMITS AND LICENSING. FROM START TO FINISH, TOM STRICKLAND OFFERS QUALITY AND EFFICIENT DELIVERY OF HIS PRODUCT.

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Not Building In Vain

A

s the parent company for Suncoast AutoBuilders, Inc., Strick Development, Inc., and the Suncoast Design Group, Suncoast Team Services provides all-encompassing care to a variety of industry clients. Recent projects include luxury car dealerships, conference centers, high-end retail and hospitality businesses, and private corporate homes.

A Wise Master Builder With a background in marine construction, Tom Strickland always had an entrepreneurial spirit. Working off the advice of his father to pick a career that he loved, Tom attended Florida Institute of Technology—Jensen Beach, for commercial diving and spent several years working on underwater building projects.

Realizing his need for more education, he attended the University of Florida and earned a degree in building construction.

Soon after graduating from UF, Tom was approached

by Hardin Construction to begin a career in the commercial construction industry. It was from this chance meeting that Tom’s entrepreneurial dream came to fruition. “The lack of integrity in the construction industry bothered me,” said Tom. “After three years of working in the commercial construction world, I figured it was time for me to do my own thing.”

Around the same time, Tom and wife, Bonnie, were married.

During their reception, a family friend presented Tom with an offer to consider a small change of career focus: automotive construction. Promised a three-year plan to owning his own business, Tom jumped right in.

“God will work His best in our lives,” said Bonnie, as she told her side of the story. “The man that approached Tom at our wedding reception was John Pettit, owner of J. W. Pettit, a contractor and construction company in St. Petersburg, Florida.

My father was the architect for the firm with a specialty in designing car dealerships. The reason why Tom got into the automotive design niche is because God weaved it all together.

We stand in awe at how God worked it all for our good.”

Exceeding expectations, nine months after accepting the job with John Pettit, Tom took the big step toward becoming his own boss. “I took a project thru re-zoning as my first client, then Mr. Pettit threw me out of the office!” said Tom. “It was amazing. He mentored me, taught me what I needed to know, and then let me go. I found out later that I was the fourth or fifth person he had launched into a into successful entrepreneurship. I am honored to be a part of such a sustainable, reproducible legacy.”

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Following the Blueprint “The two great things that Mr. Pettit instilled in me is one, to have position in the marketplace—to be good at something specific—and second, to use the design-build approach—to understand the complete process of construction from beginning to end. I like to know why I’m doing what I’m doing. If I know why I’m doing it, I know what to do; if I’m just blindly reading plans, it’s just sticks and bricks.”

Suncoast Team Services does not specialize in a particular make of car; rather, they approach each contract with individual attention by addressing the unique specifications of the industry and meeting the needs of every client on a personal and professional basis. By implementing the design-build approach, Tom and his team are involved at every step of the process.

“Many times we get involved before the client even buys the land,” said Tom. “We are available for professional counsel. The building is just a building, but the project succeeds because of our business plan. Once the client knows the plan, we can guide them to say, ‘You need X, but if we do it this way, it’s going to cost more. Maybe you don’t really need X–maybe you need X-Y.’ We put the needs of the client before our own agendas. We speak their language.”

To Tom and Suncoast Team Services, applicability is of utmost importance. Choosing rather to meet the needs of a client than to push the most expensive product, Tom operates upon the principles of quality, applicability, and professional honor.

“One of the most important aspects of building is delivering the right product,” said Tom. “Quality goes much deeper than marble or plywood. It goes to the meat of the matter. Once we decide upon the proper product, we focus on proper delivery in a quality fashion. I have A+ customers and I have C customers.

The C customers don’t value a quality product as much as the A+ customer, but that doesn’t mean that my delivery will be any different. We offer quality delivery, communication, treatment, and product. That is why we are successful. We are cost plus; we are an open book. We operate on total transparency. They know where we stand. I am a God-fearing Christian and I operate to honor Him in all that I do. It makes all the difference.”

The Labor of the Entrepreneur December 2014 will mark the 27th anniversary of Suncoast Team Services. Incredibly humble, the Stricklands give all glory Not Building In Vain

“

The two great things

that Mr. Pettit instilled in me is one, to have position in the marketplace–to

be good at something specific.

Second, to use the design-build approach–to

understand the complete process of construction from beginning to end.

I like to know why I'm doing what I'm doing.

If I know why I'm doing it, I know what to do; if I'm just blindly reading plans, it's just sticks and bricks.”

- Tom Strickland

A car dealership in Tampa, Florida built by Suncoast Team Services.

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The customer lounge at a car dealership, built by Suncoast Team Services.

to God for His sustaining grace through the economic upheaval Services, but also they are qualities that are found in thriving within the automotive and construction industries over the past entrepreneurs. Tom has learned to rely on the providence and provisions of God, rather than to trust his own abilities or desires. three decades.

Describing the process in which he realized that the successful entrepreneur is actually the man or woman that relinquishes control to God, Tom knows that the success or failure of a project is in the Master Builder’s capable hands. “It took a bit, but it was one of those steep and severe lessons that God obviously needed to teach me. As much as I thought I was in control, I was not. I thought about it a lot, because it is one of the negative aspects of the entrepreneurial spirit. If we are not fully connected to God, if we do not understand why He put us in the position of power, Rather than let the chips fall as they will, Tom and Suncoast we start to feel sorry for ourselves, doubt ourselves, and shake Team Services took the recession as an opportunity to take an our heads a lot.” introspective look at their operations. “Currently, we are at 11 “Success begins to get you high,” he said. “You start to think employees,” Tom said. “We figured out how to be much more efficient; everyone works long and hard. During the down times, that you can make work and that money grows on trees. You we figured out how to do things better. For example, our closeout become the master of your own destiny. That is Satan, so clearly. packages have gone from a huge box of miscellaneous files to When I started to feel on top of the world, God brought me back a flash drive. I look back at what we have done in 2014 with to my knees. 2009 was our most difficult year and I'm surprised 11 people and stand in amazement. Six or seven years ago, we we were able to survive. The next few years after that were still difficult but God provided for us. By 2013 we had regained our would have needed double the manpower. God is good.” stride. My constant charge to my people is that we never forget Not only are flexibility and adaptability two strategies that what God did for us. Our memory needs to be longer.” have been integrated into the daily operations of Suncoast Team “In the 27 years of our company, we’ve seen four ups and downs,” said Tom. “The last one was much more severe than anyone predicted. It’s funny, after going through the first three, you start to see the signs. The first one scared me to death, the next was a bit easier, then the next easier than the first two. After the third one, I knew we were going into a decline. 2009 about killed us. The two hardest hit industries were construction and automotive. It was an extremely humbling time.”

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Not Building In Vain

“

When God would shut a door,

we trusted Him to show us what to do.

Having the entrepreneurial drive is tough.

It's hard. But God is always faithful. When we build it for Him, we never build in vain.”

- Tom Strickland

Not Laboring in Vain Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it.

Elbow grease and a hard work ethic are found within the heart of every entrepreneur, but Tom Strickland possesses something stronger: the fervent desire to see God honored in every build.

Early in his professional career, Tom recognized his need for accountability and mentorship. After attending a secular mentoring group for several years, he turned to the Tampa chapter of C12, the Christian business peer advisory board based in Greensboro, NC, for biblical support and accountability.

“The beauty of C12 is the structured program that is brought to the table,” said Tom. “The real key is that it helps you understand that your business is a mission and a ministry.

That realization gives you a deeper meaning than what the P&L looks like for each day. I’ve always cared for my people, but I didn’t grasp the deeper role I had to play. In a variety of ways, C12 helped me approach my leadership style with individuality and create a workplace environment that suits my personality of management rather than what works for someone else.”

By joining other successful entrepreneurs in a mutually beneficial mentorship program, Tom has become more than simply the owner of one of the country’s leading automotive construction businesses. He has become a respected member of the Tampa Bay community and a supporter of both local and TwoTenMagazine.com

national charitable outreaches through company-compensated volunteer time during the workweek. To this date, Suncoast Team Services has completed nearly 400 automotive projects from small remodels to $10 million dealerships, from the Cayman Islands to Las Vegas, but Tom’s heart is in St. Petersburg, Florida.

“I’m in my twelfth year of C12; one of the great things they helped me realize was my mission for the Florida Suncoast.

Through this mentorship program, I have expanded my calling to something much more significant than just building several hundred car dealerships. I won’t look back and wish that I had done one more job, but that I had reached out to more people in my community and within my company. That will be the regret; not the projects or the money, but the outreach possibilities.”

Suncoast Team Services has found that with constant attention to the blueprints in every element of a build, a quality product is delivered to each and every client. Similarly, by following the precepts and principles found within the Word of God, Tom Strickland has built an automotive construction operation that seeks to glorify and bring honor to the wise Master Builder.

“Through this process of building our company, there were many opportunities to fall on our knees,” said Tom. “When God would shut a door, we trusted Him to show us what to do.

Having the entrepreneurial drive is tough. It’s hard. But God is always faithful. When we build for Him, we never build in vain.”

VICTORY

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Ask Dave ON BUSINESS -

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W I T H

D A V E

R A M S E Y

-

Ask Dave On Business

QUIT SMALL BUSINESS FOR NEW JOB? Dear Dave, I’ve had my own small business for a while. I love what I’m doing, but things aren’t going very well right now.

On top of that, I’m committed to $14,000 in advertising over the next 12 months. Recently, I got a job offer from a company that would pay me twice what I’m making now.

I’m not sure what to do.

— Rich

Dear Rich, It’s very important to keep your options open right now.

If you completely close your business, you’ll be giving up your customers. I’m not sure I’d do that, especially when you know so little about the new job you’ve been offered.

I’d suggest trying this new job, but keep a few of your customers and see if you can do the work on weekends.

This would help cover some, if not all, of your business debt and keep some money rolling in if the new job doesn’t work out.

If you find that you like this new job, then you’ve got a great income plus something you like doing on weekends that pays. And, if you keep your business open — even on a small scale — there’s always a chance it will begin to grow and give you the opportunity to jump back into it full-time again!

— Dave

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TITHING ON A BUSINESS? Dear Dave, I run a small business, and I’m a Christian. Do you think businesses should tithe?

— Beth

Dear Beth, To the best of my knowledge, the Bible does not address the topic of businesses tithing. It does, however, address tithing by individuals.

As an evangelical Christian, I don’t give a tenth of my business gross or net until the money comes home. When that happens—meaning it’s profit that I’m going to pay taxes on, or it’s salaried income out of my business—I tithe on the profits.

So I wouldn’t tell you there’s biblical instruction to give a tenth of your business. I think the bigger question is this: Is giving ever a bad idea? I don’t think so, unless you take it to the point of being irresponsible and putting your business or family at risk — Dave

Dave Ramsey is America’s trusted voice on money and business. He’s authored four New York Times bestselling books: Financial Peace, More Than Enough, The Total Money Makeover and EntreLeadership. The Dave Ramsey Show is heard by more than 6 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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CHRIS HOGAN ON LEADERSHIP:

IF THERE IS ONE THING I’VE LEARNED IN LIFE, IT’S THAT CHANGE IS NEVER EASY.

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The Secret To Dealing With Change

Even good change can be tough to handle while you’re going through it. And if I’m being totally transparent, I’ve even gotten a little whiny about it in the past instead of trying to understand what’s going on and taking action.

That’s why I recommend a short little read to every business owner and leader I meet who is struggling with change: Who Moved My Cheese by Dr. Spencer Johnson. It is a simple little book—less than 100 pages—but it packs a powerful punch.

The Parable

The story is about two mice—Sniff and Scurry—and two “little people” or mouse-sized humans—Hem and Haw. Each day, they spend the majority of their time in a maze, where they feed on a mountain of cheese always found in the same place.

Although they have more Cheese than they know what to do with, Sniff and Scurry never stop looking for new sources. In the

HERE’S WHAT ITS LESSONS REAFFIRM FOR ALL OF US, WHETHER IN BUSINESS OR LIFE.

1

Change is inevitable.

Change is inevitable and causes us to be uncomfortable. Why? Because when things are different, we have to think and process the differences.

2

Operate “in the known”.

We all like to operate “in the known,” doing routine things in routine ways. But when change enters the situation, we are thrown off our comfortable, predictable patterns

3

Control what you can.

In life, there are only three things you truly can control: your attitude, outlook and response.

Chris

Hogan

meantime, Hem and Haw become super comfortable knowing that their pile of cheese will always be there for them. And then . . . somebody moves the cheese.

I won’t spoil the rest of the book for you because it’s definitely worth the read.

4

Be mentally flexible.

5

Progress is advancement.

One approach to change is to be mentally flexible. Be prepared to deal with it when it comes. Inflexible people often become bitter and negative. They want to continually talk about the way things used to be in the good old days.

Any step forward is called progress, and progress is advancement.

Everyone wants better, but not everyone is willing to work towards it.

THE TAKEAWAY: We all know that the only constant in life is change, and our “cheese” is always on the move. Instead of fearing or ignoring it, face and embrace it. Like the old saying goes, “Winners are never whiners.” And they’re also never resistant to change. VICTORY

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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THE BALANCE SHEET OF THE ENTREPRENEUR By: Os Hillman

Webster’s provides the following definition of an entrepreneur – a person who assumes the risk and management of business. I would say this definition is only the starting place for defining a true entrepreneur.

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s a former owner and operator of an ad agency for twelve years, I have worked with a broad range of entrepreneurs. I served clients like American Express, 4th Quarter

Steinway Pianos, Thomas Nelson Publishers and many smaller entrepreneurial companies and non-profits.

The Balance Sheet Of The Entreprenuer

WORKING WITH SO MANY ENTREPRENEURS AND BEING ONE MYSELF, I HAVE DISCOVERED SOME COMMON TRAITS THAT ARE WORTH NOTING: They are risk takers.

They don’t always consider what it will take to complete the task.

They often size up opportunity based on intuition versus hard numbers or a leading by the Holy Spirit.

They often don’t take into account what their actions will do to their support staff.

There should also be a very distinctive difference between the Christian entrepreneur and the non-Christian entrepreneur, although the above characteristics are common to both Christian and non-Christian. The Christian entrepreneur should be a person who has yielded his entrepreneurial life to God and seeks God for direction on new projects and the way to accomplish them.

Balancing the Natural with the Spiritual as an Entrepreneur The entrepreneur who does not perform well is left behind in today’s competitive world. Not only is this typical of the world at large, but even many Christians promote the importance of identifying our strengths and encourage us to move in them to accomplish God’s will. Yet, throughout the Bible, we are discouraged from depending totally upon our own strengths.

Instead, we are urged to rely totally upon the Lord.

This is a paradox. In Philippians 3:3, Paul tells us that we should not put our confidence in the flesh. Psalm 33:16-17 tells us not to put our confidence in things the world considers to be our protection, defense or strength. “No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save.”

So, if we’re not supposed to look to the world or to ourselves, who or what are we supposed to depend on? Psalm 33:18-19 continues, “But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them TwoTenMagazine.com

from death and keep them alive in famine.” This is echoed in Ephesians 6:10, where Paul states, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.”

God wants us to depend upon Him, and He demonstrates this throughout Scripture. In 2 Samuel 24, God judged David when he counted his troops to determine the size of his army’s strength, apparently because David took the census out of pride or overconfidence in the strength of his army. In Joshua 6, God told Joshua to walk around Jericho seven times and blow trumpets instead of relying upon his mighty army to overpower his enemy.

In Judges 7, God wouldn’t let Gideon fight against another army until he reduced his own from 22,000 soldiers to a mere 300, so that Gideon could not boast about his army’s strength. I am sure that Gideon’s CPA was happy at the savings he would have from reducing the size of his army. But did he have the army necessary to successfully defeat the enemy?

On the other hand, Jesus instructed the disciples in due diligence through the parable of the builder, who is cautioned to consider the cost before beginning to build. “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish’” (Luke 14:28-30). I recall starting a business in the late 90’s only to have to shut it down for lack of cash, because I failed to consider the real operational costs.

So how do we balance these seeming contradictions?

A CEO entrepreneur assigned his president the job of coming up with the next year's marketing plan for the company. The president worked hard at evaluating his market and what it would take to grow the company 20% in the next twelve months. He provided detailed projections and the income, expense and cash flow projections to accomplish the task. The CEO reviewed the plan and came back to the president and said these words: “This is not acceptable. You have given me what you can do through the course of normal operations. I am confident you can make those numbers without faith. I want to see what you are willing to trust God to accomplish through this company. Now, go back and mix your plan with faith!”

This same CEO once cautioned me to avoid overuse of my natural skill in my entrepreneurial gifting. He gave me a wonderful piece of wisdom: “You almost have to withhold your natural gifting to insure God is in it.” What he was saying to me is that it is so important that our entrepreneurial activities are TwoTen Magazine

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“

The problem

with business is that the market makes us

accountable to our actions.

Many an entreprenuer has launched out on an endeavor based on a whim and a prayer– especially Christian entreprenuers. We are often

guilty of presumption instead of faith.”

– Os Hillman

God-activities and not just “good activities.” It is important to see God in the midst of these activities to know He is working through us to accomplish the task. Most entrepreneurs I know move quickly without thought of the cost or consequences to their actions on themselves or others. Many a financial failure has resulted from these actions.

THE NEXT TIME YOU HAVE A PROJECT YOU FEEL CALLED TO BEGIN, ASK SOME KEY QUESTIONS: Do we have the funding necessary to accomplish the task? If not, what will it take? What existing resources can be designated to this versus what new resources are required?

The problem with business is that the market makes us accountable to our actions. Many an entrepreneur has launched out on an endeavor based on a whim and a prayer–especially Christian entrepreneurs. We are often guilty of presumption instead of faith. We often fail to use solid accounting principles and rationalize our behavior as faith instead of using wisdom that God calls us to use. We fail to get counsel from those who can assist us. So, there is a constant pull from two sides–faith and risk taking versus using wisdom combined with professional accounting practices. VICTORY

What problem does this product or service solve?

Do we have the staff to complete the project?

What additions and impact will this have on our existing business?

Am I prepared to invest my time to make it successful? Do I have the bandwidth with my current responsibilities so I can give time to this new endeavor?

Do I have confirmation from God that I am called to this project?

IF YOU FOLLOW THESE SIMPLE GUIDELINES, YOU WILL BE ASSURED OF A HIGHER DEGREE OF SUCCESS PROFESSIONALLY AND SPIRITUALLY. Os

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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The Balance Sheet Of The Entreprenuer

“

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves.”

– Philippians 2:3

PERSPECTIVE “The big question is always: what are we going to do for

humanity? Serving others is the essence of leading at a higher level.”

- Ken Blanchard -

...meditate on these things.

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Becoming An Authority In Your Niche

BY ALAN ROBERTSON

Good, better, or best? We live in a society of self-proclaimed “experts” in every field, but what truly makes an expert an authority? At Duck Commander, we believe that the difference between being an expert and an authority is foundationally dependent upon the consistent production of a quality product. Our duck calls are not the best in the waterfowl industry because we say so—Duck Commander is an authority, because other people recognize consistent quality.

I

’ve often pondered the example of Paul. As recounted in Philippians, he was a Hebrew of the Hebrews—the cream of the crop. If anyone were to be known as an expert on the law, it was Paul. Possessing all the confidence of Pharisaical decree, Paul persecuted heretical believers and stood blameless under the lawful decree of a self-righteous religious system.

He was the ultimate expert on righteousness under the law.

But Galatians 1:15-17 holds a hidden key to what made Paul cross over from expert to authority: “But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone; nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia…”

What made Paul an authority? Not his family, not his titles, but the time he spent in training, set apart with God. The Pauline epistles are silent on the length of time, but it is commonly believed that he spent three years in Arabia, learning and training under direct revelation of God. Interestingly enough, if this is true, it is the same amount of time that Jesus spent with His disciples during His earthly ministry. Paul’s time in Arabia was his way of earning his place alongside the other apostles as the thirteenth warrior.

When Dad started this business so many years ago, he never dreamed that the waterfowl industry would know his name.

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A simple country boy from Louisiana, Dad wasn’t anyone special, but he had a God-given ability for duck hunting. From the very first time he went duck hunting at ten years old, Dad had an innate ability. He was set apart. His passion continued to grow for the rest of his life and turned into this amazing dynasty.

Over the years, Dad has refined the duck call into a specific instrument. All of us boys know exactly how a call is supposed to sound. Of course, there are varying degrees of natural ability in my family, but like a musical talent, it takes specific training to learn the proper sound. Duck Commander is an authority on what a call is supposed to sound like because of Dad’s God-given ability.

Stand Up and Be Counted Another difference between an expert and an authority is the willingness to answer the call. In Paul’s case, he had all the pedigree necessary to be the expert on the Law, but the moment came when he was given a decision: follow Christ into a deeper ministry or remain caught up in legalism. When the rubber met the road, he was willing to follow. Ultimately, the call on the road to Damascus led him to become the penultimate authority on Christianity in the first century.

To become an authority, you have to be willing to step up when your time comes. Sometimes it’s a moment that’s recognizable, sometimes it's not. In our case, the penultimate TwoTen Magazine

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“

Don't tell

other people how

great you are; let people tell you

if they think

you're great.”

– Phil Robertson moment came through a family fracture that drove Dad to his knees and brought about a full surrender to God’s plan for his life and business. Duck Commander exists because of a single moment of complete submission.

Over the course of our journey to becoming an authority in the waterfowl segment of the sporting goods industry, we have seen many roadblocks and pitfalls, but by faithfully following biblical principles, peace and clarity have prevailed. In every trial, God has given us the courage to stand upon our principles, the wisdom to make the right decisions, and the grace to maintain our testimony.

It Won’t Happen Overnight Dad always said, “Don’t tell other people how great you are; let people tell you if they think you’re great.” The difference between an expert and an authority is the consistent recognition of integrity that comes only through years of experience. One of the best ways to become an authority is credibility: to work through years of doing what you do best. In our case, it took twenty years of proving year in and year out that we were the best at what we did.

People think that we are marketing geniuses. You’d be surprised how many people think that Dad has a doctorate in marketing (he actually has a Master’s degree in Education)!

When Duck Dynasty became a megahit on A&E, people thought that our beards and bandanas were a marketing ploy. They’re not part of our TV characters; they’re our way of life. We are who we say we are. We have years of a consistent testimony of excellence within the hunting industry. We have proven our ability, established our excellence, and continued the quality of craftsmanship since the beginning of Duck Commander.

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Ultimately, whether you start a business, make a lot of money, or impact society in a positive way, people remember what you do and the contributions you make. When you have Christ at the center of your life and ministry, when your moment comes to do something for Him, whatever it is, whether sharing the gospel with one indidividual or on a national platform, you have to step up and do it.

Long before God called us to be national ambassadors of the waterfowl industry and the leading authority on duck calls, we decided that we would stand up for what we believed, both in our professional and personal lives. It wasn’t always easy, but we always had the peace and clarity that comes from putting God in control. We put Jesus first.

In the end, Paul’s authority led to his house arrest and death, but here we are, 2,000 years later writing an article about it. It’s the power of longevity. Stand up and be counted. Authorities are made, not born. VICTORY

Editor’s Note: TwoTen Magazine’s publisher Richard W. Hayes and writer Jessica Burchfield caught up with Alan Robertson in New York’s LaGuardia Airport while on a publicity tour for Phil Robertson’s new book, UnPHILtered (Howard Books). Interesting timing: Al recounted how his Dad had just finished an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News Channel, in which he was given a chance to stand up and be counted. “Dad was thrown an 80 mph fast ball right down the middle,” said Al. “After a very controversial question regarding international terrorism, he quoted Scripture, then opened his well-worn Bible and preached. It was the perfect lead in to a succinct Gospel presentation on national television. Dad’s really a preacher; duck calls just made him an authority.”

Alan Robertson is the oldest son of Phil and Kay Robertson. He helped build the foundation of the family business, Duck Commander. Recently, Alan has returned to the family business after serving in full-time ministry for more than 25 years. Alan plays a vital role in the family’s commitment to spreading the gospel of Christ through their love of hunting and the great outdoors. Alan and his wife, Lisa, are parents of two grown daughters and proud grandparents to two granddaughters and a grandson on the way.

Becoming An Authority In Your Niche

EST D 2001

The Marketing Agency

Big Ideas That Delivers Wisdom, Perspective &

BRANDING STRATEGY

02

03

MOBILE

04 ONLINE

01

SOCIAL

VIDEO

05

07

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SEARCH

08 DESIGN

Do you have your appointment calendar handy?

Please schedule a free initial consultation with Richard W. Hayes.

Call: ( 800 )

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772-0698 n Email: rhayes@digitallightbridge.com TwoTen Magazine Or Visit: digitallightbridge.com/twoten

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63

CAN A CHRISTIAN-LED BUSINESS BE A TOXIC WORKPLACE?

BY: PA UL WHITE, PHD

Susan, a competent young professional, looked worn and defeated. In talking about her workplace, she told us that bickering, criticism, and lack of support had spread through her organization – a workplace she used to love. Now, she said, “The tension here is so thick I hate going to work. Actually, right now, I hate my life.”

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Can A Christian-Led Business Be A Toxic Workplace?

I

n our book, Rising Above a Toxic Workplace, we surveyed hundreds of employees (and leaders) from a wide range of industries and sectors. We then individually interviewed dozens whose stories intrigued us. From our research we discovered the core components that contribute to making a workplace “toxic”–a work environment that is unhealthy, and even dangerous, to the well-being of its employees.

When a workplace is toxic, over time its employees experience an increase in physical symptoms–weight gain, loss of sleep, high blood pressure; and overall, the rate of other medical issues spirals up. Similarly, on the emotional side, staff who work within a poisonous environment become more irritable, angry, agitated, discouraged, anxious and depressed. Higher rates of drug and alcohol abuse occur, which in turn increases the absentee and tardiness rates of the employees.

It is important to note that a toxic workplace isn’t just unhealthy for the people who work there (employees, supervisors or managers), but that a toxic workplace is also bad for business.

Toxic workplaces have extremely high staff turnover (often in the same positions or department). Costly errors commonly occur due to staff not following appropriate procedures and making poor decisions (sometimes a series of them) which results in economic losses. Low morale leads to a poor work ethic and the inability to complete tasks in a timely fashion (without working large quantities of overtime to do so). The result? High levels of stress for both employees and managers, which leads to more health problems and days of missed work.

So, when people hate their jobs, bad things happen within and to the organization.

The 3 Core Conditions that Create Toxic Work Environments We found that the most toxic organizations had the trifecta of three problem areas that, when combined, made the workplace incredibly unhealthy, unpleasant, and even dangerous to the wellbeing of those who worked there.

1

Dysfunctional Employees

When we use the term “dysfunctional,” we are being descriptive versus just putting a condescending label on people.

“Dys” means ‘problem,’ and dysfunctional people have serious difficulties functioning in daily life. Being “dysfunctional” can express itself in a variety of ways (and this list isn’t exhaustive). A person may have repetitive problems in maintaining relationships.

They may not be able to manage their financial life, always spending more than they make. Some may not be able to move TwoTenMagazine.com

“

It is important

to note that a

toxic workplace isn't just unhealthy for the people who

work there, but that a toxic workplace is also

bad for business.”

– Dr. Paul White

forward in their career (or even hold a job) because of difficulties in coming to work regularly and on time, and in completing tasks in the timeframe given. Drug and alcohol abuse and problems controlling one’s temper are dysfunctional patterns.

Regardless of how they are exhibited in daily life, dysfunctional individuals display similar patterns of behavior.

Dysfunctional employees tend to blame others and make excuses, rarely accepting responsibility for their actions. They withhold or distort information and communicate indirectly through others. These individuals usually have a sense of entitlement, believing they should receive raises and promotions in spite of their inconsistent performance. And they are masters of creating conflict and tension within the workplace.

How do you successfully manage dysfunctional employees?

First, accept that you cannot change the other person. Then set boundaries about what you are and are not willing to do to deal with problems created. (Sometimes people must experience the consequences of their choices in order to learn.) Finally, talk with and get support from others whom you believe are functional.

2

Poor Policies and Procedures

One of the core elements of a toxic workplace is that it has significant problems in the area of poor policies and procedures.

Foundationally, the workplace can feel like some combination of chaos, incompetence and anarchy. How anything ever gets done can seem to be a mystery.

Interestingly, there are different types of problems with policies and procedures. Some organizations have incredibly TwoTen Magazine

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“

Toxic leaders...

may be very competent and skilled leaders, but their motives are impure. They essentially are totally focused on their interests and achievement, and will

use others to get what they want.”

poor communication. Communication between departments is sporadic and incomplete, and often the information that managers need to know in order to make good decisions isn’t readily available. A second variation is when there are no written, standardized ways of doing things (or the written version is so old, it is no longer applicable). Some technical experts dismiss the concern with, “No worries. It’s in our heads,” and this becomes a platform for control or blackmail. The third common expression of problems in procedures and policies is when people “go around” the policies that exist. The policies are there; it is just that no one follows them. (This is a common occurrence in a smaller, family-owned firm, where the founder or other family members don’t think the procedures apply to them–e.g. hiring someone without going through the normal HR process.)

When a company has serious problems in this area, they severely limit the company’s ability to grow and train new employees effectively. Moreover, the management has no clue what it actually costs to produce their products or provide specific services. Rarely will an organization like this last much beyond the lifespan of its key leader (who often is very talented and carries the organization on his or her shoulders).

3

Toxic leaders

The presence of one or more toxic leaders creates serious wounds in an organization.

Although, hopefully you aren’t a toxic leader, you may have unhealthy leaders within your organization. It is important to note that a toxic leader doesn’t have to be at the top tier of the organization–he or she can exist at a department level, or as a front-line supervisor. We have observed that a toxic leader often

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– Dr. Paul White

may be a long-term employee who “grew up” with the business (and may be a long-term friend of the founder). Such toxic leaders are now over their heads in terms of their ability to manage and lead those around them. As a result, they often become managers that others have to “work around” in order to get things done correctly.

We identified ten common characteristics of toxic leaders (see opposite page). It is important to understand that not all toxic leaders display all of the characteristics, but they typically display several in how they relate to others. We believe it is important to differentiate between toxic leaders and incompetent leaders. Unfortunately, there appear to be plenty of incompetent leaders, especially when you examine the leadership throughout an organization (managers, department heads, and front-line supervisors). Incompetent leaders either haven’t been trained well, or have been promoted above their skill level–but in either case, they tend to not be effective in leading others.

Toxic leaders, on the other hand, may be very competent and skilled leaders (in a technical sense), but their motives are impure. They essentially are totally focused on their interests and achievement, and will use others to get what they want.

How do you tell if a leader is toxic? First, look for an exodus (sometimes, over time) of previously solid, reliable employees.

When good people are leaving, look for the rat. Secondly, pay attention to your own sense (or a trusted colleague) of “something doesn’t seem right.” Toxic leaders often present well initially, and sometimes too well. But eventually the facts don’t add up–reports you hear from reliable employees don’t match what the leader is reporting. Do not dismiss or ignore these subtle signs! They may be an early warning signal to investigate more closely.

Can A Christian-Led Business Be A Toxic Workplace?

TOP TEN CHARACTERISTICS OF A TOXIC LEADER 1

They look good (at least, initially).

6

They’re condescending.

2

They’re extreme about achieving goals.

7

They’re inauthentic.

3

They’re manipulative.

8

They use others.

4

They’re narcissistic.

9

They won’t address real risks.

5

They steal the credit for others’ successes.

10

What can be done with toxic leaders? Truly toxic leaders don’t change. Don’t expect them to (although they may feign commitment to do so). First, do damage control. Protect yourself and the organization. Then, develop an exit plan for them as soon as you can. Any other action is a waste of time and increases your risk for serious damage.

Warning One caution should be noted: Do not assume your organization is immune to the problems discussed above, even if your company is founded on Christian principles. We have worked with some organizations who actually have received accolades as one of the

Before things fall apart, they leave.

best Christian workplaces in the country, and yet they had some serious problem areas in their organization. Although a company may obtain globally positive results from their annual employee engagement survey, there still may be some specific areas of dysfunction that need to be addressed.

Conclusion Toxic workplaces exist in every sector of the marketplace (unfortunately, including ministry). Since organizations are comprised of individuals who have weaknesses, deficits, and areas for growth, every company is at risk for developing unhealthy patterns of behavior. Fortunately, we are able to identify core issues that can lead to “toxicity” and then take steps (both individually and corporately) to address the problem behaviors.

VICTORY

Dr. Paul White is a psychologist, speaker and consultant who makes work relationships work. Co-author of Rising Above a Toxic Workplace with Dr. Gary Chapman and Harold Myra, and The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace with Dr. Chapman, Dr. White provides practical advice in improving workplace relationships.

TwoTenMagazine.com

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67

THE

LABEL

OF THE

CHRISTIAN

BUSINESS AND MY STRUGGLE TO DEFINE IT

By: Don Shin

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The Label Of The Christian Business

It was 1998, I was 19 years old and I wanted to grab my slice of the American dream and start my first business.

The economy was booming back then, and the Culture Wars were gathering steam. Christian alternatives to cultural institutions were hitting their stride. Christian-labeled music and movies were gaining prominence, and it seemed like more people were putting fish signs on their business cards than ever. Being a young, idealistic Christian, I wanted to be a good soldier and start a “Christian” business that would advance the cause of Christ. There was one problem: it turned out that starting a “Christian” business was much more difficult than I could’ve anticipated.

C

Learning to Run a Business

ross Communications (CrossComm) was the name I came up with for my B2B website development studio. Initially, it was easier for me to figure out what a Christian business was not; it couldn’t be a business that produced bad quality products and services. I hated the fact that many businesspeople I had met tended to avoid businesses that displayed the symbol of the fish rather than being drawn to them. I wanted to prove these negative experiences wrong. Also, I naively thought that running a Christian studio was as easy as following the Bible Belt mantra of “Don’t smoke, drink, dance or chew or date girls who do”—i.e. avoid associating with clients that endorse “sinful” lifestyles. Easy right?

Being a rookie at running a business, I had to learn the hard way that being excellent at something you’ve never done is indeed easier said than done. I started making mistakes—lots of them. Sometimes they were internal operations mistakes. But those were relatively easy to deal with compared to the client TwoTenMagazine.com

project mistakes, because I had to actually apologize for those.

That meant that I had to admit that I was wrong and not the excellent businessperson I vowed I would be. Revealing these mistakes to clients was a constant assault on my pride. In the tech industry, it’s very easy to hide one’s mistakes or fake it in front of a client who is not tech-savvy. I’ve heard that selling is just “telling the truth attractively,” but in those early days, I once caught myself straddling the fence—then crossing it—by inflating our level of experience with a particular skill during a phone call with a prospective client. After concluding the call, my heart sank, and I knew I had to call the client back and clarify exactly where we stood on the matter. My sheepishness and the ensuing awkwardness made it one of the top ten most memorable calls of my life. The client graciously gave us the business anyway, but there have been other situations where we’ve owned our mistakes and our clients fired us. But I came to realize that being a Christian business means embracing vulnerable honesty—not as the best policy for profit, but as the most Christ-like one.

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Standing on Values Even the matter of boycotting “sinful” clients wasn’t as easy as it sounded. During a particularly dry season for the business, my team was excited when a prospective client who was looking to build a web-based directory for evening entertainment venues approached us. After investing a good amount of time into understanding the requirements of his project, the client casually remarked that there would be a category for Gentlemen’s Club

“

I rarely describe CrossComm

as a Christian business

these days—not because it

isn’t true, but because I’d rather focus on the

idea of ‘Christians in business.’”

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4th Quarter

Sometimes we’d surprise ourselves after prayer and discussion. A few years ago, an interactive agency in New York

Justin Thomas, CEO & Sean Doherty, Chief Software Architect at CrossComm

70

venues. Not feeling comfortable with such a request, I asked, “Can you launch your business without that category?” “No, its essential to the profitability of my business model,” he replied.

Now the client was feeling awkward. I gently explained that we could take his business up to a certain point, but if he wanted to incorporate that category, he’d have to find a different vendor to finish it. That effectively shut the door on the project, and I had to tell a disappointed team that the dry season would continue.

City was having technical troubles in launching a marketing campaign website for a national lingerie brand known for risqué advertising. Their client was understandably getting upset over the website’s delays. A friend within the agency suggested that CrossComm could help solve their technical problems, so they approached us for help. After personal reflection, I held a team meeting and described the project in detail. I then asked everyone to do some soul-searching and to get back to me on his/ her comfort level with the project. I let them know that we were prepared to walk away if anyone had objections to it. In the end, everyone affirmed that they were comfortable with us doing the project—in large part because this particular marketing campaign The Label Of The Christian Business

“

To me, that [Christians in business] means real people

functioning like Christ in the context of their unique calling, rather than a category of business called ‘Christian’.

This focus on people rather than a label also reflects my changing

perspective of God; that He cares about my Christ-likeness and the growth of others in this world...”

had a unique viral message that encouraged women to be content with their own bodies, and my team wanted to acknowledge and reward that shift in tone. Our “Christian” business delivered the needed website fixes to this lingerie company, while staying true to our consciences in the process.

Gaining Wisdom and Insight As I look back at my 20’s, I spent most of my time learning how to run a business, gaining maturity and wisdom along the way. As hard as I tried those first ten years, I realized that I was no closer to changing the world or winning the Culture Wars than when I first started. I wrestled with thoughts of feeling insignificant and had to re-focus on what God had entrusted to me: the lives of my team and the well-being of their families.

I began to explore how to transform the business from being a Christian business to our clientele to being a Christian business internally for our team.

We began to offer ministry leave so that team members could take time for spiritual or emotional renewal. We began to promote a work/life balance by aiming for 40-hour work weeks (with admittedly spotty success). At times we paid for counseling for employees with troubled marriages. We took large risks in hiring and training people who needed second chances in life: single moms in need of upward mobility, burnt-out clergy who needed a break from ministry, and individuals recovering from depression or career dead ends. Most of them had to be trained from scratch in the art and science of building websites and mobile apps; some of them worked out for CrossComm, but many of them did not. Yet, a common refrain that I would hear from former and current employees who knew of my dreams would be, “CrossComm may not have changed the world—but it definitely changed my world.” And I would be left to ponder these things in my heart and wonder if that was enough.

TwoTenMagazine.com

Being a Christian in Business Today, the world is just starting to put that financial crisis in our rear-view mirror. CrossComm still hasn’t changed “The World”, and the Culture Wars are far from my mind these days. After 16 years and two recessions, CrossComm still strives to do excellent work and serve our clients with integrity. I’m thankful that we’re doing a better job with that than ever. We still invest heavily in our people, though the mechanisms for that have changed. We are very intentional about making room for growth by granting increasing measures of decision-making autonomy. My Chief Software Architect Sean Doherty now drives most technical decisions without me. I’ve handed the title of CEO to Justin Thomas so that he can make his own business imprint on the company as well. I rarely describe CrossComm as a Christian business these days–not because it isn’t true, but because I’d rather focus on the idea of “Christians in business”. To me, that means real people functioning like Christ in the context of their unique calling, rather than a category of business called “Christian.” This focus on people rather than a label also reflects my changing perspective of God: that He cares about my Christ-likeness and the growth of others in this world more than a business called CrossComm or my checklist of godly ambitions, which are now held more loosely than ever.

Can a business be Christian? I don’t know, but He calls me to be Christian—and that is enough calling for a lifetime. VICTORY

Don CrossComm—an

Shin

iOS,

is

Android,

founder and

of

web

application development studio that helps local and globally recognized organizations bring their digital aspirations to life and integrate successful new technology trends.

Photo courtesy of: Briana Brough - Durham Magazine

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71

BABY BOOMERS, AGING PARENTS &

THE MARKETPLACE

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Baby Boomers, Aging Parents And The Marketplace

BY DR. MARK CRESS

A NEW EPIDEMIC–AGING PARENTS AND THEIR IMPACT ON WORKPLACE PERFORMANCE To use the word epidemic and workplace in the same sentence may seem sensational, but clearly there is a crisis affecting a large segment of our friends at work, and as caring believers in Jesus Christ, we have an obligation to step in and help when it’s within our ability to do so. Just as we witnessed Mother Teresa ministering to the great needs in the slums of Calcutta, most of us, as workplace Christians, have fantastic opportunities to serve in one of the greatest mission fields in the US, each and every day where we work. As we look into this epidemic affecting millions in our workplace mission fields, take heart that you can truly make a difference in their lives and effect change of great eternal significance in the process.

T

he much talked about “Baby Boomer” (Americans born between 1946 and 1964) make up a little over one third of all US workers, nearly 76 million all together.

These are people who are between the ages of 50 and 68, and due to major demographic shifts, many share common characteristics. For example, many have moved away from the cities and towns where they were raised, and their siblings have done likewise. A little over half have suffered through a divorce or major domestic challenge. Although in many cases they represent two income households, they struggle financially to make ends meet and feel exhausted at the end of the workweek. The effects of the “Great Recession” have significantly reduced the value of their homes and other assets, and they are now delaying thoughts of retirement. In recent years, they have become extremely concerned about the viability of affordable medical coverage at an age when their need for medical treatments is becoming commonplace.

Their children are graduating from college with large debts and yet moving back home, because their own vision of the American dream is being delayed. All of this sounds very negative, and yet all of these issues have little to do with the “epidemic” they find themselves smack in the middle of and dealing with on a daily basis.

So here is the “epidemic” as well as some good news on how we can step in as workplace missionaries to offer hope.

A large majority of Baby Boomer workers today share one additional characteristic that often presents a greater burden

TwoTenMagazine.com

than any of the issues mentioned above. It is created by a mere point of logic. Because they are between the ages of 50 and 68, most have aging parents between the ages of 70 and 88. These parents are struggling with the fact that because of advances in medicine and changes in work and lifestyles, they are living well beyond their original demographic window of age 72 for men and 75 for women. As these parents age beyond their actuarial table and their bodies begin to fail, they need greater and greater levels of care. The problem is that their kids have moved away, and in many cases if they are churched, they find themselves in aging congregations with peers dealing with the same problems.

Pastors and churches are struggling to offer assistance but coping with the fact that just one or two generations ago, the kids would not only be living locally and taking care of Mom or Dad, but they too might also be active members of the church, which in many cases is hosting its final generation of members.

So here is the “Epidemic”: Millions and millions of American workers get up every day with the anxiety and demands of trying to lovingly care for aging parents, who are often separated by hundreds or even thousands of miles, or in some cases have now moved in with them and the aforementioned “boom-a-rang” children. According to a Pew Research Center study using the latest U.S. Census Bureau data, approximately 51 million Americans, or 16.7 percent of the population, live in a house with at least two adult generations, or a grandparent and at least one other generation, under the same roof.

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Imagine trying to juggle all of this and still be 100% productive at work. Volumes are now being written on this subject of urgent need, which by the way, would not have been considered a top five workplace problem as few as twenty years ago.

This major challenge for the average workplace team member is almost like no other problem to surface for previous generations. It is indeed one that we can all understand, and every one of us possesses the missionary skills to tackle head on and, in the process, make a great impact for the cause of Christ.

So instead of going on and on about the problem, let’s explore some ways we can offer the loving care of Jesus Christ to this issue of great magnitude: Actively pray and ask God to open doors for you to care for team members facing this crisis, and then shower them with compassion.

Lend a sympathetic and listening ear to associates at work who are caring for aging parents.

Ask your leadership at work for permission to start a support group that meets once a week at lunchtime to help those dealing with the crisis.

Put together a list of local resources such as non-profit groups in your area who help with elder care.

Look for ways to find helpful resources in distant cities for those struggling to care for a sick parent who lives far away.

“

Simply recognize

the "epidemic" for what it is, and with God's help, become the missionary

to those in need.”

– Dr. Mark Cress

If possible, share some of your vacation or leave days with a co-worker who needs to travel to take care of a parent.

Seek out frequent flyer miles from those at work who travel often in an effort to offer free transportation for a colleague who needs to visit a sick parent who lives far away.

Seek out churches in your area willing to offer care to workers with aging parents in distant cities. Often times, the pastor will have a contact in that city at a local church that may be able to help.

In other words, simply recognize the “epidemic” for what it is, and with God’s help, become the missionary to those in need. In doing so, you will indeed see lives changed and certainly will feel the blessing of serving others in Jesus’ name, and hopefully gain permission to share the Good News of our loving Savior in a non-threatening manner.

VICTORY

Dr. Mark Cress is the Founder of Corporate Chaplains of America. CCA (www.chaplain.org) is the nation’s leading provider of full time workplace chaplains to more than 800 public and private business locations across the US and internationally. He holds business and seminary degrees including a doctorate in Business Ethics and Leadership.

He has authored seven books through Lanphier Press. Mark has a passion for Christian leadership matters

within the emerging workplace ministry arena. He and his wife Linda have two grown daughters and reside in North Carolina.

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Baby Boomers, Aging Parents And The Marketplace

“

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth .”

– 2 Timothy 2:15

PERSEVERANCE “Mental toughness is many things and rather difficult to explain. Its qualities are sacrifice and self-denial.

Also, most importantly, it is combined with a perfectly disciplined will that refuses to give in. It’s a state of mind – you could call it character in action.”

- Vince Lombardi TwoTenMagazine.com

| 75 ...meditate on these things.

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3

WORDS TO CHANGE

THE WORLD

BY OVERCOMING

BUSYNESS

& STRESS

BY JON GORDON

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3 Words To Change The World By Overcoming Busyness & Stress

My dog greets me as I walk out of my bedroom in the morning. Then she rolls on her back letting me know she wants me to rub her belly. I really want to but I can’t stop thinking of all the things I have to do today.

I feel busy, stressed and the last thing I want to do is stop to pet my dog.

She must sense what I’m feeling because she gives me this loving look as if to say “Don’t walk away. Pet me. It will benefit you as much as it does me.”

I’ve read the research and I know she’s right. Petting our dogs reduces our stress, boosts our immune system, enhances our happiness and improves our overall well-being. If I would just stop for a few moments and spend quality time with her I would be the one who benefits most.

It’s the same way with the relationships in our life.

I

f we made time to invest in others by spending quality time with our family, friends, staff and congregation we would dramatically improve the quality of our lives, church and community.

Yet, too often busyness and stress cause us to focus on what is urgent instead of what matters most. We get caught up on the task and on our to-do list instead of focusing on people and building meaningful relationships.

That’s why I often say that busyness and stress are the enemies of great marriages, families, teams, and visions.

Busyness and stress keep us from loving, serving and caring about the people and things we are supposed to care about.

In many ways it’s not our fault. Science tells us that when we feel busy and stressed we activate the reptilian part of our brain. If you know anything about reptiles they will never love you. Reptiles want to eat you. They are all about survival. And so are we when we feel busy and stressed.

Creating meaningful relationships becomes the last thing

TwoTenMagazine.com

on our mind. Instead our reptilian brain is thinking about how to just make it through the day and it will eat anyone for lunch that gets in its way.

The good news, however, is that we have another part of the brain called the neocortex. I call it the Positive Dog, (because of the unconditional love of dogs). It’s the part of our brain that we activate when we love, serve, care, pray, and practice gratitude. In any moment we can override the reptile with the positive dog.

We can choose to love people instead of ignoring them.

We can choose to serve others before ourselves. We can choose to slow down instead of rushing. And we can choose to be thankful instead of stressed.

In fact, the research shows we can’t be stressed and thankful at the same time. So anytime we are feeling busy and stressed we can pause, take some deep breaths, focus on gratitude, and the three words that change everything.

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77

“

The key to

overcoming

LOVE

SERVE

CARE

In each moment we can ask, How can I LOVE right now?

How can I SERVE the person in front of me? How can show them that I CARE? As leaders we tend to focus on all the things that need to get done and all the people that we need to help and yet ironically we often don’t impact the person right in front of us.

The key to overcoming busyness and stress and to become a greater influencer that God created you to be is to Love, Serve, and Care… one person, one moment, one interaction at a time.

As a follower of Jesus, I’ve learned that influencing the world starts with influencing the people around you. Impacting millions starts with one. Impacting billions starts with twelve.

When you Love, Serve and Care one person at a time, you’ll not only change your heart, you’ll change hearts and minds around you.

busyness and stress

and to become a greater

influencer that God created you to be is to

Love, Serve,

and Care ...one person, one moment,

one interaction

at a time.”

– Jon Gordon

This brings us back to my dog as she waits for me to rub her belly. My reptilian brain is telling me to keep moving, hurry up, eat breakfast and ignore the dog. But I can’t. I won’t.

I know how and why busyness and stress can sabotage my joy and relationships. I also know the antidote is found in three simple words. I know that in each moment of my busy life I can override the reptile and focus on these three words that will improve my relationships. And I know that when I make relationships my top priority I’m living the life God has called me to live.

Check out some of Jon's books at jongordon.com

#LoveServeCare Jon Gordon's is the international bestselling

When you know better... you do better.

So I sit down and join my sweet dog on the floor and rub her belly. Then I make my way into the kitchen to talk to my wife and kids. It turns out to be the beginning of a positive and productive day. VICTORY

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author of multiple books including The Energy Bus and his latest release, The Carpenter: A Story About the Greatest Success Strategies of All, which is available now where books are sold and online at www.Carpenter11.com. Connect with Jon on Twitter @jongordon11 and Facebook.

3 Words To Change The World By Overcoming Busyness & Stress

OUR MISSION . . .

To glorify God in all that we do by following his example to “serve one another through love.”

- Galatians 5:13

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

Rising Above A Toxic Workplace:

Taking Care of Yourself in an Unhealthy Environment

by: Dr. Gary Chapman, Dr. Paul White and Harold Myra

Brutal Bosses. Poisonous People. Soul-Crushing Cultures.

This book will give you the confidence to rise above them all.

Do you work in a toxic environment or have a toxic boss?

You’re not alone! Today, unattainable expectations, emotional harassment, and demands to do more with less often leave employees overworked, underpaid, insecure, and out of options.

Must you continue to put up with poisonous people in a moralecrushing environment?

You can rise above. You do have options.

In Rising Above a Toxic Workplace you’ll learn how to endure, cope, or quit if necessary. Drawing from authentic—sometimes horrific—real-life stories, authors Gary Chapman, Paul White, and Harold Myra blend their expertise to give you practical guidance, empowering insight, and realistic hope.

You’ll discover:

•

How workplaces can become unhealthy and how to avoid getting

•

What drives toxic leaders and why they are so damaging to those around them.

•

Essential tips for maintaining your sanity while dealing with

•

Counsel on how to decide when to leave—for your own mental, emotional, and physical well-being

wounded.

dysfunctional colleagues.

Learn more about Rising Above a Toxic Workplace

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appreciationatwork.com/toxicworkplaces Quarterly Review

A Leader’s Gift: How to Earn the Right to Be Followed

by: Barry Banther

Employees give their all to leaders who are open, invest time in, listen to, encourage,

and appreciate them. You can no longer count on old motivational tricks to inspire loyalty

among your associates. The rules of leading have changed, and now you must be able to take a diverse team and win with them quickly.

Barry Banther knows how to equip you for today’s business world because he knows what

lasting leadership is made of. He has been the lead consultant on 400 plus engagements to

help develop leaders and leadership teams. His clients have included multinational companies

like Rockwell Collins, Pfizer, and Eli Lilly as well as mid to large family-owned businesses across America.

He makes a compelling case that leadership isn’t something you do, but rather, it is someone

you become. He has identified five qualities that aren’t things leaders have, rather, they are

things that they give away, freely and frequently to everyone they lead in the workplace. By embracing and demonstrating the five qualities expounded in this book, you will become a

leader who brings out the best in your associates, whether you’re a new manager or you occupy a C-suite office.

Learn more about A Leader's Gift

aleadersgift.com

Life in Forgiveness: Embracing Reconciliation with God and Others

by: Richard T. Case (Book Review by Ellena Balkcom) Richard T. Case has put the pen ink from his recent book directly on

the hearts of readers. It is a heartfelt and compelling plea to free yourself from the enslavement of unforgiveness by forgiving, reconciling and loving through conflict.

To forgive or not to forgive? Most of us have grappled with this question

or have had to ask it of others. The answer is usually plagued by a complexity of emotions and feelings tied to an afflicted offense or series of conflicts.

Life in Forgiveness examines the consequences of letting anger and

bitterness fester and is a powerful reminder that “your heart will be held

captive,” if you don’t live in forgiveness all the time with all people. In this page-turner, you will find answers to the hard questions of how to honor,

respect and be kind to those with whom you are in conflict and how to

reconcile when there is no remorse or admission of offense on the other side. The book gently reminds us that no matter what, this is what Christ commands, just as He has freely offered forgiveness to us.

Learn more about Life In Forgiveness TwoTenMagazine.com

amazon.com TwoTen Magazine

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FOURTH ANNUAL

BUSINESS

ETHICS CONFERENCE Hosted by the Center for Christian Business Ethics Today

www.cfcbe.com/conference2014 I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

Exodus 20: 2-3 KJV

OCTOBER 11, 2014 8:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M. • THE NEW YORK MARRIOTT DOWNTOWN Keynote Speakers

Panel Speakers

Breakout Session Leaders

Bishop Joseph Mattera Resurrection Church

Steve Fedyski President & CEO Pinnacle Forum

• • • • • • • • •

Cheryl Bachelder CEO Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen

Panel Speakers The Colson Center Don Barefoot President, CEO & Board Member The C12 Group, LLC Terence Chatmon President & CEO FCCI

Kent Kusel Director CBMC Leadership Institute

Breakout Session Leaders • • • • • • •

Dr. Peter Heslam Rev. Dr. Kenneth Barnes Luder Whitlock Liz J. Gonzalez-Christenson Lee Augsburger Dr. Andrew Peterson David Epstein

Peyton Jenkins Charles Eapen Eugene Chrinian Orlando Rivera Johanna Sheridan Bill Peel David Gowdey Hugh Whelchel Cathie Wood

When all you’ve done or own seems to matter less… and your heart craves more meaning, joy and balance… when something triggers in your mind that you’re entering the second half of life and you’re unsure what your calling is for this next season… YOU’RE IN HALFTIME. ONE ROAD. TWO PROGRAMS. NOW ENROLLING STUDENTS FOR 2015.

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