Can Money Buy Happiness?

Money is something that every entrepreneur will struggle with. We know that God tells us that we can’t worship both Him and Mammon. In addition to the eternal truth that we see in the Bible, there is some great research on money that can help us understand the dynamic that money plays in our lives. Which makes people happier - purchasing material items or experiential purchases? Bill High shares some research to help us answer that question, “Can Money Buy Happiness?”, once and for all.

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The Dangers of Globalism

Article originally hosted and shared with permission by The Christian Economic Forum, a global network of leaders who join together to collaborate and introduce strategic ideas for the spread of God’s economic principles and the goodness of Jesus Christ. This article was from a collection of whitepapers compiled for attendees of the CEF’s 2018 Global Event.

In this whitepaper, Jeff Holler shares about Globalism and it’s affect on the world. He also cautions against globalism due to consolidation of power politically and economically, the loss of freedoms we are beginning to experience because the process of globalism, and diminishing individual responsibility, work ethic, and human dignity. Read on to see if you agree or disagree and share your comments.

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Podcast Episode 28 -Resurgence of Faith in the Marketplace: Interview with Mike Sharrow (CEO of C12)

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The first of two parts, this week’s episode finds the team speaking with Mike Sharrow, President and CEO of C12, an organization that provides a confidential and intimate environment where like-minded peers share ideas, discover and plan for areas in their business that need improvement, hold each other accountable, and encourage one another to conduct business in a God-honoring way.

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A Grander Vision - Betenbough Homes

Even after experiencing West Texas-like storms of life, Ron Betenbough of Betenbough Homes, was able to rebuild his life thanks to God’s provision in his business. After committing the business to God, Ron and his son Rick Betenbough, experienced God’s blessings in business and in the lives of their employees. Take a listen to this inspiring Monday video.

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The Power of Questions

Brandon Napoli explores the value of questions in our life. He dives deep into how they influence the choices we make and help others to make. Finally he reminds us that God is okay with us asking questions, in fact He wants us to. Maybe one of the 22 suggested daily questions will also help you to grow in your faith or calling…

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Systemic Surprises

A discussion with an entrepreneur who had begun to think about how to deliver “systematic surprises” led Rusty Rueff to think about it’s implication beyond product management. Systemic surprises are things that keep an offering fresh and exciting, without extra strain on the “system” so that these moments of surprise can be delivered flawlessly and with excellence. Rusty steps us through what systemic surprises could look like as part of our daily witness in the marketplace.

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Podcast Episode 27 - Responsibility of Calling: Interview with Jason Johnson (CEO of August Smart Homes)

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Jason Johnson, serial entrepreneur and founder of August Smart Homes, talks to Rusty and William about when the entrepreneurial itch first hit him while working at a large tech company. From humble beginnings, Jason explains how receiving a scholarship to Pepperdine University introduced him to the responsibility of calling and that entrepreneurship was a natural expression of that calling.

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ELO, not just a rock group

Click the title to really experience a regular Monday video that is a lot of fun! And also discover more about Entrepreneurial Leaders Organization and the upcoming “Entrepreneurial Leaders Programme” (“ELP”), a unique, one-week intensive and trans-formative experience for the world’s top Christian marketplace and entrepreneurial leaders.

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Following Jesus = Saying Less in Business

Seeking God first in business with spiritual disciplines of prayer and fasting, daily scripture reading, and regular fellowship will always yield the best results. Ryan Derfler shares how he discovered that these disciplines help him to succeed in his business by talking less, trusting God for results, avoiding exaggeration, and waiting for God’s prompting of his next moves.

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Africa's Calling

Huge opportunity for impact… How can faith driven entrepreneurs can get involved in supporting entrepreneurship in Africa.

Karibu Nyaggah

When I was a child, I emigrated to the US from Africa with my family and never looked back. When I finally did go back in college, a deep desire was planted, growing stronger with each subsequent trip, to use my position of privilege and the skills I had gained to make an impact on the continent. On one such trip to my native homeland of Kenya, I met Courtney Rountree, one of my co-founders at Sinapis, and we began discussing the pressing problems we were seeing in front of us and how we could leverage the power of business to create positive economic and social impact. Although we did not know it at the time, Africa was truly on the cusp.

Indeed, its coming ascendance is well researched. In June 2010, McKinsey released a seminal report on Africa that projected by 2020, Africa’s GDP would reach $2.6 trillion, up $1 trillion from 2008. With increasing urbanization, Africa’s labor force is projected to reach 1.1 billion by 2040, overtaking China and India. By 2020…

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Podcast Episode 26 - Why the Institutional Church is a Necessary Part of Community

In part two from the Alpine Inn, Henry, Rusty, and William field more questions from our guests but first gave some background on Inklings, the gathering of faith driven entrepreneurs in the Bay Area who meet regularly in the same vain of the original Inklings gathering of faith driven thinkers C.S. Lewis, J.R.R Tolkien, Dorothy Sayer and others.

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C.S. Lewis and the Call to Create

As Genesis 1 shows us, the first thing God revealed about Himself in Scripture is not that He is loving, holy, omnipotent, gracious, or just. No, the first thing God showed us is that He is creative! For the first six days, God revealed His creative spirit by speaking stars, animals, and oceans into existence. Then, on the sixth day, He created man “in His own image” and called Adam to create, thus reflecting God’s image to the world.

To call a human being “creative” is redundant. We are all made in the image of the Creator God. But as Romans 12 makes clear, each of us has “different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.” Some of us have clearly been granted more creative talents than others. Perhaps no Christian in the 20th Century provides a better example of this than C.S. Lewis, the acclaimed scholar, theologian, and author of masterpieces such as Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters, and of course, The Chronicles of Narnia.

Growing up in Ireland, Lewis appeared to be most comfortable when buried in a novel. But not only did Lewis consume literature; at a very early age, Lewis had begun writing and illustrating his own stories. Lewis obviously had a passion for writing, and it didn’t take long for others to validate his giftedness at the craft.

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Chaplains – The ROI of Good Business-Ministry

I have an allergic reaction to the common dilemma of the “success to significance” paradigm, as if a follower of Jesus could be “successful” for 20 years and then “make up lost time” being “significant” for a latter period.  Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase of Jesus in Mark 8:37 says “What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? What could you ever trade your soul for?”  

Beyond our careers, in the businesses we lead, the same tension must be worked out as well. Is it a business that funds ministry?  Is it a ministry that does some business to pay the bills?  Is that perhaps a false dichotomy? Is there a “tertium quid” resolution of tension in doing business AS ministry for the entrepreneur who is primarily a citizen of the Kingdom of God?  I’m pretty sure Jesus didn’t call any part-time disciples and the Great Commission seemed to have an “all y’all, right now” implication for every one of us.

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Purposed worKING: Short Sellers

Many of you know Rusty Rueff as a co-host of the Faith Driven Entrepreneur Podcast. We’re approaching 25 episodes together! 25 seems like a decent amount, until you realize that Rusty is now on to DAY 2519 of his daily devotional on faith in the workplace. That’s more than 2,500 entries. Here’s one from last week that I liked alot (I actually like all of them). I hope you’ll enjoy it too, and look to subscribe.

“When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.”

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