Devotions for a Busy Business Person, no. 280 – Sabbath I am sitting on a farm in Tajikistan, cross-legged on a korpacha (mat) on the floor. The owners who I came to serve are having their mid-afternoon rest, a wise habit in a hot country, especially on the sabbath day. They have insisted I rest, too. I protest, weakly, that I am on a work trip. But if the people I came to serve are resting, I must, too. Even the minah birds and...

Devotions for a Busy Business Person, no. 279 – Nobody said it would be easy View this in your browser Daniel’s words shine like a lighthouse in a storm of devastating prophecy. (B)ut the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits. Daniel 11:32b How does one stay strong in all the world’s buffeting? How stands your bastion of Love? “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong....

Devotions for a Busy Business Person, no. 278 – The radical light that you are I stand at the edge of a sepulchre where nearly 250,000 people are buried. I was at the Kigali Genocide Memorial. My colleague asks the guide, “Are you Hutu or Tutsi?” She replies, “We do not use those terms anymore. We are Rwandan.” In that moment, she shone light into a dark place; she practiced ‘Kwibuka’, the act of remembering and building the...

Devotions for a Busy Business Person, no. 277 – Changing paradigms Two moments on my travels have shown me how important it is to be adaptable, attentive and adept at trying new things. “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.” — Isaiah 43:18 In Rwanda, I met specialists in conservation agriculture from across Africa. They shared innovations born from their own hard-won experience in the fields. I realised many of the most...

Creation Care Chronicles, no. 1 – Restoration I am sitting in the Hotel de Wereld in Wageningen, The Netherlands. It is an historic place, where the Germans surrendered to the Canadians in 1945. As a Canadian of Dutch extraction, it holds a special place in my heart.  The surrender ended years of war and famine. It was the beginning of restoration. At that moment, this hotel stood with shattered infrastructure and...

Devotions for a Busy Business Person, no. 276 – Restoration I am sitting in the Hotel de Wereld in Wageningen, The Netherlands. It is an historic place, where the Germans surrendered to the Canadians in 1945. As a Canadian of Dutch extraction, it holds a special place in my heart.  “I will bring my people Israel back from exile. They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink...

Devotions for a Busy Business Person, no. 275 – Succession I have been reading of the succession of Henry I, king of England and Normandy (reigned 1100-1135) after he died. Let’s just say it did not go well. That reflection has made me  consider succession in my own work. Many of you have shared in the success (all glory to God) of Regen.Global. I’m now thinking of how that success can continue as my time at the helm is over...

Devotions for a Busy Business Person, no. 274 – Create I was listening to Diary of a CEO with Stephen Bartlett as he spoke with Dr. Deepak Chopra. Dr. Chopra talked about how we find our true self through creativity. In the quote below, he suggests the relationship flows both ways: our true self is also the source of creativity. “The true self, once discovered, is the source of creativity, intelligence and personal...

Devotions for a Busy Business Person, no. 273 – Respect A month or so ago, I breakfasted with my cousin Jason, one of my favourite entrepreneurs. Over coffee and eggs (his treat!), he said something that still sticks with me, “Respect, if you have it, things work, if lost, they don’t.” “The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.” Proverbs 11:3 Jason builds respect in his...

Devotions for a Busy Business Person, no. 272 – Lunch I was once speaking to an Afghani colleague and talking about long-term plans and building reputation for his business. He looked at me and said, “Mark, here, we only worry about whether we can put lunch on the table.” Given what he, his family and his country are going through, his view was quite understandable.  “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry...