Devotions for a Busy Business Person

Devotions for a Busy Business Person, no. 246 – Friends This morning Terri and I finished Romans in our devotions. Afterwards, we drove back through the beautiful, austere white-snowed aspen-greyed countryside from Withrow Gospel Mission where we were part of a team presenting on marriage (Thank you Withrow for a great night!). As we arrived back in Edmonton, we were greeted by that most wondrous phenomenon of Alberta’s...

Devotions for a Busy Business Person, no. 245 – Which trees to cut? It is really tempting in business to go for short-term extractive gains even at the expense of sustainable (evergreen) revenue. “Only the trees that you know are not trees for food you may destroy and cut down, that you may build siegeworks against the city that makes war with you, until it falls.” Deuteronomy 20:20 If you are in the business for the long haul,...

Devotions for a Busy Business Person, no. 244 – A light touch J, our 6-year-old grandson came over today. After learning about hospitality in Sunday school, he was eager to practice by making tea for his Nana, Terri. “For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, ‘Do not fear; I will help you.’ ” Isaiah 41:13 J has not made tea before, but he has seen it done. He needed a gentle, guiding touch. I...

Devotions for a Busy Business Person, no. 243 – Beauty One of the great joys of being a pilgrim businessperson is that you can have an eternal perspective. Even as a diligent steward who monitors every quarter, as a God-fearer, you have the assurance that you are building something beautiful for eternity. “In every experience of beauty, we are being prepared for eternity.” Martin Shaw It is a double reward; you and your...

Devotions for a Busy Business Person, no. 242 – Good fences I have had great experiences in business and not so great experiences. One of the distinctions between these two trajectories is that when I had good experiences, expectations were clearly articulated and written down. Where I have had poor experiences, things were not transcribed.  “Fences make good neighbours, and good paperwork means good partners,” Marty Writing things...

Devotions for a Busy Business Person, no. 241 – Gather the fragments Knowing one’s core revenue streams and the margin you gain from them is critical. “When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” John 6:12 As we enter the new year, it’s a fitting time to evaluate how your existing streams of income are performing and explore how they might be...