by Guest Blogger Christine Young
For many years I believed that God would answer prayer and perform miracles for other people but not for me. I had such a low opinion of myself I felt condemned and rejected by God. I did not see God as good. I saw Him as a supreme authority waiting to punish me for the slightest fault. I had witnessed true miracles and had seen people get mighty answers to prayer, but that did not bring me joy. I only felt even more rejected. Was God really willing to help me? I doubted it.

by guest blogger Dave Kahle

While there is a degree of significance to be achieved though one’s family, there is a higher level of significance. Having “notable worth or influence” implies that significance at that level is relatively rare. People take note of it. Suppose you could lay a foundation of significance with your family, and then reached out to "matter” to a larger world.  Suppose you could seek significance in your career and your business. Let’s dig deeper into this.

“My whole life, I was told that we were one of the richest nations on earth, but now I see that we are one of the poorest.  It’s like my whole life has been wasted.”

           That comment marked one of the saddest and most poignant moments of my life. Here’s the story.      

​by Guest Blogger Laurel Nicholson

​The Death & Resurrection Doula training program for Christian end-of-life doulas has launched a community endeavor to encourage Christian conversation around death. A secular Death Positive movement opened the way for communities to embrace the conversation through a Death Cafe initiative. The Death Cafe prohibits hosts and visitors from arriving at an answer. The Fellowship Cafe provides an opportunity to connect with others in a discussion about death (and resurrection!) maintaining the freedom to declare Jesus is Lord!
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The Death & Resurrection Doula Community hosts a virtual (Zoom) International Fellowship Cafe every Monday at 1-2 pm EST. Come and make friends around the world!

The International Fellowship Cafe is open to everyone! No Biblical knowledge is required to attend. The 4th week of each month includes a discussion on N.T. Wright’s book, Surprised by Hope. This is a descriptive book on the New Testament’s articulation of Heaven and what it means to live in hope while we wait. The early Christian Church lived in the hope of resurrection!
​There is an online cafe at this link:
Cafe Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85220384305?pwd=QvSm7kjia2GPG7QRtcBLqnDY4M5AhJ.1
Meeting ID: 852 2038 4305
Passcode: 683725

Are you interested in hosting a Fellowship Cafe? 

1. You can start a Fellowship Cafe at any time and any place. Simply gather a group and set a place and time to convene virtually or in person.

2. There is no cost required to start a Fellowship Cafe. It is often thought that comfort foods ease death-centered conversations. Adding coffee, tea, and something to eat is up to the group.

3. Publicity is important if you want to grow your group. The International Death & Resurrection Fellowship Cafe logo and digital materials will be provided for you if you want to use them.

4. (Optional) Grab a copy of N.T. Wright’s Surprised by Hope. Set aside some time to study the book together!

5. (Optional) Consider taking donations for community Death & Resurrection Doula training scholarships and/or funds to help community members pay for caregiving or Death & Resurrection Doula services.

The Death & Resurrection Doula Community uses Convene Communities as a hub where Real Life, Real People, and Real Experiences converge in an atmosphere of shared purpose and support. Convene Communities is an innovative online platform that goes beyond traditional social networks. If you are planning to host a Fellowship Cafe, you can create a group inside the Fellowship Cafe group in the Death & Resurrection Doula Community! Use your group to send membership announcements, share documents, take notes, create a Q/A or topic discussion boards, write blogs, and more!

Are you interested in learning more about the Death & Resurrection Doula Training Program and the International Fellowship Cafe? Create a free community membership at thedeathandresurrectiondoula.com or direct your inquiries to Laurel Nicholson at [email protected]

​Praise the Lord!​

​By guest blogger Dave Kahle

The recent election may have set the record for the amount of emotional reaction it has generated. As such, it presents an unusual opportunity for Christians to impact those in our spheres of influence.
The depth and breadth of the emotional response presents Christian businesspeople with a unique opportunity. This reaction to the election represents a great opportunity for Christians in the business world to impact the world.  It was Rahm Emmanual who was reported to have said, during the Obama administration, “Never let a good crises go to waste.”  That applies to Christian businesspeople as well.

First, realize that you are in a unique position. It is a world where many of the things we trusted have flittered away that trust to the call of politics:  No one trusts the media, government agencies appear to be purely political, and many universities seem to have lost their purpose.

But business has been immune to that trading of trust for political advantages.  The Edelman Trust Barometer recently released its 2023 report.  Based on interviews with 32,000 people across 28 countries, it found that people trusted business more than the media, government and NGOs.
According to author Dave Samson, “According to this year’s Trust findings, business remains the only trusted institution at 62 percent. And business is now the sole institution that respondents perceive as both ethical and competent …” In other words, in a world where we no longer trust people and institutions, we still view business, and business people, very positively.

That puts you in an advantaged position.  As a businessperson, you are more respected and viewed as more competent than your colleagues in other lines of work.  You are, therefore, in the view of most people, more influential. Not only do you have influence on those stake holders in your business – employees, vendors, customers, etc.  but you likely have greater influence on the community represented by all those people who come into contact with you and your stakeholders.
So, what do you do with the responsibility that comes with this gift of respect and trust?
Take it up a notch.  Begin with prayer, asking God to show you how and what you can do to make a greater impact in these uncertain times.

You have always been a model for the folks in your sphere of influence.  Now, with prayer and intentionality, decide to more visibly model what it means to be a Christian in uncertain times.
Demonstrate peacefulness. While peace is noticeably lacking in the secular world, the people around you can sense it in you.  We know that “all things work together for good for those who are called according to his name.” so, we relax knowing that God’s got this.  And since we are calm and peaceful, secure in our knowledge of the lordship of our God, we can concentrate on excellent businesses and careers and exhibiting love to those all around us.

The world is full of upset, fearful people who could benefit by a sense of peace.  Knowing that God is in control, and that you have a relationship with him, let Godly peace radiate from you.  Demonstrate what it means to be confident and peaceful  Share that with others.

Be a model of sonship. You are a son of the most high God, and you have a relationship with him. You can speak to him, and he to you.  You are secure and comfortable in that relationship.

Don’t hide it. In fact, do just the opposite.  Look for opportunities to express that relationship and your comfort with him. Offer to pray for and with colleagues who look like they are upset, worried or fearful.  This may be a good time to organize a regular, optional prayer time in your organization.  Consider a companywide work of service designed to meet some need in the community.
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Remember Esther was told, in a moment of great potential impact: : (Esther 4:14) And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” 
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Don’t let this opportunity pass by.
Copyright MMXXIV by Dave Kahle
All Rights Reserved

By guest blogger Dave Kahle

​There is little in creation that is more important to God than our words. In this piece, we look at what God has to say about our words and develop some criteria to help us do better using words in the marketplace.

“Sticks and Stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” ​

Do you remember that from your childhood?  It was a response from our parents when we were verbally attacked, criticized, or otherwise made to feel bad by what someone said to us.  It was probably helpful in nudging us off our hurt feelings.  However, like Santa Clause and the Easter Bunny, it was untrue,

The truth lies in the opposite direction. While words may not break our bones, they can have a huge impact on our lives.  On one hand, they can build us up and give us confidence and dedication, and on the other, they can generate feelings of inferiority, a defeated self-image and lead to depression and passivity.
Words are one of our most powerful tools for living a life of fulfillment and purpose.
The Bible is full of passages that remind of this powerful truth and encourage us to choose our words wisely.

For example, the Bible is God’s Word.  Not Gods feelings, not God’s actions, not God’s intentions. It is God’s word for a reason.

In addition, God spoke the world into existence. It was His words that formed creation.  (Genesis 1, NIV)
And, Jesus is called the Word. . . . In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was fully God. (John 1:1 NIV)

In case there is any confusion, Jesus makes clear how important words are to God:  36 But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. 37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:36-37)

As with so many other passages, we often relegate the idea to the realm of “church” and give ourselves a pass when it comes to our behavior in the marketplace.  But there is no exception here for people in the marketplace.  Nowhere does it say, “This applies to your life, except your business or career.  You don’t have to obey this on the job.”
Applications for Christian businesspeople 
If we are going to be serious about our Christianity in the marketplace, it’s clear that we need to think about how we use words, and then put in place some guidelines  to help us use good words well. Here are some suggestions:

• Words are both spoken and written. In our world of instantaneous electronic communication, many of us use far more words in writing via text, email and social media posts, than we speak orally. Word we choose to use in electronic communications may last for decades.

• Make sure that your vision, mission and values statements refer to God’s ownership of the business. Your business is not your business. It belongs to God, and you should say that, in writing, on the foundational documents.  That way, everyone who sees those documents will know where you stand. That’s a great place to use precise words that reflect the glory back to God.
• Be careful about using words that are critical. There are, of course, times when you must correct someone. But we need to be careful about the words we choose and the way we deliver them.  We all have memories of some critical words said to us that have lingered for decades. 

Years ago, I came across the ” sandwich” method of delivering a critique.  We teach it to people in our Sales Management course:  It means that you sandwich the critique between two layers of positive reinforcement. Start with a layer of positive comment, add your slice of critique, and then end with another layer of positive words. 

So, for example, you could say to a salesperson in a coaching moment after a sales call:  “John, you have a nice, easy way with people that makes them comfortable with you. That will serve you well.  (Positive words) However, when you called our competitor a ‘fool,” you exhausted any good will you had.  Never speak badly about a competitor.  It puts the customer in an awkward situation. (The heart of the critique) You learn quickly, so I’m sure you won’t do that again. (More positive words.)

•  Be slow and thoughtful about using judgmental words. In our world of social media and sound bites, it’s easy to fall into the trap of following the pack and making judgements about people and situations.  Even worse is when we do it without any good information as a basis. Every day, thousands, if not millions, of people rush to judgement expressed in social media posts.  As Christians we understand those are words for which the writer will “have to give an account on the day of judgment for every empty word.”
• Be slow to react and respond emotionally. Since we can immediately react, via text or email, the temptation is always to respond quickly to something with which we take offense.  All too often, those harsh and emotional words make the situation worse. Do we really want to “give an account on the day of judgement” for those words we fired off in an emotional reaction to an email?
• Plan to use good words to encourage someone.  Suppose you were to make a list of the people in your sphere of influence on the job and methodically deliver good words of support and encouragement to each.  And then, wait a month, and do it all over again.  What would be the impact on those people, on their respect for you and on your influence with them?

I am reminded of the classic business book The One-Minute Manager, which advocated walking around and finding someone doing something well and complementing him/her for it. That was the gist of the book.  And that simple, easy -to-implement advice can and has made huge differences for those who implement it.
Here's one summary rule.  Think about what we say or write before we do it. Keep in mind that we will give an account for every word.    

Copyright MMXXII by Dave Kahle
All rights reserved.