You know what the biggest, most amazing secret of the rainforest is? It’s how it takes water and air and light and makes wood and leaves and fruit and flowers. You can’t do that in the lab. It’s never been duplicated. Jesus turned water into wine for the wedding feast of Cana. That was a miracle. But in a very real sense, that miracle occurs every day but at a much slower speed. Grapevines turn water into wine year after year. They take water, light and CO2 and, through the magic of photosynthesis, produce a grape which becomes wine.

Photosynthesis has got to be one of the 7 wonders of the natural world, but yet it is an unseen and little understood process. It turns intangibles into tangibles. It represents the science of business. You take water H2O and carbon CO2 and add sunlight and you end up with glucose C6H12O6. It’s never C7.5H3O1. There is a specific process, an exact formula, a precise system and it’s constant. The result? Beautiful green leaves flowing with the breeze, tall trees dominating the view, fruit feeding the creatures and flowers dazzling everyone. But it’s the result of a well executed system or set of processes that work consistently. So consistently that you never doubt it - Never.

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Hello Friend,

I’m wondering if you’d be interested in helping me with a small(!) problem — and perhaps making some extra money at the same time?

This summer, we have completely run out of my book, The Bible Incorporated — In Your Life, Job & Business. We have orders for more than 200 copies that have piled up while we’ve been waiting for our printer to send us some new ones. But, in order to keep our costs to a reasonable level on the book, we had to print over 10,000 copies!

Cheryl (who runs our office) is getting pretty antsy trying to figure out where we can put even a fraction of that many copies! She’s already telling me we’re nearly out of space!

So, you see — I’ve got a problem on my hands! And here’s how you might be able help — while making some extra money in the process (or just being a blessing to your customers and friends!)

Blessings,

Michael

P.S. I need to hear from you by September 9th!

Adversity: Nobody wants it - Everyone gets it. Proverbs says “If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.” (Prov 24:10) So what does that tell us about adversity? It’s a test. It’s not optional. You will be tested. The only question is how will you fare? How are you preparing now for the test?

To begin with, it helps a great deal to know that the test is coming. Accept the fact that you will be tested in the form of adversity. I don’t care what “religious camp” you are in, you will be tested. You can blame the devil, be mad at yourself or receive it from God. That’s another conversation. But rest assured, it will come and by accepting that fact, you are already positioning yourself to come through it.

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For quite some time now, many of you have articulated the need for an online community for Christians in business. Many times, the things we discuss in the context of our e-mail messages and blog are only able to scratch the surface of a given subject. We leave many, many topics — such as current events and public policy, for example — completely unexplored because this just isn’t the most suitable place to get into them.

I’m excited to be able to announce to you that many of the needs of an online Christian business community are about to be answered.

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 “If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.” (Prov 24:10) When we were in school, we had to take tests to pass to the next level. Those tests typically threw a lot of tough questions at us that we wouldn’t normally have to deal with in a similar period of time elsewhere. And yet, we were measured by them. More importantly, we were able to get a measure of ourselves, discover our weak points and realize our strengths.

So it is with adversity. It comes to test, to try us, to measure our strength. So how do you respond to adversity? Do you moan and complain or do you embrace the adversity knowing it is a tool to reveal both weakness and strength? Not that adversity is pleasant, but the fruit of it can be sweet indeed.

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Hello Friend,

Even though we worked hard to provide as many convenient opportunities as possible to participate, I recognize that many of you might not have been able to participate in this week’s meetings with Eric Beck.

We have extended a very special offer on a business tool that Eric has made available, and I felt like you should have the opportunity to take advantage of it if you’d like. The offer expires later today, so for just the next few hours, we’re making a replay of one of this week’s calls available. You can listen to it online here.

Why listen?
Hundreds of people this week picked up some strategies that will help their businesses prosper for generations to come. Also, I think you’ll really enjoy hearing Eric explain more about the concept of “Manna” vs. “Mammon.”

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We are concluding our series on the 7 natural means rainforest plants have to protect themselves from pests so they can grow fast and produce much. This one is about getting help. - recruiting others to run defense for you. In nature, it’s called the “ant defense”. It’s where plants sometimes offer ants nectar in exchange for defense from leaf eating pests like caterpillars, ladybugs, etc. The ants value the nectar more than eating the leaf so they protect the leaf from other leaf eating insects.

It’s a protection racket, but it’s initiated by the plant. Do you have an assistant or someone who can run defense for you and screen your calls, even answer or clear away nuisance emails? It might be worth the investment. Too often, I have been guilty of assigning a task to my support team, then going back and getting involved, even doing it myself. That’s pathetic. If I have the wrong staff, I need to replace them. If I simply have bad habits, I need to change those!

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 “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favor rather than silver and gold.” (Proverbs 22:1) Yesterday, I discussed the Arthur Andersen accounting scandal and the impact a conviction for obstruction of justice had on Andersen Consulting, which until 2000 was under the umbrella of Andersen Worldwide.  One reader wanted to clarify that Andersen Consulting had broken off from Andersen Worldwide before the scandal broke and had nothing to do with it. That is correct and my thanks for clarifying that.

That only goes to show, however, that even being associated with someone or some company who chooses riches over reputation will not only hurt them in the long term, but potentially irrevocably hurt you. Proverbs 13:20 warns, “He that walks with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.” Paul warns us in 2 Corinthians to “have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.”

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“A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favor rather than silver and gold.” (Proverbs 22:1) A person with a good name is a person of character with a good reputation. A strong reputation will get you more opportunities than money will — and that’s saying something! And when you choose riches over character, the results can be devastating.

Case Study: The firm of Arthur Andersen was founded in 1913. Andersen was known for an unwavering faith in education as the basis upon which the new profession of accounting should be developed. He was a generous man of good reputation who headed the firm until his death in 1947. He once refused to sign off on flawed accounts of a local rail utility even, “…for all the money in America.” Andersen’s motto was “Think straight, talk straight” and everyone knew his reputation.

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Hello friend,

We’ve had an overwhelming response to last week’s invitation for business owners or potential business owners to join Eric Beck and me in some virtual meetings this week. (Did you already sign up? Please read the P.S. below for an important detail.)

Our first time slot for Tuesday has already filled up but we have some availability for the other spots as of this writing. If you want to join us on a call and learn about how to maximize the potential of your business while eliminating wasted energy and time, you need to register for this FREE event now.

Warmest regards,

Michael

P.S. A few of you have not yet confirmed your e-mail address. Please note that if you have not clicked the confirmation link in the e-mail you received, your registration is not yet complete! You must confirm your e-mail address in order to receive the call-in information for the meetings.