BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

The second major change was that I met my wife, Veronica, who has now been my partner in our adventures in faith for more than 30 years. She was also working at the company on the more technical side of the business, as a computer systems engineer. The third, and most important, thing that took place was when I received Christ into my life. To merely say that “my life changed” would be an understatement. I began to see everything differently, including my purpose for being on this earth. The Bible became more than a bunch of dos and don’ts—that’s religion. Now it became heaven’s constitution, a success book that, when its laws and principles are believed or applied, will “supernaturally” produce phenomenal results regardless of the environmental circumstances or market conditions. Once born again into the kingdom of God, I began listening to anointed Bible teachers who gave me understanding that God offers me an opportunity to start over...that this old life I had messed up can be rewritten—every chapter of it. I also learned that this new Kingdom I was born into is heaven’s government brought to earth and has a way of doing things that requires almost a complete mental reversal from the way I had been taught to think. God’s Way of Doing Things The Bible says, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” This simply means to “seek God’s way of doing things.” I quickly began to learn how to apply biblical laws and principles to produce predictable sales results, not just one month but every month, consistently. Also, I soon learned how to access God’s wisdom in solving every problem. I became excited about making sales presentations, closing business deals, and working with my customers in helping to solve their problems. You see, when the wisdom of God is available, you'll climb to the top of the performance chart without a sweat. It was phenomenal! The Scriptures tell us, “He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous.” Not from the righteous...but “for the righteous.” This is all based on the fact that God is omniscient, which means “all-knowing.” He knows the end from the beginning, and has seen your need and has already provided. No longer did I see problems as obstacles or something sent to sabotage my success. No, now every problem became an opportunity to manifest this new Kingdom and, oh yes, to bring home bigger commission checks! Needless to say, because of my performance (and the grace of God, of course) I was promoted to management where I continued working the higher laws and principles of the Kingdom. This application of “Faith and the Marketplace” created a platform of credibility that caused many of my co-workers and friends to become very inquisitive about how all this was happening to me. It reminds me of Pharaoh in Egypt, who never inquired about Joseph's father until Joseph, through the wisdom of God, solved his problems. Here is something worth remembering: Christianity was never meant to be dictated; it was meant to be demonstrated. Your job becomes your pulpit, your performance becomes your platform, and the marketplace becomes your parish. Jesus said it like this: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” This is why I wrote "Faith and the Marketplace." So many believers have seen their Christianity as separate from their job or business, something for only Sunday morning. And many have a difficult time reconciling their Christian faith with their desire for profit and business success. Let me assure you, the two were never meant to be separated. A great illustration of this is a testimony I read about David M. Browne, the former CEO and president of LensCrafters®, which he also co-founded. While growing up in church, Browne somehow received the belief that faith and business did not mix, and “he fell into the habit of applying one ethical system in his personal life and a completely different ethical system at work. But through an intimate encounter with God, Browne began to realize that there might be a way to bridge the two worlds after all.” Browne bridged those two worlds by bringing “the servant leadership model of Jesus Christ” to his management of LensCrafters. After changing his leadership style and eventually the culture of the entire company, the company’s phenomenal business success over the next 10 years speaks for itself. Company revenues grew to $2 billion; the number of company stores grew from 50 to 1200; the company was considered the most profitable retailer at the time, with close to a 20-percent profit margin; the last seven years of growth were funded by their cash flow and not debt; and LensCrafters was the first for-profit company to receive the Volunteer Action Award from the White House for its Gift of Sight program. 24 : BVOV

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