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Christian Women in Business

admin — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:57:11 +0000

7 Women Business and Leadership Role Models From the Bible to Inspire Christian Women in Business by Consuelo Meux

Christian women today have many women mentors and role models from Bible days on which to base their business and leadership ventures. The qualities and characteristics of these women from long ago provide patterns for running successful enterprises as well as for being involved in government, legal matters, community organizing and even military operations. Most of these women were married and some functioned from their homes. The activities of these women are often not discussed, leaving some of the best means of motivation and encouragement for contemporary women unknown. This article presents a brief background along with the qualities and skills of only 7 top Bible women in business and leadership who have lessons to share for today.

Rahab: Joshua 2:1-22; 6:17-25. Rahab was a businesswoman who ran a lodging place and provided for her family members. Often misrepresented as a prostitute, there is no evidence of this in the Bible. She became known for her willingness to take great risks to negotiate with new people for the protection of herself and her family. Running a lodging facility meant being able to manage a staff of workers, keep clients happy and serve the needs of people from all backgrounds. It also meant being misunderstood by those who didn’t understand this nontraditional business role for women. The leadership qualities and skills of Rahab included being industrious and wise, having a business plan, management abilities and negotiation skills.
Lydia: Acts 16:14-15, 40. Lydia was a well-known businesswoman who dyed and sold purple cloth. Royalty and the wealthy wore purple cloth. That meant she had a high end target market. Her business had to provide a consistent, high-quality product to meet the standards and needs of a wealthy clientele. She also had employees, which means her company provided jobs for people in her community. Lydia was an entrepreneur who probably would have had a corporate structure. She displayed qualities and skills that included organization management and growth, employee training and development, and strong target market skills.
Priscilla: Acts 18:1-3; 24-28. Priscilla worked alongside of her husband, Aquila, as partners in a tent making business out of their home. She was first mentioned as the mentor to the great Apollo who she helped mentor to preach with more direction and authority. She also traveled extensively in the capacity of evangelist. Her qualities and skills were in working in harmony in a business partnership, managing a home-based business, business development and growth, multi-tasking, coordination, human relations, and mentoring skills.
Huldah: 2 Kings 22:14-20: 2 Chronicles 34:22-28. Huldah was a prominent prophetess and married woman who was sought out by the King’s Advisors for counsel about spiritual matters. Huldah was known for being honest, highly intelligent and a scholar of the Scriptures. The qualities and skills she shares with contemporary Christian women include being a strategist, teacher, strong communicator, life-long learner and a leader who advised others and made hard decisions.
Phoebe: Romans 16:1-2. Phoebe was a preacher who worked closely with the Apostle Paul. She was sent by Paul to teach and preach the gospel to the new believers in Rome. Paul strongly urged the believers there to accept her preaching and to support her while in Rome. Phoebe understood the right time to approach others with new ideas and came with the proper introductions. She went to Rome as an evangelist and some believe as a deaconess. The qualities and skills presented by Phoebe are project manager, evangelist of new ideas, teacher, preacher, and collaborator.
Deborah:Judges 4 – 5. Deborah was the first woman to be a judge over a nation. She was willing to take on necessary hard tasks that others would not do. Through her leadership the laws of the land were understood and she promoted ethical behavior through the law. Deborah led the Israelite army into a victorious battle in a particularly difficult war situation when her General refused to ride into battle without her. Deborah was a powerful law-maker with qualities and skills as an Army Commander, leader of large groups, decision-maker, motivator, judge, and political official.
Candace, Queen of the Ethiopians, Acts 8:27. The Candaces were female rulers of in the African nation of Ethiopia (also known in ancient times as Kush). Unlike Queens of some other African Nations of that time, the Queens of Kush, who were independent rulers, known as Candaces, a distinctive title that existed for 500 years. One Candace received the information about spiritual matters from her treasurer who was baptized by the Apostle Philip during a long journey on state matters. She was receptive of new and better ideas to benefit those she represented. These powerful women had qualities and skills of being national political leaders, rulers, and warriors. They were decision-makers, negotiators and goal-oriented.

Christian women in business have some fabulous role models from Bible women for doing business and being a leader in these contemporary times. The few examples given in this article only provide highlights to the types of activities women had as spiritual and church leaders. These women were ministers, servant leaders, organizers, motivators, and persuaders. They used effective communication skills, organized church events, meetings and services. Knowing their lessons can inspire women even in these modern times to reach higher goals.

Consuelo Meux, Ph.D., is the Founder and President of the National Association of Christian Women in Business (nacwib.com). NACWIB equips women in business and leadership to gain the confidence to grow successful businesses. Get instant access to a free business plan template and motivational report when you subscribe to the ezine at http://www.cwibnews.com

Learn How to Let Go and Let God

admin — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:50:18 +0000

The bible teaches us to ”cast all your cares upon me (Jesus)….”

Realistically, how many of us actually do this without trying to fix the situation ourselves? I would estimate a very low percentage.

Learning to let go and let God is not as easy as it sounds however, the bible reassures us…

For example let’s consider Job’s trials. Job said: “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.” Job 13:15 KJV

The taunting, Worry Syndrome

I pose the question, if you’re in constant turmoil and worrying, why do you pray? Is it just something you do because it’s tradition? Or, do you truly seek God for peace and understanding? Forming a real relationship with God provides a sense of security, revelation knowledge and mostly, a peace that surpasseth all understanding.

The bible says to delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart (Ps 37:4); what we should understand mostly from this passage is the fact that there is a process to learning just how to delight yourself in God. Are you willing to go through the process? If so, here are a few suggestions to get you started on your blessed journey:

Pray and sincerely ask the Holy Spirit to order your footsteps as you prepare to read God’s words.
Clear your mind of all self-thoughts of how you think it should be. (As Paul stated to the Corinthians in 1 Corin 14:36; Do you think that the knowledge of God’s word begins and ends with you Corinthians? Well, you are mistaken!)
Be prepared to push your way through negative temptations of things like, I don’t understand what I’m reading or this doesn’t make any sense or I don’t have time to read or every time I try to read the bible, I get sleepy (well, perhaps you do but, understand that the enemy doesn’t want you to read it, speak boldly and declare the good works of the Lord that you have already conquered the enemy and you’re on your way to a victorious life in Jesus Christ!) and continue to read. (Ref: Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” Matt 26:41)
Make it a point to read at least 3 scriptures per day. Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to place these readings in your spirit so that when it’s time for you to use them, He will bring them back to remembrance.
Don’t try so hard. God knows your heart. A sincere heart towards Him will produce results.
STOP stressing. When you find yourself going to a place of stress, having tantrums or rebellious actions. STOP and ask yourself, what do I look like to God right now? Did you know that God knows what our needs are long before we do? Let go and let Him do what He promises all throughout His message. BUT, if you feel you must continue through a tantrum, after-wards, repent (ask for forgiveness), shake the dust and renew your mind to the will of God. Note: Discouragement, depression, and self-pity are the result of problems and adversity for some. For others, problems are a challenge and help bring about faith, trust and victory.
Be willing to go through your storm! Pick up your cross and humbly carry it to its destination! God is able to use us for His glory when we’re willing to pursue the purpose He intended for us long ago.
Place yourself in environments and with people that are positive and encouraging.
Instead of the me, oh my syndrome, with a sincere heart, pray for others.
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not to your own understanding.

Did you know that doubt and faith cannot exist in the same body? For example, have you ever found yourself in a conversation saying, I know I should be stronger than this, oh yes I have faith BUT, I’m human too, and sometimes it just gets too hard?

The mind can sometimes be our worst weapon against self; however, the fact that we can dismiss negativity by adding positives allows us to be over comers! “We demolish (cast down) arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Corin 10:5 NLV. It is unwise (and impossible) to seek the Lord through worldly eyes. God is a spirit and the bible informs that we must seek Him in spirit and in truth.

Larry Burkett once said, as Christians we are admonished to be over comers, all you need to do is ask the Lord to help you. Scripture reference: 1 John 5:5; Who is the one that overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

What a message of reassurance, Amen?

The bible is filled with such reassurance that all we have to do is trust God, know the word for yourself and to let go and let God do what He purposed for your life long ago.

Choosing the Home-Business That’s Right for You

admin — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 23:03:59 +0000

Starting down a new career path can be both exciting and terrifying. There are a lot of tools on the market that can help you determine what type of career field you should enter. But what if your chosen “career path” is being an entrepreneur and running a home-based business? Do the rules change? Below are five questions to ask yourself to help you determine what type of business might be right for you.

1. What is your passion?

Answer this question with the first thing that comes to mind: If money were no object and you could do anything, what would you do? You might have answered “be a writer”, “speak at conferences”, “bring my product idea to life” or any number of things. Whatever your answer, this most likely is your passion. I challenge you to take the time to ponder this and see if there is a way to bring your dream to fruition.

2. What types of things did you like to do as a child?

Many times the toys and games we loved as children give us a glimpse into who we have become as adults. If you loved climbing trees, you may now be an “outdoorsy” type of person. Think about how this might be incorporated into your business. For instance, you might enjoy setting up outdoor birthday parties for children or selling herbs from your backyard garden.

3. What type of products would you be interested in representing?

If you’re looking in the direction of direct sales, whether that be your own product or an established home-based business option, you need to think through what types of products you’d be comfortable presenting to your customers. Take the time to do some research and find a product that truly excites you. Your customers will see your sincerity and that can sell a product just as easily as a fancy presentation.

4. What skills and experience do you bring to the table?

If you’ve left the corporate world in favor of working at home, you’ve undoubtedly brought with you a set of skills. There may be a way to market those skills in a new way and turn them into a profitable business. For instance, if you were an executive assistant you may be able to type 80 words or more per minute. You could set up shop as a Virtual Assistant and help other business owners in processing orders, transcribing documents and much more.

5. Are you thinking outside of the box?

Most of us have a fear of the unknown. We many times assume that if we haven’t done something before, it is simply out of reach. This carries over to the business world as well. We take our products or services and market them in the same way that we see other business owners using. However, it can be much more effective to find new and innovative ways to market. One home-based business owner I know sells stuffable toy kits. Instead of using the usual home parties and birthday party events, she works almost exclusively with children’s hospitals doing fundraisers. She makes a great living and helps not only the hospitals, but the children as well. She is a great example of unique marketing and overcoming the mundane marketing methods that so many business owners resign themselves to.

Your home-based business should be unique to you. It should make you want to get up each morning excited about the possibilities of the day ahead. Take the time to thoroughly think through the questions above and you’ll be on your way to making a great, well thought out decision that has your name written all over it!

Jill Hart is the founder of Christian Work at Home Moms, CWAHM.com. Jill is a co-author of the upcoming book So You Want To Be a Work-at-Home Mom (Beacon Hill, Sept. 2009). Jill welcomes work-at-home questions at AskJill.cwahm.com

What About Your Business is “Christ Like?”

admin — Tue, 19 May 2009 18:00:28 +0000

PLEASE NOTE: This message was posted on my blog on September 22, 2007. I thought I’d share it with you today as it still remains true.

I pray all is well with your day. I know we haven’t talked “word” lately so I thought I would literally stop what I’m doing to share some impartation with you.

Sound good to you? Great!

I’m in the middle of writing a book. Yeah, I’m taking the big writer’s leap (smile). While I never thought I would write a book, the urgings have been there for a while.

Writing a book is such a huge project and definitely one that requires consistent focus. You know, focusing actually works. But it takes determination to succeed.

It’s like studying the word. In order to receive revelation knowledge, you have to desire to spend “focused” time in the word. Whether it be reading or hearing the word, both work quite well.

I personally like when the Holy Spirit brings scripture back to my remembrance, then I get online at www.biblegateway.com and do a search to find that exact scripture. I also love listening to the word. It’s like hearing the speaker begin to say a scripture and it comes out of me before they even get to finish. Ooooh, I love that!

Best of all, I love my talks with God. Often times I do more talking than He does (smile) but that’s okay. I know He’s listening, amen?

This brings me back to my reason for wring this book. I was a guest on my friend, Bettye Jamerson’s World Talk Radio Show recently. As always, we had such a wonderful time so after the show, I was compelled or should I say “nudged” by Holy Spirit to write.

Now I don’t know if this happens for you but when I receive impartation like that, it flows! I begin to type and I don’t stop until “He” does. Typo and grammar errors are left just like they are until I’m finished.

Bettye’s show just moved me so much that I know God had a message for me… not only for me but to share as well. So, if you don’t mind, I’ll share a teeny bit with you about some of what will be in the book.

What Does Being a Christian, Really Mean to You?

I’m quite sure you know what it means to you, and in case you don’t, I’ll share what it means to me. Then perhaps you’ll sit down with God and talk about what it means to you, sound fair?

Did you know that the Disciples were first called Christians at Antioch? (ref: Acts 11:25 NIV)

Interesting, eh? You bet it is. You see, it wasn’t a multitude of people that were first recognized as Christians, it was the Disciples. And why do you think they were referred to as Christians?

Here’s what the dictionary refers to as a Christian.

1. Professing belief in Jesus as Christ or following the religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus.
2. Relating to or derived from Jesus or Jesus’s teachings.
3. Manifesting the qualities or spirit of Jesus; Christlike.
4. Relating to or characteristic of Christianity or its adherents.
5. Showing a loving concern for others; humane.

And:

1. One who professes belief in Jesus as Christ or follows the religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus.
2. One who lives according to the teachings of Jesus.

All of this makes perfect sense to me because those were some of the qualities that the Disciples possessed (well except the bad apple one we all know about – Judas.)

I’ll prove it, read this:

Jesus said: “So then, any of you who does not forsake (renounce, surrender claim to, give up, say good-bye to) all that he has cannot be My disciple.” Luke 14:33 (Amplified)

The disciples gave it all up, amen? Now I know some of you are thinking, “I got to give up my house? My car? My shoes? My cable tv, to be a disciple?”

Uh…no! That’s not what the scripture means. However, if it were, could and would you do it?

As a disciple, you have to get rid of YOU! Your self made philosophies, excuses and justifications. When you desire to be a true disciple, to do the things God desires, you must have a desire to surrender (let go of) everything that is not of Him. And get ready for this, some people are not going to like you. It’s like a clash of the spirits. They run from the truth and we all know, the truth hurts sometimes.

For example and to just to keep this message as short as possible, I’ll give you two things to meditate on: What’s your attitude like every morning? Is your spirit “Christ like?”

Therefore by the end of the day, what about you made someone say… “She/He has such a beautiful spirit” or “She/He has such a nasty attitude and is so negative!”

Something to think about, eh?

Believe it or not, Christianity is not confined to a church building. It’s not just about you being a Usher, member of the Choir, a Deacon, etc. on Sundays. It’s your ENTIRE life-style. Which brings me to this:

What about your business is Christ like?

Do you study to show yourself approved, rightly dividing the word of truth? (ref: 2 Timothy 2:15)

How does God feel about you as a business person? Have you asked Him?

Makes you shiver doesn’t it? No? Then you have some serious praying ahead of you.

I pray that something about today’s message helps you or confirms something you may have recently prayed about. If not, please pass this along to someone who might have been praying for an answer.

We’ll talk again soon.

“Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.” Prov 13:3

Until next time, remember to pray without ceasing, speak with much love and patience and glorify God in ALL that you do and in all your GETTING, Get Understanding.

Blessings for continued success!

Regina

What Do I Mean by Christian?

admin — Fri, 01 May 2009 03:30:25 +0000

What Do I Mean by Christian? What Do I Mean by Business?
by Bobby Miller

The word “Christian “, that I am referring to is a disciple of Christ. One who is a representative and follower of Christ (cf. Matt 16:24). The converted in Christ. The Elect – those individuals that have been “conformed to the image of Christ” and have entrusted their lives in full surrender to Christ (cf. Rom 8:29). One who bears the characteristics of the saints of God. Those who have been redeemed by the blood of the lamb (Christ).

As Christians, we are called to be holy (cf. 1 Peter 1:16) and not to be conformed to this world (cf. Rom 12:2 ). We are to transform this world and be, as we are, salt of the earth (cf. Matt 5:13-16). That those who look upon us may see that we exemplify the fruit of the spirit, that are humble (cf.Gal 5:22-23; Matt 5:3), lights of the world, (cf. Phil 2:14-15) doing all things to the glory of God (cf. 1 Cor 10:31).

What Do I Mean by Business?

The word business in the mind of the entrepreneur is a delightful word. It brings hope, creates vision, and promotes dreams that the entrepreneur passionately believes cannot be attained with opening one.

Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary describes and defines the word “Business” as: a purposeful activity; a role or function; an immediate task or objective; a particular field of endeavor; commercial or mercantile activity engaged in as a means of livelihood; a commercial or sometimes an industrial enterprise.

Dictionary.com describes “Business” as: a person, partnership, or corporation engaged in commerce, manufacturing, or a service; profit-seeking enterprise or concern.

You might have heard synonyms that refer to forms of business as commerce, industry or trade. All of these are within the context of what we refer to as business.

We at CBE will endeavor to remain true to this theme and shall focus along the line of Webster’s and Dictionary.com’s meaning of the word.

Bobby E. Miller is a Public Speaker, Author, Business Growth Consultant and Entrepreneur with more than 21 years of experience as a senior executive in Business and Sales and Marketing. Bobby is also the founder of http://Christian-Business-Ethics.com

where Christians TALK Business

admin — Fri, 01 May 2009 03:29:33 +0000