Upcoming Certification Training

February 1 – 4th, South Africa

February 20 – 22, Portland OR

Completion of our Certificate Course qualifies you to teach courses that you have already taken, including:

• BE I-III
• On Purpose Inc.
• Biblical Apprentice

Benefits of Becoming a Certified Teacher:

• Receive 20% of the total revenue of each classthat you teach.
• Conduct workshops and seminars using Nehemiah Entrepreneurship curriculum both live and online.
• Move on to become Kingdom Business Coaches or even a Nehemiah Partner.
• Become a part of our national team or a join our international network of marketplace ministers who are devoted to transforming the marketplace through the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, one entrepreneur at a time.

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things.  Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” Matthew 6:34.

Do you have a tendency to worry?  Why did Jesus specifically tell us not to worry about tomorrow?  How can you avoid worrying?

It is very difficult to be in business and not worry about anything yet Jesus commands us not to worry about our lives, what we will eat, what we will drink, or about our bodies, what we will put on (Matthew 6:25).  How realistic is this command to entrepreneurs?  How can you not worry about tomorrow when you have deadlines to meet, bills due, and do not see a way to realize them?  I do not know about you but when cash flow is tight and payroll is due it is very difficult for me to not be concerned.  When a deadline is quickly approaching and production is running behind for a major client it is hard not to worry.  And when there is no money in the bank and investors’ money or a bank loan is due how can I not worry?

As difficult as it may be, if Jesus commanded us not to worry this means it is possible not to worry.  The question is how do we prevent ourselves from worrying when we are facing real business issues?  What is the true cause of our worry?

To worry is to be overly concerned about a matter to the point of anxiety.  It is taking personal responsibility for the outcome of a matter and denying God’s power and promises.  It is putting your trust in your own ability more than God’s.   In Matthew 6 before Jesus commands us not to worry he states that no one can serve two masters because if he does he will be loyal to one and despise the other.  This gives us a clue to the source of our worry; the two master syndrome.  We worry when we believe the lie of the enemy more than the truth of God.  When we believe the lie of the enemy it means we fear him more than we fear God.  When we fear the enemy more than God we are subconsciously saying that he is more real than God is.   We then take matters into our own hands or (heads) and start to worry; which means we are serving two masters.  In order to stop worrying we must fear God only, making Him our only master.  How to avoid worrying about tomorrow:

• Know that your life is more important than things, if God can preserve your life He can provide you with what you need  (Matthew 6:25).
• Accept that if God can provide for birds who do not work He can provide for you (Matthew 6:26).
• Realize that worrying will not add any value to your situation (Matthew 6:27).
• Cultivate your faith in God’s ability and promises (Matthew 6:28-30).
• Trust that God knows everything you need (Matthew 25:31-32).
• Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33).
• Focus your attention on the problems of today and leave tomorrow to God (Matthew 6:34).

Worry is like the flu; it comes and goes based on external circumstances and how weak your immune system is.  You cannot change your external circumstances but you can strengthen your immune system.  Strengthening your immune system requires you to study the Word of God and believe His promises.  As you do that, focus your energy on addressing the problems before you today and by the time you get to tomorrow’s problems you will see that God already paved the path for you, making it easier for you to address your challenges.  Have you noticed that you worry about the future and never about the present?  When you are tempted to worry just begin to thank God for what He is doing in the present and commit your concern for the future to Him since there is nothing you can do about it.

My prayer for you is that God will give you the grace to be thankful for what He is doing in your life today and commit your concern for tomorrow to Him.

We are excited to announce that Biblical Entrepreneurship will be offered in South Africa January 29 – February 4th in partnership with Crossover Transformation.  The training will be taught by Patrice Tsague and BE Certified teacher Ben Franklin.

Click here for the latest press coverage on this program.

Crossover Transformation has positioned themselves to meet a critical need in South Africa “job creation,” and their solution is to bring world class entrepreneurship training, mentorship and business assistance to the disadvantaged areas and communities of Africa.  If you know of anyone in South Africa who may benefit from this training, please share this information with them.

Transformation 2012 is a FREE one-day virtual conference to equip and engage change agents around the world for workplace, city and nation-wide transformation.  This conference held February 18, features Keynote Speakers such as Lance Wallnau and Os Hillmand and several dynamic break-out session speakers.

What Will It Take To
Transform The
Mountains Of Culture?

As one of several break-out speakers, I invite you to attend this life transforming conference.  Through keynote sessions, organizational showcases, panel discussions, and real-life stories, you’ll learn what God is doing to bring about transformation and how you can become His change agent to transform the mountains of culture.

Attend the Conference Free!

Register today for the virtual conference and receive:

• One day access to the conference (Feb. 18 only)
• One free download: “Top 10 Things Guaranteed to Kill Your Destiny” by Os Hillman
• Regular conference updates, video interviews, and special offers

Click on this “FREE PASS” to register: 

“For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”  Matthew 16:26

Have you ever wondered what Jesus means by this statement in Matthew 16:26?  What is the soul?  Can a Christian lose his or her soul?

Do you remember the last time you had to make a decision between remaining true to your values and losing a business opportunity? Most of us face this dilemma everyday in business and even in our personal lives.  Do you cheat on a test in order to pass or risk failing?  Do you tell the truth on your taxes and pay more money or lie and pay less?  Do you tell the truth to your customers and risk losing their business or do you lie to protect yourself and preserve them as clients?  When faced with these daily choices we need to consider that every time we compromise what we believe in and ignore the conviction in our hearts to advance ourselves, protect ourselves or make more money, we are trading our souls for the riches of the world.  Each compromise takes away a piece of our souls.

In Matthew 16:26 and Mark 8:36 Jesus asks, “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”  Here Jesus puts the world with all of its treasures and riches on one side of the scale and puts the soul of one man – not all men, but one single human being – on the other side of the scale and declares to exchange your soul for the whole world is a losing proposition.  The soul of one single human being is worth more than all the riches and treasures in the earth. I always interpreted this statement as a warning about where we would spend eternity if we compromise spiritual things (things that are most valuable) for material things (things that will pass away). But here Jesus is not dealing solely with the eternal residence of our souls, He is also dealing with the present state of our souls.  In other words Jesus is not just making a case for the consequences of the afterlife. Rather, He is making a case for the consequences of our lives now.  Jesus recognized that our fulfillment and peace of mind are based not on the abundance of our possessions, but on the tranquility and harmony of our souls.

The soul is the essence of who we really are.  It is the internal, non-tangible part of our person that makes up the integral part of our being.  All persons have souls, whether Christians or not but the soul of those with a personal relationship with Christ has a guiding compass called the Holy Spirit which guides and directs them towards the things of God.  Whenever you operate contrary to the things you believe in, you are damaging your soul. If you do that enough times without repenting you will eventually lose your soul.  Many have lost their souls while serving God because personal success, influence or building a big enterprise became their goal rather than pleasing God and being of service to their fellow man.  What can cause you to lose your soul?

• Your values are compromised in your personal and business life
• You constantly violate the Sabbath
• The end starts justifying the means
• Your focus is on what is “big” rather what is significant
• Your focus is on money rather than service
• You are not repentant
• You primary goal becomes winning

Just because you are a Biblical Entrepreneur does not mean you are immune from trading your soul for success. To prevent yourself from losing your soul you must determine in your heart that it is better to have little with righteousness than to have a whole lot without right, no matter what. (Proverbs 16:8)

My prayer for you this week is that God will reveal to you those areas that you have compromised in and give you the courage to repent and seek His grace to be different.

Better a little with righteousness than great revenues without right

—Proverbs 16:8.

Do you measure your profitability only in financial terms?  What other things are important to your bottom line?  Do you have a way to measure them?

We all have heard the question, “What is the bottom line?”  Which means at the end of the day what are you trying to say or accomplish. Whether in simple conversation or in day to day activities, in business we all want to know what the bottom line is. It is a way to measure our success, to get to the main point, or to know if we are going in the right direction.  The bottom line is critical in business because it provides us with indicators that let us know that the market agrees with our assumptions; it also serves as evidence that we are being good stewards. A business without a positive financial bottom line will not exist for long unless it changes how it operates.  Bottom lines are critical to the survival of businesses especially kingdom businesses.  The Bible makes it very clear in Proverbs 14:23, “In all labor there is a profit …” and Jesus says in Matthew 25:30, “And cast the unprofitable servant into outer darkness.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth”.

We cannot however measure our profitability only in financial terms.  We may do well in that one area but do very badly in other areas that may be just as important as and even more important than finances. After all, Jesus also states in Matthew 16:26, “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”  I believe this is one of the most important statements in the Bible because you can be a heavenly-bound Biblical Entrepreneur and lose your soul.  The soul represents the essence of who you really are. It reflects your values and the things that are really important to you. Even your business has a soul.  The soul of your business is the combined set of values that shape your corporate culture.  What good is it if you have a positive financial bottom line but your customers do not feel that they are getting the value of what they pay for, your employees do not feel valued, your vendors feel cheated, or the community where you do business is getting worse because of how you operate your business or the type of business you operate?  What does it profit you to be highly profitable at the expense of everything else that is important; you are making money but losing the soul of your business?  This is why when we think of the bottom line in business we must go beyond the numbers and consider other things that we value or other bottom lines.

Having multiple bottom lines means going beyond financial returns to include other measurements based on the values of the entrepreneur or the company.  It is the net gain after all costs are deducted from a business’ revenue while considering other things the company values such as people, cultural and spiritual things, and the environment.  Biblical Entrepreneurs must measure more than one bottom line since their businesses must serve as lights and salt in the marketplace.

• Having multiple bottom lines allows you to focus on a holistic approach to business, while having a single bottom line limits your focus to financial returns.
• A business with a multiple bottom line is intentional about having a positive community impact as a part of its core business model, while a company with a single bottom line may only positively impact the community as part of a public relations campaign to maintain the company’s image.
• A business with a multiple bottom line has a transformational impact on the community while one with a single bottom line may limit its impact to activities that will display good citizenship.
• A business with multiple bottom lines may yield a lower net financial return in the short run but provide great stability in the long run, while a company with a single bottom line may provide greater financial return in the short run but be more unstable in the long run.
• A company with multiple bottom lines provides more employee, customer, supplier and shareholder loyalty, while a company with a single bottom line tends to leave everyone focusing on what they can get for themselves.

As important as it is to identify the things you value as a company, beyond financial returns, the most important thing is to develop tools and metrics that will enable you to measure them.  Without those tools, you will not be able to measure the impact the things you value have on your bottom line.

My prayer for you today is that God will grant you the wisdom to determine the things that make up the soul of your business and develop ways to measure them so that you may glorify Him in the marketplace.

A good man deals graciously and lends; He will guide his affairs with discretion  Psalm 112:5.

Are you operating your business for the common good or for personal gain?  What does it mean to operate a business for the common good?  Can it be done sustainably?

Retired Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan made this statement, “I have found no greater satisfaction than achieving success through honest dealing and strict adherence to the view that to gain, those you deal with should gain as well.”  It is unfortunate that neither Wall Street nor Washington have lived up to these simple words of wisdom from our retired Fed Chairman. This would have prevented our current economic disaster, which is simply the result of greed. Our nation is being destroyed by greedy corporations, greedy investors, and greedy politicians all seeking their own interests.  What our economy needs most right now is a new insurgence of entrepreneurs who are committed to doing business based on moral convictions for the common good, not just for personal self-interest.  These entrepreneurs will not only be able to revive our economy through job creation, they will also be able to finance and hold a new breed of politicians accountable to restoring all levels of government to the good and decent values of the founding fathers.

What does it mean to do business for the common good?  It means that your business exists not just for your benefit or the stockholders’ but that it benefits all; the employees, the customers, the community and the nation.  It means that you see your business as a catalyst to transform the community in which you do business and to serve as the engine of the economy for the nation.  No one is in a better position than you, the Biblical Entrepreneur, to play this role.  You are the answer to the prayers of the nation.  You are the job creator, the solution provider, the hope of our economy.

How do you know if your business is operating for the common good?

Operating a business for the common good is a holistic approach to business and requires all the business systems to be aligned with that mission; otherwise  the business will be inconsistent.  If you or your business is currently not operating for the common good, do not try to fix it overnight but rather first revise your existing strategic plan or develop a new strategic plan that reflects your new focus.  Make sure that all the stake holders are in agreement and begin to implement your ideas; resist the temptation of just talking about  them.  Conduct an annual evaluation to ensure that you remain on course.

My prayer for you this week is that God will give you the wisdom to align your business for the common good so that you may be light in the industry that He called you to serve and an answer to our nation’s economic crisis.

“Let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole”  Acts  4:10.

Have you ever wondered why the world is afraid of the name “Jesus”?  Have you been afraid to use that name?  What is the significance of that name?

During biblical times names were not given by happenstance but very purposely. Names were carefully chosen to mean something and to reflect the destiny of the person who was being named.  This is why on many occasions in the Bible when God called certain individuals to serve Him, He changed their names.  Their new names reflected their destiny.  Whenever their names were called their destinies and purposes were being spoken.  This was the case for the Son of God, Jesus Christ.  His name not just carried His destiny but carried the power to manifest His promises.  This is why Jesus made the statement in John 14:13-14, “And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If you ask anything in My name, I will do it”.

Names not only carry destiny and purpose but they can also be used as a pass to be granted something.  Think about the time when you went somewhere and got access just because you used someone’s name.  For instance, if you go to Douala, Cameroon, the city where my mother is mayor, and need special government favor, all you need is a note with her name to get access to most public officials or government services.  There is power in a name.  If an earthly leader’s name can carry such power imagine the name of the Son of God Himself; King Jesus.

Biblical Entrepreneurs must understand the power behind the name of Jesus and how to use that name to overcome the works of the enemy and appropriate His will in their lives.  If your business is to transform individuals and communities it must be done in the name of Jesus.  Here is just some of what the Scripture says about the name of Jesus:

“For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them” Matthew 18:20.

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become Children of God, to those who believe in His name.”  John 1:12

“And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know.  Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.” Acts 3:16

“Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”  Acts 4:12

“Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the father.” Philippians 2:9-11

“And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, given thanks to God the father through Him.”

Colossians 3:17

No wonder the world wants to stop us from using that Name.  Have you noticed that you can say Allah, Buddha, God, and Creator but don’t you dare use the name of Jesus?  His name has almost become a curse word in some settings.  This is because there is power in that name, there is favor in that name, there is eternity in that name, there is anointing in that name, there is grace and favor in that name.  At the sound of that name devils tremble, hell shakes, heaven responds and God moves.   That name gives you access to God and the promises of Jesus.

Unfortunately some of us have yielded to the pressures of the world and have limited the use of that name or stopped using it altogether.  This is a grave mistake because just like my mother’s name is important in the city of Douala, Cameroon to gain political favors, Jesus’ name is essential in the market place to get God’s favor. When asked to stop using that name here is how Peter and John responded, “…Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than God, you judge, for we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard”  Acts 4:19-20.

My prayer for you today is that God will give you the boldness to proclaim the name of Christ this Christmas season in your family, your business and the community you serve.

Now through the end of the year we invite you become a charitable investor by supporting our efforts to help people build kingdom businesses through a tax-deductible matching gift.  Your end-of-year gift will help us provide scholarships to an aspiring entrepreneur giving them access to our life and business transforming courses.  Some of our 2011 accomplishments:

• Supported 25 entrepreneurs and 9 partners with over $50,000 in scholarships in the US, Ukraine, Cameroon, Sierra Leone, Canada and Madagascar.
• Trained 570 students in the US through 18 US partners and 11 international partners
• Trained a total of 570 students in the United States through 18 US partners and 11 partners internationally.
• Launched a new entrepreneurship program for youth, the Biblical Apprentice.
• Introduce Biblical Entrepreneurship through our partners in three new countries; Madagascar, Indonesia and Canada.

Click here to donate or mail your contribution to P.O. Box 468, Clackamas OR 97015.  For more information please contact Gina Tsague at gtsague@nehemiahproject.org.

Register your teen (11-18) today to participate in this amazing 1-day entrepreneurship & leadership training for only $25.  This program is being held on February 18 at the George Fox University Portland Center.

Biblical Apprentice is a comprehensive program that challenges young people between the ages of 11 to 18 commit to their Fathers business while acquiring the entrepreneurship skills to start and operate a business based on biblical principles.  The program provides young people the opportunity to interact with their peers while developing their leadership and entrepreneurship skills. Click here to register!

Program Highlights Include:

• Learn business skills, team work, and business concepts from a biblical perspective
• Prepare a mini-business and present before a panel of judges
• Cash prizes ranging from $125 to $500 per team
• Certificate of completion

Moreover, Biblical Apprentice now has a Facebook page, check out photos from the previous event & be sure to Like Us.

We were blessed last year to have partnered with the various local Christian business leaders listed below who served as coaches and judges. You may ‘google’ any one of them to find out more about them, their companies and influence.   These are the kind of individuals that will be offering guidance and expertise to your teen on February 18th.

* Junior Anderson, CEO/President at Royalty Transportation
* James Autry, Executive Director, Christian Chamber of Commerce Northwest
* Eric Bahme, Pastor, Eastside Church
* Marley Brown, MBA Professor, Portland State University
* Dan Cano, Owner, MannaMovers, LLC
* John Castles, Trustee, MJ Murdock Charitable Trust
* Stephen Christianson, Business Instructor, Concordia University
* Rod Friesen, Owner, Hearthstone Management Services