It's always interesting to attempt to detect God's providential hand in the direction he takes me. My love for gospel-driven business, something I've come to call "philanthropreneurship", is no secret. It's the wonderful, beautiful, harmonious dance between ministry and business for the sake of God's mission among the nations.

It's something I've abandoned recently in order to focus more heavily on planting and building the local church I am leading. But in God's providence, He's planted me in a cabin on vacation with some of the most amazing and interesting books that are like a spiritual IV to my arm.

Here's a list.

• Tentmaking: The Life and Work of Business as Mission by Patrick Lai
• Great Commission Companies: The Emerging Role of Business in Missions by Steve Rundle and Tom Steffen
• Business as Mission by Tom Steffen and Mike Barnett
• On Kingdom Business: Transforming Missions Through Entrepreneurial Strategies by Tetsunao Yamamoto and Kenneth Eldred
• The Gods of Business: The Intersection of Faith and the Marketplace by Todd Albertson
• Profit for the Lord: Economic Activities in Moravian Missions and the Basel Mission Trading Company by William Danker

I've already begun scanning On Kingdom Business, and the preface and introduction alone were a steroid to my heart in this area. My mind is back on the race track of the business plans and models I've either already created or have at least begun planning.

Starting with my own children, I want not only to give them a business they can run themselves, but also the art and skill of business itself. I think that next to Jesus Christ and godly advice on a future spouse, this is the third greatest gift I could ever give them as a tool to glorify the first, provide for the second, and pursue the mission globally and locally.

We'll see where all this takes me this week!

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens

Hey Guys! I just got done reading the Second Habit. It's called: Begin with the End in Mind.
This chapter gives you a description of you as a teen and it telld you about how almost every desision you make in your youth will effect your future in multiple ways. Like sex, your actions, language, and your education. All of it will decide thereputation you will bear in the future to come.

Thanx a bunch!
-Harrison
Wilkerson

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens

Hey guys! I just got done reading the First Habit lesson. (Confetti!) And it was awesome! And it shows about being proactive and how just your normal, every day talking can effect someone! It also told me about how you can either learn, or despair from your mistakes.

Thanx a bunch!
-Harrison
Wilkerson

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens

Hey guys! Harrison here. And I just got done reading the latest chapter of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens: Chapter 2. In this chapter, it teaches you how to have your own personal bank account. Not in a financial way but in life ways.
Like say you do a kind thing for another person, that would be making a deposit into your personal account.
In other words, the account of your reputation. There wasn't much else about it except that it taught you how to keep track of your reputation account.
Keep in tune tomorrow for the actual first lesson of the first habit. Be Proactive.

Thanx a Bunch!
-Harrison
Wikerson

The 5 Things You Need to Learn to do Business

Adapted from the article, "Aspiring Managers: Learn to Behave Like Adults" by Steve Tobak.

Become adept at 5 things: finance, selling, presenting, negotiating, and business communications.

1. Finance. I don’t care if you manage engineering, human resources, technology, sales, grass-cutting, or laundry-pressing, whatever, you need to learn about finance, handling money - making it and spending it. Why? Because that’s how companies are run and how business works. Period. Fail to learn this boys and any business you start will fail within a matter of months...guaranteed.

2. Selling. To sell your own ideas, products and plans to people to you know you have to learn how to open doors, help friends and potential customers and other business friends to make informed decisions, and close deals and make money.

3. Presenting. It’s hard to imagine your career or business going anywhere unless you can deliver an effective presentation. Unfortunately, most of us aren’t born with the presentation gene. Do whatever you've got to do to teach yourself the trade of public communication. I promise it pays off in the end.

4. Negotiating. Negotiation skills are critical to resolving conflicts, getting agreement among friends and business associates, and other key contacts in your business. Make sure, however, that you are negotiating with them in mind, more than yourself, according to the gospel-driven principles found in Philippians 2:3-4.

5. Communicating. Great managers are also great communicators; it’s a critical success skill. Unfortunately, they don’t teach you about business communications in school. Learn it well, including verbal and nonverbal skills, body language, eye contact and movement, etc.

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens

Hey Guys! Harrison here! I just got done reading chapter 2 and it was all about Paradigms and Principles. Sean Covey (the writer of the book) says that Paradigms are like glasses. When you have good and bad Paradigms, they affect how you look at yourself and the world. And it also teahces you how to kick out your bad points of view and replace them with even mre of the good ones. Keep in tune tommorrow for even more descriptions of the book.

Thanx a bunch!

-Harrison
Wilkerson

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens

Hey guys! We had a mix-up in the schedule. so today I read the welcome to the Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens.
In this book, I learned that life is not all about being a good person, it's about what makes you become a good person.
there wasn't much it tought me about after that. Like a said, there was a mix- up in the schedule, so we'll still be giving you more info about this book. So stay in tune!

thanx a bunch!

-Harrison
Wilkerson