by Matthew Lesser

As a coach and consultant, one of my favorite exercises to do with leaders and leadership teams is to have them evaluate the legacy they desire to leave. The exercise has them fast-forward to the end of their lives and ask what three things they would most want to be remembered for by those closest to them. If what they want to be remembered for does not align with the story they are currently writing for their life, I encourage them to put down a period, turn the page, and begin writing the story that will lead to the ending they desire…not the one they dread.

Having an end-of-life perspective is healthy; however, for years, I missed something in the exercise that pales in comparison: the six words on the other side of this life awaiting followers of Jesus Christ: 

“Well done, good and faithful servant.”

How I Wrestled With My Story of Becoming a Good and Faithful Servant

I believe God gives us the pen and the book to write our story in. Yes, He is actively engaged and acts directly in our lives, but out of His immaculate love for us, He’s given us the pen. 

For the first half of my career, my story was focused on three things: 

1. Bigger

2. More

3. Faster. 

I took over my family business two years out of business school. The transition happened in one day, literally. I went into my dad’s office to resign. Instead, he left – literally! He moved 1,200 miles away, divorced my mom, and handed me the reins on his way out. 

Because I was successful in business school, I thought that meant “guaranteed” success in business. Four months later, near the time of my first wedding anniversary to my elementary school sweetheart, the business was facing certain collapse (business school didn’t teach me how to deal with a failing business). 

Six months after that, I was at rock bottom. I suffered from clinical depression, experiencing debilitating panic attacks; I was hopeless and helpless and decided it was time to end my life. 

At rock bottom–at the end of myself–God was there waiting for me. In a series of miracles, I was removed from the business to get mental and emotional help, and a friend sent in a team of professionals to assess what we had. We had just enough to start over. Nine months from rock bottom, the business started over, and it was profitable from the first month. Over the course of the next decade, it grew over fifteen-fold through organic and acquisition growth. 

Let Me Share a Story that Might Sound Familiar

After selling the business, I spent the next twelve years in private equity. I traversed the globe, meeting owners and leaders of businesses while looking for investment opportunities. 

Over time, leaders shared a story with me. I heard this story so many times that it became a pattern. Different storytellers. Same story. It went something like this: 

I sacrificed time with my spouse and kids. I missed important events like birthdays and ball games. I prioritized my business and ‘to-do lists’ building this business–this empire. For what? I have everything I could ever want–money, a nice home, vacation home, cars, toys, reputation, power, access to important people, and luxurious vacations. And now, my kids are grown and gone, and I barely hear from them, my spouse and I don’t know one another, and I am not satisfied. Not in the least. Why did I do this?

And I didn’t hear this on rare occasions; this was the norm! It’s still happening today. Leaders are writing their stories according to this old pattern. And they want out.

As I was picking up on this pattern, God was also awakening the same realization in me. If I had come to the end of my life, I realized I wouldn’t have called myself a good and faithful servant. This sparked an inner dialogue that went something like this: 

What am I doing? I have sacrificed time with my spouse and kids, I missed my little (and only) girl’s first steps; I missed my boys’ ball games, and I missed my kids’ concerts, performances, and awards ceremonies. For what? To travel the world, meet with important people, build a bigger platform, increase my reputation and name, climb the corporate ladder, have more influence and impact, make more money, buy more ‘things and stuff’…

Climb Down the Corporate Ladder. Live a Flourishing Life

In 2018, I left the world of private equity, but I did not yet know two critical pieces of information about me:

1. My Identity

2. My Why

So, I spent one year in the banking world and realized that it was not for me, and then I spent one year helping a friend build an executive team for his family business. It was during this second year that I started writing a book, which was something I had thought about for about a decade, but only seriously considered for five years. 

For five years, I literally prayed that God would take away the desire to write a book because I knew how difficult it was to write a book and get it published. It seemed every time I would pray, God would give me more clarity rather than release me from writing. So, I stopped praying about it! Three years before I started writing, God gave me what became the “The Flourishing Life Model,” which is the book’s core. During the early months of 2021, I wrote what became the introduction to my bestselling book, unSatisfied: When Less is More. I finished the manuscript in January of 2022, and after my editor beat it up significantly, we finished the editing process in July; it was released in October 2022. 

While writing the book, I sensed God was telling me it was time to pursue what He had called me to when I was a teenager – to write, speak, teach, train, and equip others. I launched Uniquely Normal, LLC in July of 2021 out of the “collision” of passion, gifts, and skills, value contribution to others, and calling. While my first book was being wrapped up, I started writing my second book (release date of late 2023), which builds upon the foundation of the first book. The second book focuses on building healthy, flourishing leaders and leadership teams who desire to build healthy, flourishing organizations intentionally. 

Don’t Leave a Legacy Alone

When I burned my proverbial ships over thirty years after the initial calling and went all-in into this new adventure, I did not have full clarity on what I was to do; however, I believed God was calling me to surrender, trust, and have faith in Him. I launched the business with a four-pillar foundation: writing, speaking, coaching, and consulting. As I was launching, an 83-year-old mentor and friend encouraged me not to go on this journey alone. I asked him what he meant because I could not afford to hire anyone. He advised me to start a Personal Board of Directors. I did, and he became my first member. I asked my wife and two other men if they would be willing to meet with me for a half-day every quarter. The key criteria for serving were the following: 

1. Love God

2. Love me, my wife, my kids

3. Speak the truth–especially the hard truth

4. Experience launching and running businesses for Kingdom impact. 

I can honestly say that without my wife and these three men with me on this journey, I would have most likely abandoned this journey already. They speak the truth, encourage, counsel, challenge, love, hold accountable, and kick me in the rear end when I need it. Having these individuals in my corner has saved me from going off the rails, steered me away from questionable decisions, and kept me moving forward–even when it feels like I am trudging through wet concrete. I encourage every investor, business owner, and leader – regardless of the type of organization – to consider putting together a Personal Board of Directors.

Becoming a Good and Faithful Servant is a Lifelong Journey

My natural way of “doing” is to “do” while giving a perfunctory prayer of “And you are going to bless this, right God?” Today, I am focusing on living intentionally by focusing on being, belonging, and becoming while seeking Him to determine my doing. Scary? At times, however, I have never experienced as much peace, satisfaction, purpose, and joy as I do now…while making less money in my career than I ever have! Jesus has also been clarifying my “why.” My “why,” my purpose, is to provide inspiration and hope to catalyze others to intentionally pursue a flourishing life who are encouraging others to do the same.   

What about you:

• What is your identity? 

• Who are you? 

• What is your “why”? 

• What is your purpose? 

• What are you pursuing? 

• Who is it for? 

There is only one you in the world. You only get one life and one story to write. You have a choice: your story can be intentional–writing the story with the ending you desire; or your story can be unintentional–writing the story that may conclude with the ending you dread. I hope that you can confidently say that you have been a good and faithful servant in whatever God has called you to.

So, what story are you writing?

When writing your own story, it can feel overwhelming. It seems like all the pressure is on us to grow a business, love our families, and serve our communities. But really, it’s all God’s.

Check out this video that puts life, money, and success into perspective. Enjoy!

by Efosa Ojomo

“The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” – Lamentations 3:22-23

By the time Efosa Obano left Nigeria to study at the University of Toronto, he had already experienced the steadfast love of God multiple times. Although his parents weren’t wealthy, at 10 years old he left home for one of the best (and most expensive) boarding schools in Nigeria. His parents sacrificed a lot to pay his fees at the school. While in boarding school, he worked hard but also got in enough trouble with school administrators to eventually get suspended. Just before graduation, school officials reviewed his case and briefly considered expulsion. But, according to Obano, through a series of inexplicable events, he was ultimately allowed to graduate. Upon graduation, he got into University of Toronto in Canada where, again by his admission, the Lord helped him excel and win favor with many students and university officials. After graduating from college Obano got a job at Dell. But in his heart, there was a true desire to ignite the flames of innovation across Africa. Even at a young age, he believed the Lord had called him to impact the lives of millions of Africans through innovation. 

Obano’s life, like most of ours, is imperfect, but a consistent theme runs through it: his obedience to the call of God. So, when he got the vision to set up African Impact Initiative, even though the vision wasn’t clear, he obeyed. Initially, with the help of some of his African classmates, he created a platform designed to positively impact the African community in Canada. The original idea was to develop capacity building and professional development programs for young Africans in Canada. Although, not directly related to his interest in innovation and entrepreneurship, Obano got the experience necessary for creating something from nothing. He also learned a critical lesson: “as a founder, no one on your team will be more passionate than you are about what you’re building; especially at the beginning. And this means you’ll have to work harder than everyone else in bringing it to life.” 

Obano worked incredibly hard to keep good grades, build this new organization, and maintain existing relationships. In fact, he got so exhausted at one point that he “lost consciousness and almost died.” The stress of managing all that was on his plate while working hard to earn God’s love became incredibly overwhelming and so he simply let go. It was around this time, just before graduation, Obano gave it all to God. It was when God took over that Obano began to truly experience God’s steadfast love and faithfulness. That year turned out to be his best yet. He got his best grades, got a fulltime job at Dell, and won an award for African Impact Initiative. While things were going well for Obano, the mission of African Impact Initiative began to change. He wanted to focus on Africans in Africa.

It was around this time that Obano stumbled upon the book, The Prosperity Paradox: How Innovation Can Lift Nations Out of Prosperity. I was fortunate to co-author the book with Karen Dillon and the late Harvard Business School professor Clayton Christensen. In it, we write about the transformative power of market-creating innovations. Market-creating innovations transform complicated and expensive products into products that are simple and affordable, making them accessible to a whole new segment of people for whom there was always underlying demand, but no adequate solution on the market. This segment of the population is referred to as “nonconsumers.” In many growth economies, the population of nonconsumers for most products and services far surpasses that of consumers. As a result, when entrepreneurs develop market-creating innovations, the societal impact is immense.

For example, in the early 1900s few people in the United States could afford cars. It was an expensive toy for the wealthy until American entrepreneur Henry Ford developed the Model T, an affordable car for the average American. Once the car became affordable and accessible, not only did millions of Americans purchase it, but this market-creating innovation led to significant development. From more productive transportation and agriculture to significant infrastructure development, the Model T changed the landscape of the United States of America. Precisely, this kind of impact is what Obano hopes to have in Africa. 

To that end, Obano and his team created the African Impact Challenge (AIC) with the goal of building a prosperous continent by investing in Africa’s aspiring entrepreneurs. AIC executes a comprehensive set of innovation activities for entrepreneurs, including capacity building, startup incubation, and go to market strategies to help them increase their odds of innovation success in Africa. The organization is focused on first-time founders and has operations in Ghana and Kenya, with plans to launch activities in Rwanda in 2022. For its first pilot, 92 founders applied and 11 were supported. This year, AIC had more than 500 founders from 226 companies engage in its preincubation programs. Although AIC is new, the organization has received several awards including one—2020’s top 50 youth solutions—from the United Nations.

AIC’s future is certainly bright. Through all the ups and downs of life, Obano has learned (and continues to learn) of God’s steadfast love. He sums it up best when he says, “In summary, God has been extremely kind to us, and He is directing our steps for what the purpose of our organization would be in doing His will.” In the next decade, I won’t be surprised if some of the most successful innovators in Africa are connected to the African Impact Challenge.

by Derrick Morgan

Derrick Morgan, former Tennessee Titans linebacker and founding partner of KNGDM Group, demonstrates that community roots are incredibly important. That’s why after retiring from his career in the NFL and beginning an impact-focused fund, Morgan and KNGDM Group sought to be an example of giving back and building resilient communities. Putting his heart and call in motion, Morgan represents the hope and resilience of missional living as a faith driven entrepreneur and investor.

by Chuck Bentley

America’s tragic history of injustice towards minority groups has created a wealth gap that needs to be addressed and specific efforts need to be made to close it. Not through redistribution programs, but by following a Biblical plan that does not depend on government intervention, but rather, personal initiative. God created a system, which if followed, will bring personal blessing and create a just system for all. This program can be taught in our churches to ensure God’s people are empowered for financial progress.

God did not intend for all to be equal when it comes to wealth distribution. If that were His plan, He would not have had to add the 10th commandment to warn us against coveting what our neighbor has that we do not have. Greed is wanting more of what I already have. Coveting is wanting what someone else has. God commanded us not to covet or to be greedy.

If equality was His goal, the parable of the talents in Matthew 25 would not speak of God distributing differing amounts of talents. In every field of human endeavor, there is a disparity between abilities and outcomes. Although God did not plan for economic equality, He does require us to seek to operate within a system of economic justice. This means everyone, Jew and Gentile alike, should be equally free to achieve the rewards of their efforts.

Micah 6:8 says, “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”

Implementing God’s Economic Cycle

There is an economic cycle that we should follow to create financial health
and growth that God designed for our good. Let me lay it out step by step:

• Work – We work; God provides. If we are able to work but prefer not to, we will suffer. Work creates our source of income and financial foundation to build upon. Proverbs 14:23 –All hard work leads to profit, but mere talk leads to poverty. (NIV)

• Give – To honor the Lord for what He provides, we give first. We are created to be givers. This is our highest priority and should be done with joy and not under obligation. Proverbs 3:9 – Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops… (NIV)

• Save – After we give, we save a portion of all of our income. Repeat after me, “give first, save second.” God said that the tiny ant grows wise because they know how to save without a commander or overseer forcing them to do it. Proverbs 6:6 – Go to the ant you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise. (NIV)

• Spend – Our net spendable income is what we have leftover after we have done our giving and saving. Spending should never come first in our priorities. This is the money we use to pay taxes, eliminate debt, and support our lifestyles. Proverbs 21:20 – The wise man saves for the future but the foolish
  man spends whatever he gets. (TLB)

• Invest – This is money that is placed at risk to enable you to receive a return on your earnings. It is also money that grows to enable you to start a business, own shares in companies that create jobs, and build capacity to plan for the future. Ecclesiastes 11: 2 – Invest in seven ventures, yes, in eight; you do not know what disaster may come upon the land. (NIV)

Work, Give, Save, Spend, Invest

If you practice these financial habits, in that order, your personal economy will always be in good shape. But something else happens in this cycle that cannot be missed. You are helping other people grow and improve their economy too! Follow along with me through that list again.

When you work, you contribute to the well-being of a customer who receives the product or service you produce, and the owner of the company grows its bottom line because of your efforts. This creates more jobs and more opportunities.

When you give, you expand God’s kingdom and help those who cannot work and therefore need our charitable help. You eliminate inequalities and show compassion to the least of these.

When you save, you create financial stability, so you are able to buy a home, avoid debt, and build a sustainable future for you and/or your family. You demonstrate wisdom and the essential fruit of the Spirit, self-control.

When you spend, you support the companies that provide the goods and services you need so they can continue to operate. Consumer spending puts money back into the economy, so it benefits other businesses and their employees.

When you invest, you risk money to try new things, produce innovative solutions, and find new ways to improve lives. Even a failed investment produces useful knowledge of what did not work. Investing ensures the entire economic cycle continues to spin and grow more opportunities for others.

The more individual cycles that are spinning in a nation, the better the health of that national economy. The fewer of these cycles spinning, the poorer the nation. Now you know why free societies seek to obtain very low levels of unemployment. Without jobs, the entire cycle breaks down.

Looking back at the cycle again, if any of these steps breaks down, pain will result in your personal life as well as in your community and nation. In other words, we each need to have a strong personal economy so that others can benefit and be blessed with jobs from our economic activity.

When we each follow God’s cycle, it creates economic growth and blessing for others. This closes the wealth gap, breaks dependency, and brings a just system for all. I hope you will learn more about this plan, implement it in your life and take it to others in your family, church, or business.

Article originally posted here by Crown

by Chris Meyer

Each year, I take the opportunity to review the environmental developments of the past year and evaluate the obstacles and progress we’ve seen. 

My goal is to find hope and inspiration. But it’s not always easy to muster optimism – the past 12 months have been filled with signs of deepening environmental stress. Perhaps the greatest of these can be found in the accelerating changes in our climate.  

As extreme weather spreads across the globe, the latest assessment from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change presents a disturbing confirmation of the growing impact of climate change. 

The report, representing consensus among global climate scientists, states with absolute clarity that humans have warmed the atmosphere and that this warming is affecting weather and climate extremes in every region of the world.

Many of the changes occurring today are now irreversible – and we’ll need to begin to adapt. A coordinated and expansive effort to cut emissions deeply and quickly is required to avoid even more troubling scenarios.

While we must remain clear-eyed about the hard realities of climate change and the many other environmental difficulties we face, I believe it’s also important to take stock of positive and encouraging trends. I also like to center myself on why I and Praxis Mutual Funds are committed to working on seemingly intractable issues. 

At Praxis, we believe the natural environment is a finite resource, the inheritance of future generations and a gift from God. 

As stewards of God’s creation, we expect ourselves and the companies we invest in to respect the limits of our natural resources and actively work toward environmental sustainability. We engage companies from this perspective, believing it’s the best way to create a sustainable planet for our heirs and sustainable profits for companies over the long term. 

In the past year, we’ve experienced significant progress in several areas, and that has given me hope. Here are a few general themes:

• Increased awareness and motivation among investors

The number of sustainability-oriented investors continues to grow at an astounding rate. Some want to use their investments as a catalyst for change, while others want to mitigate investment risks or capitalize on environmental opportunities. In any case, their concerns are being raised and companies are responding. Investors and companies are mobilized as never before to tackle tough environmental issues. 

• Shareholders are being heard

Investors are making their priorities known through their votes. The 2021 proxy season saw record high votes in favor of environmental – and particularly, climate-related – shareholder proposals. How these votes will translate into policy and operational changes will play out in the coming years, but historically, this kind of clear investor signal leads to corporate action.

• Corporate commitments are growing and deepening

Companies are setting broader and more aggressive environment goals. For instance, hundreds of companies made a Net Zero commitment in the last year, setting a goal of eventually winding down and eliminating their carbon emissions, usually by 2050 or earlier. Others made commitments to phase out toxic chemicals from their products, work to end deforestation in their supply chains, and address many other environmental concerns. 

This year, I take the opportunity to remind myself that despite the various challenges we face in this urgent work, it’s heartening to know that investors and companies are coming together to be better stewards of the environment we all share. The momentum is real, and it bodes well for what we can accomplish if we act boldly and creatively, together.