The Christian Entrepreneur » vocational calling

As The Spirit Speaks – Then and Now

Brad Harmon — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 05:18:53 +0000

It’s funny how as much as our lives change, they still seem to stay pretty much the same. This is a picture of me from 1987 – wow, that’s 22 years ago. How time flies! It has disappeared faster than my hairline.

This was at the tail end of my “Holy Roller” days that you might recall from Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain I. I didn’t know anything about being a Christian entrepreneur back then, or that there was even such a thing.

This younger version of me didn’t understand God’s love, His mercy, or His grace. He would have never understood the phrase, “There, but for the grace of God, go I.” Looking back, it’s clear that God was preparing me to write this blog my whole life. He just had to wait for me to make a major detour to crush my pride and arrogance, but I see where His hands were all over my life.

Are You a Fat, Fat Baby?

Pictured below is one of the articles I wrote in the April 9, 1987 edition of a weekly newsletter that a group of students at our high school put together and distributed to the school. Our group was called Students With A Testimony (SWAT). I can’t imagine that they would let students distribute this type of literature on campuses today.

The original article is a little faded, but it says:

How many times have you heard a person say “I was called into the ministry,” or “It was what God told me to do?” Does this mean that God speaks to us like on Drano commercials? {remember those?}

No way. God does speak to us as clear as that if we only allow him to do so. I don’t mean to say that He will actually shout and the house will begin to shake, but He speaks to us through His word, the Bible.

I know what you’re thinking, “Hey! I’ve read the Bible many times and God never spoke to me.” Maybe so, but have you honestly read the Bible? Many Christians give the Bible only a superficial look – if any at all.

I think Amy Grant put it good {nice grammar} in her song Fat Baby. How many of us go to church every Sunday and during the week leave our devotions stuck in the mud? How can you grow if you don’t get fed?

I challenge you this week to have a time of devotion with God and let Him talk to you. Keep an open mind and an open heart, and soon good things will happen!

See ya next week!

Still great advice 22 years later, and ouch, it still stings a little. I can see the beginning of a blogger in this article.

A Natural Born Computer Geek

I’ve been a computer geek nearly all my life. I still remember my very first computer – the Commodore Vic 20. It is still the best Christmas gift I ever received. I spent hours trying to program in BASIC to get some birds to fly across my screen.

I had made it up to the Commodore 128 by the time I finished high school. My freshman year at Baylor I majored in Computer Science (it was required by my scholarship). When I dropped out, and moved to Indiana, I bought my first IBM computer.

The year was 1991, and I started my first WWII node. I had a “website” before the World Wide Web had even gone public. We created networks via modem to modem connections. It was pretty high tech for the time. Imagine had I stuck with it where I would be financially today. Besides ASCII games, we had forums where we would discuss various topics much like the forums today.

This was about the same time as my divorce, and I moved from Indiana and started college at Blinn University. Afterward, I transferred to Texas A&M where I fell in love with that accounting course that changed my career path forever.

Riding the Dot Com Wave

It’s interesting that even though I became a Certified Public Accountant, I was always attracted to high-tech internet firms. Most of my professional life as an employee has been spent inside website development companies.

Even when I opened my own accounting firm, my clients were primarily internet related businesses. My firm had a nice presence on the web launching my own website in early 2004. It’s been down for years, but it still ranks well for most keywords.

God’s Guiding Hand Discovered

In part II of Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain I, I will talk about how I opened my accounting firm and then made the decision to close it to become a Christian Business Coach. That would lead to my emergence onto the World Wide Web (yet again) just a few months ago.

There are many other examples like the ones above, where I can now see God’s hand at work in my life. This has always been by calling. It is something He has been preparing me for since I got that first computer so many years ago.

It just took a big detour for many years until I learned to get out of His way. If I could go back and talk to that younger version of me pictured above, I would tell him so many things. The most important would be God knows what He is doing – just trust Him.

Looking back at your life…

Do you see God’s hand at work?

Are you listening for His voice?

Or, are you still standing in His way?

Was Christ Forced into the Family Business?

Brad Harmon — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:00:30 +0000

Last Week, while reading 81% of Catholics Believe Their Work is a Calling From God on Shrinking the Camel, I started thinking that Christians were finally starting to get that their vocation is a calling from God.

I was quickly disappointed as I kept reading the post because it pointed out that the survey was largely comprised of those working in the church or in a charity.

I had already started my blog post Have You Been Recommended By God? when I read this article, so the idea that being a Christian entrepreneur is a vocational calling was fresh on my mind. There is an entire section in my post about it. In fact, it is one of the foundational pillars of the post.

I commented on the article and went back to finish my post. It was then that I received an email notification that a response to my comment had been made. The response challenged the notion that there have always been vocational callings. It even suggested that perhaps Christ had been forced to be a carpenter.

Here’s the comment I made on the article from Shrinking the Camel …

I wonder why so many Christians feel like they check their Christianity at the door when they head off to work. Do you think it is that they do not believe God has a place in their work life?

Perhaps it is because they are not in the career in which God called them? It is interesting that most of us forget that before their ministries began Christ was called to be a carpenter, Peter was called to be a fisherman, and Paul was called to be a tent maker.

Although they were later called into full-time ministry as their vocation, most of us are not. Yes, we are all called to be ambassadors of Christ, but we are also called to our vocations.

I wonder why so many do not realize their calling or choose not to follow it?

What do you think?

The author, Bradley J. Moore, responded with the following …

Brad (great name, btw), I think you are on to something with that idea of “calling.” I intend to write something on that sometime, as it has been on my mind for a while. We happen to live in a society where, for the most part, we have the freedom to choose our vocation as opposed to just doing whatever we were born into (for better or worse). I don’t think Peter or Jesus got to choose their jobs – they just did what their dads did, and their dads before them, etc. For all we know, the fishermen HATED their work, which is why they rushed off so quickly to follow Jesus that day. Much more exciting prospects to be had there, right?

This idea of “calling” seems to be a fairly recent phenomenon, and therefore creates a new set of problems/opportunities when we look at it through a Christian lens. There are too many choices, maybe. Or, perhaps we don’t get the good breaks in life. Or, we are not aggressive enough in pursuing what we want. Or, we get our dream job and we hate it…. Or, we find it and we love it and live out a sense of God’s purpose for our work lives.

Good thoughts, worth a lot more discussion!

Worthy of more discussion indeed. It definitely made me think about whether I was correct in my understanding of vocational callings.

Is Vocational Calling a New Idea?

At first, I thought this comment was a bit ridiculous. After having a week to think about it, I wonder if it really is though. I did not grow up in a Christian home, but luckily for me, my parents looked at the church as a convenient babysitter so I was at the church whenever the doors were open. In the 35 years of attending church services since, I can tell you I have never seen anyone walk down the aisle to proclaim that God called them to be an entrepreneur.

We do tend to get excited and praise someone that makes a decision to go into full-time ministry, don’t we? There are often announcements in the church bulletin, special fellowships, or other recognition. With all the attention, you would be led to believe that only this type of calling was special. Anything else is for lesser Christians.

It’s not something on which the church has put much focus historically. The closest the church ever seemed to come to recognizing a non-ministry calling was graduation or retirement ceremonies. In recent years, we have started looking at vocational callings and recognizing God’s hand at work.

This doesn’t mean that God has not called us to our vocations from the very beginning, but there is little room to argue that it is not a new idea as it relates to the modern church.

Is It Still a Vocational Calling if You Have no Choice?

This is an interesting question. Many entrepreneurs are groomed to take over the family business from the moment they are born. Casting off this mantle involves disrupting many family dynamics so few ever do. Bradley rightly points out that today (in the United States) we have a plethora of choices from which to choose our vocation. This has made it easier for the groomed son or daughter to break away from the family business, but it’s still difficult.

Compared with first century Christians, it’s the proverbial walk in the park. There were very few choices but to follow in the footsteps of your father. It is likely that Jesus and Peter followed in the steps of their family and became a carpenter and fisherman because there was no other choice. They may very well have hated their vocation.

We don’t know much about Christ’s life between the periods of his birth and the start of His ministry, but we do know that He was scorned by those in His hometown when He went back. Also, His family did not show up in force until the end of His ministry. Perhaps this was the lingering effect of breaking ties with the family business? It must certainly have been taboo for that time.

Jeremiah’s vocational calling came before he was conceived. Adam wasn’t given a choice of vocations when God put him in the Garden of Eden. Joseph had no choice when appointed as administrator for Potiphar or Pharaoh. Early Christian slaves had no choice for their vocation. Well, they did have one choice – not to do their vocation.

We have that same choice today, but without the harsh consequences or likely death that would befall these people. In addition, we have a plethora of choices available to us for our vocation. There is a difference between a choice and a calling though. A calling is not something we can control. It is not something we can choose. Our only choice is to follow it or not.

What Do You Think? Comment Below.

Have You Been Recommended by God?

Brad Harmon — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:23:39 +0000

Wow, can you imagine getting a word-of-mouth referral from God Himself? That would be one heck of a referral!

As Christian entrepreneurs, we should be dedicated to operating our businesses in such a manner that brings glory to God and follows the principles set forth in the Bible. Yet I wonder, is this enough to merit a recommendation from God?

Imagine for a moment that the United States is embarking on the biggest, most expensive project in its history. You receive a phone call from the white house tapping you as the person to lead the project. As you start thinking to yourself, “There must be some mistake.” The voice on the telephone says, “You have a pretty powerful friend. You were recommended by God, Himself!”

Does getting such a recommendation sound too far fetched? Well, this is exactly what God did for a man named Bezalel in Exodus 31:1-11.

Bezalel – This Man Knows His Bling

Little is known about Bezalel other than God tapped him personally to be the man that would oversee the production of Israel’s holy relics and the tabernacle. Not only was this the largest building project in the history of the Israelites at that time, but it was one that defined them as a people.

Then the LORD said to Moses, “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts- to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of craftsmanship. – Exodus 31:1-5 (NIV)

This is all that we know about Bezalel. He is only mentioned a few more times in the Bible as the crafter of these items. What can we learn from his life and God tapping him for the job?

Chosen By God – Our Vocational Calling

Isn’t it interesting that God did not tell Moses to go out and find the best craftsman? Instead, He called out the name of the man for the job.

I believe that we are all called to a vocation. It is largely through this vocation that God provides us with the resources necessary for us to carry out our part in His plans. What plans?

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. – Jeremiah 49:11

This verse has become very popular over the past few years thanks to Rick Warren’s The Purpose Driven Life. While written to the exiled Israelites in Babylon, we can claim this verse for our lives.

Okay, so God has a plan for us but where is the calling to a vocation?

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. – Jeremiah 1:5

Jeremiah was called to his vocation even before he was born. His particular calling happened to be full-time ministry, but I believe the same is true about us in our vocation as Christian entrepreneurs. We are all set apart and called to our own vocations.

Filled with the Spirit of God

Often, when the Bible talks about being filled with the Spirit of God in the Old Testament it speaks more to knowledge than to a spiritual state. I wonder though if God would have called Bezalel to such an important task if he was not also tuned in spiritually to God?

As Christian entrepreneurs, we should be filled with the Spirit of God in both ways. Jesus said that we are to first seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness. If your focus is elsewhere do not expect a referral from God.

Filled with Skill

Paul talks in Romans 12:3 about making a sober self-assessment. He goes on to talk about how we all have different callings. The connection here is one that many Christians miss. It is only when we truly look at ourselves to see with which gifts God has blessed us that we can discover His calling for our lives.

There is a reason that you have a knack for something. All too often we abandon what we are really good at for something more lucrative or accepted. To be a true Christian entrepreneur you must have the right skills and you must have a knack for it.

Filled With Ability

Ability comes in many different packages – the obvious abilities are physical and mental. God will not call you to a vocation where you are not physically or mentally capable of being successful.

Ability can also be the freedom to be able to do something. It is very hard to fulfill your vocation as a Christian entrepreneur if you are chained to debt, addiction, or other self-inflicted bonds. There are many who are tied down to the wrong vocation because they lost their freedom.

Filled with Knowledge

We should thirst for knowledge in our called vocation. It should come naturally to us to want to know more about it. We should joy in this knowledge. It’s a sign that you are following your called vocation.

This is the one area that we can directly increase ourselves. Many have discovered though that there is a difference between knowing how to do something and actually being able to do it. It is easy to become “book smart,” but this does not make you a Christian entrepreneur.

The Whole Package

I think it is pretty safe to say that had Moses been instructed to find the best man for the job that he would have picked Bezalel too.

Why do I say this? Bezalel would have …

been a man of good reputation being filled with the Spirit of God.
had a knack for making just the right product that his customers loved.
always been able to follow through on his commitments.
been up-to-date on the latest techniques and processes.

In short, he would have been filled with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge. The same should be said about us if we are truly Christian entrepreneurs. When it is, don’t be surprised if God doesn’t chime in with a recommendation for you too.