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Earlier this week we cited developments in honor of the past year (2015) in IBEC’s growth and development.  We thank God for those accomplishments and we now want to build upon them as we embrace 2016. Four months ago at our annual retreat we affirmed our purpose statement: We help build sustainable businesses through consultative […]

I was speaking at a large Christian university in the eastern USA last month and I saw a large engraving in one of the buildings, “Honor the past – Embrace the future”.  Let’s do that as this week we honor this past year in IBEC’s life and next week we will embrace the future. “The

Have you ever set out to check on something only to discover that you should have known the answer?  It just happened to me.  I wanted to check all the countries were IBEC has served and see what their Christmas traditions were.  Well, duh!  From the beginning IBEC has tried to serve the most unreached

My wife and I, being true Northerners, had never observed cotton growing on a plantation until just recently.  Those fuzzy bolls of soft cotton intrigued me to think about the history of cotton in America. Even though cotton had been grown in the South from colonial times, by the 1790’s rice, tobacco and indigo dominated

“Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” I Corinthians 10:31 NASB® Work when done for the glory of God changes everything.  Do you believe that? For some, work is drudgery.  We all know the person who comes to work not one minute early and can’t

As I think about this upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, I can’t help but reflect upon how God has blessed me throughout my life.  It certainly begs the question…Lord, how can I possibly begin to repay all the ways you continually bless me on a daily basis?  Parents who have always been there for me, coupled with

Michael Baer has written another book following up on his 2006 Business as Mission: the Power of Business in the Kingdom of God.  This time, in 2IC: Business as Mission for the Rest of Us, he clarifies that we all can – and should – be involved in Business as Mission.  Even those who are not the

I have loved sports all of my life and I love to watch major league sports especially at the culmination of the season.  This year’s World Series was no exception. Sports may be a metaphor for life – and for business.  Remember the Aaron Rodgers commercial in the school classroom when several professional people were

I recently visited an interesting dairy farm in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.  Our friends knew that I had a farming background and loved good ice cream so after attending a cattle auction, we drove through the autumn countryside to the Lapp Valley Farms, a family owned business which produces milk and cream for a top quality

Earlier this year I tried to consolidate the material that exists on the subject of ‘Best Practices for BAM Startups’.  These seven items are not necessarily comprehensive and complete, but hopefully they will be a help to organizations and individuals starting down the pathway of Kingdom entrepreneurship. Work with an entrepreneur.   Though such people