The Unbiblical Myth of “Full Time Ministry”

The Unbiblical Myth of “Full Time Ministry” by Scott Volk

I want to put a challenge before you – are you ready? Okay, here we go! Pull out your Strong’s Concordance and look up the term ‘full time ministry’. I’m willing to award a prize to the one who finds the most references. As a matter of fact, I’ll gladly give an expensive gift to anyone who can produce one instance where that exact terminology is used anywhere in the original languages!

Let me save you some time. There is not one person in the entire Bible that is referred to as being in full time ministry! Isn’t it amazing how frequently we hear the phrase ‘full-time ministry’ and it’s not even found once in the Word of God? Perhaps we need to ask the Lord for a more Biblical paradigm.

Imagine the following scenario: There are two 30-year-old men standing in front of you. One of them is serving in a third world country and has diligently raised support so that he and his family could serve as missionaries for the next five years. The other man is a fireman in a city that is growing. This man is committed to being a Godly husband to his wife and father to his children. The amount of money that he makes is irrelevant to him as long as he keeps the Lord first in his life and is a witness for Jesus every moment of the day.

With the above scenario in mind, it’s unfortunate, according to the way many of us look at things, that the man in the third world country is considered in ‘full-time ministry’ whereas the fireman would be considered working a ‘secular job’ (by the way, the term ‘secular job’ isn’t found in the Bible either!).

Although this may sound a little confrontational and may ruffle some feathers, I believe that the term ‘full time ministry’ needs to be entirely eradicated from our vocabulary due to the unbiblical connotation that it portrays! Because it’s Jesus that has commissioned us, we are all called to be His witnesses whether we serve as a pastor or a plumber. The Lord doesn’t look down from heaven and recognize us by whether we’re in full-time ministry or not! We’re all His children and called to serve Him!

I’m continually grieved when I run into people who have given into the whisper of the enemy, who has convinced them that they’re not living up to their potential because they are settling for working a job that this age considers secular. There is a whole group of people who are reading this right now who feel like failures because they graduated from a Bible college or a school of ministry and are not employed by a ‘church’ or ‘ministry’.

Think of Moses for a moment…was he ever employed by a church or ministry? He lived within the confines of Godless Pharaoh’s house for the first 40 years of his life and then worked his tail off as a shepherd on the back side of the desert for the next 40 years. He was never written up in a magazine for his potential as one of the up-and-coming history makers of his generation. How sad it is that if he were alive today, many of our modern-day leaders would pay no attention to him because he wasn’t ‘in the ministry’. As a matter of fact, depending on where he went to church, he might even be rebuked for wasting the best years of his life!

Just this morning I was on the phone with a graduate who really felt that the Lord would one day have his family serving as missionaries in a foreign country. So, he quit his job (which, by the way, was a great source of income for his growing family) and prepared to make the next step toward the mission field. I listened intently as he shared with me that it seemed like the Lord was calling him back to his previous job because the time was not yet right to move overseas.

At this point, some of you might say, “Well, he just needs to step out in faith and do it because God’s word says, ‘Go!’” Although there is great truth in that statement, there is yet an underlying truth that requires us to not abort the preparation process so that when we do go, we are not going with our own power, but rather in the power of the One who has commissioned us.

It’s amazing to me that Jesus Himself, the Son of God, didn’t launch into His ultimate calling until He was thirty years of age! Looking at that from a worldly kind of wisdom, you might say that some of those youthful years could have been better spent seeing the dead raised and the blind eyes opened. After all, He would have gotten a tremendous head start on a ‘successful ministry’ if He began earlier.

Amazingly, when the Lord trumpeted from heaven that “This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased”, Jesus had not yet done anything that modern-day Christianity would refer to as ‘ministry’. God was pleased with His Son simply because He was a Son. That, my friends, is a truth that we must all embrace!

The value of our lives to our Creator is not based on what we do but rather on who we are! I want to encourage all of you that Father God loves you not for what you can produce for Him but simply because you are His son and daughter. Our ultimate eternal destiny on this earth is to glorify the Lord by being a demonstration of the Kingdom of God. That must take place as we preach, as we wait on tables, as we drive a taxi cab, as we teach kindergarten, as we practice law, as we counsel, as we mow lawns, as we break bread together, as we fish, as we fight fires, as we sell real estate, as we flip hamburgers, as we raise our children, as we…

I think you’re getting the picture. Be a demonstration of the Kingdom of God wherever it is that He has you serving. And, if you have yet to see His promises for your life fulfilled, keep hanging on to those things which He has spoken, remembering that “faithful is He who calls you, He will also bring it to pass”!

5 Things I've Learned in Business and Ministry

5 Things I've Learned in Business and Ministry
Guest post by Chris
James Reiner

10 years, I have been working in the challenging world of business as mission at Belay Enterprises. Someone recently asked me what would make up my list of five important lessons for a faith venture. As a reminder, I define a faith venture as a for-profit or non-profit business that creates employment and opportunity for a disadvantaged population. In no particular order, here's my list:

1. Let the business lead the ministry- A faith venture has two bottom lines. It seeks business profits in order to support itself and grow. It also hopes to change lives by accomplishing its ministry. The great danger is that sometimes these two goals conflict with each other. In certain cases pursuing the mission will cost the mission and vice versa. I believe that if one is pursuing a Christ-centered business then all of business is ministry. So it then becomes acceptable to let the business lead the ministry because without a focus on the bottom-line this unique ministry opportunity disappears.

2. Stay true to your mission in the midst of the business- The second great danger facing a faith venture is losing sight of the ministry because of the focus on the business. Never forget the original God-purposed redemptive DNA of your particular faith venture.

3. Sell, sell, sell- An entrepreneurial organization must be about selling its product and mission at all levels of its organization to its target market. An organization that forgets to sell is an organization that is forgotten.

4. Cash Flow, Cash Flow, Cash Flow- Many a good faith venture or enterprise has died for lack of focus on cash. Knowing your cash position at any given moment drives your strategy and actions.

5. Trust God- In reality, when you combine business and mission, it is going to get messy. One must work hard toward your business plan and mission goals and then prayerfully trust God with the results.

Owners or Stewards

Owners or Stewards by Bob Mumford

But those farmhands saw their chance. They rubbed their hands together in greed and said,
“This is the heir! Let’s kill him and have it all for ourselves.”[1]

There is a critical difference between a steward and an owner. Mark 12 tells a story about some vine growers who refused to give the fruit of cultivation to the landowner. They beat and killed every person the landowner sent, even his beloved son. These vine-growers were not the owners; they were only stewards, yet they acted as if they owned the vineyard.

When we are an owner, we think that just because we have first dibs on something, it is essentially ours. I go to the gym three days a week in the early morning and use a certain cardio machine—the second one on the first row. That is my machine. Just as I was getting into my ownership routine, a woman started getting there a few minutes ahead of me. Every morning, she was on my machine. The Lord put me through many changes over that until I began to see the subtle and demanding nature of ownership.

In church, ownership takes many forms including sitting in the third pew on the left. All the regular churchgoers know that that is your seat so they choose to sit elsewhere. We know we are an owner when we get all bent out of shape if a visitor takes our assigned seat. I knew a man who was one of the most powerful worship leaders, but he owned it. One day, the Lord just lifted the anointing from him not because of overt sin, but because he began to be an owner. We are called to be stewards, not owners. It is not our church, or our people; it is His church and His people. It is not our parking place or our particular privilege.

Ownership can be seen in offices and titles, i.e. apostle, prophet, pastor, teacher. When someone goes by Apostle Smith or Prophet Jones, there is a good chance they feel some ownership of the position. Someone once introduced me as Dr. Mumford and when I got up to speak I said, “I’m not a doctor, I’m not even a nurse.” I was seeking to avoid illegal ownership. The minute we start owning anything or anyone, we have abandoned our call to be stewards.

Several years ago, we sent our son, Eric, into another country to build a family home for orphans. Once established, Eric appointed a steward to help oversee the work there. This steward slowly began to take ownership of the home. Once he felt he was the owner, he began to assassinate Eric’s character by giving false reports to the media and social workers and eventually took Eric to court for custody of the children in the home. The social workers believed the media stories and soon Eric was forced to abandon the work he started there. Essentially, this steward beat up our son and kicked him and his family out of the vineyard.[2]

We don’t own our reputation, our occupation, or our children. As Kingdom men and women, we are placed in these positions as stewards of Father’s House. The moment we start seeking to own something, whether it’s anointing, title, ministry, or our kids, the life is squeezed out and God’s Agape begins to dissipate. How do we know whether we are an owner or a steward? Just let God touch whatever we think we are stewarding. If the Lord gives it, He can take it.

Thoughts & Questions


* Describe the difference between an owner and a steward.
* In what ways have you experienced being an owner?
* What has God called you to steward? Can your stewardship be improved in any way?



[1] Mark 12:7 MSG
[2] For more information, I recommend Eric's Plumbline entitled “Sonship Keeps Lifting Me.”

CATERING KENARI IMMANUEL

CATERING KENARI IMMANUEL

Bekerjasama di dalam pelayanan maupun usaha untuk mendanai pelayanan yang ada maka kami bersinergi dengan Catering Kenari Immanuel memberikan sebuah proposal layananan bagi merek ayng membutuhkan jasa catering baik untuk acara gereja, persekutuan doa, retraet, pernikahan dan acara-acara lainnya. God bless you.

Jl. Kenari No. 3 Bandung 40117
Tlp / Fax : 022 – 4211837
Hp : 08122109138 – 76420837 – 70533647 - 70228809
MENU PAKET A
Harga Rp 55.000 /Orang / Hari
Sudah termasuk Kerupuk & Sambal
MENU MAKAN PAGI
1.Nasi goreng,telor dadar, Timun iris
2.Nasi kuning, Tempe Cabe Ijo + Soun, telor iris.
3.Bubur ayam, Cakue+ayam +kacang dicampur
4.Nasi uduk, Labu gulai, telor iris
5.Bihun Goreng, Ayam + Telor Dicampur

MENU MAKAN SIANG / MALAM
Sudah termasuk Nasi putih, kerupuk udang, sambal, acar, dan buah kombinasi

1.Nasi timbel, Ayam bakar/Jogja, tahu goreng, tempe bacem, lalab, sambel
2.Ayam goreng serundeng/Gepuk, sayur asem, tempe bacem
3.Semur daging sapi, sup sayur, perkedel jagung
4.Ayam kecap mentega, cah cosin tahu, sambel goreng kentang
5.Sosis asem manis, kentang manis, cah buncis telor
6.Rendang sapi, soun cabe hijau, cah tahu tauco
7.Fuyung hai, capcai kuah, mie goreng
8.Ikan tongkol masak sardines, daun singkong, tahu kerecek
9.Bola-bola daging sapi, sup macaroni, tahu goring isi
10.Ayam bumbu rendang, cah kangkung, bakwan.
11.Soto Bandung, Pindang Telor, Perkedel Jagung
12.Gudeg, Sambal grg Krecek, Opor Ayam
13.Lodeh, Telor Asin, Pepes Peda, Tempe Tahu Bacem

SNACK PAGI / SORE
1.Kue mangkok, martabak,teh/kopi
2.Pisang aroma, ambeikuk, teh/kopi
3.Gemlong, pastel, teh/kopi
4.Bika ambon, risoles, teh/kopi
5.Putu ayu, talam asin, teh/kopi
6.Kolek pisang, teh
7.Bubur kacang ijo, the

MENU PAKET B
Harga Rp 65.000 /Orang / Hari
Sudah termasuk Kerupuk & Sambal
MENU MAKAN PAGI
1.Nasi goreng, telor mata sapi,Timun iris
2.Nasi uduk, abon, telor iris, Labu Gulai
3.Nasi kuning, Abon, Telor iris, Tempe Soun Cabe ijo
4.Bubur ayam special, Cakue, Ayam
5.Soto ayam, Telor Pindang, Nasi Putih
6.Bihun goreng special

MENU MAKAN SIANG / MALAM
Sudah termasuk Nasi putih, kerupuk udang, sambal, acar, dan buah kombinasi
1.Nasi timbel, ayam bakar/gepuk, tahu goreng, tempe bacem, sayur asem, ikan asin, lalab, sambel
2.Beef Teriyaki / Sapi lada hitam, cah brokoli tahu jepang, mie goreng special, perkedel kentang
3.Ikan asem manis, Capcai, Babi kecap
4.Sate ayam manis / Sate Babi, cah kangkung, mendoan, kentang manis daging sapi Cingcang
5.Sop baso Campur (Sapi,Mambo), soun special, udang goreng tepung
6.Beef yakiniku, Sup Bola-bola Tahu, Mie goreng special
7.Ayam kecap mentega, ikan bumbu bali, acar kuning
8.Bakut, perkedel jagung, sate babi
9.Babi hong/panggang babi, sop kimlo, Telor pindang
10.Soto Bandung, Pindang Telor, Perkedel Jagung
11.Gudeg, Sambal grg Krecek, Opor Ayam,Tempe Mendoan
12.Lodeh, Telor Asin, Ayam Goreng Kenari, Tempe Tahu Bacem
SNACK PAGI / SORE
1.Onde, pastel, softdrink
2.1 jenis roti isi, kopi/teh
3.Donat,kopi/teh
4.Bolu gulung strawberry, teh/kopi
5.Bolu keju, teh/kopi
6.Risoles, talam manis,teh/kopi
7.Putu ayu, sandwich, teh/kopi
8.Kolek campur(pisang, biji salak)
9.Bubur campur (kacang hijau+ketan)
CATERING KENARI IMMANUEL
Jl. Kenari No. 3 Bandung 40117
Tlp / Fax : 022 – 4211837
Hp : 08122109138 – 76420837 – 70533647 - 70228809



MENU PAKET C
Harga Rp 75.000 / Orang / Hari

MENU MAKAN PAGI
1.Nasi goreng special, telor ceplok, kerupuk, sambal, timun & Tomat iris
2.Nasi uduk / kuning special, telor iris, ayam goreng, kentang kering, kerupuk, sambal
3.Bubur ayam special (ayam, ati ampela, cakue telor pindang ) kerupuk, sambal
4.Nasi Bakmoy
5.Nasi tim special (ayam, jamur, hioko, telor ) kerupuk, sambel

MENU MAKAN SIANG / MALAM
Sudah termasuk Nasi putih, kerupuk udang, sambal, acar, dan buah kombinasi

Chinesse Food :
1.Babi hong, fu yong hai, ca brokoli tahu jepang ayam jamur
2.Bakut sayur asin, ayam ca ala Taiwan, udang nugget
3.Sup baso ikan isi babi, kekian, kalian
4.Nasi campur/Hainam ( babi panggang, sate, baso goreng)
5.Sup kaki babi tahu, kakap asem manis, sapo tofu jepang
Indonesian Food :
1.Nasi timbel, ayam bakar, gepuk/babat, asyur asem, asin, tahu, tempe, lalab
2.Semur bola-bola dengan daging sapi, chicken nugget, ca babi pakcoy ayam jamur
3.Sup ayam kembang tahu, kakap asam manis, capcay special
4.Sup baso campur, mie goreng special, udang nugget
5.Kornet lidah, ayam ca jamur mede, beef teriyaki
6.Ayam nanking, kalian dengan sapi, angsio tahu jepang
7.Daging/sengkel rendang, ayam opor, gudeg krecek, telor pindang
8.Sup kimlo, rolade, fu yung hai, perkedel jagung
9.Sambel goreng daging, kentang kacang kering, gado-gado matang, telur bumbu rujak
10.Sup gulden musroom ayam, kakap asem manis, soun goreng spesial

MENU SNACK PAGI DAN SORE
1.Kue mangkok, martabak telor, teh, kopi
2.Pisang aroma keju, bubur lolos, teh, kopi
3.Bolu gulung lapis strawberry/nanas, teh, kopi/ovaltine
4.Kolek pisang/biji salak/kolang-kaling, teh
5.Onde paste, softdrink
6.Satu macam bubur(ketan hitam atau kacang hijau)
7.Bika ambon, risoles, sofdrink
8.Putu ayu, sandwich, teh, kopi
9.Bolu gulung, teh, kopi
10.Susu mkroni bakar, teh, kopi
11.Bolu keju, talam, teh, kopi
12.Siomay/bapau, teh, kopi

NB: 1 Hari : makan pagi, snack pagi, makan siang, snack siang, dan makan malam
PERINCIAN DAFTAR HARGA




PAKET
A
PAKET
B
PAKET
C
SNACK
SS
6,000
SS
6,500
SS
7,000
JAGUNG BAKAR
3,500
LONTONG
1,500
MM
16,500
MM
20,000
MM
24,000
BANDREK
4,000
SUSU MURNI
4,000
MP
10,000
MP
12,000
MP
13,000
BAJIGUR
4,000
KOPI
1,500
SP
6,000
SP
6,500
SP
7,000
PISANG GOR
1,500
TEH MANIS
1,000
MS
16,500
MS
20,000
MS
24,000
GEHU, BALA2
1,500
KACANG REBUS
1,500
JUMLAH
55,000
 
65,000
 
75,000
ROTI BAKAR
3,500
UBI REBUS
1,500

There is No Grace in the Marketplace

There is No Grace in the Marketplace
By Dan Meylan www.weaversonline.org
In the late 80’s we had a large insurance client, a plastics extrusion company with over 150 full time employees. Their primary product was cassette cartridges. This company was one of the primary employers in a community with a population of 4,000. Today that 120,000 sq ft building is vacant and those jobs are gone. Manufacturing cassette cartridges is no longer a viable business. There is no grace in the marketplace.

We were one of the investors a new trucking business established in response to a marketplace opportunity. One of the first drivers hired was a close Christian friend with 3 small children who was unemployed. During the first 30 days he failed to make his appointed deliveries on 6 separate occasions. The customers were unhappy and sought alternative trucking services. We were forced to terminate our friend and find another driver who was reliable. There is no grace in the marketplace.

Grace is not a substitute for competence. Grace is not a substitute for hard work. Grace is not a substitute for knowledge and learning. Grace is not a valid marketplace strategy. Grace is not a business tool. Grace is not a sustainable business strategy. There is no grace in the marketplace.

The definition of “grace” is “unmerited favor”. We are saved by grace. As Christians we are saved by the unmerited favor of Christ’s blood on the cross. Unfortunately we live in a fallen world. God’s concept and execution of “grace” may be transferable to our individual human interactions but it certainly cannot be sustained as a marketplace strategy. There is no grace in gravity. There is no grace in the principles that allow an airplane to fly, the aerodynamics that keep and aircraft airborne are very exacting. The principle of grace in interpersonal relationships only works when it is freely given. It is a cancer when it becomes an expectation.

Unfortunately many Christian business owners operate on the premise that they will be given “grace” for their lack of skill or competence. Make no mistake there is no grace in the marketplace. You must be able to deliver your products and services to a standard of competence at least equal to that of your competitors or you will quickly cease to exist. The marketplace rewards high levels of competence and punishes incompetence ruthlessly. This is not a law or a regulation that you can amend or appeal. This is a reality as predictable as the sunrise. The marketplace sets its own rules but it does place a high value on what God values.

In life we grow from ignorance to competence and ultimately to excellence if we dedicate ourselves to disciplined, focused attention to our God given gifts, talents and abilities. Think about the last time you traveled on a commercial airline. You probably took it for granted that the pilot was competent. At some point in his or her life he or she did not know how to fly, he or she was completely ignorant. Then over a period of time through rigorous training and practice they reached a level of competence that allowed them to take on the responsibility as a pilot in command of a commercial airliner. Additionally we know and understand that their competence is continually evaluated and assessed by a regulatory agency which has the authority to revoke their pilot privilege if their competence deteriorates. Of all the pilots in the world the top 5% might be considered “excellent” but we as the passengers have no way to know or understand or evaluate the criteria that might make them “excellent”. We assume they are all competent. Would you be interested in boarding a commercial airline whose pilots were given “grace” for their marginal competence?

Dan Meylan is the President and Founder of Weavers a ministry that teaches and trains business owners to operate their business according to biblical principles.

God is Able; Are you Willing?

God is Able; Are you Willing?
By James Ryle www.truthworks.org

“Teacher, make my brother divide the inheritance with me!” (Luke 12:13)

It has to be one of the most bizarre interruptions in all of the Bible. Jesus, the sinless Son of God is preaching a power-packed sermon to several thousand stalwart souls, and He is hammering away at the wickedness of the self-righteous Pharisees who are standing nearby waiting to ensnare Him in His words.

Those listening had to be held in the grip of great tension, for they all knew that at any moment the Pharisees could erupt in anger and haul Jesus off to be punished – or even stoned to death.

And then it happened. Some brainless guy in the crowd, sitting near the front interrupted Jesus with this – “Teacher, make my brother divide the inheritance with me!”

What!? Obviously the man had not heard a word Jesus had said, and here’s why. He was a man with money on his mind! I can’t help but wonder if that is true of many of us today? Perhaps we would benefit by what the Lord said to this hapless soul.

Jesus asked him, “Who made Me a judge or arbitrator over you?”(vs.14). In other words, Jesus was asking the man if he was truly willing to accept the Lord’s unbiased judgement in his financial affairs, and to implement His decisions without dispute. I wonder – would you be willing to let the Lord decide your financial affairs?

Jesus told the man, and also the listening crowd, “A man’s life does not consist of the abundance of the things he possesses”(vs.15). Then, to illustrate His point, Jesus tells the story about a man who built himself bigger and bigger barns to hold all the bounty of his labors – only to be confronted one night by God saying, “Fool! This night shall your soul be required of thee! Now, to whom shall all these things belong?” And just like that, the man died.

Jesus said, “This is what it will be like for those who lay up treasure for themselves, but are not rich toward God.” (vs.21).

God is able to make all grace abound to you SO THAT in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound to every good work.” Yes, God is able; but the real question is, “Are you willing?”

Are you willing to stop the stock-piling of your ever increasing wealth, so that others can be blessed by your generosity as you openly share what God has graciously provided into your hands? Will you let the Lord show you how to become a giver? Are you willing to “abound to every good work?”

That is what the Judge and Arbitrator of your life’s estate is directing you to do. “You already abound in so many things,” He says, “See that you abound in this grace of giving also”(2 Co.8:7).

The only questions now to be answered are, “Will you live as a generous man? Or, will you die as a rich fool?”

The Power of God Given Ideas

The Power of God Given Ideas
By Bob Gass www.thevine.co.nz

All peoples on earth will be blessed through you Genesis 28:14 NIV

Good ideas come from God, so ask Him for one. The world's been blessed by those who did. Consider anaesthesia: how would you like to be operated on without it? That's the way they did it until a Scottish doctor named James Young Simpson introduced something he called "artificial sleep." As a student at Edinburgh University he was attracted to surgery because he was troubled by the pain and mortality rate experienced during operations. As a result of reading Genesis 2:21, "And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam," Simpson thought chloroform might be the answer. He first experimented on himself. Finally, in 1847, the first three operations with chloroform took place. One of the patients, a young soldier, enjoyed it so much that he seized the sponge and inhaled again. "It was just too good to be stopped," he said.

At first Simpson encountered opposition. Some thought it was a sin to interfere with nature. "Hand me the Bible," said Dr. Simpson. "This is how God operated on Adam." Simpson made speeches, wrote letters and pamphlets and tried to convince those who opposed him that this was the way forward. In a setback, when three deaths attributed to chloroform were reported from other hospitals, Simpson was able to show them that they were not applying the anaesthesia correctly. The tide turned when Queen Victoria gave birth to her eighth child under chloroform and declared that she was "greatly pleased with its effect." Today ask God to give you an idea that blesses others. Then act on it!

One God-given idea can change so much. Braille sure did! In 1824, Louis Braille, a Christian, invented a system of raised dots on paper so that blind people could read. He invented 63 symbols representing every language, hence God's Word was placed into the hands of the visually impaired for the first time. And communications? In part, you owe your mobile phone and your computer to a Christian named Samuel Morse. How different the world was before him! First-class news took two weeks to reach the USA. And reports of a major victory could take six weeks to reach Britain.

One day a friend said, 'Morse, when you were experimenting did you ever come to an absolute deadlock, not knowing what to do?' Morse replied, 'More than once.' His friend asked, 'What did you do then?' Morse shared a secret, 'I got down on my knees and prayed for light, and light came, and when my inventions were acknowledged by flattering honours from America and Europe, I said, "Not unto me, O Lord, not unto me, but unto Thy name give the glory."' That's why the first message sent by transatlantic cable read, 'What God has wrought.' Now add another Christian named Louis Pasteur, the French scientist who showed us that infection is the result of things we cannot see, namely germs and viruses. He introduced sterilisation methods that eventually saved the lives of multitudes. Think God has run out of good ideas? Not a chance! Ask Him for one for your life, your ministry or your business!

In 'What the World Owes to Christians', Dr Victor Pearce, an Oxford scholar, shares the story of the typewriter. 'The typewriter was a forerunner to the modern word processor. But how did a Christian come to invent it? To write sermons. I'm serious! Christopher Sholes was concerned about his pastor who'd been busy all week visiting victims of an epidemic, comforting the bereaved and conducting funerals. Consequently he had no time to write his Sunday sermons. One day Sholes, discussing with a friend what could be done, said, "It seems a pity there ain't some quick method of writing for busy folks like parsons." His friend replied, "Why not invent a machine?" Sholes responded, "I'll try." That rainy afternoon was the beginning of months of hard work. Finally a group assembled one day to see him tap out on paper, in capital letters, C LATHAM SHOLES, NOV 1867.

Six years later the Remingtons recognised the typewriter as something that could revolutionise business. In those days clerks were mostly men, but the Young Women's Christian Association started offering courses in typing for women. Initially it created a scandal, but as the first typists to be trained were women, employers rushed to hire them. Hence the typewriter and the YWCA determined that a woman's place was not only at home, but could also be in the office.' Is it okay for me to pray for God to bless my business? Yes! God wants to bless your business so that you can help carry out His, which is the business of reaching the world with the Gospel.