A Family Integrated Business?

Nuts and Bolts of the Family Business Conference, July 20-21, 2012

Last week we went to an AME Conference (Apprentice, Mentor, Entrepreneur) called Nuts and Bolts of the Family Economy. The conference was geared toward equipping and encouraging families interested in establishing a family business.

In some of the a family businesses they worked together out of their homes. Fathers work at home leading their families while simultaneously mentoring their own children. The children learn a trade from the best teachers that they could ever have, their parents.

What a radical idea! Instead of sending our children off to college (where they can be brainwashed by secular professors), why not teach them while they’re young how to start their own businesses? Why not give them real world experience learning an actual trade and save thousands of dollars? One speaker proposed the idea that if children start working by the age of six, they will potentially be ready to start a business by sixteen. If a young man starts a business by sixteen he could, potentially, be ready for marriage by twenty-one because he will have a viable income. Actually, there were a few young men at the conference who did this. One started his first business at thirteen.

I found it interesting that every speaker that I saw quoted the same verse from the Shema:

“You shall teach them [the commandments of God] diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.” – Deuteronomy 6:7

And most of the speakers backed up their points using the Torah. One speaker quoted Deuteronomy 5:13,14:

“Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the Lord your God;”

His point was this: God gave us six days to work, not five. So, if we worked for six days, we would have more income and we could get ahead. Moreover, if we worked for six days, how much more would we appreciate the Sabbath?

Another speaker quoted the other half of Deuteronomy 5:14:

“…in it [Shabbat] you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant or your ox or your donkey or any of your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you, so that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you.”

His point was this: Who’s doing the work? You (the papa and mama), the son, the daughter, the male and female servant, and the sojourner. Could this be a picture of a family business? Could a family business be Biblical? Could moving toward a multigenerational business be the next natural step after homeschooling and being part of a multigenerational community of faith?

Another great point that I took away from the conference was this:

“In a family business, don’t consider yourself a business owner only but a discipler of people!”

Your children and your employees will be your disciples. That is such a great idea and that's what it's all about anyway—right? Making disciples like the Master commanded us?

AME is somehow related to CHEC (Christian Home Educators of Colorado) so all the speakers are coming from a homeschooling perspective. The more I thought about it all, the more I realized that this ‘family economy’ movement was bound to happen. I see it like this—as home schooled children graduate high school, parents start to ask themselves "What’s next for my son or daughter? College or a Job?" Either way, they will be trained, taught, or mentored by someone else. So who are these teachers or employers? What beliefs do they have? What is their relationship to our God and Messiah? Yeshua said:

“A pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher.” - Luke 6:40

Has this been your experience? It was for me. In college, students began to mimic their favorite professors; they used their favorite phrases and adopted their philosophies. At a first job, employees try to emulate their bosses; they learn their tricks of the trade and start to use their terminology. It happens just like the Master said—the pupil will, inevitably, be like his teacher. Who is teaching your adult children?

I wanted to share this to challenge your thinking and remind and encourage you that, as disciples of Yeshua, we will be counter culture. The things that we do will not always look like the rest of the world; and that's okay. We should be okay with this. We should get used to this and help our children to get used to it too.



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Riding Into The Storm

From this spot the mountains can be seen just over the tree tops but
because of the approaching storm, the mountains are not visible at all.

Sunday morning Isaac asked me to take him on a bike ride. He had been wanting to get out on his bike for some time now so I took him on a quick ride through the neighborhood. Although we only rode for a little more than half an hour, we covered a good amount of distance; I was impressed anyway. Since the beginning of July I have been telling Margaret that I was going to start biking to work; but for one reason or another I couldn't ride the bike because I needed to use my service van. That morning after my ride with Isaac, I was so pumped that I decided to drive the van to the office, leave it there and then bike home. I figured I would leave the van at the office from now on so when I need it, it's there. So, that night I did it; I loaded up my laptop and bike, dropped off the van and laptop at the office and then road the bike home. Going at a pretty good pace, it took me thirty minutes to get home. I noticed that, for the most part, the trip was up hill.

On Monday morning, my first day to ride to work, I left with about forty five minutes to get there. I arrived with plenty of time to spare. It felt good to ride to work. Coasting down the hills breathing in the cool, refreshing morning air. It was a great way to start the day.

At lunch I ran to the store and picked up a backpack for my laptop and all of the other stuff that I normally carry with me. As I transferred the stuff from the old bag to the new backpack I realized that I carry a lot of stuff around. As a bi-vocational pastor I find it a necessity to have some of my study material with me at all times, just in case I have an opportunity to study wherever I'm at.

Around three o'clock in the afternoon I heard some comments from down the hall about the weather and how dark it looked over the mountains. "Storm's moving in from the mountains! We're going to get dumped on!" shouted one of my coworkers. In all of my zeal and excitement to bike to work, I did not consider the weather. I went outside to look at the sky; it was dark. I began to get nervous.

Being the analytical person that I am, I typically don't jump into things without first thoroughly thinking them through; at least that's how I see myself. Looking back on my life, however, I find it interesting that some of the biggest life decisions that I've made, were made on a whim; without thinking too much about them. Most of these decisions I don't regret, and in fact, if I had stopped to analyze them at the time (or listened to the advice of others), I probably would have made different choices that would have taken my life in a whole other direction. So I embraced my not-so-thought-out decision to ride my bike to work, I put my goal before me and I determined to ride home--rain or shine.

As the workday was quickly coming to a close several folks offered me a ride. I declined. I also kept my mind from the thought of leaving my bike at the office and driving the van home or calling Margaret to pick me up. At this point, nothing was going to keep me from my goal. I strapped on the twenty pound backpack, climbed on the bike and began to make my way home.

Having made this trip twice within the past twenty four hours, from the office to the house the night before and from the house to the office that morning, my legs were already fatigued. I had only gone a couple of blocks from the office when my thighs began to burn. This is when I discovered that my gears are in need of a major adjustment; my shifting was limited for the entire ride home. As I pushed ahead, up hill and against the wind, the extra weight from the backpack became an ever-present reality. If this wasn't enough, I could see the dark gray clouds begin to cover the foothills as they quickly advanced in my direction. I was becoming discouraged.

In my mind it became a race; I had to beat the storm to the house but I had to keep a much slower pace than I did the night before. I prayed as I peddled; asking for endurance and the strength to make it. Once I started to feel a slight drizzle on my forearms and my face, I began to look around for places of refuge in the event that it started to "dump" on me. As I made my way through the bike trail I saw several people huddled under trees or standing beneath underpasses with their dogs. I was sure at any moment the rain would begin to fall on me and I would soon be drenched; my computer, Bible, books and everything else in my backpack. Every now and then a big raindrop would hit my face or my arms and I'd think, "This is it! It's going to pour!" but it never did.

Once I past the halfway mark I looked up to see that the mountains were becoming visible again. The dark clouds cleared up and I never felt the full impact of the storm. I finished my ride home in a cool, misty breeze. When I arrived at the house everyone was surprised that I wasn't drenched because the neighborhood had been "dumped on." I gave thanks to God and I was glad that I didn't give up but rather pushed myself as I was riding into the storm not knowing what to expect.

I feel like I am riding into a storm right now. I can see the dark clouds ahead and it's approaching fast but I have to remain resilient and stand my ground. It's tempting to look around for places of refuge to run and hide but I need to be looking to God for my refuge and my strength. I'm not sure what the outcome is going to be; I don't know what's going to happen when this storm passes or if I will even make it through the storm, but whatever happens, I know God is in it. I just hope I am faithful in this test in order to glorify His Name.



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You Shall Rejoice In Your Feast

"One who is gracious to a poor man lends to the LORD,
And He will repay him for his good deed."
Proverbs 19:17, NAS

Our Torah Portion this week (Deut 16:13-22) begins with more details regarding the third and final Pilgrimage Festival, the Feast of Booths (aka—Sukkot). We are reminded that, like the Feast of Weeks or Shavuot, during Sukkot the Children of Israel are commanded to rejoice. This feast takes place at the beginning of the Fall season; the time when fruits are harvested. The Text says that they are to celebrate after they have "gathered in from your threshing floor and your wine vats" which is an indication that their rejoicing is out of gratitude to God for all that He has provided; namely a bountiful fruit harvest. The implication in Deut 16:15 is that they did, or will, have gathered in a large harvest because they are, or will be, blessed by God. This is where we find a connection between this week's portion and last week's (Deut 15:7-16:12).

In last week's passage we read about the poor in the land and how they are to be taken care of. The Children of Israel are commanded to give generously to their poor brother.

"You shall generously give to him [the poor brother], and your heart shall not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in all your undertakings."
- Deut 15:10, NAS

The context of this passage is the Shmita, the seventh or Sabbatical Year; also known as the Year of Release or Remission because during this year, all debts are forgiven. The command in Deut 15:9 is to give to the poor brother who is in need even though the Shmita is near; which means his debt will be forgiven and you will not be paid back. Moses instructs the people to give generously to their poor brother when he is in need and in doing so, God will bless them in all their work and in all their undertakings, i.e. their harvest. In this imagery we can see a cycle of giving and receiving; giving to the poor and receiving from God. Receiving blessings from God (in the form of a bountiful harvest) and then sharing these blessings with the needy.

Another point that we cannot overlook is the identity of the poor in the Land. The Text is clear in identifying who they are—"one of your brothers" (Deut 15:7) that is, a fellow Israelite and not a foreigner. More specifically, the poor are the Levite, the alien, the widow and the orphan (Deut 14:28-29). The Levite and the alien do not have an inheritance in the land, therefore they cannot provide for themselves. The widow does not have a husband to provide for her and the orphan, or fatherless, is without a father and therefore without provision. These four groups of people are legitimately poor; they have a valid need as opposed to the able-bodied young man who refuses to work. The Apostle Paul says of these individuals, "if [he] is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either." (2 Thes 3:10)

In this week's passage we see that these four groups of poor people are commanded to rejoice at Sukkot along with another four groups of people:

"...you shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter and your male and female servants and the Levite and the stranger and the orphan and the widow who are in your towns."
- Deut 16:14, NAS

The Levite, the alien, the widow and the orphan are contrasted against sons, daughters, male and female servants. The latter four groups are those who are part of a household within the Children of Israel. Their needs are provided for, they are taken care of. The former four groups are the poor and underprivileged, those who are in need. But the command doesn't seem to be given to them, it seems to be directed to the same individuals who were addressed in Deut 15—those who are NOT in need, those who DO have an inheritance, those who HAVE been blessed abundantly by God. The Midrash comments on this passage:

Hashem says:
"Your household includes four kinds of members: your sons, daughters, male and maid servants; and My household includes four: the levi'im, gairim, orphans, and widows. If you cheer My household members, I will then make yours and Mine happy."
- R. Moshe Weissman, "The Midrash Says, The Book of Devarim" (Brooklyn, NY: Bnay Yakov 2010) 200.

In other words, the poor are members of God's family too and during Sukkot (and all the Festivals for that matter) it is good to make sure that they are able to celebrate along with everyone else. Is this any different than today? Are we not also charged with this commandment to make sure that the needy in our communities are able to celebrate the Festivals with us? Yes we are. The Sages encourage those who are well-off to invite the poor into their homes on Yom Tov (festival) or to give them donations so that they can celebrate in their own homes. As Holy Spirit filled disciples of Yeshua, we should be quick to meet the needs of our poor brothers. In fact, on the Shavuot following Yeshua's death, resurrection and ascension, when the Ruach fell and three-thousand were saved; these born-again disciples, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, immediately began to sell their own property and possessions in order to give to those who were in need (Acts 2:41-47).

Let us strongly consider this commandment to help the poor in our community, especially during the three Pilgrimage Festivals when it is our responsibility to help them rejoice. Besides, the festivals are much more special when we can all enter in and celebrate as a community and a family. We need to understand that these principles in giving to the poor are for today because the "poor shall never cease" to be around us. (Deut 15:11) We need to, as families and individuals, determine how we can apply these principles to our own lives. We should be asking ourselves, "In what practical ways can I reach out to the poor in my community?" and "What has God blessed me with that I can share with them?" This should be a daily practice for us as followers of Yeshua; and when the world sees that we have genuine love for one another, they will know that we are truly his disciples (John 13:35).

"He who gives to the poor will never want,
But he who shuts his eyes will have many curses."
- Proverbs 28:27, NAS

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Building A Model Takes Time

1979 Monogram Models Advertisement

Isaac brought home a model airplane the other day and wanted us to put it together after dinner. I tried to explain to him that model airplanes take quite a bit of time to assemble; days, sometimes weeks, maybe even a month or two! In addition to a lot of time, building models takes patience especially in learning how to use the tools and supplies properly; painting the pieces, cutting them out with an X-ACTO® knife, applying the model glue and putting the pieces together with tweezers while looking through a magnifying glass. It's a lot of work. Then I tried to explain to him that model airplanes are not supposed to be played with, but displayed and 'looked' at. He crinkled his nose at that bit of information.

All of this didn't stop or deter him. He was determined to put it together and play with it. So, after dinner, we slapped it together with super glue because we didn't have any model glue. We didn't paint it because we didn't have any model paint. We left out a lot of pieces too because he had removed them from the spruces. (In case you don't know, a spruce is the plastic frame that the parts come attached to. On the spruce next to each part is a number that corresponds to the instructions. This is how you know where each piece is supposed to be placed. You don't remove a part until you need it.) It was a learning experience for both of us. I'm just glad the thing only cost $2. Although it looks nothing like the picture on the box, he's been playing with it as it slowly falls apart.

I couldn't help but draw a connection between this plastic model airplane and Biblical models that we should have in or communities. Like the plastic model airplane, Deacons are to be observed by the other members of the community as models. Plastic model airplanes are a miniature replica of an ideal or perfect aircraft while Deacons are not perfect individuals, but rather, believers in Yeshua who are exemplary in their walk with Him. They fit the requirements found in 1 Tim 3 and Titus 1; they have been tested and have proved themselves fit to bear the title of Deacon. If someone is put into the office of a Deacon without first being tested, it will only be a matter of time before they are tested. A Deacon that falls has the potential of causing other members of a community to stumble.

"...let them also be tested first;"

1 Tim 3:10, ESV

Isaac wants to buy another model airplane so we can assemble it together. This time, he says, he wants to do it the right way so he can display it for all to see.

Below a timely AdWeek article on the topic. I hate the term 'tween'. Anyway...

At one time, 80 percent of tween lads built plastic models. Not any more.
By Robert Klara



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Hazy Fourth

Downtown Denver in a haze around 7pm.

This morning we woke up to a haze across the horizon as far as the eye could see. It was so thick that, from our area, we could not see the mountains or downtown Denver. It was really weird because we couldn't smell smoke but the sky was smoky. We spent the afternoon with some friends down in Columbine; delicious hot dogs, turkey burgers, homemade cobbler and good conversation. On our way back home it seemed like the haze had become thicker; ominous. I jumped online once I got home to find out what the haze was coming from because I thought most of the Colorado fires were under control. I found out it was from fires in Wyoming. It's amazing that smoke from a fire in a neighboring state miles away can affect us.

What a way to spend the 4th of July—in a haze with no fireworks.

Related Articles:

Smoke, Haze Coming From Wyoming Wildfires, 7 News (ABC)

Where can I see 4th of July fireworks in Colorado?, 9 News (NBC)



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