Throughout this website you will be exposed to many concepts. Occasionally these concepts will talk about God, our primary Source of Strength or about principles that flow from this Source. In the pursuit of profit this Source is easily overlooked. We are about to consider principles that flow from long-term wealth, rather than temporary riches. This is tough stuff. We expect you to think deeply and to consider the way you see your employees, the economy and your lifetime values.
We like to think of God as a business person with a master strategic plan. He has principles, strategies and methods you can use to grow your business. We invite you to learn about some of these concepts. We’ll touch on far more than Riches vs Wealth, but we’ll keep coming back to the riches vs wealth theme. As you get more involved with Chimorel, you will have opportunities to explore similar concepts in greater depth. Welcome to the opportunity.
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Riches Vs Wealth
Riches are transitory. Capitalism tends to be riches oriented and may yield envy, greed, discontent and dissatisfaction. Riches are something we have, perishable assets. Riches can be initially gained without ethics or morals and may not be the best focus for your labors. Riches pass away at your death.
Wealth, on the other hand, is enduring. Wealth is something we are and may consist of peace with God, relationships with others, knowing your destiny, operating within its boundaries, good health which gives you time to fulfill your destiny and material contentment and comfort. Much of your wealth goes with you at death and can be passed from generation to generation. Good parents seek to build wealth across generations. What inheritance will your children receive? Will they be able to preserve and grow their inheritance and pass their inheritance to future generations? As a good steward do you plunder the world’s resources for profit at the risk of future generations or do you enhance the world’s resources so that future generations have a world to live in.
You are expected to be a good steward and to accept your responsibilities. Good stewardship starts when you humbly acknowledge that whatever you start life with you owe to others and ultimately to God. You have the opportunity to multiply what you receive and use your increase in service to others. In the end a “good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children.” This is something you teach, rather than something you give.
You are about to take a unique glimpse into micro-economics. Micro is small, dealing with the decisions made by each individual consumer, each worker, each parent, each child and each business owner/executive. At the micro level it is easy to overlook the fact that we are all connected and that what each of us do impacts what all of us experience.
Stewardship, Responsibility and More
So let’s explore stewardship, responsibility and more. Stewardship is a micro economic decision, so is responsibility. This means that you as an individual make decisions that affect what happens to you. As you accept your responsibilities, you prepare to handle greater responsibilities.
Profit is good. When you earn more than you spend, you gain opportunities. When you increase what you earn above what you need, you have opportunities to own things. When you responsibly manage what you own and what others give you responsibility for, you become a good steward.
We are touching on stewardship, responsibility, increase and private property from an individual perspective. There is a bible story where three servants are each given some money. The first multiplies tenfold. The second fivefold. The last hides it in the ground. From the last is taken and given to the first.
You are expected to multiply what you receive. If you don’t, you can loose the little you have. This story is about being responsible … about being a good steward … about learning how to manage what you have been given so you can be given more.
There is a phrase … “being so heavenly minded, he’s no earthly good.” If you accept your responsibility to be a good steward, you develop what you have. You become a good business person, a good manager, a good worker who is productive. You earn more than you need and make your excess grow. You teach your skills to your children and teach your children to pass their inheritance to their children. When you do this, you build wealth and the world is a little better because you were here. We suspect being of value on earth is a good thing. Heaven is a story for another day.
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Stewardship also involves the resources in the world we live in. Adam comes from adamah or earth. Careful reading of Genesis, Psalms, Job, Romans, Colossians, Corinthians, Ephesians and other biblical texts strongly demonstrates God’s concern for the world and preservation of all it’s resources and inhabitants. To discover this perspective you must analyze the original texts and search below the surface meaning of interpretations like have dominion and subdue.
Destiny
A microeconomic perspective
Each person grows up and becomes more mature when he/she learns to be responsible for what he/she receives. Learning to be responsible starts with exercising authority (power) over someone, some talent, some task or some thing. Each of us has some assets for which we are responsible – our physical bodies, our conscience, our relationships with others, our talents and our possessions. As I learn to become a good steward, then I grow (1) from small to large, (2) from natural to spiritual, and (3) from managing someone else’s things to managing my own things.
Destiny, Problems, Proprietorship
Each of us has a destiny. By working with others, you have the opportunity to draw out the other person’s plan, to help that person fulfill his/her destiny. “A plan in the heart of man is like deep water, but a man of understanding draws it out.”
Each person faces problems which can become opportunities. As you struggle with and overcome problems you grow. As you pass through fiery trials, you are purified and strengthened. A young boy saw a butterfly struggling to get out of its cocoon. Wanting to help, the boy snipped the cocoon freeing the butterfly which soon died. The struggle was designed to build strength so the butterfly could survive. As you struggle and overcome life’s problems, your character is formed.
The prodigal son received his inheritance before he was ready and squandered it. As a business person you have been repeatedly tested and it has helped you grow. As you provide opportunities for your sons/daughters/ employees to work, they overcome problems and grow. Good leaders produce proprietors. Leading people into responsibility and ownership enables their growth and success. Failure to solve problems results in welfare, dependency, confusion, apathy, carelessness and debt. Solving problems opens doors to power and authority. It is to your advantage to be more concerned with developing character within each person for whom you are responsible, than to “save” the world.
People tend to work harder and smarter when they work for themselves, thus being a proprietor. Working hard and smart tends to generate more profit. It is to your advantage to get as many people as possible working for themselves within your business. I’d be willing to bet that Heaven might be a busy place, rather than a work-free zone with lazy angels. And each angel will have his/her own mission within God’s kingdom.
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Work reveals what is inside of you – your motives, attitudes, goals and your harmony within your environment. Where labor and management struggle in an adversarial relationship with workers focusing on their rights and management concerned about immediate riches – something important is lost. Good leaders produce proprietors whose focus is on responsibility, good stewardship and growth. Good owners focus on long-term profits and wealth.
As you develop your employees into proprietors, expect a lot. As you and your “partners” increase, expect more. “From everyone who has been given much shall much be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.” Do not be satisfied with employees who make you rich. Develop new proprietors who become “partners” who prosper in your business. When you multiply proprietors, profit is a by-product. You create wealth by transforming employees to co-owners, from orphans to heirs. Sam Walton created associates whose ownership in WalMart allowed many to retire wealthy. United Parcel Service has done the same.
Servant Leadership
A microeconomic perspective
As you create proprietors and co-owners, you may want to explore becoming a servant-leader yourself. Each of us has certain gifts and a destiny, through which we can serve others. As a servant-leader, you have opportunities to draw others to their full potential. Help those you work with to discover their calling, draw out their skills. Gradually give them increased responsibility and authority.
You will create a strong, vibrant organization whose co-owner/associates are happy, fulfilled and productive. Profit becomes a well-earned and assured by-product. Your proprietor/partners will accumulate an eternal wealth of character. When someone’s calling does not fit within your business, as a true servant-leader it becomes your responsibility to enable them to discover where they can be most productive and enable them to move on.
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Sacrifice & Rebirth
Now a bit about sacrifice and dying. “He who has found his life shall lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake shall find it.” Selfishness begets death, isolation, poverty. Perhaps this is not a good thing. Serving others yields inspiration, fellowship, multiplication and is the Source of life. Yes, this is a good thing. “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”
Some thoughts about leaders/owners/proprietors and employees: (1) Employees focus on rights. Leaders focus on responsibilities. (2) Owners have a proportional piece of the action. (3) At best you break-even on employees. Proprietors produce profit.
When the economy is weak you may be forced to lay off employees. For a leader who cares about his/her people, this can be an anguishing, life changing experience, akin to death and rebirth. Life and growth require death and sacrifice. (4) In tough times proprietors can make the sacrifice necessary to keep a company alive. Employees may need to be laid off.
By sacrificing or dying to the unproductive parts within us we open the door to a rebirth of ourself and our organization. Learn about Chimorel’s compensation program which makes it much less likely that our employee/proprietors need to be laid off.
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We get there step by step.
Now we explore macro-economics. Macro is big, dealing with the decisions made by society and government. Macroeconomics can be considered the lump sum of all the micro decisions we make. We consider a lot of loosely organized statements designed to encourage you to think. After reflection, you should draw your own conclusions and vote your pocketbook. At the macro level we come face to face with the fact that what I do that hurts you, wounds me and what you do to support me strengthens you.
Help Your Neighbor Be Responsible!
“Love God … love your neighbor as yourself.” If you truly love your neighbors, release them into their destiny. Suffer neither the oppression of the tyrant, nor the tyranny of the lazy and indolent. “If we give you a fish when you are hungry, we do not serve you well. When we say “no”, be hungry, now let me support you to find your destiny. Let me teach you skills. Be responsible for this small thing and we will give you more responsibility. This is how we teach you to fish for a lifetime. Soon you will be teaching your children’s children to have wealth.”
And when your children’s children have learned to support themselves, the world becomes a little better. This is how we end hunger, reduce wars, and create sustainability.
Money Problems
my power source is my god!
There is a saying, “We get what we pay for.” Let’s change this to “I pay for what I get.” We can enslave people, forcing them to live in fear and creating the potential for revolt. We can, instead, pay people to serve us, appealing to their self-interest. Both give us power. Whatever we make our primary source of power becomes our god. We can also empower people to fulfill their destinies and tap a real Source of power.
Money Problems
Each of us face problems which give opportunities for growth. Frequently, at the top of our list of problems are money problems. Dealing with money problems can teach us about our Ultimate Source of power.
Here are some questions to ask when a lack of resources is limiting your options: (1) When I struggle to pay bills, is there a lesson I need to learn? (2) Is greed a driving force in my life? (3) Is the project within my strategic plan / my destiny / God’s will? (4) Is there a danger from which God is protecting me? (5) Are the limits I face opportunities to learn important principles, to mature, or to be a better steward of my current responsibilities.
Money Problems Continued
Moving Toward a Macroeconomic Perspective
Living Within Our Limits
How we spend money is a statement about how we value the time we invest earning the money. By putting a value on our time we are encouraged to focus on important issues. When we truly work within the limits of our destiny, we will learn to develop the resources we need, but may not always have all the resources we want. Making choices about what is important becomes important as we learn the discipline to live within our limits. It is easy to rebel against our limits, but rebellion is rarely profitable. The lump sum of our disciplined decisions has a positive effect on the macro economy. The lump sum of our irresponsibility reduces the wealth of our nation.
Inflation and Debt
Now let’s explore inflation and debt. Inflation steals our purchasing power. Inflation happens when the government prints more money without a corresponding increase in the supply of goods and services produced or less directly when it borrows money to live above its means. Using inflated dollars you have to work more hours to buy fewer goods and services. When both parents are already working long hours, significant pressures develop. Consumer debt lets us have it now, but steals from future pay increases or our ability to save. Debt enslaves us to our creditors.
In discussing inflation and debt we use strong words like stealing and enslaves. A little while ago we used words like discipline, sacrifice and responsibility. Is there a relationship?
Yes, we can have a little more now by borrowing. Then we have a lot less in the future due to inflation and our debt load. This has a direct impact on our economy by reducing the amount of goods and services that can be bought when wages don’t keep up with inflation and interest reduces our purchasing power. We can be disciplined now and have the opportunity to be responsible for a lot more in the future. Yes, there really is a relationship?
Living Within Our Limits
Inflation and Debt
Allow Failure / Structure Growth Alternatives
Toward a Macroeconomic Perspective
We must be allowed to fail!
“Whatever a man sows, this will he also reap.” To achieve our full potential we must be allowed to fail. The secret to successful failure is to fail fast and cheaply. Dragging the failure out at a high cost compounds the misery.
We are about to touch on welfare, criminal justice and other macro problems dealing with risk and failure. Each of us searches for respect, meaning and other yardsticks by which we measure ourselves. What we need to find is a feedback system based on the reality of cause and effect. What some find is a government/business system that sets up “protection” for which our tax and consumer dollars pay with no corresponding productive return.
Example 1: He steals $100 worth of food. It is his first offense, but his lawyer doesn’t plea bargain and we pay $50,000 to warehouse him for the next two years. “Inside” he learns things like how to be dependent on state support and how to steal enough to make it worthwhile. A vicious, expensive cycle repeats itself. Over the next thirty years, when he’s out he steals over $500,000 worth of things and when he’s in we pay more than $600,000 to warehouse him. Suggested Alternative: A better lawyer, restitution and court costs of $500, a work requirement, probation for five years. He fails in a small way, pays the price and makes his life better.
Example 2: She applies for and receives welfare to help her get through a tough time in her life. She grew up with gramma on welfare and didn’t want that life for herself, but she got pregnant and needed a little help right now. Then she got pregnant again … and oops again. It was really hard to pursue her dream of becoming a registered nurse. She tried, but over the next 30 years, taxpayers paid more than $80,000. More importantly, she didn’t earn more than $325,000 she could have earned. Welfare sets up an ongoing system of failure.
Perhaps she needed some guidance to make decisions regarding her first child, her options, the men she chose to associate with. The decisions early in life are tough, but she really wanted something different. The decisions needed to start way before the first child.
Example 3: They were good doctors and a lot of clients came to them for support. The HMOs put a lot of pressure on them to cut costs. They had one lawsuit which went their way, but their insurance rates skyrocketed. They decided to open a lab and some other medical businesses to which they referred clients. Before long they had racked up several million in high rates, questionable testing and precautionary procedures. Our insurance rates were higher. Was everything the doctors did perfectly legal? Maybe. Good for the economy? NO!!! The growth alternative here is much more complicated. It has to do with changing compensation systems for doctors, focusing on health instead of procedures and cost, tort & insurance reform, as well as, tougher regulation for unnecessary testing.
Allow Failure
A Macroeconomic Perspective
There are thousands, millions even, of examples we could describe where money is spent without due care. When government money is wasted, taxpayers loose and recipients loose too. When medical dollars are spent without adequate discretion, we all loose. Government deficits are covered by printing money (which results in inflation) or borrowing (which our children’s children must repay). US healthcare consumes perhaps 17+% of our GNP. It is estimated that overpricing and unnecessary procedures consume 20+% of our healthcare bill.
A study of the War on Poverty determined that after spending millions on tax funded programs the recipients actually came out poorer, not richer. Suggestion: Let’s learn how to take the poverty out of the people, not people out of poverty. So How Do We Do That? Allow a little failure, provide genuine concern, expect real work, teach proprietorship and structure growth alternatives.
I’m hungry. Rather than give me welfare, give me an opportunity to work for what I get. Give me ways to pay for the education I need. If I break the law, give me alternatives where I have to work in order to eat.
I’m pregnant. Give me choices that do not create a vicious cycle of dependency. Enable me to hold the father of my child accountable. Give me alternatives to get an education, to work and to learn to take care of my child.
Maybe my choices include whether or not I am ready to be responsible, a place to live where I earn my way and the opportunity to keep my child and real life training.
I run a business that gets government money. What growth alternatives can enable me to help the economy grow as I am profitable, rather than just lining my own pocket?
We Are What We Think and Do
A Macroeconomic Perspective.
“Let him who steals, steal no longer, but rather let him labor.” Ideas and actions have economic consequences. Sometimes we get caught up in a blame game, rather than accepting the consequences of our thoughts and actions. “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” Our thinking leads to action. Our actions form habits and character. What we sow we reap in terms of economic consequences – stewardship, skills, responsibility, work habits, savings and consumption patterns, honesty and service orientation. And the lump sum of our individual economic decisions have macroeconomic effect on the lives of all of us.
Wealth is not luck. Poverty is not victimization. Poverty is a consequence. It won’t disappear by throwing money at it or by
spreading blame. It can reduce when we givepeople opportunities to work, to learn skills, to be responsible at increasing levels, and to suffer the consequences of their thoughts, actions and character. Allow them to be hungry, then offer a job. When everyone who can works, we are all better.
Five things to deal with
Here are five things you may want to deal with: (1) fear, (2) greed, (3) laziness, (4) an anti-work ethic and (5) single-generation consumption.
Fear stems from the unknown. It can be significantly reduced by a real understanding of the laws of cause and effect.
Greed is an attitude more likely to yield poverty than wealth.
Laziness and poverty have a clear connection. “If anyone will not work, neither let him eat.”
Anti-work ethic is more than laziness. The landed gentry notion of hidalgo is passed from generation to generation and is prevalent in El Paso, Mexico. Next door in Juarez, Mexico, there is a strong work ethic. You can stand looking out across the Rio Grande, which flows between the two cities and see the difference.
Single-generation consumption encourages irresponsibility and reduces investment opportunities.
Four ways to reduce poverty
Here are four ways to reduce poverty: (1) Create opportunities for “gleaning,” (2) make non-interest bearing loans, (3) accept voluntary servitude, and (4) display practical love. As you become more involved with Chimorel, you can learn about these and other ways to reduce poverty.
Gleaning in ancient Israel set aside a portion of the field where the poor through their own labor could feed themselves.
Loans without interest can provide opportunity without enslaving.
Volunteer work in exchange for direct discipleship through a contract can teach skills, lifestyle habits and self-discipline.
Practical love can provide challenging opportunities, dignified self-help, and wonderful opportunities to lift people out of poverty.
We do it better than they do
Justice is not equality. We may seek equal opportunity, but we are not equal. What an impractical world we would have if we were all the same. We are a diverse group of individuals, each with our own unique problems, opportunities and destinies. Thank God for our diversity.
Life is not fair and we are foolish to try to make it so. There need be no call for state managed (1) economic equalization, (2) risk minimization, (3) reduction in fair competition, (4) wealth transfer.
“Government which governs least, governs best.” It may be to our advantage for the state to remain reactive and encourage individuals and business to be proactive. When the state steps in with solutions to reduce poverty and develop other protection systems, the result may be less than positive.
Does this mean there should be no government regulation? Absolutely not. It means that regulation should be well structured to keep greed within bounds. Then business and education can create opportunities to work and learn. If they won’t work, they can be hungry for a while within a structured environment. Chances are they will learn to work.
Let us continue to wean away from welfare and toward work. Let us warehouse fewer people. Let us develop efficient medical systems that provide quality care, cost effectively. And let us, as individuals and businesses, take up the challenges of helping people become more responsible and government smaller.
Now It is your turn
It is not what we read about, or talk about or even think about that changes things. It is what we do that makes a difference. If you would like to get more involved in building wealth for yourself, for your family and for our world, let us know. We will give you many ways to get involved, to learn more and to make a difference.
We are all connected at a very deep level. If we pursue riches, greed and other factors, we reduce the wealth we can create in the world we live in. If we pursue wealth we create a legacy that can be passed to our children’s children.
