Here at Integrity Resource Center we desire to see business and workplace leaders learning and practicing God's principles in their workplace. This is very difficult if they are saddled with any kind of bondage.Whether it is in your personal life or your work life, bondage will negatively impact all areas of your life eventually.

There are many different programs and remedies for people to receive help to overcome their addictions and burdens. These may be helpful, but the ultimate healer is our Heavenly Father. David understood this. In Psalm 103 we read,

"Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits - who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagles."

If you aren't currently on our daily "Integrity Moments" list please join so that you can join us on this journey this month of identification and healing of those things that keep us from God's best.

Kathy and I will be celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary this June. Shortly after our anniversary date our kids will be at Camp Barnabas so Kathy and I are researching and praying about the possibility of an anniversary trip to either Aruba or Hawaii. Your suggestions for great beachfront ideas on a modest budget are appreciated. 

"Transitions" seems to be the theme for the Boxx family this year. Our oldest daughter, Megan, will be graduating from Missouri State University in May. In June, she will be plunging into KU Med School to obtain her graduate degree in Occupational Therapy. It will be nice to have her back home again.

Jeremy has joined the workforce. In January he began a paying job with Johnson County Developmental Supports putting together lab kits. They tell us he is meeting his quotas with 100% accuracy. They believe he will need something more challenging in the next 6-8 months. We are proud of him. We are trying to use this opportunity for him to better understand the value of making money. I've told him that the faster he works the more Chick-fil-a sandwiches he can afford. It seems to be the best way for him to understand money. :)

Bekah continues to be homeschooled to allow flexibility for her grueling dance schedule. She dances 6 days a week and recently thrilled us with her dance performance in "The Underground" a moving story about the Underground Railroad. She was blessed to actually perform on stage at the new Kaufman Performing Arts Center here in Kansas City, one of the premier facilities in the world.

Kathy and I are working together on advancing Integrity Resource Center to the next level. It's been fun having Kathy sharing the load with me and using her gifts to move things forward. My spare time is invested with the family, reading, working out, and serving on some committees and boards.

Thanks for caring! May God bless your day!

In our Back to the Basics theme this year there's no better place to start than the simple, yet difficult, concept that God owns it all. Many of us mouth the words and know in our head that this statement is true, but we have a difficult time moving the concept into our heart and letting it flow through our actions.

At a Business by the Book seminar I was teaching years ago in Michigan I met a doctor who claimed to have attended the very first Business by the Book seminar taught by Larry Burkett many years before. Larry had taught the Apostle Paul's edict against being unequally yoked, but over the years this doctor drifted into investing in many partnerships with people who did not hold to the same values as he did.

During the session when I discussed the subject of being unequally yoked, this doctor shared with the group that this teaching really convicted him, because he knew better, but violated this principle many times since that first seminar. As I recall, he claimed that he was currently in 8 or 9 different partnerships.

He went on to say, "Some of my partnerships are with solid Christians, but several are with people who do not believe as I do. As I just did some mental calculations, I realized that every one of the partnerships I'm in with non-believers are losing money and have been a huge drain on me emotionally. I wish I would have heeded God's Word years ago."

Maybe you aren't looking for a partner or for cash for your business right now, but you do have an opportunity each day to decide whether or not you're going to allow God to have control over your work or your business.

Psalm 24:1-2 teaches, "The earth is the Lord's and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it, for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters."

Whether you like it or not, God is in control. You can cooperate and obediently follow His wise path, or you can do it the hard way. It's your choice.

Discussion Question:

What are examples of areas in your work life where you find it hard to release control to God?

Some of my peers hated practicing so much that they would skip them thinking that they could show up and play on game day, but most coaches would bench them. These coaches realized that without regularly practicing the basics, these players were unlikely to perform well come game day. Without relentless infield and batting practice I would have never honed my skills enough to field the tough ground balls automatically on game day.

In order to truly live out our faith at work the same principles apply. Tough decisions come our way each day. If we respond without understanding and practicing the basics it's doubtful we will be responding according to God's standards.

Our desire here at Integrity Resource Center for 2012 is to be like that coach that each night pounded ground ball after ground ball at me, so that come game day I instinctively made the right moves to field our opponent's ground balls. We desire to encourage and equip each of you by focusing on the basics.

In the very beginning of this ministry we developed 10 Biblical Business Principles that we believe are basic to responding to the challenges we each face daily in the workplace. Each month of this year we will be focusing on one of those principles, with June and December left open for game day types of discussions. Please stay tuned so that on those game days in your workplace you will be prepared to please God with your instinctive responses.

“I highly recommend taking the Fire in the Workplace Course, regardless of how long you’ve been a believer. If I had taken it sooner I would have realized the challenges that I face as a business owner, with both day-to-day and long term business strategies and decisions, were not at all unique to me and that biblical direction for most of them is crystal clear! The personal experiences, biblical references and counsel provided by Rick during the self-paced course is compelling. I wish I would have taken it sooner, and I urge you to take it now!

"Thank you so much for your time today to discuss my business struggles and to consider options from a Godly perspective. I consider our conversation a "gift" from God in this journey to discover God's plan for my business. You've triggered many thoughts that will probably take me all day to really digest and create a framework with clear cut goals. As mentioned, we want to pursue a direction that is God honoring as others in our industry watch and wait the outcome of how we handle a struggling business. We want to be a testimony of courage and God's faithfulness during times of challenge. Therefore, I would like to circle back around with you in 6 months with a "state of the business" summary. I know that God is faithful and will direct my path. As mentioned above, I can't thank you enough for your wise counsel and generosity of time."

I look forward to sharing the next chapter in MR's story. God has placed each of us in position to support and impact others. How can you take the next step?

I would recommend this for anyone who wants to live out their Christian faith in today’s workplace. FIRE in the Workplace provides a way to assess how well you are doing and then provide scripture for suggested actions to take in the workplace."

The word prison conjures up many different images in the minds of people who have never visited one. Most of those images come from what we see on TV or in the movies. Reality can be much different.

A couple of weeks ago I co-hosted a "Business Symposium" at the Lansing KS correctional facility. About a dozen or more business owners were with me, so that we had experienced business people who could be paired up with some of the inmates who have entrepreneurial desires for when they leave the prison.

The inmates in attendance that evening were engaged, excited and so grateful that this team of experienced business leaders would invest time in their life. As I cast a vision for these men of a day when they might leave that prison to launch a business and someday hire others, I saw hope begin to glimmer in many eyes. Many of these guys have great ideas, entrepreneurial skills, and a desire to please God with the next time they are out on the streets.

One of the questions during the Question and Answer time stuck with me. "My history has been checkered with times that I was succeeding and doing well," he said, "then things start to go wrong and I allow myself to spiral out of control. How can I find men of God like you men to help me stay on track? I want desperately to not go back to the crowd that I have run with in the past."

Many of the business owners there that evening were deeply moved by their time with these brothers in blue denim inside the prison. They are anxious to mentor some of these guys to help stop the cycle of crime and prison.

Whether you are in prison or out in the marketplace, God loves you and desires the best for you. Thank God for men and women willing to invest time in others, and thank God as well for the lessons and the blessing they experienced as they became acquainted with men of God who live inside the prison.

"You sent an Integrity Moment one day that debt was a temptation from the enemy. Up to that point of time I had really believed that "easy credit" was a blessing from God for me to survive in business. I see now He would have provided and I made it harder on us by taking the easy route, but in the end painful because of the millstone around us for years." --Scott 
Note: Scott is now reducing debt rather than increasing it!

"The daily emails from Integrity Resource Center are a positive way to start each and every day. It gets my mind focused on God's will and, at times, helps to snap me out of any lingering negativity that comes with my particular job." --Steve

"Just last week I was headed to Wednesday night services and saw a young boy riding his bike along the street and he was crying. I was late for church, I was teaching, but I remembered the (Integrity Moments) story and turned around to see if the boy needed help. So thanks for helping me to remember that when the Spirit prompts us, we should listen! --Brent

God has provided an opportunity for over 230 new radio stations to carry Integrity Moments. Please help us respond to this amazing opportunity to build integrity and faith in the workplace by making your tax-deductible gift today!

Faith in the Workplace: Scott Rauth
Scott Rauth’s faith began impacting his work when he attended a conference hosted by Integrity Resource Center and others, featuring Ken Blanchard. This event had such a profound impact on him he joined a CEO roundtable group of other Christian business owners. Eventually he hired a young man who challenged him to begin praying for the business each morning. As the two of them began praying God led others to join them.

During a season of financial struggles Scott realized his priorities were out of order and made changes to better align his schedule with his desire to honor his family. God began blessing the business.
God recently led Scott to change his customer focus to nonprofits. Once again, God’s ways didn’t seem to make sense and even his advisory group questioned his decision. Why pursue business from an industry that’s not known to be very profitable? He took the plunge and God eventually blessed them with enough nonprofit customers that each succeeding year has been more successful than the last.

Scott has embarked on a new faith journey: a ministry called Telos Orphan Care with a vision that every orphan find a home.

Integrity in the Workplace: Bo Govea
Adversity is many times the best indicator of someone’s integrity. Bo Govea has experienced significant adversity in his life. With 3 kids and twins on the way Bo and his wife suddenly discovered the twins were in medical jeopardy. The doctors told them it was a one in a million chance of survival. While in Utah for a special procedure both babies were born early weighing less than 2 pounds each and spent the next 4 months in Utah fighting for their life. At one point they were told that one of the twins was going to die. They brought the rest of the kids to Utah to meet their sister but God answered the prayers of thousands of people and spared little Mary Elizabeth’s life.

Back in Kansas City many surgeries and trips to Children’s Mercy continued. Bo had missed a significant amount of work while in Utah so it was not a surprise when his boss asked upon his return if he was 100% committed. A friend reminded him that since he knew his family was going to continue to need him that it would be like stealing to continue taking a check from his employer. To preserve his integrity Bo resigned and started his own business.

Working two jobs, the medical bills were piling up with little hope of financial recovery. Even Christian advisors were advising them to declare bankruptcy. God sent a man, out of the blue, who offered to buy their house and rent it to them until they could buy it back. Their family is now on track to pay all of their creditors.
The Govea family which has now grown to 6 kids, is his most important ministry. He even developed a children’s accountability system called “10-20-30-Go! Families Functioning Faithfully” that has helped many families establish for their children 10 minutes in prayer, 20 minutes reading, and 30 minutes performing chores.

Bo’s growing insurance business is based on godly principles and high ethical standards. It’s these core values and his love of God that enabled him to tell a customer recently that a competitor had a better product and that he should buy it instead. That’s integrity!

Relationships in the Workplace: Dan Meers
Dan Meers, better know as the Kansas City Chiefs KC Wolf, has been given a unique platform to regularly reveal his love for God and for others in a big way. In over 300 presentations a year, touching the lives of millions of fans, Dan spends time in hospitals, birthday parties, churches, and even in businesses. He seizes the opportunities to love on those who are hurting, bring laughter and joy to many, and even fulfill the wishes of those terminally ill, like a man dying of cancer in Garden City, KS. One day Dan received a call from a man in Colorado asking if Dan would drive all the way to Garden City to visit this man’s dying brother. The dying brother was a big fan of Dan’s organization and the brother knew that Dan’s presence would make a big difference. Dan modified his schedule, and made the long trip.

He ended up doing a private performance for this terminally ill man, then spent over an hour with him personally. By the end of the evening Dan was leading this man in prayer. Two months later, upon this man’s passing, the brother wrote Dan to inform him of his brother’s death and to thank Dan for the amazing impact he had on his dying brother’s life.

Dan is known as a great role model for the young and old. He challenges, motivates and is outstanding at what he does. In his public role many would shy away from sharing their faith, yet Dan does regularly, always sensitive to do it with gentleness and respect. One of Dan’s favorite quotes is “Don’t pretend to be what you don’t intend to be -Live a life of humility and service and God will bless you.”

Excellence in the Workplace: Lisanne Milford
The Apostle Paul wrote in Colossians 3:23-24, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Modeling excellence in the workplace for many simply means high quality performance. God’s view, however, includes doing our work with all our heart. Lisanne Milford is a labor and delivery nurse at Shawnee Mission Medical Center, a wife, a mother of 3, and a pianist and volunteer at her church. She’s become known as a specialist in assisting families through the tremendous challenge of still born births. Imagine the pain of an expectant mother and father discovering that their child did not make it from the womb alive. After thousands of births, Lisanne has learned and shared that God loves each and every child, including the stillborn. With the parent’s permission, she offers a special blessing over every stillborn baby, and prays with the family during this indescribable time of heartache. This has led to many grief stricken families experiencing the love of Christ when they need it the most.

Lisanne’s excellence has been noted in many letters of thanks from grateful families. One couple wrote that they were amazed that this nurse came in on her day off to help with their birth, then when complications surfaced that required surgery, she ended up working 20 hours that day. This family was surprised that someone would care that much for them after meeting them for the first time that day. The husband later wrote, “Her obvious training and expertise make her a good nurse. Her great attitude, care, and understanding make her a great nurse. Her obvious compassion and her sacrifice of personal and family time for the sake of our family make her an exceptional nurse.”

Pastor Recognition: Tom Nelson
Many pastors are passionate about addressing family and marriage challenges, or to encourage evangelism or discipleship. It’s less common to find one who encourages and equips their community for the practical challenges of Monday morning in the workplace.

Tom Nelson, Senior Pastor of Christ Community Evangelical Free Church in Leawood understands that leadership is fraught with challenges. In 1988 Tom and his wife Liz moved to Kansas City from Dallas to launch a church out of his apartment. God blessed that humble beginning. Today he still leads the same church overseeing what is soon to be 4 campuses and over 40 staff members.

God has used Tom to equip hundreds of leaders to better understand the theology of work, and their role of advancing the gospel in the marketplace by living out a life of integrity and faith. An extensive leadership training program called Razor’s Edge has been a central focus of the discipleship efforts of the church for many years. This curriculum has led hundreds to a different view of the importance of their work to God and others. Soon Tom's new book called “Work Matters: Connecting Sunday Worship with Monday Work” will be released.

Through God’s direction in his life Tom has helped many to understand the importance of their work and their value to advancing God’s Kingdom right where they have been planted, often times in the workplace.

One employee asked suspiciously, "So are you here just to preach at me?" Bill smiled and said, "No, I'm here to love and serve you. If you need a friend, I'm here. If you need someone to conduct a funeral, I'm here. If you need prayer, I'm your guy."

In Matthew 10:16, when Jesus sent out his twelve disciples he said "I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves."

Bill had to navigate through a sometime hostile workplace. If you're going to make an impact in your workplace, you may also need to be shrewd, but innocent.

Question: Can you describe a time you had to be shrewd, but innocent? How did it work out?

The recent announcements of massive corporate layoffs reminded me of my experiences during the banking consolidation in the 1980s. Every September the rumors began of layoffs, and the veiled threats of job loss if you didn’t work harder.

The result was pervasive worry and fear, and a loss of good employees who found other jobs. About 6 months of low productivity would follow each year.

Ephesians 6:9 teaches that Masters are to reward their slaves for good. Paul goes on to say, “Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.”

If you have to downsize, be careful to reward, not threaten, your high performing employees and be respectful of the rest.

P.S. A study I reviewed years ago surveyed Fortune 500 CEOs as well as staff on what was perceived as ethical. The only real difference between the two groups was mass layoffs. The CEOs did not see anything ethically wrong with this practice while their staff believed the opposite.

Question: Do you believe mass layoffs are unethical, and why or why not?

1.How Christians View Work;
2.How God Views Work and finally,
3.What Difference Does It Make?

“Your Work Matters To God” is as relevant today as it was when it was written. Many still do not believe that God really cares about their work, and that it just is a means to a paycheck. Other people believe that to be valuable in God’s eyes requires leaving the business world for full-time ministry.

This book is invaluable in establishing a firm theological foundation for people in the workplace. It breathes life into those who dread going to work each day and hope for those who wonder if it’s all worth it.

If you're participating in the Book Club, share with us...what are you learning?

Download discussion guide, or check out additional details here...

What works well?

What gets in the way?

1. I'm Third: "God’s first, others are second, and I’m third."
2. Building Employee Loyalty: "Loyalty of an employee to one employer, or from an employer to an employee, has become almost extinct."
3. Cultures of Commerce: "An ideal model of commerce would enable sales people the occasion to build long-term relationships, while pricing products in a way that builds trust between the customer and
   merchant."
4. The Challenge of Managing People: "Many compassionate managers have a hard time letting someone go..."
5. Urban Legends, Myths, and Hoaxes: "Myths and hoaxes used to be passed on face to face, one person at a time. With the speed and ease of email these deceptions are now passed to thousands instantaneously."

The white square in the center represents the core of our being, our center, heart, the source of integrity. The white color works on several levels:

• purity - the righteousness of Christ which is ours as believers (2 Corinthians 5:21)

• transparent - a necessary quality for true integrity

• peace in the midst of chaos - only truly possible in right relationship with God which translates into right relationships with people

The solid square of the logo is based on the belief that God/Christ is our foundation, our Rock; Matthew 7:24-25... “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.”

A special thanks to designer Dawn Allman and marketing firm, J Schmid and Associates!

Rick is the author of several books and bible studies and is active in the community as the President of the board of City Wide Prayer Movement, part of the leadership team for the I Am Second campaign, and a founding director of Horizon Academy, a school for children with learning disabilities.

Rick is an avid reader, loves water skiing, and relaxing with his family.

Debbie read our daily “Integrity Moments” for years. During a tough time in business, Debbie discovered our “FIRE Assessment” tool. After taking this powerful self-assessment, and feeling led to make a commitment to God to do business His way, they signed our “FIRE Covenant” and called me for help.

Through tear filled eyes, Debbie shared that their business had thrived until the recession, but she was now broke and broken. After I shared some principles from God’s Word, and prayed and encouraged them, Debbie and Dave left with hope, new found resolve to honor God with their business, and a clearer sense of purpose.

According to Debbie, a month later was the best month they had in years, and the business today is practicing God’s principles. This has resulted in more generosity, a plan to become debt free and a stronger witness for Christ.

I believe that Debbbie and Dave are going to be one of those leaders Jesus referenced in Matthew 5:19 when he said, “Whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

As I began teaching on God’s calling and purpose I was stunned to see a business owner in the front row from my church who I had counseled in the past. I also discovered that the room was full of entrepreneurs scheduled to be released soon.

These inmates needed hope and God’s wisdom for business!

We arranged a business symposium for those interested in help with their business plans. About ten business owners invested time and mentored these prisoners. The result was changed lives.

Although the prisoners were impacted and encouraged I was most surprised by the impact this experience had on the mentors. Listen to what one of them wrote. “During the panel discussion, as I looked around the room and looked into the eyes of these men and listened to their words of gratefulness, humility, perseverance and hope I did NOT see prisoners but I saw men of God that were filled with the Holy Spirit and who are passionate about making significant changes in their lives. The room was filled with inspiration and hope…”

How can you use your gifts and abilities to impact others?