On today’s pod we chat Ben’s Eddie Vedder experience, Ione going to see the Pixies last week, Amanda De Cadenet joining RHOBH, “Didion & Babitz” by Lili Anolik, top secret projects in Taiwan, bootleg sweatshirts, Jesse Eisenberg’s trauma tourism, remembering hearing the Strokes for the first time, whether Green Day are “hot”, Father John Misty winning over older female fans with his new album “Mahashmashana”, Schoolies Porn being shot in Surfer’s Paradise, and lots more! Visit http://weirdertogether.substack.com for additional show notes and our weekly "Pick of the Week" free newsletter Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Faith and Corresponding Action in Business I rarely meet a Kingdom driven entrepreneur who is not an action taker. It's the nature of a business owner to work hard to see a vision come to fruition and grow in both profitability and impact. Here is the problem. Taking action and taking faith-filled, God-inspired action are two different things. I am all too familiar with this from my own journey. Years ago when I left a thriving corporate career in obedience to God to become a full-time entrepreneur, I immediately entered what I like to call my six-months of faithless action. Here is what faithless action in business looks like: #1: Relying on your own wisdom and your own strength, working as hard as you can to make things happen in your business. #2: Failing to seek God concerning His heart, thoughts, and plans for your business and simply submitting your own plans and asking Him to bless them. This accompanies the behavior of #1 above. #3: Chasing after every new idea to make money any way you can. Looking to see what others have done and modeling your business activities based on what you see. #4: Ignoring the Holy Spirit's nudges to take action in an area that is uncomfortable or unfamiliar to you, and instead taking action based off of what is convenient and within your comfort zone. I distinctly remember the day when I heard God say to me "Are you done yet?" That was the beginning of my adventure to be led by Him in my business. Faith and corresponding action must work together in your life as a Kingdom driven entrepreneur. Seek God concerning your business plans, take steps in faith towards what He places on your heart (no matter how intimidating it may feel), and be willing to pivot when you receive a course correction. It's through your willingness to take action that your faith remains active and effective.

A Kingdom-driven View on Wealth I remember the day I met Ken Eldred, a Kingdom entrepreneur who built and later sold a $400 million revenue business and has since provided funding for a number of Kingdom advancing businesses. He made a powerful statement to me about entrepreneurship: “Profit is like oxygen. You absolutely need it to win the race. But that’s not the objective. The primary objective of business is serving others to the glory of God.” Getting and maintaining the proper perspective - the mind of Christ - concerning wealth is key as a Kingdom entrepreneur. Certainly you have a desire to generate strong profits and create wealth through your business endeavors, but if you want to experience God’s best, those profits will be the result of first seeking the Kingdom in your business. Your profit growth will be one of the things added unto you. The beauty of it all is that it is the blessing, or the empowerment of God, that will bring you wealth without sorrow and without anxious laboring! You don’t need to chase dollars. Serve faithfully and allow God to increase your business through godly knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. Profits are a tool. When you humbly recognize God as the one who enables you to create wealth and rightfully recognize your role as the steward of the wealth that God owns, it’s easy to honor Him with your finances and embrace intentional radical generosity. Regardless of your current level of profitability, honoring God with your increase will make the economy of Heaven available to you.

Knowledge, wisdom, and understanding are three of Heaven’s greatest assets available to you as you grow a Kingdom-driven business. Although many people use these terms interchangeably, they are different. Knowledge is information and facts; understanding is the ability to give meaning to that knowledge; wisdom is knowing what to do with (how to properly apply) the knowledge. In my own entrepreneurial journey, I have experienced the nuances of knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. I’d heard and read the scripture Matthew 11:28-30 numerous times in my Christian life. I knew in my mind that Jesus’s yoke was easy and that his burden was light. It was a fact, but yet it had no true meaning to me. In my hunger to experience more of God in my work and truly live out the message of Kingdom-driven entrepreneurship that God called me to inspire, teach, and mentor others in, I experienced an illumination in my heart - a supernatural moment of insight - when hearing a different translation of the scripture in a sermon. It was The Message translation and it said: “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Suddenly, the knowledge I had became understanding. The lights turned on! I knew in my heart that there was another way of doing business that was completely different from the world of “hustling and grinding” that I had grown so accustomed to, even as a believer who desired to impact lives for the Kingdom through the marketplace. Once I had understanding, God gave me wisdom over the next few years. It was God who walked with me and showed me how to practically apply the knowledge and understanding to my business. It changed everything! It also led to the writing and release of my book, Grace Over Grind: How Grace Will Take Your Business Where Grinding Can’t. It’s easy to fall into a trap of self-sufficiency due to your ability to thoroughly and independently perform research, and you may allow your own (or others’) experiences to shape your understanding. If you want to effectively do business in partnership with our awesome and limitless God and have a greater Kingdom impact in the marketplace, it begins with respect and adoration of who He is. It is acknowledging Him as the source of truth, the understanding of the truth, and the wisdom required to experience a godly kind of success in both the earthly and heavenly matters concerning your business.