THE LEGACY - Morris E. Ruddick (SIGN)

THE LEGACY   © Morris E. Ruddick     We began this series of Jewish business secrets by commenting on the response of a religious leader outside the faith to what he saw in the lives of the Christians he knew. Ghandi loved the teachings of Jesus, but rejected the faith because of his observation that the lives of the followers of Jesus didn't match the standard.   Ghandi's words seemed to express disappointment. Perhaps his take on the Christians he knew was a distorted representation. One only has to look at the track record of anti-Semitism to know that distorted responses can accompany an identity in God.   Still, the world is looking. The world is hungry to see the reality of God operating through a people. It is an identity thing.   The identity of Jews is encased by their history and legacy. Jews are generally viewed as a prophetic people of God, a people of destiny. It punctuates why understanding the history included in the ancient Jewish writings is so important. As a people, the Jews have an incredible track record of disproportionate accomplishments. Within this context they have gained an irrefutable reputation as a people of business.   Over the centuries Jews have left their mark of positive influence on the major civilizations of which they have been a part. Their skill as merchants, brokers, bankers and traders have given birth to middle classes in societies that previously only had peasant and ruling classes. Their creativity and contributions to humanity during just this last generation have changed the world for the better. Whether it is their impact on the societies in which they have lived or the standards by which they have defined their communities, Jews as a whole have walked the talk characterizing their faith.   Jesus Himself said that we would be known by our fruits.   Within historic Jewish writings is the story of a craftsman, an entrepreneur, whose name was Bezalel. The story of Bezalel illustrates how a person's gift can open the door for opportunity. It shows the importance of using one's gift for a broader, more enduring purpose that serves the community and posterity. It is an example of the importance of the simple things, but simple from the standpoint of stewardship and the faithfulness that walks before it runs and evolves into excellence. It is in this type of simplicity that the expectations of the wise are confounded.   The story of Bezalel also illustrates how there is a point in the process of becoming so excellent in your gift, that a spiritual dimension from God becomes a part of the equation. It is written that God called Bezalel by name and filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom and ability, in knowledge and understanding of skillful works and of devising all kinds of craftsmanship.   Bezalel, who lived during the days of Moses, was from the house of Judah. His story is an apt representation of the points we have been making in this series on Jewish business secrets. It unveils how the dimension of the seen world can be enhanced by the unseen. It punctuates the prophecy given by Moses that if the people of Israel would adhere to following the Lord, that they would be the head and not the tail and would be above all the other nations of the earth. So it has been in this distinction, as a prophetic people of God, that their potential and legacy as disproportionate achievers has been held.   A People Known by Their Fruits To illustrate, Jews have been awarded 27 percent of all Nobel prizes since 1950, following the destruction of a third of their population in the Holocaust. The Encyclopedia Britannica has a section on "Great Inventions." Jews have accounted for the defibrillator, the pacemaker, instant photography, holography and the videotape.   Steven Pease's research, "The Golden Age of Jewish Achievement", notes that of Fortune's 2003 list of the 25 most powerful people in business, 24 percent were Jewish. Jews pioneered the ready-to-wear garment industry. Over half the department stores in America were started or run by Jews. Specialty retailing is laced with names that have been created by Jews: Gap, Limited, Men's Warehouse, Home Depot, Ritz Camera, Bed Bath & Beyond.   Jews are dominant in diamonds and the diamond trade. Starbucks in coffee, Haagen-Daz and Baskin Robbins in ice cream, Fairmont, Lowes, Hyatt, Helmsley and Wynn in hotels are all Jewish operations, along with the creating and shaping of every major Hollywood studio. In the major TV networks, only ABC was not started by a Jew. The legacy extends to cable, to publishing, finance and real estate.   The world's most successful search engine (Google) and software (Microsoft) are Jewish creations. The second largest software company (Oracle) has a co-founder and head who is Jewish. So it has been with Dell, Intel, Yahoo, eBay and Qualcomm.   A third of leading symphony orchestras have been conducted by Jews. Jews have created roughly two-thirds of the longest-running musicals on Broadway. Almost four out of ten of the Hollywood directors awarded Oscars have been Jews. Jews have over half the Pulitzer Prizes for non-fiction. Almost 40 percent of Business Week's America's fifty most generous benefactors are Jewish families and individuals.   Each of these examples reflect disproportionate achievement, by a people, whose numbers are less than one-quarter of one percent of the world's population.   The Nature of the Dynamic As the world becomes increasingly aware of the Jewish phenomenon, it has been during our day, that there has emerged a global movement to glean the truths and the ways of the Jews. This awareness has extended to nations like Vietnam, who have reached out to Israel. With such unexpected alliances is a growing recognition of the legacy of the Jews.   It is a legacy of power. Yet it is a different type of power. It is the power that closes the gap with creativity and discovery for the good of mankind.   In talking about gaps, it is pertinent to address the gap that Jesus, as the Jewish Messiah, came to bridge. He made His Jewish identity very clear. His teachings gave focus to the purity of the issues that had become muddied. He advised His followers to give heed to the foundations held by the pharisaical Jewish leaders, but to be wary of what he referred to as the leaven of the Pharisees: the speculative religious add-ons unnecessary to know God and walk in His ways. He referred to these religious leaders of His own people who misused their positions and power for personal gain and elitism, as hypocrites.   Jesus gave focus to truths that had long been foundational to what have made Jews distinctive. He pointed to their destiny, to a future that would fulfill the promises of God to His people and restore the order God had originally intended for those who believed. He dealt with the proper use of power, of righteous power, in a corrupt world.   He also talked about restoration, the restoration of the foundations to form a society He referred to as the Kingdom of God. As already noted, He did all this in the context of a distinctive Jewish identity. The Christianity that Ghandi found so compelling was foundationally a Jewish sect.   As a culture operating within the confines of the dominant cultures of each major era, Judaism has again and again been challenged with both cultural and economic survival.   Yet, the power to prevail has been inherent in the foundations passed on by Abraham and put into writing by Moses. Together with the history, the wisdom, the psalms, along with the words of the prophets, these collected writings are a treasure trove of the secrets to the exploits and destiny of Abraham's descendants and all others who would believe. They are the basis to why Jews have been known as the people of business, a people of destiny.   In this process prophetically, Jesus became the first-born of the needed spiritual restoration leading to the destiny of Abraham's lineage. Jesus, Yeshua in Hebrew, spoke of our day as the beginning of another phase of this restoration. This dynamic of restoration, the fulfillment of the Kingdom, is at its roots a very Jewish belief. It references a time coming when the Messiah would reign as King, and His forebearer David, as prince in the land promised to Abraham's descendants.   Polluting the Power Yet, within a generation of Yeshua's, of Jesus' life, there arose problems. As a movement, the first generation of Christianity reflected incredible spiritual power. The impact they made was described as turning the world upside down. Whereas the strength came from the foundations and culture, from within, so there also came an internal weakness that had been inherent in the Jewish people over the centuries: the desire to be like everyone else. This weakness began manifesting in the early church.   Within a generation of the time of Jesus, there arose those like the Nicolatains who were enticing followers away from the Jewish foundations, identity and cultural roots. Together with those who wielded their power from short-sighted perspectives and too often for their own gain with speculative add-ons, this vibrant new movement experienced growing defilement and began losing its once potent spiritual power as it became more and more institutionalized.   Bringing the Legacy into Fullness Nevertheless, within this last generation have been emerging the keys to this restoration. They are the keys to restoring what was promised to Abraham's descendants, the keys to the time Jesus spoke of when a great shift would take place in the world and the model exemplified by Abraham reflecting an economic, trust society with God at the center would come into place. Together with the foundations will come the legacy and the power.   The legacy will involve a focus on God that was outlined in the foundations, rather than on add-on speculative doctrines. The legacy will be defined by the culture, of being a prophetic people of God. It will be a movement that goes beyond institutional and generational constraints, a movement tied to a different power, the pure power of the Creator.   Once again, it is the simple things that confound the wise. This movement will operationally be built on foundations of business-incubator and community-builder minyans, the small gatherings that flow in the mantle of being blessed to be a blessing. There will be an explosion of purposeful gifts, reflecting the scope represented by the Jewish achievements noted by Mr. Pease.   Congregations will form around allied minyans and communities will be the outgrowth of congregations working toward common ends. Congregations and communities will be centered on and based on such common purposes, rather than being driven by doctrinal stances. The reality of God's presence will negate the need for the precepts of men.   With a world seeking the reality of God through a people, this will be the light on the hill that cannot be hidden. This movement will reflect a different way of thinking, which creates and brings increase. This is the thinking that has prevailed in Jewish culture over the millennia. This legacy will bring restoration at both congregational and community levels. All this will dovetail with the fulfillment of God's promises to Abraham, with its pivot point being the land promised to Abraham, the land of promise, Israel.   This is the pathway unfolding for those who discern and embrace the legacy of the Jews.  This is the legacy of a people whose remarkable feats have astounded the world with blessings and goodness tied to a destiny of being restorers and rebuilders of a world gone amok. It is in this legacy that a connection and purpose that transcends time is actuated.   The Legacy and Destiny So what does all this mean in today's world in terms of Jewish business secrets, for the Jew and the non-Jew?   We return to the story of Joseph and the Jewish dynamic of being a culture within a culture. We've already gone into detail in a previous session about Joseph's betrayal at the hand of his brothers and how he came to be in Egypt. We covered his 13 years of slavery and prison in which Joseph maintained his strong identity in God, as well as operating faithfully as a prophetic steward for those he served. Then came the time when his prophetic gift, evident to all those he served, was needed by Pharaoh.   Pharaoh was amazed, stating there was no one like Joseph in whom resided the Spirit of God. From that an alliance was formed in which Joseph became the second in charge of Egypt, the steward over the resources of the land. What Egypt faced was a time of crisis.   Yet Joseph's anticipatory response to preparing for those times brought great blessing to the house of Pharaoh and the house of Israel. It was a time of destiny. Not only was disaster averted for each, but the destiny of the descendants of Abraham was restored, from the impact of the digressions committed by Joseph's older brothers.   Then we have another issue that began with the generation following reputedly the wisest man who ever lived, Solomon. It involved the dispersion among the nations of ten of the tribes of Israel and the destiny foretold for the nations. Solomon's successor refused the overtures of the ten northern tribes that David had brought together with the House of Judah. Then, despite prophetic intervention, the man who became leader of the northern tribes, Jeroboam, led them to separate themselves. It began the dispersion and assimilation of these descendants of Abraham into the nations. Yet, by the words of the Jewish prophets, their destiny in God has been foretold as being restored in the latter days.   Jesus made the point that the mantle He bore was first to go to the Jew. From the Jew would come the fulfillment of the destinies that God foretold Abraham would go to all the peoples of the earth. Not unlike the days of Joseph, the days are close at hand when there will be alliances between forerunners like Joseph and gatekeepers like Pharaoh, whose efforts will avert disruptions and maintain the legacy. So there has been an awakening taking place today, with the Jews, with the Diaspora of the Jews, to the great dispersion of the descendants of Abraham and then to all who would give honor to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It is a time of destiny.   The Legacy and Restoration It is written that He will give light to those who live in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide their feet into the way of peace. The legacy of the Jews is the legacy of Jesus, who clearly stated that his mission was to put an axe to the root of evil and restore the foundations outlined by the writings of Moses and the prophets.   This is the legacy. It is the root system and lens through which we can better understand this dynamic we've referred to as Jewish business secrets. The father of a Jewish friend I once worked with founded Godfather's Pizza. Willy Theisen was described in an article as one who had gone far afield to follow his passion for business. He has been an entrepreneur through and through. Once he became fixed on an opportunity, whether of his own creation or when leveraging an existing one, he has applied his high energy, long vision, laser focus, risk tolerance and untiring persistence to translate his dreams into reality. (Leo Adam Biga, "Omaha's Pitchman," Omaha Magazine, May/June 2012) This description describes a key aspect of the Jewish DNA. Yet, as it has been for centuries, it was more than just business.   The demonstration of the disproportionate fruits represented by the Jews is another prism into this legacy. It is a prism by which we close the gap of the broken seen world with that of the undefiled unseen dimension. It is in this legacy of restoration that the swirl of chaos and destruction so rampant in this world will be subdued.   The Response So then, what is the response in terms of Jewish business secrets? The Jewish perception of reality comes from within the community and from above. This perception of reality is foundational to the dynamic of disproportionate achievement.   The Jewish response to reality is laced with a creative, community-building mind-set. It goes back to Abraham who passed on that his descendants would bear the blessings of God to be a blessing. It represents the priority given to the community and to posterity.   So, the Jewish process of stewarding reality involves commitment to the community and future generations. That means that each business is designed to serve and make a difference. This commitment operates on a level beyond the individual. It nurtures destiny not only for the individual but for the benefit of the community of those who share in their identity. Jews understand what it means to cultivate God's blueprint within the incubator of community.   Our past sessions together on Jewish business secrets have uncovered a range of insights tied to the amazing legacy and exploits of the Jews. We've gone beyond foundations, the gifts and a process of thinking that creates and brings increase. We've tapped the strategy of community that nurtures the destinies of its members from one generation to the next.   We live in a time, when we again face the disruptions of cyclic change that characterize the many muddied ways of this world. The legacy as a people of destiny is in the realignment and purification of the defilements. Harvard Professor Ruth Wisse in the Prologue of her compelling book "Jews and Power" tells the story of a Jewish mother in 1939 Warsaw. The time followed Warsaw's German capture, but preceded the Jews being walled up in the ghetto. Seeing her little boy being bullied by some German soldiers, this mother left the safety of her courtyard and fearlessly ignoring the solders, she told her son as she rescued him, "Come inside the courtyard and be a human being." Implied in the translation of the instructions to her son was his response to what was happening around him and how "to become a decent human being."   Beyond budgets and plans, at the core of Jewish business secrets, is the Jewish response to the status quo. In practical terms it is a response that gives honor to the God of Israel and His ways, while walking out the fulfillment of the legacy of those who, from generation to generation, have been bearing the fruits of the mantle, as the descendants of Abraham. ___________________________________________________   Morris Ruddick has been a forerunner and spokesman for the higher dimensions of business leadership since the mid-90s. As founder of Global Initiatives Foundation and designer of the God's Economy Entrepreneurial Equippers Program, Mr. Ruddick imparts hope and equips economic community builders to be blessed to be a blessing where God's light is dim in diverse regions around the globe.   He is author of "The Joseph-Daniel Calling;" "Gods Economy, Israel and the Nations;" "The Heart of a King;" "Something More;" "Righteous Power in a Corrupt World;" "Leadership by Anointing;" and "Mantle of Fire," which address the mobilization of business and governmental leaders with destinies to impact their communities. They are available in print and e-versions from www.Amazon.com, www.apple.com/ibooks and www.BarnesandNoble.com.   Global Initiatives Foundation (www.strategic-initiatives.org) is a tax-exempt 501 (c) 3 non-profit whose efforts are enabled by the generosity of a remnant of faithful friends and contributors whose vision aligns with God's heart to mobilize economic community builders imparting influence and the blessings of God. Checks on US banks should be made out to Global Initiatives and mailed to PO Box 370291, Denver CO 80237 or by credit card at http://strategicintercession.org/support/   Likewise, email us to schedule a seminar for your group's gathering on the Joseph-Daniel Calling or on anointing the creative in business.   2016 Copyright Morris Ruddick -- sign@strategicintercession.org   Reproduction is prohibited unless permission is given by a SIGN advisor. Since early 1996, the Strategic Intercession Global Network (SIGN) has mobilized prophetic intercessors and leaders committed to targeting strategic-level issues impacting the Body on a global basis. For previous posts or more information on SIGN, check:http://www.strategicintercession.org Morris Ruddick Global Initiatives Foundation www.strategic-initiatives.org www.strategicintercession.org Global Initiatives is a tax-exempt 501 (c) 3 organization

Global Initiatives Foundation, PO Box 370291, Denver, CO 80237

COMMUNITY BUILDERS - Morris E. Ruddick

COMMUNITY BUILDERS   © Morris E. Ruddick     Jewish wisdom states that there is nothing new under the sun. This insight suggests that clues and answers are available to be found in history.   In a world wrought by turmoil and uncertainty, history has shown the Jewish people to be survivors. Civilizations have come and gone. The Jews have endured. The Jewish people have been contributors to the societies in which they've been a part. In unlocking Jewish business secrets we've discovered insights into the dynamics of a people whose destiny seems beyond the scope of the cultures no longer around.   It has been as they have operated together in community that the most significant strategies have influenced not just the communities around them but the civilizations of which they have been a part.   It has been the employment of the model operated by Abraham that combines the spiritual, the economic and community working together that they have achieved accomplishments outperforming in impact most other peoples of the earth. One of the most basic of these strategies, designed to build community from within, is also foundational to the impact they have made on history. It is designed to build community builders.   During one of my entrepreneurial workshops in Eastern Europe this strategy was implemented. It involved fifteen people. The average salary in this nation was $80 to $100 a month. A person willing to risk starting their own business could readily double or triple the accepted salaries. Three of the new members of this group already operated their own small businesses. The rest wanted to start one. The group met to pray for one another and help one another become successful.   In only two years, the three existing business owners had quadrupled the earnings they had at the start of the group. However, there now were twelve businesses, each growing and providing for the families of their owners. This group became a lifeline spiritually and in practical matters it helped its members grow professionally and for the group to serve as a mini-business incubator. It represents a means by which community nurtures and takes care of its own. I'm going to outline more detail of this strategy, but first let's talk a bit more about the dynamic of community and community builders.   Community Addresses the Realities The world is searching for a people who will demonstrate the reality of God operating in their midst. More than two-thirds of the world today has little to no middle class and lives on less than two dollars (US) a day.   It has been written to do good to all, but especially to the household of faith. God told Abraham that all the peoples of the earth would be blessed by his descendents. This is exactly the way it has played out over the centuries. The descendants of Abraham have been blessed to be a blessing. It's their spiritual DNA. This is trickle-down blessings that address the realities. As a single illustration among many, in recent natural disasters the first responders again and again have come from Israel.   We've discussed the foundations embraced and shared by Jews. When the foundations are stable then community will grow and prosper. Its members adhere to the responsibility of being community builders.   Community builders advance the importance of the spiritual as the community response is to fear the Lord and honor His ways by putting them into practice. Community builders are generous and help those in need. They embrace their duties as members of the community. They provide an entrepreneurial orientation in working toward the goal of self-sufficiency in the community.   Trust is vital in the community as its members seek to benefit others. This requires integrity of each member. It is a trust society. Community builders promote the work ethic. By giving each a purpose and passion for their talents, they provide for a future that benefits all. Community builders nurture opportunity and take calculated risks that will foster innovation to bring increase and serve others.   Community Builder Mind-Sets Community builders are big-picture thinkers. They foresee future alternatives and opportunity, but never lose sight of the importance of community building and making a viable pathway for posterity.   Community builders understand that spiritual and social capital often have more enduring importance than financial capital. It involves tapping into the unseen world and anticipating the changes and the future. Community builders employ this mind-set in planning. They know what it means to operationally make the Lord their Senior Partner in both the community and economic endeavors of those comprising the community.   In one of the areas in which we've conducted our entrepreneurial program, we met with a group of entrepreneurs who also were pastors. It was to their credit that their influence in their communities was enhanced by the micro-businesses they each managed.   In each case, the operation of their businesses only required on average two to three hours a day allowing them to devote the rest of their time to their flock. These small businesses provided much needed additional income in a challenging economic environment, while expanding the sphere of those they knew in the community.   They met regularly to pray for one another and to encourage and advise each other in both the enterprises and pastoral roles they were stewarding. They served as community builders.   Community builders are opportunity enablers. They play an important role in the success of other community members. They groom the next generation and nurture their talents, imparting wisdom that connects generations and marks their identity as a people.   Entrepreneurial thinking undergirds the process of creativity and innovation. The discovery of opportunity is blended with the goal of serving and shaping society with their output. Advancements in society, technology and business are ever at the forefront of the community builder mind-set.   It is a part of the heritage to serve as good stewards of the gifts with which Jews have been entrusted. Yet, as a people, they have never lost touch with their foundations, what makes them distinctive in their identities in the world, as a prophetic people of God.   As such, they are a people of destiny, whose leadership mantle is to build and bring increase. The Jewish role of community builders is as a society of leaders. Community builders lead by serving. It is a higher standard shared and upheld by the community.   This community dynamic is the catalyst and reason, from one generation to another, that Jews have achieved disproportionate success.   The Strategy to Unlock Destiny It is the simple things that confound the wise. It is the narrow path of the corridor connecting the seen world and the unseen world. One of the means of harnessing these elements of community has involved a strategy that Jews have employed for hundreds of years. Whenever ten Jews live within walking distance of one another, they form a minyan. The minyan serves two primary purposes. First is to pray and seek God. Second is to help each other become more successful. It represents the foundation in establishing a community.   We have employed and adapted this strategy with our program in diverse cultural settings. It can operate with as few as five or six members. When the numbers exceed 15 or so, it is time to divide the group and start another one. Those leading these minyan groups are selected based on two main criteria. First, they are spiritually mature and second they have a track record of success in business ownership.   Minyans as Business Incubators Again, these are groups of people who have or want to start their own business. It provides regular opportunity to pray and seek God and to help each other become successful. It is a means for the members to be mentored and grow spiritually, while providing opportunity to birth new businesses.   The groups should meet at least twice a month with not more than two hours allotted for each meeting. If time frames are not set then attendance will wane and commitment will be eroded. It involves a commitment among its members. Understanding that promptness sometimes has cultural challenges, members of the group should make effort to arrive on time and the group should start on time. The first hour is devoted to prayer. Each member should bring four to five written one-sentence prayer requests concerning the operation or plans for their business or the business they want to start. The leader of the group should collect these prayer requests and then redistribute them.   Going around the room, each person is given the opportunity to pray, out loud, for the business-related prayer requests of one of the others of those attending. This not only garners effective prayer for the participants, but it gives each the opportunity to become comfortable and effective in praying in a group setting.   The second hour should be focused on mentoring. At the discretion of the leader, it can involve a topic of business or it can focus on two to three individuals who share something in common with their businesses. It is written that iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance and expertise of another. This is the time in which expertise can be shared, questions asked and members encouraged in the ways needed to make God their Senior Partner.   These groups will be comprised of people of various talents. Some will have expertise in promotions, others in accounting. It represents a safe place and means by which members can gain insight from the experience and expertise of other members. Again, the goal is to help each other become successful, while growing spiritually.   As these groups meet and engage in this way, trust will be fostered and important business decisions and steps will be prayed for. The interactions and process will encourage discipline and accountability.   Starting Something New When the minyan strategy is working as it should, it enhances the success of new startups. We encourage those we work with to start small even when the vision is big. It is written that little by little will you possess the land. It is better to walk before you run. When I started my first business I was eager. However, there was a gap in my experience that distorted issues such as timing. This is typical of new startups.   This is why it is important to have two to three wise mentors, experienced in such things, along with a minyan support group to bring wisdom to the process.   Starting something new will involve changing the order of things. That means understanding the factor of timing. I've already stated that timing is often the hardest arena to accurately discern when seeking God. When you are eager, as I was, things tend to take longer than you expect. That means that if you have invested everything you have into the effort that you need a contingency, in case things don't happen as fast as you envision.   At the forefront of the reasons that new startups fail is the lack of planning, the lack of good accounting and the lack of good advice. In my case, it took longer than I expected. But I refused to give up. I set up meetings to give presentations in three key cities with the offices of firms in my industry. I got in front of people and boldly shared my expertise, but in a way that was practical to their needs. But the path to first contracts took time. Jewish wisdom suggests that you cast your bread upon the waters and it will return in due season. I did. It still didn't happen as quickly as I envisioned.   Perseverance is a vital attribute in this process. That also is why it is important to start small and keep your overhead minimized until the cash flow is released. I didn't have a minyan group when I started my company. It would have helped a lot. Then came a time when things began to turn. The contracts began being approved and the wisdom needed at that stage was in pacing the growth. I became quite active in a number of community and professional organizations. There came a shift as I was becoming a community builder, a person of influence.   Minyans for Community Building Whereas the primary purpose of minyan groups is to provide the first step toward building community builders, the small group dynamic can become a vital part of strengthening entrepreneurial members once the community is established.   After my business became stable, I became a part of just such a group. At a point where my business had grown to have offices in two US cities and was doing business with respected multinational firms, a group of like-minded business owners began meeting regularly. We met for prayer and to support one another in our respective and sometimes overlapping activities in the marketplace.   Within the group was the president of a bank, the president of the largest advertising firm in our state, the president of a large regional printing company and the former president of one of our city's largest manufacturers. There were others, but each one sensed a strong call of God on their lives. Each was a game-changer. Each in their own way was intent on understanding God's heart and more strategically advancing the calling of God in the marketplace. We each were reaching for that "something more" that only God could provide.   This came at a time when the parachurch movement was gaining traction, but those in the marketplace still primarily served a role of giving their testimonies and serving on church boards. There were several key initiatives that were the focus of our prayer and strategy sessions. The time frame was the early 1980s.   There was a private city-wide, non-denominational school being started. There also was a new type of bank underway. Some of us were involved in advancing the gathering of intercessory leaders in well-promoted meetings at some key locations around the U.S. It was a part of some timely, positive spiritual momentum underway in our nation. There was more, but you get the idea. It was proactive community-building.   It is when God's people operate together to create an environment of opportunity that change begins. Community building nurtures the gifts of the emerging generation and thereby makes a difference. It unlocks secrets that bridge the seen with the unseen.   Community is a social system that takes care of its own as those who are a part are blessed to be a blessing. As such, the long-standing practices of the communities of Jewish people becomes a light shining in a largely otherwise dark world. It is the catalyst for change and for trickle-down blessings.   In this series we've learned that Jewish thinking differs from that of other peoples. So do their strategies. We've seen how the model, established by their forbearer Abraham, merges the combined operation of the spiritual, the economic and community.   Community from a Jewish stance is an assembly of God's people operating beyond that place of human effort by turning the ordinary into the extraordinary. Community that operates with this standard is a safe place, with God at the center as His people share a common purpose mutually benefiting one another in the application of the diversity of their gifts.   In the search for the stepping stones of success, from a Jewish perspective, we've also found different priorities. We've seen that wealth is the byproduct of the process, rather than the goal. That represents a big difference in the way entrepreneurs think. We learned that the community itself and its posterity are much more highly valued. We now better understand the strategy of building community, which is the shared responsibility of each member. ___________________________________________________   Morris Ruddick has been a forerunner and spokesman for the higher dimensions of business leadership since the mid-90s. As founder of Global Initiatives Foundation and designer of the God's Economy Entrepreneurial Equippers Program, Mr. Ruddick imparts hope and equips economic community builders to be blessed to be a blessing where God's light is dim in diverse regions around the globe.   He is author of "The Joseph-Daniel Calling;" "Gods Economy, Israel and the Nations;" "The Heart of a King;" "Something More;" "Righteous Power in a Corrupt World;" "Leadership by Anointing;" and "Mantle of Fire," which address the mobilization of business and governmental leaders with destinies to impact their communities. They are available in print and e-versions from www.Amazon.com, www.apple.com/ibooks and www.BarnesandNoble.com.   Global Initiatives Foundation (www.strategic-initiatives.org) is a tax-exempt 501 (c) 3 non-profit whose efforts are enabled by the generosity of a remnant of faithful friends and contributors whose vision aligns with God's heart to mobilize economic community builders imparting influence and the blessings of God. Checks on US banks should be made out to Global Initiatives and mailed to PO Box 370291, Denver CO 80237 or by credit card at http://strategicintercession.org/support/   Likewise, email us to schedule a seminar for your group's gathering on the Joseph-Daniel Calling or on anointing the creative in business.   2016 Copyright Morris Ruddick -- sign@strategicintercession.org   Reproduction is prohibited unless permission is given by a SIGN advisor. Since early 1996, the Strategic Intercession Global Network (SIGN) has mobilized prophetic intercessors and leaders committed to targeting strategic-level issues impacting the Body on a global basis. For previous posts or more information on SIGN, check:http://www.strategicintercession.org Morris Ruddick Global Initiatives Foundation www.strategic-initiatives.org www.strategicintercession.org Global Initiatives is a tax exempt 501 (c) 3 organization

Global Initiatives Foundation, PO Box 370291, Denver, CO 80237

DISPROPORTIONATE SUCCESS - Morris E. Ruddick (SIGN)

Morris Ruddick

DISPROPORTIONATE SUCCESS   (c) Morris E. Ruddick     For the majority, success seems correlated to wealth. Yet, from the stance of those the world considers the people of business, wealth is simply the by-product. It is not only a different way of thinking, but a different strategy.   We've looked closely at the way the Jewish people think. As we begin to glean the strategy, we find ourselves unfolding a dimension of creativity that breaks the mold with solutions previously hidden. It is called innovation. Innovation is discovery. It is birthing something new.   It is written that the secret things belong to the Lord, but those that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever. This statement speaks of an inheritance of revelation, things previously unseen being unveiled from one generation to another.   So, if creativity is established as a way of thinking, then innovation, the discovery of things unseen becomes the strategy to build and bring increase. While it may involve individual achievement, the framework for this revelation is the culture. It is released when the criterion comprising "the ways of the Lord" are adhered to as a people. It is the closure of the gap between the unseen world and the seen world.   Disproportionate Achievement Despite Jews being less than a quarter of one percent of the world's population, their accomplishments have not only far exceeded what statisticians would term chance expectations, but Jewish achievements represent a pattern which fulfills the destiny God outlined to Abraham's descendants.   That destiny notes that through them all the families of the earth would be blessed. It represents the spiritual DNA of the House of Israel.   While I believe a good bit of the unverified Jewish facts that periodically pass by on the Internet are true, Steven Pease, a non-Jew has authored a masterful piece of research titled: "The Golden Age of Jewish Achievement."   While his scope covers the history of the Jews, the main focus of his effort is roughly the last 200 years, a time beginning with what he describes as the Jewish emancipation. This has been a time when the contributions of Jews have been far, far beyond the ordinary. He notes the amazing number of Nobel Prize winners, those distinguished on the many "greatest 100" lists of historical notables, as well as the ratios in elite universities as both students and professors.   Even more significant are the advancements, the discoveries, the products that have served humanity and civilization that have evolved from the work of Jews. It is nothing short of overwhelming.   The Issue of Ambition In our discussion of Jewish business secrets, such ratios beg the question of ambition. Can such accomplishments be simply the result of brilliance combined with ambition? Perhaps the more appropriate question is how this ambition is directed. Once again, the conclusion is that it is a result of Jewish cultural DNA. It is the cultural DNA of the descendants of Abraham, shaped by the very reason that it was written that God chose Abraham. It was because Abraham would instruct his children and his household after him to keep the ways of the Lord.   Ambition is an important question to address when considering such disproportionate success. Indeed the issue of ambition is there, but for what purpose? From the Jewish perspective, it is a purpose greater than the individual. It is for the community, for the posterity of the Jewish people and because the heritage of the descendents of Abraham is one that has been groomed to serve, to be taking the blessings extended by God and to bless those in their wake.   More than one of the leaders of this first century Jewish sect addressed the issue of misplaced, self-serving ambition. The wrong type of ambition clouds the innovation it should have been serving. In clouding the innovation, it short-circuits the process and the success ratios. The design is to serve the community and posterity, along with bringing blessing to those outside the community.   The Enduring Mantle The psalmist captures a number of key dimensions on the importance of posterity and community to these people. It is the catalyst passed down which builds from one generation to another. It is the mantle that endures.   It is written that even in darkness, light shines for the gracious, compassionate and righteous. All goes well for the one who is generous, who lends freely and conducts their business fairly. The righteous deeds of such people will long be remembered. This particular passage concludes by noting that while the wicked may seek to undermine people who truly live their lives in this way, the intentions of the wicked will eventually come to naught.   It suggests that success will follow the one whose ambitions are generous, honorable and serve the needy and the community. Although the path will evoke the ire of those whose ways fall short of this standard, the outcome will be that when good prevails, it will overcome evil.   Jesus indicated that we would know people by their fruits. Jesus' Jewish way of viewing things had strong words for those who misused their positions or power for personal gain, whose religious leanings disparaged others to their own benefit. Likewise, one of the most revealing passages unveiling God's heart by the prophet Isaiah, similarly takes a hard stand against the hypocritical, who point the finger in scorn.   Trickle-Down Blessings and Dominion So, as these "secrets" of Jewish business are applied within the context of community, sparks, igniters are released. Those sparks relate to the reason God placed man on the earth in the first place. The reason was to advance, manage and build His creation. It is written that God made man to have dominion, to rule over the work of His hands. From the beginning, the process has involved stewardship. This stewardship, when operating in cooperation with God, comes with unusual authority. This is the authority to establish God's rule. It is called dominion. However dominion only operates when God's people are walking the walk.   In the wintry month of January in 2007, I conducted one of my programs in a remote city in Russia. The congregation had been together less than a dozen years, yet had over 1000 members. Upon my arrival, the setting for our entrepreneurial program had only weeks prior been purchased and occupied. It was one of the ten most important historical sites in all of Russia. It was a palace that had been formerly owned by Lenin. Their far-sighted leaders were turning this facility into a community center!   Within many major cities in the US you will find Jewish community centers. In most cases it is the result of someone in the community who has done well, succeeded, and then has given back.   This concept of "giving back" is a very insightful glimpse into the heart of Jewish culture and our focus on Jewish business secrets. It is the acknowledgement of the heritage shared by the Jewish people as descendants of Abraham for the mantle and community dynamic preserved and made available to the one "giving back."   For many years I belonged to the Jewish community center in my city. It was a place to exercise, to take my granddaughter swimming. It was a safe place to bring your family, to work out, to relax and meet others and to hold meetings. Services were held there.   In "giving back," the chief benefactor of the Jewish community center I was a part of wasn't giving to an institution or a movement. He was giving to the community. This is tz'dakah, the community dynamic of generosity in operation. It represents an investment in the community and the posterity of the Jewish people.   Without the swimming facilities, this is what this facility in Russia was becoming: a community center. Yet, knowing what the spiritual climate has been in Russia, you have to question how this purchase was ever approved. The story I was told was that the government had chosen to sell the facility. However, when the application came from a group of believers, there was initial consternation. Finally, a senior official provided the wisdom that led to the sale: "Give these people whatever they want because they are doing so much good."   It is written that through your good works that you will put to silence the ignorance of foolish men. This congregation had a drug-rehabilitation program that was taking people off the streets and into a path of leading productive lives. They fed the poor. They worked with prisoners so when released the prisoners became productive members of the community. At the time I was there, they were making plans for a medical clinic.   This community had learned the Jewish secret of "trickle-down blessings," of being blessed to be a blessing. It impacted all within the community and was changing the spiritual climate of the city.   Their role in serving the community in this way established this authority called dominion. The result was the authorities honoring this congregation's role in the community by granting their request to purchase the facility. They were good citizens. They were blessed and were extending the blessing, the mantle of Abraham, to the community around them. They were becoming disproportionate achievers.   Jewish Business: Steps to Success We've covered a lot of ground in our discussion of Jewish business secrets: including right thinking and right strategy. Create, innovate and bring increase. Wisdom tells us that we also need right timing. Now as we look more closely at this issue of disproportionate success, let's go over some practical steps toward this end.   Make the Lord your Senior Partner. It is easier to trust what we can see than what we cannot see. Yet, making God your Senior Partner will first be a decision before it becomes operational. Before David became king, he learned to inquire of the Lord on decisions. When he erred, he knew what it meant to humble himself and yield the situation to God. It is written seek first His Kingdom and righteousness and all these other things will be added to you.   Surround yourself with wise counselors. One of the most important things a business owner can do is to select two or three wise counselors they can use as dependable advisors. These are people whose experience and maturity reflect not just a track record in the type of business they are pursuing, but an expertise in accounting and marketing. There is a proverb that in midst of right counselors will be safety.   Become excellent at something you do. It has also been written that the one who excels in his work will stand before kings. For most people, there will be something they can do well. Developing that expertise into something they can do better than a lot of others will become the edge vital to business success. Business owners should become expert in what they do and in the customers they serve.   Discipline yourself to view things from a long-term perspective. Having a view of the future is essential to anticipating change and adapting to the times. It involves setting priorities and mapping out strategies that foresee emerging opportunity. That means planning and preparation. Wisdom calls for preparing your work and improving on it and only then taking care of personal desires. It has been written that an enterprise is built step by step, little by little. If things move too fast then you'll overlook the traps that experience will enable you to avoid.   Make decisions based on the right thing to do. A successful enterprise is built by wise planning that is honorable and honest. Customers will soon recognize the ways of those they do business with. Doing justly, extending kindness, mercy and humility are foundational to being a part of a trust society.   Learn the art of diligence. It has been written that diligence is a man's precious possession, as it is the hand of the diligent that will rule. Working hard to provide excellence and to get the job done right is essential to business success.   Make your assets work for you. Making your assets work is at the heart of good stewardship. Those who are diligent and faithful in the small things will be entrusted with much more. This is essential to providing profit and growth for any business operation.   Assume responsibility and manage detail. Assuming responsibility and managing detail is a way of life for the successful business owner. It is written to be diligent to know the state of your flocks and attend to your herds. This is a significant part of the process of operating an enterprise.   Learn to manage risk. Business ownership will involve risk. Managing risk will require the faith needed to do so. Wisdom and faith, together with risk is what is needed to bring increase to a business.   Strive for trustworthiness and dependability. At the heart of a trust society are business people whose word can be trusted, who will stand behind what they say. The psalmist has written that there is one who walks with integrity and works righteousness and speaks truth in his own heart. This is the one who swears to his own hurt and does not change. This is the one people want to do business with.   Treat your customers like family. Treating customers like family will yield long-term, faithful clients. Proverbs states that a good name is to be chosen over great riches, loving favor than silver and gold. By humility and fear of the Lord are riches and honor and life.   Be alert for opportunities for ownership. Private ownership for the average person has been foundational to forming a middle class in a society. The principles of private ownership were outlined in the books of Moses.   Extend Tz'dakah Charity. Give and it will be given unto you. So it has been said just as you want people to treat you, treat them in this same way. Generosity within the community is an investment that will yield returns now and in the future.   Become a community-builder. It is written that unto him that much is given, much is required and to whom men have committed much, of them they will ask even more. The community is the base of operations for the business. It yields both protection and opportunity. We will discuss community responsibility in more detail in the next session.   The proverb that describes the excellent woman notes that she considers a field and she buys it. Then she makes that asset work by taking the risk of planting a vineyard that will bring her family increase. She is shrewd in her trading so that she makes a profit. She doesn't wrap up her day until all her work is complete.   Disproportionate success includes hard work and wisdom. It involves this different way of thinking that employs vision, imagination and strategy. Creative thinking fosters innovative strategies. In all this will be an eye on the community and an eye on posterity.   Over time, with wise counsel, this process will mature. There will come a recognition of the changes in seasons. Anticipating change will be vital to recognizing and maximizing opportunity. Timing as such can pave the way for the future. It is why bottom-up birthed organizations tend to endure longer than fast-track operations.   Success can be a two-edged sword. Success seduced Saul and even King David. While it broke Saul, David knew what to do. He humbled himself and yielded his future to the One who had made him king. It brought recovery and set the stage for a new season.   Success begins and ends with the thinking, the creative advantage. However, the edge of success will be in the strategy, the innovation, the bridging of the seen world into the unseen world that opens the door to the process of discovery that produces disproportionate success. In our next session, we will discuss the function and role of building community and a simple strategy used by Jews for centuries to achieve success. ___________________________________________________   Morris Ruddick has been a forerunner and spokesman for the higher dimensions of business leadership since the mid-90s. As founder of Global Initiatives Foundation and designer of the God's Economy Entrepreneurial Equippers Program, Mr. Ruddick imparts hope and equips economic community builders to be blessed to be a blessing where God's light is dim in diverse regions around the globe.   He is author of "The Joseph-Daniel Calling;" "Gods Economy, Israel and the Nations;" "The Heart of a King;" "Something More;" "Righteous Power in a Corrupt World;" "Leadership by Anointing;" and "Mantle of Fire," which address the mobilization of business and governmental leaders with destinies to impact their communities. They are available in print and e-versions from www.Amazon.com, www.apple.com/ibooksand www.BarnesandNoble.com.   Global Initiatives Foundation (www.strategic-initiatives.org) is a tax-exempt 501 (c) 3 non-profit whose efforts are enabled by the generosity of a remnant of faithful friends and contributors whose vision aligns with God's heart to mobilize economic community builders imparting influence and the blessings of God. Checks on US banks should be made out to Global Initiatives and mailed to PO Box 370291, Denver CO 80237 or by credit card at http://strategicintercession.org/support/   Likewise, email us to schedule a seminar for your group's gathering on the Joseph-Daniel Calling or on anointing the creative in business.   2016 Copyright Morris Ruddick -- sign@strategicintercession.org   Reproduction is prohibited unless permission is given by a SIGN advisor. Since early 1996, the Strategic Intercession Global Network (SIGN) has mobilized prophetic intercessors and leaders committed to targeting strategic-level issues impacting the Body on a global basis. For previous posts or more information on SIGN, check:http://www.strategicintercession.org   Morris Ruddick Global Initiatives Foundation www.strategic-initiatives.org www.strategicintercession.org Global Initiatives is a tax-exempt 501 (c) 3 organization

Global Initiatives Foundation, PO Box 370291, Denver, CO 80237

THE CREATIVE ADVANTAGE - Morris E. Ruddick (SIGN)

THE CREATIVE ADVANTAGE   (c) Morris E. Ruddick     Throughout the business world, people are seeking the formula for the creative. Smart people are trying to discern the steps and advantages to success. Yet for centuries the greatest creative exploits consistently have been from the Jews.   Jews are a culture that thinks differently. It all began with Abraham, who risked shaping his destiny based on God's guidance. Abraham's son Isaac astounded surrounding societies because he grew a harvest of crops when famine prevailed for everyone else. The advantage came from hearing and obeying God.   Joseph, with no status or position, influenced his host culture by means of his prophetic gift. He accurately interpreted Pharaoh's dreams, anticipated and prepared for a time of crisis and in so doing, averted disaster. Moses then outlined the principles and practices that set the stage and advantage for the future. The books of Moses have defined the culture and determined how a people whose identity is entwined with God, think and then act.   Jesus came and raised the bar. Jesus released the fullness of the advantage entrusted to the descendants of Abraham. It was as if he had turned the mix of an emerging motorbike economy laced with a top-heavy, floundering accelerator system of high-stakes investments into a cultural advantage that would change everything in its path.   The advantage begins with mind-sets. Thinking like Jews begins with their identity being in God. Jews hold to the belief of being a prophetic people of God whose ways reflect the pattern of their forefather Abraham: to be blessed to be a blessing. For the most part, they have resisted assimilation and from age to age they have maintained their unique identity culturally.   Jewish beliefs nurture the dynamic of community as much or more than any other culture; but with the approach of being a trust society. They foster entrepreneurship and creativity from within and build incisively from the bottom-up.   Within this context, community-wise, when adhering to their standards, the Jewish people operate in a self-regulated, self-sufficiency within their communities. They nurture the type of stewardship that serves and reflects excellence.   The Jewish brand of leadership has the distinction of operating best through influence and service. Having frequently been a conquered people, Jews have learned the secrets of being a culture within a culture. Yet, as a people, they uphold the ways to not only survive, but to thrive.   Their influence has established middle classes in societies without a middle class. Jews have shaped the positive aspects governmentally, socially, judicially, economically and morally of what has become known as Western civilization. Yet, they are at their root, an Eastern culture.   Jews are disciplined and are willing to pay the cost to live for this higher standard, to sacrifice for the future of their people. Jews nurture and develop the next generation to hold to the secrets and standards that have been distinctive to them as a people.   Jews are a moral society. Their distinctive identity upholds and passes on high standards of community, entrepreneurship, innovation, excellence and industriousness that are also central to many Asian cultures.   So, each of these unique cultural standards have blended together to form a people who both train their children and operate in community, as a people who think differently. This different way of thinking releases creativity. This different way of thinking, this advantage has resulted over the centuries in Jews being known as "the people of business."   Then Jesus came and released steroids into the Jewish advantage.   The Jewish Mind-Set The Jewish mind-set begins with vision. When God called Abraham, He told him to look up at the stars of the heavens. He then told him that his descendents would be more than he could see in terms of those stars. God was releasing vision in Abraham.   Then there is a factor of looking closely at the steps to be taken. This has special bearing in business dealings and when evaluating opportunity. It is an investigative way of evaluating matters. It involves asking a lot of questions and doing good research. There is a proverb that says that the na've believe anything, but the prudent is cautious and considers well his steps. That means doing your homework. It means giving careful consideration to whatever you're about to get involved in.   Then there comes the imagination. Jesus had a lot to say about the power of our imaginations. He indicated that if we got really angry, to be careful that that anger doesn't entertain murder in our minds. Jesus was pointing to the connection between the seen world and the unseen world.   Jesus was continually showing His followers how to close the gap between the natural and the spiritual. The imagination and faith work hand in hand. One of my favorite stories of how creative thinking and faith should work together involves a company today known as the Williams Companies.   During their early years this firm was producing $10 million annually in revenues. At its helm were two brothers, Joe and John Williams. The Williams brothers decided to grow their company by acquisition. In doing so, they put in a bid to purchase Great Lakes Pipeline, a company that had more than ten times their own annual revenues. Not only did they acquire this company, they made the new operation successful. But at the time they made the acquisition, the Wall Street Journal had a front-page article titled: "The Minnow Swallows the Whale."   A minnow, one of the smallest of all fish, swallowing a whale is a good portrayal of this different way of thinking. It is out-of-the-box. It is faith in operation. It is good Jewish thinking.   These three factors: vision and research combined with using your imagination with faith, then become the foundation for good planning. Planning is mapping out steps for the future. It involves setting goals, but then developing short-term strategies in order to accomplish those goals.   Entrepreneurship and Creativity Steve Jobs created a company with a culture of creativity. Steve Jobs wasn't Jewish, but entrepreneurially, he thought like a Jew. It is the reason Jews are known as a people of business. Jews are entrepreneurial in their way of thinking.   Genuine entrepreneurs have a different way of viewing things than those whose mind-sets are institutional. Jewish business thinking is more bottom-up in its focus. For years, Western university business programs have approached their training from a top-down stance, preparing students for the world of the accelerator programs of the venture capital world and fast growth startups. It has had its focus on large institutions while unfortunately overlooking the entrepreneurial approach to startups, which most of the big companies have grown from. Today, there is a shift within many universities as they discover the creative benefits of entrepreneurial thinking.   The focus of the entrepreneur is on the customer and employee versus the focus of the institutional thinker that tends to be on the organization. Entrepreneurial structure is more flexible compared to the tighter, more controlling ways of the institution. Innovation for the entrepreneur is to apply faith in managing risk versus the institutional thinker's approach of attempting to minimize risk. The ability of the entrepreneur is to embrace change rather than that of the institutional person who is inclined to maintain the status quo.   The output sought by the entrepreneur is market creation. For the institutional thinker it is market share. The entrepreneurial leadership style nurtures and motivates rather than the institutional person's tendency to micro-manage. The real product sought by the entrepreneur is a dream versus simply the products or services offered by the institutional thinker. Finally, the motivation of the one who thinks like an entrepreneur is to make history compared to the motivation of the institutional thinker which is to make money.   Steve Jobs established an entrepreneurial culture. The entrepreneurial culture fosters creativity.   GE had become a lumbering giant and very institutional. Profits were down and their stock prices were way down. The board brought in a new CEO who thought differently. Jack Welch thought like an entrepreneur. He began changing policy and establishing the motivation for an entrepreneurial culture. He removed those whose thinking stymied opportunity. GE was revived with its vitality restored.   The Struggle for the Advantage The destiny of Abraham's descendants of being a blessing to all the peoples of the earth hit a hurdle within a generation following Jesus' time on earth. Jesus taught his followers to apply righteous power in corrupt settings. Jesus groomed his inner-circle with the creative advantage of the Jews. But this incredible Jewish advantage was culturally stymied. Infiltrators in this new sect called Christianity lost the identity factor that came with the advantage and with it they lost the power.   In the centuries that followed, the advantage was perverted and divided. The source of the advantage, the Jews, began being ostracized by those seeking the advantage and the divide widened. Today however, this advantage is being rebuilt as the identity factor is being restored to both Jews and the followers of Jesus. The crescendo will evolve around the restoration and opportunity that will be found in crisis. The fullness of this advantage will manifest as the crisis builds.   Opportunity in Crisis On January 15, 2009 a US Airways flight took off from LaGuardia Airport in New York. A flock of geese they encountered stalled the engines. However, because of the cool-headed response of the pilot to this crisis, they successfully made an unprecedented unpowered emergency landing on the Hudson River. The New York newspapers called it "the miracle on the Hudson," as all 155 passengers survived.   The response to a crisis requires immediate reactions based on experienced, decisive creative thinking. Similarly, preparing for a crisis calls for creative, preparatory thinking.   More than two decades ago, an Israeli businesswoman had just sold her business and was looking for the next steps in her journey of life. In a series of unusual encounters she began realizing that Israel had world-class scientists sweeping streets, inventors of technologies who were on unemployment. She designed what has become the world's most respected technology incubator program.   Operating under Israel's Office of the Chief Scientist, her program began providing the offices, the support and funding for two year programs to develop technologies for commercialization. Not only is Israel now at the top of creating new technologies, but the success ratios and the ratios of startups going public from Rina Pridor's response to crisis outdistances any other incubator program of its kind. It is written that God will send rain for the seed you sow and the food in the land will be rich and plentiful.   God's nature is to create and to bring increase. Abiding in His ways provides a path for His people to spot opportunity, to map out solutions circumventing disasters and to bring restoration. It is the spiritual DNA of God's people as one generation has passed on this creative advantage to the next. It is written that the secret things belong to the Lord, but those revealed belong to us and to our children. The simple things confound the wise. The simplicity of obedience is in the ways outlined by Moses.   Jews have a long history of both anticipatory responses to crises and what some have referred to as destructive strategies to restore imbalanced economies. The birth of middle classes in societies without them illustrates. These dynamics have begun and been leveraged when the cultural identity of the Jews, as a people of God is being demonstrated.   So in talking about Jewish business secrets, putting into action the dynamic of this cultural identity in God during a crisis will produce opportunity.   It represents the catalyst to the creativity needed for the response. Creativity maps out a strategy that brings an unexpected and positive result. It is in acting with the heart and priorities of God. This is the catalyst the prophet Isaiah saw to release God's people to serve a critical role in days of crisis as repairers of the breach, a time when the gap is closed.   This portends the advantage, being applied in closing the gap between the seen world and the unseen world. The story of Joseph demonstrates how against a backdrop of incredible adversity, with Joseph's identity in God at the forefront, that God created an unusual alliance between Joseph's culture and the culture of Pharaoh. Through this alliance opportunity was advanced as the impact of the disaster was sidestepped.   The words of Isaiah are pertinent in the swirl of the dislocations, reversals and uncertainty taking place around the world today: He said: Then you will be called the repairers of the breach, restorers of the paths and the dwellings.   As a people whose destiny is being blessed by God to extend that blessing to the other peoples in the earth, Jews are the ones destined with the advantage to repair the breach and fix the brokenness. It is during such times that Jews have performed most remarkably.   The Age-Old Challenge However, there is a caveat. It relates to when these extraordinary people have lost their grip on this identity thing. It represents the other side of the struggle for the advantage that has warred against the Jews over the ages. It is the desire of Jews to be like everyone else. It takes place when the blessings of God are misinterpreted as success from their own making.   God made Saul to be king because the people wanted a king like everyone else. Saul's downfall was because instead of truly leading the people according to their mantle as a people of God, he was more intent on wanting the people's approval. He sought the approval of men rather than God and the people wanted to be like everyone else.   This has marked the dividing line of the advantage against being consumed by the destruction raging in the world. Even today, among Jewish believers there are those whose quest is to pattern their behavior as closely to the gentile believers as they can, rather than being the example.   Serving as a people of God in crisis is both an awesome and humbling task. The destiny to be blessed to be a blessing is not a retreat or a monastic setup. Pharaoh's discernment of Joseph's mantle represents the prophetic crux for the times at hand. As the crises build, so will be opportunity marked by the alliances between the modern-day Pharaohs and Josephs. Then will come the amazing restoration as alliances such as this provide safe-places in a turbulent, chaotic world.   There will be wealth transfers facilitated by these alliances, but not for the goal of wealth, but as a by-product. Success will be defined by the creative advantage, which will be the result of the mind-set and the cultural identity factor. The naive seek for a quick fix with get-rich quick schemes. It is a myopia, a short-sighted approach that gambles on the seduction of wealth. Short-cuts in this pathway will lead people astray.    David very wisely said that what has cost him nothing would have no value before the Lord. There is a cost for this creative advantage. Jesus pointed out that the one who loses his life will find it. He was pointing to the advantage, the identity in God. The creative advantage is in the identity and in the response then generated by the identity. ___________________________________________________   Morris Ruddick has been a forerunner and spokesman for the higher dimensions of business leadership since the mid-90s. As founder of Global Initiatives Foundation and designer of the God's Economy Entrepreneurial Equippers Program, Mr. Ruddick imparts hope and equips economic community builders to be blessed to be a blessing where God's light is dim in diverse regions around the globe.   He is author of "The Joseph-Daniel Calling;" "Gods Economy, Israel and the Nations;" "The Heart of a King;" "Something More;" "Righteous Power in a Corrupt World;" "Leadership by Anointing;" and "Mantle of Fire," which address the mobilization of business and governmental leaders with destinies to impact their communities. They are available in print and e-versions from www.Amazon.com, www.apple.com/ibooksand www.BarnesandNoble.com.   Global Initiatives Foundation (www.strategic-initiatives.org) is a tax-exempt 501 (c) 3 non-profit whose efforts are enabled by the generosity of a remnant of faithful friends and contributors whose vision aligns with God's heart to mobilize economic community builders imparting influence and the blessings of God. Checks on US banks should be made out to Global Initiatives and mailed to PO Box 370291, Denver CO 80237 or by credit card at http://strategicintercession.org/support/   Likewise, email us to schedule a seminar for your group's gathering on the Joseph-Daniel Calling or on anointing the creative in business.   2016 Copyright Morris Ruddick -- sign@strategicintercession.org   Reproduction is prohibited unless permission is given by a SIGN advisor. Since early 1996, the Strategic Intercession Global Network (SIGN) has mobilized prophetic intercessors and leaders committed to targeting strategic-level issues impacting the Body on a global basis. For previous posts or more information on SIGN, check:http://www.strategicintercession.org   Morris Ruddick Global Initiatives Foundation www.strategic-initiatives.org www.strategicintercession.org Global Initiatives is a tax-exempt 501 (c) 3 organization

Global Initiatives Foundation, PO Box 370291, Denver, CO 80237