The New Sheriff

Courtesy of Student News Daily

Created for Work ~ Ch. 19 "Promptly After, But Not Before"

"A fool may make money, but it needs a wise man to spend it."

~ C.H. Spurgeon

Schultz opens chapter 17 of Created for Work with some basic advice about the business world: "Never pay a man for his labor before he does his work. Never recieve pay before you accomplish a task." If you intend to run a prosperous and God-honoring business, this advice is absolutely essential to bear in mind. Why? Here are two simple answers... 

~

First, You Will Be Honoring God.

The Christian businessman should always seek to conduct his affairs according to the character of his Maker. "His customers, suppliers and associates should see God in the man as he transfers property and services from one person to another."

~ 

Let's say you paid God for two pounds of roofing nails. Would He put less than that amount in your sack? Of course not. He may give you two pounds and perhaps a little extra, but not less. That's because He has enough and is generous with what He has. Therefore, just as God would never give less than the amount agreed upon, the Christian should always fulfill the bargains he makes. He should never cheat his customers or those he works for. He should work and pay with the promptness and generosity of his God.

~ 

God also doesn't pay men before they work. You have to plow, plant, and cultivate before you can harvest. In Matthew 20, we find the parable told by Jesus about the generous householder and the workers in the vinyard. The householder agreed on a wage with those he hired, and paid them at the end of the day when the job was done. God doesn't pay before completion because He knows the nature of man. Man tends to rest after receiving his reward. Therefore, the Christian should withhold payment until the job is finished. It may be necessary to pay for the cost of the materials before they are installed; however, never pay for labor before the workers complete the task.

~

Second, You Will Be Doing Yourself A Favor.

By withholding payment until the task is done, you can avoid some painful experiences. Here's an example from Schultz: "My father-in-law wanted a new seat for his motor home. He paid full price when he ordered it. Somehow, the company couldn't get their hands on that seat. After five months and numerous requests, he sent his lawyer after them. Amazingly, the company quickly called to say that his seat was ready for installation as soon as they received the lawyer's letter." When you pay someone before they work, they lose their motivation. After all, why should they go out in the cold and rain to work when they already have the money? They can just wait for a better day. On the other hand, the man who needs the money will surmount many obstacles to finish the job because he has his eye on the wealth he hopes to gain. Full men do not work like hungry men.

~

Schultz says, "I don't accept money for my labor before doing a job. As all men, I work best when hungry and looking ahead for payment. If someone pays me at the start of a job, it takes away my incentive. It makes me feel like I'm in debt. Instead of working simply because I want to, when prepaid, I work because I have to, to pay the obligation."

~

Following the simple rule of "Promptly After, But Not Before" allows you to put a helpful safeguard on your business. What's more, you're aligning your affairs with the character of God. "He knows how to live," says Schultz, "and it's worth your while to follow His design, especially in business. May you always have a reputation for paying promptly and generously but not before the job is finished, because that's how God does it." 

~

"And behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be."

Revelation 22:12   

* * *

Persevero,

"To See a World in a Grain of Sand"

To see a world in a grain of sand,

And a heaven in a wild flower,

Hold infinity in the palm of your hand

And eternity in an hour.

~ William Blake

* * *
Persevero,

"Did You Hear the One..."

This article by Marvin Olasky of WorldMag is just to good to be missed!

Hope it provides you with some laughs!

* * *

Persevero,

From C.S. Lewis...

"Blake wrote the Marriage of Heaven and Hell. If I have written of their Divorce, this is not because I think myself a fit antagonist for so great a genius, nor even because I feel at all sure that I know what he meant. But in some sense or other the attempt to make that marriage is perennial. The attempt is based on the belief that reality never presents us with an absolutely unavoidable 'either-or'; that, granted skill and patience and (above all) time enough, some way of embracing both alternatives can always be found; that mere development or adjustment or refinement will somehow turn evil into good without our being called on for a final and total rejection of anything we should like to retain. This belief I take to be a disastrous error. You cannot take all luggage with you on all journeys; on one journey even your right hand and your right eye might be among the things you have to leave behind. We are not living in a world where all roads are radii of a circle and where all, if followed long enough, will therefore draw gradually nearer and finally meet at the centre: rather in a world where every road, after a few miles, forks into two, and each of those into two again, and at each fork you must make a decision...

~

"I do not think that all who choose wrong roads perish; but their rescue consists in being put back on the right road. A sum can be put right: but only by going back till you find the error and working it afresh from that point, never by simply going on. Evil can be undone, but it cannot develop into good. Time does not heal it. The spell must be unwound, bit by bit, 'with backward mutters of dissevering power' - or else not. It is still 'either-or'. If we insist on keeping Hell (or even Earth) we shall not see Heaven: if we accept Heaven we shall not be able to retain even the smallest and most intimate souvenirs of Hell...

~

"But what, you ask, of earth? Earth, I think, will not be found by anyone to be in the end a very distinct place. I think earth, if chosen instead of Heaven, will turn out to have been, all along, only a region in Hell: and earth, if put second to Heaven, to have been from the beginning a part of Heaven itself."

~ from the Preface to The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis

* * *

Persevero,

  

What Does It All Mean?

Some of these stats are amazing; some bizarre; and still others disconcerting. They show how quickly the world is changing. For unbelievers, that's bad news. After all, the world is all they have to hold onto. It's the only treasure they'll ever have. They try to grab it, slow it down, keep it still. But they can't. They're digging their fingers into crumbling sand... and they keep slipping.
~
For the followers of Christ, things are different. Change holds no terrifying uncertainty for us. That's because Someone stronger than we are is holding onto us. We may live in an ever-changing world - but we are under the care of a never-changing God.

* * *
Persevero,

Nip It in the Bud

Courtesy of World Magazine

Soundtracks, Anyone?

I like movies. I enjoy watching them, I enjoy talking about them, and I enjoy critiquing them. I also love music. A lot. That being said, it's probably not too hard to understand why I'm one of those people who can't just watch a movie and then move on. Usually, I have to check out the soundtrack as well. 

~

I have quite a few film scores in my music library now. And though I enjoy them all, there are some which I like better than others. These can be found in the list below. They are soundtracks which not only fit perfectly with the films for which they were written, but are also enjoyable to listen to on their own. Enjoy...

~

Up (2009)

Michael Giacchino

---------------------

It's virtually impossible to keep a straight face while listening to this soundtrack. It's lighthearted, colorful, and just plain irresistible. I wouldn't hesitate to call it one of the best musical scores ever written for an animated film.

Sherlock Holmes (2009)
Hans Zimmer

---------------------

You can easily get a good idea of Holmes' character just by listening to this soundtrack. Yeah, it's that good. Subtle, intense, even bordering on comic at times, this simple but complex score nails Doyle's creation on the head.

The Return of the King: The Complete Recordings (2003)
Howard Shore
----------------------
I've had this soundtrack for over two years, and I've never yet grown tired of it. You can almost feel Middle-Earth in the music. It's absolutely one of the most magnificent scores ever written, a must-have for Tolkien enthusiasts.   

Henry V (1989)

Patrick Doyle

----------------------

Written for Kenneth Branagh's famous Shakespearean film, this soundtrack also happens to be one of my mom's favorites. The music is noble and poignant - especially Doyle's brilliant arrangement of the "Gloria Patri".

  

National Treasure (2005)

Trevor Rabin

----------------------

This is the perfect soundtrack to listen to while exercising. The action and intensity hardly let up, and you'll be hard pressed to find music that's better suited to a foot race. Listen to it long enough, you might even begin to believe someone's after you.

Gladiator (2000)

Hans Zimmer

----------------------
Haunting and evocative, this score definitely creates an enduring backdrop for Ridley Scott's tale of Ancient Rome.The pieces written for the battle scenes are particularly gripping: I always find it hard to sit still when I'm listening to them.

The Dark Knight (2008)

Hans Zimmer & James Newton Howard

--------------------

Like it's movie counterpart, this soundtrack is serious, intense, and fast-paced, and you'll find it hard not to envision a grim battle between good and evil while listening to it. Apart from one or two tracks which I find a bit too sinister, I highly recommend this score as an outstanding accomplishment in the realm of film music.

I Am Legend (2008)

James Newton Howard

----------------------

Reflective and eerily compelling - that probably the best way to describe this soundtrack. The theme is especially unique and beautiful, and once you've heard it, it's virtually impossible to forget.

   Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)

Iva Davies, Christopher Gordon, & Richard Tognetti    

----------------------

As another reviewer aptly put it, "The musical atmosphere for "Master and Commander" is clearly tinged by sea spray and a touch of gunpowder." And although the original orchestral music was composed by Davies, Gordon, and Tognetti, there is also a good amount of classical music woven in as well, including pieces by Bach, Corelli, Vaughan Williams, Mozart, and Boccherini.

  

 The Man From Snowy River (1982)

Bruce Rowland

--------------------

This is a complete blast to listen to, especially in the car! Lively horns, quiet pianos, energetic strings and bombastic drums all combine to make it an instant classic full of emotion and energy; definitely a one-of-a-kind masterpiece.

~

If you have a favorite soundtrack to recommend, please let me know. I'd love to hear about it. Thanks!

* * *

Persevero,

"On the Babel-Builders"

Sure, if those Babel-builders had thought good

To raise their heaven-high tower before the flood,

The wiser sort of people might deride

Their folly, and that folly had salved their pride;

Or had their faiths but enterprised that plot,

Their hearts had finished what their hands could not;

'Twas not for love of heaven: nor did they aim

So much to raise a building as a name:

They that by works shall seek to make intrusion

To heaven, find nothing but their own confusion.

~ Francis Quarles