If you asked most entrepreneurs for five reasons why they got into business, making money would probably be close to number one. If so, that makes John Roise, owner of Lindsay Windows, something of an anomaly. When the former banker decided to enter the window business several years ago, he had four main goals in mind and none of them included the word “money.”
“The first thing I wanted to do was share my faith,” says John. “Second, I wanted to be able to hire people who needed a second, third or fourth chance; people like ex-prisoners and drug addicts. Third, I wanted to speak out on social issues. And finally, I wanted to be able to take short-term mission trips.”
In fact, John’s original goal was to build a business to the point where he had to spend only one day per week at work and the rest of his time in Christian ministry. However, as every entrepreneur knows, rarely do the demands of even a small business afford such luxuries, especially when you’re just starting out. It wasn’t that John felt money was unimportant. He realized the only way to reach his other goals was to make his company profitable. Echoing in his head were the words of famed evangelist Dwight L. Moody:
“Make as much as you can, save as much as you can, so you can give as much as you can.”
John set out to do just that.
Here's The Story
Why was John so concerned about giving rather than gaining? Back in college, John made a decision that changed his life: He had become a Christian. Having grown up in a Christian home, John thought he had all the bases covered when it came to God. He went to church, he was baptized, he was nice to his parents and he lived a decent life. But when he met his future wife Susan, she showed him that just going through the motions of faith was not enough. If he really wanted to call himself a Christian, he had to become “born again.”
“And I said, ‘What do you mean, born again? How I can be born again?’” says John. “And she pointed out some Scripture to me and I said ‘Wow, I’d never seen that before.’ No one had ever challenged me like that.”
Although his pride prevented him from letting Susan convert him on the spot, the seed was planted. A short time later while John was in his room watching television, he finally accepted the fact that:
* he wasn’t as good a person as he thought he was and
* the only solution was to ask Jesus for forgiveness.
John did exactly that, and his new, personal relationship with Jesus began.
“No bells went off, and no whistles rang. But I knew there was a difference,” John says.
For one thing, John realized it wasn’t enough to live life just for himself. To be a true follower of Christ, he had to devote his life to serving others.
A Sign From God
John’s faith grew over the next several years as he graduated from college and found work in the banking industry. An entrepreneur at heart, John also ran a few other businesses on the side, including real estate development and an oyster shell chicken feed company. While John always seemed to do well, he still hadn’t found the company that would allow him to fulfill his dreams.
Oddly enough, John’s golden opportunity came in the form of a business he knew nothing about: window manufacturing. He wasn’t even interested in purchasing the company at first. Not only did he lack experience, buying the company would require him to borrow several million dollars and leave his comfortable, six-figure job in the banking industry.
John decided to put the decision before God. Seeing as it was unlikely that any bank would loan him so much money, John decided to let that be the determining factor. If he managed to secure the financing, he would take it as a sign that God wanted him to take this leap of faith. If not, then he would forfeit the deal and keep looking for another business opportunity.
Rather than seek a loan from his own bank and risk the embarrassment of being turned down, John decided to approach another bank three hours away. He fully expected his application to be rejected, but,
“Within 24 hours, I had a commitment to do the whole deal,” says John.
Still not convinced that this was the way to go, John decided to try his luck at yet another bank.
Once again, his loan application was approved almost instantly. John finally accepted the fact that God might be telling him to go for it.
Fulfilling his Goals
Building the company was far from easy. Desperation was a common feeling during that first year, John says. But as he learned the business, he was able to turn Lindsay Windows into a highly successful manufacturer of custom windows.
More importantly, John’s financial success meant he could finally fulfill the four goals he had stated at the outset. Today, Lindsay Windows regularly employs ex-prisoners, the mentally challenged,and individuals with chemical dependency problems.
“I’ve seen some people that have just walked away from drugs, gotten off alcohol and become good, productive individuals. Some people fall back and that’s to be expected.... But I have seen quite a few success stories.”
As for John’s own success, his definition is rather simple:
“I measure success according to what I’ve done compared to what I’m capable of doing. You could have millions of dollars, but that doesn’t matter. What matters is what you’ve done on this earth with the opportunities you’ve been given.”
So, does John consider himself a success on those terms?
“I don’t know. I guess I’ll have to wait and see if I hear those famous words from the Lord when I get to heaven, ‘Well done my good and faithful servant.’”
How do you measure success? Why not ask Jesus what success looks like for you? If you do not know Jesus, we encourage you to pray the following:
Lord Jesus, I want to know You personally. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of my life. Make me be the person You want me to be.
Is it the desire of your heart to make this prayer yours?
If yes, pray now and according to his promise, Jesus Christ will come into your life.
如果你让成功的企业家给出从商的五个理由，赚钱很可能位列第一。这样的话，Lindsay Windows的老板John Roise就是奇人一个。几年前，当他从银行家转而从事门窗产业的时候，他怀揣着四个梦想，而“钱”这一词未在其中。
* “我第一件要做的事情是分享我的信仰。”约翰说道“第二，雇佣那些需要第二，第三甚至更多机会的人，比如坐过牢和吸过毒的人。第三，就社会问题发表我的观点。最后，参加教会短期宣讲会。”
实际上，约翰最初的目标是创立一家企业，直到他可以每周只上一天班，剩下的时间在基督教部度过。不过，每个企业家都知道，即使是小企业，工作需求也不少，如此奢侈的想法是在难以满足，尤其在它起步的时候。你可能觉得约翰就是认为钱不重要，不是这样的。他认识到能实现其他的梦想的唯一途径就是让公司盈利。著名的福音传道者德怀特,穆迪的话萦绕在他脑海的中
* “尽可能的获取，尽可能的节约，这样你才能尽可能的给与。”
约翰也的确是这样做的。
约翰的故事
为什么约翰如此的关注给予而非索取呢？因为在大学时代，约翰做了一个改变他一生的决定：成为一个基督信徒。从小在基督教家庭长大的约翰，认为上帝为他安排了一切。他经常到教堂去，并接受洗礼。他对父母很好，过着一种体面而高尚的生活。但是当他遇到他未来的妻子苏珊时，她告诉他仅仅情感上感觉到的信仰是不够的。如果想成为一名真正的基督教徒，他必须要重生。
* “我当时问她，‘你说的重生，是什么？’我怎样才能重生？”约翰这样说道。“她说了一些经文，然后我说：‘我从来没听过。’从没有人那样向我示威过。”
尽管出于自尊，他没让苏珊在这个问题上转变自己的观点，不过一颗种子却埋在了他心里。不久之后，当约翰在卧室里看电视时，这个种子终于生根发芽，于是他最终接受了以下事实：
* 他并没有他曾经认为的那么好
* 唯一的解决之道是向上帝寻求宽恕
约翰的确这么做了，于是他和基督的私人关系悄然开始。
* “没有钟声响起，没有哨声依依，但我知道，我已经不同。”约翰说道。
首先，约翰意识到只为自己活着是不够的。要成为上帝真正的追随者，他必须倾力服务他人。
上帝的旨意
之后几年，他从大学毕业并进入银行业工作，他的信念也与日俱增。他内心里是一名创业家，所以他同时还在其他几家公司做兼职，包括房地产开发和牡蛎壳制鸡饲料公司。虽然他工作出色，仍然没有找到一家公司能让自己实现梦想。
造化弄人，约翰的绝佳机会出现在一个他几乎一无所知的行业：门窗制造。他开始根本无意买进那家公司。他没有经验，而且要买下这个公司，他还要负债几百万美元，并且辞掉他年薪六位数的无比舒适的银行工作。
约翰决定让上帝来抉择。约翰以为不会有银行肯借那么多钱给他，所以干脆先拿这个行业开刀。如果他成功的借到了钱，那么这就是上帝赐他提升信仰的旨意。不然，他甘愿损不要，接着在别的行业寻找机遇。
约翰不向自己的公司贷款，那样会被难看的拒绝。他决定找车程3小时之外的一家银行。他早已做好被拒绝的准备，但是：
* “24小时之内，我得到所有款项的批准，”约翰说道。
不相信事情会这个简单，约翰决定再到另一家银行试试运气。
和上一次一样，他的贷款申请立即神奇的被批准。无奈，约翰最后接受了“事实”：去做吧，这是上帝的旨意。
梦想实现
创立一家公司绝不是一件简单的事。第一年，他常常感到绝望。但是他不断了解这个行业，最终将Lindsay Windows变成传统门窗制造的行业巨头。
更重要的是，这让约翰转了一大笔钱，好让他完成最初的其他梦想。今天，Lindsay Windows经常雇佣前囚犯，智障的和有药物依赖问题的人。
* “我看有人刚刚走出毒品的阴影，戒掉酗酒的毛病，他们成为了好人，有用之人。当然有些人还是旧病重犯。他们之中少有人成功的。（没看懂逻辑关系）
至于约翰自己的成功，他的定义颇为简单：
* “我衡量成功的办法是比较我能做多少和我真正做了多少。你赚了几百万，但那不是重点。重点是今生今世，在上帝给你的机会面前，你做些了什么。”
那么，约翰自己达到了那些标准吗？
* “不知道，这还要等等看。如果我到天堂里，听到主说：‘我优秀而忠实的仆人，你做的很好。’那我才是真正做得好。”
你是怎么衡量成功的呢？问问上帝吧，什么才是你的成功。如果你不认识上帝，我建议你这样祈祷：
* “耶稣，我的主。我想认识您。您钉死在十字架上为我赎罪，我万分感激。我打开我的生命之门，接受您为无上的救世主。感谢宽恕我的罪过并赐予我永生。我的生命交给您，请将我塑造成你眼中的我。
你的祈祷时出于真心吗？
如果是，现在就祈祷上帝的保佑，上帝就会融入你的生活。
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