Bruised Camels
Bruised Camels are Jesus Followers trying to faithfully use their capital and career to make a difference and earn a living.If that’s you…you’re in the right place and among friends.
Lead (and pray) Without Words
Hey Reader, A few weeks ago, I started drafting the thoughts below about quiet leadership and Fairtrade Month. Then war broke out in Israel. And…a 27 year-old family acquaintance committed suicide. Baseball role models and Fairtrade coffee seem infinitely less important now. Bruised Camels is not about politics. But, as the articles below illustrate, it is about living out our faith in a painfully fallen world. War, opioid abuse, human trafficking, cancer, suicide. On, and on, and on. Some...
Our Boss Who Art In Heaven
Hey Reader, Originally, I envisioned this newsletter as primarily looking at business through the lens of faith. Funny thing happened, though. I almost accidentally turned the lens around and looked at God through the lens of business. It felt weird, but it altered my perspective in a growth-stimulating way. So, I hope this edition gives you a new lens to see more dimensions of God. Spoiler alert: God looks amazing through any lens. Journey On,~Mark Mark@BruisedCamels.com | LinkedIn Jesus | A...
Can You Be A Business Action Hero?
Hey Reader, Readers with a keen eye will note that I was AWOL for a bit and that you received this on Friday, not Wednesday. I’m excited to be back after a bit of a late summer hiatus and free of some distractions. I got feedback that the newsletter is more of a Friday/weekend read. Publishing on Hump Day was somewhat clever (at least in my own mind) but not optimal. So, look for Bruised Camels fortnightly on Fridays. In this edition, I want to share thoughts on a topic from the dark side of...
Anti-Capitalist Business Succeeds?
Hi Reader, Would Karl Marx open a business? We’ll never know, but one of his modern disciples did just that. Gabriel Sims-Fewer from Toronto is both staunchly anti-capitalist and entrepreneurial. His experience raises some interesting questions about living out your values in your business. And speaking of values driven businesses, I’ve got a profile of a mission driven business you should check-out. Journey On,~Mark Mark@BruisedCamels.com | LinkedIn Business | Christian Values...
The Type-A Approach to Spiritual Growth
Hey there Reader, “Be all that you can be” was one of the longest running Army recruiting slogans. It was brought back for another tour of duty earlier this year. It works well because the Army’s goals and challenges transform a soldier’s life. We, like Army recruits, hope for transformational jobs. But dare we hope for more than the Army’s promise? Can a job make you more than “all that you can be” and make you all that Jesus can make you be? Sick of hearing about A.I. yet? I’ve got the best...
Give Us This Day Our Bonus Check
Hey Reader, Have you ever prayed in the middle of a 1:1 with your boss? In the middle of a sales call or board meeting? Should you? What did Jesus do? I share some lessons I've learned about navigating the minefield that praying for business success can be. Road Construction season (other people call it Summer) has arrived here in Chicago. That means company picnics and outings. Check out the two articles I found about the legality of office “fun.” Journey On,~Mark Mark...
Tim Keller Knew Me Well
Hey Reader, Tim Keller knew me. We’d never met. I’d never even heard him speak in person. But Keller, the author and founding Pastor of New York’s Redeemer Presbyterian, “got” me. His teaching resonated with my spiritual and intellectual longings like some other pastors. Yet, this career pastor with orthodox beliefs and traditional worship preferences went far beyond that. He resonated with my tech industry-infused career as a lender. He was a theologian and philosopher that seemed to...
Worry Less About Why to Give and More About How
Hey Reader, Churches generally stink at teaching how to be generous. Most excel at explaining why to give, but whiff completely on how to go about it. Granted, some churches have begun to host classes and workshops teaching budgeting from a biblical perspective. But few address the trade-offs everyday Jesus followers face when deciding where and how to give: churches vs. non-profits, schools vs. social ministries, international vs. domestic, disaster relief vs. development, explicitly faith...
Shine Your Light at Tradeshows in Vegas
Hey Reader, Would you do karaoke with your co-workers? Salsa dancing? Shots? Work social events trigger the full range of emotional reactions. Fun, fear, gratitude, revulsion. There’s a reason the TV show The Office has a 10-minute highlight reel of office party humor (The Best of the Christmas Parties – The Office.) Remember, truth is stranger than fiction. As a Jesus Follower, some work events can put you in an awkward position. Not the ropes course off-site or the trust fall in the...
Would Jesus Drink Church Coffee?
Maundy Thursday Eve Greetings Reader! Some Easter trivia for you. Wednesday is the only day of Holy Week that we don’t know what Jesus did. After a hectic Palm Sunday and two days of confronting the establishment, healing, and preaching, scholars speculate that Jesus chilled with friends in Bethany. Given what Thursday through Sunday held in store, I think Jesus was smart enough to take a day off. Jesus’ cleansing of the temple on Monday of Holy Week got me thinking. As Bruised Camels, we...
Bruised Camels are Jesus Followers trying to faithfully use their capital and career to make a difference and earn a living.If that’s you…you’re in the right place and among friends.