Our topic for this episode is “God Ideas & Witty Inventions.” In honor of Black History Month, our Bible study included how God used the ingenious Dr. George Washington Carver to change the agricultural economy of Georgia and the Southeastern United States. We discuss how his story is reminiscent of another scientific miracle that occurred in the Bible. Enjoy and share!

You can watch it here or listen to the audio of The Disruptors Podcast in my mobile app. I also encourage you to join us for our next live broadcast next Monday at 8:30 PM est. ​

RELATED ARTICLE: George Washington Carver - Divinely Inspired Entrepreneurial Thinker

In this episode of The Disruptors Bible study I discuss how the prophet Elisha used an unconventional strategy to break the cycle of poverty for a single mother and her sons. Enjoy!

​​You can watch it here or listen to the audio of The Disruptors Podcast in my mobile app. I also encourage you to join us for our next live broadcast next Monday at 8:30 PM est. ​

Community development is hard work. And unfortunately too many people who set out on the path of pursuing community transformation, often looking for the “magic bullet” that will allow them to achieve their desires with minimal effort. Truth be told there is no magic bullet, but there are some important principles that must be acknowledged and applied. And developing perseverance is absolutely one of them.
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Perseverance is a non-negotiable ingredient of accomplishing community transformation. This work is not for those who expect overnight success, because inevitably there are going to be obstacles that will slow down (and sometimes completely stop) your progress. John Maxwell wrote an article a few years ago that is still very relevant today entitled, Going Beyond Talent: Eliminating Five Enemies of Perseverance. Those enemies were:

These principles can apply to almost any goal you’re attempting to achieve, and they are definitely relevant in community development work. It requires much more than talent to overcome the road blocks that will try to stifle your progress and perseverance. However, if you can develop strategies to overcome these enemies you will exponentially increase your ability to achieve your goals and see lives changed.
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Click here for the full article:
http://www.johnmaxwell.com/blog/going-beyond-talent-eliminating-5-enemies-of-perseverance

On January 15th we are celebrated the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Unfortunately, what often gets minimal attention from mainstream outlets are his teachings on money, wealth and economic justice. In fact many historians believe that was one of the major underlying reasons why he was killed, which happened less than a month before the Poor People's Campaign was scheduled to go to Washington, DC. On the most recent episode of The Disruptors we discussed this part of his life’s work and the relevant Biblical principles that we can use now.

You can watch it here or listen to the audio of The Disruptors Podcast in my mobile app. I also encourage you to join us for our next live broadcast next Monday at 8:30 PM est. ​

Have you ever been offended by God Because he didn’t answer your prayer in the timeframe that you desired in the way that you expected? Most of us have, although we don’t like to admit it. So how does that happen? I discuss that and more on my special Christmas episode of The Disruptors streaming bible study titled “Looking for the Wrong Jesus.” Enjoy and Merry Christmas!!

You can watch the video here or listen to the audio of The Disruptors Podcast in my mobile app. I also encourage you to join us for our next live broadcast Monday at 8:30 PM est.

In Matthew 10:34 Jesus said, “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.” Jesus came to DISRUPT the status quo of the world. Likewise you are called to disrupt the status quo, i.e. things that shouldn’t be accepted as normal. So what are you called to disrupt? Poverty? Homelessness? Illiteracy? Sex trafficking? Injustice? Hopelessness? Fear? Something else?

If you believe you’re called to be a DISRUPTOR then I invite you to watch this video as I share some Biblical insights, perspectives and encouragement to help you identify and walk confidently in your purpose.

I also encourage you to join us for the nextlive broadcast next Monday at 8:30 PM est. You can also listen to the podcast in my mobile app. Enjoy!

With all of the devastating happening over the past few weeks in Houston, Florida, Puerto Rico, Mexico City, Las Vegas and other places, the natural inclination for many people has been to declare that we should pray for these cities/regions. Other people, though, claim that prayer is not enough and that we need to take more action. I believe this disconnect comes partially because many people don't have a good understanding of the true purpose of prayer.

Our prayers are not meant to only be verbal expressions of our current conditions. A key component of prayer should be asking for direction, strategies and solutions to resolve the myriad issues we are experiencing in our communities. We should follow Jesus' example. In John 5:19, he said "I only do what my Father shows me," which means he was a man of action, but he only engaged in actions that were specific to accomplish his mission.

When we pray without acting, we are being passive. On the other hand, when we act without praying we can easily be at worst reckless or misguided, or at a minimum be ineffective. Zeal with good intentions but without "God intentions" can get you in a lot of trouble if it's not corralled, directed, and motivated by His love and purposes. 

Make no mistake, our cities and communities need as much prayer as we can get. However, we cannot afford to engage in actions that are absent of God's wisdom and guidance, because we're not helping the situations as much as we would like to think that we are. So please keep praying for our communities, businesses, schools, governments, etc. Just make sure you listen before you act.

Recently I was invited to write a guest blog post for No Compromise Magazine. I was asked to write about the epidemic of the killing of black men in America. This is a hot-button issue that is more complex than most people consider before they give their opinions. While the death toll of young black men continues to rise in this country, anger, frustration, and even hopelessness continues to increase also. It's easy for people to givev"black and white" opinions, but few are discussing the real root of what needs to be done. I feel it the responsibility of Kingdom-minded people to take a stand talk about Kingdom solutions. Here is a brief excerpt from my article:

There is no one-size-fits-all solution to this epidemic. However, God does give us the antidote to the disease of sin and hopelessness. Please read the full article and I would love to hear your thoughts.
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Full article available at: http://www.nocompromisemag.com/blog-1/2017/6/11/black-men-in-america

When starting or running a business, you must realize that pressure is inevitable. So whether the pressure is financial, relational, social, political, or any other, it usually causes one of two reactions. It can cause you to either wilt under it or it can push you forward to your next level. Fortunately, you can choose how you will respond to it.

Many people spend lots of time looking to do something in life that they are passionate about and they qualify the value of spending their time on it by how much it will enhance their life. However, I believe the true meaning of the concepts of passion and purpose challenge us to dig deeper and ask ourselves the question, "Is my dream worth dying for?"

Of course during this time of year we are again celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. And while most of the conversations often focus on his dream, what was generally overlooked was what his dream cost him. His dream cost him his life.

When most people think about their dream, their are usually focused on how much better they want their life to be. And from what I have observed, most people aren't thinking about giving up the life they have to see their dream fulfilled. They pursue things that cause them to be more attached to this world than less attached.

Dr. King was very much aware of what the continual pursuit of his dream would cost him. Yet he still soldiered on in pursuit of something that was more important than his comfort. He still pressed forward to do something that others said was a lost cause or not worth the trouble. He was willing to speak out against materialism, poverty, and militarism when it was very unpopular to do so. And many historians would suggest this is what brought him into the crosshairs of a Remington 760 Gamemaster, not his push for civil rights.

So, what about you? Are you concerned more about living well than leaving a legacy? How much are you willing to sacrifice to see your dream come to pass?

Dr. King's dream was worth dying for. Is yours?