FOURTH PRINTING Three languages THE BUSINESS CARD THE BUSINESS THE THE BUSINESS CARD BUSINESS ometimes in life, God decides to use the simplest Slittle things to initiate a great change among his creation. This is possibly the only explanation for what has happened as a result of just a few words added to the back of a business card by one successful CARD American business owner. This book unlocks the How a few words on a business card changed secret of how these few words have changed a man, a a man, a company, and a community. community, and quite possibly tens of thousands of businesses and millions of people around the world. Follow along with a front row seat to view real life stories of Peter and his co-workers as an owner WI D transitions from running a successful business his R. T way to completely giving it over to God to operate H ST His way! You hold in your hands an amazing account PE EVE O. EVE O. of challenge, adversity, and ultimately triumph. Be T ER careful…reading this book just might change you in F ways you never imagined. REISSLE DR. STEVE O. STEFF ST WITH PETER FREISSLE EFF FOREWORD BY: $14.99 US FOUNDER hwaw.com DR. MARK CRESS, CORPORATE CHAPLAINS OF AMERICA THIRD EDITION The Business Card Written by Dr. Steve O. Steff Copyright © 2015 Wor-K-ship Publishing 3rd Printing July 2015 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means- This work is written in praise of my Lord and for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in Savior Jesus Christ. Thank you Jesus for printed reviews. my wife, my son, my life. Scripture taken from: New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. ISBN 978-0-9964357-0-3 For Worldwide Distribution Printed in the USA Wor-K-Ship Publishing USA www.hwaw.com Contents Foreword Chapter 1: Be Careful How You Pray .................................15 Reflection .........................................................................18 Chapter 2: God is a Slice ....................................................23 Reflection .........................................................................33 Chapter 3: The Ghost of Business Past, and the Promise of Business Future ...................................................................37 Reflection .........................................................................45 Chapter 4: Birth of a Business Card ...................................51 Reflection .........................................................................58 Chapter 5: Rubber Meets the Road ....................................65 Reflection .........................................................................69 Chapter 6: There’s Going to be a Barbeque, and You’re Invited .................................................................................75 Reflection .........................................................................83 Chapter 7: What Happens in Vegas ....................................89 Reflection .........................................................................94 Chapter 8: Prepare For Battle ........................................... 101 Reflection ....................................................................... 108 Chapter 9: Quality You Can Count On? .......................... 115 Foreword Reflection .......................................................................124 by Dr. Mark Cress, Founder Corporate Chaplains of America Chapter 10: The Great Recession ...................................... 131 Reflection ..............................................................................136 As long as there have been businesses in the United States, there have been Christian business owners Chapter 11: Caring in the Workplace ............................... 141 hoping to please God through the efforts of their work. Chapter 12: Caring Committee ........................................ 147 Since the early 1990s, a movement has blossomed, Benevolent Fund ............................................................148 giving way to a new type of Christian free- enterprise leader who is desirous of building his business—to the Community Charity Fund...............................................149 glory of God—as a platform for ministry. Thousands of Employee Home Repair Fund ..........................................151 such leaders are cropping up in all corners of the United States. As of 2011, it has been estimated that non-profit Employee Emergency Loan Fund .....................................152 organizations that cater to this movement have grown Reach Out Fund .............................................................152 from as few as fifty members at their inception to over Employee Car Repair Fund .............................................153 2,000 members. Scores of books have been written about various aspects of how God is at “work” in the Medical Emergency Fund ................................................153 workplace. General Fund .................................................................154 Consider, the real heavy cream always rises to the top and this is where guys like Peter Freissle come into Caring Committee Guidelines ..........................................154 the picture. When we first met Peter, it was clear that Chapter 13: I Caught You Caring .....................................159 God had touched his heart regarding the workplace Chapter 14: His Way at Work ..........................................165 ministry movement, as well as deepening his affection for people, especially, his employees. Peter’s company Chapter 15: A Future of Caring .......................................173 manufactures screen media for the mining industry, Self Assessment and Potential Ministry (Caring) and one day one of his clients—a fellow by the name of Activities ..........................................................................183 Darryl Lanker—shared a business card with him. By the time of their encounter, Darryl had been active in the workplace ministry movement for over a decade and spoke with Steve. As Peter shared one story after his commitment to Jesus Christ was clearly displayed another about how God had blessed the language on on the back of his business card. This simple exchange the back of his business card, Scott and I stopped and of business cards had a profound impact on Peter’s life just listened. It was abundantly clear to all of us that and he felt empowered to dive even deeper into the God was at work in this conversation. Finally, with a movement. strong sense of God’s leading, I suggested that Steve Time passed and Peter had long since printed the and Scott work closely with Peter to produce a book core values of his company on the reverse of his about the business card. After lunch, as soon as we company’s business cards which espoused his Christian returned to Polydeck, we went straight to the chapel virtues and desire to honor God in everything. In fact, located in the business and prayed for God’s guidance I have heard several stories of how God has worked in about such a book project. By Monday of the following the lives of various people, as a direct result of the week, Steve had agreed to take the lead in writing the message located on the back of those business cards. book; likewise, Scott offered his assistance in providing Since that time, Peter has become a leader among other details and handling the logistics of the project. The Christian business owners in the movement. Peter and leadership team at Lanphier Press quickly embraced the Scott Gajewsky—a fellow who has become a dear friend project and we were off to the races. to me—even formed a non-profit ministry called His Whether currently in the workplace ministry Way At Work, to help spread the word regarding many movement or considering taking the leap, our prayer is aspects of the workplace ministry movement. that God will use this little book to encourage thousands One day Peter, Scott and I were having lunch with of business leaders. On behalf of Peter, Steve, Scott, the another long term leader in the workplace ministry entire Lanphier Press team, and myself…we wish you movement, my close friend Dr. Steve Steff. Steve was God’s very best and pray you will be blessed for taking working on a leadership book at the time and was time to read The Business Card. interviewing Peter for a section in that book. Steve, a gifted communicator, was fascinated by the stories I had been sharing with him about how God was at work at Peter’s company, Polydeck. At one point during our lunch, while I was in a conversation with Scott, Peter Part 1 Chapter 1 Be Careful How You Pray ne evening Peter drove through the streets of Johannesburg with his father. While it was a beautiful evening, Peter wasO distracted by his thoughts—he had been trou- bled in discerning God’s will and direction for his family, as well as the family business. For most of his adult life, Peter had been groomed for the role of CEO in the multi-national business that his fa- ther and his father’s friend had started in 1958. Pe- ter understood that such a commitment would have to be thought