ASI 2019: Business Unusual

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Unusual Business

Ralph Trecartin

Education Ministry and Business: Future Collaborations and Joint Ventures

Each 1 of us has a tremendous influence on those around us.

You have a sphere of influence that no 1 else has that same sphere of influence and you will have opportunities to interact with people that most pastors will never have.

So I wish that every important person I had met, I had had a chance to influence them for right.

I know when I was at Michigan State University, At the end, 1 of my professors said, you Christians are good to work with.

I've seen Hillary Clinton speak at graduation.

I used to work for 18 years at the State University of New York, at Brockport near Rochester, New York, and she came 1 year for graduation.

My friend, 1 of the professors, we were sitting in the front row, he started to pull out a camera to take a picture, and the Secret Service came running up onto the platform to dive in front of her to protect her from him shooting her.

That was exciting, but I didn't talk to her.

Chuck Schumer came and every graduation gave his speech.

Faculty members could recite it word for word.

In the State University of New York system, we had 64 campuses, 465, 000 students, and the Chancellor was over that whole thing.

And so I had the opportunity to travel with a couple of chancellors overseas.

Admiral Ryan, traveled with him in the Ukraine and then he agreed to come and talk to my class.

But it wasn't until recently that I've started to, after all these years, have opportunities.

And my influence is pretty meager, but opportunities to meet with some people.

So I worked for the State University of New York.

I was a finance professor, then I moved into the role of assistant provost for international education So I sent students all over the world.

We had over a hundred partners, 1 of the largest study abroad programs in the State University of New York system.

My most favorite place to go was I took students 1 time to Antarctica.

I started to realize that education opens doors of influence and we're all called to a particular role, not everybody is called to education.

But it reminded me of my brother growing up.

I don't know if any of you know my brother Homer Tricartan.

Well he's a good storyteller, better than I am.

I just, I like to claim, I'm very proud of him.

I like to claim his storytelling ability is that I trained him, but it's not true.

So, in college, a general conference mission representative came to our campus, and I was a theology major at the time and he wanted he I wanted to go to the mission field and he said well you're in the wrong degree you need to take something else because we don't need theology majors in the mission field we need business people we need other people in the mission field.

We're going to use local people usually to be the pastors in those fields.

And so that was really disappointing to me but in hindsight it was probably good advice.

So I want to tell you a little bit about what's happening in Vietnam and the ways that we collaborate right now.

So Griggs International is an Adventist organization that transferred to Andrews University.

They've been working in Vietnam for a few years, so they started this.

But we have now merged them into Andrews University and we have a work in Vietnam.

We offer the MBA degree, Master's of Business Administration degree there.

We are just starting to offer the Bachelor of Business Administration there as degree as well with the largest university in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam National University, huge university.

And then we've opened up a new agreement with the National Economics University in Hanoi, which is in the north.

So Vietnam, if you don't know, what do you know about Vietnam?

Well, it's a booming country economically.

And right now with President Trump talking about tariffs on China, a lot of businesses are even shifting their production to Vietnam.

It's just an amazing, it's like the, 1 of the 4 tigers 20 years ago.

95 million people in this little country.

And it's, how many do we have, how many people do we have in the United States?

So about a third, a little less than a third of the membership population in Vietnam.

Our Seventh-day Adventist Church doesn't have a lot of activity there.

But there isn't a lot of activity going on there.

Well, right now with these MBA programs, we have influenced, tremendous influence to make friends.

This Sunday is Andrew's summer graduation.

I'll have 2 Vietnam students that will be graduating.

They came to the United States for the MBA.

I have another student that graduated in the spring and she spent her summer at Advent Health and she's been very involved in the social activities, up front, leading songs, making friends in our University.

When I was there in May, we spent some time with the students and amazing students we're making friends with.

1 of the students I talked to had just done, he's worked for a large bank, he just did a hundred million dollar US deal.

Another 1 of our students has the largest dating site in the country of Vietnam.

Very, very famous person in their country.

We just met with Petrolomix, is their national petroleum organization.

And their executives are learning English right now and then they will be taking being cohorts in our MBA program.

I sat on the plane with 1 of your students board.

He's the director of ANA Airlines in Vietnam, Al Nippon, the Japanese Airlines.

So he oversees all the aviation for 75 airports in the country.

He's doing your doctoral degree in leadership.

So the influence that I have is small, but I get to be places that no 1 else can be.

So our main contact works for the Politburo in the country.

And he took us to see the education minister for the country.

Because of our friendship, even though they're a communist country, they're opposed to religious proselytization, they are seminary dean has visited and they liked him so much they've said that he's free to have meetings there.

So he can have workshops and meetings there, even though they don't allow that to happen.

So your influence, God is directing you, you have a sphere of influence.

There will be doors open that you never imagined, just like Esther, just like Joseph, just like Daniel.

And the collaboration opportunities are great for us in countries that we didn't imagine because God is opening the work there.

The last thing I want to tell you about Vietnam is a little school, well it's a big school, there's about 7, 000 students in 3 different locations that we went to meet and I Rarely seen a school where the kids are so happy And so full of life So growing up I had 4 boys and you know how boys are when they're very young they're bouncing off the walls And in school do we allow that to happen?

We drug them up with, say they have ADHD, we give them drugs, we put them in an atmosphere where they learn not to love education.

By the time they get to university they've lost their love of education and then we have to try to reinvigorate them when they get there.

So this little school I was so impressed.

The kids in between classes had huge open spaces and they were just running around laughing having a great time.

It was the type of school that they focus on the personality more than they focus, they focus on the academics, they focus on the personality.

It sounded like they'd been reading Ellen White and they were talking about the whole person education.

And so they are looking at collaborating with us and taking our curriculum and putting it into these schools.

Okay, so We also have a lot of students coming to us from China.

Right this instant, we have a group of 26 Chinese students on our campus.

For 3 weeks, we do a summer camp where we have give them English classes in the morning, we have a health care administration class in the afternoon for them, they do lots of excursions, we have a special program for them to introduce them to the culture, the religious culture of the United States.

Doris Gothard

The Way to Financial Wholeness and Wellbeing

Father, you already know the purpose of this presentation.

It was inspired by you, and I'm your servant.

But I recognize in you that this agenda is your agenda.

In Jesus' name we pray, let's say amen everybody.

My name is Doris Gothard, and what a privilege.

And I tell you, even some of my friends and family from Michigan, from the Detroit, Michigan area, Glenn and his wife are here and brought me a gift.

I didn't even know they were in the audience a few minutes ago.

So this is a business unusual financial seminar and I worked with the ASI team.

This is my first time being invited to have it such that it met the purpose for this ASI convention because the title of this presentation is, The Way to Wholeness and Well-Being.

And so the ASI team and I went back and forth a little bit, didn't want to get this wholeness and wellness confused with what we're doing here, all of the good things in the health area.

So I said, well how about just adding a word or 2 and saying the seminar will be titled The Way to Wholeness and Wellbeing.

It is a business unusual financial seminar.

Now I am not a Susie Orman or any of those gurus, but what I am is a child of the king, and I will share with you what he gave me, what he taught me when I wrote my first book, entitled 7 Steps to Wealth.

Now this is an unusual way of going through a financial seminar, so you don't have to worry that it might be over your head or anything like that, because even a seven-year-old can understand it, and my purpose is ministry, and I hope and pray that you will be able to share this with your family, with your kids, your grandkids, and other individuals in your home, church, and community.

The purpose of the ASI convention is to equip people, to equip people for ministry.

We heard our president reiterate it last night.

A business unusual purpose in ministry, because we are all waiting for the soon return of Jesus who?

And so we want to prepare people for the second coming.

And seminars like this will hasten the coming of Jesus Christ if we can learn and to apply some of these principles.

I had my artist, the graphics design artist for my books, to do a really nice picture, which I wanted to frame and place it in my home that represented who I am and where I came from.

And I was also a leader in those Alabama farms down there.

This is quite different, this depiction, of how it really was back then, which I think is the inspiration that has helped me to become whom Jesus has enabled me to become today.

I'm leading out here in the cotton fields.

But I became the best and the greatest cotton picker that the state of Alabama ever had.

I picked more cotton in 1 day than a whole congregation of church people could pick in a week.

But let me just show you, if this is going to work.

Okay, this is me, This is how it really was then.

But I can choose because the Lord has empowered me to choose what I want to think, who I want to be, and how I want to get there.

That's how it was, with a sack wrapped around my neck in 100 degree plus temperatures, and that's from the time the sun came up in the morning until the sun set in the evening.

And I'm just transferring some of this experience, hopefully in a very positive way, so that it will encourage and motivate young people that have so much more in your lives today than I ever thought was even possible.

But God is good, and so he took care of me, and now I'm here fellowshipping with you.

This clicker is not working very good, and this is not mine.

So from the cotton fields, how business unusual is that?

From the cotton fields to the corporate office at General Motors as a corporate leader, which is where I retired from.

I walk and talk like I have my own business.

I don't have any customers, but I'm still president and CEO of my own company.

So for every young people that's here, you have to think, act, and talk like the person that you want to be.

And begin to do that as it relates to your own personal finances.

And so in the course of the day, I used all of the skills that I learned in those cotton fields.

And then I just started writing books after retirement.

And you can see the 2 subjects that I feel helped me not just exist in a corporate environment, but I thrived.

And I walked and talked like I was somebody.

And people respect you when you can carry yourself in a way that you aspire to be.

I've always tried to associate with very positive people in my life, with Jesus being at the head of my life.

And you will be able to experience it at the end of the presentation, because I get it.

You'll be filling out an evaluation form, and I want you to have a taste of some goodness before you mark any low number for my presentation, for sure.

This is the introduction that I wrote, because most of you, I would imagine, are ASI members.

And from the materials that I've read since I've been here and all my handouts, this is what I learned.

This is the 2019 International Convention, amen everybody?

All right, it is titled Business Unusual, and so you already know where your next convention is going to be next year.

I think I'm just gonna show up down there with just cookies.

We have been given a unique call, and what is that call?

And so During this financial presentation, Unusual, I hope to inspire you today with an uplifting seminar by offering you some practical tools that are designed to equip you to use your physical and your spiritual talents to help hasten the soon coming of Jesus Christ.

And in very short, I thought this would be helpful to us.

We all know that in that whole process, we know what the plan of salvation is.

If there's anyone who doesn't know, or if I'm sharing it with you on 1 slide to help you to see the whole big picture, the plan of salvation is to hear the gospel, believe in Christ, repent of our sins, confess faith in Jesus Christ, and then to do what?

And so since we understand that, okay, so now it's time to let God be what?

A little research on this whole topic called finances.

Bible research reveals 500 verses on prayer, fewer than 500 verses on faith in the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation.

50 verses in the Bible itself that are on the subject of money.

God has said a lot to us in the Bible about money.

And I believe that these Bible verses, all 2, 350, that are about money, deal with specific business, unusual ways for us to earn, to save, to spend, to invest.

And yes, yes, yes, I do mean it when I say, and to give money.

In our local churches, I believe firmly with all my heart that not every need needs to be dealt with by a church board.

God has gifted and blessed his people, young and old, and sometimes we can just give of our own means, can the church say amen to that?

15% of everything Jesus said in the Bible related to 2 things, money and what?

Michael Tuazon

How to Make your Business Unusual Through Innovation and EQ

Father in heaven, I come before you thanking you so much for the opportunity to share.

I thank you so much that you've given me an experience, a story, a song.

And today I get to share a little bit of what you've done in my life and some of the principles I've learned.

Oh Lord, I don't want any glory for what you've done.

So today before we begin, I ask that Jesus Christ would be lifted up, and that we would be careful fixing our mind on secular things when we talk about secular case studies.

I pray that you would be at the very center of our mind and that we would try to learn these principles so that we can increase your kingdom, not really increase our pocketbook.

Okay, well, What is a fixed mindset versus a growth mindset?

We'll be talking about those things and innovation.

And a growth in a fixed mindset has a lot to do with your emotional intelligence as well.

Many of you have heard of IQ, but only in the most recent years have They talked about EQ, which is emotional intelligence.

And many individuals have, I shouldn't say many, I should say researchers have done surveys and they have found out that your net worth and how far you go in life does not really depend so much upon your IQ, It's more about your EQ.

And in order for you to have a strong EQ, you got to have a growth mindset.

Then I'm going to be shifting into innovation and how that is the key force that if you have a growth mindset that gives you the ability to innovate and EQ growth mindset and innovation are the 2 necessary ingredients to succeed.

Now I'm going to bring up a quote on the screen and I want you to think about this quote.

It actually took me a little while to get this quote down so it takes some thinking.

I'm warning you before you get this quote down.

A man is not what he thinks he is, but what he thinks he is.

I read that through and I'm like, wait, wait, I think I understand.

Let me really understand this, digest it.

So, many of us, you have thoughts about who you are.

And you think, okay, well, I'm only as good as what I think I am.

But this quote is actually saying, no, the thoughts that consume your life, The daily thoughts about others, about God, about family.

That's the reason why we should be very careful about the thoughts that we have in our head, the thoughts that we think.

For those of us who struggle with negative thoughts, for those who struggle with maybe thoughts about others, and maybe you're that type of person, or maybe you've met that type of person where someone says something, and all they do is they downward spiral and they think about it.

And it could be something like, hey, I need to talk to you later on today.

And in your head, it's now a downward spiral.

Oh no, this is, and this is happening, right?

Those type of the things, those are the things that I'm trying to make my point in terms of those daily constant minute by minute, second by second thoughts, that makes up your character.

And I'm going to actually show you an Ellen White quote later on.

By the wisest man in the world of all time, for as he thinks in his heart, so is he.

If you those the things that you think in your heart, that's who you are.

I in fact, it translates better from a modern translation.

Proverbs chapter 4 verse 23, probably 1 of my favorite verses on the mind.

Be careful how you think your life is shaped by your thoughts.

Very modern translation, very loosely translated but the idea is good.

Now the Bible talks about this idea, about the thoughts that we have, and this in turn affects if we have a growth or a fixed mindset.

A fixed mindset is My abilities are fixed in other words you believe the way that you're born That's that's it can't get better than that.

I was born a dummy, so I'll always be a dummy If you compare yourself to others if you say I'm either good at it or I'm not.

If you try something and you're not good right away, I'm like, Oh, I just know myself.

If I try it and I'm not good right away, I just know that's not for me.

If you have those type of thoughts, That's more of a fixed mindset.

A growth, a growth mindset is the type of person who has the thoughts.

That's someone who has more of a growth mindset.

We're gonna be going in detail into some of these things.

A fixed mindset is intelligence is something you have or you don't have.

Oh, I just know I was born into a bad home.

My parents aren't smart, so thus I'm not smart.

Or if you think, oh, I'm born into a good home.

Series

Unusual Business

How to Make your Business Unusual Through Innovation and EQ

Transcript

Parent Series

Parent Conference

Sponsor

Recorded

Apologetics

1844 and the Great Disappointment

59m

Personal Spiritual Enrichment

Thriving Mentally: Assimilating the Mind of Christ

1h 33m

It Happened Because of Prayer

Do Not Enter

49m

ASI 2013 Seminar: Health

Applying What We Already Know

1h 19m

Seminars

The Great Controversy: Present Truth for Our Time

48m

Where Are the Lightbearers?

47m

Beyond the Tithe: Practical Lessons on Personal Finance

6. Lay Up Your Treasures: Earning Interest in the Bank of Heaven

1h 10m

Stealing Lucifer's Playground

How to Start a Viral Infection

59m

GYC SE 2012 Seminar: Education

End-time Education, Part 2

49m

Plenary

One Life to Live, One Life to Give

2h 24m

Unusual Living

The Methuselah Factor: Reaching Our Communities with an Extraordinary Message for Living Longer and Better

1h 17m

The Origin, Foundations, and Destiny of the United States of America, Part 2

56m

Sound Doctrine