It is great to talk to people who can combine marketplace and ministry. To put together a business that has a higher purpose than onnly profit and loss (although important).

Jonathan David Golden has written, "Be You. Do Good: Having the Guts to Pursue What Makes You Come Alive"

He is also the Founder of Land of A Thousand Hills Coffee Company.

His book is about him, his company, and some of the philosophy and the story of the company.

They started the company 10 years ago when he thought that through the coffee we drink we could make a difference in the lives of farmers in Rwanda.

In 1994 there was a horrible genocide there. A million people were killed in less than 100 days. His church had an affiliation with a church in Rwanda and so they asked the Bishops there how they could help.

They came up with encouraging reconciliation, just wages and development through coffee we drink.

They started with about 80 churches in the USA that had a connection to the church in Rwanda. He bought a roaster of of ebay. Bought 20 sacks of green coffee beans. Started roasting the coffee and encouraged churches in the area to start using it. Now they have about 1000 churches that use their coffee. 

Through coffee you can engage redemption. You can engage with the gospel.

He has traveled to Rwanda and heard the stories of the coffee farmers. The government encouraged them to be reconciled. The church told them how to be reconciled. Through their common work in coffee they experienced reconciliation. These families who murdered one another are now working side by side in the coffee fields. If you give people common work, they learn to appropriate the grace of Jesus Christ.

Jonathan has a unique view about "calling". He says that we spend a lot of time trying to find our calling as if it is some mysterious thing out there that God is doing His best to make tricky and hard to achieve. He looks at calling as more of a sending. God knit us together in our mothers womb. He knew what was going to happen to us. The experiences; the good, the bad, the ugly, the pretty. Rather than looking out for our calling, we need to look at who we are. Look at what your heart is. What makes you come alive, what are you good at? Then join with God in His mission. Take what you are good at, take what you enjoy and figure out how you can do good for others with that.

Jonathan says that he isn't so sure that God has a specific will for our lives as much as he has a whimsy.

He was in Rwanda. The orphans from the genocide did a dancing and singing for him. They sang,

"Satan had his eyes on us to destroy us but God sent you to help us"

What a cool idea that God invites us in to things.

He could have said, "no I don't have time today God"

Jonathan says he doesn't think God would have been mad at him if he said no, he would have continued that mission for His orphans. In His whimsy he says, "John come here, check this out". He continues to call us into His good works.

There is an "Inkling Process". Inklings are these fuzzy premonitions that we have. We have these little ideas and Jonathan says he encourages people to give voice to that idea somehow. Then exercise it somehow. Then determine whether you are going to do it or decline it. Once you are finished with it, celebrate it.

If you think it will be easy to fulfill your calling, you're wrong. The enemy doesn't want you to persist. You have to keep going. There is such a power in friendship. So important to have a support system.

If you have a heart to reach your neighbour... START TODAY

To Get Your Copy of "BE YOU. DO GOOD" CLICK HERE

Fore More Information on Land of a Thousand Hills Coffee CLICK HERE