I’ve never been a fan of negative selling. I recently encountered a sales pitch from a guy who writes advertising copy for websites. The sales pitch commenced by shredding current content and layering criticism after criticism. In reviewing the pages, some of the criticism was well-placed. However “Ken” was pretty angry about having his ad copy treated in such a brutal way.

Many people are aware of the Google motto, “Don’t be evil.” This raises the question, what is evil? In scripture we read several times that, “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.” (Judges 21:25, NIT) The situation in Israel was grim. The people were attacked and oppressed on all sides.

From time to time the question comes up about installing GPS tracking in company vehicles. One viewpoint is that tracking provides accountability and validates usage as well as gives the ability to locate company vehicles at any time. The contrary argument is that it communicates lack of trust in employees.

Frequently I encounter individuals who get stuck analyzing everything but take no action. Most commonly these folks are either reluctant to launch a business venture or are in serious difficulty but will not take decisive action.

A person may read a lot of articles, books and seek a variety of opinions. Instead of translating the information into action, the person believes that reading more or finding additional data will reveal the correct course of action. As a result nothing happens. King Solomon understood this when he wrote, “Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant. If they watch every cloud, they never harvest.” (Ecclesiastes 11:4, NLT) Farmers know there is always a risk. A wise farmer knows when to accept that risk by planting or harvesting a crop at the right time. The farmer may not always be correct, but the farmer knows if you don’t plant the crop you’ll never get the harvest.  Or worse, you have a crop but never harvest it; and the food rots in the field.

The Department of Labor reported in 2015 that 4,830 workers were killed in job related accidents. Behind each death is a tragedy for the individual and many family members. Some jobs carry more risk than others, like commercial fishing and the lumber industry, while other occupations are relatively safe. We have a responsibility to take all reasonable steps to ensure safety for our employees. The Lord instructed Moses, "When you build a new house, you must build a railing around the edge of its flat roof. That way you will not be considered guilty of murder if someone falls from the roof.” (Deuteronomy 22:8, NLT)