The Entrepreneur Forum | Financial Freedom | Starting a Business | Motivation | Money | Success

Welcome to the only entrepreneur forum dedicated to building life-changing wealth.

Build a Fastlane business. Earn real financial freedom. Join free.

Join over 80,000 entrepreneurs who have rejected the paradigm of mediocrity and said "NO!" to underpaid jobs, ascetic frugality, and suffocating savings rituals— learn how to build a Fastlane business that pays both freedom and lifestyle affluence.

Free registration at the forum removes this block.

Any Christians here?

Topics relating to managing people and relationships
Status
Not open for further replies.

MVProduct

Contributor
Read Fastlane!
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
221%
Dec 12, 2013
29
64
30
Please note that this isn't a religious discussion. I'm just wondering if there are others here in the same boat.

I'm taking a shot in the dark here. Are there any Christian entrepreneurs here? If so- I'm wondering if any of you can resonate with the situation I'm currently in.

Most of my Christian peers are not ambitious nor Fastlane-minded. They're all focused on building their relationships with God and doing good, "Christian" things. The thought of building a business doesn't even strike them or get them excited- their goals are typically religious-oriented; they want to serve in ministry, they want to go on missions, etc.

Yes, I understand that they're my Christian "brothers" and "sisters" and I should be growing closer to God together with them- but frankly, a lot of them are so involved in building their faith and knowledge about the Word that I can't help but seem to think they're doing almost nothing to achieve what they might label "worldly" goals in life. It's a real struggle. And so, that's where my disconnect from them comes from.

In addition, I came across a quote from Ryan Allis (founder of iContact), which reads below:

Who you surround yourself is who you become. Surround yourself only with smart, competent & positive people. Life is too short not to. Your friends determine who you become. You should only spend time with friends who inspire you. If your friends don't inspire you then find friends who do. Don't let "chance" determine who's in your life. Random friends (ordinary life) vs. Chosen friends (high impact life). To avoid being mediocre you must seek out people who are not mediocre- and hang out with them.

Turns out, the people in my life who are ambitious, goal-driven, solution-oriented, and share mutual interests with me- are, conversely, NOT Christian.

My 'random' friends are Christians that happen to be in the same fellowship, or go to the same church. But they're certainly not people who are like-minded. Religiously, yes. Entrepreneurially, not at all.

It puts me in quite a difficult situation. Spending time with Christian brothers/sisters means I'm not surrounding myself with like-minded & entrepreneurial people. On the contrary, spending time with like-minded & entrepreneurial people means I'm not surrounding myself with Christian brothers/sisters.

Can anybody relate?
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

Texan

Bronze Contributor
FASTLANE INSIDER
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
183%
Jul 8, 2012
87
159
Texas
I don't want to get into any religious discussion, but I can relate to what's you're saying. I happen to be the lone entrepreneur in the group of Christians we fellowship with. And I tend to be really annoyed at some "Christian" views of money (as evil, etc.). But to answer your question, I know Christian business owners where I live, but nobody trying to fastlane it.

Peace!
 

vinylawesome

Silver Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
276%
Aug 11, 2012
253
698
Please note that this isn't a religious discussion. I'm just wondering if there are others here in the same boat.

I'm taking a shot in the dark here. Are there any Christian entrepreneurs here? If so- I'm wondering if any of you can resonate with the situation I'm currently in.

Most of my Christian peers are not ambitious nor Fastlane-minded. They're all focused on building their relationships with God and doing good, "Christian" things. The thought of building a business doesn't even strike them or get them excited- their goals are typically religious-oriented; they want to serve in ministry, they want to go on missions, etc.

Yes, I understand that they're my Christian "brothers" and "sisters" and I should be growing closer to God together with them- but frankly, a lot of them are so involved in building their faith and knowledge about the Word that I can't help but seem to think they're doing almost nothing to achieve what they might label "worldly" goals in life. It's a real struggle. And so, that's where my disconnect from them comes from.

In addition, I came across a quote from Ryan Allis (founder of iContact), which reads below:

Who you surround yourself is who you become. Surround yourself only with smart, competent & positive people. Life is too short not to. Your friends determine who you become. You should only spend time with friends who inspire you. If your friends don't inspire you then find friends who do. Don't let "chance" determine who's in your life. Random friends (ordinary life) vs. Chosen friends (high impact life). To avoid being mediocre you must seek out people who are not mediocre- and hang out with them.

Turns out, the people in my life who are ambitious, goal-driven, solution-oriented, and share mutual interests with me- are, conversely, NOT Christian.

My 'random' friends are Christians that happen to be in the same fellowship, or go to the same church. But they're certainly not people who are like-minded. Religiously, yes. Entrepreneurially, not at all.

It puts me in quite a difficult situation. Spending time with Christian brothers/sisters means I'm not surrounding myself with like-minded & entrepreneurial people. On the contrary, spending time with like-minded & entrepreneurial people means I'm not surrounding myself with Christian brothers/sisters.

Can anybody relate?

“For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever
does not have, even what they have will be taken from them” (Matthew 25:29).

I think that people who idealize the Fastlane mindset are few and far between in the entirety of society. With that being said I know of a few people in my personal life who have the fastlane mindset and they are Christian's. Perhaps you need to seek these people out in your local area. You already have something in common, "Being Christian and interested in Business/Entrepreneurship," Thus, your faith would be some what of an ice breaker.
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

jpmartin

Jedi Master
Read Unscripted!
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
82%
Sep 7, 2013
297
245
Most of my Christian peers are not ambitious nor Fastlane-minded.

I think you're making a generalization here, without any facts. There are plenty of Christians out there who understand that business is a holy venture! I'd suggest start reading "The Legend of The Monk & The Merchant" and check out Dave Ramsey, who talks about Entreleadership, based on Christian principles. Once you touch that circle, you'll find plenty of people...

You're probably just looking in the wrong places...

(Also, read the book Thou Shall Prosper... Jewish Rabbi, but so is Jesus right!)
 

sle3pyguii

Bronze Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
121%
Aug 19, 2012
340
411
I could write a whole thing on this as I know where you're coming from (I was raised in the church, graduated from a Christian college, and so 90% of my friends are Christian.).

However, to keep it short:

There aren't many people in the world with the fastlane mindset. There are even fewer with the mindset who are Christian. You can keep looking if you'd like, but why not just keep the friends you have (on both sides)? Having both sets of friends has definitely helped me grow in both contexts a lot more than if I just ended up choosing one group over the other.
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

Mike Kavanagh

Silver Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
134%
Aug 17, 2013
675
906
Christian is such a broad spectrum.
A quick Google search provided me this link.

Just a TL;DR from that link
2.184 billion people are estimated to be Christian of some denomination.

I know of some people from my area who teach entrepreneurship and the bible.
Seek and thou shall find, comes to mind.
 

Yasai

Bronze Contributor
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
100%
Aug 26, 2014
103
103
13
Spending time with Christian brothers/sisters

Wow, the exclusivity of it all.
Are human beings only your "brothers and sisters" if they happen to believe in the same stuff? ;-P
Why not treat every human (or even every living) being as your spiritual sibling?
We're all in this together.

That being said:
Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven." -Matthew 19:23
Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God." -Matthew 19:24

If I remember correctly, Jesus even tells you to give away ALL of your worldly possessions to the poor.
So it's probably not your "brothers and sisters" that are wrong in this regard.

(Sidenote: I don't believe in christianity or any of the other religions)

To answer your question:
I see no real reason why religious views (or lack thereof) should interfere/mix with business/entrepreneurial mindsets. Seems like 2 different entities to me.
Probably going to cause some cognitive dissonance in any case though ;-P

But I'm sure you can find Entrepreneurs who have the same hobbies, preferences, religious views etc. if you look for them.
 
Last edited:

Mattie

Platinum Contributor
FASTLANE INSIDER
Read Rat-Race Escape!
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
129%
May 28, 2014
3,485
4,490
53
U.S.
Hmm...I'm surprised this even got this far. Usually the threads are stopped when religion comes into play.
I will tell you in my experience it does affect your success mindset. My foundation was based on those principles and views, and my perceptions of money were very warped. And I'm seeing that now. I come from a conservative Christian community. A wealthy community.

I will say it conflicts because being an entrepreneur or just being a healthy person in general clashes with me meditating, and succeeding because serving others is holding on to pain and suffering and sacrificing to help others. I've already gone up against one of my friends that is a minister didn't see eye to eye and fortunately when you need to survive in life and need money to survive, shelter, clothing, food, the church and christian's aren't going to save you, or pay your bills. The problem is this can cause a lot of damage in someone's growth and understanding as a Christian.

And I see plenty of people in poverty struggling, and playing victim because they believe they're being loyal, faithful, etc. I see how the big picture of homeless shelters with that the basis of them getting help. How in some cases it doesn't help others, because they need coping skills, survival skills, and inner development. Christianity and Psychology clash and you will see them debating with the sects that use psychology and scripture together, and calling them false prophets. Than you read a book like Outwitting the devil by Napoleon Hill and see it clearly.

If you want to be a Christian Entrepreneur you will have to battle the same questions I do, and while I would have made a great Christian Preacher, I seen to many things I could not lie to people about, and that is telling them that meditation and mindfulness would lead them to success. I don't know what other's believe. In my journey I just know I've had to pave my own way, and break away from the dogma and man made religion. Which is what my novel is about is my Christian journey and how I ran into a lot of problems of success. I understand it's all about learning the truth, and it's not always the way the world presents itself. There are lies, illusions, and deceptions. So that would be my advice to find your own truth and seek out the answers.

It's not a discussion I really like to get into it, because I can point out all the problems is causes for a person trying to fit in a fixed mindset of it's supposed to be a certain way, and should be this way. It was a major roadblock at one point battling with my friend and we're no longer friends. You have to understand the world is in disagreement between inner development, money, religion, spirituality, and success. It gives mixed messages, and causes chaos and confusion. No one knows what to believe, or what to do. They're taught it's wrong, and than hold on to pain and suffering, and sacrifice happiness and money to stay safe with family and stay in dysfunction. As an entrepreneur you have to break out of the dysfunction and do inner development and walk out of victim hood, and not wait for some one to come save you from circumstances.

Which is probably why M.J. doesn't allow these discussions, because when you talk about politics and religion people are passionate about it, and gets ugly sometimes, and terrible in forums.

In my case I had depression. If I listened to them it would have been playing victim, take some pills, and hang on to the pain and suffering. Instead I chose to mindfulness, meditation, and inner development, and become an entrepreneur. It just depends on the reality you want to believe and fall in. I don't regret my choice. I still read the bible, as much as mindfulness, and meditation, but I can tell you I'm outcast back home for choosing entrepreneurship and not following the crowd.
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.
Last edited:

smarty

Gold Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
189%
Jan 2, 2013
984
1,859
Whatever you feel limits you, get rid of it.
It doesn't matter if that is religion, close friends and family or a boss.
You can't stay productive for long in a self limiting box.
 

healthstatus

Gold Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
147%
Apr 11, 2011
1,689
2,481
Indianapolis, IN USA
There are plenty of Christian Entrepreneurs, but with their priorities, they may not talk about it as much or be as flashy about it, so you have to dig a little, or a lot to make those connections. As mentioned before, not a lot of people want to start businesses, and now you have limited that group to a smaller subset.
 

Mike Kavanagh

Silver Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
134%
Aug 17, 2013
675
906
Whatever you feel limits you, get rid of it.
It doesn't matter if that is religion, close friends and family or a boss.
You can't stay productive for long in a self limiting box.
THIS.


You can learn from anyone.
Try to remember the story of the kid who told another person they did want to learn from some who got divorced even though the guy was mega-successful.

Getting a divorce, being a certain religion or any other thing you can say, doesn't invalidate what someone has to say.
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

Vigilante

Legendary Contributor
Staff member
FASTLANE INSIDER
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Summit Attendee
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
596%
Oct 31, 2011
11,116
66,265
Gulf Coast
The older I get, the more I come to realize for the most part that people are just doing the best they can do to be the best people they can be, regardless of where they find themselves on the political or religious spectrum. Sometimes, it takes an entrepreneurial education, like the Millionaire Fast Lane, to set people free. Some times people find freedom within their beliefs. Sometimes it's a blend of both, and there are many people here that you can't put into one bucket or another. Belief is not mutually exclusive from success.

You guys have all done an excellent job of keeping this thread on topic. That's the reason it is still open. Also, appreciation to those who may not be of any faith for having enough respect for the forum to keep the conversation interesting and absent of drama.

Spirituality and politics are part of life. The forum is devoid of spiritual and political debate, which is unique to the internet. However, we as individuals are not devoid of political or spiritual interests. This was a fair question to ask, but I just want to thank the participants for not taking a partisan or anti position.

People are just trying to do the best they can do, regardless of where they find themselves on the political or spiritual scale.
 

Vigilante

Legendary Contributor
Staff member
FASTLANE INSIDER
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Summit Attendee
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
596%
Oct 31, 2011
11,116
66,265
Gulf Coast

MJ DeMarco

I followed the science; all I found was money.
Staff member
FASTLANE INSIDER
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Read Rat-Race Escape!
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Summit Attendee
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
445%
Jul 23, 2007
38,083
169,528
Utah
Last edited:

ericj

New Contributor
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
70%
Jun 4, 2012
23
16
GA
With me being from and currently living in a rural Georgia community I can relate to what you are saying. I consider myself a Christian, but I do not visit the church for my own reasons.
Most other entrepreneurs in my area are Christians as well, so it might be due to the location Im in. I do not know any fastlaners personally though, but I wish I did and plan to attend some various meetups soon to hopefully meet like minded people.
If they were atheist or whatever it would not change my mind about befriending them based just on that, and hopefully they would feel the same about me.
Like someone mentioned earlier, in my opinion it would be best to have friends from all walks of different beliefs as you always learn from others in one way or another.
 

sle3pyguii

Bronze Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
121%
Aug 19, 2012
340
411
I do not know any fastlaners personally though, but I wish I did and plan to attend some various meetups soon to hopefully meet like minded people.

It puts me in quite a difficult situation. Spending time with Christian brothers/sisters means I'm not surrounding myself with like-minded & entrepreneurial people. On the contrary, spending time with like-minded & entrepreneurial people means I'm not surrounding myself with Christian brothers/sisters.

I think this is the first time I've ever seen a thread where someone was literally given a brand name/website domain to buy + the product/service it could become + some sort of market validation.

I expect great things, whoever you are that bought the domain.
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

smarty

Gold Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
189%
Jan 2, 2013
984
1,859
christianentreprenuer.com is available on GoDaddy for $13 bucks.

Someone nabbed it quick. If it's someone in this forum, hope ya'll do something cool with it! Good luck!

This is a miss-spelling christianentreprenuer.com - and it's still available at godaddy.

Meanwhile christianentrepreneur.com is registered since 1998. So I'm not sure what you're talking about.

confused-man[1].jpg
 
D

DeletedUser394

Guest
Wow. That's actually a great name and a steal. Surprised it was still out there. Anyone here?

It actually wasn't still out there, as that's not how you spell entrepreneur. christianentrepreneur.com has been registered and owned by the same guy since October 1998.

The one bananas posted is still available (because it's spelled wrong).
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Vigilante

Legendary Contributor
Staff member
FASTLANE INSIDER
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Summit Attendee
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
596%
Oct 31, 2011
11,116
66,265
Gulf Coast

sle3pyguii

Bronze Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
121%
Aug 19, 2012
340
411
Man...i feel hella dumb. Hahahaha.

*PSA* IF YOU BUY DOMAINS, MAKE SURE TO SPELL-CHECK.
 

Bananas

Bronze Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
208%
Sep 1, 2014
182
378
Texas
Man...i feel hella dumb. Hahahaha.

*PSA* IF YOU BUY DOMAINS, MAKE SURE TO SPELL-CHECK.

YOU feel dumb? What about me?! :arghh::headbanger:

I was so amazed it was available and it was so late I pasted it into to Word which didn't flag me as misspelling it. Apparently I should have added a space between the two words to get the spellcheck to work properly. Or gone to sleep earlier.
 

ericj

New Contributor
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
70%
Jun 4, 2012
23
16
GA
entrepreneurs4god is available...entrepreneursthatpray is too..could lead to something.
 

MJ DeMarco

I followed the science; all I found was money.
Staff member
FASTLANE INSIDER
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Read Rat-Race Escape!
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Summit Attendee
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
445%
Jul 23, 2007
38,083
169,528
Utah
OMG, spellcheck fail.
 

needchaser

Contributor
Read Fastlane!
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
62%
Jan 7, 2012
134
83
USA
Yes, there are Christian Entrepreneurs on this forum and elsewhere. Maybe creating a Skype or Facebook group for that specific community can help you meet and share ideas.
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

seamles

Contributor
Read Fastlane!
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
79%
Mar 30, 2014
121
96
I'd be interested in joining, I had a thread that was pulled earlier too but met some nice people on the forums!

It's been a fun journey, meeting everyone here regardless of backgrounds, so I agree a lot with people have said on this thread. And if you ever see the preachers from mega churches... I hear they do really well..
 

Lakeview

Bronze Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
130%
Sep 5, 2013
201
262
Texas
Realize people view what is righteous, or not, based on there own interpretations or impressions. Realize the bible was written in a different language and translated and reinterpreted many times. Some words don't translate well or have the same meaning today as they did in the culture over 2000 years ago. Those who dwell on the details often miss the big picture.

I view the big picture of life as what you make it out to be. You can contribute great things in life and enjoy the rewards in abundance or think and fear the worst and live in misery. The rewards of providing value to many is a motivator for so many on this forum.

Persue your dreams, become a philanthropist if you so desire, and make a bigger impact on this world. Success and money is not evil but a tool for changing lives. Walk the walk to live the legacy to wish to remembered for years to come.
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.

Post New Topic

Please SEARCH before posting.
Please select the BEST category.

Post new topic

Guest post submissions offered HERE.

Latest Posts

New Topics

Fastlane Insiders

View the forum AD FREE.
Private, unindexed content
Detailed process/execution threads
Ideas needing execution, more!

Join Fastlane Insiders.

Top