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The desire of Wall Street Paradigm is to bring together business owners and corporation executives who are interested in developing the spiritual side of their business/corporation life. We believe God is validating business as a spiritual calling. And like pastors, priests, and rabbis, business owners and executives will be held accountable by God for how they walk out their spiritual calling.
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Wall Street Paradigm Corp.,
a marketplace ministry
Proverbs
13:22 A good man leaves an
inheritance for his children's
On
In November I received a phone
call from Stephen Thompson a Foursquare pastor from Seattle and a former
New York Jets football player. He told me that God had impressed him to
begin a ministry on Wall Street in New York City. He asked if I would
arrange to take him and his wife down to Wall Street and Ground Zero so he
could walk the area and pray. Stephen believed now was the time to
proceed. We made plans to meet in New York City. I organized a tour for
Stephen, his wife and my wife and myself to view Ground Zero and meet with
a Pastor whose Wall Street church was destroyed in the 9/11 attack. Pastor
Dan Stratton of Faith Exchange Fellowship had found a new facility for his
church and was extremely gracious and encouraging. Dan previously worked
as a commodities broker on Wall Street and saw the need to bring the good
news of Jesus to the marketplace. He began his ministry several years
earlier. In January 2002 I retired from
the NYS Supreme Court after eighteen years. My wife, Inger and I traveled
to Santa Rosa Beach, Florida and met with Chester and Betsy Kylstra.
Chester, a former nuclear engineer shared a vision he had to bring the
principals of inner healing to businesses and business people. In fact he
was in the process of writing a business manual teaching and illustrating
these concepts. It seemed that God was
bringing together individuals with diverse business backgrounds from
various streams of the River to reach into the marketplace. What would
this look like and why the marketplace? Why the Marketplace? Matthew
19: 23 Then Jesus said to his
disciples, "I tell you the truth, it is hard
for a rich man to enter the kingdom
of heaven. We have all heard this
scripture preached in church - but often out of context. Many walk away
believing a person’s spirituality is somehow connected to their financial
condition. It is true that material possessions create temptation for a
person of wealth that is not a concern to individuals that live from
paycheck to paycheck. Unfortunately many Christians find it easier to
evangelize and disciple the “down and outers” and ignore the “up and
outers.” The wealthy have the same problems as everyone else and then
some. They realized their vulnerability to terrorism on September 11, 2001.
They have seen the financial effect of corporate corruption and falling
markets. Their marriages are failing. Their children are in rebellion.
They find comfort in substance abuse. Unlike others they can hide their
fears, marriages, children and addictions behind expensive homes, grand
cars and lavish lifestyles. Yet they have need of a Savior just like every
other child of God.
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