Andy Mason (00:00)
Hey, welcome to the conversation. I'm Andy Mason, and you are listening to the Heaven and Business Podcast, where we help you navigate the messy intersection of faith, family, and business. And whether this is the first time you've even heard this or whether you've been walking with us for the 15 years that we've been doing this, I just want to say thank you. Heaven and Business is not about giving you more information. It's really about recognizing that the shift from Sunday to Monday, the everyday work, how do I
Andy Mason (00:27)
integrate this walk with God in all of life, the ups and downs. I I'm starting to coin this phrase covenant friction. This is what it's about of integrating that into all of life. And you've been a part of that journey. So thank you. one of the profound things that is really striking me as a result of Dallas conference that we did two weeks ago was in spite of all that we did, in spite of all the information, the number one thing that people want more of is connection.
Andy Mason (00:53)
Not only that, but people are saying, hey, how can I be a part of more? I don't want to just attend. Can I a gene? He's like, hey, how can I help? What can I do? Well, we're looking for a TV to to display this thing. Well, I'll pick that up for you. no, no, I'm gonna buy it. He's he's kept the TV, but he went and got it, picked it up, delivered it. Why would people even do that? You paid to come to an event. It's belonging. It's belonging with people that are on the same journey where Christ is central.
Andy Mason (01:21)
I want to grow in business, but if I grow in business and lose my connection to Christ, I've lost everything. It's not just that Christ is central, but it's working this out with others. I can grow in information, but that's not going to help me. There's something about this iron-sharpening iron. You were not born to be alone. It's not good for man to be alone. And we do that together. So number one is thank you for being a part of this journey. The first one we did back in 2011 in Reading, California.
Andy Mason (01:50)
With 36 people, one of them unsaved, pressed his way in. And actually Dallas was the same. One person pressed him in, self in, unsaved, get saved, get baptized when he got home with his business partner. That's pretty cool. So number one, thank you. I'm gonna walk through a couple of things of what we're doing, what's happening, what is going on, and where you can engage over these next over the next 20 minutes and what's coming over the next three or so months.
Andy Mason (02:17)
So first point is we exist to help you grow in your partnership with God in all of life. That is unchanged. What is changing is becoming more refined. We're getting clearer. Finally, Andy's learning after 15 years of doing this of what is going on. It's exciting. we we're starting to see pastors connect and say, we want to collaborate and connect with one another. How do we better pastor?
Andy Mason (02:44)
Our workplace leaders. So when we get back from this trip I'm going to tell you about in Africa, we're actually going to have a lunch together in our home. So if you know pastors that are saying, I want to understand and collaborate with other pastors to activate what we believe is the greatest mission or force in the world. It's the marketplace leaders, professionals and business owners that are trusted.
Andy Mason (03:08)
Already have trust in the community, already are in the community, interacting with so many more people than into interact on a Sunday, and they don't know the power of what they've got, and they the pastors don't know how to activate them. So that's the the journey that we're on. You can just email support at heavenandbusiness.com if you want to get connected. And we're working out, we don't really know what's going on, but we just feel like God is leading us in that direction. And how can we resource that more? So we exist.
Andy Mason (03:36)
to resource you, to train you, to develop develop you, to disciple you in your walk with God and all of life. And why do we call this the messy intersection? Because it's messy. I so want things to just go smooth and frictionless. And the more that I'm walking this journey, the more I'm realizing it's actually in the friction that I truly grow. It's wrestling, it's processing, it's slowing it down. And I'm sure my wife is nodding like, I mean
Andy Mason (04:03)
Trying to tell you that it's like, honey, I'm finally thinking, I'm working it out, or it's working me out. So what is the Hope Directive? You may be familiar with everyone business, you may have been to a retreat or a conference or online at some event. With last night we did a a panel on AI and where to from here, and it was fantastic. But you may have never heard of Hope Directive. What's that? Well, that is our nonprofit so everything we do.
Andy Mason (04:28)
with heaven and business trains resources, develops resources, develops training, it disciples people. We call it coaching or mentoring or mastermind, but the core of it is discipling people. And the Hope Directive is our vehicle to multiply those resources in individuals and organizations around the world that would be otherwise an un inaccessible. So you and I in the States, you're listening to this in English. Well actually there's someone listening in Russia. Hey, shout out
Andy Mason (04:56)
To you, thank you. thank you for listening, thank you for watching, thank you for being a part of the journey. But majority of this is in the Western world, there's a proliferation of resources. Well, in other countries, Portuguese, Brazil, in Zimbabwe, there's a real lack, next to nothing, in regard to resources to help you grow in your walk with God in your daily work. And so we're intentionally doing that. Now, vehicle to do that is the Hope Directive.
Andy Mason (05:20)
And the pathway we go by is we don't just do it randomly. We don't just show up, do an event and leave. We're actually walking with people. We take seriously the mandate Jesus says was when you come into a city, into a town, find a person of peace and stay with them. So that's what we do is we've found people that we have a flow of chemistry, flow of character, flow of calling and conviction and credibility, where we're engaged with them and walking with them, which looks like mentoring, resourcing, training, coaching, praying, helping.
Andy Mason (05:49)
Weeping, if necessary, walking with people so that over time they grow stronger in who God's called them to be, what they are doing, how they're doing that, and we can resource them with, if nothing else, the connections. And for some of you that's joining us, some of you have joined us, we're about to hop on a plane and go to Zimbabwe and it blows my mind. My wife is like, Honey, who are you? when I was back in New Zealand, I would be going backwards and forwards to Uganda and I'd say, Do you want to come?
Andy Mason (06:18)
She'd be like, let me know how it works for you. I'm I got four kids. I have zero desire to go to a one star hotel and have animals crawl over me in the middle of the night and dance in the mud. And now she is the one dragging me into those environments more than I am. And I'll come back to that with some things that are happening. So we're we're heading, we're growing, and you can actually partner with the Hope Directive and multiply those resources if you want. I just I'll post a link below.
Andy Mason (06:45)
Only if you want to be a part of taking the resources that you get access to like crazy, and you want others that don't have the access or the resources that you have, you can help us do that through the Hope Directive. So what's where are we going next? As I mentioned, we've got nearly a month in Zimbabwe. That is going in and pouring strength into local marketplace leaders through the people that we're partnered with there.
Andy Mason (07:09)
there's there's a men's retreat, there's a leadership conference, there's speaking into the educators in the school, there's different leaders and entrepreneurs. There's actually a stadium event that we get to be part of, stadium worship, that Tommy and Rachel Duchel are leading. That's gonna be fun. And then we've got some business people landing for a leadership week and an adventure retreat on a boat, Lake Kariba, ministering to one another with hippos in the background. It's it's crazy. You may never get to do that. We we
Andy Mason (07:37)
man, it's crazy that we get to do some of these things now that I've probably dreamed of doing as a kid. But we're going to go from Zimbabwe into Mozambique. Now, Mozambique is is where the Irish base is, Iris Ministries, Heidi Baker, Will Hart, who's the senior leader of the church that we are embedded into here in Nashville. And we had the opportunity to go there. We're gonna get picked up in Harari and fly into Pemba.
Andy Mason (08:04)
And to be fully candid with you, I'm a little bit nervous about this because I work with you. you you you've probably got your laptop, you've got your house, you've got your food, you you never even question that, you've got your gym membership, you've got your Wi-Fi subscription, you've got your latest model iPhone, and some of you got fancy cars or two or three. Well, I get to work with you because we get we're called to help you grow in your walk with God.
Andy Mason (08:32)
In daily life. Well, Iris is different. They are called to the poor of the poor. And the stories that I hear and the the growing through suffering and the challenges and the miracles. I'm I'm kind of really looking forward to it. And a little bit anxious about, you know, I'm only gonna spend a lot of time with my face in the dust just weeping because God rips my heart open. And to be honest, I'm actually hoping for that. Blessed are the poor in spirit.
Andy Mason (08:59)
Because theirs is the kingdom of God. We don't necessarily walk with orphans, work with orphans, but we work with people who are orphaned in spirit. And that poverty of heart, I want to learn from what they're doing. I want to learn from Roland Baker some of the core values of Iris and what they do and how they do it. While also getting to serve and connect with Liz on the farm of what that's doing, the university, the minute there's so many things we're gonna do. If you want a part of that, jump in and contribute to Hope Directive and you can help.
Andy Mason (09:27)
Take the resources, the training, and Andy and Janine, first time into Mozambique to do that. That's gonna be pretty cool. we go straight from there, we come back, we've got some connections and ongoing, you're gonna hear podcasts on the road. So you're gonna hear updates as we go. And then we go into Brazil in November. Brazil with Thiago and Camila, Sao Polo, Joinville, they'll be the second time down there. That's wild. but again.
Andy Mason (09:54)
The churches are exploding in growth, people getting saved, but next to nothing in it training and equipping those same business people how to do this in their Monday to Friday. How do they do that? That's what we bring. But the beauty of that is not just going and doing an event and leaving. That's actually training, equipping, deploying, discipling, catalyzing, resourcing people to do the same. So what do we do in all of this? this is that it's not just
Andy Mason (10:20)
Going and doing it. It's not just resourcing, but in all of this is how do we multiply beyond us? And how do we do it with others? So that's where you get to be a part of this. But we're taking some trusted business people with us to Brazil. And you can join us on the trip to Zimbabwe. But some of you may never get to do that. You can engage with us by continuing to listen like this and apply what you're learning. People are taking these podcasts.
Andy Mason (10:46)
And then doing them in small groups, unpacking it and applying it. You can do that. Cost nothing, but it's going to resource you and we will continue to grow in resourcing, placing tools in the hands of every believer that results in transformation. And you being transformed results in your family being transformed, results in your community and your business being transformed, which is what we're going after. So that's some other things coming up.
Andy Mason (11:09)
January, we're actually gonna be in New Zealand. We've got some family monumental birthdays to be at. So we're gonna h hide in a can for 13 hours flying from the USA to New Zealand. But it's gonna be great to reconnect with family. First week of February is Scottsdale. It's our first executive strategic retreat there. That's about hearing God. That's three days with 25 people. That's what's happening. You can see that on the website. That's now live. And then secondly, we've conference.
Andy Mason (11:37)
First conference in Nashville, Tennessee. We're confirming the venue right now, confirming speakers right now. But you can jump in already and you can sign up. So that's all happening. What is all of this? These are just vehicles by which we are walking with you and you with others. that event in Nashville is direct changes from Dallas. The feedback that we got from there, we're gonna do a first evening meet and greet mixer over dinner.
Andy Mason (12:03)
Why? 'Cause you want more connection with more people like you. And we get to facilitate that and cause that to happen, which is pretty, pretty cool. So in all of this and and all the travel and the the coming, the going,
Andy Mason (12:15)
You're facing the same invitation. We get to partner with different people to help them grow. But for you, you're in that same place. Your walk with God will grow the most when you find someone else to actually train and walk with and disciple. Because this process of taking what I'm learning and giving it to someone else, we think it's just helping s others. No, it's actually helping you. You're the one that will benefit and grow the most, but actually it's multiplying.
Andy Mason (12:41)
Kingdom everywhere go. It's discipleship. That's why coming up, you're going to hear me interview Dave Buring of Lionshear.org. He was the the head of discipleship with YWAM for I think about 25 years. Now here in Nashville, I got to go to his leadership games event that's connecting mentors with mentees in the next generation. I'm going to bring him on the podcast. You're going to hear that in terms of you don't have an employee problem, you have got a discipleship problem.
Andy Mason (13:10)
If we truly engage with this covenant friction of walking and helping people grow and disciple, knowing how to do conflict, communication, discipleship, spiritual formation, whether people realize it or not, we can help people grow. So that's you. So what's the question for you is who are you developing, discipling, walking with, being a friend to? And who is the Lord asking you to do that to?
Andy Mason (13:37)
one of the heartbreaking moments that I had was meeting with a CEO of an organization with 10,000 people and it's a family organization of which he's a family member so an owner in that organization and he comes to me asking for connections to raise money to do a evangelistic campaign. Now is that a problem? No, it's a great thing. But I said hang on a moment. What are you doing with the 10,000 people that you're meeting with and leading and have responsibility
Andy Mason (14:05)
eight to five, five days a week plus. You know, his comment was, that's too hard. Well that's heartbreaking because you have been given a responsibility and a mandate to steward something. And you saying it's too hard is unacceptable. You're gonna stand before God and say, You know well discipling my employees is just too hard. I'm just gonna go and and do like money laundering, give my money
Andy Mason (14:32)
To the church, and they can do what God's called me to do. That's just unacceptable. So, what are we doing? Is we're walking with you to help you know how to do that. First, you with him and your family, so you stay healthy and whole and you're a living and walking example. But then there's these so many practical things that we can do on a daily basis, from sharing good news to providing great resources to simply
Andy Mason (14:57)
Growing in my love and affection for the people that work with me. Stopping, pausing. How are you doing? Do I actually know those people? What we're doing is working with people around the world. You, the people right in front of you, the family that you're living with. That's probably your wife, your kids, maybe your husband, your kids, maybe that's blended family, who knows what it is right now. All of that, and the employees that you either lead or work with. That's your greatest.
Andy Mason (15:25)
Mission field and the stewardship that God has given you. He will ask you, What did you do with those that I put into your care? How can I start? Real simple. One, just pray for them. God, give me a heart for the people. Philippians says this. I know that God will bring this to a pass because I hold you in my heart. If I do everything, the discipleship program, the resources, the resources to help you buy a house to get immigration status, to get education.
Andy Mason (15:52)
All of those things that you can do in terms of a human development program, but don't have love counts for nothing. But you can start with love for free. Simply start to pray for those people. Imagine holding and embracing them in your heart and just praying that they grow. Give God, give me a heart for those that you've called me to serve. Start there and then walk with us. We're gonna give you me more resources to help.
Andy Mason (16:17)
Disciple and develop the people in your place of stewardship. So this is this is why that's what happens. Who's God given you? three ways that you can engage with us is number one, you can give those resources, don't go to heaven in business, they to the Hope Directive. A separate, independently governed board, manages what we do. I had to get them to approve the the trip from Zimbabwe to Mozambique, because that's just part of the way we operate. We've got accountability there.
Andy Mason (16:44)
But you can actually help us fly into Mozambique. You can contribute to the fuel that's going to go in the iris plane that's picking us up. How can you do that? Just jump on the link below, hopedirective.com. That's how you can give, that's going to help us do and perpetuate that. number two, you can go. You can go with us. Actually, there's still room to join us on that trip to Zimbabwe. If that's you, you have those resources, you can jump in and join us, do it. We'll make room for you on that trip.
Andy Mason (17:12)
You can see that on the heavenabusiness.com page that under events or just email us. You want to have a conversation about this. We can talk to you. We're real people. So that's you can go with us. the trips to Brazil, the different places. You can go with us. If if you can't do either of those, join us. I subscribe to this and share this. Share it on social media. These different ways that you in the midst of the noise and the crazy, if you can share great resources that help people grow.
Andy Mason (17:41)
You're actually making seed available to others also. Super simple and it's free. Share it, like, comment. That increases algorithms to get it spread through the noise of this is what is authentic and true and will help people grow in their walk with Jesus at work. Finally, grow with us. Come to Scottsdale, come to Nashville, join the growth path if you haven't found out about that. That's going to kick off the next cohort in March of next year.
Andy Mason (18:07)
And we can have made some adjustments to that from this year. One of the exciting things that I'm really excited about is field traps, is going to a business, engaging in that business in person, and actually unpacking what are they doing, how they're doing it, what their story is, what we can learn, and then what you could contribute and wisdom that you've learned to that business to help that business grow. That could be you. You could be a part of that. You can find out more about that on heavinabusiness.com.
Andy Mason (18:34)
And just click on where it says growth path. And all of this, I'm just whether you give, go, attend, grow with us, subscribe or don't subscribe or don't do anything, whether this is the last thing that you even touch, thank you for being part of the journey. That's where I just feel so grateful for this friction of growth that we have learned and grown so much in 15 years because of our interactions with you, other people that we're walking with.
Andy Mason (19:01)
the journeys, the businesses, the business ideas that have been divine and failed because of human character issues, the the growth that has happened and the exits that we've seen, the families restored, the pain of families broken, the ups and downs. It's messy. And I'm learning actually, it's incredibly beautiful because that is what is human. So thank you for being a part of that journey and keep walking with us in whatever
Andy Mason (19:28)
way that is that works for you. I just appreciate you. Thank you. And finally, we just bless you to grow. We bless you to grow in your walk with God. I bless you to grow in covenant friction. I'm probably going to talk about that again. I think I need to get some people on to talk about that some more. But I just bless you in all that is going on in you, around you, through you. I pray a fresh filling that Ephesians 5
Andy Mason (19:55)
That you'd be filled and filled again right now, that his life would fill you and flood you, that'd have a revelation that you, being rooted and grounded in love, along with all the saints, would be able to comprehend the width, the breadth, the depth, the height of his love for you, that you would be filled with the fullness of God. And now, now, on the basis on that foundation of love, now to him who's able to do exceedingly abundantly.
Andy Mason (20:20)
above all that we ask or think or imagine to him be your glory and you and I let's go for it.
