San Clemente, CA (Newsforce Daily) July 20, 2010 -- In the Foreword to the soon to be released book by Leslie Bianco, the Executive Editor of In the Company of Prayer, a subscription email prayer service for business professionals with a global reach and loyal following, Ken Blanchard said this:

Foreword for In the Company of Prayer

One of the real joys in my life was writing a book entitled The Power of Ethical Management with Norman Vincent Peale, the legendary author of The Power of Positive Thinking. My wife, Margie, and I were in our mid-forties at the time and far from turning our lives over to the Lord. Norman and his wife, Ruth Stafford Peale, who were in their eighties, were fabulous with Margie and me. They didn’t push us with our faith, but just loved on us. They would smile and say, “The Lord has always had you on His team; you just haven’t suited up yet.”

When I finally “suited up” in 1988, the year our book was published, I asked Norman if I should stop what I was doing with business leaders and go to divinity school and become a pastor. Norman was quick to answer. “Absolutely not! You have a huge congregation in the business world and we don’t have enough pastors there.”

 
I have heeded that advice ever since. In fact, I changed my title in our leadership development company from Chairman of the Board to Chief Spiritual Officer. Almost every day, I leave a voicemail message for the 300-plus people in our offices in the United States, Canada, the UK, and Singapore. I do three things with my message. First of all, I tell people who to pray for—colleagues, family members, friends, or people around the world. Secondly, I praise people for their beyond-the-call-of-duty efforts to serve our internal and external customers. And finally, I leave an inspirational message. That’s why I love Leslie Bianco’s book, In the Company of Prayer: Workday Reflections for Those Who Lead by Example. Every morning, my wife and I look forward to receiving a “morning briefing” from Leslie and her In the Company of Prayer email prayer service. On more than one occasion, I have used one of her morning briefings for my morning message.

This book is a compilation of morning briefings that Leslie’s subscribers considered among the best. If you’re like I am, and you find prayer to be an inspirational tool in the management of your professional life, you’ll love this little book. It involves thirteen weeks of five-day prayer messages on important subjects like integrity, leadership, core values, entrepreneurship, and much more. Read this little book every morning and start your day off right. It won’t take you very long to realize that God loves you and so does Leslie.

Thanks, Leslie, for making a difference in our lives.

Ken Blanchard
Chief Spiritual Officer
The Ken Blanchard Companies

Ken Blanchard is considered one of the best-selling business leadership authors of our time. Worldwide, his books have combined sales of more than eighteen million copies in twenty-five languages.

Orange County, CA (PRWEB) February 18, 2009 -- Some pray more. It is natural human instinct to reach out in prayer in times of distress. And the place that many are most distressed is in the workplace. Accordingly, In the Company of Prayer, an email subscription prayer service specifically for business executives has noticed a marked increase in subscribers in the last three months.

Some pray differently. With insecurity comes feelings of desperation, and that is reflected in prayer style, as well. Such prayers at the very least tend to include requests for action, such as, 'save me from financial ruin,' or 'help me meet my obligations.' At In the Company of Prayer, which began its service in 2006, they have found that in prior periods with greater financial excess, focus was on increased depth in devotion or carving out more time for oneness with the Almighty. While those themes remain important to subscribers, prayer addressing the various aspects of uncertainty have become priorities.

Through its 'Morning Briefing' service, In the Company of Prayer delivers concise devotionals into the inboxes of its subscribers each workday. The Morning Briefing daily prayer emails take seconds to read yet their impact lingers.

"Our subscribers have found in our service a place to grapple-in solitude or together as a community--with their own particular stresses," said Leslie Bianco, Executive Editor.

"I start the day in prayer, and end it there, too," said Berni Neal, a founder of the sports apparel and equipment company God Squad Athletics. "I appreciate opening my Morning Briefings right before lunch, when I start to get fatigued from working online all morning and want a prompt to refocus and reconnect," Neal said.

With Lent fast approaching, the practice of prayer is sure to increase. Many will find it to be a valuable tool in navigating these highly stressful times.

About In the Company of Prayer
The two-year-old web-based company provides its Morning Briefing service to a worldwide audience via email subscription, RSS feed or from its blog. The emails provide instant access to the Morning Briefing blog for community participation, as well as to partner Sacred Space, the wildly successful site of the Irish Jesuits. Visit www.CompanyofPrayer.com

Orange County, CA (PRWEB) August 3, 2008 -- An increase in taxes on corporations and a more highly taxed workforce are changes Obama says we can believe in, while McCain promises to upset the applecart with immigration reform and domestic drilling. All of which will affect those running businesses.

Since the 2006 election, when Americans are said to have voted for change by installing a Democrat-majority Congress, the result, some have argued, has been a spike in oil costs and a shift in morals issues legislation. Businesses suffer from increased fuel costs, and recently legislated gay marriage, for example, will have an affect on employee benefits, at the very least.

So how do successful business executives manage for constant change in their personal lives? Meditation, exercise, and prayer are all tools often cited as stress relievers. In the Company of Prayer, a subscription email prayer service devoted to the spiritual needs of business executives is one way for them to quickly get into prayer mode before the start of each workday. The Morning Briefing emails provide a quick, daily prayer specifically to businessmen and women who find prayer to be an inspirational tool in the management of their professional lives.

As members of this community, subscribers receive a prayer via email each workday that is short enough to be read off a PDA and is accompanied by a pertinent, two-sentence bit of inspiration, such as a quote from a peer, newspaper headline, or bit of scripture. Furthermore, subscribers join a community of like-thinkers who then pray for each other and who can comment via the blog.

According to Executive Editor Leslie Bianco, "As workdays grow longer, time for personal growth, including in the area of spirituality, necessarily overlaps with the business agenda. A daily prayer prompt appeals to these executives who also appreciate simply being reminded that they are in company with others who share their emphasis on faith."

Change is a way of life, and is an obvious element of the life of a business. Successful businesses are those that efficiently adapt to change. Successful business leaders are those who employ a multitude of skills and techniques in leading that change, which oftentimes include practices as simple as prayer.

About In the Company of Prayer
The two-year-old web-based company provides its Morning Briefing service to a worldwide audience via email subscription, RSS feed or from its blog. The emails provide instant access to the Morning Briefing blog for community participation, as well as to partner Sacred Space, the wildly successful site of the Irish Jesuits.

Orange County, CA (PRWEB) February 4, 2008 -- In the Company of Prayer, an email subscription prayer service specifically for business executives is gearing up for a busy Lent season which begins Wednesday, February 6 for Christians worldwide--for everyone from the new to their faith to the pope. Through its 'Morning Briefing' service, In the Company of Prayer delivers concise devotionals into the inboxes of its subscribers each workday. The Morning Briefing daily prayer emails take seconds to read yet their impact lingers.

Tim LeVecke, CEO of LeVecke Corporation, a bottler and marketer of distilled spirits with facilities in California, Arizona and Hawaii is one such subscriber. "The Morning Briefing is the first email I open each day because it provides an opportunity for a moment of personal focus and reflection which carries me throughout the day," LeVecke said.

 
According to Executive Editor Leslie Bianco, "As workdays grow longer, time for personal growth, including in the area of spirituality, necessarily overlaps with the business agenda. A daily prayer prompt appeals to these executives who also appreciate simply being reminded that they are in company with others who share their emphasis on faith.

What is Lent?
Lent is a 40-day Christian season of preparation before Easter, beginning with Ash Wednesday. It is, according to the Catholic Pope Benedict XVI, 'a process of interior renewal' in which participants practice prayer, fasting and almsgiving.

About In the Company of Prayer
The two-year-old web-based company provides its Morning Briefing service to a worldwide audience via email subscription, RSS feed or from its blog. The emails provide instant access to the Morning Briefing blog for community participation, as well as to partner Sacred Space, the wildly successful site of the Irish Jesuits.