Life Lessons
from Our Heavenly Father
Talk by the Honorable Gregory W. Slayton
Haidian Church Beijing
June 1, 2014 / 11:30 Service
Who is GWS? The stuff you might know
•
Honors grad of Dartmouth (BA) & Harvard (MBA) with a Masters in Asian Studies as
Fulbright Scholar to Asia
•
McKinsey & Company Consultant (NY, Paris, BA)
•
Silicon Valley CEO and Venture Capitalist
•
CEO of five different companies (some successful; some not)
• Early investor in Google, Salesforce.com, Oakley
• Cover of Time magazine and Wall Street Journal
•
Former US Ambassador to Bermuda
•
Ivy League/Stanford/UIBE/Beida Professor
www.GregoryWSlayton.com
Who is GWS? The stuff you don’t know
Abandoned by blood father: “I never want to see you or hear
from you or talk to you again…”
Taken in by a Chinese/American family: the Chang’s
My Chinese family gave me my first Bible
My Chinese brother Ken helped lead me to Christ
• We first visited China/Taiwan together 31 years ago
• He is the Godfather to our four children
My Chinese father showed me what a good father is
What the devil intended for evil, the LORD has
used for Good
The book Be a Better Dad Today & China:
• Three years to write the book – based on 20 years of observing good/bad
fathers so I could learn for myself
- started with observing my US dad and my Chinese dad who
showed me the difference between good & bad dads
• My midnight talk with Marina: “I hope the book does well in the US , but
somehow I feel I am writing this book for China”
• Her prophetic response: “I don’t understand how this is going to happen,
but I believe that is exactly right.”
National Best-seller in the US with over 100,000
copies sold in 12 countries so far
15,000+ Copies Sold in Taiwan since 8/8/13
Being Published TODAY in China by CIITC Press
Life Lessons from Our Heavenly Father
It is much easier, safer and less painful to learn
life’s key lessons from others rather than to
learn them on your own.
Not having a blood father has made this very
clear to me. So I hope the following might be
helpful to you!!
Life Lessons Learned from my Chinese Family
The fundamental importance of
Fatherhood
Family
Faith
Do you know that you have a Heavenly Father who loves you personally? Who will
always love you? Who longs to know you and commune with you?
Yes, it is amazing but it is also true.
Life Lessons Learned from an Ivy League
Education
As an honors grad of Dartmouth College and Harvard
Business School and as a Fulbright Scholar to Asia: “Commit
all you do to the LORD & He will establish your plans”
Proverbs 16:3
Do you know that you can trust Him with your future? But we must
‘walk by faith’
Life Lessons Learned from Christian Service in
Asia & Africa
From four years running Christian orphanages in Asia and Africa:
My #1 job is not to ‘work’ for Him as my boss, but to stay close to Him
as my Heavenly Father
How do you think of God? As a far away deity? As a taskmaster? As a
demanding parent? Or as a loving, caring Heavenly Daddy?
This is the most important question in life.
Life Lessons Learned at McKinsey & Co.
McKinsey & Co. is the world’s most successful senior strategy consulting firm,
advising CEOs of Fortune 500 firms worldwide. But while I was there a good
friend of mine, a guy my age, suddenly passed away:
“We are all going to die. So be sure to have a strategy for this life…and beyond”
Do you have a strategy for facing life…and for facing death?
Jesus said “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life…those who believe in Me will
never die.” John 14:6
Life Lessons Learned as a Silicon Valley CEO
I had some big successes & some painful failures as a Silicon Valley CEO. From
them I learned:
Failure can be God’s tool, especially if we are not listening carefully. Our
Heavenly Father does not want us to be spiritual babies. He wants us to grow in
faith, hope, love…and in purity.
“The fire is for silver and the furnace for gold, but the LORD refines the hearts of
His people” Proverbs 17:3
Are you listening carefully to the LORD? If not, he may have to use failure to get
your attention.
Life Lessons Learned as a Silicon Valley
Venture Capitalist
I am not the world’s greatest VC, in fact I am ma ma hou hou at best. But
when I put His Kingdom first, He gave us early stakes in Google,
Salesforce.com and Oakley Networks – three of Silicon Valley’s top
companies.
God’s work, done God’s way, will not lack God’s support
Do you trust our Heavenly Father to provide? Are you acting like it?
Tithing? Generosity? Kindness?
Life Lessons Learned as a US Diplomat
Each of us, HIs people, are His Ambassadors on this earth
We are His Ambassadors to bring His Good News to our world: Everyone can be
part of His Family through the blood of His Son Jesus, which He paid on the cross
as our adoption price.
Are you His Ambassador to your world?
“Follow Me and I will make you Fishers of men” Matthew 4:19
If not, why not? Sin? Lack of faith? Fatigue? Indifference?
“Come unto Me all ye who are weary and heavy laden…and I will give you rest for
your souls.” Matthew 11:28
Life Lessons Learned as an Ivy
League/Stanford/PKU/UIBE Professor
Our Heavenly Father wants us to be faithful older brothers &
sisters to our younger friends: mentoring & teaching them so
that they may in turn teach others also
“Those things that you have heard from me…commit these to
faithful people who will be able to teach others also” II
Timothy 2:2
Who are you mentoring?
Who do you know that might appreciate a good mentor?
Life Lessons Learned in Leadership
No matter how successful I am on the work front – if I fail to be an effective
servant leader at home (if I fail as a husband or as a father) I am a failure.
To be truly successful, a man must be a good servant leader on the work front
AND the home front
Are you succeeding on the home front? Are you succeeding on the work
front? If not, why not?
Life Lessons Learned as a Dad
Being a good father is the most important job I will ever have: more
important than being a CEO or an Ambassador or anything else. To be
successful I need three things:
3.
1.
A Noble Family Vision
2.
Allies for the Journey
The Ten Tools of Fatherhood
What is your most important job? And do you have the right plan? The
right friends? The right tools?
Life Lessons Learned as Chairman of Family First
Greater China
We know the Mission our Heavenly Father has given us. We have devoted
ourselves to following His path in China for the rest of our lives. May He
enable us to be a blessing to many.
What is your Mission? What has our Heavenly Father given you to do of
eternal significance? Find it and do it. There is nothing more exciting in
life.
“There will be a still, small voice behind you saying: this is the way, walk ye
in it.” Isaiah 30:21
The Most Important Things in my life:
THE LORD
My
Family:
-Marina
-Sasha
-Christian
-Daniel
-Nicky
Please Pray With Us / We Pray for You Daily
Our Father who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy Kingdom come,
Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who have sinned against us.
Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever and
ever.
Amen.
Let’s Meet Outside and Talk More
- Signed copies of the book at the book table
• US best-selling version (hard cover and soft cover)
• Traditional Chinese version & Simplified Chinese version
• Some other versions as well (Korea, India, Denmark, etc.)
- 100% of revenues go to Family First Greater China
- Maybe we can partner together?
- I look forward to meeting you!!
上帝祝福你!! God bless you!!