Larry Julian Answers The Faithful Fifteen
November 2005
 Larry Julian, a successful consultant and speaker who specializes in Biblically-based leadership development, is the author of GOD IS MY CEO and GOD IS MY SUCCESS. In this interview, he discusses his intent to inspire people to integrate their spiritual lives with their professional lives in order to achieve God's intended design, and his belief in God's ability to turn "broken" individuals into instruments of success. Julian also reveals how fear, pain and failure have led him to rediscover his lapsed Jewish faith in the Christian Church, and shares his rather unique prayer and meditation habits.
FaithfulReader.com: What kind of testimony to your faith are you demonstrating in this book?
Larry Julian: Rather than a testimony of my faith, I provide testimony of God's grace and power. My purpose as a writer is to be an instrument in allowing the reader to see and be inspired by the awesome power of our Lord, particularly in how He works through broken people.
Sharing my personal story was difficult, because it meant being vulnerable to the world. Regardless, I chose to begin GOD IS MY SUCCESS with my testimony: as a businessman, I had made the bottom line my god. In July 1991, I was fired. My world collapsed. At the same time, I found myself dealing with chronic back pain, a broken marriage, and a host of fears and insecurities. I felt like a complete loser. In my nothingness, I discovered Jesus Christ, who set me on a path towards genuine success.
In addition to my story, I share the stories of seven other people who turned to Christ in the midst of their worst adversity and pain. Rather than demonstrate how great we as individuals were in overcoming our adversity, I believe the testimonies show the greatness of God in transforming broken people into leaders of character.
FR: When did you come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ? Where are you today in your walk? Is your faith an important part of what you do?
LJ: As I mentioned, I came to Christ's doorstep in July 1991. As I look back on that transforming time, I recognize that fear and pain were the catalysts for coming to know Jesus Christ. In tremendous emotional and physical pain, I lived in constant fear: will I be healed? Will I find another job and survive financially? Will I be able to save my marriage? Fear and pain closed in like a vise. Quite frankly, I came to Christ because I had nowhere else to turn. At the time, I didn't so much have a desire to know Jesus as much as I just wanted to get away from the pain.
To make a long story short, Christ transformed my life. As for my walk with the Lord today? The best way to sum it up is "daily." Back in July 1991, my relationship with Him was like a father with an infant. Today, our relationship is more like a father with his teenage son. The son has grown tremendously, but a lifetime of growth still lies ahead. Like a young adult, there are times when I want to run ahead of the Lord and do things in my own strength. I need to go to the Father daily to walk with Him. This helps me mature.
As for the question, "Is your faith an important part of what you do?" --- At the risk of sounding flippant, I would say that my faith is an important part of everything I do.
FR: Tell us about your church experiences, how you grew up (or maybe didn't grow up) in the church, where you attend now, your involvement in your local assembly, etc.
LJ: During a recent speech to 400 Christian leaders, I opened with, "How did a nice Jewish boy from Brooklyn, New York wind up in a place like this?"
For the first 37 years of my life, I had no church experience. I even dropped out of Hebrew school.
Since then, I've attended a non-denominational evangelical Christian church. I met many of the most important people in my life, including my wife and several close friends, at that church.
FR: Tell us about your current church family/fellowship. How does it influence your work?
LJ: I'll respond somewhat unconventionally. My church family is found in my workplace, my neighborhood and my community. I've been blessed to meet many wonderful and supportive people with whom I share fellowship, love, and mutually hold accountable. When two or more meet under the banner of Jesus Christ, you have a church. Through this, I'm privileged to experience "church" seven days a week. My work is my worship, and my neighborhood and community are part of our family, providing a wonderful sense of connectedness.
FR: Who are your spiritual mentors?
LJ: I discovered a long time ago that God blesses through people. I'm amazed at how God orchestrates the introduction of specific people into our lives just when we need them. In that way, I've had the privilege of having several mentors through the years. My greatest spiritual mentor, though, has been Monty Sholund, Founder of the Village Schools of the Bible.
In October 1994, I felt God's call on my life to write GOD IS MY CEO, my first book. I felt it was vital that I had a solid understanding of the Bible so that my writing shared biblical Truth and honored God. Monty Sholund was my Bible teacher. In his Village Schools course, students read the Bible from cover to cover over a one-year period and write a weekly essay on what they've learned. In addition to providing great biblical knowledge, Monty paved the way for me to experience God Himself.
For me, the process of writing GOD IS MY CEO turned into a seven-year walk in the desert. Sadly, that time coincided with the loss of two children through miscarriage. The long and difficult journey of constant pain and discouragement defined my life as an author and a person. Monty's love and friendship during that difficult time helped me experience Jesus Christ in ways that cannot be taught.
FR: Discuss your calling/mission --- as a writer and as a Christian.
LJ: My mission is inspired by 2 Timothy 2:21: "He will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work."
My passion is to help people become instruments for God's noble purpose, useful to God and prepared for service. Through my books and services, my mission is to help them integrate their work and faith to be the success God designed them to be. My work is my calling and my form of worship to God, not just as an author but also as a father, friend, son, etc. I seek to honor God in all I do as a follower of Jesus Christ.
FR: What are your Scripture-reading habits?
LJ: My Scripture reading isn't as consistent as I would like it to be. During the writing process, I'm in the Word daily. When I wrote GOD IS MY SUCCESS, it was like a being in a one-year Bible study. Digging deep, I would sometimes spend hours and days on just one passage. However, there are other times when my business and home life is so busy that my Bible sits on my shelf collecting dust. I do, however, believe that the Lord has a way of getting our attention. There have been times where in the midst of my busyness a friend sends a verse that hits me between the eyes. These "interruptions" often become catalysts for getting back into the Word.
FR: What books have most influenced your work?
LJ: The book that has had the most profound influence on my work is MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST by Oswald Chambers. Through my trials, Oswald Chambers was my companion. He has a way of stripping away platitudes and pleasantries and getting to God's Truth. At times, his work has exposed raw nerves and shook my foundations; at others, his work has wrapped me in comfort. While I have my own style of writing, I hope my work gets at the raw Truth that counts for eternity rather than the "feel good" for the now.
FR: Do you read secular fiction at all? If so, who are your favorite authors, and why?
LJ: Yes, every night. With a 5-year-old daughter and an eighteen-month-old son, I read children's books --- over and over and over.
FR: What are your other media habits --- television, movies, music, etc.?
LJ: Before marriage, my habits were awful. I loved movies (the more blood and guts, the better), watched mindless television, and sat for hours in front of football, basketball and baseball games. My media habits have improved considerably. Regarding television, we're careful about what programs enter our home. As you could probably infer from the previous question, movies aren't a problem anymore; there's no time to see them! As for music, our entire family loves Go Fish, a Christian group who've put out a couple of outstanding kids' CDs --- we spend most winter evenings dancing to Go Fish. (Note: The only downside to their music is that you can't get it out of your head.)
FR: Do you and your family have any special faith-based traditions?
LJ: Our primary daily tradition is giving thanks to God before dinner. With two small children and two busy parents, we feel this is an important anchor in oftentimes-hectic days. Not only do I feel it's important for our family to eat together, I believe it's important that my kids see their dad giving thanks for God's blessings.
One of our annual traditions comes on the day we set up our Christmas tree. As a family, we hang the Christmas nail on the tree --- the nail that symbolizes Christ's sacrifice for each of us. We dedicate the season to Him and pray He would be our focus in the busy days ahead.
FR: Tell us about your prayer life and habits.
LJ: While I feel I'm communicating with the Lord throughout the day, I do have some specific prayer habits that work for me.
Daily: When I wake up, my mind is like a runaway freight train. I automatically think about the 10,000 things I need to do. I've gotten into the habit of talking to God the moment I turn on the shower. By praying first, I block out the minutia of life, which calms me down and helps me focus on what's important. Then, before I start my workday, I take a 15-minute walk with God to frame the day. I lift up my goals, challenges, insecurities, and dilemmas and then walk in silence to hear His whisper. At night, as my head hits the pillow, I recount the day with the Lord. I thank Him for all his blessings, often falling asleep while in prayer.
Weekly: I've been journaling for about 12 years. I write a letter to God every Monday morning. My letters range from letters of praise to cries for help to guidance for weekly plans. What's truly amazing is to look back at my prayer requests and see how God has answered my prayers.
Annually: I go on a three-day silent retreat. It's a wonderful time --- like taking a three-day vacation with God.
FR: Describe what you believe to be the role of writing in religion.
LJ: The privilege of writing about things of importance to God is an important responsibility. It takes considerable prayer to discern the motive for our writing, as there is a fine line between writing material that is God-serving versus that which is self-serving. In 2 Timothy 1:14, Paul admonishes Timothy with these words, "Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you --- guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us." If you feel called to write, make sure the process honors the Lord, whether you're writing a bestselling book or a letter to your child.
FR: Tell us about one or more of your favorite encounters with your readers.
LJ: I once received an email from a reader who lived somewhere in Europe. He mentioned that his profession was that of a translator. He wrote asking if I knew any organizations that needed a translator of the Spanish language. He went on to request that he would like to live in Southern California. I remember thinking, "The nerve of this guy! He's writing from somewhere in Europe to an author who lives in Minneapolis requesting a job in Southern California. Requesting a very specific and rather unique job, no less. I rolled my eyes and went about my business.
The next morning, I had just sat down with a cup of coffee when my phone rang. A gentleman with a heavy Spanish accent began to explain to me that he had just received a copy of GOD IS MY CEO as a birthday gift from his sister. He went on to say that he was the pastor of a Spanish-speaking church in Southern California and that there was a significant opportunity to translate Christian material into Spanish in his area.
Needless to say, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up as I shared with him the email I had received only twelve hours before. What a startling reminder that no request is too big or too bold for God!
FR: Would you share a story about someone you've brought to Christ or share how your writing has helped someone?
LJ: I've been blessed a hundred times over by emails I've received over the last few years. One that's vivid in my memory was the business owner who thanked me for changing his paradigm about money. He wrote that he had become a slave to his business, working 70-80 hours a week trying to make money so his children would have a better life. He described his pain when his son, upon graduation, exclaimed "You were never around as I grew up. I would rather have you than the nest egg you started for me." From that day on, he swore he would be a better father. He thanked me for allowing GOD IS MY CEO to show him that following God's call as a parent was more important than chasing money and success. He learned that God was both the Rewarder and the Reward. This change in thinking has helped him live the abundant life God designed for him.
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GOD IS MY SUCCESS: Transforming Adversity Into Your Destiny