Christian Business Success Stories

Excerpts From "THANK GOD IT'S MONDAY!"

By Rick Heeren

Click here to learn more about Rick Heeren and "Thank God It's Monday!"

Larry Ihle

Larry and Rose Ihle own Dexterity Dental Arts, Inc., a full service dental lab in Farmington, Minnesota. One day a pastor friend brought a man named Bruce Nelson to play a round of golf with Larry. During the golf game, Bruce explained that he had been a partner in a multimillion dollar construction company, but that his life had been so empty at that time that he didn’t want to continue. He sold his half of the company to his partner for $1.00. He then began looking for a way to fill the void that he felt in his life. Suddenly, everything that he had cared about was gone. He felt hopeless and alone. 

At his deepest point of despair, as he looked around his home for something to do, he found a tape by Pat Robertson and put it in his tape player. The tape was an introduction to the person of Jesus Christ. As he listened to that tape, tears filled his eyes and he went down on his knees and asked Jesus Christ to come into his heart. 

Within a week the Lord brought him into a congregation and into a relationship with a pastor. This pastor loved to play golf. And now that pastor was introducing him to Larry Ihle.  While playing golf that day Bruce told Larry that he was about to marry a woman named Sue. Larry and Rose offered to have the marriage ceremony performed at their home. Bruce and Sue accepted and were married in the Ihle home. 

It wasn’t long after the marriage ceremony that Larry asked Bruce for advice about renovating his home. Bruce drew from his extensive background in the construction industry and gave Larry a complete analysis. Larry and Rose prayed over this analysis and heard the Lord say not to renovate, but to demolish the current building and construct a new one on the same site. Larry asked Bruce if he would take charge of the project to demolish his old home and design and build the new one. Bruce agreed to do it. 

Larry’s home was on a peninsula that was surrounded on three sides by a lake. The plan was to build a new home approaching 7,000 square feet, not including the bunkhouse that was to be built over the garage. The living room, dining room and kitchen were to have an unobstructed view of 270 degrees of the lake. This was not just to be their home, it was also to be a ministry center and a place where visiting ministers could be housed. 

After the demolition was done, Larry and Bruce began the process of building the new home. They started by inviting a number of subcontractors to come for an interview and to hear exactly what was expected of them. Very few of these workmen were believers. Each day, they prayed over the property and the construction site using anointing oil. They also prayed over the workers who would come to the site that day.  When the workmen would show up they would advise them that they were praying for them and ask them for their specific prayer requests. They prayed for each of these workmen and for their families. Larry and Bruce now look back over the two years of this construction project and note that during this period, fifty to sixty workmen gave their lives to Christ.  There were also four workmen who were healed by the Lord. 

Bruce was amazed to see what God was doing each day in an industry that he thought that he knew well. Whether on the job site or going out to lunch, Bruce continually observed that the kingdom of God was everywhere that they walked. 

Bruce has now been completely restored within the construction industry. Larry is helping Bruce to create a new construction company through which Bruce will be able to replicate what he has learned from Larry. Bruce can now testify that Larry Ihle has an anointing for restoring and mentoring marketplace Christians who have had negative experiences in their careers. He says that by working together with Larry over these two years, he received an anointing to pray for and evangelize unbelievers. 

Chuck Ripka

In chapter two, I told the story of how Chuck Ripka led the owner of a multi-billion dollar banking firm, Carl Pohlad, to the Lord. Carl and Chuck continued their friendship over a period of time. Then Chuck received an offer to move out of Carl’s bank. The new job would be a sizable promotion for Chuck. Chuck contacted Carl and requested another meeting.  They met in Carl’s office and Chuck told Carl about the pro-motion. Then Chuck asked Carl if he would bless Chuck in his new job and pray a prayer imparting his anointing for founding and operating successful banks. Carl prayed those prayers of blessing and impartation of his anointing. 

In March, 2003, Chuck (Senior Vice President) and Dwayne Kropuenske (President & CEO), founded Riverview Community Bank in Otsego, Minnesota. Their goal was to have $10 million in deposits by the end of the year. As of December 31, 2003, there were $43 million in deposits and Chuck has led 45 people to the Lord during bank working hours. This is adequate evidence that God responded to Carl Pohlad’s prayer of blessing and impartation of his anointing. 

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