Sep 14, 2022
"God uses our circumstances to get us right where he needs us..." guest Burt Rose shared this in today's poignant interview. Burt hasn't seen his son Matthew in over 21 years - his son is believed to be homeless. The heartache Burt experienced led him to become CEO of Knox Area Rescue Ministries (KARM) in Knoxville, TN, where he has served since May 2003. At first, he couldn't look in the eyes of the homeless people coming through the doors and believed he wasn't suitable for the job. As he thought about telling the board he wasn't right for the position, God whispered to him, "I needed someone with a broken heart to do my work here..." In this interview, you'll hear: how God used Burt's heartache to forge a path for His glory; why Christian leaders must lead with conviction in the marketplace; how culture must be championed by leadership; and why it is a detriment to culture when leaders let things slide. This interview is for anyone wondering how God can use their heartache to propel the Kingdom, from personal life to business.
About the guest: Burt is the CEO of Knox Area Rescue Ministries (KARM) in Knoxville, TN, where he has served since May 2003. He married his childhood sweetheart Carolyn in January 1973; with four children- two boys and two girls. Originally from Miami, FL, Burt directed a halfway house for ten years there before moving to Louisville, KY, to join Prison Fellowship Ministries (PFM) as a field director. A year later, Burt moved to the national headquarters in Reston, VA, where he served in several senior leadership roles. The last 12 of Burt's 17 years of ministry were in Pittsburgh, PA where he established the Northeast Regional office. Burt has been KARM's CEO for 19 years and will retire from that ministry--but not ministry--on October 1, 2022.
He and his wife have begun a new ministry--Hold On To Hope--to support families with children with unknown whereabouts and need to hold on to hope to carry on. The disappearance of Burt and Carolyn's son Matthew 21 years ago ultimately brought them to KARM and now to support other parents.
About the host: Following a successful career as CEO, Bobby sold his business to a publicly-traded company. In what he calls his "second half of life", Bobby seeks to pour Biblically-based principles into growth-minded business, church, and non-profit leaders.
Through Values-Driven Leadership, Bobby serves as an Executive Coach and Training Consultant for organizations. He shares many of his principles and practices through a weekly blog, the True North Leader podcast, and through three books he has authored:
Principled Profits: Outward Success Is an Inside Job,
True North Business: A Leader's Guide to Extraordinary Growth and Impact, and