I had a “moment” this morning. I had just sat down to start some quiet time, and looked out the window. The dogwood tree and mock orange bush weren’t moving. The trees across the street were still. Not even the trees I could see over the rooftops. Nothing was moving. Except… A block away. Over the rooftops. There was one tree. One large oak. Maybe fifty to 60 feet tall. Swaying. The pines next to it were not; they were…..
As we approach Labor Day, I think about how many of us define ourselves by our jobs. And measure our worth by how much we make. And that, by how much we make compared to others. In Matthew 20, Jesus tells a parable of a vineyard owner who hired workers at 6am, 9am, noon, 3pm, and 5pm; and when the workday was over, the owner paid them all the same amount. Those who worked the most grumbled about not getting…..
I don’t usually hear people refer to Psalm 139 when talking about creative thinking. When talking about “creation”? Yes. But when talking about “creative thinking”? No. Creation is the topic in verses 13-16. The creation of a person. The miracle of birth. The “I am fearfully and wonderfully made” thing. God knit your body together. He knew you before you were born. He knew all your days before you took your first breath. All good stuff. All true. But what’s…..
I don’t have a personal trainer. If I did, he would fashion a workout regimen specifically for me. Scripture says to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12). But it also says, “by grace you have been saved through faith…not of works” (Ephesians 2:8-9). How can you work out your salvation and not be saved by your work? English is part of the problem. We often think of being saved as being made righteous in God’s sight. In…..
When David was anointed king over Israel, the Philistines came looking for him (1 Chronicles 14). These were the people Goliath had led. David inquired of the Lord if he should go up against them, and God said, Yes. So, David did, and won the battle. Then the Philistines got ready to raid the Israelites again. And David asked the Lord again what he should do. This time God said, Don’t meet them head on; this time go around and…..
I’ve lost count of the articles I’ve read telling managers they need to cater to the demands of Gen “Whatever” if they want to keep their workforce. For example, managers must plan career paths for people who now expect to be promoted because they’ve punched the clock for two years. In a prime case of “be careful what you wish for,” the Wall Street Journal Online recently posted an article by Lauren Webber and Chip Cutter advising new college graduates…..
As we approach Easter, I’m reminded of a song we sang when I was growing up. During the Passover Seder dinner. Dayenu is Hebrew for “It would have been enough.” A song about the Exodus: If God had carried out the plagues against Egypt and not brought us out of Egypt, Dayenu. It would have been enough! If He had brought us out of Egypt and not parted the Red Sea for us, Dayenu. If He…..
“As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend” (Proverbs 27:17). “Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful” (Proverbs 27:6). Mud races and the like can be good for relationships – for bonding of existing friendships; for creating new ones. But mud doesn’t sharpen iron. Iron sharpens iron. Resistance builds strength. Many businesses go under because the boss is surrounded by people who won’t tell the him the…..
Peanuts character Linus once said, “I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand!!” I see some similarity in uproars over flag protests. It just seems that some people are more passionate about the flag than they are about the nation the flag represents. I thought of that this morning as I read Deuteronomy 4:15-17: “Take careful heed to yourselves, for you saw no form when the LORD spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire, lest you act…..
During almost 40 years in the commercial credit side of Risk Management, I learned that Risk Management requires Faith. Risk management is preparing for things that haven’t happened yet. Faith is the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). We have risk management at work. What about risk management at home? What must we prepare for, since we don’t battle against flesh and blood? Just as there are sins of omission and sins of commissions – things we should do…..
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