Recently, I met with two friends separately who owned significant businesses, both forced into bankruptcy. In addition, both friends have multiple pending lawsuits. Bankruptcy can leave a person feeling persecuted, lonely, and full of shame. It can be easy to wonder where God may be. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego bravely refused to worship Nebuchadnezzar’s idol ...

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Following the driven career example set by his father, Eric saw his job at the property development company as the means to build the wealth he had been taught would define his personal success. So, he was devastated when the company shut its doors, forcing him to start over. But he took advantage of the ...

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I was excited when I reached the savings milestone that I had pursued for years. Accumulating those funds felt like fulfillment of Psalm 128:2: “You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours.” But the month I reached that milestone, a significant market drop caused a big loss in my portfolio. ...

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Acts 19 describes the apostle Paul’s disruption to the city of Ephesus. Paul's testimony about Jesus turned many away from the local cults, threatening the income of the silversmiths who were creating statues for idol worship. These craftsmen could not hear Paul’s message because they were too fixated on how it impacted their work. Jesus ...

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I was caught off guard the first time I received a financial bonus at my first “real” job. I had never worked for an employer that paid bonuses, so I was surprised to receive a letter from the company president describing a one-time payment in my next paycheck. The amount was small, but the appearance ...

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When a new school year begins, an experienced teacher learns to hold a tight rein on student discipline. But later, their grip can be loosened as the class learns to obey directives. My friend, Jim, as a seasoned executive, says that employers might consider this same tight-to-loose concept with new hires. Initially, weekly check-ins with ...

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When I was a single young banker, I attended the wedding of a friend. As I struggled to find a seat, the only person I knew was the new President of the bank where I worked at the time. I had been in this President’s office previously and saw him frequently in loan meetings, so ...

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Our team recently completed our annual two-day planning retreat. By far it was the most Christ-centered peaceful, unifying, and productive retreat I’ve experienced. Each morning, we had an extended time of prayer, communion, and preparing our hearts. The biggest difference, however, was our team member’s hearts were open to putting God first over our own ...

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