I have heard people talk about sacrificial giving since I started going to church some 30 years ago. Lately I have begun to question the thought that is behind the term. What is sacrificial giving? Is it giving more than a tithe? Is it giving until it hurts? Is it always about money? Webster’s Dictionary… Continue reading Sacrificial Giving
Category: Life Principles
A Need or a Want?
People that know me well hear me quote my mother often. She had many “sayings” that have helped shape me into the man I am today. One of them was her response to a child’s pleading for something. If I would say, “but I really need this thing”, she would simple ask, “Do you need… Continue reading A Need or a Want?
When is a Gift Truly a Gift?
Think about the last time someone gave you a gift. What was the reason? Maybe it was your birthday or your anniversary. What were the reasons you gave gifts the last few times; maybe to your spouse, your child, your mother or a friend? Ask yourself why this gift giving took place. Were you part… Continue reading When is a Gift Truly a Gift?
Unconditional Relationships
The key word here is unconditional; a gift is given unconditionally with no “strings” attached. If it isn’t unconditional, it is a trade, not a gift, expecting something in return. A true unconditional gift expects nothing in return. We witness this when we see a parent caring for a new born; unconditional care with no… Continue reading Unconditional Relationships
Sacrifice or Stewardship?
I have reached a milestone in my life. Half my life living for myself and half my life following the Lord. I spent my first 34 years on this earth running away from God. I was raised in church, and believed many Biblical facts, but was not interested in letting them impact my life. I… Continue reading Sacrifice or Stewardship?
“How Great is that Darkness”
Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 6:22-23), “The eye is the lamp to the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great… Continue reading “How Great is that Darkness”
Decisions or Disciples
A couple of things I have recently come across have challenged me. They have driven me to ponder a few questions. Song Writer Michael Card has a line in a song that affects the way I think. The line says, “The questions often tell us more than answers ever will”. I am a “ponderer”. I… Continue reading Decisions or Disciples
24 Gold Coins…A Life Well Spent
Have you ever thought about how you spend an average day? If you see the 24 hours in a day as 24 gold coins, time begins to have more value. Like a coin, we can spend each one. Unlike a coin, we cannot save it. We can spend it anyway we want, but we can… Continue reading 24 Gold Coins…A Life Well Spent
What Controls Our Focus?
If you are like me, you have wondered many times how Adam was lead to sin in the middle of Paradise. How could he do what God told him not to do after walking and talking with his Creator in the Garden? I also wonder why the Bible calls it Adam’s sin. After all, it… Continue reading What Controls Our Focus?
Test the Spirits
1 John 4:1 says, “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world” The concept of testing the spirits has added a great “tool” in my faith walk. I have come to recognize there are two… Continue reading Test the Spirits
Ecclesiastes
I have been drawn to Solomon’s thoughts in Ecclesiastes since the early days of my Christian walk and Bible reading. I believe most people think this book is depressing, but there is something about the way God inspired Solomon to write this book that rings crystal clear to me. To me this book clearly asks… Continue reading Ecclesiastes
“Do Whatever He Tells You” John 2:5
One of my favorite things to do is to imagine what the life of a Biblical character was like and then try to understand why they thought and acted the way they did. It helps me see them as real people just like you and I, not a character in a story. It helps me… Continue reading “Do Whatever He Tells You” John 2:5
Are You Willing?
I find the Christian walk to be very interesting. As humans we “try hard” to accomplish our goals. This seems to hold true with our walk with God. We “work hard” at doing all the right things, saying all the right things and acting out what we understand our Christian walk to be. The thing… Continue reading Are You Willing?
Where Else Would We Go?
Has anyone ever asked you what one verse in the Bible speaks to you the loudest? If you could say in one verse what your faith is built on, what verse would that be? I have heard people refer to it as their life verse. Mine is John 6:68 where Peter exclaimed, “Lord, to whom… Continue reading Where Else Would We Go?
The Trinity
How do you explain or understand the Trinity; the Father, Son and Holy Spirit? On a Christian talk show, I heard a gentleman say, “The biggest problem Muslims have with Christianity is that they think we worship three Gods.” That made me think about normal Christian conversation or even some preaching I have heard about… Continue reading The Trinity
The Peace of God
2019 was a rough year for our family with our oldest son Rob fighting cancer and finally losing his battle. After that trying to minister to his kids, Shelby and Robby. 2020 is not shaping up any better. First, we started the year with the pandemic and in the last week Lin has battle kidney… Continue reading The Peace of God
The Faith of an Evolutionist
I am a very structured, logical man. I cannot agree with something that does not make sense to me. In the thesaurus “faith” is described as confidence, trust, reliance, assurance, conviction and belief. I struggle to know how an evolutionist can logically have that kind of faith in what they believe. Evolution itself is called… Continue reading The Faith of an Evolutionist
Man Born Blind
Jesus said, “This happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life”. John 9:3 Jesus’ healing of a man born blind in John 9 is another interesting character study. We know why Jesus did miracles like this, to prove He was God’s Son and glorify the Father, but have you thought… Continue reading Man Born Blind
Faith like a Child
Jesus said, “I assure you that whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it”. (Matt 10:13-15; Mark 10:13-16; Luke 18:15-17) I think these passages are glossed over most of the time. People were bringing their children to Jesus to have Him bless them. The Disciples tried to stop… Continue reading Faith like a Child
The Strategic Importance of Trust
I heard this phrase recently and it has echoed in my head ever since. As I pondered the statement, I realized that trust, or the lack of it, is the foundation that all relationships are built on, including business relationships. Who wants to do business with, work for or employee people you do not trust?… Continue reading The Strategic Importance of Trust
To Change Your Culture, You Must First Change Your Paradigms
“The culture of any organization is shaped by the behavior the leaders are willing to tolerate.” Gruenter and Whitaker As a leader of an organization, our organization’s culture is what we have allowed it to become; either proactively or inactively. What leaders seeking a culture change need to understand is they need a paradigm shift.… Continue reading To Change Your Culture, You Must First Change Your Paradigms
Effective Conversation
I read this phrase the other day while I was reading an author’s thoughts on normal one-on-one conversation. The question is do we actually listen to others while discussing a topic on which we have a strong opinion? Do we actually communicate with each other; sharing and understanding each other’s ideas and concepts? We have… Continue reading Effective Conversation
Barriers to Leadership
We all can recognize obvious barriers, like road closed signs, caution tape, etc. However, do we realize we can create barriers between ourselves and others by the way we dress, they way we talk and even the way we react to them? I have been around manufacturing management for over 40 years. I have found… Continue reading Barriers to Leadership
Lack of Available People Forces “Customer of Choice”
We are starting to see signs of something I have not witnessed in my working career. Do to the short-fall of people with employable talents, companies are starting to have problems keeping up their production schedules and therefore have to decide which customers get left behind. I have been promoting the concept of being and… Continue reading Lack of Available People Forces “Customer of Choice”
Work-Life Balance or a Balanced Life
We have all heard the phrase work-life balance used for years. It was a well-meaning phrase trying to help busy people ensure they spend sometime with their families, friends and other interests. The problem with that word picture is it creates an imaginary scale that you put your work on one side and your life… Continue reading Work-Life Balance or a Balanced Life
Christian Life Coach 