Blog

Train Up a Child
What do you remember about your elementary school? Maybe the games you played at recess? Your favorite teacher? The hated multiplication table speed drills? The glorious day when you earned

Finding Happiness This Christmas
It is hard to believe that Christmas is just around the corner. In Christian churches throughout the world, the preparations are already well underway for

Safety Net
In ministry work, it’s a common practice for pastors and other qualified ministers to opt out of Social Security. It’s a way to have more

Discovering a New World
I don’t know if you have ever had the chance to look at an ancient map that shows the outline of the New World before

Growing Pains
All throughout our lives it seems like we’re always looking toward the future. Since I was young, I have always imagined what life would be

I Need Discipline
I need to be disciplined. The world around us is forming habits in our lives – and not necessarily good ones. As Christians, we are

Long Term Planning
One of the harder things in life is to do long-term planning. Whether for retirement, business transitions, or family plans, taking time out of your

The Whole Picture
I recently watched a video on investing that talked about the importance of timing when it comes to retirement. What the video said that was

Fight the Good Fight
Have you been feeling defeated lately from the direction that our culture is taking today with the precipitating drop in moral values? As it turns

Reminisce
We hadn’t been back to Chicago to visit family in quite a few years. There always seemed to be a reason we couldn’t make it

Passing Down Our Faith
During a recent Sunday service, we heard a message about passing our faith down to younger generations and the importance of doing so. The message

Our Progeny
I don’t know about you, but I’m a little tired of the number of self-help books I find every time I go to the bookstore.

Seeking Wise Counsel
Since 2020 a lot has changed in the world. One of the things that seems to be a change for the worse is the stress

Quiet Time
When my kids were growing up, there were times when they would get a little rambunctious or cranky, and they just needed a little Quiet

In God We Trust
On July 30, 1956, U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a law to change the official motto of the United States to “In God We

Life Would be Easier
“Life would be easier if I got a little more of what I wanted sometimes.” Who hasn’t felt that way occasionally? Especially when the stress

What Goes Up Must Come Down
One thing that seems to almost always catch people by surprise is when things revert to the mean. It seems like when things are falling

We Need Discipline
While growing up, my parents believed in discipline. When I was in the moment, there were many times I felt the need for discipline was

The Other Leaven
Anybody who’s been in the church for any length of time knows that there’s no greater insult than to be called a Pharisee. The holier-than-thou

Strange Dysfunction
I had a strange dream the other night. I had moved to a country where the currency changed value depending on who you spent your

Rooted Together
Our church, like most other churches, has small groups where we can gather with people that are in similar walks of life to fellowship and

Plans Aborted
It was supposed to be our first Christmas away from home…ever! Our three boys are grown and scattered throughout the country, but we were all

Where Your Source Is
I was traveling through the Prairies this summer and came upon a group of wind turbines. We have all seen them spinning away, making what

Counting The Gifts
Over the past couple months, I’ve had a schedule that has been full. Though it was with good things, if I’m honest, sometimes I find

God is With US
Is life nothing but random events, or does God drive them? The truth is God is always with us, and He speaks when and how

Crisis Through the Proper Lens
I was recently reading a finance book and came across an interesting statement. In summary, the writer said that a crisis doesn’t lead to financial

How Does It All Work Out
In a recent study by the Employment Benefit Research Institute retired people between the ages of 62 and 75 were asked about their finances and

Faithfulness
How does God reveal Himself to you? In the Bible, after Job’s questioning, we see God speaking in the storm. When Elijah was in hiding

Gather Together
We are living in a world driven by technological advancements. Just about everything we do today uses some form of advanced technology. Just look at

Impact on Families
Last week our family hit a milestone: our first child started preschool. It’s hard to believe how fast time flew by. It feels like we

Why Do We Do It?
There was a study done recently to see how one’s salary affects how they are seen by others. In this study, participants listened to two

A Change of Heart
Over the past couple of months my sister’s family and I have been able to spend quality time with one another. We’ve watched my youngest

5K Run
I had been exercising regularly in preparation for a 5k I was going to run with a dear friend. I felt I was fairly well

This One Thing We Know…
Most of us can remember the day when we learned something significant about life. Some revelation came to us out of the clear blue that

The Gift of Laughter
Over the past year, I’ve had the opportunity to become friends with quite a few women from church and have enjoyed getting to know each

Life Has Trials
Life is filled with trials. It’s not a matter of whether you will face trials, but more a matter of when. These trials come in

Family Matters
We recently came back from a family vacation in Florida. I had a great time there with my wife, our 4-year-old daughter, and our 1-year-old

A Small Window
I have lived a significant portion of my life in the northern latitudes, where a southern-facing window is valuable for letting in much-needed light. I

Thou Forever Wilt Be
I am notoriously resistant to change. I drove the car my parents bought when I was three until it burst into flames in our driveway,

Financial Growth Mindset
I have been reading a book titled Mindset by Dr. Carol Dweck. In the book, Dweck explains how our natural abilities can bring us initial

On Track
Being in the finance industry I constantly find myself studying and keeping track of financial and economic data. We look at things such as inflation,

What They Are Hearing
The Millennials have a new term for the Boomer generation that you may have heard. It’s quite straightforward and rather direct – “yeah, boomer’. It

Grace Walk
In my family, I’m considered weird because I enjoy running. Sometimes, I ask my sister if she would like to run a race or participate

Not What I Hoped
Well, this past year didn’t go quite like I had hoped – for various reasons. The COVID pandemic never ended like we had hoped, we

Building Strong
I watched an interesting video a few weeks ago about testing the difference between tools and materials that were made before technology and automation went

The Act of Worship
It was Thomas Edison who said, “Success is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.” He knew what he was talking about as he lived

What is Normal, Anyway?
I have heard quite a few times over the past months that we need to make changes in order to adjust to this “new normal”.

The Anchor Effect
Quite some time ago I read a book that talked about the “anchor effect”. For those that never heard of the term, the anchor effect

Those Familiar Stories
There is a possible risk that comes with learning Bible stories when we are young, which few parents have considered. It is difficult to foresee

Hurry Sickness
I think I might be suffering from a touch of “Hurry Sickness”. I tend to be an impatient person. There I said it. Those that

Planning to Avoid a Hard Landing
Over the last 18 months it has become harder and harder to come across good news. With the pandemic altering most of our daily lives,

Saving for Our Future: What Works?
We know the stats; we hear about them regularly enough – people are not saving enough money for retirement. Most have become immune to these