A fourth-century church manual, the Apostolic Constitutions, called Good Friday a “day of mourning, not a day of festive joy.” Historically, many have called Good Friday to be a day of sorrow and fasting. In our busy work activities, we rarely take time for reflection or sorrow for our brokenness and the brokenness of the world. We rarely mourn and repent […]

Encouragement from a friend can have a far greater impact than we often realize. This morning a friend from another city randomly sent me a text to say, “I was thinking about you. I greatly appreciate our friendship.” This small but kind act put a smile on my face, joy in my heart and gave me a boost for the […]

In 1931, R.G. LeTourneau’s business was deep in debt. He was forced to obey his bonding company’s rules to save his business. According to his biography, R.G., known as the “Dean of Earthmoving Equipment,” was told if he didn’t work on Sundays that the bonding company would take over his project. LeTourneau prayed about what to do. He was instructed […]

When China discovered the coronavirus in December 2019, they had a choice to make. They could try to bury the news, or they could be transparent and address the problem publicly. Unfortunately, they decided to try to bury the virus for six weeks. If handled transparently, those six weeks could have prevented thousands of lost lives. When crises surface in […]

Some friends of ours were struggling in their business enough that they were considering bankruptcy. They prayerfully chose instead to push forward. Just as they were beginning to experience a measure of business success, the coronavirus devastated their industry and some future opportunities. Fear and panic overwhelmed them. Many small business owners live on the edge with very little margin. […]

Visionaries sometimes identify opportunities when everyone else only sees a crisis. For instance, according to a Harvard Business Review article, the SARS outbreak of 2003 is often credited with the adoption of online shopping among Chinese consumers, accelerating Alibaba’s online store. School closings due to the coronavirus could become a catalyst for accelerating online education. New opportunities will emerge from […]

Kathy and I began this ministry in 2001. Since then, we watched the United States change when two planes crashed into the World Trade Center. While the stock market was crashing in 2008, we hosted an event in Dallas. Fear overwhelmed many leaders attending that day. This year, the coronavirus has engulfed the world with fear. The stock market collapsed […]

One day when I was visiting a pastor in the urban core of Kansas City, a person entered the church. He requested that the pastor give him money for food. The pastor handed this man a broom and simply said, “We need some work done. If you clean up our lobby, I’ll buy you lunch.” Leviticus 23:22 says, “When you […]

When Jeff Bramstedt was in high school, he desperately wanted to play football. But as his parents prayed, they felt strongly that he was not to play football. Instead, Jeff’s parents told him that he could do competitive swimming and track and field. Jeff was frustrated but chose to make the best of his options. He threw his energy and […]

A 2017 Monster.com poll found that of the over 3,000 participants, 61% say they have been snubbed for a promotion or an award at work. That means that over half of the working population believes they did not get something that they believe was well-deserved. But is being “snubbed” always a bad thing? Being skipped over for a promotion does […]