An acquaintance of mine was reportedly so focused on the mission of helping orphans that when someone new would call for an appointment he would say, “If this meeting won’t somehow help an orphan, I really don’t have time to meet.” Having clarity of what your mission is, and sticking to it, is the best way towards success. However, we […]

The praise of men can be a dangerous trap. When others are singing your praises, it’s easy to soak up the praise and start believing your own press. But as followers of Jesus, we are called to give God the glory, because our talents and resources came from Him. In Acts 12, King Herod was addressing a crowd when they […]

On Thanksgiving Day, the race for buying Christmas presents began. Black Friday amplified the season, Small Business Saturday tried to grab their fair share and Cyber Monday took it online. In addition to the Christmas buying season, there’s another important season: the Year End Giving season. Today is officially Giving Tuesday, but a John Templeton Foundation survey in 2015 discovered […]

According to Wikipedia, Cyber Monday online sales have grown since 2006 from $610 million to over $3 billion in 2016. This has come at the expense, however, of many workplaces. According to comScore chairman Gian Fulgoni, “Cyber Monday online sales have always been driven by considerable buying activity from work locations.” Some workplaces have chosen to crack down on employees […]

Have you ever wondered why the day after Thanksgiving is called Black Friday? According to Wikipedia, on Black Friday many retailers began seeing “black ink” in their accounting ledgers as they finally overcame their losses for the year and began seeing profits. Many retail businesses I’ve counseled over the years have absorbed losses throughout the year with the hope that […]

Thanksgiving was originally designed to celebrate the fall harvest. Months after the farmer’s seeds are sown, there are no guarantees as to how big the harvest will be, or what price the crops will bring. So, when harvest time finally comes, the result is a reminder of God’s sovereignty and provision. For any farmer who has ever lost an entire […]

Many companies consider the day after Thanksgiving a holiday. However, the financial firm where Jaime previously worked stayed open till 1 p.m. One year, the co-founders surprised Jaime and her peers and let them take the day after Thanksgiving off from work. These co-founders personally covered the shifts of all the staff so their team could spend more time with […]

When my wife, Kathy, arrived at the nursing home, her mother tearfully said, “Please get me to the bathroom!” Kathy discovered that her mother had been overlooked by the nurse all day! Her mother’s clothes were soaked in urine and she was not even fully dressed. Kathy asked for the nurse assigned to her mother. When Kathy addressed her concerns, […]

Our pastor recently shared that many psychologists believe that “anxiety is the common cold of our day.” The information and inputs into our brain continue to grow at alarming speed, causing little time or space for quiet reflection. This sensory overload not only increases our anxiety levels dramatically, it is also causing distraction and disruption to our personal time management. […]

You might be surprised to learn that the U.S. ranks only 17th out of 38 countries on the number of hours worked per employee. According to US News and World Report, the average U.S. worker works 34.4 hours per week. Mexico is significantly higher at 42.8 hours per week, while Germany surprisingly has the least number of hours worked. Our […]