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 […]

Years ago, Kathy and I attended a weekend retreat designed to help identify and heal any past emotional wounds. One exercise had us pretend that we were on a ship where everyone had been infected with a deadly virus, but there were just three vaccinations. We were to determine the best candidates to receive the three vaccinations. After selecting three […]

In business, I’ve met men and women who get so wrapped up in their job that their family needs are overlooked. This is easily justified because they feel they’re working to “provide for their family.” In the ministry world, leaders serve the needs of others so much that they sometimes overlook the needs of their own family. Whether it’s in […]

According to a Life Innovations Study, employees lose more than 168 hours of work in the year following a divorce, costing workplaces billions in lost productivity. When our kids were young, Kathy and I established one-on-one time in the evenings with each other. We did not allow the kids to interrupt our time together unless it was an emergency. We […]

The first time I met Gregg, he said, “Rick, if you choose to work with me you need to know my priorities in life. God’s first, my family’s second, and this job is third.” As a person who had been “running from God” for decades, I couldn’t grasp how Gregg’s priorities would impact the way he ran the bank where […]

Recently, at a Casey’s General Store, my wife, Kathy, stopped a young man in an Army uniform and thanked him for his service, then paid for his gas! Kathy then asked this soldier if he’s often thanked for his military service. This polite soldier simply said, “No ma’am.” The lady in front of me then turned and thanked this soldier, […]