Someone I’ll call, Jim, and I were scheduled to study together our last night in college. Jim’s previous poor grades resulted in the dean requiring him to have a 3.0 grade point to be re-enrolled. Amazingly, Jim had a 4.0 going into his last final. That’s why it was shocking when I saw Jim, with his arms full of his […]

While others poured coffee, I poured orange juice, until a catering employee jerked it from my hand. She abruptly informed me that breakfast wasn’t yet served. The owner of the catering company stepped in and filled my glass. Smiling, she said to me and her associate, “It’s okay. Breakfast will be served soon.” In John 10:12-13 Jesus describes his role […]

Over dinner, a former detective and I talked about my leaving banking to begin a ministry to the marketplace. “I can chase a man down a blind alley who has a gun and not be the least bit afraid,” He said, “but leaving a job to start a ministry would scare me half to death.” Fear takes shape in many […]

In a President Harry Truman biography, I remember reading that a reporter once asked President Truman, “What do you think about your father never amounting to very much?” Truman’s retort was classic, “I don’t know that he did so bad, after all, he raised the President of the United States.” Some people don’t fully value the unpaid work God may […]

Four close friends launched a small business. After years of losses, and questions about the future direction of the company, one of the partners called me for help. We discussed the options and the challenges they faced. Her involvement, and concern for the business, was beginning to jeopardize her cherished friendships. As much as she enjoyed working with her friends, […]

During an interview for a grant, a committee member asked me, “How can people share their faith at work without violating regulations?” “Many people,” I shared, “mistakenly believe we can’t say anything about our faith at work. We do need to be sensitive, but in this country we are able to legally share when the opportunity arises.” The key principle […]

God’s work in our life is often an encouragement to others, if we remember to share our story. A friend reminded me of that as he recounted God’s provision for his business. In a company tied directly to the real estate industry, my friend’s situation seemed hopeless. With only $19 in his account, and payroll for his eight employees coming […]

Partnerships can be a blessing or a curse. A couple I know had a choice. They could pay $35,000 for a franchise and start a store from scratch or they could partner with an existing franchise owner and open a satellite location for only $5,000. Their potential partner was my concern. The existing franchise owner didn’t have a faith in […]

Ted was a bank president who was becoming irritated with the arrogant behavior of his loan officer. Rather than address his subordinate’s frequent issues, Ted avoided conflict by giving the loan officer a great review and a raise! Then one day the loan officer was treating one of Ted’s customers with disrespect. Ted lost control. He exploded with anger in […]

As a new commercial loan officer, one of the first loan applications I received was declined by our loan committee. I was terrified to have to tell this bank customer, “No.” When we met, I gently tried to tell him, “No”. The next day I realized I had a problem when the customer called and said, “Okay, so when can […]