hope – Page 2

A hopeful retirement paradigm for those in ministry, missions, & nonprofit service

Paradigms are powerful. The Oxford English Dictionary defines them as “a pattern or model.” The word was obscure until Thomas Kuhn used it referring to a set of concepts and practices defining a scientific discipline in his 1962 book, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. Now, it is popularly used to define how someone looks at anything.

Our personal retirement paradigm is built from our hopes and dreams (what […]

reggie2020-09-21T11:30:07+00:00September 21st, 2020|

When it’s time to move from the corner of Discouraged & Hopeless

If you feel like you are living at the corner of Discouraged and Hopeless today, this post is for you. If you are discouraged, troubled, concerned, confused about life in 2020, this post is for you.

Living at the corner of Discouraged Street and Hopeless Avenue is standing room only when it comes to US politics. Describing Christians as harshly politically divided is an understatement of epic proportions. […]

reggie2020-09-07T14:54:46+00:00September 7th, 2020|

Let’s choose living in eager expectation over enraged entanglement

The state of social media is a mess. News reports of COVID-19 numbers, peaceful or violent protests, or anything political triggers the launch of emotion into action.

Perhaps the most discouraging element of the current plight is the Church seems to be in the center of this enraged entanglement. Holders of one opinion heartily hurl epithets of suspicion and anger toward holders of differing opinions, believing themselves to […]

reggie2020-08-10T16:07:11+00:00August 10th, 2020|

Protect your eggs! But don’t go overboard!

“Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket,” is an age old, well-worn piece of advice. My father first remembered it when his mother sent him to fetch fresh eggs from a neighbor, circa 1919. I used the phrase often, in a far less literal manner, during the years I worked as a personal financial planner. It actually made its first appearance in the early 1600s […]

reggie2020-07-23T12:08:18+00:00July 23rd, 2020|

Saving for the future – an ancient, universal principal

We live in an incredible age of immediate gratification! When we want something, it is likely we can get it almost immediately. The lighting and temperature of our home may be controlled from an app on our phone…even if we are far away. Last week, the driver’s side window of my convertible suddenly stopped dropping whenever the door was opened (a characteristic of convertible automobiles). Rather than […]

reggie2020-07-20T15:34:05+00:00July 20th, 2020|

Want to change your mood? Change what is on your screen!

One useful step in changing your current mood and outlook is, “Change what is on your screen.” It can be done!

Seconds prior to joining yesterday’s church service, my watch buzzed on my wrist. A quick glance showed my “Weekly Screen Time Report” was available. My mind briefly pondered how life has changed over the past years, amazed that a watch could now report how I spent time […]

reggie2020-07-13T18:03:44+00:00July 13th, 2020|

A few ideas to make your day, your life, or your retirement better

Headed into the Monday of the first full week of July, we have found some impressive headlines in the news. Here are a sample. “This ONE change could undermine the retirement security of millions of Americans.” “This ONE thing could help more workers retire with money.” “This ONE decision can change your 401K.” “ONE foolproof way to create retirement income for the rest of your life.” “This […]

reggie2020-07-06T14:54:18+00:00July 6th, 2020|

Labeling others jeopardizes the opportunity to communicate

Emotions are a natural part of the human life. We are, after all, created in the image of God who Scripture describes as jealous, angry, and loving. However, unleashing uncontrolled, unfiltered outbursts of emotion are not profitable when our goal is to communicate our beliefs and ideas.

It is natural and right to respond emotionally to the senseless, inhumane treatment and deaths of George Floyd, Ahmad Avery, and […]

reggie2020-07-02T13:20:13+00:00July 2nd, 2020|

Listening – the first step to moving forward in every situation

We need to listen to one another more. We need to listen better. On this Monday morning, there are calls from every corner for better listening. In the last 12 hours Forbes.com has posted one article touting listening to one another if we are to bridge the great divide among us, and the other hails listening as the key to the work of Saleforce’s new chief marketing […]

reggie2020-06-29T15:21:47+00:00June 29th, 2020|

Principles to remember when the road ahead is rough

2020 has presented a wealth of rough roads to traverse! So, what else is new? We are not being flippant about the issues we face. We need to remember the same financial, emotional, and racial issues have been before us for many years. The difference this year is the precise situations and circumstances have heightened our emotions and affected our response.

Though being a Baby Boomer is sometimes […]

reggie2020-06-22T14:56:02+00:00June 22nd, 2020|