December of 2020 is not only a time to eagerly await turning the calendar, this is the opportunity to take our final exam. How have we conducted our lives, and how will we prepare for the coming days ahead?
It is worth noting Rodgers and Hammerstein didn’t include final exams in the lyrics of “My Favorite Things.” I endured examinations as a student, often murmuring along with fellow […]
If you are an elder or staff leader in a local church, this blog post is intended for you. If you serve on the board of a mission work, I hope this reaches your desk. Likewise, if your service includes the responsibility for directing a Christian camp, campus ministry, or nonprofit organization, I hope you will carefully think about the important issue of the future of those […]
Forty-eight years ago, my new bride and I moved onto a college campus outside Knoxville, Tennessee. Set among the hills along the banks of the French Broad River, the beauty of the area and the clarity of the blue sky easily awakened the mind and excited the senses. It was a seemingly ideal location to study and prepare for a life of Christian ministry. Nearly thirty years […]
One of the famous segments of the 1987 play and 1989 movie Driving Miss Daisy is the trip to Mobile to celebrate Miss Daisy’s brother’s birthday. Holding firmly to the map in the back seat, Miss Daisy became confused, told Hoke to make a wrong turn, and they found themselves far off the planned route. Even now, with GPS units built into a phone or automobile, we […]
We are asked that question frequently. Sometimes, it comes from those who have saved little to nothing for the future. Occasionally, it comes from those who are seeking investment advice about how to manage their savings and investments. Today, we are offering thoughts on what those in their 60’s should be thinking about and doing to plan for the future.
The most important question for someone 60+ does […]
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 […]
Our office regularly fields calls from people in the planning stages for making this major turn on life’s highway. This week alone, we have spoken with 5 by phone and 5 via email. Some of those contacts originate with those who are planning years in advance. Some originate with people who are applying the brakes, because their turn is merely feet away.
Our headline image for this post […]
Over the years there have been several published advice columnists who have answered questions from readers. Random House distributed Abigail Van Buren’s advice for decades. Ann Landers answered questions from anyone willing to pour out their heart. As recently as 2000, those two trusted advisors were published in over 500 newspapers across the USA.
These two headliners spurred others to offer similar, although more targeted, Q&A columns. Billy […]
Today, I would like to address those serving in the early years of their ministry. Follow closely.
Baseball is a game made up of intricate movements. Those who watch a game on television never see ninety percent of the shifts and adjustments that affect the outcome. Those who attend games may observe only fifteen percent more. Fans are waiting for the game changing moment. They await the key […]
On July 14, CNBC published a report from Lauren Thomas about the adaptability demonstrated by some mall owners in the wake of 2020 COVID-19 shutdowns. The report is important not only for business, but daily living!
Virtually all brick and mortar retail (short of home improvement and grocery stores) have suffered in the aftermath of the COVID-19. The stock of CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. had been […]