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Confidence Rightly Placed
Recently, I came to the end of my backpacking skills. As I faced terrain that was new and difficult, I found myself desperately depending on the Lord for everything. My fear of slipping, tripping, falling, and even collapsing hurled me at the feet of Jesus. Praying to, singing about, and reflecting on Him enabled me to endure the physical, emotional, and mental challenges. “And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet, and makes me walk on my high places” (Hab 3:19) pounded through my mind and heart multiple times. I wasn’t hiking Mount Everest, but this trail was my high place! Fear is common to humans. Fear can come…
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The Talk: A Financial Road Map after Loss
So teach us to consider our mortality, so that we might live wisely. –Psalm 90:12 (NET) When my father-in-law was about to pass away nearly eighteen years ago, he tried anxiously to explain his finances and how to access the files that would help my husband help his mother, but cancer had this special man and veteran in such a grip, that he couldn’t communicate well. Untangling the finances and getting things set up for his mother fell to my husband. As the one with more of a financial bent in our family, my husband found this experience and others have prompted him to prepare for and have The Talk…
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Credit Cards and Self-Reliance
Black Friday, Shop Small Saturday, and Cyber Monday… let's face it, folks, the odds are stacked against us when it comes to holding on to our hard-earned money. It is in this season of giving that we often become prey to the idea of immediate gratification and the 0% interest for one year, no money down, financing that entices us to get in over our heads. The Bible has a lot to say about how we spend our money. Below are some of the most notable scriptures to internalize before we overindulge this season. God is our #1 priority when it comes to how we spend our money.…
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To Pay or Not to Pay, That is the Question
Whether or not to pay nursery workers to work on Sunday mornings is a minor controversy in children’s ministry. Many children’s ministries have volunteers working on Sunday mornings (and many of them struggle with having consistent volunteers). I have worked as both a paid nursery worker and an unpaid volunteer, so I believe I have some perspective from both ends. I’ll briefly review the pros and cons to each approach. The Church Nursery is Staffed by Volunteers Pros One less expense for the church, many are struggling. Gives believers in a local congregation an opportunity to serve in ministry Parents are more likely to know the workers, especially in a…
