Nuggets
I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves.
Personal Finance
Personal Responsibility
I listened with interest as Martin (name changed) described riding local street cars to visit congregations as a representative of the National Sunday School Association. In that period of his life, a primary ministry for […]
Bearing with Bad News
Sometimes when the telephone rings, a pastor hears anguish in the voice of the caller. On this day, the voice was that of another pastor. Just after the dotcom bust in 2000, my friend had […]
Aligned with God’s Mission
I watched the deficit in the treasurer’s report month after month, noticing that the shortfall almost always equaled my compensation as an associate pastor. No one else seemed willing to address the issue, so I […]
No Regrets
As I reflect on the year I turned 38 years old, I recall important turns that take on much more significance now than they did at the time. That’s when I began serving as the […]
God’s Generous People
I pulled up my jacket collar as I left the house to walk the block to church on that first Sunday in December. Sirens from a fire truck blared, and as I crossed Klickitat Street, […]
Visualizing the Future Self
Laggard. My cell phone proves it. Until the first week of 2018, I used an old-school flip phone. Until then, I actually talked to people with my phone rather than stumbling down the street staring […]
Sheep and Wolves
My pastoral friend suggested we meet for lunch. As we sat down in the restaurant, the conversation turned to businesses that make short-term loans at exorbitant interest rates. He went on to tell me about […]