I know it’s not Mother’s Day week, but this has been on my heart recently, so why wait? Young mothers are amazing. Whether they give birth to an innocent child or become a mother through the glory of adoption, the connection with that precious little one is remarkable. God has truly given ladies the innate gift of love, protection, and the ability to care for an infant. From that moment on, though, her life is not really her own. While still doing all the work (and it is work) of being a wife, she now adds the responsibilities of being a mom. Those do not slow down for a long,…

Each year, I preach a sermon to our graduates on the night we honor them. I usually do it a little differently, though, in that I don’t make a “commencement speech disguised as a sermon” like many do. Instead, I find a text and preach a sermon that brings out relevant points for our graduates. However, there are some messages I would like to share in general. Some of these are things I have learned since graduation that I wish I had known (or just followed), or things that I did follow and am so thankful that I did. 1. You must define your priorities and spend some time every…

Saturday evening, my family pulled into the hotel we were to stay at that night. The congregation for which I was holding a meeting had to book us in two different hotels at no fault of their own. We were just thankful for a comfortable place to stay. We only stayed in this hotel one night, then moved to one much closer to the church building. However, when we pulled in, Leah and I just looked at one another. Our kids are learning to read, but I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy that they couldn’t read longer words. The reason was the huge sign in the sky, and…

Yesterday, I wrote a short post called “The Time Value of … Time.” If you didn’t read it, please take a moment and do so before proceeding. Here is the link. I waste too much time. I’ll admit it. I am really striving to do better, though, in living my life in true lock-step with what I most want to be and to accomplish. I don’t know if I’ll ever be perfect at it, but I can at least try. There is no way I could list every possible tip to help in this area, but let me share a few things I am trying, and then you can share…

Financial planners and writers often discuss the “time value of money.” The idea is to think about what the money you are using on some purchase would be worth in the future if you put it in an investment. It is simply the idea of looking long-term at what an impulsive purchase is costing you, and it is a wise exercise when thinking of making a purchase. If you spent $1000 less on a car and put that money in your retirement account, what would it be in 20 or 30 years? That’s the idea. But do we ever think about the time value of our time? While that may…