One of the joys of nonprofit work is to see God working through generous people. Many years ago, Luke was in town and asked to have lunch. During lunch, Luke asked, “How many miles does your car have?” When I replied, “160,000,” Luke said, “Rick, meeting with influential business leaders, you should drive something nicer. Fly to Texas, and I’ll ...
Many people pursue wealth at the expense of relationships with family and friends. Why is that? I think it’s because, Money appears easier to achieve than healthy relationships, and We mistakenly think money will insulate us and give us the upper hand when we have relationship problems. Proverbs 23 teaches, “Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich. Be wise ...
Years ago, Matt told me he wanted to make a year-end gift to Integrity Resource Center, but he needed to sell some stock first. I asked Matt if the stock had increased enough to be taxable. When he replied, “Yes,” I urged Matt not to sell the stock, but instead to donate it directly to the ministry. This strategy allowed ...
After being baptized by John the Baptist many wanted to know what was expected of them after their repentance. First, John gave them general directions about being generous and loving to others. But some knew that if this new life John taught about was real, then they needed deeper instructions on applying their faith to their work. In Luke 3 ...
On Thanksgiving Day, the race for buying Christmas presents began. Black Friday amplified the season, Small Business Saturday tried to grab their fair share and Cyber Monday took it online. In addition to the Christmas buying season, there’s another important season: the Year End Giving season. Today is officially Giving Tuesday, but a John Templeton Foundation survey in 2015 discovered ...
Years ago, I started a consulting practice with my friend, Gregg. As 50/50 partners, I hoped Gregg would provide half of the start-up capital, but that wasn’t possible at that time. From the sale of a bank I had worked at, I received enough money to fund the start up. But, I didn’t want to let go of my money. ...
Bob’s floral business was impacted by Hurricane Irma. His power was knocked out for several days closing the business temporarily. Bob has several employees who live paycheck to paycheck. Bob emailed me to ask how he should handle the financial burdens of his employees. Bob could choose to be generous by either paying them for their missed work, or by ...
As a banker, several customers wanted me to loan money to their friends. Originally, I made some of those loans… provided that my original customer guaranteed the debt. Many borrowers defaulted, requiring me to collect the loans from unhappy customers. Eventually, I refused these kinds of loans. They were too risky for our customer and for the bank. Proverbs 6 ...
At one of our St. Louis events, Lisa Nichols of Technology Partners shared lessons she has learned for the workplace through the parenting of her daughter, Allie. One important lesson is this: what others may perceive as a handicap may actually be a “special gift.” As a young lady with Down’s Syndrome, Allie’s special gift, like many with Down’s Syndrome, ...
A 2014 study conducted by Mike Norton of Harvard Business School discovered an interesting answer to the question, “How much is enough?” When Norton asked wealthy clients of a large investment bank how much was enough, they typically answered with a number 3 times greater than their personal net worth. Yet, according to the Wall Street Journal, other research indicates ...
Equipping Others to Do Work Differently
