In Matthew 20, Jesus taught the Parable of the Workers. Many focus on the jealousy of the workers who worked all day. Yes, those workers were jealous that the last workers were paid the same as them. But imagine the men hired at five in the afternoon. They had been waiting all day for work. Their gratitude must have ...
The meaning of Christmas has been highjacked before. According to Wikipedia, in the 17th century the Puritans banned the celebration of Christmas, because it became known for drunkenness and other mischief. Although Christmas was restored in 1660 as a Christian holiday, it still was in disrepute and not a prominent celebration until the 19th century thanks to Charles Dickens and ...
Each year for Christmas, John hosts a Christmas party for his employees that has become known for the generous gifts he raffles. Last year, John’s Bible study group asked John why he gives such extravagant gifts. John said he wanted his employees to experience the love of Jesus. Then John was asked, “Do your employees know that?” Due to that ...
On Thanksgiving Day, the race for buying Christmas presents began. Black Friday amplified the season, Small Business Saturday grabbed their fair share and then Cyber Monday excels online. In addition to the Christmas buying season, there’s another important season: the Year-End Giving season. Today is officially Giving Tuesday, but Black Friday is far better known and celebrated than Giving Tuesday. ...
According to new Barna research, 99% of today’s pastors know what the word “tithe” means, but only 43% of Christians do. For the record, tithe means “a tenth, or 10%.” God’s plan and desire for us is to remember that God owns it all. Our paycheck and wealth come from God’s grace. What God asks is that we acknowledge that ...
Every year, Thanksgiving kicks off a series of days designed to primarily maximize retail sales. We have Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday and then, to help nonprofits, there is Giving Tuesday. What started out on Thanksgiving as a day of gratitude, has become, “buy, buy, buy,” throughout the following week. Israel also had a harvest time in ...
One of the turning points in my new friend, Brian's, business, came out of a discussion he had with another businessman. This businessman asked Brian this personal question, "Are you tithing?" Brian proudly told this man that, yes, he and his wife had been tithing for years. Brian's friend said, "I'm not talking about personally. Are you tithing out ...
Those who are committed to their faith often strive towards giving a tithe, which means 10%, as required in the Old Testament. Then their generosity growth often stops. However, it’s exciting, to hear the stories of people like Terry Looper, author of Sacred Pace. Over the years, God has challenged Terry to increase his giving from 10% to 50% ...
Some employers are beginning to pay people less if they move to a community with a lower cost of living, even though the work being produced is the same. Other employers are hiring great talent in Midwestern cities by paying them West Coast wages. Paying employees equitably has become complicated. Jesus told a parable about hiring workers throughout the day ...
We recently leased new office space which required us to obtain furniture. Desiring that our limited resources go to ministry rather than furniture, we asked our local community for help. Within hours, dozens of people generously exceeded all our furniture needs. Their generosity allowed them to participate in impacting business leaders around the world. In 2 Kings 4, a widow ...
Equipping Others to Do Work Differently
