As a teenager, I spent summers working on my uncle’s farm. We planted soybeans and watched them grow, but summer always ended before harvest. I found it disappointing to invest labor without seeing the final results. My uncle, however, understood that farming requires patience. He trusted that the harvest would come in its season. James 5:7-8 says, “See how the ...
Christopher Columbus was passionate about his dream. He had a desire to find a new and quicker route to the Orient, but he needed financial backing. In 1485, Columbus pitched his idea to the King of Portugal. His plan was rejected, but Columbus persevered. For the next seven years, he approached multiple nations and potential backers, persistently and passionately pursuing ...
Recently on the newsletter site Substack, author Samuel D. James compared our expectations in life to gardening. For instance, if we “plant” hard work, we expect a crop of financial gain. If we “plant” self-control, we expect positive outcomes. But sometimes we don’t get the results we expect. Sometimes hard work doesn’t produce success. That doesn’t mean the world is ...
In this series, we’re discussing the stages of true repentance. The third stage is to stop sinning. One of my favorite videos is Bob Newhart as a counselor who only charges $5 for a 5-minute session. When a patient tells him of her fear of being buried alive in a box, Newhart says to her, “I have two words.” He ...
In this series, we’re discussing the armor of God. The fourth piece of armor the Apostle Paul references is the shield of faith. In 2007, we hosted our first major conference. After we finished, Chip Ingram told me, “Rick, this event had a huge impact, and the enemy is not pleased. You will likely be under attack for a ...
If God calls us to take a step of faith, like starting a new business or risky project, and we don’t, what blessings might we have missed? In Leviticus 25, God told the Israelites that He wanted them to give the Promised Land a year of rest every 7 years. If they did, He promised a harvest in the 6th ...
As an optimist, troubles must stack up pretty high before I begin to feel discouraged. However, I had one of those weeks recently. Our upcoming event was becoming overwhelming. We were experiencing some online problems and I learned of some customer issues. The discouragement was building. I needed solitude. As I took a car ride, I prayed and asked God ...
NEXT, an insurance company, recently surveyed small business owners. They discovered that the changes in the marketplace with supply chain issues, difficulty in finding staff, and rising wages are causing burnout for many business leaders. Nearly 40% of the more than 1,000 small business owners surveyed admit to feeling "frustrated" or "stressed" by the state of America's workforce. 35% of ...
As a founder of a school for children with learning disabilities, I deeply admire those who persevere through personal challenges. Tony Bridwell is one of those people. After twelve years of struggling through school, Tony’s teacher uncovered that Tony had dyslexia. Anchored in his faith, Tony persevered. Today, Tony is Chief Talent Officer to thousands of employees. He’s written five ...
My new friend, Sean, shared with me that he and a friend were convinced that God wanted them to start a Bible study in one of the roughest parts of their city. They went door-to-door inviting people to their weekly Bible study. The first and second week of the study no one showed up. They were discouraged, but these two ...
Equipping Others to Do Work Differently
