This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24 As we ponder Psalm 118:24, I believe it sets us to wonder if God wrote this scripture for such a time as this. There is much evidence that end time prophecies may be coming true. This can create fear and dismay for many, but it can create another level of anxiety for those of us in business. There is an added complexity now to our planning for our daily and long-term business systems and structures. As times grow darker our enemy knows Read More
Until the time came to fulfill his dreams, the Lord tested Joseph’s character. Psalm 105:19 The life of a business owner or a leader in the corporate world, is a constant test of character. The definition of the word character is “the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual”. Every single working day of your life will test your mental and moral qualities. Your ability to sustain godly character will depend on your strength of commitment to what you believe and what you have decided to stand for or against. When it comes to the financial aspect of your business, if Read More
What Now? – Trust “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.” Psalm 118:8 COVID19 – who would have thought it would still be wreaking havoc at the end of 2021? How did this virus go from being dangerous for our physical health to damaging our relationships, our economy, our emotional state, and our churches? We have all allowed this to some degree, me included! We have taken our eyes from the one who we should trust completely and turned our eyes to the world for our solutions. We have allowed world views to Read More
WHY AM I ALWAYS RUSHING? THREE WAYS TO HELP YOU SLOW DOWN Psalm 90:12 ESV So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. There is a world phenomenon happening – time is speeding up every day. “Not so, sorry!” There truly are 24 hours in every day, no more no less. What is happening then? There are just more demands put on us every single day, and there is no way of getting away from those demands. There is also a bombardment of information coming at us, all at the click of our Read More
Don’t waste this time of isolation Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! Psalm 46:10 NKJV My temptation during this time of isolation is trying to fill the empty spaces with activity. We get addicted to busyness, and there are times when I feel guilty if I am not continually actively involved in doing things that are “productive”. Some of the greatest, most impactful, most enduring results have come from a season of inactivity. Many of the Apostle Paul’s writings were birthed out of a Read More
We are walking a path that we have never walked before. Although I have been doing The Shepherd’s Guide for 32 years, we are walking in uncharted territory. So how do we proceed, how do we know what to do, which path to take? I relate very closely to Peter in Matthew 14, when he saw Jesus walking on the water. Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.” 29 “Yes, come,” Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Read More
Psalm 119:30 I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I set your rules before me. “Joyful obedience” may just be an oxymoron. What child ever says, “Yes mommy, I would love to do those dishes for you!” Or, an adult who is on a diet sees their favorite cake at a potluck and starts singing praise songs about their obedience not to eat that piece of cake. I remember when Terry and I were first married. As we both worked full time, we created a chore list for each of us to share the household chores during the week. We Read More
Have you checked your blind spots! When we live in the blind spots of Spite, Jealousy, Anger, Regret……. Everything in our lives will be done out of our blind spots. Read More
Consumed by Confusion! “He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed.” Psalm 107:29 Ever feel like your day was a blur, a hub of constant activity that produced no results? This year for us has felt like that. We are growing and doing all kinds of great things, but it seems there is always so much more to do. In this era of constant communication and information, moving at the speed of the internet, chaos and confusion has almost become a state of normality. We see no way out, its like being Read More
“He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed.” Psalm 107:29 Ever feel like your day was a blur, a hub of constant activity that produced no results? This year for us has felt like that. We are growing and doing all kinds of great things, but it seems there is always so much more to do. In this era of constant communication and information, moving at the speed of the internet, chaos and confusion has almost become a state of normality. We see no way out, its like being in the Read More
Psalms 147:3 He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. The only time we have total permission from God to become self-absorbed is when in crisis. If you read through Lamentations or the cries of David’s heart in Psalms, you will see how these men are deep in their grief and can’t see anything else but how they are feeling. If God felt it so important to include these stories in the Bible, then it must be important for us to know it is okay, when in deep grief, to focus completely on ourselves. God gave no time Read More