Years ago, Lori bought a verse on a plaque that hangs on the wall in one of the rooms in our home. It is from Micah 6:8 which says, “…and what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” I love that portion…
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A couple of months ago Jonathan, Scott, and I were able to attend a culture and legal update led by Gary Friesen, general counsel of the C&MA. Several very helpful speakers were present including Rev. Boyd Hannold, lead pastor of Princeton (NJ) Alliance Church (PAC). Situated in an area that is exceedingly diverse and irreligious,…
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As we move through the holiday season and approach year-end, it is common for churches and congregants to recognize pastors and staff with a love offering or some other type of gift. The gift could be a small amount of cash in a Christmas card or an organized collection taken during the worship service. It is important…
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One of the interesting things about having lived in a variety of places in the United States of America is that each area, state, culture, and zone has its own unique ways, standards, and laws. One of the most interesting uniqueness I have found living in Montana for the last ten years has been the…
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One of my favorite questions to ask people this time of year is if they have any family traditions to celebrate the holidays. One person I talked to said their family hides a green ceramic pickle on the Christmas tree and the first person to find it gets a prize. Another said they always cook…
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I imagine church fraud is not a high priority discussion item at most of our church board meetings. The thinking is, “This will never happen at our church.” Given the daily duties and demands of church leaders it is not easy to focus on factors that can protect or diminish integrity and reduce the risk…
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Throughout this year, for a variety of reasons, I have been “going down memory lane.” I am thankful that in a rapidly changing world and culture that the memories in my head cannot be changed, re-imagined or deleted. When it comes to November, I go down “memory lane” to various family gatherings through the years, to amazing ministry events in this…
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A couple of months back I read a fascinating (and sad) article about a Navy sailor who died during BUD/S (Navy SEAL training). There is a lot that can be gleaned and discussed from this story, but one thing in particular caught my attention. Over the years, the BUD/S program has become increasingly difficult, and the graduation…
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October is Pastor Appreciation Month! This special recognition was started by Focus on the Family in 1994 in the throes of the Promise Keepers Ministry in the mid-1990’s. Some churches in the RMD have embraced this special time of recognizing their pastor or pastoral staff while others have not regularly done so. In either case,…
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