What are you praying about during these hard financial times? If you could pray only one prayer about your finances, what would that prayer be?
Read More »Real Economic Recovery: Seek a Blue Collar Life (Prov. 30:7-9)
September was the one-year anniversary of the collapse of Lehman Brothers, a financial services firm. The collapse represented the largest bankruptcy filing in U. S. history and it became a harbinger helping to usher in the current economic crisis. This September, to mark the one year anniversary of Lehman Brothers’ collapse, the New York Times ran a series entitled “What We’ve Learned.”[1] The Times asked leading economists to reflect on what lessons we have or should have learned as a result of the past twelve months of national and global financial turmoil. In the articles, the economists shared the lessons they’ve distilled from these monetary circumstances.
Read More »Real Economic Recovery: Get the Right Perspective on Hard Work (Prov. 10:4)
Series Introduction
Economists have called the past few months the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression.[1] Many of us have lost jobs, income, or retirement and know others who also have. The President and the Congress have labored to stimulate the economy, to provide some kind of economic recovery. And while there are signs of improvement, many of us and those we know are still struggling. This morning we begin a three-week series from Proverbs called Real Economic Recovery. We want to explore what it means to experience real recovery during tough economic times. In this series we’ll look at three simple ways we can survive and thrive during financial stress. Let’s pray…
Read More »Real Economic Recovery: Treasure What Money Can’t Buy (Prov. 15:16)
In the Hebrew language of the Old Testament, there were three Hebrew words used to describe the dark side of life.[1]
· One word carried the image of something once straight now no longer straight. It referred to straight things made bent. When the Hebrew authors of the Old Testament looked at life they saw things that seemed bent, twisted, or askew. Think about our world and national news. Doesn’t it seem like some things are askew? Think about what you experienced over the last month at work, at home, or at school. Doesn’t it seem like some things are twisted? Think about your own heart, your own soul. Doesn’t it seem that some things are bent?
Read More »Present Tense: The Calming Words of Forgive, Punish (Ex. 34:6-7)