Author: Erick Neuman
If you are a Christian, then you are called to use your gifts at church in a volunteer role or perhaps professionally. Choosing the roles that best fit your personality and interests can lead to serving God and the church more effectively. Your job satisfaction will also increase as you serve people out of your strengths. John Holland created a theory that can help you to have more job and ministry success and satisfaction. Holland identified six personality themes: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional. He observed that any given person has two or three of these themes that…
It was because of a weekly livestreaming concert series on Facebook which amassed more than 2.7 million views since May last year that country artist Lucas Hoge’s first gospel album took shape. Lucas has never been shy about how his faith in Christ is the center of and has shaped his life and career. It only seems natural that he now use his musical gift to reach the fans of his popular country tunes with the tried and true message of the gospel through these storied favorites. “I started Sunday sessions over 3 years ago and it quickly caught on and has gained quite…
A divided ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court has ended the chances for a taxpayer-funded Catholic charter school in Oklahoma. With Justice Amy Coney-Barrett recusing herself from the case, the court case resulted in a rare tie with a 4-4 split decision. Because there was no majority ruling, the decision allows a lower court’s ruling to stand. That ruling had blocked St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School from receiving public funds. A state charter school board had approved the funding, but opponents argued in court that it would be wrong for taxpayer funding to be used for a religious school. Supporters…
“I have autoimmune diabetes, and my blood sugar was high and I couldn’t get it down,” says Shanequa. On Sunday November 22, 2020, Shanequa Deas began having problems with comprehension. “I was sending texts to my medical director that I worked with and also a coworker that worked in Dallas asking, ‘Why did I have to work on Sunday? And what presentation was I supposed to give?’ And both of them were like, ‘You don’t work on Sunday and there’s no presentation,'” said Shanequa. Mary, Shanequa’s mother, also noticed something was off about her behavior. “I took her to the community hospital right…
“I miss you, too.” How many of us grandparents have found ourselves saying that way too often during this coronavirus pandemic? The hugs and kisses and snuggles are beginning to feel like distant memories. Will things ever return to the way they used to be? How can we grandparents be intentionally involved in the lives of our grandkids during this season of social distancing and sheltering in place? Let’s ask God to help us to . . . Be intentional! How might you use available technology for video chats? What a blessing it is to live in this era when most…
What do you picture when you hear the word retirement? You might have a vague plan of traveling around the country visiting grandkids. Or maybe you long for the day when you’ve saved up enough money to quit a job you hate. Some of you might feel anxious because you’re not prepared. Now, hear me out: It’s never too late to start saving for retirement. And if you feel behind, don’t panic! Getting ready for retirement will take planning and sacrifice, but you can do it. To get you started, here are the two most important habits you can form as you plan for your dream…
Musical artist Phil Joel brings an independent spirit to the legendary group Newsboys, standing out while composing cohesive music and lyrics that unite the group’s sound. And so, it is with great success that Phil branches out into solo work. Here, his style can freely breathe as he shares intimate, mysterious lyrics combined with decades of musical influences peppered throughout each song on his new album, Better Than I Found It. He was as much interested in hearing my thoughts on his work as I was in deciphering the meaning behind some of the lyrics. It’s this generous attitude toward…
A sports advocacy group is suing Minnesota’s attorney general on behalf of three female softball players over a state policy that allows males to compete in female sports. The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a non-profit legal group, filed a lawsuit earlier this week on behalf of Female Athletes United (FAU) to remove transgender athletes from softball, and particularly a trans pitcher who is dominating the sport. FAU is an organization that advocates to protect fairness, safety, and equal opportunity for women and girls in sports, ADF reports. Some of the organization’s members include three high school softball players who have…
I think that we can all agree that the last 15 months have challenged us in ways that we never thought were possible. Everything has changed in how we live our daily lives. Because of this people are rethinking even the smallest of details. Why? Because life as we know just doesn’t feel quite right. Popular author and speaker Christine Caine wants to help people figure out how they ended up in their current situation, but more importantly, show them how to “course correct” their lives to find better days. In her latest book, How Did I Get Here?, she offers practical…
It turns out mom was right! As I’ve matured, I’ve come to that realization repeatedly. How about you? As it turns out, it really does save time to do something right the first time. We absolutely should be kind to others. And… we can’t keep burning the candle at both ends—at least, not forever. That last one is what popped into my mind as I was reading Numbers 29. Now, I’m the first to admit that I groan a little (forgive me, Lord) when anything from the book of Numbers is in my Bible reading for the day. Today,…