Why is it that 500 years after Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to a Catholic church (commemorated this past week), we still think we can buy favor with God? Is it because everything else of value in this world has a price? That if we want something bad enough, we can find a seller […]
It Was an Expensive Foreign Service Trip – Then She Broke Her Hip
A couple years ago, my mom had the opportunity to serve as a member of her church’s mission team on a trip to an orphanage in India, and she went for it. Like my wife Nora, mom never misses an opportunity to travel…and, oh yeah, there was a missions opportunity as well. Mom is in […]
The Formula for Happiness – Seventeen Magazine Vs My Mom
In the March/April 2017 edition of Seventeen Magazine (please don’t ask how it came into our house), the cover grabbed my attention: No, not Camila Cabello, who, for some whack reason, was like totally unknown to me. (But between you and me, I’m totes down with why she just had to leave Fifth Harmony. I […]
When Nora’s Credit Card Was Stolen And She Went Without Fries
I got a call recently from Nora at the end of the workday. She started with a little sigh and an anxious voice. But even when she’s stressed, Nora hardly ever gets straight to the point. “So I was bringing Grey home from school and I asked him to pull my credit card out of […]
What Is the Role of Faith in Personal Finance?
Is there more to life than minimizing expenses and maximizing income? If you dig deep enough, you’ll find a small corner of the personal finance blogosphere where the focus on wealth and self-sufficiency and comfort sometimes gives way to bigger issues. If you follow Personal Finance King, you know that I’ve tried to tackle some of […]
What Obligation Do We Have to Companies?
When I wrote a recent post about trialing different meal delivery companies like Blue Apron and Hello Fresh with no realistic expectation to continue the service after the initial promotion, it made me wonder: What obligation do we have to companies? I know what obligation I have to God (Mark 12:30) and to government (Luke […]
Why We Live in Baltimore Despite Its Problems
When Nora and I first married, we lived in a condo in mid-town Baltimore. When Pippa came along, we decided to buy a rowhome with a yard, so that she would have a little room to romp. We settled in North Baltimore. Baltimore ranks high on top-10 lists. These aren’t the rankings that city boosters […]
How Our Pastor Got a Great Deal on a Bus
Our pastor has a story he likes to tell about when he and his wife were in the early years of their church plant in Baltimore. If you’ve been involved with a church plant, you know how hard it is. It’s a movement of tremendous faith. There is little money. There is little support. You […]
My Cousin Cole and His Fling with Prosperity Theology
I stopped by Cole’s house on my way home from work. Cole’s my cousin and he lives nearby, so I pop in occasionally. I never tell him I’m coming, I just show up. Some people might be annoyed by the invasion of privacy or the unpredictability of it, but not Cole – he always seems […]