Two months ago I celebrated a milestone in my life. I use the term “celebrated” loosely. Actually, age 59 ½ came and went without a cake or candle, greeting card or bouquet of flowers. I would have never given it a thought had not my financial advisor brought up the topic of retirement in my recent review meeting – all because I have now reached “That Age.” I have a… Read More

We are now six weeks into the New Year of 2017. How are you doing with your New Year’s resolutions? Unfortunately, my bathroom scale is not showing me dramatically reduced numbers, and I haven’t been working out like a world-class athlete. Where do we go from here? Several weeks ago, my son Colton wrote a devotional article for his employer’s January newsletter. His article challenged his fellow employees to make… Read More

I enjoy listening to Andy Stanley, pastor of North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, Georgia. He shared the following principle in one of his messages: “There is a cumulative value to investing small amounts of time in certain activities over a long period.” This immediately resonated with me when I heard it. Think about how this principle is relevant in different areas of life. It’s true in the physical realm…. Read More

The gift giving season is rapidly approaching. May I suggest a thoughtful gift that will cost you very little money but could be a great benefit to your spouse and/or children at an important time in life? I am referring to a comprehensive inventory of your financial assets, legal documents, and other important papers. Here are the things you might include: Bank, Savings & Loan, Credit Union accounts: account numbers,… Read More

Steve Hartman’s “On the Road” reports on the CBS Evening News tend to bring tears to my eyes. These human interest stories are meant to add a pretty bookend to the news of misery, injustice and suffering just reported in the prior 20 minutes. The sugar that helps the medicine go down. On February 28, 2014, Steve met up with Myles Eckert. His interview with the then 8-year old boy… Read More

“A young man applied for a job as a farmhand. When the old farmer asked for his qualifications, he replied with confidence “I can sleep when the wind blows.” The statement puzzled the farmer, but he liked the young man nevertheless and hired him. A few days later, the old farmer and his wife were rudely awakened in the night by a violent storm. They quickly began to check things… Read More

I hate being early. Whether that is to pick someone up from the airport or to arrive at a party, I do not enjoy the attention that being early brings or the time I feel it “wastes.” I also hate being late. Being late adds a serious amount of stress in the journey to my destination and greatly increases my chances of receiving a ticket for a traffic violation. It… Read More

A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year-old grandson. The old man’s hands trembled, his eyesight blurred, and his step faltered. During the nightly family dinner together, the elderly grandfather’s shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he tried to grasp the glass, milk spilled onto the tablecloth. The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the… Read More

Many of you know that Master’s has an Advisory Board. We meet together several times throughout the year. During a recent Advisory Board meeting, Pastor Bill Park, one of our Board Members, led us in a devotional and then gave us the following challenge: Life is choices; choices have consequences; make the right choices. I’ve been thinking about Pastor Bill’s challenge as it relates to how we choose to do… Read More

Do you worry? I guess that may be a silly question because worry is part of life to some degree or another. A better question may be: What are the thoughts, circumstances, events, etc. that set the “worry wheels” in motion for you? We have all experienced the effects of worry, and we could come up with a laundry list of its negative ramifications in our lives. What is most… Read More