By Dr. Brian Simmons | Stewards are those who have been given a trust. That’s why a synonym for a board member is a trustee! So, all board members are steward leaders! There are the faithful and the other kind! What are the primary responsibilities of board members? Board members of organizations have three responsibilities: fiduciary, strategic and generative. At the end of the day, it is board members who are ultimately responsible for the finances of the organizations they lead. Not the CEO, not the President but board members!

By Dr. Brian Simmons | To give someone their due is to give what justice demands. Simply put, it is to treat someone fairly. Steward leaders love and serve God by living and serving others. "He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God". (Micah 6:8) Due process is crucial to effective organizations because it ensures fairness, transparency, and consistency in decision-making. By providing clear procedures for handling disputes, grievances, and disciplinary actions, due process helps protect employees' rights, fosters trust, and mitigates the risk of legal challenges. Employers and employees are commanded to love and unity by God especially in the context of Christian organizations. Without due process, organizational leaders are not held accountable for sinful actions affecting those they lead. They should not be allowed to do whatever they want with no communication and no oversight. Without due process, individuals within an organization are treated unjustly, leading to a negative and unproductive work environment...

By Dr. Scott Rodin | There are many words and phrases that carry Christmas messages. Whether sacred or secular, they conjure up memories from the whimsical to the holy. The Christmas season is filled with them. Joy to the World. Santa Claus is Coming to Town. Have a Holly Jolly Christmas. Silent Night. It’s a Wonderful Life. White Christmas. Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. Hark, the Harold Angels Sing. These Christmas themes are nostalgic and heartwarming, a welcome relief from the relentless words and images that depict the increasing madness of the world in which we celebrate this Christmas season. Amidst the breadth of Christmas words, I want to suggest there is one phrase that transcends all others. Not only this Christmas season, but from the dawn of time until Christ’s return. It marked the single most important event in human history. It is a simple phrase with cosmic consequences. Isaiah prophesied it first. It was confirmed by an angel with Mary and its promise consoled Joseph. “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel, God with us.” (Isaiah 7:14) Three words. Three powerful words. On them hinges the fate of the world. If we believe them, if we have the radical faith to really believe that Christmas marks the unthinkable, audacious idea that the God of the universe, the creator and sustainer of all things, actually came to earth and bore our flesh, our brokenness, our fear, our pride, our shallowness, our fickleness, our doubts, our shame, all of it, if we really believe it, if we can even begin to comprehend it, if we will let it seep deep into our spirit, then those three words will change us forever. God with us.

By Dr. Scott Rodin | This is the final in our four-week series on Advent as we look at four warning signs that our hearts are under spiritual attack, and how we can break free and experience a heart at peace in our own Advent journey to see the King. I am playing off the four major signs of a physical heart attack, 1) tightness in the chest, 2) shortness of breath, 3) pain in the left arm, and 4) nausea. Just as our physical heart can be attacked, throughout Scripture we are warned about the attack on our spiritual heart. This attack also has warning signs that must be heeded, and immediate action taken. Just as with our physical hearts, this attack is a matter of life and death. We’ve considered the warning signs of a tightness in our perspective, a shortness of breadth in our love, and a sharp pain in our wallet. We will now turn to the fourth and most challenging sign that we are experiencing a spiritual heart attack. Warning Sign #4 – A Sickness in our Spirit

By Dr. Scott Rodin | I am using the four weeks of Advent to look at four warning signs that our hearts are under spiritual attack, and how we can break free and experience a heart at peace in our own Advent journey to see the King. I am playing off the four major signs of a physical heart attack, 1) tightness in the chest, 2) shortness of breath, 3) pain in the left arm, and 4) nausea. Just as our physical heart can be attacked, throughout Scripture we are warned about the attack on our spiritual heart. This attack also has warning signs that must be heeded, and immediate action taken. Just as with our physical hearts, this attack, too, is a matter of life and death. Warning Sign #3 – Pain in the Wallet One of the most significant warning signs of a physical heart attack is sharp pain usually in the left side of the body. It can be in the jaw, the shoulder or the back. Sharp pain is always an indicator that something is very wrong. The same is true in a spiritual heart attack. While this pain may come in many forms, in this Advent season I want to focus on one particular pain many of us may feel; a sharp pain in our wallet. Here are a few ways we may feel that pain...

By Dr. Scott Rodin | I am using the four weeks of Advent to look at four warning signs that our hearts are under spiritual attack, and how we can break free and experience a heart at peace in our own Advent journey to see the King. I am playing off the four major signs of a physical heart attack, 1) tightness in the chest, 2) shortness of breath, 3) pain in the left arm, and 4) nausea. Just as our physical heart can be attacked, throughout Scripture we are warned about the attack on our spiritual heart. This attack also has warning signs that must be heeded, and immediate action taken. Just as with our physical hearts, this attack, too, is a matter of life and death. Warning Sign #2 – Shortness of ‘Breadth’ When our physical heart is under attack our breathing becomes shallow and we find it hard to take a deep breath. When our spiritual heart is under attack our ability to love becomes shallow and we find it hard to experience God's deep peace.

By Dr. Scott Rodin | It’s likely we all know the four major signs of a heart attack. According to the American Heart Association they are: 1) tightness in the chest, 2) shortness of breath, 3) pain in the left arm, and 4) nausea. If you experience these symptoms you must call 911 or get to a hospital immediately. It’s a matter of life and death. Throughout Scripture we are warned about another kind of heart attack – the attack on our spiritual heart. This attack also has warning signs that must be heeded and immediate action taken. This attack is also a matter of life and death. Over the four weeks of Advent we will look at four warning signs that our hearts are under spiritual attack, and how we can break free and experience a heart at peace in our own Advent journey to see the King.

By Dr. Scott Rodin | Remember the last time you faced a day with back-to-back meetings, and then someone canceled? It was as if you were given a gift of an hour, a precious 60-minute oasis in the middle of the fast-moving stream of life. Perhaps you paused to consider the things you could do with that gift. Go on a walk? Call that friend that you’d forgotten about. Read that article that’s been on your desk for a month. Take a nap? Or did you fill it up with more work? Regardless of how you spent it, for one moment, you relished the possibilities afforded you by this precious offering.

By Dr. Brian Simmons | Photo by Megan Watson on Unsplash 1  Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth! 2      Worship the Lord with gladness.    Come before him, singing with joy. 3  Acknowledge that the Lord is God!    He made us, and we are his.[a]    We are his people, the sheep of his pasture. ... read on

By Dr. Scott Rodin | Just prior to the election last week I wrote two blogs. The fact that you are reading this one means that Donald Trump was elected the 47th president of the United States. Whether you voted for him or not, his election calls us as the body of Christ to steward the opportunities and speak into the challenges his administration will bring. As stewards of the life God has gifted to us, we seek His vision for the future regardless of who is leading. We are also called to be wise, to understand the times we are in, and to discern the Spirit’s leading for the way forward. I suggest we have been given a moment in time to live out our steward calling as the body of Christ by responding in seven ways...