Never Fatherless

I turned 16 years old in October 1970. I was a sophomore in high school in Corpus Christi, Texas and the day I got my license my dad put me to work in the family auto parts business. I worked for my dad for eleven years until he sold the family business and retired. He taught me business sense, extraordinary customer service, and marketing during those years. My dad was very well known in the automotive parts world and ran a great business for 20 plus years. After he retired, we all moved to Arlington, Texas where I opened a wholesale auto parts warehouse. Business was booming and I soon needed his help. Now after eleven years working for dad, he went to work for me. We worked together side by side for another five years until I eventually sold my company. Dad reluctantly retired, again. In May of 2000 I lost my mom to a heart attack and in August that same year, I lost my dad to old age. Both left earth within months of each other to be with Jesus for eternity. Y2K turned out to be nothing but the year 2000 was as storm for my family and I, losing both our parents. 

In February of 2000, just before losing my mom and dad, I joined a staff at a church in Fort Worth. The Senior Adult Minister was Bob Taylor. The moment I first stepped into his office to meet him, we prayed together. That started a lifetime friendship. For seven years Bob and I served God together making hospital visits and eating breakfast every week. Bob prays about everything. Phil 4.6. He had three grown sons of his own yet took me in like a son. During our friendship, Bob has lost two sons and his wife. He is my mentor, father figure, and prayer warrior here on earth. I know that one day I will lose Bob too.

But I will never be fatherless

In Deuteronomy chapter 31 Moses is speaking to the people telling them he is 120 years old and can no longer lead them. In verse 6 he assures them that in his absence God will never leave them nor forsake them. They will not be a fatherless people. Then in Hebrews chapter 13 Paul is giving his final words in his letter and in verse 5 he reminds them what God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you" assuring the reader that even in his absence, God will be with them.

No matter if we have lost our earthy fathers or father figure, Psalm 68:5, as a Christ follower we will never be fatherless. We will always have Abba Father who will never leave us. That is a truth grounded in the Word of God that we can depend on every day of our earthy life as Christians. Take joy as we approach Fathers Day and make the time to spend with your earthly father to love and honor him and thank him for being a great dad. If you are like me and have lost your earthy father, remember you are not fatherless. If you have never trusted Christ with your life nor believe that he died on the cross for your sins and was raised again and is alive, take a few minutes to pray and ask for his forgiveness and believe.

2 Absolutes in Church Budgeting

There is a lot of healthy debate out there in what percentage a personnel budget should be in comparison to the overall budget amount. It is a great financial question to ask and probably should be asked more often prior to budget preparation. I have been preparing church budgets for 23 years and have used the same formula from the beginning. I have applied this formula to budgets up to $3 million dollars and it works to keep the church healthy financially. 

The formula is keeping a balance between two key parts of the church budget: debt load and personnel costs. Here is the reason why you should watch and balance these two parts. If you have too much debt load, then you will strap the budget and not have enough dollars to hire the right amount of staff and/or offer competitive compensation packages. If your personnel costs are too high, then you may not have enough dollars to borrow money for church facility growth. Let’s face it! Not enough staff or not enough space will stymie growth. You can fund programs all you like but without space and staff, you may not go very far. 

The formula I have used as a guide is personnel costs should between 40 – 50 % of the overall church budget and debt load should be between 20 – 30 % of the overall church budget. So how do you balance these? Great question. The goal is to not exceed 70 % of the total of both. If debt is a maximum of 30 % then personnel needs to be at 40 %. If personnel is 50 %, then debt should be 20 %. If debt is 25 %, then personnel needs to be 45 %. Likewise, if personnel is 55 %, then that leaves you with only 15 % for debt and that would be a difficult amount to work with for new construction. If debt was 40 %, then that would make it difficult to staff the church for growth.

There are a lot of other factors that play into budget percentages. Factors like the size of the campus, age of buildings, size of budget, age of the congregation, and the vision of the church. If the church is debt free, and many are, then you can use the lower scale of debt load for renovations or operation and the higher scale in personnel. However, if new construction is in the future you don’t want to get personnel too high. It is certainly more difficult to reduce personnel than to increase it. 

Balancing budget percentages is a combination of those 2 absolutes in addition to the factors mentioned above. I have witnessed churches that went above the debt load guide and ended up not having enough staff to grow or to pay competitively and lost staff along the way. I also have witnessed churches that let their personnel cost go over the guideline and when it was time to build, there was no debt load available. 

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10 Things To Do When Unemployed

Sometimes you know you’re about to be let go and sometimes it comes like a thief in the night. Either way, you are probably not as prepared as you need to be to survive it well. In my 45 years of working, I have been unemployed three times; one voluntarily and the others like a thief in the night. Even in church work, the thief can steal your job without notice, warning, or accusations of any wrong doing of any kind. It’s just that easy and it happens way too often.

Do not overreact. Your tendency will be to focus solely on the job loss and the factors surrounding what happened. Take a step back, take a deep breath, and look at the big picture. Your first step should be to write down your thoughts and feelings to release them from any anxiousness you have.

Plan your day. Without the routine of your job, you will find that your days are empty and unorganized. Try and make your plans for tomorrow in advance of each day. Even if it does not fill your day, give yourself a plan to get something accomplished each day. 

Start your job search. There is no need to stress just yet. Begin getting your resume and other documents you need ready to send out. Start making phone calls and sending emails networking around with other colleagues and friends that you know. Let them know you are searching and ask if they would pass along your resume when possible. Get connected through social media. 

Keep emotions in check. Losing a job can be very emotional with feelings of inadequacy, bitterness, mad at the world, frustrated, and even loneliness and isolation from being at home all day instead of working. Your mind will wonder off and cause you to think only about the negative aspects of the job lose, so fill your mind with positive things as much as possible. There are always good things in every bad situation. 

Do not go it alone. If you are married, then include your spouse in what you are going through. Some temperaments tend to clam up and not communicate about the job lose. Make sure you are open and honest with your spouse and include them in your feelings and emotions. Reach out and find a few friends you would consider mentors to you. Let them know what has happened and keep them updated often for support and encouragement. 

Develop a Quite Time
This is a time you really need to be quite and hear from the Lord. Find your spot and your time and be there every day no matter what. Wherever we live, I have a spot in the house that I sit and read and pray. Find a prayer study and begin a journal of your thoughts  even if you have never done this, its important in a transition time.

Stay connected to your field. Whatever your career field was, stay connected there during this time of not working. Read related articles, research new technology in your field, read books, and get connected on social media related to your field. Do some research and learn new things happening out there.  

Build your web presence. I have already mentioned social media but do not underestimate its far-reaching power. Start with a professional business site like LinkedIn. Upgrade to premium if possible and create a professional profile that tells your story. Find other job search sites and up load your resume to each one. Set up email alerts for jobs you would be looking for. Get known on the web as a job seeker and start watching regularly. 

Take the Time Off
You may sense a feeling of urgency and panic. Don't fret just yet and enjoy some of your time off from the job. I'm not saying be lazy and do nothing about your separation. Spend some time visiting family and relatives and just hanging out. Do not feel guilty relaxing. Chances are you have put off vacations and trips due to work load and now is the perfect time to get caught up.


See the big picture. Start looking at the long haul even if you have prospective jobs quickly. Look for ways you can cut expenses to the bone. If you own a home, can you sell quickly and rent for a while. What are the cost differences? What can you sell if you had to? What savings do you have? What emergency funds do you have? What is your budget and your monthly living costs presently? What can be trimmed. Know that a job loss is temporary and you will bounce back. Get through a job loss with as minimal of damage as possible financially. Don’t sell the farm just yet, but be ready.





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