As we strive to finish well in our lives, it’s helpful to look back on what has brought us to where we are, including the decisions we have made and the people who have helped us along the way.The process of looking back may occasionally lead us to feel some regret. These regrets might be very significant, such as who you married, or didn’t marry; how you raised your children; how you have handled significant relationships in your life; or perhaps vocational decisions you have made.
Perhaps you’re like Frank Sinatra, when he sang in “My Way”:
And now, the end is near
And so, I face the final curtain…
Regrets, I’ve had a few
But then again too few to mention
My guess is that we all have at least a few regrets in our lives. Continue reading
Category Archives: Articles ~ Personal
Lifelong Learning in Retirement
I’ve often written about life-long learning, a favorite subject of mine. I’ve written that where I worked continuous learning was encouraged, and we would hear “School is never out at State Farm”. But what about continuing to pursue learning after retirement? Don’t we already know everything we need to learn?
About a year ago, one of my pastors shared a postcard he had received from Birmingham Theological Seminary. The purpose of the postcard was to communicate about a new “Presbyterian Learning Certificate” program (now called the Certificate of Presbyterian Leadership).
The program consists of four seminary level classes: Continue reading
A Prayer for Fall
Our Father in Heaven,
We thank you for the crisp cool fall mornings and evenings that we are looking forward to in the Midwest. It makes us aware of the cold winter weather that will soon be upon us. Before that however, we get to enjoy a colorful fall season, with joyful fall festivals, apple cider, pumpkins, raking leaves, and everything else that goes with this wonderful season. And we don’t forget to notice the beauty of the changing sunlight and lengthening shadows.
It seems like just last week that we saw the first signs of the green corn and soybean plants breaking through the fields of our rich Illinois soil. But it’s actually been much longer than that. Some of the fields are being harvested, and those that remain are brown, and will soon be harvested and laid bare until next spring. Continue reading
My Interview With Kirk Billiter, author of “Strike the Flag: The Significance of Surrender in Leading and Serving Others”
We recently had a chance to visit with Kirk Billiter, author of the new book Strike the Flag: The Significance of Surrender in Leading and Serving Others, and a long-time friend.
CD: Writing a book is a significant undertaking. What led you to write this book?
KB: My short answer is: I had stories—many of them, lived, remembered, and redeemed by God. I began gathering them years ago, writing about God’s redemptive hand in my life and the quiet, steady ways He has proven faithful through both ordinary days and seasons marked by deep struggle and change.
The second thing my wife Rebecca and I did in 2021 that led me to write this book was join our friend, Eric Elder’s on-line writer’s cohort. We learned so much from him and others in the cohort. In 2022, the whole writer’s cohort went up to Starved Rock to meet for a weekend of writing and training. That jump started me to begin gathering the ideas for writing this book. Continue reading
Praying That God’s Will Be Done
For the Christian, there are many ways to approach prayer. Some have a daily time set aside for prayer built into their schedule, perhaps in the morning with a cup of coffee and their Bible and devotional reading, or perhaps it is as you rest your head on the pillow. I tend to pray throughout the day, but do most of my praying as I take walks, with a brief time of prayer as I rest my head for sleep at night.
There are also a number of ways to organize our prayers. I used to use a written prayer list. These days I use the ACTS model. The ACTS model is:
A – Adoration
C – Confession
T – Thanksgiving
S – Supplication Continue reading
Go-Go, Slow-Go or No-Go? What Stage are You in Now?
Aging is an important aspect of finishing well. It doesn’t matter what our age is, we all tend to age differently. When I retired, I went out with a large group of co-workers. A financial planner that the organization brought in to speak to us told us something that I remember clearly, even though it has been more than eight years ago as I write this.
He said that as we were leaving the organization we were still relatively young, had a lot of time, money, and were probably pretty healthy. He called those the “Go Go Years”. During those years, we would be active. He told us that we might be playing sports such as golf, pickleball, and tennis. We would most likely be in a good position financially, and so we would probably also do some traveling. He stated that as we continue to age, and run into some health problems, we will inevitably slow down. It will become more difficult to travel and we won’t play as many sports. He called those the “Slow Go Years”. Finally, as get even older, we will be more limited. Health problems may make it difficult to do things such as play golf or travel. He called this stage the “No Go Years”.
If you are married, you and your spouse may be in different stages. For example, your wife may be in excellent health and still in the “Go Go Years”. You, on the other hand, may be facing a knee or hip replacement, and find yourself in the “Slow Go Years”, or even the “No Go Years”.
How can we finish well whether we are in the “Go Go”, “Slow Go” or “No Go” Years?
I am considering this question as I write my next book, tentatively titled Use Us Up Lord: Finishing Well for Our Good and God’s Glory.
Reformation Triangle of Scripture, Meditation and Prayer, Part 3
Matthew Bingham’s book A Heart Aflame for God: A Reformed Approach to Spiritual Formation was introduced to our church leadership team by our lead pastor at our annual leadership retreat last fall, who encouraged all of us to read it. It has since become a very influential book in our church, with many reading and discussing it, including our officer candidates. You can read my review of the book here, and I highly commend the book to you.
But what is spiritual formation? Like me, you may have heard the term, but aren’t’ sure exactly what it is. You may have heard about friends getting degrees in spiritual formation from a Bible college or seminary. Bingham helpfully tells us that the term spiritual formation has arisen to describe the biblical process of molding the mind, heart, and life of a Christian into conformity to Christ.
In his book, Bingham introduces what he refers to as the “Reformation Triangle” of scripture, meditation, and prayer which is at the heart of historic Protestant spiritual formation. Taken together, these three can be conceived as a conversation between the believer and God: we hear from God through his word, we reflect on what we’ve heard in meditation, and we then respond to God in prayer. Continue reading
Reformation Triangle of Scripture, Meditation and Prayer, Part 2
Matthew Bingham’s book A Heart Aflame for God: A Reformed Approach to Spiritual Formation was introduced to our church leadership team by our lead pastor at our annual leadership retreat last fall, who encouraged all of us to read it. It has since become a very influential book in our church, with many reading and discussing it, including our officer candidates. You can read my review of the book here, and I highly commend the book to you.
But what is spiritual formation? Like me, you may have heard the term, but aren’t’ sure exactly what it is. You may have heard about friends getting degrees in spiritual formation from a Bible college or seminary. Bingham helpfully tells us that the term spiritual formation has arisen to describe the biblical process of molding the mind, heart, and life of a Christian into conformity to Christ.
In his book, Bingham introduces what he refers to as the “Reformation Triangle” of scripture, meditation, and prayer which is at the heart of historic Protestant spiritual formation. Taken together, these three can be conceived as a conversation between the believer and God: we hear from God through his word, we reflect on what we’ve heard in meditation, and we then respond to God in prayer. Continue reading
Reformation Triangle of Scripture, Meditation and Prayer, Part 1
Matthew Bingham’s book A Heart Aflame for God: A Reformed Approach to Spiritual Formation was introduced to our church leadership team by our lead pastor at our annual leadership retreat last fall, who encouraged all of us to read it. It has since become a very influential book in our church, with many reading and discussing it, including our officer candidates. You can read my review of the book here, and I highly commend the book to you.
But what is spiritual formation? Like me, you may have heard the term, but aren’t’ sure exactly what it is. You may have heard about friends getting degrees in spiritual formation from a Bible college or seminary. Bingham helpfully tells us that the term spiritual formation has arisen to describe the biblical process of molding the mind, heart, and life of a Christian into conformity to Christ.
In his book, Bingham introduces what he refers to as the “Reformation Triangle” of scripture, meditation, and prayer which is at the heart of historic Protestant spiritual formation. Taken together, these three can be conceived as a conversation between the believer and God: we hear from God through his word, we reflect on what we’ve heard in meditation, and we then respond to God in prayer. Continue reading
A Prayer for Summer
Our Father in Heaven,
Although the calendar tells us that summer doesn’t begin until June 21, summer has always seemed to begin for me when school gets out and we celebrate the Memorial Day weekend. I’ve always thought of summer as the months of June, July and August. Memorial Day to Labor Day. Summer is by far my favorite season of the year.
Thank you, Father, for the season of summer. I love the warm temperatures, the green grass, trees blowing in the wind, and the fact that here in the Midwest it will stay light until nearly 9:00 pm.
Thank you for seeing us through a cold, sometimes bitterly cold winter. Also, thank you for protecting us from several severe storms early this spring. Continue reading

