Author: Loren Pinilis

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Biblical Worldview

Parable of the Minas: Jesus’s Little-Known Parable on Time Stewardship

You may have heard of the Parable of the Persistent Widow or the Parable of the Sower. Ever heard of the Parable of the Good Samaritan? The Parable of the Prodigal Son?

Oh, you have? Ok, how about the Parable of the Minas?
… <cricket chirp>
…Parable of the what?

The Parable of the Minas is often missed simply because it’s so similar to the more well-known Parable of the Talents. To be honest, until about two years ago I didn’t even realize these were two different stories. Yet despite the similarities, there are noticeable and profound differences between the two parables. And in examining these differences, we get a unique perspective of God’s views on stewardship – straight from the mouth of Jesus Himself.

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Biblical Worldview

Life Lessons from Watching Pool Players

Playing Pool
Have you ever watched professional billiard players on TV? It looks boringly easy for them.

They have an easy shot, and they make it.
They have another easy shot, and they make it.
They have another easy shot, and they make it.

I used to sit and scream at the TV, “They’re just getting easy shots! If I got shots that easy, I could make them too!” Why did I always have the tough shots and the so-called pros were just lucky enough to have all the gimme shots?

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Systems & Tips

The Secret of Time Stewardship and Why Most Beginners Miss It

I remember talking about stewardship in a small group at church when I brought up a concept I’m passionate about: (surprise!) time stewardship. One gentleman in particular, a middle-aged professional, perked up his ears.

He was a mature believer, a Sunday School teacher, and a manager at his workplace. He seemed to have had a fair amount of experience with time management concepts, not only in managing himself but also in teaching others at his workplace how to manage their time.

And the questions he asked showed a common misunderstanding that many people have about time stewardship.

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Discipline

Biblical Self Discipline: The Often Missed Truth

2 Timothy 1:7
“For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.”

I was reading this scripture the other day, and the word discipline jumped off the page. If I’m honest, that’s something I could definitely use more of as I try to be an effective steward of my time.
What can we learn from this passage about the idea of biblical self discipline?

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Discipline

How to Do Your Unpleasant Chores with Joy

A quick tip on how to muddle through unpleasant activities with a smile on your face: view them as an expression of love and build prayer into what you’re doing.

When I was in college, I rented a house with two other guys from my academic department. My class schedule allowed me to drop by the house for lunch every day while my housemates were away, and I made it a habit of doing the dishes that had piled up in the sink. It was always surprising how many dishes were stacked in the sink, especially for a bunch of college guys who weren’t really the doing-dishes type.

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Systems & Tips

Should Our Goals Be Realistic – Or Should We Reach for the Stars?

I was talking to a friend of mine who I greatly respect. He’s an Olympic caliber athlete, a successful businessman, and one of the most focused and driven people I know.

His philosophy on goal setting is to set lofty and absolutely unrealistic goals. Therefore, he claims, you’ll work that much harder, reach that much higher, and accomplish that much more. “Reach for the stars and you’ll touch the sky,” he says.

His life is a powerful testament to the affect of setting big goals. But yet, I have to disagree with him. I believe that goals need to be realistic.

Read Why… “Should Our Goals Be Realistic – Or Should We Reach for the Stars?”
Categories
Discipline

What Board Games Can Teach Us about Time Management

Board Game
One of my dorky hobbies is playing board games. And one of the dorky things I pride myself on is my ability to teach new players the rules of a board game.

You may laugh, but it’s actually not that easy to explain a board game well – especially the more complicated strategy games that I enjoy. Many of the game manuals are a dozen or more pages outlining rule after rule after rule: phases and turn orders and contingencies and exceptions and scoring. If you’re not careful, it can get so overwhelming that a new player begins with no clue about what they’re doing.

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Biblical Worldview

What Is Christian Time Management?

If you browse the aisles of your local bookstore, you’ll find anywhere between 3 and 20-bajillion books on time management. If you thought that was a lot of material, wait until you see all the blogs and internet sites on the subject.

So why do another blog? What’s different about Life of a Steward?
This blog is about Christian time management.

I can see you scratching your head and thinking to yourself, “Well, what’s ‘Christian’ about Christian time management. How is it different from just-plain-old-ordinary time management?”

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