The Book of Judges and the Family Business
Welcome to my Faith & Family Business Reflections for 2024. Over the last three years, I’ve written about Jacob and Esau, reflected on the Book of Proverbs, studied David, and offered 24...
Faith & Family Business
A (final) blessing for the gifts of a family business.
December 24, 2023
Life in a family business is full of instances to give thanks for God’s gifts and to ask for His help, to recall the contributions of the people around and before us, and to acknowledge and forgive...
A blessing for those estranged from a family member
December 12, 2023
Think of your own family, or families you know, where someone has cut ties. The pain people feel in not seeing or connecting with their children, siblings, parents, grandparents, or grandkids can be...
A blessing for communication in the family business
December 10, 2023
“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.”I doubt the author of that quote (often attributed to George Bernard Shaw) was referring to a family business,...
A blessing for those inheriting a family business
November 26, 2023
When it comes to passing the business to the next generation, an awkward dance takes place. Parents are struggling with all kinds of issues: how to be fair, whether to be equal, when to gift assets...
A blessing for an aging parent in the family business
November 12, 2023
Henry David Thoreau wrote “None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.” By this measure, if Mr. Thoreau looked inside a family business, he’d see very few old people. The senior generation...
A blessing for those between roles in the family business
October 29, 2023
“Liminality” is a word that connotes a transition between roles, stages, or phases of life: When you’ve left a station, but haven’t yet arrived with a sense of certainty about your new place or...
A blessing for in-laws in the family business
October 15, 2023
Marrying into a family business is an experience all its own. The expectations, language, unspoken rules, and assumptions about participation (or not) in both the family and business are often...
A family business blessing before a meal
October 1, 2023
Family gatherings are special times. Meals, events, birthdays, memorial services, and graduations permeate life as an extended family. The occasions happen with some regularity, so it’s easy to take...
A blessing for a couple transitioning the family business.
September 17, 2023
The transition of a family business to the next generation is a wonderful opportunity to continue your legacy, but it presents challenges to your relationship as a couple. Most of your life together...