Prodigal Magazine
MIKESCHAIR Interview
As the world looks in on Christianity today, they are looking for honesty and for sincerity. Too often, what they have found is hypocrisy in those who profess to be followers of Christ. As a new generation of bands hits the forefront in Christianity today, we are seeing a transparency that has never been seen before. MIKESCHAIR is one band who is definitely not afraid to openly discuss who they are, hoping that in their journey with the Lord, others may relate and come to know Him as well. MIKESCHAIR formed while they were students at Belmont University. The Lord has ...
Father of the Decade
As I began to consider this concept, I thought it would be fairly easy. After all, how many fathers are there in the world? There must be many that stand out. How much news has been reported in the last ten years? There must be great fathers among the reports. Soon after beginning my research, I realized this was going to be a difficult, if not impossible, task. There are fathers in the news alright. Recently there was Dr. Umaru Abdulmutallab, the father of Abdul Farouk Abdulmutallab, otherwise known as the "underpants bomber", or the "undergarments bomber", or something like that. He is ...
Interview – Phil Wickham
A few weeks ago, I took a silent retreat into the North Carolina wilderness to get alone with God and to allow him to speak to my heart. I took a copy of 1 cd on my ipod, Heaven and Earth which is Phil Wickham’s latest album that releases on November 17. God spoke to me in many ways through scripture but He allowed Phil’s music to bring me to a point of true worship. I sat down with Phil this morning to talk a little bit about who he is, his career and what inspires his songwriting abilities. History Q- Give ...
Jonny Diaz – Men of God Spotlight
Our God is a God of redirection. The Bible says in Proverbs 16:3, “Commit your works to the Lord and your plans will be established.” Many of us have planned out our lives, striving to be one thing, only to learn later that God wanted us somewhere else. When we make that commitment to the Lord, we see how God redirects the paths of our lives, leading us to where He always intended for us to be. Jonny Diaz learned this lesson from the Lord and learned that sometimes, that redirection isn’t the easiest thing to accept, but once you ...
Men of God Spotlight: Scott Brosius
At the end of the 1997 season, Scott Brosius wondered where his career was going. He had just completed his worst season in Oakland and now, he was hearing the trade rumors and contemplating where he would be next. God opened a door, one that Scott could not have imagined being opened before that time, reviving his career and providing Scott with a new platform and a new audience. His faith would grow as the Lord moved in so many ways. Scott Brosius is now the head baseball coach at his alma mater. He is in our Men of God spotlight ...
Author Archives | bbalvin
bbalvin - who has written 14 posts on Prodigal Magazine.
Brenton Balvin is a Starbucks-drinking, hockey-loving, father of three who lives in Northfield, MN. He spends the majority of his free time wrestling with his energetic kids or blogging about all the random stuff that pops into his head. He's looking forward to growing old with his beautiful wife and hopes to someday shoot 72 at Augusta National Golf Course.
It is about the Heart, not the Hemline.
There is a pastor on the West Coast who tells the tale of taking his wife clothes shopping. As the story goes, upon looking in their closet one day he came to the realization that all of his wife's outfits were older than their five children and stylistically challenged. Knowing that his wife would buy practical things for the home and special gifts for her children instead of purchasing anything new for herself, the man took it upon himself to set the stage for a material makeover. He decided his plan of attack would be taking his wife to dinner and then, after setting himself up on a chair in a clothing store fitting room, demanding that his lovely bride find all new clothes and spend lots and lots of money on herself buying them. Now at this point all the girls reading this are saying, "Wow, where do I find such a prince?" and all the guys are wondering, "What the heck is this dude doing? Do you know how many chicken wings he could have eaten with that cash!" Most people are probably in one of those two groups. But there is also a third group. This is the Don't-Spend-God's-Resources-on-Clothes group. Be honest, because I know you're out there. And what is ringing in your heads are the words of the Apostle Paul to his young apprentice Timothy. "...women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works." You're beside yourself that a so called "pastor" would so blatantly disregard the clear NT teaching and purchase costly attire for his wife. Am I right?
Continue reading...5 Ways to Exercise your Marriage muscle (not what you think)
Monday, November 17, 2008
So how do you exercise your marriage muscle? Here's 5 exercises you should incorporate into you marriage work-out. Some of the exercises are easier than others, but if done consistently, all of them will help you sculpt and tone your marriage muscle into something that will remain healthy and strong for a long time.
Continue reading...5 Tips for having Hard Conversations at Work
Thursday, November 6, 2008
By no means am I now a pro at this. Undoing 27 years of avoidance doesn’t happen overnight. Having corrective conversations with people is still a skill in my leadership repertoire that needs some development. No matter how many times I do it, when I know I’m going to sit an employee down and deliver a hard message, the fear monster from my past arises within me and tries to dissuade me from taking action. He works overtime, trying to persuade me to ignore the problem and avoid a confrontation. But following through on these situations is essential. It helps me develop the disciplinary edge that all great leaders have in some form and it holds employees accountable – all of which contributes to strong leadership and great results for the company. I consider myself on a leadership journey. If you are on a manager on leadership journey of your own, here are 5 tips for having those hard conversations with your employees.
Continue reading...Garage Sale Shopping Guide – Yes, Guys can do it too!
Monday, September 29, 2008
Fall is here and we are coming to the end of the Garage Sale season. My wife has been busy all summer and treats this time of year kind of like the postseason of NFL football. Intrigued and wanting to know more about what compels people to sift and sort through other peoples’ stuff, I [...]
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Tuesday, December 23, 2008
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