Category Archives: Economics

More on Generosity

Posted on December 14, 2009 by Richard Heyduck

Ran across this from Seth Godin’s new (free, online) book: When the economy tanks, it’s natural to think of yourself first. You have a family to feed a mortgage to pay. Getting more appears to be the order of business. … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Generosity, Immanuel Kant, Seth Godin | Leave a comment

Generosity

Posted on December 11, 2009 by Richard Heyduck

Our congregation has faced more financial challenges this year than we have in several years. While finishing our apportionments (the money United Methodist churches send to the general church for ministry beyond our own locale) was fairly easy for a … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Local church | 2 Comments

Clunkers

Posted on August 1, 2009 by Richard Heyduck

My cars don’t quite count as clunkers. Sure, all of them have over 100k miles. Sure, the newest of them is a 2000. Sure, the car I drive doesn’t get great mileage. But none of them are listed as clunkers. … Continue reading →

Posted in Current events, Economics | 1 Comment

Cult of Accountability

Posted on April 3, 2009 by Richard Heyduck

In his essay on the epistemological problems underlying the current economic crisis, Jerry Z. Miller refers to the “cult of accountability:” The cult of “accountability” was linked to key innovations that turned out to have unanticipated undersides. One was the … Continue reading →

Posted in church growth, Economics, Epistemology, Texas Annual Conference | Leave a comment

Foolish Spending

Posted on March 21, 2009 by Richard Heyduck

I’ve heard a lot about foolish spending lately. Most recently it’s million dollar bonuses at AIG. Before that it was a lavish executive retreat. A few months back it was an office bathroom renovation. Foolish spending is nothing new. A … Continue reading →

Posted in Current events, Economics | 1 Comment

My daughter is annoyed

Posted on March 19, 2009 by Richard Heyduck

I took my youngest child on a spring break trip to Washington. While there, the AIG bonus news was breaking (and breaking, and breaking) on every news outlet. She told me she was annoyed – more by the constant coverage … Continue reading →

Posted in AIG, Current events, Economics, Politics | Leave a comment

Tired

Posted on March 12, 2009 by Richard Heyduck

I’m tired. I believe that what we call the economy is (at least largely) a human institution. The markets and regional components of the economy are driven by human actions. Human actions are sometimes driven by the thoughts and feelings … Continue reading →

Posted in Barack Obama, Current events, Economics, Prayer | 3 Comments

Is it good to tell the truth?

Posted on February 12, 2009 by Richard Heyduck

/* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:”Table Normal”; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:””; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:”Times New Roman”;} /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:”Table Normal”; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:””; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; … Continue reading →

Posted in Current events, Economics, Leadership, Local church, Ministry | Leave a comment

A story of Economic hell

Posted on January 27, 2009 by Richard Heyduck

John Thain is in trouble for remodeling his office. Well, that’s not quite right. He’s in trouble for having other people remodel his office. Apparently the job was more than just a new end table, rug or paint job. Whatever … Continue reading →

Posted in Current events, Economics, Salvation | 1 Comment

Losing it all

Posted on January 16, 2009 by Richard Heyduck

It’s hard for me to imagine one man’s operation losing fifty billion dollars. The sums are beyond my comprehension. It reminds me of an illustration I used in a message several years ago. I said that if I kept working … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics | Leave a comment