Valentines Day is great if you’re not lonely. But I am fully aware that it isn’t enjoyed by everyone. Yes, I’ve been happily married for 24 years but I still remember a few years, before I met my wife, when Valentines Day was not something I looked forward too. There were some years, when it was a scramble to ‘have a date’, and when I failed, I ended up watching a basketball game with my friends. And there were some years that I did get a date but then wished I had instead, watched a basketball game with my friends.

     I also remember the years after my father passed away, how lonely my mom was. My dad was a farmer but always cleaned up on Valentines Day and took my mom out to a steak house. There were a couple of years, that I took her out for lunch on Valentines Day, just knowing she missed him. And more recently, these last few years, I’ve had friends and family with loved ones overseas in the military. Skype is nice but is not the same as them being here.

     As a pastor,...

      Some may recognize this phrase from the story of the prodigal son from the Gospel of Luke in the Bible. The young man in the story asked for his inheritance in advance and took off to the big city where he soon began to have a good time with lots of friends. But when the money ran out, so did his friends and he ended up working for food on a pig farm. We Iowans should be able to relate to that.

     The main point of this parable that Jesus told was, of course, a message of forgiveness. The young man eventually “came to himself”, realized his mistakes, returned to his father and repented of his sin and was welcomed home. And though I simply love that primary point of the parable and preach that theme throughout the year at my church, there’s also some very practical lessons concerning our finances in the parable too. 

     So what can we learn to help us in 2012? I find several things. First, don’t insist on having it all now. The young man in the story couldn’t stand to have something that...