We were grilling a feast of teriyaki chicken by the pool, with a pot of rice and enough watermelon to feed an army. It was starting to become our routine—overcooking food, that is, not necessarily the teriyaki—though we did love that sweet, tangy glaze over a plate of...
I was at a missions meeting recently with the new Executive Director of the agency we have worked with for decades. He said something sobering I have been chewing on for a month now. I’ll paraphrase: “I have a short window here in this job. Really, we all have short...
So I decided to lean in. I discovered her favorite drink and occasionally blessed her with it. I jumped in to carry packages when the pile threatened to topple over. I made sure her boss knew when she quietly went above and beyond. And when the stress finally spilled...
Back in 2006, I worked in international finance. Yes, right at the beginning of the economic collapse. And yes, at a company you would recognize. (It’s gone now. That tells you everything you need to know.) Company culture was hypercharged, mostly due to the Loan...
I sat behind a young couple at church this week—missionaries I’ve known for nearly a decade. They serve in one of the darkest, most difficult corners of the world. And they don’t go alone. They’re raising a crew of kids in this difficult field! Yet not one of them...
I’m Not a Crook I was twelve when I picked up All the President’s Men. Two reporters. A break-in at the Watergate Hotel. A secret source. The President of the United States on the other end of the trail. I was hooked. Maybe it was all those Scooby-Doo reruns. Or maybe...
https://www.thestonetable.org/wp-content/uploads/ai-text-to-speech/post-27285-eV-the-switchbacks-of-life-finding-gods-purpose-in-the-detours.mp3 A younger couple I’ve known since they were teens bought a horse farm in Colorado. When I pulled up the first time, I...
“Bill, you’re kind of like a bowling ball in a china shop.” “Excuse me?” (clutching my imaginary pearls) “You get results. Big ones. But you plow through people along the way—especially your own team.” That was Nate, my boss at the time. Not angry, not cruel. Just...
We just dropped my son at Taylor University for his junior year of college. It’s our third year of doing this and he’s only 90 minutes away, but this year adds a brand-new twist: My wife and I are returning to a completely empty nest. Well, almost. We still have two...
At the height of our real estate business, we had over 80 employees and managed more than 2,200 apartment units. We weren’t massive by industry standards, but we were responsible for about 5,000 residents on any given day. I’m so proud of our team and the faithful...
What does your work really mean to God? At the Christian Business Breakfast, Erik Cooper unpacks the third pillar of the Missional Marketplace framework: Work and the Great Commandment. Too often we look to our careers for identity, security, and fulfillment—turning...
Business is more than profit—it’s about purpose. In this video, Erik Cooper, president of The Stone Table, shares how his family’s business journey led to the founding of CRF (Community Reinvestment Foundation) and ultimately The Stone Table. What started as one...
From the famous (but maybe misattributed) “shoemaker quote” to Tim Keller’s wisdom on calling, this video explores how the gospel redefines work. Whether you’re leading worship or leasing apartments, your job can be an act of worship when rooted in Jesus’ finished...