Coram Deo ~

Looking at contemporary culture from a Christian worldview

Monthly Archives: August 2023


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FAITH AND WORK: Connecting Sunday to Monday

Faith and Work News ~ Links to Interesting Articles

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• More links to interesting articles
• The Top 10 Faith and Work Quotes of the Week
• Faith and Work Book Review ~ A Good Return: Biblical Principles for Work, Wealth and Wisdom by John C. Lennox
• Quotes from the book Agents of Flourishing: Pursuing Shalom in Every Corner of Society by Amy Sherman. Continue reading →


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Does God Value Your Work as Much as Those in “Full-Time Christian Work”?


Do you feel that the only work that really has value in God’s eyes is “full-time Christian work”, such as serving in the ministry as a pastor, or as a missionary? Do you feel that there is both “secular” and “sacred” or “religious” work, and that secular work is a necessary evil, just to pay the bills, support your family and church, but having no real value in God’s eyes? This “secular vs. sacred” view of work is a false one, though many people, if not most, believe it to be true. Hugh Whelchel, in his book How Then Should We Work, states that “Scripture teaches no separation between the secular and the sacred. No church-related work or mission is more spiritual than any other profession such as law, business, education, journalism, or politics”, or I would add any white or blue collar work, volunteering as a retiree, or being a stay-at-home Mom. God values our work, as long as we are doing work that is pleasing to Him. Continue reading →


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MUSIC REVIEWS and NEWS

Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs Live – Shane and Shane
****

The latest album from worship duo Shane and Shane (Shane Barnard and Shane Everett) was recorded live at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. The album was produced by Bryan Fowler with Shane Barnard, who also co-wrote each song. The album includes additional vocals from The Worship Initiative’s Davy Flowers, Aaron Williams, and John Marc Kohl, as well as Trenton Bell.
I really enjoyed this new live worship album, and it is one that I will revisit often. It is my favorite album of the first half of 2023.
Below are a few comments about each song:

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  • More of this review
  • Music News
  • Song of the Week Lyrics~ Our God Will Go Before Us – Keith & Kristyn Getty, Matt Boswell, and Matt Papa

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BOOK REVIEWS and NEWS


Forgive: Why Should I And How Can I? by Timothy Keller. Viking. 271 pages. 2022
****

Forgive the last book Tim Keller published before his death on May 19, 2023, is a thorough and practical treatment of all aspects of forgiveness. It is the best book I have read in some time and is sure to be among my favorite books of 2023. I am certain that it will be a book that I will want to revisit again in the future.
Keller tells us that the ultimate purpose of forgiveness is the restoration of community. He writes that the concept of forgiveness is central to the meaning of the Bible, and that human forgiveness is dependent on divine forgiveness. From the very beginning, the Christian church was remarkable for its emphasis on and practice of forgiveness and nonretaliation.
He then looks at the approaches to forgiveness that have emerged in our secular society (cheap grace, little grace, and no grace). He tells us that what these models have in common is the lack of any vertical dimension. They all contrast with the costly grace model of forgiveness assumed in the Bible, which has both a horizontal and vertical dimension to it. He adds that social media has only accelerated this movement toward a graceless culture.

Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:
BOOK REVIEWS ~ More of this review…
BOOK NEWS ~ Links to Interesting Articles
BOOK CLUB ~ Truths We Confess by  R.C. Sproul
I’M CURRENTLY READING…. Continue reading →


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What are Crucial Conversations?

For the past few years, I’ve had the pleasure of assisting one of the pastors at our church in leading a NXTGEN Pastors Cohort, comprised of seminary students, through a series of soft-skill modules. These modules cover subjects that they would not normally cover in their classes in seminary.
Recently, we went through the module on Crucial Conversations. Some of the material in the module came from the best-selling book Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High by Joseph Grenny, Kerry Patterson, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler and Emily Gregory. The original edition of the book was published in 2002 and it continues to be popular today, now in its third edition. I remember that it was the “hot” business book in the organization that I worked at not long after it was published, and participating in a Crucial Conversations book club.
The authors describe a “crucial conversation” as a discussion between two or more people where:

  1. The stakes are high
  2. Opinions differ
  3. Emotions run strong
  4. The outcome significantly impacts their lives and there is significant risk of negative consequences

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THIS & THAT: A Gathering of Favorite Articles and Quotes

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  • More interesting article links
  • Favorite Quotes of the Week

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FAITH AND WORK: Connecting Sunday to Monday

Faith and Work News ~ Links to Interesting Articles

  • How Can I Point to Christ When Work Gets Stressful? Miranda Carls responds to the question “It seems like challenges at work tend to bring out the differences between my faith and the faith (or lack thereof) of my colleagues. We recently had a tough situation with a difficult boss, and I could tell my reactions weren’t the norm in our office. I wanted to share my faith but also wanted to be sensitive to everyone’s heightened (and not always rational) emotions. How do I know when to share with my co-workers that my faith is informing my approach? And how can I do that well?”
  • Christians Can Guide the Transition to Working with AI. John Pletcher writes “What if instead we dare to view AI as another wonderful advancement flowing from the image of God in humans? After all, words and thoughtful proliferation of words were the Creator’s original ideas.”

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Reflections on an Integrating Faith and Work Class

I led a four-week class at our church addressing calling, vocation and integrating our faith and work. Using the Center for Faith and Work at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City as our model, we aimed to:

  1. Equip men and women of all backgrounds to develop and apply a worldview for work that better serves their profession and industry.
  2. Connect men and women within a field and across industries to inspire and challenge thinking and behavior with an aim towards personal and cultural flourishing.
  3. Mobilize men and women at large to become agents of change for the common good through existing and new institutions. Find the gift that work presents us: a place with the ability to renew hearts, communities and the world.

Each week, I would teach for half of the class, including reviewing a resource list handout (books, blogs, organizations and conferences on integrating faith and work). I shared my faith and work journey, what the Bible says about work and how I integrated my faith and work as a leader in a Fortune 50 IT department. The second half of the class was devoted to a panel discussion with representatives from the following groups: Continue reading →


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MUSIC REVIEWS and NEWS


Seven Psalms – Paul Simon

Seven Psalms by 81-year-old Paul Simon is unlike any album he’s released previously. The idea for the album, his fifteenth studio project, came to Simon in a series of dreams in 2019. Watch the trailer for the album here.
The album, which was released digitally as one long (33 minute) track, is meant to be listened to in its entirety, not as individual songs. The beautifully sounding album features Simon’s singing backed by his playing acoustic guitar, with other sounds (flutes, choral harmonies, bass harmonica, etc.) mixed in.
The album has a sense of a last testament from Simon, who is Jewish. It finds him preparing for death and hashing out belief and doubt. The opening song “The Lord” begins with:

I’ve been thinking about the great migration
Noon and night they leave the flock

And I imagine their destination
Meadow grass, jagged rock

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  • More of this review
  • Music News
  • Song of the Week Lyrics:  “Holy Forever” by Chris Tomlin

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BOOK REVIEWS and NEWS

What Comes After This Life? (Crucial Questions) by R.C. Sproul. Ligonier Ministries. 92 pages. 2023 
***

This is one of the newest booklets in R.C. Sproul’s Crucial Questions series, all of which are free in the digital edition. These booklets offer clear answers
to the most common and difficult questions about the Christian faith. In this volume, he examines what the Bible says about heaven and hell.
Sproul writes that death came as God’s judgment for sin. Every human being is a sinner and therefore has been sentenced to death. We are all waiting for the sentence to be carried out. The question then is what happens after death. For Christians, the penalty has been paid by Christ.

Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:
BOOK REVIEWS ~ More of this review…
BOOK NEWS ~ Links to Interesting Articles
BOOK CLUB ~ Truths We Confess by  R.C. Sproul
I’M CURRENTLY READING Continue reading →