Faith and Work News ~ Links to Interesting Articles

• Moses Questioned His Calling – What About You? Russ Gehrlein shares part one of a two-part article that will explore the long conversation Moses had with God at the burning bush.
• Mere Christians: Mike Sharrow. On this episode of the Mere Christians podcast, Jordan Raynor visits with Mike Sharrow about how to create “mini–Bema Seat moments” to judge your work before God does.
• Called to Lead. My book Called to Lead: Living and Leading for Jesus in the Workplace is available in both a paperback and Kindle edition. Read a free sample (Introduction through Chapter 2).
• Carry Your Faith Into All of Life. Terence Chatmon writes “Faith in the workplace is a non-negotiable. We are called to work and live a fully integrated and balanced life. There should be no sacred and secular divide or split in living out our faith in the workplace and life.

Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:

• More links to interesting articles
• The Top 10 Faith and Work Quotes of the Week
• Faith and Work Book Review ~ Women & Work: Bearing God’s Image and Joining in His Mission through our Work, edited by Courtney Moore
• Quotes from the book Working in the Presence of God: Spiritual Practices for Everyday Work by Denise Daniels and Shannon Vandewarker

• A Frank Discussion About Failure. Russ Gehrlein writes “It is important to know what to do when we are confronted with failures because of one simple truth: We will fail. Christians are not exempt from failure.”
• Translating Your Christian Convictions for a Secular Workplace. Jeff Haanen shares this helpful excerpt from his book Working from the Inside Out: A Brief Guide to Inner Work That Transforms Our Outer World.
• A Biblical Perspective About Obedience at Work. Hugh Whelchel writes “Our obedience in the long haul, even in the most mundane area of our work, not only provides a sense of joy, but is also what God uses to give our work great satisfaction and significance.”
• Retirement: Production or Consumption (or Both)? Judy Allen writes “I desire to have purpose, to have a meaningful reason to get up every morning, to understand, explore, and communicate, to love my family and friends and everyone I run into, and to do it all to the glory of God.”
• Mere Christians: Ruth Chou Simons. On this episode of the Mere Christians podcast, Jordan Raynor visits with Ruth Chou Simons about how to be content and strive at the same time.
• Work and Family. This sermon was preached by Tim Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on January 22, 2012 from the series A Study of Ephesians: Who is the Church? Scripture: Ephesians 6:1-9.

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Top 10 Faith and Work Quotes of the Week

• The quality of our work speaks volumes about our characters, and it will either point people toward or away from our Lord Jesus Christ. Russ Gehrlein
• True greatness consists, not in receiving, but in giving,—not in selfish absorption of good things, but in imparting good to others, – not in being served, but in serving, – not in sitting still and being ministered to, but in going about and ministering to others. J.C. Ryle
• No sacrifice is more pleasing to God than when every man applies himself diligently to his own calling. John Calvin
• I know of only one factor that separates those who consistently shine from those who don’t. The difference between average people and achieving people is their perception and response to failure. John Maxwell
• To know why you work, you must discover your unique strengths and then spend the rest of your working days offering those strengths to your employer. That is what you are designed to do. Cheryl Bachelder
• Your vocation is the unique way in which God has chosen you to fit into his great plan. William Boekestein
• When done for the right reasons, work is virtuous and praiseworthy. Elyse Fitzpatrick
• All work done unto the glory of God is kingdom work and is valuable in His sight. Courtney Powell
• He made you in His image to work for His glory. You work for Him alone and for His pleasure. Courtney Reissig

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FAITH AND WORK BOOK REVIEW:
Women & Work: Bearing God’s Image and Joining in His Mission through our Work, edited by Courtney Moore. B&H Books. 208 pages. 2023
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I have a passion for helping others to understand that their work has value and how to integrate their faith with their work. This is a book which was written for women, but I also found to be helpful. The book, edited by Courtney Moore, includes contributions from eleven writers, two of whom I’ve read books from – Courtney Reissig’s Glory in the Ordinary: Why Your Work in the Home Matters to God, and Joanna Meyer’s Women, Work, and Calling: Step into Your Place in God’s World.
Each of the chapters feature helpful reflection questions to help you go deeper into what that chapter discussed. Courtney Moore states in the “Conclusion”: “May your work and your life be an offering to God as worship, and may you leverage your unique potential for His glory.”
This would be a good book for women to read and discuss together.

Here are a few helpful quotes from each of the contributors:
Introduction: Courtney Moore

• Whatever vocation God has called you to is now sacred work, carried out in a body that is meant to be offered to Him every moment of every day.
• You, as a woman, have been given unique skills, talents, passions, and influence that God requires you to steward well, even through your work.

The Creation Mandate, Great Commission, and Your Work: Elyse Fitzpatrick

• When done for the right reasons, work is virtuous and praiseworthy.
• The work we’re doing today will somehow bring God’s glorious kingdom to this earth and we’ll rejoice in it forever.

Image-Bearing and Your Good Works: Missie Branch

• We have been crafted for work. Good work. His work.
• As God’s image-bearers, the good work we do every day becomes a beautiful display of God’s artistry.

Am I Called?: Courtney Powell

• All work done unto the glory of God is kingdom work and is valuable in His sight.
• There is not an indicator in all of Scripture that a paid ministry position is of higher value than a faithful believer whose work is outside of the church.

You Are What You Do. Or Are You?: Jen Oshman

• We are to work in such a way that people see our Father in heaven in all that we do.
• Let us work in such a way that we bring Him glory, not ourselves.

Bodies of Work: Hannah Anderson

• Whatever work God calls us to do will happen in and through our bodies.
• Our bodies are part of how God reveals our callings in His kingdom.

Don’t Waste Your Gifts: Portia Collins

• How determined are you to faithfully complete the work He has placed in front of you with excellence, working as unto Him even when you don’t feel like it?
• From the garden to the grave, God has purposed our work over His creation, and humility is a necessary vehicle for the excellent steward.

Motherhood and the Mission of God: Courtney Reissig

• Whether you’re in the home or outside the home, work with everything you’ve got, like God is sitting right next to you cheering you on. That’s the call for moms in their work.
• He made you in His image to work for His glory. You work for Him alone and for His pleasure.

The Grief and Grace of an Unexpected Career: Joanna Meyer

• At some point in each of our lives, we will experience grief in our professional or relational roles. Knowing how to navigate these seasons won’t eliminate the pain, but will help you trust God through your suffering.
• Christ, the carpenter and Savior, understands the circumstances you face and will use your work to shape you into the woman He wants you to be.

Healthy Relationships between Men and Women in the Workplace: Faith Whatley

• Make it a daily habit to lift up your coworkers and know them well enough that you know how to pray specifically for them.
• Healthy working relationships between men and women are not only possible, but they are a beautiful picture of God’s command to subdue the earth, honoring God together.

Developing and Growing Your Gifts: Amy Whitfield

• Our gifts and talents, our desires and loves, are all for something bigger than ourselves—specifically, His kingdom purposes.
• All work is kingdom work, and when He develops us, it is ultimately for His purposes.

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Faith and Work Book Club – Won’t you read along with us?

Working in the Presence of God: Spiritual Practices for Everyday Work

We are reading Working in the Presence of God: Spiritual Practices for Everyday Work by Denise Daniels and Shannon Vandewarker. This book was recommended by the Nashville Institute for Faith + Work.
The Amazon description of the book reads in part:
“How do we invite God into our everyday lives? Working in the Presence of God discusses the incorporation of spiritual disciplines into the ordinary rhythms of everyday experience. God is already present and active, so by becoming aware of workday rhythms and focusing on where various spiritual practices might be implemented in our jobs, we can be transformed into Christ’s likeness through our work.”

This week we look at Chapter 7: Confession at Work. Here are a few helpful quotes from the chapter:

• Confession in relationships, work, and our vocations is a central practice to being a disciple in the workplace.
• Confession is the tool God uses over and over again to grow us, to shape our character, and to make us into the likeness of Christ.
• The more we guard our own worth, power, and prestige, the less we are likely to confess the places where we have contributed to the brokenness of our work.