Faith and Work News ~ Links to Interesting Articles

• Katherine Alsdorf, Author, Former Executive Director of Redeemer’s Center for Faith and Work. Katherine Alsdorf has been at the forefront of the Faith and Work movement since she joined Redeemer’s Center for Faith and Work in 2002. Prior to her work for Redeemer, she spent years leading various firms in tech and entrepreneurial spaces in Silicon Valley and New York City. She co-authored Every Good Endeavor with Tim Keller in 2012. On this episode of the Working with Dan Doriani podcast, Katherine joins Dan to discuss her career in hi-tech, her perspective on Faith and Work, and some of the unique challenges women face in the workplace.
• More Biblical Guidelines About You and Your Boss (Part 2). Russ Gehrlein shares Part 2 of a two-part article which was developed from an excerpt from his excellent book, Immanuel Labor – God’s Presence in our Profession.
• Mere Christians: Kathy Keller. On this episode of the Mere Christians podcast, Jordan Raynor visits with Kathy Keller. Among the topics they discuss is how to die wishing you had spent more time at the office.

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 ~ The Shepherd’s Toolbox: Advancing Your Church’s Shepherding Ministry edited by Timothy Witmer
• Quotes from the book Working in the Presence of God: Spiritual Practices for Everyday Work by Denise Daniels and Shannon Vandewarker

• 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).
• Jonathan Barlow, Associate Director of the Data Science Center at MSU, on Faith and AI. Should you be concerned about AI negatively impacting your workplace, home, school, or church? Dr. Jonathan Barlow holds degrees in philosophy and theology, and he currently works as the Associate Director of the Data Science Center at Mississippi State University. On this episode of the Working with Dan Doriani podcast, Dr. Barlow joins Dan to talk about Artificial intelligence–what it does well, where it comes up short, and ways we can use it with caution and wisdom.
• The Value of Work & Picking Blueberries. Russ Gehrlein writes “The quality of our work speaks volumes about our character and will either point people towards or away from our Lord Jesus Christ.”
• Celebrating the Workers God Uses to Help us Celebrate the Holiday. Russ Gehrlein writes “God works through His people in the “already, but not yet” window of time in-between Jesus’s first and second comings to make holiday celebrations special. This work enables us to catch a glimpse of the kinds of celebrating we will do for all eternity.”
• You Already Work a Christian Job. William Boekestein shares three things that are necessary to enjoy a true calling from God.
• Christopher Frost on Being a Trial Lawyer and a Christian. Christopher Frost is a trial lawyer and an elder in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). He joins Dan Doriani to talk about trial law, which isn’t (usually) like what we see on TV. In this episode of the Working with Dan Doriani podcast, Christopher explains how his faith challenges him to honor everyone, advocate for his clients, and uphold the truth even when the stakes are high.
• 1 Thessalonians on Work: For the Glory of God and the Good of Our Brother. Patrick Quinn writes “What does the gospel of Jesus Christ have to do with our work? In only four verses Paul shows something beautiful: the gospel frees us to work for the glory of God and the good of our brother.”
• Reclaiming Our Work. Jeff Haanen writes “If we want to live a full, happy life, we’ll have to find ladders to climb out of this damp, dark
  hole we’ve found ourselves in. To do that, we first need to re-establish the value of work Itself.”

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Top 10 Faith and Work Quotes of the Week

• If you have been given authority – whether as a parent, a teacher, a government official, or a small group leader – it is something God gave to you, and God holds you fully responsible for what you do with it. You now must, as much as possible, represent Him in your leadership. Tim Keller
• Being a person of character (who you actually are) is more important than reputation (who other people think you are). Dave Kraft
• Our daily work can be a calling only if it is reconceived as God’s assignment to serve others. Tim Keller
• Sabbath is that uncluttered time and space in which we can distance ourselves from our own activities enough to see what God is doing. Eugene Peterson
• Whatever you do for Christ, throw your whole soul into it. Do not give Christ a little halfhearted labor, done as a matter of course every now and then; but when you serve Him, do it with heart and soul and strength. Charles Spurgeon
• Mission includes our secular vocations, not just church ministry. Tim Keller
• Your work is your mission field, and because of that there is a God-given dignity in what you do. Bryan Chapell
• All labor is honorable. No one ever needs to be ashamed of an honest calling. The Word of God does not disparage the humblest calling. Charles Spurgeon
• We may retire from our paycheck, but we never retire from work. We never retire from the privilege and responsibility of neighborly love. Tom Nelson

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FAITH AND WORK BOOK REVIEW:

The Shepherd’s Toolbox: Advancing Your Church’s Shepherding Ministry edited by Timothy Witmer. P&R Publishing. 152 pages. 2023
*** ½

One of the best books I have read recently has been Timothy Witmer’s 2010 book The Shepherd Leader. Witmer states that since the release of that book, faithful leaders have put its principles into practice and, more importantly, have addressed some of the challenges of establishing a shepherding strategy. This new book contains some of the best practices that have arisen in overcoming some of the thornier obstacles facing those who are committed to shepherding their flocks.
I really appreciated each of the chapters from the contributors of this book. The chapters focus on unique aspects of shepherding, including the role of women, technology, small groups, and church planters. Each chapter also includes a “User Guide” and “For Further Reflection” section. There is a list of “Recommended Resources” included at the end of the book. This book would be helpful for anyone wanting to establish or improve a shepherding program in their church.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes from the book:

• When we as elders consider what motivates us to shepherd the flock, we must remember that it is Christ who has called us to serve in this office. Timothy Witmer
• It is mandatory for every member to know who their shepherding elder is so they can call him in an emergency. Ken Jones
• We want the shepherds to know the members who have been assigned to their flocks and want the members to know their shepherds. Gary L. Smith
• We ask each shepherd team to contact each member of their flock at least once every quarter. Gary L. Smith
• Our leadership adopted the aspirational goal that we will know every member of our church and care for every need within the church. John Barrett
• We assigned families not only to the elders of our church but also to the deacons. John Barrett
• We have also expanded our shepherding coverage by training qualified women to become part of the care team within each parish. John Barrett
• Shepherds must know and care for the sheep the Lord has entrusted to them. Randy Schlichting
• Churches often find it difficult to establish a shepherding system that submits to sound doctrine while including women. The solution is for church leadership to commission women to proactively and protectively shepherd other women in the church, alongside the shepherding elders. Sue Harris

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

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 conclude our review of the book as we look at Chapter 11 Sabbath: Ceasing from Work. Here are a few helpful quotes from the chapter:

• Many Christians have adopted Sunday as a Sabbath day, because it is a day that memorializes Jesus’ resurrection.
• The scriptural idea of the Sabbath involves one twenty-four-hour period during which we set aside productive work and create space for rest, worship, and play.
• In observing the Sabbath, we do not run away from our work, but we cease letting it dictate our lives.
• The Sabbath provides time to reflect on God’s goodness: to recognize your blessings, and to be content in your circumstances.
• Perhaps most obviously, the Sabbath allows us a day to focus attention on our relationship with God.
• Worship should not be divorced from our work: in fact, we should offer up our work to God.
• The Sabbath is an opportunity for us to stop—to rest from our work, reflect on God’s goodness, and engage in relationship with others and with God.