Faith and Work News ~ Links to Interesting Articles
- Golfing for Jesus: A Conversation with Webb Simpson, U.S. Open Champion. On this episode of the Working with Dan Doriani podcast, Dan is joined by professional golfer Webb Simpson to talk about the pressures of playing golf on the PGA tour–playing in adverse conditions, facing intense pressure in the public eye, and being on the road, away from his family. Being a follower of Jesus influences every part of Webb’s game, from the longest drives to the shortest putts. On the course and off, Webb is looking to use his talents to influence his sphere of the world for God’s Kingdom.
- On Following Mediocre Leaders. Tim Challies writes “We must see and understand that it is not the skill of the leaders that gives them the right to call us to follow them. It’s not their ability. Not their track record. It’s their position.”
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 ~ Finish Line Leadership: Setting the Pace in Following Jesus by Dave Kraft
- Quotes from the book Working Blessedly Forever, Volume 1: The Shape of Marketplace Theology by R. Paul Stevens
- 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).
- Christian Ballet: A Conversation with Peggy Townes. Briarwood Ballet has been training girls and boys in classical ballet since 1980. Ballet Exaltion, the performing arm, has been performing around the world since 1993. On this episode of the Working with Dan Doriani podcast, Executive Director Peggy Baker Townes joins Dan to talk about ballet from a Christian perspective–dancing as a response to the King who made us, because He made us able to dance.
- How To Understand Our Vocations as Culture Makers. Jacqueline Isaacs writes “How can we know that our work is bringing glory to God when it doesn’t seem all that special?”
- Women & Work: Ask Us Anything. On this episode of the Women & Work Podcast, Courtney Moore and Missy Branch give life updates and answer these questions from listeners.
- Culture Making Brings Glory to God. Jacqueline Isaacs writes “No matter what your vocation is, what your interests or God-given talents are, you are making culture in small ways every day.”
- Find Purpose in Mundane Work. Miranda Carls responds to the question “As a low-level employee doing mundane tasks, how can I find purpose in my work?”
- How (and How Not) to Find Identity in Your Work. Paul Tripp writes “Work is the regular place where God calls you to be a good steward of the gifts, opportunities, and abilities he has given you. Since God has given you these gifts, you must exercise them in submission to his will and for the sake of his glory.”
- All labor is honorable. No one ever needs to be ashamed of an honest calling. Whether a potter or a gardener, or whatever else one’s occupation may be, the workman need never blush at the craft or toil by which he earns his honest wage. Charles Spurgeon
- Whatever work we have, the greatest joy about the job is that we get to be there with God. He has come to us. He is with us every day. Whatever we are doing, he is there. He will help us. He will turn it for our good. John Piper
- The pattern for work: rearranging the raw material of God’s creation in such a way that helps the world thrive and flourish. Tim Keller
- When we create we always start in the middle of things, we widen our eyes to how God is already at work. Michaela O’Donnell
- Real Work is a contribution to the good of all and not merely a means to one’s own advancement. Tim Keller
- Since we were made to glorify God, worship happens when someone is doing exactly what he or she was made to do. Andrew Peterson
- Work is one area where we show the world that Christ is our greatest treasure. John Piper
- When you have a leadership position, focus not on the power that comes with the position but on the people you have an opportunity to serve. Ken Blanchard
- How wonderful that the gospel works on every aspect of us—mind, will, and feelings—and enables us to both deeply appreciate the work of non-believers and yet aspire to work in unique ways as believers. Putting all of these aspects together, we see that being a Christian leads us to see our work not as merely a way to earn money, nor as primarily a means of personal advancement, but a truly a calling—to serve God and love our neighbor. Tim Keller
Finish Line Leadership: Setting the Pace in Following Jesus by Dave Kraft. GCD Books. 224 pages. 2024
***
I have enjoyed Dave Kraft’s previous three books and looked forward to reading this one. Dave is currently 84 years old, has fifty-five years of vocational Christian leadership experience, and is still passionate about developing, equipping and empowering the next generation of leaders in local churches.
This is a helpful book for leaders, particularly Christian leaders. At the end of each of the twenty-three chapters there are questions for reflection, discussion, and application. The author covers so much information in this book that it is helpful to go back over those sections after reading the book to determine what you want to work on to improve your leadership.
The author tells us that many leaders do not live, lead, and finish well because they focus too much on leading others and do not invest enough time in leading themselves. He tells us that we cannot lead others with integrity and credibility if we are not leading and modeling it in our lives.
Among the many topics covered in this book are spiritual disciplines, a life purpose, calling, vision, people pleasing, character, learning, values, dreamers, and implementers, hiring and firing, trust, meetings, decision making, healthy cultures, and difficult conversations.
This would be a good book to read and discuss with others, including a church leadership team.
Here are some of my favorite quotes from the book:
- Christian leadership starts with Jesus and ends with Jesus.
- What’s wonderful is when your calling and your job are one and the same, for this is where a sense of true fulfillment and godly satisfaction will be found.
- Every Christian and every Christian leader is saved to serve.
- A leader is a person who takes people from where they are to someplace else.
- Experience has taught me that more leaders disqualify themselves over character issues than competency issues.
- Being a person of character (who you actually are) is more important than reputation (who other people think you are).
- Leaders are learners. When you stop learning, you stop leading.
- Truly teachable leaders will not only allow, but also welcome others speaking into their lives—exhorting them, rebuking them, reproving them.
- An effective leader is asking more questions than giving more answers.
- Most leaders are traveling too fast and trying to do too much.
- One of the most important jobs of a leader is identifying, recruiting, and developing the next generation of leaders.
- Work done for the Savior should be the best we can do—there is no room for laziness, sloppiness, or mediocrity.
- Hire slowly and fire quickly is saying we should take ample time before bringing someone on, and when it is clear they need to go, don’t take an inordinate amount of time making the decision, as it hurts team morale and the person in question.
- I don’t think we need less meetings, but better meetings.
- A controlling leader is one of the most destructive forms of leadership.
- Readiness to risk failure is probably the attribute that separates good leaders from poor ones.
- Empowering people involves creating an atmosphere that frees them to be their best and do their best for the Savior.
- There are many things excellent leaders do and do well. Having difficult conversations has to be at the top of the list.
- A leader possesses the ability to see a better future and motivate people to travel there.
- You can’t lead or develop people if you don’t care for them, and you can’t lead or develop people if you only care—all three are critical.
Faith and Work Book Club – Won’t you read along with us?
This week we look at Chapter 1: Doing Marketplace Theology from Above. Here are a few helpful quotes from the chapter:
- I offer an adaptation of Perkins’s cryptic definition as follows: Marketplace theology is the science of working blessedly forever.
- Positively, marketplace theology engages the whole of biblical theology in the understanding, practicing, and spirituality of work, the worker, and the workplace.
- Marketplace theology engages the Triune God as the ultimate worker and humankind made in God’s image as co-Creators or sub-Creators to work and worship in community.
- We do marketplace theology with head, heart, and hands.
- The integrating theme of marketplace theology is the kingdom of God.
- Consequentially, marketplace theology needs to be done from “top down” and “bottom up.”
- “Top down” or “from above” means starting with the revelation of God and God’s purpose in Scripture and the tradition of the church. But we will apply it in life.
- But “bottom up” or “from below” means beginning with practice through using case studies, work experiences, and workplace situations as the starting point, not just the endpoint.
- “Bottom up” theology could partially be crafted through narrative and story, seeing the intersection of the divine story with our own stories. This is what is called theological reflection.
- But “from below” theology does in fact depend on “from above” which primarily through Scripture and biblical theology provides perspective, correction, and inspiration.