Faith and Work News ~ Links to Interesting Articles

• Mere Christians: Denise Daniels. On this episode of the Mere Christians podcast, Jordan Raynor visits with Dr. Denise Daniels, author of Religion in a Changing Workplace, about hard data showing how to talk about faith at work.
• Mere Christians: Shannon Doss. On this episode of the Mere Christians podcast, Jordan Raynor visits with social worker Shannon Doss about how obedience in the “little things” is non-verbal evangelism to the lost.
• Mere Christians: Mark Shrime. On this episode of the Mere Christians podcast, Jordan Raynor visits with Dr. Mark Shrime, Chief Medical Officer for Mercy Ships, about avocations, career discernment, and working for the least of these.
• A Leader Worth Following. My new book A Leader Work Following: 40 Key Leadership Attributes and Applications to Masteris available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle editions. Read a sample of the book (found under the book cover in the above link).

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 ~ Every Moment Holy Volume III: The Work of the People by Douglas McKelvey and Ned Bustard (Illustrator)
• 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).
• God’s Presence in the Life of Daniel. Russ Gehrlein writes “Let me share a few observations about Daniel, tell a story of another modern man of faith whom I met, look at how God’s presence makes a difference where I work, then see how that all might apply to your life.”
• God’s Will For Your Work. In this video, Jordan Raynor asks “Which job should I take? What goals is God calling me to pursue in my business? Has God closed the door on this opportunity for good? All of these are variations of the same question: What is God‘s will for my work?”
• How to Pray When You Hate Your Job. Tom Nelson writes “We may deeply struggle with our work, our workplaces, and the fellow image bearers we encounter in our vocational responsibilities. Yet it is in and through our jobs that we are called to provide for our material needs, to worship God, to be spiritually formed, to incarnate and proclaim the gospel and indwell common grace for the common good.”
• What is Sacred Work? Russ Gehrlein writes “What I intend to do in this discussion is to take a fresh look at breaking down the sacred-secular divide. I have a new idea that may cause us to think a little deeper about this critical topic in the theology of work.”
• The Malady of Aspiration: A Conversation with Clay Smith, Pastor. On this episode of the WORKING with Dan Doriani podcast, Clay Smith, a previous finance professional turned pastor, joins Dan to talk about how God’s Word not only encourages our work but also puts limits on it. Dan and Clay dive deep into the temptations we face and examples of how we can resist them.
• How Do We Care For Our Teammates at Work? Russ Gehrlein writes “As we engage with those whom we work, we may see unexpected “divine appointments” to love our neighbor in practical ways.”
• 4 Timeless Themes to Guide Women’s Work. Joanna Meyer leads this breakout session from the 2024 Center for Faith & Work Los Angeles Annual Conference.

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Top 10 Faith and Work Quotes of the Week

• God doesn’t always call us to particular tasks because we are naturally able, but because he is able. Paul Tripp
• Our work will last, and we will work in the new heaven and new earth. Paul Stevens
• The phrase ‘working for the weekend’ ordinarily expresses a view of work as a necessary evil, but God put work into the Garden of Eden, so work must be an enormous good, something that fits and fulfills part of our design. The phrase also may mean working just for the money necessary to enjoy yourself in your leisure time. But work throughout the Bible is seen as service—service to God and our neighbor. Tim Keller
• The Sabbath ought to be treasured for what it is: a gift of a day on which we enjoy, uninterrupted by leisure commitments or (if at all possible) by employment, the privilege of God’s presence, the study of God’s word, and the fellowship of God’s people. Alistair Begg
• No work is insignificant. All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence. Martin Luther King, Jr.
• When you answer God’s call to use your gifts in work, whether by making clothes, practicing law, tilling the field, mending broken bodies, or nurturing children, you are participating in God’s work. Hugh Whelchel
• If we take our meaning in life from our family, our work, a cause, or some achievement other than God, they enslave us. Tim Keller
• Work isn’t supposed to be fraught with so much disappointment and despair. God designed work to be a delight. Meryl Herr
• Through our daily work, in whatever form it takes, we have been entrusted with a corner of creation that awaits God’s loving influence. Joanna Meyer

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FAITH AND WORK BOOK REVIEW:
Every Moment Holy Volume III: The Work of the People by Douglas McKelvey and Ned Bustard (Illustrator). Every Moment Holy. 432 pages. 2023
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I read and enjoyed the 2017 book Every Moment Holy, Volume I: New Liturgies for Daily Life. In this third volume of Every Moment Holy books, subtitled The Work of the People, you will find liturgies for use in a number of different ways. Some prayers are written with the intent of daily or routine recitation, and others are for use on special, memorable, difficult, or even tragic occasions. The prayers included in the “Liturgies of the Moment” section are designed for memorization so that they can be recalled at need. It is hoped that the liturgies in this book, no matter how they are used, will serve as prayers to encourage readers in practicing mindfulness of the constant presence of God and will draw them toward greater recognition of the eternal echoes resounding in every moment of our lives. This third volume was conceived as an explicit labor of community from beginning to end. The prayers offer spiritual reflections for everyday life. I especially appreciated the liturgies of labor and vocation.
More than sixty authors, poets, and songwriters were invited to contribute original prayers, and seven artists were invited to create the accompanying prints. Bible verses accompany the liturgies.
The book is divided into the following sections:

Invocation

• Liturgies of Labor & Vocation
• Liturgies of Creation & Recreation
• Liturgies of Blessing & Celebration
• Liturgies of Petition & Provision
• Liturgies of Sorrow & Lament
• Liturgies of the Moment
• Benediction

The book includes short bios of the contributing writers and artists. Among the writers were: Augustine, Francis of Assisi, Malcom Guite, Ellie Holcomb, Sandra McCracken, Fernando Ortega, Andrew Peterson, Dorothy Sayers, and Philip Yancy.

It’s likely that not all of the prayers will be appropriate for your particular situation. In that case, you can just skip those that aren’t appropriate for you. Overall, this would be an excellent book to add to your daily devotional reading.

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Faith and Work Book Club – Won’t you read along with us?
We are reading through Working Blessedly Forever, Volume 1: The Shape of Marketplace Theology by R. Paul Stevens. In this volume, the first of three, Stevens explores the shape of marketplace theology, its posture and methodology. Marketplace theology is the science of working blessedly forever.

This week we look at Chapter 5: The Practice of Work – The Handiness of Theological Learning. Here are a few helpful quotes from this chapter:

• I discovered that God gives us joy in work, that God wants us to see the results of our work.
• Management is a practical way to love. It provides the infrastructure whereby people can thrive.
• Every culture has its unique expectations of leadership and service which may or may not permit the servant leader to function.
• I learned that the theology of work is good for the body and the soul,
• I learned that finding one’s calling to the workplace is a lifetime process rather than a one-time word from God.
• I learned that it is important not to leave work prematurely.
• You can only learn about yourself, and God’s purpose for your work, by an extensive commitment to a particular work.
• I learned that God gives approval and delights in your work that is well done because it is done for him even when people do not acknowledge that you are doing the work of the Lord.
• Any work, and not especially religious or church work, is an arena for spiritual growth.