Faith and Work News ~ Links to Interesting Articles

• Resist the Peer Pressure of a Secular Job. Miranda Carls responds to the question “Since I started working in a secular environment, I have started struggling as a Christian. Help!”
• 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).
• Why You Should Use Your Annual Review to Check for Mission Drift. Joshua Nangle writes “Mission drift is one of the greatest threats for Christian leaders and organizations. Whether in church ministry, compassion ministry, or the corporate world, leaders will regularly fight the temptation to become focused on things—even good things—that are not in alignment with the organization’s primary purpose.”
• Three Models of Serving. Russ Gehrlein writes “No matter what our primary motivation is for serving or performing acts of mercy, it is all for His glory.”

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 ~ What You’re Made For: Powerful Life Lessons from My Career in Sports by George Raveling and Ryan Holiday
• Quotes from the book Creation Regained: Biblical Basis for a Reformational Worldviewby Albert Wolters

• Leading with Joy When Work Isn’t Working. Michaela O’Donnell writes “Joy at work is not the norm. U.S. employee engagement is at a 10-year low. The bottom line: Work isn’t working for everyone.”
• Work and the Meaning of Life. On this episode of the Gospelbound podcast, David Bahnsen, author of Full-Time: Work and the Meaning of Life, joins Collin Hansen.
• 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).
• Sanctification, Resolutions & Becoming Who God Made You to Be. Hugh Whelchel writes “We all want to find what is really important in life. As we look forward to a new year and consider our goals and New Year’s resolutions, how many of them are built around what we want to accomplish instead of who we want to become? In which approach do we find meaning and significance?”
• IFWE’s To+-p Ten Blogs for 2025. Jacqueline Isaacs shares the top ten blog posts from IFWE in 2025, including two from our friend Russ Gehrlein.

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Top 10 Faith and Work Quotes of the Week

• Our daily work can be a calling only if it is reconceived as God’s assignment to serve others. Tim Keller  
• Leadership isn’t simply what happens when you’re there. It’s also what happens when you’re not there. Ken Blanchard
• Whether our work is paid or not paid, our work is to glorify God, honor others, and add value to their lives. Tom Nelson
• 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
• Your work is your mission field, and because of that there is a God-given dignity in what you do. Bryan Chapell
• 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
• Whatever you do for God’s glory and the good of others—big or small—matters for eternity. Jordan Raynor
• If faithfulness to God is not our measure of success, then the world’s expectations will become our standard. Bryan Chapell

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FAITH, WORK AND LEADERSHIP BOOK REVIEW:
What You’re Made For: Powerful Life Lessons from My Career in Sports by George Raveling and Ryan Holiday. Portfolio. 223 pages. 2025
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George Raveling was a college basketball player and coach. He played for the Villanova Wildcats, and was the men’s head coach for the Washington State Cougars, Iowa Hawkeyes, and USC Trojans. He is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. After retiring from coaching, he became an executive at Nike. He recently passed away from cancer, at age 88, just a few months after this book was published.

While not a memoir, Raveling weaves in aspects of his life story in this enjoyable book of leadership and life lessons. He tells us that the book is an exploration of purpose and meaning. It is stories and lessons to inspire, to challenge, and to provoke thought about the roles we are each called to play in this complex, beautiful life. He invites the reader to confront the whys of your existence, to question what it means to live a life of intention and meaning, to ask you were made for.

Raveling had quite a life. He was the first person in his family to go to college, receiving a basketball scholarship to Villanova University, where he was only the second Black player in the program’s history. He stood alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington, and after he delivered his historic “I Have a Dream” speech, Dr. King handed him his typewritten notes. He was the first Black basketball coach at Villanova, the University of Maryland, Washington State University, and the University of Iowa. He coached Olympic gold medal teams and Hall of Fame players.

In this book he shares lessons on being a trailblazer, listening, wisdom, reading, hope, marriage, service, relationships, family, truth-telling, reaching your outer limits, truth telling, being a positive difference maker, being a blessing, legacy, a coaching tree, being an answer, and stewardship.

Below are 20 helpful quotes from the book:

• You have to be willing to dream big. You have to allow yourself to believe that you were made for something special, something unique, something that only you can bring into this world. You have to let yourself hear that still, quiet voice within, the one that whispers of a higher calling, a greater contribution.
• In life, it doesn’t really matter why you get an opportunity, only what you do with it.
• Sometimes, the path forward requires us to see beyond the limitations of our past experiences; to imagine possibilities that our history might tell us are impossible.
• True success doesn’t come from following the crowd, but from daring to be different, to see opportunities where others see obstacles.
• Find something that’s underappreciated, not being addressed, or being overlooked, and get really good at it.
• Success isn’t about comparing yourself to others or trying to be something you’re not. It’s about finding your unique path, your special contribution, and giving it your all.
• The skill of listening—real, active, engaged listening—is more crucial than ever. It’s a skill that can set you apart in a world where everyone is clamoring to be heard.
• Wisdom doesn’t always come to you—you have to seek it out, sometimes in the most unlikely of places.
• Every day is an opportunity to expand your mind, challenge your beliefs, and grow in ways you never thought possible.
• Our struggles give meaning to our triumphs.
• Life isn’t about avoiding challenges—it’s about embracing them.
• The struggles you’re enduring now are shaping you, preparing you for something greater. They’re not obstacles to be avoided, but opportunities for growth.
• Forgiveness, resilience, and the willingness to move forward—these are the cornerstones not just of a strong marriage, but of any strong team.
• Success in any endeavor, whether personal or professional, requires a support system. You need to surround yourself with people who uplift you, challenge you, and help you grow.
• The most caring thing you can do for someone is to tell them the truth, even when it’s not the truth they want to hear.
• Winning the day isn’t about grand strategies or long-term plans. It’s about what you do today, right now, to be better than you were yesterday. The true test of greatness isn’t just in achieving success but in sustaining it.
• In any field, the people who truly excel are those who commit to excellence in their daily habits, who push themselves to grow and improve even when—especially when—no one else is watching.
• Winning the day, I’ve learned, is about making tough choices. It’s about having the discipline to say no to the things that don’t align with your values and vision, in order to say yes to the things that do.
• Success isn’t just about reaching our goals; it’s about turning back and helping others along the way.
• Our greatest achievements are not just our own successes, but the successes of those we’ve mentored and the lives they go on to touch.

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Faith and Work Book Club – Won’t you read along with us?
Creation Regained: Biblical Basis for a Reformational Worldview by Albert Wolters

This book is recommended by the Center for Faith & Work. They write:

“Few contemporary books have been cited as often by those who are writing about taking up callings and vocations faithfully. This serious little book walks us through the key Biblical themes of the goodness of creation, the seriousness of the fall into sin, the decisive redemption gained by Christ, and the implications of working out the promised hope for a creation-wide restoration. With the keen eye of a philosopher and the passion of a Bible scholar, Wolter’s offers one of the definitive, concise books about a Christian worldview.  One of the most important books for those of us in CFW and highly recommended to understand a uniquely Christian view of cultural and vocational engagement.”

As we read this this book we look at the second half of Chapter 5: Discerning Structure and Direction. Here are a few helpful quotes from this section of the chapter:

• The call for Christians, therefore, is to sanctify aggression, not to repress it. Meekness and aggression need not be contradictory.
• All human talents and abilities can flourish and blossom under the regenerating and sanctifying influence of the Holy Spirit to the glory and service of God. When opened up by the Spirit they are all charismatic gifts.
• Everything created by God is good and is reclaimed by Jesus Christ. The question is not “Does this belong to Christ too?” The question is rather “What is the most effective manner of bringing reformation and sanctification to this area of our lives?”