Faith and Work News ~ Links to Interesting Articles

• Does Work-from-Home Mean Work-Without-Rest? Greg Phelan responds to the question “How can I find rest when work-at-home mode tends to imply that work never really stops?”
• Stop Running from Rest. Steve Graves writes “What action(s) should we take to make rest a reality in our lives? Here are four simple suggestions drawn from Scripture.”
• The Glory of Leadership. The Leadership Freak writes “Glory isn’t standing above people. It’s serving them.”
• Three Questions to Ask When Your Boss Leaves Without Warning. Scott Bellavia writes “Frequent or sudden changes in leadership rightly lead to questions and uncertainty throughout a company. The charge to Christians in these moments, however, does not change. Recognizing that God is our ultimate boss, we need to have a peaceful, patient presence and be salt and light to those without an anchor for their souls.”

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 ~ Stop, in the Name of God: Why Honoring the Sabbath Will Transform Your Life by Charlie Kirk
• Quotes from the book Creation Regained: Biblical Basis for a Reformational Worldviewby Albert Wolters

• Do We Know How God Leads Us? (Part 2). Russ Gehrlein writes “In my last article, I explored how God uses his Word and counsel from others to lead us toward our vocational callings. Now, I will share two other ways he guides us in this important area.”
• 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).
• 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).
• What Does it Mean to be a Leader Worth Following? Randy Alcorn writes “A number of years ago, I was asked some questions about what it means to be a Christ-honoring leader. This topic is timeless, and my answers apply to both pastors and lay leaders in the church.”
• The Creator, Creation & Christ-Centered Culture (Part 2). Peter Lillback writes “In my last article, we explored how God reveals his presence through creation as well as through arts and culture. Additionally, we learned that we can use our own creativity to impact our communities for his glory. Now, we will more deeply examine our love for God and how this can shape our world.”
• When Helping Hurts: A Conversation with Brian Fikkert, Economist (Part 1 of 2). What does it really mean to help the poor in ways that lead to lasting change? On this episode of Working with Dan Doriani, Dan sits down with Dr. Brian Fikkert – economist, author, and co-author of When Helping Hurts – to rethink how we approach poverty alleviation.
• Reforming Vocation. The Protestant Reformers brought new emphasis to the doctrine of vocation, emphasizing that all lawful work is a vocation honoring to the Lord and a display of love for neighbor. In this message, Stephen Nichols considers how the doctrine of vocation was reformed during the sixteenth century.
• The Divine Thread In Our Careers. “Russ Gehrlein appeared as a guest on the Embrace Our Callingpodcast, hosted by Marcus Mok, on Sunday, January 25. In parts one and two of this interview, Russ and Marcus discussed several faith and work concepts found in Russ’s book, Immanuel Labor: God’s Presence In Our Profession, and life lessons Russ has learned throughout his career.

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Top 10 Faith, Work and Leadership Quotes of the Week

• The way to find your calling is to look at the way you were created. Your gifts have not emerged by accident. Tim Keller
• Any kind of work that leaves people, places, or things in better shape than before—any kind of work that helps the city of man become more like the City of God where truth, beauty, goodness, order, and justice reign—is work that should be celebrated as good. Scott Sauls
• Retired people who are truly happy have sought creative, useful, God-honoring ways to stay active and productive for the sake of man’s good and God’s glory. John Piper
• To follow the call of God is therefore to live before the heart of God. It is to live life coram deo (before the heart of God) and thus to shift our awareness of audiences to the point where only the last and highest—God—counts. Os Guinness
• Created to work, we are to find meaning in our work. But also, we are able to distort the meaning of our work, imagining that our work means more or less than it ought. Getting it right matters because work matters. Steven Garber
• Because we bear God’s image, work is necessary for our flourishing and also for the fulfillment of our calling as God’s workers in God’s world. Scott Sauls
• According to the Bible, we don’t merely need the money from work to survive; we need the work itself to survive and live fully human lives. Tim Keller
• We long for what we do to grow out of who we are, for our occupation(s) to be rooted in our vocation. That is the hope of everyone’s heart. Steven Garber
• If we believe in God’s sovereign plan, we’ll work at our jobs to please Him, grow in character and Christlikeness, and use our unique sphere of influence to share the gospel. Randy Alcorn

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FAITH, WORK and LEADERSHIP BOOK REVIEW:

Stop, in the Name of God: Why Honoring the Sabbath Will Transform Your Life by Charlie Kirk. Winning Team Publishing. 267 pages. 2025
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This is the final book Charlie Kirk completed before he was assassinated on September 10, 2025. He dedicates the book to Dennis Prager. His wife Erika Kirk writes the “Foreword”. She writes that out of all the topics the world might expect from him – politics, culture, or the crises of the day – this was not the obvious choice, but it was the right one.

Kirk writes that in the book he intends to persuade the reader that the Sabbath is essential to the flourishing of the human soul, and to answer the question among Christians: Are we still bound to observe the Sabbath?

He begins the book by looking in depth at the first verse of the Bible, Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth”.

He tells us that the Sabbath is the oldest continuous spiritual celebration in human history, and that the Sabbath is not primarily a legal command – it a cosmic declaration. The seven-day week, as we now observe it, is not a human invention; it is a reflection of God’s own work. (Exodus 34:21)

He then looks at the work of Dr. Stephen Meyer, a scientist and philosopher, on making the scientific case for theism in our time. He writes that atheism, when carefully examined, is one of the greatest intellectual cons in history.

The Hebrew work for “Sabbath” (Shabbat) literally means “to stop” or “to cease”. In a world obsessed with speed and novelty, the Sabbath anchors us in rhythm and ritual.

Kirk then explores the Sabbath commandment through history, theology, and civilizational development. He tells us that it is difficult to overstate how deeply this weekly rhythm shaped American civic life. In a society increasingly governed by market and machinery, the Sabbath called people back to meaning, covenant, and worship.

Though at one time in the U.S. there were blue laws (banning Sunday commerce, alcohol sales, etc.), these eventually disappeared and Sunday became indistinguishable from Saturday, a day of errands, games, consumption and digital distraction.

Kirk tells us that the human soul is not neutral. It was made to worship. If it will not worship the living God, it will worship something else. He then looks at sham religions that dominate today and false gods of our age clamoring for our worship.

He tells us that research shows that among church goers only 37 percent regularly observe a Sabbath rest in any significant way. Research studies also show that Americans rank among the most stressed and least rested people in the developed world. Evidence exists that honoring the Sabbath is not just spiritually nourishing, but physically and mentally as well. The act of honoring the Sabbath – far from being restrictive – appears to be a wellspring of human flourishing.

Kirk spends time looking at the positive impacts of observing the Sabbath on Seventh Day Adventists. He then addresses how the fourth commandment states that she should treat animals and think about slavery.

He addresses the importance of sleep, indicating that despite overwhelming evidence that sleep is essential for physical health, mental clarity, and emotional well-being, many Americans continue to undervalue it. But sleep is a gift, and sleep on the Sabbath is a double blessing.

In addressing our work, he writes that work is not a consequence of sin, nor is it to be despised. It is dignified, God ordained, and essential to the moral order. Scripture consistently affirms that meaningful labor is tied to human dignity and flourishing. Work is not a filler of time or a mechanism to make money. It is a calling. A form of worship.

He tells us that the fourth commandment is not merely spiritual – it is economic, social, and ecological. It’s about more than worship. It’s about justice, humility, reset, and remembering who we are.

Kirk asks if Sabbath observance for Christians is still required? He indicates that he has spent years of research, work and prayer on this question. He looks at this issue with theological care, biblical depth, and historical awareness, examining both sides of the argument to better understand what Sabbath means for the Christian in a new covenant age. He looks at ten reasons we should honor the Sabbath (using A.W. Pink and John Wesley as examples of those who did) and ten reasons we should not (using Martin Luther and John Calvin as those who did not).

Kirk tells us that whether you keep the Sabbath on Saturday, honor the Lord’s Day on Sunday, or practice daily rhythms of intentional rest and worship – do not abandon the principle. Receive the gift. Let it humble you. Let it set you apart.

In the final section of the book, Kirk walks through some of the most common objections, hesitations, and logistical questions people raise when considering the Sabbath. He then prescribes ten immediate action items you can take this week to include the Sabbath into your life.

I was surprised and impressed with the depth that the author went into on this issue. Whether or not you are convinced by his arguments, I would recommend this book to you as time well spent on an important issues such as rest, work, sleep, worship and more.

Below are some quotes I found to be helpful from the book:

• The Sabbath is a living dopamine fast. No electronics, no shopping, no scrolling. Regular time away from technology isn’t a luxury – it’s essential for health.
• The Sabbath isn’t just a spiritual gift – it’s a physical mercy.
• At its core, the Sabbath is a standing celebration of the world’s beginning, a weekly reminder that creation has meaning, that rest is holy, and that we are not slaves to our labor, our devices, or our ambitions. Whether you believe it is legally binding or not, it remains a divinely instituted rhythm – and to ignore it entirely is to disregard something God declared good.
• Sabbath is a declaration that God is in control, and that your worth is not measured by your output.
• The same God who calls us to labor for six days also commands us to rest for one. That’s not weakness; that’s worship.
• Sabbath rest is not an interruption to your purpose – it’s a restoration of it.
• Sabbath is not just a day off. It is not self-care. It is not spiritualized leisure. It is a sacred act of resistance against the gods of busyness, performance and distraction.
• The Sabbath is not just a nice idea. It’s not just a rest day for the religious or the nostalgic. The Sabbath is God’s answer to a culture spinning out of control.

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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 first half of the Postscript: Worldview between Story and Mission by Mike Goheen and Al Wolters. Here are a few helpful quotes from this half of the chapter:

• Creation Regained originated in a particular set of historical circumstances. It was originally written to provide biblical and worldview foundations for a Christian philosophy course which Al Wolters taught at the Toronto Institute for Christian Studies in the 1970’s.
• Although the book clearly states that it was originally written as an introduction to the philosophy of D. H. T. Vollenhoven and H. Dooyeweerd, that qualification of its purpose has often been overlooked.
• On the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of this book, we add a final chapter that is meant in part to address this problem.
• The gospel is the instrument of God’s Spirit to restore all of creation.
• To miss the grand narrative of Scripture is a serious matter; it not simply a matter of misinterpreting parts of Scripture.
• Story provides the deepest categorial framework in which human life is to be understood.