Why work? For all that the Marxist-Leninist vision got badly wrong, they got this right: work matters. And work matters because it has social meaning, even political meaning, especially economic meaning, and most importantly, transcendent meaning. Even if the Marxists got its meaning wrong, tragically wrong, they saw something that was true. Captured in their iconic ...
Growing out of a conversation with business executives who have responsibility for a global corporation whose products everyone on earth enjoys, the words are becoming flesh: “The economics of mutuality.” I recently flew to Paris to take part in several days of conversation about the whys and whats of what this might look like. At ...
Imagine, if you will, a leader telling his followers who are living within the enemy’s walls to help them to flourish. Not to undermine them, not to resist them with force, not to plot an overthrow. Imagine that the leader actually wants to subvert the evil enemy with blessings instead of curses. That would be ...
The finale of “The Office” had me laughing and even close to shedding a tear. For nine seasons, we watched as a PBS documentary crew filmed a bunch of people working in the Scranton office of the Dunder Miflin paper company. As we peered into the lives of these ordinary office workers, we could identify ...
vocation, meaning, and ethics. I had one more conversation with someone today about the vision and hope bound up with the word “vocation.” Is life about anything? Does life mean anything? Is getting up in the morning really for anything? What do we do with the days of our lives? Why do we choose to ...
What if someone told you they knew the secret to a better life? What if they shared this secret with you? They promised you would be able to concentrate better, enjoy life more, increase productivity at work, decrease stress at work and at home, and have a better sense of self-esteem. It sounds too good ...
If Christians are to be “missional,” then we must take seriously that our work, as a calling from God, is kingdom work. As such, it is like leaven that is mixed into the culture (Matthew 13:33), wherever we work and whatever we do. This “makes possible (the) renewal of each creational area from within, not ...
Last week I attended a meeting where a very famous sports broadcaster gave a motivational speech. Generally, I am not very motivated by motivational speakers. This gentleman, however, was sufficiently non-motivating in a way that was actually inspiring. Let me explain. Rather than hyping up the audience with animated clichés and pithy anecdotal stories that ...
Why work? For all that the Marxist-Leninist vision got badly wrong, they got this right: work matters. And work matters because it has social meaning, even political meaning, especially economic meaning, and most importantly, transcendent meaning. Even if the Marxists got its meaning wrong, tragically wrong, they saw something that was true. Captured in their iconic …
Growing out of a conversation with business executives who have responsibility for a global corporation whose products everyone on earth enjoys, the words are becoming flesh: “The economics of mutuality.” I recently flew to Paris to take part in several days of conversation about the whys and whats of what this might look like. At …
Imagine, if you will, a leader telling his followers who are living within the enemy’s walls to help them to flourish. Not to undermine them, not to resist them with force, not to plot an overthrow. Imagine that the leader actually wants to subvert the evil enemy with blessings instead of curses. That would be …
The finale of “The Office” had me laughing and even close to shedding a tear. For nine seasons, we watched as a PBS documentary crew filmed a bunch of people working in the Scranton office of the Dunder Miflin paper company. As we peered into the lives of these ordinary office workers, we could identify …
vocation, meaning, and ethics. I had one more conversation with someone today about the vision and hope bound up with the word “vocation.” Is life about anything? Does life mean anything? Is getting up in the morning really for anything? What do we do with the days of our lives? Why do we choose to …
What if someone told you they knew the secret to a better life? What if they shared this secret with you? They promised you would be able to concentrate better, enjoy life more, increase productivity at work, decrease stress at work and at home, and have a better sense of self-esteem. It sounds too good …
If Christians are to be “missional,” then we must take seriously that our work, as a calling from God, is kingdom work. As such, it is like leaven that is mixed into the culture (Matthew 13:33), wherever we work and whatever we do. This “makes possible (the) renewal of each creational area from within, not …
Last week I attended a meeting where a very famous sports broadcaster gave a motivational speech. Generally, I am not very motivated by motivational speakers. This gentleman, however, was sufficiently non-motivating in a way that was actually inspiring. Let me explain. Rather than hyping up the audience with animated clichés and pithy anecdotal stories that …
One of the recurring topics of conversation I have with college students pertains to how to engage with the popular culture. Those students from more conservative churches say that the only possible Christian reaction to what the culture provides, especially in popular entertainment, is to separate and not participate in it. The more moderate students will say …
In my experience in church ministries, I have found that the pastoral staffs I’ve been a part of often get so caught up in the daily workings of church ministry that we often miss the Kingdom work that we are supposed to be doing. Here’s a quote that drives it home for me: “Much of …
Over at The High Calling (where I serve as the editor for the “Faith” Channel), J.B. Wood (the editor for the “Work” Channel) has offered several video insights on the reintegration of work and faith. J. B. points out that working for God does not just mean professional ministry. Everyone has a vocation, even if …
KC McGinnis, over at the young adult magazine website, RelevantMagazine.com, has written a very helpful article for college students. McGinnis, a campus minister in Iowa City (as well as a writer and a photojournalist), talks about the problem he and his peers in campus ministry have witnessed: Students keep switching their majors to religion. Usually …