How do you respond when you’re being overlooked, disrespected, or even mistreated at work?
Where is God when you're putting out a fire at work, or dealing with a difficult co-worker, or trying to make a...
This page has links to free resources for seminary courses on vocation and calling and on the theology of work.
That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, ‘It is the Lord!’ When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he...
2018 is booming for some. For others the new year brings fear of job cuts. . .or another year with no job...
With the New Year almost upon us, we may feel like something is holding us back from newness at work. Internal and...
Whatever work you do, it matters to God. God doesn't give more points to pastors or missionaries or people who work for...
Not all of us end up “doing what we love.” But we can love what we do, or at least to make...
Autumn is often a time of schedules, when people get back to structured routines. But what if God wants your autumn to...
Philippians 3:4b-14 If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, a...
Have you lived a long and productive life doing the thing you planned to do from the very beginning? If so, wonderful...
Have you adjusted to 2017 yet? Perhaps you’re still writing 2016 on your checks, or maybe you’ve already broken a New Year’s...
It’s almost 2017, and you may be making a list of New Year’s resolutions. Planning to get in shape? Read the Bible...
Ed Moy is the 38th Director of the US Mint (2006-2011), television commentator, author, White House staffer...
Sports are fun to watch and fun to play. (Except, perhaps, if you’re a Chicago Cubs fan. Until this year!) The Bible...
It’s almost Halloween, a time when some people buy costumes, some people stock up on candy, and some people. . . take...
Sometimes it seems that we’re on the road to success. We’ve got the degree and the training. Our resumes look great. We...
You left. You got fired. You got married. You got divorced. You got outsourced. Your company moved you from South Dakota to...
Has your pastor ever visited your workplace? Mentioned the kind of work you do in a sermon? Given you guidance on a...
I knew these days would come. ...
I bought a half-dead tree several years ago during an End-of-Season-Clearance sale at the hardware store. I knew better. But, it seemed a reasonable risk for the price. ...
I’m learning that true discernment requires community.
Now that I am oriented toward God's redeemed future, the course of my life can be set toward that.
"We’re wired for change, aren’t we?" asks Sam Van Eman in his farewell as editor at The High Calling. "A cleaning-out there, a purging here. Eyes on the horizon, we press on."
"God's simplicity reveals truth, while Satan's complexities hides lies," writes entrepreneur and author Kevin Cullis. Questions help us simplify--and ultimately, find our place in the Body of Christ.
Licensed counselor Lucille Zimmerman found herself in a toxic environment but felt powerless to leave. When she mustered the courage to get out, God renewed her joy—and gave her a clear conscience.
We can ask of every kind of work we doing, "Am I loving and serving my neighbor, or am I exploiting and...
I've come to believe this—the Christian life is a lot less about the shoulds and shouldn'ts and a lot more about individual obedience to the work of Christ in the individual heart.
A “yes” culture releases people to discover their gifts. At Erica Young Reitz’s college town church, this isn’t just a tagline—it’s really...
Job challenges range from gruesome to crippling. How we handle them makes a world of difference. Sam Van Eman offers three truths...
David Zimmerman has survived leaps of faith, but will this one work out? Read about his recent job change and be encouraged.
"I think God may be calling me to something different," I said warily to my senior pastor. ...
We must die to life as we know it for resurrection to take place.
As a pastor, I have often been asked, “How can I know God’s will for my life?” This question was presented to...
I cannot leave Ephesians 5:15-16 without sharing a bit of Gandalfian wisdom (or, if you prefer, wisdom from J. R. R. Tolkien...
I love the book of Proverbs with its 31 chapters . . . perfect for reading a chapter a day, month after month, year after year. This mighty collection of small sayings never fails to yield rich...
Since I've been writing sports (seemingly since the first set shot dropped into a peach basket nailed on a barn wall), I've often been asked to speak on the connection between sports and faith. ...
When the national economy plunged, so did Brian’s local business. He shifted his secretary to part-time and began to look at cheaper office space. He hated how that made him feel. ...
Whether in a job you love, or a job you're filling until something better comes along, feeling the love at work begins with being true to you.
I recently had a very sobering career discussion with a friend who said this to me: “I have finally come to grips...
Ephesians 4:17 shows that the Christian life is not just a matter of how we act. It...
Every now and then, people ask me how a pastor in Southern California ended up serving in a family foundation in Texas. Usually, I explain how much I admired the work of the...
The last several years of my work life have brought one change after another: from teaching to administration to a combination of...
As you experience transitions in life, whether they are welcomed or not, it is reassuring to know that God does not change.
Two months ago, I purchased a Timex watch. This handsome timepiece featured INDIGLO technology, a nifty day-of-the-month indicator and, yes, a black "genuine leather upper" band. ...
Time and again throughout the Gospel of Mark, Jesus healed people with a simple word or touch. These healings were instantaneous, sure evidence of the power of God working through Jesus. But in...
Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me...
I once made a list of the best things that ever happened in my career, and I was responsible for almost none...
When I first stepped foot onto Gordon College’s campus, I thought I had a pretty good understanding of who I was and...
We live in a society of mockers. People who mock consider themselves better than others. They do not enter into serious engagement...
Howard Butt, Jr. shares another message about faith and work, pointing out that unethical business practices are a sure path to problems. Acting with moral integrity is more than just good business...
I always wanted to be extraordinarily good at something. Not just as in, “Great job, Jimbo!” No, I wanted to be best-in-class...
Jack was ready to quit—and justified in wanting out. Ineffective boss. Deadweight coworkers. No recognition. A struggling business. He dashed off a blistering resignation by email...then hit the ...
As a pastor, I have often had people come to talk with me about finding God's will for their lives. Usually, they...
I've been in plenty of church meetings that seem to pit the "spiritual" people against the "practical."
In the thirtieth year, on the fifth day of the fourth month, I was with the exiles at the Chebar River when...
A young man named Don came to see me for pastoral counseling. As he shared his story, I could sense that he...
Eighth grade is typically a harsh year, and mine was no exception. I was not the most athletically coordinated boy, which placed...
Ever notice that problems tend to bother those people least who prepare the most?
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In this short film by our friends at Deidox, “Lindsay,” a young teacher discovers how her past experiences have prepared her for...
I have a friend who jokes that he's going to quit his executive position and take a job as a school bus driver. ...
When I fill people in on my plan, they look at me like I'm crazy. In the midst of our move to...
Everything we do is marked by the steady march of time. Seconds lead to minutes to hours to days to weeks to...
In this section of Romans 9, Paul is explaining God’s freedom and authority to do what he wills, even if it doesn’t quite make sense to us. Though we may not especially like...
This verse reflects an image from the Old Testament. In Exodus, the Lord delivered the children of God from Egypt, and then led them through the wilderness by a pillar of cloud during...
U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison graduated from law school at a time when top firms weren't hiring women. After months of fruitless job-hunting, a friend advised Kay to take her knowledge into a...
Each new year makes me think about renewal. Some people will make resolutions to change their appearance or behavior. Some just take stock of what has happened in the past year. Some...
In my early twenties, I met Betty. It was September 1972; we were in college, waiting before class. We were both early, standing in the hall, and as I looked at this young...
The great former UCLA basketball coach John Wooden tells a story about his all-American player, Bill Walton. Bill grew a beard, knowing that facial hair was against team rules. He said it was his...
Author Roger Kahn wrote The Boys of Summer and other sports best-sellers, but he hated the “sportswriter” tag. One day, Kahn was sent to interview the famous writer Robert Frost, who said exactly...
In the midst of the crisis in Egypt, Joseph’s brothers arrived from Canaan, seeking to buy food, as the famine severely affected...
Joshua chapter 9 describes how the people of Gibeon deceived the people of Israel. They wanted the Israelites to believe they lived...
Doing things God’s way requires a working knowledge of Scripture.
Even as the kingdom’s strength declines, the kings remain convinced they are in control of their situation. Confident in their own abilities...
The best counselor is often someone who can help you understand and apply God’s word and encourage you to come to your...
The Valiant Woman sets an example of exceptional acumen in her work. The proverbs describe this virtue as “prudent” (Prov. 19:14) or...
I think most of us are looking for a calling, not a job. Most of us . . . have jobs that...
If you have anything really valuable to contribute to the world it will come through the expression of your own personality, that...
While there are a number of appropriate personality questionnaires or inventories in this area, one widely used among career and human resource...
To do easily what is difficult for others is the mark of talent. (Henri Frederic Amiel) Wayne’s misery There are always things...
Phew! That’s been a whole lot to digest over these past few chapters. We hope the numerous exercises and questions have begun...
Not only do we develop physically, mentally, emotionally and socially through different stages of our lives, but we also grow spiritually. So it’s important to reflect on how our faith develops through the...
The exercises and questions below are designed to help you consider your own development and its impact on where and how you...
It’s on the journey, in the desert, through the catastrophe and grief, that we become open to God reorienting us.
All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind is part of ourselves; we must die...
William Bridges, a consultant and writer, notes three major stages in a transition. [1] First there is the leaving/loss. If it is...
Caple is another writer who has thought a great deal about transitions, particularly as they relate to changing our career.[1] He suggests that we are in fact, continually undergoing a transition process –...
So how can we best handle the uncertainty of change? Just knowing that most transitions comprise the three different experiences (endings, a...
The past four chapters have had us leaping in and out of Wayne’s dilemma. Apart from turning his hair greyer, the exercise...
One of the important assumptions throughout this book is that following Jesus needs to inform, impact,, and transform every area of our lives – including our work in the marketplace. How we conduct...
What is our conscience? How does it work? Why does it sometimes deceive us? How is it possible to have a clear conscience?
All Christians need and desire guidance. It is implicit in the existence of a personal God who cares, leads and enters into personal relationships with his creatures so they will accomplish his purpose...
