Search results for: work life rhythm

Experience God’s Presence When Working from Home - Denise Daniels, Shannon Vandewarker

Spiritual practices that can help you connect with God when working from home.

Are You Working at the Right Pace? - Caitie Butler

Guest Caitie Butler argues that the leading cause of burnout is an institutional pace that doesn't match the natural pace of workers.

Fitting Work Into the Ever Stretched Container of Our Lives

What is the most significant challenge facing us at work? It’s not inflation or the Great Resignation. It is not working from...

Time Management Lessons from the Bible - Jordan Raynor

Get a handle on your time management, with inspiration from Jesus and the gospels.

Habits of Purpose for an Age of Distraction & Anxiety - Justin Whitmel Earley (Podcast...

With constant distraction at our fingertips, our routines around work can add up to days filled with...

Get the Rest You Need - Saundra Dalton-Smith (Podcast Episode 23)

Guest Dr. Saundra Dalton Smith tells us about seven different types of rest and how God helped her recover from burnout.

Example - Insights on Teaching Old Testament from Curricular Workshops

Particular OT books and passages that faculty identified as helpful with work.

Looking for Work? Navigating Seasons of Transition with God - Vernée Wilkinson (Podcast Episode 8)

If you've left your job, lost your job or been ousted out of a job, now what...

Experiencing God’s Presence at Work - Denise Daniels, Shannon Vandewarker (Podcast Episode 7)

What if you could experience God's presence in the midst of your ordinary, everyday work?

Course Module in OT - Work in Song of Songs

Given the right hermeneutics, Song of Songs is a book about work and starting a business.

Creating Boundaries When You’re Overworked - Sarah Magidoff (Podcast Episode 4)

Have stress and exhaustion become your default state? We talk with guest Sarah Magidoff about slowing down...

Can I Work From Home? September 12 Newsletter

As today’s workers juggle work and family responsibilities, some of us have opted to - or been forced to - work from...

Why Does Work Make Me So Tired? July 11 Newsletter

Does the thought of getting out of bed and into the daily grind fill you with dread? Do you wake up feeling...

What I Learned About Work From Dad: June 13 Newsletter

Some of us have happy memories of good fathers who taught us lessons about work. Others may have had to learn those...

Vacation Stories: May 30 Newsletter

Some of the best vacations don’t involve cabins or beaches, packing or traveling. At The High Calling, we’re telling some of our...

Faith in the Workplace: Resting in God (Mark 2 and Genesis 1 Sermon Notes)

Scripture Mark 2:27-3:1-6 Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind...

Christmas Scriptures: Looking for God at Work: Matthew 2 and Luke 2 Sermon Notes

Overview: Advent is a time of spiritual preparation, anticipation, looking for God’s coming into our experience as...

Finding God in Knowledge Work: November 1 Newsletter

The Bible talks to us from a world of grain and cattle, fields and farms. For those of us who work amid...

Productivity: All It’s Cracked Up to Be? (October 18 Newsletter)

The media is full of productivity advice, often called life hacks. It turns out our work does need to be hacked from...

Preventing Burnout: August 23 Newsletter

Is there hope for the burned out? How can you recharge in your work when even the tiniest task feels like climbing...

Thank God It’s Monday: The Problem of Work (Proverbs Sermon Notes)

Text: Selected Proverbs 12:1, 13:4, 15:19, 19:5, 21:25, 24:30-34, 26:13-16 Dominant Thought: Though God has created our work to be good, it...

Seeing the Good Side of Work: Seeing the Good Side of Work (Colossians 3 Sermon Notes)

Colossians 3:23-24 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord...

Hard Work: The Better Part of Hard Work (Luke 10 Sermon Notes)

Luke 10:38-42 (NRSV) Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him...

Hard Work: Rest From Hard Work (Genesis 1 Sermon Notes)

Genesis 1:31-2:3 (NIV) God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was...

Seasons of Work: Summer (June 21 Newsletter)

Work doesn’t stop after school is dismissed for the season. Whether you’re working on vacation memories, or working at a 9-5 job...

Can Christians Take Vacations? June 7 Newsletter

Nearly two-thirds of Americans fail to maximize their vacation allowance: too much to do, not enough time, just enough money to pay...

Work Vs. Life: May 31 Newsletter

We live in an age when it seems everyone is equally discombobulated, indiscriminately perplexed about how to order a good life. Work-life balance seems to be the catch-all answer. But balance has its...

God’s Guide for Retirement: January 25 Newsletter

Economic downturn. Desire for downtime. There are all sorts of reasons people are retiring or choosing not to retire in the 21st...

Christmas: Hope for the World, Hope for Our Work: December 21 Newsletter

The waiting is almost over. It’s almost Christmas. Maybe you’ve carefully bought your gifts and lovingly wrapped...

Surprised by Song of Songs (Video)

Does every book of the Bible have something to say about work? Even Song of Songs?

Being a Dad—It’s Hard Work: June 15 Newsletter

Good old Dad. He’ll be happy this Sunday for Father’s Day even if you buy him another tie and a pair of...

Work Can Be a Dangerous Thing

If you can't concentrate on your time with your children because you are thinking about work you'd like to be doing, you are in danger.

Put Family Ahead of Business (Video)

Peter Schneck sold a thriving ad agency when he realized it was keeping him from being in a close relationship with his...

3 Reasons to Practice Sabbath Rest

Work and rest are not opposing forces, but elements of a rhythm that make good work and true recreation possible. If you’re...

Habits That Work: Worship Break

It's 1:00 in the afternoon when I drag the lawn chair out from under the umbrella on the back patio. I’ve learned to protect with necessary vigilance this scheduled break in my day.

Best of Daily Reflections: The Lord Must Build the House

What does it look like to live as if everything, including our work, depends on God?

What Do You Do: Work Is the New Sex

I absolutely agree that work is an idol in our culture, but ignoring it is not the solution. Neither is a one-dimension...

Best of Daily Reflections: Find Focus in a World of Distraction

Jesus begins his Sermon on the Mount with a description of eight provocative blessings. If you were to think of these blessings...

Don’t Worry, Be Thankful: The Dark Side of the High Calling

Do you know about the dark side of The High Calling? No, Darth Vader isn’t one of our editors, nor any of...

God at Work

An old Jewish story says that when the Israelites fled Egypt, they followed each other so closely, so diligently that they never noticed the miracle happening around them.

Church Doesn’t Always Come First

"Let's not make church work into an idolatry. Church doesn't come first. God's will comes first." Everything we do is church...in the high calling of our daily work.

Holy Routines: Finding God in the Boundaries of Time

On a Saturday, I left my husband and the boys at home and drove to the WalMart in our small city for...

Working for Free: Questions to Consider

“If I never got to make a living doing what I loved, I'd still do it—for fun and for free.” —Susan E...

Working for Free: The Unpaid Professional

“What time is Mom getting off work?” my son asks as I tuck him into bed. ...

Best Vacation Stories: When Things Go Wrong

Imagine the surprise when a hardworking Google employee was informed he would be receiving an extra week of vacation this summer because...

Tomorrow Night, Marshmallows

When my childhood friend returned home from vacation, I’d run to her house and ask about the trip. She hiked in the mountains and slept in a tent and fell asleep to night...

Best Vacation Stories: Untaken Photos

A few years ago, an acquaintance heard me say that I never take formal vacations and butted in, “Well, you should. And...

Best Vacation Stories: When Vacation Isn’t a Place to “Go”

We are not on vacation. It's the last day of spring and my husband's off from work. The sky is pale blue...

Best Vacation Stories: The Ferry Boat

A mother, in middle age, sat with her teenage son, bouncing along, shoulder to shoulder. I wondered if I would grow into...

Giving Your Family Leftovers

Life is demanding, but the clock does not slow or stop. To give the most time to what is most precious—our close relationships—is the heartbeat and the power in the high calling of...

Preventing Burnout: There Is a Hope

“I’m tired,” he said, and the heaviness of his voice pressed in on my chest making it difficult to breathe. “I’m so...

Preventing Burnout: Changing Seasons

I’m fried. I’m burned out. I need a new life because the one I’ve got is all flamed out. ...

Preventing Burnout: Fashioned for This Work

I began my brief career as a nurse, with no vision, apart from survival—my own and that of my patients. Fear drove...

Preventing Burnout: The Lies We Tell Ourselves

I tucked the envelope under the stack of folders in my arm. It came in the company mail with my name on...

Best of Daily Reflections: Dignity, Freedom, and Rest

How many times have we gazed into our electronic calendars, crammed full of colored squares, and thought: "I feel like a slave...

Community Post: Keeping Sabbath

In the middle of my college career I first found Sabbath rest to be a relief rather than a rule. The message of God’s power and sovereignty pressed deeply as I navigated the...

Plug Into Silence

In our fast-paced digital world, we need time to unplug from machines.

“Why Should I Observe the Sabbath?” - Andy Crouch

Of the Ten Commandments, the longest commandment is the one that begins, "Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy."

Best of Daily Reflections: Holy Rest for Holy Work

A few months ago, a young woman, new to faith, reached out to me with a pressing need.

Rest

From 1916 to 1939, Justice Louis Brandeis sat on the U.S. Supreme Court. Once, right before the start of an important trial, Justice Brandeis took a short vacation—and drew heavy criticism for it....

Balancing Act

How many plates do you have in the air?

Simplicity at Work: Why Shutting Off the Internet Helps Me Work on the Internet

Right now, as I write this, I'm not connected to the Internet. In fact, I've got my...

Sports Are Fun

Sports are a gathering point for people, creating instant bonds.

“How Do You Balance Work and Family?” - Doug Barr

If we want to find time with our families, we have to make it happen.

Pencils Down: You Have Permission to Quit

As a working member of society, I’m not allowed to quit. Not really. Cadillac’s recent caricature confirms this. Through an overdone and...

Time’s Up! Productivity Lessons from Grading for the College Board

Everybody hates paperwork. Imagine facing a stack of 1.4 million reports more than a mile tall. That’s the reality for graders of...

How Rest Informs Your Work

We have a pet in our garage, but no one knows about it except me. Well, maybe I let my husband in on the secret. ...

Best of Daily Reflections: Full Christianity: Doing, Thinking, and Being, Part 7

When our core identity is determined, not by what we do for a living, but by our...

Best of Daily Reflections: Full Christianity: Doing, Thinking, and Being, Part 5

If we set aside worldly ways of thinking about work and embrace God's vision, we will be...

Twas the Eve of My First Job

‘Twas the eve of my first job when all in my thoughts, ...

Best of Daily Reflections: Being Busy Is Not Cool

I like to be busy and I like to brag that I am busy. But this is not cool.

Rediscover the Quiet Joy of Patience and Baseball

For my husband’s fiftieth birthday we travel three hours to watch his favorite Major League Baseball team play an afternoon game. We...

The Dangers of Working from Home

When my phone rang at 10 pm on a Saturday evening, I jumped up to answer it. I have several elderly grandparents, and my mind always jumps to the worst case scenario at that hour. ...

Take Time for Retreat

Earlier in Mark 6, Jesus had sent his disciples out two-by-two, having given them authority to engage in the ministry of the kingdom of God (6:7).

Surprised by Avocation

My friend Jeff is a buttoned-up finance guy in his late thirties who manages a business unit for a corporate behemoth. We attend the same church, and I see him and his wife...

Best of Daily Reflections: The Purpose of the Sabbath, Part 2

The Sabbath is a day for saving life, not just in the particular sense of rescuing someone from a life-threatening situation, but...

Best of Daily Reflections: The Purpose of the Sabbath, Part 1

In a world so filled with busyness, where electronic communication invades every moment, where people are running ragged and neglecting their most...

Why This Lawyer Just Can’t Leave Her Profession

High Calling Blogger Amanda Hill is a writer, a mom, and a lawyer.

The Myth of Work-Life Balance

Several months ago, I was invited to lead a breakout seminar at a conference on calling and the common good, offering some reflections about what it looks like to take up calling across...

Work-Life Balance vs. Work-Rest Ratio

Over thirty-seven million hits. That’s how popular the topic “work-life balance” is. Search it in quotes, with or without the dash, and...

Don’t Be Lazy Like the Cheese

"You are as lazy as cheese!" the man said to me.

Should We Really Talk in Terms of Work-Life Balance?

The topic of work-life balance is a hot one today. Millions of people around the world are trying to do what they...

Give Me a Break

While planning our family’s first real-deal, official vacation, I came across the following statistic: ...

An Undivided Life

Sometimes we feel like compartmentalizing is the only way we can keep ourselves sane. Stress from work can spill over into every part of our lives, and it can be tough to keep...

Whether or Not You Feel Like It

There is an old Harvard legend that on campus one day, the beloved Dean LeBaron Russell Briggs asked a student why he failed to complete an assignment. ...

Social Media and the Sermon on the Mount

Work, meaningful work, requires us to be fully present and then good things follow.

The Secret to Productivity and Happiness at Work: Xtreme Generosity

The other day I received an email from a complete stranger, asking for advice on a business plan: “Dear Mr. Wood," he...

Transition to Telecommuting

At first, after decades of dressing in business attire and commuting to a corporate office, staying at home felt strange.

Tim Keller on National TV Talking Faith and Work

New York City Redeemer Presbyterian Pastor Tim Keller’s recent work, Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God’s Work, will be our...

Christmas Bells

I flew into the house loaded with my camera gear, late from a photo session with an unhappy newborn baby. Christmas season is always insanely hectic for family photographers, so I knew that...

How to Bring Work Home Without Guilt

I must admit it, there’s no way to separate work from home.

Moms of Summer Dreaming of Fall

Though I am extremely grateful to work part-time from home, instead of full-time at an office, these last few weeks have been challenging.

Got a Sabbath?

Becca worked from home, and her friends envied her. “No commute!” they’d say. And while no commute was great, Becca knew the flip side: no climbing in the car to get away from...

Five Ways to Cope with the Productivity Squeeze

Thirty years ago, I was one of three full-time speechwriters working for a Fortune 500 company. Our boss wrote speeches part-time and...

Making Time and Taking Time

Jim’s employees loved his availability. A project running late? Jim made time to help. Personal problem? Jim made time to listen. Middle manager in a quandary? Count on Jim to sit down and...

Pancakes

She's pregnant now, finishing her first trimester. Her taste for food is all out of whack, but she still loves pancakes.

Trouble in Paradise: What’s Work Got To Do With It?

Connections between the upheavals of the 1960s and the Occupy movement pose questions about our allegiances and our work.

“How Can I Balance Work and Family Life?” - Matt Barnes

Matt Barnes has quit several good jobs for the sake of his family.

Why Is Work Important? - Doug Barr

...

How to Live in This Economy

On a Monday during piano lessons, I just sit with the dead at the cemetery.

And He Saw That Work Is Good

Scott was known at the office for his work at church. Just one thing: he sometimes played his “religious” card to get out of work at the office. ...

Vacation Avoidance Syndrome: Why Aren’t We Taking More Time Off?

There is a perfectly good explanation why I have avoided the two-week vacation all these years: I am afraid that everyone at...

What Will They Remember?

...

“Daddy, Stay Home and Play”

I pulled the tie to my neck. It was cinched just like my dad had taught me. He called it the four-in-hand. I just called it "good." I took another look at myself...

Boundaries in the Workplace

I was having great difficulty finishing my work. My mind should have focused on finishing the charts due by 5:00 p.m., not on my teen son's misbehavior at school or how I would...

Technology: Do You Give it a Rest?

Emptying and filling, she said. I have been thinking about these words all morning. Emptying and filling, emptying and filling, emptying and filling. ...

Redeeming the Sermon

...

Thanks Be to God . . . or What I Did on My Summer Vacation

I will thank you, Lord, among all the people. I will sing your praises among the nations. Psalms 108:3 As you know...

Antidote to Workaholism

In 1971, theologian and psychologist Wayne E. Oates published a book called Confessions of a Workaholic.

What’s in a Dream?

What’s in a dream? Consider Elias Howe—the sewing machine pioneer. In his original model, his needle had an eye in the middle. And it didn’t work. One night, Howe dreamed he was under...

Finding Balance Through Prayer

The notion of "work-life" balance that first entered America’s public conversation about 20 years ago is by now a bona fide social movement.

Hearing Christ at Work

The next time you're at work, pay attention to the sounds around you. Listen—intently. Close your eyes. What do you hear?

God’s Prescription for Workaholics

Busyness is our badge of honor. We boast about how tired and overspent we are, as though it were something to be...

It’s Teach Us to Juggle

Remember the parable of the bad servant who spent too many hours at the office and the good servant who had a flexible work-from-home arrangement so he could spend more time with family?

Time Alone with God

When I was young I was taught that one ought to have a "quiet time," as it was sometimes called, a time of prayer and solitude.

Lord of the Sabbath

Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath, offers to each of us the refreshment of frequent, recurring rest.

Funny Business

People tend to believe that running a company is serious business. But not Herb Kelleher of Southwest Airlines. The man who led Southwest through 60 consecutive quarters of earnings increases . . ....

Church Doesn’t Come First?

Steve was promoted into a top management spot at work. For the first time, he could help influence company policy and direction. Wow! This was exciting . . . and humbling. Steve prayed for wisdom...

Rest Lies at the Heart of a Blessed Creation

And He said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a lonely place and rest for a while."

Henri Nouwen

Henri Nouwen was a brilliant Yale professor who left teaching to live and work with handicapped adults. His pace slowed as he learned their simpler ways. He wrote of a growing desire to “simply...

Making a Living

When my son Howard was about four, every morning as I left for work, he had a set little question: "Daddy, where are you going?" And every morning, I'd say, "Son, I'm going...

Balancing Rhythms of Rest and Work (Overview)

God calls people to both work and rest. Explore the biblical call to rest and break through some of the barriers we...

Created to Rest: Entering Into Joyful Communion With God

God’s dual invitations to work and to rest validate the special bond between God, humanity, and creation.

Commanded to Rest: The Impact of the Fall

After the Fall rest becomes a necessary antidote to the harshness of work, yet rest is elusive because humanity’s perfect relationship with...

Why People Can’t Rest – Human Nature Revealed in the Hebrew Scriptures

The Fall makes work difficult, and creates a desperate need for people to experience both physical and spiritual rest. But people often...

How Rest is Restored – Sabbath & Jesus’ Redemption in the New Testament

The deeper problem with rest is not a matter of scheduling. It is a matter of trust in God. Somehow, people’s hearts...

Is a Weekly Sabbath Observance Expected of Christians?

Although people are free to choose when and how to rest, there are compelling arguments both for observing a weekly sabbath rest...

How Christians Can Experience Deeper Rest

Believers can give Jesus their burdens and experience deeper rest. However, it takes a full surrendering of minds, hearts, and wills.

Rest and Work: Conclusions

Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection restore peoples’ relationship with God. Once again humanity can work in partnership with God and rest in his presence.

Calling to Life, Not Only to Work

Although we are focusing on God’s call to work, work is only one element of life. God calls us to belong to Christ in every element of our lives. Colossians 3:17 Whatever you...

Remember the Sabbath Day and Keep It Holy. Six Days You Shall Labor (Exodus 20:8-11)

The issue of the Sabbath is complex, not only in the book of Exodus and the Old...

Retirement from Regular Service (Numbers 8:23-26)

Like the Levites, we should not seek a total cessation of meaningful work in old age.

The Sabbath and the Work We Do (Deuteronomy 5:13)

The first part of the fourth commandment calls for ceasing labor one day in seven. On the one hand, this was an...

The Sabbath and the Work People Do for Us

Of the few variations between the two versions of the Ten Commandments, the majority occur as additions to the fourth commandment in...

Restoration of Covenant Life, Phase Two: Ezra and Nehemiah Together (Nehemiah 8:1-13:31)

After the wall surrounding Jerusalem was completed, the Israelites gathered in Jerusalem in order to renew their...

God Allows Satan to Destroy Job’s Health (Job 2:1-11)

Job is able to endure overwhelming loss without compromising his “integrity” or blamelessness[1](Job 2:3). But Satan does not give up. Perhaps Job...

Pleasure (Eccl 2:1-11)

Next he says to himself, “Come now, I will make a test of pleasure; enjoy yourself” (Eccl. 2:1). He acquires wealth, houses, gardens, alcohol, servants (slaves), jewelry, entertainment and ready access to sexual...

Passion, Family, and Work (Song of Songs 3:1-8:5)

In a series of songs, the text describes the marriage of the man and woman and their coming together. The woman yearns...

Work Within a Balanced Life (Jeremiah 17)

Jeremiah also turned his attention to the rhythm of work and rest. As always, the prophet began with God’s earlier self-revelation; in...

Mark 1:29–39. Rhythms of Work and Rest

Jesus’ healing in this episode occurs through personal touch.

Sabbath and Work (Luke 6:1-11; 13:10-17)

The Sabbath is an essential part of the biblical understanding of work, and Jesus teaches about the Sabbath in the Gospel of...

Sabbath Rest in Christ: Needed for Life’s Journey (Hebrews 3:7–4:16)

As much as the creation is therefore the good work of God in Christ, there is still a stark contrast between the...

Weaving it All Together

Chapter 8: Learning to Juggle Competing Demands and Responsibilities Effectively

Short-term imbalance is inevitable; long-term imbalance is destructive. (Gerard Sittser) Denise’s dilemma Teaching is my first love...

Exercises and Resources for Learning to Juggle Competing Demands

Questions to Consider What aspects of our stories did you particularly identify with? What parts challenged you? Think through the following statements...

How Do We Counter a Breathless Pace of Life and Move Towards Balance?

There are several ways to get our busy lives in better balance. Be focused on what is most important for your life...

Chapter 10: Work Vs. Other Commitments: Finding Work-Life Balance

Gary and Sue started a business three years ago. They bought a carpet cleaning franchise and have been working incredibly hard to...

Where’s God on Monday?

If Jesus joined you each week and worked alongside you in your Monday-to-Saturday activities (remember: he was a tradesman himself), would that make any difference to the way you do your daily work?

Chapter 6 - Resting From Work: Taking a Break

What do you think of when you hear the word “rest”? Do you dream of quiet days in a deck chair on...

Drivenness

Drivenness is behind one of the most respectable of all addictions—workaholism.

Small Group Studies

Week 3: Invite Jesus into Your Every Crunch Time

Week 3 demonstrates how to bring a guest speaker into an integrated sermon and small group series. Val Snekvik, a guest speaker...

Ruth and Parables: Small Group Leaders Guide Week 11

This content is part of the Ruth and Parables curriculum, an 11-week integrated sermon and small group series on faith and work...