How Did I get Myself into this Mess?
Just after I had completed 120 graduate hours of theological study, lost my hair learning Greek and Hebrew, and convinced a church that they should hire this budding theologian, I had lunch with a man...
View ArticleLabor Day Opportunity
The Sunday before Labor Day is a natural opportunity to remind people that God is present everywhere and cares about what they do on Monday just as much as He is present and cares about what they do on...
View ArticleA Prayer for Your Work
Ken Boa is one of the smartest, yet most humble, men I know. Check out Ken’s website for a host of great resources that will aid you in your spiritual development. In his Reflections Teaching Letter...
View ArticleIf God Allowed Do Overs
For 25 years I had the privilege of pastoring churches ranging in membership from 35 to 2000. If God allowed do-overs, as a pastor I would be more intentional about equipping people to live out their...
View ArticleWill the Real Heroes Please Stand Up
When most people think of the Bible’s heroes they often think of them as religious leaders. Yet, 75 percent of these champions of faith made their living in the workplace, not the place of worship. God...
View ArticleEvangelism 101 | Practical Ideas for Encouraging Others to Live Out Faith at...
Who are you most inclined to share the Gospel message with? A stranger or someone with whom you have a relationship? What about your church members? Are they more comfortable doing cold-call...
View ArticleDishonesty Easier for Leaders
As presidential candidates question each other's grasp of reality, the rest of us wonder who's really telling the truth. Sadly, dishonesty is becoming an acceptable norm.Even if you're not a cable news...
View ArticlePastors, Don’t Get Caught Living In The Ivory Tower: Rub Shoulders With Your...
One of my parishioners was one of the most Christ-like employers I’ve ever met. Tom was co-owner of an oil and gas well service company that employed approximately 100 people. He was not only involved...
View ArticleIs Investment Banking God’s Work?
When it comes how most people view the multi-trillion dollar banking industry, words like loathe, cynicism, and distrust come to mind. A writer a Rolling Stone magazine, for example, described Goldman...
View ArticleMissionaries in the Workplace
Several times during the year, churches I served would send people on short-term mission trips to work with orphans in Mexico, or fix up dilapidated houses in New Orleans, or serve in medical and...
View ArticleThank God for Taxi Drivers
I’m always on the lookout for God’s heroes in the workplace—people who understand that their work matters to God and see themselves as Kingdom outposts of God’s grace. Recently, my search led me to a...
View ArticleHow Do You Define Your Work?
Recently, a LeTourneau University staff member was shopping at a Longview furniture store and struck up a conversation with the owner. Happy to learn about his customer’s faith and connection to the...
View ArticleIs Your Work a No-Gratitude Zone?
Everyone likes to be appreciated. And not surprisingly, saying thank-you is good business. According to research, showing gratitude can increase profit, productivity and employee loyalty.
View ArticleIs Your Church Friendly to Workplace Heroes?
For Christians to be effective in fulfilling the Great Commission of Matthew 28:18-20, churches need to create a workplace-friendly culture that honors and encourages the work of men and women in the...
View ArticleWhen Christians Say Dumb Things
Have you ever considered how your words and actions influence the way people view Christianity? Every day, by what we do and say, we either draw or repel people to the truth—especially in the...
View ArticleRap Music for the Glory of God
At the Center for Faith & Work we talk a lot about business done for the glory of God. But rap music? This genre doesn’t show up anywhere on my list of favorites—for the sake of entertainment or...
View ArticleHow to Quit Your Job with Grace and Integrity
Ready to quit? We’ve all seen dramatic scenes on TV or in movies where the lead character shouts, “I quit!” and storms out with triumphant music playing in the background, sometimes to the cheers of...
View ArticleTheology of Work for a Non-Theologian
When Bill Peel asked me to review a video on YouTube by the author of my husband’s bulky systematic theology textbook, I admit I was skeptical.Prepared to be bored, I clicked and started watching Dr....
View ArticleOverwork and Materialism: Not Just American Issues
Your jaw may have dropped over the recent WSJ article “Wealth Over the Edge: Singapore.” Only a few decades ago Singapore was a Third World country; today it enjoys First World status. And if...
View ArticleMonday-morning Reality of the Resurrection
“He is risen! He is risen indeed!” Many of us repeated those words on Easter Sunday morning, confident that our relationship with God is secure because of this miraculous historic event—and rightly so....
View ArticleDoes Working Mom = Massive Guilt?
Meet Tracy Thomas, Director of Strategic Partnerships at Bright Hope, wife of Tojy and mother to Soraya, Caleb and Zachary. Tracy has been a working woman since her teens – she paid for college working...
View ArticleWork Is Not the Enemy
Last month we posted a NYT article by Erin Callan, former CFO of Lehman Brothers, in which she confessed how her work had become a consuming priority—and ultimately her identity.
View Article“Pull rank,” or lead?
The young woman’s face grew red, although considerable time had passed since the incident she was describing. She continued, I work at a law firm. I made a mistake and my boss yelled at me. I was...
View ArticleSelling Cars | Serving the Community
Don Flow, owner and CEO of Flow Automotive, believes that Christian business leaders have a unique opportunity to shape communities and influence culture. By focusing on living as a faithful follower...
View ArticleThank God for Highway Reflectors and the People Who Make Them
Last weekend I had to drive home after dark in a torrential rainstorm. Driving—even in good weather—makes me anxious, so that night I clinched the steering wheel extra tight, craned my neck and...
View ArticleDoes Your Work Really Matter?
Purposelessness is epidemic, and it's showing up in how we think and talk about our work. According to Gallup research, less than a third of Americans in the workforce are actively engaged and...
View ArticleCubicle Conversion: How Eric Metaxas Came to Christ
The spiritual significance of what happens in the workplace matters. Just ask Eric Metaxas.Metaxas is an American author probably best known for writing two New York Times bestselling biographies, one...
View ArticleWhy RG LeTourneau Gave 90 Percent
If you’ve ever been part of a church fund-raising campaign, you’ve likely heard the name R.G. LeTourneau. His story of giving is the stuff capital-campaigns are made of. However, the story of why he...
View ArticleFrom Instagram Snapshot to Feature Film
When I was all of 24 years old, I met this guy at church. He was 26. Good looking. Friendly. Pretty wife. Adopted newborn kid. Former college quarterback. Physical therapist. Committed Christ-follower....
View ArticleLeaving the Ministry?
“He left the ministry.” I can still remember hearing my pastor father’s sadness describing someone who had left the pastorate. My dad hated to see gifted people leaving church work. At age 34, he had...
View ArticleBasketball and Funeral Homes
"A time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance” (Ecclesiastes 3:4, NIV 2011).
View ArticleYard Work Is Not Part of the Curse
When I was a boy, I thought mowing the lawn was part of the curse. Maybe that’s because our yard wasn’t beautiful, or by the time I got our clunker mower started, I was already worn out. Recently I met...
View ArticleA Yellen Reputation
Last week the President announced that he planned to nominate Janet Yellen to Chair the Federal Reserve Bank. If approved, she’ll be the first woman to ever hold that post. Wow! There’s a lot being...
View ArticleIf I Had a Billion Dollars
Ten years ago The Externally Focused Church by Rick Rusaw and Eric Swanson awakened Christians to the fact that most communities wouldn’t notice if local churches disappeared. The book played a huge...
View ArticleHow does being a part of the body of Christ influence your job?
The kids at my church asked me this question, and it really got me thinking. I hope being part of the body of Christ influences everything I do—whether I’m at work, at home, at church on Sunday...
View ArticleA Psalm for Veterans Day and Everyday
This morning I read Psalm 138. It’s an appropriate Psalm for Veterans Day, November 11, as we stop to remember and thank God for protecting us through the work of men and women who are devoted...
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