“We are not great shots across the bow of history; rather by simple grace, we are hints of hope.” On Friday night I had the gift of sitting with a group of folk from all across America talking about my book, “Visions of Vocation.” For serious people to read the book seriously is the best of gifts; and even to have someone remind of what I had written, as with the above words, is a surprising gift. In Columbus, OH... Read more
Recently some members of the Patheos Faith and Work Channel staff attended the Washington Institute’s “Come and See” Vocation Conference. There were many thought-provoking talks and discussions, and the “MISSION:WORK” blog is starting to report in on them. Hop over there and check out the first four…. “Come and see Jesus” What’s the story of your life? Hope for a better integration between faith and work Sometimes heaven meets earth in a hamburger Stay tuned for more!! Read more
“I’ve come to believe that war, as terrible as it is, is very clarifying for one’s heart and mind.” As I walked across the U.S. Naval Academy today, I listened to a man who has one of the best stories, a story we all like to hear. Ordinary people in ordinary places as we are, this is a truth that is true for all of us: we long to know that sometimes someone is graced, extruded into relationships and responsibilities... Read more
Further up and further in. Recently I spent several hours with a learning cohort of 40 people from all over America, listening to a few good people reflect on their different vocations. I was asking the questions for us all, and could have asked more. Thoughtful, honest, practiced, each offered windows into their lives and labors. One more time, the essay, “Vocation Needs No Justification,” was on the tables as we entered. The story of David Kiersznowski, the CEO of... Read more
(Originally posted July 1, 2014.) Rest in peace, my friend. A good woman has come and gone, and the world is a poorer place. Last night, Karen Goodwin died, and those who know her, grieve. Not all of us leave our fingerprints on history in the way that she did—that could not be with our different lives and labors –but her vision, energy and gifts have made all of us richer people, even better people. In her own ordinary, and... Read more
We’re always so please to see that people are reading, enjoying, and taking meaning from Visions of Vocation, the new book by Steve Garber that gives its name also to this blog where Steve shares his visions of vocation. The most recent review we bumped into was several weeks ago by Susan Fiske for By Faith, the online magazine of the Presbyterian Church in America: How can we fully know and still love? This is the question at the heart of Steve Garber’s... Read more
“Altogether, the Old Bailey, at that date, was a choice illustration of the precept, that ‘Whatever is, is right;’ an aphorism that would be as final as it is lazy, did it not include the troublesome consequence, that nothing that ever was, was wrong.” As must be, I am taking “A Tale of Two Cities” into my heart, reading and rereading this book that I have read before. A profoundly perennial story, it is true to the human heart in... Read more
Washington DC is a strange and wonderful place. For years I have seen it as a city of glories and shames—sort of like each one of us, but magnified as must be because it is a “city” after all. There are more of “us” here, and “we” become institutionalized over time, with systems and structures that have their own life. Persons become a polis, souls become a society. A good man wrote me yesterday wondering if he would need... Read more
Common grace for the common good. Recently I gave the commencement address at Covenant Theological Seminary in St, Louis. Over many years I have spoken there in many different ways: in conversations with administrators, faculty and students; lecture series; and classes and courses. I set before the graduates the vision of common grace for the common good, specially drawing on the rich, textured idea of “covenant” as a way making sense of life in a modern-becoming-postmodern world, full as it is... Read more
From: Teacher Steve Subject: Trend in “Slash” or concurrent careers/vocations “Visions of Vocation” – Excellent book. Question: The disruption in workplace technology and economy has led to careers/vocations being divided into multiple-sequential/concurrent careers in 21st century for many. What are your thoughts on this and the relation to your theme of vision of vocation? Dear Teacher Steve– This morning I read this from Jacques Ellul. “The first great fact which emerges from our civilization is that today everything has become ‘means.’ There is... Read more
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