Faith at Work : Finding Purpose Beyond the Paycheck

Kevin Lowry has provided today’s worker with a fantastic guide to living their faith in the workplace. In his book Faith at Work: Finding Purpose Beyond the Paycheck, Kevin gives advice on how to evangelize and be a witness to Christ while attending to your daily work duties. This advice applies to any work environment from CPA, to machine operator, to ditch digger to stay-at-home mom.

In the book Kevin draws from his experience as a CPA and COO of The Coming Home Network. He outlines a strategy for taking your faith to work with you on a daily basis. Throughout the book Kevin draws on Scripture, the Catechism and other church documents to substantiate the various points he is making. The subtitles of each chapter give great examples as to what topics are covered. They include: How to find meaning in our work through the universal call to holiness, how to be a team player through humility, how to positively impact your work through trusting God….and waiting and how to handle diversity in the workplace by recognizing that we are all God’s children.

The best part of the book I believe is Kevin’s approach that the suggestions laid out in each chapter apply to anyone in any job. As he states in the introduction “Whether you are a CEO, a homemaker, a clerk, a teacher, or a laborer, I want you to think about your work just a little bit differently. Work is an opportunity, not only to earn a living but also to live your faith in its fullness. The only way this is possible is to completely integrate your faith and your work.”

Kevin has given us a book that is very well written and easy to read. It consists of thirteen chapters for a total of 134 pages. Each chapter ends with a series of action steps and a few questions for reflection. I found the action steps to be most beneficial as they force the reader to ponder applicable situations in their own work environments. These steps are applicable to all types of work and if only a few are implemented in your day you may feel less of that 9-5 grind.

I found the book to be a good springboard for personal reflection. While reading the book I found myself comparing more than a few of the situations Kevin describes to similar situations in my own work environment. In particular I found myself thinking about those situations where you would very much like to let some know how much of an idiot you thought they were being. Instead the better avenue is to look at the people around you and the situations you are involved in through the lens of your Faith. This will undoubtedly cast things in a much holier light.
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I received a copy of the book for this review from the author.