A 27-year-old Denver man employed at a Blockbuster video store, was skateboarding off- duty in his uniform when he ripped the issued khaki pants. Rather than explain to the boss what had happened, he hatched a bizzare scheme. He took a knife, stabbed himself in the leg and showed up at work claiming to have just been attacked by three Hispanic males. He had a deep stab wound in one leg and several other minor cuts on his face and... Read more
Image via Wikipedia Every company tries to put it’s best face forward. The counters are clean. The floors gleam with reflective wax. The lights are positioned to reflect the bright surfaces. The people at the front are schooled and trained in customer service. “Yes, no, please and thank you, sir. Did you find everything you need and may I help you buy something else.” A light bulb burned out on the front sign is a call for immediate maintenance, but... Read more
A reader recently wrote this: “I recently served a client that was very vocal with his Christian faith. For business reasons not related to my performance, he abruptly terminated my contract outside the terms of our written agreement. He did not have the courage or courtesy to notify me directly–even by voice mail orE-Mail. Instead, he told a rival co-worker who leveraged this information to undermine and damage my reputation with my consulting firm.“Normally, I could write this off as... Read more
Thanks to High Calling Blogs, who published “The Final Harvest,” from a previous Red Letter Believers post. Here’s an excerpt: “I’ve been at this Christian walk for years — no, decades. And like these green tomatoes, I droop in immaturity. I’m not ready for Christ to come. I’m not ready to go home. I still need a few more days — or weeks — or years….will I be ready?“ Read the rest of the post here…. Please, share with a... Read more
There was an experiment done with the Great Northern Pike where the fish was placed into a tank with its favorite food, minnows. However, a glass divider was inserted into the tank between the Pike and the minnows. Every time the Pike went for the minnows, he bumped his nose into this glass divider. Convinced that the minnows were forever beyond reach, he gave up. When the divider was finally removed, the Great Northern Pike never even ventured into the... Read more
Image by h.koppdelaney via Flickr Technology blazes forward in many fashions, but none as remarkable as the computer chip. These chips perform faster and more accurately than ever. Yet, they pale in comparison to the human memory. Like a recurring movie, I can recall many things. Both the good times and the bad times receive equal play in the microprocessor of my brain.. Sadly, for many of us, the most poignant memories are of the slights we have received. We... Read more
Driving to work each day is a ritual familiar to most everyone. According to the Federal Highway Administration, more than 113 million Americans make their daily drive all alone. That’s plenty of time think. The morning commute might be the most difficult time for those of us who struggle with the daily grind. There is something about inching to work in the stop and go traffic that heightens our sense of foreboding. We grip the wheel harder as we pull... Read more
It was Greek thought that first called into question the merits of hard work, seeing manual labor as a curse. This has pervaded many cultures and may now be breaking into our own. Rather than satisfying our deepest need to be productive, work too often is simply a way to obtain a paycheck. No doubt, technology denigrates the work ethic. We have created mechanical solutions for nearly every task and the sweat of the brow is now replaced by the... Read more
“Ambition often puts men upon doing the meanest offices; so climbing is performed in the same posture with creeping.” — Jonathan Swift, Miscellanies, 1711 ———————— Please, share with a friend if you feel moved. Read all past issues at http://www.patheos.com/blogs/davidrupert Read more
What will it take to break out — to be all that God has called me to be? Will it mean a change in profession, even mission work or full-time ministry? How about some great ideas or leadership or “stunts for Jesus?” Will it require intensive study, deep mediation, or lessons in theology? The answer is much, much simpler.“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and... Read more
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