The “My Work Is Better” Story I am sitting at a businessmen’s breakfast and the speaker gets up to share his story. It’s a familiar tale. “Before I was a Christian, my chief goal in life was to make a lot of money. I was a rising star at bignamecompany.inc. Then this new neighbor (substitute new coworker, family member, etc.) moved in and began to expose me to respectable Christianity. One thing led to another, and I became a follower... Read more
This past Saturday, supreme court justice, Antonin Scalia, was laid to rest in a state funeral in Washington DC. He’s the first associate justice to die in office in over 50 years. Scalia was known as an outspoken strict constitutionalist and fiercely devoted to his Catholic faith. Interestingly, as this piece from Christianity points out, the relationship between his faith and work was complicated. Christianity Today on the Faith and Work of the Late Justice Antonin Scalia The value of truth,... Read more
Question: Who makes greater sacrifices for their calling—those in full-time “ministry work” (pastors & missionary types) or those who are led to work in the “secular” marketplace? Facing the tension in this question is a key to bridging the vocational divide at the relational and institutional level. Note: The vocational divide is the gap individuals live between their faith and work. It is a personal experience reinforced by systemic and institutional realities. Three broad areas of attention are required to... Read more
I have a rhythm problem. It’s not that I can’t dance or play the drums (in reality, I’m not good or comfortable at either activity). The problem is that the rhythm of my life, the beat, the pattern, the on and off flow, is overwhelmingly fast and frequently erratic. If the goal I set before me is living each day with a center grounded in God-defined reality, then the sobering truth is I can’t get there from here. I have a... Read more
Another Super Bowl is in the books. Peyton Manning ended the season and possibly his career with a record 200th victory. Beyond the contest on the field, this battle between Manning and Carolina’s Cam Newton was also a contrast in attitudes. The difference between the two QB’s reflects a choice between two very different alternatives as we consider our way of being in the rough and tumble atmosphere of the modern workplace. The Center of the Show. ... Read more
I write this post on the eve of Superbowl 50, which will be the most watched television event of the year. Sports are ubiquitous in our culture, part of our collective psyche. And while commentators prognosticate about who will win and why, there is one issue that is never in doubt. All of us recognize the distinction between the locker room and the playing field; we grasp the distinct purposes of each. The locker room is where a team preps... Read more
Teaching Fisherman How to Fish Imagine this. You are a fisherman, a commercial fisherman. The men in your family have lived this work for as many generations back as you can remember. You know the secrets of the trade—how to find the fish and when to give up when casting your nets is a waste of time. Then one day, after a long night of catching nothing, you sit by the shore cleaning you empty nets. While there in... Read more
The Faith Component of “Faith and Work” I was at a business person’s breakfast recently where a man shared his story. It contained a familiar refrain and an implicit slight. After coming to faith as a young and successful businessman, he was led into a ministry career. He shared how over the years this involved ridiculous steps of faith and each time God came through. This is a familiar trope—surrender to Jesus, leave business. (There are actually two implicit slights... Read more
The above picture is of the Manhattan Bridge under construction, the 3rd suspension bridge connecting Brooklyn and Manhattan by spanning the East River. It was completed in 1901 and continues to carry cars, subway trains, cyclists and pedestrians. Like all bridges, the Manhattan is a pathway across a divide. In this post, bridge building is our metaphor for crossing the gap between our faith and work. In my last post (click here) , I explored 8 historical and cultural factors... Read more
Subterranean Shifts Pictured above you see a fissure that appeared in Nepal as the result of the earthquake there in April of 2015. This divide was caused by subterranean shifts. In this post I uncover shifts that drive our work-lives and faith-ives apart. Reader take note: 1) these are forces outside of the person, one could certainly point to various issues of spiritual health 2)I am not endorsing these shifts, merely pointing out how intense the pressure is to drive... Read more
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