By Mike Coyner To me the name Jesus is not just a good name, it is the “name above every other name” (Philippians 2:9-11). But too many Christians (or at least people who call themselves Christians) are giving Jesus a bad name. That is the conclusion of several recent studies and surveys. People in general are drawn to Jesus, but many of them are put off by the things some Christians do in the name of Jesus. Jesus himself is... Read more
By Phillip Jensen How can I put this delicately? The daily work of my hands leaves my hands smelling of hog feces. The smell is impossible to completely rid myself of. I’ve showered and scrubbed, yet even now as I sit clean and washed and pecking away at my MacBook, I catch a whiff of something amiss. I lift my hands to my face. I inhale. There is no doubt about it. They smell like manure. That odour can smell... Read more
So a couple of days ago we recommended the latest issue of Comment on how the faith and work conversation often avoids talking about God’s plan for those of us in work that is blue-collar, no-collar, or just plain icky. They got in touch and were nice enough to let us reprint some excerpts from the magazine here at MISSION:WORK. And, if you want to read more of the stories from the issue, you can still subscribe TODAY by following... Read more
This post comes to us from The Well. Thanks, folks! By Heather Ardrey There are many reasons people move to a remote island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Some are in it for the adventure. Some are in it for the money. Some are in it for the nostalgia, having grown up here. But many of us are running from something. For over a year leading up to our decision to move, it was clear that there was... Read more
In what ways have you seen others bring meaning to a “meaningless job?” In what ways have you shared the gospel through your work? Read more
Really good stuff in the latest issue of Comment, called “The Work of Our Hands,” on the conversations we’re not having about how blue-collar work, menial work, and disgusting work fit into God’s design. Or don’t fit. Here’s what Brian Dijkema has to say in his introductory letter: There is a swath of the evangelical community to whom the “faith and work” conversation is a revelation: “What?! You mean my work can be a calling just like my pastor’s?” There... Read more
This article originally appeared at Hang Together. College of the Ozarks’ “Hard Work U” Program A while ago, I saw a lot of attention paid to this article by Jonathan Rauch on the economic crisis of America’s working class. He’s looking at the right problem, but he’s looking at it all wrong. As a result, he misunderstands both the cause and the needed remedy. Rauch is right that the bottom half of workers have a long-term problem: the economy still... Read more
By Bill Peel The workplace is filled with spiritually hungry people. Most of them, however, won’t connect their own emptiness with their need for God unless they can see the difference Christ makes in a Christian’s life. Jesus could have designed a no-fail distribution strategy for the gospel, but instead He charged His followers to be His ambassadors — to show and tell others how to find fulfillment and eternal life in Him. Research shows that up to 90 percent of people who come to Christ as adults do so because of a relationship with one or more Christians... Read more
Every hundred Twitter followers, we feature them in this space. So, I should let you know that our 800th follower was Strange Culture, a blog about all things film: http://www.strangecultureblog.com/. Check them out. And join us on Twitter, where we share stuff from all over the Patheos Faith and Work Channel and other links and encouraging thoughts of interest. Read more
As an enthusiastic jazz fan and an appreciator of business entrepreneurship, I enjoy watching folks make it up as they go along. Nothing affirms my sense of human beings as “co-creators” with God (a favored term of that great co-creator, J R R Tolkien) more than listening to the swooping, soaring melodic lines of a skilled jazz musician. Nothing hits me more powerfully with the great practical power of creative thinking than seeing an entrepreneur take the germ of an... Read more
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