Since our last poem in this space turned out to be surprisingly popular, here’s another of my favorites about those times when following one’s calling seems difficult. This poem has been interpreted as Herbert’s wrestling with his own calling of being a priest, and much of the imagery speaks to that. But it has something to say to all of us, I think. The Collar By George Herbert I struck the board, and cried, “No more; I will abroad!... Read more
A really interesting article showed up the other day on FaithStreet’s blog OnFaith. Author Chris Horst, spurred by the recent Hobby Lobby decision, wondered about the different way faith is expressed in the corporate marketplace: Since the Hobby Lobby case, there’s been lots of talk about what makes a corporation “religious,” if anything. Of course, corporations can’t really be religious, but their founders can and are, and they often express their religion in and through their corporations. Religion plays a... Read more
Today we check in with J. B. Wood (of Shrinking the Camel) with some thoughtful reflections on how to make hard decisions: This is from a wonderful YouTube channel run by The High Calling called “60 Seconds to Significance” featuring approximately one-minute talks about work and calling, including practical tips on faith in the workplace and advice on dealing with tough questions. By all means check it out. We’ll feature one in this space every so often. (Even more helpful... Read more
That’s the question that Christians in the Visual Arts asked a bunch of artists, and then stood back to see what they came up with. You can see the results at their site. According to CIVA, WORK Curse or Calling? invites artists to picture “work” in its many applications in the Christian experience — work on the job, in the studio, in the church, in the field, in the home, and as portrayed in the pages of Scripture — so that,... Read more
This comes via our friends at Christian History Institute and their great new issue of Christian History about work, calling, and vocation in the history of the church. (You have until August 9 to sign up and get a copy, which you can do here.) One of the articles spotlights all the jobs which early Christians found problematic, and asked that converts stop doing before they were baptized. (Preparation for baptism was a three-year affair in the early church, spent in listening... Read more
We like business folks here at MISSION:WORK (we especially like J. B. Wood, and we think you ought to read his blog.) But I was still intrigued when I saw this feature on PBS Newshour recently, as part of its Making Sen$e feature. The report focused on what some economists call the “coming artisan economy”: In Making Sen$e’s report on “the artisan economy” Tuesday evening on the NewsHour, Paul Solman speaks with two exterminators and a dementia coach. Not what you typically... Read more
We recently ran a post talking about how Americans don’t take enough vacation. On the heels of that, Mark Galli of Christianity Today pointed us towards a helpful essay on the Christianity Today website called “Sabbath is Not a Means to More Productive Work.” Author David Zahl begins by noting the huge market in the U.S. for sleep aids. The most interesting thing about that market, he says, is how these items are being marketed. We are told that “for each additional... Read more
Much of this recent blog post by Stephen Rankin, the chaplain at Southern Methodist University, is about what it means to be a church-related school….if that doesn’t mean required chapel, or having a certain number of trustees come from a certain denomination, but something bigger: But this description tells us next to nothing about the kind of school a school is. Very importantly, it does not tell us how the religious affiliation guides the actual experience of students. And if... Read more
From our friends at Christian History Institute comes a wonderful new resource: an issue of Christian History Magazine on vocation and calling from Biblical times to our own day: Did you know that dramatic calls by God in the Bible are actually pretty rare? That the early church refused to baptize actors unless they quit the theater? That many medieval kings wrestled with what it meant to be a Christian and a ruler? And that Luther thought you could be called... Read more
Is there a Christian way to make and sell hamburgers? Meet Hans Hess, founder/owner of Elevation Burger. The “Come and See” conference of this past week became a “taste and see” event when we headed for Hans’s burger joint down the street from The Falls Church Anglican Church’s original site, on S. Washington St. in Falls Church, VA. Before our meal (which was delicious and did not leave me, as have so many other “fast food” experiences, feeling like I’d... Read more
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