Ever feel like a lot of conversation about faith and work is about people with good jobs and rewarding lives? So did pastor Trevor Lee: How do you approach faith, work, and economics with those who have little or no consistent work? As I move deeper into the conversation around faith, work, and economics, I’ve noticed that most of the illustrations and stories I hear are about people with good jobs—even if these are jobs people don’t particularly enjoy. I... Read more
This gem from Alain de Botton’s The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work came our way today courtesy of the folks at culture is not optional: Our exertions generally find no enduring physical correlatives. We are diluted in gigantic intangible collective projects, which leave us wondering what we did last year and, more profoundly, where we have gone and quite what we have amounted to. We confront our lost energies in the pathos of the retirement party. How different everything is for the craftsman... Read more
In a recent article on the Christianity Today website, Art Lindsley of the Institute for Faith, Work, and Economics inaugurates an occasional series of articles at CT on issues of faith and economics. He does so with a famous story from C. S. Lewis’ Prince Caspian: In C. S. Lewis’s TheVoyage of the Dawn Treader, King Caspian encounters Gumpas, the Governor of the Lone Islands. Gumpas tells Caspian that the slave trade practiced in his domain is an “essential part of the... Read more
In a post on the Kern Pastors Network (part 4 of a series KPN is running on relationships and poverty), Kyle Bushre ponders the movie It’s a Wonderful Life): The message that friendship is true wealth is captured clearly in the inscription of the book given to George by the angel, “Dear George, Remember no man is a failure who has friends.” But at the risk of ruining a Christmas classic, let’s focus on that money. George had no idea thousands... Read more
On June 12, 2014, Christian leaders from church and marketplace are going to meet in Minneapolis-St. Paul at the Art House North in an event sponsored by Leadership Journal’s “Redeeming Work” initiative to talk about how faith and work meet and how Christians can transform culture. Read more here, where you can also register for the event ($99 through June 11, $109 on site). And if you can’t go, the Faith and Work Channel’s own senior editor, Chris Armstrong, will be live-blogging... Read more
Our friends at the Washington Institute for Faith, Vocation, and Culture recently posted some thoughtful reflections from Madison Perry on what believing in the resurrection means–and how it makes a difference as we struggle with the everyday issues of work and life: An eye for beauty enhances our appreciation of life’s tragedy, and gives the tragic a new place to make sense. Christ’s resurrection is a fact and gives us a way to realistically embrace the beauty and the hard realities... Read more
What in the world does the seemingly obscure theological point of Jesus ascending into heaven have to do with our work? Laura Merzig Fabrycky of the Washington Institute for Faith, Vocation, and Culture puts it beautifully here: So, as you pour your coffee, perhaps reflecting on the fun or disappointments of the long Memorial Day weekend, gird your heart today for the work you will face and the tasks you will accomplish with this simple truth: Christ ascended into heaven and... Read more
Recently on the Kern Pastors Network blog Aaron Brockmeier reflected on his own foolishness. Moving from a very dark time in college to a saving encounter with the Gospel, there was still something missing: When I heard the gospel of Jesus, it was like fresh water, reviving my soul. The campus ministry that shared Christ with me was a wonderfully refreshing light in an otherwise dark and difficult season of my life. Although this college ministry provided a solid foundation... Read more
A recent article from the New York Times called “Being Good Isn’t the Only Way to Go” spotlights the fact that many people seek to volunteer outside of work because they are less than thrilled with their jobs. It begins: LAST September, the networking site LinkedIn added a feature that allowed its members to say whether they wanted to volunteer or serve on the board of a nonprofit. In just eight months, one million members raised their virtual hands. But here’s... Read more
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