It was a not a perfect book – but it was good. Four friends and I had read it together over the summer. I was challenged to pray more for my wife and my friends could no doubt talk about the good things they also got from it. Weaknesses? The chapter on ‘ministry’ mentioned evagelism where “four of whom made professions of faith…three of whom continue following Christ today, two in the ministry!”. Why my unease? (more…)
Archive for the ‘Work’ Category
Long-term evangelistic fruit
September 22, 2011A true work-life balance
August 11, 2011I have a friend – let’s call him Andrew. Andrew works in the City. He is paid a lot of money and works a lot of hours. Our two families joined others for a church holiday earlier this year and I noted that Andrew was up to doing two or three hours of work a day. On one hand this looks ridiculous. Can he really not manage his work better so that he can focus on his family during the holidays? But then I realised that Andrew has something to teach us about work-life balance. (more…)
‘This is the best year of your life’
March 3, 2011This was forwarded to me by a friend of MAWAMFC
Quote from a prayer letter received today from a single professional christian in his early 20s: I want to read this from a 40 something in secular employment:I know that this next season is not always going to be easy but is so where I need to be right now. The best is yet to come! The series at church at the moment is ‘This is the best year of your life’, and has been such a challenge to claim this year as the best year yet! 2011 will be a greater year of challenge, stretching, growth, deeper relationship and walking it out in faith! I am pumped for the coming months and so expectant to see some awesome things happen in and through me. For greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world!!!
A serious question and to which I would appreciate feedback: Why don’t 40-somethings in secular employment write like this? Perhaps some do.
Following Christ whole-heartedly
July 3, 2010I subscribe to a magazine that aims to persuade all Christians to “…abandon their lives to the honour and service of Christ is daily holiness and decision-making”. This month’s issue has two stories of people ‘giving up [their] lives’. Can you guess where I am going with this? (more…)
The Christian’s dual calling
May 2, 2010The former president of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students was preaching, talking about the Christian’s dual calling: to apply Biblical truth to every area of society and to proclaim the Lorship of Christ everywhere. (more…)
Career and gospel
April 3, 2010I have just re-read ‘Good News to the Poor’ and in chapter seven (‘Good News to the Rich’) the author, Tim Chester, says
Some people make life choices by deciding first on the lifestyle to be adopted, then they choose a job to fund that lifestyle, then a home nearby before finally choosing a local church… [an alternative is to] see ourselves first and foremost as gospel ministers and members of gospel communities
Tim Chester then goes on to say how our gifts and passions – in the context of needs - would shape our ministry (eg, sharing the gospel with elderly people, helping the homeless – “It could be any one of a hundred things”). We would then decide where we needed to live and how much we needed to earn to fund this ministry. Only then would we decided what job we were to do and where we were to live.
Is this practical? Is this Biblical? It flies in the face of most of what I have done for most of my life – but that does not mean it is wrong. (more…)
Stepping out in faith
January 24, 2010A group of young people working with a Christian trust led the morning meeting at our church today. One of them, Hannah, was talking about taking steps of faith. Was that the main point of Matt 14:22ff? Anyway…
…she talked about how, for her and others, working for XLP has been a step of faith BUT, she then added “just as much, perhaps even more, we can step out in faith in our schools, colleges and at work”. Amen, preach it, sister!
The heart of the matter
October 3, 2009Leslie Ludy, an American author and speaker, writes
A Christian publisher once told me, “You shouldn’t always write about missionary Christians… Why don’t you share about some normal, everyday Christians who live in the suburbs and work for IBM? Those kind of Christians are just as important as the ones who go to the mission field. Don’t just focus on Christians who had a ‘special calling’ to go and change the world”.
Well, sorry to be blunt, but most “normal, everyday” Christians… are living pleasure-seeking, self-absorbed lives… Are we, as the majority of American Christians, pouring ourselves out for the lost of the least, or are we lying on our couches, eating pizza and watching reality TV”
“That’s a double ooch” (as many middle-aged people might recall from ‘The Banana Splits’)
What gives professional ministers joy
September 22, 2009I subscribe to The Briefing: “a short regular shot of encouragement and fresh Christian thinking to stimulate biblically faithful Christian life and ministry.” – and it does this, mostly. (more…)
What the Church of England had right
August 29, 2009“We are convinced that England will never be converted until the laity use the opportunities daily afforded by their various professions, crafts and occupations.” Towards the Conversion of England, 1945
Click here for how this inspired work at the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity.
