When I was young, my father would say, “Ken, you are going to be an engineer!” The only thing I knew at that time about engineers was that they worked on trains. I never asked my father why he thought I should be an engineer, but it must have something to do with my organizational and logical …
Theological Model of Work
I recently published my first book, Trading With God: Seven Steps to Integrate Your Faith into Your Work. Part II describes my theological model of work founded on the threefold, distinct, and interrelating aspects of Christian work: self-actualization, community, and new creation. All three aspects …
Secular and the Sacred
I worked almost a decade in Europe. The office environment was completely secular. I rarely heard anyone discuss spiritual issues or their church involvement. We did regularly discuss work, sports, and politics, though. When my wife and I traveled, we toured the great cathedrals, churches, and …
Self-absorption
I do not like to fly in airplanes. I don’t have any phobias about flying and like to travel to interesting places. I just did so many business and personal airplane flights that I grew to dislike this part of the journey. Since the September 11th tragedy and the increasingly competitive airline …
Work versus Vocation
When a person is considering becoming a pastor (minister, priest, vicar, etc.), he or she is asked: do you feel called to the ministry? Many lower paid occupations that serve communities, such as missionaries, social workers and low-income medical workers, are called vocations because these workers …
The Search for Significance
As I grow older and know that my future life on earth is shorter than my current age, I sometimes ponder significance: doing something important that leaves a legacy. This week, I read various editorials about Cokie Roberts, a political journalist, who died on September 17th at the age of 75. I …
Individualism
A current topic in the news is the rise of individualism, defined by the Oxford dictionary as “a social theory favoring freedom of action for individuals over collective or state control.” When I compare my father’s generation to that of children, there is certainly a significant trend towards …
Social Entrepreneurs
Social entrepreneurs are persons who apply novel applications to solve community problems. They use market-based methods and risk capital to change our society for the better. While these methods are designed for profits, the primary purpose is to positively uplift communities. For example, a …
Passion or Duty?
I lived in Europe for over 9 years and traveled to many countries, both professionally and personally. I observed that different cultures have different views on work. For example, when I discussed with Shell Hamburg (Germany) gas marketing staff what aspects of their work motivated them, I was …