On September 2nd, the United States celebrated its 125th Labor Day. In 1894, the U.S. federal government passed a law designating the first Monday in September as Labor Day. Canada designates the same day as Labour Day. In 80 countries, May 1st is International Workers’ Day. It seems that we like to …
Work as Worship
For the vast majority of Christians, Sunday is the primary day of community worship. It is the day when Christians gather to pray, hear the Word, profess our beliefs, confess our corporate and individual sins, and sing praises to God. Worship is a community gathering as collectively we bond with …
Know Your Why
In the introduction (p. xv) of my recently published book, Trading with God, I write about hearing Ken Costa, an internationally renowned UK banker, preach at Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB) church in central London. His book, God at Work, was my introduction to the faith and work movement. Ken is both …
Family Business
Jesus taught his followers to look outside their self-interests and show love and hospitality to their community. In his paper, Faith, Family, and Work: A Christian Perspective on Family Businesses, published in the book Faith & Work: Christian Perspectives, Research, and Insights Into the …
Caring for Employees
I have never met a corporate chaplain nor seen a minister, priest, or rabbi in my office. Those with spiritual vocations and employed within religious organizations are certainly welcome in corporate offices but during my career, I just never witnessed it. In their paper, Caring for Employees: …
On July 22 of 2019, my first book, Trading with God: Seven Steps to Integrate Your Faith into Your Work, was published by Wipf and Stock. I finished the preliminary manuscript the previous August, then sent book proposals to publishers and literary agents. I wasn’t a best-selling author, nor did I …
“Eyesore” House
I like the landscaping around my home to look beautiful: no weeds, trimmed bushes, and green grass. I spend many morning hours keeping my yard in pristine condition. My wife believes that I spend too much time outside doing yard work and she is probably right. I just fear getting behind in my yard …
“As the Birds to Flying, So Is Man Born Unto Work”
Martin Luther (1483-1546) is well-known for his stand against the Catholic Church and the start of the Protestant Reformation. But far fewer people know that he wrote extensively about work. In their paper, Martin Luther’s Notion of Work as an Individual Source for Meaning, published in the book …
The Crisis in the Churches: Stewardship (Part III)
In Part II of my blog on Dr. Robert Wuthnow’s book, The Crisis in the Churches: Spiritual Malaise, Fiscal Woe (Oxford University Press, New York, NY, 1997), he places some of the burden on the clergy for not relating to the working lives of their congregations: “Many pastors seem to be unaware of …
The Crisis in the Churches: Clergy (Part II)
In Part I of my blog on Dr. Robert Wuthnow’s book, The Crisis in the Churches: Spiritual Malaise, Fiscal Woe (Oxford University Press, New York, NY, 1997), I describe his thesis that churches are in decline because they have not focused on the majority of their parishioners, the middle-class. He …