TheHighCalling.org: Service

Email (Audio)

Howard Butt, Jr. — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 06:00:00 GMT

In 1971, Ray Tomlinson tapped on his keyboard and hit “send” on the first-ever email . . . all the way across the room to a second computer in his lab.

That’s a few feet for man, a revolution for mankind. Today, every day, a hundred and eighty billion emails circle the globe. The average person spends an hour a day hitting "send” or “receive."

This is Howard Butt, Jr., of Laity Lodge. The God, whose son arrived in Bethlehem, teaches us that great things begin in humble places. Do you feel in the wrong place to be great? Remember the baby in the stable. Consider the history of email. There are no small places, people, or opportunities in the high calling of our daily work.

With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling , and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. (2 Thess. 1:11)

Love in Action at Work and in the World (Bible Reflection)

Gary Klingsporn — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 06:00:00 GMT

American culture is a culture of narcissism. Recently, I was in a bookstore and noticed that Christopher Lasch’s book The Culture of Narcissism, published in 1979, is still in print and on the shelves after some thirty years. It is a hard-hitting critique that our culture is characterized by a “narcissistic preoccupation with the self.” We live, Lasch said, in a culture of self-absorption and entitlement, where “it’s all about us.”

I think Lasch’s book became a best-seller and remains in print today because his basic thesis has withstood the test of time. The narcissism Lasch described has not disappeared; it has merely taken on new forms. We are in love with ourselves. For example, consider our celebrity culture and the self-esteem and self-help movements that appear to be “on steroids.”

This is not a new problem. It’s as old as humankind. The ancient Greeks told the story of the vain, self-absorbed young man Narcissus, who was consumed by his own self-love and incapable of loving others. He wasted away and died, leaning over a pool looking at his reflection in the water.

In a world and culture of narcissism, one could not hear a more radically different word than the words from 1 John, “We know love by this, that Jesus laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for one another” (3:16).

Laying Down Our Lives at the Office and Home

But what does it mean to “lay down our lives for others”? That phrase easily evokes images of a once-in-a-lifetime noble and heroic act that most of us can’t imagine doing. We think of firefighters who enter burning buildings or rescuers who die while attempting to save others. We think of martyred saints like Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Martin Luther King, Jr., or Oscar Romero who die for their faith or for speaking the truth.

Such heroic, sacrificial acts of love seem lofty and distant, but they prepare us for what the writer of 1 John says next. “Laying down our lives for others” is not at all limited to great acts of heroism or dying for a cause. To lay down one’s life for another is simply to respond to people in need: “How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses to help?” (v. 17). God calls us to open our hearts to the needs of people around us. This involves practical, concrete acts of love in the ordinary matters of everyday life.

Love Is Always Active—The Knowing and Doing Gap

The writer of 1 John further describes the call to love others by saying, “Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action” (v. 18). True Christian love is grounded in the nature and character of God and in the Incarnation. Such love is not simply an emotion we feel or an idea we talk about. As God in Jesus Christ showed his suffering love for us in the painful act of laying down his life for us on the cross, we also are called to act for others. Love is something we do, not simply something we believe. It’s not pious talk, but committed action. Love sees the pain, suffering, or need of a friend, neighbor, or even an enemy, and does something about it. Love is practical and concrete, not abstract or theoretical.

Most of us have a problem with this. We know that we should love others, or we want to do something for them, but we fail to act on our intentions.

Recently I found an interesting book called The Knowing and Doing Gap (Jeffrey Pfeffer and Robert I. Sutton, Harvard Business School Press, 2000). It’s an organizational management book that explores a common problem in businesses and organizations: they know what they need to do to change or improve things, but they fail to act. The authors note that one of the main barriers to turning knowledge into action is the tendency to assume that talking about something is equivalent to actually doing it. How true I think this is of love in the Christian life. We talk about it all the time, but talk can easily become a substitute for action.

The book tells the story of a mining executive whose company was acquired by a larger corporation. Under the new management, he spent two weeks every month flying back and forth to company headquarters in Australia. While at the corporate offices, he spent most of his time sitting in a darkened room watching overhead presentations projected on a screen. There were plans, reports, and strategy presentations, but no action. He says, “I kept trying to remind my associates that we weren’t in the business of making plans and overheads, but in the business of mining and smelting copper. . . . If we had been in the business of making presentations, we would be doing a lot better than we were.” He left the company after one year.

We’ve all experienced the problem of all talk, but no action. What would it mean for you to reach out to someone in your workplace with an act of love? What are the needs of people around you at work? How can you address those needs with more than words? How can you bear witness to your faith and help create a more caring and trustworthy world? You could ask these same questions about your neighborhood, community, school, and church.

In a culture of narcissism, it’s so easy to become self-absorbed and preoccupied with our own lives.

I don’t know what there is for you and me to do this week. All I know is that there is someone who needs us. Someone needs you.

Questions for personal reflection, online discussion, or small groups:

Read 1 John 3:16-24. What does it mean to lay down our lives for others in the office or workplace? In the neighborhood and community, at school, or at home?
What are the needs of people around you at work? How can you address those needs with more than words?
What would it mean for you to reach out to someone in your workplace with an act of love? How can you bear witness to your faith and help create a more caring and trustworthy world?
Consider some practical ways to encourage people this week:
o Send an email
o Write a card
o Make a call
o Show up in someone’s office door
o Get together for lunch or coffee
o Invite someone to your home
o Listen with your undivided attention

The Parable of the Hostile Administrator (Personal Reflection)

Christopher Smith — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 06:00:00 GMT

"Good morning," I said innocently to the office administrator as I came in to work on the first day of my summer job on a factory loading dock.

I was so stunned by her reply that I nearly fell over.

In a bitter retort laced with profanity, she demanded to know what was so good about it. She gave me a lingering hostile glance before turning away.

One of the older workers took me aside. "Don't let her bother you," he said sympathetically. "She's always in a bad mood. It's been like that for as long as I've worked here. She's that way with everybody."

My experience in the days ahead confirmed that this administrator truly was in a bad mood every single day. Even though I made a sincere and consistent effort to be kind and friendly, this seemed to have no effect.

After I'd worked for a few weeks on the loading dock, I was shifted to the maintenance crew. I was assigned to clean her part of the building! I cringed as I anticipated the kind of comments she might make as our paths crossed. Even though she wasn't my supervisor, I was sure she'd have plenty to say about my work.

Honorable Work in the Christian Tradition

Then I remembered a line from a poem I'd studied in one of my literature classes in college that spring. George Herbert wrote in "The Elixir":

"A servant with this clause makes drudgery divine: Who sweeps a room, as for Thy laws, makes that and the action fine."

In other words, when Christians are doing even so humble a task as sweeping, they can make a room, and their act of service, "fine" or beautiful by doing it in obedience to God. It doesn't matter what anyone else says about it. The real audience for our work is in heaven.

Martin Luther King, Jr., once said something very similar: "If a man is called to be a street sweeper . . . he should sweep streets so well that all the host of heaven will pause to say, 'There lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.' "

A Biblical Call to Honorable Work

The advice these godly men were giving is solidly biblical. Peter wrote in his first epistle, for example, that we should give excellent service "in reverent fear of God . . . not only to those masters who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh" (1 Pet. 2:18). We can do this because our service really is being offered to God, not to those masters.

I didn't know this at the time, but the word translated "harsh" here can be translated more literally as "crooked," in the sense of a path that keeps turning off course. (Luke uses the same Greek word when he quotes Isaiah's prophesy that every "crooked" path will be made straight, Luke 3:5.) The term could apply to a master or boss who kept leaving the path of respectable authority. But it could also apply to someone who took a friendly greeting and turned it aside, making it the occasion for a caustic confrontation. In that case, Peter's words applied directly to my situation with the hostile administrator!

Even though I didn't know all this then, I knew enough to recognize that I couldn't use the woman's belligerence as an excuse for not doing my best. And so I told God that, no matter what she might say, I'd do my sweeping for Him. (And was it my imagination, or did her attitude begin to soften after that?)

One day I was working my way down a long hallway. I was concentrating on getting the dust and grime out from under the base heaters, so I didn't notice that someone was coming until I heard them stop right next to me. I looked up and saw that it was this administrator! I flinched as she looked at me, then at the floor, and then back at me. But for the second time that summer, I nearly fell over when she spoke.

"You do good work," she said.

Questions for personal reflection, online discussion, or small groups:

Read and reflect on 1 Peter 2:18-21:

. . . submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God.
. . . To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

Do you know someone like the hostile manager? How do you respond to people like this?
How can you make your daily work an act of obedience to God?

Ministers in Our Daily Work (Audio)

Howard E. Butt, Jr. — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 06:00:00 GMT

Do you remember Jesus' first miracle? A wedding party runs out of wine. Jesus tells the servants to fill several large jars with water, then serve some to the master of the banquet. And the water turns into wine.

In this story, who do you think are the ministers? Throughout the New Testament, the word diakonos is translated "minister." Here, the apostle John doesn't use that word to describe Jesus. Or the master of the banquet. He uses it to describe the servants who fetch the water.

This is Howard Butt, Jr., of Laity Lodge. The servants are ministers because they do what Jesus asks. That response qualifies every Christian as a minister. When we obey God, he can work miracles—in the high calling of our daily work.

"If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all." (Mark 9:35)

Work & Play: Rejoice (Ramblin' Dan)

Dan Roloff — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 06:00:00 GMT

Theologically, play is the exercise of freedom, the freedom to recreate, the freedom to rejoice before God, and the freedom to know oneself beyond the bondage of toil. Instead, we turn our play into something utilitarian believing that usefulness provides meaning.

Just last week my daughter and I played disc golf at our house. Disc, or Frisbee, golf is basically throwing your disc to a target (hole) and counting the throws. We started out keeping score but soon began to just admire the good shots and laugh at each other’s bad shots.

After a few holes my daughter turned to me and said, “I don’t know what my score is.”

I said, “I don’t know mine either.” We just played—and had fun.

I believe my purpose in that game was the same as that of Paul in the letter to the Romans, “so that by God's will I may come to you with joy and together with you be refreshed” (Romans 15:32). The sense of joy and abundant gladness is what I’m looking for when I enter into play with my daughters. It’s a representative joy that a father has in his children and them in him. It represents the same joy we have in our heavenly Father.

When we express joy, or gladness, it is almost always a feeling of euphoria or heightened happiness. When we freely express that joy, we rejoice. We can sense this euphoria when Paul exclaims, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4).

The rhythm of work and play can be likened to God's plan for the Sabbath. "For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy" (Exodus 20:11). Our Sabbath rest should include our free play before the Lord.

Higher Ground (Audio)

Howard E. Butt, Jr. — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 06:00:00 GMT

Do you remember the 45 American missionaries thrown into foreign prison for sharing their faith? These men and women faced years in harsh conditions.

While waiting to hear about their appeal, the Christians held a meeting. Their leader said, "Whether we're released now or serve our sentence, when we get out, I've determined to seek even harsher and more desperate places to serve."

He asked for a show of hands. Who would go with him? Every hand went up.

This is Howard Butt, Jr., of Laity Lodge. Our human response to tough times is to try to change the circumstances. God's response is to change us. Trusting Him in our low times, we can claim ever higher ground . . . in the high calling of our daily work.

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Rom. 12:2)

The Grass Withers, but the Relationships Don't (Personal Reflection)

Christine A. Scheller — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 06:00:00 GMT

Twelve years ago, ornamental horticulturist Bruce Neary got the news no valued employee wants. He was being laid off. His employer, a wealthy New Jersey businessman known for the elaborate landscaping at his four luxurious properties, was going to prison for defrauding investors. Bruce went from managing those properties to doing whatever it took to feed his young family.

The newly unemployed father diligently sent out his resume. Despite holding a BA degree in Ornamental Horticulture from Rutgers University (where he teaches in the off-season) and an agricultural MBA from Texas A&M, he got nowhere. In the meantime, friends and acquaintances began asking him to do small jobs: planting a tree, painting a house, etc. He would take the seats out of his wife Betsy's mini-van, load it with materials and go to work. One day, Betsy suggested he stop sending out the resume.

BCN Horticultural Services has grown over the years through word of mouth alone. Bruce has never advertised and has kept overhead low by working from home and renting supplies whenever possible. This year, after earning a BA degree in Ornamental Horticulture from Virginia Tech, the Neary's son Brenden joined the business. Together this highly educated and highly skilled team seeks to glorify God in its work.

Bruce says he tries to be a blessing to people by eliminating their anxiety. "We'll do anything from planting geraniums to a $150,000 installation job. We tell them, 'You don't have anything to worry about. We have your best interest at heart.' " He says it's a tough sell because people are often skeptical of contractors' motives, but he views himself as a steward of their resources. Brenden adds, "We treat their property as if it is our own. . . . We're more concerned with people than with the landscape."

Sometimes spiritual conversations are spurred when a customer sees the Scripture verse embossed on the company's letterhead. The motto is Isaiah 40:8: "The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God stands forever." Other times, conflict with a client becomes an opportunity for prayer. If a customer unjustly attacks, Bruce probes to see if something deeper is going on. He says, "We're very in tune about building relationships. If we run into nasty people, we look past them."

Brenden sees his role at work as that of being an ambassador for Christ. "You have to do literal good work in the work place. . . . There is nothing in the Bible that talks about God being pleased with shabby work. If you're going to do something, you've got to do it to the best of your ability, and if your ability allows you to do something with a lot of detail and quality, don't cheat people out of that."

How does the family nurture its own relationships? Betsy, who is responsible for administration and container planting, says, "We're very upfront about feelings. We don't hide them. We spend time working out problems." She explains, "I think Brenden had more trouble with me than he has with Bruce because he knows more than I do, and yet there was an aspect of the business that I was responsible for and had been doing for a long time. We had to work that out."

The Nearys have expanded in uncertain times. They're adjusting to the economic downturn by honing their skill set and being better stewards of their own resources. They are more willing to compete for jobs that in the past they would have let go, and they are learning to deal with clients who suddenly can't pay their bills. At this point, Bruce is unwilling to seek remedy through the legal system or collection services. He says, "The Lord can retrieve my money, and if he doesn't retrieve my money for me, then we don't need it."

Still, he concludes, "I'm always somewhat nervous. I was nervous when Brenden came on board, and I knew I had to pay him $750 a week. . . . Everybody in the world can tell me I have the resources; it'll happen; but there's no way I'm going to believe that for a period of time." To counter his own anxiety, he builds his faith through prayer, Bible study, and relationships with other Christians.

Bruce says that working for a highly demanding boss prepared him to run his own business. "I did not believe there was anything I could not do because I was asked to do crazy stuff." It is this kind of tenacity and can-do attitude that keeps BCN Horticultural Services thriving in uncertain times.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Christine Scheller is a widely published freelance writer. Her blog Christineascheller.wordpress.com is a part of HighCallingBlogs.com, our online community that focuses on work and God. The picture is an actual lawn maintained by Bruce Neary.

Finding a Marketing Shoe That Fits (Personal Reflection)

Sam Van Eman — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 06:00:00 GMT

We live in the age of awareness. The world feels smaller, its problems are clearer, and its solutions—so they seem—are more manageable. No longer do I picture Africa as a distant place with insurmountable, unimaginable trials. I just see a $10 mosquito net. Creative framing and ingenious invitations have made getting involved a snap. And the sheer number of opportunities provides even the tiniest niche of people with something to do.

Since folks are in the market for buying causes, marketers are in the business of selling them. But not all cause marketing is created equal. Sometimes it misses, and sometimes the shoe fits just right. Here are three variations of cause marketing and why it matters that we know the difference:

Make the cause secondary
Make the cause solitary
Make the cause primary

(RED): Make the cause secondary

According to their website, “(RED) is a simple idea that transforms our incredible collective power as consumers into a financial force to help others in need. (RED) is where desire meets virtue."

Huge brands like Dell and Gap have partnered with (RED), and they claim to have helped 2.5 million lives so far. I like this. What I don’t like is making the cause secondary to the allure of becoming a celebrity.

Bob Garfield, Advertising Age ad critic, makes the following comment about Dell’s 2008 Super Bowl commercial: “The Dell commercial doesn't even try to sell people on charitable giving. It turns the (RED) laptop into a sort of chic magnet . . ., the aids crisis turned into an Axe commercial.”

This approach misses the mark.

15 BELOW JACKET: Make the cause solitary

You can't read the small text in that image, but here's what it says: "EMERGENCY BLANKET: An oversized (40" x 60") poster, printed on newsprint, is sent out to homeless shelters with each 15 Below jacket. As the poster unfolds, one side shows how the coat works with simple illustrations and instructions printed in multiple languages. The other side of the poster features a large image of a blanket. The idea is to tear the poster into strips and stuff it into the multiple pockets of the 15 Below jacket to act as insulation. Stuffed with newspaper, this jacket will insulate the body, helping to ensure survival through the night. In this sense, the medium is more than the message. For someone living on the street, it could be a lifeline."

In this very different example, the cause isn’t the secondary point or even the primary point—it’s the only point: Help the homeless. I don’t believe altruism exists, so I’d guess there are other reasons for this campaign. Nonetheless, it comes undeniably close to acting like Jesus and I like it. Marketing firm, TAXI, made this super cool, highly practical, well-made, necessary coat for the homeless. That’s it. No need to buy anything to get one. You can’t even buy one for yourself.

The campaign inspires me to be hopeful: “Then the King will say to the advertising agency on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For. . . I needed clothes and you clothed me . . .’ ” (From Matthew 25:34, 36).

Check out the site here and wait for it to load – it’s worth it.

TOMS SHOES: Make the cause primary

My third example shifts away from the selfish desires of the first and the more purely philanthropic nature of the second. TOMS Shoes, a for-profit shoe company, sells a product. But it makes a cause primary. Just read their blog. The cause fueled “Chief Shoe Giver,” Blake Mycoskie, to begin this venture, and it fuels his entire global team of employees, interns, and vagabonds. Their cause: “For every pair purchased, TOMS will give a pair of shoes to a child in need. One for One."

Like the (RED) example, TOMS relies upon our consumer power. Unlike (RED), however, it doesn’t depend upon our desire for stuff. It doesn’t make charity a residual effect to shopping. Rather, it comes first. Yes, you get your own pair of shoes, but more as a Thank You and not as an incentive.

I like this model because it shows a decent relationship between Jesus’ call to care and the room God makes for marketing in the created order. I don’t know how well Blake Mycoskie knows Jesus, but we can appreciate the way he’s found a marketing shoe that fits. And we can applaud his social media marketing agency for doing such a good job with the concept.

As your awareness grows, pick a cause (or causes) to stand on. Just don&

The Problem with Obedience (Ramblin' Dan)

Dan Roloff — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 06:00:00 GMT

Here’s a quote from Howard E. Butt, Jr. It’s from a staff workshop in 1998:

To practice servant leadership as modeled by the Holy Trinity—God the Father is the leader, God the Son is the servant—that's where the whole idea of servant leadership comes from. To practice servant leadership as modeled by the Holy Trinity to renew ourselves, our families, our institutions, and society—now, that's our vision.

This is a reminder that Jesus lived out what Paul wrote to the Philippians.

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!

Jesus struggled with this type of obedience the same as we struggle with it. Being a humble, totally obedient servant is not easy. In Gethsemane, Jesus prayed, "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will." Not just once. He makes the same request a few verses later: "My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done" (Matt. 26:39, 42).

It’s comforting to know that God understands how difficult obedience is for us. Simple obedience, like following rules, can be difficult enough for us. But obedience that requires a blow to the ego or even suppression of the ego can be really hard. So when Jesus accepted the role of obedient servant in his prayer at Gethsemane, he understood the cost of that obedience. He knew he would face public humiliation, ridicule, and rejection. He knew his friends would abandon him. Obviously, it was painful.

The problem with obedience is that it’s hard. However, there is an up side. Obedience is what makes working together successful. If there is consistent or constant challenge to any idea anyone puts forward and no one is willing to follow or abide by the rules, then failure is certain. Someone has to follow in order to have successful leadership. Being a follower is difficult for most of us. We like to lead, or at least have others listen to us.

Another side to the problem of obedience is the fitness of the leader. A controlling, power-hungry leader who cannot share leadership is doomed to failure. The same is true of a leader who can’t step back and be obedient when appropriate.

There’s a sense of mutuality to obedience. A give and take between leader and servant is evident in healthy leadership and healthy service that encompasses obedience. Genuine care for the greater good or overall goal of the group is a mark of that healthiness. So Jesus trusted the Father. Regardless of the personal anguish Jesus anticipated, he knew that his goals and the Father’s goal were one.

Good Knight Now? (Ramblin' Dan)

Dan Roloff — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 06:00:00 GMT

I was thinking about my earlier post, “Work Is Noble,” and the image of knights, squires, and pages has been flashing through my mind. Using that imagery of classic nobility helps me to see my role clearer. But it also helps me keep a healthy perspective on the role of manual labor and the idea of craftsmanship.

My brother was like a squire to our father. He assisted our father in mechanical functions. I was like a page, assisting in the most menial tasks such as handing over the appropriate tool. I never got close to the real action, not even in training. Those tasks were for the knight and his squire.

Aspiring to be a squire never interested me. Most of what I learned about all things mechanical came from junior high shop classes. There I learned enough to get by but never enough to make me in any way proficient. It became obvious that I should look elsewhere for my unique skills.

There were, however, two times where I developed enough mechanical proficiency to experience joy in the work.

First, I experienced the joy of manual labor while working on a KS-125 motorcycle that I modified enough to be a passable motocross bike. I spent hours working on the bike and learning the intricacies of the two-stroke engine. It was never enough to allow me the knighthood of being considered a mechanic, but perhaps enough to reach the level of squire.

My money and interest ran out about the same time, but I soon learned of another craft that captured my interest.

Second, I experienced the joy of craftsmanship while working on a pair of cross country skies. I enjoyed cross country skiing immensely. It was a great workout, and it got me out into the woods in the winter. I even had my own pair of classic wood skis which I learned to tar and wax for maximum performance.

In the basement of my parent’s home, I spent hours with a propane torch heating pine tar and spreading it across the bottom of the skis to seal them from moisture. Then I would apply the base coat of wax, for the glide. This provided a smooth surface for the skis to glide over the snow. Finally, I applied kick wax, a specific wax to grip the snow and meet the weather conditions for that day.

Alas, this craftsmanship was also short-lived as I soon moved to Texas. I left the skis behind and poured my energies into teaching and coaching. But the sense of physical labor and craftsmanship were an important part of how I defined myself.

Gradually, my identity shifted over time, and it was a frustrating process. I began to understand that the philosophical and theological questions of life were what motivated me and where my gifts were best suited. This was not an easy transition for a couple of reasons. Philosophy and theology tend to emphasize ideas and not products. Such intellectual pursuits conflicted with my understanding of what constitutes meaningful work.

I thought craftsmanship and physical labor were noble work. Philosophy and theology, however, were just glorified ways to describe daydreaming. This conflict took years or decades to resolve. The resolution has played out as a battle to remain faithful to what Christ was teaching me about who I was meant to be as opposed to what the world taught me about what I was supposed to be.

The first steps were the physical relocation that I described in “What You Might Become.” This latter phase of transformation has been more difficult and taken more time. I liken it to the Exodus and the uncertainty of wandering in the desert for forty years. There are times when it’s easy to become distracted and choose another direction. It’s harder to battle through the uncertainty on faith alone.

God Works Through Human Resources (Wisdom from Howard E. Butt, Jr.)

Howard Butt, Jr. — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 06:00:00 GMT

The basic need of any enterprise is human resources. Similarly, the first essential for any program or ministry is human resources. As G. Campbell Morgan put it, "God's method is a man." God's message was a man, Jesus Christ, God in flesh and blood.

The incarnation is the unique genius of the Christian revelation. But the principle of incarnation was not abandoned when the earthly ministry of our Lord was concluded. It is the eternal task of the church to reproduce the incarnation, to clothe the spirit of the living God in human flesh. The Holy Spirit must live in the human clay of the Christian's experience and life.

God works through human resources.

God's Plan for Work (Bible Reflection)

Vera Jackson — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 06:00:00 GMT

Everyone might like the idea of taking a permanent vacation, but in reality work has been part of God's plan for mankind from the beginning.

The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the Lord God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden." (Gen. 2:15–16)

This interaction between God and the first man took place before sin entered the earth. The Lord has always intended for us to work and eat the fruit of our labors. Idleness has never been part of his will. In fact, "having nothing to do" is part of the fall of man. We know that Jesus came to save us from sin and bring us into the Kingdom of God. In Matthew 20, he tells a parable that illustrates his call for us:

He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. About the third hour he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. He told them, "You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right." So they went. (verses 2–5)

God is calling us to labor in His vineyard. He wants to rescue us from idleness by calling us to work, and he has enough going on to keep all of us busy. Not only that, he has promised to reward us for our labor. It just does not get better than that!

It is easy to imagine that we are laboring in God's vineyard when we volunteer for our church or do other ministry work. Yet God intends that the marketplace jobs we do every day be set apart for his glory just as much as if we were pastoring a church or traveling as an evangelist. God wants us to see all the work we do as a holy calling. Paul said it this way: "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men" (Col. 3:23).

Work is a blessing. We all understand this when we are out of a job and need to find employment to keep the bills paid. Yet God's purpose for our work goes so far beyond meeting our financial needs. Each job or "assignment" we receive from Him is part of His divine plan to expand His Kingdom. Unfortunately, there are still people—and some believers are among them—who stand idle in the marketplace just like the men in the parable. Some are lazy, but others simply do not understand why they are there. They do not know God's plan for work.

God wants to make sure we are fulfilling the roles he prepared for us before we were born. The Bible teaches us that God judges us based on our stewardship of what he entrusts to us in this life. When it comes to our professional lives, we know he is interested in how we spend the money we earn and how we treat the people we meet. Do we also realize that he is just as interested in the quality of the work we do?

Passport to the Lost

Think about the lives of missionaries. They leave the comfort of their homeland to take the Gospel to people who would never have the chance to hear it otherwise. Missionaries know when they enter a new land that they may be the only representatives of Jesus Christ that the people ever see. They conduct themselves in a way that is above reproach to avoid hurting their Lord's reputation. In short, they live their lives on the mission field exactly the way we should live our lives when we go into the marketplace.

The most obvious meaning of the word missionary is "someone on a mission." That is who we are! First and foremost, our work in the marketplace is a passport that affords us entrance into the lives of lost people we would never otherwise meet. They may be struggling in their families, suffering from past hurts, or simply searching for purpose and meaning in life. They are people made in the image of God, people whom he loves dearly.

Think of it—you may be the only real Christian that the people on your job ever get to see. With every breath you take and every step you make, he is calling you to fulfill the Great Commission. Certainly our Sovereign God does not need our help, yet in his mercy he has chosen to use you and me. When we cooperate with God's plan for us to live out our faith on the job, our lives become enormously full, joyous, and purposeful.

God is calling us to take the Gospel to those we supervise, to our coworkers, and even to our superiors. That is what it means to be salt and light in the marketplace! Just as God sends missionaries overseas to bring the Gospel to other cultures, he sends each one of us to our unique professional subculture to carry his Good News. When men and women see us as loving and compassionate people who set a standard for excellence in all we do, they will be drawn to the God we serve.

In order for us to accomplish our mission, however, we must understand the importance of the positions we hold and the professional roles we play. We must understand that God will give us the wisdom and strength to please our earthly bosses and our heavenly Boss! We do not need to compromise one for the other. When we are focused on faithfully representing Jesus in our character, conduct, and work ethic, we cannot help but perform on the job with excellence.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Used by permission. Unauthorized duplication prohibited.
Excerpted from:
Taking Jesus to Work: Living Out Your Faith on the Job by Vera R. Jackson
Copyright © 2008; ISBN 9780800794613
Published by Chosen Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group

Hutu Murderer (Audio)

Howard E. Butt, Jr. — Sun, 31 May 2009 06:00:00 GMT

World Vision tells a story about Deborah. Years after the genocide in Rwanda, Deborah could not get over her son's death—so she daily asked God for help. One morning a young man came to her door. He said, "I killed your son. Take me to the authorities. I cannot sleep. I see you praying, and I know it's for me."

Deborah saw before her a hurting young man—a pawn of Hutu extremists. She opened her arms to offer forgiveness and a place in her own family.

This is Howard Butt, Jr., of Laity Lodge. The Bible refers to God as "Him who has destroyed the dividing wall of hostility." Deborah knew Him. We know Him, too . . . in the high calling of our daily work.

Topical Bible Study (Ramblin' Dan)

Dan Roloff — Tue, 26 May 2009 06:00:00 GMT

If you're interested in taking your faith seriously in all areas of life, then Mark Roberts' Daily Reflections are for you. I find them extremely helpful. Mark's topical Bible studies illustrate the high calling of our daily work.

The current series is from the book of Exodus. Mark gives us a glimpse of Moses that we often don't reflect on. We see a less-than-confident Moses who struggles with self-doubt. This is hardly the image of an Egyptian Prince. Instead, we see a struggling Moses who is reluctant to follow God's call. It's someone we might relate to in our everyday lives.

Mark does an excellent job helping us to connect with the human side of Scripture. He delivers a transformative message. These reflections are a big part of my day. I encourage you to take a look and subscribe to the daily email or use the RSS feed to have them delivered directly to your reader.

Secret or Mystery? (Ramblin' Dan)

Dan Roloff — Sun, 24 May 2009 06:00:00 GMT

I'm a bit of a loquacious fellow. I come by it honestly. My mother tended to go on. Just about everything was fair game . . . just about. There were some subjects my mother said nothing about. These were her secrets.

My favorite secret was when she got her first, and only, credit card. I was a teenager, and she told me not to tell my father. That was okay by me. It's not like my dad and I spent time talking about family finances. Here's the funny thing. When my mother died, Dad came to me and said, "We can't forget to take care of that credit card your mother had."

I was at once stunned and amused. He knew about the secret credit card, and he knew that I knew. But he never let her know that he knew. He gave my mother plenty of space. She had her secrets. She always did, and he let her have them without judgment.

This was a mystery to me. Why was so much of her life based on secrets that most of the time were known to everybody else in the family? It was like she was trying to hide a piece of herself. Maybe that was the heart of the mystery.

When Jesus encounters the woman at the well, the conversation progresses along relational lines according to what the woman was able to hear and comprehend. She came to the well with her secrets. He shared with her the mystery of eternal life.

Our secrets can be damaging. They damage our relationships with others but mostly they damage our spirits. Secrets foster distrust. We can sense when someone is not being fully open to us. Secrets can make a person appear phony. There are many negative attributes that secrets can manifest in a person's behavior.

Mystery is not dependent on secrets. That's the age-old battle of Christianity. Gnosticism and its various forms throughout the centuries have sold secrets or secret knowledge. Mystery points to something beyond the obvious, but it does not depend on secrets. Devotion, knowledge, and faith may be necessary in approaching mystery, but secrets aren't.

Secrets keep us from open and honest relationships. Mystery leads to deeper truths. Secrets keep us from knowing ourselves more deeply. We understand more about ourselves when we embrace mystery.

Interview with Nancy Kehoe - Distinguished Clinician and Nun (Interview)

Becky Garrison — Sun, 03 May 2009 06:00:00 GMT

Dr. Nancy Kehoe is a nun (Religious of the Sacred Heart) and distinguished clinician and licensed psychologist. She is an Instructor in Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at the Cambridge Health Alliance affiliated with Harvard Medical School. In her forthcoming book Wrestling with Our Inner Angels: Faith, Mental Illness, and the Journey to Wholeness, Kehoe talks about her pioneering work in leading patient groups in the discussion of their religious beliefs and its role in their treatment.

What concerns were raised when you first proposed doing this group?

The staff thought the clients would become more delusional around religion; they feared that the religious clients would feel free to proselytize, that discussing religion in the community would be divisive; the staff feared the clients would ask them about their beliefs.

What prompted you to write Wrestling with Our Inner Angels: Faith, Mental Illness, and the Journey to Wholeness?

After the death of one of my clients, I learned that she had willed me her plastic crate of journals with the hope that I would do something with them. As I read through all her journal entries, I saw that she was on a quest to distinguish between where God was as she suffered with her mental illness and what were the symptoms of her illness. I knew then that it was important to tell her story both to give hope to those who anguished with similar questions and to teach professionals who often ignore the religious aspect of a client's life.

How does your faith affect the way you work with the mentally ill?

My grandfather was hospitalized twice for depression and my grandmother absolutely believed that the Sacred Heart of Jesus would not let her down and that my grandfather would return to his family. This family story always told me that faith and mental illness were not mutually exclusive. It was my belief that those who suffer with mental illness might also have religious backgrounds that could either be helpful to them as they struggled with their illness or that some beliefs might be problematic. That faith conviction prompted me to begin the groups. Often times in leading the groups, when I feel at a loss as to what direction I should take with a person or when I am overwhelmed by the suffering in their lives, I pray. I count on my faith for guidance.

How has working with this population informed your faith?

Working with the men and women in the day treatment program has challenged my faith and made me question what it is that I truly do believe. I search for God in the midst of the darkness and pain I see, and I've come to a new sense of mystery. I believe more strongly than ever that God is present in the community and that I see God's Presence, God's Spirit in the courage, the resilience, and the compassion of the clients.

What did your clients teach you about how they used the arts as a form of self-expression?

They taught me about how arts express their spirit. If we believe that we are made in God's image and likeness, creativity is in the deepest part of a human being. In our spirits, in the core of each one of us, God is found. That is where I see the clients expressing themselves through their art.

How did their stories unleash your own creativity?

Because I was so deeply moved by their stories, I determined to write this book. In doing so, my own creativity was unleashed in ways I never would have imagined.

In the book, you talk about Buddy and Beverly who died from cancer. How did their deaths inform your work and your faith?

It was not the deaths of Buddy and Beverly that informed my work and my faith but rather their lives. The “estate” that Beverly willed me and the discoveries I made about her life as I read through her journals made me aware of the journey she was on to discover where God was in the midst of her pain. I could only marvel at her courageous and often lonely journey, a journey I wanted to reveal to others as a sign of hope. Buddy informed my work and my faith by his persistent questions, his unwillingness to accept any response from me that didn't make sense to him. Consequently, he made me reexamine all my beliefs and how I expressed them. With both of them, I grew in my sense of how God does act in our lives, whether we name God or not in the process.

You have said that God told you to become a nun. How is what you experienced and what many Christians experience in their relationship to God different from those who experience auditory hallucinations?

Beth and Taylor, two of the women I write about in the book, can answer that better from their own experience than I can from mine as I have not suffered with auditory hallucinations. However, we want to name or experience the voice—the sense of the Other, the effect is one of peace, a sense of wholeness, Shalom as the Hebrews mean it.

That does not mean that the Voice or the experience may not have its painful, difficult, or challenging aspects, but it is not destructive. Auditory hallucinations on the other hand are experienced as disruptive, chaotic, negative, demanding, and harsh. These voices sometimes lead to self-destructive behavior.

How can we discern whether a spirit is good or destructive?

What does the spirit invite us to do? What sense accompanies the prompting of the spirit? Does the prompting lead to peace, joy, patience, long-suffering, kindness—all fruits of the good Spirit—or does the prompting lead us to a sense of disease, a turning in on the self instead of turning outward to the community, to openness toward others or toward secrecy, to acting in the dark? Are we willing to submit our sense of the spirit to another? The basic way we discern is to consider the direction of the spirit—toward life or toward death.

What did working with your clients teach you about how to love your neighbor as yourself?

They have taught me that it is critical for me to take care of myself, to love myself, to nurture myself, to stay grounded in my

Chemistry (Ramblin' Dan)

Dan Roloff — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 06:00:00 GMT

Chemistry is popular in sports today. I’m not talking about the kind you mix in a lab. I'm not even talking about recreational drugs. Today, chemistry is the buzzword for keeping team unity at a peak level. It’s the intangible elements that bring people together to accomplish more as a unit than they could as individuals. Chemistry is credited with uniting teams (good chemistry) or dividing teams (bad chemistry).

Sports analysts talk about team chemistry all the time. They'll speculate on what a trade will do to the chemistry in a locker room. Some players can unite a locker room thereby improving the overall team chemistry. Other players are seen as divisive, and they bring bad chemistry to a locker room. Coaches try to “build” team chemistry through shared meals and group activities.

There are other places where chemistry is important. When doing a Google search for “chemistry,” the second site listed after Wikipedia is an online-dating site. By implication, it means applying a little science to the art of finding love, or at least compatibility. Chemistry is the descriptive term used to describe how people get along with each other. Gossip columnists talk about chemistry when writing about celebrity couples.

Even in the workplace, chemistry is a growing concern. I was at a recent conference where a CEO discussed the importance of chemistry in hiring new employees. Meg A. Bond has written a book titled Workplace Chemistry. It’s about fostering healthy relationships in the workplace.

Chemistry has replaced esprit de corps for describing common devotion among group members. Morale is another term that’s lost its luster to chemistry. Of course, coming together and combining the ingredients of personalities is always an intangible, an abstraction, something physically unidentifiable. Now we can identify it: chemistry.

There is a related biblical term: spirit. Like chemistry, it can feel like an abstraction or an intangible. But our understanding of spirit is important. The Bible says there are many spirits but only one Spirit. We are encouraged to “test the spirits to see whether they are from God.” When Christians start talking like this, we often separate ourselves from others because our language is shocking to them. I've heard non-Christians say we sound like psychotics who hear voices. The uninitiated don’t understand discernment the same way that Christians do.

But as John points out, we are supposed to test the spirits. Not every spirit is sent by God and not every inkling is a message from God. It’s important to develop a strategy for discerning among spirits. It’s just as important to find a language to bring people closer to Christ and not drive them away. That’s what Paul did even as disciples in Jerusalem were opposed to his methods. He reached out to the Gentiles in a manner that they could understand and embrace.

The Answer in Economic Famine—Serve First (Bible Reflection)

Marlo Schalesky — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 06:00:00 GMT

The economy. It's on everyone's mind. Will I get laid off? Will I be able to find a new job? Will my business go bankrupt? Will I be able to pay my bills? How can I make the money stretch? Those are just a few questions facing business people today.

In the fourth quarter of 2008, real GDP decreased at an annual rate of 3.8 percent, according to this report from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Department of Commerce. Since December 2007, employment has gone down by 3.6 million, with approximately half of those jobs lost in the three months of November 2008-January 2009, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Bureau of Labor Statistics also reports that the unemployment rate spiked to 7.6 percent in January 2009. And in the midst of these economic downturns, a November survey by the Barna Group shows that giving to churches and other charities has sharply decreased.

But is that how the Bible tells us to respond to economic hard times? Is it okay to pull in, look out for number one, take care of ourselves before we take care of others?

Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:31, 33, "So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' . . . But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

But what does that look like in real life? How does it apply in an economic famine? Perhaps the story of Elijah and the widow from 1 Kings 17:7-24 can shed some valuable light.

Elijah tells King Ahab that there will be no dew or rain for the next few years, except by Elijah's word. The lack of rain causes a drought, which causes a famine. Economic hard times, indeed.

When Elijah's brook dries up, God sends him to Zarephath, a town on the Mediterranean, outside of Israelite territory. There, he meets a widow, the poorest of all society, and asks her for water and bread.

She responds, "I don't have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die" (v. 12). She has nothing saved up, so how can she be expected to give to Elijah? Surely God would want her to take care of her child first.

Yet, Elijah says to her, "Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small cake of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son" (v. 13). He asks her to serve first, before she takes care of herself and her son. He asks her to believe that God's word is true not only in good times, but especially in bad ones.

Despite her economic circumstances, despite the fact that she's a Gentile and he's a Jew, the widow chooses to serve. The Bible tells us, "She went away and did as Elijah had told her" (v. 15). She chooses to not worry about tomorrow. Instead, she obeys before she sees God's provision. Only after she obeys do we discover that, "there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family" (v. 15).

Like the widow, God also asks us to serve first, even in economic hard times. So, what might this look like for us?

First, like the widow and Elijah, instead of pulling back, we can seek to invest more deeply in relationships. In our personal lives, we can invite more people over to share meals, share times of entertainment, and give our time more freely to help others in our areas of expertise. Can you help solve someone's computer problems? Can you help clean their house? Can you advise them with financial issues? How can you use your particular skills to serve others?

Businesses can seek to serve customers more, rather than less, during these times. We can offer extra services at reduced prices. Employees can choose to take pay cuts in order to avoid layoffs.

In tough economic times, God calls us not to draw back into ourselves, but to give more, care more, and invest more in relationships with those around us. He calls us not to worry about tomorrow, but instead to love our neighbors as ourselves, personally as well as in our business relationships.

Be Renewed, Be Transformed (Ramblin' Dan)

Dan Roloff — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 06:00:00 GMT

SPIRIT —Story , Prayer , Intentionality , Reflection , Internalization , and Transformation.

When we go through the process of spiritual renewal and internalize our story, we move into the stage of transformation. This process may not be as dramatic as a caterpillar transforming to a butterfly, but then we don’t need to spend months wrapped in a cocoon.

Sometimes spiritual transformation is not outwardly obvious at all. But internally, emotionally, and spiritually, it is significant. Stacy Jackson, in “The Work Begins” writes:

Calvin Jen commented on the importance of hard work, his use of God-given abilities, and his commitment to others. However, he spent most of his time describing the ongoing work of his calling. He described how his faith required he transform his approach to business development, design, pricing, customer relationships, and the role of stewardship in creating space for others.
His descriptions became as complex and difficult as the entirety of his work. His high calling was not just a superficial attitude adjustment. He made very specific changes in his assumptions, motives, and practice as a business owner and architect.
His work in architecture and construction is different. Not only does he accept that his work is a calling, he approaches specific tasks with a different strategy. And sometimes it isn't enough to just change his strategy. Sometimes he must change the tasks that make up his work.

Calvin is quick to share where he has fallen short and how far he still must go to realize his high calling. Like all of us, his transformation is a continuing process. Transformation is a conversion. It is the deeper union with Christ. Each time we experience spiritual renewal, we are transformed. It is synonymous with the process of regeneration, the moral righting of our proverbial ship.

Think about it this way. At sea, it is very dangerous when a ship lists, or tilts. Ships sink when they list too far. When we move away from our moral center, we too can list. We too can sink.

We can read stories about transformation in the Bible. In John 3:1–8, Jesus asks Nicodemus to be born again and be transformed by water and the Spirit. Later, in that same chapter John the Baptist baptizes with water and testifies that the Spirit of God is with the Son. In Chapter 4, we see the transformation of the Samaritan woman. We know from the setting of her story that she was probably not respected in her community. But her transformation is so great that when she tells her story in the village, they believe her. Not only do they believe her, but they come meet Jesus for themselves.

In the final post of this series, we will put all the elements together to illustrate SPIRIT as a continuous process.

Internalize God’s Will for Your Life (Ramblin' Dan)

Dan Roloff — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 06:00:00 GMT

SPIRIT —Story , Prayer , Intentionality , Reflection , Internalization, and Transformation.

When a business organization incorporates, it tries to develop a business structure that reflects its purpose. The process of personal internalization is a little bit like that. Instead of finding a structure that shows our relationship to other people, though, internalization is when I think about how the different stories of my life relate to each other. I begin to organize my stories into a larger narrative.

This should be a deeply personal process. I say “deeply personal” and not just merely “personal” because I want to emphasize the degree of intimacy. We need to feel the power of our new insights within our very being. It’s how our stories can affect our lives. We internalize the things that matter to us deeply.

That’s why topics like religion, politics, race, nationality, etc. all get us to respond so viscerally. When our deeply held convictions are attacked, we respond with fervor. The key here is to be intentional about our deeply held convictions. We don’t want to go through life on autopilot, reacting and responding to the world around us based on the assumptions we learned during our childhood. Instead, as Peter advised, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Pet. 3:15).

The process of internalization has a negative side also. We call it sin. And sin can affect how we live our lives as we separate ourselves from the love of God. Sandra Herron’s reflection “Scan Your Heart for Spiritual Viruses” examines the results of sin internalized. Her reflection asks the questions about what damage King David’s sin had on his relationships.

One has to wonder whether David's elaborate cover-up plan took a toll on his professional relationships. Did he treat his colleagues with the same dignity after killing one of their own to cover his indiscretion? Could they sense an underlying fear as he struggled with trusting others? Did the unity of his team suffer as he became more distant and built walls to hide his sin?

We internalize what we’ve learned by applying our story to God's story. We connect our mundane hopes and dreams and goals with our eternal hope. We look at what Scripture says and what culture says. We discern which hopes are rooted in God’s will and which hopes are based on the assumptions and values of our culture.

As we pray about our story, we begin the process of deep connection. God does respond to us. Learning to discern his response deepens our relationship with God. It is an intimate conversation. When we listen to God intently through prayer and reflection, we can’t help but internalize what he says. When we internalize God’s will for our lives, he will transform us.

In the next post, we’ll talk about the final part of the SPIRIT process: transformation.

Reflection Helps us Discern God’s Will (Ramblin' Dan)

Dan Roloff — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 06:00:00 GMT

SPIRIT —Story , Prayer , Intentionality , Reflection, Internalization, and Transformation

When we become intentional in our reflection, we examine our stories, analyze the outcome, and remember the context—a Christ-centered context. We do what Jesus showed us how to do.

For example, read Matthew 6. Here Jesus places everything he is doing in the context of the Father. A shorter example is Matthew 11:25-30. When we select a story and pray about it, we’re intentionally connecting that story with God’s story.

A key component for this process is discernment. We might call discernment the outcome of prayerful reflection. Discernment is the combination of insight and judgment. It is a precursor, if not a prerequisite, to wisdom.

When we speak of God communicating with us, we are referring to our own discernment of God’s will through intuition and faith, tested against Scripture. Good judgment is an important part of discernment. Judgment is something we turn on ourselves, though. It is keen awareness and wisdom as opposed to oppressive determination.

Again, we should think about how we tell our stories. What emotions do we evoke? What details do we emphasize? Asking questions like these helps us analyze what our intuitions often already seem to know. We think things through so our subconscious fears and desires can become more conscious. This is the process of discernment. If we are intentional about connecting this process to God, then discernment and reflection can strengthen our relationship with him.

There’s a simple way to say all this. Just think about it. That’s it. Find a story that is important to you, pray about it, and purposely think about it. Reflection is an important discipline for spiritual renewal and transformation. Next, we’ll take what we’ve learned through reflection and internalize it.

Intentional Prayer Directs Our Purpose (Ramblin' Dan)

Dan Roloff — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 06:00:00 GMT

SPIRIT—Story, Prayer, Intentionality, Reflection, Internalization, and Transformation.

Intentional prayer refers to our aim. Intentionality brings meaning to our story, so we can understand it as a symbol for something more.

Our stories aren’t merely a collection of random happenings. For each of us there is context, there is purpose, and there is meaning connected to our story. We each need to “listen in” on our own stories. Then, we intentionally move to connect those stories to God by turning to Scripture.

For example, Jesus shows this type of intentionality in his prayer from John 17. In the first five verses, Jesus connects his life with the Father. His purpose is to glorify the Father. Next in verses 6–19, Jesus tells the story of his relationship with a particular group of people—and connects that story to God as well. He prays for them to be dedicated to the Father just as he is dedicated to the Father. Jesus concludes (v. 20–26) with his hope for all believers, “that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you” (v. 21).

We should pray about the stories that have meaning in our life. And we should be intentional in our prayer, dedicating these stories to our relationship with God.

In the next post, we’ll talk about moving from intentional prayer to intentional reflection.

Prayer Reveals God’s Presence (Ramblin' Dan)

Dan Roloff — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 06:00:00 GMT

SPIRIT —Story , Prayer, Intentionality, Reflection, Internalization, and Transformation.

The next step toward spiritual renewal is prayer. We direct our communication with God around our story, from yesterday’s post. We talk to God and allow ourselves to be in his presence as we take everything and lay it before him. As we become more and more attentive to God, we learn to discern his presence in our lives.