On a recent walk in an unfamiliar part of town, my husband and I passed an interesting place of business. Jesus Is Your Answer boasted the sign. Underneath this bold statement was the name of the company and then: Doing Business God’s Way.
We had a chuckle at such an outspoken assertion and I peered through the window, curious. What does a company look like that does “Business God’s Way”? And, if I–as a Christian–find this establishment’s evangelistic methods somewhat amusing, what do nonChristians think?
It’s a tricky thing, this work and faith. How do I carry my beliefs into my daily toil and use them not only to benefit me–to keep my attitude Christ-like–but also to shine a light into a dark world? Is it enough to let my actions serve as an example to others? Or must I carry a sign boldly declaring “Jesus Saves”?
These are some of the questions that came to mind when I picked up John D. Beckett’s Loving Monday: Succeeding in Business without Selling Your Soul. It’s our new book club book and I’m excited to see what help it offers in this enigmatic area. We are discussing the first three chapters this week.
The introduction, The Flight Plan, makes a promising statement.
I’m convinced that truth applied produces results. You will find new and fresh ways to bring energy and meaning to what you do day in and day out. Your customers will notice, and your fellow employees will see the difference…
That promise has me hooked. I want that in my work. I want that in my life. So my expectations are high for this read. Let’s jump in.
In chapter one, Peter Jennings’ Magnifying Glass, Beckett tells us about a news segment ABC did on his company, R.W. Beckett Corporation. They came calling after he spearheaded a national effort against some of the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission’s (EEOC) guidelines that many feared would restrict religious freedom in the workplace. The news report went well–ABC cast a positive light on faith in the workplace and viewers responded enthusiastically. From that interview, I learned something important about John D. Beckett. When the correspondent asked him about his life’s purpose, Beckett responded:
My main mission in life is to know the will of God and to do it.
An honorable statement and one that piqued my interest even more about this successful business man.
In the next two chapters, we learn more about John Beckett’s beginnings. He tells us about his principled parents, his Episcopalian background, struggles with reading and relating the Bible to his life. We learn about his college days, how he met and fell in love with his wife, Wendy, and the beginning of his engineering career in the aerospace industry. He tells us about joining the family business with his dad, how his lukewarm faith is ignited by a challenge to read the Bible every day, and how this helped him through his father’s sudden death.
Yawn.
By chapter three I’m expecting some good juicy tips for transforming my work life. My expectations are high, remember? I’m not interested in a biography.
That’s when it hits me.
Perhaps this is where transformation begins–in sharing our story. Beckett is laying a foundation. In sharing his story with us, he opens the door to trust. And no message–no matter if it is given by example or if it screams from a billboard–no message will be received if trust is not there.
Sharing our story is a good place to start. Hmmm.
I’m going to keep reading. Next week, chapters four through seven.
Which reminds me, did you know you can read Loving Monday free online? Thanks to Lyla for this tip! Visit John D. Beckett’s website for details.
Each week I will pick out a few discussion questions from the ones listed in the back of the book. I hope these questions will guide our discussions, but feel free to post your own thoughts and reactions to the reading material.
- List a few specific ways your basic beliefs have a bearing on the way you go about your work.
- Would you be excited or troubled if a national TV network wanted to do a story on how your faith relates to the way you do business?
- Think about your personal history. List a few pivotal points in your life…How have they impacted your life and led you down certain paths to where you are today?
- Describe your pattern (your regular discipline) of Bible reading and study. Do you consider it a delight, a burden, or is it basically nonexistent? Why?
- Describe a particular time of crisis or trouble that you have experienced along your life’s path, especially in your work. What have you learned from crisis or trouble that can help you in the future?
Related posts:
Loving Mondays: Show, Don’t Tell by L.L. Barkat of Seedlings in Stone
Loving Monday: The Optional Downgrade by Lyla of A Different Story
Loving Mondays by Glynn of Faith, Fiction, Friends
post and photo by Laura Boggess of the Wellspring
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“Yawn.” Lol.
I’m also convinced that story is where we start. Which is why we reach for good story as our starting place here at HCB. (I loved your simple story at the beginning of this one. The sign and so on.)
I don’t know if Ken Beckett knew how good he had it in the ABC interview. Peter Jennings had appointed Peggy Wehmeyer as ABC’s religion reporter. She was (a) a good reporter and (b) a Christian. She wasn’t going to give them a puff piece; but what she would do (and did) was do an insightful and accurate view. (It made for some drama in the chapter in ABC.) (That religison beat was also eliminated not too long ago.)
Laura, the idea of this beginning in our stories is exactly right. Consider Moses and Paul, both of whom went through lengthy periods of training, learning and preparation for the task Gd had chosen them to do. It’s not any different with us. He starts far earlier in our lives than we realize. To us, it’s the ups and downs of everyday life. To Him, it’s our education for the purpose He’s laid out for us.
I’ve got some additional thoughts at my blog. http://faithfictionfriends.blogspot.com.
Glynn,
Was this your first comment? Because it just showed up! And I am noticing the progression of the other two
I like this one best 
:)
I actually was wondering about Peggy Wehmeyer and her background. Honestly, it surprised me when Beckett mentioned a “religion correspondent”. I don’t remember those. Times change, I guess.
I love thinking of Moses and Paul living their story, being trained for their call. Oftentimes we don’t consider those Bible “stories” as Life stories I guess.
We are in good company.
A slow starter, yes. I was waiting for him to hurry up and write how to fix my life. I don’t know why I expect writers to do that for me.
But where he got me was in opting to walk away from a promising career to go to work with his dad. He redefined success in terms of relationship over high-profile, status, etc. Having just let a “bigger” opportunity go by, I find myself now starting small but in just the right place, hopefully in the right way.
My take on the “downgrade” is up here: http://adifferentstory.net/2010/02/08/loving-monday-the-optional-downgrade/
I’ve been thinking about this a lot over the past five years since I took on my current job. In fact, taking this job definitely qualifies as a pivotal point in my life.
This past week, I was thinking again about faith and work in light of the story of the apostles. Jesus calls Peter, James, and John to follow him. And they leave their work behind. Too often, I think we generalize this story into a parable for all of us. The moral of this parable, we tell ourselves, is that Christians need to leave their work behind, if they are really going to follow Jesus.
I think that is a dangerous way to read this story.
As for Doing Business God’s Way…. that makes me really really nervous.
Marcus, a friend reminded me today of Jesus’ response to the man delivered from demons in Mark 5. When he readied himself to go along, Jesus sent Him back home to his family instead.
So He will call us both directions. Leave and follow, and go home and follow.
The Kingdom seems to offer a variety of career paths.
I do tend to take my Scripture pretty literally. But if we latched on to each and every example like these as specific instruction for this moment, we’d be splitting ourselves into more fragments than I can count.
Lyla,
I love your insights. Because each one is unique, God has a different specific plan for every individual. We have different tasks and paths, though they are all for His Kingdom purposes.
Such a good point, Lyla, and Monica too! There is a lot of gray in scripture, I think. For the very reason Monica gives, He has a different plan for each of us. Just as I know the strengths of each of my children, just as I know the different things that bring them joy…so He is with us.
Great thoughts.
I think the electronic gremlins have it for me today. Tried to post a comment three times.
I saw lots of similar signs when I was in Africa last year. I thought that it was interesting when I saw the differences in how open people were about their faith compared to here in the States where faith is a ‘private’ matter.
I think that if I were to try to answer all of your questions at the end of this post I could actually run a whole series on answering those questions. So I only want to hit the first one…
I think that too often Christians are viewed negatively in the workplace, so I strive to be a A-team level worker. I remain open about my faith, and hope that when people see a good worker they also see a good Christian. So essentially, my faith causes me to strive to have a positive impact even in the secular workplace.
That time the gremlines let me slip through!
My comment was simply this: Laura is exactly right — the story starts far earlier. We think of it as the ups and downs of everyday life — God sees it as our education and training — how He’s using us for His larger purpose.
The Bible is Story. Isn’t its story our own?
This is completely unrelated to your excellent post and questions, but, living in a part of the country with a large Latino population, I simply read the sign as Jesus (or, Hay-Soos, as the comic strip “Dilbert” once spelled it). Sure, Jesus has a rubber company. He also fixes computers, shows goats, and sprays for bugs.
I am navigating new roads and rules here as I never participated in a book review.
Forgive my deviations from past review etiquette.
If I were to ask you: “What is up?”, you would probably look at the sky.
If I were to ask you What’s up?”, you would likely tell me what’ is on your mind now.
If I were to ask you “Wassup?”, I would get a faster answer to query #2.
Yet all three say the same thing.
As I learn ASL at this stage of life, I find the same truism, where many phrases are truncated. Just about the time I learn “What is up?”, I learn how little it is used, and how misleading it can be, to what I want to know. I also baffle fellow deaf and hard of hearing folks, as my fingers wave the wrong linguistics silently.
This happened with “Trust”.
Typically, it looks like you are playing a game of “Tug of War” and reaching out, grabbing an invisible rope, and moving it along as best you can.
That would be like “Wassup”.
But I originally learned it as grasping both hands above your head and grasping an invisible rope, to hang on for dear life, until rescue arrives. You “trust” the rope to hold you. This one would be like “What’s up?”
If I signed three words “What is up?”‘ the person would look up at the sky to see.
The ASL definition says: “The hands close tightly around something to show that a person has a good hold on it.”. T-R-U-S-T!
Trust is a derivative of True, and that is a derivative for Truth as well.
The Lord said I am the Way, the Light, the Truth.
It is a beautiful phrase in ASL to “see”.
It is more beautiful to find in living sacrifices called people, as they live Him out in their lives. He was our mentor and often used stories to send a message.
He also mentored by his actions.
My brother-in-law married my sister, and went all around the reception, to his family and said: “I’d like you to meet my bride. I was 10 years old and remember the joy on his face that day at introductions. My sister said hello to all. But Hank continued each day, for the next 33 years until he died, saying the same thing to any new person in his life, about my sister: “I’d like you to meet my bride”. It could be a new neighbor, folks at church, business associates, bosses, children, realtors, anyone….
“I’d like you to meet my bride”.
No one else I know does that or did that.
What I noticed was his continuing joy every time he said it. It was like day one.
But the amazing change was my sister. She had never been a bride to anyone. Indeed, she called my father on her honeymoon night after the wedding, and was homesick to come home and have him pick her up. He declined and explained she was the bride of Hank now.
But over 33 years of hearing this same intro, my sister transformed into a bride everyday. The joy on Hank’s face transferred to my sister’s heart.
Folks did a double-take when after 20 years or so, Hank was still saying “I’d like you to meet my bride. You don’t hear that often from anyone as an introduction.
He took a job in CT, from a small town in PA, at about 5 times the salary. He had to escort clients in sales and marketing, through ways that the company could meet their needs.
The President told Hank that part of his job was to also escort some clients to topless bottomless places in NYC in evening entertainment. Hank declined. Friction grew. Finally, he was fired and returned to PA to a slower way of life, but principled in action that viewing naked young women had zero to do with the bottom line at work.
Another firm flew him to San Francisco to see what the needs of their agent happen to be in that locale. The agent was female and professional, but shrewd and desired favoritism from the firm for her clients. Hank would be her key to that, she thought.
After business talk, and before going to dinner, the agent needed to visit her apartment
to freshen up. While in the bedroom doing that, her room mate walked out to meet Hank. She was brushing her hair in an upsweep, drop dead gorgeous, young, smiling away, and nude. It was apparent that after dinner, she would be desert.
The agent had planned well, except for one thing. She did not know Hank.
Hank said to the room mate:
“I want you to know that I am very flattered by your offer here. However, I make it a practice to never have hamburger on the road travelling, for I find it spoils my appetite for the steak waiting me at home”. He smiled so she would not be embarrassed.
As in ASL, a silent message was correctly made and received.
Hank was my Christian mentor all my life. (my sister never knew the SanFrancisco deal until I told her after Hank’s early death. His faithfulness she knew before, was reinforced after).
Taking Christ to work and to the world begins before Monday. It begins before your Sabbath too. He must be part of YOUR story; indeed, a living story within you every day. It may surprise others to hear your words, but it should not surprise your own character or ears to hear you tell folks on Monday:
“I’d like you to meet my bride”…….and the bride be Jesus Christ (use groom if you want)
This will startle the world, for they expect betrayal, unfaithfulness, neglect, and low motives. To see and hear the opposite just amazes folks for it’s rarity.
A sense of humor helps too. Many think of Christ as somber and purposeful, and concentrate on his sufferings. I have a huge picture of him on my wall, with his head tilted back in a roaring laughter. That is the Christ I know, and emulate.
Hank taught me that….everyday, not just Monday.
In a week long sales convention in Anaheim, CA, Hank asked me along, as he was going to give me his business (he was dying). I needed to meet the people in his world.
I was amazed at 8 lane traffic at 4:30 am, noises, hustle and bustle, and the thousands of attenders to the week long convention for sales. (I could hear most of my life; not anymore).
Folks came from around the world. But I remember the end of one day and the huge Center nearly empty. Hank and I were leaving and a sole man from Dallas walked up to say hello to Hank. He spent the next ten minutes praising Hank as the finest Christian man he knew, how much he enjoyed working with him, and on and on. Hank had his arms folded one over the other, said nothing, smiled hugely, and nodded his head in thanks for all he was hearing. We all parted.
Within ten steps, I stopped, stood directly in front of Hank, and asked most seriously faced: “How much did you pay that guy to say all those nice things about YOU in front of me?”
He tilted his head back and roared with laughter at the remark…..just like the picture on my living room wall.
We are to be Ambassadors for Christ. We carry the message and deliver it. We transfer it to the next generation, and to our own. The fragrance of flowers is powerful, but fades as the flower ends. The aroma of Christ within us is powerful and extends…..
forever.
I only read Chapter 1, as I am new and unaware it is a three chapter per week deal.
I will catch up for next week. The opening Peter Jennings part was a blessing, for that medium must reduce the message to a sound byte. They got it right.
In the medium of deaf and hard of hearing, a sound byte would be a luxury.
We must do the message with no sound.
This is a most interesting experiment Laura!
I am curious what it is about “doing business God’s way” that makes Marcus nervous. (Do you feel comfortable sharing more about that? : )
I can say that what makes me nervous is the idea that Christians maybe need to present a perfect picture to the world. I’m not saying we shouldn’t be different at some level, but what about when we are the same? Is there anything redemptive in that, I wonder?
It was so easy for me to be “perfect” when I had fewer pressures in life. Now, not so much.
Marcus: My take on those early disciples leaving their nets to follow Christ is this: They were bored, had very few choices in life, and then here comes Jesus – that famous teacher they had heard about, and possibly a future political leader – with an exciting, albeit vague, proposition. “Follow me!” This was probably far more exciting than their dead-end fishing and tax collecting careers.
Anyway, I’m not answering Laura’s questions.
I believe all of our life is creative work, and will become a story. We live in an era when most of us actually have choices about our careers, our education, our type of job we would like to pursue. This simply didn’t exist until very recent history, and it is a luxury. Which I think is why we are all in a tizzy trying to figure God into it. I think he is there in our work, whatever it is, whether we like it or not. And so goes our stories.
As far as expressing our faith at work, I believe what God expects out of us is excellence, wisdom and compassion. That is enough. Grace covers the rest.
I do get suspicious of someone like Becket who says they have an inside track to “knowing God’s will.” It sounds nice, but that kind of language can create an over-spiritualization of every decision we make in life. And that never ends well.
Laura – you are giving us plenty to chew on here!
Some great beginning thoughts in all of these comments. I especially appreciate your thoughts on our lives being a story (and Megan, you made me laugh). Have any of you read Donald Miller’s new book or heard him speak on this very topic? He makes quite the case for living a beautiful story, and talks about the traditional components (conflict, plot, climax, resolution) of story and how we can work them into living a meaningful life.
Our lives are, as Maureen points out, a continuation of the Greatest Story Ever Told, after all.
I’m loving the way you guys think.
Keystone, I have been struggling with the question of whether to post this comment. But this being a community we are building, I finally decided to speak.
Ever since I read your words, I’ve been greatly troubled. While I doubt you meant to produce that effect, it’s true. You’ve been very outward, very raw with your revelations about Hank. I appreciate that in its way.
I also find it shocking in its way. Maybe because I don’t know you that well yet. Maybe with time, and getting to know you in other ways, I would feel different. Ah, the on-line world is a strange community to navigate.
Can I tell you a story? From a foreign film? A young woman “comes on” to an older man (can’t remember where they were and how it happened) by coming unclothed into the room. He doesn’t make a comment that would degrade her, but rather takes his coat and covers her. It is a poignant, compassionate moment. Was he Christian? Probably not. But I found his act to be something like God’s in Hosea.
L.L. Barkatt,
Hank did not cover the nude woman in the room with clothing, as in your movie.
He covered her with gentle words, ………of faithfulness to his wife at home.
And I find THAT very much like Hosea, and the God of faithfulness HE represented.
Being turned down while naked and exposed, or turned away from a community that is “building”, is degrading in and of itself, for it is rejection.
I can accept that you are “troubled” at my discourse. But knowing me better would have no bearing on that, for I am not responsible for your feelings. That is in your domain. You know Marcus, yet you do not understand his contention of nervousness with God’s business and why.
Indeed, knowing first, flies in the face of Hebrews 13:2.
“Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.”
When I began my comment, there was precisely one comment posted in 2 hours here.
It was a “Yawn” from you. I was troubled by that, and began to type my thoughts, to make a contribution to Loving Mondays, while simultaneously keeping on topic with how Hank carried Christian values into his workplace life.
That means it can be done by others, a reason for hope.
I get that from 1 Peter 3:15 saying “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect”.
Upon posting, the myriad comments between your yawn and my post,….. appeared to me for the first time. There was a plea for Marcus to expand on his comment at being nervous doing business God’s way. The expansion may be enlightening, but I had no trouble whatsoever, accepting Marcus at his word. Why?
Doing business God’s way includes tithing and very, very few Christians even do that.
They are nervous that tithing will leave them with less.
It is an area of control, not submission. They never incur the blessings associated with doing business God’s way as a result. Their actions at not tithing Sunday make it impossible to have Loving on Monday. I loved Marcus’ insight and honesty at stating that in his comment.
And Bradley offered his take on the disciples being bored, and Follow Me being an easy option (my paraphrase). But I do not see that at all.
Following Me is never easy for anyone. Nor was Christ a popular teacher at that moment. The ministry had just begun.
What I read into that section is Jesus at the end of His ministry thanking the Father for the Disciples He PROVIDED to Christ. Their hearts were prepared by God to respond to “Follow Me”, in the same way that the Father had hardened Pharaoh’s heart at the words “Let My people go”, or the donkey provider was given a message from God that “the Master needs the colt” for Palm Sunday. All responded as God had ordained their steps.
I could add several other insights gleaned from other commentors within this post, but I am simply stating that we see things differently. Laura Boggess, one time expressed it as perhaps a male-female brain variance earlier.
She has a gentle spirit, and her sole comment above, included a remark to all, except the longest comment on the board.
So I can take offense that she had no say on any words I posted, or I can presume she is pondering what to make for dinner, and is busy with Loving Monday, as that is today.
I have no clue why I was not included in the myriad folks mentioned by Laura.
But I wasted no part of my day in offense over it.
John Bevere wrote “The Bait of Satan” and includes the thought that offense creates strongholds for satan to enter our lives and do his destruction.
Moral to me? Take no offense.
I miss 100% of what people speak to me, and began ASL lessons a month ago or so.
I read lips well. In the process, I find many people will struggle over and over to get their message through to me, while a massively larger group will proclaim their statement to me, and if I do not understand, they move on to other people.
I am left with no knowledge of what they felt worthy of speech moments before, but I know to avoid that person as one who will take no effort to communicate……if I do not immediately get what they are saying the first time.
I do not blog, but I comment far and wide in a multitude of locations and topics.
L.L., you write THIS to me, about my comment style:
” I appreciate that in its way.
I also find it shocking in its way.”
I have a suspicion that Jesus Christ heard that a lot when He spoke His words in His way, too.
I did not come here to offend. But offend I have done….to you.
Since you desire to build a community, and my comments destroy that building, I am left with the dilemma of participating and commenting openly and honestly,
OR, conforming my comments to meet your needs (which frankly is your responsibility),
OR be silent and comment no more.
If I choose the first, then I contribute what I am and what I believe honestly.
If I choose the second, I contribute what you want to hear, not what I want to say.
If I choose the third, I have swallowed the bait of satan, hook, line, and sinker.
L.L., when I struggle with concerns on whether to post a comment, I take it to the Lord and discuss there first. It greatly troubles ME, that my words trouble YOU.
And, given the three options above, I shall take my concern to Him this evening.
I will ask if my commentary involves building a community of Higher Calling…..
or lowers the calling. My future input, or lack thereof, will be His answer.
Keystone,
I am catching up on this exchange and have been pondering how best to respond and, yes, it has been a busy day so I apologize for the tardiness of my response.
It is not our intent to offend, to trouble, or to degrade here in this community. I think L.L. makes a good point when she says an online community is difficult to navigate.
But we have been here before, haven’t we? In our last exchange we talked about how different our discussion would be if we were sitting across from one another; if I could read your face and you mine. It might soften (perhaps) some words that sound harsh…or some words that sound shocking. I have to say that the story of the nude woman was shocking for me too, Keystone. And I agree with L.L.–I’m sure you did not intend it that way. You were telling a story about someone you love and admire. Sometimes it’s difficult to tell what might distract from our main point, I guess.
It is the beauty of such a community, but also the poverty of it at times like these. It is a difficult line to walk, I think–speaking openly and being aware– of how words might be received by others. I think it is good that we are honest with each other…this is how communities behave. It also allows us to shape our future responses–gives us insight into consideration we may not have had prior to such honest feedback.
It’s up to each one of us what we do with the feedback we receive. We can grow from it or we can let it inhibit growth. There is a difference between censoring oneself, I think, and being solicitous of other sojourners.
“Would you be excited or troubled if a national TV network wanted to do a story on how your faith relates to the way you do business? ”
Increasingly, faith and business are in a marriage.
Justin Forman over at Business As Mission network highlights all kinds of great businesses that are intentional about the intersection. It’s a really rich site:
http://www.businessasmissionnetwork.com/
Here’s an article written about how he integrates faith with business:
http://www.baylor.edu/business/index.php?id=49802
I think as “the days grow more evil” we will have to integrate our faith with real world business just to meet basic needs. We will have to plow up our church lawns and plant potatoes to feed the poor. We will have to help people find jobs by creating jobs. We will have to shed this invisible wall between preaching the gospel and living the gospel.
BTW, Loved your review
David
Thanks for these links, David. Wow! Justin Foreman has done an amazing thing.
Great thoughts too. Was it St. Thomas Aquinas who said, “Preach the Gospel at all times; when necessary, use words”?
One of your Higher Calling Bloggers wrote on this and attributed the quote to St. Francis of Assissi. He also refers to these statements as “Everyday Theology”, a distiction from Biblical Theology. Read it all here:
http://hardwords.wordpress.com/2009/07/27/everyday-theology-preach-the-gospel-always-if-necessary-use-words/
Thanks for that resource!
Laura, I’ve only been able to read slightly half past in the first chapter. I don’t know if I’ll be able to keep up with all the craziness right now, but I will try!
One of the things that jumps out to me on the whole “knowing God’s will” thing- and I’d love to hear more from Marcus- is the whole idea that we have a lock on it. Or that others perceive that we have a lock on it.
This last year and a half has been so interesting for my husband and I both job-wise that we’ve completely rethought how we’ve felt about faith and workplace. nAnCy and others have reminded me that I need to tell that story- hopefully my life will calm down soon and I will be able to tell it. But one of the responses we’ve gotten a lot is “how did you know that (such and such) was what God wanted you to do”? Every time that question gets asked of either of us, we look at each other askance because the quick answer is that we had no idea if that was what God wanted us to do. In hindsight, it might seem obvious, but in the moment, we had to make what we felt was the wisest, best decision. There was no way to know if it was the right one. And sometimes it wasn’t.
(As background, my husband left a job over integrity issues, got hired at a new company, and then the company collapsed in the downturn. Many people told him that it was his fault for leaving the original job.If he hadn’t been concerned with his integrity, he probably would still have the ‘original’ job- but it would have meant compromising his faith. After a year and a half of unemployment, he now has a job he really enjoys [in his field- the other two jobs were not in his area of expertise] with a company he respects. It was the darkest year and a half we’ve walked through as a couple and a family. Conversely, I left a corporate job to become a full-time stay at home mom- right about the time he lost his job. Neither of us could find a job. )
I see you sold your house
Congratulations. Let the craziness ensue.
I’m giving your hubs a standing O right now for the brave move he made in leaving that job that lacked creativity (and you too for supporting him). I love when stories like this have happy endings.
Join us when you can, Joy. I think you’ll find our discussions engender discussions! Whether you’re up on the reading or not
A gun store and pawn shop in my town frequently has either “Jesus: The Only Way” or “Free Bibles Inside” on its sign. I’ve often wondered if the owner of this establishment finds this as funny as I do. I doubt it.
How does a business go about its work in a ‘Christian’ way? Tough question. Thank you.
Pastor Mack,
After I thought about my giggly reaction to the sign, I felt a bit guilty and began to wonder (just a little) if I was ashamed of Jesus. But I think it is more what I say in the post that gives me this reaction. My relationship with Jesus is sacred, intimate, deep. I can no sooner be comfortable shouting it out in this way as I could reveal details of other intimacies.
It just doesn’t feel right to me. But maybe I’m overthinking.
I think the toughest thing about living out your story is during the pockets of dailiness and routine. We want to see externals of our traveling on God’s path. But, God’s ways are so much more hidden.
If ABC were to cover a story in my life, I think I’d be happy to show that there is extraordinary faith in living a simple life well.
It is who I’m becoming that is the story I wish to tell well.
If I can somehow focus my sights on that greater than the externals of how it’s playing out, I’ll be so much happier in deed.
My daily time with God, His word – thus, is both a necessity, a burden and a joy — all at once. It is to be this way, because the supernatural wants to tear me away from my natural. And I’m happy I live with that tension – it pulls me inward to Him.
Thanks, Laura. Nice to “meet” you. I’ve seen your name ‘floating’ around in my tweet stream.
And so nice to see you here, Faith!
I love your statement about the pockets of dailiness. It is a challenge for me sometimes to do every little thing for the Lord (as Brother Lawrence says).
Hmm. Externals verses the hidden things. It’s the old covenant and the new, isn’t it? Will I be content knowing He is working on my heart above all things?
Laura, I love that idea of building trust through our personal stories. Vulnerability is risky but so valuable and worth the risk. How awesome that all of our stories, hum-drum or not, are part of a big who-knows-what-this-will-turn-into down the road. Part of Augustine’s Confessions is a story of how he stole pears! My story for today is wiping down sticky mason jars of canned peaches from my mom-in-law, shoveling snow, and discussing with Charles how to make the packaging for our toy useful and environmentally responsible. Ten years from now, what will my “today” story be? It’s fun to imagine. And it’s all God’s doing.
I think I would be excited to have news cameras come to my home, for it will be proof to the world that God blesses, loves, forgives, and cooperates with seriously messed up failures! And that’s encouraging, right?
I love your story today, Monica. Those little details, while some may find them tiresome, because I love you they are meaningful to me.
Now. Tell me about your toy
Happily! For years my husband has had an idea for a building toy (like Legos and K’Nex). Finally, last April he quit his job in semiconductor circuit design to really go for it. It’s an advanced building toy that we hope will appeal to older teenagers (whereas the building toys now seem to peak a child’s interest at around age 11-12, after which their interest drops off). Another motive is to eventually build a company that can provide employment for others and which also exists for the benefit of the employees (rather than, say, shareholders). Anyway, we hope to be up and running in time for everyone’s Christmas shopping! It’s risky, I guess, but very exciting. We think it’ll fly.
How exciting! I’ll look for your toy around Christmas. Sounds like a good one for future engineers!
I own a copy of Loving Monday and refer to it periodically for a refreshing and renewal of my call to the marketplace. (This is particularly needful for me from time to time because for many years I was in full time ministry – my husband is a minister. ) Many have made several worthy comments already which resonate with me.
But the trust factor that Laura mentions is indeed HUGE. Sadly, I have known businesses who use the name of Jesus as a marketing ploy and show no Christian fruit whatsoever. Additionally, it has been my experience that once my co-workers trust me – which occurs through shared transparency – then they are very receptive to the gospel message.
I’m glad to know that Loving Monday is a keeper, Debbie! I’m looking forward to getting into some more practical aspects of the book. I think we all need reminders of how to live out our faith, especially in the work place. A refresher in this area is something I need regularly, I think.
Thanks for stopping by…it’s nice to hear from someone who continues to benefit from Beckett’s story.