By Luke Bobo, reprinted from Made to Flourish. A dear sister in Christ and friend recently told me she is “constantly working on the work-home-life balance.” I wanted to scream, No! because this kind of language can inadvertently perpetuate a false dichotomy, especially when it comes from pastors. This phrase, “striving for a work-life balance” is one of those phrases…
Reprinted from the Chalmers Center. If the local church is the primary place where God is at work in the world, then that means the local church has a key role to play in poverty alleviation. Whether it is a suburban megachurch, a house church, or the tiny local church in a village far off the grid, your local church is called to…
By Andrew Parris and Don Pope, reprinted from Christian Business Review. Citations have been omitted. Part five of a series. In this section, we explore some of the key Christian/biblical parallels to Lean principles that we expect many of our readers have already noticed…. 4. The Greatest Long-Term Gains Are Achieved Incrementally and Continuously This Lean principle is about personal and corporate growth.…
By Ryan Tafilowski, reprinted from the Denver Institute for Faith and Work. My favorite gift last Christmas was a pack of thermal socks. It’s funny how things change. I can still remember how I felt as a child upon opening a “present” from my grandmother comprised of a sweater and socks. Ten-year-old boys are not known for their self-awareness, so…
By Fletcher Lowe, reprinted from Living God’s Mission. Blessing the farms and the fields, blessing the boats and the bait…. So in more rural times, congregations gathered as a way of asking God’s blessings. What were our rural friends asking God’s blessings on, but the means of production: farms, fields, boats, bait, for a good harvest and a good catch.…
By David Gill, reprinted from The 313. Right now, after a year of pandemic-enforced distance-learning and distance-working for many of us, to speak of “hands-on” work seems more like a dream than a reality. It seems like most of the time our hands are on our keyboards while we sit in isolation. But how can we not recognize and stand up in…
By Jim Grubs, reprinted from Minding the Gap. The story is told about the little boy who was sitting on his grandpa’s lap when he asked, “Grandpa, when did we begin competing?” (This kid was very advanced.) Grandpa replies: “It all began at the very beginning of creation when the first people were playing in the field. They were having a…
By Darrell Yoder, reprinted from the Oikonomia Network. Note: Appropriately for the new pandemic reality, this update comes to you via video. A transcript, with links to the resources discussed in the video, is provided below. Hey, my name is Darrel Yoder. Greetings from Grand Rapids Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I serve on the faculty here and provide…
By Laura Cerbus, reprinted from the Salt & Light Australia Daily Devotional. It’s not a classroom I’m used to. I’m seated at a long table, chairs gathered around. No orderly desks lined up facing a whiteboard. Instead, we’re set up in the middle of a community space. Toys litter the room, a kitchen opens onto our space, glass walls reveal the gymnasium…
By David Williamson, part five of a series. The revised script, the new drama of life post-Genesis 3, starts to be played out. Chapter 4 of Genesis begins with a comforting and hopeful statement: In spite of sin and God’s judgement, God’s grace enables Eve to bear a child. Indeed, all work, all labor, all production should be with the understanding…
