By David Williamson Entering the surgical suite for the installation of a pacemaker, I thought of – and was grateful for! – the “high calling,” the skill, specialized training and professional recognition of both the surgical team and the hospital. The first person I thought of was the cardiac electrophysiologist, the person to install my pacemaker, in a nationally acclaimed…
By David Williamson Labor Day Morning is traditionally the last day of summer and the beginning of Fall. Regular hours, routine, work…as I reflect on this year’s Labor Day, at first I’m grumpy. Not only because of the end of summer, with anticipation of Minnesota’s winter, but primarily from thinking about the way Labor Day is treated by society, and…
I am excited to introduce you to a book that, while not a faith and work book, has serious implications for the future of the faith and work movement, John Seel’s The New Copernicans: Millennials and the Survival of the Church. I realize that is a strong statement; please read on. John is a cultural renewal entrepreneur and social impact consultant. He…
I am excited today to introduce you to a beautiful and phenomenal resource, Every Moment Holy. The book is an excellent cross between John Baillie’s classic A Diary of Private Prayer and Tish Harrison Warren’s Liturgy Of the Ordinary. Andrew Peterson wrote the foreword for the book, which highlights some of his journey: Several years ago some good friends gave me a book. The…
By Darrell Cosden There once was a little man called Niggle, who had a long journey to make. He did not want to go, indeed the whole idea was distasteful to him; but he could not get out of it. He knew he would have to start some time, but he did not hurry with his preparations. Niggle was…
I am always looking for books that discuss neglected aspects of the faith and work conversation. Rest is certainly one such aspect and I’m pleased to see an increasing numbers of books (such as Garden City) discussing it. Rest is written for a secular audience, but it has lessons for the FAW conversation. The author, Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, is the founder of…
I have the privilege to read many fascinating books that discuss different facets of faith and work. I am particularly drawn to books that discuss neglected parts of the conversation. Glory In the Ordinary: Why Your Work In the Home Matters to God by Courtney Reissig is one such book. This book responds to the need for content directed toward stay-at-home…
In early February, I probed the thoughts of Andy Crouch, author, blogger, and speaker. Crouch had just resigned as executive editor at Christianity Today and moved to the John Templeton Foundation as a communication strategist. His books and speaking engagements have made him a thought leader on culture, and connected him notably to the faith and work movement. I was…
In my last post, I talked about how many professionals, even Christian ones, define themselves in relation to the symbolic image of the Mercenary—a person who is oriented towards “apprehensive individualism.” What does that mean? Individualism isn’t simply self-centeredness; as many scholars such as Robert Bellah and Charles Taylor have pointed out, it can also be a moral vision. But…
While studying global corporate workplaces in India and the Middle East, I came across a peculiar set of ideals, norms, and expectations that were widely shared across companies. Together, these constitute a distinct “representative character” that (thanks to Ashwin, the IT professional I mentioned in my previous post) I call the Mercenary. What’s a representative character? It’s a recognizable symbolic…
The Green Room 