Truth-telling and the workplace
We see it all the time, advertisements for products with misleading information and guarantees built on false promises. Don’t miss this thought-provoking conversation as we conclude our series on “Faith at Work”!
In the Garden
My forefathers were pioneers in Michigan. They cleared the land, planted crops, and cultivated gardens to raise food for their families. This agrarian bent has been passed down through the generations. My dad grew up on a Michigan farm and loved gardening, which may explain why I love gardening and the smell of fertile soil. Cultivating plants that bear beautiful flowers and tending roses that fragrantly grace our yard with beauty are enjoyable pastimes for me. If it weren’t for the weeds it would be wonderful!
When I have to wrestle with the weeds, I am reminded of the garden of…
How can we use the wealth God has given us?
The Bible makes it clear that God calls us to offer care and compassion for the poor. The Old Testament prophets were burdened for the poor. In fact, Isaiah told God’s people that it was better to help the needy than to fast.
Sharing Your Faith: What Not to Do
Christianity is contagious and yet, in this world of easy communication and hundreds of different beliefs, sharing the gospel with family, friends, dentists, garbage collectors, colleagues, enemies, taxi drivers, teammates or others can often go awry pretty quickly—without us even knowing why.
Holding Me Up
After I no longer went on family road trips with my parents, it became a rare occasion to visit my grandparents who lived hundreds of miles away from us. So one year, I decided to fly to visit them in the small town of Land O’Lakes, Wisconsin, for a long weekend. As we drove to the airport for my return flight, Grandma, who had never flown, began to express her fears to me: “That was such a small plane you flew on . . . . There’s nothing really holding you up there, is there? . . . I would be…
Behind the Bible’s stories about the rich and the poor
Wealth and possessions have divided people ever since time began. Jesus spoke into this division when He said, “life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.”
Knowing Us Inside Out
A typical question I get asked as a psychology major is: “Can you read my mind?” (No prizes for guessing my answer.) Perhaps that is why I have thought about how wonderful it would be if I could actually read another person’s mind. I’m pretty sure I’m not the only person to think that way, which is why I think Disney’s latest Pixar offering, Inside Out, appeals to so many of us.
A Fragrance and a Letter
Every time I get close to a rosebush or a bouquet of flowers, I’m unable to resist the temptation to pull a flower toward my nose to savor the fragrance. The sweet aroma lifts up my heart and triggers good feelings within me.
Writing to the Christians in Corinth centuries ago, the apostle Paul says that because we belong to Christ, God “uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere” (2 Cor. 2:14). Through His strength we can live a victorious life, exchanging our selfishness for His love and kindness and proclaiming the goodness of His salvation.…
Are contentment and ambition enemies?
The word “ambition” often is used with suspicion in Christian circles. Perhaps because the word “selfish” is often associated with it! Don’t miss this important discussion.
What if God was “A Bowl of Ice Cream”?
Of all the presents I received for my eighth birthday—coloring books, fancy stationery, and toys— the children’s Bible was the best gift. I recall racing through Genesis to Jude, but staying away from Revelation because I did not like thinking about the End Times.
God’s Plans
An army officer may have an overall plan, but before each battle he has to receive and give out new instructions. Joshua, a leader of the Israelites, had to learn this lesson. After God’s people spent 40 years in the wilderness, God chose Joshua to lead them into the land He had promised to them.
The first stronghold they faced was the city of Jericho. Before the battle, Joshua saw the “commander of the Lord’s army” (probably the Lord Himself) standing opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. Joshua fell on his face and worshiped. In other words, he…
Aylan’s Silent Scream
It was a picture that painted a thousand words: a photograph of a three-year-old Syrian boy, lying face down on a Turkish beach. His name was Aylan Kurdi. Last week, the world recoiled in horror and anguish over images of his lifeless body washed up on a beach in Bodrum.
What should our attitude be about work?
When we meet someone for the first time, we usually ask “What do you do?” So much of our identity is linked to our work, but how do we keep our jobs from defining us completely? Listen in as we explore our relationship to our labors.
Ripples of Hope
In 1966, U.S. Senator Robert Kennedy made an influential visit to South Africa. There he offered words of hope to opponents of apartheid in his famous “Ripple of Hope” speech at the University of Cape Town. In his speech, he declared, “Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”
At…
To Be Continued . . .
Growing up in the 1950s, I often attended the Saturday matinee at a local movie theater. Along with cartoons and a feature film, there was an adventure serial that always ended with the hero or heroine facing an impossible situation. There seemed to be no way out, but each episode concluded with the words “To Be Continued . . . ”
The apostle Paul was no stranger to life-threatening situations. He was imprisoned, beaten, stoned, and shipwrecked as he sought to take the good news of Jesus Christ to people. He knew that someday he would die, but he never considered…
