Topic > Life Struggles
When Trials Come: Fight or Flight?
I have a tendency to take on more than I should. At times, it’s to prove to myself that I can handle it. At other times, it’s to please someone and gain recognition for my efforts. This sometimes leads to stress and in a worst-case scenario, depression.
The Two Bears
Some years ago, my wife, Carolyn, and I spent a few days camping on the flanks of Mount Rainier in Washington State. When we were returning to our campsite one evening, we saw in the middle of a meadow two male bears boxing each other’s ears. We stopped to watch.
There was a hiker nearby, and I asked him what the conflict was about. “A young female,” he said.
“Where is she?” I asked.
“Oh, she left about 20 minutes ago,” he chuckled. Thus, I gathered, the conflict at this point was not about the female bear but about being the toughest bear.
Most…
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”!
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.
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.”
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 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.
A conclusion we all need to hear
Americans might be tempted to roll their eyes at the shorter work week that some nations are known for. But the people of those nations might shake their heads at the number of hours Americans put in at work. So, what’s the proper balance?
Growing our relationship with God while we work
Today we continue looking at how we can honor God while on the job.
Have Faith, Not Fear!
When I was going through a difficult situation in my life—my family was facing challenging financial circumstances, my parents were separating, and my secondary school final exams were drawing near—I found myself in a state of despair, not knowing where to turn to.
The Tyranny of the Perfect
Dr. Brian Goldman obsessively tried to be perfect in treating his patients. But on a nationally broadcast show he admitted to mistakes he had made. He revealed that he had treated a woman in the emergency room and then made the decision to discharge her. Later that day a nurse asked him, “Do you remember that patient you sent home? Well, she’s back.” The patient had been readmitted to the hospital and then died. This devastated him. He tried even harder to be perfect, only to learn the obvious: Perfection is impossible.
As Christians, we may harbor unrealistic expectations of perfection…
Work as God originally created it
A lot of people live for the weekend, dragging in to work on Monday and counting down to Friday. But God wants us to have a different attitude about our work week.
Age Is Not a Factor
After owning and working at his dental lab for 50 years, Dave Bowman planned to retire and take it easy. Diabetes and heart surgery confirmed his decision. But when he heard about a group of young refugees from Sudan who needed help, he made a life-changing decision. He agreed to sponsor five of them.
As Dave learned more about these young Sudanese men, he discovered that they had never been to a doctor or a dentist. Then one day in church someone mentioned the verse, “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it” (1 Cor. 12:26). He couldn’t get the…
A new way of looking at your job
In our waking hours, we spend about eight to ten hours at work. Work occupies a large part of our lives. Today, special guest Scott Rae joins us to talk about our work as both a calling and a vocation. Listen in as we discuss some life-changing concepts.
