iWork4Him PowerThought

I can't tell you how many times Martha and I have heard this one phrase in a marriage mentoring session .  "I work hard so my family can have the things I didn't have when I was a kid."  That's all fine and dandy, but usually, we are given that excuse after the spouse feels neglected .  That usually spurns a conversation about not feeling appreciated for how hard one spouse works.  It creates an a...

I love to work .  I love to jump out of bed, get ready for work, and go to work. I spend all day working and come home, and then after dinner, I like to work some more .  Working brings energy to me, and working brings satisfaction .  I love to work because I love to see things get accomplished .  I love checking things off my list .  There's a danger in loving work .  It's so easy to get caught u...

I work hard, I make money, I pay bills, and I buy stuff .  I work hard for my money .  I want to bless my family with the things that they need .  I have a right to spend the money I make on the things I want, right ?  If you are married, then there's some caution that needs to be expressed here .  The money you make because of your job should go into a common money pot for your family .  All of t...

We've all heard of the five love languages, but have you heard about the five languages of appreciation at work ?  The final way people feel appreciated at work is through Appropriate Physical Touch .  You need to be careful when it comes to touching at work .  But expressing appreciation through appropriate physical touch for someone who needs that touch can be as simple as a handshake, a high fi...

We've all heard of the five love languages, but have you heard about the five languages of appreciation at work ?  The 4th way people feel appreciated at work is through giving tangible gifts .  Giving the gift of words, time, or service is meaningful to many people, but some people just like gifts .  And a gift at work could be a simple cup of coffee, a candy bar, or a plaque of appreciation .  S...

We've all heard of the five love languages, but have you heard about the five languages of appreciation at work ?  The number three way people feel appreciated at work is through Acts of Service .  One of the greatest ways we can show our appreciation for others is by helping others complete a project .  It means so much to them when we help somebody at the end of our shift or at the end of our da...

We've all heard of the five love languages, but have you heard about the five languages of appreciation at work ?  The second way people feel appreciated at work is through the gift of Quality Time .  Relationships are so important at work .  But you can't just build relationships one minute at a time while talking at the water cooler .  When you ask somebody how they're doing, mean it .  Find out...

We've all heard of the five love languages, but have you heard about the five languages of appreciation at work ?  The number one way people feel appreciated at work is through words of affirmation .  Words that uplift, words that encourage, words that affirm a person's worth .  Words of appreciation spoken by a coworker or a boss mean so much .  Almost 50% of the population at work feel that word...

Every year, people are elected to the local boards of education in your area .  How many of them are believers ?  Less than 10% .  Getting on the local school Board of Education does not require a degree; it requires a willingness and obedience to a call from God .  As believers, we have walked away from the public school system for far too long, and it is time to take a stand and get involved whe...

Christ-following Principals, Vice Principals, Guidance Counselors, and office staff within the public school system serve in a massive mission field .  So many in their profession have been misguided and deceived to believe that God has no place in the public schools and that in fact, He does not exist .  The religion taught in our public schools today is humanism – a religion as old as Noah .  We...

We often think of missionaries as people who have graduated from college or seminary and being sent off overseas .  I define the word missionary as someone who is a follower of Jesus who has been sent into a field of people who are lost and hopeless and need to meet Jesus .  The public school system is such a mission field .  Our students who know and love Jesus are the missionaries sent behind en...

I know that many of you have been told that in order to serve as a missionary, you need to go overseas .  No way .  The mission field of the public school system is monstrous .  Teachers who enter the classroom every day serve as missionaries and representatives of God at every education level in America .  This mission field is under attack .  And it's been under attack for over 60 years. Maybe M...

What's the definition of a mission field ?  It is a place where lost and hopeless people live and work .  The public school system is one massive mission field .  Some incredible believers are teachers, aids, and administrators throughout the public school system, but we need more .  God and the Bible have been weaseled out of every corner of our education system .  But take heart: those of you se...

Don't hang up on God! A friend shared this insight when she realized God wants to be with her at work and all day, not just during her morning quiet time. Imagine that God is right next to you throughout the day as you sit at your desk, meet around the conference room table, deliver that presentation, or make that sales call. Scripture tells us that we are God's co-workers, and that is true in all...

Your voice matters. No matter what you've experienced or been told, your ideas, creativity, and perspectives are important contributions to your work. Unfortunately, many women have been ignored, overlooked, and had their ideas stolen by others. Someone may have assumed you are more junior than you are. As difficult and discouraging as those experiences can be, other people don't get the final say...

We all have two voices speaking to us daily—God's still, small, loving voice and the accusing, fear-ridden, loud voice of the enemy. How can you tell the difference? If it's encouraging, uplifting, life-affirming, convicting yet loving, aligned with Truth, you can be sure it is from God. If it brings fear, insecurity, anger, condemnation, or confusion, you can be sure it's from the enemy. Whose vo...

You, dear sister, were created in God's image. Man and woman were given the same cultural mandate to fill and subdue the earth. Your talents and desire to make an impact through your work are planted in you by your Creator. Your purpose is to steward those talents for His glory by continually leaning on Him. No one else will use your talents in quite the same way you do. You will reach, impact , a...

Who you are is not the sum of your past mistakes, successes, or talents. You are a daughter of the one true King, created in Christ Jesus, to do work that brings glory to God in your own unique way. Even when no one else seems to notice you, God sees everything you do to support others, contribute to the success of your organization, and share His love. God hears every prayer you whisper, cry, or...

One day a friend of mine called me and said "Jim, I have been trying to mentor and disciple my friend for 2 years now .  He is hopeless .  Maybe He will listen to you." That was almost 10 years ago now .  My new mentee was not a believer yet, was struggling with issues from the battlefield that impacted his marriage, and was very skeptical of church culture .  For 3 years, we wrestled about faith...

For the first two decades of our marriage, Jim and I did youth ministry as volunteers .  We spent thousands of hours with kids from various backgrounds and family structures .  I worked with girls who were daughters of pastors and daughters of high-powered executives, some from broken families and some from healthy solid families .  These relationships often started when these girls were 11 or 12...

My husband Jim and I are very different .  He has done a lot of formal mentoring, and I tend to do more informal mentoring .  Over the years, I have taken the time to live life alongside so many different women .  Some older than me, some younger than me .  Since Jim and I are involved in marriage mentoring with Christian Entrepreneurial couples, I often spend time with the wives working life out...

If there is one thing, I learned from my first mentor, Mike, it is that mentoring and discipleship is something to be done in the context of life and not in a hurry .  It was not a box to be checked but time to be set aside .  It was an investment of Mike's life into mine and, honestly, as it turns out, an investment of my life into Mikes .  Since I experience God differently than Mike, he learned...

As a 16-year-old and a new believer of just 3 years, I needed someone to invest their life in mine .  Was that discipleship or mentorship that I needed ?  Enter - Mike .  Many would argue that being a disciple-maker is inherently different than being a mentor .  Mentors often help someone become more like the mentor; Disciple makers help someone become more like JESUS .  Discipleship invites someo...

When you retire, does your calling retire too? Does our calling run out when Social Security kicks in? I don't think so. Your mission field assignment may or may not change later on in life. Some of you have a career that could go until very late in life. Just because you're 65 doesn't mean that you're done working. Sure, maybe you need to change things up or perhaps you need to work fewer hours....

Why are you retiring? Is it because you're too old to work? Is it because you're ready for a break? Is it because you're ready for a change? We need to recognize why we want to retire. Change is OK. But it doesn't mean that retirement is an end to our work. God gave us work as a gift. That gift continues throughout our lives until the very last breath. Our work is meant to glorify God. If you're r...