iWork4Him PowerThought

What is the first question someone asks you after an introduction? I'd be willing to bet that 9 times out of 10 its "So… What do you do for work?" That question may feel fine and dandy when you are in a high-powered position or working your dream job – but for most people it's uncomfortable to be instantly framed by their employment OR lack of employment. We live in a society that equates our valu...

Have you ever felt stuck in a rut? Like all you do is go to work, come home, eat, and sleep, just to go back to work and do it all over again the next morning? This endless cycle can feel maddening! But did you know that God never intended for our work to be a burden? In fact, God gave Adam the job of caretaker of the world as a GIFT – as an opportunity to partner with Himself! And guess what? Jes...

I almost finished a 500 piece puzzle the other day, but one piece was missing. I searched high and low but I couldn't find it anywhere. In the end, I couldn't complete the picture with just 499 pieces… I needed the last one. 1 Corinthians 12:27 says, " You are the body of Christ. Each one of you is a part of it. " YOU are a part of the body of Christ and YOU bring something unique to this world -...

When God created Adam, he didn't place him in the Garden of Eden for an extended vacation – No! God created A JOB for him. In Genesis 2 it says, "T he Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to WORK it and TAKE CARE of it… and the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them... " O...

A company we love, and one you may have heard of, called Dayspring, helps direct their branding by asking the question, "what do we want people to walk away feeling after they've encountered a Dayspring product?" Do we want them to feel seen, loved, or encouraged? And what can we do to make customers want to return after an encounter with our products? These kinds of branding questions aren't just...

One of my favorite topics on faith in the workplace is to delve into the legal rights of Christ followers at work. We have more rights than most Christians know. And these legal rights are extremely important for every Christ follower to be aware of. Whether you are an employee, in management or own a company or run a non-profit .  WHY? We're losing ground in our rights, because WE, the people of...

Mission fields are EVERYWHERE – including apartment communities. Statistics show that 96% of those who live in apartments have no connection to a church. So, as a Christ follower, if you live in an apartment complex or work in one on-site, there's an opportunity to bring Christ to those that live there. Maybe you have Christian friends that live in an apartment. Would you be willing to share this...

Every paycheck you've been putting a little away for retirement. But once that money enters your 401K, what happens to it? Well, usually it gets invested into a whole bunch of companies. But did you know that many of the companies you may be investing in are actually support activities that blatantly go against Scripture! Proverbs 16:8 warns against this by saying, " Better is a little with righte...

What's your marriage got to do with your work? On the surface, nothing. But underneath, everything .  Your home life always directly affects your mindset, your attention, attitude and perspective. When our marriage is unhappy, we are distracted, less productive, and typically less than 100% .  Time invested in our spouse produces fruit. And that fruit sustains us and goes before us in every aspect...

Have you ever looked at your current job and wondered, "how did I end up here?" The good news is, you didn't end up there on accident! God has strategically placed you exactly where you are for a REASON – to share the good news of Jesus Christ with your coworkers, employees, bosses, and clients! 2 Corinthians 5:20 says, " We are Christ's ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. " So next...

Growing up, I lived in Minnesota. During spring, we had this phrase that, "March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb" meaning it would start cold and snowy and transition gently into spring... but usually it was the opposite. "In like a frozen lamb and out like a roaring lion." Life can be like that too. The transition from cold winter period of our lives – in other words some dark and c...

Priorities. .... Have you ever thought about if you're REALLY living your priorities ?  ... . When's the last time you stopped and did an inventory of WHERE you're spending your time? .... Where we spend our time is the surest barometer of where our heart and priorities lie. Webster's defines priorities as something given or meriting attention before competing alternatives .  As Christ followers,...

When's the last time you checked in on your worldview ?  We invite you to re-calibrate your worldview BACK to a biblical worldview .  There are 5 components involved: 1. your view of God,  2 . Your view of creation or reality , 3. Your view of humanity, 4. Your view of moral order and 5. Your view of purpose. If each Christ follower woke up every day with their biblical worldview firmly set in the...

I recently heard the phrase "mental load" for the first time. If you aren't familiar with it, "mental load" is the largely invisible work of noticing and remembering. For example :  I need to schedule a dental cleaning; we are out of lightbulbs; and my kid needs snacks for soccer practice. In other words, It's the running list of everyday responsibilities that tend to fall on women to remember and...

There is a common phrase that many people, especially working moms use. It's "stretched too thin ".   In the shadow of that statement is the often ignored concept of "self-care ".   Many people have been taught growing up to put themselves last, after their spouse, children, their home and their work. So it's no wonder many of us fail to take care of anything having to do with our own health and w...

I heard an outrageous comment from a partner of a Christian farm equipment company in Lancaster, Pennsylvania .  He said "Common sense has NO PLACE in the life of a spirit-led follower of Christ."  Here's what I think he meant. When we are attuned to the Holy Spirit, what He guides us to do in the moment often seems contrary to what we think of as "logical ",  And that reminded me that Christ's ac...

James 4:17 says Remember, it is a sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it. This is so important, let's hear it again .   Remember, it is a sin to know WHAT you ought to do and then NOT DO IT .  When you are MOVED at work during the day, by hearing about or seeing an injustice, do you pray and ask the Lord what He would have you do? .... Or do you just shrug it off and ignore it ?  The...

There's a new diversity in town: GENERATIONAL diversity .  ... . While it's not "new ", it's " new " because we are now shining a light on it, naming it, and weighing the pros and cons of it. Of what it means in our  work relationships, and in our organizations. How DO we take this reality and use it to build the body of Christ where we work? .... By respecting each other's differences, and seeing...

It's a fact that love is spelled T.I.M.E. .... In today's workplace, we can get so caught up in the fast pace that we forget that as Christ followers, we're to be mindful and intentional with every task, and every person. How DO you slow down during the workday ?  One good way is to STOP multitasking, and focus your FULL attention on each task and conversation at a time. Another great way is to us...

In today's culture, respect for our elders and wisdom, has been replaced by idolizing youth and outward appearances. As Christians, we believe that ALL human beings are created by God in His image. Therefore every person has inherent dignity and creator-ordained worth. To be created in the likeness of God means that each  person bears His image and with it, a value beyond our unique characteristic...

A guy named David Foster Wallace once said, "Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship." Now Wallace may have had a lot of things wrong, but he had this right… every day – you and me and every other person on this earth - worships something. We worship whatever it is that absorbs our heart, imagination, and mind to such an extent that it gains PRIORITY over everything else. 1 C...

What does it take to transform a city? One answer is "a city movement ".   When a city brings together the isolated segments of government, clergy, companies, and non-profits, a PROFOUND shift occurs. The power of the body of Christ is unleashed into every area of the city. The light of Christ shines and exposes that which is hidden and a city is miraculously transformed .     It reminds me of wha...

A businessman and book author recently told me: In my search for leadership knowledge, I kept coming back to the B ible and realized that Proverbs is a practical business book. I don't need much more. The B ible IS a source of wise counsel for us in all aspects of our life and that includes our work. .... Many Kingdom workplace leaders hold to the belief that the B ible is THE BEST BUSINESS BOOK e...

We have heard it said from just about every Kingdom company we have interviewed that it is all about relationship . That putting people first makes all the difference in the health of their business. This concept is contrary to how the world has taught us to do it .  But we have heard and seen in these Kingdom companies, that when you put people first before profits , the profits will follow . Tha...

I recently heard a new term for a business where the leader is a Christ follower. He called his business a " for-profit ministry ".   That was   dad's term for their family business, a junkyard of all places.  He had a holistic approach to it. Yes, he was a businessman , who was committed to turning a profit. AND, He saw it as an opportunity to help people by giving them a  job, and  helping them...