iWork4Him PowerThought

Do you want to see your workplace as a place to live out your faith? Your work is a place where you finally get that chance to be involved in fulltime ministry. Then do these things. 1st Start praying for those you work around, by name every day. 2nd look for ways to serve those same people over and above what your job requires you to do. 3rd  look  for ways to build a friendship with those you wo...

Do you ever feel like a hamster on a wheel - stuck in a monotonous, repetitive, and unfulfilling pattern of going to work, eating, sleeping, and paying bills? When every day feels the same it can be difficult to live with a sense of significance… but  here's  some good news: our significance is not  determined  by our position or plans but by God working out His plans through our current position....

Why do you go to work? Something gets you out of bed and on the clock. Is it for a paycheck, to get experience, or to feel like  you're  making a difference? All of us have a reason. If you paused and assessed yours, what would the answer be? For nine years we have opened the iWork4Him radio show and podcast by asking:  Who do you work for, really ? This simple question gets  at the heart of the m...

Do you  ever   find  yourself scrolling through social media and feeling bad about yourself or your life? Or how about, looking over at your coworker and wondering why they got the promotion you feel you should have had? Sound familiar? Comparison is an ugly emotion… one that Mark Twain calls " the death of joy."  When Simon Peter, one of Jesus's closest disciples, was told that he would be martyr...

Mary Magdalene stood outside the empty tomb crying. She thought that someone had stolen the body of Jesus, the only thing she had left of him. But Jesus himself – very much alive – said from behind her, "Woman, why are you weeping? … I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God." Have you ever been in a position like Mary's - mourning the loss of a friend, family member, job...

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 t...

Can ANY type of business impact the lives of the customers they serve ?   Even,  let's  say, an office cleaning company? They sure can…. How does it happen? Is it by being a Christian that leads a company with good morals,  values  and ethics?  Or,  is there a level  above and beyond  that ?   There IS a level above and  beyond  and  it's  called being a kingdom company. So how do you become a "ki...

Businesses always seem to be searching for "the magic bullet" that will propel them into the "big leagues ".    We've  heard hundreds of stories of eternally successful companies and their practices and believe we know the secret.  It's   excellence . Excellence as unto the Lord .   Not being great at what you do, but EXCELLENT. ....  It's  the very top level. Consider these synonyms for excellenc...

We all have a  calling , have you heard this before? Some of us get called to the pulpit and some to the foreign mission  field  but most of us get called to our cubicles, construction sites, care facilities or whatever your job site may be. Your Workplace,  It's  your mission field and in that mission field, you and me, we may be the only Jesus our co-workers, employees and bosses may ever meet....

Have you ever worked for a company or organization with a toxic workplace culture – the kind that not only made it unpleasant for the employees but also for customers and clients ?   On the flipside, have you ever worked for a place where the culture was so positive that employees stayed for years and customers and clients became friends and partners? Dee Ann Turner, an expert on stewarding talent...

In John 17:17, Jesus prays for his followers saying, " Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. " But what does Jesus mean by sanctify? The Greek word used for  sanctify  in this verse is  hagiazo  and it means to  separate something – to set it apart – for an intended purpose or mission . In other words, Jesus intended that all those who  follow after  him would be set apart for a unique p...

1 Corinthians 12:27 says, "All of you together are Christ's body, and each of you is a part of it." I love it when the Apostle Paul talks about all the  different parts  of the body of Christ because so often, we get caught up in comparing ourselves to someone who was designed to function differently. But the truth is, no matter which part of the body of Christ you are, you are essential, and your...

Have you ever felt like your life is an endless cycle of waking up, going to work, making dinner, paying bills, and then going back to work again? King Solomon could relate. Even though he was an extremely wealthy and successful ruler, he still struggled with feeling like everything in life was meaningless,  a striving  after the wind. But God gave Solomon supernatural wisdom, and after some consi...

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? J...

God is up to something. He is not idly sitting by up in the Heavens, uninterested and uncaring about the matters of earth.  He is intimately involved . Luke 12:7 says that "He even counts every hair on your head!" And as if it  isn't  already crazy enough that the Lord of All cares about our day-to-day lives, He  doesn't  stop there. He asks us to join Him in His work! Let me say that again: the M...

65% of the population will never go into a four walls church – that means that over half of the people in the U.S. will never hear about Jesus from a pastor or dedicated ministry. BUT  here's  the good news:  almost everyone  will be employed during their lifetime, which makes the workplace one of the LARGEST mission fields in the world – a place where we, as ambassadors for Christ, are given free...

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 what J...

A businessman  and author recently told me:  In my search for leadership knowledge, I kept coming back to the Bible and realized that Proverbs is a practical business book. I  don't  need much more.   The Bible 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 Bible is THE BEST BUSINESS BOOK eve...

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....

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 th...

When you have a major decision to make or a faced with a "fork in the road" in your career, whose opinion do you seek out first? Do you ask your friends? Your partner?  Do you make a list of pros and cons?  Do you just avoid it? Although we've all  probably done  each of these things, there is a BETTER way: ask the one who already knows everything about your past, present, and future. When we get...

When unexpected things happen, when crises come, when you are let go, or passed over, or disappointed, or get a bad diagnosis… where do you put your faith? The phrase "do not be afraid" can be found in the Bible 365 times; one time for each day of the year! It is the most repeated command in Scripture, and for good reason: life can be difficult. In fact, before his ascension to heaven in John 16,...

Have you ever felt unsure about your future or about a big decision in your life?  Maybe you're  feeling that way right now – confused, uncertain, and  discontent .  Perhaps you  feel paralyzed by fear of making the wrong move or wrong choice. In these seasons, when everything seems dark and foggy, how do you move forward with confidence? James 1:5 in The Passion Translation says, " If anyone long...

Whether  we're  aware of it or not, temptation is all around us at work. It  didn't  get left at home when we left for work today. As we take God to work with us, we should also be aware that the enemy will be working there too. Starting our day with the Lord in  prayer, and  putting on the FULL armor of God (Ephesians 6), are some of the best ways to keep the door shut on temptation. 1 Corinthian...

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...