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You’re hired! A Christian perspective on the dwindling workforce.
Since the fall of Man in the Garden, we have known that life would not be easy. There were a few things that God promised would be part of our sin story, and one of them is that life will be hard. The work of daily living was declared as something that would be painful, and that in order to survive we will be battling the very ground we walk on just to eat (Gen. 3:17-19). So, it is no surprise that recent headlines have made it clear that people are not eager to go to work. Whatever the reason, and there are plenty, when we choose not to contribute…
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Your Workplace Is Your Mission Field
In my last column, I mentioned that while putting my husband through seminary, I spent nine years working for a subsidiary of a S&P 500 company. And although for the past twenty years I’ve been in vocational ministry, I’m grateful for what I learned in my so-called secular job. Here’s my encouragement to those working for a living—whatever the vocation: Know that your ultimate employer is the Lord. Paul advised the Colossian believers, “Whatever you are doing, work at it with enthusiasm, as to the Lord and not for people” (Col. 3:23). If God is the one for whom we ultimately work, we can’t get lazy as soon as the…
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Five Ways to Kill Your Women’s Ministry
1. Engage in gender stereotyping. Teach women that they are emotional and men are unemotional. Never mind that the ideal man wept (John 11:35, Luke 19:41) and cried loudly with tears (Heb. 5:7); that Paul warned the Ephesian elders night and day with tears (Acts 20:31); that the same elders wept loudly when Paul said goodbye (20:37); and that Paul remembered Timothy’s tears (2 Tim 1:4). Crying is for females. Also teach your women that God wired them only to receive love, not respect. That way those who fall outside this “norm” will know there is something wrong with them.And while you’re at it, segregate by age. Younger women…