“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive in Christ even when we’re dead in transgressions- it is by grace you have been saved.”- Ephesians 2:4-5 “We’re not only saved by grace, but the Bible says we’re sustained by grace.”- Bill Hybels In Chapter 2 (“The […]
In Chapter 1 of What If Your Blessings Come Through Raindrops? (hereafter Blessings), Laura Story observes that God’s promise to Abraham to bless him with countless descendants (Genesis 12: 2-3) has a great deal to teach us about God’s blessings. Abraham’s subsequent behavior certainly revealed a less than stellar character, as when his unbelief caused […]
Laura Story has written a devotional based on her well-known song “Blessings” entitled What If Your Blessings Come Through Raindrops?. In the Introduction she states that the song “Blessings” is about redefining the blessings in her own life. From her adult perspective, she recollects that as a child patriotic songs such as “God Bless America” […]
Every Good Endeavor (Dutton, 2012) Timothy Keller begins Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God’s Work by asserting the importance of recovering the idea of vocation- that all human work is not merely a job, but a calling in which we share God’s providential love with others as “the fingers of God”. Pastor Keller […]
“Whatever you do, work at it with all you heart.”- Colossians 3:23 In Chapter 12 (“New Power for Work”) of Every Good Endeavor, Timothy Keller refers to the motivation that drives our attempts to build worth, security, and meaning through our work as the “work beneath the work”. When we properly apply the Gospel to […]
Pastor Timothy Keller states in Chapter 10 (“A New Compass for Work”) of Every Good Endeavor that our Christian faith and spirituality consists of more than a God-given “moral compass” compromising a set of ethical rules and regulations. We need wisdom so that we know the right thing to do in situations where those moral rules […]
In Chapter 9 of Every Good Endeavor, Pastor Timothy Keller states that the Biblical worldview is unique in that it understands the nature, problem, and salvation of human beings as “fundamentally relational”. Put another way, God created us for a relationship with Him, and that relationship was lost through sin. Yet, through God’s salvation and […]
Timothy Keller begins Chapter 9 (“A New Story for Work”) of Every Good Endeavor by observing that people need to attach a story line to an event in order for that event to make sense. In other words, that event needs to be placed into some kind of narrative structure. For example, we need to […]
In Chapter 8 (“Work Reveals Our Idols”) of Every Good Endeavor, Timothy Keller observes that when contemporary people hear the word idols, they are most prone to think of celebrities in the sports or entertainment world. Another image might be of primitive tribes bowing down to inanimate objects. Additionally, Pastor Keller points out that when […]
The desert, transition period following our ministry downsizing or position loss provides ample opportunity for reflection on our vocation. Through honest assessment we position ourselves to revision and revitalize our calling. In Chapter 6 (“Work Becomes Pointless”) of Every Good Endeavor Pastor Timothy Keller states that the writer of Ecclesiastes presents 3 ways people attempt […]
In the section of Chapter 5 entitled “Thorns and Thistles”, Timothy Keller (Every Good Endeavor) states that frustration and lack of fulfillment characterizes all work (and, I might add, looking for work) and human effort, part of the curse of work in a fallen world. Pastor Keller goes on to define fruitless work: “We mean […]
It’s late fall, 1965. My mother Elinor is standing at the kitchen stove, preparing dinner. Her persistent cough is not getting any better. She voices how poorly she’s been feeling. Concerned that whatever she has is contagious, mom takes many precautions to ensure that dad and I stay well. Around January mom receives her diagnosis […]