How to Choose a Job

This is from Every Good Endeavor by Tim Keller:

"Paul uses these same two words [calling and assigning] here when he says that every Christian should remain in the work God has “assigned to him, and to which God has called him.” Yet Paul is not referring in this case to church ministries, but to common social and economic tasks—“ secular jobs,” we might say— and naming them God’s callings and assignments. The implication is clear: Just as God equips Christians for building up the Body of Christ, so he also equips all people with talents and gifts for various kinds of work, for the purpose of building up the human community."

"Our daily work can be a calling only if it is reconceived as God’s assignment to serve others."

"We are not to choose jobs and conduct our work to fulfill ourselves and accrue power, for being called by God to do something is empowering enough. We are to see work as a way of service to God and our neighbor, and so we should both choose and conduct our work in accordance with that purpose. The question regarding our choice of work is no longer “What will make me the most money and give me the most status?” The question must now be “How, with my existing abilities and opportunities, can I be of greatest service to other people, knowing what I do of God’s will and of human need?”

"If the point of work is to serve and exalt ourselves, then our work inevitably becomes less about the work and more about us. Our aggressiveness will eventually become abuse, our drive will become burnout, and our self-sufficiency will become self-loathing. But if the purpose of work is to serve and exalt something beyond ourselves, then we actually have a better reason to deploy our talent, ambition, and entrepreneurial vigor— and we are more likely to be successful in the long run, even by the world’s definition."

Keller, Timothy (2012-11-13). Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God's Work (pp. 65-68). Dutton Adult. Kindle Edition.

Not Happy With Your Marriage? Keep a Marriage Diary

Therapist Aaron T. Beck noticed that many couples have a tendency to notice only what is wrong. Couples in this situation often need help to consciously fight this tendency. So, he advises couples to keep “marriage diaries,” chronicling the things their mates do that please them.

"In his book Love Is Never Enough, he describes a couple, Karen and Ted, who kept such a diary. One week, Karen noted several things that she appreciated about Ted: He sympathized with me about some bad behavior by one of my clients. He pitched in to help clean up the house. He kept me company while I was doing laundry. He suggested we go for a walk, which I enjoyed.

Beck said, “Although Ted had done similar things for Karen in the past, they had been erased from her memory because of her negative view of Ted.” The same effect held true for Ted’s memory of the nice things Karen had done.

Beck cites a research study by Mark Kane Goldstein, who found that 70% of couples who kept this kind of marriage diary reported an improvement in their relationship. “All that had changed was their awareness of what was going on,” Beck wrote. “Before keeping track, they had underestimated the pleasures of their marriage.”

Source: Heath, Chip; Heath, Dan (2013-03-26). Decisive: How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work (Kindle Locations 1673-1682). Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

The Subersive Pastor

Eugene Peterson writes:

“As a pastor, I don’t like being viewed as nice but insignificant. I bristle when a high-energy executive leaves the place of worship with the comment, “This was wonderful, Pastor, but now we have to get back to the real world, don’t we?” . . .
“I bristle and want to assert my importance. I want to force the recognition of the key position I hold in the economy of God and in his economy if he only knew it.

“Then I remember that I am a subversive. My long-term effectiveness depends on not being recognized for who I really am. If he realized that I actually believe that the American way of life is doomed to destruction, and that another kingdom is right now being formed in secret to take its place, he wouldn’t be at all pleased. If he knew what I was really doing and the difference it was making, he would fire me.

“Yes, I believe that the kingdoms of this world, American and Venezuelan and Chinese, will become the kingdom of our God and Christ, and I believe this new kingdom is already among us. That is why I am a pastor, to introduce people to the real world and train them to live in it.Peterson, Eugene,The Contemplative Pastor, pp. 27-28.

 

What is more important to happiness: compensation or commute time?

"When deciding between job offers, most of us give a lot of weight to salary, even though money and happiness don’t have a directly proportional relationship. Studies consistently show that money can buy happiness, but only up to a certain point. Once one’s basic needs are met, the value of the additional material goods that come with greater wealth diminishes rapidly. The nationwide 2004 General Social Survey found that Americans earning under $20,000 per year reported being significantly less happy than those in a higher income bracket, but more than 80 percent still described themselves as “pretty happy” or “very happy.” Above this tier, people are relatively happier overall, but further increases in income hardly make any impact. For the most part, people earning $100,000 are no more satisfied with life than those earning half that sum. Other studies have found that this trend—rising income without an attendant rise in reported happiness—holds true even for Americans who earn more than $5 million per year. We may be too strongly drawn to higher salaries because our reflective system convinces us that more money buys greater comfort and security, which is an objectively better outcome. But the system may fail to include in the equation the psychic cost of the commute and of the loss of leisure time that often accompanies the bigger check. A study by Daniel Kahneman and colleagues found that commuting is by far the most unpleasant part of the average person’s day, and spending even an extra 20 minutes in transit is one-fifth as harmful to your well-being as losing your job. You might consent to a lengthy commute because you want the larger house in the nicer neighborhood, perhaps with better schools, but these benefits rarely counteract the negative effects of longer travel time." (Iyengar, Sheena (2010-04-01). The Art of Choosing (pp. 132-133). Hachette Book Group. Kindle Edition)

Money is a helpful, useful tool, but if you turn it (or even what it can do for you) into an idol, it will never deliver.

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Who Is Happier; Fundamentalists or Atheists?

Most people assume that the fewer restrictions one has in life, the happier a person will be. Yet, Dr. Sheena Iyengar, professor at Columbia University conducted some research that showed some surprising results. She interviewed over 600 people from nine different religions. She writes, "These faiths were categorized as fundamentalist (Calvinism [Yes, she calls considers Calvinists to be Fundamentalists], Islam, and Orthodox Judaism), which imposed many day-to-day regulations on their followers; conservative (Catholicism, Lutheranism, Methodism, and Conservative Judaism); or liberal (Unitarianism and Reform Judaism), which imposed the fewest restrictions. In fact, some branches of the liberal religions don’t even require their practicing members to believe in God, and the largest percentage of Unitarian Universalists described themselves as secular humanists, followed by those with an earth- or nature-centered spirituality."

Here is what she found: "To my surprise, it turned out that members of more fundamentalist faiths experienced greater hope, were more optimistic when faced with adversity, and were less likely to be depressed than their counterparts. Indeed, the people most susceptible to pessimism and depression were the Unitarians, especially those who were atheists. The presence of so many rules didn’t debilitate people; instead, it seemed to empower them. Many of their choices were taken away, and yet they experienced a sense of control over their lives. This study was an eye-opener: Restrictions do not necessarily diminish a sense of control, and freedom to think and do as you please does not necessarily increase it."

Here is to being a happy "Fundamentalist!"

Iyengar, Sheena (2010-04-01). The Art of Choosing (p. 27). Hachette Book Group. Kindle Edition.

Planning to Grow

Introduction

 In the modern church’s backlash against legalism, we often are in danger of throwing out the baby with the bathwater. Because we do not want to be legalists, we are afraid to formulate some manmade standard of spirituality that consists of a list of duties. That is a good thing. However, the danger is, without some sort of plan, we become passive in our own spiritual development. This results in spiritual immaturity, spiritual decline, and even what we used to call “backsliding.”

We can safely say that if one does nothing to cultivate his soul, his soul will not flourish. At the same time, we can also say that there is no set, biblically prescribed program that everyone should follow in order to grow. There are biblically prescribed elements to spiritual growth, but one incorporates these elements into his or her life can vary. That means, each Christian must be intentional and active in his own spiritual growth. Passivity will not do.

One approach to being proactive in your own spiritual growth is to develop your own “Spiritual Renewal Plan”, or SRP. This is the plan that you develop so that you can continue to grow in grace.

What Your Plan Should Include

Spiritual Disciplines

While the Bible does not outline a program for us, the Bible is clear that there are certain “means of grace” that should be a regular part of every Christian’s life. These include:

• Corporate Worship (church)
• Prayer
• Bible reading/study/preaching
• Fellowship
• The Sacraments (Baptism and the Lord’s Supper)

In addition to these, there are other disciplines that the Bible tells us are helpful to our spiritual growth. These include: serving, fasting, giving, evangelism, meditation, singing, solitude, etc…

 

Your SRP should include these activities. In addition, think about the things that you do or have done that you have found to be spiritually refreshing. It could be that reading certain books or attending a particular conference, or even listening to certain music stirs your soul. Include these things in your spiritual plan as well.

Other things to include

You may find it helpful to include things such as exercise or date nights with your spouse or family devotions as part of your SRP. It is your plan. So, put on there whatever it is you think you need to do in order to grow spiritually.

Constructing the Plan

Be Realistic

As you develop your SRP,be realistic. If you haven’t been reading your Bible at all, then it is unrealistic to set a goal of reading it for one hour every day. It is a lot like exercise. If you have not been exercising, you would not begin by running 5 miles a day. You would start with a much smaller, more realistic goal. Try 10 minutes of Bible reading and 5 minutes of prayer.

Be Challenging

While you do not want to set unrealistic goals, you also do not want to settle for mediocrity. The spiritual disciplines need to become a regular part of your daily life. Yet, remember, the goal is not to prove yourself to God through disicpline and hard work. The goal is to grow in God's grace by focusing on it constantly.

Add Variety

Do some things daily, some things weekly, some things monthly, quarterly or yearly. There are some wonderful spiritual disciplines that you cannot do every day or even every week (like fasting or solitude), but if you do not put them in your plan, then you will never do them.

Also, you may not want to do the same thing everyday. For example, you might decide to read the Bible for 15 minutes on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and listen to a sermon or message in the car on the way to work on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Don’t Let Failure Stop You

If you set a goal to read your Bible everyday and then go a week without reading it, it is easy to get discouraged. Don’t. Just keep at it. Just because you fail for a time, that doesn’t mean you have to quit or that you are a failure. Just start again. You are going to mess up some, maybe even a lot, but, if you keep after it, you will begin to see solid, steady spiritual growth.

At any time that you discover that your plan is not working, then simply take to time to revise it and make it a more realistic plan that you will actually do.

Build It Into Your Calendar

Once you have decided what you are going to do, enter it into your calendar. If you do not put it into your calendar, you probably won’t do it. This is particularly important for things that you do not do every day or every week.

 

If you are planning a weekend away with your spouse, even if it is not for another 6 months, put it on your calendar. If a conflict comes up, you can move it, but you cannot delete it. Putting it on your calendar forces you to think about it and increases your chances of following through. So, everything in your plan must be entered into your calendar.

Constructing Your Plan

Below are some ideas of things to include in your SRP. You might choose a couple of things in each category, or create your own ideas. More is not better. The goal is to regular use of the means of grace so that you might walk in God's grace.

Daily

• Read the Bible for 10 minutes
• Pray for 10 minutes
• Listen to an MP3 of a sermon while exercising
• Pray with my wife every night
• Read a devotional
• Read 1 chapter of the Bible
• Read or sing a hymn or inspirational song
• Read a Bible story and pray with the kids

Weekly

• Family Devotions twice a week
• Attend church
• Prepare for and Participate in Small Group Bible Study
• 1 hour of in-depth Bible study
• Meet with men’s group or friend for accountability
• Be home for dinner 4 times a week
• Work out three times a week
• Listen to sermon MP3’s twice a week in car on the way to work
• Listen to sermon MP3's while exercising
• Date night with my wife once a week
• Tithe
• Take one child out to breakfast each week for time alone with dad
• Family Game Night once a week
• Journal twice a week
• Try to have one spiritual significant conversation with an unbeliever each week
• Pray for the pastors each week

Monthly or Quarterly

• Read one spiritual refreshing book
• Spend half day alone in prayer
• Spend half day with my wife in prayer
• Meet with a friend for real accountability once a month

Annually

• Spend one day in prayer and fasting
• Attend a retreat or conference
• Take one weekend away with my wife without the kids and use some of the time for in-depth prayer
• Read two spiritually refreshing books
• Take one day alone for a personal spiritual retreat
• Go on a mission trip

A Word to Christians on Voting

I sent this email out to our congregation. If you are not on our email list, here it is:

As you know, tomorrow, November 6 is Election Day. For those of us who have the right to vote, it is both a tremendous privilege and responsibility. As this historic event approaches, let me ask you to do two things:

1. Pray. Ultimately, God is King and all rulers serve at his pleasure. He will determine the outcome of this election (Proverbs 16:33). Our prayer should not be merely for our comfort, but for the prospering of the gospel and Christ’s church. Ultimately, all of our prayers should fall under the heading of “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

2. If you are eligible and have not done so already, vote. As you vote, think biblically. The Christian faith affects how we think about everything. You cannot divorce your faith from who you are. As Christians, we are not merely to be concerned about ourselves, but to think of the interest of others (Philippians 2). That means our approach to the voting booth should not be, which candidate will benefit me? But which candidate will promote true justice. Voting is not our attempt to impose our power on others, but to promote justice and defend the rights of those who cannot defend themselves (Proverbs 31:1-9). For more on this, check out my earlier blog post.

Make no mistake—we will not bring about the kingdom of God through political means. We will not “Christianize” America through political force. The state cannot and should not do that. Sunday, we sang the 200 year old hymn, “Lead On, O King Eternal.” It sums it up well: “For not with swords loud clashing, nor roll of stirring drums; with deeds of love and mercy the heavenly kingdom comes.” The hope of the world (and America) is not political force, but the reign of Christ. It is through our love and evangelism that we invite people into this reign. At the same time, we are called by God to seek the welfare of the place where we live (Jeremiah 29:7). Voting responsibly is one of the ways we do that.

For His glory,

Mark Bates
Senior Pastor