Your Work Can Be More Than A J-O-B

When we first relocated to Florida almost 20 years ago, Martha took a job in insurance since that was our area of expertise.  She was gifted in it and learned a lot but it was evident that it was not her calling, it was a j-o-b.  She eventually ended up running the bookstore where we attended church.  This job used many of the skills that she had accumulated over the years and allowed her to nurture her staff and customers, this was a calling. 

Do you have a job or a calling? A job is something you do, often for compensation. A calling defines who you are and what you are created to do.

So, what is your calling? Have you ever taken the time to consider the answer to that question? Does your calling change as you get older?

There are many ways to figure out what the calling is on your life:

1. Pray and ask the Lord to help you figure it out.

2. Ask those who know you best what they see as your natural gifting and calling.

3. Take some assessments – I love www.IdentityandDestiny.com

It's important to note that our skill sets don't define our calling, but they can allow us to complete our calling. For Instance, I like to talk. I like to sell.  I love to clean up messes. I love to build relationships. Those four skills can be applied in almost any organizational situation and have served me well in many of my jobs. Still, my overall calling has always centered on discipling newer believers and challenging them with the steps to take their faith deeper.

My calling assignment, specifically in this season of my life, is to equip and encourage workplace believers to understand that their workplace is a mission field for them and a place of ministry.

Do you wonder what your calling assignment is?  It’s never too late to explore and ask God to show you. Take a look at the steps above and start seeking the answers.

God has placed you in your current position at work for a purpose. How does your calling fit into that?  Sometimes it’s hard to understand.  We often look at our work as just a j-o-b, instead of a specific assignment from God. It’s possible that He is preparing you for something.  Don’t miss the opportunity He is giving you today.

Ask yourself these questions:

Why does God have you where He has you?

Why does God have you doing what you are doing?

Why has God placed you with the people you are doing them with?

With Prayer, wise counsel, and some research, you can understand who God created you to be, what He created you to be doing, and what your current assignment is. Then you will look at your work as more than just a j-o-b but also your calling. God has called you, are you listening?

Chip Roper with the Voca Center has a great perspective on this topic.  His interview with iWork4Him can help prepare you for your next day at work or your next career move. 

Don’t quit your j-o-b but ask God to help you see the calling at your job.  Maybe it’s been there all along and you haven’t been looking for it. For more encouragement in making your workplace your mission field, join the iWork4Him Nation.

Jim

About the Author, Jim Brangenberg

Jim's Mission: We are called to be examples of Christ to those around us. With that in mind, Jim is passionate about helping Christ followers connect their faith to their work!

What's the Point?

When you left your home for work today, if you left at all, did you do so with excitement and exhilaration or with dread and depression?  Do you ever ask - what's the point of work?  Many see work as a necessary evil used to get what we want.  Is it the same in God's eyes?

God gave work to Adam in the Garden before sin entered the world. He and Eve were to take care of the Garden. After Adam and Eve sinned, they were kicked out of Eden but still had to cultivate the Earth. Why? What's the point?  God created the Earth with all the resources necessary to solve the problems faced here on Earth. He gave us work because it satisfies our souls. He gave us work to bring flourishing to us and those around us.

So what's the point of your job?  Does your job put you in proximity to people who have a problem you can solve? Does your work give you a unique perspective on some issues in this world to bring a solution?  Your job is unique to you. It was given to you by God for God's purposes. Is that the point? Every person in your workplace needs something you have to offer. Some require your spiritual insight; some need your mental acuity, some need your friendship, but you are there on purpose for a purpose.  Is that the point?

• Ask God why He has you in your job today.

• Ask Him to reveal His purpose for you right where you are.

• Ask Him to show you what the person next to you needs today.

There is a point to your placement at work. It's not my point that matters. It's God's point for you that matters. Don't know the point? Ask Him.

Mark 1:35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.

Our new 1 minute PowerThought video has more on this subject.

Jim

About the Author, Jim Brangenberg

Jim's Mission: We are called to be examples of Christ to those around us. With that in mind, Jim is passionate about helping Christ followers connect their faith to their work!

What pain in this world drives you to your knees?

God made each of us unique.

• Each has a unique set of gifts, talents, and abilities.

• Each has a unique relationship with God – experiencing Him differently than I do.

• Each has a unique passion in their heart.

• Each is brought to their knees by a different pain in the world.  

These unique qualities drive us to solve different problems in our work, homes, and communities. What is it for you?

Justice & integrity are two of my core values.  The pain of injustice and the lack of journalistic integrity are just two of the issues that drive me to my knees.  I pray about them and ask God to show me what I can do to make a difference. 

The Holy Spirit of God has laid a burden on your heart for some ill in our society. Fixing this problem is impossible on your own. That is the way God likes it. It is impossible to solve the problem without Him by your side.  So many of us stop at "impossible" instead of going to our knees and bringing this impossibility to God.

King Hezekiah looked over Jerusalem's walls at an Assyrian army of 185,000 men and knew that Judah couldn't win a war against them. But Hezekiah, and the entire city, petitioned the Lord, and He delivered them from the impossible. It happened to Gideon and Deborah. It happened for King Jehoshaphat. It happened for Peter at Pentecost, and it can happen for you.

God is ready to solve the impossible He has laid on your heart, if only you will ask Him to join you. Nothing is impossible with God.  As a follower of Jesus, our culture needs you to solve the "ill" that drives you to your knees. Ask God to be your impossible solver today.

Our book iWork4Him is full of incredible faith stories of people just like you that God used to solve impossible problems in the workplace. An incredible example is a recent interview:  Taking on the Goliath's of the World where a few unlikely physicians shaped the future of Health Care.  Does that sound impossible? Well guess what? It's God possible!

Jim

About the Author, Jim Brangenberg

Jim's Mission: We are called to be examples of Christ to those around us. With that in mind, Jim is passionate about helping Christ followers connect their faith to their work!

Jesus Worked The Family Business

It is not insignificant that Jesus was born to a family who had a small business. Carpentry. God could have put Jesus in any number of families but He chose one where the primary source of income to support the family was the small family business. You might find yourself asking why?  I often had until I started researching the Faith and Work movement 14 years ago. It was then that I realized that the major economic driving force in any countries economy is the small family run business. Sure there are huge corporations but 44% of US economic activity is driven by small businesses and small businesses create 2/3 of all net new jobs.  So what does this have to do with you?

God loves business. In fact He wanted His son to experience all the struggles of man including the challenges of being in and eventually running a small family business. Why?  When you run a small business, you are actually running a small niche focused ministry that delivers a product.  This small business experience enabled Jesus to put together the most powerful marketing plan ever and that plan has changed the world.  God loves business and He loves work. God planned it that way when the world was created. When He told Adam and Eve to cultivate the Earth, He meant to harvest its resources and use them to bring flourishing to others. That is all done in the hands of business owners. Jesus’ plan was to use the marketplace to spread the good news because commerce moves products and information.

The next time you wonder if God has called you into business or ministry, realize that He has called you into a Biznistry and its focus is a high priority to Him. You can bring flourishing to the earth by operating a small family business.  You have His blessing and it was His plan to bring the Gospel to this planet.

Jim

Curious about Marketing like Jesus?  This episode of iWork4Him podcast will give you some ideas.

About the Author, Jim Brangenberg

Jim's Mission: We are called to be examples of Christ to those around us. With that in mind, Jim is passionate about helping Christ followers connect their faith to their work!

The Time Is NOW

When iWork4Him was born in 2013, Martha and I never imagined what “work” might look like in 2020.  We could have never predicted how important the message of living out your faith in your work might have come. Why? The closing of churches makes it even more vital for our co-workers and neighbors to see and experience Jesus through our lives. 

The Gospel of Jesus will be unleashed in our country through people like you and me, committed to living out our faith 24/7.  At home, in our neighborhood, and through our work (virtual or in person). 2000 years ago the Roman Empire was transformed through Christ Followers living out their faith in their work.  It can happen again today!

So how about you?  Are you living out your faith in your work today. Do people know that your life has been radically transformed by the power of Jesus and His death on the cross?

Do people know that Jesus is the only hope for the problems of this world?

We are the messengers of hope, sent by Jesus. We have been silent about the transformation in our lives. Our country has suffered by our silence. It’s time to speak and share the good news of Jesus and how He is radically transforming our lives.

My life has never been the same since 7/13/79. How about you?   You are needed now to be a messenger of peace.

The time is NOW. 

Jim

 “but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect” 1 Peter 3:15 ESV

About the Author, Jim Brangenberg

Jim's Mission: We are called to be examples of Christ to those around us. With that in mind, Jim is passionate about helping Christ followers connect their faith to their work!

Unity - finally

John 17:23 The Message (MSG) 20-23 I’m praying not only for them But also for those who will believe in me Because of them and their witness about me. The goal is for all of them to become one heart and mind— Just as you, Father, are in me and I in you, So they might be one heart and mind with us. Then the world might believe that you, in fact, sent me. The same glory you gave me, I gave them, So they’ll be as unified and together as we are— I in them and you in me. Then they’ll be mature in this oneness, And give the godless world evidence That you’ve sent me and loved them In the same way you’ve loved me.

Jesus prayed the passage in John 17:20-23 out loud in front of a crowd. He was driving home a point. Unity among Christ Followers would demonstrate the reality of His presence in the world. Martha and I have made a marketplace observation, Christ Followers at work are unified in a common cause – to live out their faith in their work because Jesus changed them 100%.  It’s amazing that God chose the Marketplace to show unity, but Jesus prayed this for us almost 2000 years ago.  2000 years.  That is a long time. 

Present day, the Church is now unified as well. Since the Corona virus has torn down the walls of the Church and spread the Church all over the world, we are operating as one for the first time since Christianity overtook the Roman empire 1700 years ago.  What does this all mean to the Christ Following today?

It means that your workplace is your mission field and in that mission field, you and me may be the only Jesus our co-workers or employees may ever meet. Your workplace, however different it now looks, is a place of ministry and you have been called there. It’s not about the money or the prestige but it is about the people God has allowed you to be surrounded with each and every day – whether it is in person or on video conference.

Today, recognize the unity in the Church and see your part in it. Keep it going and see how a world can transform when it sees the reality of Jesus at work in your life and mine.

About the Author, Jim Brangenberg

Jim's Mission: We are called to be examples of Christ to those around us. With that in mind, Jim is passionate about helping Christ followers connect their faith to their work!

The good ole days!

The good ole’ days.  I recall my parents using that term when I was young and now I find myself using it:  Remember the good old days when you could:

1. Hop in your car and drive anywhere you wanted

2. Shop at any store from early till late

3. Where you could gather with friends

4. Where the country was focused on self

5. Where going to work meant leaving your home

6. Where a virus was 24hours and it was a little inconvenient

7. Where unemployment was non-existent and jobs were everywhere

8. Where you could wait to buy toilet paper until you needed it.

Ah, the good old days.  Where life was crazy busy and you had little time for family. Where you had time to worry about which sporting events to attend and who was driving to practice…Yeah…Those days…may be gone forever but these new days bring a greater dependence on God, a greater importance on Family, less dependence on Self and a burgeoning community connected around the world by the internet. 

Life may never be the same, and that is good don’t you think?  Where there is pain, the Lord has a healing salve for your heart and soul, it is His word. Where there is hopelessness and despondency, there is Jesus.  Where there is uncertainty of direction and clarity, we have the Holy Spirit who is our God mentor/counselor. 

Life has changed but God has not and the ultimate plan is still in place…to rescue as many humans as possible before the end.  People are more ready now than ever, and every day, they are more open to Him because they see less hope in themselves. 

Remember the good old days but look ahead with anticipation, and cherish our remaining days.  Philippians 3: 12-15

Jim

About the Author, Jim Brangenberg

Jim's Mission: We are called to be examples of Christ to those around us. With that in mind, Jim is passionate about helping Christ followers connect their faith to their work!

Do you dream while you sleep?

Do you dream while you sleep?  I do.  I believe God speaks to me in my dreams.  Why?  Maybe it’s because it’s the only time I seem to relax enough to hear a message from God.  I always ask God to reveal what the dreams mean. 

I had multiple dreams this week, with a common element - people wearing skeleton suits (like Halloween costumes).  After each dream, I kept asking God – “Why are all these people in Skeleton suits?”, and here is what He revealed.

It’s not a shock to hear someone say that the World is a mess right now.  The shocker is that we are now seeing people for who they really are.  Many people are realizing that they are dead on the inside and it is showing on the outside. Prior to March 2020, most lives were filled with being busy, material things, driving nice cars, having big jobs, and going out to fancy dinners – today those lives don’t exist.  There is no purpose in fancy cars, we can’t go out to eat, we can’t shop, we can’t visit with friends, heck most of us can’t even go to the office, unless you’re considered essential.

Most of us assumed the grocery stores would have everything we need, now we find empty isles and no toilet paper.  Life was once taken for granted and luxuries just expected, today everyone from the billionaire to the homeless have been reduced to the very essence of our selves.  If we follow Jesus, the realization is probably just the same but that reality shouldn’t inflict fear.  In Christ we can have peace, even in uncertain times. 

What about your neighbor, your co-worker, or maybe a family member?  Do they have peace or are they just FINE?  (In the movie, The Italian Job ,2003, FINE stands for “Freaked out, Insecure, Neurotic and Emotional”  In today’s world, is that what people mean when they say FINE?   And that is why we need to mobilize a Gospel sized triage ministry.

We are surrounded by people who are waking up to the dead inside. The sudden death of the life they have been living, left them FINE.  Jesus can bring healing and peace to this situation. He can bring redemption and reconciliation to this situation. Jesus died for such a time as this, to show that He can work together all things for good for them who love Him. 

Our country won’t be the same for a very long time…and for that I am grateful. This pandemic is an opportunity to introduce the dead to the Life and move them beyond FINE, so Jesus can say “They are Mine!”

You have been called for just a time like this.  Don’t miss it.  And remember to ask God about your dreams.

But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 1 Peter 3:15

About the Author, Jim Brangenberg

Jim's Mission: We are called to be examples of Christ to those around us. With that in mind, Jim is passionate about helping Christ followers connect their faith to their work!

What will you be remembered for?

2 Chron. 7:14

In the midst of the current “crazy” – be ENCOURAGED!  What? you ask.  Encouraged?  How can I be encouraged?

Well, it seems like every time I hop on social media this week I see two things.  Those that are allowing fear to get the best of them and turning ugly and those that are leaning into their faith in Jesus and trusting God.  We don’t have it all figured out, and the cheese keeps moving – but I do know this…the body of Christ is digging deep, helping others, and asking the God of all Creation to give them peace in the storm (and the world is watching). 

How does this translate to our work and living out our faith?  Great question.  Start by asking yourself this question, “What can God refine in me and what will my co-workers remember from this crisis?” 

Will you be remembered for your panic or your peace.  Your wise cracks or your wisdom.  Your hoarding or your helping.  Your isolation or your love.  Your rebellion or your flexibility.  Your pride or your kindness. Your greed or your generosity.   Your false strength or your GOD.

As humans we will experience fear and frustration but what will define us?  Please pray with me that God will show us where we need to be refined and allow Him to work.

God, I don’t understand all that’s happening right now in our world, but I trust you.  This situation is not in my control, but I trust you.  Allow me to be your hands and feet to a broken world.  Give me your eyes to see the needs around me.  Give me your feet to carry your LOVE to the lost and lonely (through technology).  Thank you for technology that keeps us connected and gives us the ability to share your HOPE and also access what we need.  Lord, I pray for our leaders.  Give them wisdom as they make decisions.   From the White House to the boardrooms to the homes across our Country and around the world, may you be the one we lean on.  Bring the world closer to you.  Today I ask that you show me what you want to teach me.  Make me teachable.  I’m sorry for my moments of doubt and discouragement.  Thank you for never changing, always the same – yesterday, today, and tomorrow.  Help me to trust you for my tomorrow.  In Jesus’ name – AMEN.

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”

John 14:27 (NLT)

About the Author, Martha Brangenberg

Born into an entrepreneurial family, Martha has been involved in small business her entire life. Gifted with an attention to detail and a sweet sensitive spirit, Martha is a servant leader with a deep faith in Jesus.

Monday Morning Missions Trip

Have you ever muttered the words:

“Lord, I need a new job!” 

So has Mike Henry, founder of Follower of One. But, instead of praying for a new job, he asked the Lord where He wanted him to be. Here’s what Mike found out: 

God didn’t save me to “take me out of there” (my awful job situation), He saved me to leave me IN THERE!  

How many times have we thought a new job situation IS the ANSWER to our “problems”. When really it’s our heart and spirit that are mis-aligned?  

“There are 5 things we can all do in our work: pray for people, appreciate people, know what we believe, serve others and speak of our faith personally.” ~ Mike Henry

Now let’s take this to the next step, have you ever said to yourself, “I wish I had time to go on a mission trip.” Well guess what, you DO!  Your workplace IS your mission field. Your daily commute is your mission travel. And your workplace has been crafted perfectly by God, specifically tailored to you, and your giftings. We don’t need a passport or to learn another language.  We can all begin to view our workplace and every co-worker as “the mission”. We can prepare, pray, plan and then serve our colleagues in the same way we would as if we hopped on a plane and flew to another country. 

Charles Spurgeon, one of the most influential Reformed preachers said “Every Christian is either a missionary or an impostor.”  So which are you? 1 Peter 3:15 encourages us: 

Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it.

What would it take for you to start tomorrow, to shift your mindset and intentionally serve your workplace as YOUR mission field?  Hear more about this amazingly effective and powerful idea that you can implement this week and even consider joining the next Marketplace Missions trip training, and go on mission.   See you there!

Jim and Martha Brangenberg