God and America

There is no question that today's America is not the same America our Founding Fathers created. Since the very first day our Fore Fathers declared independence from Great Britain, the enemy has been working overtime to destroy a country built on freedom. Still, today the United States of America remains the freest nation in the world.

 The United States is known for many good things, like spreading freedom, democracy, and the Gospel; however, we are also known for spreading various ills worldwide. We are not a perfect nation – after all, we are full of imperfect human beings. But, as we look to celebrate our country's 246th anniversary, I encourage you to take some time to thank God for our great country. From sea to shining sea, mountains to deserts, plains to waterfalls! Our country is a vivid place of unprecedented and unparalleled adventure, excitement, and intrigue. It's also a country that has been profoundly shaped by faith for many generations.

 I realize that it's hard at times to celebrate when our country has fallen into such disrepair. But remember: our God allowed our country to form under the most incredible adversity. Adversity builds character and draws us to our knees before His throne. Romans 5:3-5 says, "We also glory in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us."

 I recommend that this Fourth of July, you reach out to your neighbors, friends, coworkers, and employees and invite them to your home to celebrate the great country that we do live in and to share the bounty that we all experience!

And for the areas you don't feel so much like celebrating, pray. Pray for our country and that our leaders (and really all of us) would be drawn to our knees in thankfulness.

 Happy Fourth of July, America! 

- 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 does obedience look like in your life?

It’s an exciting week here at iWork4Him! On April 15th of 2021, iWork4Him celebrates 8 years as a media ministry focused on the intersection of faith and work. We have interviewed over 3000 people on over 1800 shows resulting in thousands of hours of video/audio available to a nation of workplace believers hungry for encouragement and resources to help them live out their faith at work. But it might not have happened if Martha and I weren’t obedient to the call of God on our lives…Read on.

On February 19th, 2013, I was speaking before a small crowd on five ways to incorporate your faith in your work (now the iWork4Him Nation Covenant). After finishing, I sat down next to the only person in the group I didn’t know, a woman named Deborah Roseman who owned a Christian talk radio station in St. Pete, FL. She said to me, “You should talk about that ‘faith and work’ on the radio.” I immediately dismissed her and told her she was crazy. Deborah responded that she was serious. I was flattered and told her if she was serious, I would send her an executive summary I had been working on for the last several years about the intersection of faith and work.

Well, I sent the executive summary, and within an hour, Deborah called to arrange a lunch with Martha and me. We were told that our show was needed but would cost $200 an hour to be on the air. I immediately shut down and thought, How ridiculous! I can hear my voice for free; I don’t have to pay $200 to listen to myself.

As we were walking out of lunch, I told Martha that this was a stupid idea, but despite the high production cost, I thought it was an answer to our prayers. You see, we had been praying that we would have a job that would lead to significance, not just a pursuit of success. We wanted a job where God would get all the credit because our success simply could not be attributed to our natural gifts, talents, and abilities. I had also prayed just 90 days earlier - on November 20th, 2012 - for a way to challenge thousands of people to live out their faith in their work. This radio gig seemed like an answer to all of these prayers, BUT it was shaped totally different than we expected. I’m a public speaker and love to be in front of crowds; radio was not a talent I possessed. I told Martha, “This is nuts, and it doesn’t make sense, but I believe we have to say yes, because it is an answer to prayer.”

We went on air on April 15th, 2013, and 8 years later, God has shown Himself in so many ways. What would have happened if we had just said no? I’m glad I don’t have to find out!

What is God asking you to do today that totally doesn’t make sense? Try being blindly obedient and see the miracles of His ways. For more of our story, get ready for our book “iWork4Him” to be released on 6/15/21.

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!

Celebrating Work Or Just Another Holiday Weekend?

This weekend is the only weekend of the year where for 3 days we celebrate labor. We call it Labor Day weekend.  Wait, is that what we are celebrating? I thought we were celebrating the end of the summer and it was a weekend to not think about work.  Or maybe in your family it was a work weekend – spending the extra day off prepping for the end of summer and beginning of fall.  Most Americans don’t realize that it was instituted as a federal holiday in 1984, Labor Day pays tribute to the contributions and achievements of American workers and is traditionally observed on the first Monday in September. It was created by the labor movement in the late 19th century. 

So I saw that there is nothing better for people than to be happy in their work. Ecc. 3:22

The question we should be asking…Why, as Jesus Followers, should we be celebrating our work?  Because our work is a gift from God and our workplaces are the location of most of the pre-believers in our country. Our work is the central location for Gospel Transfer.  What is Gospel Transfer.  We are to spread the Good News about Jesus and Jesus gave us our workplaces as the best place to do it. We do it through natural conversations and deepening relationships.  The good news is life transformational and it brings hope to the hopeless and freedom to the captives.

So the next time you think about complaining about work and labor, be reminded that God gave you work as a gift and He wants to partner with you in that work for the accomplishment of your excellence in that work, and to share the joy, hope and freedom you have in Jesus with others.  You are a missionary in the ministry place of your work.  God chose you on purpose to be right where you are at! 

Enjoy your weekend and celebrate work!

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!

Celebrate Covid-19

Perspective changes everything.  If you are reading this, you have much to celebrate. You have seen resiliency, innovation, and cooperation in our country and the world – that we had not seen since World War II.   Soon we will get back to our work space, and socializing.  We are ready to renew friendships face to face with coworkers and employees and friends at church.  It’s time to live but let’s remember to celebrate the valuable lessons we have learned in the last 10 weeks.

1. We have learned that running a business, teaching, and running a daycare and home simultaneously is not for the faint of heart.

2. We have learned that our kids don’t need constant activity to have fun.

3. We have learned that dinner as a family is our most cherished meal.

4. We have learned that we can live without shopping every day.

5. We have learned that we can live without sports constantly on the TV.

6. We have learned that a job you have is better than a job you wish you had.

7. We have learned that the people that you work with have problems at home too (you’ve seen their kids on Zoom Video calls)

8. We have learned the power of being flexible.

9. We have learned to be neighborly, to minister where we live.

10. We have learned that Dave Ramsey was right – we all need an emergency fund. (start working on that now)

11. We have learned to never stop appreciating…_______________________(you fill in the blank)

12. Above all, we have learned that when the trappings of life are stripped away, our FAITH is the ONLY solid rock to stand on.

As life returns to normal, whatever that means, celebrate what you have learned. Don’t forget to love the ones you have spent more time with in the last 10 weeks than the last 10 years. Don’t forget that the job that you hold and the work that you do is a gift from God. He has a call on your life and you are needed. IF you lost your job during this time, He knows that and He will provide.

We live in a world that is lost and hopeless. Bring hope with you back to your workplace and share your Jesus story of HOPE with those you have missed.

Celebrate the lessons and expect great things in the second half of 2020.

Jim

Proverbs 4:5-7 (NLT)

For more ideas on slowing down::  listen to this recent episode of iWork4Him

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!

Something new!

Is 43:19 For I am about to do something new.
    See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?
I will make a pathway through the wilderness.
    I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.

 Have you been paying attention to all of the NEW things that have begun around you the past several months? 

• New ways to buy your groceries

• New ways to have business meetings

• New ways to “gather” for a holiday dinner

• New ways to hold a conference

• New ways to pick up dinner from the restaurant

• New ways to “do church”

• New ways to use a manufacturing plant to make essential product

I like change.  I like to rearrange the furniture, or add a fresh coat of paint. Fixing up a process at work can do so much for my outlook sometime. 

So, how about you?  Have you been handling change ok?  Are you struggling to figure out what normal is?  Change can be hard when it’s forced on you.

Change in our spiritual life is vital.     When God teaches us something through scripture, prayer, or a life lesson we have the opportunity to grow.  This growth can create exciting changes in our lives.  

When we first went into quarantine I heard someone make a remark that stuck with me:  “this is an opportunity to come out different”.  Now that different can be positive or negative.  I’ve seen results go both ways.  Everyday is an opportunity for God to do something new in me, will I be open to it?

God is doing something new.  Can you feel it?  Do you see it?  Sense the anticipation and ask Him how you can join Him. 

Christmas Party

Christmas is a great time of year to open the conversation about Christ.

Have you been able to connect the dots for anyone yet at your work between the Season and the Reason? If you have an upcoming party or gathering, remember to pray for opportunities to intentionally turn the topic to Christ.

We attended a very special Christmas party this week with our friends at Integrity Business Referrals in Lakeland, FL. They read their membership pledge at the party and thought I’d share a portion of it and challenge you to internalize these great words:

I am the pastor of my business and my business is my full time ministry. My calling is not a second class calling. I am in partnership with my pastor or priest. I pledge to bring in the harvest, money and souls. As the steward of my business, I hereby dedicate it to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

We talk about these ideas often on iWork4Him but I just love how they proclaim these truths every time they meet (even at the Christmas party). You can claim these same truths for your work!

Deuteronomy 8:18

18 But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.

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.

Memory Stones

In a recent sermon at our church titled : “What do you do when God feels far away?”, Our pastor said that sometimes God feels far away because we don’t remember what He has done in the past.

Joshua 4:1 - 7 tells us of the memory stones...God told the Israelites to build a memorial so future generations will see and be reminded of what God did for them.

We can practice this type of remembering in many ways: scroll through your memories on Facebook, read old journals, or sit around the table and reminisce. We also do things like purchase souvenirs from a trip, buy a t-shirt at a concert, or eat a corndog – because we remember a time as a kid when we had one.

What have you seen God do in your family, work, or neighborhood that you need to remember? Do you have a bulletin board of photos? Do you have a trophy case or scrapbook from high school? What about the trinkets that sit on your desk to remind you of your kids?

At iWork4Him we want to recall a few MEMORY STONES and celebrate what God has done!

Impactful Guests on 1450+ shows that demonstrate connecting their faith + work

Testimony after testimony of listeners that are learning to carry their faith into their work each day

Six and a half years of radio and podcast production

Show sponsors that faithfully support the broadcast

Open doors to travel and attend dozens of faith and work events

Hundreds of listeners join the iWork4Him Nation

Changed lives and workplace cultures

For more memory stones, scroll through our Facebook page and podcasts

Let’s not forget what God has done for us in the past, and then look forward to what’s ahead.

https://www.iwork4him.com/5050challenge

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.