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!

Our Favorite Summer Reads

One of the most popular book genres is “Beach Reads.” Those books you can take with you on a summer vacation or holiday and casually read while you stare at the ocean. This summer, we want to give you some beach reads that can do more than entertain you – they could change your life!

 Over the last nine years, I have read well over 500 books for the iWork4Him show. Many of them are excellent, and a few have made a lifelong impact on me! For instance, Halftime by Bob Buford, the study Identity and Destiny by Tom and Pam Wolf, and a book on the Holy Spirit titled Our Unfair Advantage by Dr. Jim Harris. More recently, I’ve been enjoying Lead Like It Matters to God by Rich Stearns. Again, each of these books has made a lasting impact on me. In fact, I often keep copies of them handy to give away!

 And if we are talking about impactful books, I can’t help but mention the trilogy that Martha and I wrote in 2020. iWork4Him, sheWorks4Him, and iRetire4Him. And I don’t say that just because we wrote part of them… we also collaborated with over 50 other leaders in the Faith and Work Movement to put together a series of resources that are genuinely applicable no matter what stage of life you are in! Each one was written in a casual, easy-to-understand voice with a focus on helping you to activate your faith in whatever part of life you’re in. If you haven’t already, I encourage you to check them out online at iWork4Him.com/bookstore!

 Finally, it’s easy to highlight all kinds of books, but I want to tell you about the GREATEST book; it’s one I’ve read repeatedly, year after year, and I never get sick of it. It’s a compilation of 66 books written by 43 authors over 1,500 years. It covers genres such as poetry, narrative, law, history, wisdom, and prophecy. It’s called the Bible. The Bible holds every answer to every question I’m looking to answer; either it’s written in the text directly or through the stories recounted within its pages. If you haven’t read through the Bible entirely in the last year, I recommend you do! Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is alive and powerful…” and it is! Every time you read through it, God will reveal new things to you. I find that the New Living Translation, in chronological order, in a Life Application Version is the best for me. So, I invite you to read the Bible and really learn how God intends for us to live every day!

 There are so many incredible books out there that I can’t possibly mention them all here on the blog. However, Martha and I have our reading lists published on the website so that you can see some of our current picks and recommendations! And if you are looking for something more specific or aren’t sure where to start, email me at Jim@iWork4Him.com and I would be more than happy to give you a book recommendation! Enjoy your summer reading!

- 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!

Take the Challenge

I get asked so many times in so many places, “How do I get started with turning my workplace into a workplace ministry?” The answer has five short steps, and I learned them from God directly as He taught and shaped my own heart and ministry.

 The first step is to start praying daily for the people you work alongside and do so by name. By praying for them by name every workday, you’ll begin to see supernatural change, mainly in your own heart. You’ll start to see your coworkers, employees, and bosses the way God does. You’ll gain His heart for them instead of your own (easily irritated one).

 The second step is to look for ways to serve your coworkers, employees, or bosses over and above what your job requires you to do. This speaks to your character, and let me tell you. It makes a BIG impact. When you serve others above what you’re required to do, it shows that you care. And more importantly, it shows that God cares.

 Step three is to look for ways to befriend those you work with. This involves getting to know them outside of the workplace. It’s one thing to have professional relationships, and it’s another thing to have relationships that span the time both in the office and outside of it. When you invite people into your personal life, it allows them to see who you really are. It also lets them see how your faith is interwoven into everything you do!

 Step four involves prayer again. When you pray for the people at work daily, you get used to what they look like and how they act daily. That means when someone comes into the workplace, and you notice that their demeanor is different than usual, you have the opportunity to ask them how they are REALLY doing. And mean it. And when they say fine, you can say this great line from The Italian Job, “F.I.N.E. So, freaked-out, insecure, neurotic, and emotional. How are you really doing?” And then listen. When you notice somebody just isn’t themselves and give them the opportunity to share why, it opens a big, wide-open door. The fourth step is looking for ways to pray with people when you notice they’re having a rough day. After they’re done sharing say, “Can I pray with you about that?” I’ve never had anybody tell me no. When people are hurting, they are very open to prayer.

 Finally, the last step is really all of the steps. Step five is to, above all else, do everything you do with excellence in your work. Be the best and brightest employee in your position! If your work is anything less than excellent, what does that say about God? How are you reflecting the work that He is done in your life? Excellence is a fruit of Christ-like character.

 I want to challenge you to put these five steps into action this summer! I promise if you do, you’ll see God do amazing work in your workplace and in you! To take the challenge, check out the iWork4Him Nation Covenant – a written commitment to yourself to do these five steps and engage in your workplace ministry.

- 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!

The Holy Habit of Rest

I am probably the worst person on the planet to be writing a blog about rest. In fact, Martha and I together are probably the worst people on the planet to write a blog about rest. Resting is not something that comes naturally to us. And I’m not talking about rest that comes between 10 PM and 6 AM. I’m talking about rest where your eyes are open, but you’re not moving or doing something. Martha and I really struggle in this area. We figure if we’re not doing something, we’re being lazy. But as we’ve gotten older, now into our mid-fifties, we realize that rest is something that we need.

Not just for our bodies or health, but for our minds and souls.

What rest looks like for you may be different from what it looks like for me, but it starts with a whole bunch of intentionality no matter what it looks like! Quality rest doesn’t often occur spontaneously, especially in today’s connected and busy world.

This summer Martha and I have a new plan: resting. We plan on having days where all we do is read a book. We plan on having a weeklong vacation where all we do is just explore. We plan on taking Sundays and making sure that no projects are going on around the house. We plan on taking our work and putting it aside to rest and hear the voice of the Lord on what’s next for iWork4Him.

Now, I’ve read many books about rest over the years, but none of them is better than the Bible. From the very beginning, as soon as God finished creating the entire universe, He took a day of rest. In fact, on their first full day on the planet, Adam and Eve had a day of rest! God put such a high priority on rest that He made Adam and Eve experience it before giving them work.

Is rest a priority in your life or an afterthought?

I want to invite you to join Martha and me this summer in making rest an intentional part of your walk with Jesus. Oh, and on a side note, when you’re well rested, you’ll also hear the voice of the Lord more easily and can respond more quickly when he has an assignment for you! So in a way, rest is a critical part of staying on mission!

- 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!

Love Your Neighbors This Summer

Ah, summer! We spend all year long looking forward to summer. The smell of fresh air, freshly cut grass, and beautiful flowers—no school and summer vacations. Even the word “summer” has a warm, friendly ring to it. Summer is when we all take a big long break. But there is one thing that we never get to take a break from – can you guess what it is? Yep, it’s being a minister of the gospel! 2 Timothy 4:2 says, “Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not….”

So, how do we turn our summers into opportunities for ministry? Read along with me today as we explore some ways to use the dog days of summer as an opportunity to expand the influence of Jesus in your neighborhood!

It goes without saying that our neighborhoods are one of our primary places of ministry. First, we have our homes, then we have our work, and then we have where we live. If you live in cold, snowy, or rainy climates during the wintertime, getting to know your neighbors can be a little more difficult in the winter. Most people sort of “hermit” away in their homes during these inhospitable months. Growing up in Minnesota, we never really knew when summer would come. Some years spring would be perfectly timed in April, and summer would come along in June. Other years, like this year, winter lasted until May, and then one day, it was 80 degrees. But whenever, and however it comes, when it does - the doors open, the jackets come off, and the sunscreen gets lathered! Out comes the barbecue, the lawnmower, and the hedge trimmer; in comes the opportunity to get to know our neighbors and serve them well!

It is a universal truth that people love to be outside when the weather is nice. And when they are outside, that means you have the chance to get to know them.

One of the things I love to do in summer is hosting a potluck or a cookout. When the grill is in the front of the house, it’s super easy to invite my neighbors over for a burger or a Coke (or, in my case, a Mountain Dew). This gives me the chance to bless them with a meal and strike up a conversation. The same goes for if I’m out on a walk and my neighbor is in their front yard. I’ll stop and say hello and ask how their day is going. These small connections can open the door for even greater ministry opportunities in the future!

Another great way to engage with your neighbors is to find ways to serve them. For example, if you see someone working on a project in their yard, lend a hand! Or, if you have elderly neighbors or neighbors with mobility issues, offer to mow their lawn after cutting your own. I know someone who does tree-trimming on the side and will offer it to his neighbors in exchange for dinner. What a great idea! That way, he gets to serve and connect!

The point is that your neighborhood is ripe with opportunities to be Jesus to someone. Remember, as a Jesus Follower, EVERYTHING about you should be changing, and EVERYONE around you should be benefitting from your faith, whether they believe in Jesus or not.

- 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!

Is it Nuclear or Heaven on Earth?

In the past three weeks, we’ve talked about The Cultural Mandate from Genesis 1:28 to subdue and cultivate the earth in order to bring flourishing to all people; The Great Commandment to love God and love others; and finally, The Great Commission to teach others everything that we’ve been taught about Jesus. 

But how do we hold three of these at once? And how do they play out in the marketplace? How about in the workplaces of America?

 Let me draw an ugly picture first – the picture of what it looks like when we live out of balance. If you look at Wall Street or corporate culture or political behavior, most of what they do is in obedience to The Cultural Mandate. They are indeed subduing the earth! But, and this is a big “but,” they do so in ignorance of The Great Commandment and The Great Commission. What do you get when you teach believers to live out The Cultural Mandate but ignore The Great Commandment and Great Commission? 

You get the world as we know it today. 

A lot of people make a lot of money and keep it all for themselves. But God’s intention for business, and really for any job, was for flourishing to happen, for loving to happen, and for people to find out about Jesus naturally. When we take just one of the directions from God and ignore the others, things fall apart and what we end up with is a culture that is ignorant of Jesus, ignorant of God, self-centered, and falling apart. 

However, when you combine The Cultural Mandate with The Great Commandment in The Great Commission, you will see a nation humbled before God, with love flowing to all of our neighbors, flourishing in every neighborhood, and with millions hearing about Jesus because of Christ-followers living out their faith at work. Talk about an ideal world! Sign me up today!

If your work doesn’t reflect The Cultural Mandate, Great Commandment, and Great Commission all combined into one, maybe it’s time to re-dedicate your life to the mission that you’ve been given the mission of following Jesus in your work! iWork4Him is dedicated to helping equip you to do just that. A great place to start? The iWork4Him Covenant.

- 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!

Called to Make Disciples

“Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age. ”

— Matthew 28:19-20

What happens when The Cultural Mandate, The Great Commandment, and The Great Commission collide? Simple: we find our purpose and calling as followers of Christ.

Jesus spent 3 1/2 years teaching his disciples. So, in all that time, what exactly did he teach them? 

How to live life. How to execute The Great Commandment. How to love God and love others. How to follow him. And at the end of it all, how to pass the same understanding, the same calling, on to others. 

It’s important to note that before Jesus spent 3 1/2 years teaching his disciples, he was involved in, and then ran, a family business – a carpentry business. And after 30 years of experience loving the people in his city, Jesus went on to teach the disciples how to replicate his holy behavior in the marketplace across the globe. The Great Commission was the culmination of Christ’s commands when he said, “go and teach the nations everything I have commanded you, teaching them everything that I have taught you.”

As Jesus-Followers, our calling is to teach others what we know about Jesus; sometimes, that’s other Christians and sometimes other pre-believers. The bottom line is the commission is for all of us. This doesn’t just apply to pastors and missionaries; it applies to workplace believers, the “carpenters” of today. The Great Commission is for everyone. 

Every week at work, your behavior should reflect this Great Commission. So, I want to challenge you this week: each day when you leave for work, picture yourself as a missionary headed off to a place full of people who need to know Jesus. 

Demonstrate that you know Jesus by the acts of your love and your behavior. Share with others about Jesus through the natural conversations that happen at work. Join the iWork4Him Covenant and commit to pray, work, care, and share in the name of Christ. 

How does this fit in with The Cultural Mandate and The Great Commandment? Find out at next week’s blog.

- 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!

Called to Love

“And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these. ”

— Mark 12:30-31

What happens when The Cultural Mandate, The Great Commandment, and The Great Commission collide? Simple: we find our purpose and calling as followers of Christ. 

 Last week, we talked about The Cultural Mandate to bring flourishing to the world through our work. This week, I want to focus on The Great Commandment. In Mark 12, Jesus is asked by a teacher of religious law what the greatest commandment was. Jesus’s answer?  

 Love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. This sums up the law and the prophets. So basically, in two sentences, Jesus summarizes the entire Old Testament.  

 It was always about love.  

 God created humans because of love. He caused them to multiply because of love. He gave them work because of love. In fact, 1 John 4:16 says, “God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.” So, it makes sense that the way people would know that you love God is when you love people.  

 Does your work reflect God’s love? Too often, as Christ-followers, our work behavior doesn’t match our Christian behavior. Too often, our behavior doesn’t reflect this Great Commandment to love God and love people.  

When you see that Jesus summarized 800- 900 pages of the Bible in two sentences, did the significance of his statement resonate with you? The commandment is to love.  

 How can you show your love for God and those around you today? 

 Stay tuned for week four of this blog series to see how all of these pieces come together as one: The Cultural Mandate, The Great Commandment, and next week we talk about The Great Commission. Until then, take a listen to this incredible sheWorks4Him podcast episode with Rachel Rose Nelson, who is gathering together businesses to fight human trafficking and exploitation. Talk about love in action!

- 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!

Called to Flourish

“Then God blessed them and said, ‘Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.’ ”

— Genesis 1:28

What happens when The Cultural Mandate, The Great Commandment, and The Great Commission collide? Simple: we find our purpose and calling as followers of Christ. 

 Right after God created Adam and Eve, He gave them The Cultural Mandate to fill, govern, and develop the earth (Genesis 1:28). God gave Adam and Eve a job before sin ever entered the world. So often, we think that work is the result of sin. But nothing could be further from the truth!  

 God gave us work as a gift. 

 In Genesis 1:28, the Lord tells humankind to cultivate the earth, bring about flourishing, multiply, and expand across the planet! When you think about what it means to “subdue the earth,” as another translation says, I want you to look around. Everything you can see, including the phone you may be reading this blog on, came from below the ground. All of it is made from the 118 elements on the periodic table, 90 of which are naturally found on Earth, and a further 28 produced artificially from the first 90.  

 Our very societies today reflect the execution of The Cultural Mandate! We have subdued the earth, and it is good.  

 But does all our subduing of the earth truly bring about flourishing?  

 Not without the other two pieces of the puzzle - because after God gave us work, sin entered the world. And sin corrupted our perception of The Cultural Mandate – turning work into a chore, a labor, a paycheck rather than an opportunity to bring about flourishing in the world.  

So today as you work, think on these things and remember: Everything you do is meant to bring about flourishing for other people.  

 God designed you for good works, for YOUR work. It is a gift for you.  

I want to invite you to listen to this recent podcast episode with Brenda Long from Food for the Hungry. This incredible organization has taken The Cultural Mandate to new levels by partnering with others to bring flourishing to ALL people. 

- 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!

Living with a Transformed Mindset

In Matthew 10, a lawyer asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. The answer: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and you shall love your neighbor as yourself." (v.27) 

God wants your whole life; He isn't interested in just a part of it. He doesn't just want your Sunday mornings. He wants it all. 365 days this year, but 366 in 2024. So today, I want to talk to you about one of my favorite verses. Romans 12:2 says, "Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think." 

When God transforms your mind, it transforms EVERYTHING. 

True story, this very verse is what got iWork4Him started. I was so tired of running into "Christians" in the marketplace whose behavior was the exact opposite of loving God and loving people. Their behavior matched the expected behavior of the world… but here's the thing: we are no longer of the world. 

Chapter 2 of iWork4Him shares my testimony of living a bi-furcated life at work from 20 to 40 years old. My mentors taught me that business is business and church is church; they have nothing to do with each other. My behavior matched that training, but IT WAS WRONG TRAINING. 

Romans 12:2 says DON'T copy the behavior and customs of this world but let God transform you by CHANGING the way you think. When you change the way you think, you change the way you act. When you change the way you act, the world will be impacted because you will be loving God and loving people. In 2006, when I realized that my behavior matched the customs of this world, I knew I had a problem. How would I ever attract anyone to Jesus if I looked just like any old joe in business? 

For the last 16 years, I have been changing. What about you? 

As we have talked all month long on this blog, does your life reflect Jesus's great commandment to love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength and love your neighbor as yourself? Is Romans 12:2 a call to action for you? If your honest answer is “no,” then I want to encourage you to pick up a copy of iWork4Him: Change the Way You Think About Faith and Work. Inside, you will not only find my story, but also the stories of many other believers just like you who went through the process of having their mindset transformed.

Remember that you are a new creation, and everyone around you at work should be BENEFITTING from your faith walk with Jesus whether they know Him or not.

- 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!