Newsflash: nobody ever got to their deathbed, and in reflecting on their lifetime, said to themselves, “Boy, I wish I had spent more time in the office!” No one ever said that. They said, “I wish I spent more time with family. I wish I spent more time having fun. I wish I spent more time relaxing.” They don’t say, “I wish I spent more time working.

A year and a half ago, we set off on a journey to write a trilogy that would encourage everyday believers in their work and retirement: iWork4Him, sheWorks4Him, and iRetire4Him. When we started this project, we had no idea the enormous undertaking it would be to write and release three books simultaneously. Everybody said it was impossible. I said it was like eating an elephant, one bite at a time.

Our country, a nation built on the value of freedom, is a mess… but not for the reason you think. It’s largely a mess because many of those who call themselves “Christians” have chosen to live in freedom from the obligation to do right and freedom to pursue self-interest under the guise of the “American Dream,” rather than in Jesus’ freedom.

"My friend decided to try and become a mentor through his church. Unfortunately, his church didn't know what to do with a retired executive, and he got put out in the proverbial pasture. So many retired friends of ours have had the same issue. Time on their hands, wisdom in their minds, and willingness in their heart but no place to put all of that into action. Until now…"

God has placed you right where you are on purpose and for a purpose. He wants to use you as a lamp in the darkness to bring light and encouragement to all those around you who don’t know him yet – to those who are stuck in isolation and hopelessness. So, as you begin to go back out into the wide world, stop and look around you. Who doesn’t know Jesus yet? What can you do to bring hope, light, love, and healing to them today?

I got to do the coolest thing on December 10, 2018 - I had the incredible privilege of donating one of my kidneys to my friend Bill. It’s a long story and has been covered in a previous blog and a few shows, but the point I want to get across is that this kidney shortage is a serious thing. About a year ago, Joe Carrol from BLE in San Antonio, TX, told me about his friend Larry needing a kidney. Joe had tried to get qualified, but his kidneys are not able to be shared for medical reasons. Martha and I offered to do a show for Larry so that he could share it with potential donors and see if he could round up a new kidney to replace his failing ones. We did the show, and many people stepped up to get tested, and one made it all the way to the finish line. Larry’s lifesaving surgery will hopefully be scheduled in the next couple of months.

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.

I am a reader; I love to read. The volumes I pick up are often about the faith and work movement or are specific books to prepare for an iWork4Him podcast, but I also enjoy a good novel. In particular, the fiction of C.S. Lewis has been a longtime favorite, but I’ll be the first to admit that his non-fiction has always been a bit of a stretch for me. Three times in the last 40 years, I have picked up his book Mere Christianity, started it, and then not finished.

I was recently inspired to pick up Mere Christianity again when I heard that it was based on C.S. Lewis’s radio appearances during World War II. Apparently, Lewis was asked by the UK Government to come on air and tell people about Christianity, to share his hope in a time that was incredibly dark for Europe. For many nights, C.S. Lewis talked about how he went from being an Atheist to becoming an all-out Christ Follower and Christian Apologist. He had the opportunity to educate a nation in peril about eternal hope found in truth.

As a radio host myself, this story was intriguing enough to help me finish Mere Christianity. In the book, there is a particular quote of Lewis’s that stuck with me. In it, he expounds on Matthew 5:48, “You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Heads up: the subject of this blog might make you uncomfortable, BUT it will be worth it, I promise! In fact, I believe that the future of the Church depends on what we are talking about today: the fact that you have a God-given calling and that calling doesn’t retire.

Have you ever wondered if the “American Dream” version of Retirement (retirement = pleasure) is healthy? Is it what is best for the Body of Christ? I can’t help but think that if God intended us to work for 40 years and then rest and relax for 30 or 40 years, He would have said so in Scripture. Instead, what He said is that we need to learn to be content. He said that we need to weekly find peace, relax, and get refreshed in preparation for what is next… and there is a next if you are still alive. Heck, Moses didn’t start fulfilling his calling until he was 80 years old!

What this country needs, and what the Body of Christ needs, is a generation of Christ-following retirees who are itching to use the gifts God has given them to fulfill God’s purpose for them. Retirees are in the perfect position to shape and influence the lives of those coming up in the ranks of the next generations.