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!

3 Steps to a Purposeful Life

We all want to make a Kingdom impact; we all want to transform the world for Christ. And here’s the thing: God has placed you right where you are to do exactly that! iWork4Him: Change the Way You Think About Your Faith at Work is today’s guide for the everyday believer. Filled with real-life stories, practical tools and resources, and biblical encouragement designed to help you engage in your Kingdom calling NOW! 

Did you know that the self-help genre is expected to grow $13.2 billion by 2022? That’s billion with “B”! As human beings, we have an insatiable desire to live a balanced and purpose-driven life – a feat that seems nearly impossible in today’s chaotic world! But in Chapter 11 of iWork4Him, David J. Collum from the Pocket Testament League asks, 

What if you could focus everything in your life — your marriage, your family, your career, and your pleasures — through a single unifying lens?  Would having such a lens order the fragmented pieces of your world?

I know it would for me! And here’s the really great news, we already HAVE that lens! It’s Jesus! When we focus on staying in relationship with Him throughout all the areas of our life, everything falls naturally into place. Why? Because that is what we were created for – to love God and bring Him glory! 

I know, I know – easier said than done, right? But in iWork4Him, David breaks down three simple steps on how to make God your unifying lens AND bring him glory no matter where you are or what you’re doing!  

STEP 1. Be with God by reading His Word

STEP 2. Carry God’s Word with you 

STEP 3. Share God’s Word 

These three steps are more powerful and effective than any self-help book because God’s Word is living and active! It’s not just static ink on paper – it’s how He speaks to us about His heart. Plus, as you move about your daily life, you never know when you’ll have the chance to give a copy of His Word away to a coworker or friend who’s looking for balance and purpose in their own life. 

To hear more stories about living a balanced life and gain practical tips on sharing your faith at work, download the first chapter of iWork4Him: Change the Way You Think About Your Faith at Work for FREE by clicking HERE. Then grab a full copy of the book for you and your team at iwork4him.com/bookstore. 

Jim

This blog was originally written for and posted on the Christian Leadership Alliance website. You can find the original over here!

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!

Truly Integrating Your Faith and Work

We all want to make a Kingdom impact; we all want to transform the world for Christ. And here’s the thing: God has placed you right where you are to do exactly that! iWork4Him: Change the Way You Think About Your Faith at Work is today’s guide for the everyday believer. Filled with real-life stories, practical tools and resources, and biblical encouragement designed to help you engage in your Kingdom calling NOW! 

In Chapter 20 of iWork4Him, Tracy Matthews, Executive Director of The Call to Work, discusses the gap that often forms between our Sunday morning services and our Monday morning alarms. She writes, 

For some, our jobs can be taxing, stressful, and/or unfulfilling. God has so much to offer us in our daily, hour-by-hour work situations—purpose, wisdom, peace, joy, and power—yet many of us don’t know how to integrate our faith into what we do every day. 

And Tracy points out, although the greatest share of our waking hours are typically spent at work, work is also one of the least talked about topics in the Church. This leaves an already unsure majority even MORE uncertain about how to bring Jesus out of the sanctuary, out of the home, and into their offices and work sites.  

iWork4Him was written with this very problem in mind! Jim and I set out to equip and encourage everyday believers to live integrated and authentic lives so that “whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31)! 

To gain practical tips and learn more on integrating your faith and work, I encourage you to download the first chapter of iWork4Him for FREE by simply clicking here.  Or, to pick up a full copy, go to iWork4him.com/bookstore.

- Martha

This blog was originally written for and posted on the Christian Leadership Alliance website. You can find the original over here!

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.

Go Into Ministry, The Ministry of Business!

We all want to make a Kingdom impact; we all want to transform the world for Christ. And here’s the thing: God has placed you right where you are to do exactly that! iWork4Him: Change the Way You Think About Your Faith at Work is today’s guide for the everyday believer. Filled with real-life stories, practical tools and resources, and biblical encouragement designed to help you engage in your Kingdom calling NOW! 

In Chapter 18 of iWork4Him, author, producer, and speaker Rich Marshall writes about a conversation he had over 25 years ago with a man named Dennis who was looking to sell his business to go into full-time ministry. Dennis sought out Rich, a local pastor at the time, to encourage him in his decision to leave the marketplace and go into ministry. But what happened next was surprising to both men. In Rich’s words,  

Imagine my surprise when the Lord spoke clearly in my mind, “Tell Dennis not to sell his business, but rather to begin to see his business as a ministry”’ [So], I did, in fact, tell him to go into ministry, the ministry of business!

So many Christ-followers are asking the same question as Dennis today: should I leave the marketplace and go into full-time ministry? The answer may be yes for some, but for most of us, the answer is ‘go into ministry, the ministry of business!’

Because here’s the thing, you may be the only Jesus that your coworkers, bosses, or clients ever meet. That makes the workplace one of the largest mission fields in the world! And as Jesus said in Matthew 9:27, “There are many people to harvest but only a few workers to help harvest them.”

Your workplace is a field ripe for harvest! So, what are you waiting for?!

To hear more incredible stories like Rich’s and gain practical tips on sharing your faith at work, pick up a copy of iWork4Him: Change the Way You Think About Your Faith at Work. Oh, and don’t forget that you can read the first chapter for FREE by clicking HERE.

 Jim

This blog was originally written for and posted on the Christian Leadership Alliance website. You can find the original over here!

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!

Here is the Bottom Line

We all want to make a Kingdom impact; we all want to transform the world for Christ. And here’s the thing: God has placed you right where you are to do exactly that! iWork4Him: Change the Way You Think About Your Faith at Work is today’s guide for the everyday believer. Filled with real-life stories, practical tools and resources, and biblical encouragement designed to help you engage in your Kingdom calling NOW! 

In Chapter 1 of iWork4Him, Ted Hains recounts visiting the Marine Reserves with his friend Doug during his senior year of high school. It was the height of the Korean War, patriotism was running high, and both boys were interested in joining up. However, while visiting the Rock Island Arsenal, Ted decided he wasn’t ready for the military and postponed signing up. A few months later, the local Marine Reserves were called up, and before Ted had graduated, Doug died in combat. Although he is now 87, Ted writes that he still thinks about Doug and wonders who he would have become and what would have happened if they’d talked about the gospel before he passed away. 

We placed Ted’s story at the beginning of iWork4Him because it embodies our bottom line:  none of us are guaranteed tomorrow. Each conversation you have with someone could be the last one and the most important one. So, ask yourself - when you encounter coworkers, neighbors, and friends do they encounter you or Jesus? 

If you genuinely want to transform the world for Christ, remember that it happens one conversation at a time! Talk about the things of eternal value TODAY. As Ted wrote at the end of Chapter 1, “Let those you work with know that Jesus changed your life. Let them know God loves them, and then see what God does next.” 

To read Ted’s story for yourself, download the first chapter of iWork4Him for FREE - Just click here. Then, to hear more incredible stories like Ted’s and gain practical tips on sharing your faith at work, I encourage you to pick up a full copy of iWork4Him: Change the Way You Think About Your Faith at Work.

- Martha

This blog was originally written for and posted on the Christian Leadership Alliance website. You can find the original over here!

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.

The iWork4Him Lifestyle

I have a friend I’ve been mentoring for 4-5 years who is in law enforcement. He is an honorable man who served two tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and is sold out on Jesus. However, making the connection between his work as a law enforcement officer, his faith, and his tours of duty was especially difficult for him. He struggled with the carnage he had seen in the middle east, the current political tension around his career, and the love that Jesus wants him to share with his neighbor... (aka all those he comes into contact with every day). 

Throughout our friendship, I have prayed with him and for him, but making the connection between his faith and his work has always been, frankly, just plain hard.

Then, about two months ago, I got a text message from him that said,

"I'm just mentally preparing for my journey. Nothing fancy. No theology. No arguments. Just going to offer to share the great news that is Jesus Christ. Offer a small ABC to Salvation, and if they would like, I 'd be happy to baptize them. I don't know where this idea came from, but it came to me that I could do it, and it can be my part. Even if I only lead one person to Jesus this year, one more eternal life will be saved. I'm just a nobody who wants to tell everybody."

Talk about a leap of faith - I am so proud of him! And did you catch the last line of my friend’s text message? I’m just a nobody who wants to tell everybody.

Matthew 28:18-20 says, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

When Jesus gave the great commission, it was to fisherman and tax collectors – it was to nobodies. Yet, Jesus chose to use them to spread the gospel to every nation, and it was Jesus who empowered them to do so. In the same way, God wants to use you in whatever profession you’re in to bring the good news to those around you! All you have to do is take the same leap of faith the apostles did, the same leap of faith that my friend did. Say yes to God.

For some easy ways to get started sharing the gospel in your own workplace, pick up a copy of our new book, iWork4Him: Change the Way You Think About Faith and 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!