Five Ways To Practice Gratefulness At Work

There is no shortage of things to complain about in 2020.  It would be easy to create a list of ways to complain at work, but who needs help doing that?  What if we could develop habits during Thanksgiving that we could practice year-round?  Now that would be an accomplishment!  So, as we go about our work – no matter if we work alone, lead a group of 4 or 5, or a team of 100, here are a few steps we can take to increase gratefulness around us every day. 

1. Write down the names of 5 people you work with. List one thing you appreciate about each of them and make a point to share that with them this week.

2. List 3 things that you can accomplish because of your paycheck. Be thankful for the income to do those things.

3. Send an email to a vendor or customer and tell them how much you enjoy your relationship with them.

4. Add a grateful sentiment to the end of your email signature.

5. Think of the person at work that gets under your skin and pray for them. Thank God for something specific about that person.

1 Cor. 1:4-5  I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. 5 For in him you have been enriched in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge—

This verse tells me that I should always thank my God for others because of God's grace.  I don't deserve anything, but God gives me His grace freely.  So, it's my turn to do the same thing to other people—what better place to practice this principle than in our work.  We can start to develop a habit of Thankfulness when we practice simple steps like the ones listed above.  Will you join me? 

To get this type of encouragement every day – you can subscribe to our iWork4Him PowerThoughts

Happy Thanksgiving, Martha & Jim

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.

Life's Not Fair

Have you ever declared, “Life’s not fair!”.  I know I have, and I’ve also told my kids that life’s not fair.  It seems that the wicked prosper and the righteous suffer. Bad people get away with doing bad things, and good people seemingly get punished for doing good. What’s the catch? Is this really true?

You and I know that life isn’t always fair.  We also know that the wicked don’t always prosper.   The wicked don’t always get away with their antics.  We should pity the people who get away with lying, being late for work, cheating on an expense report, stealing, murder, etc. When the wicked don’t get caught, they think they are a god and can get away with their actions.  When you never face earthly consequences, you most likely will face eternal consequences.  That is just sad.  It is good for us to experience the effects of our actions.  Pain and suffering remind us who God is and who we are. Pain and suffering help us grow and change, so we won’t have to experience the future consequences.

So why do the righteous suffer?  We know that the righteous don’t always suffer.  But in our house, we even joke that no good deed goes unpunished.  In other words, it can feel hard to do the right thing, and we often experience extra pushback or pressure.  Have you ever offered to help someone with a project, and it ends up costing you more time or energy than you had expected.  Maybe you volunteered to pick up some extra hours at work and then were blamed for hurting the budget or even doing excellent work and making others look bad.   However, God uses adversity in our lives to take us Jesus-followers from who we are to who He can use more effectively.  Adversity is our friend if we allow it to draw us into a closer relationship with God. Does it make sense from the worldly perspective? Nope!  But since we gave our lives to Jesus, He wants us to be as much like Him as possible – and sometimes that path includes adversity. So, at work, when it seems like you’re doing the right things, and you suffer – ask God what you can learn from the situation to grow and change.

Life may not be fair, but it sure is rewarding when your strength comes from God. Remind yourself today that the people around you at work are lost and hurting and searching for Truth. THE Truth is the only solution to the hurting world. Jesus paid it all so that we can live life to its fullest. You may suffer on this Earth, but if it brings you closer to the Lord and it causes someone else to notice and find out about Jesus, then it is a double bonus.  Jesus told us to take up our cross and follow Him.  He didn’t say grab your suntan lotion and beach chair. 

John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Jim

Tony Dale recently listed out 7 steps to Taking steps of faith – have a listen here:

7 Steps to putting our faith where our paycheck comes from

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!

Cup Half-Full

It always amazes me how two people can experience the same situation and see things so differently.  Take, for instance, the recent weather we had in Florida.  I was grateful for the rain to fill our pond, but I know others were upset because the storm interfered with their outdoor plans.  That same storm can improve business for the screen repair company and grocery stores while hurting business for the landscaper or outdoor sporting event.

In our house, Jim and I often talk about the cup being half-full or half-empty.  I am naturally wired to look at life through the cup half-full lens, but even that has been a struggle this year. 

Amid the adversity, I’ve recently noticed that more people are talking about the good that has come from this season.  Many people have lost their jobs and have been forced to find a new way to earn a living.  They may have never chosen to leave their career, but it allowed them to try something new, start the business they’ve always wanted to start, or maybe quit working so much and spend more time with family. 

Many of you have started working and schooling from home.  While this has been disruptive and challenging, it has also eliminated commuting hours.  This new free time is being used for morning devotions, table games, hobbies, home improvement, family time, and rest.

We have a choice to make about our perspective for 2020.  We can wish it away so we can start 2021, OR we can use the opportunity for change to take us from who we are to who God can use more effectively. 

Proverbs 10:5 “Know the importance of the season you’re in and a wise son you will be.  But what a waste when an incompetent son sleeps through his day of opportunity!”

What opportunities has God placed in front of you that you can pursue?  I encourage you to pray about your perspective.  Ask God to give you a cup half-full outlook on 2020, and maybe you’ll even get to the point where you can say, “My cup runneth over!”.

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.

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!

Have you thanked them?

It’s true for all of us. Each of us has had at least one person, and maybe more that have significantly influenced our walk with Jesus. For me, it was my Jr. High Youth pastor who loved me when I was a squirrelly 12-year-old. He was there when I went “All In” for Jesus. Then there was Mike, who was a college student who actively discipled me in high school. He taught me the bible, how to study the bible, and how to enjoy the bible. He invested time and energy and asked me tough questions about my walk with Jesus as well. There were others, too. As an adult, I have had three racquetball partners who were also great influencers in my life. They motivated me to exercise and even loved me when I acted ridiculously.   There was Robert, who taught me how to be a minister to men. Sol taught me how to pray with others, on the spot.  My friend Bob has played a significant part in shaping the destiny and direction personally and iWork4Him.

Who do you have in your life that walked alongside you on the Narrow Path? Have you thanked them? Have you gone back and reminded them of the significance they have in your life?   I have done this many times with those that have impacted me.  It honors them and honors God for putting them in your life.  Take time this week to thank those who have been used by God to shape you into who you are today. They have been used by God to get you to where you are today.

Now what?  You’ve walked down memory lane for a few minutes, feeling nostalgic about someone special God put in your life.  You’ve sent them a card or called to thank them for spending energy on you. With these special people fresh on your mind, think about how you can pay it forward.  Who are you leading?  What spiritual impact are you having on someone around you?  Are you being a leader worth following?  Make a decision today to pay it forward and pray for God to use you in the lives of those around you.  You may never know the difference you can make when you walk in obedience.

A Culture of Leadership  Listen to this iWork4Him Podcast to learn more about leading well.

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 power of ONE question

If I could ask you one question to ponder, I know what it would be.  It’s a question we ask on our website, and a question we started asking ourselves years ago.

It all comes down to this one question. It impacts everything about you. The very function of your daily life hinges on your answer to this question. It influences your relationships at work and the projects you work on. It impacts how you write your emails and conduct your conversation over the coffee machine. It effects your behavior behind the wheel on your commute, or as you walk down the hallway to your office at home.  It shapes the relationships you have with customers and vendors. This one question touches the very essence of your being and your purpose in life. This one question is:

Who do you work for, really?

Col 3:23

Join Martha and me for the 40 Day Prayer Challenge. It’s never too late to start praying together.

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!

Salvaged - a For Profit Ministry

I have run several of my own companies – including an insurance agency and car dealership.  If you run a business, and are a Jesus Follower, you are the lead minister in your business. You have the opportunity to turn your company into a for-profit ministry.  Yes, you should make money and do it with excellence, but you are also there to minister to the people that God places in your path each and every day, including your employees, customers, vendors, city officials, stockholders, etc. Our country needs more for-profit businesses that understand that they are actually a For-Profit ministry. Or as we like to call them, a Biznistry.(Shout out to Chuck Proudfit from www.AtWorkonPurpose.org )

I am super excited to announce that our new PowerPods are being released on our regular podcast platform – 2 per week. These PowerPods are the highlight reel sections of past shows – the real meat of the show in a little over 12 minutes.  The very first PowerPod is about a guy named Roy Goble. He wrote the book Salvaged: Leadership Lessons Pulled from the Junkyard.  Roy grew up in a rare and privileged home where the family business, the salvage yard, was known as a For-Profit Ministry. Roy’s dad understood, decades, ago what you and I are grasping to understand today. 

Here's some facts about American Family run business:

·        There are over 5.5 Million family run businesses in this country.

·        36% of the population proclaims that they are born again believers in Jesus.

·        Roughly 1.98 million Christian family run businesses.

Imagine when they all know and understand that they are running a family run for-profit Biznistry, our country will be on a path to healing. Please pass this blog along to one of your friends running a family owned business with this link: iWork4Him - Wisdom from the Junkyard. (subscribe and get all of the shows on Apple Podcast)

In the trenches together, 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!

Not today SATAN!

Does your faith cost you anything? Let me ask it another way, is it costing you anything to live out your faith in your work?  Are you facing any opposition, conflict or adversity because of your faith?  

In John 16:33 (NLT) Jesus says “ 33 I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

Let’s look at this verse through the lens of our work.  It says we are going to have trials and sorrows in this world, so I guess that means at work too!  The copier might break, an employee might get sick, the budget for the school district might get cut, the economy might tank, any of these situations can bring us trials and sorrows.  How we live out our faith and respond to these issues can either push people away from Jesus or bring them closer.  Jesus encourages us to take heart, because He’s overcome the world.  So I guess we can too.  We can have peace in Him and still deal with the trials. 

Trials can also come because of our faith.  Standing up for truth at work can bring adversity.  Working with integrity when it affects the bottom line can bring struggle.  What is it for you?  What decisions are you making at work because of your faith that bring trials and sorrows?  I am no theologian but I have been walking as a Jesus follower for 40+  years.   What I know is that the closer and bolder I am in living out my faith, the more opposition I face and the more trials I will experience. The adversity meter ramps up when my faith activity meter peaks out.

So I ask you again, does your faith cost you anything?  Are you living out your faith in such a way that the enemy is taking notice? If the answer is “Nope”, ask the Lord to show you what actions to take. You were sent to you work on purpose for a purpose. Put your faith into action and you will see Him bring results, even amongst the trials and sorrow.

Let’s ramp up our faith at work and make it necessary to wear the shirt “Not today SATAN”!

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!

Turn Down The Volume

Sometimes the TV is so loud that I can’t hear my wife, Martha asking me a question.  I have trouble talking in the car if the radio is on.  It seems like I can only really listen to one thing at a time.  There are so many voices fighting for my attention, how do I choose?  There are Voices on TV, radio, podcasts, online and in person.  How do you and I turn down those voices so we can hear the voice of Truth?

God gave each of us a unique voice. Our voice matches our personality and it matches our destiny and calling. The other voices in the world want your attention.  They want you to ignore your voice and listen to theirs. God wants it to be the other way around. He wants you to silence the other voices of influence, so you can listen to Him.

God’s voice clearly showed iWork4Him to operate to Unlock Gods purpose for why Christians go to work. We do that by helping others to share simple tools and their faith stories. Our goal is that Christians find purpose, learning how to live out their faith at work. We want you to hear that voice telling you that YOU ARE SIGNIFICANT! YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN FOR THE JOB THAT YOU ARE IN BECAUSE OF THE PEOPLE THAT YOU WORK WITH. This voice is on purpose for a purpose – your purpose.  It’s the voice of the Image Giver speaking to you. He loves you. Don’t silence His voice but turn down the voices of others, so you can hear His voice first.

Once you have heard His voice, start listening to the voices of pain, hurt, hopelessness and loneliness around you. His voice can bring peace and Truth to them.

God often speaks to me in the middle of the night.  I suppose it’s because that is when I am the quietest.  Choosing to listen to Him is a priority that I constantly need to remind myself of.  Much like turning off the TV to listen to Martha, I have to dim the noise to listen to the Father. 

Would you like to connect with others to pray and hear the Voice of God? Join the iWork4Him Prayer Team!

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!