Are You Speaking Words of Encouragement or Hate?

“And never let ugly or hateful words come from your mouth, but instead let your words become beautiful gifts that encourage others; do this by speaking words of grace to help them.” - Ephesians 4:29

Have you ever heard of having a “life verse”?  If not, it’s exactly what it sounds like: a Bible verse that deeply resonates with you and thus that you choose to remember throughout your lifetime as a source of encouragement and/or personal challenge. 

Well, I selected my life verse when I was in middle school - Ephesians 4:29. 

You see, I’m a natural optimist. You’ve probably heard people describe life as a cup half empty or a cup half full… but I’ve almost always looked at life as a cup filled almost to the brim. So I naturally gravitated to this verse because it was about encouraging others and helping them to see what was already in their cup.  

Back when I picked this verse, we used the NASB version a lot, so I memorized it like this: “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.”

Then two years ago, I was introduced to The Passion Translation of the Bible and fell in love with it. My pastor explained how the translators went back to the Hebrew and Greek to translate, but instead of word-for-word, they worked on translating thought-for-thought into modern English. The thing that is so cool about this is that it gives a fresh perspective on familiar verses. 

A few weeks ago, I read my life verse in The Passion Translation, and the Holy Spirit convicted me. I had spent most of my life focusing on the second part of the verse, the part about good words and encouragement. The part that says, “let my words become beautiful gifts that encourage others.”

But this verse is a two-part command, and before you can speak beautiful gifts into the lives of others, the Apostle Paul says that you have to stop speaking bags of trash. The translation says, “NEVER let ugly or hateful words come from your mouth.” 

Never. That’s a very long time, you know.  It doesn’t say “be careful” or “don’t do this very often”; it says “never.”  

Never say something ugly about the coworker that slacks off.  

Never say something ugly about the customer that pays their invoices a month late.

Never say hateful words about the coworker that beat me out in a promotion.

Never say hateful words about the boss or manager that micromanages. 

I could go on, but I’m pretty sure you get the idea.  

James 3:10 says, “Out of the same mouth we pour out words of praise one minute and curses the next. My brothers and sisters, this should not be!” 

ALL of our words matter.  

This week I’m going to focus on the words that come out of my mouth. Instead of anything ugly or hateful, I’m going to wrap up my words as a beautiful gift and deliver grace to the person that receives them.  Whether you have a life verse or not, we could all pin this verse up, so that we are reminded of it often. You may even choose to memorize it.  

I also encourage you to listen to this PowerPod about how speaking and acting in a way that conveys love, dignity, and respect can transform your workplace. To listen CLICK HERE or go to: https://www.iwork4him.com/podcast/2021/the-power-of-love-dignity-and-respect

- Martha

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.

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.

Control Freak Much?

I don't know about you, but I am a control freak. It comes out when I drive, when I start a project, when I am in a meeting, when I am on a plane. Okay, it comes out everywhere. Oh Lord, help me!  Anyway, as a control freak, I have wrestled with God for control SOOO many times in my life. Stop laughing. You are probably a control freak too!

But how does being a control freak impact your work? How does it impact your faith?

Sue Wilson wrote a chapter in our recently released book entitled sheWorks4Him: Embrace your calling as a Christian Woman at Work. Her chapter was titled "Who's in control here?". In it, Sue talks about her struggle with God over control, trust, and submission in her personal life and her professional one. She describes the impact of fighting God for control of her life and her work and subsequently the process of Him bringing her back to himself. You'll have to read the chapter to get the whole picture, but I promise, it's worth it.

Do you have control issues? Where do they show their ugly faces in your life? Does it come out in your relationships or your attitude towards others? Or maybe it comes out in your work?

Wherever it shows itself, being a control freak is NOT a fruit of the Spirit. In fact, it's precisely the opposite! To truly live in the Spirit, we have to give up control. So, what does that look like as a follower of Jesus? Well, it can look like going places you don't want to go because God directed you there, doing things you don't want to do because God asked you to do them, hanging out with people you don't want to hang out with because God put them in your life for you to learn to love those that aren't easy to love and aren't like you.

I don't know exactly what giving up control looks like for you, but I do know that when we insist on being in control, God will not force himself on us. Instead, he wants us to step aside so that The Way, Truth, and Life can step in and lead the way. Examine your own life today. Are you holding onto your plans for the future, or are you living into God's calling, God's purpose, and God's will for your life? Let go of your control freak today and watch Him work in your life as He worked in Sue's life! To read the rest of Sue's story and other inspirational stories of faith, pick up a copy of sheWorks4Him. Oh, and guess what? The first chapter is FREE! CLICK HERE to download it today! 

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!

Great Leaders Are Not Born – They Are Discipled

Grant Skeldon is an expert on the Millennial Generation. Not only is he a part of said generation, but he is also the founder of The Initiative Network, a Christian leadership group for Millennials, and is currently the Next Gen Director at Q Ideas. His years of experience in bridging the generational gap culminated in his book, The Passion Generation. Martha and I have had the pleasure of interviewing Grant on the iWork4Him Podcast, as well as including an article that Grant did with Paul J. Pastor in Outreach Magazine in our recent book iRetire4Him: Unlocking God's purpose for your retirement.

Here's the thing, Grant's entire platform revolves around a single simple concept: Millennials don't want only to hang out and work with other Millennials. Instead, they want access to relationships and the wisdom of those chronologically superior to them; they want to run alongside those who are spiritually a step or two ahead! Grant begs the Church to change its perspective and purposefully engage Boomers with X'ers and Millennials and Gen Z'ers, rather than keeping them relegated to their age groups.

What's my point in telling you all this?

Well, whether you are a Christ follower who is already retired, contemplating retirement, or preparing for retirement sometime in the distant future, chances are that you see retirement as a 30-year vacation. But the truth is, if you live your life that way, all the wisdom you have gained will be buried with you, and the next generation will likely make the same mistakes that you made, or worse. Great leaders aren’t born, they are discipled.

You, my friend, have been given a gift. You have the kind of accumulated wisdom and knowledge that comes only through years of experience, struggle, and success. And the next generation wants access to what you know and WHO you know, but for that to happen, you need to make yourself available.

This is what retirement needs to look like for Christ followers: days spent investing in the next generation! Many famous people have said it: we all need a Paul, Barnabas, and Timothy in our lives. Someone to teach and challenge us, someone to encourage us, and someone we, in turn, can teach and encourage. This is how we become a cultural influence for Christ – one person at a time.

So, who is that in your life? Who do you run alongside that is spiritually a step or two ahead? Who is running alongside you that is a step or two behind? Plan your retirement today by planning on investing those blessed years into the lives of others. You can read Grant Skeldon's entire interview, as well as other incredible and inspiring stories in iRetire4Him. Oh, and I mention that you can download the first chapter for FREE? CLICK HERE to download.

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!

Miserably Saved

Martha and I recently released a trilogy of books, one of which is called iWork4Him: Change the way you think about Faith and Work. Inside, we highlight over 20 ministries dedicated to discipling people just like you and me about living out our faith in our work. One such ministry is Ambassadors for Business, founded by Bob Wilbanks.

In Bob's contributing chapter to iWork4Him, he writes about how he was "miserably saved." A condition where one is focused more on a life guided by the American Dream than on a life guided by Jesus. This mindset may have brought Bob worldly success riches, but it also led him down the road of alcoholism, cost him his first marriage, and almost cost him his second. He was on the fast track to disaster.

In the end, God allowed Bob to come to the end of his rope. He allowed it so that Bob would realize that he couldn't save himself, that he needed a Savior – the same one he had been holding out on for years.

I love Bob's story because it's so relatable. So many of us have been deliriously deceived into thinking that the American Dream is, in fact, in alignment with the Christian life. But in reality, they are diametrically opposed. The American Dream is focused on "self" and "stuff." Meanwhile, the Christ follower is focused on "Jesus" and "others." Pretty different, right?

Bob got lost in the money and fame and almost destroyed everything around him that really mattered. He got caught up in self and stuff instead of Jesus and others. And guess what, his story is repeated every day all across America! People who are so focused on succeeding in the eyes of the world that they completely miss out on God's definition of success.

So, what about you? Are you miserably saved? Do you feel like your faith gets in the way of your dreams and ambitions? Or are your dreams and ambitions guided and set by your faith?

Remember, true faith will direct you to set aside yourself and your selfish ambitions to seek what God's will and God's purpose are for you. When you rest in the promises of God and value the type of success that bears eternal fruits, you will cultivate a flourishing faith and abundant life. Romans 12:2 says it best: "Stop Copying the behavior and customs of this world but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think..."

Pause for a moment and ask yourself: Does your life reflect the statement "iWork4Him," or does it reflect "I work for me"?

To hear more about Bob's story and how you can move from a miserable faith to a flourishing faith, pick up a copy of iWork4Him. Oh, and did I mention that the first chapter is available for FREE? Just CLICK HERE to download it now. 

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!

Godcidences and Walking by Faith in Your Business Life

Normal and routine. Two words we are so comfortable with, we cuddle up with them every day. As long as things are regular and predictable and our routine isn't disrupted, we are GOOD TO GO! But what happens when God interrupts our normal routine and sends us off in a direction we weren't expecting? Do we embrace it, or do we give in to stress, anxiety, fear, and worry?

In our new book, sheWorks4Him: Embrace your calling as a Christian Woman at Work, Shae Bynes wrote a chapter titled "Walking by Faith in my Business." In it, Shae recounts a time when God intercepted her daily routine with a Godcidence – a coincidence orchestrated by His mighty hand - in the form of another woman of faith. These two women ended up walking together on a journey neither had expected, a journey that flipped Shae's life right-side-up and led to her Biznistry, Kingdom Driven Entrepreneur.

If Shae had resisted God's move to disrupt her normal routine, thousands of Christian Business people wouldn't be Kingdom Driven Entrepreneurs today. So, what about you? Is your normal routine so comfortable that you don't have room in there for God to interrupt and send you in a new direction? Are you so set in your ways that you are resistant to any change? 

Following Jesus is about anything BUT normal and anything BUT routine. Being led by the Spirit of God in your life is an adventure - one that will take all kinds of unexpected twists and turns. Psalm 119:105 says, "Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path." Note that the psalm doesn't say, "your word is a floodlight onto my future." God's will is going to take you in directions you never anticipated, so don't get too caught up in your 100-yard plans; pay attention to what God is illuminating in the one yard in front of you!

If you find yourself prioritizing a normal routine or if you are unsure how to know God's calling and will for you TODAY, ask the Holy Spirit for a fresh wind in your life. Ask Him for an adventure that requires walking by faith, not by sight, in your business, work, or family life. And remember, even when the future seems obscured or unsure, the promises of God never fail, and his word will show you where to step next. 

To hear the rest of Shae's story and other stories of women who walked by faith in their personal and professional lives, pick up a copy of sheWorks4Him. Oh, and did I mention the first chapter is available for FREE? Simply click here to download it!  

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!

Find Purpose in Retirement

Martha's dad, Ted Hains, was a professional photographer for 40+ years. Early in his career, he was discipled by someone from Christian Business Men's Connection to understand that his work mattered to God. And Ted took it to heart. As a result, his career was filled with incredible stories of God's faithful provision and work amid Ted's own work (if you'd like to hear some of them, pick up a copy of our book iWork4Him: Change the way you think about your faith at work.)  But when Martha and I started the iWork4Him radio show over 8 ½ years ago, Ted had a dilemma. He came up to us and said, "I get the whole iWork4Him thing; I did that. But now I don't iWork4Him, iRetire4Him." 

And with that, a brand, a book, and a podcast were born! 

Inside iRetire4Him: Unlocking God's purpose for your retirement, Ted tells ten stories of learning to not only have a good retirement but the best retirement. In these stories, he discusses the challenging reality of trying to understand God's will in this next season of life and how to apply his calling to this new paradigm of retirement. What did Ted learn?  You will have to read all the stories to get the complete picture, but THIS ONE THING is revealed:

God was not done with Ted when he retired. Ted's calling didn't retire when he did.

For all 23 years of his retirement, Ted has continued to serve God actively. Even as his health and energy changed, he didn't quit; he just modified the execution of his calling. Because the truth is that God's purpose for you doesn't come to an end when you retire.

Retirement is just a phase change in your life. It's not that you are done working; it's just that you are done getting paid for your work, and now you're a potentially fully funded ministry person! Retirement grants you the capability to minister flexibly and in places and times that you could never have while working a 9-5. Whether it's learning to love your neighbor or share the gospel on the golf course, you have the opportunity to make a difference for the Kingdom because God has a calling on your life, and it doesn't retire. In fact, I would bet that when you walk through those pearly gates, your earthly calling will be related to your work in Heaven.

If you want to learn more about activating your ministry in retirement, read the first chapter of iRetire4Him for FREE by CLICKING HERE. 

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!