“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” Ecclesiastes 3:1 Behind the Book Ecclesiastes was written by Solomon, King of Israel, son of David, toward the end of his life. Throughout the book, we see Solomon reflecting on all the different facets of life and concluding that all is vanity or a mist. It is all pointless. Thankfully, he has a caveat. In his wisdom, he notes that this is only the case when life is lived without God. In Jewish t

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. – Ephesians 2:10 Behind the Book The apostle Paul wrote this letter to the churches in Ephesus and the surrounding region c. A.D. 62 while imprisoned in Rome. Ephesians gives us general instruction in the truths of God’s redemptive work in Christ, the unity of the church among diverse peoples, and proper conduct in the church, the home, and the world. Chapter 2

Spiritual formation is a gift of grace. And for us to mature requires that we live from the story of the crucified Christ. That’s not easy. We are surrounded by a choir of voices who sing endlessly to woo us away from the centrality of that narrative. Our spiritual formation at work is also an invitation to participate. Remember, Jesus is renewing all things and invites us to join him in his mission. The Holy Spirit empowers us to see, experience and uncover signs of the king

Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” (John 5:17) I begin my new children’s book by saying, “In the very beginning, a long time ago, God created the world so that we would all know that He Himself is a working God, though you might think that sounds just a little bit odd.” Why is it odd to think of God “working”? After all, Jesus worked and made it clear that the “Father is always at his work to this very day” (see John

5 Signs of a Toxic Workplace and Ideas for a Christian Response By Darrel Harvey If you Google that topic, you’ll find lots of lists and most of them include: Leaders who micromanage A lack of clear boundaries High turnover An environment of fear A culture of blame We could debate whether the specific points above are the sign, source, or a symptom of a toxic workplace so let’s just agree that many workplaces are broken. Maybe you are reading this at a desk in one of them r

Have you ever wondered if your work really matters to God? You're not alone in asking. Darrel Harvey shares three compelling biblical reasons why your work—no matter your role or industry—is deeply meaningful to God, central to His original design, and a powerful force for His kingdom.

"How to Tame a Dragon" By Keisha Fowler Years ago, I did a reflective exercise that helped me understand how I perceived myself and the world around me at that time. In that exercise, I envisioned myself as a dragon, burning up everything around me because I was dissatisfied with how things were playing out. Several things weren’t going the way I had hoped or planned. The dragon in me shows up through my words, through creating distance, or through quiet disapproval. And he

“Easter is this Sunday?” is a pretty common response. It sneaks up on us because we’ve had our head down driving hard through Q1. Or we are pushing toward spring break. If you are in church ministry, it’s more like, “EASTER IS THIS SUNDAY!” The date has been circled on the calendar since last spring. It’s the big day. Extra services, outreach opportunities, special events. Either way – many of us are charging into Holy Week but Holy Week invites us to resist the rush. It is a

“Instructions for Living a Life” By Mary Oliver Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it. I shared this poem on my personal LinkedIn page last week because I think it has huge implications for Christians at work. Pay attention – There is an attention issue in living out our faith at work. We must be aware of what is happening on multiple planes simultaneously. – What is the still small voice of the Holy Spirit saying to me throughout my day about who I am, and where I fin

Think back to the Exodus with me, specifically chapter 16 and the story of the mana. You remember…God responded graciously to the Hebrews’ grumbling and provided food for them daily; they just had to go out and pick up what they needed each day. Imagine it – these newly freed slaves who had survived for generations in a system of constant scarcity woke up every morning in a camp surrounded by the bread of heaven. But as the story unfolds, we see that God actually provided mor

I love going to retreats even though I don’t like all the aspects of a retreat. As an introvert, meeting new people, being forced to start conversations, standing awkwardly observing, and stepping into the unknown is very uncomfortable. And it hasn’t gotten any easier after going to retreats of all types for nearly 50 years. And yet I still go. I go because I and millions of people over hundreds of years have coupled going on retreat with an invitation to meet God in a new an

The Word was first, the Word present to God, God present to the Word. The Word was God, in readiness for God from day one. Everything was created through him; nothing—not one thing! — came into being without him. What came into existence was Life, and the Life was Light to live by. The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness; the darkness couldn’t put it out. The Word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind