Hard at work or hardly working?

"Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all. "

-- Sam Ewing

What do you think about hard work? We all have a lazy gene that sneaks up every once in a while. Others let it flourish. Some will work hard their whole life out of some sort of emotional need for success. Others could care less.

In your experience, do Christians work harder? Or do they avoid it?

Do you work hard? Why or why not.

Comment here.

Who do you think you are?

The next time you feel like God can't use you, just remember...

• Noah was a drunk
• Abraham was too old
• Isaac was a daydreamer
• Jacob was a liar
• Leah was ugly
• Joseph was abused
• Moses had a stuttering problem
• Gideon was afraid
• Samson was a womanizer
• Rahab was a prostitute
• Jeremiah and Timothy were too young
• David had an affair and was a murderer
• Elijah was suicidal
• Isaiah preached naked
• Jonah ran from God
• Naomi was a widow
• Job went bankrupt
• Peter denied Christ
• The Disciples fell asleep while praying
• Martha worried about everything
• The Samaritan woman was divorced, more than once
• Zaccheus was too small
• Paul was too religious
• Timothy had an ulcer
• ..AND Lazarus was dead!

So, what's your excuse? Tell us here.

"Besides you aren't the message, you are just the messenger"

Calling in sick when you're not

A survey on "summer absenteeism" shows 39 percent of full-time employees have called in sick just to enjoy a day off. They call it a "mental health day." They use the day to go shopping, go to the lake, or lounge around the house.

Mondays and Fridays seem to be the day most popular. As managers who have 1,000's work for us, we can attest to the truths found here. It's happening and in many workplaces, its rampant.

At wikihow.com, writers have even compiled a guide of how to do this. They suggest:

• Find a quiet place to make the phone call.



• Call your boss.



• Keep the excuse short and to the point and credible.



• Cough a few times if necessary, or speak in a raspy voice for added effect.



• However, speaking somewhat slowly will probably work better!



• Get off the phone as quickly as possible.
  

They suggest saying things like "Its coming out both ends" or "I can't stand up for more than a couple of minutes."



Sick leaves costs American businesses --- big time. The University of Pennsylvania says that sick days cost U.S. employers $74 billion a year. The average worker takes about 5.2 sick days a year.

So, how should Christians approach sick time? How about the "mental health day?"

Have you ever 'faked' a sick day -- or do you see it as just another benefit? Comment here.

What's the difference?

"What's the difference between an unbeliever who will not go to church and the Christian who is never there? Between a heathen who does not believe the Bible and a Christian who never studies it? Between an atheist who never gives a cent to God and a Christian who gives nothing? Between a man of the world and those Christians who live only for this world? "

-

- as by Pastor Marvin Ahlborn, Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church

Names play an important in our society. I stick out my hand to a stranger and offer my name – it’s my identity. Names are attached to our mail, our telephones and our addresses. Names are sprayed on both our paychecks and our bills.

The name-game is also part of our Christianity. We want to identify with Jesus, so we call ourselves “Christians.”

But there is a danger in taking on the name without taking on the character. I can call myself Babe Ruth, but if I cannot swing a bat, I would be exposed as a fraud. I can call myself Bill Gates, but if I still change my own oil, my friends would be suspect.

To take on the name of Jesus is also to take on his identity. Being a Christian is not a matter of heritage or church attendance or family or culture. Calling yourself a Christian means that you are committing to following Jesus. It may be harsh, but if you are reluctant to do this, then perhaps you should find another nickname.

May all the titles we wear -- such as Father, Son, American and Christian be reflective of our character and our nature.

Give your comment here.

#*&$ ?? - Profanity at work boosts team spirit?

A British study says that regular swearing at work can help boost team spirit among staff. According to the researchers, studied the use of profanity in the workplace allows workers to better express themselves and develop better social relationships.

The study suggests that swearing in front of customers should be seriously discouraged or banned, but in other circumstances it can “help foster solidarity” with peers.

I say “bull.”

There are far too many people who use their mouths instead of their brains. Many a manager has adopted profanity instead of persuasion to lead. Instead of controlling ones emotions, cussing demonstrates a lack of control. Depending on shock language demonstrates a severe lack of intelligence, verbal skill, and creativity.

And for the Red Letter Believer, the Christian who is trying to live out their faith, it is never acceptable. Your words indicate your heart.

Jesus said, “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.”

And James admits, “We all stumble in many ways,” but he also identifies the biggest stumbling block “Those who are never at fault in what they say are perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.” He likens the tongue to a bridle on a horse.

Some say that businesses have no business allowing potty talk – and have banned it.

One entrepreneur, has even began a consulting firm where he helps clients cut down on cussing.

"Even though swearing is common,” says James O'Connor, president of O'Connor Communications. “I don't think it's appropriate in the office. I think it expresses negativity."

Connors believes cussing comes from “laziness and negative attitudes.”"If you show you have emotional control, you look more professional and are more likely to earn respect from people," he said.

We need to rise above the coarse culture – and it starts with our tongues.

Ephesians 5:4 says, “Let there be no be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.”

Dirty work

"Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work."
-- Aristotle

We all have had jobs that are simply no fun.

I was hired once to disassemble and clean a dozen urinals at a summer camp. I've dumped out hot tar on flat roofs in 100 degree weather. I've shoveled out chicken coops. I've had to sort, staple, fold and stuff thousands of letters. I've had to cold call sales. I've gone door to door.

For some, they will never have a job that they really enjoy. Thus, the frustration of the modern worker.

Is there a better way? Does every job have to fun? Or is there a way to "power through" the dirty work that we have to do?

What's been your dirtiest job? And how did you deal with it? Click here and tell us about it.

I can't do it all

The blogsphere's most quoted pastor, Gordon Atkinson, aka, "Real Live Preacher" , said this:

"These things are clear to me.

You can't know everything you'd like to know.

You can't do everything you'd like to do.

You can't read everything you'd like to read.

You must hold onto some things and let go of others. Learning to make that choice is one of the big lessons of this life."

Who does he think he is? Doesn't Gordon know that I must scramble and hustle and try to squeeze it all in. After all, the more I read, the more I know and the more I do, the better I feel. And certainly God takes notice, right? Every magazine I get, every book I buy, every email I'm sent just must be read. Every relationship needs to be nurtured. Every project I'm asked to participate in, I must follow through.

After all, the world is counting on me.

But then the Red Letters of Jesus poke a hole in this faulty logic retold in Luke 10:38-42.

Mary sat at the Lord's feet, listening to Him speak. Meanwhile, Martha was "distracted by her many tasks." She was more than annoyed and complained, "Don't you care, Jesus? Don't you care that I'm busy and she isn't? Tell her to help out!"

Jesus wasn't impressed by the whirlwind of good deeds that Martha was performing. In fact he lauded Mary as having "chosen the better way -- a way that will not be taken away from her."

Look at your life. What about home, school and work. What things do you need to hold onto? What things do you need to let go? Comment here.

Till death do us part: Is retirement an option anymore?

Waldo McBurney, who at one time was named "America's oldest worker," died last week. He was 106.

Just two years ago he was still "spry and agile," walking the few blocks from his home to his downtown office in High Plains, KS. He finally retired at 104 and spent the last couple years of his life "unemployed." He gained notoriety for running a 100-yard dash at the age of 100.

The thought of going to work at 100, or 90, or even 70 is a tough one to swallow. And with the erosion of many pension plans, working later in life may be a reality. Work for older Americans has been difficult in this economy…but it its often necessary to pay the bills.

How long do you intend to work?

And here's a bigger question. Is retirement a biblical goal for Christians? Are we supposed to work hard so we don't have to work one day? What kinds of thoughts do you have? Comment here.

Related: L.A. Transit authority honors 91-year old who has never missed a day of work

Also, One Christian view of retirement.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Retirement Will Become a Thing of the Past (businesspundit.com)
• Will Your Retirement Be Worse Than Your Parent's Was? (usnews.com)

Does it matter?

Admittedly, going to work isn't always easy. Who wouldn't rather play or spend time at home. But going to a job that really doesn't seem to make a difference -- to anyone -- can be numbing.

In high school, I had a job as a beach security guard. Um. We had a lot of problems. I was basically paid to ogle the girls and work on my tan. I didn't think at the time that the job had one shred of high calling or purpose.

Some professions are deemed as being extremely gratifying. Many medical professions are those that you can see results – often immediately. Throw in mechanics and construction workers and garbage collectors as jobs that have an immediate and visible impact.

Farming seems to be the purest of all work. It’s basically the wits of man and the wiles of the farmer against nature. Sometimes – when the rains don’t come or the winds blow the seed away or the winter freeze comes a month too early- nature is the enemy.

But when the afternoon thunder showers dust the shoots just pushing through the soil and the August evenings are cool and the May days are warm -- nature is your friend. And best of all, when harvest comes, you see results.

By the farmer’s hands and his efforts and his toil are the fruits evident. To pick up a potato or a piece of corn or slice into a steak and to say, “by God’s grace and my efforts, my family and I will now enjoy the end result of my labor,” has got to be the most gratifying of all things.

Does your job make a difference? Or are you in a profession that doesn't seem to matter? Share with us your experience. Click here to comment.

Time Snatchers: Living off the clock

(Thanks to The High Calling for publishing the following article, "Living a Kairos Life in a Chronos World." Here is a snippet, but please read the rest of this article about work and God at TheHighCalling.org.)

Everything we do is marked by the steady march of time. Seconds lead to minutes to hours to days to weeks to years to decades to centuries.

The problem for all of us is that the clock is always running the wrong way, and we simply cannot stop its precipitous crawl toward the next tick. We lose moments to the past, out of our reach, never to be regained.

Where did all the years go?

The kids have grown and gone. We're muddling along in a career, making a living, just existing out of habit more than anything.

Did I miss out on my chance to make a difference?

The Greek language has a couple of words that mean "time." The first is most familiar—chronos . It means the chronology of days, governed by the carefully calculated earths' sweep around the sun. God himself ordained this measurement of days on the fourth day of Creation, spinning the heavenly lights "for seasons, and for days and years."

Boy, do I know about time. The wrinkles etched on my face; the wrinkles etched on my heart are the visual reminders of chronos.

But another word for time is also used in the New Testament—kairos . This speaks more to specific, God-ordained times throughout history, sometimes called the "right time" or "appointed season" (Titus 1:3).

Read the rest of the article here.

Do you give your full effort?

By the work one knows the workmen.

-- Jean De La Fontaine

I fully admit it.

I don't always give it my all at work, at home, at church, in my committments.

I back off.

I slack off.

I take a step and let someone else run with it.

Oh, and the excuses are amazingly boring and overused:

• I'm tired.


• I'm overcommitted.


• The boss (wife, friend, organization) doesn't appreciate me.
  

There is a universal urge to give a B effort despite A abilities.

And then there is the Bible with its pesky admonition: "Whatever you do in word or deed, do as unto the Lord." Col 3.23

And there goes all my excuses. How about you? Comment here.