Monday, September 22, 2014

Keller's Every Good Endeavor - Chapter 12 - New Power for Work

I'll be facilitating a brief discussion on chapter twelve (pages 226-241) of Keller's Work Monday evening. Here are a few questions we'll use to guide the discussion:
  1. Keller calls our motivation for work, "the work under the work." What are some of your main motivations for work? Do we "work our work" or does our "work work us"? How do we really know?
     
       
  2.  Keller writes about "The Power of Deep Rest" referencing the Sabbath. Did these pages change anything about your concept of Sabbath? Reinforce what you know and practice? Challenge or convict?
     
     
  3. What did Keller mean by "The Rest Under the Rest?" What is a practical way to apply this concept? 
     
     
     

Monday, July 14, 2014

Keller's Every Good Endeavor - Chapter 11 - A New Compass for Work

I'll be facilitating a brief discussion on chapter eleven (pages 198-225) of Keller's Work Monday evening. Here are a few questions we'll use to guide the discussion:
  1. Is Milton Friedman right when he says that the business manager's only job is to maximize shareholder value? Will the market itself reward integrity and punish dishonesty?
     
  2. Keller titled the chapter "A New Compass for Work." In one word, what is that compass?
      
  3. In regard to wisdom and decision making, Keller points to the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. How does, or has, the Holy Spirit played into your decision making?
      
  4. How is the usual approach to capitalism compatible with Christianity? How is it incompatible?
      

Friday, May 30, 2014

Keller's Every Good Endeavor - Chapter 10 - A New Conception of Work

I'll be facilitating a brief discussion on chapter ten (pages 183-197) of Keller's Work Monday evening. Here are a few questions we'll use to guide the discussion:
  1. Keller opens chapter 10 with this question (183): “We all know someone in our field who is not a Christian who seems to hold the best values and produce the most elegant product, beautiful dance piece, or trusted and well-organized work team. If the Christian worldview is so unique, how do we account for this?”  
  2. What are some of the dangers if we get the first question wrong? What are some of the dangers if we misunderstand the difference between “Christian work” and “non-Christian work”? 
  3. How does an understanding of common grace help us understand work? 
 
 

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Work and Calling - Seen by a 20 Something

Rather than looking to Keller's work for the discussion I've been leading monthly, this time I want to discuss a recent article from Relevant Magazine: Your Job is More Important Than You Think.

I look at Relevant from time to time; I appreciate the perspective from 20-30 something Christians.

I suspect our discussion will go along the lines of "how do we as a church validate calling in the 20-30 somethings in our midst?"

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Keller's Every Good Endeavor - Chapter 9 - A New Story for Work

I'll be facilitating a discussion on chapter nine (pages 155-182) of Keller's Work Monday evening. In this case, the best discussion questions are likely those found at near the end of the chapter (page 181):
  • What's the story line of the culture in which I live and the field where I work? Who are the protagonists and antagonists?
  • What are the underlying assumptions about meaning, morality, origin, and destiny?
  • What are the idols? The hopes? The fears?
  • How does my particular profession retell this story line, and what part does the profession itself play in the story?
  • What parts of the dominant worldview are basically in line with the gospel, so that I can agree with and align with them?
  • What parts of the dominant worldviews are irresolvable without Christ? Where, in other words, must I challenge my culture? How can Christ complete the story in a different way?
  • How do these stories affect both the form and the content of my work personally? How can I work not just with excellence but also with Christian distinctiveness in my work?
  • What opportunities are there in my profession for
    • serving individual people,
    • serving society at large,
    • serving my field of work,
    • modeling competence and excellence, and
    • witnessing to Christ?

       

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Keller's Every Good Endeavor - Chapter 8 - Work Reveals Our Idols

I'll be facilitating a discussion on chapter eight (pages 129-152) of Keller's Work Thursday evening. Here are some questions I've pulled together for discussion.

  1. Keller defines idolatry as "imagining and trusting anything to deliver the control, security, significance, satisfaction, and beauty that only the real God can give. It means turning a good thing into an ultimate thing." Do you see parallels to our Sunday-morning series in 1 Corinthians? What might they be?
      
  2. Keller expands from mere individual or personal idols to cultural and corporate idols. What idols might easily ensnare our subculture in our Church?