Keller's Every Good Endeavor - Chapter 5 - Work Becomes Fruitless

I'll be facilitating a discussion on chapter five (pages 83-97) of Keller's work Monday evening. Here are some questions I've pulled together for discussion.

1. Keller begins with a look of Genesis 3 and the impact of sin (under the subhead "Things Fall Apart"). Share some specific, recent examples from work about how things fall apart.
    
2. On page 95, Keller begins to sum up the chapter with this: "That is why so many people inhabit the extremes of idealism and cynicism -- or even ricochet back and forth between those poles." Do you sense the same extremes in those around you? Do you occupy one of those poles? Or ricochet between those poles?
    
3. How do we respond when work appears to be fruitless?

Keller's Every Good Endeavor - Chapter 4 - Work as Service

I'll be facilitating a discussion on chapter four (pages 64-80) of Keller's work Monday evening. Here are some questions I've pulled together for discussion.

1. The Apostle Paul wrote: "Nevertheless, each person should live as a believer in whatever situation the Lord has assigned to them, just as God has called them. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches." (1 Cor 7:17)  Have you ever felt like a new or renewed commitment to faith required a vocational change? What instigated the urge to change and how did it turn out?
    
2. Keller quotes Martin Luther [69]: "It is pure invention that Pope, bishops, priests, and monks are called the "spiritual estate" while princes, lords, artisans, and farmers are called the "temporal estate." This is indeed a piece of deceit and hypocrisy. Yet no one need be intimidated by it, and that for this reason: All Christians are truly of the spiritual estate, and there is no difference among them except that of office..." Do you believe that there is no difference in calling, no difference between ordained and laity, sacred and secular, etc.? How have your views changed over the years?
    
3. How does your understanding of God's grace shape your understanding of your work? How about the work of others?
    

Keller's Every Good Endeavor - Chapter 3 - Work as Cultivation

I'll be facilitating a discussion on chapter three (pages 54-63) of Keller's work Monday evening. Here are some questions I've pulled together for discussion.

1. Genesis 1:28 says:  God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” What does it mean to "fill the earth and subdue it?"
2. Keller writes, "God's world is not hostile, so that it needs to be beaten down like an enemy. Rather, its potential is undeveloped, so it needs to be cultivated like a garden." He goes on to say that the pattern for all work is that it is both "creative and assertive." How do you view your work as cultivation?

Family Inc.

I recently listened to the HBR Ideacast titled: Can You Manage Your Family. Author Bruce Feiler was promoting his new book: The Secrets of Happy Families. The focus of the interview was on using current business theories and practices at home. It is interesting, and worth a listen or read (available here).

The interview seemed less about actually using business theories and practices at home, but more about using business jargon to help us think about our active participation in families. I'm in favor of that! I think jargon gets a bad wrap; it can be a very good thing when it helps clarify our thinking and communicate in our contexts. When we bring our jargon home, it often results in powerful metaphors. Whatever our field (musician, nurse, mechanic... ) it is a potent communication tool when we go to the trouble to say "It is like..."

When we bring our jargon home and work out the metaphors, it helps us connect the various parts of our own life... and it helps others get connect to the various parts of our life. It forces us to think creatively and be proactive. And that is a great thing, especially at home where we might too easily fall into the rut of passivity, taking the easy road without a boss to please or metrics to meet.     

Keller's Every Good Endeavor - Chapter Two

I'll be facilitating a discussion on chapter two (pages 44-53) of Keller's work Monday evening. Here are some questions I've pulled together for discussion.

1. It has been said that we (humans) were created for worship, or even fellowship, but Keller says that we are created for work (48).
   
   Which is it? Or are there even better answers?
    
   
2. Keller states that "the material world matters" (51).
   
   How do we know that the material world matters?  
   
   
3. Keller asserts that manual labor has no less dignity than knowledge work, and he goes on to say "that secular work has no less dignity and nobility than the sacred work of ministry.
   
   Do we believe that? Do we act like we believe that? What in our behavior might betray such a belief?

Congrats Dr. Taylor - New President at Evangel U

“Let your career pursue you,” Taylor said in a 2012 Evangel press release. “As women, our paths are diverse and unique. If you had told me when I was a student at Evangel that I was going to be president of a university someday, I could not have even imagined it. I am convinced that if we live each day of our lives in obedience to Him, everything else takes care of itself.”

http://lance.crusadermedia.com/index.php/archives/9098 

It is truly significant that the next president of Evangel will be a woman... but what is even more extraordinary (at least from my limited perspective) is that the next president of AGTS and CBC will be a woman. With consolidation, AGTS and CBC aren't disappearing; they are uniting the AG schools in the headquarters city under a new structure. It is great news that the Assemblies of God elected a woman to lead our national liberal arts college... but it is even bigger news that the AG elected a woman to lead our graduate seminary and undergraduate seminary. Great move; I'm proud to be an AG guy today!

Helping Students Connect Their Work With God's Work

Teresa Gillespie made some time for me today in her busy schedule. It was great to get caught up with her as we chatted in her office. 

Teresa serves as Dean of the School of Business and Management at Northwest University. She began her career as a school teacher on her home turf in the public schools of Los Angeles. Her pursuits then led her to the University of Washington to study law, and then to a 17-year career as a corporate attorney for US West.  She began to teach as an adjunct at Northwest in 2000 and then joined the faculty as a full-time professor in 2006. In 2008 she was promoted to serve as Dean, leading the business faculty, administering the University’s business curricula, and building new programs. 

In reflecting on her career she said, “I never expected to serve as Dean of a business school, but I can see that the Lord used my experience to thoroughly prepare me.” Her background and experience in teaching provides valuable tools she shares with her colleagues on the faculty. Her career at US West occurred during a time of constant, rapid change as the communications industry was being rebuilt and redefined as the Internet was taking hold. And her solid grounding in faith gave her the skills to integrate faith with life and work; the kind of integration that is unique to a place like Northwest. 

I asked her about what works when teaching students about work and calling. What seems to land with students as she and her colleagues endeavor to help students connect their work with God’s work?  

One of her teaching and research interests lies in the field of business ethics. She explained how she recently reworked her whole approach to the topic (an approach she’ll be presenting to peers at an academic conference in the coming months).  

She had been teaching courses in the tried and true ways, reviewing philosophies and evaluating case studies. There was one specific episode that stood out to her as a turning point. A graduate student turned in a paper that was part of a capstone course focused on business ethics in which the student needed to evaluate an ethical dilemma according to the philosophies and processes presented in the course. Teresa said, “The paper was an accomplished example of thorough analysis. But the problem was that the student arrived at the wrong conclusion… disappointingly justifying a self-serving decision.”  In this case, the professor took this as an opportunity to not merely assess the student’s performance, but courageously asses her own performance.

Now her approach includes leading her students to

• Establish and adhere to codes and creeds,
• Identify and emulate heroes (role models), and 
• Anticipate and prepare for tough decisions and ethical crisis (practice).

She acquainted me with the MBA Oath, a movement that binds MBA graduates and students to each other and to higher ethical standards. Codes and creeds like this serve as a basis for students and professors to call one another to high standards; it is a new call to integrity and accountability that results in greater good.  

This approach is landing well with students, resulting in productive conversations and work. Teresa is seeing evidence that this new approach is making a difference.  

From my perspective as an MBA graduate, I’m impressed. It seems that such an approach steers students away from the selfish ambition that has been common among business students to a focus on stewardship.    

Way to go Teresa for your efforts to help students connect their work with God’s work!