That One Distasteful Subject. Isaiah 48:17.

We don’t speak of it in polite conversation. We don’t think of it as a spiritual topic. No seeker climbs to the top of a mountain in the Himalayas to ask a Guru about it. Wall calendars with photos of sunsets and rainbows will never feature a poetic line on this theme. Yet, Jesus spokeContinue reading “That One Distasteful Subject. Isaiah 48:17.”

WORK IS GOD’S PLAN, NOT GOD’S PUNISHMENT. Psalm 104:14,23.

I was obsessed. I woke up running and did not stop till dark. After school, I put on play clothes and was back outside. Life was adventures, tree climbing, pirates, hide & seek, baseball, bicycles, and more. I BELIEVED in play the way others believed in the Dallas Cowboys. PLAY was my team. I LOVEDContinue reading “WORK IS GOD’S PLAN, NOT GOD’S PUNISHMENT. Psalm 104:14,23.”

Feel Good About Your Work, Achievements, Skills, and Talents. Genesis 1:4.

When I taught high school, I remember being chastised by my students. I was talking about being aware of one’s strengths and weaknesses: “For example, I know that I write well. But I don’t always listen well—” “Wow, Mr. Wales. That’s pretty arrogant, don’t you think?” “What? Saying that I write well?” “Yes. That’s soContinue reading “Feel Good About Your Work, Achievements, Skills, and Talents. Genesis 1:4.”

QUARTERMASTER. Isaiah 6:8.

When I was eleven, I joined the Boy Scouts. my friends Chris and Paul joined too, and my brother Dennis came along as soon as he was old enough. What red-blooded American boy wouldn’t want to join an organization that promised to take him on a camping trip in the woods every month for theContinue reading “QUARTERMASTER. Isaiah 6:8.”

Surprise! Your Work is a Gift.

As a child, I was sometimes surprised by negative attitudes adults had about work.  First, there were the Garfield cartoons everywhere: “I hate Mondays!”  Then in the lunchroom, there was a calendar on the wall in the serving line and at the end of every day a cafeteria worker would put a huge “X” throughContinue reading “Surprise! Your Work is a Gift.”

The Gift of Work. Numbers 18:7.

People sometimes think God cursed us by making us work. As evidence, they cite Genesis 3:17-19, wherein God tells Adam he will have to work the ground and it will give him thorns and thistles, and “by the sweat of your brow you will eat your bread.” However, Adam’s work was NOT part of theContinue reading “The Gift of Work. Numbers 18:7.”