Karl Edwards presents Working Matters

Tag: faith

  • Don’t Miss Out! Bridging the Work-Faith Divide Workshop Registration Deadline

    Forget about notching up workplace conversions or beating yourself up for stealing pencils.

    We are going to discuss work and faith from the perspective of the workplace. Job performance, career development, and team dynamics to mention just a few vital topics.

    Don’t miss out!

    Tomorrow, Tuesday (1/31/12), is the deadline for registering for Saturday’s Bridging the Work-Faith Divide Workshop. (Not that we’ll be turning anyone away at the door, but it would sure help for planning!)

    We would love to have you there. It promises to be an engaging and interactive day.

    Click here for the details.

  • Quote to Consider: More Than Logical

    quote-to-consider“If we were logical, the future would be bleak indeed. But we are more than logical. We are human beings, and we have faith, and we have hope.”

    Jacques Cousteau

  • Event Review: 4th Annual Faith at Work Conference

    Hats off to Stephen Christensen and his team for making the 4th Annual Faith and Work Conference at Concordia University an all-around great experience.

    Excellently organized they managed to pack seven quality speakers into a one-day event without feeling squeezed or rushed.

    More significantly, all the speakers except one passed my main guest speaker test, which is that they brought quality content to the table instead of disguised pitches for their own services. Very refreshing!

    The integration of work and faith is not a simple or straightforward field about which to think or speak.

    I have long advocated that the primary theologians we need to help us think critically about this crucial faith context of the workplace need to be the (more…)

  • Listen In -> Bridging the Work-Faith Divide #5: Becoming a Person of Influence and Impact

    We’ve all been there.

    At our own places of employment or while at a meeting at another company.

    The feeling is palpable. It might be pressure. It might be drive. It might be panic. It might be enthusiasm. It might be supportiveness. It might be competitiveness.

    Bridging the Work-Faith Divide

    How would you characterize the culture of your workplace?

    In this week’s show Claudia and I discuss how to influence the culture where you work.

    In many regards, workplace cultures are deep, complex realities that have developed over time. Such realities do not lend themselves to quick fixes or radical changes initiated by even the best intentioned team member.

    Does that mean that you and I are powerless to impact our workplace culture?

    Not at all!!

    But it does mean that we need to be thoughtful and appropriate in the means and manners in which we choose to exert influence.

    Join our discussion about four degrees of influence which are available to everyone on the team: modeling, suggesting, reforming and battling.

    Just now joining the conversation? Catch up on the entire series here.
    Interested in how we can resource your church or organization? Get more information here.

    Listen in.

  • Listen In -> Bridging the Work-Faith Divide #1: Becoming Whole Again

    So much of life is compartmentalized into purportedly unrelated spheres. Work, family, religion, politics, hobbies, entertainment, etc.

    Until now, a common divide many of us experience is the one between our work and our faiths.

    Bridging the Work-Faith DivideUntil now.

    Until now, we have assumed there is no overlap between the matters of the hands (work) and the matters of the heart (faith).

    We have also assumed that neither should there be any overlap. Because faith is personal, it should therefore remain private.

    Some persons of faith have tackled the question of whether we should take our faith to work with us. They have raised faith issues such as: evangelism, ethics, morality, and integrity.

    In other words, they have asked how to take the topics and vocabulary of the religious realm and apply them in the working realm.

    This week, Claudia and I begin a new series of discussions entitled, “Bridging the Work-Faith Divide,” but…

    BUT!

    Our premise is that the question is more useful if asked the other way around.

    How do we think about the issues of the workplace in the vocabulary of the workplace in a manner that is informed by our faiths? Workplace issues such as: achieving results, working with people, making difficult decisions, improving methods, conducting meetings, and collaborating across disciplines, to name a few.

    Bridging the Work-Faith Divide
    Week #1: Becoming Whole Again
    Week #2: All Work as a Legitimate Calling
    Week #3: Character Formation and Lifelong Learning
    Week #4: Collaboration, Empowerment and Accountability
    Week #5: Becoming a Person of Influence and Impact

    Just now joining the conversation? Catch up on the entire series here.
    Interested in how we can resource your church or organization? Get more information here.

    Listen in.

  • Thought Leaders Unpacked: The Gift of Work by Bill Heatley

    thought-leadersWe launch our first “Thought Leaders Unpacked” discussion series today with a look at The Gift of Work by Bill Heatley.

    For many of us spirituality and work operate in separate, unrelated compartments. But what if your work were an integral expression of your faith?

    gift-of-work1What if you weren’t asked to change the subject to evangelism or early morning prayer groups or promises not to take office supplies home in order to think about what it means to be both a faithful employee and a faithful believer?

    Join me as I delve into this insightful piece. I’ll be posting my thoughts chapter by chapter, and hope you will interact with your own comments, insights and opinions.

    Contents

    1. Changing Our Minds About Work
    2. Kingdom Living
    3. Redefining Success
    4. You Are Here: God As Our Reference Point
    5. Not a Trivial Pursuit
    6. Training as a Disciple of Christ
    7. The Nucleus of Change

    Get your copy and read along!