Sermon Illustrations on Work — page 2

Doing your best

That do-the-least-you-can-get-away-with-for-the-highest-pay attitude was pushed to its extreme in Bristol, England. A United Press International story (August, 1983) exposed some workers at an electronics factory there who had been sleeping through the night shift for more than sixteen years. They had fabricated secret bedrooms in the piant's walls and ceilings. They were only found out when outside contractors found some "spare" electrical cables and traced them through the ceiling and behind sliding hatches to reading lamps beside the beds in these hidden rooms. They also found in the secret compartments mattresses, blankets, pillows, sheets, lamps, and even an alarm clock. At least three foremen knew about their workers' sleep-in shifts, but they were afraid to report them for fear of losing their jobs.

Edison's turnstile

Thomas A. Edison had a keen appreciation of both time and money. Every time he showed his many visitors his new inventions one of them was sure to ask, "Mr. Edison, why do you have that turnstile so that we have to push our way into the garden?" Edison would invariably reply, "My friend, every single soul who pushes his way through that turnstile pumps seven gallons of water into the holding tank on my roof!"

Effort of A single mole

The mole is blind, but it can dig a 100-yard tunnel in one night. To accomplish proportionately the same thing, a man would have to complete in a single night a tunnel 50 miles long and wide enough to crawl through!

Effort of bees

In 1990, Americans consumed almost 300 million pounds of honey. If you think that's a lot, you're right; and if you wnat to understand the expression "busy as a bee," think about this - it takes more than 550 bees visiting 2.5 million flowers to create one pound of honey. To make those 300 millions pounds of honey, the busy little creatures had to dip into about 700 quadrillion flowers. Another way to look at it is that a bee makes about 154 trips to a flower for one teaspoon of honey and about 20,000 trips to bring in one pound. Translation: about 160,000 bee-hours go into producing a pound of honey.

Maynard G. Krebs work ethic

A sluggard is a person who has adopted the Maynard G. Krebs work ethic! MGK was Dobie Gillis' sidekick. Beatnik. Played by Bob Denver who later played Gilligan. Dobie Gillis' father ran a grocery store. Every time Mr. Gillis would suggest Maynard get a job or do something around the store, he would go into a catatonic state.

A Working Attitude

The noted English architect Sir Christopher Wren [designer of St. Paul’s Cathedral] was supervising the construction of a magnificent cathedral in London. A journalist thought it would be interesting to interview some of the workers, so he chose three and asked them this question, “What are you doing?”

The first replied, “I’m cutting stone for 10 shillings a day.”

The next answered, “I’m putting in 10 hours a day on this job.”

But the third said, “I’m helping Sir Christopher Wren construct one of London’s greatest cathedrals.”

What a difference attitude makes! Perhaps you are employed in a menial occupation, one in which the monotony of the work makes you weary.

Fit For An Angel?

Hebrews 13:2

There isn’t a lot about the now-almost-vanished Shakers that I would promote. But there is one notable exception. It has to do with quality and pride of workmanship.

In case you don’t know their history, the Shakers were formed in England in the mid-1700s as an offshoot of a revival movement among the Quakers. Originally known as the “Shaking Quakers” because of the dancing and shouting that went with some of their rites, the group came to America and reached its peak in the 1840s. There were nearly 5,000 members in communes scattered from Maine to Kentucky.

Shakers lived as Brothers and Sisters in celibate groups. This attitude toward marriage combined with an absence of evangelism meant the sect could not survive. Today there are believed to be only six members left in a community in Maine.

Most people who know the Shaker movement at all know it for high-quality handicrafts rather than theology or history. For sheer elegance of style and structure, nothing quite matches their baskets, boxes, tables, wardrobes, cupboards, and chairs. The famous ladderback chair -- which came to be a Shaker symbol -- was sought and prized by people in the world outside their communes. It was a staple item to a once-bustling network of commercial enterprises run by the Shakers.

When one of their craftsmen was asked how he or she built such beautiful and functional items, this was the standard answer: creative work is a gift from God. Thomas Merton, a poet and Trappist monk, once offered that the perfection of a Shaker chair came from the laborer’s belief that “an angel might come and sit in it.”

Wonder what it would do for everyone’s task in your workplace today if such thinking dominated? A receptionist answers every call and greets every person through the front door as if she might be speaking to an angel. Clerks speak to customers, tally their purchases, and make their change with the thought that this person might be a visitor from heaven. A nurse cares for a frail old man with attention and tenderness befitting an angel. Workers on the line and sales personnelmanufacture and offer products to the public in the belief that an angel just might wear this suit or eat this food, drive this car or need the protection of this policy.

Are you thinking that this is too idealistic or simply naive? Then perhaps it has been a while since you read this biblical text: “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it” (Hebrews 13:2).

Take pride in what you do today. An angel just might be your next client.

(untitled)

Seems that a year ago, some Boeing employees on the field

decided to steal a life raft from one of the 747s. They were

successful in getting it out of the plane and home. When they

took it for a float on the River, they were quite surprised by a

Coast Guard helicopter coming towards them.

It turned out that the chopper was homing in on the emergency

locator that is activated when the raft is inflated.

They are no longer employed there.

(untitled)

Subject: A Matter of Due Diligence

Date: For the Week of July 5, 1999

It's an old story that bears repeating. A country parson was making his rounds, visiting the souls under his care. As he neared the farm of one of his newest members, he could not help noticing the improvements the hardworking man had already made in what had once been a poor piece of farm acreage.

Where there had been dilapidated outbuildings, there were now a new shed and a freshly painted barn. All the equipment was obviously being maintained well. The animals were healthy, and the fields were under cultivation. The place could hardly have looked better. So the preacher was determined to praise the farmer's hard work -- being careful, of course, to acknowledge the hand of the Lord in it all.

"Russell, you and the Good Lord have worked wonders with this place!" he allowed. "I've not seen a better looking farm anywhere in the county this spring."

"Thank you kindly, parson," said Russell, "but you should have seen the place when the Lord had the whole thing to himself. It was a disaster."

The fellow meant nothing irreverent by his comment. He took his partnership with God seriously, believing that it really mattered -- and affected the outcome.

By his precious grace, God gives human beings the power to identify with him in exercising sovereignty over Planet Earth. And he wants us to be as earnest in our part of the task as he has been in his. Thus the Bible's Book of Proverbs is filled with counsel about diligence. "Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth" (10:4). "The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied" (13:4). "A sluggard does not plow in season; so at harvest time he looks but finds nothing" (20:4).

Work is not a curse, but unemployment or idleness is. Adam was to tend, subdue, and master the Garden of Eden. Yes, sin made Adam's task harder by virtue of the "thorns and thistles" it introduced into his environment. But work was part of the original and ideal arrangement of paradise.

Cervantes said, "Diligence is the mother of good fortune." In spite of the pronounced tendency in our time to doubt such a maxim, it is true nonetheless. Rather than envy the person who somehow manages to get by without hard work, pity him instead for having failed to develop a primary habit that is necessary to virtue.

God saves us by his lavish grace; that affirmation is good theology. People saved by grace partner with God in productive work; that behavior is noble character.

Honest Pay

"All I've ever wanted was an honest week's pay for an honest day's work."

-- Steve Martin in the movie Sgt. Bilko (1996)

Work, Dance, Love

Work like you don't need money, dance like no one is watching and love like you have never been hurt. ------- Mark Twain

What An Artist Is

"A man who works with his hands is a laborer; a man who works with his hands and his brain is a craftsman; but a man who works with his hands and his brain and his heart is an artist."

-- Louis Nizer, American Lawyer (1902-1994)

(untitled)

How Do You Know You Have a Call?

"By and large, a good rule for finding out is this.

The kind of work God usually calls you to is the kind of work

(a) that you need most to do and

(b) that the world most needs to have done.

If you really get a kick out of your work,

you've presumably met requirement (a),

but if your work is writing cigarette ads,

the chances are that you've missed requirement (b).

On the other hand, if your work is being a doctor

in a leper colony, you have probably met requirement (b),

but if most of the time you're bored and depressed by it,

chances are your have not only bypassed (a)

but probably aren't helping your patients much either.

Neither the hair shirt nor the soft berth will do.

The place God calls you to is the place where

your deep gladness and the

world's deep hunger meet."

Frederick Buechner

Joke

Manager: "I'm sorry I can't hire you, but there isn't enough work to

keep you busy."

Applicant: "You'd be surprised how little it takes."

- Unknown

- PULPIT HELPS, Sept., 1990

The Best Dog

A group of workers who were discussing how smart their dogs were. The first was a computer worker who said his dog could do calculations. The dog was named "T-square," and he told him to go to the blackboard and draw a square, a circle, and a triangle, which the dog did with no problem.

The factory worker said he thought his dog was better. His dog, named "Slide Rule," was to fetch a dozen cookies and bring them back and divide them into four piles of three, which Slide Rule did with no problem.

The telephone worker said that was good, but he felt his dog was better. His dog, "Measure," was told to get a quart of milk and pour seven ounces in a ten-ounce glass. The dog did this without effort.

All three workers agreed that the three dogs were very smart. They then turned to the Civil Servant and said, "What can your dog do?" The Civil Servant then whistled shrilly and called his dog, "Coffee Break." Coffee Break came slowly ambling in to the room. The Civil Servant bent over and said, "Show the fellows what YOU can do." Well, Coffee Break went over and ate the cookies, drank the milk, threw the other three dogs out the door, claimed he injured his back, filed for Worker's Compensation, and left for home on sick leave.

____________________

Missionary Messenger

(untitled)

Luke 6:46

1. We sing Sweet Hour of Prayer and are content with 5-10 minutes a

day.

2. We sing Onward Christian Soldiers and wait to be drafted into

His service.

3. We sing O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing and don't use the one

we have.

4. We sing There Shall be Showers of Blessing but do not come when

it rains.

5. We sing Blest Be the Tie That Binds and let the least little

offense sever it.

6. We sing Serve the Lord With Gladness and gripe about all we have

to do.

7. We sing I Love To Tell the Story and never mention it at all.

8. We sing We're Marching to Zion but fail to march to worship or

school.

9. We sing Cast Thy Burden on the Lord and worry ourselves into a

nervous breakdown.

10. We sing The Whole Wide World for Jesus and never invite our

next-door neighbor.

11. We sing O Day of Rest and Gladness and wear ourselves on

traveling, cutting grass or playing golf on Sunday.

12. We sing Throw Out the Lifeline and content ourselves with

throwing out a fishing line.

See: \reference{Luke 6:46}{Luke 6:46}; \reference{Rev

3:15}{Revelation 3:15}

Watching the Clock At Work

Shortly after he opened his first plant, Thomas Edison noticed that his employees were in the habit of watching the lone factory clock. To the inventor who was an indefatigable worker, this was incomprehensible. He did not indicate his disapproval verbally. Instead he had dozens of clocks placed around the plant, no two keeping the same time. From then on clock watching led to so much confusion that nobody cared what time it was.

What Makes Life 100%?

We have all been to those meetings where someone wants over 100%. Here's a little maths that might prove helpful in the future.

What makes life 100%??

Well, if: A = 1, B = 2, C = 3, D = 4 etc to Z = 26.

THEN:

H A R D W O R K

8 1 18 4 23 15 18 11 = 98 % Only

K N O W L E D G E

11 14 15 23 12 5 4 7 5 = 96 % Only

BUT:

A T T I T U D E

1 20 20 9 20 21 4 5 = 100 %

*

Not Time For A Committee Meeting

On a freezing winter day in December 1987 three children were playing on the icy surface of a Vermont pond when the ice gave way under their combined weight. The two girls pulled themselves out, but four-year-old Zeke flailed helplessly in the water, clinging to a broken chunk of ice. Suddenly, their 80-pound dog let out a series of barks and plunged into the frigid water. She snagged Zeke's coat

securely in her teeth and pulled the terrified youngster toward the bank and into shallow water, where he could stand. The dog then

turned and offered her tail to Zeke. The boy grabbed it and was towed to safety.

There are times when believers find themselves in a spot similar to Zeke's. When a fellow soldier is down on the battlefield, it's not

time for a committee meeting. We need to plunge in and help pull him to safety.

Three Different Perspectives

Three men worked on a large building project. One was asked, "What

are you doing?" "I'm mixing mortar," he said. The second man said,

"I'm helping put up this great stone wall." When the third man was

asked, he replied, "I'm building a cathedral to the glory of God."

Those three men could just as well have been working on a car, a

truck, a house, a road, or any legitimate product or service a man or

woman might provide. Most people work to earn a living, attain

success, or amass wealth. Such reasons, however, must not be the

Christian's primary motive for working. Like the third man in our

story, we need to see that what gives work eternal value is not the

product or service of our labor but the process of laboring itself --

doing the job faithfully to the glory of the Lord.

When Her Work Changed

An executive secretary once said, "When I began to envision Jesus

standing behind my boss, my work changed. I had to do my very best.

Even the menial task of serving coffee became a joy, and my attitude

changed from arrogance to respect." --Worldwide Challenge Magazine

Working To Be Seen of Men

It is to be feared that many of our protestations of consecration

really mean nothing, because we mean that we will do for God what we

like to do and what is pleasant to do and nothing more. Some one

likens such consecration to a horse that he once possessed:

"I had a horse once that was a trifling horse, one of those

highbred, blooded horses; but he would not work at anything in the

world, except a red-striped buggy. Hitch him to a wagon, and he would

not pull a hen off a roost; he was no good at all. But hitch him to a

red-striped buggy, and he would just trot it off at a three-minute

gait."

How like many members of the church! Hitch them to a prayer meeting

and they won't budge; hitch them to a family prayer and they won't

work at all; but Sunday morning hitch them to a red-striped buggy and

they will go down the road lickity-spindle! --Topical Illustrations

Go Do Like He Done

Jude 1:3

My Source: THE SOUTHSIDE BULLETIN

Fort Worth, TX

Volume 5, #44, October 29, 1981

Author: Unknown

=========================================

GO AND DO LIKE HE DONE

[Editor's Note--The following story has circulated in the bulletins over the years in the brotherhood. Its pointed humor makes it a "classic" in bulletin articles. It is submitted here for those who have never read it.--Bob Barnhill]

When the newly hired salesman wrote his first sales report to the home office it stunned the brass in the sales department. Obviously, the new "hope" was a blithering illiterate, for here's what he had written:

"I seen this outfit which they ain't never

boughts a dimes worth of nothing from us,

and I sole them a couple hundred thousand

dollars of guds. I am now going to Chcawgo."

Before he could be given the heaveho by the sales manager, along came another letter:

"I cum here and sole them hafa millyon."

Fearful if he did, and fearful if he didn't fire the illiterate peddler, the sales manager decided to dump the problem in the lap of the president. The following morning the members of the ivory tower were flabbergasted to see the two reports on the bulletin board--and this note tacked above:

"We ben spending two much time trying to spel

instead of trying to sel. Lets watch those sails.

I want everyboddy should ready these letters

from Gooch who is on the rode doing a grate

job for us, and you should go and do like he

done."

Likewise, in the church we may become so involved in details that we forget the importance of actually getting the job done! Preaching the gospel, saving souls, and helping the downtrodden are deeds to perform rather than theories to discuss.

I'm Quittin'

An irate brother dropped by the preacher's study one morning. He had a long list of grievances. Obviously unhappy to the point of misery, the disgruntled fellow finally blurted out, "Preacher, I'm quittin'! I won't be at church anymore!" The wise preacher didn't argue. He expressed his concern over the brother's decision. "I am truly sorry you feel that way," he said. "I wonder if you would do me a big favor on your way home? Sister Brown has been ill for sometime and needs help with the cost of her medicine. Brother and sister Ray handed me this fifty dollar bill at worship and asked me to get it to sister Brown. Do you mind stopping by on your way home and giving it to her?" The brother agreed and took his departure.

The next Lord's day he was in his regular place at worship. "But I understood you to say you were quitting," said the preacher. "What happened?" "Preacher," said the subdued brother, "when I gave that fifty dollars to sister Brown, she wanted to hug me! The joy and gratitude that I saw in her eyes made me wish I had been the one who gave her that money. And that made me realize how good the couple must have felt who did give it. I've had my eyes opened. You don't need to worry! From now on I'll be at worship!"

My Source: 1996 Fort Worth Lectures, "The Christian Man Working for Christ," by Gary B. Adams-- \webpage{http://www.startext.net/np/btcoc/96gba.htm}

(untitled)

When it came time to move books to a new library at Wheaton

College, the president announced to students in chapel that on the

following Saturday there would be employment for all who wished to

help move the books. He stated clearly that they would be paid in

proportion to their work, that is, so much for each trip with books

from the old library to the new - and not on an hourly basis.

On Saturday morning a visitor on campus asked why the students were

running across campus.

Looking out the window, the president explained, "You will notice

that the students carrying books to the new library walk so that the

books will arrive in proper order, but when they return for another

load of books they are on their own, and those who want to earn more

hurry back to the library. None loiter to chatter on company time, or

stop at the water fountain."

(untitled)

A girl said to an accomplished soloist, "I'd give the world to be

able to sing like that."

Back come the answer, "Would you give two hours a day?"

(untitled)

A father who had climbed the ladder of success by dint of hard work

told the dean of a college where he hoped to send his son to school,

that he wanted to spare his son from such hardship, and that he

intended to give him all the money he wanted.

Whereupon the dean suggested he send the boy to another college.

"Our college already has enough students on that road to perdition.

COUNTING YOUR BLESSINGS

Many years ago a Kentucky grandmother gave a new bride the following recipe for washing clothes....

1. Bilt fire in backyard to heat kettle of rain water.

2. Set tubs so smoke wont blow in eyes if wind is pert.

3. Shave one hole cake of lie soap in bilin water.

4. Sort things, make 3 piles. 1 pile white, 1 pile colored, 1 pile work britches and rags.

5. To make starch, stir flour in cool water to smooth, then thin down with bilin water.

6. Take white things, rub dirty spots on board, scrub hard, and then bile. Rub colored, don't bile, just rinch and starch.

7. Take things out of kettle with broomstick handle, then rinch, and starch.

8. Hang old rags on fence.

9. Spread tea towels on grass.

10. Pore rinch water in flower bed.

11. Scrub porch with hot soapy water.

12. Turn tubs upside down.

13. Go put on clean dress, smooth hair with hair combs. Brew cup of tea, sit and rock a spell and count your blessings.

Hang this above your Automatic Washer, and when things look bleak, read it again, and count YOUR blessings!

Much Talk, No Work

Luke 6:46

Why do you call Me "Lord, Lord," and not do the things which I say. --Luke 6:46

An elderly man visited a church during a business meeting. After a number of reports were presented, the chairman of the evangelism committee stood and solemnly stated that there were 200 homes in their county without a Bible.

There was a moment of silence, and then the elderly visitor rose and asked, "How did you obtain the information about these 200 families?" The chairman proudly reported that the committee had canvassed the area, filled out forms, and compiled all the data.

The old man then replied, "There are at least 200 people in this meeting. Each one could take a Bible to one family in less time than you are spending here listening to statistics and reports. You are only playing at religion. It's all talk, only talk!"

Too many churches have become just religious clubs with committees, boards, and programs, but are producing nothing. If half the energy spent in talking about the program of the church could be channeled into spreading the gospel, countless thousands could be won for Christ. Pious talk and lengthy resolutions cannot take the place of proclaiming the precious message of the grace of God.

Let's have less talk and more work! --M. R. De Haan, M.D.

To the work! To the work! We are servants of God,

Let us follow the path that our Master has trod;

With the balm of His counsel our strength to renew,

Let us do with our might what our hands find to do. --Crosby

After all is said and done, there is far more said than done.

The Committee

Submitted by: Archie P Stevens

Committee: The unable, assigned by he unwilling to do the undesirable.

There are 3 Kinds of people in the world:

- Those who make things happen

- Those who watch things happen

- Those who don't have a clue what happened

Quotes On Work, Activity, Labor

John 4:34

QUOTES ON ACTIVITY/LABOR

===============================

“There should be less talk. What do you do then? Take a broom and clean someone’s house. That says enough.”

-- Mother Teresa

“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant.”

-- Robert Louis Stevenson

“Well done is better than well said.”

-- Ben Franklin, QFTM 11/15/02

“You see, in life, lots of people know what to do, but few people actually do what they know. Knowing is not enough! You must take action.”

-- Anthony Robbins

“One of the marks of superior people is that they are action-oriented. One of the marks of average people is that they are talk-oriented.”

-- Brian Tracy

“Inspirations never go in for long engagements; they demand immediate marriage to action.”

-- Brendan Francis

“The most drastic and usually the most effective remedy for fear is direct action.”

-- William Burnham

“What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.”

-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

“The path to success is to take massive, determined action.”

-- Anthony Robbins

“God gives every bird its food, but He does not throw it in the nest.”

-- unknown, cited in More of… The Best of BITS & PIECES

“For all sad words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these, ‘It might have been’.”

-- John Greenleaf Whittier, Quotes From the Masters, 2/26/02

“Words without actions are the assassins of idealism.”

-- Herbert Clark Hoover, Quotes From the Masters, 2/26/02

“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”

-- Theodore Roosevelt, QFTM, 3/15/02

“How can you come to know yourself? Never by thinking; always by doing. Try to do your duty, and you’ll know right away what you amount to. And what is your duty? Whatever the day calls for.”

-- Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe (1749-1832), poet and philosopher, BP 7/30/02

“Life is a compromise of what your ego wants to do, what experience tells you to do, and what your nerves let you do.”

-- Bruce Crampton, professional golfer, B&P 9/26/02

“Work is effort applied toward some end. The most satisfying work involves directing our efforts toward achieving ends that we ourselves endorse as worthy expressions of our talent and character.”

-- William J. Bennett, QFTM 11/15/02

“All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.”

-- Martin Luther King, Jr., QFTM 11/15/02

“Women now have choices. They can be married, not married, have a job, not have a job, be married with children, unmarried with children. Men have the same choice we’ve always had: work, or prison.”

-- Tim Allen (http://www.bigwacko.com/)

“Inspiration usually comes during work, rather than before it.”

-- Madeleine L’Engle, Wit & Wisdom 4/26/04

"Resolve that whatever you do, you will bring the whole man to it; that you will fling the whole weight of your being into it."

-- Orison Swett Marden

"Unless you are willing to drench yourself in your work beyond the capacity of the average man, you are just not cut out for positions at the top."

-- J.C. Penney

"There has never yet been a man in our history who led a life of ease whose name is worth remembering."

-- Theodore Roosevelt

Work Is Worship and Ministry, Baylor Professor Says

John 5:17

People who think they'll have nothing to do in heaven but sit on a cloud and play the harp might be in for a surprise. A Baylor University professor believes there will be work in heaven, and he thinks that is a good thing.

Work isn't just something people do to earn a living; it is a blessing from God, says Blaine McCormick, assistant professor of management in Baylor University's Hankamer School of Business.

"We are created by a worker, created in a worker's image and created to work," McCormick said.

McCormick said work was cursed in the Fall but isn't a curse in and of itself. Rather, he views it as part of the creation of which God said, "It is good."

McCormick said heaven holds the promise not of freedom from work, but of eternity spent in meaningful labor that is free from the curse of original sin. "Why go to heaven? Because the work is so good there," he quipped.

McCormick, a layman in the Church of Christ, discussed faith in the workplace with both the governing commission and advisory board of consultants for the Baptist General Convention of Texas ethics and public-policy agency.

McCormick said work is a blessing to parents because it teaches children self-discipline, the value of a good reputation, financial responsibility and other life lessons. It is a blessing to communities because it brings security. "The safest places on earth have the strongest industrial bases," he observed.

Christians worship through their work, he said, when they recognize their job as a "celebration of individual gifts" and the opportunity to "feel God's pleasure" as they use their gifts and talents.

Most Christians see vocational church work as ministry, but McCormick said every honorable vocation is a potential place of ministry.

He noted that Jesus called two tax collectors -- Matthew and Zacchaeus. One, Matthew, he told to leave his tax tables. But he called Zacchaeus to return to work and perform his duties justly. "The calling to stay can be really holy, just as the calling to go can be," McCormick said.

McCormick criticized popular entertainment for often portraying businessmen as villains. "A manager, by definition, is a minority," McCormick said. He said society would not allow Hollywood to scapegoat and stereotype other minorities as it does business leaders.

He said business can be an honorable ministry when a Christian recognizes opportunities to create jobs, improve lives and help people change their behavior. For instance, McCormick cited drug screening as an opportunity for Christian employers to offer meaningful intervention for substance abusers.

"I know some businessmen who are quitting committee involvement at church because they think they can get more good done at work," he said.

Preachers and Bible teachers should challenge Christian business leaders to "leaven" the workplace with Christ-like traits that move beyond other principle-centered businesses, McCormick said.

For example, a business leader, while holding to productivity as the standard, might commit the workplace to a Sabbath rest, he said. While rewarding talent as a general hiring practice, a manager might also employ a person with mental disabilities.

Recognizing that "spiritual values complicate matters," businesses traditionally have tried to build a wall of separation between faith and the workplace, according to attorney John Castle, who responded to McCormick's presentation.

"One of the characteristics of our culture has been the way we divide our lives into separate sectors. The way we organize work is the way we tend to organize our lives. So we have fragmented lives -- disconnected lives," observed Castle, a former top executive at EDS.

But that attitude is changing, he added. "We are organizing work differently. Life is coming into the workplace."

For example, during Castle's tenure at EDS, the company began allowing workers to gather for a prayer service on the National Day of Prayer, and the language of prayer and spirituality has become much more common in the workplace.

Castle also noted that many employers are encouraging and modeling volunteerism. "People want to connect," he said. "To live disconnected lives is not what God intended."

George Mason, pastor of Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas, responded to McCormick by focusing on the church's role in the matter of daily work.

"We need to learn to talk of faith as full-life experience in the world," he noted.

A pastor who wants to call church members to be good and faithful workers must model a good personal work ethic, Mason said. Church leaders demonstrate workplace ethics by treating employees with respect, dealing redemptively with personnel problems that arise. And vocational church workers can demonstrate what it means to be responsible managers by the way they relate to volunteers on committees.

Churches also teach about workplace ethics by the example of how they handle job crises in their membership. And the appearance of facilities teaches what the church believes about "the God of creativity and beauty," he said.

Mason encouraged churches to "celebrate various vocations as gifts for life in the world."

*

Working On A Chain Gang

Colossians 3:22

Sermon in Colossians series. Colossians 3:22 - 4:1

WORKING ON A CHAIN GANG

=======================

I. Slaving away.

II. Back when half the world was enslaved.

III. Four principles of work in Colossians.

A. Work all-out and wholeheartedly.

B. You are employed by Christ, not by your company.

C. Your pay is not just in a check.

D. Those with power will answer to God, like everyone else.

IV. Where is your focus?

A. Paul is more concerned with our relationship with God than men.

B. He is more concerned with the present than the future.

Working On the Chain Gang

In 1995, Alabama officially outlawed slavery. That same year they reinstituted chain gangs. It was a popular move and got attention from around the world. Convicts were chained together to dig ditches & break rocks. A LIFE magazine article said the chains were "strangely beautiful."

A year later, following a lawsuit, the gangs were dropped. Work crews still continue but inmates are shackled individually.

But what humanitarian reason, you ask, did the state of Alabama invoke for doing away with the chain gangs? The reason, according to a state official, was that shackling inmates individually "allows more productive and efficient management of inmates." As Wayne Grytting comments, it's good to know that even in our prisons, "Productivity is job #1." What other American value could we use to justify the end of such a fine tradition?

___________________

New York Times, June 21, 1996.

also http:/www.prisonactivist.orgcrisislabor-of-doing-time.html

"The Labor of Doing Time: The New Chain Gang," by Julie Browne

Quote from Life: Brad Darrach, "Chain Gangs," Life, October 1995, p. 65.

*

Working Class Heroes: Celebrating Labor Day

John 4:34

One of the hottest selling postage stamps today features a famous moment from recent history: three New York City firefighters, in their hard hats and heavy gear, hoisting the American flag at Ground Zero.

In the wake of September 11, kids all over America are wearing baseball caps and T-shirts that read FDNY or NYPD. They are an expression of admiration for the men who gave their lives during the attacks on the World Trade Center.

I for one am happy to join the celebration of working-class heroes -- especially today. Christians have a special reason to celebrate Labor Day, which honors the fundamental dignity of workers, for we worship a God Who labored to make the world -- and Who created human beings in His image to be workers. When God made Adam and Eve, He gave them work to do: cultivating and caring for the earth.

In the ancient world, the Greeks and Romans looked upon manual work as a curse, something for lower classes and slaves. But Christianity changed all that. Christians viewed work as a high calling -- a calling to be co-workers with God in unfolding the rich potential of His creation.

This high view of work can be traced throughout the history of the Church. In the Middle Ages, the guild movement grew out of the Church. It set standards for good workmanship and encouraged members to take satisfaction in the results of their labor. The guilds became the forerunner of the modern labor movement.

Later, during the Reformation, Martin Luther preached that all work should be done to the glory of God. Whether ministering the gospel or scrubbing floors, any honest work is pleasing to the Lord. Out of this conviction grew the Protestant work ethic.

Christians were also active on behalf of workers in the early days of the industrial revolution, when factories were "dark satanic mills," to borrow a phrase from Sir William Blake. Work in factories and coal mines in those days was hard and dangerous. Children were practically slaves -- sometimes even chained to the machines.

Then John Wesley came preaching and teaching the gospel throughout England. He came not to the upper classes, but to the laboring classes -- to men whose faces were black with coal dust and women whose dresses were patched and faded.

John Wesley preached to them -- and in the process, he pricked the conscience of the whole nation.

Two of Wesley's disciples, William Wilberforce and Lord Shaftesbury, were inspired to work for legislation that would clean up abuses in the workplace. At their urging, the British parliament passed child-labor laws, safety laws, and minimum-wage laws.

Here in America we've lost the Christian connection with the labor movement. But in many countries -- from Canada to Poland -- that tradition still remains.

So go ahead: Let your kids wear those NYPD baseball caps and T-shirts that honor New York's firefighters. Buy a few of those postage stamps that show firefighters hoisting the American flag. It's great to celebrate these faithful workers.

But this Labor Day, remember, as well, that all labor derives its true dignity as a reflection of the Creator. And that whatever we do, in word or deed, we should do all to the glory of God.

Back To Work

Luke 2:20

Back To Work

Read: Luke 2:15-20

The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them. --Luke 2:20

If you're going back to work today, what will you take with you from Christmas? A few gifts and some warm holiday memories, or something more?

I like the way J. B. Phillips translates Luke 2:20--"The shepherds went back to work, glorifying and praising God for everything that they had heard and seen, which had happened just as they had been told."

After hearing the angel's announcement of Messiah's birth, after visiting Bethlehem where they found the baby lying in the manger, after telling people the amazing things they had heard about this child--after all this, the shepherds went back to the fields, the sheep, and their daily routine.

But they returned from that first Christmas with something new--hearts full of praise for what they had experienced. Their circumstances were the same, but they themselves were different--they had encountered Christ the Lord.

Have you encountered Christ this Christmas, perhaps through His Word or a new appreciation of His coming? When someone asks, "How was your holiday?" what will you say? With Christ in your heart, you can go back to work with joy and a word of witness to others--glorifying and praising God for everything you have heard and seen. --DCM

Joy to the world! the Lord is come!

Let earth receive her King;

Let every heart prepare Him room,

And heaven and nature sing. --Watts

Take the joy of Christmas with you every day.

Does He Want To Use Me?

1 Corinthians 1:26

Does He Want To Use Me?

Read: 1 Corinthians 1:26-31

God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty. --1 Corinthians 1:27

The work of God is not done by great people but by ordinary people who are committed to Him. We may say to God, "I am nothing. I have no gifts. I often fail miserably. Do You really want to use me?"

The answer to that question is found in God's Word. He used the hesitant, inarticulate Moses to lead Israel to freedom (Ex. 3:13; 4:10). He used men of the herds and flocks, as well as fishermen and farmers to accomplish His work and record His words. A simple carpenter and a peasant girl raised His Son.

That's still the way God works. Although we have "mega-methods," mass media, and superchurches, it is ordinary people who do God's extraordinary work. A grandmother prays faithfully for her 14 grandchildren and talks to each one about trusting Christ. A clerical worker witnesses to everyone in his office. A Christian takes a meal to her unbelieving neighbors when their baby is hospitalized and assures them of her prayers.

When we ask, "Does God really want to use me?" the answer is clear. God chooses "the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty" (1 Cor. 1:27).

God has been using ordinary people like you and me for thousands of years. Why would He stop now? --DCE

Though oft our spirits long to rise

And bask in heavenly realms above,

The Lord has placed us here on earth

To live for Him--to serve, to love. --DJD

Wanted: Ordinary people to do extraordinary work.

(untitled)

Work/Contentment

A state governmental employee sat in his office and out of boredom decide

to see what was in his old filing cabinet. He poked through the contents and

came across an old lamp. As he polished it off, a genie appeared and granted

him three wishes.

"I wish for an ice cold diet soda, right now!" Poof, he was in a quiet

park holding a cold drink. He quickly guzzled it down and now being able to

think more clearly he said, "I wish to be on an island where the world's most

beautiful women reside.

Poof...suddenly he was on a beach with gorgeous women approaching him. He

then told the genie his third and final wish, " I wish I'd never have to work

again!"

Poof...he was back in his government office.

Period of Work

Èeši jsou nejpracovitìjší národ na svìtì.

Alespoò podle statistik. V zamìstnání tráví prùmìrnì 45 h týdnì a suverennì kralují svìtovemu žebøiku nadmìrnì pracujících národù. V Evropì jim mohou konkurovat snad jen Švýcaøi a Turci, v celém svìtì pak jedinì Korejci. O tom jestli Èeši dokážou díky delší prácovní dobì také více vyrobit, však vìtšina manažerù a ekonomù pochybuje.

Worker Dead At Desk For 5 Days

Bosses of a publishing firm are trying to work out why no one noticed that one of their employees had been sitting dead at his desk for FIVE DAYS before anyone asked if he was feeling okay. George Turklebaum, 51, who had been employed as a proofreader at a New York firm for 30 years, had a heart attack in the open-plan office he shared with 23 other workers. He quietly passed away on Monday, but nobody noticed until Saturday morning when an office cleaner asked why he was still working during the weekend.

His boss Elliot Wachiaski said: "George was always the first guy in each morning & the last to leave at night, so no one found it unusual that he was in the same position all that time and didn't say anything. "He was always absorbed in his work and kept much to himself."

A postmortem examination revealed that he had been dead for 5 days after suffering a heart attack. Ironically, George was proofreading manuscripts of medical textbooks when he died. You may want to give your co-workers a nudge occasionally.

And the moral of the story: Don't work too hard. Nobody notices anyway.

*

Work Never Enters Their Mind

Evangelist D. L. Moody once said, "A great many people have a false idea about the Church. They have the idea that the Church is a place to rest in ... to get into a nicely cushioned pew, and contribute to the charities, listen to the minister, and do their share to keep the church out of bankruptcy. That is all they want. The idea of work for them - actual work in the Church - never enters their mind."

Faith In the Workplace: Christianity In A Pluralistic Office

John 4:34

Sarah is in sales. All week long she sells complex, technical specialty software to computer companies. On Sunday she goes to church and drives home wondering how her faith in Christ and her high tech sales job connect.

Her company, wrestling with how to do business in a pluralistic society, takes the easy route when it comes to faith: It's taboo on the job. There's no written policy, but everyone knows. This means that the very truth that guides her life as a believer is unwelcome in the place where she spends most of her waking hours.

Her church also is of limited help. What she hears about faith and work seems to fit into three categories: The purpose of work is evangelism; the purpose of work is to earn money to support the church and world missions; the purpose of work is to teach us obedience. And while she's certain that all three are true -- and they are -- she's also sure there's more.

And thinking Christians know that there's more. Truth applies to all of life. Work -- while tainted by the Fall -- was part of God's plan from the beginning. And so working Christians are turning in increasing numbers to ministries that understand this and that specialize in tackling difficult workplace issues using the Bible.

Marketplace Network, a Boston-based ministry, is an example of one such organization. The Network -- whose goal is to motivate and equip Christians to apply their faith to their work -- finds that workers have an immense interest in the idea that the faith they practice on Sunday has an enormous amount to say about the careers they practice the rest of the week.

Marketplace Network's job is to address the situations it considers typical of the dilemmas faced by any working Christians. Calling these "moments of truth," the ministry works to help Christians understand how the Bible can help them confront those moments with wisdom, competence, and integrity. The list of moments includes: Balancing work and family, defining success, office politics, sexual temptation, and knowing how much money and how many things are enough. Marketplace Network also helps believers learn to share their faith in the context of a pluralistic work environment in a way that isn't easily dismissed.

Marketplace Network President Kent Kusel says that this means that Christians must be taught how to honor God as they deal with difficult bosses or coworkers, lead organizations, and determine policy. Marketplace faith includes doing all things in a way that reflects our love for God, and others, while respecting the differences in a pluralistic work environment.

According to Kusel, teaching Christians to just cope with the workplace isn't enough. Ministries must help the church and individual Christians influence the culture of the workplace -- in short, to help us be good "ambassadors for Christ." And that begins with a strong affirmation of the fact that God created work as the means He has given us to take dominion over creation.

Call us here at BreakPoint, or visit our website, for more information on Marketplace Network or for more information about a Christian understanding of work.

Realizing that simple acts of competence and integrity glorify God is a new idea to Sarah and many workers like her. That awareness carries with it messages of hope in today's workplace.

For more information:

Charles W. Colson, "How Now Shall We Work?" October 2001.

Visit Marketplace Network's website at .

_________________________

What's So Important About Faith and Work?: Contemplating Work's Meaning and Value

John 4:34

In American society, most of us spend more of our waking hours at our jobs than in any other activity. While that may or may not be a positive commentary on our culture, it's a fact that's got to be considered by churches and ministries seeking to equip Christians to live faithfully. Yet, in our work cultures today, most of us have been trained to separate our faith lives from our work lives. The chasm between the two worlds disturbs us, signaling that something is wrong. And this comes at a time when the single most common demographic among people in the church is work, and at a time when the culture of that workplace is most foreign to our faith.

For years we've lived with the belief that the real work of God's kingdom was done by missionaries and members of the clergy. Others work to make money to support the "real work."

Yet, Scripture insists that our work is good. The ancient Greeks thought of work as a curse; Christianity gave meaning to work. Work, for the Christian, is a calling.

After all, Jesus grew up with the callused hands of a carpenter and the very fact that he worked gives dignity to our work.

The Reformation, as I wrote with Jack Eckerd in WHY AMERICA DOESN'T WORK, "struck at society's dualistic view of work. Just as they saw the church comprised of all the people of God, not just the clergy, so the Reformers saw all work -- sacred and secular, intellectual and manual -- as a way of serving God."

Work embraced as a calling expresses the glory of God, and it's part of -- very literally -- following Jesus. Through our work God provides for us and for our families, contributes to the common good, and also gives us a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction. He has given us work as the way to fulfill his mandate to us as humans -- to take dominion over the world he has created. As we work, we extend God's reign and influence as his agents or stewards.

And the way that we take that dominion, confronting the challenges and difficulties that "go with the job," is, in itself, our witness to the reality of God and our faith in Christ. Excellence in our calling, which the Bible calls for, makes the most powerful witness for us in the workplace.

Sure, we could wait for those who are seekers and skeptics to come into our church buildings, but the vast majority never will. We could wait for them to seek out a pastor, but most don't know any. Now more than ever the "indigenous believers," those Christians already in the mission fields of accounting, sales, software, construction, and other honorable vocations, need to be equipped to work with integrity and thus share their faith in actions as well as words.

Believers and non-believers have questions about the meaning and value of work. ... There are those who believe that work is in the midst of a series of cultural changes so large and far-reaching that we are in the middle of another major industrial revolution. Even if that's an overstatement -- and I'm not sure it is -- Christians must seize this opportunity to take the lead in bringing God's truth to bear on work.

Learn more about Marketplace Network at .

_________________________

When "Jesus" Isn't Enough

James 2:16

”Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, it if is not accompanied by action, is dead” (James 2:16-17, NIV).

I recall an occasion when I was going through a very difficult time of grief and discouragement. I shared this with a friend whose immediate response was, “Are you in the Word, Dick?” — meaning are your reading your Bible every day?

My heart sank and I replied, “Joan, what do you do when you are hungry?

“I get the point,” she answered.

“What I need right now is a friend,” I replied.

Sure I believe in reading the Bible and praying daily, but will this take away our pain when we are hurting and desperately lonely? Not for those of us who have feet of clay.

After Elijah’s incredible victory at Mt. Carmel over the 300 prophets of Baal, Queen Jezebel was so furious, she was determined to have Elijah’s head. Elijah fled to save his life — into the wilderness. He was so depressed he sat under a juniper tree and wanted to die. God sent an angel to minister to him and did the angel say, “Elijah, rise and read your Bible and pray?”

No. The angel said, “Rise and eat!”

Elijah was emotionally, spiritually, and physically exhausted. What he needed was a good meal. Sometimes that’s what we need too when the cares and/or pressures of life have got us down. Or we need a loving hug … or someone just to listen to us, to care, and understand — not to give us advice or try to fix us, but just to be with us and give us their loving presence.

James had it right. True religion is not only to “walk with God” but to understand people’s immediate and felt needs and to minister to them at their point of need — or to be “as Christ” to them.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, when I feel all stressed out, help me to find loving and understanding friends to reach out to. And when my friends reach out to me for loving support when they are hurting, help me to be there for them and give them my loving presence without any kind of compulsion to give them advice or try to fix them. Gratefully in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

What Equals 100%?

What Does It Mean To Be 100% from a strictly mathematical viewpoint?

What Equals 100%? What does it mean to give MORE than 100%? Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%? We have all been in situations where someone wants you to give over 100%? How about achieving 101%? What equals 100% in life?

Here's a little mathematical formula that might help you answer these questions:

If: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z is represented as:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26,

then: H-A-R-D-W-O-R-K

8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%

and K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E

11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%

But, A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E

1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%

AND, look how far the love of God will take you...

L-O-V-E-O-F-G-O-D

12+15+22+5+15+6+7+15+4 = 101%

Therefore, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that: While Hard work and Knowledge will get you close, and Attitude will get you there, it's the Love of God that will put you over the top!

*

[Original illustration at this number was a duplicate of HolwickID #1299]

He Adapted To the Sabbath and Came To Like It

Amos 8:5

A.J. Jacobs, an editor-at-large for Esquire magazine and a secular Jew, did a special assignment of living for one year by the precepts of the Bible, as literally as he could. The result was his book THE YEAR OF LIVING BIBLICALLY.

One of the hardest commandments for him to keep was the Sabbath. A.J. had been a workaholic who was used to working 24 hours a day. The first thing he would do when he woke up was check his Blackberry. It was a huge struggle to adapt to a work-forbidden day, but he came to see it as a great thing. Instead of constantly checking his email, he spent the day with his family. He said each Sabbath became a real smell-the-roses type of day for him. He found it to be a day for joy, for just really reconnecting with his life and realizing that work is not everything.

The change was such a large one he had to do it in stages but he has come to love it and still practices it. Ironically, he is still an agnostic. But now he is a much more spiritual one.

________

*

[Original illustration at this number was a duplicate of HolwickID #25622]

A Spirit of Fun

A SPIRIT OF FUN

We tend to think of work and play as opposites. We go to work to be serious, and when we leave work behind, we can have fun.

But a close look at successful people reveals that most of them enjoy their work immensely!

Look for ways to inject fun into your working life. Not fun at the expense of work, but fun IN work.

When the heart is light and the mind is playful, your creativity is much greater, your zest for living is reflected in everything you do, and your results are better and more satisfying.

The more you can genuinely enjoy your job, the more effective you will be!

The Lost Dr. Seuss Book

I love my Job, I love the Pay!

I love it more and more each day.

I love my Boss; he’s the best!

I love his boss and all the rest.

I love my Office and its location–

I hate to have to go on vacation.

I love my furniture, drab and gray,

and the paper that piles up every day!

I love my chair in my padded Cell!

There’s nothing else I love so well.

I love to work among my Peers–

I love their leers and jeers and sneers.

I love my Computer and all its Software;

I hug it often though it doesn’t care…

I love each Program and every File,

I try to understand once in a while!!

I’m happy to be here, I am I am;

I’m the happiest Slave of my uncle Sam.

I love this Work: I love these Chores.

I love the Meetings with deadly Bores.

I love my Job — I’ll say it again–

I even love these friendly Men–

These men who’ve come to visit today

In lovely white coats to take me away!!!

Longest Commutes

New York City residents spend an average of about one full week a year getting to work — the longest commute time in the nation among large cities, according to a new ranking of American Community Survey data released today by the U.S. Census Bureau.

New York City residents take an average of 38.4 minutes to get to work each day — more than five minutes longer than Chicagoans, who face a commute of 32.7 minutes.

States with some of the longest commute times are New York (30.8 minutes), Maryland (30.0), New Jersey (28.3), Illinois (26.7) and California (26.6) —all above the national average of 24.4 minutes. States with the shortest commute times are North Dakota (14.8 minutes), South Dakota (15.0), Nebraska (16.1) and Montana (16.7).

News of the Weird has reported twice on incredibly long daily commutes to work (a 25-year U.S. Navy Dept. employee, 342 miles round trip from Trenton, New Jersey, to Washington, D.C., reported in 1992, and a 39-year veteran rural West Virginia newspaper carrier, 200 miles round trip, reported in 1996). A January 2004 Boston Globe profile of retirement-fund analyst Stephen Jordan described his 340-mile daily round trip from his farm in Augusta, Maine, to his downtown Boston office, but unlike the other two, who drove all the way, Jordan drives only to Portland and takes a train to Boston (on which he “get[s] a ton of work done,” he said).

You Shall Go To Work

John 4:34

As his station in life slowly improved over that of his poor relatives, Lincoln was frequently called upon for assistance. He always displayed a keen interest in the welfare of those who had been close to him in his youth, especially his stepmother, and gave liberally to their aid from his limited means. The following letter to his stepbrother, however, shows that he was not to be imposed upon in this respect. It also bespeaks a regard for the dignity and value of labor that is in the best American tradition. He wrote:

Dear Johnston:

Your request for eighty dollars I do not think it best to comply with now. At the various times when I have helped you a little you have said to me, “We can get along very well now”; but in a very short time I find you in the same difficulty again. Now, this can only happen by some defect in your conduct. What that defect is, I think I know. You are not lazy, and still you are an idler. I doubt whether, since I saw you, you have done a good whole day's work in any one day. You do not very much dislike to work, and still you do not work much, merely because it does not seem to you that you could get much for it.

This habit of uselessly wasting time is the whole difficulty; it is vastly important to you, and still more so to your children, that you should break the habit. It is more important to them, because they have longer to live, and can keep out of an idle habit before they are in it, easier than they can get out after they are in.

You are now in need of some money; and what I propose is, that you shall go to work, “tooth and nail,” for somebody who will give you money for it. Let father and your boys take charge of your things at home, prepare for a crop, and make the crop, and you go to work for the best money wages, or in discharge of any debt you owe, that you can get; and, to secure you a fair reward for your labor, I now promise you, that for every dollar you will, between this and the first of May, get for your own labor, either in money or as your own indebtedness, I will then give you one other dollar. By this, if you hire yourself at ten dollars a month, from me you will get ten more, making twenty dollars a month for your work.

In this I do not mean you shall go off to St. Louis, or the lead mines, or the gold mines in California, but I mean for you to go at it for the best wages you can get close to home in Coles County. Now, if you will do this, you will be soon out of debt, and, what is better, you will have a habit that will keep you from getting in debt again. But, if I should now clear you out of debt, next year you would be just as deep in as ever.

You say you would almost give your place in heaven for seventy or eighty dollars. Then you value your place in heaven very cheap, for I am sure you can, with the offer I make, get the seventy or eighty dollars for four or five months' work. You say if I will furnish you the money you will deed me the land, and, if you don't pay the money back, you will deliver possession. Nonsense! If you can't now live with the land, how will you then live without it? You have always been kind to me, and I do not mean to be unkind to you. On the contrary, if you will but follow my advice, you will find it worth more than eighty times eighty dollars to you.

-- Abraham Lincoln to John D. Johnston, January 2, 1851

105 Sermon Illustrations on Work