Blue-Collar Work, Beloved of God: August 3 Newsletter

We live in the age of the entrepreneur, the hipster, the startup, the app. Things new and digital often demand our attention. Sadly, many Christian conversations about the meaning of life and work center around this white-collar perspective, too; easy to apply if you work in a cubicle, not so easy to apply if you work as a plumber.

In this newsletter we’ll ponder what lessons we can learn from viewing Jesus as a blue-collar preacher. We’ll hear what happened when an executive realized (after his midlife crisis) that plumbers might be adding more value to the world than he was. And we’ll hear Mark Roberts’ answer to the man who approached him at an event and said, “I’m getting sick and tired of faith and work conversations that feature business owners and entrepreneurs. Sure, they can be creative in following Jesus at work. But what about ordinary people?”

Ordinary people, take heart. The Son of God chose to become an ordinary person, after all. Read on.

Jesus the Builder

From the Theology of Work Project

Jesus worked in a skilled trade. Just consider how many of his parables take place at construction sites. Read more

Gordon Gekko on My Mind

From The High Calling

For wealth to be created, something has to be made or improved, and this requires labor. The plumber makes the toilet work. The truck driver moves something from where it can’t be used to a place where it can. Any labor that fails to make or improve something creates no wealth. Read more

Are We Inclusive Enough?

From the Theology of Work Project

Can God make a difference in work that seems more like a curse than a blessing? What of work that’s a matter of necessity rather than an exercise of freedom and fulfillment? Mark Roberts ponders these questions in this devotional that comes to us via Life for Leaders. Read more