Work
“Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” the Apostle Paul wrote. Well, and for most of us, the lion’s share of our day revolves around work. For your own life, you know what that whatever you do implies – it’s all about the labors that fill your day. You may be expending most of your energies in a given day working in the home; or, for a supervisor at some office or factory; perhaps you are self-employed and the boss who drives you all day long is you. But whichever of those realities is yours, it is still The Lord God you serve. Christ is your ultimate Master in everything. How does one hold that perspective and serve Him, with all the middle-managers between here and Him? The books seen below can help.
-
A Good Return: Biblical Principles for Work, Wealth and Wisdom (John C. Lennox)
$19.99The world of work is expanding. New technologies, industries and means of meeting apart–and–still–together, have presided in the transition of the workplace into a fast, digital and busier–than–ever era. In whichever sector you care to name, work is increasing exponentially, for reducing rewards and benefits. It is more than easy to complain, drag one’s feet while getting out of the door, and face daily tasks with an apathetic attitude.
A Good Return does not provide maxims to get you through the day. Instead, it is a book that encourages Christians to view their workspace, be it field, car, classroom or office, as an avenue of worship.
John C. Lennox has crafted a book with thoughtful, biblical and evangelical deliberation on our behavior in, and towards, our work. With his trademark clarity, faithfulness and wisdom, Lennox curates room for a wider discussion on Christian approaches toward salaries, time management, motivation and attitudes amidst a workspace environment.
$22.99 -
Gospel Centered Work (Tim Chester)
$9.99Numerous books set out to help Christian parents in the challenging mission of raising their children well—so what’s different about this one? Well, the answer’s in the title! It’s not about how the gospel fits into Christian family life, but how family life should fit into the gospel—God’s greatest purpose for this universe, achieved in Christ.
Many books aim to raise up competent, balanced parents and well-trained, well-rounded children. But Tim Chester and Ed Moll focus on families growing God-knowing, Christ-confessing, grace-receiving, servant-hearted, mission-minded believers—adults and children together.
Christian families should be about…
– not just making good citizens but also church planters, missionaries, reformers, servants and evangelists;
– not just learning about God but also showing him to others;
– not just controlling behavior but also changing the heart;
– not just parents and children, but being an integral part of the wider church family.In twelve concise chapters, Gospel-Centered Family takes us through the major Bible principles for family life, challenging us to give up our ‘respectable’ middle-class idols, and to become the distinctively different people that God, through his gospel, calls us to be.
$12.99 -
How to Stay Christian in Seminary (David Mathis and Jonathan Parnell)
$7.99How to Stay Christian in Seminary takes a refreshingly honest look at the seminarian’s often-neglected devotional life, offering real-world advice for students eager to survive seminary with a flourishing faith.
$9.99 -
It’s Not About Me: Seven Key Principles for the Heart of Corporate America
$12.99There’s nothing quite like a young professional ready to take on the world. Ripe for growth, hungry to learn, and eager to help a company win.
The problem most young professionals run into at the earliest stages of his or her career is this: it’s about me.
What salary can I make? What bonus structure can I achieve? What cars can I drive? What house can I live in? What vacation policies can best maximize my time? And maybe most importantly . . . Who can help me attain all those things?
After working in corporate America, Randall Haug noticed these things, as a young professional, and started formulating a simpler, better way forward: it’s not about me.
The mantra is simple enough but, when taken to heart and lived out on a day-to-day basis, will make a bigger difference than you might realize. A difference that corporate America is in need of. A difference that starts at the bottom and trickles its way up. A difference that doesn’t happen overnight, but will take years to implement.
And it starts on page one.
-
Rethinking Retirement: Finishing Life for the Glory of Christ (John Piper)
$3.99With this brief book, Piper is sure to spur fellow baby boomers in their resolve to invest themselves in the sacrifices of love–and to grow old with godly zeal.
$4.99 -
Run to Win: The Lifelong Pursuits of a Godly Man (Tim Challies)
$9.75As a Christian man, you are already running the race of life. You are not competing against other people, but against the deadly enemies of the world, the flesh, and the devil. How do you plan to maintain your pace throughout this race?
To obtain the prize, you will need to run to the very end. You will need to cross that finish line. And to do that, you will need to plan your race. You will need to plan the ways you will run today so you can continue to run in the difficult days ahead. That is what this book is all about.
$11.99 -
Teach Them to Work (Mary Beeke)
$14.50“Mary Beeke has written a remarkable book on the privilege and art of raising children. It is theological, practical, insightful, helpful, and a delight to read. As I turned the pages, I felt as though I was reading from a Reformed or Puritan classic on the family that had been re-crafted by the pen of a contemporary writer and made accessible to all.
I recommend this work without reservation not only to parents but also to their children. This is a wonderful gift to the family and the church! May it be read far and wide.”
— Paul Washer, director, HeartCry Missionary Society
$18.00 -
Unto Others: Rediscovering the Golden Rule, The Lost Key to Relationships (Dave Swavely)
$13.50Despite the prominence given to the Golden Rule by Christ, and the fact that almost all Christians used to memorize and quote it frequently, this is the only modern book on the subject written from a pastoral and theological perspective. In Unto Others, Dave Swavely unravels the mystery of why this lost treasure has been neglected for so long, makes a clear case for its return to prominence in our thinking and actions, and walks us through a set of very practical steps for using it in our everyday lives.
This book will also be helpful to those interested in comparative religions and the uniqueness of Christianity, since forms of the Golden Rule existed prior to Christ, yet he pioneered a distinct version and approach to it. And those concerned with mercy ministry, social justice, and political theory will also welcome the many insights Swavely provides into the use of the Golden Rule in recent American history.
$15.99 -
12 Ways Your Phone is Changing You (Tony Reinke)
$13.50Do You Control Your Phone—Or Does Your Phone Control You?
Within a few years of its unveiling, the smartphone had become part of us, fully integrated into the daily patterns of our lives. Never offline, always within reach, we now wield in our hands a magic wand of technological power we have only begun to grasp. But it raises new enigmas, too. Never more connected, we seem to be growing more distant. Never more efficient, we have never been more distracted.
Drawing from the insights of numerous thinkers, published studies, and his own research, writer Tony Reinke identifies twelve potent ways our smartphones have changed us—for good and bad. Reinke calls us to cultivate wise thinking and healthy habits in the digital age, encouraging us to maximize the many blessings, avoid the various pitfalls, and wisely wield the most powerful gadget of human connection ever unleashed.
$16.99 -
Ploductivity: A Practical Theology of Work & Wealth (Douglas Wilson)
$12.50Ploductivity: (noun),
- the practice of plodding away at a pile of work, instead of frantically trying to sprint through it all
- being stable and graceful, like a buffalo upon the plains, not frantic, like a prairie dog or roadrunner
Here’s a book that provides a theology for technology, work, and mission that helps you be thoughtfully productive in the digital age.
The key is biblically-rooted wisdom and the ability to create the right habits and the regular discipline to use what we have been given.
$14.95 -
Reforming Journalism (Marvin Olasky)
$16.50Is powerful, biblically principled journalism a lost art? In this three-part work on foundational concepts, practical techniques, and journalism’s agitated history, Marvin Olasky shows us how to become citizen-reporters and discerning consumers of news. Reforming Journalism, if read by our youth and college-age students, could give us a whole different breed in the media.
$19.99 -
Redeeming the Time: A Christian Approach to Work & Leisure (Leland Ryken)
$27.00Do you feel guilty when you aren’t working? Have you swallowed the lie that you cannot glorify God, when at rest, even in relaxing times of enjoyment? In Redeeming the Time, Leland Ryken explores topics about the Christian life addressed by no other writings that we know of.
He analyzes and applies the biblical principles that relate to work and leisure, showing God’s good purpose in all sorts of realms of our lives. Finding answers in Scripture and in the rich heritage of theological thinking, Ryken weaves together insights drawn from a wide array of sources. The result is one of the most informed and practical studies on our day-to-day activities.
$32.00 -
Spiritual Disciplines For the Christian Life (Don Whitney)
$12.99A major work on sanctification in the Christian life for the past 20 years, revised and updated. For over two decades now, this has become the standard book to guide followers of Christ through a personal study of the essential spiritual disciplines. Each one involves your personal growth in the Lord.
Twenty years ago, Don Whitney shed fresh light on how Christians approach Christian growth with the original release of this book. Drawing from a rich heritage of godly believers from Christian history, he guides readers through the disciplines of Bible study, prayer, evangelism, fasting, service, worship, meditation, stewardship, silence, solitude, journaling, and more.
$15.99 -
Practical Religion (J. C. Ryle)
$29.00As with all Ryle’s works, Practical Religion is clear, concise and penetrating. It was designed to be a companion to his other books, Old Paths, Knots Untied and Holiness, providing guidance on how the Christian believer is to live. In Ryle’s own words, it ‘treats of the daily duties, dangers, experience, and privileges of all who profess and call themselves true Christians.’
Far from advocating a works-based religion, these papers are all about how a Christian can practically respond to the grace that has been freely given to him in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Ryle was a great enemy of hypocritical and nominal religion, or ‘churchianity’ as he called it. These articles remain a great plea for a real, heartfelt devotion to the Lord in love and service, founded on the great doctrines of Scripture.
-
Don’t Waste Your Life (John Piper)
$12.50“If you live gladly to make others glad in God, your life will be hard, your risks will be high, and your joy will be full.” —from the Introduction
$14.99 -
Take Up the Shield (Tony Miano)
$9.75Comparing the Uniform of the Police Officer and the Armor of God
Written by a street cop, this unique publication compares the various pieces of law enforcement equipment to the spiritual armor that the Bible describes in Ephesians chapter 6. Real-life law enforcement stories drive home the importance of each piece of equipment.
Although much has been written about these well-known words of the Apostle Paul, this is the first treatment written from the perspective of a Christian police officer. Fighting the battle against crime in our society is also a spiritual battle against the evil of this world.
$12.99
