Category Archives: Faith and Work

“It’s the most wonderful time . . . of the year!”

Posted on April 13, 2012 | Leave a comment

It will soon be Tax Day, which also means that members of the clergy and lots of other folks will soon be paying their estimated taxes for the first quarter of this year. My four-year-old son and I took care of that important task this afternoon.

The High Calling, in honor of this time of the year that binds most of us together, recently posted “The Work of an Accountant,” highlighting the vocation of Scott Killen of Charleston, South Carolina. Here’s a little taste of it:

In Scott’s opinion, America is “money-locked.” Those who believe the American Dream and social acceptance are secured by financial well-being often trust their accountant more than they trust their closest friends. According to Scott, people with and without money are afraid of finding themselves alone. “We trade our souls every day for money, but relationships are all we have in the end.”

You can read the rest of this mini-interview with Scott Killen here.

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Posted in Faith and Work, Relationships, Stewardship

Earl Scruggs: Rest in Peace, and Rise in Glory

Posted on March 29, 2012 | 1 Comment

Yesterday I had the pleasure of hearing my colleague from St. Stephen’s Church, the Rev. Nancy Brantingham, offer a mid-day reflection on vocation to students and a few faculty at the University of St. Thomas School of Law in downtown Minneapolis. She reminded them that all of us, not just members of the clergy, have a vocation  – a calling – and that it’s the work that we can’t not do.

Nancy happened to give her talk on the same day that Earl Scruggs, the most famous banjo player in the world, died at the age of 88. He was raised on a farm in North Carolina during the Great Depression. When he was only 4 years old, his father died, and Earl started playing the banjo. At the age of 10, he figured out the three-finger style of picking that had already existed in North Carolina.

It was Earl, however, who perfected and popularized that “new” technique that would come to be known as “Scruggs-Style Picking.” The banjo had been reborn.

This man knew his vocation, his calling, as did the world.

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Posted in Faith and Work

Monday Connection: Restoration Work and Faith

Posted on March 19, 2012 | Leave a comment

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Posted in Faith and Work, Monday Connection

Monday Connection: “Is your work a high calling?”

Posted on March 12, 2012 | Leave a comment

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Posted in Faith and Work, Monday Connection

Monday Connection: “What is the role of a leader?”

Posted on March 5, 2012 | Leave a comment

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Posted in Faith and Work, Monday Connection

Monday Connection: “What are you for God’s sake?”

Posted on February 6, 2012 | 1 Comment

Today’s Monday Connection is a reflection that was written by Susan Stabile, who teaches on the faculty of the University of St. Thomas Law School in Minneapolis and blogs at Creo en Dios!  It’s called “For God’s Sake,” and I hope that you find it as encouraging in the high calling of your daily work as I have:

The other day I was back and forth with my friend Richard on e-mail about something. After I wrote a message explaining why the subject of our conversation was important to me, he responded, “Well, that and, you are an attorney, for God’s sake.” “Literally,” he added.

Although his intended use of “for God’s sake” in his sentence was as an exclamation for emphasis, I smiled at my friend’s wonderful afterthought. Although I am no longer a practicing lawyer, there is accuracy to the meaning conveyed by his phrase when one omits the comma from it: I am an Attorney for God’s Sake, as I am a Law Professor for God’s Sake, or a Retreat Director for God’s Sake, or any of the other descriptions I may use to explain my various roles.

If my life belongs to God, then there is no part of my life that is separate from my discipleship. Everything I am, everything do, is a response to God’s call. Everything I am and do is for God’s sake, for the furtherance of God’s plan for me and for the world.

And the same is true for you.

Who are you for God’s sake?

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Posted in Faith and Work, Monday Connection

Tomorrow: Ron James on “Societal Trends in Ethics”

Posted on February 4, 2012 | Leave a comment

The picture below shows the Commons Room at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Edina, Minnesota, which overlooks Minnehaha Creek through the windows on the left. This morning, however, all eyes were focused on Ron James, President and CEO of the Center for Ethical Business Cultures, who was our guest speaker at St. Stephen’s “Faith & Work Lecture.” About 40 people with backgrounds in the corporate world, non-profit organizations, and educational institutions registered for his presentation “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: Exploring Ethics in the Workplace.” It was a wonderfully rich and thought-provoking conversation.

The good news is that Ron James will be returning to St. Stephen’s tomorrow morning to speak at the Rector’s Forum in the Commons Room at 10:15 a.m. He will be sharing with us “Societal Trends in Ethics,” so come and join us!

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Posted in Faith and Work, St. Stephen's