Podcast
iWork4Him PowerThought
Hosted by Jim & Martha Brangenberg · EN
Prepping for work each day, chug your coffee and take a short swig of workplace inspiration with the iWork4Him PowerThoughts. Hosts Jim & Martha Brangenberg give you a 1-minute daily challenge to live out your faith at work. Each episode is designed to kick off your day with an idea you can put into practice as soon as you get to work. The iWork4Him PowerThoughts are focused on helping you to recognize that your workplace IS your mission field. Catch new episodes every Weekday.
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The Model to Follow
Yesterday00:01:01Tap to summarizeRelationship. Relational. Is there any better word to describe Christianity that sets our "religion" apart from all others? Our faith is based solely on relationship. And is there any better model for us to follow? In our life, in our work? And the basis of this relationship model is LOVE. 1 Corinthians 13:1-2 If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn't love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God's secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn't love others, I would be nothing. Are you a NOISY GONG in YOUR workplace? We invite you to SHIFT to LOVE in your workplace today.
Transcribe →A Place Where People are Loved
2d ago00:01:01Tap to summarize72% of people who get up and go to work every day think "nobody cares about me". That's a WHOLE LOT of hurting people that will never experience God's love. So, what if we just took God's love to them? What if there was a chaplain in the workplace that looks just like them, that meets them where they are; to just listen, pray and love them? Workplace chaplains DO exist and are more and more common in today's workplaces! And THAT is the gospel! Echoing Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 9, "When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some. I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings." So, we challenge you, look into finding a chaplain for your people and transform your workplace into a place where people are loved.
Transcribe →Are you making this a priority?
3d ago00:01:01Tap to summarizePer a 2015 Barna Group study, only 20 percent of Christian adults are involved in some sort of discipleship activity. And, less than one-quarter of Christian adults (23%) are currently being discipled by someone one-on-one. Discipleship in the context of work is known as "mentorship". How about YOU? Are you allowing someone to mentor you as a Christ follower in your work? And if you are a "seasoned" professional, Are YOU making it a priority to intentionally mentor a next generation co-worker? We encourage you to pray about mentorship this week and ask the Lord "Who would you like me to mentor Lord?" and "Would you provide a God-honoring mentor for me?"
Transcribe →An Investment in People
4d ago00:01:01Tap to summarizeAfter years of meeting with and interviewing people from all types of work and all organizational levels, there is one major truth that keeps bubbling up to the surface. The investment IN PEOPLE, above all else, pays not only Kingdom dividends, but business dividends as well. This is what Christ did, and it is the ultimate example of Christ's holy character: Matthew 20:28 says "For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many." When we invest in our employees, the next generation, or future leaders in our workplace, we are giving away our life as a true Christ follower. What is ONE commitment you will make today, to start investing in the life of another in YOUR workplace?
Transcribe →Bad Boss vs. Good Boss
5d ago00:01:01Tap to summarizeThere is a word that defines the bible, defines Christ, and defines leadership. That word is LOVE. But isn't love seemingly contrary to business and how it operates? Or IS IT? Did you ever have a bad boss? What quality of work did you do for them? Did you ever have a great boss? One that got the absolute best work from you? What was the difference in those two bosses? I'll bet it was LOVE. Love that respects, listens, appreciates and builds up. 1 John 3:11 This is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another. Said another way, control disconnects. Love connects. This connection (which is actually LOVE) translates to the bottom line. We invite you to pick ONE DAY AT WORK THIS WEEK, and TRY IT.
Transcribe →Put to Better Use
1w ago00:01:01Tap to summarizeAre you feeling as though you're just going to work on auto-pilot? That you can do your work now, with your eyes closed, with one arm tied behind your back? When's the last time you asked God to stretch YOU, in your work? Comfort is not a place Christ-followers should be camping out in. .... So how about you? Are you brave enough, to ask "Lord, will you stretch me today? Will you put me to better use, in the place where you would have me be? Will you bless me today with the work you have chosen for me, at this time in my life? .... Hebrews 11:6: And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.
Transcribe →His Intention for Our Day
1w ago00:01:01Tap to summarizeIn the past couple of months, I've heard one word repeatedly out of the mouths of followers of Christ who bring their faith into the workplace. INTENTIONALITY. Intentionality is a concept defined as "the power of a mind to stand for things, properties and states of affairs". WAS and IS Jesus intentional? You bet. Should WE be intentional? You bet. HOW DO we shift to this state of intentionality? By starting with the Lord and asking what His intention is for OUR DAY? For OUR WORK? For OUR TEAM and the clients we serve. By the way, the opposite of intentionality is unconsciously or unknowingly. How will YOU shift the mindset of YOUR work from unconscious to INTENTIONAL, for HIS glory?
Transcribe →Are you growing?
1w ago00:01:01Tap to summarizeWhen's the last time you were UNCOMFORTABLE, OR PUT YOURSELF IN A POSITION TO BE UNCOMFORTABLE in your work? Discomfort = growth, and comfort = stagnation. The people doing the most growing are the ones that submit to spiritual and personal growth, like having a group of fellow Christ followers, who challenge them and hold them accountable, in their professional life, their leadership and business. You know what they say, if you're not growing, you're dying. The wisdom of Proverbs 27:17 says As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend. John Maxwell said it best: If we're growing, we're always going to be out of our comfort zone. What will YOU do this week, in your professional life, to be challenged and GROW?
Transcribe →How and When to Speak
2w ago00:01:01Tap to summarizeAfter a conversation with Dr. Emerson Eggerichs, of Love & Respect, I'm rethinking the way I go about being a peace-keeper. Here's what he said: Sometimes, as peace keepers we hedge on the truth, or just lie, to keep the peace. .... So let's apply that to our workplace. Are you unknowingly hedging on speaking the truth in work situations, to keep the peace? How can you know? You'll probably have a niggling in your spirit, an unsettledness. So what can we do to know when to speak the truth: We can check in with the Holy Spirit in the moment, before conversing, and pray for wisdom for how and when to speak. Keeping the peace may not be what best serves the organization. But speaking the truth is. So how about you?
Transcribe →From Darkness to Hope
2w ago00:01:01Tap to summarizeIf you're someone who watches or reads the news, then you know that there are a lot of bad things going on in the world today. From pandemics and civil wars to inflation and genocides, there is no shortage of darkness in the twenty-first century. How does all this sorrow and hardship affect your life? How about your work? Do you take it with you to the office? Do you chat with your co-workers about it? Do you live in fear or frustration? Bad news was going on during Jesus's day as well, but the Apostle Paul writes in Philippians 4:8, "Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise." Today, I invite you to fix your mind on what is GOOD and then speak about it to your co-workers, who desperately need the hope of Christ.
Transcribe →