Book: Ordinary Saints

Theologian and ethicist Robert Benne addresses the Christian life in its religious and moral dimensions by writing about the vocation of the Christian in daily life.  With clarity and authority, he discusses Christian identity, the call of God, moral development, and marriage and family life, among other topics. This fully revised edition includes a study guide for use in classrooms and church study groups.

Contents

1. Our fragmented world
2. The Call of God - the divine initiative
3. The Call of God - Christian nurture-filling the cup of being
4. The calling of a Christian - spilling the cup:  Places of Responsibility
5. The calling of a Christian - spilling the cup:  Moral Development
6. The calling of a Christian - spilling the cup:  The Christian's calling toward Theonomy
7. The callings of a Christian:  Marriage and family life
8. The callings of a Christian:  Work
9. The callings of a Christian:  Public Life
10. The callings of a Christian:  The Church

Book: Working for Our Neighbor: A Lutheran Primer on Vocation, Economics, and Ordinary Life

The Protestant Reformation was a catalyst for social mobility, universal education, and the rise of modern market economies. In his classic study The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, Max Weber showed the connections between Protestantism and the new economics. Weber, however, focused on the Calvinists and Puritans and speculated that economic success became a way of proving one’s election. He thus posited, with little evidence, a spiritual self-interest that was parallel to economic self-interest, distorting both Protestantism and capitalism.

Weber neglected the specifically Lutheran doctrine of vocation, which emphasizes the spiritual and moral value of economic activity. According to Luther, God himself is hidden in vocation, as he providentially works through ordinary human beings to care for his creation. In their work—not only in the economy, but also in family, church, and community—Christians live out their faith in love and service to their neighbors.

For Lutherans, the doctrine of vocation is nothing less than the theology of the Christian life. In its social impact, vocation gave a theological basis for the division of labor, social equality, and individual freedom. In this elucidating work, Gene Edward Veith connects vocation to justification, good works, and Christian freedom—defining how the Lutheran contribution to economics can transfigure ordinary life, and work, with the powerful presence of God.

Book: It's Sunday but Monday is coming

It's Sunday but Monday is coming (finding faith for the rest of the week) by Bill Bohline.

For millions of churchgoers, Sunday is a zone unto itself. It is a time to go to a specialized building, to stand, to sit, to pray, to read a bit of Scripture, to give money, to listen, hopefully to encounter God in some way … and then to go out to lunch. Soon comes Monday, and then Tuesday and the other workdays—a very different kind of world. Memories of Sunday quickly fade. The God who was proclaimed in church as almighty, gracious, and nurturing seems not to be near at all. Or at least we don’t see him at work. This is a book that erases that disconnect. It is about welcoming God to show up in the middle of life’s trials and stresses and hardships and questions. It is about letting the gospel transform us, not just inform us. It is about finding a faith that is real and personal, seven days a week.

What others are saying about It's Sunday but Monday is coming....

What an unusual book. Humor. Tragedy. Theology. Reality. But most of all, hope. Some people wonder if Christian faith really works. Here is the resounding answer of “Yes!”

DR. LEITH ANDERSON, president  National Association of Evangelicals

Bill Bohline’s stories provide hope for anyone who simply wants to live a more fulfilling life. I was inspired both at a personal and professional level.

DR. LISA L. SNYDER, superintendent  

Lakeville (Minn.) Area Public Schools

I LOVE this book! Why? Because it’s about life, the one thing none of us asked to get into and have to die to get out of. Bill points us to life so rich and powerful that it triumphs everything.

REGGIE MCNEAL, national speaker and author

Bill is a very gifted communicator who has the ability to tell a story that makes Scripture real, applies to my life, makes me laugh and makes me cry. In this book, Bill’s gift shines, and Jesus is lifted up. 

KRISTI GRANER, director 

Dare to Believe Ministries

As the daily grind and unexpected circumstances begin to overshadow our Sunday devotions, this book sheds light on how to find God’s love. 

JOEL MANBY, president and CEO 

Herschend Family Entertainment (theme parks)

Bill Bohline masterfully weaves humor and Scripture to remind us of a personal God who yearns to be involved with our lives. A fun read … but also a real boost to spiritual growth!

SUSIE SHELLENBERGER Speaker; founding editor of Brio magazine

Pastor Bill’s powerful, faith-filled stories of God at work challenge us all to expect God’s impact and to wait upon the Lord seven days a week, not just on Sunday…. Humorous, captivating, emotionally gripping. 

JUDGE DAVID KNUTSON 

Dakota County, Minn.

This book quickly awakens our minds, touches our hearts, shows us courage in the face of fears, and brings light to the darkest path. 

PAT MOE, pastor for care ministries 

Hosanna! Lutheran Church

Great humor (often at Bill’s own expense) combine here with unflinching straight talk about the best and toughest parts of life. Throughout the book, we get constant, compelling stories of God’s transformation. 

JOHN CROSBY, senior pastor 

Christ Presbyterian Church, Edina, Minn.

Pastor Bill’s unique writing style will keep you reading (and laughing!), but his message will keep you hungry for more. You’ll discover the same God you worship for an hour on Sunday showing up in the details of your Monday.

MARY J. NELSON, author of Grace for Each Hour

 

Conference: LIfe@Work Conference

Life@Work Conference
Thu Oct 29th, 10am-4pm
Our society is post-Christian and secular - what does it look like for Christians to live out their faith in this context, to be salt & light in the workplace, and to share their faith with their colleagues?
Coinciding with "Witness: Word & Deed", our third annual Life@Work conference, this year we are excited to introduce for the first time a special day for pastors. Join us Thursday October 29 as we consider the pressing need to pastor those in our churches for their public life in the workplace.
Don't miss this special day, co-hosted by Melbourne City Bible Forum & Ridley Marketplace Institute.
Ormond Anglican Church vicar Kevin Pedersen is looking forward to the day:
"This conference presents me with an opportunity to review work we've already done in integrating peoples' work with their faith.  It will help remind me of the tensions my people experience every day as Christians working in a secular environment".

Make sure you're there too.
When: Thursday October 29, 10am-4pm
Where: Metropolitan Hotel (263 William Street, Melbourne Victoria Australia)
Cost: $70 (includes full lunch, morning & afternoon tea)

For an extra $30, join us with members of your churches at the Wednesday or Thursday night session of our Life@Work conference, "Witness: Word & Deed".

In partnership with:

Conference program
10:00am  Conference welcome
10:05-10:30am  On the coalface: A Biblical sketch of work
(Robert Martin, Melbourne City Bible Forum, director)
10:30-11:15am What Christians in the workplace want to know...and need to know
(Andrew Laird, Melbourne City Bible Forum)
11:45-12:15pm  The Pastor goes to work (including "The pastor's perspective", featuring three local pastors)   (Kara Martin, Ridley Marketplace Institute)
12:15-1:30pm  Evangelism in post-Christian Australia today
(Sam Chan, City Bible Forum national communicator)
2:30-3:15pm  Panel: Charting the way forward
Featuring Melbourne church and para-church leaders
3:15-3:45pm  Suggested resources
(Kara Martin, Ridley Marketplace Institute)
4:00pm Conference close

Registrations available at http://citybibleforum.org/city/melbourne/event/lifework-pastors-conference

Book: Thank God its Monday: Sunday's not enough

Let's face it: this generation is increasingly not waking up Sunday morning thinking, what's a great church I can go to today? Part of the problem is that for too long we've made church mostly about Christians doing spiritual stuff on Sundays. Of course, we love our Sundays, but we should be even more excited about our Mondays, because on those days God has positioned us in shop fronts, in salons, in classrooms, in playgroups, on building sites, and in boardrooms where we can engage with those who don't yet know Him. Church must be less about us and more about others. We should be empowering Christians to act as Christ in their communities Monday through Saturday. That's why Christians should be waking up on Mondays declaring, “Thank God it's Monday!” In this thought-provoking book, Paul Bartlett encourages us that can have a huge influence in our community, across our town or city, and throughout the nation. . . and it starts on Monday.

Chapters include:
They're not that just into us just yet
It's not about us
It's not about the building
It's not about the pastor
It's not just about Sundays
It's about the whole week
It's about our people
It's about serving others
A different way to transform our communities

Reflection: Real love is like a soaker hose

The Christian life revolves around having two loves.
One is God. And the other is other people…people in our congregation and people in our wider community.
But loving as God commands is not always easy….some people can be very difficult to love Is there someone you find difficult to love?
Do you struggle with loving some people?
Maybe they have hurt you.
Perhaps they are so different from you that there is nothing in common.
Our struggle to love someone shows that we are human. And it shows that we are serious about love.
Anyone can have a theoretical romantic approach to love. From a distance we can say we care about someone. We can even pray for them. But shouldn't our prayers be the starting point that are pointing us towards some action?
 For instance in Matthew 9:37-38 Jesus says to the disciples ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into the harvest field. Then in the very next verse in chapter 10 guess what He says to the disciples. “You go.”
And that is being active in love.
And such love is hard.
Loving a homeless person, loving someone who has hurt you, loving someone who is different from you or loving a problem person are some of the people God wants us to love. And loving them can be difficult.
Consider verses 12 and 13 of John 15. Jesus says “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”

God is calling us to be involved in a love that gives.
Many people find giving and laying down their life even for their friends difficult much less those people we have problems with.

 As people affected and infected by this world, most of our lives are orientated around what makes us comfortable, what we want, what we can get, what we have.
Giving like Jesus is not a natural thing for us. At times we will struggle in loving others as God has loved us.  There is only one remedy for this.
We need to constantly be connected to the source of love. When it comes to love we are a lot like a soaker hose. A soaker hose is nothing more than a dry bit of rubber. It has no hope of giving life. For it to be effective it needs to be connected to a source of water.
But when it is connected to water, water flows not only into it but also through it and out of it. It not only receives water it also passes water onto whatever is around it. Likewise for us to love like Jesus we need to be connected to God.
And when we do this God and His love not only flows in us, it also flows through us and onto those around us. And so our times of worship together, our times in small groups, our times in personal and family devotions are times where God is not only showing His love to us, but also preparing us to love others as He has loved us.
Now back to your situation and the people you are struggling to love.
It may take time to love as God has loved you. However keep on persevering. Keep listening to God. Some of these people may take time. We are called to live a life of love….loving God and loving others. They are not to be separated.
Remember the Greatest Commandments....Life is about loving God and loving others...and why? because Jesus first loved us.....

 by Pastor Richard Schwedes (Portland-Heywood Lutheran Church)

Lutheran Deaconess Association

The Lutheran Deaconess Association prepares and supports women and men for ministries of service and advances the church's service mission.  They also encourage and support all Christians' service and provide resources for you.  
The Lutheran Deaconess Association has consecrated over 760 deaconesses since 1919. They have served throughout the world in roles such as parish staff, missionaries, social workers, lawyers, nurses, teachers, administrators, and more!  Today, the Lutheran Deaconess Association educates women and men for wide-reaching ministries both in the church and in the community.
God calls every Christian to service or, in Greek, diakonia.  As Jesus took a towel and washed the feet of His disciples, God calls each of us to share His love by serving others. The towel and basin are symbols of this service.

Their web page includes:
Information about Diaconal Ministry
Diaconal Formation including exploring your ministry
Resources
plus more

Visit http://www.thelda.org/ for more information

Pastor Dad: a book for all dads

Every dad is a pastor. The important thing is that he is caring for his flock well. This book by Pastor Mark Driscoll looks at the ways that a father can raise his children well.

We learn how to be fathers to our own children as we seek to treat our kids the way our perfect Dad has treated us, his sons. Our ultimate goal must be that our children would grow to love and worship our God. This simple refrain is repeated on a multitude of occasions throughout Scripture, where it says that a particular generation worshiped the God of their fathers, because God intends for children to worship the same God as their dads.

The wisdom for Christian fathering is scattered throughout Scripture and concentrated most particularly in Proverbs. In Proverbs 3:11–12 the father says, “My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.” Before any father disciplines his children, he is commanded to delight in them. Practically, this means that most of a father’s time is spent enjoying his children, encouraging his children, laughing with his children, being affectionate with his children, and enjoying his children so that there is a deep bond of love and joy between the children and their dad.

http://theresurgence.com/files/2011/03/02/relit_ebook_pastordad.pdf

Lutheran Liturgy to Lutheran Living

Lutheran Liturgy to Lutheran Living

Lutheran Liturgy to Lutheran Living is an open access site designed to provide free resources and ideas for churches to use to support its members and assist them in their growth in prayer, worship and missions leading up to the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017. Lutheran Liturgy to Lutheran Living is committed to upholding and supporting the Lutheran confessions and reflecting the beliefs of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. Lutheran Living will uphold and support the practices of all Lutheran synods that encourage us to become the church Christ is calling us to be- all things to all people, in all nations, for the cause of Christ. 1 Cor. 9:19-2

BIBLE STUDIES The goal of Bible studies is to provide opportunities for a congregation and its members to discuss and learn more about prayer and worship and as a church to ask ourselves, “Can we as the church, pray and worship even more expressively when we gather in His name?” Then, can we leave the sanctuary with the “shoes of the Gospel” and make everything we do an act of worship? Can we better achieve our mission goals of reaching others when they see our prayer and worship is authentic?

CHURCH PROJECTS The goal of Church Projects is for churches to build churches within their church. The Gathering Church (Welcoming Church), The Jubilant Church, (The Joyful Church) The Praying Church (The Ministering Church), and the Resonant Church (The Reaching Church), are all areas where the Holy Spirit can work in the lives of His people and breath a sense of mission and ministry into committed members of a congregation. These members can then build enthusiasm for the ministry and soon the church is full harvest workers. Everyone arrives at worship eager to celebrate the work of the Lord. Start one church at time by identifying those in the church with the gifts needed to make the church thrive and support them to develop programs that will encourage others to participate.

GLOBAL MISSIONS The goal of Global Missions is to help us see the Lutheran Church as much bigger than just our own congregation. Through the use of technology, perhaps as simple as e-mail or SKYPE, we want to encourage small group bible studies and entire congregations to worship and work together. If you are a small struggling congregation, you are not alone, there are 1,000’s of congregations to support and encourage you. If you are a large congregation, why not share what God has given you with other churches that may just be starting up? Over the next seven years we want to increase our peripheral vision of God’s kingdom!

Book: The calling - live a life of significance

This book is designed to educate readers on one's vocation and what that means in terms of living out our life in our various and overlapping vocational arenas - family, professional, community, and congregational. Throughout the book, what the true meaning of "success" is for a Christian is examined to help the reader discover and live out the life that God uniquely created for them.

The Calling: Live a Life of Significance
*Identify and avoid common mistakes
*Establish eight strategies for living a life of significance
*Set and attain goals
*Diminish your ego to enhance your ability to serve
*Lead a life of simplicity
*Care for yourself so that you are able to care for others

A brief discussion about what the calling is about.....



More resources and information available @ http://kurtsenske.com/

Priesthood of all believers, vocation and mission bible study

The North West Synod of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod has developed a four part bible study that helps people explore the significance of the Priesthood of all believers and vocation to being in mission.

The study is available at http://www.nowlcms.org/Resources/Pres/Task-Force-Bible-Studies-II.doc

Leaders notes are available at http://www.nowlcms.org/Resources/Pres/Task-Force-BS-Notes.doc

A story of mission and vocation: Darren Beadman

The Lutheran Church of Australia's focus for the next synodical period is focussed on vocation. One of the concepts that we often talk about is ministering in your vocation or the priesthood of all believers, and so it is good to come across a story of how this is working in the Christian scene.

Many people in Australia have heard of the name Darren Beadman. He is one of the better jockeys in the racing industry. In 1990 and 1996 He rode Melbourne cup winners and Golden Slippers in in 1984 and 1997. He is considered by many as one of the superstar jockeys. Then all of sudden he retired to pursue a calling as a pastor, studying with an AOG college for a couple of years. However as he studied he discovered that he was called to be ministering amongst the racing scene, not as a full time pastor, but as a jockey who happens to be a Christian.

He is now a member of a St Martin's Anglican Church Kensington, which happens to be right smack bang close to Randwick race course. This congregation has become active in ministering to the racing industry and Darren Beadman has been part of this, not by being the pastor but by opening doors for his congregation and pastor at 'his workplace'. Read the story below from the Your.Sydneyanglicans.net http://your.sydneyanglicans.net/southerncross/articles/jockeying_for_souls/

Sydney Anglicans are working hard to bring God into the world of horse racing, reports JOSEPH SMITH.
Reaching out to any industry with the gospel is difficult. It is even tougher when the industry is innately distrusted by a large number of Christians.
The horse racing industry has suffered this kind of stigma, however, the ministry of the Australian Racing Christian Chaplaincy (ARCC) has already won over the support of some Christians in high places like Archbishop Peter Jensen and Catholic Archbishop Cardinal George Pell.
The rector of St Martin’s, Kensington, the Rev Jeremy Tonks and retired clergyman, the Rev Paul Bayliss are two ministers who have been instrumental in bringing the gospel to Sydney’s race tracks while also raising awareness of the ministry among Sydney Anglican churches.
Mr Tonks became interested in racing ministry when he took over as the rector of Kensington six years ago. Randwick race course is within the parish boundaries, located just minutes from St Martin’s.
“I was concerned about the fact that we were surrounded by racing staff. Our church had no way of reaching them other than through getting onto the tracks and into stables,” Mr Tonks says.
The Rev Paul Bayliss had similar concerns trying to reach out to workers from Rosehill race course in his time as rector of St Paul’s, Harris Park in the 1980s.
Twenty years later, ARCC has strengthened its links with the Race Track Chaplaincy of America (RTCA). Dr Karin Sowada, Chair of the ARCC Executive Committee, visited the USA in April this year to attend the RTCA annual conference in Houston, Texas.
“It was a great time to be encouraged in ARCC’s ministry and the RTCA certainly see us part of their global network of ministry partners,” she says.
ARCC’s long-term aim is to get a full- time chaplain on all the metropolitan race tracks, however, the Australian context makes this more difficult than the USA, because the USA allows tax exemptions for donations to chaplaincy work. Mr Tonks says the assistance of champion jockey and St Martin’s member, Darren Beadman has helped him build relationships with people in the industry.
“Darren is the biggest help because he is universally respected across the industry. He has been more than generous with his time, going into stables with me and introducing me to people. He is brilliant in assisting the work of ARCC,” Mr Tonks says.
Mr Tonks also runs a Monday afternoon Bible study which has been going for four months.
It is attended by ARCC committee members including Mr Bayliss and bookmakers’ statistician, Graham Isbister. By running the study on Monday afternoons, traditionally the least busy day of the week for many racing workers, Mr Tonks hopes to reach more people as contacts are developed.
September saw another opportunity for improved relations between ARCC and RTCA with the visit of RTCA Executive Director, Dr Enrique Torres, RTCA National President, Edward Smith and USA Hall of Fame jockey Pat Day.
“Pat Day is the like the American equivalent of Darren Beadman. When he retired he had won $297 million in prize money and won the Preakness Stakes five times,” Mr Tonks says.
Pat Day became a Christian during his career after dealing with addictions to drugs and alcohol.
“The RTCA members can open doors for us in the local industry because they are established,” Mr Tonks says.

Web site: Centred Life

The Centred Life's slogan is connecting Sunday to Monday..

Centred Life mainly focuses on helping congregations help indivduals in discovering, nurturing and living out their calling.

Centered Life is an initiative for congregations that share the belief that the mission of the church is to nurture, equip, and send forth their members to see their whole lives as ministry. Members:

• are helped to discover their strengths and their calling.
• are encouraged to use their strengths to live out their calling in their homes, communities, work, and congregation.
• discover meaning, purpose, and identity as faith becomes relevant to all aspects of their lives.
• are drawn to regular attendance and participation in worship and congregational life as the primary source of nurture, sustenance, and growth in faith and life.

The Centred Life is not about living a different life, but living life differently.
Your calling is your life, it's in the work you do every day—as a parent, child, neighbor, caregiver, volunteer, worker, or however you spend your time.

To know your calling is to know:

• meaning and purpose
• identity and belonging
• freedom and hope

"...I always thought I came into this world to go to church; now I see that I'm in the church to go into the world." - Nelvin Vos, Seven Days a Week

It offers ways and ideas on how you and others can discover their callings, many resources some free and some at a price.

Why not venture into the site and see what it may offer your congregation http://www.centeredlife.org/