iWork4Him PowerThought

Do you want to see your workplace as a mission field? In step 3 of the iWork4Him Nation Covenant, we encourage you to befriend your co-workers or employees outside of the office. Why? Our work relationships are work focused and can be shallow. When you build friendships on your own turf, outside of work, real relationships develop. When you let someone into your world, it breaks down walls. Breaking down walls builds trust. Eventually, they will trust you when you share your Jesus story, the work He has done in your life.  Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 says, "Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. 10 If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble"….Be a real friend to someone today. 

Do you want to see your workplace transformed and have God unlock His purpose for you in your work? Step two of the iWork4Him Nation Covenant helps transform your workplace mindset into a mission-focused workplace ministry mindset. Start looking for ways to serve your co-workers, bosses, and/or employees outside your job requirements. Why? Anyone can do a job that meets expectations, but how many people help others meet or exceed expectations? When you go out of the way to help others at work with a stressful project or a mundane responsibility, you open up a door of ministry opportunity.  Galatians 5:13-14 says For you have been called to live in freedom… use your freedom to serve one another in love. 14 For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." 

Do you want to see your workplace transformed and have God unlock His purpose for you in your work? I thought so. Step one of the iWork4Him Nation Covenant is the most powerful step you can take at work to transform your workplace and your heart. Prayer -  Start praying for those you work alongside every day. Pray for your co-workers, bosses, and employees by name. You can even pray for their spouses and kids. After you have done this for a few months, have a conversation like this "Hey, I have been praying for you, is there anything I can pray about specifically?" 1 Timothy 2:1 says, "I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. " Start Praying today and watch the transformation begin. 

1 Corinthians 6:19 says, "do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is IN YOU, whom you have received from God?" Whoa! Think about that for a moment: the Holy Spirit… the very presence of God… lives INSIDE of our bodies! How crazy is THAT! The God of the universe has taken up residence inside of us, where He not only guides us as a wise counselor but also intercedes on our behalf and empowers us to carry out the good works prepared in advance for us. If God lives in us, and works through us, then it makes sense that our lives should demand a supernatural explanation! Are you living life in your own power or in God's power? Take a moment today and pray that the Holy Spirit would do something through you that you couldn't possibly do on your own! – something that demands a supernatural explanation. 

Why is it that the grass always looks greener on the other side? Well, in today's world it's because the grass probably has a photo filter on it! Did you know that the average person spends two and a half hours scrolling through social media per day?! That's more time than it takes to workout, make dinner, and clean the house! This constant access to the edited highlights of our friends' and coworkers' lives leads us to compare, compare, compare. But Proverbs 4:27 says, "Do not turn to the right or the left, keep your foot from evil." Looking too much at the filtered lives of those around us can lead to jealousy, discontentment, resentment, and envy. So, instead of going on your phone or tablet and comparing your life to your neighbors' vacation photos, take a moment today to stop and thank God for the blessings in your own life! 

What's the difference between believing IN God and trusting God? A San Antonio business owner got to find out, when he had to choose between going to work on Wall Street as a fat cat, or listen to God, and chose what's best for his family.  In Matthew 6:33  God advises us to "Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need." In the midst of your business decision making today, are you seeking first the Kingdom of God? Are you seeking God first vs. YOUR success? Your TEAM's success? The BIGGER sale? The LARGER profit? You're invited to seek God's best and highest first, as your go about your work today. 

Chuck Proudfit -- founder of the ministry At Work on Purpose -- told us on a recent show, "to start thinking like a journalist..." What does that mean? And what exactly do journalists do? Well, they find where the story is, and then they join it! And like journalists, we, as Christ-followers, have the opportunity to find what God is doing and join him! Ephesians 2:10 in the Message Translation says, "God creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing." Are you a spiritual journalist - seeking out God's story? Take a moment today and ask the LORD what he is up to in your office, in your home, or in your neighborhood. Then pray about how you how you can join in His good works! 

When I graduated from high school, I had my life all planned out. For years I had felt God calling me into ministry, so naturally I planned to attend Seminary…. But then God asked me to take a right turn in my vocation - He asked me to go into business. At the time I didn't understand how I could feel called to ministry AND the marketplace, but today I can look back and see that all those years WERE ministry and that he was laying the groundwork for iWork4Him. Isaiah 55:8 says, "My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts…And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine." We don't have the big picture, but GOD DOES! So, how about you? Are you saying NO or NEVER to something that God is asking you to consider? Try removing the word NEVER from your prayer life – and see what God does. 

It's day two of the new year. Have you prepared yourself for shifting your mindset from thank God it's Friday to thank God it's Monday. You've been given a lifetime on this planet to experience God, surrender to Jesus and to be a blessing to those around you wherever you may go. This race is not a sprint. It is a marathon.  As you enter 2026 set your sights on next December 31 with one goal in mind: Loving God and Loving your neighbor. 

Welcome to the New Year. 2026 is fresh, barely a few hours old and you have a chance to set a new high standard for the way you live out your faith in your work. The way you allow your faith to impact everyone around you. Ask the Holy Spirit to renew a right spirit in you today And do that every day as you celebrate 2026 and see the difference it makes in your attitudes and actions. Happy New Year.  

New Year's Eve is a time for realignment, reconsideration, and recommitment to the faith you proclaim every Sunday and attempt to live out Monday through Saturday.  What is one thing you would like to see God do through and in you in 2026? May the year 2026 be the year where your breakout faith meets the needs of those God surrounds you with at work and at home. Happy New Year. 

If you are like me, there are likely a few things that happened in 2025 that you would like to forget. Things that were a burden to you, failures you experienced and things that felt out of your control. These are in the past now. In Christ there is no living in shame or regret. There is only today. Yesterday is a learning experience, today is a prep for tomorrow. Release the troubles of 2025 into the very capable hands of our heavenly Father and look forward to what He has for you in 2026.  

As we face the ending of another year, it is always good for our soul to look back and see all that God did for us, with us and through us, especially as we lived out our faith at work. In the Old Testament they stacked stones to remind them of God's awesome power and delivery. Take time to stack some memory stones for 2025. Remember and share all that Our Heavenly Father has done so you are ready for all He will do in 2026.

Merry Christmas. Have you ever thought about your work as a gift?  Not just being grateful that you have a job/career/business and that it in itself is a gift, but what about the work that you do. Can that be a gift too? It's hard to imagine somedays but we impact somebody every day with our work. It may be a customer or an employee of the company you work with or an owner/stockholder. Any way you look at it, the way you do your work can be a gift to someone. Wrap your work gift in excellence this year as an act of worshiping the Newborn King! 

Merry Christmas. One of Jim's favorite iWork4Him sayings is this "As a Jesus Follower, everything about you should be changing and everyone around you should be benefiting from your faith whether they believe in Jesus or not, that's the kingdom." Jesus Said you are the Light of the World, a city on a hill that cannot be hidden. This Christmas practice being a light to everyone who is shrouded in darkness. That is a gift everyone can receive. 

Merry Christmas! As you wrap up all the gifts you are giving this year, let us challenge you. Perhaps this year you can find a way to wrap up Love and Joy and Peace. Perhaps you can find a way to send a card with Patience, Kindness and Goodness written in a note. Maybe even at your Workplace Christmas party you can display Gentleness, Faithfulness and Self Control. These are the gifts that really matter and really last. You can be the present that keeps on giving all year long. Almost better than Chocolate!

Merry Christmas, one of the things Jim and I say all the time on the iWork4Him Podcast is Jesus came to restore all things, All the things that were lost in the garden when Adam and Eve turned their backs on our Father. Because of Jesus we can see our Physical, Spiritual and Emotional Health redeemed and restored. No Christmas Present can do all that. You are a gift to everyone around you as you experience this redemption and restoration. Give yourself away this Christmas. 

Merry Christmas from Martha and I, so often Christmas is distracting and we get off focus on what the whole season of celebration is about. God came in His physical presence to transform our world and our thinking. Just like Adam and Eve walked regularly in the garden in the cool of the day, Jesus came so that we can walk with Him by our side in the ordinary of every day. Think about it, Our God who created everything wants to walk with you in your whole life, including your work. Now that is a Christmas Present for sure. 

Every year, people are elected to the local boards of education in your area.  How many of them are believers?  Less than 10%.  Getting on the local school Board of Education does not require a degree; it requires a willingness and obedience to a call from God.  As believers, we have walked away from the public school system for far too long, and it is time to take a stand and get involved where possible.  The kids of this next public school generation need you.  We celebrate you believers who are on your local school Board of Education.  You are not alone, but there are far too few of you.  Please consider running for your local school Board of Education and serve on a mission field that desperately needs an intervention from God. 

Christ-following Principals, Vice Principals, Guidance Counselors, and office staff within the public school system serve in a massive mission field.  So many in their profession have been misguided and deceived to believe that God has no place in the public schools and that in fact, He does not exist.  The religion taught in our public schools today is humanism – a religion as old as Noah.  We celebrate those believers who venture off to their public school administrative jobs today.  Take heart, you are not alone, and God has not been kicked out of the public schools because YOU ARE THERE, and He is there in YOU.  Maybe you are listening today and feel called to join your brothers and sisters in this challenging mission field.  Great.  You are desperately needed on the mission field of the public school system.  Never underestimate the power of obedience in a believer's heart to respond to God's call. 

We often think of missionaries as people who have graduated from college or seminary and being sent off overseas.  I define the word missionary as someone who is a follower of Jesus who has been sent into a field of people who are lost and hopeless and need to meet Jesus.  The public school system is such a mission field.  Our students who know and love Jesus are the missionaries sent behind enemy lines to bring Jesus to their fellow students.  We celebrate these students today and pray for them because their workplace is the education place.  Their workplace involves desks and learning and studying.  Their mission field surrounds them in every classroom, at every lunch table, and in every gym class.  Can you take time today to Encourage a local student missionary? 

I know that many of you have been told that in order to serve as a missionary, you need to go overseas.  No way.  The mission field of the public school system is monstrous.  Teachers who enter the classroom every day serve as missionaries and representatives of God at every education level in America.  This mission field is under attack.  And it's been under attack for over 60 years. Maybe More.   There is a desperate need for more believers to set aside their comfort and become public school teachers willingly.  Your faith is needed in classrooms of every type and subject.  We celebrate those believers who serve as teachers in the public school system today, but we recognize they need more backup.  Please consider joining the missionary team at a public school near you.  The public school students in your community need to meet Jesus, and you may be their only hope. 

What's the definition of a mission field?  It is a place where lost and hopeless people live and work.  The public school system is one massive mission field.  Some incredible believers are teachers, aids, and administrators throughout the public school system, but we need more.  God and the Bible have been weaseled out of every corner of our education system.  But take heart: those of you serving in the mission field of the public school system are being prayed for today.  Don't give up.  The fields are ripe for harvest.  More of you are desperately needed there to serve as teachers, aides, school board members, and administrators.  So please pray for those serving in this battleground mission field and consider joining them in the fight for the souls of our public school students. 

We've all heard of the five love languages, but have you heard about the five languages of appreciation at work?  The final way people feel appreciated at work is through Appropriate Physical Touch.  You need to be careful when it comes to touching at work.  But expressing appreciation through appropriate physical touch for someone who needs that touch can be as simple as a handshake, a high five, or a pat on the back.  In some situations, it might even be a hug of celebration.  Any way you look at it, appropriate physical touch must always respect boundaries.  Many of those we work alongside have situations that cause them to be very cautious about physical touch.  That's why respect is needed.  But even hurting people can sometimes appreciate that high five or that meaningful handshake.  For more information, check out appreciation at work dot com. 

We've all heard of the five love languages, but have you heard about the five languages of appreciation at work?  The 4th way people feel appreciated at work is through giving tangible gifts.  Giving the gift of words, time, or service is meaningful to many people, but some people just like gifts.  And a gift at work could be a simple cup of coffee, a candy bar, or a plaque of appreciation.  Sometimes, a gift could be some time off or tickets to a baseball game.  When somebody's appreciation language is gifts, all you need to do is find out what's important to them and match the gift.  Everyone likes to be appreciated.  You can hit a home run every time when their appreciation language is gifts.  For more information, check out appreciation at work dot com. 

We've all heard of the five love languages, but have you heard about the five languages of appreciation at work?  The number three way people feel appreciated at work is through Acts of Service.  One of the greatest ways we can show our appreciation for others is by helping others complete a project.  It means so much to them when we help somebody at the end of our shift or at the end of our day to finish what they're doing.  And sometimes, it's just cleaning the toilet, vacuuming, or helping unload a car full of supplies.  Any way you look at it, helping others out of the goodness of your heart with a little act of service can make a real difference in the life of someone you work with.  For more information, check out appreciation at work dot com. 

We've all heard of the five love languages, but have you heard about the five languages of appreciation at work?  The second way people feel appreciated at work is through the gift of Quality Time.  Relationships are so important at work.  But you can't just build relationships one minute at a time while talking at the water cooler.  When you ask somebody how they're doing, mean it.  Find out how people are doing.  Spend time checking in with them to get to know them.  Make sure you have lunch with people and be transparent and authentic with them.  If you're a team leader, create time for your team to connect.  Make it possible for people to spend time together without a deadline and work hanging over their heads.  For more information, check out appreciation at work dot com. 

We've all heard of the five love languages, but have you heard about the five languages of appreciation at work?  The number one way people feel appreciated at work is through words of affirmation.  Words that uplift, words that encourage, words that affirm a person's worth.  Words of appreciation spoken by a coworker or a boss mean so much.  Almost 50% of the population at work feel that words of affirmation are a gift to them.  Are words of affirmation important to you?  I bet they are.  I also bet they're important to the people you work around.  Make sure that those you work with know that words of affirmation build you up and keep you going every day at work And that you could use a few more every day.  For more information, check out appreciation at work dot com. 

We've talked about it all week.  We love to work, period. It brings exhilaration to our lives.  We love the thrill of the kill.  The completion of a major project.  The landing of a major sale.  Work brings satisfaction and appreciation in ways that family life rarely can.  However, work is demanding.  If we let it, work can take control of our lives.  If left unchecked work can destroy the relationships with the people we love, the people that we are working so hard to provide for.  If we don't keep work under control, it will control us.  Nobody on their deathbed has ever said I wish I had worked more and spent less time with my family.  If you were lying on your deathbed today, would your life display a love for your family or a love for your work?  Protect those you love and get your work under control today. 

There have been times in the 37 years of our marriage when one or both of us needed to work a significant amount of extra time to meet a deadline to keep our jobs.  The issue comes when that short term becomes all the time.  Jim and I  started an insurance agency from scratch.  We knew that for the first three years, Jim would need to work three nights a week and 4 1/2 days a week to grow the agency's sustainability.  We made a point to ensure that we always had a date night and never worked weekends.  We agreed together that the investment of time was necessary.  But it had a deadline.  If your job never stops asking for more and is hurting your family, it may be time to start looking for a new job. 

I can't tell you how many times Martha and I have heard this one phrase in a marriage mentoring session.  "I work hard so my family can have the things I didn't have when I was a kid."  That's all fine and dandy, but usually, we are given that excuse after the spouse feels neglected.  That usually spurns a conversation about not feeling appreciated for how hard one spouse works.  It creates an argument about all of the stuff they own, which causes them to work so hard to pay for the stuff they own.  It's all a vicious circle.  You don't need to create a fairytale experience for your children.  They just want you.  They don't care about all the stuff.  Take a step back today and see if your work is hurting the very ones you want to provide for. 

I love to work.  I love to jump out of bed, get ready for work, and go to work. I spend all day working and come home, and then after dinner, I like to work some more.  Working brings energy to me, and working brings satisfaction.  I love to work because I love to see things get accomplished.  I love checking things off my list.  There's a danger in loving work.  It's so easy to get caught up in my work that I don't realize that I'm hurting those around me by working so much.  There was a time in my life when my job required me to work 60 hours a week—even time on Sunday.  Jim and I had to work through balancing my work life and family life.  I love to work, but I also don't want to sacrifice everything I love because I love to work. 

I work hard, I make money, I pay bills, and I buy stuff.  I work hard for my money.  I want to bless my family with the things that they need.  I have a right to spend the money I make on the things I want, right?  If you are married, then there's some caution that needs to be expressed here.  The money you make because of your job should go into a common money pot for your family.  All of the money that goes in there goes to paying for all the family's bills.  There is no such thing as his money and her money In marriage.  So when we're out to protect our marriage from our job, it starts with having the right attitude about the money that we make from our job.  Don't sacrifice everything that means so much to you because of the money that you make. 

We go to work so we have money. We need money to pay our bills and to buy things. Where I spend my money matters to God, especially if I know that those companies are supporting things that are actually anti-God. We work with Inspire Investing to ensure our investments are biblically responsible. We chose a mobile carrier, Patriot Mobile, because they are pro-God, pro-family, and pro-country. We select our retailers, ensuring our dollars are not being spent to support the things we fight against every day. That may mean that sometimes we must go out of our way shopping. It also may mean that sometimes we just don't buy. Christ calls on us to be good stewards. Good stewards of our time. Good stewards of our work. And good stewards of our money. Steward it all well. 

In our family, I spend most of the money at retail stores. Jim spends most of the money online. When we have the choice, we choose retailers that we know are either pro-god, pro-family, pro-country, or at least neutral on these subjects. Finding neutral companies is very difficult. Our country is polarized even in our retail environment. Years ago, we took a bullseye to a certain retailer and stopped shopping there because they supported the abortion industry. Today, they are one of the largest retail supporters of alternative lifestyles. When our money walks, our money talks. Recently, a large beverage retailer made a huge marketing blunder. It cost them billions of dollars because they didn't know who their customers were. Those customers walked, and those dollars talked. As a Jesus follower, we can make sure our money is walking and talking to a place that supports our biblical worldview. 

Each one of you has a workplace that is your ministry place. A mission field full of lost and hopeless people who need to meet Jesus. The people you work with and for may be blinded to all of the destruction around them to the family and to our country. Yet they may be funding it inadvertently. Many companies support organizations whose sole aim is to destroy the family or our country because of pressure from the outside. Suppose they knew there was pressure from the inside to stop supporting those organizations; that could make a difference. Ask questions. Find out how the owners, shareholders, and stockholders are asking for your company's profits to be spent. Make sure that those in charge know how impactful those dollars can be. Be a proactive voice within your organization, helping them choose places to invest their dollars within the community that supports God, the family, and our country. 

How do we know if our company is pro-Christianity, pro-God, pro-family, or pro-US of A? Is it even important for us to know these things? I think it is. Almost every organization has excess dollars that they are investing in other organizations with an agenda. What is the agenda that your company or organization is supporting? Are they supporting your values, neutral on them or working against them? What we are warning about today is making sure you're not supporting companies fighting against the very things that we know and love: God, family, and country. I hope it doesn't surprise you, but there are thousands of companies and organizations in this great country that hate your biblical morality and want to destroy your family. Find out who you really work for. 

It's important to know who we work for. I don't mean the name of your boss or the name of your company. I mean, who is your company? What do they stand for? What do they support with their profits? We need to know everything about the company where we invest 40 to 50 hours weekly. I'm just saying you need to be aware of the company you're working for to make sure that they're not taking your hard-earned hours and turning them into a campaign to destroy the biblical worldview that this great country was founded upon. Who do you work for, really? It is a really important question to ask. If you are already in a job with a company that does not honor God, see how you can make a difference. But if you're searching for work, choose wisely because you were called to be a good steward, including where you invest your work time. 

When the internet was created, the goal was the free-flowing of shared information for the good of humanity; what resulted was much more sinister than that.  How do you love the Lord your God with all your strength if you spend too much time on the internet looking and experiencing things that sap your strength?  That fills you with filth, that plagues you with guilt and shame.  Living in this world makes it impossible to Love God to the fullest.  The enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy; Jesus came to bring life so we can live it to the fullest.  Does your internet surfing lead to life or death?  Stop Ignoring the dangers of the internet at work and home and put some digital armor in place like a safe internet VPN with Web filters and anti-virus and protect your strength. 

When the internet was created, the goal was the free-flowing of shared information for the good of humanity; what resulted was much more sinister than that.  We are called to love the Lord our God with all our soul.  What's creeping around in your soul?  Is it scripture, or is it what you watched on TV last night?  Is it the latest sermon you read or the pornographic videos you ingested over lunch?  Is it your weekly bible study topic, or is it your deep desire to place a bet on the next race at the track?  Your soul is a precious place, and our eyes are the windows to our soul.  What are they seeing?  Choose to protect your soul and those you work with and live with.  Stop Ignoring the dangers of the internet at work and home and put some digital armor in place like a safe internet VPN with Web filters and anti-virus and protect your soul. 

When the internet was created, the goal was the free-flowing of shared information for the good of humanity; what resulted was much more sinister than that.  We are called to love the Lord our God with all our mind.  Are you?  What do you fill your mind with?  It is so easy with the internet everywhere, both in public and private, to fill our minds with EVERYTHING but God and His Love.  We stream TV at levels like never before.  Because we can binge-watch anything, we fill our minds with murder, horror, and sex.  Without being careful, our minds can become a playground for evil.  At work and home, protect your mind so you can fill it with HIM and His word.  Stop Ignoring the dangers of the internet at work and home and put some digital armor in place like a safe internet VPN with Web filters and anti-virus and protect your mind. 

When the internet was created, the goal was the free-flowing of shared information for the good of humanity; what resulted was much more sinister than that.  We are called to love the Lord our God with our hearts, but when our hearts are distracted by the evils of the internet, God can't find a place.  Do you know if your heart is safe whenever you surf the web?  What about your kids, your spouse, or your grandkids when they visit?  At work, are the people you work with struggling with a heart addiction to internet sins like pornography and gambling?  What are you doing to help protect their hearts?  Are there guardrails in place to keep the internet a healthy place at work?  Stop ignoring the dangers of the internet at work and home and put some digital armor in place like a safe internet VPN with Web filters and anti-virus and protect your heart.  

When the internet was created, the goal was the free-flowing of shared information for the good of humanity; what resulted was much more sinister than that.  Every day, we use the internet to do our jobs, complete our shopping, and study our bible.  However, if we are not careful, the internet can lead us to pornography, inappropriate relationships, gambling addictions, and more.  We think we have the willpower to resist all the daily temptations on the internet, but statistics now prove we do not.  Huge percentages of men and women, teens, and children have been exposed to pornography on the internet and find themselves driven to view more and more of it.  Create a work and home environment where God can heal and stop this destruction.  Put some digital armor in place, because the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 

What does a normal Thanksgiving dinner look like for you and your family? Does it have all the fixings and smell just like grandma's house when you were growing up? Is it always exclusive to family? There are people you work with and people you live around that will be alone this year; why don't you mess up your normal Thanksgiving and invite some of them to join you? Jim and I would like to challenge you to have your last normal Thanksgiving last year. May last year be the final year when your Thanksgiving celebration didn't include your neighbors. This year we challenge you to invite people into your life and into your Thanksgiving celebration that would otherwise be home alone, probably not even celebrating Thanksgiving. What does a normal Thanksgiving look like? It looks like the power of neighboring in action. 

This whole idea of practicing the power of neighboring at Thanksgiving can cause some strife at home. Not everyone wants to open up their Thanksgiving table to strangers, or people that just aren't family. I know in my family growing up we never had anybody who wasn't family over for Thanksgiving. It just wasn't done. But at Martha's house, her parents were great at inviting people who would be alone at Thanksgiving and having them join us for a family Thanksgiving celebration. Gather your family around you and share this idea with them. Share the idea that you want to solve somebody's loneliness at Thanksgiving this year and you need their help. Once you explain this to your family, I can't imagine that they won't be on board. Maybe they can even think of some people that need to be invited. Together you can change somebody's life this Thanksgiving. 

What does loneliness look like? Does it have a face? Does it always look the same? You and I have the ability to solve someone's loneliness problem at Thanksgiving this year. All around us are people, our neighbors, who don't have anywhere to go for Thanksgiving. They are either too far away from family or don't have family or they've been alienated. Can you imagine being alone at Thanksgiving? It's just a big fat bummer. Look around you. As you leave your neighborhood this morning or drive through your neighborhood this afternoon, think about all the people that you know. Are any of them going to be alone at Thanksgiving? As you walk between the cubicles or sit down for lunch, are any of those people going to be alone at Thanksgiving? Solve loneliness today by inviting a neighbor for Thanksgiving. 

The power of neighboring at Thanksgiving looks like this. It begins with compassion, and it continues with intentionality. We all have neighbors, whether they are at work or in our neighborhood. They could even be in the pews sitting near us at church. But how many of those neighbors will be alone at Thanksgiving time? In my opinion, there is nothing worse than being alone during the holidays. My challenge to you today is to institute the power of neighboring right where you live and right where you work. Find out if anyone you know and care about will be alone on Thanksgiving. And then invite them for dinner. You may already have a crowded dinner table, and you may have to cook some more food, but by inviting them to be part of your celebration of Thanksgiving, you could change their life. 

One day, a religious leader approached Jesus and asked him who's my neighbor? Jesus responded with the parable of the Good Samaritan. Now we know who the neighbor was in this parable. The Good Samaritan was a powerful neighbor in the wounded man's life. The power of neighboring lies within each of us—the power to transform somebody's life by loving them as we love ourselves. The power of neighboring requires selfless acts and living on the edge of comfortableness. The power of neighboring started with Jesus, and it continues on in you. You have the ability to impact somebody's life for eternity by loving them. Your neighbors, they are at work, and they are in your neighborhood too. The big question I have for you today is who is your neighbor and will any of your neighbors be alone this Thanksgiving. 

Jesus said that our unity would attract others to Christ because our unity would show that Jesus came from our heavenly father. In other words, when we walk as one in the marketplace, our neighborhoods, our communities, and our country, the message is loud and clear:  Jesus has transformed the lives of all these people, and they walk as one in love. It's so important that we, as workplace believers, display our love for Jesus in unity, to attract others into conversations and, eventually, a relationship with Him. Our unity is attractive. That was Jesus's idea all along. For the remainder of this year, look for ways to walk in unity with your brothers and sisters in Christ to solve your community's problems and bring Jesus-sized solutions to those who need it. 

Almost 2000 years have passed since Jesus returned to heaven. In the last 500 years, denominational segregation has plagued the body of Christ. We all go to different churches on Sunday. We live in a town of about 2000 people with 15 different churches and 15 different denominations. Very little ministry is coordinated for the ministry to this small town by the leaders of those churches. There is hope because marketplace and political leaders are unifying in Christ to bring flourishing to this town. When we are unified as followers of Jesus, outside our denominational hold, we can impact our cities and communities for good. When we face the problems together, we are so much stronger and more powerful. When Christ followers unite, no weapon of the enemy can stand against us. Those weapons may be poverty, drug addiction, broken families, et cetera. Let's unite as Jesus followers and bring good to our cities. 

Do you know what's great about believers? We all experience God differently. I know this because we're all different. Not one of us is the same. Jim and I got to sit down with some friends here in our small town in Missouri just the other day. We go to different churches on Sunday, yet we share a sweet fellowship in Christ. They shared some of their traditions surrounding the giving and taking of communion. While their traditions are very different than ours, the commonality is the communion. As believers in Jesus let us work hard at focusing on the things we have in common despite the efforts of denominations to split us, and focus on the things that the Bible teaches us clearly. The power of a unified church cannot be overcome. Let's find unity by celebrating the diversity of how others worship Jesus.