Apropos of "operating successfully in business while glorifying God" ... i was reading Tom Sine's "Mustard Seed versus McWorld" last night, provoked by a presentation at church on our mission to Sierra Leone. I strongly recommend his book as a thought-provoking look at what Christians ought to be about in today's global, post-modern society. Sine writes:

"Frankly, I am convinced that one of the major reasons why we American Christians give the modern secular world so much authority to determine the terms of our lives is the teachings regarding work and voacation that were born of the Reformation... Martin Luther called us to a whole-life faith in which all that we do we should do to the glory of God. And of course, he is right ... Since in this view all work is advancing the purposes of God, one's work automatically becomes one's calling... No one can argue with the fact that we need to recognize God's hand in all we do, but I am not sure our occupation automatically becomes our calling. Many of those first disciples quit their jobs to advance God's purposes. "

I've also struggled long and hard with the notion that "our occupation also becomes our calling." I've spent about 15 years now trying to be a responsible husband and father who provides for my family. While i've done an okay job on that score overall (though far from perfect), i often wonder if that's been at the expense of pursuing the pearl of God's Kingdom which is so valuable that it eclipses all else in value.

Sine goes on: "I believe the purposes of God's kingdom are subversive to many of the aspirations and goals of the dominant modern commercial culture. " I would add that if that doesn't seem true of our experience of God's kingdom, we have reason to question whose kingdom we're really subject to.

I'm totally floored that an article by Russ McGuire in WorldNetDaily referenced Blogos:

"If blogs are still a mystery to you, the best way to get a taste is to dive in and start reading one. Here's a good example of one [link to Blogos!] to whet your appetite."

Thanks a lot, Russ! Russ is listed as "the online director of Business Reform Magazine. Each issue of Business Reform features practical advice on operating successfully in business while glorifying God." I'm not familiar with his magazine, but i'm all in favor of figuring out how to use your business to glorify God. I'm even more flattered given his comment that "Realistically, the vast majority of blogs really aren't worth reading. " (i have to agree) I guess i'd better get some more quality posts up soon.

WorldNetDaily must have a lot of readers, because my visits today to hit a new record. Not to mention that i've now learned naked women paintball hunts are a hoax, thank goodness! (sorry, it was just too strange to resist!) Now if they only had an RSS feed, i could keep up with their other stories (but unaggregated feeds just don't work for me anymore: it takes too much energy to go visit a bunch of different sites).