Faith in Daily Life

What does it mean to be a person of God in a world that has largely lost sight of God? If you are like me, you have asked yourself this question over and over--perhaps many times in the same day. Many of us are not comfortable with believing that we are required to stand on a street corner selling newspapers from our church or going door to door evangelizing and recruiting.

But there must be something about us and what we do and how we behave that makes a difference. There must be some way to show that we are part of the great mystery that we call God. But what is it? And how do we live it in our offices or cubicles or factory floors or farms or construction sites or schools or hospitals or homes? How do we live it in the line at the grocery store, the line at the toll booth on the Golden Gate bridge, the line at BART? How do we live it to our neighbors with the obnoxious barking dog, the woman with fourteen items in the quick-check line, the guy who cuts us off in commute traffic, the person at the next table shouting into his cell phone?

What does it mean to be a person of God in a world that has largely lost sight of God?

If you would like to explore this more deeply, trade ideas with others or raise your own questions, please e-mail me. We are thinking of putting a bulletin board in this room on the site and wonder if you are interested. For now, here are some of my musings.

Web resources:
Visionary Resources
ELCA Ministry in Daily Life
Spirit at Work
National Center for the Laity

Book references:

Alford, Helen J., O.P. and Michael J. Naughton. Managing As If Faith Mattered: Christian Social Principles in the Modern Organization, Unversity of Nortre Dame Press, 2001.

Allegretti, Joseph. Loving Your Job, Finding Your Passion, Paulist Press, 2000.

Anderson, Nancy. Work With Passion, New World Library, 1995.

Banks, Robert. Faith Goes to Work: Reflections from the Marketplace, Alban Institute, 1993.

Bass, Dorothy. Practicing Our Faith, Jossey-Bass, 1997.

Bass, Dorothy. Receiving the Day: Christian Practices for Opening the Gift of Time, Jossey-Bass, 2000.

Batstone, David. Saving the Corporate Soul & (Who Knows) Maybe Your Own, Jossey-Bass, 2003.

Briskin, Alan. The Stirring of Soul in the Workplace, Berrett/Koehler, 1996.

Diehl, William. Ministry in Daily Life, Alban Institute, 1996.

Droel, William. Full-Time Christians, Twenty-Third Publications, 2002.

Everist, Norma Cook and Nelvin Vos. Where in the World Are You? Connecting Faith and Daily Life, Alban Institute, 1996.

Giovagnoli, Melissa. Angels in the Workplace, Jossey-Bass, 1999.

Greenleaf, Robert. Servant Leadership: A Journey into the Nature of Legitimate Power and Greatness, 1983.

Greenleaf, Robert. On Becoming a Servant Leader, 1996

Haughey, John. Converting Nine to Five: A Spirituality of Daily Life, Crossroad, 1989.

Jacobsen, Steve. Heart to God, Hands to Work: Connecting Spirituality and Work, Alban Institute, 1997.

Kline, Sue. Your Money and Your Life, Navpress, 2000.

Mahan, Brian J. Forgetting Ourselves on Purpose: Vocation and the Ethics of Ambition, Jossey-Bass, 2002.

Metcalf, Franz and BJ Gallagher Hateley. What Would Buddha Do at Work?: 101 Answers to Workplace Dilemmas, Ulysses Press, 2001.

Richmond, Lewis. Work as Spiritual Practice, Broadway Books, 1999.

Rosen Mark. Thank You for Being Such a Pain: Spiritual Guidance for Dealing with Difficult People, Three Rivers Press, 1998.

Sensky, Kurt. Executive Values: A Christian Approach to Organizational Leadership, Augsburg Books, 2003.

Sinetar, Marsha. Holy Work, Crossroad, 1998.

Sinetar, Marsha. Ordinary People as Monks and Mystics, Paulist Press, 1986.

Singer, Joseph William. The Edges of the Field: Lessons on the Obligations of Ownership, Beacon Press, 2000.

Thrall, Bill, Ken McElrath and Bruce McNicol. Beyond Your Best: Develop Your Relationships, Fulfill Your Destiny, Jossey-Bass, 2003.

Organizations:
Coalition for Ministry in Daily Life
4694 Boxwood Circle
Emmaus, PA 18049

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