IS IT BETTER TO MAKE A SMALL COMPROMISE IN YOUR FAITH OR GET FIRED?

Last week I heard about a US Marine who was court-martialed for hanging a scripture verse on her computer monitor. When her supervisor told her to take the verse down, Lance Corporal Sterling refused. She was convicted and given a bad conduct discharge. Her case went before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Services last week. There are a lot of strong opinions on all sides of this case. But opinions aside, it got me thinking about the idea of standing up for my constitutional rights versus giving in to the desires of those around me (be they an authority, peer, or otherwise). I wondered what I would do if I were faced with the decision to compromise my faith in order to obey an authority.  

WHY BEING A "GOOD" CHRISTIAN MIGHT BE DANGEROUS

I couldn't believe they wouldn't let me go. My High School church youth group was going on a missions trip to Mexico and my parents said it was too dangerous. There were reports in the news of child abductions, gang violence, and other general bad stuff that parents guard against. But I still found it difficult to understand why they wouldn't allow me to go on a "Church Missions Trip." While that was a long time ago, I have never forgotten it. Before I go on, please know that I recognize that my parents had a responsibility to keep me safe and were authorities that God had placed in my life. That being said, I think they unintentionally taught me the wrong lesson. They valued my safety above all else.

COULD YOUR DIET BE A WAY TO MINISTER AT WORK? MINE WAS

Recently I have felt like God has been challenging me to be a better servant leader but am not always sure how to actually be one. I have one person who works under me as my assistant. This week I had one opportunity to serve her in a unique way. I found out that she was trying to get into "clean eating," something I have been doing for years. I sent her a couple recipes and encouraged her in her efforts. While this didn't really relate to our job, it was one small way to improve our relationship and gave me a chance to serve her in a way that was meaningful to her.

WHY WHAT YOU SAY MATTERS MORE THAN YOU THINK

Many of my regrets in life have not been what I didn't say, but what I did say (this is especially true within my marriage). I work on a ship offshore in the Gulf of Mexico. The expression "cuss like a sailor" is pretty accurate; sailors tend to say a lot of bad things. I have often been guilty of not being encouraging, uplifting, or edifying in my speech towards and around others.

WHY YOU SHOULDN'T ARGUE WITH 12 YEAR OLDS

Earlier this week I hired a couple of high schoolers and their 12 year old brother to help me clean and paint part of the house I'm rehabbing. They did a great job and we made some good progress toward finishing the house so I can put it on the market.

But I also got the opportunity to "re-learn" a lesson that I thought I already knew. The 12 year old said something that I didn't think was correct and when I tried to inform him of how and why he was wrong, he simply stated that I was the one who was wrong and that he was right. I wish I could say that I let it go at that and moved on, but I kept trying to win the argument. How I got sucked into this "yes it is...no it isn't" argument with a 12 year old is beyond me.  

DOES YOUR LIFE SITUATION MAKE YOU FEEL DISTANT FROM GOD?

I work offshore in the Gulf of Mexico for a company called Otto Candies. I work 28 days (12 hour shifts each day) and then am off 28 days. My schedule makes it challenging to stay focused and grow in my relationship with God (especially when I'm at work). I feel like I am often spiritually bogged down and just can't get traction. And I feel even worse about my relationship with God when I have been sinning or when I am personally making bad choices. 

ENCOURAGEMENT TO KEEP BUGGING GOD IN PRAYER

I sit at work / school with the same ten people everyday for grad school at the Air Force Command and Staff College. We are about half way through the year and have gotten to know each other pretty well. I have been thinking a lot about how to be a good ambassador of Christ to the group. Recently, I decided to start praying for each of them individually. I put each person's name on a separate notecard and try to pray over one of them daily.  

FOUR VERSES USEFUL FOR EVERYDAY MINISTRY

When I started kindergarten at a small Christian school (a long time ago), I was forced to start memorizing scripture verses. It wasn't too bad at first but by the time I was in 7th grade I was forced to memorize whole chapters. I hated it. 

Most of us don't like taking the time or effort to memorize verses. 

But as I got older, and wasn't being forced to do it anymore, I began memorizing verses that were meaningful to me on my own.   

HOW TO HAVE RELIGIOUS CONVERSATIONS WITHOUT BEING AWKWARD

I used to be extremely uncomfortable with how to share my faith with co-workers (or anyone, for that matter) or even how to bring up the topic of religion. I was afraid of talking about religion because I thought people might have a closed-of or even hostile response. But I also knew that as a Christian, I am supposed to be a bold ambassador for Christ. Still, it took a lot of courage for me to do it...and when I did do it, it felt clumsy and awkward.

Since those days, I have learned that I'm not the only one; many Christians struggle with how to evangelize. It shouldn't be so hard to talk about something we believe is true and life giving.  Nevertheless, it is very difficult for most of us.

TOO SCARED (BUT KNOW I SHOULDN'T BE) TO SHARE JESUS

Last Christmas I spoke with a girl I met about evangelism and being a Christian in the workplace. She told me that she travels a lot and doesn't feel like she has had opportunities to share her faith in Jesus with anyone at work. However, she does make it a point to share her faith when she travels. I was fascinated and challenged by what she had said. By contrast, when I fly/travel I usually make it a point to fall asleep as soon as possible and am sometimes annoyed if the person next to me wants to talk.

HOW TO BE A CHRISTIAN AT WORK WITHOUT FRATERNIZING

When I started doing Bible studies with people from work, I was concerned that I might be engaging in the activity that everyone emphatically said to stay away from: FRATERNIZATION (frat). One document from my workplace says this about frat: personal relationships between officer and enlisted members which are unduly familiar, do not respect differences in grade or rank, and are prejudicial to good order and discipline are prohibited. Your workplace may have similar policies or expectations for personal relationships between co-workers. 

Have You Ever Wanted To Be A Double Agent (for Jesus)?

One day I was thinking about the idea that Christians are said to be Christ's ambassadors (II Corinthians 5:20) on earth. I started wondering what it would mean for me to live or act as an ambassador and while there are likely many ways to do this, one example stood out to me.
I realized that missionaries are some of the best at realizing and tactically applying this idea to their daily lives. One way that a missionary might act as an ambassador for Christ is to go into another country with a work visa and get a "cover" job so that they can have a means of connecting with the people in that culture for the sake of Jesus.

They would use that "cover" job and the neighborhood they live in as platforms to build relationships with their co-workers,

How To Spiritually Prepare For A New Job.

I recently moved several thousand miles for a new assignment in the Navy (again) and am getting settled in at my new location. Over the last ten years I have moved eight times, changed jobs eleven times, and changed positions within a job close to twenty times. I should probably be a pro at moving

One Simple Technique That Will Improve Your Effectiveness

In my job and life in general, I think a lot about how to influence people and how to communicate with them so they not only hear what I communicate, but actually do something about it. Recently I

Important Reasons Why Christians Don't Thrive Alone

In my last assignment, I was stationed on a Navy ship where I sometimes was so busy that all I did was work, work out (sometimes), eat, and sleep. I tried to set aside time to pray and read my Bible, but would become so busy that I had difficulty focusing on God at all, let alone have any time to

Gay is ok?

Once homesexuals were allowed to be open about their sexual preference in the navy I found out that one of the females who worked under me was engaged to marry another female. As someone who believes that the Bible teaches that homosexuality is a sin, I thought about the topic a lot.

Jesus. Yes or No?

Recently I spent some time in a car ride with a friend I met through work. We hang out on a weekly basis and have gotten to know each other fairly well. Eventually, the conversation landed on religion. I really like it when I get to talk about this topic and am always trying to figure out the best way to

Why pastors shouldn't work...

Yesterday I read a passage in the Bible that made me realize that I have been thinking a little bit backwards.

Can you see what God is doing?

I want to do my own thing my own way; I have been fighting selfishness my whole life but often succumb to it anyway. I even do this with spiritual things. I may be willing to lead a Bible study or prayer group, but I want to do it my way and don't feel like taking the time to ask God what he wants

Is it ok to talk about religion at work?

When I started my first grown up job about a decade ago, I knew I wasn't supposed to "leave God behind" when I went to work, but I felt an unspoken social pressure to not do or say anything that would give anyone any hints that I might be a Christian. I'm not sure why, but I was terrified to talk