7/28/23 - 2000: iWork4Him 101

Jim: You've tuned into iWork4Him , the voice of collaboration for the faith and work movement.

Martha: And we are your hosts, Jim and Martha Brangenberg. Our mission is to transform the workplace of every Christian into a mission field. What does that look like in your workplace? Let's find out right now.

Jim: This is in fact our 2000th podcast under the iWork4Him moniker.

We thought it was the perfect day to talk about the most powerful concept that's come out of the birthing and the existence of iWork4Him over the last 10 years. You see, over the last 10 years, we've interviewed thousands of people. And this one common theme has come up over and over and over again, and it is these steps that shift your paradigm from looking at your workplace as a necessary evil to looking at your work as a gift from God.

Your workplace, a ministry place, and in fact, your workplace has been assigned to you as your workplace mission field today. We're going to give you all the steps to what is it to how to shift your workplace into a mission field. And there's just five for turning your workplace into a mission field by shifting the paradigm of your mind.

Martha, this journey over these last 10 years and these 2000 podcasts has been humbling and sometimes really difficult to get the video and the audio to work together, but it's also been an incredible journey, hasn't it?

Martha: It sure has. And I can't believe we are at 2000. But, you know, all along the mission and the, what God has been telling us has never changed.

We know our God doesn't change, but sometimes we need to learn things over and over again. And, and really, that's really what we're going to talk about today is some very basic concepts that God has taught us that we want others to know as well.

Jim: What, what do you think for you over the last 2000 episodes, what's been the biggest surprise?

The one thing you've seen? That has happened over and over again. What's the what has been the biggest surprise for you?

Martha: Well, I, I don't know if I can ever say what one thing, but over and over again, just seeing God's hand in people's lives. Even this week, getting an email from somebody that said, I learned, you know, I got to start understanding that my workplace was a place of ministry and saw people come to Christ and different things.

And it's like, God is not done. He is just starting his work in the workplace. And we just get to have this wonderful vantage point of seeing his hand at work. How about for me,

Jim: the biggest surprise has been, you know, I had somebody, one of my old bosses in fact said to me, Jim, what are you going to do when you run out of people to interview?

Yeah, exactly. Never happened. Never happened. We, we thought maybe there was 50 or a hundred different workplace focused discipleship ministries in the country. Now we realize there's three or 4, 000, we've only begun to just chip away the iceberg of what God is doing. And we thought there was some great stories.

But in fact, there are. tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of great stories of how God is working in people's workplaces. It's just been so much fun. And we're just so grateful that God's got us on this journey. And every day we, I think probably the other big surprise for me has been the connecting part.

Martha: Yeah, you know, God has gifted you specifically with this ability to see how he's weaving a tapestry, how he's saying, Hey, that person needs to know that person or that ministry needs to be connected to that person or vice versa. And to see the way that God is like, there would be no, maybe God would have found another way, but using iWork4HIm to connect some dots and to allow people to advance the kingdom, to work together.

We love nothing more than seeing silos get broken down and people collaborating together. Jim, that is at the heartbeat of what we do each and every day. And you know, last week we were talking about The story of iWork4Him, the story that God wrote in our lives, and how each one of our listeners has their own story.

And I think that really ties into what we're just saying. You know, we've heard 2, 000 episodes of stories of what God's done and it's not ending. I mean, it is continuing. He is at work, at work.

Jim: That's incredible. So when you think about this, our 2000th, iWork4Him episode, there's also almost 100. iRetire4Him podcast.

There's also almost 100. sheWorks4Him podcast. And there's over 500 different power thoughts that we produce that have been replaying on the radio since 2019, I think. Yeah. So there's a lot of stuff out there. And if you're looking to be encouraged just start listening to some of the old iWork4Him podcast Just don't go back to episode number one.

It's a little rough.

Martha: It's not your favorite

Jim: so One of the things that we really have done as we connect to people is we realize that when somebody is out there looking for a faith and work podcast We realize that if you just go out out to apple podcast or google play music or amazon podcast or youtube podcast or whatever And you type in I want to get a faith and work podcast.

You may find four or five But in fact, there are, we found 155 so far. And we decided to collect them into one place. We call this the Awaken Podcast Network.

Martha: So on our website, there is a button for the Awaken Podcast Network, and if you go there, you can find that collection that has been curated just for you to find other people speaking into maybe the space that you're working in, whether it is a specific industry or maybe you're a Christian working woman and you're looking for something that can help you walk in your day to day in a more unique way.

That is a place to go and to find those voices that resonate with you And we would love for you to check out the awaken podcast network

Jim: awaken podcast network. com You can also go there directly awaken podcast network. com. What's really cool about this martha is that? Awaken Podcast Network is a web app and you can add it.

Our listeners can add it to their website for a small fee every month because it can be licensed out anywhere and we'll do all the maintenance and we can get this out there because maybe you've got employees that you'd love to have them to get exposed to all these other podcasts. Just we can talk about how we can get that added on there It's a great resource that people can get access to so excited to put it out there All right.

I think it'd be great for us to Really go through the five pieces of the iWork4Him nation covenant this awakening that happens in order to shift Our mindset from looking at our workplace as a necessary evil As something that we do in order to support the ministry we do outside of work to shift that paradigm to recognize our workplace as our ministry place, as our mission field.

Martha: So last week, Jim, you were sharing in your story how God really led you to pray for your co workers, your bosses, the vendors that you were working with and everything. And so that really formed the first step of the iWork4Him Nation. So why don't you tell people how they can approach that?

Jim: All right. The first step in talking about your workplace as a mission field, the first step is to start praying for the people that you work alongside by name each and every day. So, you know, if you work normally, we interact with several of the same people every day, just start praying for him by name and then through the process of conversation, learn their spouses names, learn their kids names if they have kids and just are praying for them by name each and every day.

And what you're going to see is God is going to start having you helping you to see those people The way he sees them it it just is amazing the empathy that grows in your heart As you do that and then that leads into step number two.

Martha: Yeah, serving them above and beyond what your job requires you to do.

So, you know, a lot of us have certain, well, remember the days of an actual job description. I think a lot of us have lost that, that perspective, but we have certain things that are our responsibility to do, whether you're taking care of people or whatever the needs are, but going above and beyond that, you know, what is more powerful than, you know, that example of the boss cleaning the bathroom or the boss.

Or the co worker that says, you know what, I'm going to stay late tonight and help you get that project done because you've just been pouring over it and I know you need to get it finished or you have a deadline. Whatever that might be or it might be bringing in zucchini bread that when your zucchinis are abundant in your baking like they are right now, like they are right now

Jim: you know, you could make a zucchini house right now.

Well, you probably could give me a little cement mortar between we could build a whole house of,

Martha: you know, that's even, you know, serving above and beyond, you know, just. Just actually that leads kind of into the next step, Jim.

Jim: All right, so just for review, you start praying for your co workers and employees and your bosses by name each and every day.

Then you look for ways to serve them over and above what you're already required to do. Because if you just do what you're required to do, it doesn't mean anything. Right. Then the next thing we need to do is we need to really become friends with people. So the third step in the iWork4Him nation covenant.

Is start befriending people outside of the workplace. We have workplace friendships, but they're often shallow. Start to get to really know people. So involve yourself in their lives outside of work. Maybe invite them into your home for a meal, if that's appropriate, or go out to dinner with them outside of work where that's appropriate.

But just get to know who they really are and when you invite them in your own bring their families over having them all the way Oh, you'll bring get to know who they are

Martha: You know, this is such a step for getting so creative because it can be the simplest things it can be. Hey, it's summer Let's have a pool party and go to the neighborhood pool.

Not you know, and or you can Think of ways to just get people out of their work zone.

Jim: You got a work day at and your community, you want to invite them to come join you in that work day. There's just so many different ways to do it, but be appropriate. If you're a single mom and you're have another co worker's a single mom go hang out together as single moms But if you're a single lady and one of your co workers is a single guy Maybe invite him over for dinner might not be the best idea, but you can invite multiple friends from work To go off for dinner together.

Martha: Why do we want to befriend them, Jim? What is the purpose behind that?

Jim: We need to get to know who they are outside of work. We need them to get to know us outside of work. We need to know who are they as a whole person because they need to see that our faith infiltrates all of our lives.

Martha: Hmm. That's such a good point because so many times at work, people try to compartmentalize themselves.

In fact, that's why we talk about the work for him in general, because we think we need to compartmentalize our faith, but Jesus changed all of us, all 24 seven. So yeah, There is no setting him aside. So when we incorporate him in all of our life and allow him to change all of it, that means getting to know people in their, and, and who they really are so that we can then fulfill step number four.

Jim: Which is praying with people. Wait a minute, you're freaking out. You're like, I'm not going to pray with somebody. Here's the deal. When you're praying for people on a daily basis, you start to see them the way God sees them. When you serve them over and above the way you're required to. It starts to open doors with people when you befriend them and get to really know them outside of the workplace.

You start to have a relationship so you know, you get to know what the regular, what the normal is for that person. So let's just say it's Martha. Martha is normally a woman full of grace. She's a woman full of mercy. She's normally exceptionally positive. So if you notice that Martha is not those things, you say, hey, Martha, what's going on?

How you doing today? If she responds. I'm fine. Really? Freaked out? Insecure? Neurotic? And emotional? Really? How are you doing? When you ask that question and then you shut up, which is not something I do really well. When you notice somebody's not their normal self and you ask them how they're doing and they respond, fine.

And you say, really? Freaked out? Insecure? Neurotic? And emotional? You don't have to. You can find your own way to do this. But really, how are you doing? You just be quiet. Let them share. Because.

Martha: Because then we want the opportunity, because we've noticed something's going on, they tell us and share with us, then we want to be able to say, can I pray with you about that right now?

And in that vulnerable moment, when they have shared something that's stressing them out, or that they're dealing with and they have not shared you get that opportunity to take it before the Lord. And... We have never experienced anybody saying no,

Jim: because when they've shared from their heart, they've opened their heart.

They already know that you care. They've seen it through lots of other ways there. We've never anybody say no. Doesn't matter what the religion is. I pray with Jews and Muslims and Buddhists. I've prayed with atheists. When people are hurting all of a sudden believe in the power of prayer,

Martha: it's a beautiful thing and they're grateful for it.

So we want to encourage you. This is why we we do the iWork4Him nation is to actually put that challenge out there to say, you know, what this there's purpose in your work. And one of those things is opening up the doors to prayer with your co workers, your employee, your boss, whoever that might be that is sharing with you in that moment and and.

The power of that is what can lead people to a relationship with Jesus Christ. But the reason we've set it up, Jim, is because we're praying for them, we're getting to know them, we're serving them, we're loving on them, and then that, that gives you an authentic place to have a conversation with them.

Jim: And there's a fifth step that's critical to all of this, but before that, I really want to tell you about our blog.

So every week as we tie together the conversations in our one minute radio programs and our podcast I write about it in a blog and martha edits it to make sure that it's good because I Write like I talk and that's not always appropriate for writing But we release that blog in an email that goes out every friday.

We would love for you to sign up for our blog

Martha: Yeah, so you can go to iWork4Him. com and there you can subscribe to the weekly email that will come out. And it's just another way in this journey where we're all learning how to better connect our faith and our work that we can walk the journey together.

So maybe you listen to the Power Thoughts every day, and then you caught the podcast that, as it released, and you're hearing this. Theme throughout the week friday. We'll kind of recap all of that. It might be a personal story it might be an experience that we had something that Jim or I have been convicted of or Walking through that we want to share with you In a way so that we can all learn to be to grow closer to the lord, whatever that might be Because walking out our faith in our work takes a relationship with Jesus Christ and that all is intended to build together and so that we can all be growing and the, this whole idea of with the workplaces across.

The world becoming a mission field. It already is a mission field. It's just that we haven't necessarily embraced it. So that's that journey can be just enhanced by being a part of the blog. So how do they get signed up? Go to iWorkForHim. com and there is a button for blog and you can go there and sign up.

Jim: Wow. Oh, just that easy? That easy. Okay. All right. We try to keep things simple. So we got these five steps of the iWork4Him Nation covenant. It's really a covenant between you and God. We call it the iWork4Him Nation because it's all these people. All these Jesus followers from across the country who are living out their faith at work, and they're making a commitment to start seeing their workplace as a mission field, to start seeing their workplace as a place where they can be in ministry.

You're praying for your co workers, bosses, employees by name each and every day. You're looking for ways to serve them over and above what your job requires you to do. You're looking for ways to befriend them outside of work through creative ways. You're looking for ways to pray with them when you notice they're having a rough day.

But none of that matters. Except for this, and if this one point is off. Excellence. Everything about you needs to be defined by excellence in your workplace.

Martha: You know, God gave us the gifts, talents, and abilities that we bring to our work every day. And even when we're not in a position where we feel like all of our gifting is being used.

We still are called to work with excellence, you know, Colossians 3 23, it talks about, you know, working as unto the Lord. So even if you have a tough situation in your work, and it doesn't feel like what you do really matters. Nobody would be hiring you to do the job if it didn't matter. If it didn't need to be done, no one would be doing it.

So they've decided that that job needs to be done by someone. So do it with excellence in a way that reflects Jesus Christ. Because if we're sloppy, if we're late to work, if we don't do what we say we're going to do, if we don't meet deadlines. Then how is anybody going to even listen to anything else that comes out of our mouth because we are not living a work of integrity.

Jim: And let's just say that most of the time you do operate with excellence, but one day you just screwed up. Here's the beauty of being a Jesus follower. You just say, I'm sorry. And you just ask for forgiveness because you didn't do things the way they needed to be done. That says so much because people around us need to see we can admit when we're wrong and ask forgiveness.

That's something people don't do. They just don't do, but when we do it, it speaks to excellence because we want to serve with excellence. So those are the five steps. And we described that all of that, all of these steps and talk about how will we expand all these points inside of our books? Martha, how can people get copies of our books as cheap as possible?

Martha: Well, the best way is to go to the bookstore on our website, iworkforhim. com forward slash bookstore.

Jim: That's iwork, the number four, him. com, forward slash bookstore.

Martha: And this link will be in the show notes as well. Down below. But if you go there. Is it down below? You're really good. Yeah, it is down below.

Okay. You're good at that, Jim.

Jim: Everybody does that in their YouTube videos, but I look down below and I'm like, where are they looking?

Martha: Yeah, you have to open up the description. So it depends on how you're watching YouTube on your phone, you're not seeing very much.

Jim: Maybe our fantastic producer Todd T. Riley could put it maybe right here on the screen when we're talking. Oh, there you go. iWork4M. com forward slash bookstore.

Martha: Okay, in the bookstore, you will see an option to purchase the PDF version of our books. And if you buy one PDF of one of our titles, it's 5. If you decide you want another title out of the three then it's 10, but you're going to get the third title as well.

So you're going to get all three versions of our book. iWork4Him, sheWorks4Him, and iRetire4Him in PDF form for 10. Now, if you want the hardcover, there's links there, you can go buy the paperback version, the audiobook, whatever fits your needs. But we've just tried to make more options out there for you by making the PDF available for you.

Immediate download. And you know, Jim, I just wanted to also tell people, if you join the nation, Besides all the benefits internally that you will get, we actually have bumper stickers that we send out, window stickers, a window sticker, because, you know, we never put anything on our bumper. We actually put it on our window now on the car, but I've put it on my laptop.

I've put it on my suitcase, lots of different places. But it's just that reminder,

Jim: we got a friend named Johnny drives around our hometown of Maryville, Missouri. Yeah. What's he have it on the back of the back of his scooter, his scooter, his, his powered wheelchair. There you go. He's got, iRetire4Him going on there.

Yes, he does. Okay. But we want to give you that sticker. Yeah. We've got pictures from around the world of people doing this. Go to iWork4Him. com. And click on the resources tab and join the nation

Martha: excellent We'd love to see you join the nation and together we're going to walk this road Of living out this way so that our workplaces our mission field in our workplace that jesus has given us can be changed for his name.

Jim: We want you to check us out online. Lots of different places online. Our website, IWorkForHim. com, but also on all kinds of social media platforms. We've just gotten on Rumble for our videos and Truth Social and Telegram, and of course we're still on Twitter and Facebook and Instagram and YouTube. Lots of different places to check out iWork4Him.

Tell your friends about us. Let us let them know that there's lots of resources out there. 2000 podcasts. Tell me any other title. It's got 2000 podcasts out there.

Martha: There's not very many. You know, you want to binge on them on some podcasts for the weekend. You have a few choices to make.

Jim: And if you want to have a laugh, you should watch some of the ones.

During COVID when we were figuring out this video part that's back in podcast 1700 or so. We've got lots of resources out there just to encourage you to live out your faith wherever you go But especially in your workplace and for those of you that are coming up on retirement check out iRetire4Him I partner up with an 82 year old friend of mine That's from the retirement reformation and we talk about all kinds of Of issues that are facing retirees and sheWorks4Him martha focuses with her co host on lots of issues folk Facing christian working women all these resources out there online You've been listening to iWork4Him with your host jim and martha brangenberg.

We're christ followers in our workplace We figured it out. It's our mission field, but ultimately iWork4Him!