Faith at Work

I purchased Zigarelli's book, "Faith at Work," online after reading its introduction. I was EXPECTING it to be a typical book of religious ethics with a familiar 'God will make you prosperous if you just follow these three easy steps.' I was surprised to find that it was one of the most spiritually challenging books I have read - so much so that we in Life Journey Ministries have decided to use it as required reading for our "Freed to Let Faith Transform Your Work" online course. I particularly appreciate Michael Zigarelli's work as a whole. His ability to combine obvious expertise in organizational management with a very practical application of the Christian faith is invaluable. But in "Faith at Work," he has produced a work that causes any Christian leader in today's marketplace to sit up and take notice. This will NOT be an easy book to practice! It will truly require faith and trust in Christ to perform. It is not for the spiritually faint-hearted! Zigarelli's application of the beatitudes to leadership in many ways is an oximoron. The beatitudes operate from a totally different understanding of power than any management or leadership training I have received. It is almost absurdly paradoxical to think that such philosphy and behavior could even survive in today's cut-throat leadership environment. Yet, there is also a side of the Christian mind (or maybe ANY spiritually-minded person)that not only grasps the possibility of its truth; the book touches our souls and our faith confirms it! And, there is the beauty of this book. It challenges us with the question, "Are you ready and willing to step up to the plate and truly live by faith, fully realizing that 'success' may occur in ways normally not understood nor accepted by today's materialistic leaders?" If we Christians truly want an authentic and transparent means of being God's presence in the workplace while also doing good, responsible management, this book is a must read.Ordinary People, Extraordinary Leaders

"Faith at Work" IS AWESOME AND A MUST READ BOOK!! For those of you who skip the introduction and just read the required text - the INTRODUCTION is a MUST READ!!To be totally honest, I read the Introduction first to see if the book would be worth my time reading vs skimming. After I found myself in tears halfway through the Introduction, I just had to read the Epilogue to find out what happened - and I found myself crying again. And as I read the rest of the book, I found myself crying out in repentance when the author seemed to had written my thoughts and actions from MY own hands.FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO SKIPPED THE INTRODUCTION OR SKIMMED THE BOOK, let me give you a summary....."The time comes for the obligatory short speeches commemorating [your retirement from your co-workers]....Now take this scene one last step. Imagine for a moment that the person at the podium is not your co-worker, but Jesus Christ Himself....He says your name [Stephanie]..."I'm going to tell you good folks what [Stephanie] did at work all of these years that really mattered," He begins."Imagine if this story was TRUE and Jesus Christ as one who spoke "commemorating your work throughout the years. Tell me, would you drop your head in shame or in humility? Would you sneak out of the room in disgrace or would you wait till the end to thank Jesus for helping you to endure till the end? This story pierced my heart and I began to cry out to God for forgiveness.Tell me, during these years leading to YOUR retirement, did you (and me) forget "what mattered to God" and replace it with "want mattered to me"? Were we in the pursuit of pleasing God, pleasing man, or pleasing me? Were we being Christ-centered or "me-centered"?Boy did this book burst my bubble and bring me back into the "right" perspective! "Faith at Work" helps you to understand and define what's "keeping you from being more Christ-like in your job and your career." It helps you to identify the barriers and tells you how to overcome them though the principles of the Beatitudes.The book holds your interest with real stories - some with wonderful outcomes like the "Veggie Tales' and others with not so good outcomes like "The Revenge of the Granny." This book is better than a "dinner and a movie" - well maybe just the movie (smile). I've decided that I would not just ask the questions WWJD (that's What Would Jesus Do), but I would take it one step further (like the book suggests) and DWJWD - that's Do What Jesus Would Do.This book has not only helped me to overcome the obstacles of being Christ-like at work but most importantly it has helped me to overcome the obstacles of being Christ-like PERIOD.I pray that in reading "Faith at Work" that your heart will be cleansed, your spirit renewed, your life changed, and your retirement speech from the Lord in line with the Beatitudes.Blessings upon you all,