When Work Feels Like All You Are

@Luna_moon101: Hi everyone, hope your all well 🙂

@adebirkby: Good evening

@adebirkby: Background music is drowning vocals

@CROWDChurch: Great to be with you all

@Jodiejones99: Yeah it’s very loud

@mattedmundson: Evening all :-)

@sharonedmundson8566: Good evening

@janetburch9238: Hi everyone 😊

@mattedmundson: Looking forward to this one :-)

@janetburch9238: yes!!

@mattedmundson: That’s an insane number of hours!

@janetburch9238: 😯

@CROWDChurch: ‘Ordinary work is a divine vocation or calling’ and ‘God walks among the pots and pans.’ Martin Luther

@CROWDChurch: Is your identity based on your work?

@mattedmundson: Can’t say as I was ever a professional footballer

@CROWDChurch: First and foremost we are children of God.

@mattedmundson: Don’t know if I have ever been a professional anything

@ladybirkby: I really struggled with that as I’m now medically retired. I felt I’d lost my “identity” for a long time.

@sharonedmundson8566: Hours did you regain your sense of identity?

@mattedmundson: So that’s what Ai thinks about itself.

@CROWDChurch: As Christians we believe that our narrative has been set for us. We belong to God and He has a role and purpose for each of us.

@ladybirkby: I’m a work in progress on discovering “who I am in God” not what “what I did”. Still working on it!

@mattedmundson: ❤️

@mattedmundson: The first worker is God is quite an astounding thought

@mattedmundson: His job created order out chaos. I know plenty who turn order into chaos as their job!!

@CROWDChurch: Ephesians 5:1 Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children.

Ephesians 5:1

@mattedmundson: It’s interesting that what God created still needed tending.

@mattedmundson: Work is not the curse.

@janetburch9238: I felt embarrassed when i took early retirement from midwifery as people loved to tell me their pregnancy stories!

@mattedmundson: ❤️

@janetburch9238: it had been part of my social status

@CROWDChurch: Work existed before ‘the fall’ and is good. The fall meant that work became difficult.

@janetburch9238: oh my!

@ladybirkby: I can relate to that too Jan

@janetburch9238: i bet

@mattedmundson: We are working for an audience of one ☝️

@CROWDChurch: We can work with freedom knowing that we can look to God for our affirmation and His ‘well done’.

@janetburch9238: never heard that before about toil! Makes sense

@funnybudgieantics: I only work 2 days a week cleaning but i love it even though its hard at times

@mattedmundson: We imitate God creating order out of chaos.

@mattedmundson: Love that

@funnybudgieantics: Hi Matt hope your well its Louise from Alpha

@mattedmundson: Was wondering :-). Hi Louise.

@ladybirkby: I was always the office candy 😂😂 (only joking)

@CROWDChurch: A great book on the subject of work from a biblical perspective is “Every Good Endeavor’ by Tim Keller.

@mattedmundson: Great book

@sharonedmundson8566: @ladybirkby I can believe it 😂

@sharonedmundson8566: For the hosts, how does your faith specifically affect the way you approach your job?

@funnybudgieantics: I pray god will direct in the right direction of work

@sharonedmundson8566: A good prayer to pray

@ladybirkby: When I was having a bad day at work I would take a breath and remember I was working for God. It allowed me to give people more grace!

@funnybudgieantics: Thankyou Sharon x

@sharonedmundson8566: @ladybirkby that’s a great way of looking at the situation

@sharonedmundson8566: I’ve heard the title of that book many times but never read it

@funnybudgieantics: before i did cleaning i did care work for 12 years

@electric-orange: Bob Dylan famously sang “you gotta serve somebody”

@janetburch9238: I was an nhs worker for 30 years and i longed for real connection to my colleagues, but it at times was complete toil. it made me so sad as i wanted Eden

@funnybudgieantics: If i didnt have my job i would feel lost as i know its routine and i feel i have done something to help

@sharonedmundson8566: Routine is helpful for so many things.

@sharonedmundson8566: Jan, I often feel that longing for Eden

@funnybudgieantics: well said

@janetburch9238: that’s what happened to me

@funnybudgieantics: I have started learning calligraphy thinking of starting my business would take a lot of work

@janetburch9238: wow that sounds exciting!

@funnybudgieantics: I would like to do family trees in calligraphy thats what i would like to do

@CROWDChurch: Do join us in the Live Lounge after the livestream: go.crowd.church/meet

@janetburch9238: wonderful!

@Luna_moon101: Thank you guys very interesting

@ladybirkby: See you in Live Lounge!

@funnybudgieantics: Thankyou