Is your marriage satisfying? Talk to someone who will come alongside you.

It’s hard to think of an empty stomach or crop failure or pain or a lack of employment as a gift. It’s even harder to accept that it could be a gift from God.  Yet, in the book of Amos God lists these unusual “gifts” that He gave in order to motivate the people to seek His face and return to His ways:

“I gave you empty stomachs” (4:6)
“I withheld rain from you” (4:7)
“I struck your gardens and vineyards…with blight and mildew” (4:9)
“I sent plagues among you” (4:10)
“I overthrew some of you” (4:11)

After each of these statements the refrain is repeated, “yet you have not returned to me”.

The people of Israel had strayed from God. They worshipped idols and lived contrary to the good laws God had given them. So God used trouble to get their attention. He knew that when the economy is good, when there is plenty of food and work, people forget Him. It was true in the past and it is true today.

Trouble makes us turn to God and too often prosperity makes us forget Him.  Let us heed the warning of this ancient prophet. Let us not be guilty, as the Israelites were, of not returning to God when He brings trouble and hardship into our lives to get our attention.

Holy God, forgive me for the times that I have left Your ways. May the trouble that I experience in my life remind me how much I need You. I want to seek Your face and return to your ways.  Amen.

Questions: Do you think trouble can come from God? How has God managed to get your attention?

About the Author Suzanne Benner

How to Love the Job You’ve Got
Every day we hear about people making radical career changes. The opportunities exist, but will all these changes make us any happier once we get there? Maybe the question is not “how can I get the job I’ll love?”, but “how can I love the job I have?” Following are four practical steps towards coming to terms with why you do what you’re doing. Take some time to think about it, and you might be surprised by what you find. Read more

Take action: Whether it’s at home, at school, at work, or elsewhere, we all face conflict. Why not try our Dealing With Conflict online interactive life lesson?

You said it: This week, Diana commented on 5 Levels of Communication, saying “Sounds like he has fear of intimacy issues. I would suggest you see a counselor.” Read the article and add your own thoughts: Read more

Video: Street Level – Communication
Are hearing and listening the same thing? In this Street Level video we went to the streets to get your opinions. Add your own thoughts in the comments! Read more

Feature: Overcoming Anger
As we look at relationships today we have to ask: what has gone wrong? How can we personally overcome -anger- that enemy which causes so much relationship distress? Read more

Coming up next week: One of the topics of our upcoming online chats is “Does Prayer Really Work?” Join us in the chat room October 4th 2009 @ 9:00pm EST for this chat or see also our full chat calendar for other upcoming topics.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as though you were working for the Lord and not for people” Colossians 3:23, TEV)

The apostle Paul teaches that we are to work as though we are “working for the Lord and not for people.” He’s saying that no job is too small; no job is too menial; no job is too insignificant when you have the right motive and perspective. We should think, “I’m doing it for God; I’m doing this job as if I’m doing it for the Lord.” I used to clean meat lockers in a butcher shop, and I would clean them as unto the Lord.

Now, how do I know if I’m doing my work for the Lord? Two characteristics will show up in your attitude: excellence and enthusiasm.

First, if I’m doing my work, not for the boss but for the Lord, I’ll do it with excellence. That means I give it my best shot. I do the best I can because I’m not doing it for anyone’s approval, except God’s. I do it with excellence, being the best I can be.

Second, I do my work with enthusiasm. I’m working for God; therefore, I do it with a cheerful attitude. “Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically” (Romans 12:11, NLT).

When you are working with all your heart, motivated by the love of Christ, your work is transformed into an act of worship for God.

Question: What does it mean to work “to please God”? When may doing God’s work not also please those around you?

About this Author: Rick Warren

“Teaching is a tough job, requiring boundless energy, time and dedication, both during the school day and beyond. In the course of any day, teachers tie shoelaces, wipe noses and keep order in a classroom of 30 or more students – all while striving to ensure that these students achieve at the highest levels,” said Jess M. Brallier, publisher, Family Education Network. “Teacher Appreciation Week gives parents and students a special time to thank the education professionals in their schools for their expertise and devotion to helping our children build a love for learning.” (PRWeb)

Looking for something nice you can get for your child’s teacher (or any teacher that you know)? There may be just the thing on the FamilyEducation website’s list of the “Top 10 Gifts for Teachers“.

Did you have a favorite teacher growing up? What made them so special? And if you are a teacher yourself, please feel free to share your struggles and triumphs with us!

Related reading: The Teachable Teacher – “When I began attending school, I loved my first grade teacher so much that I decided to become a primary school teacher.” Read Elena Chukreyeva’s story of life & faith.

Meta-Job Searches
Why search just one site when you can automatically search multiple job sites at once? Indeed.com (Indeed.ca in Canada) returns job listings at several job sites and individual companies’ listings automatically.

Contract Jobs
Consider a different type of employment: Use your skills and earn money with contract work. Project4Hire.com is a great source for general contract jobs, while ELance.com is the site of choice for IT/coding/tech jobs. Meanwhile if you’re handy with arts & crafts, you can sell your work on Etsy.com.

Non-profit/Charity Jobs
Help others and get paid for it by working for a non-profit. In Canada, CharityVillage.com is a popular source for charity jobs, while OpportunityKnocks.org offers a similar resource for US residents.

Specialized Job Search Sites
Many job sites exist which focus on particular careers. For example MediaJobSearchCanada.com concentrates on jobs involved with new media, marketing, and technology, eFinancialCareers.com offers business careers, while LawJobs.com indexes jobs within the legal profession. See this useful list of National & Specialized Job Listings for more in your own profession.

Online Classifieds
Old favorite CraigsList and growing competitor Kijiji are like national newspaper classified ads. Be careful, anyone can post an ad, so be wary of ads making fabulous promises or offering few details about the job and/or employer.

Please share your favorite job search websites or resources with us!

Related reading: How hardship caused one successful businessman to redefine success.

Image credit: davidfg

Over the last few years there has been a lot of talk about people switching careers.

Here are four practical steps towards coming to terms with why you do what you’re doing. Take some time to think about it, and you might be surprised by what you find.

1.  Realize that your job does not define you, but how you do it does. Any job can be done well, done with compassion, done with care. Your attitude at work and the way you treat people — even your mood — does not go unnoticed.

2.  Stop focusing on the money. Getting paid is only one small part of what you do, your work has to be more than just a paycheck to be fulfilling.

3.  Find the significance in what you do. Ask yourself “how is this job done differently because I am doing it?” Perspective plays a huge role in personal satisfaction and sense of well being. Try to remember why you took the job in the first place.

4.  Dare to ask yourself if it’s worth it. Do you need to be doing a different position within the same company? Are additional responsibilities taking you away from the work you were hired to do? Maybe all that’s needed is some refocusing.

You can read the full article for more information.  How is work going for you?  Do you love the job you’ve got?

More on work:
Find a mentor
Success is personal, its not just business

• Investigate how other companies are faring in your industry. Are there lay-offs at similar companies?
• Look for warning signs like not being invited to meetings that your peers are, not getting copied on e-mails, or getting passed up for good assignments.
• Pay special attention to the relationship you have with your boss; if they don’t like you, your job may be in trouble.

They also give some advice for keeping your job safe. With the recent economic downturn, how do you feel about the security of your job? Or if you’re not currently employed, how do you feel about your chances of finding a new, fulfilling job in the future? Talk back in the comments.

If you are feeling depressed about your job (or lack of a job) feel free to contact us. Our volunteers are always ready to listen with a kind ear!