I served more than 20 years in so-called "secular” work and more than 20 years as a church pastor. I love both church and workplace. But like a child with estranged parents, I feel the pain of the separation.

Some might say the Bible merely projects human work upon God, picturing him in our image. But just the opposite is true. He made us in HIS image. Work originated in God, the worker. We work because he made us in his likeness. Our work stems from his.

The official-looking envelope from the Department of Licensing reminded me of something I no longer look forward to—my birthday. So, more than a month early, I drove to the licensing office. There, in addition to a new license, I’d get a fresh insight into serving Christ in the workplace.

“We shape our buildings,” said Winston Churchill; “thereafter they shape us.” In a similar way, we fashion religious terms that from then on have the power to mold our thinking for generations. Case in point: the phrase “full-time Christian service.”

A body is not all mouth. Neither is it all feet and hands. A body both walks and talks. Jesus incarnated, embodied, the truth—a perfect blending of walk and talk.