Living Under God’s Pleasure: The Christian Employee

When we talk about work, it’s easy to jump right to the Fall and consider how work is frustrated by sin. But how does the pre-Fall creation narrative shape our understanding of vocation? And what does that mean for a post-Fall reality? In this episode of White Horse Inn, Michael Horton, Justin Holcomb, and Bob Hiller are joined by special guest Walter Strickland in a new series examining the doctrine of vocation. This episode looks at the goodness inherent to work, what it looks like toimage God in our vocations, and how the Sabbath shapes our approach to the work week.

The apostle Paul tells us that in light of Christ’s resurrection and in view of our own, our work is not in vain. It has meaning and purpose. So how do we navigate the goodness and the promises of work in the context of a world where sin has plagued our vocations? What does the doctrine of vocation say to a generation of people who are unsatisfied, burning out, and just plain tired? Listen to Michael Horton, Justin Holcomb, Bob Hiller, and special guest Walter Strickland continue their discussion of vocation in this episode of White Horse Inn.

During the Reformation, “the priesthood of all believers”—considered one of the most important discoveries of the Reformation—countered the clericalism of Rome and restored the dignity of ordinary vocations. So what does the daily office of “Christian” look like today? And how are laypeople meant to engage in the work of ministry? In this episode of White Horse Inn, Michael Horton, Justin Holcomb, Bob Hiller, and special guest Walter Strickland discuss the priesthood of all believers, considering its different expressions and implications in the Reformed, Anglican, Baptist, and Lutheran traditions.

In this special episode concluding our White Horse Inn series on vocation, Michael Horton and Justin Holcomb sit down to discuss the call to vocational ministry. Drawing on their experiences as ordained ministers and seminary professors, they answer questions like: What are the qualifications for pastoral ministry? How do you know if you’re called to ministry? When should you go to seminary? And how can we encourage those in our midst we think may be called?

Paul describes the teaching of the gospel—all that is needed for salvation—as “the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27). Our kids need that counsel, too. Read through Acts with them! Explain the stories. Help them see the goodness, power, and love of the God who made them and sent his Son to die for them.

I feel like motherhood brought the curse nearer to me. I feel like it dropped me on the far side of the sea as I watched my body and my mind unravel into threads only to be wound back up with anxiety and worry. The suffering of a world so infected by Adam’s fall has […]

I’ve rolled into church many a Mother’s Day morning with a heavy heart and deflated expectations. There were years of singleness, and then miscarriage, when I felt invisible in the pew, wondering if I would ever wear the title of “mother” myself. Then came holidays where I felt steamrolled by the demands of raising babies […]

My wife, my kids, and I were on our feet—shouting, jumping, cheering like crazy—as Iowa State fan favorite Tamin Lipsey splashed a clutch three-pointer with 15 seconds left to tie the game. For a moment, it felt like pure joy. Then, just 15 seconds later, we were all equally devastated as Arizona hit an impossible […]