MORNING JOURNAL

Dear faithful reader of Morning Journal

2009-06-06T11:21:42Z

In other words, hi Diane

This journal has been as silent as a cemetery and as inactive as an abandoned car the past several months and the only one who has regularly commented on the inactivity is my sister, Diane. So, this one’s for you, Diane.

Often, forms of writing such as blogging grab my attention for a season. For reason unbeknown to me, my interest level ebbs and flows like the ocean.

Writing is a part of my core habits of life I need to have at least a semblance of sanity. You would think I would blog my fool head off every day after reading that last sentence. However, life has other things I must do before I can get around to writing. Ok, most of the time lately, I have to do those other things instead of writing.

Lately, I have returned to writing everything out by hand in a spiral-bound notebook. I have even returned to handwritten notes for the pulpit; a habit I started many years ago – the way Daddy did it. After losing three hours of work on a manuscript two hours before I was to preach a few weeks ago, I may never use a computer to write out sermon notes for as long as I have preach in me.

I’ve gone back to writing everything out by hand in my journals as well. The computer, complete with all its bells and whistles, seems also to have a shorter attention span than a spiral bound notebook. Henry Kissinger was a more famous handwriter who said that his head was connected to his hand in a way that a typewriter was not.

NOTE TO READERS: typewriters were used in ancient times. It was a keyboard invented by Christopher Latham Sholes(1819-1890) who took a bunch of letters, surrounded them with a bunch of metal parts. On the original typewriters, a derivative of which I used to own and use regularly, actual words were spelled out before your very eyes on a piece of paper. There was no screen or hard drive. Editing involved actual cutting and pasting the typed page. The only cursor was the typist.

Since I’ve resumed the habit of handwriting every journal entry, I’ve written an average of 10 pages a day. When I write in a blog, I seem to hear the unstated opinions that people don’t really have a lot of time for reading other people’s blogs, so that seems to limit me in many ways.

Usually, in the handwritten journals, I’ve written about yesterday. Often, there is a commentary, some Bible thought, but for the most part, I’ve just been simply remembering, recounting, and rehearsing yesterday’s stuff that happened. I do this sort of thing to help me shake the bad vibes out of my head I usually wake up with, work through the bleary-eyed grogginess I feel when I first wake up, and help me see yesterday wasn’t so bad after all. So, it seems to work.

Writing everything out, in full sentences and paragraphs, helps me understand yesterday in a way that speaks simply, as accurately as possible, and gives me a little more hope for today. All the things that happened yesterday weren’t so bad after all and maybe today won’t be so bad either. I usually do not encounter burning bushes and the directions to the Damascus Road don’t always lead me into a blinding-light experience with God. But, I do encounter my family, their lives, my church, and the stuff that is going on in and around the area known as my mind and somehow, God’s there in all of it.

I have thought of either just typing out all these pages in this blog or maybe just mailing them to my dear sister Diane, who has wanted me to resume this journal writing on a more regular basis. Since you, Diane, have been reading them more than anyone else, maybe I’ll let you read them when you come back to Cleveland in a couple of months. I’ve been writing stuff since around 4:30 a.m. and now it’s nearly time to start mowing the grass. But, first, I think I’m going to eat a little and maybe have a nap. See you soon.

Yes, it's the facebook thing

2009-04-23T21:22:04Z

Facebook has ruined my desire to blog very much lately. Sorry. Gotta go. I think I've just received another "friend request."

Hello

2009-04-08T12:55:10Z

Hi everybody. I'll be back some day soon. It's been busy around here. But I'm not complaining.

Look before you click

2009-03-15T11:20:12Z

Livejournal.com recently sent out an e-mail warning about problems caused by hackers. One particular area you need to be aware of is the warning, "look before you click." This is particularly true with my blog. I really enjoy not only writing "original" material for my blog, but I also enjoy providing you with links to other sites that have articles, videos, etc.

So, always look before you click.

Hover your mouse over the status bar to make sure that what you're clicking is for real. I alway check these clicks personally, copying and pasting them myself, but I want you to be safe, so look before you click. Here's part of the livejournal.com warning about that.

"Always practice safe clicking. Don't click on anything — even if it's posted by a friend — without hovering your mouse over the link and checking the status bar to make sure that what you're clicking is for real. You should also run any and all spyware/malware/antivirus programs on a regular basis. A basic Google search will turn up a number of free programs that you can use to protect your computer.

I'm tempted, but hey, it's not for me, really!

2009-03-14T14:35:51Z

Help me Christian brothers and sisters! A common temptation works to seize me, control me, and force me to live out its evil will even as I write.

I fight it with all my might using all the weapons of warfare I can use. I quote the story of the first temptation to myself. I remind myself of Allan Lovelace's sermons on Romans which is all about righteousness. I even have providential help: two people have told me: A. Just say No and, B. I succumb to my temptation, it may not be evil, but it will be just "stupid."

Like everyone else, I, the Rev. Joe Lynn Brooks, face temptation. Like everyone else, I face the common temptation to purchase a Snuggie. But, let me quickly add, IT IS NOT FOR ME, MIND YOU. It’s for my beautiful, but cold-natured wife.

You, gentle reader, know that if I succumb, it will leave even more groaning taking place around our fallen world. A Snuggie, I hear in my ear, will bring her undeniable comfort and possibly a lower electric bill because I’m no longer heating blankets for her once or twice an evening. The dear, beautiful cold-natured wife Lisa does not know how beneficial it would be even now as winter fades into spring.

Yes, Lisa, you need a Snuggie. Everybody's doing it honey. Look at all the news media reports, honey, that have covered the growth of the phenomenon -- the blanket with sleeves. Come on, dear, you'll be beautiful, only more so. Here's the place we could buy one. Just $12.99 and it even has extra freebies!

Come on, dear, I say, it's only fifteen bucks. Thus far, she's resistant; she still prefers the normal regular blanket. Oh, well. But, anyway, thanks for your prayers. But, should you see Lisa driving around in her little car in something nice, bright and red, you’ll know she finally gave in.

Not just another day

2009-03-13T10:51:54Z

By 3 a.m., we were ready to leave our apartment. We thanked Jeanette, who had come to stay with Kyle for the day. We left Gulfport, Mississippi headed for the hospital in Slidell, Louisiana. It was about an hour's drive.

By approximately 5 a.m., we had arrived at the hospital and checked in. Lisa was hooked up, poked, prodded, measured, weighed, and escorted to the delivery room. She had delivered 9 pound 15 ounce Kyle Joseph on April 24, 1993 without the use of any medications. She would be offered the medication too late again while the 8 pound 10 ounce second boy was born as well.

By 6:30 a.m., while the doctor and staff were making their rounds, I was seated in a corner, reading a fictional book on eschatology, the study of last things.

By 6:45 a.m., things had progressed fairly rapidly. Lisa was still uncomfortable, laying down with her head propped up, making momentary moans and groans. She occasionally thanked me for not getting in her focal point, that mysterious area labor-bound moms stare at while they're "hee-hee-whooing" a new life into the world.

Apparently, the focal point was located somewhere in the corner of the room opposite to where I was seated. Old Testament priests were often killed for unceremoniously stepping into the holy of holies and I, Joe Lynn Brooks, thanked heaven I was still living for accidentally stepping into that sacred ground several times while Kyle was born four years earlier. For the most part, she was rather calm and cool, but in measurable pain.

By 7:30 a.m., the main event was in full swing. I held a camera, occasionally recording certain activities from discreet angles.

At approximately 9 a.m. Friday, March 13, 1997, Graham Walton Brooks was born crying and peeing his way into the world. Happy birthday Graham.

Thoughtful moments in an age of change

2009-03-12T09:34:55Z

The news business is one that didn't require an economic meltdown to create layoffs. Christopher Ave, the political editor of the St. Louis Post Dispatch has written a song called “The Copy Editor’s Lament: The Layoff Song.”

Ave told Al Tompkins of Poynter Online, “In a way this song is kind of a love letter to copy editors and a mild reproach to people like me who aren't copy editors and who may not have always appreciated their work," Ave said in a phone interview. "A lot of us in journalism sort of chuckle at copy editors' slavish devotion to style, but you know what? They can really save your butt."

I worked as the copyreader for the Cleveland Daily Banner for two years. I found many similarities between the world of the journalist and the pastor. Go to a conference, Web site, or seminar in either field and they are basically saying the same thing: “How will we reach the next generation?” News journalists write about this as do pastoral leaders. The link to Barna.org says that most Americans say that Christianity is no longer their “default religion.” These are the things we’re thinking about in an age of change.

Picture of the day

2009-03-11T11:34:05Z

NOTHING SAYS, "THIS TABLE IS TAKEN LIKE ...."

Posted by Dan Phillips.

Things unwritten

2009-03-10T11:33:09Z

I smiled a lot and left many things unsaid. That's why this post is so short and tells you nothing about why I wrote the first sentence in past tense. And why I'm secretly happy about it.

Asking why won't bring an answer

2009-03-09T09:41:38Z

MARYVILLE, Ill. - A gunman walked down the aisle of an Illinois church during a Sunday service and killed the pastor, then stabbed himself and slashed two other people as congregants wrestled him to the ground, authorities said. Read more here.

Cutting bad attitudes may require scissors

2009-03-08T12:18:18Z

I’m not a regular reader of Today’s Christian Woman -- a self evident truth. I am also not a regular reader of articles that tell wives who are about to leave their husbands how not to.

Nevertheless, I found this article in one of those click-to-click surfing journeys through the world wide web. The article tells the spiritual journey of a woman who learned to love her husband, whom she was about to leave. Her mom gave an assignment, which I would think would work for anyone – husbands, wives, employers, friends, neighbors.

The mom’s assignment she gave her daughter is well worth the time it would take to click over to the article, read it, and complete the assignment.

'Misheard lyrics' are very funny

2009-03-07T17:27:24Z

I don't know the rock group Pearl Jam from Diamond Jelly, so it does nothing for me to hear their songs.

Furthermore, when someone created a "misheard lyrics" video and posted it on You Tube site I thought was very funny.

Apparently, the group Pearl Jam has a song called "Yellow Ledbetter."
I tried listening to the actual song, performed by the group on You Tube, but I thought the "misheard lyrics" version made much more sense. The funniest misheard line is the "make me fries" line. Watch it -- you'll laugh too.

If there's one thing I can't stand in all types of music, is indecypheral lyrics. That may seem strange coming from me since 95 percent of the music I listen to is music without words.

The You Tube site may be irreverent to Pearl Jam fans, but that's ok. Pearl Jam fans have never been known for their reverence. I've actually done this same type of trick with several hymns before, to an even greater comedic effect. (Ok, it was funny to me at least).

For some, doing this causes them to lose the reverence for a hymn, but that's not true for me. We sing songs, hymns, and spiritual songs both in and out of church (Colossians 3:15-17). I think it's the attitude of the heart that's far more important than the words or style.

Two words of warning: 1. Watching the "misheard lyrics" is habit forming. Many of the "misheard lyrics" are pretty funny. You'll want to come back to the site many different times and hear them again. 2. There are some that contain language the Bible would describe as "unwholesome." The Greek word for "unwholesome" means "rotten fish" or "rotten fruit."

So, be careful; there's some really juicy comedy here, but like everything, just don't swallow the rotten stuff.

caringbridge.org keeps people informed

2009-03-07T13:38:17Z

Scott Warren was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in May 2007. Teresa, his wife, took him to Vanderbilt this past week for another round of treatments.

The Warrens keep in touch with family, friends, and church members through www.caringbridge.org. This morning, Teresa updated the Web site about Scott's condition. If you visit the caringbridge.org Web site, type in "scottwarren" (all lowercase, one word) in the search engine.

"For you early risers I will update a note from last night and will update after the doctors round this morning. Scott had a rough night again. He was extremely restless.

"Please keep him in your prayers that today he will make major improvements. I will update throughout the day as possible."

Those of you who are unfamiliar with caringbridge.org may want to look around this site. The Web site keeps people involved and informed in patient care.

Teresa gave me details about Scott's immediate condition last night. She is fully aware that many know of Scott's condition and wants to give concerned people updates on his condition.

Scott and Teresa are members of Waterville Baptist Church. Scott is one of my prayer partners in the men's Tuesday morning prayer group. Teresa thanked all her church family for keeping them in prayer over the last several days.

Those seeking to visit with Scott while they are in Vanderbilt need to be completely healthy. Don't go if you have a cold or even cold symptoms since Scott's condition is very fragile. If you would like to send flowers, you can send them to Vanderbilt Hospital. If you would like to call, I have Teresa's cell phone number.

I recruit people and writers

2009-03-06T12:40:16Z

I recruit people and writers to pray and participate in a ministry called “Christ to the World.” Yes, the distinction "people and writers" is a tounge-in-check expression. Give yourself 10 points if you got it without an explanation.

Many people have come to faith in Christ through CTTW. My job is to help find new writers who would be interested in learning more, getting some training, and maybe an assignment. So far, I have found two writers at Waterville who are now working on assignments with the ministry. A third writer is in the beginning phases of investigating CTTW and I've got two more who will be contacted soon.

If you, dear reader, would like to learn more, click on the link. Contact me here at Morning Journal, or my e-mail address if you'd like to have someone discuss the possibility of writing for CTTW. jnlbrooks@gmail.com

25 things I've learned by using 'Facebook'

2009-03-04T14:15:01Z

Ok, there's not 25 things. I couldn't come up with that many; only one. I've learned that I enjoy keeping up with my friends more than I realized I would. There's a lot to be said for artificial or virtual contact with people via the Internet. But, I'll leave it all unsaid for now.

Two keys to thinking like Jesus

2009-03-02T14:13:02Z

Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. Philippians 2:56 (MSG)

The first half of this mental shift is to stop thinking immature thoughts, which are selfcentered and selfseeking. Babies, by nature, are completely selfish. They think only of themselves. That is immature thinking: "Those who think they can do it on their own end up obsessed with measuring their own moral muscle but never get around to exercising it in real life" (Romans 8:5 MSG).

The apostle Paul wrote, "To be perfectly frank, I'm getting exasperated with your infantile thinking. How long before you grow up and use your head-your adult head? It's all right to have a childlike unfamiliarity with evil; a simple no is all that's needed there. But there's far more to saying yes to something. Only mature and wellexercised intelligence can save you from falling into gullibility" (1 Corinthians 14:20 MSG).

The second half of thinking like Jesus is to start thinking maturely, which focuses on others, not yourself. In his great chapter on what real love is, Paul concluded that thinking of others is the mark of maturity: "When I was an infant at my mother's breast, I gurgled and cooed like any infant. When I grew up, I left those infant ways for good" (1 Corinthians 13:11 MSG).

Read the rest of Rick Warren's devotional here.

Blogs and their links

2009-03-01T10:46:20Z

I found this cartoon Web site by reading a blog and following a link to another blog, where the cartoon was posted. That's the good thing about blogs; the good ones have a wide variety of links to them that lead you into other useful things. If you would like to see more cartoons like this one, go to this Web site.

Bible study and frog watching: they're both the same, wouldn't you agree?

2009-02-27T12:26:39Z

If someone were to come up to you on a crowded street corner, with Bible in hand, and ask you, “Why do you believe that studying the Bible is a lot like looking at frogs?” What would you say? Are you prepared for the answer.

Here is what you do when you're studying frogs.

1. You go where the frogs go.

2. You watch the eggs hatch.

3. You see them leave the water.
4. You watch them jump.

5. You catch one, observe him more closely.

6. You then take him, dissect him, study him internally.

The process you’re engaged in is a lot like a good Bible student which is called inductive study. The main thing you're doing is observing the frog before you jump to conclusions; that's the same way you study the Bible. Read the Bible thoroughly, listening to what the text is actually saying. This gives you the understanding you need to interpret and apply the Scriptures.

Chuck Swindoll said “When you are going to study I Corinthians, you must first join the church at Corinth.” Observe the things that are going on in the church.

Observation: What does the passage say?

We need to look for what is actually in the text. Read the text, looking for the things you already know and the things you have never seen.

Interpretation: What does the passage mean?

You start to see what the text means when you've read carefully.

There are different types of literature found throughout Scripture. There are speeches, parables, allegories, and many other types. While God inspired all Scripture, you don't interpret the types of literature in the same way. A poem in Psalms is not to be interpreted in the same way as a letter from Paul. Both are equally important, but they are conveying the truth in a different way.

Application: What does the passage say for me to do?

The goal of Bible study is a transformed life. It’s to get deeper in relationship with Jesus Christ. Application is a step you take to help you decide to respond to the truth in obedience. When we discipline ourselves in the Bible, we can grow. When you know what God says, you can be equipped to know how to put His truth into practice.

You can learn a lot from a sheep

2009-02-26T15:14:55Z

Don Pierson said he understands God's heart more by watching his farm animals. Every morning, his hungry lamas, sheep, cows, horses, and dogs, march on the front porch. The animals paw, scratch, and nudge the screen on the window until Don comes out to feed them.

Don said that he wished God’s people were as persistent, consistent, and driven as his animals. There is nothing more persistent, Don said in a conference held last year at Candies Creek Baptist Church, as a lamb that knows it’s hunger can only be satisfied by it’s shepherd. Don is the prayer ministry strategist for the Tennessee Baptist Convention.

I sense the kind of hunger Don talked about in Moses’ voice when he prayed, “Lord, if you’re not going with us, I’m not going.”

There was a hunger in Moses’ voice when he “said to the LORD, "You have been telling me, 'Lead these people,' but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, 'I know you by name and you have found favor with me.' ¹³ If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people."

God, assured as always, replied, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."

The words God said only brought the hunger to the surface even more. ¹⁵ Then Moses said to him, "If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. ¹⁶ How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?" (Exodus 33:12-16)

I like the fact that Moses didn’t just let God’s words remain on the surface. When God told him, “My presence will go with me,” Moses wanted God to know that there was no other way their wilderness trip would have an eventual good outcome without Him. Moses asked for complete and full directions for his life and for Israel.

Often, we feel a hunger to learn more about God, to experience more of His presence in our lives, but there is no consistency, no real abiding with Him. We think we can develop fully developed spiritual muscles and have well-developed Christian attitudes by listening to a sermon or two every week. This is the equivalent of believing that because you watched the Rose Bowl last year, you should be able to go out and play four quarters of football. Our spiritual development requires work and effort just as any other area of our life.

Praying on and with your knees

2009-02-25T12:44:44Z

In the book “Body Prayer: the Posture of Intimacy with God,” authors Doug Pagitt and Kathryn Prill wrote, “The notion of the human body being involved in prayer is not a new one. It is, in fact, an ancient practice that is well documented throughout the Bible.”

People who live under a king’s authority often approach him on their knees. They expose their neck, showing both their reverence for his position and power. The kneeler conveys the wordless message, “I owe my life to you.”

Kneeling in prayer shows vulnerability and so much more. It shows that we owe our lives to God. It further asks for His blessing over all areas of our lives. But, mostly, it’s not just how we kneel that is important, it’s how we live once we get off our knees.

Prayer brings God and brothers together

2009-02-24T14:29:34Z

About six men meet for prayer each Tuesday morning at 6 a.m. at Waterville. I like going; God is there and they are there too.

We often discuss prayer requests and get on our knees and pray together. Prayer with Christian brothers gives me strength that I often forget about until I need it. I can often recall their counsel later in the week.

We treat each other like brothers the minute we walk in the door. On rare occasions, we also almost act like Christians. Somewhere, between the brotherly love and the Christianly actions, we laugh. A lot. I’d like to think I’ve become a regular part of the group like they’ve become a regular part of my life.

A handful of us guys meet together to give a handful of prayer requests and pray a handful of prayers. The group does their Bible study after I leave; I've got morning kitchen duty on Tuesday in my house. All this happens every Tuesday.

Except today.

I overslept today and I'll miss it for the rest of the week.

Worship while you work

2009-02-23T14:47:16Z

My sister Diane shared about the Brooks family's Sunday experience during our childhood days.
"Do you remember when everything was closed on Sunday? There were no grocery stores open, no gas stations, no retail stores; nothing was open. If you needed gas or groceries, you took care of it on Saturday.

In our home, the washer and dryer was NOT used on Sunday. Mama prepared our Sunday dinner on Saturday; very little cooking was done after we came home from church. You even dressed a little different on Sunday afternoon. Life did seem easier back then, didn't it! And our bathroom was always clean and shining, both of them....

Sunday is never an easy day of work-free living in every Christian home. If you think Sunday is easy, it's because you don't have to gather a kid or four, diaper bags, and a Bible before heading out the door to get to church.

While Sunday is a sacred day, the Bible doesn’t make a separation between our worship life and our work life. You can worship while you work, even on Monday.

Paul worshipped both while he preached and while he made tents. Allan Richardson said that “daily work, so far from being a hindrance to Christian living, is a necessary ingredient of it.”

All the Bible characters worked – Adam, Abraham, Sarah, Mary and all the rest. Bible people were farmers, chariot drivers, soldiers, farmers, merchants, homemakers, judges, and a wide variety of vocational pursuits. King Saul not only was the political and administrative head of the nation but also knew how to plow his field with oxen. (1 Samuel 11:5)

The Bible writers present all work on the same level. We often see some occupations as more glamorous, more lucrative, or more spiritual. God; however, gives us the skills, desires, and talents we have so that we may serve both His glory and the good of ourselves and others.

Work -- Not a four-letter word

2009-02-22T13:46:51Z

Work, while it is a four-letter word, isn't. Work goes with us everywhere; even when we play. If something needs to be done, it's work, and it's good, even if we don't get paid for it.

My early morning hours are spent in my non-paying job as a learner-walker. That doesn't mean I take lessons in walking, but while I walk, I listen to the Bible, teaching, music, and other lessons I can download on my son's Ipod. The Greenway has become a favorite place for me. Everything seems to suffer in the days and weeks I don't exercise at least a little bit.

Learning and walking go together down the same path for me. I suppose that is because I’m a kinesthetic learner; I have to be able to put a lesson into practice and use it if I’m really going to learn it.

Learning is part of our livelihood. It's part of each day's path on the road to Christian discipleship.

Think of the ways you enjoy learning the best?

How can you maximize the time you have avaiable for learning?

What is your favorite way to learn? Reading, listening, writing, activities, or a combination of these four?

Working and resting on Saturday

2009-02-21T16:01:43Z

I have just come from work and have created for the world a clean bathroom. You’re welcome, world.

I scrubbed, polished, and shined for more than an hour and a half. Right now, I dare not say I can almost see my reflection in the toilet water. But, since it is something I dare not say, I won’t go there.

Lisa left me here with Kyle while she and Graham army crawled through the Lost Sea tunnels last night. She signed up for Graham's class field trip unaware of the night of misery she would spend cold and muddy. She's now under a heated blanket drinking coffee in the living room, watching a movie with the boys. (RX for cold wives: place a blanket in the dryer for two- to five minutes. Take it out promptly, wrapping the wife in the blanket. Give coffee liberally. Repeat.)

Saturday is a day both orthodox Jews and average Americans do not work. Day seven was a weekly rest day for Moses and his kin. They celebrated God's creation in all its finished glory on the Sabbath.

"Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day, God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So, God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation." (Genesis 2:1-3, English Standard Version)

Eden's original Sabbath was an indication that God finished His work. God had created a universal temple and not merely a house for his creatures. This action required a special day of rest, a celebration, commemoration, and coronation of all His work.

New Testament Christians do not merely blow past the commands about the Sabbath. Christ fulfilled all the law the day before the Sabbath and rose again on Sunday. This is why today, like all days, we work at least in some form or other. Tomorrow, we will work toward celebrating His resurrection, even in the middle of February.

The work on today's post is now finished. I will return to the other job of cleaning the bathroom. I would say that number two is coming up; referring to the second bathroom, but I just won't go there either.

Your work matters to God

2009-02-20T16:32:45Z

Author Paul Minear wrote that the Bible is “a book by workers, about workers, for workers – that is the Bible.”

Work -- we both need it and we can enjoy it. Recently, many have lost their jobs, been laid off, or are struggling with issues regarding their work. Work; however, still goes on for all of us. There is work to be done, whether at home, church, or our personal lives each day.The Bible describes our God as always at work.

Scripture further describes His gift of work. Work is a meaningful part of His created order. When we work, we are showing our stewardship of His creation.

We can see work as a creative, enjoyable and purposeful activity or we can see it as hard, unproductive, and toilsome activity. We can choose to see our work as something we use to glorify God.