The High Calling
Parable for Middle Managers
This is a short piece I wrote for The High Calling.
People say they love the parables of Jesus, which is understandable. Jesus was a wonderful storyteller. But I sometimes wonder if anyone is actually reading them. I find many to be rather frightening. In fact, the harshest judgment is for those who call themselves children of God and do not live faithfully in their daily lives.
I sometimes think the parables should carry a warning. “Let the reader beware.” One such parable is found in Matthew 24: 45-51. It is often called “The Parable of the Faithful and Unfaithful Steward.”
"Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that wicked servant says to himself, 'My master is delayed,' and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
The story is simple enough: A master leaves behind a servant, whom he puts in charge of the other servants. He is a steward of the workforce. He's the first century equivalent of middle management. Modern readers who exist in the business world on levels below and above middle management will probably enjoy this story. Middle managers themselves might find it a bit scary...
READ MORE at the High Calling Website.
Archive of my High Calling Writing.
The High Calling is a site about Work and God.
The Job Series: My 4th Job
When I was 16, a man in our church offered me a job for the Christmas holidays. A local department store needed extra help, and he wanted to hire me to sell small appliances there.
I was surprised at the job offer because I knew absolutely nothing about small appliances. I made milk shakes with my mother's blender on occasion and used a hair dryer in the mornings. But that hardly made me an expert. The man assured me that he could easily teach me everything I needed to know for the job. That didn't seem possible, but I needed the money. And he was an adult. At 16, I had been taught to respect grownups, and I had...Click here to read the rest at the High Calling website.
The Job Series: Job 1, Job 2, Job 3
My other writing at the High Calling.
My Second Job
I've begun a writing project for The High Calling. I'm going to write about every job I've ever had. I started with my first job and am working my way from there. We'll see how far I get. I've have a LOT of jobs over the years. I grew up in a working family, and I began working in 6th grade. Along the way I've done everything from bagging groceries to driving forklifts.
This piece is about my second job. I wrote about my first job here.
My Second Job
My second job, like my lawn-mowing gig, was arranged by my father. A local daycare center needed a janitor to come in every evening and do some cleaning. There was a tile hallway, five or six classrooms, and a couple of restrooms. In return for cleaning these, I would be paid four dollars an hour for two hours of work each day. That was a little more than minimum wage at the time, so I took home about $150 a month. It seemed like a fortune.
My specific duties were clearly laid out for me. I was to empty the trash, vacuum all of the classrooms, sweep and mop the hall as needed, and clean the bathrooms. I wasn't sure what they expected me to do when it came to the tile bathroom floors and hall. Along the baseboards and around the bottoms of the toilets, the tiles were dingy and not very clean. Did they expect me to make the floors spotless or simply maintain them as they were when I began the job? ...Click here to read more.
rlp
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All of My Jobs
I've begun a writing project for The High Calling for which I'm going to write about every job I've ever had. Well, I'm starting with my first job and working my way from there. Who knows how far I will ultimately get. The High Calling Blog Network is seeking stories of lessons learned in odd jobs. You can read about that here.
I grew up in a working family, and I began working in 6th grade. Along the way I've done everything from bagging groceries to driving forklifts.
The professional writing I do for The High Calling is a little different from the free-wheeling style of rlp. For one thing, I'm searching for the lessons in the stories.
Here is the first. The second is done, submitted, and will be online soon.
My First Job
In the summer of 1974, just after I completed the sixth grade, my father came home with a box of business cards for me. They read:
Gordon Atkinson
Lawn Care
497-2862
I thought it was pretty cool to be 12-years-old and have my own business cards. But when he told me that I had to walk around the neighborhood passing them out, I must admit that my excitement lessened considerably. Click here to read more.
All of my books are for sale though me. I've not had the energy or inclination to send them to Amazon or any other place.
Click here for purchase links at my new blog.