Mark Gilroy

Bringing Books to Life!

Faith

Mark can't help but write about his faith in God as he considers it the most important thing in his life. He reflects on biblical principles, spirituality, practices and attitudes, religious structures, a bit of theology, and more - to encourage people to reflect on and rekindle their own faith and grow closer to God.

Just Before Midnight: A Christmas Eve Novella: READING SAMPLE

Just Before Midnight, A Christmas Eve Novella, is “a charming intersection of the movies ‘Crash’ and ‘It’s a Wonderful Life.'”

Christmas Eve is the time to be at home enjoying the warmth and laughter of family, isn’t it? [Read more…]

You Don’t Always Know What You Need Until You Get It

what do you need in your life right now?

I got invited to a men’s Bible study about four months ago. I didn’t know what I was missing.

You don’t always know what you need until you experience what you’re missing from your life. This point hit me straight in the heart recently.

Four months ago I got invited to start attending a men’s small group Bible Study on Wednesday mornings. How long is it, I asked. About 90 minutes, sometimes two hours. Hmmm. I’m a working man. Do I have that much time?

I’ve gone to church every week for my entire life. I taught teen and then young adult Sunday School for more than 20 years. I’m not a Bible scholar, but I do have a seminary degree, and what with working in Christian publishing most of my adult life … how do I say this without sounding like a jerk … I’ll just say it … I feel like I know the Bible pretty well without adding another study. I always have something to learn, but I often get that through reading or sermons. It’s always felt like enough. [Read more…]

Work and the Rhythm of Life

Sometimes life feels like work, work, work.

Sometimes life feels like work, work, work!

So what is the deal on our attitudes toward work? Work is a wonderful blessing? A necessary evil? Why all the ambiguity?

Most of us assume it’s a good thing to have a job.  After topping 9% most of 2009-11, unemployment has dropped to 6.2% as of this month. That’s good, right?”

But “according to Gallup’s State of the American Workplace: 2010-2012 report, employee engagement levels remain stagnant among U.S. workers. By the end of 2012, as the U.S. inched toward a modest economic recovery, only 30% of American workers were engaged, or involved in, enthusiastic about, and committed to their workplace.” (Gallup Business Journal, June 11, 2013.)

So jobs are a good thing – just not 70% of them – or 70% of us are mismatched in some way.

Not everyone is sold on joining the workforce in the first place. Katie Morison of MSN News points out, “For those on welfare and other aid from the government in many U.S. states, getting back into the work force doesn’t always make much sense financially. In fact, welfare and other government benefits pay more than a minimum-wage job in 35 states and in 13 states, the payout is more than $15 an hour, according to a new study from libertarian think tank The Cato Institute. The study found that the assistance — defined in the study as including government benefits such as food stamps, housing assistance and other programs — pays more than a first-year teacher’s salary in 11 states, the starting salary for a secretary in 39 states and an entry-level job as a computer programmer in three states.”

So if you can make more money not working than working, isn’t not working a smart decision or should we work for work’s sake?

[Read more…]