About the Book
The world of work is changing rapidly. As a Christian trying to discern the right career path, you might perceive the marketplace as a bewildering and anxiety-provoking place. You might even worry you'll have to sacrifice your values to have a successful career. How can you hope to find work that is informed by faith and that serves God's will? Redeeming Work was written to answer just this question.
The author, Bryan Dik, PhD, is one of the leading psychologists in the world who specializes in vocation. A professor, entrepreneur, and follower of Christ, Dik wrote this book as a labor of love after devoting his career to research and development of practical strategies for helping others find purposeful work. His message: there are abundant opportunities for Christians to forge careers that answer God's calling for their lives. In Redeeming Work, he shares the tools you need to find these opportunities and pursue them successfully.
Your purchase of Redeeming Work comes with a special bonus: free access to an evidence-based online career assessment system called PathwayU. By taking this assessment, you'll learn about what makes you unique, including what you enjoy (interests), what matters to you (values), your general tendencies (personality), and what you most need from an organization (workplace preferences). Then, you'll be able to explore career paths (and current job openings) that fit the pattern of gifts God has given you.
Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction: Yearning for Integration 3
PART 1: Foundations
Chapter 1: Fusing Faith and Life at Work 13
Chapter 2: "God Doesn't Call the Equipped, He Equips the Called" and Other Half-Truths 27
PART 2: Discerning Your Calling
Chapter 3: What Works in Career Decision-Making? 49
Chapter 4: Your Gifts, and the Difference They Make 69
Chapter 5: Evaluate, Specify, Clarify 85
Chapter 6: What Works in a Job Search? 99
PART 3: Living Your Calling
Chapter 7: Living a Calling in a Changing World of Work 125
Chapter 8: Working in New Creation Hope 143
Appendix: The Four-Act Story of Scripture: Our Foundation for Redeeming Work 161
Notes 179
Index 189
About the Author :
Bryan J. Dik, PhD, is professor of psychology at Colorado State University, cofounder and chief science officer of jobZology, and coauthor of Make Your Job a Calling: How the Psychology of Vocation Can Change Your Life at Work.
Review :
"In a day when we are inundated with trivial information, it is delightfully refreshing to stumble upon a rich repository of practical wisdom. Redeeming Work is a surprisingly rare and priceless find for anyone who desires to pursue a life well lived. Integrating timeless wisdom as well as the latest social science research, Bryan Dik brings a welcome and much needed voice to the crucially important matter of discerning and living into one's calling. I highly recommend it!"—Tom Nelson, DMin, president of Made to Flourish and author of Work Matters: Connecting Sunday Worship to Monday Work
"For years I've been waiting for this book to be written. In the Christian community we needed someone who could weave Biblical and theological frameworks with on-the-ground research about work and calling. Now Bryan Dik has cultivated this intersection. With great clarity, he describes social science findings about gift assessments, occupational connections, job search processes, and changing work dynamics. But, most importantly, this book provides a big frame through which to understand our Christian callings, as people created, challenged, redeemed, and contributing within God's story. Bryan's scholarship, examples, and commentary are powerful tools for guiding our lives and finding Christian joy in the process. I will recommend this book to my friends, fellow church members, professional colleagues, and adult children."—Shirley J. Roels, PhD, executive director, International Network for Christian Higher Education
"Do you have eyes that see? One of the most ancient of questions, it is still one of the most important questions, running through the meaning of everyone's life and labor. In Redeeming Work, the seamless character of our work in the world is set forth with unusual clarity. Thinking across the disciplines, especially the richness of theological vision and the rigor of scientific insight, Bryan Dik brings years of thoughtful reflection on why work matters, and how we find our way into work that matters— yes, developing eyes to see why our work is integral to the very work of God. University students anywhere and everywhere, on their way into the rest of life, will be graced by a careful reading of this good book."—Steven Garber, PhD, professor of marketplace theology, Regent College, and author of Visions of Vocation: Common Grace for the Common Good
"Redeeming Work offers a fresh, research-informed, and practical roadmap to help Christians discern their callings in the workplace. Drawing on timeless wisdom from Scripture and modern insights from vocational psychology, Dik wisely reminds the reader to start their discernment journey by locating one's own particular story within God's larger story."—David W. Miller, PhD, director of Princeton University's Faith Work Initiative
"Redeeming Work is an evidence-based book full of practical, actionable advice to Christians seeking to flourish in their work and their faith. To live your calling is a choice: Bryan Dik explains the research and provides the tools to help make that choice a reality in your life…today."—Christine B. Whelan, PhD, clinical professor, School of Human Ecology, University of Wisconsin, and author of The Big Picture: A Guide to Finding Your Purpose in Life
"Redeeming Work gives actionable advice to Christians seeking to discern their calling. Dr. Dik exquisitely positions his expertise in vocational psychology in the broader context of God's story—creation, fall, redemption, and renewal—helping people see the bigger picture of God's purpose for their work. Readers will find proven tools to both sharpen their hearing of God's call and to steward their gifts for the common good and for His glory."—Bill Peel, DMin, executive director of the Center for Faith Work at LeTourneau University
"As followers of Jesus, we've been given redemption, and one way we give thanks is to respond to this gift in our life and work. Redeeming Work merges sound theological reasoning, solid research from vocational psychology, and practical guidance from the frontline of the workplace to guide readers through a process of discovery. This process of self-discovery and reflection equips the reader with the insight needed for full participation in Christ's ongoing work of redemption. Redeeming Work is a trustworthy and essential guide for any person of faith on a journey to discover his or her place of flourishing in this world."—Michael K. Le Roy, PhD, president, Calvin University
"Redeeming Work happens when God's truth in the Bible meets God's truth in vocational psychology. If you want practical advice for discerning your call, this book is for you. Dr. Bryan Dik has spent much of his life pursuing the integration of faith and work. His deep faith and his expertise in vocational psychology bring new evidence-based wisdom to the vocational discernment process. Terrific book."—John Van Sloten, author of Every Job a Parable and The Day Metallica Came to Church
"Bryan Dik offers an excellent resource for Christians who worry about whether their careers 'line up' with God's plan for their lives. The author takes his readers' theological commitments seriously, but coaxes them away from certain 'half-truths' that tend to become obstacles to discerning a call ('I should just pray and wait' or 'I'm not good at this work, but God still wants me to do it'). Dik's step-by-step suggestions make this book useful not only for young people who are discerning their future vocations, but for anyone interested in setting out in a new direction—as well as those who simply want to understand how their current career paths reflect their deeper callings."—David S. Cunningham, PhD, director, Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education, Council of Independent Colleges, and professor of religion, Hope College
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