THE CHRISTIAN WORK ETHIC NEWSLETTER
May 2004
Eighteen months ago, I was preparing to leave a company in which I had served as a Corporate Training Director for over thirty two years. I had been living in a pit of terror for some time since this was a business that was going down hill and finally was going to close. The human in me wondered what was going to happen to me.
I had the faith to understand that God would take care of me, but I had some anxiety about what this would mean. After all, I was spoiled. I had always had a regular pay check coming in since I began working as a young broadcaster at the age of nine. Now, I would soon be turned away from a business to which I would never return.
Suppose God had walked into that business and said, "Jim, your book A Worker Need Not Be Ashamed is going to be published and will immediately be exposed to millions. You will also become a writer for Guideposts and your first article will be read by over eight million people. Worker Ministries will be propelled into the international spotlight because it will be featured on the Guideposts web site exposing it to millions of viewers around the world. In fact, within 24 hours of the posting of your web site by Guideposts, you will receive an e-mail from a troubled worker in Michigan who will need your guidance."
If God had said all of that I am afraid I might have said, "God I love you. I have faith in what you can do. But, you've got to be kidding!"
Some who would examine my life and especially the last eighteen months might call me Mr. Lucky.
But, I must remember that luck did not heal me of infantile paralysis at age five and God wasn't kidding when He healed me of prostate cancer. Luck did not deliver me from a terrible automobile accident from which I walked away with no injuries! Luck did not arrange my life into a miraculous pattern of work experiences which would come together and provide me with skills and knowledge needed later to create, organize, and operate Worker Ministries.
My friend, all of this is direct evidence of divine intervention from my creator - the one who is constantly WORKING, WORKING, WORKING for all of us!
I find that one of the best ways to know God is to study your past. While none of us know what He has in store for us in the future, His past blessings tell a marvelous truth: God is always with us on this short journey on earth. There is a hymn which aptly describes the security which a saved person has in God which says "He walks with me and He talks to me and He tells me I am His own!"
As we move this ministry forward and obtain more national and international exposure, I will be asking, "I wonder what God is up to today?" And, whatever it is, I know he won't be kidding!
This is an exciting time to be alive for the Lord Jesus Christ and to serve as one of his working ambassadors! I hope it is an exciting time for you in your work! If not, contact me and let us assist you!
MAY IS CELEBRATION MONTH AT WORKER MINISTRIES
Thanks to God, great things are happening at Worker Ministries and the month of May will be a time of celebration and recognizing God's goodness.
I will be hosting a special Stars-Are-Shining Dinner on the evening of May 10th in Burlington, North Carolina to recognize special workers who have impacted my life and whose stories are included in my book A Worker Need Not Be Ashamed. Kathy Perkinson, Vice President - Worker Ministries will serve as Mistress of Ceremonies.
For further information about celebration events, refer to my itinerary page of this web site which shows book signings and speaking engagements.
PUBLISHER RELEASES JIM HOGSETT'S BOOK!
My book A Worker Need Not Be Ashamed has been released by First Books Library, Bloomington, Indiana and is now available for purchase through our web site. (Click on PUBLICATIONS page which takes you to the book information page where you can simply click on the book to order. The book will be sent directly to your home.)
It is also available through over 25,000 bookstores worldwide including Barnes & Nobles and Books-A-Million and through other web sites including Amazon.com (United States and United Kingdom).
Note for workers in Elon-Burlington, North Carolina area: My book can also be purchased at Shepherd's and Friends next to Belks in Colonial Mall in Burlington.
Note for workers in Greensboro-High Point area: My book can also be purchased at Borders Books & Music, High Point Road in Greensboro.
Students at East Carolina University and North Carolina A & T State University: My book is available at your campus book store!
Very truly yours,
Jim Hogsett, President and Founder; Worker Ministries and Writer for Guideposts Magazine