And he said to me, “Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak with you.” And as he spoke to me, the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and I heard him speaking to me. —Ezekiel 2:1 Reflecting on Ezekiel’s call, John Calvin (1509–1564) advises ministers of God’s…

As I come to the end of my one-year exploration of achievement, I’m grateful for the things I’ve learned. A theology of achievement is more complex than it sounds, but it has far-reaching implications. What follows is a brief survey of the ground we’ve covered this past year. Achievement relates to the biblical themes of…

This is the last installment in my “music and achievement” mini-series. One really significant thing that music has taught me is that love is more powerful than discipline. The first time I experienced this truth was when I switched from learning piano to saxophone. Beginning piano at age six, I was never really into it….

Last week I began to reflect on “practical achievement” through the lens of music, since much of my thinking about it derives from my experience as a musician. The journey of the developing musician offers plenty of insights into how to accomplish things over the long-term. Here is another set of reflections: Focus on the…

For nearly a year of writing on the subject of achievement, I have deliberately avoided “how to”-type topics. There are many “how to succeed” and “how to get things done” books readily available. Instead, I have sought to develop a theology of achievement. But before concluding the whole series I think it’s worth reflecting a…

It goes without saying that no one achieves anything on his or her own . . . Or does it? The truth is no one achieves anything alone, but we often fail to see it that way. Western individualism comes to the fore when people really believe their success is self-made, that they are independent…

It’s one thing to complain about problems within church culture (see last week, “Achievement and Church Culture”), but it’s another thing to address such problems. If we need to do better at encouraging achievement in all areas of life, how can this be done in a way that makes sense within the church? I think…

We’ve been sorting out how to think about achievement from a biblical perspective, and we’ve been exploring some of the implications of this. But whatever theology arises, there is one place in which believers’ thinking and living is shaped more than any other: the local church. How church leaders, pastors, and elders think about achievement…

If achievement is good, if it is part of God’s design for human beings, then surely it ought to be celebrated. This week we explore reasons for celebrating achievement and ways to do so (and ways not to do so). Why we should celebrate achievement I’ve made the case that achievement is good, that it…

Achievement is an inherently good thing, even though there can be bad motivations for it. This week, we explore the fact that achievement does not occur in a vacuum. All our work and pursuit of achievement occurs in the context of lives lived with responsibilities to others. It is a cliché that high achievers may…

We’ve looked at several good motivations for achievement. These include the glory of God, fanning into flame God’s gifts, responsible stewardship, humanity’s created mandate to work and achieve, and so on. But the fact is there are many bad motivations for achievement. From a theological point of view, these motivations can be explained as outworkings…

You can imagine the scene—a group of friends chatting over coffee, talking about a mutual friend. She couldn’t be there because she is out of town for that thing she does. It’s one of many things she does well, and her life is full of adventures as her various talents and abilities take her here,…