The Gift of Work: Spiritual Disciplines for the Workplace [Paperback]

Bill Heatley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 10, 2008

Bill Heatley believes that instead of a curse, work should be a blessing. Learn the 3 key elements to shift our mindset: Principles of Discipleship, Spiritual Formation, and Kingdom Living. The result is a new way to approach our work, and a doorway to discovering meaning, purpose, and value in whatever we do.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Work has become a dangerous place. With employee violence, injuries, and even deaths on the rise, it’s no wonder we’re filled with stress, apprehension, and anger. That’s not God’s plan for work though.

In The Gift of Work, author Bill Heatley couples wisdom from several great thinkers of faith with spiritual disciplines that can easily be practiced in the workplace. Your ideas about work will be shattered and then rebuilt to help you understand God’s divine purpose.

Fill your work with the love, joy, courage, and power God intended. Become a blessing and be blessed in return.

About the Author

Bill Heatley has decades of experience in corporate America as an information technology professional. He has served Fortune 500 companies and managed his own business, both roles providing him with necessary insights as a Christian. Bill is on the board of directors for the Theology of Work Project. He and his wife live in Oak Park, California.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: NavPress (July 10, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1600061346
• ISBN-13: 978-1600061349
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #863,594 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Big Ideas and Little Details, September 22, 2008

By 

Jan Johnson (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Gift of Work: Spiritual Disciplines for the Workplace (Paperback)

My favorite thing about this book is that it combines the big picture issues (purpose of work, whole-life discipleship, making space for God) with street level ideas of what it looks like to live this everyday from 9-5. Too many books offer six tips to a perfect life with no overall purpose and framework. But this one offers those capital-T truth ideas that we don't hear anymore: reconciling success with goodness, redefining success for the follower of Jesus, stating that God's purpose for work is to "bring people together in loving community for mutual benefit and support." Bill quotes from the best: Dallas Willard, C. S. Lewis, William Law, Brother Lawrence, and Frank Laubach. Yet he also gives practical insights and tells his stories (so honestly!) of bringing people together in loving community. Someone could read this and think about their job and say, "Gulp! Bill did it--so can I!" I couldn't help myself--I began reading his stories out loud to my husband.
As a 25+ year small business owner, I know that why I conduct my business and the heart with which I do it must be all about Jesus--that's as important or more important than the product I offer. But to hear someone describe this in a book was like hearing a song I'd been trying to hum for years.
Jan Johnson, author of Invitation to the Jesus Life: Experiment in Christlikenessand Enjoying the Presence of God: Discovering Intimacy With God in the Daily Rhythms of Life www.janjohnson.org

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Work: What Was God Thinking?, October 7, 2008

By 

Ralph Winestock (Calabasas, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Gift of Work: Spiritual Disciplines for the Workplace (Paperback)

Bill Heatley postulates that work is a measure of whom you serve not what you do or how successful you are. Surprisingly, coverage of this subject, in a country that has the number one workforce in the world, is taken too lightly as a side offering in short order teachings or after lunch conference curriculum. But Bill and God have a lot more to say about how to incorporate the joys, strengths, struggles, and beliefs---opportunities embedded all day long in the workplace. Right from the start, I connected with his candid illumination. His failures make it easier to believe that his successes were tangible, if I will surrender to the context that living out each moment within my work is God intention. There are measurable checkpoints, solid Biblical sourcing, and highlights of other great authors included. It's an easy read, and a great stepping-stone to opening up this so often a shielded area of our lives. The first chapter, Work: What Was God Thinking, aptly applies to every aspect of this great and timely book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Digest Version of Willard's Work, July 9, 2009

By 

Rachelle Dawson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Gift of Work: Spiritual Disciplines for the Workplace (Paperback)

Heatley understands burnout at work. He's been there. In The Gift of Work, he addresses this problem. First, he explores a new model of work life, in which we daily seek God's direction in the smallest actions. Heatley explains how to practice spiritual disciplines specifically for and in the workplace. Through stories of his own experiences, Heatley demonstrates how the Christian's workplace can transform from a place of exhaustion into an exciting arena where the believer participates in God's kingdom work.

The Gift of Work contains many of the ideas found in Dallas Willard's writing. Heatley openly confesses Willard's influence on and mentorship of him, so the similarities are not surprising. But if you're looking for totally new material, you won't find a lot here.

That aside, its short length and simple language make this book an easy read, even for the non-readers among us. In addition, Heatley balances theology with practical application points and explanations of how to actually practice the spiritual disciplines. The suggestions are easy for any Christian to try, regardless of their level of maturity or knowledge.

I think this is a good resource for people who don't normally read but need guidance concerning work. It would also be helpful for readers new to the idea of spiritual disciplines.