-Part II-
This ministry began in 1984 on one station in Chicago, and now it has grown to include about 400 stations internationally. Early in the beginning I wrote a book entitled, what else, The Christian Working Woman, and it was through my book that I became friends with Janet. One day Janet called me and introduced herself and told me she had been given my book as a graduation gift from law school, and she wanted to know more about The Christian Working Woman.
We met shortly after that and I began to get to know her story. Janet was always focused on being a successful woman in business. She never saw herself in traditional roles of wife and mother, but instead focused on her education, earning a PhD in biology. But while in school she met Ray and this woman who never intended to get married actually got married while still in college! They were both focused on having successful careers, and after earning her degree, Janet worked in a very intensive research laboratory, with other driven, highly-educated and very motivated people.
She describes that job environment as very hectic and very competitive, with a fair amount of chaos and many long hours. Being probably the most motivated and ambitious one there, she worked very hard and pushed and shoved to get ahead just like everyone else. Except for one man named Jim. He was just as smart and just as motivated as the others, but in the midst of this dog-eat-dog type of environment, he seemed to be totally at peace and unrushed. He simply was different from everyone else, and Janet observed him a lot, wondering what was different about him.
Then one day in a conversation with him she said, “I don’t get you, Jim. How do you stay so calm in this place?” Jim said, “Well, you’ll probably think this is weird, Janet, but it’s because of Jesus,” and he went on to give her a short testimony about his faith. Janet said, “You’re right, that’s weird,” and pretty much walked away. But it was the beginning of an on-going conversation with Jim, and he asked her if she had ever read the Bible. She said she went to church but they didn’t read the Bible in her church. So, Jim challenged her to read the Bible, beginning with the Gospel of John.
Always up to a challenge, Janet and her husband, Ray, bought several different translations of the Bible, and on Sundays they would each read from a different translation, comparing notes, talking about what they were reading. Janet began to read the Gospel of John in earnest and for three months she read about Jesus. Then, as she tells it, one night she simply fell in love with Jesus, and accepted him into her life as her Lord and Savior. Shortly thereafter Ray did as well, and this began a concentrated search on their part to get to know Jesus and become devoted followers of Christ.
She then decided to get a law degree so she could become a patent attorney, specializing in bio-chemistry, and it was on her graduation from law school that a friend saw my book in a bookstore and thought it would be a nice gift for Janet. And that’s how we became friends. Janet made the effort to locate me and we arranged to meet and have been fast friends ever since. She has been a huge encouragement to me and a great friend of this ministry.
Janet and Ray are still faithfully walking with Jesus, and she believes that God has given her the career she has, where she is a very successful patent attorney, for the purpose of loving the people she works for and with, and living out her faith in a very challenging workplace. Frequently she texts me to pray for her as she goes into a critical meeting, or is dealing with a challenging person, because her highest goal now is to faithfully represent Jesus to the people she rubs shoulders with on her job.
There are several key things about Janet’s story that I want to point out. First, Jim had a peaceful countenance in a hectic environment, and it was noticeable. When we as believers demonstrate that sense of peace, it attracts people. Everybody really wants to have peace, whether they recognize that need or not, and so a peaceful person will make an impression. And the good news is, you don’t have to have a peaceful situation in order to live in a peaceful way. The peace of God which transcends all understanding, as we read in Galatians, should be the trademark of every Christ-follower, and when that is true, people notice.
Second, Jim was ready to give an answer for the hope that was in him, once Janet opened up the conversation. That’s what Peter wrote in his first letter, that we should be ready to give an answer with gentleness and reverence. I’ve often talked about living question-generating lives—living in such a way that it causes people to ask us questions. And that’s exactly what Jim did; his lifestyle caused her to ask a question, which opened a door for his testimony and an on-going conversation. And that resulted in two people coming to know Christ in a personal way.
And the third thing about Janet’s story is what Jim said afterwards. He said that Janet was the last person in that workplace that he would have ever thought would be open to the Gospel. Janet seemed to have it all together, and her language and her assertive and confident manner just showed no cracks in her armor, so to speak. And yet, God prepared her heart and she was open to Jim’s challenge.
So often it is true that the person you think is the toughest, the most hardened, the least likely to want to hear the good news of the Gospel is the person God is preparing for seed to be sown. It is often the person who is truly needy and hurting, and trying to cover it up.
I also love Diane’s story. Diane and her husband, Gary, live in Ohio and she began listening to our program many years ago. She would write us long letters, telling us what the program meant to her, and then she decided to attend one of our weekend getaways. That’s when we met Diane and our friendship began. Through a couple of years, as we got to know her better, I realized that she and Gary needed to be in a good Bible-believing church, and I strongly encouraged them to change churches.
They did, and that was the second stage of their growth in the Lord. Through Bible studies and choir and many other avenues, they became very involved in the life of their church and their growth was obvious. Then they began coming to our weekend getaways in order to serve and help us, and honestly, I don’t know what we would do without them. They are such faithful servants and we thank God for sending them our way.
Here’s Diane’s story in her own words:
I started listening to The Christian Working Woman in 1991 on WCRF Moody station in Cleveland. It was a breath of fresh air to hear a program on women in the work place. The Bible teaching and stories like Fran and Jesus really hit home in a lot of ways and helped me to put these principals into practice on and off the job. Over the years The Christian Working Woman has given me discernment, spiritual growth and enjoyment. It opened my eyes to get into the right Bible believing church, which was crucial to my spiritual growth. Mary and The Christian Working Woman staff has been a great blessing in my life, one that I will always cherish and truly be grateful for.
As Diane said, listening to The Christian Working Woman on the radio began her quest to get to know God. Some wrong teaching had caused confusion in her mind, and with our help she began to recognize that they really had to change churches.
Diane’s story reminds me of how important it is for every Christ-follower to be involved in a good church where they hear truth. Through all these years I’ve emphasized the importance of church involvement, because living in community with other believers on a regular basis is the only way we can truly grow and be strong. I don’t think God intends for any of us to be Lone Rangers, trying to do the Christian life on our own. We need each other; we need accountability; we need encouragement and inspiration that come from being involved regularly with other believers.
Jackie’s story demonstrates how God has used our events through these thirty years. Jackie now lives in New York City, but she first became acquainted with our ministry when she lived in Maryland and heard our program there. Then when she and her husband moved to New York, she found us on the radio there as well. Eventually she became the director of women’s ministries in her church, and they invited us to use their church for a one-day conference.
That was quite an event. We had over 700 women register for the conference, and the church had to rent more chairs to accommodate everyone. Here’s what Jackie said about that event in her own words:
How many times have I thought of you and the time I spent preparing for The Christian Working Woman to come to Manhattan Bible Church in 1998 for a one day conference. I marvel at what God did for me during that time. You said, “Think About What You Think About.” You handed out a sheet with the bicycle built for two talk. “Which seat are you sitting in on your tandem bike with Jesus?” is often a question I ask women when I speak because of that session.
It was a great day, but I have to tell you that I don’t remember my messages at that event. However, I’m so thankful that Jackie had ears to hear what God wanted to say to her that day. It was God’s truth that set her free, and a good reminder that God’s Word never returns void but it always accomplishes what God intends it to do.
The topic, Think About What You Think About, is also the title of one of my books, and it focuses on the importance of bringing our thoughts into captivity and making them obedient to Christ. It’s a topic I often emphasize, because truly we are what we think in large measure. Jackie went on to say that to this day she remembers that message and it has changed her thought life. She also remembers my illustration about being on a tandem bike with Jesus, and asking if he is in the front seat or the back seat. Again, she says she recalls that message and is reminded that she should always make sure that Jesus is in the front seat of her life, guiding her path.
Through these thirty years we’ve had 26 annual weekend getaways here in the Chicago area, and we’ve had many more one-day events in cities scattered around the country. I can’t even begin to remember all of them, but I know that as we have been faithful to present God’s truth in practical and understandable ways, God has used that truth to transform lives in ways we will never know this side of heaven.
_____________________________________
Mary has written a 30-Day Workplace Devotional. We will send you a copy at no charge. This offer is while supplies last and within the US only. It is filled with encouragement from God’s word with very practical and applicable challenges of on the job situations. To request a copy, send us an email providing your name, mailing address, and phone number to tcww@christianworkingwoman.org or call 630-462-0552.
As a special celebration of our 30th Anniversary, we are offering 30% off all items in our bookstore during the month of August.
Mary’s Book, Think About What You Think About, will challenge you to evaluate your thought life and responses to the events of life. The principle of this book can be life changing. Order your copy today on our website at www.christianworkingwoman.org Click on Store/Books.