Today's Devotions

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Showcase: Assorted Treats

  • Introduction to The Death of Death..by JI Packer +

    INTRODUCTORY ESSAY ___ to John Owen's The Death Of Death in the Death of Christ ___ By J.I. Packer _________ Read More
  • An Interview with Os Guiness on the 25th Anniversary of Francis Schaeffer's Death-Justin Taylor, 2009 +

    Next week (May 15) will be the 25th anniversary of the death of Francis Schaeffer, who died in his home Read More
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Clark-Keller-300x223Editors' note: The weekly TGCvocations column asks practitioners about their jobs and how they integrate their faith and work. Interviews are conducted and condensed by Bethany L. Jenkins, director of TGC's Every Square Inch.

Tim Clark, 35, is a house painter in Greenville, South Carolina, where he lives with his family and tweets as @DailyKeller with about 145,000 followers.

How did you become a house painter?

Tim Clark and Tim Keller
Tim Clark and Tim Keller

I never planned on painting houses as a career. I started doing it in college in order to pay for school. When I graduated, though, I was married, and we had a fair amount of debt. So I needed a job. Although my degree was in health, fitness, and recreation, painting houses paid better than the jobs I could find in my major.

For a long time, especially when we were paying down our debt, I hated my job. All I could think about was how expensive college was and how many financial mistakes we made when we were first married. Those dark days were full of accusation: "You're never going to be debt-free. You've made too many bad decisions."

Did something happen that changed your perspective?

Yes and no. My heart changed, but my circumstances didn't. Through John Piper's ministry, I discovered what I was missing—the pursuit of joy. Then I downloaded Tim Keller's talk from the 2006 Desiring God conference. I probably replayed that message 20 times. The real turning point, though, came when I listened to The Reason for God. (One perk of painting houses is getting to hear sermons and audiobooks on the job.) It helped me to see God's grace in my work. I discovered that my job is a gift, not a punishment. I started seeing how my work mirrors God's work. In house painting, we spend most of our time preparing surfaces—filling in cracks and holes. We can't even think about putting paint on anything until the surfaces are made smooth and clean.

Can you tell me about a time when you really loved your job?

One of our clients loved the fact that my boss and a few of the guys on our crew were into hunting and fishing. So he threw us a big fish fry with an all-you-can-eat buffet. This was special because house painting really isn't about relationships. Clients usually want us to come in and get out as quickly as possible because we're invasive. We have to create a giant mess before we can eventually make a house look beautiful. Very few of them get to know us. We go unrecognized and unseen most of the time. Also, sometimes they assume we're not intelligent since we're blue-collar workers. That's why this client was so unique. He saw us as people, not just painters.

What type of work do you think you'd be doing if you weren't painting houses?

My heart is drawn to mercy ministries. I would love to be doing something full-time that's focused on helping the poor and marginalized. What's hard for me, as a full-time painter, is that most volunteer opportunities happen during work hours. I also want to be writing. Again, though, it's hard to find time for that because I have a full-time job. I don't think I'll be a house painter for the rest of my life, but I'm not sure what I'll be. I'm not worried about it. I know God has a plan. This year, we got out of debt. So I feel more freedom and see more opportunities than ever before.

When TGCvocations interviewed Max McLean, he said that the first step in adapting a book to a stage is finding the "narrative through line" that connects seemingly disconnected stories into one theme. As you think about your various activities—from tweeting to painting—can you find a "narrative through line" in your life?

When I first joined Twitter, I found that I really enjoyed the accounts that gave encouraging words. It's amazing how much power is in 140 characters. Since Tim Keller was the pastor who most encouraged me and since he wasn't on Twitter, I started @DailyKeller to encourage others. It wasn't about me. In fact, it wasn't even about Tim. It was about God. Last year, when I finally met Tim, I said, "You made Jesus beautiful to me." He replied, "That's the point." That's what I want @DailyKeller to be about. And that's what I want my painting to be about. I'm a beautician, taking broken things and making them beautiful. I guess beauty is my "narrative through line."

Bethany Jenkins directs Every Square Inch, the faith and work initiative of The Gospel Coalition. She is the founder of The Park Forum, a nonprofit that seeks to plant urban Christians in the Bible daily. She is writing her first book, 'Having All That Matters,' which is a faith-based contribution to the 'Lean In' discussion. Previously, Bethany worked at the New York Stock Exchange, the U.S. Department of State, and the U.S. Congress. She received her JD from Columbia Law School. Bethany lives in Manhattan and attends Redeemer Presbyterian Church, where she was a Gotham Fellow through the Center for Faith & Work.

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2014/01/13/tweeting-as-dailykeller-painting-as-tim-clark/

Reflections to Consider

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Publications

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Music

  • Jesus be the centre

    Center is a song that speaks of the essence of our life in Christ, and echoes the words the Christ Read More
  • I Lift My Hands

    A powerful hymn of adoration and praise Arkansas Gospel Mass Choir. This succinctly captures the joy of knowing our savior. Read More
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Audio & Video

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Favorites

  • Transforming this World: The Hope of Glory by NT Wright +

    Wright confronts the perspective that this world doesn’t matter, and that we live only to be in heaven. He shows Read More
  • What is Good in a World that Defies Hope: a talk by NT Wright +

    This is the second part of three talks by NT Wright at Harvard University in November, 2008 on the topic Read More
  • The Stream, the Lake and the River: NT Wright +

      Acts 2.1-21; John 7.37-39; a sermon at the Eucharist on the Feast of Pentecost, 11 May 2008, by the Read More
  • Jesus in the Perfect Storm by NT Wright +

    Zechariah 9.9-17; Luke 19.28-48; A sermon for Palm Sunday, April 17, 2011, In the University Chapel of St Salvator, St Read More
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Hidden Blessings

  • Christ is a Great Savior: a review of the movie Amazing Grace +

    Amazing Grace is a historical drama about William Wilberforce who was elected to British Parliament at the age of 21 Read More
  • Wilberforce, Hollywood's Amazing Grace, Charlotte Allen +

    William Wilberforce's relentless campaign eventually led the British Parliament to ban the slave trade, in 1807, and to pass a Read More
  • Making Beauty out of Ugly Things: Grace by U2 +

    Grace, she takes the blame She covers the shame Removes the stain It could be her name Grace, she carries Read More
  • The True Nature of Grace and Love: a movie review of the Soloist +

    The 2009 movie The Soloist is based on a book by the same name, written by Los Angeles Times columnist Read More
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