Retirement is an importnat milestones in 1 person's life. It is a life many of us look forward to but are we adequately prepared for it? We have retirement plans in the form of insurance for health, pension or retirement plan to support our lifestyles, holidays and vacation plans, and family commitment, do we also plan vocationally and seek what God wants us to do in our called life? Although this phase of life can be exciting, we also know the challenges of growing old, when mobility and health can be an issue, how do we continue to work/plan vocationally when this happens in our life? Give me your thoughts to the questions below (you can write at the comment section) 1. Do we think vocationally before our retirement/at retirement as we prepare to venture into the next phsase of life? 2. Do you see your work after retirement as a Call of God? 3. What work are you currently doing after you have retired from your routine work (employment,business,etc)? 4. Are we challenged in our vocation as some of us are not as mobile, slower in our pace and may have health issues? How can we think vocationally in scenarios like this? You can respond to the questions at the VW Forum and this will be helpful for us when we organize the forum on June 19th, I welcome your thoughts, feedback to the above questions and your sharing. You can also share with me through the VW WhatApps portal. Thanks Thank You

On the one hand, work is dignified and we are called to be responsible and we find significance in the work we do - Gen.1, at the prefall world, work is seen in its perfection, however the opposite do frustrate us, for many of us find work tough because the work has been cursed by God (Gen.3:17). Hence the blissful work in Gen.1 must be put into its proper context of Gen.2:4-5:1. Are we sold to a lie through Gen.3:17-19, when we placed our hope for a blissful work, yet it produces thorn and thistles, it is hard and we see degeneration of work due to the multiplication of evil. Work ultimately becomes futile when to dust you will return. What is the meaning of work? Why integrate work with faith, and why must faith becomes the lense where work is to be perceived? In our work, we do find the never ending routine of our daily work, with frustration, where we work long hour with no rest as we cannot get out of this cycle of frustration. There are times, when we work on a deal and then someone pull the plug, or invest in the financial market and then the market crashes. What about the picture of a lady in India, with a baby strapped to her hips as she works at a pile of brick at the road side? Is there hope for work. What about Ecc. 2:18-19: I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me, and who knows whether he will be wiseman or a fool: yet he will have control over all the work into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless. What about all the fuss to the significance of work? Is there one? The solution are said to be hanging on the cultural mandate of Gen. 2, where this should now be the priority of his redeemed people; to subdue the earth, for work has been created good, fallen and has been redeemed, so that we can be hopeful to see a glimpse of hope in our work. However this mandate may not be attainable by him in reality, although some original mandate's can be fulfilled, but now with greater frustration and without hope of actually fulfilling Adam's charge to subdue the earth... His rule is no longer Godly' dominion', but rather a fearful domination. There is also a new and necessary instituition of a sword weilding government, one that will have the power to take human life when human blood is shed (9:6). Hence we should look at the Noahic version, for unlike the Adamic mandate, it is not a progression to paradise, but rather a preservation in a fallen world. We cannot be little Adam striving to accomplish Adam's original work, where we are living in a world where the curse yet remains; and childbirth still involves pain, work still involves sweat, the animals will still run from us, and the creation is still subjected to frustration. This would probably be the mission of the church- a combined Noahic and culture mandate when we talk about the work life! We hope to get fulfillment through work but God never intended us to fulfill our potential through work, but yet work is necessary to be understood in its fallenness and through its mandates via the redemptive purpose of God, so that my work makes sense. Hence work is a paradox i=unfolding before our eyes.

The many facets of work and faith integration has been writen and reserach by many and the wealth of knowledge on this subject matters are prevalent. Integration is seen from the discussion based on calling (vocation) to charisma (gifts) and these are valuable resources for work and faith integration. The notion of Calling in the integration of faith and work has been the most dominant position of the reformation. We are called to him and is saved so that we could served others. God participate with us and cooperate with us through a union and by this gave us the charisma to help us in our work. The book on the theology of work, stem from scripture on work being Good -Fallen- Redeemed-Glorified. The view of work that categorized the 4 states we are in, is crucial for us to understand work and faith integration. The non exaustive list of our selected bibliography (Resources) are as follow: Luther on Vocation- Gustaf Wingren, Wipf&Stock,2004 Vocation- Douglas J Shuurmann, Eerdmans,2004 Work in the Spirit - Miroslav Volf, Wipf&Stock,2001 Work Matters - R Paul Stevens, Eerdmans, 2012 The other six days - R Paul Stevens, Eerdmans,1999 God at Work - Gene Edward Veith, Crossway,2002 Joy at Work- Dennis Bakke, PVG,2005 God the Worker - Robert Banks, Judson Press,1994 The Fabric of this world - Lee Hardy, Eerdmans,1990 Jordon Cooper - Christification,Wipf & Stocks,2014 Every Good Endeavour - Timothy Keller , Holder & Stoughton,2012 Center Church - Timothy Keller, zondervon, 2012 Union With Christ -Carl E Braaten, Fotress Press, 2005 2 kinds of love, Martin Luther religious world - Toumo Maneermaa, Fotress Press,2010 Work and Our Labor in the Lord -James M Hamilton,Crossway,2017 Martin Luther and the Called life - Mark D. Tanvik, Fortress Press,2016 Revolutionary Work- William Taylor, 10 Publishing House, 2016