Times are certainly changing. There was a recent article on NBC.com about a new segment of the workforce called “slashers”. These are the new freelancers, people who are a chef/writer/blogger; people with multiple small jobs to make one annual income. As a “slasher” myself, it made perfect sense to me. Some will say a “jack of all trades and a master of none” but this new workforce is real and truly a sign of the times. I also believe that the patterns of the past will not stand up to the demands of the future. Do we need office buildings filled with cubicles of people entering information into their computers or can these people do this work from home? Can we combine positions or functions and share the talents of our workforce? There are still millions of people unemployed; the pattern of the world will need to be transformed for the world economy to recover.

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…” Romans 12:2

Paul is reminding the Romans and now us, that we should not be living to glory of this world but to the glory of God. He also gives us the answer to the question:  how do we do it? It is so easy to get caught up in the desires of this world – bigger houses, newer cars, better clothes, jewelry and so on. We’ll never miss our favorite TV show now because of the DVR and we’ll make time to squeeze in church before kickoff. These are clearly the patterns of this world. Paul is telling us to be transformed by renewing our minds – change the way we think about things. As long as you have the DVR, spend some of that time learning about God’s word. Pick up a daily devotional and spend 15 minutes renewing your mind. Try to find understanding in what the Bible is telling us, don’t just read the “stories” but search for the meaning behind them. Take the renewal of your mind in a new direction.