Megan Monroe Service Learning Internship Reflection Assignment 1 Witherington discusses how the Christian must approach work

from at ethical perspective. His theology of work includes labor as one of the good creations of God, intended for the fulfillment of humankind rather than intrinsically unpleasant. Though work involves suffering and toil, this is a result of the fall. God has created us to work to bring about his kingdom, a task that is designed to bring joy and fulfillment. In regard to the aims of ethical work, Witherington explains that since all work in the hands of a Christian is ministry(14), work that does not glorify God or express love of our neighbor is not appropriate work for a Christian. He claims that Work is not a secular activity: it is a sacred one originally ordained by God, and so it must be ordained in holy ways(15). He says that the test of whether a Christian should be doing particular work is whether it will glorify God and edify other people. I believe that my internship at Noozhawk this semester is a type of work that satisfies both of these measures, and therefore is work that brings about Gods kingdom. Though news is a for-profit business, there is an intrinsic element of service and helpfulness. News exists to tell people about what is going on in the world and in their communities, and it renders them a valuable service by keeping them informed. In particular, Noozhawk is a local news website that provides news free of cost to members of the Santa Barbara community. It is adsupported so that anyone who wants to can view it and remain updated about important events and news. It also provides a helpful service for many businesses who choose to advertise on the Noozhawk site. Though the site is driven by

advertising, it does not take advantage of its readers. Rather it provides a resource for them to become aware of local events. I believe that providing a way for individuals to be informed about their community makes it possible for people to stay connected to those around them, and creates opportunities for many individuals to better serve their communities by getting involved in local politics, supporting local business or nonprofits, or learning about likeminded people in their area. Witherington also discusses his theology of vocation. In the section, Vocation Comes from Calling(27), he makes the point that vocation comes with calling. Though the two are slightly different, they go together. God calls us to vocations, and vocations are not the same as professions because they are distinct as responses to calls from God. One may adopt a profession without being called to it. This way of thinking informs my work at Noozhawk because it encourages me to consider whether God could be calling me to move toward writing, particularly journalistic writing, as a vocation. At this point it is too early to tell, but I do not believe I have experienced a strong sense of being called to news reporting. I am confident that I could do it as a profession, and that I could even excel if I worked hard at it for the long term. However, I dont have the sense that God is calling me to it. I think of news writing as an instrumental skill, that I use to prove my competence as a writer so that I can demonstrate my proficiency as a writer, in hopes of writing a book or academic thesis eventually. Witherington also raises the question of human autonomy in work in the section called God at Work, or We Work with God, or Both?(28), exploring

whether strong claims about Gods sovereignty render us workers as human puppets(28). He argues against this conclusion, claiming that we are agents with the ability to choose and to act. God sustains our existence and makes our work both possible and meaningful, but it is we who enact it. It is interesting to think about how God wants to work through me at Noozhawk. What is it that God wants me to enact for his kingdom during my internship? One possibility is that God is using my current work to develop me into the kind of person who is able to pursue the successful completion of a piece of written work. I think God is developing patience, persistence, and reliability in me. If I am going to use any of the skills He has given me that come easily, I will need to also exercise some of the ones that come harder. God cannot simply make me patient, or persistent. Im not a puppet that he controls. He has placed before me an opportunity to develop them, but I am the one who must do the work that he has pointed me toward. Another step in understanding my own development as a worker is to explore the significance of my Meyers-Briggs personality profile. I am an ENTP, meaning that I am extroverted, intuitive, thinking, and perceiving. Some of the characteristics of this personality type, as explained by the profile Dana Alexander brought us from the Office of Life Planning, are very enlightening about my own aptitudes and weaknesses. One recurring theme for ENTPs is the weakness of follow-up on details. Because my personality type values spontaneity, big-picture thinking, problemsolving, and creativity, it can lead to viewing details as tedious. This has always been my biggest weakness. I often forget to do things if I view them as trivial; however,

oftentimes the devil is in the details. The biggest hindrance to my success is my aversion to follow up on minor but important tasks. My time at Noozhawk should help me to improve in this area. There are many details that go into crafting a compelling article. I must interview sources, thoroughly comb PR releases and reports from police, highway patrol, meteorologists, and the city or county, and keep a careful record of all the information I accumulate. I cannot let minor emails go unsent, forget to submit an article by the correct deadline, or be sloppy in my investigation of facts pertinent to a story, because omitting small details can completely get in the way of my ability to contribute to Noozhawk. I recognize that I have been incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to look for work that will be personally fulfilling and stimulate the kind of growth that my personality requires to develop towards success. Divided along class lines, many people will not get the same chance to search for work that they can easily recognize as a unique calling toward a particular vocation. Miya Tokumitsu explores this idea in her article, titled In the Name of Love. She critiques the contemporary mantra: Do what you love. Love what you do. Her critique is based mainly on the fact that this mantra devalues work that is not clearly lovable. Jobs that seem trivial that are performed by workers who seem to be merely human cogs in a machine of economic production. How should these workers be expected to love their work? Tokumitsu argues that under the mantra, labor that is done out of motives or needs other than love- which is, in fact, most labor- is erased unlovable but socially necessary work is banished from our consciousness(4). Valuing work because of its

aspect of personal fulfillment can be a rather elitist and individualistic perspective on work. In response to Tokumitsus critique, though I concur that it is unrealistic and unfair to value all work primarily by its perceived social importance and individuality, it is not necessarily the case that people working in these sorts of jobs cannot have a sense of calling and vocation. Like Witherington said, all work in the hands of the Christian is a ministry. Work that seems menial indeed has an eternal purpose, and if done in love, there is undoubtedly a way that it can further Gods kingdom. This is not to excuse or justify the disparity of opportunity between elite members of society and those without the opportunity to pursue work they love. Such inequality must be addressed so that more people will have the opportunity to explore what kind of work is personally fulfilling. But even if our job is not always lovable, if it is done out of love for God, it will be valuable and important.