How does our work on this earth transfer into the new earth when God returns? I recently read Every Good Endeavor by Tim Keller and also Surprised by Hope by N.T. Wright.  Both are amazing books, focused on the resurrection theology that God will raise up a new heaven and a new earth, and we will dwell in the presence of God, not just sitting around, but living life with new redeemed bodies and doing redeemed work that isn't corrupted by sin.

The ideas of heaven are very exciting: that we won't be just sitting around playing harps, but will live much like we do currently, although without the corruption of sin and in the presence of God.

Another exciting theme in these books is that the work we do here matters towards the new heaven and new earth, and will be redeemed and made full when God comes.  While this is exciting to me, it is also very confusing. Can anybody shed some light into how the work we do here transfers to Gods kingdom, according to Keller and/or Wright, even if it is "secular" in nature?
John 3:5,6 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Jesus here is instructing Nicodemus, which in verse 10 He says: “Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?”  The interesting thing here is that Jesus is chastising Nicodemus for not knowing that one has to be “born again” before His (Christ’s) completed work on the cross.
In the book of Hebrews chapter 11 we know that those that lived before the cross received a good report by faith.

Revelation 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
First Corinthians 3:13-15 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

The Book of Life appears to be an eternal genealogy, where the “books” seem to record ones life works, either born of the Holy Spirit or conceived and born outside of the will of God the Father and of the Holy Spirit.
So in answer to the question: Fire is the agent that separates eternal substance from temporal substance, this is also true with our life works as well.  Fire typically depicts God's judgement.