Finding God at Work

Dr. Karen Swallow Prior, a scholar and author focused on literature and faith, dives deep into her new book, discussing the pitfalls of the 'follow your passion' mantra. She redefines passion as a willingness to endure challenges and emphasizes the dignity of ordinary work in honoring God. Karen highlights the importance of seeking truth, goodness, and beauty in every vocation, irrespective of profession or pay. Her insights on how mundane tasks can illuminate lives remind us that all work can fulfill a greater calling.

The language and idea of "calling" sometimes gets thrown around a lot in Christian circles. Not everything we tend to think or say about calling in our particular Christian subculture is necessarily rooted in the witness of Scripture. In this episode, Chris tackles four myths about calling that sometimes surface: Myth #1: You only have one, lifelong calling. Myth #2: Calling is first and foremost about what God wants you to do. Myth #3: Calling and passion are the same thing. Myth #4: Calling is about what God wants, not what I want. When we take a critical look at these myths in the light of Scripture, we see that God is inviting us—and calling us!—into something better. Sources: Nehemiah 6:15-16 (ESV) Luke 1:30-31 (NIV) Philippians 3:14 (ESV) Romans 1:7 (NIV, ESV) Ezekiel 4 (NIV) John 21:17-19 (NIV) Nehemiah 2:1-2,12 (NIV) Geoff Horton, "Joan of Arc: I Was Born to Do This?" Fauxtations, January 6, 2019. Grace Thierfelder, "What Did Joan of Arc Mean When She Said, 'I am Not Afraid…I was Born to Do This'?" The Catholic Company, May 30, 2023. #FindingGodAtWork #FaithAndWork #Meaning #JoanOfArc #Nehemiah #Philippians #Romans #Ezekiel #Motivation #Engagement #WorkEngagement #HighEngagement #Calling #Formation #Service #Love #Vocation #Boredom #Mission #CommonGood #Character #DifficultWork #HardWork #EasyYoke #MeaningfulWork

We kick off a new series with this episode—Meaningful Work: Calling, Formation, Service, and Love. Work often feels meaningless. So what can we do both to find the meaning that's already there, and to make the work as meaningful as it can be? As disciples of Jesus, we mean something in the world; we communicate the reality of who God is when we live in love. "As he is so also are we in this world" (1 John 4:17 ESV). That high calling gives us a way in to find meaning in our work, too: Calling: The call of God on our lives imbues our work with meaning. Formation: God uses our work to conform our character to Christ's. Service: Our work itself serves human needs and good human desires. Love: The way we do our work and relate to others at work demonstrates God's love. When we step into work in this way, we find it forms part of the meaning of life, both for us and for the people around us. Sources: 1 John 4:16-19 (ESV) Michael Polanyi, The Tacit Dimension (Garden City, New York: Doubleday, 1966). Bruce Barton, What Can a Man Believe? (Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill Company, 1927). #FindingGodAtWork #FaithAndWork #Meaning #Polanyi #Michael Polanyi #TacitDimension #TacitKnowledge #Communication #Semantics #Grace #BruceBarton #ChristopherWren #Motivation #Engagement #WorkEngagement #HighEngagement #Calling #Formation #Service #Love #Vocation #Boredom #Mission #CommonGood #Character #DifficultWork #HardWork #EasyYoke #MeaningfulWork

Chris interviews executive coach and author Melissa McCormick about her unexpected career journey. In her years as a leader at the Taylor Company, Melissa was known as a Christian for going on mission trips. But when it came to work itself, she would "leave Jesus in the car" after her morning commute. Her approach changed when she realized she could take Jesus to work with her. When she invited him in, Jesus led her into a new way of doing work, and eventually, into a new work adventure. Melissa McCormick leads the Grace & Salt Leadership Academy, helping executives "get out of their own way" to lead well. She is the author of Grace & Salt: 12 Biblical Lessons to Transform You and Your Team into Better Leaders, and you can find her podcast Top Floor, Please on Spotify and YouTube. Take the course at FindingGodAtWork.org. Sources: Colossians 4:6 (NIV) Andy Crouch, The Life We're Looking For: Reclaiming Relationship in a Technological World (New York: Convergent Books, 2022). #FindingGodAtWork #FaithAndWork #Vocation #BonusEpisode #Interview #MelissaMcCormick #GraceAndSalt #Burnout #Overwhelmed #Stressed #StressedOut #Resentment #Love #Layoffs #LaidOff #GettingFired #Quitting #MoralInjury #Failure #DreamJob #ToxicWorkplace #ToxicBoss #WorkplaceDiscrimination #Pain #Suffering #Sorrow #FeelingEmpty #Lament #SufferingWithChrist #Perseverance #Purpose #Redemption #Restoration #DivineAppointments #MissionCentral

Katie Walter Easley, a dedicated nurse and the spouse of the host, shares her profound experiences of healing and re-engagement with church life. Together, they reflect on overcoming divine disappointments and rediscovering hope after dark times. The narrative weaves in themes of vocational fulfillment, identity struggles, and a shift towards pastoral ministry. Katie's journey reveals renewed confidence in church involvement, while they explore the possibility of foster care, illustrating how God's greater plans often transcend personal dreams.

In this discussion, Katie Walter Easley, a dedicated nurse, shares her journey through health crises and the complexity of vocational identity. Drawing parallels to Joseph's trials, she opens up about isolation during her struggles with depression and how it impacted her faith. The conversation explores the challenges faced when expectations clash with reality, leading to unanticipated changes in their careers. Ultimately, both Katie and Chris find renewed purpose and joy outside of traditional ministry roles, highlighting the grace found in unexpected places.

Katie Walter Easley, a dedicated nurse practitioner, shares her profound journey of recovery and self-discovery amidst life’s trials. She reflects on her endometriosis diagnosis and its toll on her marriage and mental health. The conversation dives into the realities of disillusionment with dreams, much like Joseph's story in the Bible, and highlights how crises can reshape faith and priorities. Despite the darkness, Katie finds God’s grace and growth in these challenging desert seasons, emphasizing hope and healing.

To wrap up our Divine Disappointments series, we're doing a four-episode look at the life of Joseph in the book of Genesis, with Chris (and Katie!) sharing how their own vocational journey has reflected the pattern we see there: Dream Death of the Dream Double Death of the Dream Resurrection Sometimes, our dream has to die before it can come to life in God's time. Take the course at FindingGodAtWork.org. Sources: Genesis 37:5-11 (ESV) #FindingGodAtWork #FaithAndWork #Vocation #Disappointment #Disillusionment #Dream #Joseph #Marriage #Burnout #Overwhelmed #Stressed #StressedOut #Resentment #Love #Layoffs #LaidOff #GettingFired #Quitting #MoralInjury #Failure #DreamJob #ToxicWorkplace #ToxicBoss #WorkplaceDiscrimination #Pain #Suffering #Sorrow #FeelingEmpty #Lament #SufferingWithChrist #Perseverance #Purpose #Redemption #Restoration #DivineAppointments #MissionCentral

Chris interviews Ben Kraker about his vocational journey from youth ministry to tech sales to managed IT and app development, and how he grew closer to God through each shift. His work with youth, while fruitful, grew out of a sense of obligation to others' expectations. Eventually, he ended up on empty: disillusioned and driftless. But then, after shifting to a "secular" career, Ben discovered space to make room for his own desires and voice, finding healing in being seen by God for who he really is, not who others expected him to be. Ben Kraker is a technologist in the managed IT space, founder and lead developer at SEEN:app, and a spiritual director in training. Take the course at FindingGodAtWork.org. #FindingGodAtWork #FaithAndWork #Vocation #Disappointment #Disillusionment #LeavingMinistry #IT #Tech #SeenApp #Journaling #Burnout #Overwhelmed #Stressed #StressedOut #Resentment #Love #Layoffs #LaidOff #GettingFired #Quitting #MoralInjury #Failure #DreamJob #ToxicWorkplace #ToxicBoss #WorkplaceDiscrimination #Pain #Suffering #Sorrow #FeelingEmpty #Lament #SufferingWithChrist #Perseverance #Purpose #Redemption #Restoration #DivineAppointments #MissionCentral

Every industry has negative externalities—some way that in the course of getting business done, the world around the business is negatively affected. As disciples of Jesus, how do we make sense of our responsibility in regards to the negative externalities of the industries where we work? Take the course at FindingGodAtWork.org. Sources: Psalm 15 (ESV) Esther 7:3-4 (ESV) Timothy Keller with Katherine Leary Alsdorf, Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God's Work (New York: Penguin Random House, 2012). #FindingGodAtWork #FaithAndWork #Vocation #Disappointment #Disillusionment #Burnout #Overwhelmed #Stressed #StressedOut #Resentment #NegativeExternalities #WorkplaceEthics #EthicalDilemma #Persia #Esther #Love #Layoffs #LaidOff #GettingFired #Quitting #MoralInjury #Failure #DreamJob #ToxicWorkplace #ToxicBoss #WorkplaceDiscrimination #Pain #Suffering #Sorrow #FeelingEmpty #Lament #SufferingWithChrist #Perseverance #Purpose #Redemption #Restoration #DivineAppointments #MissionCentral