Finding God at Work

What does it look like to bring compassion and conviction together in conversations about abortion?   Often, the cultural debate focuses on the question of law: What should be legal or illegal. It's a critical question.   But as disciples of Jesus, our care extends beyond the question of what's legal or not. Not only do we care about just law, we also care about the whole social fabric of the comm...

Migration is part of the story that God is telling in the world.   Often, when the topic of immigration comes up, we think about how to defend "our turf." But what if the Bible gives us a different way of thinking about turf?   When we look at God's instructions to his people in the Torah, we find a call to compassion and empathy toward immigrants.   As we make the leap from those instructions to...

"True integration will be achieved by men who are willingly obedient to unenforceable obligations." – Martin Luther King, Jr. Sources: Proverbs 29:4,7,14 (NIV) Isaiah 10:1-4 (NIV) Isaiah 16:4-5 (NIV) Romans 13:8-10 (NIV) Michael Wear, The Spirit of Our Politics: Spiritual Formation and the Renovation of Public Life (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2024). Martin Luther King, Jr., Where Do We Go from Here:...

Political campaigns are always about the future. From "Let Us Have Peace" (U.S. Grant's 1868 slogan) to FDR's "Happy Days Are Here Again" (1932) to "Change We Can Believe In," the message is *hope.* Things will get better. There's something to look forward to.   But we know that somehow we keep finding ourselves stuck in the mud as human beings. Our efforts to establish justice, to make things bet...

What does it mean to give Jesus our allegiance?   When the chips are down and we have to make a choice between loyalty to Jesus and loyalty to country, party, or movement, who do we choose?   Do we take up our cross even if it means laying down our lives?   Or do we end up choosing a different kingdom over the kingdom of God?   If we do, we are calling on a different king than Jesus. Sources: Luke...

When is it right to speak up about a political issue in the workplace?   We need discernment. Spouting off every opinion we happen to have is not the same as courageous witness.   At the same time, there are times when we need the courage to speak up. Scripture calls us to speak in a way that will "benefit those who listen" (Ephesians 4:29 NIV). Taking a political stand can build others up in at l...

What adjectives would you use to describe political conversations you've had throughout your life?   Awkward?   Loaded?   Angry?   What about . . . gentle?   We have strong feelings about politics because politics is about people, and people matter. So what does it look like for us to practice gentleness with our own strong feelings about politics?   When we learn to practice gentleness even in th...

When it comes to politics, our personality shapes how we want to engage—or disengage.   Maybe you're an armchair pundit, always reading the news and staying informed (and opinionated) about current events.   Maybe you find politics distasteful and try to avoid them as much as possible.   We have different God-given personalities, and that's okay. But all of us who follow Jesus are students of Scri...

In the story of Hannah, we see someone coming to God in a moment of profound personal grief. In her "deep anguish," Hannah turns to prayer (1 Samuel 1:10 NIV).   This moment doesn't seem like it has to do with politics at first. But Hannah's prayerful attitude puts her at the center of God's redemptive political action in ancient Israel. Hannah sees that the Lord is the one who "humbles and . . ....

We kick off a new series with this episode— Take A Stand: Faithful Political Witness at Work . Politics this year in the United States and around the world is just as fraught as ever. At times, it can be tempting to ignore political issues. When they come up at work, it can be awkward. But as disciples of Jesus, engaging political issues is part of loving our neighbors. Even if you don't feel deep...

Chris interviews Abbot Dan Nobles of Christ Mission Anglican Benedictines and Wandering Monk Hikes . Abbot Dan talks about how he unexpectedly became a monk after his military career, the healing journey of contemplative prayer, and returning to our "center of gravity" in the middle of the work day.  #FindingGodAtWork #FaithAndWork #MentalHealth #TheologicalAnthropology #ChristianHolism #TheGospel...

We don't just need good teachings or ideas about human nature and mental health. We need a vision of human life and love and work as it's meant to be. When we let Jesus be our anthropologist, we learn his teachings on the human person. But Jesus is more than that. He's also the true anthropos : the true human being. He shows us the life we were meant for, and he invites us into it. Sources: Luke 1...

Can work be a place of healing? Certain workplaces are traumatizing in themselves. But at its best, work is an ennobling experience. It confirms our sense of agency. It helps us gain confidence. It confers meaning on our time. When work is like this, it can even serve as a place of healing for past wounds—particularly the wound of learned helplessness. By God's grace, work is often where we discov...

According to the University of Toronto Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), trauma is "the lasting emotional response that often results from living through a distressing event." Sometimes we don't even realize that our emotional responses to certain situations at work are rooted in our own trauma. Yesterday's distressing event is today's emotional workday overwhelm. Trauma isn't an expl...

Every brain is different. That's what "neurodiversity" means. Neuro = brain; diversity = different. Neurodiversity is a feature of human experience, not a bug. It's an expression of God's creativity.   What does that mean for us in the workplace?   It means that every team is a motley crew, made up of people with unique ways of thinking and navigating work and life.   We can follow Jesus' example...

The recovery mindset is, "I want to find out where life really is."   It's admitting the problem and committing to radical change.   It's saying, like David, "For I know my transgressions and my sin is ever before me" (Psalm 51:3 ESV).   When we come to God with "a broken spirit and a contrite heart" (Psalm 51:17 ESV), we discover not just how merciful he is, but also his power for real change. So...

"'I'll quit tomorrow,' I would say to myself—but tomorrow never came."   That's how Bob Poznanovich describes his experience of addiction.   Have you ever told yourself, "I'll quit tomorrow"?   When addiction gets its teeth into us, it's fierce. We can't get out. We can't quit. Why is that?   It's because addiction hijacks our need for something to give us life. It's a life source disorder.   That...

Anxiety is part of human experience for everyone.   At the same time, some people experience more intense or persistent anxiety than others.   For most of us, anxiety is part of our work experience.   In Matthew 6, Jesus gives us a teaching on anxiety, which is helpful both for run-of-the-mill anxiety, and for anxiety disorders. It's helpful for all of us at work.   In this teaching, Jesus primari...

Your soul is a relater, meant to connect with God and other people.   Your soul is a receiver, meant to take beauty in.   Your soul is an integrator, meant to put experiences together.   Depression affects your capacity to relate, your capacity to receive, and your capacity to integrate. That means depression affects your soul. Mild depression is like getting a spiritual cold. Severe depression is...

When you're depressed, it affects all aspects of your life and personality, including your will. Depression can make it harder to choose, to make decisions. But our will can still help us when we're depressed. Willingness leads to healing, while willfulness does not. When we're willing to be led by God's mercy, we find it. But when we have to have our own way, we often miss out on what God is doin...

According to a 2023 Gallup survey, one in three U.S. adults have been diagnosed with depression at some point in their lifetimes.   I'm one of those adults. Periodic episodes of depression have hit me all throughout my adult life.   When I'm depressed, I feel weak. I hate to admit to weakness. I hate to admit I'm depressed.   But the Apostle Paul shows us in 2 Corinthians 12 that we can "boast" in...

"Beauty points the way home." That's scholar Gregory E. Ganssle's way of putting it. When we stop to pay attention, we notice that "there's something there" for us in the world. This experience of encountering beauty suggests that we're meant to be *here,* but also that there's something more we're meant for. In the Christian story, we're meant for God. We're meant to receive life from him. It's u...

So many workplace interactions are soulless: transactional, manipulative, self-interested. You can smell other people's "commission breath"; they're after what's in it for them. What would it look like to love others at work with genuine, disinterested love? It's the life that Jesus gives us that redeems and restores our capacity to relate to God and to others in love. He restores our soul . Sourc...

Your body is always with you when you're at work. You can't do your work without it.   Scripture teaches us that the body is a gift. All of our work depends on this gift that we can't take credit for.   It's good for us to apply effort, but our strength for the effort comes from a source beyond ourselves. Sources: Luke 10:25-28 (NIV) Matthew 15:17-20 (NIV) Psalm 139:13-16 (NASB) 2 Samuel 4:9 (ESV)...