334: Dr. Amy Sherman and The God of Shalom

Dr. Amy Sherman directs the Center on Faith in Communities at the Sagamore Institute. She’s the author of seven books, most recently, Agents of Flourishing: Pursuing Shalom in Every Corner of Society. Today, Amy shares how her diverse denominational background shaped her worldview, what she learned from health challenges that have affected her productiving, and what we need to know about shalom and human flourishing. The Kingdom of God that Jesus taught and brought has room for every human being to thrive with the Lord and we get to participate in it’s unfolding. Amy’s story reminds us how that works and encourages us to show up and pursue a life of flourishing.

Listen to Amy’s story now!

Stories Amy shared:

Working as a minister to ministries at the Sagamore Institute

Why she wrote Agents of Flourishing

Growing up near Buffalo, NY in a liberal Methodist church

Learning about the social Gospel in her church growing up

Finding Christ and being discipled by a young family in a charismatic church

Going to Messiah College and discovering Christians like C.S. Lewis and Francis Schaeffer

Working at a think tank with George Waggle

Deciding to get her PhD at University of Virginia

Working at her church as director of ministries

Experiencing chronic pain since a bad accident

Health challenges that have limited her productivity

Reading a devotional during a season struggling with lyme disease

Reframing productivity as fruitfulness

How flourishing and shalom are beyond circumstances

Believing that God desires your flourishing

Great quotes from Amy:

Flourishing involves resting.

The biblical concept of flourishing is not contingent on circumstances.

Shalom is the world as God wants it to be.

God desires your flourishing.

Resources we mentioned:

Amy’s website at Sagamore Institute

Agents of Flourishing: Pursuing Shalom in Every Corner of Society by Dr. Amy Sherman

Kingdom Calling: Vocational Stewardship for the Common Good by Dr. Amy Sherman

The God Who Is There by Francis Schaeffer

When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor…and Yourself by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert

Related episodes:

Amber Cullum and the Journey to Grace

Peter Englert and Digital Ministry and Discipleship

Lori Ann Wood and Questions in the Silence

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