Finding God at Work

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

Chris and Katie wrap up the Divine Disappointments series by sharing how God has brought them through a season of desolation and confusion into a place of hope and anticipation. In the Joseph story, the dream came true in a most unexpected way, working out God's saving purposes not just for Joseph and his family, but for the whole world. For Chris and Katie, even though the future is unknown, it's clear that God is keeping his promises and that his dreams for work, church, and family life are coming true.

Take the course at FindingGodAtWork.org.

Sources: Genesis 41:14-17,37-43 (ESV)

#FindingGodAtWork #FaithAndWork #Vocation #Disappointment #Disillusionment #Dream #Joseph #Marriage #HealthCrisis #EatingDisorder #Addiction #Therapy #Healing #LeavingMinistry #FuturePastor #Pastor #FosterCare #FosterKids #FosterChildren #Adoption #VocationalCrisis #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 and Katie continue to reflect on how the life of Joseph provides a paradigm for their own "journey through the desert" of work and health challenges. Joseph's dream already looked dead when he was sold into slavery in Egypt, but it "died again" when he was imprisoned on false charges. Similarly, even after a significant health crisis and a season of real healing, Chris and Katie realized that it was going to be a longer road than they had first expected.

Take the course at FindingGodAtWork.org.

Sources: Genesis 39:20-23 (ESV)

#FindingGodAtWork #FaithAndWork #Vocation #Disappointment #Disillusionment #Dream #Joseph #Marriage #HealthCrisis #EatingDisorder #Addiction #Therapy #Healing #LeavingMinistry #VocationalCrisis #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 and Katie continue to reflect on the life of Joseph and their own vocational journey. Joseph's dream looked dead when he was sold into slavery in Egypt. Chris's dreams of pastoral ministry and fatherhood looked dead in the middle of a physical, mental, and spiritual health crisis for Katie. For Katie, life was simply falling apart.

Yet in the middle of all that, the Lord showed great mercy. Even in the desert, there was life.

Take the course at FindingGodAtWork.org.

Sources: Genesis 37:17-27, 39:1-4 (ESV)

#FindingGodAtWork #FaithAndWork #Vocation #Disappointment #Disillusionment #Dream #Joseph #Marriage #HealthCrisis #EatingDisorder #Addiction #Therapy #Healing #VocationalCrisis #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

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

Sometimes the most stressful part of work is how little it pays.

It can feel like you're doing everything you know how to do, and you still come up short.

When that's your situation, it's easy to become resentful.

But even when you feel like you have your back against the wall, there's an alternative to resentment. Jesus shows us a different way.

Take the course at FindingGodAtWork.org.

Sources: Proverbs 12:14, 27; 13:22-23 (ESV)

Matthew 6:25-26 (ESV)

Matthew 5:40-42 (ESV)

"The State of ALICE in Illinois," United for ALICE, United Way of Northern New Jersey.

#FindingGodAtWork #FaithAndWork #Vocation #Disappointment #Disillusionment #Burnout #Overwhelmed #Stressed #StressedOut #Resentment #LowPay #Wages #BadJob #PersonalAgency #Faith #Generosity #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 Evelea Solgos about her harrowing first year working as a teacher, why she stuck it out even though it wasn't what she signed up for, and what she learned about herself through the process.

After moving on from that role, with the help of a Christian therapist, Evelea learned how to discern God's presence in that experience even after-the-fact. She shares, "It's not too late. Even if you didn't handle a situation well while you were in it, God is still waiting for you with open arms."

Evelea Solgos is an academic service provider for children with disabilities in Chicago through Catapult Learning, where she was honored as their 2025 Teacher of the Year. Evelea previously taught middle school Language Arts. When she's not helping students learn and grow, you may find her performing Elizabethan drama in a public park with the Shakespeare Blood Oath Theater Company.

Take the course at FindingGodAtWork.org.

#FindingGodAtWork #FaithAndWork #Vocation #Disappointment #Disillusionment #Burnout #Overwhelmed #Stressed #StressedOut #Teachers #Teaching #LanguageArts #CatapultLearning #Resentment #Love #Layoffs #LaidOff #GettingFired #Quitting #MoralInjury #Failure #DreamJob #ToxicWorkplace #ToxicBoss #WorkplaceDiscrimination #Pain #Suffering #Sorrow #FeelingEmpty #Lament #SufferingWithChrist #Perseverance #Purpose #Redemption #Restoration #DivineAppointments #MissionCentral