Finding God at Work

Henri Nouwen calls burnout "a convenient psychological translation for a spiritual death."

Sometimes work feels more like death than life.

When you're facing burnout at work, what can you do?

How can you access the spiritual resources that Jesus offers in that dark place?

Take the course at FindingGodAtWork.org.

Quadrants Visual: Healthy and Unhealthy Activation at Work

Sources: Ephesians 1:18-20 (NIV)

Henri Nouwen, ¡Gracias!: A Latin American Journal (Maryknoll, New York: Orbis Books, 1983).

Henri Nouwen, In the Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian Leadership (New York: The Crossroad Publishing Company, 1989).

Wilmar B. Schaufeli and Marisa Salanova, "Burnout, Boredom and Engagement in the Workplace" in An Introduction to Contemporary Work Psychology, ed. Maria C.W. Peters, Jan de Jonge, and Toon W. Taris (Malden, Massachusetts: Wiley, 2013).

Richard Foster, "Understanding the Means," in The Renovaré Spiritual Formation Bible, ed. Richard Foster (New York: HarperCollins, 2005).

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Work isn't always bursting with excitement.

Is there a way to find meaning in the boring moments?

Take the course at FindingGodAtWork.org.

Quadrants Visual: Healthy and Unhealthy Activation at Work

Sources: Ephesians 5:15-16 (NIV, KJV)

Colossians 3:23 (NIV)

Wilmar B. Schaufeli and Marisa Salanova, "Burnout, Boredom and Engagement in the Workplace" in An Introduction to Contemporary Work Psychology, ed. Maria C.W. Peters, Jan de Jonge, and Toon W. Taris (Malden, Massachusetts: Wiley, 2013).

Frank C. Laubach, Letters by a Modern Mystic (Naples, FL: Mockingbird Press, 2022). First published 1937.

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Chris interviews Dr. Luke Bobo about his 2019 book, Race, Economics, and Apologetics: Is There a Connection?. Hear about how previous policies like redlining and restrictive covenants continue to affect the economy today, how you can respond if you're facing racial discrimination in the workplace, and how we can offer our workplaces an "embodied apologetic."

Luke Bobo (PhD, University of Missouri-St. Louis) is the co-owner of the consulting firm Pursuing the Greater Good, LLC. He is a visiting instructor of contemporary culture at Covenant Seminary, where he previously directed the Francis Schaeffer Institute. In an earlier career, Luke spent 15 years as an electrical engineer.

Take the course at FindingGodAtWork.org.

Sources: Genesis 1-2 (NIV)

Revelation 21-22 (NIV)

Philippians 3:10-14 (NIV)

1 Corinthians 7:21 (NIV)

Philippians 4:19 (NIV)

Amy L. Sherman, Senior Scholar at the Institute for Studies of Religion, Baylor University.

Michael O Emerson and Christian Smith, Divided By Faith: Evangelical Religion and the Problem of Race in America (New York: Oxford University Press, 2001).

"True Colors - Racial Discrimination in Everyday Life 1," Primetime, hosted by Diane Sawyer (September 26, 1991), Mayfield Sociology (April 25, 2012).

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Sometimes work feels pointless.

We get stuck in the comparison/competition trap, never achieving enough to be content.

We get enslaved to our work, sacrificing everything else that matters.

We end up in jobs that are dehumanizing, treating us more like machines than human beings.

It's all so empty.

What does Jesus invite us into when work is like that?

Take the course at FindingGodAtWork.org.

Sources: Ecclesiastes 4:4-8 (NIV)

Matthew 5:43-48 (NIV)

Exodus 20:8-11 (NIV)

Colossians 3:23-25 (NIV)

Lee Hardy, The Fabric of This World Inquiries Into Calling, Career Choice, and the Design of Human Work (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1990).

Dallas Willard, "Fulfilling the Promise of the New Life," Dallas Willard Ministries, 1991.

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One of the most painful forms of disappointment at work is disappointment in a leader.

Sometimes you're excited to work for a specific team or a specific organization, but your boss or your boss's boss or a different leader in the organization isn't the person who you thought they were.

How can we, as disciples of Jesus, meet the Lord when we're disillusioned about a leader we respected?

Take the course at FindingGodAtWork.org.

Sources: Hebrews 3:1-4 (NIV)

J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (New York: Scholastic, 2007).

Stephen R. Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Restoring the Character Ethic (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1989, 2004).

#FindingGodAtWork #FaithAndWork #Vocation #Disappointment #Disillusionment #Expectations #Character #Personality #MeToo #ChurchToo #BillHybels #HarryPotter #JKRowling #Dumbledore #StephenCovey #7Habits #Resentment #Love #Burnout #Disillusionment #Layoffs #LaidOff #GettingFired #Quitting #MoralInjury #Failure #DreamJob #ToxicWorkplace #ToxicBoss #WorkplaceDiscrimination #Pain #Suffering #Sorrow #FeelingEmpty #Lament #SufferingWithChrist #Perseverance #Purpose #Redemption #Restoration #DivineAppointments #MissionCentral

Chris interviews Drew Boa about his new book, Outgrow Porn: Find Lasting Freedom Without Fighting an Exhausting Battle. We come to work as whole human beings: mind, body, and soul. That includes our sexuality, which can sometimes "interrupt" our work day unexpectedly. Drew shares how to respond in a healthy way when that happens, why sexual development is like surfing, and the way our "origin story" influences our sexuality today.

Drew Boa is the founder and CEO of Husband Material Ministries, where he helps men outgrow porn. He is also a podcaster, coach, Pastoral Sex Addiction Professional (PSAP), and Certified Brainspotting Practitioner (BSP). Drew enjoys living in Colorado and going on adventures with his wife and kids. Learn more at drewboa.com.

Take the course at FindingGodAtWork.org.

Sources: Matthew 5:27-28 (NIV)

1 Corinthians 6:18 (NIV)

Drew Boa, Outgrow Porn: Find Lasting Freedom Without Fighting an Exhausting Battle (Husband Material Ministries, 2025).

Andrew A. Boa, Redeemed Sexuality: 12 Sessions for Healing and Transformation in Community (Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 2017).

Aundi Kolber, Try Softer: A Fresh Approach to Move Us out of Anxiety, Stress, and Survival Mode— and into a Life of Connection and Joy (Carol Stream, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, 2020).

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Firing someone is always an instance of disappointment, right? Whether you hired that person or someone else did, somebody had hopes that this person would thrive in their role, that it would be good for them and good for the organization.

It's tough to do firing well. But when you have the responsibility to hire and fire, the Christian thing to do is not to avoid firing people, but rather to take responsibility for the thriving of the whole team and the whole organization—which sometimes, sadly, includes letting people go.

If we ever need to fire someone, we need to learn to do it well. That applies whether it's formally firing someone from a job or asking someone to step down from a volunteer team or committee. When we handle these conversations in a Christlike spirit, we can actually love people through the process.

Take the course at FindingGodAtWork.org.

Sources: Mark 1:32-38 (NIV)

Edwin H. Friedman, A Failure of Nerve: Leadership in the Age of the Quick Fix, 10th anniversary rev. ed. (New York: Church Publishing, 2017).

Bobb Biehl, Firing Star – Video, Tools, Organizational Development Series.

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Chris interviews Clare VanderWeele about her decision to leave a relatively cushy gig as a marketing executive in order to become a birth doula and to homeschool her children. Hear how Clare began to discern God's voice calling her into something that, at the time, felt logistically and financially impossible.

With the help of her spiritual director and church community, Clare and her family realized they could take the leap. Clare shares, "It was very much this transition from, Okay, not only am I 'running away from something,' but I'm running toward something else. That felt like a massive shift for me. I'm not just looking for another job. That's not what this is about. As unhappy as I am, I would stay here if that was where I was called to be. But suddenly I felt this calling in this other direction."

Clare VanderWeele homeschools her three kids in the western suburbs of Chicago and is a trained birth doula through ICEA. She previously served as the VP of Marketing Operations at Echo Gravity. You can find Clare at Gathered Nest Doula Services.

Take the course at FindingGodAtWork.org.

Sources: Romans 13:11-14 (ESV)

Derek Roberts, "Romans 13:11-14: The Fourth Sunday of Lent," Trinity Anglican Church (Littleton, Colorado), March 30, 2025.

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What can you do when the fire has gone out in your career?

When you're bruised by injustice or burned missed opportunity, it can feel like the deck is stacked against you. Sometimes it's easier to resign yourself to the situation than to keep fighting for an ever-more-elusive dream.

But when we find ourselves feeling resigned about our career, it may be an opportunity for a renewed experience of God's grace.

Take the course at FindingGodAtWork.org.

Sources: 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NIV)

Alan Noble, You Are Not Your Own: Belonging to God in an Inhuman World (Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 2021).

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"This isn't what I signed up for."

Have you ever had that thought about your career?

When our careers don't go the way we dreamed or planned, it's easy to slip into bitterness, resentment, and anger.

But those feelings can also be a clue, a starting point rather than an ending point. As we get honest with ourselves and with God about our unmet expectations and desires, it can lead to real spiritual growth.

Take the course at FindingGodAtWork.org.

Sources: Romans 12:3 (NIV)

Psalm 139:23-24 (NIV)

Elisabet Beseran, Juan M Pericàs, Lucinda Cash-Gibson, Meritxell Ventura-Cots, Keshia M Pollack Porter, and Joan Benach, "Deaths of Despair: A Scoping Review on the Social Determinants of Drug Overdose, Alcohol-Related Liver Disease and Suicide," International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, September 29, 2022.

Karen Miller, Strengthen Your Leadership.

Jen Pollack Michel, Teach Us to Want: Ambition, Longing, Ambition and the Life of Faith (Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 2014).

Arlie Russell Hochschild, "The Outsourced LIfe," Opinion, The New York Times, May 5, 2012.

Charles Coppens, S.J., The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius: Adapted to an Eight Days Retreat (St. Louis: Herder, 1916).

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