Dave and Monica Hickman are entrepreneurs whose leadership has been marked by believing that Jesus doesn't want a relationship with us; he wants to be one with us. The Hickmans founded SocialHub, a business in North Carolina that creates community-building events for luxury apartment communities and they share some of their journey in this episode about how this new perspective to their faith and work has influenced how they lead. This shift from a constant striving to "be closer" to Jesus to recognizing an inherent unity that already exists—a concept also grounded in John 17—has had practical implications in their personal lives and in modeling their understanding of unity with Christ in a business context.

Highlights On proximity to Jesus:

"For me, all the striving was just neutralized because you're starting from the finish line. Instead of this journey that so many of us are used to of praying to receive Christ... the next steps in your Christian journey was to get closer and closer to Jesus over time. And while that's motivating to some degree because you're working towards something, it can also be really detrimental to your spiritual health as well, and turning you into just a Christian workaholic of always trying harder. And I think that's why Jesus always would point to our hearts. But it's not quite as sexy as saying to someone like, 'Hey, you already have everything that you could ever get.' You're as close to Christ now as you will ever experience between here and new creation. So now it's learning what's true of you having already arrived, learning what's true of you as 'the beloved Son in whom he loves, in whom he's well pleased,' that declaration over Jesus." - Dave Hickman

On the art of hospitality:

"I think just who we are as people and really driving hospitality, connecting people, enjoying life with others has kind of flown not only from us but from our staff, because they're just so amazing and they really do care for people. And I think that is really what sets us apart in the industry. Not only being able to create unique experiences for people on site but welcome them in a warm way, showing respect, being kind, being a good person." - Monica Hickman

Resources

• Download the episode transcript.
• Closer Than Close: Awakening to the Freedom of Your Union with Christ by Dave Hickman
• How Charlotte startup SocialHub plans to grow across the Southeast
• "Until the unlimited, unbridled and unrelenting love of God takes root in our life, until God's reckless pursuit of us captures our imagination, until our head knowledge of God settles into our heart through pure grace, nothing really changes." - Running on Empty by Fil Anderson

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