How can faith-based organizations, civic leaders, and business leaders join forces to tackle city-wide challenges? This episode dives into three powerful case studies focused on housing affordability, showcasing how collaboration is driving real change in Colorado. You’ll hear firsthand stories from:

• Stu Davis, founder of COS I Love You, on how churches, businesses, and civic leaders in Colorado Springs are working together to address housing and community needs.
• Jessica Dominguez, owner of Love Thy Neighbor Real Estate and director of Abundant Ground, on how Denver churches are reimagining land use to create affordable housing.
• Michelle Warren, president of Virago Strategies, on advocating for groundbreaking policy changes to unlock housing potential on faith-owned properties.

These leaders are meeting their cities’ toughest challenges with creativity, persistence, and faith. Their stories will inspire you to reimagine how collaboration can bring God’s hope and life to your own community. 

On Working Better Together:

"And even though our temptation is to sometimes want to be the deliverer of support, a meal, a shelter bed, a hand around the shoulder, we also get to partner with agencies and organizations who do that every single day. And so Matthew 25 can be exercised by handing somebody a meal. It can also be exercised by providing additional resources and firepower and sustainability to the organizations who do that very thing, whatever problem it is that they're trying to solve. So I'm a big believer in both, and I just think that it's worth the opportunity for us to step into those partnerships and create the kind of collaboration that I think can happen when we do." -Stu Davis

On Challenges of Collaboration:

"So partnership is key. Having Michelle and Brian in my corner has been so great. I think the challenges with getting development going is the amount of time it takes, the amount of money it costs just to do some pre-development work. I also think that, oh, I know that churches are kind of waiting a long time before making the decision, and then it puts them in a spot where they have to make maybe a quick decision where they're not able to take their time to do their due diligence." - Jessica Dominguez

On Ego:

“And so we really need to understand that the whole process of collaboration, which is also in government called democracy, is its strongest when we have all the voices there having the opportunity and equal voice to speak into it. So I would just say is come full of conviction, but hold your positions with a little bit of open handedness so that you can build bridges to other people." - Michelle Warren

RESOURCES

• Download the episode transcript
• Learn more about the Denver Institute's FOR Campaign 
• See the full Tamarac Scale 
• COS I Love You Website (Sign Up for thier Newsletter Here!)
• “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, Generous inside and out, true from start to finish” (John 1:14 MESSAGE)
• Abundant Ground Website
• Learn More about Empowering Faith and Educational Institutions to Create the Housing Their Communities Need

GET INVOLVED

• If you are a church or faith-based nonprofit leader, would you read and consider signing this Letter of Support to allow churches greater ease and lower cost in developing creative housing projects? If you aren’t a faith leader, would you share this with your pastors or other organizational leaders in Colorado who might lend their support?
• If you are a business leader and interested in signing a Letter of Support to allow churches greater ease and lower cost in developing creative housing projects, please check back on this page soon for the link to sign!

Rob Kelly is the Founder & CEO of the FORCLT Network which connects pastors for personal, church, and city renewal. Rob is also co-founder of the City Leaders Collective which connects and equips city network leaders globally. In Part 2 of our Union With Christ series, you'll hear from Rob about why our union with Christ is such a misunderstood, revolutionary and often overlooked concept in scripture. This conversation reveals how union with Christ transforms identity, relationships, and our vocation. We also discuss why this conversation has often not been fully embraced in the Western Church, and some suggestions for answering the question, "how then should we live?"

On Union with Christ:

“When you understand your union with Christ, it changes how you even understand your salvation... When we talk about salvation, you're talking about what you're saved from, which is our sin that did ... What? Separated us from God. So if our sin separated us from God, then what did our salvation do? It united us to him. So can we not talk only about what we're saved from, but more joyfully, what we're saved into? Yes, Jesus died for our sin. Yes, our sin needed to be washed. It's through the blood of Christ the scripture says, right? This is amazing truth, that he paid the price for us that we could not pay for ourselves. Yes. But in so doing, he brought us back into the place that we were always created for in the first place, which is literally in God who is our salvation.

On moving from Eden to the Eternal City:

"We start in the garden with two, we end in a city with multitudes, a fully cultivated creation where we are one with God, where every tear is wiped away, everything is set back to right. Everything is not just set back toward the Edenic state, but in a more full, beautiful, shalom Edenic state, greater, that it's no longer perishable, but it will be raised imperishable. How? Because Jesus' body is made imperishable. It is because he is the new creation. "If you are in Christ, a new creation," Paul says."

RESOURCES

• Download the episode transcript.

• Rob Kelly on LinkedIn

• Learn more about Rob Kelly and FORCLT

• Metanoia: How God Radically Transforms People, Churches, and Organizations From the Inside Out by Rob Kelly

• Rob Kelly is the founder and lead author of the State of the City Report

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

Do you like The Faith & Work Podcast? See more great resources at Denver Institute for Faith & Work or find us on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn @denverinstitute

Ben Nussbaum, VP of Sales at OnCenter and associate director of Faith & Work Chicago, opens up about what it’s really like to stay true to your faith in the ups and downs of a sales career. He talks about the struggle of selling products he wasn’t fully behind and how he found a way to align his sales approach with his Christian beliefs. Ben also shares how practicing spiritual disciplines like prayer helps him stay grounded in the high-pressure world of meeting a quota and encourages leaders to create workplaces that honor the dignity of every employee. His approach to serving clients with integrity, even when it’s tough, is an inspiring model for Christians in any business role.

On finding stability:

“That is the daily reality they live in. Either the highs are high and I think I'm awesome, or the lows are low and I think I suck. It's very hard to find equilibrium or middle ground as a disciple. And that's acually why I think the gospel is such a balm for the salesperson.”

On faith in work:

“What Christ has to say to us when he says, 'blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth,' that has to mean something for the way we send emails, the way we do someone's taxes, the way that we defend someone in court, the way that we script a cold call. Whatever it is, right? It's our responsibility. This is what it means to be image bearers to live out that reality or that story."

On failure:

"You failed. You had a crappy performance review. You didn't hit your Q3 quota, like I don't know what it is. Christ takes the failures and those who have lost much and makes something wonderful out of them. So you know, every time I miss a quota or don't hit a deadline or I didn't measure up in my job, I'm reminded that God chose what is weak to shame the strong. It is the power of God that's made perfect in my weakness. So, be weak. Be comfortable with losing. It might mean that God is ready to use you."

Download the episode transcript.

• Follow Ben Nussbaum on LinkedIn

• Learn more from Faith & Work Chicago

• “Be comforted, small one, in your smallness. He lays no merit on you. Receive and be glad.” - CS Lewis, The Space Trilogy

• A Community of Hope in a World of Rage – Sermon – Ray Ortlund

• Praxis Labs Redemptive Entrepreneurship Model

Do you like The Faith & Work Podcast? See more great resources at Denver Institute for Faith & Work or find us on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn @denverinstitute 

Romanita Hairston, CEO of the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, delivers a powerful reflection on leadership, faith, and purpose. She reveals how her journey through nonprofits, tech, and philanthropy is deeply intertwined with her identity as a woman and follower of Christ. With bold inspiration from Martin Luther King Jr., Hairston challenges leaders to rise above cultural norms, embrace their full potential, and build a "Beloved Community" rooted in love and justice. She urges listeners to lead with curiosity, courage, and conviction, offering a vision of leadership that transforms not only workplaces but entire communities through faith and service.

On whole-life integration:

“That leads to lots of different ways we have to see ourselves in lots of different contexts. When our relationship to our children and our family is different, with the way we keep and care for our community can sometimes be different, when a lot of things become different about how we show up in environments because we are women. But it’s always mediated through this question of ‘Who has God called me to be and how does that lead me to show up in this space?’”

On leading with curiosity:

“Women have a powerful ability to lead with curiosity. And that [saying] ‘tell me more’ is I think a bit of a superpower in what women can bring to a conversation. Leading with curiosity and courage. Because it’s not always, it doens’t always feel safe to be curious in a context where you’re supposed to know. So I think that’s an unique encouragement to any leader but a very unique encouragement to women to use that superpower of curiosity.”

• Download the episode transcript.

• Thank You. I’m Sorry. Tell Me More.: How to Change the World with 3 Sacred Sayings by Rod Wilson

• Servant Leadership: A Journey into the Nature of Legitimate Power and Greatness by Robert K. Greenleaf 

• Fair Play: A Game-Changing Solution for When You Have Too Much to Do (and More Life to Live) by Eve Rodsky

• Johari Window

Do you like The Faith & Work Podcast? See more great resources at Denver Institute for Faith & Work or find us on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn @denverinstitute 

SUMMARY 

Author Bruce Feiler claims that people experience 30 to 40 disruptors in their lives, which is about one every 12 to 18 months (Source). In todays conversation, we hear from authors Lisa Pratt Slayton and Michaela O'Donnell, PhD on the fluctuating aspects of life and how we can more mindfully and faithfully navigate change. Whether you're in a change in your life, just getting out of one or preparing to be in one, their new book Life In Flux is an essential resource for you as a faithful worker and leader which will prepare you with a set of navigational skills for the inner work that helps us be at home in flux.

HIGHLIGHTS 

On Waking Up Moments:

"There comes a moment… in which somewhere inside of us we realize: ‘What got us here is not going to get us to where we want to go on the way forward.’ That’s what waking up sounds like. ‘I don't want to keep doing this. I want to do it differently.’ These waking up moments, we are very prime to have them when life is in flux.”

On Using Your Navigational Skills:

“That’s the knee jerk [reaction], right? Is to just start running in circles. But if we stop and cut the engine, and listen and invite maybe a couple of people to listen with us, we start to see the signs and see the things and pay attention to what’s going on so that we can begin to make very small incremental steps. And that’s the work.”

• Life in Flux by Michaela O’Donnell and Lisa Pratt Slayton 

• Companion Resource: Navigating Change with the Enneagram

• Learn More about Lisa Pratt Slayton

• Learn More about Michaela O’Donnell

• In this episode, Lisa mentions “PLF” which stands for Pittsburgh Leadership Foundation

Summary 

On this episode of the Faith & Work Podcast, we learn about cultivating creativity and imagination from cartoonist Mike Maihack. Mike is best known for his series Cleopatra in Space, originally published by Scholastic and later adapted by Dreamworks into an animated show. Through our conversation, Mike shares some of the ways he views his creative work in light of the gospel, shares how he has navigated public criticism of content creation and recounts some of his own personal journey with being a cartoonist.

Highlights

On Superheroes and the Gospel:

“What I love about superheroes... is that there's these characters that have these immense abilities, these things that we can't even imagine being able do ourselves. And yet, instead of using these abilities for selfish purposes... They use it to do things that Jesus would do. They would help the poor. They would make sure they're saving those that cannot save themselves, they're sacrificing themselves. They're always looking at the greater good despite maybe the hurt that causes them. They're always looking at every single other person that they're around is a much greater person than themselves, despite them having these abilities."

On Making Beauty:

“My spiritual drive is God, he's a working God. He spent all this time creating us, creating the world. He is still working on it, and I want to please Him by cultivating that as much as I can. Really trying to contribute to that world, mak[ing] sure that world stays beautiful because I think that's the ultimate end goal right there, is to make sure this world is ready when a heavenly realm appears. And it is we're putting things in this world that he wants to see. And so that's sort of spiritually how I approach my work."

Resources

Download the episode transcript

• Instagram @mikemaihack

• Mike’s Website 

• Mike’s Graphic Novel Recommendations: 

  • Infinity Gauntlet 

  • Bone 

• Called To Create By Jordan Raynor

This episode concludes our AI Series on the intersection of AI and faith, theology and work. This episodes guest, Andy Crouch, is a partner for theology and culture at Praxis, a venture-building ecosystem advancing redemptive entrepreneurship. His writing explores faith, culture, and the image of God in the domains of technology, power, leadership, and the arts. He is the author of five books including, The Life We're Looking For: Reclaiming Relationship in a Technological World. Andy and Jeff discuss how AI can be used for redemptive purposes, and reflect on some best practices as the increased use of AI will impact our future.

Artificial Intelligence is here to stay, but will it ever be sophisticated enough to replace the human? What does it mean to be human?

Welcome to part two of our three-part AI Series on the intersection of AI and faith, theology and work. In this conversation we explore what it means to be human and how that definition challenges and interacts with Artificial Intelligence technology. Please enjoy this multi-faceted dialogue among host Jeff Hoffmeyer, speaker and writer in science and faith, Greg Cootsona, and Reuter professor and computer scientist Noreen Herzfeld, PhD.

Artificial Intelligence is inescapable in todays workforce and is impacting both the marketplace and the church in significant ways.

We begin this three-part series on the intersection of AI and faith, theology and work with a conversation between host Jeff Hoffmeyer and Stephen Presley. Stephen is an author, professor and senior fellow for Religion and Public Life at the Center for Religion Culture and Democracy. Together they discuss the importance of considering how AI is impacting our lives and our souls.

On efficiency and formation:

“One of my concerns is if we’re just trying to get better and better and better, what is it that we are trying to become? What kind of person, or what kind of people, is scripture calling us to be? Efficient is not the only virtue that scriptures are calling us to be.”

On how technology asks us to improvise:

"So our institutions are facing remodeling through a whole variety of technological advances, and that improvisation is built on the assumption, like I use the image of a jazz player, where only someone who is skilled in jazz can know how to pick up an instrument and just go. If I were to do it, it would not sound. Well, the assumption there is that it is Christian virtue, Christian mores, Christian assumptions that are guiding the performance. So I think the same needs to apply to any new technology, particularly the implementation of any sort of AI, AI programming or any of that that underneath it, you're still dealing with questions of virtue, questions of morality, questions of spiritual formation."

Download the episode transcript.

"Is AI Changing the Work of Pastors?" article in Common Good

More from Stephen Presley

• Stephen Presley's Website

• @sopresley on X

• @stopresley on Instagram

Recommended Further Reading

• The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt

• Alone Together by Sherry Turkle

• Slow Productivity by Cal Newport 

• Stephen Presleys Recommended Readings