Shows / Finding God at Work
Finding God at Work
Join Chris Easley, founder of Mission Central, as he explores the often complicated relationship between faith and work in this engaging podcast. Drawing from his experiences in both ministry and the marketplace, Chris delves into how to integrate our life with God and our everyday work. When we not only believe in Jesus but also experience him with us on the job, he transforms our understanding of work. He moves us beyond the limiting stories about work that we often live inside of and moves…
Episodes
- Finding God at Work
22: Sharing the Good News at Work
The work environment presents its own unique challenges for spiritual conversations. Depending on where you work, your organization might be supportive of…
- Finding God at Work
21: Entering the Kingdom
Jesus constantly used the language of "entering" the kingdom. It's possible to be outside, and then to get inside. We enter through faith; the moment when…
- Finding God at Work
20: Responding to Questions: Evil and Suffering
How can God be good when there is so much evil and suffering in the world? This question is in some ways the most profound challenge to Christian faith…
- Finding God at Work
19: Responding to Questions: Other Religions
We Christians believe some pretty strange things. One of the things we believe, which is at least pretty strange today in the Western world, is that spiritual…
- Finding God at Work
18: Responding to Questions: Hell
The point of sharing the Good News is not "winning." Helping our friends in their journey toward Jesus is not a debate or an intellectual contest. Jesus didn't…
- Finding God at Work
17: Telling What God Has Done for You
As we have conversations with our friends about spiritual things, one of the most powerful things we can do is share stories of our own experiences with Jesus…
- Finding God at Work
16: Telling Parables
We all live inside stories. When someone's seeking, trying to get to a point of resolution, trying to get answers, then the story of the Bible can come alive…
- Finding God at Work
15: Seeking After God
There's a difference between having a kind of meandering interest in something and actively seeking it. When spiritual questions become urgent for someone…
- Finding God at Work
14: Discerning Openness
Cats—even affectionate ones—are often less than fond of crowds. They can get a bit skittish. They stay aloof. Some of our coworkers are like that, too. It's…
- Finding God at Work
13: Opening Up to Change
In their journey toward Jesus, our friends eventually may get to the point where they ask, "Could this change me?" Sometimes it sneaks up on people…
- Finding God at Work
12: Hungry for More
In this special episode, Chris interviews Weija Chang and Rose Brucal, his coworkers and co-conspirators at Northern Illinois Food Bank. These three started an…
- Finding God at Work
11: A Curiosity Context That's Communal
In the New Testament, we see the Good News being proclaimed to and through communities of people. Sharing the Good News is not a solo endeavor. It's something…
- Finding God at Work
10: Becoming Curious
Many people are not antagonistic toward Christianity, but they aren't deeply curious about it either. They're just doing life, moving along. They might have…
- Finding God at Work
9: How to Listen
In Luke 18, Jesus asks a man who was blind, "What do you want me to do for you?" He doesn't assume. He asks. He lets the man speak in his own voice. He honors…
- Finding God at Work
8: Trusting a Christian Friend
Who do you trust most? Trust is foundational to our relationship with God. Think about faith: In terms of covenant, faith is loyalty. In terms of the…
- Finding God at Work
7: Five Thresholds
Have you ever had a really good teacher? Part of what makes a teacher great is their ability to see where their student's "zone of proximal development" is…
- Finding God at Work
6: Disciples
There's no verse in the Bible that commands everyday disciples to share the Good News with other people. The Great Commission? Addressed to the apostles. "Do…
- Finding God at Work
5: Eternal Life
What is "eternal life"? People often assume that this phrase simply means life that doesn't end. An unending sequence of lived experience, stretching into a…
- Finding God at Work
4: Healing
Healing is part of the Good News. It's Good News that Jesus has power to heal. It's Good News that people can come to him in faith and receive healing. It's…
- Finding God at Work
3: Salvation
Kingdom. Redemption. Deliverance. There are so many beautiful images from Scripture that describe what God has done, is doing, and will do in the world…
- Finding God at Work
2: Good News
What is the Good News about Jesus, really? Sometimes we use transactional language to describe atonement, what Jesus accomplished on the cross. But the Good…
- Finding God at Work
1: Gentle Witnesses
We kick off a new series with this episode—Gentle Witnesses: Sharing Your Faith at Work In A Way That Actually Makes Sense. If you've had a life-changing…
- Finding God at Work
Bonus: Join a Marketplace Mission Trip! (Mike Henry Sr. / Follower of One)
In this bonus episode for Series 2, Chris interviews Mike Henry, Sr., founder of Follower of One, a global community helping others move one notch closer to…
- Finding God at Work
14: Love Is the Way of Life
Only living things can bear fruit. A rock can move around, but it can't move itself around. It can't grow. It can't reproduce. It can't bear fruit. The Bible…
- Finding God at Work
13: Faith Working Through Love
If you could name the one thing that matters most, what would you say? In Galatians 5, the Apostle Paul "shows his cards." He tells us what he thinks, in the…
- Finding God at Work
12: Love Is Never Wasted
Sometimes at work, I just feel stuck. Sometimes I feel stuck somewhere dangerous. What's going to happen to me here? Sometimes I feel stuck all alone. No one's…
- Finding God at Work
11: Joy
Way back in the 400s BC, the Greek playwright Euripides wrote, "For among mortals happy man is none." In other words, nobody's happy. It's easy to feel…
- Finding God at Work
10: Peace
Scholars describe "emotional contagion": the way we feel affects the people around us. You can "catch" anger, cynicism, and despair from the people around you…
- Finding God at Work
9: Patience
When do we get impatient with someone? When they throw a roadblock in our agenda. Rather than pushing ahead to whatever place we want to be, patience allows us…
- Finding God at Work
8: Kindness
Does kindness count at work? The norm at work is being nice: superficial social harmony. But the kindness that the Spirit produces starts in the heart. Going…
- Finding God at Work
7: Goodness
It sure seems like certain dogs are better than certain people. But what makes a person "go bad"? Or, to put it positively: What does it mean to be a good…
- Finding God at Work
6: Faithfulness
If someone is faithful, that means you can count on them. They're sturdy. They're reliable. When the Bible uses the word "faithfulness," it's often talking…
- Finding God at Work
5: Gentleness
Our working world is often harsh. But gentleness is part of the fruit of the Spirit. What is gentleness? A tender response to the weakness of others. When a…
- Finding God at Work
4: Self-Control
We kick back against self-control because we want freedom, we want to be able to choose. But self-control is actually all about finally being able to choose…
- Finding God at Work
3: More than Rules
Religious communities often try to solve their problems with rules. When we think about living out our faith in the workplace, some of us fall into thinking…
- Finding God at Work
2: More than Information
The Stoic philosophers had some bright ideas. The New Testament both draws on the Stoic tradition and challenges it. The Stoics' key idea was "mind over…
- Finding God at Work
1: Fruitful Work
What kind of fruit am I bearing at work? Fruit pops up all over the Bible. It's there from the Garden of Eden to the New Jerusalem. It's one of the predominant…
- Finding God at Work
Episode 14: Open Our Eyes
"Don't be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them." And Elisha prayed, "Oh, Lord, open his eyes so he may…
- Finding God at Work
Episode 13: Emissary
An emissary is an ambassador or messenger. Sometimes, an emissary is a trailblazer. They connect kingdoms that have never been connected before. Jesus is the…
- Finding God at Work
Episode 12: Friend
Are your coworkers your friends? Are you a friend to your coworkers? When we act as a friend, we love the people around us. We will their good. In the…
- Finding God at Work
Episode 11: Servant
When Jesus faced a Kingship temptation, he responded with a Servant solution. The devil offered Jesus "all the kingdoms of the world" (Matthew 4:8 NIV). Jesus…
- Finding God at Work
Episode 10: King
Each one of us has a kingdom. A place where we're in charge. It may be no bigger than our cubicle, but it matters. That means each of us needs to learn how to…
- Finding God at Work
Episode 9: Builder
The Bible says that you can be a builder. Specifically, you can be part of a team of restoration workers. There's a promise, but it comes with a condition: "If…
- Finding God at Work
Episode 8: Priest
Priests go between God and the people. They offer sacrifices. They make offerings. So, what is the offering that we can make to God? Paul guides us in Romans…
- Finding God at Work
Episode 7: Artist
What does it mean for us to be artists in our work? To encounter Jesus as an artist in his work? In the Exodus story, craftsmen like Bezalel and Oholiab were…
- Finding God at Work
Episode 6: Gardener
What does it mean to do our work as gardeners? Whether or not we literally help plants grow as part of our day job, gardening is one of the Bible's central…
- Finding God at Work
Episode 5: Images We Can't Unsee
The images of work that fill our mental landscape determine how we navigate our work lives. Images can haunt us, or they can draw us into beauty and life. What…
- Finding God at Work
Episode 4: Power
In the Power story, work is the castle that keeps us safe. But what do we sacrifice for the sake of that security? "Security" isn't so far off from…
- Finding God at Work
Episode 3: Lifestyle
The Lifestyle story about work tells us we can "get work over with" to find fulfillment elsewhere. But is that really a fulfilling approach to our work life?…
- Finding God at Work
Episode 2: Do What You Love
Do What You Love. It's an enticing story about work, but a disappointing one. Pursuing passion keeps us from reconciling with the limitations of our…
- Finding God at Work
Episode 1: TGIF
In the first episode of Finding God at Work, we look at how story and imagination influence the way we work. It's true—work often feels like drudgery. But if…
- Finding God at Work
Finding God at Work: Episode 0
Mission Central founder Chris Easley introduces a compelling vision: discovering how our everyday jobs can fulfill God's purpose in the world. Whether you're a…