As humans, we are the stewards of story. The stories we tell apply meaning to our own lives and to the lives of those around us. Stories can move people to tears, to joy, and even towards change. So those with the privilege to communicate stories to an audience have a special responsibility. Storytelling, particularly telling other people's stories, requires great care and integrity. Today we're talking with someone whose job is telling stories. Our guest is Marcus Goodyear, Senior Director of Communications at the Howard E. Butt Foundation. He is also the Managing Editor of Echoes Magazine, a quarterly publication reaching 24,000 subscribers with encouraging stories about local friends and neighbors. He's here today to discuss his experience telling stories with kindness, authenticity, and a love for God and others.

We'd like to thank the HE Butt Foundation for supporting this series. You can find out more about their work by visiting congregationalcollective.org.

Scripture References

• Hebrews 2:10
• Numbers 4:1-20

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We talk with guest Reverend Dr. Gary Green about the theology of sports as a spiritual experience, the use of the term beast to describe black male athletes, and the places in the Bible where we see God interrupting the stories we tell ourselves. Dr. Green is an assistant professor of pastoral theology and social transformation and director of anti-racist initiatives at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities. He hopes to help religious communities become more socially engaged around issues of justice and social ethics. He has facilitated public conversations about theology, sport and justice.

Scripture References

• Genesis 1:27

• Isaiah 62:12

• Galatians 3:28

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Dr Josephine Kim talks about the cultural and social factors that impact mental health and work for marginalized groups. She is a Senior Lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, a National Certified Counselor, and affiliated faculty at Massachusetts General Hospital. She is an internationally known scholar, speaker and consultant who lends expertise on diversity, inclusion and mental health issues to Fortune 500 companies, schools, and other organizations.

Dr. Kim is also the founding executive director of Mustard Seed Generation, a nonprofit organization that aims to educate Asian Americans on issues of spirituality, cultural and racial identity, intergenerational conflicts, cross-cultural advocacy, mental health, and career development issues. You can find out more about Mustard Seed Generation at www.mustardseedgeneration.org

This is our third and final episode in a special series on mental wellness. We'd like to thank the H.E Butt foundation for supporting this series. You can find out more about their work by visiting congregationalcollective.org

Scripture References: Isaiah 58:6

Additional Resources

Mustard Seed Generation: https://www.mustardseedgeneration.org

Donate. This podcast is made possible through the financial support of people like you. Your gift of any size will enable us to continue resourcing Christians with high-quality biblically-based content that applies to everyday work. Donate at https://www.theologyofwork.org/contribute

Our second episode in a special series on mental wellness. Our guest today is Laura Smith. Laura is a best-selling author and speaker who speaks around the country sharing the love of Christ. In her latest book, Holy Care for the Whole Self, Laura Smith debunks the stigma around mental health and shows how caring for our own well-being is biblical and can help us better live the lives Christ calls us to.

We'd like to thank the HE Butt Foundation for supporting this series. You can find out more about their work by visiting congregationalcollective.org.

Scripture References

• Luke 19:1-10
• Galatians 5:1
• John 10:10
• Mark 6:30-34
• 1 Kings 19:1-8

Additional Resources

Holy Care for the Whole Self by Laura Smith

Donate. This podcast is made possible through the financial support of people like you. Your gift of any size will enable us to continue resourcing Christians with high-quality biblically-based content that applies to everyday work. Donate at https://www.theologyofwork.org/contribute

This month is mental health awareness month in the United States, and we’re kicking off a series on mental wellness and work. We discuss how mental wellness connects to faith, barriers to mental wellness at work, and what you can do about it. Guest Becca Brune is the executive director of this Congregational Collective, a new nonprofit funded by the H. E. Butt Foundation aiming to make San Antonio's faith communities safe places for people seeking mental wellness. Previously, Brune was an executive leader with Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute, a Dallas-based organization focused on building equitable mental health systems. Over the past 24 years, Becca's work has spanned a broad array of multi-sector institutions. She has assumed leadership roles in philanthropy, local government, private sector and nonprofits. As a trained mediator, she has facilitated community conversations around natural resource management issues, healthcare, economic development, strategic planning, and community engagement.

We'd like to thank the H. E. Butt Foundation for supporting this series. You can find out more about their work by visiting congregationalcollective.org.

Scripture References

• Psalms

• Isaiah 26:3-4

• Philippians 4:6-7

Additional Resources

Congregational Collective: www.congregationalcollective.org

Donate. This podcast is made possible through the financial support of people like you. Your gift of any size will enable us to continue resourcing Christians with high-quality biblically-based content that applies to everyday work. Donate at https://www.theologyofwork.org/contribute

Groups reading the Scripture out loud meet all over the world, from pastors in Korea to tech workers in Seattle, to a group of financial services professionals in New York City, meeting every week to listen to the Bible and talk about their work. Tom Cole, our guest today has experienced this practice as one of the leaders of the New York group, Faith in Financial Services. He's here today to tell us about how he's seen himself and members of the group, helped by the power of listening to the Bible.

Scripture Reference: 1 Timothy 4:13

Additional Resources: Public Reading of Scripture for Work, www.prs.work

Donate. This podcast is made possible through the financial support of people like you. Your gift of any size will enable us to continue resourcing Christians with high-quality biblically-based content that applies to everyday work. Donate at https://www.theologyofwork.org/contribute

Sensitive, empathic, introverted. These are some of the ways that today's guest Dorcas Cheng Tozun would describe herself. Learning to thrive as a sensitive person, especially in the world of work, where those who are aggressive or assertive may often dominate, has been an important part of her journey and of many of our journeys. Dorcas has nearly 20 years of experience as a nonprofit and social enterprise professional. She's an award winning writer, editor, speaker and communications consultant. Her work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal and Christianity Today and dozens of other publications. She's also, at her core sensitive, and most recently, she's the author of Social Justice for The Sensitive Soul: How To Change The World In Quiet Ways.

• Matthew 9:36
• Exodus 2:11-15
• Nehemiah 1

• Social Justice for The Sensitive Soul: How To Change The World In Quiet Ways by Dorcas Cheng Tozun

Donate. This podcast is made possible through the financial support of people like you. Your gift of any size will enable us to continue resourcing Christians with high-quality biblically-based content that applies to everyday work. Donate at https://www.theologyofwork.org/contribute 

We all make plans for our work, whether that’s a list of things to do today, or a ten year plan. We have hopes, dreams, and goals for the future. But what does it mean to let God shape your work plans? And how do you know if you're submitting to God’s plan, or simply fitting God into yours? We talk with Barry Rowan, author of The Spiritual Art of Business: Connecting the Daily with the Divine. Barry has spent his career in a variety of C-suite roles and has been instrumental in building and transforming businesses. He is also deeply committed to contemplation and prayer, and he’s here to tell us how the two mix together to let God shape our plans for work. 

Scripture References

• Luke 14:33
• John 10:10
• John 4:34
• Isaiah 55:11
• James 1:2-4
• Psalm 139:13

Additional Resources

• The Spiritual Art of Business by Barry Rowan https://theologyofwork.christianbook.com/spiritual-business-connecting-daily-with-divine/barry-rowan/9781514007624/pd/007624
  
  
• Working in the Presence of God: Spiritual Practices for Everyday Work by Denise Daniels and Shannon Vandewarker https://theologyofwork.christianbook.com/working-presence-spiritual-practices-everyday-work/denise-daniels/9781683072225/pd/072225 

Donate. This podcast is made possible through the financial support of people like you. Your gift of any size will enable us to continue resourcing Christians with high-quality biblically-based content that applies to everyday work. Donate at https://www.theologyofwork.org/contribute 

Transcript at https://www.theologyofwork.org/makingitwork/episode/how-i-learned-to-let-god-shape-my-plans-barry-rowan/