5/9/23 - Margaret Fitzwater: Navigating Life with God

Intro: Welcome to the iWork4Him podcast. I'm Todd t Riley, producer of the iWork4Him Radio Program, the Voice of the Faith and Work Movement. Our mission is to transform the workplace of every Christian into a mission field. What does that look like in your workplace? Let's find out right now.

Jim: This episode of iWork4Him was previously recorded for the Christian Leadership Alliance's Outcomes Conference podcast, where leaders come to invest the best of what they know

into other leaders.

Martha: Remember, if you have influence over just one person, you are a leader. Together, let's listen to this podcast and learn more about leading God's way. Enjoy.

Jim: We have an incredible conversation today coming up with Margaret Fitzwater, executive director of Train developed care with the Navigators, t d c Train , Develop, care.

We'll be focusing on how Margaret and her team lead and strive to create a culture of belonging at the Navigators everywhere they do Navigators TDC training, Margaret Fitzwater. Welcome.

Margaret Fitzwater: Thank you. Appreciate that.

Jim: Yeah. So before we get started talking about your leadership role and the perspective of how God is using you to create a culture of belonging within Navigators TDC, tell us how you keep your faith strong and your leadership Christ centered.

Margaret Fitzwater: Well, actually it kind of has to do with overall rhythms of life, I think is probably the best way I could say that. And I would say there's probably a couple of things that are pretty key to that. And the first is my daily time with God, which a lot of people have, but I just, I live on that.

My daily time in the word I always have a journal with me. I record the treasures of the day, you know, whatever kind of stands out to me. So I always have a pen and paper, and I'm always listening for what God - how he might redirect my day. I generally, you know, kind of plan my day the night before, and frequently I add or subtract from that day after my time with the Lord.

But it's always very instructive and good. And I just, you know, I love in John 1 , it says, in the beginning was the word. The Word was with God. The word was God. The word was life. In him was life. And the word is just life giving to me. So that, that is probably the first thing that kind of keeps it central in my life.

But the other thing has to do with this rhythm is Sabbath. And I'm a pretty big stickler on Sabbath. I have been for a long time cuz it was a game changer in our family's life 20 years ago. And basically every week if I teach, or if I'm working on Sundays, it's another day of the week.

I don't keep it legalistically, but every week I feel like there's gotta be 24 hours where I rest, I reflect, I renew. Spend extra time with God. I do things that are only life giving on that day. I don't have dos and don'ts, but I don't do things that take life away. I do things, you know, lots of fun things.

Friends, friends, family. I usually go to church, you know, but just things that actually give me life. But that really helps to kind of reset the week every time. Cause it's countercultural. Our culture is so not The way of the Lord, and it just, it's like I need that weekly reset.

Martha: So, Margaret, give me an example of something that you consider not life giving, because I'm always like, okay, I, I get the things that are obvious, but what kinds of things do you really try to avoid?

Margaret Fitzwater: Well, I'll tell you, you know, actually my work is life giving. But I do try to avoid that. So maybe I, I misspoke a little bit on that, but, I try to make it different. Cuz I do think variety diversity in our life is really helpful. I try to avoid work, like, I do not do emails.

I, you know, my staff knows if they send me an email, I will not see it on Sunday. You know, generally I, like I said, some Sundays are different and some Sundays I, I do need to get emails. But I, I don't do I just don't do work things. I don't, and I don't do things that I don't wanna do. I don't clean house on Sundays.

I mean, there are times when I have to do those kind of things, but it's not the norm.

Martha: Got it. Well, thank you for expanding on that just a little bit more for us. So as we think about the theme for the Outcomes Conference for 2022, which is I Belong, how have you found some ways of creating a culture of belonging at the Navigators TDC?

Margaret Fitzwater: Yeah, so the TDC, I, I feel like that this culture of belonging is really critical to our mission. So I think mission criticality is really important to us. TDC is trained, developed care, and I have five teams that, that are, are part of our, our ministry and it's our all, all of our training for all of our 2,700 staff across the globe.

Especially the US and all lifelong development, all care. Our, we have coaching, leadership development, all those things, all those people functions kind of, kind of come under us. And so if you think about that belonging, that's so critical. That's sort of our central identity. We are a Christian ministry who we are equipping believers every day. We come alongside people who are, are part of the kingdom, those who are not, but we're coming alongside everyday ordinary people to help them do the same, you know, do what we're doing. It's kind of the second Timothy 2:2 principle. Teach others to teach others to teach others.

So that belonging, if we don't have that ourselves, how can we impart that to others? And we are training our staff, And so if we are not doing that ourselves and have that belonging, so it's, I just feel like it's critical. But we have a team, so our team models that our team is all in sync with that, you know, we don't have I think we're all in unison and trying to see that we live and work and breathe out of our belovedness to our, our Lord and Savior.

And so I think that's really important. We do a lot of prayer and community because of that. We have a thing called Tuesdays Together. Which is twice a month that I think is very helpful. That builds our community and helps that belonging, helps every, every one of our staff to belong. So the first Tuesday together, the first of the two tuesdays is a strategic one and we try to do different strategic presentations and discussions so that everybody feels like they're part of what we're doing. It's really important and that they belong and that what they're doing is really important to our organization. And then the, the other Tuesday of the month, the second Tuesday, second Tuesday is is where we celebrate.

 we celebrate anniversaries birthdays. Wins. But it's all, I mean, I think we don't do enough celebrating in the Christian world and I think that helps us to belong as well. And it just makes us feel special and loved. So I'd say those are probably some really key things.

Do you find any?

Jim: I was gonna say, do you find any challenges though in, in creating a culture of belonging? What do you run into that, that are challenges?

Margaret Fitzwater: Well, I'll tell you on these, like these Tuesdays togethers, we have to do this kind of zoom and in person, cuz we have a lot of people here in Colorado Springs at our headquarters, but we also have 40 or 50 people out scattered across the country.

And so doing anything on Zoom, I think is a real challenge to creating this culture of belonging because there's still a lot to touch to, to having that face-to-face that it's really harder to do. I mean, I would rather do this face-to-face with you guys. That would be a much more natural kind of thing.

Jim: We'd rather be Colorado springs.

Margaret Fitzwater: I mean, I don't know if you can see outside.

Jim: Oh, we, I love the snow and the ice. Are you kidding? Great.

Margaret Fitzwater: Oh. But this, you know, the culture of belonging, I think it is a difficult thing to try to work at because it's a countercultural thing cuz that's not where our world is. But to really get, help people to understand that belonging thing, I think we kinda, we have to get below the surface. We have to get to know people and, and it's just a little easier face-to-face I believe. But I think it is important to spend, it takes a lot of time. That's probably one of the biggest challenges, I think is just finding the time because people have to be heard. They have to be seen. In order to belong, you know, they want you to care about them, the whole person for that belonging. That's where that identity, that belovedness come from, right?

Jim: You're listening to the Outcomes Conference Podcast. As we talk with Margaret Fitzwater from Navigators T D C. We'll be right back.

Break: Do you wanna make an impact for the Kingdom of God without quitting your day job? Then here's some great news. God is calling you into full-time ministry, right where you are, the job that you hold, the work that you do, and the people you work with. None of that is by accident. Your workplace is your mission field.

Change the way you think about faith and work by picking up a copy of our new book. iWork4Him by going to, iWork4Him.com/bookstore. And remember, you aren't just working for yourself. You're working for the Lord.

Jim: Hey, welcome back to the Outcomes Conference Podcast as we talked today with Margaret Fitzwater from Navigators TDC, that's train develop Care.

Margaret, what are the top two core principles that guide you daily as a Christian leader?

Margaret Fitzwater: So, probably the first is probably integrity. I grew up in a family and had friends who I think I witnessed a lot of duplicity in people's lives. And I think it just gave me, it just drove a really deep desire in my own heart to not live that way.

And so I think integrity is huge. And if you think about - and that's not the way all people think about integrity - but it comes from the word integer, wholeness, you know, kind of the inside being the same as the outside. And it is just it's really important to me that people see, that they see the walk, that I talk, that they, if I teach something, I try to model it.

I don't ever do it perfectly, of course, but because I'm, I'm certainly in, in process. But I certainly do my best and I don't teach things that I don't believe. So, you know, if I teach it, I try to practice it and our whole team does that too, so that, that integrity. We have kind of a phrase we use a lot: inside out. And we try to, we do our, our teaching, our training, our development really starts kind of with the heart and flows out.

That's the way that we feel like Jesus' ministry was, was inside out. So that integrity is big. And then I touched on this earlier when I just said something about the word, but the word really is a huge guiding factor. And, it's a key value in that. I really feel like it's important that leaders live and lead from the word and not just overlay it.

And I've seen that so much. I've seen that in a lot of Christian ministries where they'll do teaching that is, it's good teaching. And they'll say, oh yeah, it's that way in the scriptures too. Or they'll overlay a scripture. And when we start each day and each day when we are thinking about Jesus during the day, and, and his word is guiding everything we do - not everything. I mean, you know, there are choices that he just gives us. He doesn't really care about that.

But for the most part, when we're living from the word, it's different than just adding it onto our lives or just having it to be a part. I want it to be a part of everything. So those are probably the, the key.

I think it also drives a different way of leading and it probably more often infers the way of things or the how versus the what. I am very goal oriented and I have learned over the years that the way I do things is probably a lot more important than what I do.

Martha: Sure. So as you are in your role at T D C, which is train, develop care for the Navigators, you are helping other people in so many ways with those aspects, training, developing and caring.

How about for yourself? What does it look like to pursue learning and how does that play a role in your life as a leader?

Margaret Fitzwater: Yeah. So it's huge. I've always been a big fan of lifelong learning, so I'm a, a life and leadership coach. That's one of the things that we do. But I do it personally too. I only do a few.

I have like five people that's primarily younger leaders that I try to pour into, that I prioritize in my life. But but I, I'm actually pursuing my International Coaching Federation certification so that I'll be a better coach. I wanna continue to learn to be a better listener, to ask better questions, to do all the things that good coaches do.

So I'm, I'm constantly growing and those kind of things. And just practicing skills. I do a lot of phone style coaching, not just Zoom too, because I find that it helps me to learn to be a better listener, which is so huge cuz I have to listen a little harder when I'm on the phone to be able to see people without actually having that visual in front of you.

Jim: That's a good point.

Margaret Fitzwater: That's a lot of what I do and I'm, I'm always in, you know, bible studies and small groups. I think that we learn a lot in community. The team that I lead are the directors of those five areas that I mentioned and a couple others. We as a team, we're always growing and learning together. We're always doing some kind of study or book or whatever.

Jim: so the Navigators, a lot of people think of the Navigators that think of college ministry, you know, on campus ministry. I mean, that's where I grew up with the Navigators on campus, but the Navigators are so much more than that today. Tell us about your current mission and some of the places that you branch out.

Margaret Fitzwater: Yeah, well our mission is kind of the great commission, so it's pretty, you know, making disciples who make disciples, who make disciples. In fact, sort of our motto is, you know, to know Christ, make him known and help others do the same. So that opens up a pretty broad arena. And we have several areas of focus.

I'd say we have disciple makers for life, which is churches, the workplace, twenties, neighborhoods. We have a large military ministry. We have large international ministry. And then we have what we call sort of more of our business units that are huge ministries and that's, we have Nav press, Glen Eyrie - the Glen Eryie actually has a castle people come and stay. We have all kinds of events there all the time that are really awesome.

And then we also have Eagle Lake camps that are not just Eagle Lakes, that we have gorgeous, wonderful camps. Our kids actually went to Eagle Lake camps before we were Navigators but here in Colorado Springs. But they also have Eagle Lake on the road, so they're taking that road camp all over the place in the summers with churches primarily. So lots, lots of, lots of places.

Martha: Wow.

Jim: Oh, fantastic. We're talking today with Margaret Fitzwater from Navigators TDC. Love for you to check 'em out online. Margaret, is there a specific website for the navigator's TDC program?

Margaret Fitzwater: Yes. Would you like for me to send that to you?

Jim: No, just go ahead and mention it on the, on the show here today.

Margaret Fitzwater: Well, Navigators.org .I think you could do slash TDC. Or you could go and find the ministries and then go down to TDC, that can work on it. I will tell you exactly what it is. How about that?

Jim: That's fine. When we come back for a break, you can tell us exactly what it is. You're listening to the Outcomes Conference Podcast. As we talk with Margaret Fitzwater from Navigators TDC.

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Jim: Hey, welcome back to the Outcomes Conference podcast as we talking with Margaret Fitzwater from Navigator TDC. Hey, what was that website then Margaret?

Margaret Fitzwater: TDC. Navigators.org. We have a new website, so I sit in there going is it dot com or Dot org, but it's TDC.Navigators.org.

Jim: Very good.

Martha: Excellent. So Margaret, as you look at Navigators TDC today, what are you most enthusiastic about in terms of pursuing your mission and impact going forward?

Margaret Fitzwater: So probably the thing I think I'm most excited about is just Being able to lead where I am and the areas that we all lead together are, what we're really trying to do is to help people be healthy in soul, equipped for the work and hopeful for the future, really to see them thrive, to see them fruitful, to see them flourish. And that gets me excited when I, when I can, you know pour into others. And I think the way that we try to do it, we, we try to live like some of those values I told you about and the way we live this way of life.

That is the way that Jesus talked about, is really kind of operating in from an overflow of what he gives to us. And so I think it generates enthusiasm and excitement and when you see fruit growing, it's pretty exciting. So I think it does that, and I, it's just a fun thing to do.

The way Jesus ministered was relational. It was intentional. It was generational, and that's what we're trying to help people do. So I think that's, that's pretty exciting. You know, the, just being able to to come alongside people in ways where you see them really begin to bloom and flourish. And I think, I think one of the reasons why that is so important to me is I, I was in the corporate world for lots of years and I always used to evaluate everything from sort of a strategic impact, kind of where do you get the most bang for your buck?

And I think when you are equipping leaders or equipping equippers of equippers, you know, kind of thing, you know, that's kind of more bang for your buck, but , you see the strategic impact on people and on this world, cuz I, I really feel like only Jesus can help this culture that we're in, this larger non kingdom culture that we all live in.

And I feel like that the navigator's life to life, the way that we just come alongside everyday people, I feel like that we have in some ways kind of the secret sauce of being able to, to help people thrive cuz that's what we were made for. But also to kind of fill in the gap of lots of Christians in that, you know, that kind of, that duplicity thing.

Cuz I think the people that I know who don't, who are not a part of the kingdom right now, their biggest complaint seems to be the Christians that they know. And that just really disturbs me. And I feel like this life disciple making is kind of the way you come alongside people as they live life naturally. And, and help 'em show God's way.

Jim: As we close out today's podcast, Margaret, one of the things we'd love to just point out is the Outcomes Conference podcast and the Christian Leadership Alliance. It's all about leaders coming to invest the best of what they know into other leaders. Margaret, what leadership idea or thinking, would you like to share as an investment in our listeners here on the Outcomes conference podcast?

Margaret Fitzwater: So I, I think that that probably it's that Christianity really is -following Jesus is about a way of life that's different from the world and its way of doing things.

It is a way of life that is intentional. It's a slowed down spirituality, and that's hard for me. I'm a fast person. I, you know, walk fast, do everything fast, and I have learned to slow down. I need to learn more, to slow down and listen to Jesus and enjoy his belovedness so that I actually am living from my belonging in him.

My belovedness as his beloved daughter and bless him and let him bless me and be able to really take that in. I remember this, this way of life. Actually. I love the Old Testament as well as the new, the whole Bible, but in Isaiah, Isaiah 30, God's people have been following a very different way of life, not according to God's rules at all, and not not following him.

And he said, these people are far from me. You know you're paying lip service. And he, anyway, he tells them, he says, in repentance and rest is your salvation and quietness and trust is your strength. I think that's verse 15. But then he goes in verse 21, he goes on down and he says, and this is, God actually said this first, not the Mandalorian.

He said, this is the way walk in it. And I think that walking in this way of life is what we were made for. It's the way of Jesus. And I'm excited cuz it has to do with the belovedness and belonging. That's the core. That's the identity that we live from and that's why I'm really excited about this Outcomes conference too.

Martha: Such great words, you know, and tying it all together and how God's been revealing that to you. And we can, we can talk more about that, but I think the whole idea of belonging in every culture of work gives a lot of people a lot more purpose. To be able to know that they belong and it's a safe place where they can live out their calling, that God has given them.

Jim: And that slowing down thing? I had somebody speak that over to me as well this year. Slow down, you'll get there faster. It's a great one. Margaret Fitzwater with Navigators TDC . Thanks so much.

Margaret Fitzwater: Thanks. Appreciate it.

Outro: Did you know that God has a calling on your life? It's true. He's called you to bring Jesus to the world.

For some that may look like a pulpit or a foreign mission field, but for most of us it looks like a construction site, a cubicle, a hospital, or a classroom. Wherever it is that you work, live, volunteer and invest, that is your mission field. To learn more about integrating your faith into your work and retirement, check out our books.

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5/2/23 - Beth Guckenberger: The Biblical Culture of Belonging

Intro: Welcome to the iWork4Him podcast. I'm Todd t Riley, producer of the iWork4Him Radio Program, the Voice of the Faith and Work Movement. Our mission is to transform the workplace of every Christian into a mission field. What does that look like in your workplace? Let's find out right now.

Jim: This episode of iWork4Him was previously recorded for the Christian Leadership Alliance's Outcomes Conference podcast, where leaders come to invest the best of what they know into other leaders.

Martha: Remember, if you have influence over just one person, you are a leader. Together, let's listen to this podcast and learn more about leading God's way. Enjoy!

Jim: We have an incredible conversation coming up today with Beth Guckenberger, co-Executive Director with Back-to-Back Ministries. We're gonna be focusing on how Beth and her team lead and strive to create a culture of belonging at Back to Back Ministries.

Beth Guckenberger, welcome. Thank you for being here.

Beth Guckenberger: Oh, it's my joy. Thanks for having me today, you guys.

Jim: Well, we are excited to be here.

Martha: Thank you for being, like I said, you know, I feel like Beth, we've gotten to know you over the years because of your involvement with the Christian Leadership Alliance.

So I'm so grateful that we get a time to dig in a little bit deeper, in a new way for a lot of the Alliance members. So before we get started talking about your leadership role and your perspective of what God is using you to create a culture of belonging at Back-to-Back Ministries, tell us how you keep your faith strong and your leadership Christ-centered.

Beth Guckenberger: Hmm. Oh, I mean, when I think about my leadership strong and Christ-centered, I think fellowship, accountability, having people in my life that tell me the truth, that help me grow in areas of self-awareness, to make sure that my outward facing faith looks like what God's doing as he's working out my faith inside with fear and trembling.

Making sure that in the organization, even though I have a box at the top of the org chart, there's not so much power, distance or uncomfortability within the culture that I lose that ability to understand the impact walking in the room. It, you know, I, that I have or, or being able to be vulnerable in front of staff members.

And so certainly as my own faith rhythms of study and prayer and fasting and worship are all unfolding, I want to that to translate into the workplace and I think good accountability and fellowship helps bridge that gap for me.

Jim: So the theme of this year's Outcomes conference in 2022 is I Belong. As a Leader, what have been the keys to creating a culture of belonging for your team at Back-to-Back Ministries?

Beth Guckenberger: That's a great question. You know, I think before I understood it was a good thing to do, you know, 25 years ago when my husband and I moved to another country and began the work that we oversee today, I was desperate to belong in a country where I didn't speak the language, where I didn't have any relationships, where I didn't even have understanding culturally of all the things that were happening around me.

And I watched, at that point, the Mexicans with whom we were living among, create a culture of belonging for us. And then you know, we eventually over time took some of the best learning we had prior to our, our missionary journeys, combine them with the best of what we learned from the host culture we were, we eventually lived in for 15 years and then added that together with what I was reading in New Testament early church understanding about what that looked like to create communities of belonging as they were building the church. And that kind of blended together. To form what eventually at back to Back, we call our cultural values.

But it's the way that now that we're in different locations around the world, we talk about, you know, this way of operating, of interacting with each other as staff of inviting people into our own communities of belonging. It's not a Nigerian thing or an Indian thing, or an American thing, or a Mexican thing.

It's a back to back thing, which I hope represents a Jesus kinda thing. So we actually have a lot of intentionality about how we onboard people, how we do ongoing education with existing staff. So they remember the things that helped us create communities of belongings in the first place. And, and we actually have pretty good Checks and balances so that if something kind of gets outta whack and suddenly there's a, a sector or section of the organization that's not reflecting our cultural values, there is good pressure that gets applied among peers before it ever has to kind of rise to a leadership level.

Martha: You know, that's so interesting that you just said what you said about the different countries, because a lot of us think, you know that it's all driven by the culture of that country. Yet there's some common things among believers that go beyond that.

So can you unpack that just a little for me, cuz I know I'm assuming there's influence by the countries that people are in, but how, how you still look at it from a biblical perspective?

Beth Guckenberger: Yeah, I mean like, here's just a funny example. In Spanish, there's an expression that when more people show up to dinner than you were planning on, you just add more water to the beans. And really what that says is, you know, always make room at your table for whomever comes to the door. And so that is certainly a Mexican way of thinking, but it also reflects a Jesus way of thinking. And so we wanna make sure, even though that's the lens it would be seen through in that country, that we help tie that back to some kind of biblical idea and we can teach that idea to another culture who may be has more of a scarcity mentality and says we gotta take care of our own and make sure we take care of our own. Well, we're not, you know, we're gonna kind of batten down the hatches. To be able to say to them, well, this isn't a Mexican thing. This is a Jesus thing, and this is how we can open the doors and trust that God will take care of who he brings to our tables.

You know, certainly we have issues in the United States. We have a work here in the US. When we're talking about belonging in the US sometimes we're talking about racial issues and making sure that people have a sense of of equity inside of a space and that they have opportunity within a space.

But that's not uniquely American. We have those kinds of issues in the work we do, for example, in India, where maybe they have some caste system issues. And the lessons that we learn from India, we can apply in America or America, we can apply in India, but really what we're standing on is not those cultural trends and best practices.

They're really a Jesus principle that we may then flesh out through the lenses of their culture. So it does kind of all go back to making sure we understand how Jesus created spaces of belonging and then just emulating those as best as we can.

Martha: So you talked about the times where you have to apply a little pressure when things are kind of off balance. So talk about those challenges when you're trying to create a workplace culture of belonging. What kinds of things do you bump up against?

Beth Guckenberger: I mean, sin.

Jim: WHAT? You guys work in a Christian ministry, What do you mean there's sin?

Martha: Humans, right?

Beth Guckenberger: Our own sin nature longs to be recognized or longs to be defended or longs to be you know, justified or all the things that, that we do simply as breathing, but that don't, that don't represent the spirit-filled nature that we have.

And so I mean there's all kinds of ways in which that peer to peer pressure happens. We literally train staff on how to have healthy conflict with each other. How to have confrontation in ways that are God honoring. Cuz we want that to, we wanna create spaces where those kinds of hard conversations happen.

We find really God in that friction. And, and when someone talks to you about a comment that you made that came across in a way probably you didn't mean it, or maybe you did mean it, but you shouldn't mean it. But that's actually a really loving act. Nobody's out to get you that way.

You know, we say, you know, good news out, bad news up. You know, we don't, we only really get the, the kinds of conflicts that find themselves growing or are unresolvable, they're at the field level. But I mean that's, there's, there's a lot of intentional training.

We have a learning management system that we call back to back learn that staff take classes on to reinforce our DNA to get good tools in their hands, that they take in their heart languages at their own pace gives us common language. So like for example, we use one of the personality profiles called the Disc assessment, and we talk about how you, we don't wanna weaponize people's Disc assessments.

Like, oh, you're being so whatever, or, I don't like that you're being so whatever. Like, these are tools to develop self-understanding. And the more we grow in Christ, the more that we actually can overcome our weaknesses and, and stand in our strengths. Yeah. But those personality differences can help. Those personality profiles can really help create common language so that you can address those conflicts.

Jim: Weaponizing the disc profile. Love that. Listen, we're gonna take a break from our conversation today with Beth Guckenberger. She's with back-to-back ministries. We'll be right back.

Break: Do you wanna make an impact for the Kingdom of God without quitting your day job?

Then here's some great news. God is calling you into full-time ministry, right where you are! The job that you hold, the work that you do, and the people you work with - none of that is by accident. Your workplace is your mission field. Change the way you think about faith and work by picking up a copy of our new book iWork4Him by going to iWork4Him.com/bookstore. And remember, you aren't just working for yourself. You're working for the Lord!

Jim: Hey, welcome back to the Outcomes Conference Podcast as we talk today with Beth Guckenberger. Beth, we're talking about Back-to-Back Ministries and how you created a Culture of Belonging.

Martha, you got a question?

Martha: Yeah, I do. For people that have not ever engaged in Back-to-Back Ministries or heard about it, you know, Okay. You've given us a really great insight into the culture without even really knowing what you do. So tell us, give us your, your elevator talk.

Beth Guckenberger: Yeah, back to back ministry serves orphans and vulnerable children.

And I'll just say once upon a time, I just loved that child in isolation. But over time, God has grown in my heart a passion for their, you know, vulnerable families and their at-risk communities and their local churches. So we have a much more holistic approach than ever before as we serve vulnerable children in at-risk communities in many countries around the world.

Jim: Beth, I love that. I love that mission. Now, if you were to identify two core principles that guide you daily as a leader, as a Christ following leader, what are those?

Beth Guckenberger: Oh, that's pretty easy. Faithfulness and availability. You know, we stand in a long line of people who are ill-equipped and immature and under-prepared for the assignments we have been given over time.

And I have found that God has continued to honor our sense of faithfulness to him and availability. And in the beginning I thought it was a weakness that our assignment, our calling, seemed to outsize us. And now that's what I hunger for. I actually look for assignments that are bigger than what I am capable of doing on my own. Even 25 years later when I have all kinds of, you know, fancy experiences and accolades, I still tell Jesus, get me in over my head.

I like it when I can't do it on my own, where I don't have enough wisdom, discernment, you know, self-control whatever I need and I need him. And I've watched him honor the fact that we've cried out to him over and over and over and over and over again.

Jim: Hmm. So, in, in living out those core values, faithfulness and availability, how does listening to the Lord play into your life?

How does listening play into your role as a leader at Back to Back ministries?

Beth Guckenberger: Yeah. It's like breathing, honestly. You know, people say oftentimes we'll get asked like back to back turns 25 this year. And so we've been getting a lot of press interviews like, where do you think back to back will be in 25 years?

And I'm like, everything in me wants to say the biggest numbers I can think of. Like, we're gonna be in a hundred countries helping a million children with a billion dollars. And, and if I said something like that, maybe someone would respond, wow, that's incredible vision. That's actually not vision, that's just coming up with crazy numbers.

I think vision is listening to the Lord and taking the next step and and trusting that whatever he chooses to build, it's exactly what he wants. It's not vision to try to architect something that builds a kingdom that he never had planned in the first place. And so I think listening is the most critical act we can do as a leader.

Martha: You know, I just wanna point out before I ask you this next question we're gonna transition to your book, Throw the First Punch, but most leadership type podcast conversations do not go the direction of this conversation. Like, you know, so it's kind of funny. It's like, oh, I, I wanna be in over my head.

So I love that because that is a God size, you know task at hand and that you're being so willing and open-handed with it. So, I wanna talk about your book. So you have this new book called Throw the First Punch. Tell us about it quickly, and what core takeaway do you hope that the readers are gonna get when they pick up your book?

Beth Guckenberger: Yeah, for sure. I took on an assignment that outsized me, speaking of what we were just talking about, in the beginning of 2020. And as everybody was shutting down, a church in my city, a very large church, lost their pastor two weeks before Easter and asked if I would step in as an interim while they found somebody permanent.

And I mean, I'm not a pastor. I've never been a pastor. I've never aspired to be a pastor. But I am open to whatever God is asking of me. The answer is always going to be yes. And so two weeks into that assignment, I was frustrated in a staff meeting, about 85 staff in the room. I had an agenda. It wasn't going the way that I was thinking it was gonna go, and I finally pushed the agenda away and said, listen, I'm not the only person in this room with an agenda.

We have an enemy, and he has an agenda to disrupt God's kids doing God's work in God's house. What do we think his agenda looks like? And they started to brainstorm the kinds of things the enemy wants to do, like create fear and distrust and selfishness and, and I said he doesn't have any new tricks.

Everything he's ever done before, we've already seen. And the Bible tells me in Ephesians 6 to put on my armor. And he tells me in 1 Peter 5 that there's an enemy out there roaring around like a lion. When I sew those teachings together, it makes me feel like I'm supposed to put my armor on and wait for the lion to get me.

And that makes me feel like I'm on defense. And if I already know all the things he knows how to do, why do I have to wait for him to come get me? I'm gonna go out there and throw the first punch. And the book is really about how to be spiritually aggressive and offensive. And what happens when, instead of, you know, closing the gates and try not to let any of the enemy or the world influence us, it's about let's go storm the gates of hell and take back ground that it was never his in the first place.

And yeah, it's a book about spiritual warfare as plain spoken as I could write it.

Martha: Wow. And, and, Well, if you write like you speak, I can imagine that people won't wanna put it down because, I mean, I feel like your personality, your gentleness yet strength is for me anyway, it, it draws me in and goes Yeah.

If Beth says that, that, and I love that it's from scripture, then I can be empowered by what God has to do.

Jim: Is there an audio book with your voice speaking those things?

Beth Guckenberger: There is, there is, yes. I read the whole thing so you can listen to me do all 12 hours of it.

Jim: Very cool. All right. What pushed you to write this book? I mean, what really kicked you in the keister to say, I'm gotta get this done.

Beth Guckenberger: A couple of things. One I feel like I, I realized that about a quarter of everything Jesus talked about was a kingdom we cannot see. And so I was like, if I think about is a quarter of what the Capital C Church is talking about the kingdom, we cannot see?

No, I don't think that. I think we've often left conversations about spiritual warfare to some of the fringe communities in our faith, and I'm like, If I don't wanna give undue attention to the enemy, but also by ignoring him or not talking about him, the latest Barna research is something like 65% of Americans aren't even sure that the devil's real.

By letting him kind of walk around we end up metabolizing his ideas, his schemes in ways that we end up then assuming is our fault and that there's a lot of shame that comes with that. And there's all kinds of sin I can do all by myself. I don't need the devil to push me to do it, but when I do choose to sin, Then I'm literally handing a bullet to the enemy that he can shoot me, my marriage, my family, my, my ministry with, and I wanted to just empty that chamber so that the enemy has less ammunition to come after God's kids.

And so, and I think that's what probably pushed me to do it.

Jim: I love that. Empty the chamber. Give him some blanks. He can't shoot you with those. We're talking today with Beth Guckenberger, right here on the Outcomes Conference Podcast. We'll be right back.

Martha: You know the kind of person that always tells you about the latest trends or the special deals around town? Well, lean in because here's a message from that kind of person. The Awaken podcast network is the place to be. Go to awaken podcast network.com and unlock God's purpose for your work with help from some friends.

You will find a gathering place of podcasts that provides simple tools, faith stories, and conversations that will inspire and equip you to vibrantly live out your faith in your work today. Go ahead, check out awaken podcast network.com and then be that kind of person and tell a friend.

Jim: Hey, welcome back to the Outcomes Conference podcast.

We love that, that you're listening in to a conversation we're having with Beth Guckenberger today from Back-to-Back Ministries. Beth, what's the website if somebody wants to check out Back-to-Back Ministries? What's the website?

Beth Guckenberger: Sure, it's, it's just back and the number 2 back.org. Back 2 back.org.

Jim: Back 2 back.org. All right. When you consider back-to-Back Ministries today, what are you most enthusiastic about in terms of pursuing your mission and impact?

Beth Guckenberger: You know oh, it's a quick story about in 2012 my husband and I were at the Orphan Care kind of annual conference that happens and we put together this little tiny niche workshop that said, How to take your startup nonprofit to a mid-size organization.

So it has started with our savings account and the two of us, 2012, we were about a hundred staff, maybe $5 million. And the process of growing had been, you know, full of all kinds of cautionary tales and hard lessons. We just wanted to share those with any other startups. We made 20 copies of our handouts, prayed 10 unique organizations would come, we opened the doors and 400 people walked in. And we were completely overwhelmed and stood on stage and said, Hey, anything we've ever done, any HR policy board manual, like you name it, training, Bible study, like you can have anything and just take our logo off it and maybe it's not exactly what you want, but it'll get you farther down the road.

And within a year our organization doubled in size. Cuz you can't break that principle of when you give away what God's given you, he gives you more to steward. So when I think about what I'm excited about is we continue to collaborate and partner with people all around the world. We recognize there's just no way we know of the 2 billion children on the planet, 50% of them have experienced trauma, or a billion children have experienced trauma.

There's approximately 163 million orphans around the world. I can't scale big enough ever to be able to meet that kind of demand, but the capital C churches are everywhere around the world, and I've told everyone I can stand on a stage and tell, but Church is the free foot soldier. Like we actually want to go into hard things and hard places with kids who are vulnerable.

So just figuring out how to mobilize and scale through others and connect and collaborate and partner and pioneer missional gaps. Those are the kinds of things I'm excited about as we think about the future.

Jim: When you look at the collaboration that you're doing worldwide. And yes, Martha, I'll let you jump in here, are you seeing it work? Are you seeing an ability for like-minded organizations, organization with similar missions for you guys able to, to find synergies and economies to scale?

Beth Guckenberger: Yeah. I mean, not everybody's has an appetite for it. Because you have to sometimes leave, you know, your egos and your logos at the door.

But when it works, it's actually so beautiful and it gives back to you more than you gave away. That's the weird part of God's economy. And, and I don't just mean in dollars, sometimes it's an understanding, sometimes it's an impact. Sometimes it's in that spiritual kind of blessing that you can't even, you can't even really count.

But yes, I, I have seen that and I've seen a growing interest in it over the last decade. Again, we've been in this space 25 years, but I've seen more and more stories, success, stories of collaboration, partnerships in the last decade that give me a lot of hope for the future. And Covid, there's a lot of terrible things that happened as a result of Covid, but I think it's probably given us more of an of a desperation to help kids around the world.

Martha: And you know that the world is watching that collaboration and seeing, you know, it's success when it happens and the outcome of that. So I just encourage you in that space to keep on doing it. So, as we close out this podcast, Beth, the Christian Leadership Alliance is a place where leaders come to invest the best of what they know into other leaders.

So you, Beth Guckenberger, what leadership idea or thinking would you like to share as an investment in those listening to the podcast?

Beth Guckenberger: Hmm. What a powerful question. It's probably part two to the faithful and available answer that I gave earlier. It's that God doesn't count the way we do.

You know, we get really excited about dollars and campaigns and heads that are sitting in pews or going on trips or opening our email, click for rates or like we just naturally count in a, in a way that the world honors. And in that way of thinking biggers better, we make a lot of strategic decisions.

I just am not sure that that's the way that God always works. I think sometimes I can recognize like, I mean, this is a silly story, but one time we did this passion play at Easter in another country. We're passing out invitations and it was a giant endeavor. And at the end of the day, as a result of that huge endeavor, we met somebody who ran an orphanage and who we've been in relationship with the last, for the last 15 years.

And I can remember that night when I went to bed thinking, God, did you do all of that because of this introduction needed to happen? Is this actually the big deal that happened today? And I think oftentimes, certainly he does more than one thing at a time and he doesn't waste a single thing. But if God's asking you to do something and it feels counterintuitive because it's not big, not flashy, not impressive you might actually be right in the center of what he, what he wills and I, I think that's where we just wanna be as leaders, is right in the middle of what, what God's asking of us.

Martha: Amen.

Jim: I love that. God doesn't count the way we do. And we do, we do put so much function on numbers and, and God, just, his number one goal for us is to be one-on-one with us. That deep, that depth of our relationship. Thank you Beth Guckenberger for sharing a little bit about Back-to-Back Ministries and just sharing from your heart.

We appreciate you. Thank you very much.

Beth Guckenberger: Oh, thanks for having me. You guys. What a treat.

Outro: Did you know that God has a calling on your life? It's true. He's called you to bring Jesus to the world. For some that may look like a pulpit or a foreign mission field, but for most of us, it looks like a construction site, the cubicle, a hospital, or a classroom, wherever it is that you work, live, volunteer, and invest.

That is your mission field to learn more about integrating your faith into your work. In retirement. Check out our books iWork4Him. sheWorks4Him, and iRetire4Him by going to iWork4Him.com/bookstore.

Thanks for listening to the iWork4Him podcast with your host, Jim and Martha Brangenberg.

Please visit iWork4Him.com to learn more about connecting your faith and work to join the iWork4Him Nation or subscribe to our weekly blog. You can also follow us on social media at iWork4Him to stay up to date and meet our guests. If today's message spoke to you, please subscribe, rate and review the show on your favorite podcast platform.

Your review will launch more Workplace missionaries across America that's at iWork4Him and online@iworkforhim.com.

4/25/23 - Nona Jones: A Team's Health Reflects the Leader's Health

Intro: Welcome to the iWork4Him podcast. I'm Todd t Riley, producer of the iWork4Him Radio Program, the Voice of the Faith and Work Movement. Our mission is to transform the workplace of every Christian into a mission field. What does that look like in your workplace? Let's find out right now.

Jim: This episode of iWork4Him was previously recorded for the Christian Leadership Alliance's Outcomes Conference podcast, where leaders come to invest the best of what they know into other leaders.

Martha: Remember, if you have influence over just one person, you are a leader. Together let's listen to this podcast and learn more about leading God's way. Enjoy.

Jim: We have an incredible conversation coming up today with Nona Jones. Check her out online, nona jones.com. That's nona jones.com. We'll be focusing on leadership, thriving, and of course, related outcomes.

Nona Jones, welcome.

Nona Jones: Oh, thank you so much for having me. This is an honor to be here.

Jim: Well, Martha and I are super excited to have you here, and we just wanna, before we get started, talking about your leadership role and a perspective of what God is doing through you as you lead a thriving environment.

Tell us how you keep your, personally, how you keep your faith strong and your leadership Christ-centered each and every day.

Nona Jones: You know, I - it's very practical for me. I start my day with, with prayer and I start my day with reading the, the word of God and just really reflecting on the goodness of God in my life.

I think we all have those moments where the goodness of God is a bit blurry because things are so overwhelming or just so frustrating. And I use that time to help me just center and focus because I've found that when I'm able to reflect on and, and really anchor on the goodness of God, that regardless of what happens during my day, I, I find a, a place of stability and peace.

And so that's my practice every day. I start with working out whether it's a run outside or a run on my elliptical. And then I just spend time before the Lord and that is so necessary.

Martha: Mm-hmm. So let's talk about thriving for you personally. Like what does that mean to thrive? Either, what does it look like in your life, or how does it feel?

Nona Jones: Yeah, so it's interesting that we're having this conversation now because I'm actually, I'm preparing to keynote an event. It's a women's conference, and the theme of the conference is the Flourishing Woman. And when I looked up the word flourish of course one of the synonyms that was shared was thrive.

And that word, both words, essentially mean to prosper, to be fruitful, to grow, to be productive. And so I, I think to thrive really is in fact to be fruitful to have evidence. Healthy fruit. To have evidence of the, the good work that you've been doing. And I think when you look at nature - I'm a microbiology and cell science major.

I, I love science. I love just how God has orchestrated this entire world to work together. And when you look at nature there's one principle that is clear across species . It's, it's clear across systems. And that is that healthy things grow. So if, if a plant is healthy, it will grow. If a baby calf is healthy, it will grow.

You know healthy things grow. And so I think one of the clearest signs that something is unhealthy is when it stops growing and it starts to actually die. And so I think of thriving really as a signal that you're healthy.

Jim: See, and I'm wondering cuz I, I'm pretty healthy, but I keep growing and they say that that's not healthy, so...

Martha: That's a little different, honey.

Jim: Oh, okay.

Martha: Your cells are still multiplying and growing and all of that. I don't think it means grow in mass necessarily.

Jim: Okay. All right. All right. So, and I love that word flourishing because it is, that is such a God word cuz he wants us to flourish right here on this planet that he created for us.

Tell us more about how your leadership enables those you serve to thrive.

Nona Jones: First of all, I love this question because you know, even when I was, when I was preparing to speak at the Outcomes conference, it occurred to me that a lot of times we go to these leadership conferences so that we can, you know, grow, so that we can thrive personally.

But when we have been called to what I consider to be the ministry of leadership, what God is ultimately doing is he is calling us to be a conduit to help others thrive. And so I think it's important as leaders that we are healthy ourselves, of course. And I think we have to remember that the primary goal for our work is to ensure that the people who are connected to us, the people who are following us, that they're growing as well.

And so some of the, the tips that I try to use and I try to really think about is I check in with my team regularly. I have a pretty large team and I try to check in with each person regularly just to ask how are they doing? And I have enough trust with them to where they know that I'm not asking in a very surface way.

Sometimes we say, Hey, how are you doing? I'm like, oh, I'm fine. But they know when I ask, how are you doing what I mean is, you know, how is your heart? Mm-hmm. How is your soul? How is your spirit? And the word of God even tells us, you know, I wish that you would prosper even as, as your soul prospers.

Like there's, there's a, a level of thriving that should happen in our soul. And so as a leader, We have to check in with our people. We have to make sure that their hearts and their minds are healthy. And I think that's part of the role that we have to, we have to take, and we have to be perceptive enough to know that just because someone is smiling, that doesn't necessarily mean that they're thriving. Sometimes a smile is a mask for, for what is unhealthy.

Jim: You know, that's why the Italian job has the greatest line ever, and I'll bring it up again on another podcast is that when you, when you ask somebody how you doing and they say, I'm fine, you say really? Freaked out, insecure, neurotic and emotional? Really how you doing?

Because that line, you can overcome that every time. It's a great way to use that at church, especially when you try to get deep faster.

Martha: You know, I was actually kind of feeling a little guilty cuz right when you said, when people smile I had, I had like thought about smiling in that moment. I'm like, okay, I'm not hiding anything. I'm really engaged in this conversation. So you know a lot of companies, a lot of organizations, they have to work really hard and try and fail a lot in order to get a culture that is a thriving culture. Besides just checking in with your people, what do you think you're doing right now that really has big impact in that area of making sure that your culture is a thriving culture?

Well, I realize it starts with me as the leader. I mean I set the tone, I set the pace. I, I create the atmosphere in which my team lives. And you know, when you think about going back to that idea of, you know, healthy things grow. And you think about plants and biological ecosystems, everything exists in an atmosphere.

And if the atmosphere is not healthy, it won't grow. So for example if I pump carbon dioxide into an environment that's filled with human beings, we have a problem because we need oxygen. But if I pump carbon dioxide into an environment of plants, they're gonna be like, yes because photosynthesis requires carbon dioxide.

And so as a leader, I think we have to be attuned to what does this environment need in order to thrive? So for example, with my team I set space and time for us to sit down and talk through what is everyone working on so that we can share learnings, we can synergize in those environments. We've learned that there are things people were working on where they needed support, but they didn't know how to ask.

 And so now suddenly everyone's aware and everyone's able to lean in and help them. But I think as a leader, it really comes down to creating that environment and to give a biblical context. So I think it's in John 15, where, where Jesus was talking about, you know, he's the true vine and we're the branches, and he gives the example of how if a branch does not produce fruit, then it gets cut off.

And then he says, but every branch that produces good fruit gets pruned. I say this because a lot of times we hear that and it goes in one ear and out the other. But if you think about it, oftentimes the same tool that's used to cut a branch is used to prune a branch. And, and that can be the tool of, of feedback.

As a leader, we have to constantly give feedback to our team - feedback that builds them up as well as feedback that prunes away the parts of them that are inhibiting their growth. And so it's not enough just to say you're amazing and you're awesome. Sometimes we also have to say, Hey. The way you showed up in this meeting really wasn't the best reflection of who you are. And let me give you some tips and some thoughts on how to show up better. And so that's the pruning side of it. And I think we have to, we have to do both.

Jim: That's a good word. We're talking today with Nona Jones on the Outcomes Conference Podcast, and we'll be right back.

Break: Do you wanna make an impact for the Kingdom of God without quitting your day job? Then here's some great news. God is calling you into full-time ministry, right where you are! The job that you hold, the work that you do, and the people you work with - none of that is by accident. Your workplace is your mission field. Change the way you think about faith and work by picking up a copy of our new book iWork4Him by going to I iWork4Him.com/bookstore. And remember, you aren't just working for yourself, you're working for the Lord!

Jim: Hey, welcome back to the Outcomes Conference Podcast, and today we're talking with Nona Jones. You can check her out online. Nona jones.com. Nona jones.com. Nona, the last 18 to 20 months been a little rough around the globe, certainly around the United States of America.

So much has happened to all of us. What changes have you made in the last year, personally or professionally that helped you keep focused on your mission as a leader?

Nona Jones: Hmm. You know something that I think I'm really trying to work out in my life that has become evident is, is compassion.

Like, having compassion for people. Cause I mean, this last, I say this last year was like a decade. I mean, it really, there was so much packed into it and frankly it continues to impact us in so many different ways. And I think when you, when you experienced so much, what I call kind of collective trauma, I mean, we've been traumatized.

We may not realize, but we have. When you experience that type of collective trauma, it's easy to get really frustrated with people. It's easy to be angry because you feel like it's unfair and there's just so much happening and you had all these plans and they got derailed. And so I'm trying to, to really seek God for the grace of compassion for other people. Because there have been times over this past year where I didn't show up in the way that I should have because I was frustrated and because I was exhausted and because I was discouraged and knowing that that impacts other people, it made me realize that I just, I need to have more compassion so that when, when others - I'll give an example.

I just posted about it on Facebook earlier this morning. You know, I, I landed back home at like midnight and I was supposed to get home around 10, 10 30, had all these flight delays. So, you know, I landed, I'm exhausted and I'm tired, I'm frustrated, and so I get in my car. I'm heading to the kiosk to pay for my parking.

And there was two lanes to leave. It was about 1230, about this time. Two lanes to leave. Well, apparently the lane I was in, the machine was broken, but the attendant didn't say anything. So I'm in this long line with people. We're just sitting there stuck. This other line is moving and I'm like, what's going on?

So it's raining, it's pouring down raining. I get outta my car, go over to the attendant. I'm just like, Hey, what's going on? Like, what's happening? And she was like, the machine in your lane is broken. You're just gonna have to wait. And I was like, What?? In my mind, I'm so tired, I'm so frustrated. And so I, I told her, I said, why don't you direct traffic like, you know, so the people in the lane that's not working can go too? And she was like, that's not my job. I don't have to do anything. You just wait. And I was like, oh my gosh. So I felt this anger start to boil up in me cause I was tired. But you know, after I got home and I prayed about it.

God was like, Nona, something happened to that woman that you don't know anything about that made her show up that way. Chances are she was supposed to get off work early. The delays of the planes made her have to stay late. She's exhausted and so she's taking out her anger on you and, and just learning to see things that way I think is really helping me as a leader to where I'm trying to lead with compassion and just trying to be more gracious to others.

Martha: Boy, there's so many areas of our life that we could really apply that to. I know that, you know, that's one of the things that I really I'm curious because we all are experiencing trials.

They look different for everybody. They feel different. The stress level is different. Some have had to change what they do and some people can't work. Right? So how have you, while you are dealing with your own stresses, kind of like what you were talking about with the airplane and the airport and everything, how have you translated that into like the kinds of challenges you're experiencing while you're trying to lead?

Jim: Like, like what's your greatest challenge that you've, that you've faced over the last 18 months?

Nona Jones: Oh man. I think the greatest challenge that I've faced is just dealing with resource constraints.

Jim: Shortage of plywood? Cause that's what we've been dealing with. No? That's not what you're talking about?

Martha: That's not what she means.

Nona Jones: Well, yeah, so there's, there's the physical resource constraints, but then there's also been constraints you know, budgetary constraints. There's been constraints on you know, my team and the time that they can lend to efforts and initiatives that I wanted to get moving.

And so I think that's been a huge challenge. And what it's done is it's caused me as a leader to have to recalibrate my expectations and just to make sure it's like, are my expectations realistic? Given the fact that these variables have now changed, like, we're no longer operating within these, the same, you know blueprint that we thought we were gonna be operating in.

Now that that's changed, have the variables changed enough to where I need to change my expectations? And that's helped me show up, I think as a better, more empathic leader to where my team - I, I had a situation with one of my team members who, you know, she was working super, super, super hard. I mean, super hard.

And she got to the point where she literally hit a wall. Like, she just was like, I just, I can't work anymore. And I told her, I was like, I need you to just, you know, take a few days off. And she was like, oh, but I don't have any vacation. I was like, I don't care. Just take the time off and just step away.

And I needed her to work. Like I needed her energy. She didn't have it to give. Right. And so as a leader, that was my opportunity to show up for her in a way that helped to refill her and refuel her. And as a result of giving her that time, she came back better than ever. Like better than ever. And so that's what one of the things I've had to learn.

Martha: Hmm. And that's a great thing that so many of us can find ways to apply that in our own lives. So was there something that you also have learned that was a real breakthrough in your leadership?

Nona Jones: Hmm. Yeah, I think I learned and this is gonna sound funny, but I learned that just because it's urgent doesn't mean it's important.

I had been living my life as a leader just almost glued to like, emails and pings and, you know, like, oh my gosh, if somebody needed me, I just like, I had to make it happen immediately. And I think over this last year, I learned that when I give myself grace and when I actually stop and evaluate, is this truly like important or is it just urgent?

It helped me to refocus and it helped me to figure out what was really important and where I needed to lend my energy. And so I started to kind of strategically move some things off of my plate that had been there because they were urgent. But they weren't important. And I found myself having, having a little bit more strategic capacity to think more even big picture because the urgent really has a way of like limiting your scope.

Like you're so focused on that thing that you miss the forest for the trees. And so I think being able to zoom out has helped me to be a much better leader. It's helped me to thrive personally and ensure that my team is thriving as well.

Jim: We're talking today with Nona Jones. Check her out online. Nona jones.com. Nona jones.com. We'll be right back with more on the Outcomes Conference podcast.

Martha: You know the kind of person that always tells you about the latest trends or the special deals around town? Well lean in because here's a message from that kind of person. The Awaken podcast network is the place to be. Go to awaken podcast network.com and unlock God's purpose for your work with help from some friends.

You will find a gathering place of podcasts that provides simple tools, faith stories, and conversations that will inspire and equip you to vibrantly live out your faith in your work today. Go ahead. Check out awaken podcast network.com and then be that kind of person and tell a friend.

Jim: Hey, welcome back to the Outcomes Conference podcast.

We're your host, Jim and Martha Brangenberg. So excited to have Nona Jones with us today. Nona jones.com. That's nona jones.com Nona, listen. You, you're studying - well behind you you got all kinds of books. Maybe they're decorations, but maybe you read 'em. What is one thing that you've experienced that impacted you so much that you said, everybody on my team has got to experience this as well? Something you've learned, something you heard. What's one thing you said everybody's got to hear this? Besides listening to this podcast.

Nona Jones: Oh, well listen, this is like top of the list, so that's, that's number one. You know I am an avid, avid reader, so I'm constantly reading books and I have to kind of watch myself because I will throw books at my team. So there's, you know, there's the work I do at Facebook, that's, that's one set of teams. Then I also have an itinerant ministry. That's another set of teams. I support my husband in our local church. He's the senior pastor. That's another set of teams. And then I have a nonprofit organization that's another set of teams.

And so I'm constantly throwing books at people and they're just like, stop it. I can't read that many. But there is this one sticky note that I have on my iPad. Excuse me, on my laptop that I will share with you because I push all of my teams to remember this. And it was out of Ray Dalio's book where he, it's a book called Principles and Ray Dalio was a businessman and he's in, in the financial sector, and he just puts all these principles in this book.

It's a long book. There's one thing that he said that just stuck out with me, and I, I try to think about it daily. He said The right answer matters more than being right. And his point with that is that a lot of times we get so invested in our perspective that even if our perspective is wrong, we don't wanna let it go.

And so we, we end up in many ways becoming almost like toxic in conversations because we're so just so wedded to our idea. And so I try to get my team to understand that everyone's perspective is, is valuable, and everyone's perspective is needed. And so the right answer matters more than being right.

It doesn't matter who gets the right credit. What matters is, do we have the right answer?

Martha: Mm-hmm. Boy, and that goes against so many of our grains cuz Right. We just wanna be right. And but I remember years ago...

Jim: because I am right so often. This is a, this is an argument we have in our marriage quite often.

Martha: Oh no. But we learned that years ago. You know, you can be right, but wrong at the top of your voice. You know, when you sit, when you're wrong with your approach you're, you're wrong. Oh, I love that. So you have a really unique perspective with your involvement with social media, and that's a, it can be a pretty rough and tumble atmosphere.

What area of ministry do you think is having the greatest impact? And that can be whatever impact you think.

Nona Jones: That's a good question. I feel like - and you mean in terms of areas of ministry having the greatest impact through social media?

Jim: Sure.

Nona Jones: I think be because there are so many people and we've seen it over this last year even more, but because there are so many people who. Deeply need connection and affirmation, what I've seen that has been just a blessing is I've seen ministries use social technology to, to offer that to people. There are some that are just throwing content at people, but then there are others that are investing in like seeing people and building communities where people can connect and grow together.

Building safe spaces where people can be vulnerable and say, look, Here's the challenge I'm facing, or you know, here's the trauma I need healing from. When I see tools and technology being used in that way it's really inspiring because there's 3.2 billion people right now on Facebook. I mean, there's over a billion people on Instagram and Twitter and, and all these places.

And I think a lot of times, you know, if we approach it as just a marketing platform, we'll miss the beauty of it. It really is a discipleship platform because it gives you access to people that you wouldn't normally be able to see or talk to. But the question is what's the mindset? And so I think having a mindset to help people heal, having a mindset to help people connect I've, I've really seen a lot of good come out of that.

Jim: You know, Nona, as we close out this, I love those thoughts. I don't wanna miss those thoughts, but I know we're running out of time. Thank you. You're right. Jesus was always busy, but never in a hurry. He never missed the people. And we need to do that. Social media is one of those places it's so easy to vomit on social media and - Sorry, bad, bad imagery, but, and miss the people. Those are good words.

All right. As we close out this Outcomes Conference podcast, the Christian Leadership Alliance is a place where leaders come to invest the best of what they know in other people. Nona, what leadership idea or thinking would you like to share as an investment in those listening to today's Outcomes Conference podcast?

Nona Jones: I would love for all the leaders who are watching this or listening to this to adopt what I call an additive mindset. So in math, there's, there's kind of two frames of reference when you think about numbers. Numbers can either subtract, they can either take away from whether it's through division or subtraction or whatever.

But then they can add to, whether that's, again, you know, addition or multiplication. In order to have an additive mindset though, as a leader, you have to really humble yourself. You have to be willing to discover the desires and the dreams and the hopes of your team, and find a way to lift those up as opposed to seeing your team as a means to an end.

I had for many years across my leadership journey, I had seen my team as a means to an end. I wanted to be at the top of the org chart. I wanted to have the, you know, nice title. I wanted to have the Prestige, and so I oftentimes would kind of use my people to build my so-called brand. And I ended up being a reductive leader.

I had people that left my team because they felt used. They felt like I didn't care about them. But I think becoming an additive leader it gave me the ability to add to people. So they left my leadership feeling like they had grown. And that goes back to the thing I said at the very top of our conversation, healthy things grow.

You can't create a healthy culture being a reductive leader. And so I would ask that leaders adopt a posture of humility and just being willing to be the vessel that God can use to be a blessing to the people that you have the privilege of serving.

Jim: Hmm. Those are good words.

Martha: Great words. Thank you for that takeaway.

Jim: Reductive Leader. I never heard that term before. Just toxic. I've heard toxic, but reductive. I like that, Nona.

Nona Jones, thanks so much for being on the Outcomes Conference podcast today. You're a blessing. It was great to hear you at the conference, and it was great to spend some more time with you today. Thank you.

Nona Jones: Thank you so much.

Jim: Make sure you check her out online. Nona jones.com. Nona jones.com.

Did you

Outro: know that God has a calling on your life? It's true. He's called you to bring Jesus to the world. For some that may look like a pulpit or a foreign mission field, but for most of us it looks like a construction site, a cubicle, a hospital, or a classroom.

Wherever it is that you work, live, volunteer and invest. That is your mission field. To learn more about integrating your faith into your work and retirement, check out our books. iWork4Him. sheWorks4Him and iRetire3Him by going to iWork4Him.com/bookstore.

Thanks for listening to the iWork4Him podcast with your host, Jim and Martha Brangenberg.

Please visit iWork4Him.com to learn more about connecting your faith and work to join the iWork4Him nation, or subscribe to our weekly blog. You can also follow us on social media, at iWork4Him to stay up to date and meet our guests. If today's message spoke to you, please subscribe, rate and review the show on your favorite podcast platform.

Your review will launch more Workplace missionaries across America. That's at iWork4Him and online@iworkforhim.com.

4/18/23 - PowerPod: How to Change the World

Intro: Welcome to the iWork4Him PowerPod. I'm Michael Miracle producer for iWork4Him, the voice of the faith and work movement. We are on mission to transform the workplace of every Christian into a mission field. Each quick listening PowerPod is designed with you in mind and jam packed with Kingdom resources to help you connect your faith and work.

How will this impact your work? Let's find out right now.

Jim: You know, this is our second time, Martha, up here to Northwest Arkansas, courtesy of Workmatters. And last year we met a couple who brought the coffee in for this conference. 7 Brew. But we hadn't arranged do an interview and they were a little busy.

And we're not coffee drinkers, so we weren't sure about that. They didn't have Mountain Dew on tap and they didn't have a Mountain Dew flavored coffee or a diet Pepsi flavored coffee . And by the way, if anybody out there listening knows anybody at Pepsi, we would really like to get them as a national sponsor for iWork4Him.

Anyway, we reached out to Lisa and Ron Crume, who started up 7 brew.com, 7 brew.com, Lisa and Ron, and we invited them to do a show this year when we came back to Northwest Arkansas. So today we talked to them about 7 BREW and the Ministry of Coffee - 45 seconds at a time.

Martha: That's right. And you know, one of the things that Ron and Lisa are gonna talk about is the fact that God has equipped them both with a spiritual gift of hospitality, and they are turning that into business. Jim. They're using the very spiritual gift that God has given them.

Jim: They're gonna change the world one cup of coffee at a time. It's amazing.

We're gonna talk today with Lisa and Ron Crume. These guys run a coffee shop called 7 Brew. It's so exciting to have them here. They're all over northwest Arkansas. Lisa and Ron, welcome to iWork4Him.

Why did you start 7 Brew?

Ron Crume: Well, we've had a, a family dream of owning a drive-through coffee shop for many years and just felt like the time was right and we were at a good place in our life and we decided to move back from the west coast to northwest Arkansas.

And yeah. We love this area. We're happy to be here. The people are wonderful, and we just felt completely called and knew that this was the right thing to do. Our kids left their careers. They made a decision that they were gonna pray about this and put their house on the market. And if in fact their house sold, they would, they would take that as their answer to relocate.

And they prayed about it and made a decision. My son-in-law went to school the next, or I'm sorry, went to work the next morning and told one of his one of his team members that he was gonna put his house on the market. And the guy told him, I'll buy your house tonight, . And they went over and made the deal that night and they sold their house the very next day and they said, we're ready to go.

Martha: Most people when they hear, oh, it's a family decision, you're talking about mom and dad make a decision and the kids are coming along. But these are grown, your children were grown. I mean, this was truly them getting to make a decision to be a part of this family venture, right?

Ron Crume: Correct. Correct. I'm 50 years old. And I've had many different businesses along the way, but we are directly dealing with a business that, the face of 7 Brew coffee is majority late teens, early twenties. And our kids are in their middle to late twenties. We could have never done this without them. It took, it truly took all of us to bond together as a family to make 7 brew coffee what it is.

Jim: Well, and you needed their marketing expertise because you needed them as a test market. Like what would you guys want in a coffee shop? So, 7 brew.com. 7 brew, the number 7 brew.com. This is an independent drive through coffee... I mean, what do you call it? It, it's a drive through barista almost. But I mean, how do you guys describe yourself?

Ron Crume: Well, we are strictly that. We are strictly drive through coffee. There's no, there's no way to walk into our facilities. We have a double drive through, so we've got two lines of cars on each side, and our goal is to get them in there quickly and get 'em out.

And you know, we tell people all the time, we have our mission statement and we have our creed and so on and so forth. But I tell people in so many interviews and our team members constantly, if we simply had one goal and one goal only, it would be to change the world with one smile and act of kindness at a time.

Jim: You guys have an opportunity to really make a difference here. What is your goal with the culture that you're creating for the employees within 7Brew? I mean, what are you trying to do?

Ron Crume: Well, we coach constantly. We talk to them. We have monthly stand meetings. So we try to divide our business into little pods, into smaller groups, family units, if you will. And they're required as a stand, as a unit to have a monthly team meeting. And as well as a fun night to keep them together. And so we as leaders will go participate in those frequently, whether it's Lisa and I or the kids, and we just continually coach them and try to inspire them and bring biblical practices and teachings into those meetings to let them know without pushing it on anybody, where we stand and how we work and what we want our culture to be, what we want our motto and our goals to be, our goal setting.

Jim: So how do you, how are you guys letting the communities know? Because you're opening up your seventh store next week, is that what it was?

Ron Crume: We're opening our sixth location on Monday. And probably three weeks from Monday we'll be opening our seventh.

Jim: Okay, so bam, bam. It's gotta be so exciting. How does the community know that really what they're buying is Jesus coffee? That the coffee, when they go and spend their money for a cup of coffee or whatever fancy drink they're buying at your place, that they know that the money is not going to support stuff that is opposite of the kingdom of God?

How are you guys letting 'em know that, Hey, when you come here, you're buying Jesus coffee? Come on, Lisa. She's good. She's like, I keep looking to Ron to give the answers. Come on, Lisa.

Lisa Crume: Well, you know, we definitely pray that people know that there's something different when they come through. We pray that they realize, hey, what is it that they have that's so special, and why do I feel so good when I leave? And you know, we openly tell people we pray over our locations. We pray over our employees. We pray over our customers that come through. And that's exactly what we've prayed for, is that people would walk away going I love how I feel when I go through there.

And oftentimes people say, they tell us and put on reviews: we go through just because we know we're gonna feel good when we go through. We get treated so well. But we feel it's important if we love on our employees and authentically show that kind of leadership, servant leadership, servant heart leadership and provide an environment for them to grow as a person and have a great time, it's just gonna ooze out of them. But they know that we're doing this from a place of faith and you know, Jesus is our foundation.

Martha: You know, I just have this vision. Obviously people repeat buying coffee over and over again. They get to know the people going through the line, they get to know, and if they're asking questions like, how is your day? Boy is that going to impact them! And yes, it's sad to think that maybe the only place they're getting a touch of kindness is getting their coffee in the morning. But what a wonderful way for them to start the day.

And I just wanted to kind of circle back when you said your employees have a fun night and you, you know, have their stand meeting and things like that. You're teaching them, I'm just kind of balancing this out, you're teaching them that it needs to be genuine within their life in order for it to flow out. And so you are really being great models of that love and kindness.

Ron Crume: So let's just talk about culture for a minute, touching on that. I was asked in an interview recently, if I could sum up what culture means to me in one sentence, what would it be? And my response to that would be culture is treating your team members the way you want your team members to treat your customers. And so it's an example. It's lead by example. You have to treat those people the way you want them to treat your customers. If you dont, it's fake.

Jim: Talk to me about the spiritual impact on you guys and your kids. How has running this business, ministering to the community, serving them phenomenal coffee all day long at 7Brew.com - how has it impacted you spiritually? Ron, go ahead.

Ron Crume: It just makes a difference in our lives on a daily basis. This is so much more of a mission field than it is a business. When you take your eye off of money and you do what you do because you love what you do, it's one of the greatest mission fields we could ever be in.

Jim: Yeah. It's almost like you've got a 7Brew church.

Ron Crume: It really is. And we have talked about that. We've talked about, you know, we're over 150 employees right now. We haven't celebrated our three year anniversary yet. If you tell me that God does not lead the way and change lives... We're opening our seventh store and probably eight, maybe nine before our three year anniversary.

We're over 150 employees. We've had conversations about hiring a full-time pastor or a chaplain. Not to push anything on people, but just be there to help these employees that otherwise maybe would not want to come forward with their problems and talk to us directly.

Lisa Crume: Yes. And one of the things that I love to do is talk with the young people that we hire. In fact, hired quite a few this week. And I look at them, and I'm just like, you get to be our secret. You are our secret sauce and we appreciate you. We love that you're excited to be on our team and we just want to, you know, just reiterate to you that we want you to have the most fun job ever. You may only be with us for six to twelve months of your life. And then, you know, maybe you're gonna be called to do something else, but maybe you'll grow a career with us. And that's always an opportunity too.

So I share with them the vision of where we're going and maybe they could see themselves as a fit, you know, if they're, if it's aligned, if our mission is aligned with their mission and their life and great. But I just let them know that this, you actually make a difference when you come to work. You can actually leave work and be happier and be energized after your shift at 7Brew.

Jim: You've been listening to iWork4Him with your hosts, Jim and Martha Brangenberg. We're Christ followers. Our workplace is our mission field, but ultimately right here at the Workmatters Annual Conference, iWork4Him!

Outro: Thank you for listening to the iWork4Him PowerPodd with your hosts, Jim and Martha Brangenberg. Want more? Hear the full broadcast@iworkforhim.com. Stay connected and receive power packed. When you sign up for our blog@iworkforhim.com or follow us on social media at iWork4Him.

And finally, if today's message inspired you, please subscribe, rate and review the show on your favorite podcast platform. Your review helps launch more workplace missionaries across the nation that's at iWork4Him and online work for him.com.

4/11/23 - PowerPod: Better Than Balance

Intro: Welcome to the iWork4Him PowerPod. I'm Michael Miracle producer for iWork4Him, the voice of the faith and work movement. We are on mission to transform the workplace of every Christian into a mission field. Each quick listening PowerPod is designed with you in mind and jam packed with Kingdom resources to help you connect your faith and work.

How will this impact your work? Let's find out right now.

Jim: The Pocket Testament League makes it easy for you and me to get the word of God into the hands of coworkers, employees, neighbors, and friends. Check 'em out online, ptl.org. Mollie Yoder, you brought us here to Lynchburg, Virginia to meet a man today.

Tell us who do you got and what are you expecting?

Mollie Yoder: Oh, I'm so excited. Today we are gonna be meeting and chatting with Mike Cook. He is the founder of Strategic Doers, Jesus follower and we got connected - he's got a partner gospel with the Pocket Testament League that he's using to spread the Gospel.

So he's gonna use that to spread the word about the work that God's put in front of him. He's a third generation business guy here out of Lynchburg, Virginia, and just has a really cool God story and gets the iWork4Him nation and our work is our ministry, so you're gonna have a blast talking with Mike today.

Jim: To do or not to do? That's the battle of every Monday morning. Where is it at? Every morning so often we just grin and bear going to work, doing our work, commuting in our work, that we miss all that God has put in front of us. The people, the opportunities to shine, the opportunities to learn. Along comes the idea that we should be, hmm, Strategic Doers.

Imagine if everything you did, from waking up in the morning to going to bed at night, everything along the way, imagine if all of it was done strategically. Imagine if every Christ follower owned a business, worked with that high level of intentionality and became a strategic doer for the Kingdom. Today we're gonna talk with Mike Cook from Strategic Doers to talk about living just that kind of life.

Mike Cook, welcome to iWork4Him.

Strategic Doers. Where did that name come from?

Mike Cook: Well In my business life, I worked for a little while as a salesperson for Nextel, the old walkie-talkie phones. If you remember those back in 2000 and early days. And one of their, one of their great marketing things, our target client, was a business owner who wants to get things done. And so they called us doers. Even on my business card it said Mike Cook, doer, and we were trying to get other people to become doers. And with the blackberries and before the smartphones and all that email on your phone and text and all that stuff in the early days. I think we've created a monster. And that's another topic for another day. Of course.

Jim: We just put things in place that the antichrist needs in order to take over the world, and we need him to come so that Jesus come back. So it's okay.

Mike Cook: So be careful with your smartphones. I'll just leave it at that. But anyhow that concept of being a doer stuck with me. And later on as I was seeking to use my faith in the marketplace, in the business world, and really worrying about two big challenges that business owners have. One: just how do I get it all done.

And that's a challenge that no matter what the business, no matter where you are what you're doing, there's always that challenge. There's never enough time to get it all done. You know, I never have, my kids never say, you know, we've played enough. Why don't you go get some work done, dad? You know, something like that.

So there's always just too much to do. It's the challenge I hear from, no matter what business owners I work with, is time management and balance and, and those kind of things.

Jim: Well, and neither of which are really - it's impossible to manage time. Time does what it's gonna do, whether we want it to do it or not. And it's impossible to live in a balanced life. Because it can't be done. I mean, our wheel is always gonna have a flat side.

Mike Cook: Yes. Balance also implies that all things are equal. And even though we spend a lot more time doing work, it's not equal. There's a lot of the important things that we don't spend as much time in a day doing.

So the concept of being strategic about what we do. Not just working in your business, but working on your business. And so as I became a business coach, starting to really wrestle with those concepts and working with business owners, that's where the strategic kind of came from, is we must be strategic about what it is that we're doing.

The strategic is the compass, the working on. And the doer is the working in. Most of the business owners I work with - small business owners, ten or less employees - they don't have the luxury of having the big staff to just let them sit and think all day.

Jim: At what point in time in your life did you realize that God loved business and created you as a business owner and that your work in business was just as important to him as that of a pastor or a missionary?

Mike Cook: Okay. I grew up in my family. We did the restaurant business, fast food. We had Arby's franchises in the area here. And in 1999, my grandfather was ready to retire and he was ready to hand over the restaurants to my dad. But my dad at the same time was receiving a call to missions, and so he chose to sell the restaurants and we invested in rental properties instead because that allowed him to be a self-supported missionary. That changed my path as well because I was planning to be the third generation guy to run the restaurants and do all those things. So my parents now are supported missionaries with rental properties and that also we went into that business.

I helped them manage them for a while, but the Lord's been working, had been working on me, even through all that to reach people in the business world. You know, my mission field, as you've heard, the 10 40 window, that's where my parents work in the, you know, the areas where they're the least reached people groups.

My mission field is what Os Hillman calls the nine to five window. I wanna reach people in the marketplace.

Jim: Make a living, have a life. It seems like, you know, since God created the idea of work, that should be possible.

Mike Cook: Absolutely.

Jim: Yet, in our society today, that seems like those are, that's an oxymoron. That it is impossible. So what have you found in scripture that points the way that that is possible? It's radio. You can't do that silent contemplated fun.

Alright, think about that one for a while. Martha, you had a question you wanted to ask.

Martha: Oh, I just, I mean, do you think that that's the biggest thing that Christ followers struggle with in their, in their business is just even figuring out how to get a compass or what to do with their business?

Mike Cook: Well, in the smaller business especially, it becomes another add-on to, to most people. It's like I already gotta worry about the family, the kids, and getting to work and the business and paying the bills and all those things. And so, That's just one more thing I've gotta think about and add on top of everything else. Where what I talked with my clients mostly about is what I call an integrated life.

Where we want to - instead of the word balance - integrate. We want to integrate our faith throughout all aspects of life. And more recently I've gone from calling myself a business coach to a leadership coach, or whatever term. Gets me in the door to the person there. But the main thing is it's not just about business or it's not just about family.

It's about all of those things. Especially us guys have a problem with that. We tend to like to compartmentalize and change hats when we change locations, things like that.

Martha: And you mean that's not always possible to do that, to change a hat? So anyway, you're delving back...

Jim: You're going sarcastic way?

Martha: I know I was going to, but I'm not gonna.

Jim: It is impossible for man. I mean, the segment of life thing comes natural to us.

Mike Cook: Yeah. I mean, it's good to compartmentalize. We're just simple like that.

Jim: But God created us that way on purpose, that we could segment war from feeding our families. But yet, when it comes to living out our faith, it needs to be integrated, intricately connected within all of our lives.

Martha: So give us like one concept or one way that you help people to understand for it to be integrated.

Mike Cook: Well, it usually starts with , most any coach, business coach, life coach, whatever has the name coach with it, is going to find someone usually in distress, in drama. That's unfortunately, especially entrepreneurs, we don't call for help until we're really deep into it. It's not, you know, it's not when we're starting. Most of the clients I work with are, we're in the manure pit. We got three seconds left.

They've been in business for two or three years and they're stuck. And it's not like a job you can just quit. I've invested money in this. I've rented space. I've got a lease. I'm stuck and help me. Waving white flag. Yeah.

And so my job as a coach, or any coach's job is to bring them back to why they started in the first place. What's the mission? You know, what do you, what are you doing this for? And usually that conversation is where I can also ask the question, did you realize that there's more to work than just making money or more to work than just paying the bills or what we call resume virtues, what they're gonna say about you at the end of life?

Things like that. And that allows to have a conversation about what truly is your mission, who really owns your business?

Martha: So then what do they see? The opportunities - what are they seeing as far as, you know, the results of learning about this integration?

Mike Cook: Well we start them looking at all aspects of life. The integrated life plan that I've been working on basically has three aspects. One is self-care, family and community, and stewardship divided into those three things. And there's more details in each one of those. But it has to start even prior to that is gonna have to start with what's your mission?

Kind of going back to that again. You know, what is your, not just your business mission, which as guys we're really good at, but what is your personal mission? What is your family mission? And all those need to kind of integrate with each other. And that's the foundation of an integrated life, is knowing what your mission is, why you're supposed to do what you do.

Jim: Mollie Yoder, you brought us here. What's your question you wanna make sure Mike answers for us today?

Mollie Yoder: Yeah. Mike, I'd love for you to tell the listeners about a success story from one of your Strategic Doers. Somebody that maybe came in like we were talking about, that entrepreneur that's a little bit underwater and needed some help and how did you guys kind of walk beside him and help there?

Mike Cook: Okay. Can I tell my story?

Jim: Yes, you can.

Mike Cook: Because I am the original strategic doer. I must be the Guinea pig for this. And this is something that I've tried to, I've refined as I've lived it myself. And that started really once my wife and I got married.

You know, if you wanna find out how selfish you are, get married. If you wanna really find out how selfish you are, have kids. You know, when you start catching yourself saying those things about my time and my this and my, you know, whatever.

And so that's really a lot of what started this concept. I'm just one of those fix it guys. When I was in restaurant business, when I worked in radio, different things, I was always the guy that they sent to fix things, train people, and fix things and all that. And so to me this was just no different.

I'm gonna fix this. You know, that work life balance, that time management, all those things that people say, I'm gonna fix it. Let's see what we can do to fix this. So that's when I started creating what is now what we call the integrated life plan, and putting these things together, thinking about all different aspects of life and how they can all integrate together.

Jim: I just, I want to hear it personal though. Okay. Mike. Who was Mike before Strategic Doers? And who's Mike afterwards? I mean, if we called your wife, what's your wife's first name?

Mike Cook: Heather.

Jim: All right, Heather, we get Heather on the line and we say, Heather, how has Mike's realization that he can be a strategic doer? How has that impacted him personally? How has it impacted your marriage? What's she gonna tell us?

Mike Cook: Wow. Well, I hope she'll be nice. We've grown together in this, even being married, just the two of us before having kids. She works as a nurse practitioner as well, was working full-time. Now part-time with the kids and all. And so it has been a journey even for both of us and having those conversations, different personality styles and things like that.

So yeah, I would say Mike was driven, an entrepreneur actually, one of the first times we met. I was still in the cell phone business. it was New Year's Eve. I was on the phone at eight o'clock trying to make the final deal to get my monthly bonus and my yearly bonus, and everybody else was having fun and I was on the phone, five hours from home at the beach, talking back to my office in Lynchburg, Virginia, telling my employee who I was making stay till eight o'clock, New Year's Eve, get this done, give them whatever it takes.

Give 'em free, you know, whatever. Just make this deal, make this happen, and we're all gonna be happy. And that was kind of my priority. At the time was, was business. And so fast forward from that to I wouldn't dare do that. Not just cuz my wife's with me and all, and, but you know, she reminds me of that often.

But fast forward to today, that's not a priority. You know, even when I work with business owners on a business plan, it starts with people first, then excellence in operations, and finally, Stewardship, which is the making money, cash flow, sales net profit.

Martha: So give us something that our listeners can take away today. You know, maybe it's what have you seen people struggling with that you can really say, Hey, Stop and look at this today. Just to give them a little bit of encouragement in where they're at.

Mike Cook: Sure. Probably the biggest thing that business owners struggle with - Christ follower or not - but especially Christ followers because of that, that extra tension: number one, the fact there's not enough time to get everything done. And then the tension that us as followers of Christ in the marketplace run into: the values. You know, our values versus the values of the marketplace. So, Ethics are like water. They seep back and forth, so we need to make sure that ethics, everything is all together.

Jim: You've been listening to iWork4Him with your hosts, Jim and Martha Brangenberg. We're Christ followers. Our workplace, it's our mission field, but ultimately iWork4Him.

Outro: Thank you for listening to the iWork4Him PowerPod with your hosts, Jim and Martha Brangenberg. Want more? Hear the full broadcast@iworkforhim.com. Stay connected and receive power pack content when you sign up for our blog@iworkforhim.com, or follow us on social media at iWork4Him.

And finally, if today's message inspired you, please subscribe, rate and review the show on your favorite podcast platform. Your review helps launch more workplace missionaries across the nation. That's at, iWork4Him and online. iWork4Him.com.

4/4/23 - PowerPod: Stuck in a Rut

Intro: [00:00:00] Welcome to the iWork4Him PowerPod. I'm Michael Miracle producer for iWork4Him, the voice of the faith and work movement. We are on mission to transform the workplace of every Christian into a mission field. Each quick listening PowerPod is designed with you in mind and jam packed with Kingdom resources to help you connect your faith and work.

How will this impact your work? Let's find out right now.

Jim: Hey, the following show is brought to you in part because of a partnership between iWork4Him and one of our board members, Don Hoover from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Don's the owner and CEO of Binkley and Hurst, a farm implement dealer and really a cool place. Cuz it's like having a car dealership and everything works to harvest food.

And he is the local leader of the Business Community Network. online at BCNlife.org. Don Hoover, you've got a guest for us today. Bryce Taylor. Why? Why did you want Bryce Taylor to be on with us today?

Don Hoover: Bryce Taylor is one of those people that really gives me hope in the future of the church. The body of Christ is alive [00:01:00] and well. And some of the younger folks, the guy is, what is he, 25 years younger than I am, and has a tremendous heart for God, a heart for people. Knew of him. He's had a real influence on my sons and many, many other young people in the region.

And so yeah, when we had a need here, God knew, and Bryce came and we had actually kind of a, you might call it almost a chance encounter of meeting at my house when he was out there with his seven sons and his wife and parents-in-law fishing.

And talked a little bit about where he's at on his journey and I said, maybe we should have this conversation about you coming to work in this role. And he said, maybe we should. And so we talked and we prayed and we prayed and we talked. And it's just been really amazing to have him here and have the gifts that Gods entrusted to him being used to work here side by side with him in the business as ministry endeavor.

Jim: Today we talk with Bryce Taylor, husband to Christina and father to seven [00:02:00] boys, God isn't done with him yet. I can't wait for you to hear his story. Bryce Taylor, welcome to iWork4Him. What is the path the Lord used to move you from New Zealand to Lancaster, Pennsylvania?

Bryce Taylor: Yeah. I was helping a church plant in my hometown and a pastor started this church plant and needed a worship leader and youth guy, and that's what I was doing. So I jumped in to help out. In the two years with them as a family he was discipling me. And one day he mentioned ministry. If I was thinking of being in ministry, I should check out Elam. And he was a graduate of Elam and Regent University.

And so they end up paying for my first semester at Elam in Lima, New York. And my second year at Elam, we were in New York City serving with different missions there and with the homeless and that's where I met my wife Christina. While we were out there on my days off, sitting in the stairwell, I was leading a team, [00:03:00] wasn't supposed to be talking to the girls. But this one, I, I could not get off my mind. And we were hanging out just chatting, talking about life and and yeah, we hit it off.

A year later we got married and her grandparents are from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. And so we've been to New Zealand and North Carolina and Virginia. Ended up in Lancaster County back with her, where her family roots are.

Martha: So tell us about The Living Room. Where did that idea come from and, and tell our listeners what it actually is.

Bryce Taylor: Yeah. When we got to Lancaster County, not dissimilar from anywhere else where we moved, we were coming back from New Zealand from working with Christian camping and we knew we wanted to be in Lancaster with her folks. We were just about to have our third and we wanted help, you know. Raising kids, takes a village.

Jim: Especially when you have - that's when you only have three now you got seven, it's gonna take an entire county.

Bryce Taylor: Exactly. But we were just getting them, you know, warmed up and ready for the seven. So I was in construction working on what we call a deck. I think that's what you [00:04:00] call it here. So I was working on that with a bunch of young adults, and one of them asked me like, what are you gonna do while you're here in Lancaster? You know, I thought you were a pastor.

And so as we were talking, I was actually asking them, well, what's needed? And as they were talking that's when the idea birthed in me. And what the need was there was for them to experience. They were all going away to YWAM. And experiencing this great thing, coming back and, and then not going to church.

And so I started asking them why. And out of that I realized, man, our young kingdom people who are talented, gifted, and want to be in ministry or want to do ministry wherever they are , these guys are construction workers, right? They wanted to put that to work, but the church was not a place they could find that like experience or growing in that.

And so I said, Hey man, we need a place that grows up leaders in the faith. A place where you don't have to go away to learn that stuff, but it's right at home. It's happening in the church. So that's where the idea for The Living Room came.

Martha: And what [00:05:00] did The Living Room look like? I mean, what is it?

Bryce Taylor: We started, well, I interviewed for the church, at the church. And , there was I think 35 to 40 young adults when we started. And it grew to over 500 in four years.

Jim: But you didn't meet on Sunday?

Bryce Taylor: No. Tuesday nights. Yeah.

Jim: You can't have church on a Tuesday night. That can't possibly work.

Bryce Taylor: Exactly.

Martha: Does God come on Tuesdays?

Bryce Taylor: He doesn't really have partiality. I think that's in James, but he, you know, he really blessed something that I think was sidelined. You know, like young adults felt sidelined. And so we kind of went with that, you know, and we said, Hey, welcome to The Living Room.

You know, when people would show up and we'd say like, relax, let's talk about whatever needs to be talked about. And people are coming from, from work. And we had in this area, what's unique is the you know, Amish Mennonites, that for the young people they were exploring, a lot of them exploring.

So we experienced, I would say a revival of sorts because people are exploring faith in a place they were comfortable being. And they [00:06:00] would come in their Amish garb and their, you know, whatever. It didn't matter because they were welcome. And so we would talk about the things that they wouldn't normally talk about in a large group setting.

So it wasn't threatening. And so that was intentional because we wanted to just break down those walls and that's what we trained in leaders. So before Living Room happened on a 7:00 PM on Tuesday night, we would do 6:00 PM leadership development.

And we would welcome in the ones, the hundred that would reach the rest. And we started with 10 that would reach the rest and we'd grow it to a hundred leaders. And the, the idea being that once we're done with the service we would create an environment or a living room sitting that they would relax and we served coffee. Can you believe it? At 8:00 PM at night. And they would just sit down and drink coffee.

And the leaders, the hundred leaders did this thing called the vitals throughout the room, around the room. They just walk around and go, so who, you know, who is God to you? And it opened up this great thing. And so people were coming to Jesus and it wasn't from the pastor. It was from the young adults, yeah. They were doing the ministry. [00:07:00]

Jim: So you, you come to a foreign country, you get trained up as a pastor, and all of a sudden you're living outside the box. You started a church service on a Tuesday night to young people who weren't going to church to have a conversation about the practical nature of connecting faith into their lives. Really whole life discipleship kind of stuff. And this was wildly successful. And then you needed a break. I mean, there's a sabbatical in there. You needed a break. I mean, I'm reading your bio. You needed a break, you took your family back home.

Bryce Taylor: Yep. That's kind of what came out of that was we can't be saying no to these ideas and adventures and we can't get stuck in a rut. And what came out of that was, are you in a rut? You know, are you stuck? Are you not thinking outside the box anymore when it comes to ministry? So we started rethinking, you know, what is it that we are doing, what is a ministry?

And we realized a lot of our ministry was coming out of our home, through hospitality, through relationships, through community. We were doing what I was teaching in The Living Room, the vitals, you know, we were doing that [00:08:00] outside of the ministry, maybe even more because I was in the leadership role now in our church.

I'd already raised up a young guy to take over The Living Room. Shannon Khan, who is an incredible leader, and he was running with it. And so I was pouring myself more into leadership stuff anyway. And so what was I doing? What was my leverage? What was my vantage point? How are we doing it as a family became even more important because I was no longer with the young adults.

I was no longer the guy preaching or leading those meetings. I had already raised up somebody else to do that. So as I took a back step, I realized, you know, it's so important that we're doing this. We've been preaching it, where are we doing it? And we realized we were doing it, but where was the intentionality? How are we doing it? And that was what came out of that was we wanna be more intentional.

Martha: So what changed? What did the Lord lead you to do next?

Bryce Taylor: Just to be more intentional. You know, what weeks are going by that somebody isn't in our home, receiving a meal with us? Are we breaking bread with people?

Jim: That'd be an experience for anybody going to a house with seven boys, that's for [00:09:00] sure. So the Lord has led you through a pathway that involved actually going to another church, but he led you here to Binkley and Hurst. As you're like COO, you're in charge of operations. I can't remember if it's VP of Operations. That's a big stretch from The Living Room. Well, what's it look like for you today?

Bryce Taylor: Well, it's, it's much of the same. People are people. People are people. And so I work with, you know, the operations, but it's leaders leading people. And so people coming to this company, they have gifts and talents and strengths, and they know how to do this better than I do, but much of the time they're looking for how do I prioritize what's needed? What strengths do I need to bring to the surface? And so what are we doing? And so I'm helping. I'm just asking questions. I'm really coaching and doing what I was doing before.

Martha: You almost took my next question cause I was gonna ask you, how did then your experience at The Living Room really help prepare you for, for what you're doing now at Binkley and Hurst?

Bryce Taylor: Well, it was a great set up. You know, I feel like [00:10:00] God's just been in that and leading me through this. I didn't know at the time but it was preparing me and that's often the case.

Martha: I was just gonna say, you know, I think our listeners need to hear that. I know, I need to hear that. Sometimes when you're learning maybe a really hard task or you're just in a place that you, you know, a lot of your giftings are being used or whatever, you're like, what are you doing, Lord? What's going on? And then you can look back and say, he was preparing me for this. How cool is that?

Jim: You've been listening to iWork4Him with your host, Jim and Martha Brangenberg. We're Christ followers. Our workplace, it's our mission field, but ultimately iWork4Him.

Outro: Thank you for listening to the iWork4Him PowerPod with your host, Jim and Martha Brangenberg. Want more? Hear the full broadcast@iworkforhim.com. Stay connected and receive power pack content when you sign up for our blog@iworkforhim.com or follow us on social media at iWork4Him.

And finally, if today's message inspired you, please subscribe, rate and review the show on your favorite podcast platform. Your review helps launch more workplace missionaries across the nation [00:11:00] that's at iWork4Him and online, iWork4Him.com.

3/28/23 - PowerPod: Hair and Haiti

Intro: [00:00:00] Welcome to the iWork4Him PowerPod. I'm Michael Miracle producer for iWork4Him, the voice of the faith and work movement. We are on mission to transform the workplace of every Christian into a mission field. Each quick listening PowerPod is designed with you in mind and jam packed with Kingdom resources to help you connect your faith and work.

How will this impact your workplace? Let's find out right now.

Jim: Every day we get on the air, we're always trying to capture stories that are amazing, that are moving everybody's heart. We wanna just capture what's God doing in the marketplace, what's God doing in the hearts and minds of Christ followers in their workplace?

And it is such an honor that we get to do this. And today's show is brought to you by a partnership that we've got between iWork4Him and the iWork4Him board member Mollie Yoder, and along with the Pocket Testament League.

The Pocket Testament League makes it easy for you and me to get the word of God into the hands of coworkers, employees, neighbors, and [00:01:00] friends. Check 'em out online. ptl.org. ptl.org. Mollie Yoder, you brought us here to Lynchburg, Virginia. What's going on? Why are we here?

Mollie Yoder: Yes. Well, I'm so excited for you to meet my friend Salem Hicks and hear what God's been doing in her life. She's got a pretty incredible story. Was called to really step into some broken places in Haiti, and now has been called back into the marketplace, still on the same mission. But just taking a little bit of a different approach to helping women who are walking out of prostitution in Haiti. So she's gonna get into it with us, and I know you are gonna just love spending some time with Salem.

Jim: Hair. Some have it on their heads and some don't. But all of us know how it shapes how we feel about ourselves. On so many shows, we highlight the stories of people working with papers and computers. But on today's show, we're gonna focus on the life of the hairstyle artist, who's also a business person. Who's also running a biznistry in [00:02:00] Haiti to women. So much to talk about and so little time.

Salem Hicks is the business owner of Bloom Studio in Lynchburg, Virginia. Salem's here to tell her story and the story of so many others. Salem Hicks, welcome to iWork4Him. When did you realize that you had a gift for bringing out the best in others through the work you do at Bloom Studio salon?

Salem Hicks: You know, I honestly, even when I was like really, really young, I really loved people. I always wanted to have friends, really relational and then always had this artistic side. So I can still remember the time that I was, you know, five, six years old coloring my Barbie's hair with markers and being like so into that.

I had no idea even what it would look like to be a hairdresser. You know, then when I was in high school, I had finished all of my classes and it was, you know, just, oh, there's this makeup class. You should sign up for it. So I did, having no idea. I signed up for Beauty School and then went to the interview and they're like, oh, you get a scholarship, here's this. You're gonna start beauty school.

So I really feel like the Lord knew from a very young age what he [00:03:00] would do with it now. So and then, you know, going through all of that, I recognize after graduating and being in a salon. Oh my gosh. Like this encompasses everything I love. Art, relationships you know, all of it. It's really, really, it's been a blast really.

Jim: But you've just recently started this biznistry, as we like to call it. You got a business that's a ministry that you call Bloom Studios. Just you've been open only three months.

Salem Hicks: Yes, three months now.

Jim: Yeah. I mean, that's a big step.

Salem Hicks: Yeah. You know, I've been doing hair for 13 years now.

Jim: You started at 12 or what?

Salem Hicks: Well, I'm 31 .

Jim: Oh my goodness. I would've guessed 25. So, okay.

Salem Hicks: Well thanks a bunch for that, but but yeah, no, I just, I kind of eventually knew I would start a salon. And then when God led me to Haiti, I really gave up that dream. And I really just felt like, you know, I don't know what God has for me, but this is, you know, a third world country is something I never wanted to end up in.

 And I mean, I had that calling and I'm like, there's no way you're gonna find me in a village. I'm gonna be in a salon. Right? And sure enough, here I am out of Haiti four years and being in a business and it's like, [00:04:00] wow. And the two worlds do come together in a interesting cool way.

Martha: So let's talk about that. Kind of bring us up to speed. How and why did God take you to Haiti and then how has that created where you're at today?

Salem Hicks: Yeah, so I was actually doing hair in the film industry a little bit and kind of running hair departments and just felt like I was supposed to go on a one week trip.

I'd previously gone through my own healing of you know, finally talking about some of the sexual abuse I'd experienced as a child and going through counseling and really being open about that. And went to Nicaragua and visited a ministry out there helping women get out of prostitution and dealing with you know, abuse and just really resonated, looking in their eyes and feeling that connection of like, you know, we've been hurt by this and how the enemy has polluted something God designed that's beautiful and just knowing that God can heal that.

And so now I talk about it freely. And so I had gone through that journey and then a one week trip that turned into a three to four month internship. And I left my entire clientele to do it. I just felt like God was like, [00:05:00] be obedient. Go do this internship.

I could not stop thinking about it. It was in Haiti. And then I got back to Haiti and someone asked if I would help lead a team into a brothel and minister to some of the women there since I'd had a little bit of experience. And I was passionate about helping women get out of it, right?

And so it was the first time that I even was introduced with prostitution in Haiti. I really didn't know what that even looked like. And that day when we were in the brothel, I shared my story of how God had healed me. And as we were praying for them, I specifically heard the words, this is what I made you for, Salem.

And I was so, I knew it wasn't me because I was so freaked out by it. I'm like, no, I'm stuck here. Like I'm stuck in Haiti. That was my first thought. But I went back to the ministry and I started researching, and at the time there was not one organization out of thousands in Haiti that were helping women who had been at risk, abused, trafficked in prostitution, or even highlighting the fact that one in three women in Haiti have been sexually abused.

that's huge. There [00:06:00] wasn't anybody focusing on that. And so I was like, well, I'll partner with somebody. Well, there's no one to partner with, so God, give me vision. Like what am I gonna do? And so he started giving me visions, dreams at night. Someone would speak into my life and just say something that made sense and he just, it was a really intimate time where God created this picture of what he wanted to do.

We had no roadmap. We didn't know what we were doing. We made a lot of mistakes. Sure. But you know, now there's a hundred women a week that come to our center and hear about who Jesus is or get English classes or mental health classes and get counseling and six women living in our residential housing, three toddlers and two babies.

And you know, a couple of them have cerebral palsy and are learning like God does have a plan for my life and you know, my life isn't over and I can do anything through Christ who strengthens me. And so, yeah, it's been a really, really cool thing to see God develop, I guess.

Martha: So that wasn't just for a time. I mean, God had you there for a time, but now you're back in the States. How is [00:07:00] that connection?

Salem Hicks: That's kind of a crazy story too, but I've, I lived there for about four years. Three to four years. And last July 2018 I was evacuated out after being caught in a riot. There's a lot of political unrest going on right now in Haiti and basically a civil war with two political parties, kind of having at it, and so I was grocery shopping for a teen coming in and got caught and almost lost my life, honestly. And was rescued by a friend who found me and led me to safety and was evacuated out really quickly afterwards.

I've been back four times since. Four to five times. But I saw as God removed me from that situation and removed me honestly from burnout I was getting to a place where I'm like, I don't even know if I can function as a healthy individual anymore, right? And I could see it, my family could see it.

So I came out really, forced myself to get into counseling for PTSD and all sorts of things that I was dealing with. And that kind of turned into, oh, my staff are killing it out there and this is Haitian run now. And [00:08:00] I never would've left them. I never would've pried my fingers off of the ministry had I not been evacuated out.

So God really used that to place me in a position of where I was best used, which is being their, the mouthpiece, the visionary, saying, Hey, this is what God is doing. Let me invite you into that.

Martha: And that's so important for our listeners to hear. Number one, that now, I mean, God had to create a situation to make you be removed so you could see what he was already doing and the fact that you have Haitian people ministering to Haitian people. I mean, that's a beautiful thing. And it's self-sustaining that way in the relationship.

Jim: What was the biggest thing you learned about God while you were sitting in Haiti, while you're working four years? Man, there's gotta be, I mean, something that you probably never would've learned sitting here in the states.

Salem Hicks: Hmm. That's hard, man.

Jim: Well so pick a couple things. I mean, because you got to see God in action in a way you probably have never seen him in action here.

Salem Hicks: I'm gonna try to keep it not emotional. I think I just like realized how intimate and real a [00:09:00] relationship with him was. There was no distractions. I heard him so clearly. I think that if people knew how intimate and how available he was at all times in some of my darkest moments. You know, Haiti's tough. I saw things I, I still can't unsee, you know, or unexperience. And God really carried me through that and there's nothing he can't carry us through.

I also think I really had a clear picture of what spiritual warfare looks like. And if you aren't being attacked, if you don't have stuff going on in your life, then you're probably not doing it right. That's just the clear, that's just it. I mean, if I went through stories of time and time again how the enemy tried to take something out, but God brought restoration and redemption through that and used it for his glory.

I mean, we'd be here for hours, but I think that we have a very real opposition and people don't recognize that here as much because it's not right in front of us all the time. We go through struggles, we have stuff happen. Instead of saying, Hey, this situation is the enemy trying to get dissension here. We think, [00:10:00] oh, well that person's, you know, they're a such and such, you know? That's not true. We have an enemy who is out to get us, and I think that the intensity of that is not as as big.

Martha: So, Salem Hicks, you are here in Lynchburg now with a studio, Bloom Studio. Explain what it is and how God is using that today.

Salem Hicks: Yeah. So moving back I kind of got to a place where, okay, I really wanna remove the ministry having to pay for my expenses and my travel and things. And so I've been doing it for so long. I started looking, okay, where can I do hair at a salon somewhere? And I just felt not at peace everywhere I turned. And so I found out through a friend that this space existed and I'm like, well, I'll just go check it out.

Same thing we did when we're in Haiti walking into what is now our residence. I'll go check it out and sure enough. You know, I came in and my dad was with me and we looked around and it was like, do you want to do this? And I'm like, I mean, I guess so. It just really fell in our lap and it just [00:11:00]really, it kind of happened.

And so three, four months later, however long later, we're in Bloom Studio and I really just wanted to help create a space that women could come and feel safe. They could feel like it was a refuge. They could feel as if, you know, they were being poured into, not just physically by how we take care of them, but also spiritually and emotionally.

Being able to talk about what's going on in their life. So that's kind of how Bloom Studio came to be.

Martha: Nice. And it's a beautiful space and I've taken some pictures and our listeners can look at those if they follow us on social media. So I wanna encourage our listeners to do that, just to get a feel for what you've really done here.

So let's talk about that for a minute. When you are with a client what do you and your other people that are working in here, what have you kind of given them permission to live out?

Salem Hicks: I mean you know, Casey, the girl that works with me here, she knows our vision and she believes in it too. And she believes in what we're doing with women in general. And our biggest thing is just taking care of people. And whether that looks like, you know, praying with somebody, whether that looks like [00:12:00] listening to how hard their day has been.

There's one specific friend that came in not too long ago. Was immediately in tears. And I'm like, what's going on? And her dad had just been sent to the hospital. And I'm like, well you can head out, you know? And she's like, no, there's nothing I can do. And so in that time where she was in distress, I was able to talk with her about her dad and how much she loved him and, you know, all these different things.

And really for me, it's like, wow. She felt safe enough to still be here. And we were able to pray for each other and I was able to share a little bit about what's going on in my life too, and that vulnerability, that exchange - two people are coming together and resonating and being real and transparent and honest.

That's what Bloom Studio is about. Women can bloom that way. You know, that's what we're designed to do, you know?

Martha: That's beautiful. And we often don't sit long enough other than when we're getting our hair done. Right?

Salem Hicks: Yeah.

Jim: Salem, you've got a business here that you, I mean, based on everything I read, you started this business to help support your ministry.

Salem Hicks: Yeah. Well, one, I think it's a great place because women come to salons and they connect [00:13:00] with other women. You know, it's really hard to sometimes just put out on social media, oh, this is what's going on, but this is a way for them. There is constant traffic coming in here. So raising awareness to what is going on is a huge thing there.

People come in here, they're gonna leave knowing about what New Life campaign is and what's going on in Haiti. And then we also sell products, then the profit goes into our ministry. And so we have products like BELJOY, which is a social enterprise in Haiti. They use it to create jobs for women, which is, you know, orphan prevention, prostitution prevention. That's really what we believe is gonna help turn this thing around.

Jim: You're listening to iWork4Him with your host, Jim and Martha Brangenberg. We're Christ followers. Our workplace is our mission field, but ultimately iWork4Him.

Outro: Thank you for listening to the iWork4Him PowerPod with your host, Jim and Martha Brangenberg. Want more? Hear the full broadcast@iworkforhim.com. Stay connected and receive power packed content when you sign up for our blog@iworkforhim.com. Or follow us on social media at [00:14:00] iWork for.

And finally, if today's message inspired you, please subscribe, rate, and review the show on your favorite podcast platform. Your review helps launch more workplace missionaries across the nation that's at iWork4Him and online, iWork4Him.com.

3/21/23 - PowerPod: The Number One Tool for Work

Intro: [00:00:00] Welcome to the iWork4Him PowerPod. I'm Michael Miracle producer for iWork4Him, the voice of the faith and work movement. We are on mission to transform the workplace of every Christian into a mission field. Each quick listening PowerPod is designed with you in mind and jam packed with Kingdom resources to help you connect your faith and work.

How will this impact your work? Let's find out right now.

Jim: Today we're gonna be talking with Amelia Nizynski. She chooses all the really cool products that Dayspring sells outside of greeting cards. Amelia's involved in the things you to put on your desk or the things you put on your wall, you put in your wallet or you put in your purse, or you put on in your car.

She gets to choose those things and we're gonna hear from her about those. What she won't tell us what her favorite is, but she will tell us because she said that it's like...

Amelia Nizynski: Well , it's like saying, which is your favorite child.

Jim: Right? She's got 700 favorite children, but she's gonna let us know what, what she thinks might be one of the [00:01:00] most effective ones for your cubicle. In case you happen to work in a cubicle. But we also ask her a difficult question about obedience. She says that she's got a struggle with certain types of obedience. And I mean, Amelia, when you get to see the video and you hear from her, you're like, how could she be struggling with obedience?

Martha: Well, I think it's just a really good little sneak peek into realizing that we all have things that God still wants to work on us with. And really that comes from Amelia's time. She said she spends every day in the word, and then she also surrounds herself with the word. And that's really that connection between her personal walk with the Lord and then the DaySpring products and the resources that you can surround yourself with to help remind you to what you might have been reading.

Jim: Here to talk about Christian consumer package goods, I know she didn't really wanna say that, but the really cool stuff that you get to buy that has scripture on it, that's on your walls, it's in your purse. Not my purse, but maybe your briefcase. Your backpack, on your desk, in your [00:02:00] car, is Amelia Nizynski. She's the product marketing business leader at DaySpring in Siloam Springs, where we are today. And we're so grateful. Welcome to iWork4Him. Let's just talk about your faith and work experience.

At what point in time in your life, Amelia, did you realize that your faith and your work were supposed to be intricately connected?

Amelia Nizynski: That's a really great question. I have had the privilege for my whole professional career to work in business and started off right after college with lifeway Christian Resources.

At that time it was a Baptist bookstore. And did that for several years. Moved around several times and was a buyer for them, store manager for them. And then went into a company where I started doing product development and worked there at Lighthouse Christian Products for many years.

And then DaySpring. So, my faith in my work has always been together. I grew up in a family with one parent who was in ministry work and another parent who really lived out what Christ's hands and [00:03:00] feet. My mother was a nurse. And the way that she dealt with patients and the way that she dealt with the employees that worked for her just was a beautiful example of what it means to be a servant.

Very much a great example of a servant leader. So I've just grown up in an environment of what you do and who you are, it's all a total one person. There's no separation.

Martha: I want you to share with our listeners because I think it adds a whole nother level of purpose behind for people to understand why would it be better to buy a cutting board that has a scripture on it then a plain, you know, is the color of my kitchen table and things like that. So talk about that.

Amelia Nizynski: No, absolutely. I love in the Old Testament, when you look, Moses tells the people all the time, or God through Moses tells the people. Remember. Remember. Remember. I'm the God who took you out of Egypt. Remember, I'm the God who parted the sea. Remember who I am. And it's just such a great reminder that our memory leaks . Yes. And what God has done for [00:04:00] us in the past and who he is. We forget it and we need those reminders.

And what I love about what I get to do and my team does cuz I work with an amazing team of people, is we create products that live with us. And so whether it is a coffee mug with truth on it, whether it's a piece of wall decor, whether it's a tote bag you take with you whether it's a piece of plush for a child, whether it's a pill box you're able to keep in your purse. It's little pieces of truth, little reminders of who God is or who you are in Christ that get to go with you and that you get to see daily you know. My first experience with DaySpring was about 25 years ago when I started managing the stores for lifeway.

And I had a card on my desk that said, just think you're not here by chance. But by God's choosing for this purpose. And it goes on, it's beautiful words, but that's been a piece that's sat on my desk for 25 years and when days are hard and they are. And everybody's work environment is difficult and we all have different challenges. That was a great reminder for me that you know what, no matter what the challenge [00:05:00] is, God has you exactly where he wants you at this exact moment, and he's already equipped you to do what he needs you to do.

Martha: It's impactful. And that poem, that idea has carried on throughout DaySpring even to today.

Amelia Nizynski: No, absolutely. And to go back to what we were talking about before just a little bit is, you know, memory leaks. Yeah. And the biggest challenges in my life have been when I've forgotten who God is or who I am in Christ. And when I forget those two things, I make really bad decisions. Cuz I think either I'm not enough or he's not gonna show up this time or something is somehow different.

And that's the great thing about the God we serve, is he's the same - today, yesterday, forever. And the great news about who I am in Christ is that I can be a conqueror. I can be an overcomer. I'm complete. I'm enough. I'm forgiven. I'm loved, I'm chosen. If we can remember all of those messages about who we are and who he is, the way we approach life [00:06:00] and are able to attack the things that come our way is completely different than if I live in, if I live in something that's not true.

Jim: I mean, you're talking about stuff. Christian consumer packaged goods. How do you choose the goods? How do you know that if I buy this, this is gonna touch somebody's life? If I build this, make this, put this, sell this. I mean, how do you know?

Amelia Nizynski: Well, that's it, we don't know. I was gonna say, we don't know. I think we spend a lot of time, number one, I would tell you we always start off with a consumer. What, what does she need? And so it's coming up ministry appreciation is right on us right now. And so as we look at pastors and we do research and we learn what do pastors really need?

Well, they do need encouragement. A lot of times they feel alone. You learn about pastors wives, and we know those kinds of needs. And then we really do, we've got a wonderful creative team with designers and with editorial. I think you spoke with Matt and and Aaron earlier this week that we sit down and we brainstorm and we, you know, our number one strategy is prayer. And we pray. We look at consumer research, [00:07:00] we really look at needs, and then we look at trends and say, you know, what's relevant and what's really gonna speak to that? Because you know what, we can have truth of God's word and that power and still have it look beautiful.

 And so we put all of that together to actually create something. So whether that is, pastor appreciation. We know most ministers will sit down with a nice good cup of coffee as they work on sermon preparations. Well, what's better than a mug that says Faithful Servant and has Hebrews on it that talks about how God will not forget all the good things that you've done?

How wonderful and a tough day to look down on that and go, you know what? That's great. I don't feel like anybody else knows me right now, but God knows what I've done. And he knows the work and what a great encouragement for somebody in that position. And so that's really what it is. It's a lot of prayer and it's a lot of working together to say what's the need and how do we marry God's truth with trend with the format that's gonna speak to that person, depending on what that need is?

Jim: What is the one that you like the most? That it's being received [00:08:00] just super well out there in the market?

Amelia Nizynski: That is a hard, hard question. I mean, we really do have a wide assortment of products.

Jim: How many products do you guys have?

Amelia Nizynski: Over. between Mary and, Martha, which is the home party channel that we do things in DaySpring.com, all across it, we probably have about 700 active items, so you can't just pick one. It's hard to pick one, but I'll tell you some favorites.

Jim: I just figured out a way to refine it. Picture the perfect thing for somebody working in a cubicle, that would be a phenomenal way for them to start up a conversation with somebody and they're not in their cubicle. Somebody walks in, knocks on their cubicle door. What's the perfect product from DaySpring to prompt that conversation?

Amelia Nizynski: Well, there's one thing that I am excited about and what's exciting is also they are small. It's a small glass plaque and has a look and feel of kind of mid-century mod, very similar to what you see on Chip and Joanna Gaines now. With the kind of refined farmhouse. And what we did with those are beautiful.

So there's four different ones. One is called [00:09:00] Made to Shine. There's perfect Peace. The Made to Shine is probably my favorite. And then when you look at it, it says, made to shine on the front. And then if you look at the behind, it looks like a texture, but it's actually words that are written out in a hand script that says just a really personal message from God that you know, that I made you as one of a kind.

And it goes on and on and on. And so what we did with that is we found some of our customers, they like to have, some people like to have A bold message. You know, they wear the Christian t-shirt that says, you know, with the cross in the nails and, you know, one cross, three nails forgiven.

And they want that kind of message. And then other people want a softer message. And that's just a beautiful, where you have that message of made to shine and then you have that deeper message and it goes deeper. Part of what excites me about that is that biblical truth, those are actually gonna be on QVC come this fall in a couple weeks. And just the fact that all those eyeballs are going to be able to, to interact with God's. See his messages of truth is really exciting.

Jim: You said off the air that you struggle with obedience sometimes and everybody says [00:10:00]like this, Amelia Nizynski. You see, she just sounds so sweet. How could you struggle with obedience? Tell us about how do you deal with becoming more and more refined like Christ as you get to do one of the coolest jobs in the country?

Amelia Nizynski: Well, that's a really good question. I think as we walk with the Lord and as we, you know, we get some of those big churchy words like sanctification, I think God is very gentle to us. And I heard someone say one time that, you know, if we thought of our hearts as like the basement where we put all our junk, he doesn't ever just flip on the light and we see everything at one time and go, oh my gosh, this is so overwhelming. How am I ever gonna deal with this?

He just shines a little light on places. And that's really the kind of work that God's been doing in my life lately. He has been shining the light on small places. So as I read things - this morning I was reading the beatitudes and you get to a place and it talks about unforgiveness.

Hmm. And Jesus ups the ante on those things. Like, you know, the law says this, but I'm gonna tell you, you need to, it's even bigger. It's even more important. It needs to go even deeper. It's not keeping the letter of the law, it's keeping the [00:11:00] spirit of the law, understanding your real heart condition.

And that's a place where he has been continuing to refine me. With Amelia, no, it's not okay if you just check off these things and say, you've got the big 10, let's go deeper. And that's been the place where he's really keeps on putting that flashlight.

You have been listening to iWork4Him. With your host, Jim and Martha Brangenberg. We're Christ followers. Our workplace. It's our mission field, but ultimately iWork4Him.

Outro: Thank you for listening to the iWork4Him PowerPod with your host, Jim and Martha Brangenberg. Want more? Hear the full broadcast@iworkforhim.com. Stay connected and receive power packed content. When you sign up for our blog@iworkforhim.com or follow us on social media at iWork4Him.

And finally, if today's message inspired you, please subscribe, rate and review the show on your favorite podcast platform. Your review helps launch more workplace missionaries across the nation that's at [00:12:00] iWork4Him and online work for him.com.

3/14/23 - PowerPod: Never Say Never

Intro: [00:00:00] Welcome to the iWork4Him PowerPod. I'm Michael Miracle producer for iWork4Him, the voice of the faith and work movement. We are on mission to transform the workplace of every Christian into a mission field. Each quick listening PowerPod is designed with you in mind and jam packed with Kingdom resources to help you connect your faith and work.

How will this impact your work? Let's find out right now.

Jim: You've tuned into the Voice of the Faith and Work Movement, and we are your hosts, Jim and Martha Brangenberg. So glad to be broadcasting you from Siloam Springs, Arkansas at the National headquarters for DaySpring.

Martha: That's exactly right. And listeners, if you have not gone to dayspring.com, any time ever in your life, or not recently, I encourage you to check it out because they are constantly coming out with what they call resources that - whether it be cards, gifts, home decor, whatever it might be to help you really with what, however you wanna share the scripture, Jim.

It could be a greeting card. It could be a sympathy card. It could [00:01:00] be something for somebody that's something on the wall. Could be, there's home decor, there's pillows. Oh my goodness. There's so much stuff, and I won't go down that, but dayspring.com is a great resource for people and I just want them to get re familiar with it and really utilize it because they make great stuff with great messages.

Jim: So one of the things we're getting to do while we're here is meet a whole bunch of really neat people. And today we're gonna be talking with Dawn Stanford. She's the business development manager here at DaySpring. She works with a lot of the national accounts like Hobby Lobby and Mardell Books and Barnes and Noble and some of these other great places. What was the other one? Altered State. Books a Million. Yep.

But she's got a story to tell about change, about career change. And she says, I'd really like to be able to share this story with your audience. But just so you know, as we've gotten to know Dawn, she's also a control freak.

So we're gonna talk a little bit about control freakness , because that was something, and also she talked about this thing called Never say Never, never Say Never. Because she got into trouble with the Lord several times saying, I'm [00:02:00] never gonna do this. And we all know what happens when we tell the Lord never. That is exactly where you're going next.

Martha: So listeners, I think you'll really relate to Dawn's story as we get a chance to kind of unfold it for you on the air today, and we hope that you'll really take away something great.

Jim: Well, yeah, I mean, if you're thinking about career change or if you're thinking about just job change or maybe change within your own company. Maybe you're really trying to figure out how do I get over being a control freak? I mean, all of those things we're gonna be dealing with here.

I'm gonna have to listen to today's show. As one control freak to another. It's another one. So again, we're talking with Dawn Stanford. She's the business development manager at DaySpring in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, and she's got a story to tell. Dawn, welcome to iWork4Him.

Martha: In the context of talking about career change, it can be scary for a lot of people. And you had worked for a direct sales company for 13 years and then made a change. Why did you do that? Why'd you make a change?

Dawn Stanford: Well, I would say it [00:03:00] kind of started with a stirring that was in my heart the summer of 2012, probably about nine, 10 months before I even started here at DaySpring.

I took a personal prayer retreat, which is a spiritual practice that I have been doing for the last several years, where I do that about once or twice a year. And during a prayer retreat, I basically go and with my Bible, a journal and an open haert and mind, and I have no agenda, and I literally go anywhere from four hours to 24 hours.

The most I've ever done was like two days, but I'm very extroverted, so I kind of need people. Anyway, so me and God, my Bible, and my journal, and just an open heart. And so I do that a couple times a year. And during that particular prayer retreat, summer of 2012, the Lord just really led me to listen to him.

And said, Dawn, what I want you to do is have your knees bowed, hands and heart open, and every single day I want you to come before me and I want you to literally kneel before me with your hands and heart open and [00:04:00] just listen. Truly, just listen. And that season I was still working my Mary Kay business and in fact I was in a really great season of my business.

I was getting close to earning one of the esteemed cars that we have and things were great. Cuz I'd come off of some seasons a few years back that were not good. There's ebbs and flows. And so I was in a really great season being mentored by someone and I'm just like, I can't see myself doing anything else.

And God just kept speaking to me with different things. And one of the songs that was really impactful to me was Toby Mac's song Steal My Show. And there's a line in the song. And in direct sales business, when you're the leader, you're the director, you're the top dog, girl, whatever, you're leading and you're up front. And the Lord had said to me, Dawn, I want you to lead from the back of the room. I want you to elevate others, give them more responsibility. And so there was a stirring and turning in my [00:05:00] heart of letting others take more of a precedence and just be humbling myself and letting them be led that way.

And so this song and this one certain line, it's at the very end of the song. It says, my life, my dreams, my family, my career. It's yours, Lord, it's you I wanna live for. And I remember thinking. God, I've given you my business. I've lived for you. Yes, it's you and I want you to steal my show and it's yours, but you would never have me let go of my business or do anything different, right?

Certainly not. Cuz I always really saw my business as a tool of ministry. In fact, before I had started my business I was a youth minister full-time on staff at a church for five and a half years. And so when I was led into business, it was kind of like, Ooh, wow, this is really different.

But I just knew it was a tool of ministry and just my heart started being really open and it was kinda like that never say never. And so then in February of 2013 I heard about this opening at [00:06:00]DaySpring for field development manager in Mary & Martha, which is DaySprings Direct Sales company.

Awesome, awesome company. And my husband, Rodney, he also works here at DaySpring and he's the corporate recruiter. And he had sent me a little email saying, Hey, do you know anybody in the direct sales community who might be interested in, you know, coming on board here at DaySpring? And I read the job description and I was like, oh, you know, I'll think about it.

You know, I had a few friends that I thought might be looking for a transition, but I'm happy doing what I'm doing. It's not, not on my radar but, Hmm. Sounds just like me. That's kind of funny. Just tossed it away. Didn't really even think about it. About two, three weeks later, I was away actually for my grandmother's funeral.

And you know how sometimes it is, you get away from all the other things and distractions of life and you can actually think clearly. And the whole time I was there, I just kept thinking about that job and I got thinking about that job and I was like, what are you doing, God? is this a temptation from all my goals and dreams in my [00:07:00] business?

Or is this your providence? And are you moving? And I was like, oh my goodness, I need to pray about this. Rodney said to me, Dawn, you need to call Kim Marquette. Why don't you have an off the radar conversation with her? And you're actually gonna get to speak with Kim Marquette too . So I called her up and I said, Hey, I might be interested in this position. What can you tell me about it?

And then she told me a little bit. It was about mentoring, coaching, and doing leadership training for the field. And so I said, well, you know what? I'm gonna take a personal prayer retreat. I'm gonna go on another prayer retreat. I wanna seek the Lord. And she said, what I want you to do is I challenge you to ask God, Lord, are you at work at DaySpring and are you asking me to join you there?

And so I said, okay. Good words. So I went and God led me to the scripture in Isaiah 43: 18 and 19. It says, remember not the former things nor consider [00:08:00] the things of old. Behold I'm doing a new thing now that springs forth, do you not perceive it? And so of course I'm like, oh, well yeah, it sounds like you're doing something new, but is this it?

And so but it gave me a real peace and just a permission to take the next step. it's okay to have a conversation. I could say no to them. I might not want it as, as I get more into it. And then had the interview and kind of the rest is history. But I will tell you a really cool thing on the day I went in for my interview, and you can go down the hall and check it out later on.

Down there in the Mary & Martha Wall, on the wall is the verse Isaiah 43: 19. Behold I'm doing a new thing. And I remember seeing that on the wall and just saying, oh my gosh, God, it's clear that you are moving and doing something new here. I was like, if they don't hire me, they're out of the will of God. You know, it was like I knew that I knew.[00:09:00]

Jim: Dawn, the control freak thing. How have you dealt with being a control freak and a follower of Jesus? Because that's a challenge.

Dawn Stanford: Mm-hmm, it really is. Well, when I look at scripture and what I've learned about how did Jesus model his life, I think about Philippians 2, where Jesus humbled himself taking on the form of a servant and that our Christian life is counter-cultural. It's not the way of business upward mobility. It's actually downward mobility. And the more and more I think about that, it's about living my life a surrendered life. And not of how, what can I get out of it, but what can I give to others?

And so as I was talking before about the never say never and how I tried the Earl Gray Green Tea, and I love it now is why do we say, oh, I would never do that? I would never go to Africa, or I would never work for another company. [00:10:00] Well, why not? If God is calling you to that, why not?

So once I was here at DaySpring, I was here for about three and a half years and God started to do another stirring in my heart. And there's a book that I love. I've used it through, actually since my youth ministry years and even when I had my own business, was John Maxwell's 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership.

And one of the laws is the Law of the Lid. And the law of the lid talks about if you put a lid on yourself or someone else puts a lid on yourself, you can't grow anymore. And it's like we almost hit a plateau. It could be a self-imposed lid, or it could be literally somebody else's squashing you down maybe for a variety of reasons.

And I realized there was a little bit of self-imposed and there was some other circumstances going on that there was that lid and I just thought, am I open to something different? And there became an opening here at [00:11:00] DaySpring in retail sales. Well, I had not been in retail sales. This is big business.

This is working with the big companies and representing on the national account level. But I was like, you know what? I wanna try it. I want to go for it. And so, again, a lot of prayer. And just taking a risk. And that puts me back to another book that really has had an impact, and that's Brene Brown's book, Daring Greatly.

And in it, the whole book is based around Theodore Roosevelt's quote about Daring Greatly. And that book of having courage to be vulnerable in a world where everyone wants to appear strong, confident, and like they know what they're doing. And I knew moving over to another area, I wouldn't necessarily know that, but would I be willing to dare greatly?

And the things that we miss out on when we don't try for something, if we don't go for something. And it's not that we're necessarily out of God's will. That was another thing on one of those prayer retreats. I was driving along and I saw all these hills and God just spoke to my heart and he was like, [00:12:00] I'm on this hill, but guess what? I'm over there on that hill too.

And sometimes he gives us a choice. He gives us a choice. So some of you out there listening today, God may be giving you a choice. And never say never Go for it. Ask the Lord, what is it that he wants for you? And have an open heart. Knees bowed, hands and heart open.

Jim: You've been listening to iWork4Him with your host, Jim and Martha Brangenberg. We're Christ followers. Our work place, it's our mission field, but ultimately iWork4Him.

Outro: Thank you for listening to the iWork4Him PowerPod with your host, Jim and Martha Brangenberg. Want more? Hear the full broadcast@iWork4Him.com.com. Stay connected and receive power packed content when you sign up for our blog@iWork4Him.com.com. Or follow us on social media at iWork4Him.

And finally, if today's message inspired you, please subscribe, rate, and review the show on your favorite podcast platform. Your review helps launch more workplace [00:13:00] missionaries across the nation that's at iWork4Him and online, iWork4Him.com.

3/7/23 - PowerPod: Making Jesus Visible at Work

Outro: [00:00:00] Welcome to the iWork4Him Power Pod. I'm Michael Miracle producer for iWork4Him, the voice of the faith and work movement. We are on mission to transform the workplace of every Christian into a mission field. Each quick listening power pod is designed with you in mind and jam packed with Kingdom resources to help you connect your faith and work. How will this impact your work? Let's find out right now.

Jim: Many of you, including us, have gone on short-term mission trips. We prep, we fundraise, we pay huge sums of money to go overseas and see our life changed. The problem is that we go and minister to people that we may never see again. We come away changed, but all those left behind at our workplaces, how does our trip away impact them?

They may notice a change in our hearts when we return, but what if we spent that much time preparing our daily mission field at work? I mean, really we're surrounded by people who don't know Jesus. How do we prepare our hearts to treat our daily workplace like [00:01:00] the incredible mission field that it is?

You know, I've been known to say that your workplace, it's your mission field, and in that mission field, you and me, we may be the only Jesus, our coworkers, our employees, may ever meet. That job that you hold and the work that you do and the people that you work with - none of that is by chance. The people that you work with, they need to meet Jesus and you may be their only chance.

So we decided to partner with Mike Henry from Follower of One, and January is the iWork4Him Marketplace Missions trip. Mike Henry, January 2020 is finally here. We've been talking about this for months. We leave on our trip in two weeks. We gotta get started. How do we get prepping for this? What, what's the whole idea? Where'd this whole idea of a marketplace mission trip to our own workplace. Where'd it come from? .

Mike Henry: Thanks, Jim. Years ago I was having a conversation. I was just frustrated at work. I was trying to figure out how to live my faith at work, and my church didn't have a good answer. I had lunch with a pastor and he said, I asked him, I said, how can I help you?

And he said, you know, we really need people to go on this upcoming [00:02:00] Mexico mission trip. Because when people go on a mission trip, that's when they get it. They come back fired up and they're ready to go. And I said, well, I'm driving 30 miles a day to work and I feel like I already get it. How is that not a mission trip?

Jim: Wow. Those are some powerful words. How did he respond?

Mike Henry: Well, I don't even remember. In fact, he and I have since met, that was almost a decade later when I was talking with another friend and telling him that story. And he said, Mike, why don't you just do a virtual mission trip? And as you and Ive spoken before. It's not really a virtual mission trip, but I love the idea of engaging everyone and going on a mission trip to their own workplace.

Jim: Yeah, it's a real mission trip and you guys can join us on that mission trip. iWork4Him.com/events. Get signed up for the mission trip as we leave in two weeks. But you're leaving and you're preparing to go to work in your mission field. It's not a virtual trip. It's a real trip each and every day. So excited about all of this stuff that's going on.

Martha: That's right. So listeners, I just wanna make sure that you know that you're gonna go to [00:03:00] iWork4Him.com/ events to find out the information to link to this actual marketplace missions trip that we're gonna talk about here today.

So, Mike, you set the stage a little bit talking about your struggle with missions trip and what to do. Why is a marketplace missions trip mindset critical for a Jesus follower to have at their work?

Mike Henry: Well, we, we live in this world that acts like it doesn't need God. And so for most of us in our workplaces, God's not part of the everyone else's interactions. It's not part of how decisions are made. The relationship with God is not guiding necessarily the businesses that you're in or the people that you work with and the choices they make.

When we take that mindset with God into our workplace, we find ourselves serving others more and giving away more of ourselves, and we make Jesus visible, but we have to do something to build that mindset because [00:04:00] the world that we're in is hostile to it .

Jim: So how will going on the iWork4Him marketplace mission trip shift that work paradigm, shift that missions field paradigm of the workplace believer?

Mike Henry: Well, we kind, we came up with these kind of five daily activities that we believe help everyone kind of program themselves for this more. We pray. We begin every day with prayer. Starting with, here I am, God put me to work. Then we appreciate people. . It's the second thing we do every day. We know what we believe. The fourth thing is serve others. And the fifth thing is speak for ourselves.

And using these five daily activities and trying to build a habit of using those one a day, taking part in our regular workplace, but letting God drive us, it helps us shift our paradigm a little bit. God transforms our mind the minute we pray and put ourselves on his clock, then the rest of this becomes his job.

Martha: Hmm. [00:05:00] So, do you have a a testimonial for us?

Mike Henry: Yeah. We have a couple of people calling in. The first one is Jonathan Hines. Jonathan's actually the friend that I was speaking to who gave me the idea of doing the virtual mission trip. Jonathan and I have known each other for a few years, and he does marriage counseling. He's also been in sales and he's been a partner with me as we started this and been on a couple of the mission trips.

Jim: Well, welcome Jonathan Hines to iWork4Him. Why did you choose, Jonathan Hines - why did you choose to go on a marketplace mission trip?

Jonathan Hines: Awesome. Great question. So Mike Henry one of my friends, he was starting this, this thing and he asked me to be a part of this workplace mission trip and I was like, okay, you know, I'll check it out. And that's kind of where basically - cuz Mike asked me. The simple thing is just someone asking.

Martha: Well, you know what? And that's such a great point because a lot of times that's all it takes to maybe [00:06:00] change your perspective on something for life. So as you went on the marketplace missions trip, what did you find to be the most challenging about preparing for it?

Jonathan Hines: Another great question. So since I have a, you know, I'm a dad, I'm a husband. . I'm a business owner. Kids, I mean, time preparing for that. I mean, just setting in time just to pray was the hardest part. I mean, like, you know, I normally pray, but setting a special time just for that, I think is the hardest because of all the irons in the fire.

Martha: Mm-hmm. But yet you didn't have to pack a bag, you didn't have to get a passport. You didn't have to raise money. Right? So that actually opened the door for you to be able to, to go.

Jonathan Hines: Exactly. So what I did is I found a little time extra in the morning to pray. And so, I mean, it really wasn't that challenging. I mean the word challenge. I think that there's no challenge. I mean just the praying part, if that makes sense.

Jim: When you decided to go on this marketplace missions trip, what were you looking to see changed in your life and your work? [00:07:00]

Jonathan Hines: Well, you know, I didn't think about it at the time. I was thinking about, well, how can I help other people? I mean, and since, how can I spread the word of, of Jesus?

That's kind of what I was thinking. But it's kind of turned out that it kind of changed me in the way that I see my workplace as a mission. But to see how many people out there don't know Jesus, don't even have faith. I think that was, for me, that changed my life.

Martha: For sure. So what kind of work do you do, just so we kind of have a perspective of what your workplace might be?

Jonathan Hines: Sure. So I actually run a marriage coaching I guess business. So I basically I coach married couples. That's all I do.

Martha: How did going on the missions trip, the marketplace missions trip, impact your view of your workplace, like how you look at it every day?

Jonathan Hines: So, you know, I mean, since I share office with other people around me, and there are other business owners as well, it's kind of different for me. Because you know, when I walk by their door, I can like, okay, I'm gonna pray for them, you know? [00:08:00] And too, people that I thought are Christians, aren't Christians, . And you know, when you assume something, I mean, you kinda, everyone knows what that analogy is.

But I think when you, when you assume someone's a Christian and you don't really know... You know, I had a conversation with a guy that thought he was a Christian, but he wasn't a Christian. He didn't believe in God. And in many ways we started that conversation, that dialogue, we still talk today. It's really cool. I mean, I think God is using the marketplace mission to reach you for Jesus in the workplace.

Jim: So as you started to pray for those people that you're working alongside each and every day and also the interactions with your clients. I mean, you've got clients that you're touching. Customers, you're touching. Vendors, you're touching, You know, they're not coworkers, but they're, they're cohabitants in your office workplace. You've started to see a ministry develop, haven't you? .

Jonathan Hines: Yep. Yes sir. And I think it, what it goes back to, and this is just what I do, it's bigger than me. This ministry, it's, it's bigger than me. Cuz you got the [00:09:00] marriage ministry and you also, you got, you know, the actual Jesus ministry of, you know, the gospel.

Martha: Right. So Jonathan, speak to our listeners just real quickly. I'm encouraging them to participate in the Marketplace missions trip that we have coming up in just a couple of weeks.

Jonathan Hines: So the simplest thing is I've actually tried to talk to people about it and they're like, well, this is kind of confusing, or they don't understand it , but it's real simple. The simplest thing you can do is go to the website and just put your email in. And then get emails. That's the first step. I mean, if I was gonna encourage anybody, but that's so easy, and once you do it, you're gonna love it.

Jim: Hey, go out to the website, iWork4Him.com/events. Get signed up for the iWork4Him Marketplace missions trip. It's an amazing thing coming up here this month. Hey, thanks Jonathan, for sharing everything on your heart. Mike, do you have any more testimonials for us?

Mike Henry: So I have one other person that's joined us, that's Jessica Fletcher. Jessica works for the suburb that we're in, and she's my [00:10:00] daughter, but she's been involved in several of the mission trips and she's listened to me complaining about this for a number of years, so she has an interesting perspective on it as well.

Jim: Well, Jessica Fletcher, welcome to iWork4Him. Why did you choose to go on a marketplace mission trip?

Jessica Fletcher: Well, so I'm 35 and I was leading a Bible study at the time and one of the things that we talk about in my age group is where our biggest challenge with being a Christian lies, and that's in the workplace.

Most people my age with families and even without families, struggle with being able to talk about their faith at work or even display Christ at work. So that's why the Mission trip was so important for me.

Martha: So tell us about the preparing to go on the marketplace missions trip. What did you find to be the most challenging about the, you know, preparing to go?

Jessica Fletcher: It's changing your mindset. We don't think about work as a mission field in general. Like most people [00:11:00] get up every day and they go to work cuz it's just what they do. To have a purpose when you go to work and to go to work with the idea that I'm not gaining anything from this today. Today I'm serving, I'm serving others, and I'm serving God.

Getting your mind kind of wrapped around that and out of your normal and, and living every moment with intent is a challenge. And so that's the hardest part for preparation for me, is getting my mind kind of wrapped around, okay, this next week it's very important that I'm intent with every moment of every day that I'm at work.

Jim: So Jessica, what were you hoping to see changed in your life by going on a marketplace mission trip?

Jessica Fletcher: The attitude in my workplace, it's overall kind of negative and so I was hoping that God would be able to use me to kind of change that sort of outlook. The attitude of kind of instill some [00:12:00] positivity in such a dark place.

Jim: So what kind of work do you do? Don't throw the company under the bus, but what kind of work do you do?

Jessica Fletcher: I work in 9 1 1, I work emergency services.

Jim: Wow. So there's no pressure there. No intensity there at all. Wow.

Jessica Fletcher: Right? And we get, you know, in our job, we deal with all the time is people who need help and they're dealing with really bad stuff in their life. And it's hard not to let that impact you as a person. And so negativity is kind of rampant in our industry. And so, Why the mission trip was so important for me is I was hoping to be able to bring just sort of a light into our dark room.

Jim: You said right before the break that you work in a 911 call center. Wow. Where there's like pressure all the time and you really wanted to make an impact on attitudes because, I mean... just explain what is it like to work in a 911 call center? I mean, you've got people calling. They're in trouble all the time. How do you even have time to have conversations with your colleagues?

Jessica Fletcher: In between [00:13:00] calls, you get really good at pausing and holding onto a thought for long periods of time. I am a night shift supervisor, so we actually have some downtime. And one of the most important things that this mission trip has helped me realize is that it's so invaluable to be a part of your people's lives, to actually carve out time to go to your employees or the people you work with and say, Hey, how are you doing? Like on a personal level.

I know that we don't, in our industry, push talking about our personal lives because we're constantly dealing with the negativity that's coming into the department. So to talk about your own, it's kind of like, pouring salt in an open wound. Well, it's very important that for their mental wellbeing, their health and their happiness, that we are taking time to say, Hey, are you okay?

Even if it is job related. You took a really rough call yesterday. Are you doing all right? Or, Hey, how's your home life? In our industry, our home lives suffer quite a bit. And so it's really, really important. And this [00:14:00] missions trip helps me stay focused on that, that these people need my time, to be there and be prepared for them whenever they need it, just to be an ear or even cry with them, or laugh with them, or joke or do something that is about them and not about the job.

Jim: And I gotta ask you this question. You went on this trip, okay? You've changed, you've shifted your paradigm. How has it impacted your workplace? 10 seconds.

Jessica Fletcher: Okay, so it's actually helped create more positivity, more camaraderie amongst the people that I work with.

Jim: You've been listening to iWork4Him with your host, Jim and Martha Brangenberg. We're Christ followers. Our workplace. It's our mission field, but ultimately iWork4Him!

Outro: Thank you for listening to the iWork4Him Power pod with your host, Jim and Martha Brangenberg. Want more? Hear the full broadcast at iWork4Him.com. Stay connected and receive power packed content when you sign up for our blog at iWork4Him.com or follow us on social media @ iWork4Him.

And finally, if today's message inspired you, please subscribe, rate and review the show on your favorite podcast platform. Your review helps launch [00:15:00] more workplace missionaries across the nation. That's @ iWork4Him and online iWork4Him.com.