Trusting God in Chronic Pain - Grant Hoffecker
Making It Work: God and Your Work
Release Date: 06/05/2023
The Gospel & Authentic Storytelling - Marcus Goodyear
Making It Work: God and Your Work
As humans, we are the stewards of story. The stories we tell apply meaning to our own lives and to the lives of those around us. Stories can move people to tears, to joy, and even towards change. So those with the privilege to communicate stories to an audience have a special responsibility. Storytelling, particularly telling other people's stories, requires great care and integrity. Today we're talking with someone whose job is telling stories. Our guest is Marcus Goodyear, Senior Director of Communications at the Howard E. Butt Foundation. He is also the Managing Editor of Echoes Magazine, a...
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Rehumanizing Athletes: God Between the Lines in Sports
Making It Work: God and Your Work
We talk with guest Reverend Dr. Gary Green about the theology of sports as a spiritual experience, the use of the term beast to describe black male athletes, and the places in the Bible where we see God interrupting the stories we tell ourselves. Dr. Green is an assistant professor of pastoral theology and social transformation and director of anti-racist initiatives at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities. He hopes to help religious communities become more socially engaged around issues of justice and social ethics. He has facilitated public conversations about theology, sport and...
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The Mental Health Impact of Marginalization at Work - Josephine Kim
Making It Work: God and Your Work
Dr Josephine Kim talks about the cultural and social factors that impact mental health and work for marginalized groups. She is a Senior Lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, a National Certified Counselor, and affiliated faculty at Massachusetts General Hospital. She is an internationally known scholar, speaker and consultant who lends expertise on diversity, inclusion and mental health issues to Fortune 500 companies, schools, and other organizations. Dr. Kim is also the founding executive director of Mustard Seed...
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Pursuing Mental Health with God - Laura Smith
Making It Work: God and Your Work
Our second episode in a special series on mental wellness. Our guest today is Laura Smith. Laura is a best-selling author and speaker who speaks around the country sharing the love of Christ. In her latest book, Holy Care for the Whole Self, Laura Smith debunks the stigma around mental health and shows how caring for our own well-being is biblical and can help us better live the lives Christ calls us to. We'd like to thank the HE Butt Foundation for supporting this series. You can find out more about their work by visiting congregationalcollective.org. Scripture References Luke...
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Building Workplace Culture for Mental Wellness - Rebecca Brune
Making It Work: God and Your Work
This month is mental health awareness month in the United States, and we’re kicking off a series on mental wellness and work. We discuss how mental wellness connects to faith, barriers to mental wellness at work, and what you can do about it. Guest Becca Brune is the executive director of this Congregational Collective, a new nonprofit funded by the H. E. Butt Foundation aiming to make San Antonio's faith communities safe places for people seeking mental wellness. Previously, Brune was an executive leader with Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute, a Dallas-based organization focused on...
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The Power of Listening to the Bible Together - Tom Cole
Making It Work: God and Your Work
Groups reading the Scripture out loud meet all over the world, from pastors in Korea to tech workers in Seattle, to a group of financial services professionals in New York City, meeting every week to listen to the Bible and talk about their work. Tom Cole, our guest today has experienced this practice as one of the leaders of the New York group, Faith in Financial Services. He's here today to tell us about how he's seen himself and members of the group, helped by the power of listening to the Bible. Scripture Reference: 1 Timothy 4:13 Additional Resources: Public Reading of...
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Thriving as a Sensitive Soul at Work - Dorcas Cheng Tozun
Making It Work: God and Your Work
Sensitive, empathic, introverted. These are some of the ways that today's guest Dorcas Cheng Tozun would describe herself. Learning to thrive as a sensitive person, especially in the world of work, where those who are aggressive or assertive may often dominate, has been an important part of her journey and of many of our journeys. Dorcas has nearly 20 years of experience as a nonprofit and social enterprise professional. She's an award winning writer, editor, speaker and communications consultant. Her work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal and Christianity Today and dozens of other...
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How I Learned to Let God Shape My Plans - Barry Rowan
Making It Work: God and Your Work
We all make plans for our work, whether that’s a list of things to do today, or a ten year plan. We have hopes, dreams, and goals for the future. But what does it mean to let God shape your work plans? And how do you know if you're submitting to God’s plan, or simply fitting God into yours? We talk with Barry Rowan, author of The Spiritual Art of Business: Connecting the Daily with the Divine. Barry has spent his career in a variety of C-suite roles and has been instrumental in building and transforming businesses. He is also deeply committed to contemplation and prayer, and he’s here to...
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The Call to Love at Work - Jasmine Bellamy
Making It Work: God and Your Work
In addition to being named one of Sports Illustrated’s Top 100 most influential black women in sports, Jasmine Bellamy is an influential figure in bringing the practice of love to transform workplace culture from the inside out. She's the Vice President of Merchandising, Planning and Allocation at Reebok. She also is the founder of Love 101 Ministries, which is dedicated to the theology and practice of love. And she is the creator and co-facilitator of Courageous Conversations, a platform that engages issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and inspires transformation in community....
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Faith-Based ERGs & Building Bridges at Work - Barbara Villasenor
Making It Work: God and Your Work
Faith-based employee resource groups can be a bridge to building relationships within your own faith and across different faiths. One example of a successful faith-based ERG is Google's Inter Belief Network. Guest Barbara Villasenor is a founding member and global chair of Google's Inter Belief Network, co-lead of the Google Christian Fellowship chapter, an economics business partner to Google's chief economist. Barbara is here today to talk to us about ERGs, her own experience starting one, and how these groups can improve the experience of work. Scripture Acts 18:1-3 Isaiah 11:2...
info_outlineIf you’re a follower of Jesus suffering with chonic pain at work, you may find yourself asking, where is God when I’m in pain? According to the Harvard Business Review, studies suggest that up to 40% of American workers experience chronic pain - pain that persists for more than 3 months - sometimes unbeknownst to managers and co-workers. For workers, chronic pain can be debilitating and discouraging.
Today we talk with guest Grant Hoffecker. Grant has worked for LinkedIn as a Senior Software Engineer and Google as a Developer Relations Engineer. He was a leader for LinkedIn's inChrist workplace fellowship group and is an advisory board member for Faith and Work Movement. His passions include reconciliation in the workplace, basketball, and adventuring outdoors. He writes about faith and tech at granttheyeti.medium.com and co-hosts the Grape-Nuts Podcast, where he has lighthearted conversations about the small things that stir up our passions and bring joy to the new day.
Grant has worked with chronic pain for the past 3 years, seeking God in the midst of his pain.
Scripture References
- Psalm 42
- Job 23:8-10
- Lamentations 3:16-23
Additional Resources
- Grant’s Blog: granttheyeti.medium.com
- The Grape-Nuts Podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/grapenutspodcast
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Transcript at https://www.theologyofwork.org/makingitwork/episode/trusting-god-in-chronic-pain-grant-hoffecker/