The Faith & Work Podcast

The Faith & Work Podcast explores our everyday work in God's world, and is produced and hosted by Denver Institute for Faith & Work.

Voices From the Workplace: Why Making Things Still Matters with Ben Dunn 05/08/2026

Making Mercy Common in Commerce with Ken Barnes & Max Anderson 04/24/2026

Making Mercy Common in Commerce with Jeff Haanen & Karla Nugent 04/10/2026

Voices from the Workplace: The Work of Care with Dr. Matt Mahlberg & Cindy Chang Mahlberg 03/27/2026

Voices from the Workplace: In the Hospital with Andy and Barb Wood 03/16/2026

Re-Release: How to Trust God When You Have A Quota To Meet 02/27/2026

Who Are You Without Your Job? 02/13/2026

The Pressure that Could Make or Break Your Workforce with Nicole Riehl 01/30/2026

When Work Goes to Church 01/16/2026

What if I'm not good at prayer? 01/02/2026

Inside the FOR Campaign: Hopes, Hard Questions, & What’s Next 12/19/2025

Voices from the Workplace: Approaches to Education with Hilary Oswald & Bill Kurtz 12/05/2025

Voices from the Workplace: Public Education with Jim McKenney and Irvin Scott 11/21/2025

We Won An Award! 11/07/2025

Voices from the Workplace: Art and Business with The Weidmann’s 10/24/2025

Voices from the Workplace: Art and Business with The Weidmann’s Summary In this episode of the Faith in Work podcast, artists Jake and Hannah Weidmann discuss how their work disciples them, how their work as artists has revealed to them different aspects of God and how their marriage has also shaped their art and business. The conversation emphasizes the importance of storytelling in art, the balance between craftsmanship and entrepreneurship, and the encouragement for others to embrace their creativity as a form of worship. Wherever you’re listening—, , or —subscribing, rating, and reviewing the show helps others discover what we’re doing here. It’s a small way to support the mission—and it means a lot to us. Highlights On Work Discipling Us "Something we always say about our work is we feel very much discipled by our work privately before we're ever given permission to share it publicly. And so something that like putting our hands to like tangible embodied work, think is, especially in a digital age and the culture that we live in, we just notice more people want tangible and slowness. And so I think imitating God in that way and creating and it's very much a human experience has been something that I think the arts do extraordinarily well."- Hannah Weidmann On Worship and Liturgy "In all of the different art forms that I practice, I'm always looking back into the annals of history and rehearsing the strokes of past masters. And that's what gives me a common language for my art. In a lot of ways, I think that, you know, craft... is like the liturgical practice of my art. It gives me a common language to use and utilize so that when I do speak, I'm speaking with a common language that's been spoken for hundreds, if not thousands of years. That so much of what I do in creating meaning through my work is upholding sacred symbols. And so if I don't have an understanding of what that symbolism is and what it points to, then I'm just a clanging gong, resounding symbol. And that's what a lot of, unfortunately, a lot of postmodernist art is about. It's about creating as you feel. It's not following any sort of precedent laid down by previous generations, and it points back at itself."- Jake Weidmann Resources Jakes Book: /episode/index/show/faithandwork/id/38744095

Voices from the Workplace: Become a Story Leader with TC Johnstone 10/10/2025

Voices from the Workplace: Become a Story Leader with TC Johnstone Summary In this episode of the Faith and Work Podcast, host Ross Chapman engages with TC Johnstone, an impact documentary filmmaker, to explore the intersection of faith, storytelling, and the arts. They discuss the importance of storytelling in various contexts, the role of curiosity and self-awareness in engaging with others, and the SPEAK framework for meaningful conversations. The conversation also touches on the influence of AI in the arts and offers encouragement for the church to embrace creativity and community. Wherever you’re listening—, , or —subscribing, rating, and reviewing the show helps others discover what we’re doing here. It’s a small way to support the mission—and it means a lot to us. Highlights On Creating and Storytelling "Anybody can create. And the roadblock is when they have to face the mirror. Whether it's a podcast, whether it's Instagram, whether it's photography, mean an iPhone is, I the first camera I ever had, my iPhone's 10 times better than that. So anybody can create. It's just learning to tell a story... One is courage to say something that takes some bravery to put things out there that follow your conviction. And then the second thing is just not being overwhelmed. There's so many outlets, whether it's filmmaking, photography, Instagram, I mean, all the way down to future films. It's like, where do I even start? How do I try to do everything and do nothing very well?" On SPEAK tool to help you engage stories! Watch TC's YouTube video on the tool here: S - Story (What’s your story?) P - Passion E - Encouragement A - Assistance/Ask (I heard you talk about this, I can offer to help/connect. What do you need help with right now?) K - Knowledge (Built to be generous. Who/what do you know that I need to know?) Resources Learn more about TC Johnstone and his work at Watch TC's movie, Join us at our annual Women, Work, & Calling event on Fri. Nov 7. Applications are now open for the 5280 Fellowship 5-month cohort program. /episode/index/show/faithandwork/id/38502910

Themes from "Nailing It": Why Successful Leadership Demands Suffering & Surrender 09/26/2025

Themes from "Nailing It": Why Successful Leadership Demands Suffering & Surrender Summary Exclusive sneak peak into our Women, Work, & Calling 2025 keynote speaker's talk: Reverend Dr. Nicole Massey-Martin COO at Christianity Today. Dr. Martin joins us today to discuss her journey as a leader, and calls us to to crucify our ministry idols and nail our outdated leadership practices to the cross. As she shares the inspiration for her new book, Nailing It: Why Successful Leadership Demands Suffering and Surrender, Dr. Martin emphasizes the need for cruciform leadership, which and highlights the vital role women play in leadership and the workplace. Nicole shares insights on overcoming barriers, the significance of relationships in leadership, and the necessity of empowering women to lead effectively. Wherever you’re listening—, , or —subscribing, rating, and reviewing the show helps others discover what we’re doing here. It’s a small way to support the mission—and it means a lot to us. Highlights On Surrendered Leadership "Someone said to me recently, leadership is 59 % about what you know and 51 % about who you know. And while that may be true, I would suggest that it is 100 %about who knows you, you are known by the Father and also 100 % dependent upon a God who knows it all. The moment I get to leadership and I think I've got this worked out is the moment I stop depending on God. But to me, cruciform leadership says, God, I do not know what to do, but my eyes are on you, says Hezekiah. God, I don't know how to shape this path, but I need you to show us how to shape it." On Crucifying Perfection "What am I seeing most frequently repeated in my life and in the lives of other leaders around me? It is definitely crucifying perfection, a sense of perfectionism. I am still an overcoming perfectionist and the issue with perfectionism isn't excellence. It's not that. We want to pursue excellence, perfectionism is at its core a form of idolatry toward a God that does not exist. It is a worship of a standard that does not exist. And it is a sin for leaders and a problem and a stumbling block that needs to overcome, needs to be overcome because leaders who have an ideal of perfection, not only worship it themselves, but they train their teams to worship this fictitious idea of perfection as well. The way that we are perfect is by dotting every I and crossing every T... So the question can't be, what does it look like for us to perfectly meet our mission? The question has to be, how can we be perfectly connected to each other, to the team, to our stakeholders, to the people that we serve, so that what comes out of that exceeds what we ever imagined? This is the joy of releasing and surrendering perfection. When I release what I think is perfect, I get to embrace what God says." Resources by Lean In referenced referenced Attend to hear more from Nicole Martin. Available in Denver, CO, Online or at Host Sites around the country! Purchase /episode/index/show/faithandwork/id/38312850

Purpose & Desire: Why You Need Both to Understand Your Calling 09/12/2025

Purpose & Desire: Why You Need Both to Understand Your Calling SUMMARY In this episode of the Faith and Work podcast, host Joanna Meyer engages with Tracey Gee, author and consultant, to explore the intricate relationship between purpose, desire, and calling. They discuss the challenges of discerning one's calling, especially in the context of faith, and how desire plays a crucial role in this process. Tracey shares her personal journey of navigating career transitions and the importance of recognizing and embracing one's desires. The conversation also touches on gender perspectives regarding desire, the consequences of ignoring it, and practical steps to identify and pursue one's desires. Ultimately, they emphasize the significance of engaging with disappointment and the treasure hidden within our lives as we seek to align our work with our calling. Wherever you’re listening—, , or —subscribing, rating, and reviewing the show helps others discover what we’re doing here. It’s a small way to support the mission—and it means a lot to us. HIGHLIGHTS Excerpt from The Magic of Knowing What You Want "Our desires have something important to say. They shake things up in profoundly generative ways to help us create what the world needs. The more I work with people coming alive to who they are, the stronger my hunch is that our desires have a central role to play in us, and the world is waiting to welcome the beautiful work our desires are capable of." On Question Overload "And I noticed that when you ask yourself, what do I want? Usually what happens is that you start asking then 60 other questions. Like, okay, what do I want? Yeah, but is that really possible? Or if I could do that, could I pull that off? Like, I don't know if I, if anyone would actually hire me, does that exist? I don't know if I can afford that. don't know. Am I allowed to ask this? Am I allowed to want this? Then not only are we trying to ask, again, this question that I think is really sacred and really central, but then we get sort of hijacked by millions of other questions that quickly pile on top of it. those are questions often, not always, but often rooted in some fear, some anxiety, some uncertainty, right, all of the above. And then we're overwhelmed and we don't know what to do with that." RESOURCES Book Recommendation: Parker Palmer, “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” ― Frederick Buechner, Wishful Thinking: A Seeker's ABC Attend to hear more from Tracey Gee Purchase Download our Listen to and of our Faith & Work episodes: What Does It Mean To Be Called? /episode/index/show/faithandwork/id/38184660

Voices from the Workplace: Entrepreneurs Through Acquisition with Matt Barnes and Bob Larkin 08/29/2025

Voices from the Workplace: Entrepreneurs Through Acquisition with Matt Barnes and Bob Larkin SUMMARY What do we do when God asks us to make business risks for His kingdom? This episode dives into the world of entrepreneurship through acquisition (ETA) with two incredible stories of how God leads ordinary people into extraordinary ventures. In the first half, we sit down with Matt Barnes, an ETA who acquired a laundry service, as he shares his story of how the Lord guided him into and through this journey of business ownership. In the second half, you'll hear a live recording from our annual Business for the Common Good event, where Denver Institute founder Jeff Haanen interviews another ETA, Bob Larkin. Each entrepreneur brings a unique perspective on integrating faith into business, creating caring work environments, and the risks and rewards of following God’s call in the marketplace. Together, their stories highlight the importance of community, wisdom, and a vision for businesses that prioritize both employee well-being and spiritual growth. HIGHLIGHTS On Ownership as Shepherding "We bought a small business and we're functionally the shepherds or pastors of this group of people, most of which don't find themselves in church. And we think that that's an incredible opportunity to glorify the Lord in excellence in what we do, provide a service to the front range, and then care for our employees and their families while we do it." - Matt Barnes On Risk "....First and foremost is surrendering to the Lord's will. Treatment tech belongs to the Lord. It's very obvious to me in how he brought the business to the table, right? That's a huge blessing to look at one business and that be the business that you acquire and allow it to grow. And so every day I can look at Treatment Tech and say, this is yours, Lord. When things are going well, you're blessing us. When things are challenging, you're teaching us. And In both circumstances, you're drawing us closer to you, and I'm open to both of those." - Bob Larkin RESOURCES Learn more about Matt Barnes redemptive business story or this video by Nominate a Founder or Mentor for our upcoming this Fall November 12 to 14, 2025. Learn more about this 40-hour retreat intensive The is a 5-month learning community of spiritual formation, theology for work, and professional development that equips early- to mid-career Christian professionals to more faithfully engage their work. Applications for the 2026 cohort open on Monday, Sept. 1! If you enjoyed the interview with Bob Larkin, join us at as we celebrate our 10th year of gathering business leaders on the Front Range. /episode/index/show/faithandwork/id/38004420

Seek Wisdom in an Age of Endless Answers 08/15/2025

Data from the Workplace: A project from Barna Group and Denver Institute 08/01/2025

Data from the Workplace: A project from Barna Group and Denver Institute SUMMARY In this episode of The Faith & Work Podcast, Ross Chapman is joined by Matt Randerson of Barna Group to offer a sneak preview of the Trends at Work data report set to be released soon. Drawing from this new research, Matt unpacks key themes—like influence, compassion, and change—that are reshaping workplace culture across the U.S. You’ll hear what the data reveals about employee well-being, faith integration, and what really drives retention and satisfaction at work. Whether you're leading a team or just starting out, this episode will challenge and equip you to shape culture in ways that reflect God’s heart for your workplace. HIGHLIGHTS On vulnerability in the workplace "Vulnerability about what's happening in our personal lives I think the idea of bringing more of our full selves into the workplace that does have complexity with it for sure but it goes back to that idea that the workplace is starting to take on more weight and expectation and so when we are experiencing something on the weekend or we're experiencing a challenge within our family or personal lives we are more inclined to probably want to bring that into the workplace. And so I know that requires more energy of all of us, but I think it's our opportunity, whether we are individuals or managers, to recognize that vulnerability is a part of the human experience. It's a part of the way that God designed us. Vulnerability opens us up to care for one another, to administer compassion, as we talked about in the framework. And so for all of us, how can we actually help cultivate a sense of trust and vulnerability in our workplaces because it's pretty essential to the experience." On the CEO experience "...20 % of CEOs say that they always are often are feeling lonely at work and 19 % are saying, they always are often feeling burned out. Those numbers are very similar for non-CEOs. So maybe there's comfort in recognizing, hey, loneliness and burnout is a common shared experience, whether you're the CEO or you're a manager or an individual contributor." RESOURCES If this topic interested you, you can explore more the more about the Trends @ Work report and similar studies at YOU'RE INVITED : A gathering to explore new research on how your workplace is forming people and gain leadership insights to help you lead a thriving organization. Wednesday, August 27, 2025 7:30 am - 9:30 am Greenwood Community Church, 5600 E Belleview Ave.,Greenwood Village, CO 80111 Cost: $30, full breakfast included /episode/index/show/faithandwork/id/37421135

Voices from the Workplace: Robin John on Confronting Injustice Through Good Investing 07/18/2025

Voices from the Workplace: Robin John on Confronting Injustice Through Good Investing SUMMARY In this episode of The Faith & Work Podcast, Ross Chapman welcomes Robin John, CEO of Eventide Asset Management, to discuss his new book The Good Investor: How Your Work Can Confront Injustice, Love Your Neighbor, and Bring Healing to the World. Robin shares how his personal journey—from growing up in India to working in finance—shaped his vision for investing that advances the common good. He offers a biblical framework for aligning your financial decisions with values that honor human dignity and promote justice. This conversation invites you to see investing not just as a way to grow wealth, but as a meaningful opportunity to join God’s redemptive work in the world. HIGHLIGHTS On values "...it doesn't matter what Robin John's values are. What I really want to do is to try to explain what I see in the Bible. What are the values that I see God wanting us to promote in the world? And ultimately, the freedom and dignity of all people is something that really matters to God. And so life at all stages, it's very much connected to that as well. And so for us, we want to be investing in companies that promote life, that promote dignity, that promote freedom, and that could mean freedom from addiction." On generosity "Our generosity should be holistic. You know, when a person chooses to be a teacher, when they can become an investment banker, they've made a decision to love their community. That is God-honoring decision. Maybe the investment banker can make more and give more, but generosity, think as Christians, we have to be careful not to measure generosity only by what we give away. It's how we live our lives. It's where we choose to work, how we choose to work, how we choose to make our money, where we choose to invest or allocate capital. These are all generosity decisions. And then we should give away our money as well. That's part of generosity." RESOURCES Order The Good Investor: How Your Work Can Confront Injustice, Love Your Neighbor, and Bring Healing to the World by Robin John before July 22, 2025 and receive a 20% discount for pre-ordering. to pre-order with discount or order on Learn more about the book, Robin John & Eventide at Read the YOU'RE INVITED Join author Robin John & Denver Institute for a book launch celebration Monday, November 17, 2025 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Denver Institute Office 8100 E Arapahoe Rd, Suite 303 Centennial, CO 80112 Cost: Free; registration required. All guests will receive a free copy of Robin’s book! RSVP HERE /episode/index/show/faithandwork/id/37335905

Voices from the Workplace: Forging a Faithful Scientist with Metallurgist Chloe Johnson 07/04/2025

Voices from the Workplace: Agroecology and Farming with Dr. Abram Bicksler 06/20/2025

Voices from the Workplace: Agroecology and Farming with Dr. Abram Bicksler SUMMARY In this episode of the Faith & Work Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Abram Bicksler, agroecologist and leader of , to explore how science, faith, and stewardship intersect in the world of sustainable agriculture. As part of our Voices from the Workplace series, Dr. Bicksler shares how his calling has led him from rural farms to the United Nations, all rooted in a commitment to creation care and serving the poor. Together, we discuss what faithful scientific work looks like, the church’s role in supporting those in the sciences, and why every occupation—including agroecology—can be a gospel-centered vocation. Do you like The Faith & Work Podcast? Be sure to subscribe! Now available on and . HIGHLIGHTS On Your Skills "We need every occupation to be a gospel-center occupation and to use your skills, your god-given gifts, the way that god has wired you to bring about the kingdom of God, right here and right now." On the Role of the Church "I’d love to see the church get more worked up about what's right in front of our faces, in terms of how is our pollution, how are the greenhouse gasses which we are polluting in the world, affecting our neighbors in Bangladesh? How are they affecting the ecosystems and the species that we are losing everyday? How are they leading increased droughts and unpredictability of rain that are causing famine and starvation of our global neighbors." Colossians 1:15-20 (NIV) "The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross." RESOURCES Check out for more resources to support the integration of faith and the sciences Other Organizations mentioned: , /episode/index/show/faithandwork/id/36965195

Voices from the Workplace: Renewable Energy with Tom Hunt 06/06/2025

Voices from the Workplace: Renewable Energy with Tom Hunt SUMMARY In this episode of the Faith & Work Podcast, we talk with Tom Hunt, CEO of Pivot Energy, about leading a clean energy company with purpose. Tom shares how his faith shapes his work in climate innovation, community impact, and workplace culture. From solar panels to leadership challenges, this conversation offers hope and insight for anyone seeking to do good work in a complex world. Do you like The Faith & Work Podcast? Be sure to subscribe! Now available on and . HIGHLIGHTS On Hope "One of the really cool things about this industry though, is that we get to take hope from the sun rising every morning. You know, like that is the source ultimately of all this energy we produce is the sun. And so, you know, a day like today, it's a beautiful spring day in Colorado, not a cloud in the sky, the sun shining. There's a lot of political headwinds and yet, you know, I wake up and I look out and like, well, okay, this is... You know, cause it's not just that it's producing solar energy in our projects, but it's this beautiful part of the world. And we get to benefit from that in multiple ways. So that's honestly a key source of hope. And I think that's one of the beauties of God's creation is that, you know, day by day we recognize it's not just about us, that what's in our heads is not the biggest thing out there. And there's all these reminders of that from creation." On Motivation "Well, I think it's always been in the mix... [of] seeing the beauty of creation around us and feeling like part of what I can do to live in a faithful way is to live in harmony with creation as best I can and honor and glorify the beauty of the world around us. So I think that's a big motivator for why I work in clean energy." RESOURCES Learn more about and their work Subcreation: a term popularized by J.R.R. Tolkien, refers to the act of creating or shaping something within a framework of existing reality, rather than creating from nothing, as God is said to do /episode/index/show/faithandwork/id/36675130

Voices from the Workplace: Leading with Wisdom in the Energy Industry with Carl Chapman 05/23/2025

Economic Wisdom in a Time of Tariffs 05/09/2025

Economic Wisdom in a Time of Tariffs Tariffs are back in the headlines—so what should Christians make of them? Economist Dr. Kenneth Barnes joins us to unpack how trade policies, rising prices, and global tensions intersect with our everyday work and Gospel witness. In a world where economic headlines stir fear, we explore how the gospel reframes our perspective and response. This timely conversation will challenge you to think biblically about policy, productivity, and peace. Do you like The Faith & Work Podcast? Be sure to subscribe! Now available on and . HIGHLIGHTS On Economies of Mutuality "That has also uniquely given us the ability to create technology. And that's important because it's technology that ultimately creates wealth. And so what we do with that and how we treat our neighbors... all comes down to our means of exchange. And if our means of exchange is fair, if it's just, if it's genuinely relational and mutual, everybody benefits." On God's Vision for the Economy Ross Chapman: "If you had to summarize God's vision for economics in a sentence or two, what would it be? How could you make that as clear and understandable based on scripture? What would you say that is?" Dr. Kenneth Barnes: "I would say: Just Flourishing." RESOURCES Books By Dr. Barnes: NEW - - Explore the 6 Dimensions of Flourishing QUOTES “It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker, that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest.” - Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations “God doesn’t need your good works, but your neighbor does.” - Martin Luther DICTIONARY OF TERMS Worker par excellence: being an example of excellence; superior; preeminent Egality: a state of being essentially equal or equivalent; equally balanced Abberation: a departure from what is normal, usual, or expected, typically one that is unwelcome "":The creation of a fixed currency exchange rate pegged to the gold standard Macheavellian: cunning, scheming, and unscrupulous, especially in politics Prescient: having or showing knowledge of events before they take place Impetus: the force or energy with which a body move נוּחַ (nuach): The Hebrew word meaning "to rest" or "to be at rest". It can also imply settling down, remaining, or finding repose. /episode/index/show/faithandwork/id/36458820

Voices from the Workplace: The Beauty of Retail with Kathy Stewart 04/25/2025

Voices from the Workplace: Behind the Lens with Aly McCroskey 04/11/2025

Voices from the Workplace: Behind the Lens with Aly McCroskey Aly McCroskey, wedding photographer and host of the , shares a powerful perspective of what it means to live out your faith behind the camera. With over a decade in the wedding industry, she shares how beauty, service, and the Holy Spirit collide on event days. From unexpected rainstorms to soul-deep reflections on identity and calling, Aly’s story is equal parts inspiring and practical. This episode is a vibrant reminder that even in high-pressure, creative work, Jesus shows up. HIGHLIGHTS On Obedience: "How many times have I not been obedient to the Lord when he was nudging me to do something like that? Because I was afraid, afraid of how my client would act, afraid, you know, would happen forget, you know, that something in or seem inappropriate. And so that was such a good reminder to me to pay attention when the Holy Spirit is nudging you to do something. Because not only is that affecting you and your spiritual life, but it had an effect in my client, who was not a particularly religious person and showed her a glimpse that God cares about her and even small things about the weather on her wedding day." On the character of God: "God reveals aspects of his character to people in their various industries. Like people in medicine know different things about God than I might know as a photographer. And it really takes doing our redemptive work in the world, whatever that is, and sharing about it with others to sort of give humanity a full picture of God is really like and the things that he cares about." RESOURCES Learn more about Aly & her work Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. (Colossians 3:23-24) And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.” (Revelation 19:9) /episode/index/show/faithandwork/id/36057715

When Work Hurts: Building Resilience When You're Beat Up or Burnt Out with Meryl Herr 03/28/2025

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