At the end of every podcast, we like to ask our guests to share what God has been teaching them in this season of life. This week’s guest is

Tom is the president of Made To Flourish, a pastors’ network for the common good. He also serves on the boards of The Gospel Coalition and Trinity International University.

Genesis 17:1

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless.”

So here’s where I sit. I have a split role, so I serve a wonderful congregation that’s 30 years old. It continues to be entrepreneurial and grows in Kansas City and I also serve as the president Made to Flourish. So I have two roles, but at Made to Flourish we’re almost four years old. You know, entrepreneurship, three to four years. There’s a lot on the line. 

You know, we’re really encouraged, but there’s a lot going on. I would just say a text that’s really important to me today. I mean, it’s always been important to me to know that people are praying for me and the work we’re doing. In any business, there’s lots of intensity. There are challenges. It’s very taxing.

But the bottom line is Genesis 17 you see Abraham is 99 years old and God comes to him and says, I’m the Lord God Almighty. Walk before me. And the whole analysis from that, I will bless you. I will give you a name. Ultimately, God reveals himself to Abraham and gives him this entrepreneurial endeavor. He knows Abraham has faith. But he says two things. 

First, walk before me. The Hebrew text “walk before me” literally means to walk in my face. It’s a picture of intimacy that was lost in the garden that is found in the cross and in Jesus. That’s right. So in my heart today I have challenges and I am called to work hard. But I’m to be intimate with Jesus first. 

And then right on the heels of that is just a brilliant Hebrew word, which means be whole, be integral. So I pray that in the midst of what I’m doing and all the listeners who are doing the work God has called them to do. First and foremost, we cultivate intimacy with him. And then out of that we’d have an interior life and out of that we’d have influence.

If you’ve followed the Faith Driven Entrepreneur podcast for a while, today’s guest won’t be a stranger to you. Tom Nelson is one of those visionary pastors of a multi-site church called Christ Community, and he’s been widely recognized in the Faith Driven Entrepreneur community for his book, Work Matters. He also serves on the board of The Gospel Coalition and is President of Made to Flourish.

Today, we had him on the show to talk about a recent article that appeared in The New York TImes—something many of you have read. We were honored to be mentioned alongside some great groups like Praxis and Made To Flourish. But this got us thinking—what does this small piece say about the bigger puzzle of what’s going on in America with faith, work, and entrepreneurship? 

We’re grateful we had Tom Nelson around to help shepherd this conversation. Hear why he thinks the NYT article is reason for hopeful realism and optimism when it comes to the Faith Driven movement. As always, thanks for listening.

Useful Links:

What Would Jesus Do About Inequality?

The Call – Os Guinness

Every Good Endeavor – Tim Keller

If you’ve followed the Faith Driven Entrepreneur podcast for a while, today’s guest won’t be a stranger to you. Tom Nelson is one of those visionary pastors of a multi-site church called Christ Community, and he’s been widely recognized in the Faith Driven Entrepreneur community for his book, Work Matters. He also serves on the board of The Gospel Coalition and is President of Made to Flourish.

Today, we had him on the show to talk about a recent article that appeared in The New York TImes—something many of you have read. We were honored to be mentioned alongside some great groups like Praxis and Made To Flourish. But this got us thinking—what does this small piece say about the bigger puzzle of what’s going on in America with faith, work, and entrepreneurship? 

We’re grateful we had Tom Nelson around to help shepherd this conversation. Hear why he thinks the NYT article is reason for hopeful realism and optimism when it comes to the Faith Driven movement. As always, thanks for listening.

Useful Links:

What Would Jesus Do About Inequality?

The Call – Os Guinness

Every Good Endeavor – Tim Keller

This content was originally published here out of Seattle Pacific University’s Initiative called Faith & Co.

— by Faith & Co.

“In my work with Christian business leaders, I’ve oftentimes seen good people that want to do right to their employees, yet are partaking in and even strengthening systems that are really, really bad for people.”

– Jeff Haanen

Jeff Haanen, founder and CEO of the Denver Institute for Faith and Work, discusses the danger of not seeing sin within systems.

Check out the video below!

We continue to count down the Top 100 Books for Faith Driven Entrepreneurs with…

The Juggling Act

by Pat Gelsinger

Lunch is reserved for meetings, technology makes us available anytime, anywhere-and somewhere along the way 9-to-5 morphed into 24/7, and technology makes us available anytime, anywhere. Our demanding schedules crowd out what matters most: family, friends, even our faith. Although it may feel like you’re living under the Big Top, take heart. You don’t have to be a circus professional to keep all the plates spinning.

Pat Gelsinger understands this challenge. As a prominent executive in the Silicon Valley, Pat struggled to juggle* a thriving career with his family. Pat’s pursuit of balance led him to dynamic truths that revolutionized his approach to life.

Click on the book cover to check out the Reviews and Purchase at Amazon

We continue to count down the Top 100 Books for Faith Driven Entrepreneurs with…

Managing as if Faith Mattered

by Helen Alford and Michael Naughton

Managing As If Faith Mattered studies the very best of what the Catholic social tradition has to offer in response to the pressing issues and problems of our times. Challenging the often-held double standard of private and public moralities, authors Helen Alford and Michael Naughton bridge the fault line between work and faith by engaging current management issues with that tradition.

They consider the practical realities of managers within their economic and human resource environments, and discuss such concrete management issues as job design, just wages, corporate ownership structures, marketing communication, and product development. Undergraduate and graduate students and faculty in management, business, theology, and ethics will find it an excellent text, and real-life managers will benefit from the practical wisdom it contains.

Click on the book cover to check out the Reviews and Purchase at Amazon