Andy Crouch from Praxis was a guest on this week’s podcast. Andy shared about the powerful book they released called “A Rule of Life”. At Faith Driven Entrepreneur, we’re so passionate about it. We believe it’s one of those essential pieces of reading for entrepreneurs and others called to leadership. Listen to the Podcast or check out their one page summary.

Here’s how they tee it up on the Praxis site … 

— by Praxis

OUR MOST SIGNIFICANT IDENTITY IS NOT AS ENTREPRENEURS OR LEADERS

We are citizens in God’s kingdom and members of God’s household, and we are members of earthly families and households, part of neighborhoods, communities, and nations. The way of faithfulness for us is not fundamentally different than it is for any person: seeking to love God and our neighbor with our whole heart, soul, mind, and strength, by repenting and believing the good news.

At the same time, the gifts and traits that draw us toward entrepreneurship, and the social context that surrounds us as entrepreneurs, pose particular temptations. They also offer us unusual and visible opportunities to live joyfully distinct lives of faith, hope, and love.

The use of a rule of life — a set of practices to guard our habits and guide our lives — goes at least back to the Old Testament figure Daniel. As an exile, Daniel was in an unfamiliar cultural context that provided no support for the practice of his faith — and as a leadership trainee in the court of Babylon, he was exposed to powerful pressures for assimilation to Babylon’s dominant ethos. He and his companions committed themselves to a vegetarian diet instead of “the king’s rations” (Dan. 1) and developed the practice of praising and praying to God three times a day in front of an open window (Dan. 6:10).

Similarly, at many times in history, notably in the monastic movements, Christians with particular vocations have adopted a particular rule. At its best, a rule of life is an expression of community, undertaken in the belief that we need help from one another to live the lives God meant for us. It also expresses humility, recognizing that we are prone to specific pitfalls that require us to take extra care with our practices.

From the “outside,” a rule of life can look limiting. But it is more like musical, athletic, or military training: a set of disciplines that, carried out as “a long obedience in the same direction,” give us creative capacities and a creative community that we would not have on our own.

This rule of life is not meant to replace the ordinary practices of faithfulness to which all members of the church are called. But it is meant to guard us and our households from the greatest dangers of our particular calling, and to maximize our opportunity for redemptive influence.

Help us, God, to live in the abundance for which you made us, and to bring that abundance to every part of your world.”

Read more about the Rule of Life here…

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[Photo credit to Praxis Labs]

On this episode, the team spends time with Andy Crouch, partner for theology and culture at Praxis, an organization that works as a creative engine for redemptive entrepreneurship, as well as an accomplished writer and journalist, having authored several books as well as articles published in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and Time Magazine. Andy shares with us the basis of the book he, in collaboration with Praxis, has written called “A Rule of Life for Redemptive Entrepreneurs”. In it, they have outlined 6 key disciplines needed to define a redemptive entrepreneur: time, money, imagination, decision-making, power and community. Andy spends the bulk of today’s episode unpacking each.

We believe, as does Andy, that faith driven entrepreneurs have a distinct callings and giftings. We hope the time we spend outlining the key disciplines that define this community is helpful to you with regards to identity formation – a running theme this year for us hear at Faith Driven Entrepreneur. Let us know all the ways this week’s episode has impacted you in the comment section below.

Useful Links:

Highly encourage you checking out A Rule of Life. You can also stay tuned for the release of Andy’s new Podcast.

Want to see Andy’s WSJ article he mentioned about Steve Jobs?

If you’re looking for a great book from Andy, we highly encourage checking these out:

Playing God, The Tech Wise Family and Culture Making

We also have a very brief survey we’d love for you to take that will help us shape the direction and future of the FDE podcast. As always, we love taking your questions and hearing your comments. Feel free to submit your thoughts in general here.

On this episode, the team spends time with Andy Crouch, partner for theology and culture at Praxis, an organization that works as a creative engine for redemptive entrepreneurship, as well as an accomplished writer and journalist, having authored several books as well as articles published in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and Time Magazine. Andy shares with us the basis of the book he, in collaboration with Praxis, has written called “A Rule of Life for Redemptive Entrepreneurs”. In it, they have outlined 6 key disciplines needed to define a redemptive entrepreneur: time, money, imagination, decision-making, power and community. Andy spends the bulk of today’s episode unpacking each.

We believe, as does Andy, that faith driven entrepreneurs have a distinct callings and giftings. We hope the time we spend outlining the key disciplines that define this community is helpful to you with regards to identity formation – a running theme this year for us hear at Faith Driven Entrepreneur. Let us know all the ways this week’s episode has impacted you in the comment section below.

Useful Links:

Highly encourage you checking out A Rule of Life. You can also stay tuned for the release of Andy’s new Podcast.

Want to see Andy’s WSJ article he mentioned about Steve Jobs?

If you’re looking for a great book from Andy, we highly encourage checking these out:

Playing God, The Tech Wise Family and Culture Making

Want to see where the Faith Driven Entrepreneur started? Take a little flashback to see our blog post featuring Andy’s perspective on The Sabbath.

We also have a very brief survey we’d love for you to take that will help us shape the direction and future of the FDE podcast. As always, we love taking your questions and hearing your comments. Feel free to submit your thoughts in general here.

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

Leadership as a Lifestyle

by John Hawkins

Shows how personal spirituality and spirituality in the workplace can be both substantive and practical. Hawkins draws from his years of entrepreneurial experience and organizational leadership to provide instruction that is both credible and insightful to people who want to rethink and redirect their leadership in their marriages, families and careers.

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

THANK GOD IT’S FRIDAY!

Today, we share a high-caliber podcast series from NPR!

In How I Built This with Guy Raz, Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world’s best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built. Interviewees range from Joe Gebbia (Airbnb), Miguel McKelvey (WeWork), John Mackey (Whole Foods Market) to Lady Gaga, Suroosh Alvi (VICE), and Julie Rice & Elizabeth Cutler (SoulCycle). With over 140 interviews, there is an episode for everyone!

Guy Raz himself, in 2017, became the first person in the history of podcasting to have three shows in the top 20 on the Apple Podcast charts. He is the host, co-creator, and editorial director of three NPR programs, including two of its most popular ones: TED Radio Hour and How I Built This. Both shows are heard by more than 14 million people each month around the world. He is also the creator and co-host of NPR’s first-ever podcast for kids, Wow In The World.

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[Photo credit to Andrew Holder for NPR]

— by Jeff Haanen

“The theology of work conversation is thriving. Why are most workers missing from it? Jeff Haanen shares his thought on why almost two-thirds of America’s workers are not heard in his piece featured on Christianity Today.”

Please click here to read the whole article on Christianity Today. ENJOY!