Today I have my dear friend Jena Viviano on the show to talk about our faith and our businesses. We’re covering things like — How do we share our faith in our business? Should we at all? How do we truly invite God into our business?
Jena is a Wall Streeter turned tech start-up junkie. She’s a talented career coach and entrepreneur who helps mid-to-senior level ambitious professionals land their dream jobs. She’s also a dear friend and past website and branding client of mine! She loves to talk about the topic of Christianity in the workplace — which we are focusing on today.
This is such a beautiful conversation with a sweet friend, and I’m so pumped to have her as my first official guest on the show! (Besides my sweet husband who came on earlier this year!) Sit in on our conversation about faith and work — this is the real stuff that we talk about as friends and we want you to sit in on the conversation!
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How to show up to work as a whole person — including all aspects of who we are.
Praying about your business. Asking where is my identity? Is it in my business? Or, is in the Lord?
How do we live out our faith as Christian business owners?
What is meant by the phrase “all work is worship”?
How we can treat our business as a potential ministry opportunity
What are the rhythms that people who integrate faith and work do well?
The 5 rhythms you need to integrate faith and work in your business:
1. Do you have a sabbath?
Work from a place of rest, not hustle. This allows you to take more risks and not operate from a place of fear. Sabbath is not only something you should be taking once a week but also a way to operate your life and business.
2. Do you have spiritual disciplines incorporated into your workday?
Fasting and prayer are things the Bible talks about a lot, but we can forget about in the day to day life. Do you pray for your clients, customers, and co-workers? And, do you really BELIEVE in the power of prayer? It’s ok to contend for your clients to come to know Jesus. That’s a good thing!
(Book recommendations for this one: The Circle Maker and Fervent)
3. Are you generous and using your money to better the kingdom?
Jena says this is one that can be tough for many people. We have to ask “who do I believe my provider is?” If we really believe God is our provider, why would we not generously give? We need to see how our money can be used not just to bless us, but to bless others. Often people can be afraid of making money, but money isn’t a bad thing. We need more people who will be more generous making more money. Could that be you? “It’s not my money anyway, I’m just using God’s credit card.” If you really want to show people Jesus, be lavishly generous with your money. You have to start NOW, not waiting to when you “have more and then start giving then.”
4. Do you have a spirit of hospitality with your clients and team?
Some ideas for this one: if you live in the same city as your clients or team, can you invite them into your home more? Be someone who cares and invites people in. Are you hospitable to the people who work for you? For those of you who work 1:1 people, get to know your clients on a more personal level.
5. Do you open the Word during the workplace?
Often times our morning routines include time in the Word, and that’s amazing. But then as soon as we get into the workday, we forget everything that happened in the morning. “If we really believe God wants to be in all parts of our life, we can’t drop God off in the morning and pick Him up at 5 pm.” This means opening up the Bible. This could be going through a passage or a devotional during the workday. When we have this centering time in the middle of the day, we can have a totally renewed spirit. Find a way to have alone time with God. Learn to savor a moment with the Lord.
Depending on your season, this will look different. Here are some ideas:
- Go on a walk and listen to a sermon
- Listen to praise and worship music as a break
- Open the Bible and read a passage of scripture
- Read a short devotional
- Have a moment of silence
- Listen to a meditation in an app like Abide
Some of my favorite quotes from the episode:
“Work itself can be worship”
“Our work isn’t about us. It’s about worshipping God with the gifts we’ve been given.”
“Sometimes it’s ok to not use words, and that’s still loving people well.”
“If we really believe God wants to be in all parts of our life, we can’t drop God off in the morning and pick Him up at 5 pm.”
Links mentioned in this episode:
- Jena’s Word at Work Devotional
- The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson
- Fervent by Priscilla Schier
- How to Get a Date Worth Keeping by Dr. Henry Cloud
- The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss
Curious about my project with Jena where we revamped her brand and website? See the behind the scenes here!
