WE BELONG PODCAST SERIES
This Spring series from the Faith Work & Rest Podcast was sponsored by the Global Faith & Work Initiative and is about the radical nature of belonging within the family of God.
Teena Dare talks with Lauren Clark, co-founder of Tamarisk Community, as she shares her journey in creating belonging for young adults aging out of the foster care system in her community. Lauren always knew she wanted to work with kids in vulnerable situations, but it wasn't until she was faced with the realities of kiddos in social services in her own backyard that she found clarity for her next steps. And then the ones after that.
This Spring Series is about the radical nature of belonging within the family of God. Lauren leads the way into the next few months by introducing some of the devastating realities that young people face when they enter adulthood without having a family to belong to. But she offers hope- the hope of a shared table, the hope that can show through the cracks of trauma as employers and communities become more informed and saturated in grace. Lauren also beautifully describes the way she has found Jesus in these low places and discovered an unmatched intimacy as she seeks to serve the very ones that Jesus came to love.
Melissa Peak joins the podcast to discuss her vocational journey from delivering newspapers in Canada to leading significant roles at Amazon Web Services and now serving at the digital consultancy firm, Servant. Melissa shares how faith, leadership, and innovative thinking have woven through her career and personal life, including unconventional family decisions alongside her husband. She delves into Servant's mission to support the global church in the digital era, ensuring impactful use of technology for kingdom work. She closes with a powerful example of how Servant is aiding Every Mother's Advocate to scale their preventive approach in foster care across nine states.
This episode continues our series on belonging through embracing the tensions of belonging to this generation. In a changing world with conflicting expectations and new tools emerging by the minute, how do we navigate belonging to this current moment as Christians? Melissa offers an example rooted in humility, prayer and the conviction of personal calling.
In this episode, Erick Goss shares his profound journey of following the Spirit into new territories of his life and vocation. From his beginnings at the Naval Academy through his time at Amazon and into nearly facing bankruptcy while building a Christian Children's media company, Erick discusses the importance of carefully listening to God and to those he works alongside. When he introduces us to Minno Kids, he emphasizes the critical yet often overlooked need for investing in children's spiritual education and family formation. Through personal highs and lows, Eric reveals how his deep reliance on God's guidance and collaboration with others has shaped his approach to creating impactful content that communicates the gospel to young hearts and minds.
Discover Minno Kids: www.gominno.com
Teena is joined by Esau McCaulley, PhD and John Onwuchekwa, DMin to talk about the narratives that shape our life and faith and the power of narrative in hospitality, business and theology. John shares his journey with Portrait coffee and then into his time curating conversations around grief and hope, connected with his book, We Go On. Esau opens up his story with Reading while Black and the shift into writing a much more personal narrative, How Far to the Promised Land. They also chat about their favorite coffee beans, Esau’s new church plant and the elusive nature of “success”.
Gary is a believer, husband, father, and the founder and executive director of the nonprofit organization Major League Dad. Gary has worked with fathers and families in many capacities for almost two decades. His story with his father has helped build and support the fathers he serves through Major League Dad. His focus is on fathers in low-socioeconomic areas to strengthen the family unit and propel those fathers to lead in the home and community.
Website: www.majorleaguedad.org/
In our final episode of our series, “We Belong,” Teena sits down with Kaylah and Andy to talk about how the stories we bring to life can be the source of God’s hope in the world. They explore the power of Christians supporting one another on the entrepreneurial journey, the beauty of stories told that echo hope and redemption, and the awe-inspiring faithfulness of God to weave our lives in ways we could never imagine.
Explore Kaylah Rasmussen’s 2D-Animation work: thewindstudio.com/
And connect online: Patreon: kaylahr (patreon.com/kaylahr)
X: @TheWindAnimateS
Discover Infuse Tucson: infusetucson.com/about
Follow Andy’s Journey of friendship rekindled: @2000milestowrigley