Leadership
Resource Global
Gifts in God's Hands
Gifts in God's Hands

Culture Work and Faith

Learning to Be Still

Sleep. It’s one of the simple pleasures that are lost to new mothers. While my wife and I await our second child in a month, we know sleep will inevitably (and joyfully) be sacrificed. With less sleep, we know we’ll be more tired, more grouchy, and probably more unhealthy (I gained like 10 pounds during our first). Not until I experienced such a lack of sleep, did I realize how important sleep is to our bodies. It doesn’t just give us energy for the next day, it heals you. Sleep heals your brain, your bones, your skin, your heart, your immune system, and even makes you more fertile. SLEEP IS AMAZING!

Today, there is not a single person who hasn’t been affected by COVID-19. Stadiums and restaurants are empty. Offices and schools have shut down. Chaos and uncertainty cloud families and the economy. And for some odd reason, toilet paper is flying off the shelves. Today, there are over 350,000 cases and over 15,000 deaths from the virus; and the numbers seem to only be increasing exponentially. This is a pandemic we have never seen nor experienced.

But as I reflect amidst our current season, I cannot help but ask the question: What are you doing here God? Why are you stopping our economy, our work, our lives across the world? Why are you allowing suffering caused by all the stoppage and sickness?

Then it hit me: What if God wants us to stop, so that we can all sleep? So that we can all finally stop and rest.

Globalization has built up a global culture of being overworked. Employees are being overworked with too many hours and expectations. Companies are being overworked to maximize the never-ending goal of productivity and profitability. Families are being overworked to maintain the balance of school, work, and extracurricular activities. Churches are being overworked with always trying to produce better sermons, better worship services, and better programs. Even creation is being overworked with the constant farming, drilling, and draining of its resources… 

But now, as the world has paused, many of us are forced to stop, wait, and maybe, sleep. 

In Scripture, when we look at the Law given to the Israelites after their release from Egypt, the command to stop and rest on the Sabbath is included in the Ten Commandments (Ex. 20:8-11). God took this command so seriously that if you even lifted sticks for firewood, you would be put to death (Ex. 31:15; Num. 15:32-36). And to take the idea of Sabbath further, God established a Sabbath Year, which gave the land rest on every seventh year (Lev. 25:1-7). And then God established the Year of Jubilee, where the land would have rest, debt would be forgiven, property would be restored, and slaves would be freed (Lev. 25:8-55). God didn’t mess around when it came to stopping and resting. 

Because when creation stops and rests, God can begin to heal. 

Now in no way is this pandemic a “good virus”. Sickness, death, and suffering are all consequences of sin. Everything done to protect society and help those in need should be made a priority all across the world.

But, perhaps God is allowing COVID-19 to get the world’s attention. Perhaps He is using this time of quarantine to work on our hearts, our marriages, and our relationship with our Creator? Perhaps He is using our uncertainty and hardships, to bring us back into a deeper trust and obedience to our King? Perhaps He wants to eliminate our distractions and overfilled schedules to rest and sleep. Perhaps He is calling us to pause, so that he can begin to heal his children, his church, and his creation from being overworked? Perhaps...

One of the unintended consequences of the COVID-19 has been that our earth has already begun to produce cleaner water and cleaner air. With the lack of human activity, creation has already begun to heal. The question for us is have we slowed down, rested, and even slept for God to begin healing us too? Or have we let the fears, worries, and sheer amount of information overwhelm and debilitate us? 

Yet, no matter how high the raging storms or thunderous quakes that exist around us, God quietly reminds us in Psalm 46:10...

Be still, and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth.”

Being still is probably the most difficult posture to be in during this time. Many of us (including myself) are tempted to keep work even more, scroll through our feeds, or binge that new show. But what I strongly feel is God calling us to STOP. REST. And SLEEP.

Because even though we aren’t working, God is working in us and around us. He is sustaining creation, he is healing bodies and hearts, he is calling lost sheep back to him, and he working all things for good (Rom. 8:28). So that when the pandemic becomes a distant memory, He will be the only one receiving all glory, all honor, and all praise. Amen. 

Noah is the Director of Impact and Strategy at Resource Global and an Associate Pastor at Park Community Church in Chicago.

Transforming Work in Nairobi

By Sunru Yong & Anne Chen

Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, is the center of social enterprise and impact investing in East Africa. It has become the regional hub for up-and-coming business leaders who recognize the significant needs, but seek new ways to renew this city. For many people, this means shifting away from reliance on NGOs and charity towards innovative business models that can combine social impact with commercial sustainability. Social enterprises have positive impact by providing critical goods and services to the underserved. There are many possibilities: the manufacture of clean cookstoves that reduce hazardous smoke and environmental impact, providing clean public toilet services for the slums, developing a network of affordable maternity clinics, or using mobile technology to link farmers to buyers. This is not to say that every impactful business needs a catchy “story” or innovation; even conventional businesses can have tremendous impact. Indeed, in a city plagued by unemployment and corruption – any business that creates jobs and is led with integrity can be said to have positive social impact.

The Nairobi entrepreneurial ecosystem also includes “impact” investors, who deploy seed, early-stage, and venture capital while applying a social impact lens to potential investments. Often, the investment funds are provided on more patient, less onerous terms than conventional venture capital; this gives entrepreneurs more space and time to refine their business models, and – hopefully – achieve profitability and scale. In a business environment like Kenya, such investor flexibility is essential. Would-be marketplace leaders do not have an easy road. High costs, poor infrastructure, and corruption all conspire against the entrepreneur. Furthermore, any business trying to introduce an innovation must convince a skeptical market to try something untested. Figuring out how to learn quickly enough and build a sustainable business with limited capital – this is a tall task for anyone, much less one who seeks to do so with integrity and faith-based values.

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It is in serving these up-and-coming leaders – those who aspire to change Nairobi through social enterprise and impact investing – where Resource Global has an opportunity to add value. By the numbers, Kenya is a very Christian nation. Approximately 80% of the population identifies as Protestant or Catholic. However, it is clear there is still much to do in effectively bringing faith and work together. At a recent Nairobi conference sponsored by Resource Global and Hesabika, one speaker after another lamented the reality: Kenya is an ostensibly “Christian” nation, yet corruption and exploitation are pervasive. How, they all asked, can we be a country that is over 80% Christian, and yet we allow – or worse, participate in – such injustice?

The church must face the fact that for too many people, being “Christian” is merely a cultural signifier, rather than an identity, and that the message heard on Sunday may have little bearing on the actions taken on Monday.

In Nairobi, there are many places in which faith can – and indeed, must – transform work. Christ-centered leaders are needed everywhere: government, corporations, NGOs, non-profits, schools, development institutions, and beyond. Resource Global has a part to play too. In 2020, we will focus on providing practical support and mentorship to the social entrepreneurs and impact investors looking for daring, innovative ways to change the city. The stresses of entrepreneurship are high and there are important issues facing those who want to honor Jesus as they navigate this. Resource Global can help by leveraging and adapting the model it has rolled out in other cities. We believe that there can be tremendous benefits in fostering a community of like-minded leaders. We are eager to bring together fellow believers to encourage each other through the trials of entrepreneurship, the excitement of changing their city, and the joy of honoring God in their work. 

Anne and Sunru have been living and working in Nairobi, Kenya for over eight years. They are currently helping our Resource Global Team invest in local Nairobi Christian leaders who can make an impact in their workplace and city for the Gospel.

Wrestling with Failure at Work

“More than other idols, personal success and achievement leads to a sense that we ourselves are god, that our security and value rests in our own wisdom, strength, and performance. To be the very best at what you do, to be at the top of the heap, means no one is like you. You are supreme.”
— Tim Keller in Counterfeit Gods

A month before attending the 2019 Global Cohort Gathering, in Saddleback, CA, (where Christian global leaders all over the world are gathered to learn, connect, and be challenged to make impact in their global cities) I was drafting the most painful document I have ever had to write; I was writing an incident report at work. The incident involved one of our most strategic clients; and I was on the hook for a mistake that I did not catch (picture an infielder missing a pop-fly). It is difficult to overestimate the toll this had on my spiritual, emotional and physical wellbeing. To me, writing that report meant that I was forced to admit that I had failed, that I was incompetent and that I was worthless. I had worked hard to be the best performer on my team, to be the guy you could rely on and I was proud of my “exceptional performance” evaluation. This failure stood in direct contrast of who I thought myself to be and, more importantly, whom I wanted others to think I was.


While at the gathering, I heard several speakers talk candidly about dealing with failure at work and I was convicted by their anecdotes. Bob Doll gave a lecture entitled “Failure- The Stepping Stone to Success” that provided me with much needed guidance. To provide context, Bob was the Chief Equity Strategist of a large asset management firm and has used his God given gifts to attain what many would consider a highly successful career. In his lecture, Bob discussed a time in recent history where he was asked by his previous firm to retire early and the impact it made on his life. It is difficult to imagine attaining Bob’s level of success only to be let go at what would be his “prime career years”. But his response was not to wallow in failure or to blame God for misfortune or engage in destructive self-loathing. No, instead he used his situation as an opportunity to further engage with Christ, his community and his family- what an amazingly faithful response! Ultimately, God blessed him with the opportunity to continue using his financial expertise, but his initial response represents the posture we, as Christ followers, should model in the midst of failure and success in work.


Upon reflection, I’ve come to realize how much my sense of identity was based on success in work. This realization came as a surprise to me (shocking I know). I didn’t think I was idolizing my work, yet it wasn’t until failure at work sent me into a spiral of self-degradation that I realized my priorities were grossly out of order. This, I think, is at the heart of Bob’s lecture; it is difficult to know we’re idolizing success until it is ripped away from us, which then forcibly creates the stepping-stone to success. Success in this context is not about promotions, bonuses or societal praise; it is the stepping-stone to further reliance on God for our joy and worth. We are free from performance evaluations because we can never be “exceptional” before God. We are all hopeless and complete failures when it comes to our worthiness of God’s love yet He gives it anyways. This is the radical promise God makes to His people that is the source of our joy, that God looks at us and sees his Son.

Hunter Daniels works in the finance industry and was part of our Chicago Cohort in 2019.

Complexities Living in a Digital Generation

It is more complicated to live as a Christian in this generation. The life stages and challenges we face as humans are the same but the context has changed.

This generation is bombarded with so much information. Gen Z and Millenials will mature (in terms of knowledge) a lot faster than Baby Boomers, due to the rapid advancing of technology and the amount of information that is readily available.

There is a shift away from the importance of understanding who you are and spiritual maturity; there a shift towards accomplishments, financial independence, individualism and finding purpose within yourself (your personal passions). The Bible teaches us that purpose is found when we look outwards (upwards towards our Creator) and realize that we are part of something bigger; we are created to do more than satisfying our personal ambitions. Millennials are very experiential, self-aware and in-tune with their feelings. This is a good thing, however there is a tendency for millennials to be driven by their emotions; thus, causing them to float from company to company to find a place that will “keep them happy”. This heart attitude will influence their commitments to ministry, marriages, friendships, goals and other aspects of life.

Surveys comparing Millenials and Gen Z (from Barna)

Millenials and Gen Z have a rapid absorption rate towards knowledge, and it has created skepticism toward authority and structure. They are taught to speak up and develop their own thoughts, which raises more questions toward just ‘accepting faith’. This makes it challenging to build up resilient disciples of Christ within the young emerging generation. A position of authority is no longer good enough to “make them listen”; they value realness and authenticity in a leader in order to follow respect and follow after an authority figure.

Millennials want to belong before they believe. Millenials are experiential and want to be engaged, accepted and involved. They want to take an active role in experiencing how faith can play out into their everyday life (work, social life, ministry).

As spiritual leaders, we need to develop cultural discernment in how God is moving and shaping this generation of young adults. We need to stop complaining about what is wrong about this generation (entitled, flakey, emotional), instead let us figure out how to empower, support and build up this generation to navigate through this digital culture.

Grace Liu is our Jakarta City Director and has a heart for building community and empowering the next generation of leaders.

Familiar and Unfamiliar Territory

I was part of the second Resource Global Chicago Cohort (2017-2018). And recently, I had the opportunity to participate as a speaker in one of the workshops at the LEAD conference in Jakarta. The vision for the LEAD Conference is creating better companies, lead to better cities, and ultimately a better world. This was an initiative that the Jakarta Cohort Alumni had proposed to help their own employees in Jakarta.

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Therefore, I had the privilege to talk about how to improve finance processes with technology. Preparing for the presentation was challenging because I realized that although I identify myself as an Indonesian, I have never worked in Indonesia and have limited knowledge about what the marketplace in Jakarta is like. 

Fast forward to the day of my workshop. My presentation went smoothly, but I quickly became aware that the business environment in Indonesia is so different. My audience consisted of mainly mid-management workers and below. And not till after my workshop did I realize that most of them only really used Microsoft Excel as their main technology tool and even some others who worked in family owned businesses still just used paper documentation. 

Although my main goal of participating in the conference was to give back to the people in Indonesia, I felt like I was the one who gained valuable perspectives. I started to understand what work life is like outside of the United States and learned about the roadblocks that are preventing businesses in Indonesia from advancing, ranging from financial to cultural reasons. Last but not least, I gained an appreciation for the values that we so often take for granted in the States, whether that be values of equality, fair pay or even general business ethics. 

In contrast, during the conference, I was also able to meet some of my amazing peer presenters who were working for corporations in Indonesia. These were young leaders (all from previous Jakarta cohorts) who were just a couple of years older than me, but many were leading billion dollar companies and affecting the lives of thousands of employees. I am amazed at the things that God is doing through these young leaders, and amazed to see their heart for the city of Jakarta. They were a real life example of Jeremiah 29:7 where God asked us to seek the prosperity of the city where we are sent exile, for its welfare will determine our welfare. Not to mention their incredible humility, courage and faith while taking up such challenging roles in a difficult business environment and climate. 

I am coming back to the US with an encouraged and excited heart; knowing that God has given me the strength to make a change that God has given my peers in Indonesia. My battlefield and challenges here may look different, but my heart for the people of the city where I live in remains the same. I am blessed to have been able to participate in the LEAD conference, my physical body is exhausted but my heart is so full!


Michelle Tan was part of our Chicago Cohort in 2017-2018. She is originally from Indonesia, but currently resides in Chicago with her husband Sean. She currently works for an consulting firm specifically in the finance and accounting area.

Redefining Beauty

By Reina Ang

On May 31 st , I had the opportunity to sit and listen to Jessica Rey in her session about “Faith, Hollywood, and Fashion” for Global Cohort Gathering 2019. I was personally incredibly excited to be in her session as I’m also working in both of the creative industries she’s involved in: entertainment and fashion industry.

Jessica Rey is an actress, mostly known from her work as White Wild Force Ranger in the TV Series Power Rangers Wild Force. She is also currently the Founder, CEO, and designer for her modest swimwear brand called Rey Swimwear. During the session, Jessica told her story about how while doing her MBA program, she got offered to do castings for commercials and TV series that ultimately led her to a main role in Power Rangers Wild Force. Her experiences in Hollywood and its lifestyle led her to see the need of different and wider perspectives on what is the definition of beautiful for modern women. After much struggle and rejections, she successfully launched Rey Swimwear, a modest swimwear based in Los Angeles.

The fashion and entertainment industry are two very unique industries that have so much influence on dictating what is deemed beautiful in society. But at the same time, within these industries themselves, diversity and inclusion comes especially slower. As I was listening through her session, I was very convicted on how much influence the people in these industries can bring in term of redefining what is beautiful and how much I could’ve done as the part of it. Two of Jessica’s statement stood out to me the most.

““Only 4% of women feel beautiful. My goal is simple, how do I help make it 100%?””

As heartbreaking as it sounds, it’s true. Beautiful is a big scary word for most women. We find ourselves constantly trying to conform to certain set standard unconsciously, never fully satisfied on how we look. The pursuit of improving oneself is good, as long as it doesn’t come from self-hatred. As someone in fashion and entertainment industries, am I doing my best to help this cause or am I actually further enforcing this habit of placing our identity in this unrealistic beauty standard through my work? Am I forcing my own perception of beauty onto others, rather than God’s perspective of it? That brought me to her other statement.

“Your mission is not to make others know who you are, but to make others know that they are made in the image of God.” My goal and mission shouldn’t be centered around me and who I am. It should be about God and according to God’s Word. And what is God’s Word about body image?

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” - Ephesians 2:10 God’s message is loud and clear. We are made according to His image and we are His masterpiece. God sees us that way and that’s the goal, to help men and women to see not only their true beauty, but also their God-given dignity.

Reina Ang is part our Jakarta Team. She is also a professional model in Jakarta.

Lemonilo: Adventures Beyond Expectations

On the afternoon of January 22, 2019, Tommy Lee paid a visit to past cohort member - Johannes Ardiant, at the Lemonilo headquarters in Jakarta, Indonesia. Surrounded by the cheerful green and yellow murals, and beautiful paintings by local artists, the two sat down to catch up on faith, friendship, business, and responding to God’s call.

Lemonilo - the brainchild of Johannes and Shinta Nurfauzia, is a healthy home staples brand. Their hero product is healthy additive-free instant noodles in a country where instant noodles are King. This is, after all, the place that brought the world Indomie, and boasts street food dishes like InTerNet - a mixture of instant noodles, telor (egg), and cornet (corned beef). However, analogous to Johannes’ own eclectic background and professional journey, Lemonilo wasn’t always about food. In fact, its journey (from healthcare to health food), which closely mirrors Johannes’ (from engineering to politics to business and more), is a reminder that God’s call often leads to adventures beyond our own expectations.

Johannes was born and raised in Jakarta, but studied in Singapore for university at the National University of Singapore (NUS). From an early age, he had a passion for politics, but somehow ended up in degree programs related to Computer Science. The decision had been made in response to pressures from family and the market that demanded for more engineers. After university, he took on a PhD program again related to Computer Science, but found it lonely, and knew deep down he was meant for something else. After his struggle through the program, he worked at International Business Machines (IBM) for a time, before finally admitting to his own political passions and aspirations. After IBM, he took on more finance and consulting roles across entities such as Tusk Advisory and the Indonesia Infrastructure Finance, until which point he found an opportunity to go back to school.

From 2013-2015, he took his passion for politics with him to Harvard University, and studied a Masters in Public Policy at the Kennedy School of Governance. However, upon returning to Indonesia, instead of doors opening in politics, he saw doors opening in other areas to help the public as a private citizen. With his friend, Shinta, he started Konsula then - a healthcare tech startup that sought to connect Indonesians with doctors. Public health was a cause that he felt the Lord impressing upon his heart, even as he wished for inroads into policy. It then occurred to him, perhaps serving the public from this private sphere, was actually an inroad. After over a year of building the company, he felt a strong call from the Lord to think of an area he could help that was more organic to the Indonesian people. Something that they needed everyday, but weren’t even thinking about. This is where the idea for a health food startup came.

The statistics were clear: in 2015 alone, Indonesians consumed 13.2 billion instant noodle packets. That is 55 packets per person, per year, as a general average (counting even infants). The logical conclusion was that Indonesian adults ate instant noodles multiple times a week, despite what most in the developed world might consider common knowledge of how unhealthy instant noodles are because of the preservatives used. In late 2015, reports were surfacing of people developing cancer linked to their frequent consumption of instant noodles. Considering Indonesians’ dependence on the staple food, Johannes saw an opportunity there to provide a healthy alternative. With that seed planted, Konsula slowly grew into Lemonilo.

Since then, Lemonilo has launched a second instant noodle flavor (now with both mee goreng [fried noodles], and curry noodle soup), and is well along the path to launching healthy cooking oils, and other pantry must-haves. Johannes has found himself in a leadership position yet again in an area that was not his initial expectation: health products, instead of politics. However, he’s clear that, while it may not have been what he expected, he is learning that “God is teaching [him] the hard way” that doors will open and close according to God’s will.

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As a leader in this new area in his life, Johannes says “the hardest thing is the draining work, the meetings,” but it is all worth it when rewarded with the blessing of mentoring others and sharing one’s values (something he feels he lacked as a young professional). He also credits Resource Global with a lot of the strength and confidence he has pursuing his work with a Christian perspective. For his cohort, their retreat exposed him to Silicon Valley’s challenges for people of faith - the money, idolatry, relativism, and more. He considers this an important component of his maturity today as a Christian business leader. On top of all this, to cope with the pressures of his work, Johannes says he leans on the personal mentorship he received from Resource Global with Ken Baugh (Saddleback Church), as well as time in the Word. “Being rooted in the Word, focusing on one passage per week, meditating on it…[also,] instead of just spending one prayer a day, taking short breaks throughout the day to converse with God,” these are the things he leans on most when times get rough. For him, now, he no longer mourns for his own dreams (such as a political career). Rather, he feels confident that God will open and close the right doors, at the right times, and his job is to faithfully heed the Lord’s direction.

Thinking Differently: Interview with Megan Adolph

Megan Adolph was in our first Chicago Cohort in 2016 and currently has moved for work in the West Coast.


Megan, can you explain what you are currently doing right now?

I live in San Francisco, just moved here from Chicago. I work for a company called Workday, which is an HR software company. So running a lot of finances and expenses for companies. My specific job is running design education. We have a very small design team and a very large company. I lead trainings on design thinking, how to conduct user research, and also how to facilitate meetings in a collaborative way, to help train employees of this organization on some of these fields.

For a good portion of your life in Chicago you were doing a lot of startup, and things like that. What has the transition been like from doing a bunch of projects, to now, staying and working with one company?

Well, it is easier to manage the details to only have one. In Chicago I was teaching at Northwestern, which I love doing. I helped students work on physical product design, and was also doing different client projects at the same time. There is a fun hustle and bustle, Tommy you mentioned that you love that too, doing lots of different things at once. There has been a sort of peace to have one specific company to work with, where I feel I can be really focused and go deep. I am not as worried about if I am going to book this project; I mean at the same time you are running a small business and making sure you have everything managed, as well as be a designer, run facilitations, teach, etc. Not having to worry about if I am going to have enough money to cover all my expenses as much this month is a nice relief to actually focus on the work that I am doing.

What about your spiritual life? From the change in to Chicago, to where you are, finding a new church, fellowship, etc. Where are you spiritually, and how have you seen God working through this journey during this time?

I will be honest, last week was the first time I really went to church and connected. In the midst of the transition it was just so easy for me to pull away because I was busy. I had such a good experience; I went with my friend Steve to Reality, two weeks ago. It was about two hours long, and I kept thinking, is it over yet? I was talking to him about it, and he says, actually they are really big on the response, and leaving the space. It was this really big call out to me, I haven’t been putting in that level of space in this transition. So coming this Sunday and spending the full two hours there, it was a freeing release; where the depth and the craving of what I really needed, was that time with God. I am really thankful for that. But in the transition it was so easy to get lost in the hustle and bustle of things. I wouldn’t necessarily say I was far away from God, but definitely not as prudent in communities. I took for granted in some ways, I was in Chicago for thirteen years, some of the bases of church all set up, so many friends, a depth of community. It was hard, and some ways still is hard, but recognizing that where you put your intentionality is where it will grow. Even just going to church yesterday, the girl who sat next to me works in Pleasanton, where I work, and we are going to connect. I am just thankful for that element of when you do put that foot forward, God will honor that. I am thankful for that reminder and connection.


Ever since I met you, you have been passionate about design thinking and training, when did you start realizing your passion? What is it about it that psychs you up?

I didn’t even know what these words were for a long time to be honest. I did a startup, about seven or so years ago, we hired a company to do design. I though design was just pixels, color, what it would be, but it had so much more to do with empathy and understanding people. I was doing more technical product management at the time, so I realized I liked their job more than mine. When we sold the company, I decided to switch careers. Since then I have just been loving the different angles. I started designing stores, I was doing physical product design with Northwestern. I love that it’s more of a methodology that helps you sort of understand what is a core human need and then what you’re designing; whether that’s a website, a store, a product, it doesn’t necessarily matter as understanding the process. I am not an expert in store design, I work with architects and interior designers to make stores. Or if I am doing physical product design, I also am not super great at welding things; but understanding this process I can come into and product and really understand the human needs and translate them into what will make a successful product.

What are you hoping for to integrate your skills with the gospel?

I have a core belief that everyone is creative. I think we can often confuse creativity with “I can draw.” I believe God is the ultimate creator, and there is a big part of me that loves creating space for creativity. If I am running a workshop for the day, and I can create conversations that can occur in a different way, or have someone think of a new idea, or just have fun in a way they haven’t done before. I guess I see how I want God to work through me as allowing other people to experience themselves as creative, or experience themselves in new ways. Being able to be a space for that is where I like to see my mission and work come in. Letting the reflection of being a creator show up in people, whether that is in their work, or brainstorming about their personal lives; I love to be a space for someone to think differently or to be more creative.

Serving God Faithfully in all Things

An interview with Lukas Limanjaya, Founder of Kalm. He was in our Second Cohort in Jakarta.


On Tommy Lee’s last trip to Jakarta from January 20-23, 2019, he had the opportunity to catch up with and interview past cohort members. One of these was Lukas Limanjaya - a sprightly, young business leader with a passion for counselling, improving mental health and well-being, and reducing stigma around mental health disorders.

During the interview, Lukas cited his past as formative in both his grounded faith, and his calling to help broken people cope with and heal from that brokenness. As a young child, he lived in Surabaya - the second largest city in Indonesia, and was raised by his grandparents. At around the age of 8, his parents - who were living in Jakarta, running the family businesses, decided it was time to move their children in with them. Lukas soon found himself and his siblings transplanted to the bustling national capital, and were immediately put into a Christian private school (Sekolah Pelita Harapan - known as SPH).

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During those first several years in Jakarta, the adjustment for Lukas was significant, and home life was not ideal. His parents fought often, and Lukas felt acutely the brokenness of the world. To cope, Lukas turned to school. He says, “God’s providence stuck him at home” as he struggled to run off and get up to shenanigans with his friends outside. Instead, he found himself holing up in his room and running to his books, and his studies, to avoid the stresses of his family life. He credits his teachers and counselors at school for their constant support. Most of all, he cites that the key determinant to his success today is how God’s divine purpose brought people into his life to teach him that “Option A” (what he describes as the obvious choice, or other people’s expectations, or the way you’ve been brought up) is not the only option. There is always an Option B. And often Option B is the true option God has for you: His true plan for your life, the one you neither want or expect.

Going for Option B, however, requires what Lukas calls both an external factor (a spiritual mentor, for example), and self-reflection. After all, these types of choices sometimes require a leap of faith. Especially if it’s not what you initially envisioned. To Lukas, the crucial element here is humility. “Being humble isn’t about low self-esteem,” he insists. To him, humility is about knowing who you are, and who God is. “God shows me how big He is as I know him.” Knowing God, and knowing who you are in relation to God (how big He is, and how small you are, and how He protects and covers you) humbles you, and prepares you for his plans for you.

“Being self-reflective comes down to being humble. Being self-reflective means being reflective on who God is. When I acknowledge that everything is a gift from God, it’s ok to be proud of the things I am good at. At the same time, when I acknowledge God is there for me, means it’s ok for me to admit my weaknesses too.”

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After university abroad, and a short stint working in the tech industry, Lukas returned to the United States to study a Masters of Arts in Counselling and Biblical Counselling from Westminster Theological Seminary. When he finished, he returned to Jakarta at the end of 2017 armed with the right tools to begin his new business venture: PT Sanubari Senantiasa Sejahtera. It was into this business that he took his passion for helping the broken. His journey starting this, coincided with his time with Resource Global - a time he credits for “emboldening him to keep moving forward in the path God has set for him.” The encouragement he received from his fellow Resource Global cohort members, reminded him that as young professionals, they were all in a similar boat. Whether taking on family businesses, working on new and challenging roles in their current companies, or venturing out on their own, all of them were experiencing many difficult firsts. The sensation that he was not alone, and that others were pushing themselves and supporting one another in Christ, gave him energy to continue.

“When I look back at my life, and I see my challenges and hardships, I don’t see wow look how great I am I went through [all this] and look at where I am right now. When I look back I see those ways that God tells me how I never was alone. I never walked through it alone. The only reason I survived, is that God brought me people, and He was there through those people, and that’s what brought me to my life at this point.”

Since then, Lukas and his business partner, Angela, at PT Sanubari have launched their app: Kalm, a mobile application that allows Indonesians to connect with counselors, offers tips for dealing with mental health issues, as well as encouragements to get you through the day.

As he described his advocacy, Lukas highlighted the muddled view on mental health and wellness as a key point he’d like to change.

“In the business world, if a person has a heart attack from overwork we say ah he worked so hard, what a strong man. But if a person gets anxiety or burnout or depression from overwork we say, ah so weak. Maybe we shouldn’t trust him. And unfortunately, it’s a mindset not only in the business world, but in churches too. Pastors, elders, people serving. We say because they’re doing the Lord’s work they must be perfect. But they’re under immense pressure too.”

His passion for the cause is clear, and it is with these thoughts that he continues to lead the charge on destigmatizing mental health, and pushes forward to help Indonesians who struggle. Still, as with any new venture, days have not been without their uncertainties.

Lukas remembers talking to a fellow Resource Global cohort member who was giving him advice on what not to do when kicking off a startup. Some of the advice that came up included avoiding products that required one educate the market with something completely new. At that, Lukas was immediately dejected. He thought to himself: oh no all the things I was told not to do, I’m doing right now. When he expressed his fears, he was encouraged instead, reminded that: “if you know and feel God brought you and told you to do it, if you have to fail, just fail faithfully.”

“That really changed my mindset,” said Lucas. “I don’t have to prove God called me to do this. Whatever I do, I just have to be faithful. Even in failure, fail faithfully that it honors the Lord. That lifted off so much burden from me. I don’t have to make my company successful. I just need to do things in a way that is faithful.”

These simple, yet powerful, words reminded Lukas of the truth that as Christians, our success should not be defined by what the world considers success, but by our service to the Lord. Just as God is faithful to us, so should we remain faithful to Him in all things. This revelation freed Lukas to work without worry, and to know that regardless of how “successful” his company becomes, he needs only to go forth in faith and rest assured in God’s promise of love and grace.

For Lukas, in the end, it’s not about success today, tomorrow, or in this lifetime now. It’s not even about his success as an individual and the number of other people he helps with his projects. It’s about an eternal purpose that serves the Lord faithfully, and becomes part of a tapestry that weaves God’s plans together into one beautiful, big picture. “Even if you fail, fail faithfully. Everything we do is to honor God”.

Interview with Pak Nur Hadi: An Unconventional Educator’s Journey

By Felicia Hanitio

Teachers are some of the most influential yet under-appreciated leaders in our society. Consider this. In what other profession do all fresh graduates instantly have the responsibility of managing 30 human beings on a daily basis? And managing not just their performance, but also their social-emotional wellbeing, behavioral interactions and parental expectations? For better or for worse, teachers - especially those we interface with during the foundational years of our lives - play a crucial role in the shaping of our identities, belief systems, and perspectives of the world around us.

The entranceway to SD1 Bulungkulon in Bulung Kulon village, Kudus district, Central Java province.

The entranceway to SD1 Bulungkulon in Bulung Kulon village, Kudus district, Central Java province.

On a sweltering Monday morning in November, I venture with several colleagues to the outskirts of Kudus toward Bulung Kulon village to seek some fresh insights from a good friend, Pak Nur Hadi, about the role teachers might play in building interfaith and intercultural understanding and tolerance in Indonesia. As we admire the quiet countryside surroundings from the car windows, we almost miss the turn into the SD1 Bulungkulon school compound—three cream-painted, burgundy-shingled buildings peeking out in a U-shape formation amidst emerald-gold rice fields. We enter the school grounds, pass by a jumble of haphazardly parked motorcycles spilling over from a tiny bicycle parking lot, and head toward Pak Nur’s classroom, one door over from the principal’s office. The door is slightly open, and Pak Nur’s musical voice greets us before we spot him, a petite yet energetic figure rotating between groups of students to offer a smiling word of encouragement, pose a question, or demonstrate a concept with animated hand gestures.

Today, it is increasingly rare to find educators in the Indonesian public school system that fully grasp and treasure the life-changing calling entrusted to them. But my friend Pak Nur Hadi, a native of Kudus, is one of these gems. I first got to know Pak Nur through Djarum Foundation’s effort to find and recruit the best educators throughout the district and equip them as master-trainers. A grade six public school teacher in the village of Bulung Kulon, one of three least-developed villages in the district according to 2015 census data, Pak Nur is passionately devoted to his craft. Undaunted by the contextual challenges he and his students face, Pak Nur is committed to shaping his students to become mature, confident global citizens. During his after school hours, Pak Nur also seeks to grow his impact as a teacher-trainer, author, and aspiring entrepreneur.

Pak Nur inspires other teachers during a workshop on creating and utilizing whiteboard animation as teaching aids, organized by the Kudus Teacher Learning Center.

Pak Nur inspires other teachers during a workshop on creating and utilizing whiteboard animation as teaching aids, organized by the Kudus Teacher Learning Center.

Pak Nur in action at school.

Pak Nur in action at school.

Pak Nur’s classroom is an intriguing amalgam of the conventional and unconventional, cluing us in to his ability to creatively maximize his surroundings. The rusty blackboard and mahogany-tinted furniture are reminiscent of my parents’ schooling days, though the desks and chairs are now arranged in table groups and are set against a vinyl beach-scene backdrop covering the entire back wall of the class. Students’ entrepreneurial creations decorate the lengths of the classroom, but today they are also joined by cardboard boxes and measuring tools of various shapes and sizes. Pak Nur spots us and enthusiastically beckons for us to come in. “We’re learning to calculate volumes today,” he explains. We introduce ourselves to the sea of excited faces and throw a few questions at them. In their red-and-white school uniforms, Pak Nur’s students look like they could be from any Indonesian public elementary school, but unlike typical village children we meet, they confidently introduce themselves and converse with us. We find out from Pak Nur that several of them have recently won poetry-reading and art competitions, though to Pak Nur, all of them are uniquely talented.

After the class ends and we wave our reluctant goodbyes (or see-you-later’s) to the students, Pak Nur invites us to pay a visit to his home, leading the way on his motorcycle. We sit crosslegged on a tarp mat on his front porch as he brings us water, biscuits, and deep-fried risoles pastries that his wife has just fried. I thank Pak Nur for having us over on such short notice, and ask if I could ask him a few interview questions for a collection of blogs I am writing on everyday leaders and their efforts to build interfaith, intercultural understanding. Pak Nur listens and nods, smiling with his gentle eyes, and responds that it would be his pleasure. Sipping our tea and enjoying bites of our snacks, we begin to learn more about Pak Nur’s story.

(The following are edited excerpts of our conversation, translated from Bahasa Indonesia).

Can you tell us a little more about your background? Were you always a teacher, or have you ever dabbled in other professions?

Actually, miss, my dream was always to be a teacher. But I didn’t grow up in an environment where that was common. My parents, grandparents, and extended family were all farmers—and farming was all we knew. The first time I went to college, I pursued a degree in agriculture in order to help the family trade, but after I graduated I found it was difficult to sustain a stable living from farming alone. And so I worked as a door-to-door salesman and cigarette production laborer for several years.

 After four years, as grateful as I was for my job and the living it provided, I was itching to try something that could challenge my creativity and bring greater impact to others. At this time, I was reminded of my childhood dream to be a teacher. Thankfully, my employer was supportive and encouraged me to go and pursue this calling. He even provided a scholarship!

When I graduated from the teacher’s college in Semarang and was accepted into the civil service, I made a commitment to myself and to God that no matter where I was placed, I would not take my “civil servant” status for granted but would instead always strive for excellence and integrity in serving my students, community and country.

Wow, what a journey! Can you tell us a little more about what excellence look like in your profession? What do you hope to achieve in the classroom?

Most of my students come from farming backgrounds like I do, but most of them will not stay in the village and become farmers. And so my hope for them is that they can grow up as mature, creative young people who can adapt well in many diverse kinds of working environments and go after big dreams. Many people cannot keep a good job because they’re unable to work with or under other people who have different beliefs and values.

That’s why I try to implement multicultural education in my classroom: encouraging students to be curious and appreciative about other cultures and faiths. My shelves at home are full of religious books from other faiths, and I often discuss what I’m reading with my students. Kids are very inquisitive, you know. One of them asked me once: if humans are the same despite our differences, why do we even have different religions and cultures at all? I offered my opinion, that perhaps it’s like the colors in a rainbow or watercolor painting: life is more beautiful with all of them included.

We love that you are so passionate about multicultural education. What has your own experience with multiculturalism been like? Do you find that others in your community - including other teachers - ever oppose what you are trying to do?

My family and I are all Muslim, but I grew up in a village which has a very multi-religious and multicultural makeup. I have neighbors and relatives who are Protestant Christian, Catholic, and Hindu. And we trust and feel safe around each other. Do you see? None of us lock our doors. Many of us, including my family, come from the Samin[1] tribe, and in our tribe we have many sayings that teach us to avoiding anger and live in peace and harmony with ourselves and others.

 As a native of Kudus, I’m also inspired by our long history of multiculturalism: just look at Menara Kudus[2] or Kudus people’s habit of eating buffalo meat, and we remember Sunan Kudus’s centuries-old teachings about religious tolerance. I have observed that in Northern coast of Java, we tend to be influenced more by the culture of the “Wali Songo” (Nine Islamic Saints of Indonesia) who preached a moderate and multicultural Islam, as opposed to some other cities that are more influenced by strands of hardcore Islam coming from the Middle-East war zone.

 But of course, to answer your other question, there are always a few here and there who think differently. For example, one of my friends, a lecturer in Semarang, has become more and more extreme in his views in recent years, and quite often posts non-tolerant messages on his social media platforms. We see these kinds of shifts happening in some mosques and schools, too, but it’s usually more pronounced in the big cities (not necessarily Kudus). In my opinion, these people’s motivations seem mostly political, not religious.

 So how do you respond to people like this friend, who disagree with your vision of multicultural education and interfaith tolerance?

To be honest, it can be quite discouraging when these kind of people ridicule you time and time again for your views. But when you truly believe you are doing the right thing, it helps you persevere in the long run. Many times, I turned to God in prayer when I felt discouraged, and He reminded me of the commitment I made to keep pursuing excellence and truth. And God has been faithful to answer my prayers. I have met many other friends who support me and share the same vision, like my colleagues at the Kudus Teacher Learning Center (Pusat Belajar Guru Kudus), and the community of educators I’ve met through different competitions and research conferences.

You mentioned the idea of “doing the right thing”.  How would you summarize your personal mission? Does your faith influence this mission?

Very simply, I believe that the best thing a person can do, what God intends and enables us to do, is to be someone who does good for others. So my core mission is to serve and be useful to others in as many ways as I can: whether in the classroom, through the books and blog I write, or in designing and organizing training for other teachers. My hope is that together we can prepare a generation of young people who can also be useful to the people around them and the world they live in.

Last question: You know, the government’s numbers tell us that Bulung Kulon is one of the “least-developed” villages in all of Kudus. But visiting your class and talking to you here today, it seems to me that you all have discovered some priceless nuggets of truth here that the rest of the world can learn from. On behalf of Bulung Kulon, can you share a word of wisdom for the rest of us, in the face of the various issues and conflicts that our world faces today?

No community is perfect. But here, we know that true wealth is not in material possessions. To me, poverty is not about money. Someone is poor if they have one of two conditions: one, if they are sick; and two, if they are in debt[3]. In our village, we may not have much money, but we also have little sickness or debt, and many good relationships. And so my encouragement would be, wherever you’re from and whatever your profession is, recognize and fight for the truly important things in life.

[1] The Samin people are an indigenous community of Central and East Java who descend from followers of Surontika Samin, a 19th century peasant farmer who preached nonviolent resistance against Dutch colonialism and social norms of the time, including colonial taxation, state education, the use of the Indonesian language, and adherence to one of five officially recognized religions in Indonesia. Though stereotyped as being resistant to change and “behind the times”, they are also known for their tradition of benevolence and peaceful protest against social and environmental injustices.

[2] The iconic local mosque which blends characteristics of Hindu and Muslim religious architecture.

[3] Unknowingly, Pak Nur has reminded me of the beauty of the gospel message: that though all of us are sick and in debt from the disease of sin which deserves eternal death, God in Christ has come to heal us and pay our debts through His work on the Cross, offering new hearts and life to the full for all who trust in His name. But this is material for another blog post.

Reflections from Jakarta: Crazy Rich Asians

By Grace Liu

Crazy Rich Asians (just released on DVD) will resonate with anyone that has studied abroad and came back to Asia to experience the immediate cultural pressures of family obligations. The tug of war between putting your dreams or your family first is real, especially for those who inherit the family company upon returning from overseas studies. 

I grew up in North Carolina and New York. I moved to Indonesia during my early teen years and finished off my high school in Jakarta. I went to the University of Michigan and came back to Indonesia for family and for work.

But being Asian American, I saw the truths of both cultures portrayed in the movie. The western side of me believes that you need to stand up for what you believe in. So it is important to understand your passions and follow your dreams. Love who you want to love. You are your own person, it is important be secure and own the desires of your heart. At the same time, the Asian side of me understands the importance of being community-oriented; and how our personal dreams need to be in line with what is best for the family. This is not just about your immediate family, this involves your uncles, aunties, cousins, grandparents, nieces, nephews. Future decisions you make affect not just you, but your ENTIRE family.

Eleanor (the mother in Crazy Rich Asians) said that Americans are great with following their dreams and achieving their ambitions , but Asians are good with building things (such as family traditions, family businesses) that last. This is why in a culturally Asian family, who you marry is such a big deal. It is the prayers of the elders in your family that you find someone in line with your family values. Parents play a big role in this decision because you do not only marry the person, you marry into their family. Both families (their family culture, their reputation, their name) merge into one. When you marry, you carry the benefits and burdens of the family you choose to tie yours to. 

What does the Bible say about following your dreams verses building up your family? 

Philippians 2:3-4 says " Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others." 

It is biblical to put the interests of others before yourself.  It is biblical to sacrifice you your fleshly desires for the good for your family, your community. However at the same time the Bible also commands us to "forsake your mother and father". 

Matthew 19:29 says, " And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or property, for my sake, will receive a hundred times as much in return and will inherit eternal life."

How do you find common ground with these two verses? 

God has given us talents, gifts, ambition, vision for life and these are all good things! However God has also given us the responsibility to love and care for the people within our spheres of influence. This includes our family. Whether you are Asian or not, your life decisions do affect your family on some level. Making life decisions with or without the support of your family makes a difference. 

Does this mean all our life decisions need to be agreed on by our parents? Absolutely not. Our parents are also human and can make decisions out of selfish ambition as well (not saying that all parents do this, but just know that everyone will have this tendency no matter what life stage you are in).

God has also given us to Holy Spirit to guide us from everyday little decisions to major life decisions. Sometimes these decisions may not make sense to our family. However, when God will call us to a season of life where our obedience to God will be challenged; are you willing to follow through what God wants for your life regardless of what other people say? I understand that this might be a big struggle for many of my Asian American friends when faced with this verse. It goes against cultural values; it is seen as rude or disrespectful when we go against family wishes. Following what God wants for our life is not about being politically or culturally correct, it is about being obedient and trusting that God even when you cannot see the bigger picture yet. 

Crazy Rich Asians was a bit cheesy, over the top, yet entertaining and addresses some real struggles Asian young adults face when integrating back to their home country after studying abroad. One thing I took away is, no matter what ethnic or family culture you were brought up in, we should always revert to bringing the Jesus culture into our decision making and our family culture. 

Grace Liu is our Jakarta City Director and has a passion to bring young adults together in community for the sake of the Gospel. Her and her husband Ronald have two kids and live in Jakarta.

Know Your Place

Tau diri  is a common term used in the Indonesian culture (usually by an older person to a younger person) as a reminder to "know your place". What does that mean exactly? It means:

  • Don’t speak out unless you are told to do so.

  • Respect elderly people and heed their advice; don't talk as if you know better.

  • As an employee, never outshine your superiors.

  • If you are the 2nd or 3rd born in your family, accept that most of the leadership roles will fall under your oldest sibling.

Tau diri. Know your place.

It is a phrase that is often times belittling, oppressive, and negative. It is usually used when scolding someone, that someone being of lower status, age, rights, and/or gender(women are still seen as “less” in this country).

A friend once told me that because her parents repeatedly told her to "tau diri," her insecurities grew. She expected less from herself. She didn’t want to stand out or speak up. To her,Tau diri meant keeping quiet and always nodding along in order to be the "proper person". It prevented her from seeing herself the way God sees her.

I challenge us to see this term "tau diri" in a different light. Yes, tau diri means know your place. But let’s try and see this with a positive perspective - know your place, as a child of God. Know your place as an ambassador of Christ. Know your place as someone that has been saved by the loving grace of God.

I agree that it is important for us to "know our place" with regards to our family, work position, and age. It is always good to have a humble heart and attitude. However, humble does not mean one is weak or less than others. We should know that God has placed us in this family, this country, this culture, this group of friends, and this company, all for a reason...know your place. Know your place as a child of God. A child that is loved, cherished, and saved. We do not need to look for fame or position to be secure because God is our security.  

With this “new” definition, I want to challenge all of us to Tau Diri from a kingdom perspective, God’s eyes. Know your place as a child of God. A child that has been given a mission and vision for the people around you.

Grace Liu, Jakarta City Director

Crazy Rich Asians

A Window into Southeast Asia’s Wealth and Faith

While earning raving reviews and credit for its all-Asian cast, Crazy Rich Asians, has given us in the States a window into just how wealthy, how crazy, and how Christianity plays a part in Southeast Asia. One of the first scenes shows Eleanor Young (the male’s lead mother) having a Bible Study in Singapore with her friends. But what’s even more unusual, is not that there is a Bible study, but the fact that the Bible study is taking place in a lush tropical villa (or mansion) with other wealthy and social elite women. And the passage being read comes from Colossians 3:2, “Set your mind on things above, not on things that are on the Earth”. Interesting…

Though religion occupies only a small portion of the film, the book, written by Kevin Kwan poses Christianity as one of the many qualifications to what it takes to be considered a social elite in countries like Singapore, Hong Kong, and others. In his book (not in the movie), it mentions that a successful elite teenager in SE Asia, is one that succeeds in music, academics, and religion. The Holy Trinity of success. In other words, religion, or in this case Christianity, becomes a badge of morality and an extracurricular activity rather than a way of life. That is why you see some appreciate Crazy Rich Asians as a movie, but ask the question: If Christianity is the faith of the social elite in SE Asia, how does the gospel impact how they live? Or does it?

Kion You, a journalist at Brown University, writes that the movie helps portray Christianity in a hyper-capitalist country, “by satirizing Christianity as a tool for the wealthy to cozy up with those even more wealthy, accruing large doses of social capital with sprinkles of the gospel”.[1] In other words, he sees Christianity for the wealthy in SE Asia, as merely “a hollowed out vessel of wealth”. Just like the $40 million wedding in the movie that was held in a church. Wealth was present, but Christianity wasn’t. On the ground level, Brett McCraken, from the Gospel Coalition, interviewed three Singaporean pastors to get a deeper look at Christianity in countries like Singapore. One of them, Guna Raman of Agape Baptist Church, had this to say about Christianity in his home country, “Many churches preach heavily moralistic sermons or, on the other hand, proclaim ‘hyper-grace,’ subtly (if not overtly) proclaiming the prosperity gospel. There is a great need in Singapore for more theological depth.” [2]

When one looks at SE Asia and sees the elite claim Christianity as their religion, yet not let it impact how they give to the poor, reconcile among ethnic divisions, or pursue justice; it begs the question of whether the gospel actually impacts their lives. At Resource Global, we’ve had similar conversations among those in Jakarta and Singapore. For many of the elite, Christianity is merely the means of pursuing good morality, or blessings if you obey, or a community among similar-minded people. It plays a part in their lives, but doesn’t impact or dictate their lives.

That is why for us at Resource Global, we’ve made it our mission to resourcing and releasing the next generation of Christian leaders and professionals within an interconnected network for Gospel movements in major global cities. And we’ve made SE Asia a specific target for this. One of the main reasons is because there is a lack of understanding among young leaders in how to properly integrate Scripture and the Gospel into everyday life, especially in their workplace. For example: What does the Gospel have to do with the $100 million company I will inherit from my family in 10-15 years? What does the Gospel have to do with loving the marginalized, the poor, and those who are not Christians? What does the Gospel have to do with marriage, community, justice, and more? In no way do we expect to answer and solve every question. But our hope is to bring in leaders, speakers, and mentors to have dialogue around these topics, so that they will not live out a “hollowed out vessel of religion” or one with “little theological depth”. Instead, they will live one that knows what, why, and how the gospel speaks to every single inch of their lives.

So at Resource Global, we are just getting started. Now in Year 3 of our cohorts in Jakarta and Chicago, and Year 1 starting for Nairobi, we are excited to continue investing in local workplace leaders and see the future transformation in 5, 10, or 20 years. We’ve already seen leaders change how they work and love their co-workers, lead initiatives in their local churches, and start new efforts in loving those around them that are not like them. We know our investment is small, but with the capacity and potential of these global leaders, we know the impact they can make for God’s kingdom is massive. As we all were given the opportunity to peer into the window of Christianity in SE Asia through Crazy Rich Asians, our hope is that in 20 years you will be able to see into a window not of crazy wealth with a Christian bumper sticker attached, but one of young leaders integrating and risking their lives for Jesus’ name and the welfare of their communities and cities.

Noah Chung, Resource Global Staff

[1]https://sojo.net/articles/crazy-rich-asians-shows-role-christianity-worlds-richest-countries
[2]https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/gospel-takes-root-crazy-rich-singapore/

Struggles of Working in a Family Business

Working in a family business is like an irony. People would think that because it's our own family company, we have a lot of rooms to grow and move around and change things as we deem important. But truthfully, it's harder than it looks. Here are some of the struggles I've encountered:

1. Passing the baton

My father is a self-made man. His family came from nothing and being able to build his own entire company until having what we have now, is something he values so much. It’s his baby. Maybe it's even where he puts his identity in. So that being said, I felt there were a lot of difficulties for him on giving up control and authority. Company structure became messy and I wasn’t the only one who was having trouble positioning myself in the company. The employees were also confused on whom they had to report to, because the business was slowly being passed onto his kids.

But seeing from his point of view, he saw us as kids who weren’t ready to be passed on the family business. This create a lot of tension, because trust was now at stake. My father might have felt that as kids we will never be “man” enough to run the business, but we as kids, we wanted our chance to prove to our father that we were capable. But there was nothing that we could do except to wait (impatiently), until he felt that we were ready.

Sadly, when things at the company are bad and you just want to wind down at home and not talk about business anymore... you still have to sit at the dinner table with family and still discuss business, which makes it hard to separate business from personal feelings and family.

2. Bringing education to the workplace

I was blessed to have the opportunity to have my university education in America where I was exposed to Western ways of thinking and mentality. I took business as my major, so when I went back to Jakarta, I wanted to implement a lot of the same things in the company to make it more forward. But with the different culture and years of an immersed tradition within the company, it wasn’t so easy to penetrate it. It would take a lot of time to make our employees and employers understand why we would want to shift some of the ways we traditionally do it.

But all  that said, I have realized a few things: honest communication is very important, establishing boundaries and positioning ourselves in the company is also key, and taking things easily, or in other words, argue your arguments, but when it’s done, make sure it’s a clear and finalized before you leave it.

3. Depending on God

Finally, my foremost important takeaway from working in a family business is that it makes me understand more about having God as our center as the most important thing in my life. We can get caught up with work and businesses or talk about it neverendingly, which can make it our identity. But without God as our core foundation, we will be easily shift and forget what exactly is the entire purpose of work. Working in a family business requires a lot of patience, and when we try with our own strength, it will never sustain. But with His love, it’s not impossible.

All of these times, it never occured to me to put my faith and trust in Him within my workplace, gosh ..it never really crossed my mind to do so. Maybe because it was too far of a reach that even thinking about it was just ...off. But one thing that God revealed to me at my time at Resource Global was when He helped me understand that His heart is never pointed to only one part of our lives, but to all extended parts; and seeing people from different nations and cities having the same heart that wants to glorify God with their work was another proof that nothing is too big or too far reached for Him.

Velencia Bong, Jarakta Cohort Member 2018

Called to Work

Called to Work

"Marketplace leaders." We hear this term often, but you may be wondering, what does it mean and why are nonprofits suddenly jumping to help these people?

I recently had a conversation with someone at church. He told me, "I feel really guilty when I'm at work. I feel like if I'm obedient to God, I should quit my job and either go into full-time ministry or go into missions." It was an interesting thought, and one that left me wondering why he could not be obedient to God in his work. What this individual did not recognize, and what many people fail to realize, is that he put his faith in a box by believing that serving God is limited to church work.

"What is it that God has gifted you in?" I asked him, adding, "God has gifted you with different passions, just like he has gifted the designer with certain skills and passions, or a banker or an accountant." It was important for me to help him understand and see that his career was, in fact, bringing glory to God and enhancing the Gospel. I encouraged him to identify the characteristics that have led him to excel in his current work and consider how they might be used by God in other capacities. "What do you like about your job?" I asked him. "What are the things you are doing at work that you just love, where time flies by and you enjoy every moment of it?" This, I told him, could be God slowly showing him what He has created him to be. I then took it a step further: "How do you begin to use those skills and those passions and what he has given you to not only serve your work and make your work and your city better, but use those skills to also serve the church, your family, and all of this?"

Looking into the Old and New Testaments, we are reminded that the life stories God writes for us are tied to the unique abilities we have been given. Zacchaeus was a tax collector. He interacted with Jesus, and stayed a tax collector. What changed was how he used his gifting. A self-serving attitude shifted to a desire to serve the poor.

Nehemiah was a cupbearer to the king; he was a government official. When he received news that the walls of Jerusalem were down, he took leave to use his skills to organize his people to rebuild the wall. When the task was done, he returned to his responsibilities in the palace. The interesting thing to note is that Nehemiah would not have been able to do what he did if he was not a government official.

Peter was a fisherman.

Daniel and Joseph both worked in the government. The list goes on.

Marketplace leaders are Christian business professionals.

"How can we mobilize these individuals towards ministry in the marketplace?" is a question that is inspiring nonprofit organizations around the world to not just support the spiritual growth of young global leaders, but to encourage them to pursue marketplace careers that create opportunities for evangelism and discipleship in secular fields.

A marketplace leader is born out of an individual actively seeking to discover and pursue their God-given purpose.

In a recent radio interview I did with Dr. Michael Easley, my former boss and the former President of Moody Bible Institute, he said to me, "I'm one of these outliers that doesn't believe in a specific call from God." This view can, and does, upset some people. "I didn't have some experience, or some, you know, intervention, or some, 'Boy, I think God wants me to be a pastor.'"  Instead, Dr. Easley points to our innate, God-given wiring as an indicator for what we are created to do. "I do think we have gifts, calling, abilities, talents, interests, passions, wiring, and when you put all that together and you have a sense of 'I was made to do X,'...I think we need to pay attention to those basic things." Dr. Easley has reminded me time and again, "Tommy, just do the next thing and the next thing."

Careful personal consideration and insight from other people are valuable tools. Sometimes we want something so much that we confuse God's calling with our own desires. I think we have all been there. We have to continually ask ourselves, is it His will, or did I just convince myself that this is God's will for me because I want it so much for myself?

This even happens to people who know they are called into full-time ministry. Take Pastor Mark Jobe's story as an example. Pastor Mark is the Senior Pastor of New Life Community Church in Chicago. When Mark was 21 years old, attending Moody Bible Institute in Chicago in 1986, he received an invitation from God that he knew he could not turn down. "A pastor had planted a seed in my heart," Mark explained to me during an UpNext radio interview. "He said, 'Mark, you know, the nations have come to the city. If we can reach the cities, we can reach the nations.'" Mark was not crazy about Chicago and longed to return to his family in Northern Spain, but God challenged him during a personal prayer time, saying, "I love people. I love the city. Would you love the city?" God softened his heart, and soon Mark began to see the people of Chicago as individuals that God loved. He accepted a call to pastor a small church of 18 people. Now, thirty years later, he is the lead and founding pastor of New Life Community Church, and his congregation has planted 24 other churches with over 40 services in multiple languages. Today Mark says, "I see a city that Jesus loves, that has tremendous potential to be a turnaround city that shows the whole world that there is a powerful God at work in Chicago."

Marketplace leaders have the potential to change the world, too.

If God has called you to serve in the marketplace, he has bestowed upon you a great honor. Almost all non-Christian Americans are in the marketplace. This is not to say that they are unreached with the Gospel, but instead have access to churches and Christians, yet are still living in darkness. As Theology of Business (www.theologyofbusiness.com) describes it, "The local church is like the showroom for Christianity. The marketplace is the test drive." Consider your daily life and how you react under pressure, how you treat your neighbors, coworkers, family, and friends, because the people around you are watching.

If you are in the marketplace, or considering entering the marketplace, because you have considered your "gifts, calling, abilities, talents, interests, passions, and wiring" and found that that is where God wants you, then I want to assure you that you have no reason to feel guilty like the individual I talked to at my church for not being in full-time ministry. As Theology of Business so aptly puts it, "The marketplace is where our unbelieving co-workers get to see if they really want what we have."

Tommy Lee

How God Shows Up in our Work

by Steven Preston

Over 35 years in the workforce, I have had a number of professional roles as a banker, a corporate executive, and a government leader.  As a result, I have been confronted many times with the question of where I see God in my work. I think most Christians would agree that we must see our work as being within the realm of God’s purpose for and hand in our lives.  We have to see him in the every day and the entirety of our lives, and our work often takes up the majority of that. For me, I have seen God work in three primary ways.

First, I have had the joy of working in roles where the actual doing of the work has brought me joy.  Early in my career as a banker and later as a CFO, I found that working in the financial markets, leading the financial operations of major companies and understanding how financial value is created in a firm fed my intellectual interests and allowed me to contribute meaningfully to the organizations I was serving.  Later, as I moved into roles where I led organizations, I was able to engage a much broader set of skills, which involved bringing together a leadership team to develop a vision for those we served, designing and implementing initiatives to achieve that vision, and motivating a broader workforce as we sought to enlist them in the process.  In that knowledge, I am reminded of the quote from the Olympic runner Eric Liddell, from Chariots of Fire, “God made me fast.  And when I run, I feel his pleasure.”

Second, in those roles, I have continually seen the importance of our stewardship in God’s created world.  God can use us to infuse the workplace with inspiring and principled leadership, an atmosphere of dignity and respect, and an expectation for ethical decision making.  I have had a front row seat to a number of major crises that were enabled by deep moral failures. I was a junior banker during the insider trading scandals of the mid 1980’s, a CFO during the Enron and Worldcom accounting blowups, and the HUD secretary during the housing crisis.  All were, in large part, the product of deep ethical breaches across the system. Alternatively, I have seen how principled leadership can turn crises into victories, a dejected workforce into one that is inspired and thriving, and a confused organization into a mission-focused juggernaut.  And in that process, operating openly as a Christian shows others the source for the ethos we bring to the workplace. Each of us, in our own role, has the ability to bless others in unique ways by being the voice and hand of God.

Finally, in my case, the workplace has been God’s venue for doing his deepest work on me.  As many of us have experienced, our greatest gifts can often line up with our greatest challenges. Competitive achievers face frustration when projects don’t progress quickly enough. Charismatic communicators struggle in the absence of adulation.  Perfectionists become dejected when they miss the mark. And those preoccupied with success and image can play it safe and lack courage. Over many years, it has been in the workplace that God has brought me to a place of greater boldness in leading, openness in learning, patience in achieving and caring in shepherding.  

Why God Always Starts Small

WHY GOD ALWAYS STARTS SMALL

Andy Crouch

Maybe Chicago natives get used to it, but I’m always a bit awestruck whenever I’m in Chicago—a city of gloriously monumental scale, set on the edge of a vast lake, its lights stretching out for miles in a grid that reaches almost to the horizon.

Human beings—at least modern, American human beings—like things big. Resource Global’s annual partner meeting in 2015 took place at the impressive U.S. Cellular Field, home of the Chicago White Sox—a ballpark so huge, Cubs fans will be quick to note, it wasn’t even full during that team’s World Series–winning season. There was an undeniable sense of awe as we walked in through the gates and looked up at the towering walls that surround the baseball diamond.

But there’s a funny thing about our human love of big things. God, at least according to the Bible, doesn’t seem to share it. At least not at first.

The story of the Bible begins with two—just two—human beings made in God’s image. When their descendants finally achieve what the business world calls “scale” and seek to build a tower with its top in the heavens—sounds a lot like a skyscraper!—God confounds their speech and scatters them (Gen. 11), and his very next move is to start a worldwide redemptive project with a single couple who are too old for children (Gen. 12).

God promises that couple that their descendants will be as numerous as the stars in the sky (Gen. 15), but when he leads the people of Israel out of the empire of Egypt, they are a tiny, beleaguered band of ex-slaves whom even God describes as “the smallest of the nations” (Deut. 7). When, after decades of wandering and conflict, they are settled in the Promised Land, they are a speck on the map of the Ancient Near East, subject to predatory empires in every direction—Assyria, Babylon, Greece, and eventually Rome.

And then when God mounts the ultimate rescue operation for his own chosen people and his whole sin-infested cosmos, the Anointed One begins life as a baby and then grows up to wander around by foot with a dozen apostles, plus two sisters and a brother (Mary, Martha, and Lazarus) who seem to be his dearest friends. Even after the astonishing turnaround of his resurrection, ascension, and the gift of his Spirit, with several thousand coming to faith in one day, the church is so marginal that it doesn’t even figure in the reports of Roman bureaucrats until the end of the first century.

God just doesn’t seem to have a problem with starting small.

And the more I’ve thought about this, the more I think that the reason God doesn’t mind starting small is that small is the only way to start—if what you are seeking is truly transformational creativity.

In a world that dreams of making it big, there’s something enduringly important about very small groups of people.

Consider the baseball teams that play at U.S. Cellular Field. At any given time, there are only nine men on the field playing defense, one to four players for the offense (plus two coaches), with another couple dozen in each dugout. There may be 30,000 fans watching the game—but only a handful of people are playing it.

And this is how it must be, with baseball and every other sport. Imagine a 20-person baseball team. It’s just barely possible to conceive (though if outfielders tend to run into one another now, imagine if there were twice as many!). But a 100-person baseball team is inconceivable. A one-thousand-person baseball team? Laughable. The only way to play baseball is with an absolutely smallgroup of people.

Only absolutely small groups can sustain coordinated diverse action—where each individual plays a different part, but the parts combine harmoniously in a single whole. And coordinated diverse action is the most fruitful kind of human action—the kind that commands the most respect and has the deepest power to bring change.

Human beings are in fact astonishingly diverse. From our genetic makeup, to our personal histories, to our cultural heritages, we are inescapably individuals—even identical twins, who share the same exact DNA, express that DNA in subtly or significantly different ways. At the same time, we are made for coordinated action—individuals can accomplish very little on their own. Only absolutely small groups allow both of these qualities to be expressed to their fullest—on the one hand, the flawless coordination of a major league double play, and on the other hand, the unique assignment of roles, from shortstop to right fielder, that perfectly match each individual’s gifts.

Of course, you can coordinate action on a far larger scale than a baseball team. Roughly 156,000 Allied troops landed on the shores on Normandy on D-Day, 6 June 1944, with millions more supporting them. But such massive coordinated operations inevitably require uniformity from their participants—and, in the case of military operations, literal uniforms. And that uniformity requires, to a greater or lesser extent, ignoring, suppressing, or sacrificing the individual uniqueness of those participants. Men and women in such coordinated uniform action must sacrifice their full identity, and sometimes their lives, to such operations—and their greatest and most distinctive gifts therefore are neglected or underutilized.

Every empire dreams of massive, large-scale, coordinated uniform action. And throughout history various empires have achieved extraordinary scale—not just military empires like Rome, the World War II Axis and Allied powers, and the United States and China today, but also commercial empires like McDonald’s and Walmart. But such action is never, strictly speaking, creative action. To engage in significant creativity requires tapping into the deepest capacities of human beings. Only coordinated diverse action can do that.

You could put it this way: empires dream of social machines, with countless human beings playing rigidly assigned and repetitive parts—but God has a different dream. The divine Trinity, after all, is an absolutely small group in which each person plays a distinct part, none reducible to another; and yet God acts in perfect harmony. God’s dream is not a machine but a family, reflected in the revelation of the Trinity as Father, Son, and Spirit. Somehow families can accomplish things that even armies and corporations cannot.

If you really care about cultural transformation, you’ll start small, with a group of people who can know and trust one another deeply. To be sure, such transformation can’t stay small if it’s going to have wide effects. But at the beginning, when the most extraordinary creative work is done, the number of people in the room is always small so that each one can contribute their absolutely greatest capacities in an environment of maximum trust.

This makes the case, it seems to me, for a particularly risky and particularly fruitful kind of investment, the kind that Resource Global specializes in: coming alongside teams of innovators who are still small enough to be able to be deeply creative, and helping them build the systems, skills, and organizational culture that will allow their vision to grow.

It’s easy to invest in efforts that have already reached a reliable level of scale—but it’s also less rewarding. As exciting as a crowd of 45,000 baseball fans can be, their cultural capacity is oddly limited. About the most complex thing you can get them to do together is “the wave.”

But nine people on a field, on a good night, intensively disciplined, intimately familiar with each other’s every movement and thought, committed to one another and the game? That’s something worth celebrating—and worth investing in. And God’s relentless commitment to the small, local, and family-like, at every turn of redemptive history, suggests that efforts that start small can end up transforming the world.

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Eden Chen: Resource Global On Mission To Lead Business Leaders In ‘Massive Cities’

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Interview with Eden Chen

Resource Global is in perfect position to lead a movement of business leaders who successfully live out their faith in Jesus at the workplace in major metropolises, said board member Eden Chen recently.

“There are some great programs out there that are training young Christians to see the importance of work and how that applies to their faith,” Chen said. “But I think Resource Global is unique in that it has this international mission of reaching people in these massive cities outside of the U.S., like Nairobi, Jakarta, and Shanghai.”

Chen, who was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list earlier this year, is the co-founder of Fishermen Labs based in Los Angeles. His company specializes in app and website development, virtual reality and augmented reality for brands and startups. The company’s clients include Sony, United Nations, HTC, Qualcomm, Quintiles, NFL and NBC. Chen also founded Knife and Fox, a design studio for brands and startups.

When asked about the reason he joined Resource Global, Chen said, “I originally first joined Resource Global because of my friendship with Tommy Lee (founder) which is probably consistent with a lot of people. I really love Tommy’s heart and the way that he values friendship and people so much, and loves the Lord.

“Secondly, I felt that, at least in my industry and different industries that I’ve been in that there’s always been a lack of Christians that have been interacting in the secular working world,” he explained. “I just don’t interact with that many Christians in this space.”

Chen said he believes that Christians, in general, have “exited the conversation” when it comes to engaging about their faith.

“In my parent’s generation there were lots and lots of Christian business leaders and I think either business caused them to be more lukewarm or maybe the next generation lost their faith,” he said. “There’s something to be said about money and the poisonous effect of it. There is also something to be said about Christians sort of trying to get away from popular society and trying to move to the suburbs and get away from where lots of commerce exists. I think that’s led to a sort of loss of interaction with the business world.

“I love organizations like Resource Global because they are trying to get people back into that ecosystem.”

Chen, 30, wanted to be a youth pastor when he was in college, but through an internship became interested in business and finance. “I did some business financing and found that there were (seemingly) no Christians. There were two Christians out of 150 people in my internship class, “ he said. “That’s when I realized that this is like a complete unreached people group that no one will ever get into and these people are going to make a huge impact and nobody is going to tell them about Jesus.

He said that as sort of a backlash to a generation of Christians that may have talked more overtly about their faith, but perhaps less in the way of biblical action, his generation is “one that is afraid to speak up about their faith, so a lot of times, people don’t even know they are Christian because they are too afraid to even bring it up.”

“What I try to do is to set-up like sort of ‘landmines’,” said Chen, referring to placing mental triggers that spark conversation in people that he meets through his work.

“Fishermen Labs, for example. A lot of people ask, ‘Why do you guys call yourselves Fishermen Labs?’ That’s an automatic opportunity to talk about our faith,” he explained. “I can answer that my business partner and I met at church. We feel like fishermen … the early church was the most influential group ever to exist and they were just a bunch of fishermen who didn’t have a lot of skills. If you just look historically, these 12 people were the most impactful people.”

Such a conversation is very powerful and influential, he said.

He added, “If you don’t have the landmines, I think no one is ever going to bring up the fact that you’re a Christian. It’s not like in the normal course of business, when I’m working on an app, [that] someone is going to ask, ‘Are you a Christian?’ I mean these little blocks that give me the opportunity to talk about faith.

“Ultimately, most Christians and most people on this earth spend most of their waking hours working, whether it’s a job that you like or don’t like, whether you are working 40 hours a week or 80 hours a week, it’s still a large majority of our waking hours. So, we have to have a theology of work because that’s where we are interacting with people.

“So, having a strong basis of justifying why we do what we do and what we are doing is hugely important. If we teach the right things and have the right mentorship that could cause massive change to happen.”

Resource Global has the chance to connect global cities, bring good training and good mentorship to these global cities and spark movements that get business leaders and aspiring business leaders to help and mentor other, he said.

“We’re increasingly living in a globalized, non-Western, post-Christian time,” Chen said. “So you do have these massive revivals that are going on in Africa and China, and yet, it’s very clear that there are theological deficiencies. Christians are trying to get more theological training into Africa and China. What’s not thought about as much are these accountability deficiencies outside the U.S. and the lack of theological training around work, and how work relates to someone’s faith.

“The movement in the U.S., talking about work and faith has only been in the last five years. At least, growing up, I didn’t feel like that was really talked about or that much. We’re just talking about it now.”

Interview by Alex Murashko

The Justice Calling in Our Workplace

Referencing The Justice Calling, by Bethany Hoang and Kristen Johnson A woman that endures horrific abuse at the hands of traffickers. A sixteen year old girl who is forced to flee her home to escape rape and abuse from her own family member.  A young man that is enslaved in unsafe work conditions with no contact to the outside world.  These are the stories often told to highlight injustice and God’s heart for redemption.  It is less likely that my everyday life will involve such heart-wrenching stories…or is it?

In an eight week course with Bethany Hoang, co-author with Kristen Johnson of The Justice Calling and speaker and advisor on behalf of International Justice Mission, we had the privilege of unpacking the world’s need for justice in light of a God who loves relentlessly.  Hoang’s comprehensive approach to justice revealed that it is intricately woven into God’s character and the entire arc of Scripture. From beginning to end, the Bible speaks of a God that cares deeply about justice, righteousness, and the flourishing of all that he has created.  It is safer to consider justice as a concept - a mere abstract idea that floats in conversation rather than exists in action.  This course was a reminder that the call to justice is about real people.  People suffering from injustice are our neighbors, both nearby and around the world, at this exact moment. Justice is deeply rooted into our lives and the world around us, including our work.  If our work is to be a part of our call to live out the Gospel, it is essential that we pursue justice in our 8 to 5.  These four themes from the book provide tangible ways to partake in God’s call to justice.

Sabbath Rest

Although not an expected part of seeking justice, Hoang explains that if we can stop before we even start, we begin by remembering who is in control.

“If we stop our ‘doing’ to enter into Sabbath rest, we acknowledge that we are joining God in the work he is already doing in this world and are not ultimately responsible for its success.  It is work centered in Jesus Christ, who saves us by grace and yet has created us as his own workmanship to accomplish good things (Ephesians 2:8-10).”

The Sabbath helps us to recognize that our Creator is Lord, and we are not.  It is also where we receive the deep restoration, healing, and strength that comes only from the Spirit, so that we can continue to partake in the work God has for us.  As we are called to rest, we are also called to extend and provide rest to those around us - especially those who cannot choose it for themselves.  By keeping and extending Sabbath, you are offering others a glimpse of God’s character and his deep, deep love for them.

Move Toward Darkness

Not our natural instinct, is it?  We would much rather walk in the light than move into dark spaces.  Our instinct can be to shrink back - to run away.  It may be counterintuitive, but the more we understand we “are the light of the world” (Matt. 5:14), because of Christ living within us, the more we will know the strength we possess, even when facing impenetrable darkness. Hoang writes “To find life for ourselves and for the world God is calling us to love, we must run toward the darkness with the light of Christ.” We will not conquer darkness on our own, but pursuing darkness will foster an immediate need for God amidst it. Prayer is critical as we see Jesus as our constant companion that reminds us of our purpose in these dark places. Communing with God will also give us eyes to see the dark spaces that we so often overlook.  Part of running toward darkness is about navigating darkness in our own lives, or about having the courage to enter into the darkness with people around us.  It is sometimes easier to run toward the blaring injustice we see in the world at large than to walk towards what is close to home.

You Are Not The Hero

Prayerfully moving towards darkness in this world does not mean that we will be able to “fix” anything.  The great temptation of our faith is to think it depends on us to change the world and change ourselves.  Hoang reminds us that this does not correspond with what we learn in Scripture about God’s relentless grace.  To be the hero is a glorious notion.  We enter the story at the time of crisis and change the situation for the better.  But in this scenario, the hero becomes the center of the story.  They can take the credit, and all of the blame if they fail.  Hoang and Johnson argue that the “hero calling” is not sustainable.  While it might arise from one’s fiery passion for justice, it does not allow that passion to be transformed into perseverance when brokenness and opposition are met along the way.  The word hero is accepted in our society.  If you call someone a saint, it is usually prerogative, but this is the idea that Hoang and Johnson propose.  “Saint” is never used as a singular word in scripture, but always plural, as a body of people. Saints, in the true meaning of the word, do not save the day.  They don’t “provide decisive action that changes everything for good because Jesus Christ already has.”  They don’t have to depend on themselves because God is at the center of the story they are living, and He is ultimately responsible for how it ends.

Abide

The final discussion in this comprehensive view to justice may be the most powerful, and yet the most unexpected.  The night before his crucifixion, Jesus described himself as “the true vine” (John 15:1).  Those who follow him are branches of this vine.  If we remain in him we will bear much fruit, but apart from him we can do nothing.  Apart from him we can do nothing… this means that without a deep connection to Jesus Christ, our very best efforts to pursue justice are fruitless.  “Working against all that is broken in this world begins and ends with seeking God, who loves justice and longs for this world to flourish.”  The work of justice is long and full of difficulty.  But with each step we take, we are rooted deeper into this unfathomable, abiding space that brings fullness to us.  Without Christ, we will wither, but with Him, we can continue the fight for justice for the long haul.

Pursuing justice in our workplace is no different.  The suffering, oppression, inequality, and struggle exist in every city around the world, in every office building, every cubicle, and in every heart.  We are all in need of Christ and the redemption He brings.  Just as The Justice Calling was written as a comprehensive biblical theology, the need for justice in our lives is all encompassing.  God desires for the entirety of his creation to flourish.  Our work is no exception.

Resource Global Hosts Faith & Work Conversation in Bangkok

For many Christians, 60% of our lives are spent in the workplace. With this significant time investment, our work matters, and how we choose to invest that time is critical.

At Resource Global, we seek to see more and more Christ-following professionals inspired and equipped to live out their faith in their workplaces, and we think growing the conversation around faith and work is a key step towards that goal.

So, Resource Global recently led a panel discussion of pastors, marketplace leaders, and academics at the Global Proclamation Congress in Bangkok, Thailand, titled Pastoral Training and Faith and Work. Tommy Lee, Executive Director at Resource Global, facilitated the discussion around the importance of deepening the Church’s understanding of why our faith must impact the workplace, and how pastors specifically can support and equip their churches around the world to serve God through their work.

The audience was composed of over 300 pastors and leaders from all over the world, and we developed one question that served as the theme of our time together:

“Historically the church has seen marketplace leaders as merely funding sources or volunteers in church initiatives. How can pastors be trained to equip them to excel in their spheres as platforms for spiritual presence and effective ministry?”

We had a vibrant and productive discussion on both the successes and the growth areas of the Church. Yet James, a pastor who represented French-speaking African pastors, shared insights that particularly surprised us. He shared:

All of our lives, we as pastors have been told and trained that money is bad. We do not encourage people to make money but to see it as something the Lord does not want us to have. We tell people they are to live a life of poverty, and if they are truly followers of Christ they are to go into ministry.

You are now telling us something different.

You are telling us it is okay to be business leaders. And as business leaders, you can be just as impactful in the kingdom as a pastor. How do we continue to share and train other leaders on this topic? 

This catalyzed many more questions from the audience who were wrestling with this same question. James then came to us at the end of the meeting and asked to hold a follow up discussion with all of the French-speaking African pastors to discuss this further within their context.

As Resource Global continues to grow the network of young professionals seeking to be equipped to apply their faith to their work, we’re learning that growing the conversation with pastors around the world is critical. As we seek to establish cohorts in global cities, pastors are often the first group we encounter in a country. It is vital for us to continue working with pastors to continue the conversation that took place at this panel discussion, and discover together how to equip and support professionals in their church for Gospel impact in their cities.

To learn more about the faith & work conversation and to stay up to speed on Resource Global's work around the world, be sure to sign up for our updates here.

The panel consisted of the following individuals: 

  • Darrell Bock - Dallas Theological Seminary

  • Dean-Paul Hart - Compac Industries

  • Gary Brandenburg - Fellowship Bible Church

  • Ryan Richard - Lindell Foundation

  • David Tjokrorahardjo - Sovereign’s Capital

  • William McClure - Masterworks

  • Krishna Dhanam - Speaker, Trainer, and Consultant

 

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