Most of us genuinely believe in the power of the gospel. We have experienced it. We have watched it touch parts of our lives that no self-help book ever could. Some of us can even point to the exact moment Jesus interrupted our story. But believing the gospel and...
Back when I began this whole Missional Marketplace journey, I attended a faith and work conference in New York. The event drew attendees from all over the country and from a wide variety of faith backgrounds and denominational affiliations. The conference was...
We were grilling a feast of teriyaki chicken by the pool, with a pot of rice and enough watermelon to feed an army. It was starting to become our routine—overcooking food, that is, not necessarily the teriyaki—though we did love that sweet, tangy glaze over a...
I was at a missions meeting recently with the new Executive Director of the agency we have worked with for decades. He said something sobering I have been chewing on for a month now. I’ll paraphrase: “I have a short window here in this job. Really, we all have short...
What does your work really mean to God? At the Christian Business Breakfast, Erik Cooper unpacks the third pillar of the Missional Marketplace framework: Work and the Great Commandment. Too often we look to our careers for identity, security, and fulfillment—turning...
So I decided to lean in. I discovered her favorite drink and occasionally blessed her with it. I jumped in to carry packages when the pile threatened to topple over. I made sure her boss knew when she quietly went above and beyond. And when the stress finally spilled...
Back in 2006, I worked in international finance. Yes, right at the beginning of the economic collapse. And yes, at a company you would recognize. (It’s gone now. That tells you everything you need to know.) Company culture was hypercharged, mostly due to the Loan...
I sat behind a young couple at church this week—missionaries I’ve known for nearly a decade. They serve in one of the darkest, most difficult corners of the world. And they don’t go alone. They’re raising a crew of kids in this difficult field! Yet not one of them...
I’m Not a Crook I was twelve when I picked up All the President’s Men. Two reporters. A break-in at the Watergate Hotel. A secret source. The President of the United States on the other end of the trail. I was hooked. Maybe it was all those Scooby-Doo reruns. Or maybe...
https://www.thestonetable.org/wp-content/uploads/ai-text-to-speech/post-27285-eV-the-switchbacks-of-life-finding-gods-purpose-in-the-detours.mp3 A younger couple I’ve known since they were teens bought a horse farm in Colorado. When I pulled up the first time, I...
What Is Your Daily Work REALLY Saying About God? Most marketplace believers have spent years feeling spiritually invisible from 9 to 5. Dr. Allen Tennisen, chief theologian for the Assemblies of God, makes the biblical case that your job isn't just a way to fund...
A Baptism That Changed Everything Picture this: a single man standing in a small inlet of the Indian Ocean, about to be baptized. It sounds like a simple moment, maybe even ordinary. But this baptism was anything but ordinary. This young man was the first known...
The Lunch Tray That Changed Everything Picture a school lunch tray. You know the one: rigid compartments keeping the mashed potatoes far away from the fruit cup, the main course separated from the dessert. For many of us, this tray has become an unintentional...