2025

December Edition

Welcome to the December 2025 edition of A Few Good Things.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

As we approach the end of 2025 and enter the heart of the holiday season, we are reminded of what this time is all about (Charlie Brown😊)! Within our church family, we are journeying through the Advent season, just as many of you are. This is a time of anticipation—looking forward to the ‘arrival,’ the ‘coming,’ and a period of preparation. We remember with thankfulness and prepare to celebrate the first coming of Jesus Christ, God arriving on earth in human form.

At the same time, we look ahead with anticipation to Christ’s second coming and our welcome into His final Kingdom. We celebrate with gratitude and thanksgiving! We live in between the two ‘comings’ . . . the work that has already been accomplished in Christ on our behalf and the to be coming of Jesus again to usher in His perfected Kingdom, and have the opportunity to co-labor with Him and co-operate with each other to bring about His Kingdom in the here and now of this world, partially now and fully then. May you and your family enjoy a blessed Christmas season filled with remembrance and joyful expectation!

Christmas and the Work of Making Good Places 

As we approach Christmas, many of us find ourselves slowing down - if only for a moment - to remember the story at the center of the season.  

It is a story filled with wonder, humility, and a kind of hope that reshapes how we see our lives and our work. 

Christmas reminds us that God enters ordinary places. A stable. A small town. A world that was busy, distracted, and unsure of what was unfolding. And yet, through the quiet arrival of Jesus, God began a work of renewal that continues to shape every corner of creation. 

At The Good Place Institute, we often speak of shalom - peace, wholeness, and flourishing. Christmas is the moment shalom took on flesh. It is God’s declaration that our world is not left to brokenness but invited into restoration. And it is a reminder that the work we do, the organizations we steward, and the people we lead all exist within this larger story of redemption. 

Leaders often feel the weight of responsibility - decisions to make, culture to shape, people to care for. Christmas reframes that work. It reminds us that transformation does not begin with bigger efforts or louder strategies, but with the Creator, His Kingdom and His purposes. It can include small, faithful acts of stewardship. A word of encouragement. A reconciled relationship. A renewed focus on the people entrusted to our care. 

God’s approach to changing the world began quietly, relationally, and with deep humility and meeting people where they are.  That same posture shapes The Good Place Institute and Good Place organizations. We desire to meet people and organizations where they are. We journey alongside them with understanding and guidance. We cultivate with intention. We build places where people can flourish because we believe God is already at work.

This season invites us to pause and consider:

What might it look like for shalom to take deeper root in the places we lead?

Perhaps it is a moment of gratitude expressed to a team member.
Perhaps it is slowing down long enough to listen with care.
Perhaps it is planning for the new year with a renewed sense of calling and purpose. 

Christmas assures us that small beginnings can carry eternal significance. As we steward and serve our organizations, our people, and our communities, we do so with the confidence that God has already shown us the pattern: He enters our world, brings shalom to people, and turns places into Good Places. 

May this season fill your heart with hope, your leadership with clarity, and your work with renewed purpose.

 In 2025, The Good Place Institute experienced meaningful growth and deepening impact through holistic Kingdom integration across organizations, fostering leadership, and expanding the Kingdom business movement both internally and with clients. We are deeply thankful to God for His guidance and blessings, and grateful for the passionate engagement of our clients, partners, and community.

 Looking ahead to 2026, we aim to further equip and empower leaders through training, consulting, and coaching, while continuing to build awareness of the Good Place movement and multiplying Good Place organizations. With heartfelt appreciation, we anticipate another year of fruitful collaboration and growth, trusting God to lead us and thanking all who journey together in this important and worthy work.

Faith doesn’t sit on top of business; it shapes it from the inside out.

Chris Young recently joined Josh Fonger on the Hundredfold Podcast to explore what it looks like to integrate faith and leadership in a way that is both authentic and practical. Rather than treating faith as a symbolic layer, Chris shared how biblical principles shape an organization’s purpose, culture, and daily practices. 

The conversation focused on stewardship over ownership, people over productivity, and long-term flourishing over short-term success, offering a hopeful vision of organizations as places where people are formed, work is meaningful, and leadership reflects God’s design.

Watch the Hundredfold Podcast in your favorite player.

Thank you for checking out our newsletter. Our purpose at The Good Place Institute is to help leaders multiply Good Place organizations! We are thankful for you and your leadership of organizations to reflect God’s Kingdom!

Chris Young

President

The Good Place Institute