2023

October Edition

Welcome to the October edition of A Few Good Things with Chris Young! This month, I have four things that I wanted to pass on to you that I think you’ll find valuable. Thank you for reading and being a part of The Good Place Institute community.

The word sacred means set apart for the service or worship of a deity, worthy of religious veneration (reverence, admiration, etc.). Secular, on the other hand, is defined as something of or relating to the worldly or temporal, not overtly or specifically religious. Things like church, prayer, holy activities, and sharing your faith are sacred. Everything else—including our work—are the secular things. 

We’re good at keeping sacred things separate from secular things, aren’t we? This is known as the sacred-secular divide. It’s an either/or perspective. Either something is sacred, or it’s secular. But God didn’t design us to live and operate this way. 

The roots of the sacred-secular divide go back to some of the early philosophers and church fathers. However, The Bible teaches a more holistic view of the sacred. All things are sacred and have divine meaning and purpose. All things can please and bring glory to God. Whether a project manager, an engineer, an artist, or a CEO, when we are motivated out of a heart of love for Him, we co-create with the Creator—we work alongside God in the sacred.

Therefore, work is a means of grace, created by God, something human beings were designed to do, something that God calls us to, and something that brings meaning and fulfillment. With this intent, how we lead, build, and steward organizations has the sacred ability to make us better, those around us better, our organization better, our industry better, our community better, and the world a better place where we build up hearts of love and lives of shalom.

I want to build a Good Place Organization →

“Many Christians have lost the vision of work as a primary means God designed to bring flourishing to his creation (Gen 1:28). They have missed the opportunity to be salt and light in the public square and help positively shape the culture around them.”

— Hugh Whelchel

Quoted from the article, How the Sacred-Secular Divide Impacts the Church, from the Institute for Faith, Work & Economics.

Here’s Mike Hujar and I enjoying Community Impact Day recently at Living City Farms in Tallmadge, OH. Living City Farms is a small-scale regenerative farm and one of our fellow Good Place organizations. 

What is one thing you could do this week to develop a more holistic sacred view of work within your leadership or organizational context?  

Thank you for reading A Few Good Things. If you find the content to be beneficial and adding value to your leadership, could you do me a favor and share this email with a friend who might enjoy receiving it? Lastly, if you have any feedback on how we can make this newsletter more valuable, hit reply and let me know. Thanks in advance!

— Chris Young

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