Sacred Work in Secular Places
Finding Joy in The Workplace
An Invitation to Partner with God in A Beautiful Broken World
What if work could be a blessing and not a curse?
What if work could be more than the daily grind? What if there was a way to turn job hours into joy hours? And what if I told you I’ve discovered a way to do it?
I once hated work. Every job I ever had labeled me Not Enough: not good enough, not smart enough, not educated enough. Work broke my heart into a million little pieces and left me battered, busted, and broken.
That brokenness drove me to my knees and into His good Word and the writings of others who had battled through discontent with work. My heart and mind began to grasp that work was an invitation to partner with God in this beautiful, broken world. It was a platform for doing our greatest good. I began to fall in love with work, if you can believe it!
What about you? Where are you on this journey? Are you disengaged and dissatisfied? Have you grown weary? Oh, my friend—do not give up! If you’re willing to see your work through the lens of faith, there’s fresh joy waiting just for you!
Sacred Work in Secular Places
We live in a world where the job dissatisfaction rate has reached epidemic proportions. In fact, one recent poll estimates that as many as 80% of employees hate their jobs. This is not good news and something is terribly wrong.
This alarming amount of unhappiness is seeping into the fabric of our lives and profoundly affecting our ability to experience joy. Author, Joan Turley, gets this! She spent years hating work. Caught in a vicious vortex of work related depression, it just about cost her everything.
Determined to break free and embrace a life worth living, Joan dug deep and hit the mother lode! She discovered the secret to finding joy in the workplace and now—nothing makes her happier than helping others find their joy too.
Her stories of discovering joy in the workplace, to falling in love with the people she rubbed shoulders with, to learning to lead with love and impacting the lives of those she served, will leave you with water in your eyes and hope in your heart that your best working days are still ahead. Read the book and rediscover the joy in the workplace.
Sacred Work in Secular Places Field Manual: Participant’s Guide
Do you feel overbooked, overworked, overwhelmed, and under-appreciated?
Get a fresh perspective on your worth and your work with this Bible study based on the award-nominated Sacred Work in Secular Places.
This participant guide complements the Sacred Work in Secular Places Field Manual Leader’s Guide. While it’s designed to be used as part of a small group study, it can also be used during personal devotional time.
This simple guide is your invitation to partner with God in a beautiful broken world and discover how much your life matters in the light of eternity.
Sacred Work in Secular Places Field Manual: A Small Group Leader’s Guide
Do the women in your small group study feel overbooked, overworked, overwhelmed, and under-appreciated?
Give them a fresh perspective on their worth and their work with this Bible study based on the award-nominated Sacred Work in Secular Places.
This convenient field manual contains everything you need to lead an intimate and practical six-week Bible study.
Whether you are a reluctant new leader or seasoned facilitator, this simple guide will help you create a space where women feel loved, accepted, and comfortable. You will see women blossom as they enjoy relationship-building fellowship while discovering their invaluable worth and work.
Who hasn’t been worn down by the daily grind and wondered if there weren’t a better way to live and lead? Who hasn’t wondered if their boss really cared about them, rather than just how much they produced? In this heartwarming book, Joan Turley shares her journey to discovering how to bring out the best in the people you lead and to build a culture of trust that overflows with joy. If you’ve lost the joy in your work, let Joan inspire you to invigorate your joy and transform your workplace.
Jim Akers
Author of Tape Breakers – Maximize Your Impact with People You Love, Teams You Lead, and Causes that Stir Your Heart; Founder of ImpACTful Notes; Former Fortune 50 Vice President; JimDAkers.com
God has established work as a means of connection with those who need His grace and mercy. Let Sacred Work in Secular Places lead you to a deeper understanding of just how precious your work is to God. In the light of eternity, your work matters greatly.
Alex Seeley
Co-Pastor of The Belonging Co., Nashville, TN; AlexSeeley.com
In this inspiring book, Joan candidly shares how she overcame work-related depression to lead and love an amazing team of talented individuals. Read her book, and you, too, can discover how to lead with love, enrich the lives of others, inspire creativity, and foster a loyalty that can grow any company’s bottom line.
Frank Gambuzza
President of Intercoiffure America-Canada and The Visage Group: Salon, Spa & Studio Visage; SalonVisage.com
If you feel frustrated, confused, or stuck in your job, doing nothing about it will only make things worse. Sacred Work in Secular Places leads you to find purpose and clarity in your work and life, and why you should invite love into your heart. Every day, we have the opportunity to bless those around us. We have the opportunity to become difference-makers. Through her experiences, perspectives, and partnership with God, Joan’s words will bless you, challenge you, and change the way you approach your work – as they have for me.
Joel Kessel
Advisor, speaker, and writer of communications and public relations; Founder of Kessel Communications; JoelKessel.com
One of the great discoveries made in the past few years is the sadly neglected reality of God’s special care for those who do not have a calling for any specifically religious occupations. We have seen insight for the spheres, or mountains of influence, He affects. We can testify to ‘marketplace ministries’ that reveal His power to interact or intervene in the lives of many Christians with a concern for society who are involved in business ventures. Joan Turley’s new release, Sacred Work in Secular Places, will prove another facet of findings into the question for God, ‘What do you do on your day off?’ that reveals that the rest of the week is actually His primary activity.
Winkie Pratney
Author of “Sacred Vocations – A Journey into Discovery” from The Nature and Character of God Volume 2 – As Revealed in His Creation; Winkiepedia.net
Joan Turley’s book, Sacred Work in Secular Places provides a biblical and practical guide for the Christian seeking to find meaning in work. Whereas the world see work as a nuisance, Joan rightly articulates that it is a calling designed by God, for His glory. I am thankful for her book, and I would encourage employers and employees alike to read it.
Joseph Parle
Ph.D., Academic Dean at The College of Biblical Studies
Work, eat, sleep, repeat. This seems to be our march to make a living, but the bigger question is, ‘Are we truly living?’ Our vocations can be a place of invigoration, growth, joy, and godly purpose. Let Sacred Word in Secular Places take you on a journey of discovery in your heart and workplace.
Gregg Matte
Senior Pastor of Houston’s First Baptist Church and Author of Unstoppable Gospel
Sacred Work in Secular Places reveals the divine purpose behind our discontent and despair regarding work. Simply put, we’ve been lied to. Work is not a curse; it’s a blessing. Joan’s writing not only provides a biblical, historical, and postmodern view of work, but also issues a clarion call to embrace our work as a means of partnering with God for the good of those in our spheres of influence. Work is our God-given platform, for the glory of God and for the transformation of cultures.
Paul R. Shockley
Ph.D., Professor of Bible and Theology at The College of Biblical Studies, and Co-Author of Evangelical America: An Encyclopedia of Contemporary American Religious Culture
If you’re committed to making your life count for eternity, yet find the drudgery of the workplace stifling (or the darkness of the workplace overwhelming), stop everything and pick up this book! Joan Turley has penned her life message here, and it will change your view of work for good. Reading this book is like sitting with an old friend whose words of personal experience and biblical wisdom will carry you to a place of deeper spiritual purpose, no matter what your occupation.
Danny Rollins
Senior Pastor of Rolling Hills Baptist Church (Fairfield, OH)