How are you smelling at work?

What if your Monday job was never just about the money but a calling to help your whole city flourish? In this episode, Tom Nelson explores what it looks like to pursue the common good through everyday work, opening with the story of Dr. Holly Austin, a paediatrician of more than 30 years who sees every patient as an image-bearer of God. Drawing on Jeremiah 29:4-7, Proverbs 11:10, and Matthew 5:45b, Tom unpacks God's ancient instructions to his exiled people in Babylon, instructions that speak directly into our own "Babylon" workplaces today. You'll learn: -Why God called his exiled people to seek the well-being of the very city that displaced them, and what that means for your workplace. - As well as three practical shifts: being faithfully present where you are, seeing every colleague as an image-bearer, and extending common grace for the common good. When you pursue the flourishing of your workplace, your community, and your city, Scripture promises something remarkable: you thrive too.

What's the hidden idol quietly wrecking your health, your marriage, and your peace, even while it looks like ambition on paper? In this episode, Tom Nelson uncovers the subtle grip of workaholism, opening up with the story of Bob, his first boss, a gifted mentor whose relentless drive for the business slowly cost him his marriage, his time with his kids, and ultimately his health. Drawing on Exodus 20:2-5a and 1 John 5:21, Tom makes the case that work idolatry may be the most insidious idol of the modern Monday world, one that doesn't announce itself with a statue or a shrine, but creeps in disguised as diligence, provision, and success. You'll learn: -Why work, which is a gift from God, can quietly morph into an idol that demands your ultimate allegiance -Four practical indicators that your work has become too important: an inability to disconnect, an obsession with career success, eroding relationships, and neglected self-care and spiritual growth -What Reformer John Calvin meant when he called the human heart "a perpetual idol factory" and why your career is one of its favourite products Workaholism isn't fixed by grinding harder. It's dismantled when we remember that our worth was never meant to come from our productivity and is found only in Christ.

What happens when we take our work too lightly, and why does The Bible speak so bluntly about it? In this episode, Tom Nelson reflects on a familiar sight: a young man he passes each day on his commute, and the wider trend behind him. Drawing on research showing a dramatic rise in male joblessness in the US and similar patterns in the UK, Tom explores what happens when a lifestyle without regular, gainful work. Unpacking Paul's words in 2 Thessalonians 3, "if a man will not work, he shall not eat", Tom shows how the Apostle's own tentmaking labour backed up his teaching, and why diligence, not just avoiding idolatry of work, matters deeply to God. You'll learn: -Why Paul's strong words are aimed at unwillingness to work, not inability -What diligence looks like across different seasons: unemployment, underemployment, retirement or a job you don't love -Why "doing just enough to get by" dishonours both your employer and God -How workplace diligence becomes a quiet but powerful witness to the Gospel Whatever season of work you're in, diligence isn't about working yourself into the ground. It's about faithfully offering your labour as an act of worship towards God.

What would your workplace look like if everyone genuinely treated others the way they wanted to be treated? In this episode, Tom Nelson tells the story of Holly and Chris Justice, who built their medical device company, Engenious Design, around one simple guiding question: how would we want to be treated? That question shapes everything, from paying vendor invoices in just five days instead of the industry standard, to giving every job applicant a timely, human response. Drawing on Jesus's words in Matthew 7:12 and Luke 6:31, Tom unpacks the golden rule as far more than good manners, showing how it can reshape not just individual relationships, but entire organisations and business models. You'll learn: -How the golden rule is rooted in Jesus's summary of the whole of Torah -Why some of the world's most respected companies are rethinking business around people and planet, not just profit -What to do when your workplace doesn't share your values -How to carve out your own "pocket of greatness" within any organisation, even without positional power The golden rule isn't just a guide for your personal conduct. Lived out consistently, it becomes one of the most compelling witnesses to the truth of The Gospel in your Monday world.

Who's actually helping you get your work done, and are you tapping into help you're missing? In this episode, Tom Nelson tells the story of Dr Matt Earnest, an interventional cardiologist who, in the middle of high-stakes surgery, relies on far more than his own training. On his 17-minute drive to the hospital for a middle of the night emergency, Matt talks with God, asking for wisdom, clarity and the right words for whatever the moment demands. Drawing on Genesis, Psalm 121 and Paul's letter to the Corinthians, Tom unpacks the Hebrew word "ezer", helper, and shows how God was never meant to be a distant observer of your work, but an active partner in it. You'll learn: -Why God designed us not to work alone, from the very beginning -How the Psalmist's cry "my help comes from the Lord" applies directly to your Monday -Three simple practices for inviting God into your workday: remembering, asking and giving thanks -Why even the most highly trained professionals can't take full credit for their best work You were never created to be self-sufficient. The Triune God is your most important workplace helper, ready to give you wisdom, strength and steady presence.

What kind of witness for Christ are you at work, and are people picking up on it without you saying a word? In this episode, Tom Nelson reflects on a chance conversation on a plane, where a stranger asked him, out of nowhere, "Are you a Christian?" Drawing on Paul's striking metaphor in 2 Corinthians, Tom unpacks what it means to be "the aroma of Christ," and how our witness at work is shaped by far more than the words we say. Tom explores how a distinctly Christlike character, in our attitudes, our treatment of others and the quality of our work, becomes a fragrance that others notice, whether we realise it or not. You'll learn: -Why your non-verbal witness often makes your verbal witness credible -How self-sacrifice, not self-advancement, marks a Christlike presence at work -Why the fruit of the Spirit is one of the clearest signals of Christ in you -How the excellence of your work itself can point others towards God You are never just doing a job. In your attitudes, your actions and the work of your hands, you are exuding a fragrance, one that draws people towards life, or repels them.

What does loving your neighbour actually look like in your Monday world of work? In this episode, Tom Nelson tells the story of Thomas Kim, who founded a car wash business not just to turn a profit, but to open doors of economic opportunity for vulnerable young people in his Chicago community. Tom then turns to the Old Testament story of Ruth and Boaz, where a landowner's quiet attentiveness to a vulnerable foreigner changes the entire course of her life, and ultimately the biblical story itself. Drawing on the book of Ruth and Jesus's words in Matthew 25, you'll discover that neighbourly love isn't an add-on to your work. It's meant to be woven into the very fabric of it. You'll learn: -Why attentiveness, not grand gestures, is where neighbourly love begins -How Boaz used his position to protect and provide for Ruth, without ever exploiting his power -Practical ways to empower others in your workplace through mentorship, advocacy and opportunity -Why Jesus says that what you do for "the least of these," you do for him Your work is never just about you. Somewhere in your Monday world is a Ruth: someone overlooked, someone vulnerable, someone waiting for a door to open.

Why does workplace anxiety hold such power over your Monday, and what does Jesus actually say about it? In this episode, Tom Nelson tackles what many are calling an anxiety epidemic with mental health professionals estimating one in four of us will face a serious mental health challenge. Many of us know the "Sunday Scaries" all too well: that creeping dread as the weekend winds down and Monday's workload looms. But Tom reveals a truth that changes everything: your anxiety isn't a personal failing to hide. It's something Jesus speaks directly into, with practical wisdom for your everyday work. Drawing on Matthew 6:25–34, Philippians 4:4–7, and Isaiah 41:10, you'll discover why anxiety is not meant to control your work, your relationships or your body and how recognising its warning signs is the first step toward freedom from it. You'll learn: -How to recognise the tell-tale signs of rising anxiety before it takes hold of your work and relationships -What fuels and fans workplace anxiety from organisational change to fear of loss -Why Jesus's teaching to "not be anxious about tomorrow" is deeply practical, not merely spiritual -Two simple, tested practices "walk it out" and "talk it out" for processing anxious thoughts in a healthy way Your work doesn't have to be shaped by fear. As a beloved son or daughter of God, your identity was never meant to rest on what you accomplish it rests securely in whose you are.

What if your work doesn't end when you get to heaven... but is actually preparing you for it? In this episode, Tom Nelson explores one of the Bible's most surprising and hope-filled truths: that work is not merely part of this life, but part of God's eternal plan. Drawing from Jesus' teaching in Matthew 25, His promise in John 14, and the vision of the New Heavens and New Earth in Revelation 21, Tom reveals how your everyday work has lasting significance far beyond this present world. You'll learn: -Why the Bible points to meaningful work in the New Heavens and New Earth. -How Jesus' parable of the talents connects your faithfulness today with your future calling. -What Revelation 21 teaches about God's plan to renew creation rather than replace it. -How an eternal perspective can bring hope, purpose, and perseverance in even the most difficult workplaces. Your Monday work matters far more than you may realize. As a follower of Jesus, every act of faithful service is shaping not only who you are today, but who you are becoming for the glorious work God has prepared for you in the world to come.

What if the most sacred place you enter every workday isn't your office, your church, or your home but your own body? In this episode, Tom Nelson explores one of the most transformative truths of the Christian life: that every follower of Jesus is a temple of the Holy Spirit. Drawing from Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 6 and Romans 12, Tom unpacks what it means to carry God's presence into every meeting, conversation, challenge, and task. When you realize that God is not only with you, but dwells within you, your Monday work can never be the same. You'll learn: -Why your body is God's temple and what that means for your everyday work. -How the Holy Spirit empowers your speech, relationships, ethics, and witness in the workplace. -Three practical ways to cultivate greater awareness of God's presence throughout your workday. -Why learning to work with God, rather than merely for God, transforms both your work and your worship. Because wherever you go, God's presence goes with you. As a follower of Jesus, you don't simply enter your workplace each day, you bring the presence of Christ into it, becoming a faithful witness who glorifies God in every task, every conversation, and every moment.