Are you preaching in a way that speaks to people, in their vocations? In this episode Matt Woodley talks to Steven Garber, author and Senior Fellow for Vocation and the Common Good for the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust. He’s also the author of the book, Visions of Vocation: Common Grace for the Common Good. Matt and Steven explore how pastors can equip people, with their preaching for their everyday lives, and vocations as teachers, garbage men, doctors, and corporate executives.

A retired, Wall Street CEO told Steven over coffee: “You know – I’ve been a faithful member of the church for a long time, and I’ve tried to be there regularly whenever I could be there to be part of the church’s life. I contributed to the church’s life in many ways, as I’ve been able to. I’ve never in my life heard a sermon where the preacher thought about somebody like me when he prepared his sermon.”

Check out what was referenced on the podcast:

• Steven Garber's book Visions of Vocation: Common Grace for the Common Good. IVP, 2014.
• Neil Postman’s book Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in The Age of Show Business. Penguin Books, 2006.
• Nicholas Karr’s book the Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains. W.W Norton & Company, 2010.

Matt Woodley is the pastor of compassion ministries at Church of the Resurrection in Wheaton, Illinois.