Re-integrate

We talk with award-winning author Tish Harrison Warren about how to navigate burnout and weariness. Two-thirds of Americans are dissatisfied with their work, and a sense of languishing is widespread. Many of us feel overwhelmed, spiritually dry, and filled with doubts… about our faith and about our place in this world.In her new book, What Grows in Weary Lands: On Christian Resilience (Convergent/Random House, 2026) Tish Warren draws from both her own season of exhaustion and the rich well of Christian tradition — particularly that of the earliest Christian monks — to discover the habits and mindsets that anchor us, give us resilience, and offer us hope.We discuss:* Tish was very busy after becoming a best-selling author. She was writing for the New York Times and Christianity Today as well as her next book. But she came to a place of burnout, when she became spiritually dry. She stopped all that writing and went off social media in order to explore how to get through these difficult times. She tells us what she learned in that time.* The things that make us weary are usually the good things in life, what Thomas Aquinas called “arduous goods.”* When we experience dryness and weariness, we choose to escape that through scrolling or binge-watching. But the Desert Fathers and Mothers chose to live in the deserts of Egypt, Palestine, and Syria. We can learn a lot from them as they struggle with the “dark night of the soul,” to find a deeper, more satisfying faith in God. Scroll down to learn more about Tish Harrison Warren.Thanks for listening!If you enjoyed this podcast, please share it with your friends!Your hosts are Dr. Bob Robinson and David Loughney. For further resources on reintegrating all of life with God’s mission, go to re-integrate.org.Tish Harrison WarrenTish Harrison Warren is a writer and an Anglican priest. She is the author of several books, including Liturgy of the Ordinary: Sacred Practices in Everyday Life, which won Christianity Today‘s 2018 Book of the Year, and Prayer in the Night: For Those Who Work, or Watch, or Weep, which won Christianity Today‘s 2022 Book of the Year and the 2022 ECPA Christian Book of the Year.She formerly wrote a weekly newsletter for The New York Times, which focused on faith in public discourse and private life. She was also a columnist for Christianity Today. Her articles and essays have appeared in Comment Magazine, The Point Magazine, Religion News Service and elsewhere.She currently serves as the C. S. Lewis Theological Writer-in-Residence for the Anglican Episcopal House of Studies at Baylor’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary. She is a senior fellow with The Trinity Forum. She and her husband Jonathan recently planted Immanuel Anglican Church. She lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and three children.Where to purchase these books: Support independent booksellers! Purchase any of the books mentioned above from Byron and Beth Borger at Hearts & Minds Bookstore. They are eager to serve God’s people with great books. Order online through their secure server or call 717-246-3333. Ask for 20% OFF by mentioning that you heard about these books on the Reintegrate Podcast! Get full access to Bob Robinson’s Substack at bobrobinsonre.substack.com/subscribe

The murder of Charlie Kirk has shaken both political and faith communities. It is fortunate that we interviewed Shirley Mullen a couple of months ago. We are glad to provide that interview now. She encourages us to take up the courageous middle in the midst of the kind of polarization that has led to this kind of violence. We are experiencing increased suspicion and animosity in our churches, our workplaces, and even our families. It has also led to a false sense that our options are limited to choosing only one side.When we look around us, we see people so extremely confident that they are absolutely right and that the opposition is not only absolutely wrong, but downright evil. Is there a better way? Are Christians called to be peacemakers and bridgebuilders? And can they do that without jettisoning our core convictions?Into the fray comes Dr. Shirley Mullen and her new book, Claiming the Courageous Middle: Daring to Live and Work Together for a More Hopeful Future (Baker Academic, 2024).Scroll down to learn more about Shirley Mullen.Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite app:Thanks for listening!Please share this podcast with your friends. Your hosts are Dr. Bob Robinson and David Loughney. For further resources on reintegrating all of life with God’s mission, go to re-integrate.org.Dr. Shirley A. MullenWe welcome Shirley Mullen, who served as president of Houghton University for fifteen years before retiring in 2021. After receiving two doctorates (one in history from the University of Minnesota and the other in philosophy from the University of Wales), she spent four decades in the field of faith-based liberal arts education, serving as a professor, residence life director, chief academic officer, and president. In her role as president of the college, she led her institution to a place where students and faculty could be courageous in creating space for people to be in the courageous middle.She continues to invest in the next generation of leaders through mentoring and serving on the boards of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, the Jericho Road Community Health Center, the National Association of Evangelicals, Fuller Theological Seminary, and the 1st Amendment Partnership.We recommend purchasing this book from independent booksellers Byron and Beth Borger at Hearts & Minds Bookstore. They are eager to serve God’s people with great books. Order online through their secure server or call 717-246-333. Mention that you heard about this book on the Reintegrate Podcast and get 20% off. Get full access to Bob Robinson’s Substack at bobrobinsonre.substack.com/subscribe

On this episode, we welcome back our friend, Erica Reitz, who has been helping young men and women transition out of college for several years. The transitions that 20-somethings experience in the years after college are some of the most stressful, unstable, and uncertain times we can ever experience.Erica Young Reitz is the author of After College: Navigating Transitions, Relationships, and Faith (InterVarsity Press, Revised Edition, 2025). It has been republished in a revised edition this year by InterVarsity Press. No book on the market deals with the after-college years so thoroughly and so practically.Scroll down to learn more about Erica Young Reitz.Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite app:Thanks for listening!Please share this podcast with your friends. Your hosts are Dr. Bob Robinson and David Loughney. For further resources on reintegrating all of life with God’s mission, go to re-integrate.org.Erica Young ReitzErica Young Reitz is the founder of After College Transition, an organization that helps higher education professionals, church leaders, and college ministers equip students to thrive after college. Her experience working with college students has included teaching advanced writing at Penn State and serving in campus ministry with the CCO (Coalition for Christian Outreach), as well as directing Senior EXIT. She holds an MA in higher education from Geneva College with a research focus on the senior year transition. Erica serves as a leadership development specialist for Bartell & Bartell, helping individuals and teams uplevel their leadership and unleash their organizational potential. Erica lives in central Pennsylvania with her husband, Craig, and their two children.You can purchase Erica’s book from our partner in ministry, Hearts & Minds Bookstore. Byron and Beth Borger are eager to serve God’s people with great books. Order online through their secure server or call 717-246-333. Mention that you heard about this book on the Reintegrate Podcast and get 20% off. Get full access to Bob Robinson’s Substack at bobrobinsonre.substack.com/subscribe

For this episode, we have one of our favorite guests: Jordan Raynor. On a previous episode, we had a blast talking with him about his last bestselling book, Redeeming Your Time. Be sure to go back and listen to that episode. What was impressive about that book was how, even though very practical, it was so clearly written on a strong biblical foundation.His latest book is The Sacredness of Secular Work: 4 Ways Your Job Matters for Eternity (Even When You're Not Sharing the Gospel) (Waterbrook Press, 2024)Here at Reintegrate, I often discuss overcoming the false dualism between the sacred and the secular. I love how Jordan Raynor plays with those words in the title. We might want to call it “secular work,” but God calls the work of normal everyday workers, not just overseas missionaries or pastors, sacred work. Scroll down to learn more about Jordan Raynor.Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite app:Thanks for listening!Please share this podcast with your friends. Your hosts are Dr. Bob Robinson and David Loughney. For further resources on reintegrating all of life with God’s mission, go to re-integrate.org.Jordan RaynorJordan Raynor’s other books that help us reintegrate faith and work include Redeeming Your Time: 7 Biblical Principles for Being Purposeful, Present, and Wildly Productive, Master of One: Find and Focus on the Work You Were Created to Do and Called to Create: A Biblical Invitation to Create, Innovate, and Risk.He has also written two children’s books (The Royal You, and The Creator in You) and a weekday devotional (The Word Before Work).Jordan’s books can be purchased from independent booksellers Byron and Beth Borger at Hearts & Minds Bookstore. Go to their secure order form, mention you heard about Sarah’s books on the Reintegrate Podcast, and receive 20% off your order! If you have questions or need more information, contact Byron here. Or call Beth and Byron at 717-246-3333.Be sure to check out Jordan’s fascinating podcast, Mere Christians, where he interviews people from a wide variety of vocations about how they reintegrate faith and work.Jordan lives in Tampa, Florida, with his wife and their three young daughters. Get full access to Bob Robinson’s Substack at bobrobinsonre.substack.com/subscribe

VIDEO LINK on YOUTUBE.Should Christians care about the ecological crises that we face? Should climate change be a concern for believers? Many Christians still view their faith as primarily a “spiritual” matter that has little to do with the “physical” world in which they live. Our guest is Steven Bouma-Prediger, who contends that protecting and restoring our planet is an essential practice for Christians. Steve has studied the Bible and understands what it teaches about this earthly life. He has written extensively about how humans are called, in the words of Genesis 2:15, to “work and take care of” the world in which we live. He is troubled by how too few Christians see this as a crucial part of Christian discipleship.Scroll down to learn more about Dr. Steven Bouma-Prediger. Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite app!Thanks for listening!Please share this podcast with your friends. Your hosts are Dr. Bob Robinson and David Loughney. Go to re-integrate.org for further resources on reintegrating all of life with God’s mission. Steven Bouma-Prediger, Ph.D.Dr. Steven Bouma-Prediger is Professor of Religion at Hope College in Holland, Michigan, where he has also served as the chairperson of the Department of Religion and as the associate dean for teaching and learning. He also oversees the Environmental Studies minor. In addition, Steve teaches in Belize and New Zealand for the Creation Care Study Program. His latest book is Creation Care Discipleship: Why Earthkeeping Is an Essential Christian Practice (from Baker Academic).Among his previous books are Earthkeeping and Character: Exploring a Christian Ecological Virtue Ethic and For the Beauty of the Earth: A Christian Vision for Creation Care, and (co-authored with Brian J. Walsh) Beyond Homelessness: Christian Faith in a Culture of Displacement.His books can be purchased from independent bookseller Byron Borger at Hearts & Minds Bookstore. Get full access to Bob Robinson’s Substack at bobrobinsonre.substack.com/subscribe

We just came out of yet another contentious election year. People are as divided and polarized as ever, and the situation doesn’t seem to be improving.John Inazu is the author of Learning to Disagree: The Surprising Path to Navigating Differences with Empathy and Respect (Zondervan, 2024).It’s a unique book because John Inazu walks us through a school year as he teaches law and religion at Washington University in St. Louis. In this environment, students learn to embrace a better way to settle disputes. We get to learn alongside them, gleaning universal principles for conversing with people we disagree with. Scroll down to learn about John Inazu. Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite app!Thanks for listening!Please share this podcast with your friends. Your hosts are Dr. Bob Robinson and David Loughney.Go to re-integrate.org for further resources on reintegrating all of life with God’s mission. John InazuJohn Inazu is the Sally D. Danforth Distinguished Professor of Law and Religion at Washington University in St. Louis. He is the founder of the Legal Vocation Fellowship, a 15-month program for early-career attorneys, which grew out of his work with The Carver Project at Washington University. He is also a Senior Fellow at Interfaith America and also the Trinity Forum. He holds the J.D. from Duke University and a PhD in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.Check out John Inazu’s Substack, *Some Assembly Required. Get full access to Bob Robinson’s Substack at bobrobinsonre.substack.com/subscribe

How can creative people honestly pursue their crafts in an age of Artificial Intelligence? What key components fuel creativity for those who make art, film, novels, poetry, graphic art, or music?Our guest is Craig Detweiler, author, filmmaker, educator, cultural commentator, and Variety Magazine’s Mentor of the Year recipient.Over the years, Craig has taught and mentored thousands of students at Pepperdine, Biola, Fuller Seminary, and Grand Canyon University. He has encouraged these aspiring artists to launch creative projects with intention, awareness, and confidence. His students have founded festivals, started companies and schools, written acclaimed graphic novels, and directed movies for Marvel. Now, at a time when generative AI can aggregate text and images in seconds, he shows why “honest creativity” is one of the core tenets that separates humans from machines. For Craig Detweiler, creating honestly is a way of honoring the gift of life. Humans are called to honestly create magnificent things because it is what humans, made in the image of God, do.Craig’s latest book is Honest Creativity: The Foundations of Boundless, Good, and Inspired Innovation (Morehouse Publishing, 2024).Scroll down to learn about Craig Detweiler. Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite app!Thanks for listening!Please share this podcast with your friends. Your hosts are Dr. Bob Robinson and David Loughney.Go to re-integrate.org for further resources on reintegrating all of life with God’s mission. Dr. Craig DetweilerCraig Detweiler (MFA, Univ of Southern California, M.Div. and Ph.D., Fuller Theological Seminary) is the President & CEO of Wedgwood Circle, a philanthropical investment collective funding creative projects of meaning. He is the Dean of the College of Arts & Media at Grand Canyon University. Craig is also an award-winning documentary filmmaker.Check out an episode of the Reintegrate Podcast from 2020, in which Craig Detweiler discusses how to reintegrate our faith with watching movies.Check out Craig’s other books:Selfies: Searching for the Image of God in a Digital Age (Brazos, 2018). iGods: How Technology Shapes Our Spiritual and Social Lives (Brazos, 2013).Halos and Avatars: Playing Video Games with God Paperback (Westminster John Knox Press, 2010).Into the Dark: Seeing the Sacred in the Top Films of the 21st Century (Cultural Exegesis, Baker Academic, 2008).A Purple State of Mind: Finding Middle Ground in a Divided Culture (Harvest House, 2008).A Matrix of Meanings: Finding God in Pop Culture (Engaging Culture, Baker Academic, 2003).You can purchase these books from independent booksellers Byron and Beth Borger at Hearts & Minds Bookstore. Order online through their secure server or call 717-246-333. Mention that you heard about this book on the Reintegrate Podcast and get 20% off. Get full access to Bob Robinson’s Substack at bobrobinsonre.substack.com/subscribe

Our work situations, family and friendships, and everything around us always change. How do we navigate through the fog of not knowing what will happen next and where we are ultimately going? This episode features two guests who can help us navigate a life that is always in flux. Leadership, career, and vocation experts Michaela O'Donnell and Lisa Pratt Slayton teach the practical skills needed to navigate constant change. Their new book is Life in Flux: Navigational Skills to Guide and Ground You in an Ever-Changing World (Baker Books, 2024). Scroll down to learn about Lisa Slayton and Michaela O’Donnell.Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite app!Michaela O’Donnell & Lisa Pratt SlaytonMichaela O'Donnell, PhD, is the Executive Director of Fuller Seminary's Max De Pree Center for Leadership. She is a sought-after speaker and consultant who regularly presents on the topics of vocation, career, and leadership to religious, secular, academic, and lay audiences. Check out the Reintegrate Podcast episode from June 2023 when we interviewed her about her previous book, Make Work Matter: Your Guide to Meaningful Work in a Changing World.Lisa Pratt Slayton is the Founding Partner and CEO of Tamim Partners, providing coaching and consulting to executives, businesses, nonprofits, and churches. She also serves as the Director for CityGate, a collaborative community of faith-and-work leaders who long for the transformation of cities through the everyday work of Christians and their organizations. Lisa serves as a Board Director for the Leadership Foundations Network. She also was a previous guest on the Reintegrate Podcast in April 2021.You can purchase this book from independent booksellers Byron and Beth Borger at Hearts & Minds Bookstore. Order online through their secure server or call 717-246-333. Mention that you heard about this book on the Reintegrate Podcast and get 20% off.Thanks for listening!Please share this podcast with your friends. Your hosts are Dr. Bob Robinson and David Loughney.Go to re-integrate.org for the latest articles on reintegrating your callings with God’s mission and online resources for further learning. You can also find out about a Bible study book that you can use in your small group or individual devotions: Reintegrate Your Vocation with God's Mission. Get full access to Bob Robinson’s Substack at bobrobinsonre.substack.com/subscribe