1/31/23 - PowerPod: A Ministry for Working Women

Intro: [00:00:00] Welcome to the iWork4Him PowerPod. I'm Michael Miracle producer for iWork4Him, the voice of the faith and work movement. We are on mission to transform the workplace of every Christian into a mission field. Each quick listening PowerPod is designed with you in mind and jam packed with Kingdom resources to help you connect your faith and work. How will this impact your work? Let's find out right now.

Jim: There are thousands of organizations out there, all across the United States and the world training up Christ followers on how to live out their faith in their work. But I found this one in Minneapolis, Minnesota that specifically works with women who are living out their faith in the marketplace, in their workplaces outside the home.

Working Women of Faith was founded by noted author and speaker TJ Tison. You may remember our interview with TJ last year when she released her fantastic book Killing Wonder Woman and it wasn't about murder. I'll let TJ explain that one. TJ Tison is joined by her friends, Sarah Bechard and [00:01:00] Kim Isaak, and they're gonna share their story of how Working Women of Faith is impacting their lives.

Check out Working Women of Faith online Working Women of Faith.com. That's Working Women of Faith.com. Sarah and Kim and TJ, welcome to iWork4Him.

TJ. You've got this ministry Working Women of Faith now. Step back just a second. How does your life, or how did your life, how does your life, how is your life reflecting iWork4Him?

TJ Tison: Well, I like what you say in your mission statement about a vibrant follower of Jesus, and I think that that's such a big part of it. This ministry is really, was born out of what I saw as a lack of resources for women of faith in the workplace. So it was really kind of my own need. Like selfishly, I'm like, we, I need something.

So I'll just start that. But it's really, I look at it as how do we feed into each other outside of our faith communities? To help [00:02:00] us in this day-to-day walk of following Christ.

Martha: Sarah, how about for you? When you heard about the radio show of iWork4Him and the name, how did that resonate with what you do?

Sarah Bechard: Well, as far as my career, I call myself a certified, I am certified as a Christian image consultant, but even if I wasn't as a Christian image consultant, I'd still be walking out my faith and my work in styling women, not just on the outside but on the inside. So it's really the inside that counts and impacts our outer beauty.

And we're constantly being bombarded with messages as women - very negative messages in our mind and can definitely impact the way that we take care of ourselves. And I look at what I do as a way to reach women and encourage women and teach women so that they can be encouraged to take care of themselves and look good on the inside and outside.

Martha: Definitely. That's great. Kim, how about for you? What's the, the message of iWork4Him?

Kim Issak: Well, my heart's desire is to just integrate my [00:03:00] faith into every aspect of my life. And so wherever I show up, I listen and I seek to love and listen to the person that I'm in front of.

Martha: And we love the word integration. We talk about it here all the time. So for whatever reason in our culture, especially in the church culture that our generation maybe was raised in, the whole idea of segmenting our lives came into play. And we don't know exactly why that happened, but our whole, one of our desires is for people to understand Jesus didn't just save your Sunday, he saved all of you.

And some of that takes surrender and a lot of people don't wanna necessarily surrender their business plan to biblical principles, but that's what we're talking about in every area of our life, no matter where we go.

Jim: TJ, you wrote a book and we're not gonna talk a lot about your book today, but I really want to talk about your book Killing Wonder Woman and it was really, it's a revelation that every woman has to work through.

I mean, this is something, the way you wrote that, I mean, I loved it. [00:04:00] And, and you're like, Jim, you read my book? I'm like, yeah, I read your book because it was, it was fascinating cuz we've seen so many women in the marketplace struggle with that Wonder Woman complex. Talk to me about, you know, because you're, you're a consultant, you're a speaker, you're a ministry executive, you're an author, you're a mom. Talk about this Wonder Woman complex. Explain it to people so they can go, oh, that's me.

TJ Tison: Well, It's kind of funny because anytime I talk about Wonder Woman, every woman knows what I'm talking about, where we're trying to be all things to all people all the time, and we don't cut ourselves a break and we don't think anybody else us a break and we definitely don't think God is cutting us a break.

So all of this societal pressure, maybe family of origin, messages that we're even hearing in our faith communities is a lot of pressure to be something that we're not of discovering who God made us to be and being that. So it's letting go of all of those lies and labels, recognizing that they exist and everybody has them, and then really destroying those with the truth of God's word. [00:05:00] Who are you really in Christ as a daughter of the King?

Jim: it's funny cuz we were talking to somebody in Cincinnati about that we were gonna be interviewing you this week and we explained about your book and they're like, oh yeah, I struggled with that too. It was the woman from, I can't mention the name of the company.

She worked in a company of about a hundred thousand people. She was a middle executive and she's like, Oh, I absolutely suffer with Wonder Woman Complex. And so we know it. It, your book resonates with so many. In fact, we should get a copy out of the trunk that she doesn't have any in to Send it to that woman. That'd be perfect. ,

TJ Tison: Gladly. I'll gladly do that.

Jim: So talk to me about Working Women of Faith, where you said it, this idea was born out of necessity. What is it all about in 30 seconds? What is it all about? And we'll come back and talk in detail.

TJ Tison: Really, it's about equipping women to win at work and soar in faith.

It is that integration that Kim was talking about, but almost at a deeper level. It's taking killing Wonder Woman to a whole nother level because it's about women meeting together authentically and [00:06:00] being real.

Martha: So as much as we love Magnolia Market and the silos, Waco, Texas. We don't wanna live in silos, you know, and we end up doing that so much in the worlds that we're in because we're, you know, we just, we gotta get it done.

We gotta move on, we gotta take care of the family. We gotta, whatever it might be. But women definitely have a need for connection. And so we would love for our listeners to hear what Working Women of Faith really is . And, you know, I'm, I'm a, I'm a tangible person. I like to see, okay, is it, is it, you know, from 9 to 10 on Tuesday morning, you know, what is it?

And then what is it doing? And which is of course the bigger question, but, so people just know about what does it look like here in the Minneapolis area?

Jim: And I wanna make sure you deal with how do we multiply this across the country?

TJ Tison: Of course. Okay. Great. So Working Women of Faith is really a network of women and we meet in four locations [00:07:00] physically in the Twin Cities, north, south, east, west.

God kind of gave me the vision of the cross. Yeah. You know, north, south, east, west, and so we have physical locations, so it's convenient. For women to get to. It's from 5:30 to 7 and they're always on the same nights of the week each month. So that if you can't go to one, you can go to another one. You can jump in wherever you can.

We Have 'em after work hours because what I've found in all the different marketplace ministries is if they're during the day - which is great if you're a business owner and you have some flexibility and you can go to those. But if I'm gonna minister to Working Women of Faith, it can't be during work hours.

Right. So, so that was the first thing. And so we meet, and then we also have a membership structure as well as a private, online community that's secure. And each woman also gets a subscription to Right Now Media at Work, which we use. So there's resources, there's connection. People ask me if it's a networking group.

Yes and no. Because network real networking happens through relationships. Absolutely. It really is about [00:08:00] building relationships. And one thing I don't like about networking groups is everybody's doing great. Every time you go to one mm, business is great, everything's wonderful, and you know that's not true, so, I wanted to provide a safe space where women could just be real and connect with one another and learn at a deeper level, what it means to follow Christ in every area of our lives.

Jim: Working Women of Faith needs to multiply across the country. Have you been approached by any other women from across the country to multiply what you're doing?

TJ Tison: I have. There was a lady down in Houston that was interested and I've talked with a couple ladies in Chicago. So I'm at this point it's, well, and really from the very beginning it's up to the Lord, what he does with it. And he'll know when that's the right time. I believe that it's a part of a bigger work that he's doing in the marketplace, where he's really mobilizing believers to live out their faith and be that witness.

Billy Graham said that the marketplace was the last great mission field, and I believe it.

Jim: As you see the Lord working in the [00:09:00] marketplace, in the lives of women, and some are business owners, some are not business owners, these are, these are women in the marketplace. Mm-hmm. , how is it impacting you spiritually?

Sarah Bechard: I think simply watching women, observing them and just the things that they say and there's been tears shed, watching that and just being available for that and hearing them both verbally and in the written word. They're talking about how they're beginning to use the things that TJ teaches. She's a great teacher, she's a credible teacher, and she's passionate and taking those things that they're learning and not just bringing those to work, but they're talking about their families and applying it to their family life and even their personal life. So it's really exciting to kind of see that all integrated, kind of like the word you mentioned earlier, it all come together for a number of women.

Jim: What about you, Kim Isaak? Talk about how it's impacting you spiritually.

Kim Issak: Well, I'm growing in compassion and I especially love the check-in time where the women are invited to be real about what's [00:10:00] going on in their faith, in their life, in their with their family. And so they, they're able to open up about those stories and we just meet one another where we are, and masks can come off.

 The check-in actually can take a while, and in any given meeting, that's usually where everybody tries to be very efficient and that's the place where we're known. And so for me, I'm impacted by the stories I hear and also the permission to tell my own, if I've got something that I wanna share I know I'll be listened to.

Jim: Where did this idea of Working Women of Faith come from and what's it all about today, right here in the Twin Cities?

TJ Tison: So actually I've been, I've owned my own business for 10 years and the Lord called me to go back to school and finish my degree, which I thought was crazy . And but I did it anyway cuz, you know, we obey. Right?

God blesses obedience. So I, I felt that the message in my cohort, we were talking a lot about our, our faith in the workplace. And they all kept saying, you need to write a book about this. You need to write a book about this. And on the day [00:11:00] I graduated college as an adult, God gave me the words Working Women of Faith, and I thought it was the book title. And really it was something bigger than a book and the Lord just kind of revealed that to me over time. So I've actually, this has been in my wheelhouse for about six years.

Jim: So talk to me about how being involved in Working Women of Faith has impacted your business. What does that look like? How are you living on your faith and what you do and how is Working Women of Faith helping you do that effectively?

Sarah Bechard: Yes, well, definitely it's encouraged me and what's been nice for me is that I did have an opportunity to share during the Workplace spotlight section that sometimes TJ offers.

And I felt that that really gave me a chance for people to get to know me and build trust with me. And as a result obviously you're gonna grow relationship doing that. And then just, I had some other financial wonderful surprises in that area too. So that's, Impacted me.

Jim: So what does that look like on a daily basis as you image consult, which I'm not really sure. Tell us, tell us what that really means. And really you can, you can check out Sarah Bechard [00:12:00]online at purposefullyfashioned.com , and we'll have that link on our Facebook page. Purposely fashioned.com.

You brought up Right Now Media at Work a couple times. Brian Mosley and his team have done a phenomenal job and it's an incredible tool. You said you make it available to all of your members? Talk about what, how? Talk about that impact.

TJ Tison: It's available to all of our members. I'll tell you what, Right Now Media at Work, and they're not even paying me to say this, it is a game changer because if you can have a tool that you can lead your team and your organization where you are feeding into them truth, and it's not all of it is outwardly, you know, quoting scripture, but then you have this opportunity for your employees to, at the comfort of their home, start watching these videos about being a parent or you know, they have a teen channel, they have all these other things

And that is how God is getting into their homes when they don't go to a church anywhere, and this next generation coming up is unchurched. I can't tell you in our, in our kids' ministry, how many [00:13:00] kids come in and say, I don't know who God is. They don't, they don't hear it anywhere else. And so for me, I'm, I'm a little passionate about it, but it's a game changer because we need this kind of stuff in our organizations.

Martha: And as an organization, you're able to create a channel of specific items that you would like to drill in and down to and make it so they don't have to sort through it to find it.

TJ Tison: Exactly. Cuz there's thousands of videos. Right? So if we do a topic one month, I'll, I'll find a video resource that can be that can back that up that they can watch. Or if somebody has a certain issue, like we do deeper dive, which is where we can help a woman - give her counsel around an issue that she's having. So if I'm thinking of a a video or there's some way that I can support that woman in that, Hey, go watch this, or I'll bring it up in future teaching as well.

Jim: Sarah, you go first. One thing you want to tell the women that are listening today of why they should join Working Women of Faith right here in the Twin Cities or somewhere else in the country, why they should start one?

Sarah Bechard: Well, I'm an encourager, but I would [00:14:00] just ask the question, why not? Just really think about that. Why wouldn't you? What's holding you back? In my case in many situations it's fear. Maybe it's fear for you, maybe it's something else, but just ask God about it. Ask him to make room, make space in your life for this wonderful space.

Jim: And what about you, Kim?

Kim Issak: Well, I think we all need connection. Doing life alone is really hard. And find a safe group of people to share your life with. And talk about the good and the bad, the ugly. It's why I think: find a group.

Jim: How has this, we'll just start with you TJ. How has this impacted your home life being connected with all these women across the cities, and how has it impacted what goes on at home?

TJ Tison: You know, I feel like there's certain needs that God has put within us as women and as men to have that connection with people of like faith and like gender, and you don't always get that in other areas. So I feel like there's, there's a gap that's been filled there that allows me [00:15:00] to have more space and time with my, with my spouse and with my kids in, in a healthier way.

And being a woman who's always been in the workplace and very type A and, you know just kind of keep everybody at arm's length was something that I did for years. Just being in that business mode, and this has totally changed that for me as the leader. I've allowed women to come close to me, which has also impacted my relationship with my husband and allowing him to come closer to my heart in sharing those things. So it's, it's been amazing.

Jim: I wanna make sure people know that you're willing to help them get this started in other parts of the country. I mean, you've got a model that can be stamped out and, and reproduced, right?

TJ Tison: Sure, yep. There's, I mean, there's some pieces that need to be in place, but the framework is there, and I think you could really kind of make it your own based on, you know, the same principles.

Jim: But there's working women of faith in, in the marketplace out there, [00:16:00] all, all across the country.

TJ Tison: Oh, absolutely. And they all have the same desire.

They do. And they're, but even culturally, in different areas of the United States, there's gonna be different ways that they can, they can modify that to meet those needs.

Martha: I think that's one of the things, you know, women like to be creative, but yet no, it's kind of almost giving them permission to say, you know, you can do this. There can be a group that you can organize and get together in your city and giving them just the encouragement to get that done.

TJ Tison: I believe there's women all over this country who God has been nudging and they just, they just need something. Yeah. To say yes, step forward. Cuz they're going, I don't know how to do this. Well, if we already have some framework in place, it's easy for you to step into what God's calling you to do.

Jim: You've been listening to iWork4Him with your hosts, Jim and Martha Brangenberg. We're Christ followers our workplace, it's our mission field, but ultimately, iWork4Him!

Outro: Thank you for listening to the iWork 4Him PowerPod with your hosts, Jim and Martha Brangenberg. Want more hear the full broadcasts [00:17:00] at iWork4Him.com? Stay connected and receive power packed content when you sign up for our blog at iWork4Him.com or follow us on social media @ iWork4Him .

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