Life and Livelihood

A Handbook for Spirituality at Work

Many working people may have the uneasy feeling that when they clock in every morning, they check their “real selves” at the door. Caring, compassionate, generous human beings who look after families and volunteer in the community take on the values of the workplace, where fierce competition may trump kindness and concern. People who might exercise all the best attributes of Christianity in action often feel they have to put on alter egos that fit into a business world that may be less in tune with Christian values. It’s the kind of great divide that makes people yearn for greater connection between their “at-work selves” and their “at-home selves.” And it’s led to the formation of the “spirituality at work” movement, helping those eager to align their spirituality with their professional lives. This book provides the nuts-and-bolts of running a workplace spirituality group. It offers hands-on information about everything from forming a group to facilitating a meeting, and even includes detailed agendas for 45-minute meetings. With the easy-to-use agendas, participants explore such questions as “Can our work be sacred?” “What is real wealth?” and “How does language shape our values?” Life and Livelihood is designed to be respectful of—and applicable to—those of most faith traditions, although Christian themes, images, and references predominate. Whitney Roberson, an Episcopal priest, is associate pastor of Grace Cathedral in San Francisco and director of the Spirituality at Work program there. She leads conferences, retreats, and training programs on this topic.