Working from the Inside Out: A Brief Guide to Inner Work That Transforms Our Outer World by Jeff Haanen. IVP. 152 pages. 2023
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The author is the founder of the Denver Institute for Faith & Work, and author of An Uncommon Guide to Retirement, a book I have read twice and recommended to others. In his new book, he tells us that many of us deeply enjoy our work, and yet we also feel lonely, anxious, tired, misunderstood, and undervalued at our jobs. Work can feel creative, impactful, and important. Yet it can also feel like toil.
The book is about asking honest questions about our lives and our work. It’s also about seeking a path of transformation that binds together our interior lives, our exterior lives, and our communities.
The author believes that faith lived out in our working lives is built around five principles: seek deep spiritual health, think theologically, embrace relationships, create good work, and serve others sacrificially. These five principles are a way forward for all of us working to integrate faith and work. And the order of transformation matters, as well as the inclusion of all five of the principles.
The author often contrasts professional versus working-class perspectives. He shares many helpful stories to illustrate his points throughout the book. Among the subjects discussed in the book were secularism, spiritual disciplines, self-awareness, long-term change, theology, relationships, healthy organizational culture and sabbath. Instructions are provided on how to download a free study guide for the book.
Below are some of my favorite quotes from the book:

• Vocation is a moment-by-moment relationship with God, for the benefit of our neighbors, and through our daily work.
• Our workplaces shape our desires, our desires shape our habits, and our habits shape our characters.
• It’s not the outcome of our work that God is most interested in. It’s who we become in the process.
• Healthy organizational culture is not formed by values written on a wall but instead by people with healthy relationships who know themselves and one another.
• Each moment of the day, whether with coworkers or kids, is lived from a single, comprehensive calling to respond to God’s voice in all areas of life.
• Work is meaningful because it is the form in which we make ourselves useful to others.
• Good work alone won’t make you happy, but it is one of the key ingredients to being happy with your life.
• What gives us spiritual satisfaction from work is the opportunity to use our talents to love our neighbors as ourselves.
• Meaningful work is found not in success or financial reward but in sacrificial service.