WORK STORIES • VIDEO INTERVIEWS

WORKTALK No.1 | Mayor Robb Davis

ROBB DAVIS SERVED on the Davis City Council and then as city mayor for four years from 2014 to 2018. How did this peace-loving Mennonite get called into politics and what was his experience when he got there? And how did his Christian faith and values affect his political life and leadership? During his tenure as mayor, Robb led initiatives related to programming for unhoused individuals, restorative justice for youth, sustainable community clean energy acquisition, safe cycling, and police oversight. Robb is co-author of Advocating for Justice: An Evangelical Vision for Transforming Systems and Structures (2016), which argues that, while relief and development are important, advocacy and the transformation of systems and structures are essential for lasting change.

Before coming to Davis, Robb earned his MPH and PhD from Johns Hopkins University and worked over thirty years as a public health professional, including two decades working with rural communities in French-speaking West Africa and in India. His focus was on maternal and child health, child nutrition, and food security.

Coming back to the USA, Robb served as Impact and Innovation Officer at the Yolo Food Bank, and with the Healthy Davis Together initiative, focused on testing and vaccination for underserved populations. Robb also served on Davis's downtown parking task force, the Bicycle Advisory Commission, the Neighborhood Court program through the University of California Davis, and the Yolo Conflict Resolution Center. For the University of California Davis, Robb has served as international student advisor, Director of Intercultural Learning in Global Affairs, and at the Center for Student Involvement.

WORK(Talk)STORIES No.2 | Jason Myhre

JASON MYHRE IS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR of the Eventide Center for Faith & Investing. He is a founding member of Eventide Asset Management , an investment firm providing values-based investments based on a biblical worldview. The Eventide Center for Faith & Investing is an educational initiative to help Christians understand and practice biblically faithful investing. Jason is also a Fellow of the Center for Faithful Business at Seattle Pacific University and the facilitator of the capital stewardship hub of the Kirby Laing Centre for Public Theology in Cambridge, England. In this installment of WORK STORIES, Jason talks about the work of an investment manager and how he personally got into it. Investment management ethics requires professionals to serve their client and act in their informed and expressed interest—usually meaning to maximize their profits at a risk level they are comfortable with. So where do the investment manager’s and firm’s own financial and ethical interests fit into the picture? Do they share with clients their concerns about investments in one company or industry or another? And for a Christian, how and where do the mission and values of Jesus Christ fit into the picture? Ethical boundaries, positive goals, evaluations of companies? Where does today’s investment culture and profession need to be resisted or challenged? Where can it be “salted” and “lighted”? Managing a client’s investments is not “just a business” but a true ministry in service of both God, the client, and all stakeholders in our economy and society. Should investment management practice for Christians be accompanied by any kind of support group, like a prayer and sharing posse? How might pastors and churches provide some helpful encouragement, counsel, or support? Tune in for an exciting discussion!

WORKSTORIES No.3 | Gisela Kreglinger

GISELA KREGLINGER IS A WRITER, theologian, and public speaker. She grew up on a winery in Franconia, Germany, where her family has been crafting wine for many generations. She earned her PhD in historical theology at the University of St. Andrews and teaches Christian spirituality at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. Her primary interests are engaging theology with culture and the arts and re-envisioning what Christian spirituality might look like in the 21st century. She is a public speaker and leads people on wine pilgrimages in France and Germany. Gisela is the author of “The Spirituality of Wine” (2016)—which explores the biblical teaching on wine and encourages a more holistic and creation-centered spirituality—and “The Soul of Wine: Savoring the Goodness of God” (2019)—a rich meditation on how both wine and God invite us to a deeper, slower attention and appreciation. (www.thespiritualityofwine.com) In this WorkStory, Gisela shares her family and personal story in the world of wine, her path to the PhD, and her work as a “theologian of wine” as part of a larger interest in Christian spirituality. The biblical warnings against excessive drinking are important, but must not blind us to the robust teaching about God’s gifts of wines, grapes, and wine, and their importance for health, feasting and joy, and communion. This is an exciting story!

WORKSTORIES No.4 | Don Flow

DON FLOW IS CHAIRMAN and CEO of Flow Automotive Companies based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Flow Automotive (www.flowauto.com) was founded in 1957 with one pre-owned automotive center in Winston-Salem and today operates more than fifty dealerships in North Carolina and Virginia, representing more than twenty auto manufacturers. Don graduated from the University of Virginia (BS in Commerce, 1977) and the Wake Forest University School of Business (MBA, 1983). Between those two degrees he added a critical piece to his education at Regent College (Diploma in Christian Studies, 1978). More than any other theological school, Regent focusses on helping its graduate students integrate Christian faith and values with their work and calling.

Coming out of Don’s Christian convictions, Flow Auto is guided by three principles: (1) A covenant with our customers to be a place that keeps its promises and is worthy of their trust. (2) A community of people who work together towards a common vision. (3) A commitment to work towards the common good of every city where we do business. Doing what is right in God’s eyes is not a guarantee of financial success but Flow Auto has been profitable and continually admired for the way it treats workers, customers, competitors, and communities. It is a great model and inspiration not just for the auto industry for all business enterprises.

WORKSTORIES No.5 | Steve Turner

STEVE TURNER HAS HAD A LONG and distinguished career as a rock journalist, music historian, and poet. A  native of England, he has lived in London since 1970. Steve’s literary output is nothing short of extraordinary (and exhausting!).  It includes biographical studies of Eric Clapton, U2, Van Morrison, Marvin Gaye, Cliff Richard, the Who, Johnny Cash, Jack Kerouac—and three books on the Beatles. . . all of this in addition to countless reviews, essays, and interviews in rock magazines like Rolling Stone, as well as mainstream media like the London Times, and the BBC. Steve is also a highly regarded poet with eleven published volumes, half of them for children

Steve has always maintained an interest in the relationship between faith, spirituality, music and culture—which led to his books on the history of Gospel Music and the hymn Amazing Grace. Among his other books are Hungry for Heaven: Rock n Roll & the Search for Redemption, (1988), Imagine: A Vision for Christians & the Arts (IVP, 2001), Popcultured (IVP, 2013), and Turn, Turn, Turn: Popular Songs Inspired by the Bible (2018).

What’s faith got to do with it?  Click screen, tune in, and find out.