Ep 078: Called Out, Paula Faris & Craig Groeschel

TOPICS IN THIS PODCAST

Over the course of your life and career, you have probably experienced a reset. Paula Faris’ reset came when she realized her high-flying career was clashing with the values she claimed to profess. So, she gave up two dream jobs in order to more fully live her purpose. Along the way, she discovered some insights into the perils of being addicted to work, the nature of calling and the presence of fear alongside of peace. In this episode, Summit Champion, Craig Groeschel interviews Paula about what it means to be called out.

On This Podcast

Paula Faris

CARRY Media™

Paula Faris is an Emmy-Award winning journalist, speaker, best-selling author of Called Out: Why I Traded Two Dream Jobs For A Life Of True Calling, and host of the Paula Faris Faith & Calling podcast, where she talks to inspirational people about what they're called to do and who they're called to be. Faris spent the last nine years at ABC news, during which she was co-anchor of Good Morning America weekend edition and co-host of The View. While at the network she reported on everything from politics, news and entertainment to sports and faith. In 2022, Faris launched CARRY Media™ with the desire to champion, advocate and celebrate working mothers across America.

Craig Groeschel

Life.Church

Globally recognized as a leader of leaders, Craig Groeschel is the founder and senior pastor of Life.Church, rated the #1 place to work in 2021 for small and mid-size companies by Glassdoor. Known for their missional approach to leveraging the latest technology, Life.Church is the innovative creator of the YouVersion Bible App—downloaded more than a half a billion times worldwide. In 2020, Life.Church provided free tools to thousands of churches who quickly transitioned to a virtual church experience in the wake of the global health pandemic. Traveling the world on behalf of The Global Leadership Summit, Groeschel advocates for building leaders in every sector of society. He is also the host of the top-ranked Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast. A New York Times best-selling author, his latest book is  Lead Like It Matters

Show Notes

SUMMARY:

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

Fear paralyzed me at several times in my life.
I realized fear is always going to be present and it’s normal.
Fear and peace can coexist.

When I left my two dream jobs, I had a full-out identity crisis.
We need to contextualize calling–it’s not just a career.
So often in church, we are told to find our calling and its always career.
We need to find out who we are outside of what we do.
We have two callings on our lives: a faith calling and a vocational calling.

A faith calling is our purpose. It is unmovable and has nothing to do with your vocation.
A vocational calling will change in seasons. It is simply the vehicle for you to fulfill your purpose.

My faith calling is rooted in who I am. I’m a wife, mother, I love Jesus. I am curious. And I champion and challenge people. That’s who I am. It doesn’t change no matter the circumstance.
Calling is a “who” before a “do.”
I was addicted to work. Work was the one thing that really fulfilled me. The job made me feel good about myself. Not everyone who burns out hates what they do. However, the things that I professed were of value to me were totally clashing with the choices I was making.

I was so addicted I couldn’t make the choices myself. God had to slow me down to get my attention.
The difference between the values you claim and the life you lead equals the pain you experience.
Tragedy and opportunity can coexist.
When you know you need to make a move, but you don’t know what’s on the other side, that’s scary. But if you have peace in your spirit, press into your fear.
Not everyone is called to make a dramatic shift. Sometimes you just need a paradigm shift.

Find the things about yourself that won’t change. Give yourself permission to branch out and try new things.
Fear is a part of leadership.
It’s okay to love what you do, but don’t let it define you.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:

1. Paula’s key realization was that we all have two callings on our lives–a faith calling and a vocational calling. What are some phrases that would define these callings in your life?

Faith Calling: Your purpose, rooted in who you are which will not change.

Vocational Calling: The vehicle for you to fulfill your calling in this season.

2. Another part of Paula’s faith story was when she realized that she was addicted to work. Is work an addiction for you? In what ways are the things that are of value to you clashing with the choices you are making?

3. Based on your reflection about your faith calling, your vocational calling and your level of work addiction, what is one thing you could do this week to step more deeply into your faith calling?