WWW.CITYGATENETWORK.ORG MARCH/APRIL 2019 51 TURN YOUR WORKPLACE AROUND Paul White wrote The Vibrant Workplace: Overcom­ ing the Obstacles to Building a Culture of Appreciation (Northfield Publishing) to give leaders a thorough under­ standing of the most common obstacles to building a positive workplace. Any work­ place can become more posi­ tive and grow toward health; it just takes knowledge of the core challenges and the skills to navigate them. Readers will be equipped to successfully trans­ form their workplace environment, infuse it with authentic appreciation, and deal with the real­life challenges faced in daily work settings. GOOD FROM BROKENNESS All too often, churches, organizations, and companies abandon their broken leaders at the very moment the person becomes most useful. In Redemptive Leadership: Unleashing Your Greatest Influence (Illumify Media Global), Harv Pow­ ers explains why God uses broken leaders and how He uses bro­ kenness to transform the lives of others. God uses all the events of our lives, both positive and negative, to forge in us our redemptive influence for His kingdom. Powers charts a path through moments of crisis and failure so we can produce seeds of godly character and exert our greatest influence. GOD’S GOODNESS People who are active in religious congregations tend to be happier and more civically engaged than either religiously unaffiliated adults or inactive members of religious groups. According to a Pew Research Center analysis, religiously active people also tend to smoke and drink less—but they are not healthier in terms of exercise frequency and rates of obesity. The analysis also found that in the U.S. and many other countries around the world, regular participation in a religious community is clearly linked to higher levels of happiness and civic engagement (specifically, voting in elections and joining community groups or other voluntary organizations).