The Gospel Coalition asked women attending the 2014 National Women's Conference June 27-29 in Orlando to submit 750-word reflections on faith and work that answered three questions:

1. What do you do everyday?
2. How do you feel about what you do?
3. When have you found your work particularly meaningful?

Of the 145 women who submitted reflections, twenty-five were chosen to attend a special dinner at the Hilton Orlando on June 27 hosted by TGC's Every Square Inch and Kathy Keller, and sponsored by InterVarsity Press/IVP Crescendo. The special guest speaker was Jen Pollock Michel, author of Teach Us to Want: Longing, Ambition and the Life of Faith.

Bethany Jenkins is the director of Every Square Inch, an initiative that aims to help local church leaders and ordinary Christians alike to see every aspect of their lives, especially their work, under the lordship of Christ. After reading the women's essays, Jenkins wrote, "These women are doing a lot. They are mothers, wives, consultants, counselors, educators, entrepreneurs, sisters, daughters, caretakers and writers—often at the same time. Their work includes assessing risk, planning family schedules, creating technology systems, driving carpools and striving 'to write Christ' on their children's hearts. One woman, when asked to identify her industry from a list of options, said, 'I qualified for 11 industries, so I chose other.'"

Michel's book summed up many of the women's reflections: "We simply can't ignore desire. Like a heartbeat, desire pulses steadily in the backdrop of our lives. We may not always be aware of the work desire is doing, and yet it provides much of the necessary energy on which we rely. We get out of bed, go to work, get to the gym, marry (or not), have babies (or not), write books—follow Jesus—because in some measure, we want to."

Michel said of the women who were chosen for dinner, "I felt incredibly humbled to be in the company of so many godly and ambitious women. They are doing great good for the kingdom in all kinds of different sectors. At my table alone, I met women in health management, urban development, orphan care and philanthropy. Their commitment to their communities was very inspiring."

InterVarsity Press gave each attendee several books, including a copy of Pollock's Teach Us to Want to encourage them in their faith and work. "Sponsoring the Every Square Inch Dinner was an honor and a privilege," said Lorraine Caulton, brand manager for IVP Crescendo, "not only because we had the chance to introduce Jen Pollock Michel but because hearing these women's stories on faith and work didn't just leave us with inspiring 'what ifs' but real-world accounts that we all can relate and aspire to."

Additional information about Jen Pollock Michel is available at www.jenpollockmichel.com.