Can Christians pursue success in business without sidelining their faith—or turning God into just another “box” in life? In this episode of the Thinking Christian Podcast, Dr. James Spencer sits down with Andrea Anderson, Christian business coach and author of Bread Like Rain, to talk about surrendered strategy, discipleship, and what it really means to follow Christ in entrepreneurial work.

Andrea shares her journey from cultural Christianity to atheism and agnosticism—and eventually to a living faith shaped by loss, prayer, and God’s persistent pursuit. Her move into life coaching and consulting didn’t come from a desire to optimize productivity alone, but from a deeper question: How do I help people experience lasting, eternal transformation rather than temporary fixes?

Drawing from her work with Christian business owners, Andrea explains why many leaders experience recurring chaos despite good intentions: self-reliance and control quietly replace trust in God. The solution isn’t better tactics at ground level, but a top-down reordering—learning to ask what the Lord is saying and aligning vision, strategy, and identity accordingly. When leaders build from misalignment, results never last. When they build from surrender, fruit endures.

James and Andrea explore how discipleship must shape leadership, why faith cannot be compartmentalized into “God,” “work,” and “family” boxes, and how obedience opens our eyes to what God is already doing. They also discuss the dangers of redefining success apart from God’s purposes—where profitability, health, relationships, and obedience must be held together rather than traded off against one another.

The conversation touches on prayer, listening for God’s voice, and why many Christians struggle to slow down spiritually: not because they don’t know prayer matters, but because they doubt they can actually hear God. Andrea introduces the idea of a “faith optimization gap”—the distance between what we know and what we truly believe—and how that gap quietly shapes decisions, priorities, and burnout.

Finally, Andrea offers a candid reflection on the modern church: discipleship requires more than encouragement and affirmation. True love includes correction, accountability, and refining relationships shaped by Christ—not cultural comfort.

Topics include:


From organizing spaces to organizing lives under Christ


Why self-reliance creates recurring chaos in leadership


Faith, profitability, and God’s definition of success


Compartmentalization vs. surrendered discipleship


Prayer as communion, not a spiritual checklist


Hearing God’s voice in daily decisions


Church discipline, accountability, and real community


Bread Like Rain and Andrea’s upcoming book, Rock Solid Business

You can find out more about Andrea at https://andrealeighco.com.

Here book Bread Like Rain is available here. 

Subscribe to our YouTube channel

🔗 Download a free resource "Making Everyday Decisions So That God Gets the Glory" from Useful to God:www.usefultogod.com

To read James's article on this topic, check out his author page on Christianity.com.

📢 Stay Connected & Keep Growing!

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe to Thinking Christian so you never miss an insightful conversation!

This episode is sponsored by Trinity Debt Management. “Whether we’re helping people pay off their unsecured debt or offering assistance to those behind in their mortgage payments, Trinity has the knowledge and resources to make a difference. Our intention is to help people become debt-free, and most importantly, remain debt-free for keeps!" If your debt has you down, we should talk. Call us at 1-800-793-8548 | https://trinitycredit.org/ 

Can Christians pursue success in business without sidelining their faith&mdash;or turning God into just another &ldquo;box&rdquo; in life? In this episode of the Thinking Christian Podcast, Dr. James Spencer sits down with Andrea Anderson, Christian business coach and author of Bread Like Rain, to talk about surrendered strategy, discipleship, and what it really means to follow Christ in entrepreneurial work.
Andrea shares her journey from cultural Christianity to atheism and agnosticism&mdash;and eventually to a living faith shaped by loss, prayer, and God&rsquo;s persistent pursuit. Her move into life coaching and consulting didn&rsquo;t come from a desire to optimize productivity alone, but from a deeper question: How do I help people experience lasting, eternal transformation rather than temporary fixes?
Drawing from her work with Christian business owners, Andrea explains why many leaders experience recurring chaos despite good intentions: self-reliance and control quietly replace trust in God. The solution isn&rsquo;t better tactics at ground level, but a top-down reordering&mdash;learning to ask what the Lord is saying and aligning vision, strategy, and identity accordingly. When leaders build from misalignment, results never last. When they build from surrender, fruit endures.
James and Andrea explore how discipleship must shape leadership, why faith cannot be compartmentalized into &ldquo;God,&rdquo; &ldquo;work,&rdquo; and &ldquo;family&rdquo; boxes, and how obedience opens our eyes to what God is already doing. They also discuss the dangers of redefining success apart from God&rsquo;s purposes&mdash;where profitability, health, relationships, and obedience must be held together rather than traded off against one another.
The conversation touches on prayer, listening for God&rsquo;s voice, and why many Christians struggle to slow down spiritually: not because they don&rsquo;t know prayer matters, but because they doubt they can actually hear God. Andrea introduces the idea of a &ldquo;faith optimization gap&rdquo;&mdash;the distance between what we know and what we truly believe&mdash;and how that gap quietly shapes decisions, priorities, and burnout.
Finally, Andrea offers a candid reflection on the modern church: discipleship requires more than encouragement and affirmation. True love includes correction, accountability, and refining relationships shaped by Christ&mdash;not cultural comfort.
Topics include:
<ul data-start="3064" data-end="3517">
<li data-start="3064" data-end="3123">
From organizing spaces to organizing lives under Christ
</li>
<li data-start="3124" data-end="3183">
Why self-reliance creates recurring chaos in leadership
</li>
<li data-start="3184" data-end="3241">
Faith, profitability, and God&rsquo;s definition of success
</li>
<li data-start="3242" data-end="3295">
Compartmentalization vs. surrendered discipleship
</li>
<li data-start="3296" data-end="3346">
Prayer as communion, not a spiritual checklist
</li>
<li data-start="3347" data-end="3389">
Hearing God&rsquo;s voice in daily decisions
</li>
<li data-start="3390" data-end="3447">
Church discipline, accountability, and real community
</li>
<li data-start="3448" data-end="3517">
Bread Like Rain and Andrea&rsquo;s upcoming book, Rock Solid Business
</li>
</ul>
You can find out more about Andrea at <a href="https://andrealeighco.com">https://andrealeighco.com</a>.
Here book Bread Like Rain is available <a href="https://amzn.to/3NjFonL">here</a>.&nbsp;
Subscribe to our <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@Useful_toGod">YouTube channel</a>
🔗 Download a free resource "Making Everyday Decisions So That God Gets the Glory" from Useful to God: <a href="https://www.usefultogod.com">www.usefultogod.com</a>
To read James's article on this topic, check out his author page on <a href="https://www.christianity.com/author/james-spencer/">Christianity.com</a>.
📢 Stay Connected &amp; Keep Growing!
If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe to Thinking Christian so you never miss an insightful conversation!
This episode is sponsored by Trinity Debt Management.&nbsp;&ldquo;Whether we&rsquo;re helping people pay off their unsecured debt or offering assistance to those behind in their mortgage payments, Trinity has the knowledge and resources to make a difference. Our intention is to help people become debt-free, and most importantly, remain debt-free for keeps!" If your debt has you down, we should talk.&nbsp;Call us at&nbsp;1-800-793-8548&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://trinitycredit.org/">https://trinitycredit.org/</a>&nbsp;

Christians shouldn’t just think. They should think Christian. Join Dr. James Spencer and guests for calm, thoughtful, theological discussions about a variety of topics Christians face every day. The Thinking Christian Podcast will help you grow spiritually and learn theology as you seek to be faithful in a world that is becoming increasingly proficient at telling stories that deny Christ.

Find more from James at https://usefultogod.com/.

Christians shouldn’t just think. They should think Christian. Join Dr. James Spencer and guests for calm, thoughtful, theological discussions about a variety of topics Christians face every day. The Thinking Christian Podcast will help you grow spiritually and learn theology as you seek to be faithful in a world that is becoming increasingly proficient at telling stories that deny Christ.
Find more from James at <a href="https://usefultogod.com/">https://usefultogod.com/</a>.

Christians shouldn’t just think. They should think Christian. Join Dr. James Spencer and guests for calm, thoughtful, theological discussions about a variety of topics Christians face every day. The Thinking Christian Podcast will help you grow spiritually and learn theology as you seek to be faithful in a world that is becoming increasingly proficient at telling stories that deny Christ.

Thinking Christian: Clear Theology for a Confusing World

Christians shouldn’t just think. They should think Christian. Join Dr. James Spencer and guests for calm, thoughtful, theological discussions about a variety of topics Christians face every day. The Thinking Christian Podcast will help you grow spiritually and learn theology as you seek to be faithful in a world that is becoming increasingly proficient at telling stories that deny Christ.
Find more from James at <a href="https://usefultogod.com/">https://usefultogod.com/.</a>

Christian Business Without Compartmentalization: Faith, Success, and Surrender (Andrea Anderson)

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/5e27a451-e6e6-4c51-aa03-a7370003783c/clips/01f962d0-d176-4f00-95e2-b3d2016f8880/transcript