This year’s Year-End Giving Campaign highlights stories from CFWLA participants who have experienced profound transformation through our programming. These stories reveal how their vision of work, relationship with God, and outlook on life have been renewed.
We invited participants to reflect on their journey and share how they see God at work—both in their workplaces and in the larger story He’s writing in the world.
This week, let’s hear from Gabriella.
What were your expectations before the Framework Fellows Program? How did your vision of work change as a result?
Before Framework, I struggled to balance work, meaning, spiritual growth, and professional development. Roles in faith-based institutions were rewarding but lacked the rigor and growth I longed for, and my role at that time felt like running on a hamster wheel—challenging but unfulfilling. As Proverbs 29:18 reminds us, "without vision, the people perish," and I was searching for a way to integrate my work, faith, and calling into a cohesive vision. I especially craved depth, substance, and community beyond surface-level connections at happy hours or networking events.
Framework Fellows helped me break down the artificial divide between the secular and the sacred. I learned that all work can glorify God when we mirror His character, and our work can reflect His creative nature and glory when done with integrity, excellence, and purpose. Becoming a faithful steward of what He's entrusted to me—in times of plenty and meager—has allowed me to savor His presence and embrace my identity as His daughter. People have told me I look happier and more at peace this year than last. While challenges remain, I’ve discovered the joy of cultivating peace and purpose in the everyday.
Framework Fellows reaffirmed my identity in the finished work of Jesus and that I can enjoy myself savoring and contemplating, learning to be His daughter. This translates to thinking creatively about how He might approach the chaos and challenges, bringing order and flourishing to whatever exact task is right in front of me. I've also learned that habits of purpose—such as intentional work, rest, and reflection—anchor me deeply, providing strength and clarity in seasons of change, transition, and turbulence.
What fruit are you seeing in your work after your experience at Framework and how has your relationship with God changed as a result?
One of the most profound lessons I learned is that job roles are merely provisions, but God alone is my Provider who supplies all my needs. Just as salvation is a gift I cannot earn, so is His sustaining grace that carries me through every season. He is my Provider, my Protector, and the anchor of my life—not because of who I am, but because of whose I am. This realization has transformed how I approach work and life, allowing me to notice "Bethlehem moments"—those quiet, sacred glimpses of grace in ordinary tasks and small victories. Framework equipped me with tools to view work and life as part of God's restorative story, inviting us to partner with Him in renewing creation and bringing flourishing to the tasks before us and the world around us.
What CFWLA program elements have been helpful and easy to implement in your daily work?
We began each Sunday session by praying for one another, and doing that consistently for nine months was truly transformative. That practice deepened my self-awareness and empathy, significantly impacting how I approach relationships. Now, when I enter conversations, I strive to understand the person in front of me—who they are and where they stand in their understanding, feelings, or attitudes about the topic. When I can't explicitly ask them, "What is your prayer request," I ask myself: What's on their mind? Are they worried about something? What do they care about? What's at stake for them? How can I serve them well?
As a result, most of my relationships this year have been peaceful. That doesn't mean there haven't been pain or differences in perspectives or styles, but I've found myself approaching them with more patience, understanding, and hope. Compared to this time last year, I feel a much deeper sense of peace in my interactions and connections with others.
Is there a story from your work that was directly influenced by a CFWLA event?
During one session, we discussed the challenges of housing and homelessness. Inspired by that conversation, I now volunteer three times a week with a team developing a minimum viable product (MVP) for a workflow tool to support a homelessness initiative. This tool aims to streamline the process of connecting homeless individuals to available beds, improving efficiency and accessibility in addressing a critical need. Framework gave me the vision to see even technical work as an opportunity to reflect God’s love and justice.
As we go into 2025, what do you still want to see changed in your workplace or your outlook toward work?
As we move into 2025, my goal is to cultivate greater physical, mental, and emotional stamina. God, who never grows weary (Isaiah 40:28), calls us to reflect His diligence and care in stewarding what He entrusts to us. For me, this means caring for my body, mind, and spirit through exercise, rest, and reflection—acts of gratitude and faithful stewardship of the gifts He has already given.
When plans go awry, I want to resist weariness, hopelessness, or self-pity and instead trust in God’s sustaining grace. God didn't freak out or become hopeless when His creation fell into sin. I am learning to approach each task with perseverance and childlike trust, observing how God works and seeking to reflect His joy and endurance (Psalm 123:2). My prayer is to live with hope, confident that His strength is made perfect in my weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9) and to carry myself with assurance—posture upright, head held high regardless of circumstances—knowing that He withholds no good thing from those who trust Him (Psalm 84:11).
What were your expectations before the Framework Fellows Program? How did your vision of work change as a result?
My high expectations for the theological depth and breadth of the content were fully met, but I was pleasantly surprised by the love and camaraderie that blossomed among our cohort and the CFWLA leaders. I continue to move forward in my respective sphere of influence with an upgraded vision of work.
What fruit are you seeing in your work after your experience at Framework and how has your relationship with God changed as a result?
Through my experience at Framework, my wonder and admiration for God has increased as I am embracing a more integrated vision of God’s purposes for my life. I am approaching my public/private real estate projects, which typically span a three to five-year lifecycle, with renewed energy and a different lens on what it means to be successful.
What CFWLA program elements have been helpful and easy to implement in your daily work?
I am continuing to apply what I’ve learned especially in the area of establishing a routine spiritual practice at work. Each day, I strive to remain faithful while trusting God to bring about the results in His perfect timing.
Can you explain how you implemented the Cultural Renewal Project in your work?
The Cultural Renewal Project is an incredible opportunity to translate the lessons of Framework into a clear, actionable vision. My initiative to include non-profit and faith-based organizations into mixed-use development projects is underway and gaining momentum.
Is there a recent CFWLA event that impacted you?
I attended the Public Policy in LA event and found it very enriching. Hearing from academics, professionals, and multiple local representatives, including LA County Sheriff Luna, speak about their personal faith was inspiring. A personal highlight was having a lengthy one-on-one conversation with a local representative, during which I had the privilege of praying for the challenges the councilmember is facing.
As we go into 2025, what do you still want to see changed in your workplace or your outlook toward work?
My prayer for 2025 is to take a dual leap forward in completing current economic development projects with the Lord's guidance and connecting with additional City staff who share a vision of understanding God’s purposes in government.
What was your vision of work, and did your vision influence you to become a CFWLA board member?
Yes, it did influence me to become a CFWLA board member. I’ve always known that God orchestrates the places we work and the people we work with as opportunities to further His kingdom. But I hadn’t given much thought about how I could weave God into my approach to workplace policies and practices for a greater Godly impact. I used to view ministry at work as having encounters with people one to one, and planting seeds one on one. But hearing CFWLA’s vision to transform our relationship to work and how we execute really resonated with me.
How did you hear about CFWLA and what made you want to get involved?
Steve came and spoke at our church about the organization and afterward, my husband and I invited Steve and Margaret to meet for lunch a few weeks later. Over lunch, after hearing their story, and more importantly, their heart for this ministry—how they have poured themselves into this out of a labor of love—we asked how we could help.
As a result of supporting CFWLA, what fruit are you seeing in your work or the work of others?
I now view my relationship with God, with work, and with people in a much more integrated and holistic way. No longer is it just about a chance meeting with one person to plant a seed. Rather, as a consultant, I am able to influence how workplace rules, conduct, and best practices that influence the whole of an organization.
Is there a memory where you could see God at work during a CFWLA event?
Recently, we had a Public Policy event where there were elected officials talking about how they live their faith in their work. One individual, who was addressing the challenges in this city surrounding criminals, transients, and unhoused people, reminded us that God still views them as human beings. He movingly went on to share the times when he would encounter such individuals, and he would treat them with dignity, as a fellow human being because of his faith.
What were your expectations before the Framework Fellows Program? How did your vision of work change as a result?
Before I started Framework Fellows, I thought it was going to be an academically rigorous program with a lot of reading and classroom-like interactions. While in and after completing Framework Fellows, my vision of work changed from the job I chose to do which was a lesser calling than something like ministry, to my vocation that God specifically placed me in due to my particular talents and gifts. I learned my work is not “less holy” than those who are called specifically to ministry. I learned that God placed me where I am to be His light in my specific department.
What fruit are you seeing in your work after your experience at Framework and how has your relationship with God changed as a result?
I feel like my spiritual life and work life are more integrated now. Before, I felt like I would “leave God at the door” when I went into work but now I see how my calling permeates the work that I do. I now pray as I walk from my car to the clinic rather than looking at my phone which sets my mind on honoring God as I start a busy day rather than inputting other information.
What CFWLA program elements have been helpful and easy to implement in your daily work?
I feel more fulfilled on a day to day basis at work. I am able to see people as God’s image bearers and sit with them in their successes and their sufferings. I also see the bigger picture of my work, training the next generation of physicians to work with integrity and excellence. I see my role as a truth-teller, fighting disinformation and disseminating truth to other medical professionals and the general public.
I was inspired by another Framework Fellow who offered to pray for her boss despite knowing that he was not a Christian. As a result, knowing that my boss is not a Christian, and not particularly open to faith, when his family was affected by a health crisis, I offered to pray for him. He accepted although he reminded me that he is not a person of faith. This experience helped me to become more bold in telling people that I am praying for them.
As we go into 2025, what do you still want to see changed in your workplace or your outlook toward work?
As we go into 2025, I hope to see and be part of creating a culture of lifting others up and celebrating their accomplishments at work. Since many of us work very separately sometimes we feel disconnected and I hope to make people feel more seen.