Nurturing Relationships Through Intentional Reflection

The everpresent pressures of social media, and even ministry needs, can warp the way in which we process our personal encounters with God.

We face the temptation to treat our relationship with God as a means to an end, whether that end be fresh content or much-needed wisdom. How can we reorient to connect with God simply to experience him? 

In this episode, host Jay Y. Kim is joined by Glenn Packiam, worship songwriter and lead pastor of Rockharbor Church in Costa Mesa, California. Packiam is also the author of several books on church ministry, worship, and everyday faith, including The Intentional Year and What's a Christian Anyway?

Together, Kim and Packiam offer approachable spiritual rhythms to help us notice God everyday: practicing silence and solitude, praying the Psalms, and cultivating community. By affirming that God desires our joy and attention, Packiam explores how we can encounter God and receive his wisdom, not out of function, but out of love. 

Tune in to consider how offering small moments of stillness to God can renew your intimacy with him. 

This episode highlights the following themes:

• The importance of silence and solitude in developing spiritual awareness and connection with God
• The danger of functionalizing intimacy with God for ministry/content creation purposes
• The value of intentionally structuring relationships and finding life-giving connections

Links from this episode:

• Learn more about Glenn Packiam
• Know the latest on Glenn’s forthcoming book, What’s a Christian Anyway?
• Learn more about Arthur Brooks’ book, From Strength to Strength
• Learn more about Derek Thompson’s book, On Work
• Read the transcript here

God is present; do we notice him? As the world gets louder, listening to God’s voice becomes increasingly challenging. We are bombarded by the chaos of our feeds, by distractions both inside and out, and by the everyday cacophony that drowns out the calm of a life lived in close communion with God. In this season of The Digital Examen, pastor and author Jay Y. Kim guides us toward reorienting our lives so that we can notice God with the entirety of our beings—heart, soul, mind, strength—in both the mundane and majestic moments of everyday life. 

Learn more about The Digital Examen

Learn more about your host, Jay Y. Kim

Read Analog Church and Analog Christian by Jay Y. Kim

Download a Guide to The Examen.

Links and Credits

✅ Special offer: Visit ivpress.com and use the code IVPOD25 for 25% off any IVP resource mentioned in this episode.

✅ Consulting Producer: Helen Lee

✅ Producers: Christine Pelliccio Melo and Travis Albritton

✅ Production Assistant: Jack Reece

✅ Sound Engineering: Honest Podcasts

✅ Social Media Managers: Allie Noble and Makayla Payne

✅ Podcast Art: Kate Lillard and Elsbette San Blas

✅ Theme Song: "For They Will Inherit the Earth" by Stephen Keech

Disclaimer: The comments, views, and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and/or the guests featured on the podcast and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of InterVarsity Press or InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.

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