Join John Mark Comer, a pastor and author celebrated for his insights on spiritual disciplines, as he explores the transformative power of practices like fasting, silence, and self-examination. He highlights how these disciplines can help individuals cultivate love and resilience amid modern distractions. The conversation emphasizes the significance of the Sabbath as a form of resistance against a fast-paced lifestyle and advocates for community and simplicity to nourish meaningful connections and inner strength.
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insights INSIGHT
The Need for Spiritual Disciplines
Spiritual disciplines are habits and practices that train our souls and help us connect with deeper parts of life.
These practices are necessary because the modern world constantly distracts us from spiritual growth.
insights INSIGHT
Spirituality and the World
Spiritual disciplines, like relationships, require intentional effort.
The world discourages spirituality because it doesn't prioritize consumption, and we often resist it to avoid confronting life's pain.
insights INSIGHT
Spiritual Disciplines Across Traditions
Spiritual disciplines exist across various traditions, including Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, and Stoicism.
These practices aim to shape the soul, offering wisdom applicable to all.
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John Mark Comer's "Practicing the Way" offers a practical guide to spiritual formation, emphasizing the importance of intentional discipleship. The book blends ancient wisdom with contemporary relevance, providing readers with tools to cultivate a deeper relationship with God. Comer explores the concepts of being with Jesus, becoming like Jesus, and doing as Jesus did, offering a holistic approach to spiritual growth. The book encourages readers to engage in spiritual disciplines and cultivate a life of purpose and meaning. It's a valuable resource for those seeking to deepen their faith and live a more intentional Christian life.
The Comfort Crisis
Michael Easter
In 'The Comfort Crisis,' Michael Easter explores the idea that modern society's emphasis on comfort and convenience has led to various physical and mental health issues. Easter's journey takes him to diverse locations, including the Alaskan backcountry, Bhutan, and the labs of neuroscientists, to uncover the benefits of living at the edges of one's comfort zone. He discusses the concept of 'misogi,' a Japanese practice involving challenges that push individuals to their limits, and how such experiences can enhance creativity, reduce burnout and anxiety, and increase overall well-being. The book is a call to action, encouraging readers to break out of their comfort zones and reconnect with the natural world and their own potential[2][3][4].
The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry
John Mark Comer
In 'The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry', John Mark Comer argues that hurry and busyness are significant enemies of spiritual life. The book offers a roadmap for staying emotionally healthy and spiritually alive by adopting a slower, simpler way of life. Comer draws from his personal experiences and spiritual disciplines to provide practical advice on how to slow down and cultivate a deeper intimacy with God. He emphasizes the importance of practices such as prayer, fasting, and sabbath rest to overcome the challenges of modern life and find true fulfillment[2][4][5].
To train the body, strengthening its muscles, increasing its cardiovascular health, and improving its agility, you need to do exercises like stretching, running, and lifting weights.
To train the soul, expanding its capacity, you likewise need to perform exercises, in this case, what are called "spiritual disciplines" — practices like fasting, silence, self-examination, study, and simplicity.
As a pastor, John Mark Comer approaches the spiritual disciplines from a Christian perspective, as the habits and practices from "the way of Jesus" that allow individuals to make deeper layers of themselves available to grace and access the transforming power that's necessary to become what John Mark calls "a person of love."
But the practices that are considered spiritual disciplines can be found across different religions, and even philosophies like Stoicism, and can be utilized by people from varied backgrounds to deepen their inner life and strength, center themselves in chaos, find greater purpose, and subdue baser desires to reach for higher ideals.
Today on the show, John Mark offers an introduction to the spiritual disciplines, and the way they can be an act of resistance, a way for us to form our own values and rhythms in life, instead of allowing our lives to be formed by the defaults and external forces of our age.
The Art of Manliness 
