John Mark discusses the essential nature of community in our walk with Jesus, highlighting the role our brothers and sisters play in our formation. He encourages intentional connections and deep roots in finding community, emphasizing the importance of genuine relationships in countering loneliness and fostering personal growth.

John Mark, a speaker who discusses the influences that shape our lives and who we become, challenges us to be intentional with our beliefs, habits, relationships, and experiences to form us into people of love. Topics include the tension of multiple selves and character development, the lifelong process of spiritual formation, exploring narratives of sexuality and gender, the power of stories and habits, shaping our hearts and desires, and aligning loves and longings with God's desires.

“Most people are just too busy to live an emotionally healthy and spiritually rich life.”We live in an age of chronic distraction and business. John Mark talks about hurry as the great enemy of our spiritual life. He proposes that the solution to “hurry sickness” is not more time, but rather become people of love through being intentional with our own “rule of life.”Key Scripture Passage: Luke 10v25-37Resources for this practice:https://practicingthewayarchives.org/practices/unhurry

In previous episodes of the Rule of Life podcast, listeners tune in to a roundtable discussion as well as audio-snippets from luminary thinkers, pastors, and apprentices who are following Jesus in the every day. Featured in the Sabbath series (season 1) is luminary thinker, Tish Harrison Warren. This episode of the Rule of Life podcast is the interview between John Mark and Tish in its entirety. In this episode they cover the sacredness of ordinary life, the ethical implications of Sabbath, and the importance of Spiritual, bodily habituation.About TishTish Harrison Warren is a priest in the Anglican Church in North America. She is the author of Liturgy of the Ordinary: Sacred Practices in Everyday Life (Christianity Today's 2018 Book of the Year) and Prayer in the Night: For Those Who Work, or Watch, or Weep (Christianity Today's 2022 Book of the Year and 2022 ECPA Christian Book of the Year).Currently, Tish writes a weekly newsletter for The New York Times, and she is a columnist for Christianity Today. Her articles and essays have appeared in Religion News Service, Christianity Today, Comment Magazine, The Point Magazine, The New York Times, and elsewhere.For over a decade, Tish has worked in ministry settings as a campus minister with InterVarsity Graduate and Faculty Ministries, as an associate rector, and with addicts and those in poverty through various churches and non-profit organizations. Now, Tish serves as Writer in Residence at Resurrection South Austin. She is a founding member of The Pelican Project and a Senior Fellow with the Trinity Forum. She lives with her husband and three children in the Austin, Texas area.

John Mark discusses how God's compassionate and gracious nature challenges our perceptions, especially towards those we may dislike. He explores the powerful lessons from biblical stories like Jonah's reluctance to embrace Nineveh's salvation and the parable of the prodigal son. By connecting divine compassion with human experiences of empathy, he encourages listeners to reflect on their own ability to extend grace. Through humor and personal anecdotes, he emphasizes the importance of fostering understanding in relationships, urging us to embody God's love in our lives.

“If your rule of life does not find a way to ruthlessly eliminate digital distraction, it will likely fail.”Is distraction undermining our spiritual life? John Mark makes a case for a rule of life that accounts for our society of digital distraction by highlighting how our technology can be unhealthy for us. He also offers some guidance on shaping your rule of life to avert digital distraction and help orient your life towards becoming a person of love.Key Scripture Passage: Psalm 16Resources for this practice:https://practicingthewayarchives.org/practices/unhurry

“The farther we get down the path of the spiritual journey, the more our apprenticeship to Jesus feels less and less active, and more and more passive.”John Mark continues with our discussion on the stages of apprenticeship, this time talking about active and passive spirituality and its role in our formation. He shows us how to use practice (active) and surrender (passive) to be more formed into the likeness of Jesus in every season of our lives.Key Scripture Passages: John 21v18; Matthew 6v25-34Resources for this practice:https://practicingthewayarchives.org/practices/namingSacred Fire, Ronald Rolheiser

Community is non-optional for disciples of Jesus. But in our modern world, it is easy to mistake our connectivity with community. In this teaching, John Mark communicates the importance of community and how we, as disciples of Jesus, are called to live life with others. But community is more than a command: it is the context where we are transformed, exposing what’s actually inside of us and encouraging us in our walk with God. John Mark finishes by giving practical guidance on how to practice community and a testimony of how God can use community to reveal His calling on our lives. Key Scripture Passages: Matthew 4v18-22; Matthew 9v9-13; Matthew 10v1-5; Matthew 20v20-28; Acts 2v42-47; Acts 4v32-35; Acts 5v1-6Resources for this practice:https://practicingthewayarchives.org/practices/practicing-the-way

John Mark, a speaker passionate about exploring God's name in worship and scripture, discusses the profound significance of names in the divine context. He emphasizes Yahweh’s supremacy over other 'gods' and warns against idolatry. The conversation delves into the influence of spiritual beings on society, linking it to contemporary violence. John Mark also contrasts biblical views of angels and demons with popular misconceptions, urging listeners to understand their spiritual reality and engage meaningfully with God.

In this thought-provoking discussion, John Mark, a reflective thinker, dives into the chaotic nature of our world and its biblical roots found in Genesis. He explores the Genesis creation story and its symbolic elements, prompting listeners to rethink their understanding of sin as a deficit of trust in God's vision, rather than mere rule-breaking. John emphasizes the ongoing relevance of these ancient narratives and highlights how embracing forgiveness can lead to redemption, ultimately pointing to Jesus as the solution to humanity's flaws.