Become Good Soil

Love, as Paul and the New Testament present it, is not action— not even action with a special intention—but a source of action. – Dallas Willard Friends, Thousands of years ago, Saint Paul penned his breathtaking discourse on Love.  It’s been misunderstood, watered down, and robbed of its beauty by overuse. Yet the life of God still pulses through, if we but let these old words visit us in a new way: Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have. Love doesn’t strut, Doesn’t have a swelled head, Doesn’t force itself on others, Isn’t always “me first,” Doesn’t fly off the handle, Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others, Doesn’t revel when others grovel, Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, Puts up with anything, Trusts God always, Always looks for the best, Never looks back, But keeps going to the end. Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete…but Love never dies.” Love begets compassion. Compassion begets connection. Connection begets love.  And Love wins. Let's dive into Part 3 of this series as we revel together in the consummation of compassion and love. For the Kingdom, MorganP.S. Here are the resources mentioned in this episode: 088: Blurring the Lines of Family and Vocation 091: Soulcraft with Sam Jolman Become Good Soil Comfort Survey

Clothe yourself with compassion… – Saint Paul Friends, If we come from the Trinity and thus naturally return to the Trinity, I want to lovingly ask again...What is in the way of our homecoming?  Perhaps better said, where do we find ourselves along the journey of home-going? As a community of mature men who desire what is good, true, and beautiful, we often find ourselves pouring ourselves out on behalf of others.  We risk. We love. We serve. We sacrifice. We come through. We are warriors on behalf of love, consenting to a story bigger than ourselves. It is simply who we have become over the past two decades.  Yet as we come through for the desires and needs of those we treasure most, we very comfortably ignore and minimize our own desires and needs.  What do you want? What do you need? Deeper still, do you receive compassion for yourself to the measure that God is offering compassion to you?  Let's dive into Part 2 of this conversation with Pablo Ceron.  For the Kingdom, Morgan

...we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,  and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts... – Saint Paul Friends, Life is hard. Damn hard.  And, brothers, with the convergence of the headlines, the violent speed of life, and the hyperindividualism of this hour, there is little hope that life will get easier.  Haunting the masculine soul with uncertainty, pain, and tragedy, we’re left with quite a predicament.  Before a man can even honestly utter what he must do to thrive in this hour, a deeper question cries out.  Who must I become to live and love well?  The answer lies in the depths of the image of God in us as men: In times of uncertainty, there is a special breed of warrior ready to answer our Kingdom’s call; a common man with an uncommon desire to love. Forged by adversity, he stands alongside God’s finest warriors to serve his Kingdom and to serve the people God has placed under his care, and to protect their way of life. I am that man. We are that man.  Though dormant in varying degrees and dimensions, this identity is nonetheless concrete. It is who we are, and who we are becoming. Design indeed reveals destiny. And the intentioned destiny of our Father in and through our hearts and stories as men will triumph.  Let’s dive in.  For the Kingdom, Morgan

Join an intimate exploration of new beginnings in a heartfelt conversation. The hosts discuss the challenges and joys of ministry transitions, emphasizing community and collaboration. They reflect on the emotional complexities of change while cherishing deep connections. An exciting initiative to launch a university in Scotland is revealed, aimed at nurturing future leaders. Through shared prayers, they highlight the significance of community and spiritual growth in their transformative journey. Embrace the adventure of faith and connection!

Sam Eldredge, an expert in personal transformation and healing through connection, shares insights on emotional healing and self-acceptance. He discusses the intricate dynamics of our emotional parts and the journey to integrating them for inner peace. Eldredge dives into navigating grief and how it reshapes identity, emphasizing vulnerability and authenticity. The conversation unfolds around the importance of confronting emotional pain, embracing personal growth, and the transformative journey from boyhood to manhood, all guided by self-awareness and creativity.

The fundamental human experience is that of compassion. – The Hero's Journey Friends, A wise man once said that a warrior's true mark lies in his capacity to treat his own heart with compassion.  Sam Eldredge is a brother and friend who is leading others to become true warriors and kings out of his unique recovery of the Gospel. He’s been quietly and faithfully working toward becoming an increasingly initiated man. As one mentor suggests, Sam is among a like-hearted few “steadily being initiated into his true self, initiated into the flow of Reality, initiated into the great patterns that are always true, initiated into the life of God.” From his reservoir of initiation, he’s helping others recover the path as well. Sam is a brave and loving husband and father who recently established Noble Workshops, an outpost of the Kingdom offering counseling and five-day immersive workshops to help heal and integrate the human soul. Join me as we dive into Part 1 of Sam’s story.  For the Kingdom, Morgan

It starts with God. – Proverbs 1:7    Friends, A wise man once told me, “More is better. Except when it’s not.”  We can see this in our spiritual formation. The myth of more has co-opted even the ancient practices meant to root us in the Kingdom of God. More teaching. More study. More content. More events. More healing. More….of everything. Yet more is neither the point nor the prize. As our older brother Jesus winsomely announces, “God alone is good.”  Jesus reminds us that there is treasure along the path of his Kingdom more valuable than all growth, transformation, ministry, and miracles. It is the treasure of God himself. What if the invitation today is to simply enjoy the gift and opportunity of friendship with God? What if God himself is the point and the prize?  What if the goal is simply being with God, enjoying his personality, presence, and outrageous affection…and nothing more?  Come along. Let us enjoy God, together.  For the Kingdom, Morgan Find out more about Denver Seminary's Praxis.

The only tragedy greater than the deep fatherlessness our soul experiences is that we have come to accept that sense of fatherlessness as normal. Friends, It's been written that “when there are no kings, young warriors become brutal, magicians behave as charlatans, and lovers are soon addicts.” But what happens when there are no sages?  It’s a question entangled in pain yet brimming with possibility.  In our fast-paced, ever-changing, hyper-individualistic landscape, we find endless content: many experts, loads of pep-talkers, and infinite curricula to re-engineer the smallness. Yet the masculine soul remains starving for connection…connection to men who have gone before us, connection to men who have confronted suffering, life, death, and loss and have come out the other side with hearts alive and living generously for love.  The masculine soul craves the wisdom and joyful rest of the sage’s presence. Rest and wisdom are critical for the young man to become who he is meant to be.  Brett Davis has become a sage. In my life and the lives of countless others, he is bringing a sage’s presence to the next generation.  Having founded Christian Surfers International over forty years ago and led it since, Brett has received his next promotion. Entrusting leadership to the next generation, he has stepped forward into a new season of offering loving engagement to those God brings him as a wise man of peace. He’s a risk-taker, father, surfer, husband, friend, and leader. He’s become a Sage.  And he’s inviting us to come along.  Join me in the lineup, trusting we need only ride the wave given to us to live more freely and lightly through the winsome care of the men ahead. For the Kingdom, Morgan P.S. If you want to explore more on the Age of the Sage, prayerfully engage this PDF compiled by Brett Davis: The Age of the Sage.

Above all else, trust in the slow work of God. Friends, Jesus modeled and taught a scandalous and inviting life of prayer.  In the morning, long before dawn, he got up and left the house and went off to a lonely place to pray…  (Mark 1:35) “Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.” (Matt. 6:5-15 MSG) The invitation of Jesus into this sort of intimate prayer life is a radical path of discipleship.  And I want to suggest that discipleship is the path back to secure attachment to the heart of God.  Daily prayer as a practice of presence paves this path and can slowly and steadily root us deeply into God.  But where to start?  How to continue?  The Daybreak Prayer is nothing new. Its heart is the foundational realities of our common faith collected together as a trailhead, a rallying cry, and an anchor for the soul.  It’s simple.  It’s powerful. And it's meant to be accessible.  Let’s pick up our communal path of prayer again as Cherie and I conclude this four-part series. For the Kingdom, Morgan

Pray without ceasing. – St. Paul Friends, It's been said, “Prayer is not about changing God, but being willing to let God change us.”  What if cultivating a practice of prayer that teems with life and connection with God is much less about what we do and much more about who we become?  Through a slow and steady practice of prayer, we are reformed into the kind of people who truly do pray without ceasing. Even more, over the decades of our apprenticeship, we become people whose very lives are an act of prayer.  Join Cherie and me for Part 3 of this Daybreak Prayer series.  We think you’re going to love it.  For the Kingdom, Morgan