Become Good Soil

Christ is before all things, and in him all things hold together. – Colossians 1:17 Friends, What vision of the human person and the way of restoration do our Scriptures offer? Consider these verses: So many times I have longed to gather your wayward children together around me… (Luke 13:34 TPT) Like a city that is broken down and without walls [leaving it unprotected] is a man who has no self-control over his spirit [and sets himself up for trouble]. (Proverbs 25:28 AMP) They will forget their shame and all their unfaithfulness….When I have brought them back from the nations and have gathered them from the scattered countries of their enemies…then they will know that I am the Lord their God, for I will gather them to their own land, not leaving any behind. (Ezekiel 39 NIV) These verses refer to the restoration of fragmented communities, but could this pattern be relevant to our inner healing as well? As Dallas taught in Renovation of the Heart, the individual is also divided into incoherent fragments. If gathering around God’s Kingdom is heaven’s pattern to heal external communities, could a like-kind reunion of our scattered inner parts around the Presence of the Triune God be the path to restoring internal harmony and peace? Let’s find out together.  In the final episode of the BGS Parts Work series, we’re returning to a fresh session on the big ideas of parts work where Cherie and I taught as a team. We conclude the session with a beautiful and bold opportunity to put into practice some of this deep integrative work. All of the meditations within the series, additional resources, and referenced materials can be found at BecomeGoodsoil.com/PartsWork. For the Kingdom, Morgan

Delve into the depths of your psyche with a meditative visualization that guides you to connect with the fragmented parts of your soul. Explore the nurturing instincts of your inner child versus protective responses through engaging exercises. Reflect on childhood memories to enhance self-awareness and emotional healing. Embrace the metaphor of a 'lost child' to foster self-compassion and curiosity while integrating your internal experiences. Conclude with contemplative practices that invite spiritual reflection and actionable insights.

In this engaging discussion, Grant Lighthizer, a trusted friend and guide, walks through a transformative parts work session. They explore the significance of embracing our inner parts, especially the protector and vulnerable aspects, to foster healing. The dialogue encourages understanding internal conflicts and nurturing the inner child, promoting emotional depth and self-awareness. With vivid metaphors, they underscore the journey to emotional freedom and the reclamation of joy, all while creating a safe space for introspection and growth.

Life is not about you. – Adam's Return Brothers, I want to suggest that our lives, our stories, our maturity are not finally about us. The aim of this Parts Work series is not to achieve a new spiritual height. Nor is it to create yet another template for the self-life.  Rather, the aim is Christ. To love him with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength. And to engage our world for the well-being of others in union with Christ.  “It is no longer I who live—but Christ lives in me.” (St. Paul) It is the wholehearted soul who is truly free and able to let God be the center of his story. Let's recover this ancient way together.  For the Kingdom, Morgan

“I have come to heal the broken hearted….I have come to set the captives free and release prisoners from darkness.” – Isaiah 61 In the confusion of your life, have you ever found yourself having one of these internal conflicts? I am overtired but under-rested. I am overworked, yet I feel unproductive. I am overweight but undernourished. I am overstimulated yet under-engaged.  I am working to make a meaningful contribution, yet I often feel under-celebrated. What if these internal conflicts are invitations to deeper integration? What if the Restorer of Eden Justice and Peace is providing a way forward to wholeness within you as well?   What if pursuing, accepting, and extending love is not only the answer to our external relationships but to our internal relationships as well? And what if each of our internal fragmented parts has a redemptive and essential role in the person we are meant to become? Part 1 of this series provides a vision for the integration of differentiated parts within the human soul. That’s where you’ll want to start if you haven’t yet had the chance. But there’s nothing like real-life examples to move us from theory toward practical application. So I took the risk of engaging with a few of my like-hearted allies. BGS Intensive alumni Grant, Isaac, and Tony give us an in-depth look at parts work in the intersection of our daily lives.  It is my hope that this conversation will help flesh out the ideas of Part 1 so we can dive even deeper into parts work in the sessions to come.  All the resources referenced in this Parts Work series (and more) can be found at www.BecomeGoodSoil.com/Parts. My prayer is that as you listen, you will invite God to shine his light on the unique parts where Love is pursuing even more healing and integration. You’re worth it. So let’s risk, together. For the Kingdom, Morgan

Spiritual transformation in Christ is the process of all of the essential parts of the human self being effectively organized around God, as they are restored and sustained by him. Its result is love of God with all of the heart, soul, mind, and strength, and of the neighbor as oneself. – Dallas Willard, Renovation of the Heart Friends,  The most important thing you can ever know about a person is that they bear the image of God.  But what does this mean?  There is a Father, providing abundantly generative life to all who choose to receive it. There is a Son, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, who daringly stands forever in solidarity with us amidst our messy and beautiful humanity.  And there is the Holy Spirit, wildly leading us in our moment-by-moment lives.  As we explore the landscape of our triune God, we discover that God is a dynamic, interactive community of persons. What might he be revealing about the wildly complex landscape we find within our own souls? You know that feeling: Part of me wants to do the very thing I don’t want to do.  Saint Paul wasn’t immune to it. He said, “Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge.” (Romans 7:21-25, MSG) How do we make sense of this seeming duplicity within?  Even more, how do we participate in a process through which, over time, every disintegrated and fractured part of our brilliant personality can be brought back into alignment and abiding connection with God? Friends, I want to invite you to take a huge risk and begin to wonder with me about the parts of us we find "covertly rebelling."  This is a dynamic series intended to serve as an immersive introduction to the integration of our many parts within. In this first part, I want to invite you behind the scenes to a session from our most recent Become Good Soil Intensive. We’re all trying to make our way home. What if that is as true within us as it is true without? What if Love is the answer, not only in our external world, but in our internal world as well? Enjoy. For the Kingdom, Morgan Access additional resources at www.BecomeGoodSoil.com/parts.

We are made in the image of God; we carry within us the desire for our true life of intimacy and adventure. To say we want less than that is to lie. – The Journey of DesireFriends, It started with an ocean lifeguard dory boat race. Two-man teams set to row from the coast of Catalina Island across the twenty-two-mile open-water channel back to the mainland near San Pedro. To add to the adventure, it was the opening of lobster season. In response, Jared and his buddy cooked up an off-the-couch adventure to dive for lobsters all day around Catalina, camp on the beach, wake up in the predawn, and launch their self-powered dory at 4:00 a.m. to complete the epic race back home. This is a glimpse into the heart of Jared Sayers, a trusted friend of mine who has consented to the path and process of becoming a king. Husband, father, waterman, entrepreneur, recovering business executive, adventurer, artist, and craftsman, Jared is a man who seeks to drink deeply of life in the fullest possible measure. Above all, he has taken risks and carries scars of failure, heartbreak, and triumph that tell a story of masculine initiation. Through the doorways of pain and desire, Jared is passing through his initiation into an adventure with God he would never have imagined. And he’s inviting us to do the same. The invitation is to allow the Father to use Jared’s story as an interpretive grid to shine a light deep into your heart as a man and to attune you to who God wants to be for you and what he is up to in calling you out to deeper waters and bigger surf. Join us for this unique but universal story of masculine initiation. Locate your own heart and take the next risk, if you dare. For the Kingdom, Morgan To dig even deeper and glean from all Jared is stewarding, check out more at his blog, A Blue Mind, and his Salt & Sea Camp for kids.

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the path that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the path that leads to life, and only a few find it. – Jesus of Nazareth Eugene Peterson phrased Jesus’ words this way: “Don’t look for shortcuts to God. The market is flooded with surefire, easygoing formulas for a successful life that can be practiced in your spare time. Don’t fall for that stuff, even though crowds of people do. The way to life—to God!—is vigorous and requires total attention.” (Matthew 7:13-14 MSG) The Becoming a King Retreat is vigorous and requires total attention. It is not easy or cheap. It doesn’t provide a shortcut or easygoing formula.  It’s an evergreen invitation back onto the narrow path that leads to life.  And it’s working.  Men are being formed and forged.  They're discovering healing and hope.  They’re finding their smiles and their tears again.  And they’re being initiated deeply into the Kingdom of God.  We’re concluding this three-part series with more stories from the frontlines of the Becoming a King Retreat. We think you’re going to love it.  For the Kingdom, Morgan

We don't believe something by merely saying we believe it, or even when we believe that we believe it. We believe something when we act as if it were true. – Dallas Willard, Renovation of the Heart  In Part 2 of this conversation, we hear another fresh batch of stories from the frontlines of our newest mission: the Becoming a King Retreat.   Constructing a four-day context that shepherds men into their masculine initiation, the Becoming a King Retreat weaves together story, teaching, rest, play, and worship. Men all over the globe are getting their hearts back through it.  And it’s only just beginning.  What if you had another chance?  What if you could be courageous, again? Friends, join me and a few courageous others choosing to invest in the holy and daring work of strengthening the hearts of other men. They are men who have risked offering strength, love, and service on behalf of others, and they are discovering the deep fruit of doing so.  Come along into Part 2 of this conversation as we encounter men who not only believe God is a good Father, but are risking to act as if it were true.   For the Kingdom, Morgan

Rule with the heart of a servant. Serve with the heart of a king. Friends, we’re pulling back 50 yards from the frontline to hear fresh stories from the field.  The Becoming a King Retreat is slowly and steadily building an irreversible revolution in the hearts of men all over the world. We’re hoping the stories of men like you taking risks all around the globe will inspire you to do the same. What if there was a way to be good again? It isn’t cheap. It isn’t quick. It isn’t easy. Few things will facilitate our masculine initiation more deeply than offering strength, love, and service on behalf of other men. This series is an invitation to join us in bringing the mission and message of Becoming a King on behalf of other men—that they might become the kind of men to whom God is glad to entrust the care of his Kingdom.  Come along into this first conversation as we hear reports from men courageously choosing to serve with kingly hearts...and rule with servant hearts.  Find an exclusive event to attend or offer one in your local area at www.BecomingAKingRetreat.com. For the Kingdom, Morgan