Michael Easley inContext

Robert Morgan joins Michael to discuss biblical meditation. He shares what it is and why it is essential for our prayer life as believers. Meditation is not having your mind emptied. It's not having mantras or focusing simply on your breathing. It's filling our mind with scripture until we are not only thinking about scripture but thinking scripture. When we go further and find that our mind is actually thinking scripture, we've made some progress with biblical meditation. Resources Mentioned:Rob Morgan- Reclaiming The Lost Art Of Biblical MeditationRead the blog post here.

Cindy Easley, Michael's wife, joins him to talk about honest communication with the Lord and how the Lord always answers our prayers, just not in the way we would think. Resources Mentioned:Ken Boa- Handbook to prayerAndrew Murray- With Christ in the School of PrayerMary Tileston- Joy and StrengthArthur G. Bennett- The Valley of VisionCheck out the blog post that accompanies this episode here.

Mike Novotny, author of "What's Big Starts Small," joins Michael to talk through common distractions that may prevent us from realizing our growth and maturity in Christ. Learn more about Mike and find resources in our Show Notes.

This episode was originally recorded at Immanuel Bible Church in Springfield Virginia.Jim Traficant, Frank Finelli, and Jeremy Traficant share how God moved powerfully in the midst of multiple urgent health crises, weaving their stories together in ways that can only be called miraculous."I've been to the brink of death three times and I want to tell you what I've learned:1. We can't do it ourselves.2. When all else is gone, Jesus is enough.3. Christ's death and resurrection were for you and me. No matter what we've done, no matter what's been done to us, no matter how far we might drift, we're just one step away. We're never beyond His grace....Sometimes you have to wonder if what's happening to you is really happening for you, no matter how it feels."Find more information & a link to the original recording of this episode in our Show Notes.

Alisa Childers began re-examining her faith after a jarring experience in an unexpected place left her questioning what she believed, and why. In this episode, she talks with Michael about rebuilding her faith intellectually through studying apologetics and hermeneutics.Alisa's newest book, "Live Your Truth and Other Lies," exposes five damaging lies that permeate our culture, both inside and outside the church. These lies generally feel good to hear, but ultimately leave us "anxious, exhausted, and self-obsessed."Learn more about Alisa and find show notes at https://michaelincontext.com/live-your-truth-alisa-childers/

Glad to have my dear friend Dr. Dave Gibson back on inContext today to talk about his new book, In My Father's Wake: How an Anxious Boy Learned to Love a Difficult Dad. Hardwon wisdom shrouded in humor, Dave's storytelling offers belonging, comfort, and a gentle challenge to any (many) of us who bear a father wound.

Dr. Dann Spader is back on inContext with a deep well of wisdom and practical encouragement for making disciples. A disciple is someone who follows Christ, is being changed by Christ, and is committed to the mission of Christ.A disciple-maker is someone who helps others follow Christ, helps others be changed by Christ, and helps others commit to the mission of Christ.When you fall in love with Jesus, you want to do what He told you to do. What's that? Go make disciples.It's not about a strategy, program, class, or curriculum. It's about imparting Jesus—the real Jesus—to people on the face of the earth.

Dr. Michael Lawson joins Michael to discuss discipleship, common barriers preventing healthy discipleship today, and how to foster communities where discipleship can thrive.Find notes and resources HERE.

Dennis Allen joins Michael to address key issues he's identified in his book, The Disciple Dilemma: Rethinking and Reforming how the Church does Discipleship."We spend more time building churches than making disciples and Jesus told us to do the opposite. He said, you make disciples and I'll build the church."Learn more about Dennis and find resources from the episode in our Show Notes.

Brian Rosner joins Michael to talk about the modern age of individualism, and how our truest identity is actually found outside of one's self.From the Episode:"We're relational beings, we're storytelling beings, and we're also adoring beings. We look up as well as around and backward and forward to find ourselves. A lot of people who are not believers might think to themselves, 'well, I don't really look up,' but I think there is this irrepressible urge in all humans to look beyond themselves to something bigger than themselves."Find resources and learn more about Brian in our Show Notes.