James Bryan Smith’s thought from above this week is, “Solitude is the furnace of the soul.” In this episode, James talks about temptation and how we can deal with it through the practice of solitude. Interested in donating to the Things Above Podcast? Donate here! Learn more about the Christian Spiritual Formation degree Scholarship at Friends University! Related Episodes: 1. Trusting and Training 2. Conversation with Alison Cook 3. Two Kinds of Faith 4. Michael Cusick Sacred Attachment 5. All Things New The post Solitude appeared first on Apprentice Institute.

In this episode, James Bryan Smith’s thought from above is, “quit trying, start trusting, and begin training.” Smith explains why we need to quit relying on our efforts to live a Christian life and start trusting in the grace of Jesus to help us live out our faith. Once we move from trying to trusting, we can begin training. Interested in donating to the Things Above Podcast? Donate here! Learn more about the Christian Spiritual Formation degree Scholarship at Friends University! Related Episodes: 1. Conversation with Alison Cook 2. Two Kinds of Faith 3. Michael Cusick Sacred Attachment 4. All Things New 5. Know Your Name The post Trusting and Training appeared first on Apprentice Institute.

James Bryan Smith has a Things Above conversation with author, Alison Cook on her latest book, Boundaries for Your Soul: How to Turn Your Overwhelming Thoughts and Feelings into Your Greatest Allies. Boundaries for Your Soul includes relatable anecdotes, helpful exercises, an engaging quiz, and opportunities for personal reflection. Gathering the wisdom from the authors’ twenty-five years of combined advanced education, biblical studies, and clinical practice, this book will set you on a journey to become the loving, authentic, joyful person you were created to be. Interested in donating to the Things Above Podcast? Donate here! Learn more about the Christian Spiritual Formation degree Scholarship at Friends University! Related Episodes: 1. Two Kinds of Faith 2. Michael Cusick Sacred Attachment 3. All Things New 4. Know Your Name 5. Conversation with Matt Johnson Part Two The post Conversation with Alison Cook appeared first on Apprentice Institute.

James Bryan Smith’s thought from above this week is, “We need two kinds of faith.” In this episode, Smith talks about the two kinds of faith we need to have as defined by the author C.S. Lewis. Interested in donating to the Things Above Podcast? Donate here! Learn more about the Christian Spiritual Formation degree Scholarship at Friends University! Related Episodes: 1. Michael Cusick Sacred Attachment 2. All Things New 3. Know Your Name 4. Conversation with Matt Johnson Part Two 5. Conversation with Matt Johnson The post Two Kinds of Faith appeared first on Apprentice Institute.

James Bryan Smith has a Things Above Conversation with author Michael J. Cusick about his book, Sacred Attachment. Michael will be a plenary speaker at The Apprentice Gathering 2025, register here! Michael John Cusick voices the questions and contradictions that are inherently part of living an authentic spiritual faith. With raw honesty and vulnerability, he shares his own zigzagging path to God and reveals how brokenness and pain can become the gateway to experiencing joyful divine attachment. Because God’s love has you, you can put aside fear and loneliness—and you can rest seen, soothed, safe, and secure in God’s presence. Cusick’s gentle, trauma-informed guidance lets you reimagine life with God in a way that repairs wounds and deeply satisfies your soul. Interested in donating to the Things Above Podcast? Donate here! Learn more about the Christian Spiritual Formation degree Scholarship at Friends University! Related Episodes: 1. All Things New 2. Know Your Name 3. Conversation with Matt Johnson Part Two 4. Conversation with Matt Johnson 5. Gratitude The post Michael Cusick Sacred Attachment appeared first on Apprentice Institute.

In this episode, James Bryan Smith’s thought from above is, “Jesus makes all things new.” To help explain his thought from above, James references the book “On the Incarnation” by Athanasius of Alexandria. Interested in donating to the Things Above Podcast? Donate here! Learn more about the Christian Spiritual Formation degree Scholarship at Friends University! Related Episodes: 1. Know Your Name 2. Conversation with Matt Johnson Part Two 3. Conversation with Matt Johnson 4. Gratitude 5. Let Nothing Disturb You The post All Things New appeared first on Apprentice Institute.

In this episode, James Bryan Smith’s thought from above is, “Do you know your name?” James’s thought from above comes from one of the unspoken sermons by George MacDonald. Interested in donating to the Things Above Podcast? Donate here! Learn more about the Christian Spiritual Formation degree Scholarship at Friends University! Related Episodes: 1. Conversation with Matt Johnson Part Two 2. Conversation with Matt Johnson 3. Gratitude 4. Let Nothing Disturb You 5. Talk With God The post Know Your Name appeared first on Apprentice Institute.

Matt Johnson returns for part two of the conversation with James Bryan Smith. In this episode, Smith and Johnson continue their conversation about the research on spiritual growth. Interested in donating to the Things Above Podcast? Donate here! Learn more about the Christian Spiritual Formation degree Scholarship at Friends University! Related Episodes: 1. Conversation with Matt Johnson 2. Gratitude 3. Let Nothing Disturb You 4. Talk With God 5. Talk to God The post Conversation with Matt Johnson Part Two appeared first on Apprentice Institute.

James Bryan Smith has a Things Above conversation with spiritual director and friend Matt Johnson. James and Matt have a conversation about the research they are conducting together about what happens to people who experience significant spiritual growth. In this episode, they talk about James’ triangle of transformation from The Good and Beautiful series. Interested in donating to the Things Above Podcast? Donate here! Learn more about the Christian Spiritual Formation degree Scholarship at Friends University! Related Episodes: 1. Gratitude 2. Let Nothing Disturb You 3. Talk With God 4. Talk to God 5. Gentle and Mighty The post Conversation with Matt Johnson appeared first on Apprentice Institute.

James Bryan Smith’s thought from above this week is, “Take your gratitude to the next level.” In this episode, James gives us two practices we can do to give thanks to God. Smith explains both practices in detail and gives examples of how we can do them. Interested in donating to the Things Above Podcast? Donate here! Learn more about the Christian Spiritual Formation degree Scholarship at Friends University! Related Episodes: 1. Let Nothing Disturb You 2. Talk With God 3. Talk to God 4. Gentle and Mighty 5. Different with Jesus The post Gratitude appeared first on Apprentice Institute.