Things Above

James Bryan Smith has a Things Above Conversation with Aundi Kolber about her book, “Try Softer: A Fresh Approach to Move Us out of Anxiety, Stress, and Survival Mode–and into a Life of Connection and Joy.” Aundi Kolber believes that we don’t have to white-knuckle our way through life. In her debut book, Try Softer, she’ll show us how God specifically designed our bodies and minds to work together to process our stories and work through obstacles. Through the latest psychology, practical clinical exercises, and her own personal story, Aundi equips and empowers us to connect us to our truest self and truly live. This is the “try softer” life. In Try Softer, you’ll learn how to: Know and set emotional and relational boundaries Make sense of the difficult experiences you’ve had Identify your attachment style―and how that affects your relationships today Move through emotions rather than get stuck by them Grow in self-compassion and talk back to your inner critic Trying softer is sacred work. And while it won’t be perfect or easy, it will be worth it. Because this is what we were made for: a living, breathing, moving, feeling, connected, beautifully incarnational life. 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. Integrate Like Jesus 2. Your Project 3. Live By The Spirit 4. Conversation with Michael Stewart Robb 5. False Frames The post Conversation with Aundi Kolber appeared first on Apprentice Institute.

James Bryan Smith’s thought from above in this episode is, “Integrate Like Jesus.” This week, James follows up on his previous episode, discussing God’s deep longing for us. Smith explains the four modes of being we live in: family, work, play, and entertainment. He describes how Jesus engaged in each of these modes and why they are essential. 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. Your Project 2. Live By The Spirit 3. Conversation with Michael Stewart Robb 4. False Frames 5. Everything Okay Forever The post Integrate Like Jesus appeared first on Apprentice Institute.

James Bryan Smith’s thought from above this week is “pay attention to your project.” In this episode, James addresses some big questions about the project of our life and why it’s so important we understand what a spiritually fulfilling life looks like. 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. Live By The Spirit 2. Conversation with Michael Stewart Robb 3. False Frames 4. Everything Okay Forever 5. Awe Filled Appreciation The post Your Project appeared first on Apprentice Institute.

James Bryan Smith’s thought for this week is, “Live By The Spirit.” In this episode, James quotes several passages from C.S. Lewis’s book Mere Christianity to help explain his thought. 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 Michael Stewart Robb 2. False Frames 3. Everything Okay Forever 4. Awe Filled Appreciation 5. Conversation with Ian Morgan Cron The post Live By The Spirit appeared first on Apprentice Institute.

In this engaging conversation, Michael Stewart Robb, founding director of Sanctus and expert on Dallas Willard, dives into the profound impact of Willard's teachings on both academia and spirituality. They explore the challenge of making Willard's complex theology accessible, while also reflecting on the intersection of solitude and personal growth. The discussion illuminates the habits vital for Christian living, the ongoing curiosity surrounding Willard's work, and the gaps in spiritual formation, particularly in Europe.

In this episode, James Bryan Smith’s thought from above is, “Find freedom from the false frames.” This week, James talks about three false narratives that he had to change in his life. Smith uses the image of a frame to help explain his thought from above. 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. Everything Okay Forever 2. Awe Filled Appreciation 3. Conversation with Ian Morgan Cron 4. Solitude 5. Trusting and Training The post False Frames appeared first on Apprentice Institute.

James Bryan Smith’s thought from above this week is, “Jesus makes everything okay forever.” In this episode, James discusses a recently-read book titled “The Thing That Would Make Everything Okay Forever: Transcendence, Psychedelics, and Jesus Christ.” The author, Ashley Lande, wrote this to describe her book: For years, psychedelics were my religion. All I ever wanted was The Thing That Would Make Everything Okay Forever, the panacea, the cure for what plagued me. From those first moments when I tasted the earthy pulp of a psilocybin mushroom, it was love. Psychedelics were my sacrament. They shot me into cathedral vaults. The promise of eternal life through chemicals glittered seductively, but hid a yawning abyss. The Thing That Would Make Everything Okay Forever tells my story of psychedelic devastation and spiritual rescue. It chronicles my trajectory from acid enthusiast to soul-weary druggie to psychedelic refugee. I finally found The Thing That Would Make Everything Okay Forever―in the last place I thought to look. 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. Awe Filled Appreciation 2. Conversation with Ian Morgan Cron 3. Solitude 4. Trusting and Training 5. Conversation with Alison Cook The post Everything Okay Forever appeared first on Apprentice Institute.

James Bryan Smith’s thought from above today is, “Practice Awe-Filled Appreciation.” In this episode, James teaches us the spiritual practice of Awe-Filled Appreciation. James gives five examples of why this practice is helpful and how to do it independently. Related Episodes: 1. Solitude 2. Solitude 3. Trusting and Training 4. Conversation with Alison Cook 5. Two Kinds of Faith The post Awe Filled Appreciation appeared first on Apprentice Institute.

James Bryan Smith has a Things Above Conversation with Ian Morgan Cron about his latest book, “The Fix.” We all suffer from a sense of spiritual homelessness–a feeling that we’re not fully at home in the world. To cope with our painful feelings and life traumas, we search for quick “fixes” that eventually become habitual, self-destructive behaviors that ultimately create more problems than they solve. As a person in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction, Ian Cron is no stranger to these destructive habits. It wasn’t until he embraced the Twelve Steps that he found true freedom. He knows from personal experience that Twelve Step recovery is more than just a life-saving strategy for guiding substance users into sobriety. Everybody is addicted to something to numb the discomfort of living in a messed-up world, he says, but the good news is that if you committedly “work the steps,” you will eventually have a vital spiritual awakening that will give you an entirely new and radically beautiful orientation toward the life God has for you. If you long for sustainable healing and joy amid life’s messiness, The Fix invites you to: Journey step-by-step through a spiritual curriculum that has helped millions overcome trauma, pain, and brokenness for over eight decades Understand how the Twelve Steps can be a transformative tool not only for people with chemical or behavioral addictions but for anyone who wants to move beyond self-help to a spiritual awakening Catch yourself in the act of self-sabotaging behaviors and understand how each day is a new opportunity to trade in self-willed reformation for grace-powered transformation   “My original subtitle for this book–Twelve Steps to Unscrewing Your Screwed-Up Life–was a little over the top,” Ian comments. “But anyone who has ever fallen for a quick fix (like drugs, alcohol, porn, overeating, work, religion, people-pleasing, and more) knows firsthand how our self-prescribed treatment plans derail us. They might not be as visible as empty bottles stashed inside a desk drawer, but they are just as life-complicating and soul-crushing.” With his characteristic wit and transparent self-disclosure, Ian guides us in learning how to work each of the Twelve Steps so we will finally be given a “new pair of glasses” through which we will be able to see ourselves, others, and the world in a startlingly new way–and ultimately take hold of the freedom God has been waiting to give us all along. Related Episodes: 1. Solitude 2. Trusting and Training 3. Conversation with Alison Cook 4. Two Kinds of Faith 5. Michael Cusick Sacred Attachment The post Conversation with Ian Morgan Cron appeared first on Apprentice Institute.

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.