Things Above

In this Things Above conversation, James Bryan Smith interviews William Paul Young. Paul is best known for his book The Shack which has sold over a million copies. Young is a native of Alberta, Canada and now lives in Washington with his wife Kim. He is also the author of The Crossroads, Eve and Lies […] The post Conversation with William Paul Young appeared first on Apprentice Institute.

Discovering our identity can be a lifelong journey. We all want to know who we are. In this episode, James Bryan Smith explains how our journey towards self-discovery is found in the invitation to be with Jesus. If we are to discover who we truly are, we must do so through discovering Jesus’ call to […] The post Your Identity is in the Invitation appeared first on Apprentice Institute.

In this Things Above Conversation, James Bryan Smith interviews author Emily P. Freeman about her latest book, The Next Right Thing. People average 35,000 daily decisions. Some of those decisions can really wear us down, which leads to the problem of chronic hesitation and decision fatigue. Emily’s book helps the reader make decisions with clarity, […] The post Conversation with Emily P. Freeman Part 2 appeared first on Apprentice Institute.

It’s not abnormal for people to wonder, where is God? Maybe life isn’t turning out the way you hoped. You’ve lost a job or a loved one or your sense of purpose. And this causes us to feel alone, or at least very distant from God. If you feel distant from God, it begs the […] The post Already Present appeared first on Apprentice Institute.

In the latest Things Above conversation, James Bryan Smith talks with Jen Pollock Michel about her latest book, Surprised by Paradox. Among many things, they explore the depths of topics, such as paradox, awe, certainty, mystery, and calling. They even share a couple of jokes about a paradox that you won’t want to miss. Surprised […] The post Conversation with Jen Pollock Michel appeared first on Apprentice Institute.

In this episode, James Bryan Smith explains this glorious thought: “Christ plus nothing equals everything.” Jim goes on to explain that when we allow other things in our life to take the place of “nothing” in the formula it will not equal everything. Key Verses include (1 Cor. 2:3-5) (1 Cor. 13: 1-3) Related episodes: […] The post Christ Plus Nothing Equals Everything appeared first on Apprentice Institute.

Temptation can lead to real problems. In this episode of the Things Above podcast, James Bryan Smith discusses the nature of temptation, then offers and unpacks six facts about temptation that can help you overcome it. 1. Everybody is tempted. 2. God is not the one tempting us. 3. Temptation itself is not sin. 4. […] The post Overcoming Temptation appeared first on Apprentice Institute.

In this episode of the Things Above podcast, James Bryan Smith continues a conversation with Chris Huertz about the Enneagram by exploring the holy ideas and virtues of each type. These components offer a map to our soul. Holy ideas are the first truths we have to tell ourselves. Virtues are our unobstructed views of […] The post Conversation with Chris Heuertz Part 2 appeared first on Apprentice Institute.

If patience is a virtue, why are we in such a hurry? When it comes to our faith, this can be really frustrating. In this episode of the Things Above podcast, James Bryan Smith discusses our frequently unmet expectations when it comes to spiritual growth and how we can understand God’s timing in our lives. […] The post Practicing Patience appeared first on Apprentice Institute.

People tend to rely on their own effort in times of need – physically, emotionally, and spiritually. For some reason, praying to Jesus is often a last resort. In this episode of the Things Above podcast, James Bryan Smith discusses our common approach to problems and offers a much better way of dealing with them […] The post Moved to Pray appeared first on Apprentice Institute.