James Bryan Smith has a Things Above conversation with AJ Swoboda and Nijay Gupta about their book, “Slow Theology.”

In our fast-paced world of outrageous headlines and knee-jerk reactions, we struggle to hear God’s voice amid the noise. Despite constant connectivity, our lives lack true spiritual connection and depth.

A. J. Swoboda and Nijay Gupta offer a practical theology guide for building resilient faith through Christian discipleship. Addressing spiritual deconstruction and doubt with honesty, they show how to fortify your faith against cultural challenges through eight transformative spiritual practices, including

● taking your time in prayer and Bible study,

This Christian living book helps weary believers reconnect with God and neighbor through intentional spiritual growth. With a foreword by Glenn Packiam, it’s perfect for devotional reading, small group study, or anyone seeking authentic faith formation.

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James Bryan Smith’s thought from above in this episode is, “Love Has You.” Smith talks about the impact five authors have had on his spiritual life. These five authors are: Ian Morgan Cron, Michael Cusick, Aundi Kolber, Alison Cook, and Curt Thompson, M.D.

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James Bryan Smith’s thought from above this week is Christ is lower, still. In this episode, James talks about an acronym he uses called DENY. Depend on God. Embrace God. Nurture and Yield to God.

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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:

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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James Bryan Smith has a Things Above conversation with author Michael Stewart Robb about his book, “The Kingdom Among Us: The Gospel According to Dallas Willard.”

Despite perennial attraction to his teachings, Dallas Willard’s theology has not been easy for his readers and colleagues to figure out or piece together. His approach to theology was an odd one. His five bestselling books on the Christian life were a “side job” to his quiet career as a professional philosopher.

To what, if not to his profession, can one attribute the lasting attraction of his books? On one hand, it is Willard’s rhetorical skill and his cross-disciplinary knowledge–philosophical, psychological, biblical–regarding the central issues of human life. But more importantly, his books all proclaim a gospel which in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries can be especially hard to hear. Willard spoke of this gospel in biblical terms, “the gospel of the kingdom,” a gospel of spiritual living.

The Kingdom Among Us presents a comprehensive account of that gospel.But it is much more than mere interpretation. By examining both Willard’s writings and hundreds of hours of audio recordings, Michael Stewart Robb both recovers and expands Willard’s theological vision.

The book will help long time readers of Willard’s books make sense of his position in professional theology and philosophy. Robb’s reconstruction of a gospel of spiritual living will help scholars, theologians, and philosophers make sense of Willard’s “side job.” But all readers will encounter in these pages the most complete picture available of one of the giants of modern Christian spirituality.

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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.

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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.

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