Bear with Me: Integrating Belief and Practice in the Christian Life

We talk with Will Krzymowski, intern architect and all around great guy, about how thinking about our spaces can help us make more connections with others.


Will's Bus Conversion Project - Pic 1, Pic 2, Pic 3

Our friend Hannah's Instagram about how to use the unremarkable moments to make neighbourhoods into places where people are known and belong. Right where you are.

Pattern Language - by Christopher Alexander - Summary. You can use this book to design a house for yourself with your family; you can use it to work with your neighbours to improve your town and neighbourhood; you can use it to design an office, or a workshop, or a public building. And you can use it to guide you in the actual process of construction.

You Are What You Love by James K.A. Smith -- On the Spiritual Power of Habit

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This is a sequel to “Does Jesus Require a Sacrificial Fellowship?” Philippians 2:1-11

Vanessa and Andy explore a Sacrificial Life Together That’s Worth It. The kind of community life Jesus calls us to can be an antidote to our social ills and a bright sign in a dark world.

Plus, is just showing up a legitimate sacrifice?

Practice:

Relaxation as humility

Trusting God with who I am.

Plus, a reading from the New Vanessa Translation (NVT) of Acts 2

Resources & Links:

‎Nomad Podcast: Sam Wells - Improvising Faith on Apple Podcasts

Bear with Me Podcast: Does Jesus Require a Sacrificial Fellowship?” Philippians 2:1-11

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Vanessa and Andy reflect on "The Great Disconnect", a locally produced documentary on community life in our neighbourhoods. We also tackle "Spiritual Consumerism" that threatens to subvert the Gospel's work in our lives.

1. The Great Disconnect

We respond to a documentary that explores how surprisingly isolated we are in our neighbourhoods and how our happiness and sense of meaning in life is related to our interdependence and relation to others.

2. Spiritual Consumerism

We have a tendency towards consumerism that can infect our spiritual lives. We want to guard against this in our lives and on our show

Resources and Mentions from the Show:

The Great Disconnect - Website

Seculosity - How Career, Parenting, Technology, Food, Politics, and Romance Became Our New Religion and What to Do by Daid Zahl

The Tangible Kingdom - Creating Incarnational Community - by Hugh Halter and Matt Smay

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Vanessa shares her 4 favourite ways to pray and to think about prayer. A practical guide to shifting our imaginations about prayer and practicing it!

Resources & Links:

Vanessa's 4 Ways to pray Guide - A companion Prayer Guide to this Episode!

Christian Reflections by C.S. Lewis

Podcast: Mark Karris - The Perils of Petitionary Prayer

Opening to God - by David Benner - Lectio Davina and Life as Prayer

Rediscovering The Lost Body-Connection Within Christian Spirituality by Edwin M. McMahon, Ph.D. and Peter A.Campbell, Ph.D.

The Way of the (Modern) World by Craig Gay - Why it's tempting live as if God didn't exist.

Prayer in the Night by Tish Warren - For Those Who Work or Watch or Weep

Every Moment Holy by Douglas Mckelvey -- New Liturgies for Daily Life

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Fall in Love - Arrupe Prayer - IgnatianSpirituality.com

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Vanessa and Andy dive into a deep fellowship. Why is belonging to one another so central to the Christian life? How do we keep from becoming a doormat when we’re seeking to truly look out for the needs of others and thinking of others “as more significant than ourselves”?

Links and Resources:

Jesus and the Disinherited - By Howard Thurman

Darrell Johnson Sermons Podcast - on Spotify - on Apple Podcasts

James K.A. Smith Newsletter: A Tree, A Rock and A Cloud

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Naomi Yeker tried out Digital Minimalism as outlined in Cal Newport’s newest book by the same name on managing our technology according to our values (as opposed to the other way around).  Naomi helps us think of what trying out Digital Minimalism for Lent might look like.

Resources & Links:

• Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport
• The Rich Roll Podcast: Cal Newport on Digital Minimalism: Why Focus Is the New Superpower
• 10 Reasons to Delete Your Social Media Accounts by Jaron Lanier
• Naomi's Prayers of the People focusing on Technology
• Stay Focused - An App to help you Track and Limit your Mobile Usage
• “Ministry of Absence” - An article by Henri Nouwen
• Out of Solitude - by Henri Nouwen
• The Tech-Wise Family by Andy Crouch - Not mentioned in the show but a good example of how a family takes "Everyday Steps for Putting  Technology in its Place".
• Vegan Richa's Everyday Kitchen Cookbook - Naomi's Cookbook of choice for this season
• Temperature Control Kettle - Vanessa's favourite way to heat water

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Vanessa and Andy explore this big topic and uncover ways to make the ancient spiritual discipline of fasting more understandable and practical.
 

• Why is fasting so hard? And why is it important?
• How might fasting be the key to managing other appetites? 
• What is the relationship between fasting and different kinds of nourishment? 
• What is the relationship between fasting and Lent?
• What if I am physically unable to Fast from food?
• What are other fast ideas for Lent?

Do you want to join us in Friday Fasting for Lent? Whether its food or something else, send us a note to [email protected] to receive some weekly encouragement around fasting during the season of LENT.

Resources from the Show:

Vanessa's Fasting Guide

Dallas Willard on Fasting: https://conversatio.org/?s=fasting

Richard Foster's The Celebration of Discipline

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Vanessa and Andy give a sneak peak of what their new Podcast is all about, why you might want to consider subscribing, and a little background on what makes them tick!

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