Build A Better Map Podcast

In this episode, we explore the often-overlooked aspect of experiencing a mountaintop moment—the descent. Using the metaphor of descending the mountain, we delve into the five key components of Spiritual Formation. We provide a concise definition of each element—Identity, Disciplines, Maturity, Leadership, and Life—offering insight into how they shape personal and spiritual growth.

A good friend is worth more than a ship of gold… As you navigate the moments in your life, do you have someone who is walking alongside you? Encouraging you and building you up? What does it look like to walk alongside someone else healthily? How do you navigate disagreement, hardship, and loss? In this episode Josh and I talk about the story of Paul, who found himself in a moment where he needed someone to walk alongside him, figuratively and literally because he couldn’t see. How do you identify people in your life who are safe? And how can the presence of a good friend change the course of your life?

How do you move with pace and purpose in a season that feels like you are in the wilderness? Where do you feel lost, more often than found? What are the natural emotional responses in moments like this? In this episode, Josh and I put flesh on the adaptive map strategy through the story of the Israelite people as they journey through the wilderness after leaving Egypt. We talk about the natural “grumbling” that occurs, and what that looks like in our lives, as well as the pathway through the grumbling to the next mountain.

Have you ever had seasons of your life where God seems silent? Where do you struggle to have the clarity to know your purpose and how it relates to the everyday moments that we find ourselves in? In this episode Josh and I walk through the story of an ancient queen who finds herself in a moment that has the potential to save her entire people. How does Esther know that her ambitions are aligned with the heart of God? Who are the voices and people in her life who are helping her with the clarity to navigate the complicated system of the royal court? How does the story of this ancient queen equip us with wisdom in how to align our ambitions with the will of God thousands of years later?

What moment are you finding yourself in today? Do you have the awareness to recognize the presence of the divine with you at this moment? What do you do when you realize the veil between heaven and earth has been thinned? In this episode, we talk about recognizing our moment through the story of Gideon, an ancient Israelite who finds himself in a moment where the divine calls him to something greater, in a moment of his struggle to survive amid the persecution of another nation. How can you grow in awareness of God’s call on your life, and how His call propels you to be a blessing to those around you, resulting in the restoration of our world?

Have you ever experienced fear? What are the voices that you hear in those moments? Can you hear the voice of the one who loves you calling you to be strong and courageous? In this episode Josh and I talk through the adaptive map framework through the story of Joshua, the man who takes on the mantle of leadership for the next generation of Israel after the exodus. How can you be confident in the call of your life and get to your next mountaintop amid the challenges that you face in everyday moments?

Have you ever wondered if you have a call on your life? Have you experienced moments where you are confident in your call, and other moments where you are unsure because of circumstances you face? In this episode, Josh and I wrestle with these questions as we walk through the adaptive map framework using the story of Paul as he experienced moments where he heard “no”. How do you navigate the “no’s” that you experience in your journey, and do they break your map?

What does it look like to experience the economy of God’s kingdom? As we navigate the moments of our lives, aligning our ambitions with God’s will and walking with pace and purpose, we find ourselves stepping into a greater story about a God who is inviting us to a banquet. In the moments where, in our brokenness, we fail, we are met by Jesus with love and grace. In this episode Josh and I talk through the story of the prodigal son, and how the character of God, and his abundance are revealed in an invitation to two brothers who are invited to a party. What do we do with the invitation that God is extending to us, and the people around us in each moment?

What moment do you find yourself in? What message do you hear? What is your ambition, and is it aligned to the heart of God? What pace do you descend the mountain? What is your purpose? These questions are at the heart of what an adaptive map for your life looks like. We finish our walk through the story of Abram with the apostle Paul's take on Abrams's answer to his call and continue to find it rhymes with our own story. Community is at the center of our experiencing the invitation of God to partner with him, which can be messy. What does it look like to be a safe space for the people around you? In this episode, Josh and I reflect on how we cultivate the community around us and encourage each person to listen to how a loving community is the bedrock of our experience of hope. 

An adaptive map that doesn't break recognizes the reality of opposition in our lives, a force that attempts to remove us from the path that we are on. How do we walk on the path that our map has drawn for us? Pace is the way we think about how we intentionally move down from the mountaintop into the valley, and purpose is the reality that we will also always be called to descend, knowing full well the obstacles that lie ahead. How do we navigate the consequences of our choices, both good and bad? Have you ever had moments where hope seems elusive? Josh and I reflect on moments in our own lives where we also have faced these realities, and how an adaptive map allows us to continue to move forward with confidence amid our failures.