Episode 21 features an interview with Steve Weins. Steve is the author of Whole and Beginnings. He is the pastor of Genesis Covenant Church and had a podcast called This Good Word. This interview is packed with great stuff - what an amazing conversation! We spend most of the time speaking about Steve’s latest book, but it is a pretty free wheeling conversation. So much fun!

Get Steve's latest book, Whole: Restoring What is Broken in Me, You, and The Entire World

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  The wide inclusivity of restoration.
  


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  What is broken and why do we need restoration?
  


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  Shalom as wholeness (restoring what is broken)
  


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  Moving to wholeness is a hopeful journey
  


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  The arc that shoots through all of scripture is restoration
  


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  What is the difference between a self-improvement project and a journey?
  


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  How you find joy in the everyday, and why is joy important?
  


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  He asked Eugene Peterson, “what do you think pastors are struggling with today?” The answer is so great, and tough to hear.
  


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  What is the connection between the promised land and restoration, and why do we need to be strong and courageous in entering the promised land?
  


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  We talked a lot about the temptation of Jesus, and what it means to think of Jesus as weak when we relate to him.
  


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  Laying down the need to be seen as successful.
  

• “Faith is a lot more about mystery than it is about mastery."


• “Mystery is not something we can never understand, it’s something that we can endlessly understand.” Richard Rohr


• "What if pastors are supposed to be the people who model how to rest well…”


• "The promised land is not where all of our problems are solved... It is the place where you remember what it was like to be a slave and you begin fighting for the restoration of others.”


• “Thank God that God doesn’t wait for perfect motivation.”


• "There are things that need to change in me; they just won’t be changed by feeling bad about myself or trying really hardto fix them. That isn’t how wholeness works. The journey of wholeness is not a self-improvement project. It’s a journey of loss, trust, transformation, and eventually hope.” from Whole


• "...my own joy and enjoyment matter in measuring at least some of the metrics for indicating a successful Steve. I think I’m starting to learn that I can be a joyful pastor. Not a driven one, not a busy one, not a heroic one.” from Whole

• 
  Steve’s Website
  


• 
  Whole: Restoring What is Broken in Me, You, and The Entire World
  


• 
  Beginnings: The First Seven Days of the Rest of Your Life
  


• 
  This Good Word Podcast
  


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  Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore
  


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  Last Days in the Desert
   
  


• 
  Richard Rohr
   
  


• 
  The Enneagram
  

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• What do people need in their working life?


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  What is spiritual health and its relation to physical health?
  


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  Staying in a job and bringing meaning to it.
  


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  What is Calling and Vocation?
  


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  What does it look like to speak about faith in the workplace?
  


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  Finding joy in the midst of regular life.
  

• Michael Priebe's Website


• The Lovely Grind Website


• Buy The Lovely Grind on Amazon


• The Other Six Days by Joseph McLelland


• Moments of Peace in the Presence of God


• The One Year Uncommon Life Daily Challenge by Tony Dungy

• What questions to ask about God: Is God good? Does God cause bad things to happen to us?


• Unlearning our assumptions about God


• If we follow Jesus will we always be safe?


• What are the stories of faith that get told? How do we tell stories of doubt and struggle?


• How we are changed by living in or visiting a different culture.


• Not being legalistic about reading the Bible, but attempting to read every day and read through the Bible in a year


• Praying throughout the day vs. setting aside time to pray.

• When God blocks one path and opens another


• How we deal with the "real life” struggles


• Not settling for simplistic answers in situations of pain or suffering


• Reading devotional material and a chapter of Scripture per day.


• How do you hear God speaking?


• The importance of going to Church when you feel disconnected

• Jann Martin's website


• 
  This Babe So Small by Jann Martin
  


• 
  Bible Characters through the ages by Jann Martin
  


• Guideposts


• Guideposts Magazine


• Prairie Presbyterian Church on Facebook


• Matthew Brough's Message on Stewardship where he talks about The Realm of Gondor, and some other stuff...

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Episode 17 of the Spirituality for Normal People Podcast features an interview with Kelly Edmiston. Kelly is the student minister at First Colony Church of Christ. We pack a ton of amazing stuff in this episode, as you can see from the notes below. Such a great conversation!

• What happens when we don’t “feel it” in our spiritual life?


• Making feelings and experiences into idols. Seeking them instead of seeking God.


• When God might use a period of spiritual dryness


• How do we stay obedient in the absence of emotion?


• There is no separation between sacred and secular - all is spiritual


• Making spiritual practices tangible


• Breath Prayers (e.g. “I am weak, but you a strong”)


• Silence as a spiritual practice and what to do about distractions


• Be patient, gentle, and generous with yourself


• Finding help for the Spiritual life in deep sources (e.g. Julian of Norwich)


• What is the relationship between suffering and the spiritual life?


• The metaphor of pregnancy and labor for the spiritual life.

• The Feelings of the Spiritual Life


• Following God and Unsolvable Problems


• The Labor of Longing

• Scot McKnight’s Jesus Creed Blog


• Screwtape Letters - C.S. Lewis


• Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light: The Private Writings of the Saint of Calcutta


• Invitation to Solitude and Silence: Experiencing God's Transforming Presence - Ruth Haley Barton


• Ruth Haley Barton’s Blog


• Revelations of Divine Love - Julian of Norwich

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Episode 17 of the Spirituality for Normal People Podcast features an interview with Kelly Edmiston. Kelly is the student minister at First Colony Church of Christ. We pack a ton of amazing stuff in this episode, as you can see from the notes below. Such a great conversation!

• What happens when we don’t “feel it” in our spiritual life?

• The Feelings of the Spiritual Life

• Scot McKnight’s Jesus Creed Blog

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Episode 16 of the Spirituality for Normal People Podcast features an interview with author and podcaster James Prescott. We talk a bunch about James' book, Mosaic of Grace, and also touch on themes related to his podcast called Poema on the intersection of faith and spirituality.

• That I happened to be on the Poema Podcast as a guest last week (beginning of July 2017). You can listen here.


• That I've started a Patreon Page where you can support the podcast for as little as $1 a month (did you know it actually costs me to produce this podcast every week?). I'll steal a line from one of my favorite podcasts. You can support the podcast for less than a coffee a month! Visit the Patreon Page and check out the free stuff if you support at the $2 level or higher!

• What is Grace really?


• The Japanese art of kintsugi (re-making broken pottery with gold joinery) as a metaphor for grace


• How Jesus includes and loves us even when we turn from God.


• "Poema" and the intersection of faith and spirituality


• How people have different ways of coming to or seeing spirituality


• How your mindset effects the way you see the world and engage with God


• Spiritual encounters are not always good


• How most of human life is engaged in creative acts


• Keeping Sabbath and how “I am enough without my work"

• James Prescott's website


• Mosaic of Grace


• Poema Podcast


• Alexander Shaia - Quadratos


• Richard Rohr


• Rob Bell


• What is the Bible? by Rob Bell

Episode 15 of the podcast features and interview with Scott Perkins. He is a discipleship coach and the author of the book Tree of Lies: Transforming Decisions, Behaviors, and Relationships By Gaining Perspective On Your Identity in Christ. We have a fantastic conversation about what identity in Christ really means, and the dangers of basing our identity and value in other things.

Visit Scott’s website for a special bonus just for listeners of the Spirituality for Normal People Podcast!

• “Ministry happens wherever you are.”


• “In our weakness and vulnerability there can be great power.”


• "The central lie that we tend to believe is that we need something in addition to or in place of God for wholeness.”


• "If your first thought when it comes to developing a rhythm of life is 'I don’t have the time' this might be an on-road to understanding your identity."

• The challenges of ministry in the Church


• Challenges for congregational leaders, trap of numbers, double standards for pastors


• The problem of using results as a measure for our spiritual life, rather than our identity in Christ.


• How our identity must only be in God and not in other things (even things that are good!)


• Doing spiritual practices not to earn God’s approval, but to live as who God created you to be.


• How to build a rhythm of life - just start something - set small goals.


• What is discipleship coaching?

1. Know what you look to as your defining characteristic (e.g. other people’s approval)


2. Know how you’re created (e.g. introvert or extrovert)


3. Finding a rhythm of life

• One-line prayer in the morning - a way to remind ourselves about our identity in Christ


• Journalling based on Scripture


• Walking and Hiking as prayer. Repeating a short scripture passage while walking.


• Silent Meditation - used as a reminder to listen for God and to shut down lies that you tell yourself.


• Using a word or a phrase as a way of focussing in prayer.


• Leaving time for quiet, stillness, listening.


• Once a week - Examine (looking back on the week)


• An open Bible near the door and a commitment to reading at least one verse.


• Trinkets and icons as ways of reminding you to pray or read the Bible.

Once again, I mention the book Mini-Habits by Stephen Guise - http://amzn.to/2seGkL5

• Lord Jesus, have mercy of me, a sinner. (The Jesus Prayer) - good prayer for living in grace.


• Holy Spirit come and fill me with your joy.

• Special bonus on Scott’s website


• Tree of Lies Book

Episode 14 of Spirituality for Normal People features a fantastic interview with Stephanie Jones. Stephanie is known as the Giving Gal, having given a gift every day for over 500 days. She is the author of The Giving Challenge.

• What does it means to give a gift?


• Recognizing opportunities to give a gift


• How gift giving moves us away from being judgmental


• Listening to that “nudge” within you


• Gift-giving is about the other person.


• Not being scared of rejection when it comes to giving gifts.


• Thinking carefully about how Jesus would treat people.


• How giving is more than making donations to a church or other organization


• The importance of Intentionality


• Starting Small with Acts of Kindness


• Taking action even when we don’t feel like it - the magic of starting!


• Obedience, faithfulness, and just showing up

• Stephanie's Book - The Giving Challenge


• 29 Gifts: How a Month of Giving Can Change Your Life by Cami Walker


• Stephanie’s list of over 500 days of giving


• Leadership Bible


• Mini-Habits by Stephen Guise


• The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy

• Her Website - Giving Gal


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Listen in as Matthew Brough talks about Psalm 4, which moves from our cry to God out of distress to God addressing our propensity to seek for peace in all the wrong places, to dealing with resentment at others' prosperity, to God granting us peaceful rest.