It’s the most wonderful time of the year!

We welcome OUR VERY FIRST GUEST on the show, author of this year’s Advent Guide, Courtney Gibson. In this episode, she shares how we might use this season of Advent and the pandemic to help us be more like Jesus. Plus, we put Courtney in the hot seat for our first-ever lightning round.

We love hearing from you too. Email us your questions, feedback, and what Jesus has been teaching you through this Advent season.

If you have a copy of the guide, our suggested donation price is $6. You can donate here.

And of course, as always, special thanks to our audio engineer Stephen Simmons.

Resources:

How to Make an Advent Wreath (for under $5)

Hope (week 1) playlist

Peace (week 2) playlist

Joy (week 3) playlist

Love (week 4) playlist

And of course, check out The CHRISTmas Experience playlist

In this standalone episode, we discuss how spiritual practices provide an anchor point to speak into the current injustices of our day.

We love hearing from you too. Email us your questions and feedback at [email protected]

Recommended Resources:

Precious in His Sight: Race, the Story of God, and the Story of America by Midtown Fellowship

Things White People (and anyone else) Can Do for Social Justice by Midtown Fellowship

Bible Verses on Oppression

Prophetic Lament: A Call for Justice in Troubled Times by Soong-Chan Rah

The Common Rule by Justin Earley

Resources on Race by Midtown Fellowship

Quotes:

“I truly believe Christians are in the best position for the fight against societal injustice b/c we have what the world needs. The gospel & an allegiance that is not first “right” or “left” but ABOVE. What if our only bias was righteousness? Would revival not come?”-KB

“Hopelessness is the enemy of justice.” -Bryan Stevenson

He sat there, his head still bowed in his hands, tears burning his eyes. But then he felt something—a presence, a stirring in himself. And it seemed that an inner voice was speaking to him with quiet assurance: “Martin Luther, stand up for righteousness. Stand up for justice. Stand up for truth. And, lo, I will be with you, even unto the end of the world.” He saw lightning flash. He heard thunder roar. It was the voice of Jesus telling him still to fight on. And “he promised never to leave me, never to leave me alone. No, never alone, No, never alone. He promised never to leave me, never to leave me alone . . .” -from Let the Trumpet Sound: A Life of Martin Luther King, Jr

Other resources mentioned:

Martin Luther King’s Commandments for Cultural Change

How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy by Jenny Odell

In our season finale we discuss the discipline of simplicity, where we prioritize what matters most in our lives as we let go of everything else.

“The more you have, the more you are occupied, the less you give. But the less you have the more free you are.” -Mother Theresa

Questions or stories? Email us at [email protected]

Resources:

Spiritual Disciplines Handbook by Adele Calhoun

Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster

Special thanks to Stephen Simmons for being our sound engineer this season and Jared Wise for composing and recording our theme music.

In this episode, we discuss slowing - where we take the principles learned from sabbathing and work it into the rest of the week.

Questions? Email us at [email protected]

“Slowing is one way to overcome inner hurriedness and addiction to busyness. Through slowing, the sacrament of the present moment is tasted to the full.” Adele Calhoun

"Hurry is the great enemy of souls in our day. Being busy is mostly a condition of our outer world; it is having many things to do. Being hurried is a problem of the soul. It’s being so preoccupied with myself and what myself has to do that I am no longer able to be fully present with God and fully present with you. There is no way a soul can thrive when it is hurried. You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life." Dallas Willard

Resources:

Spiritual Disciplines Handbook by Adele Calhoun

Practicing the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence

“How to Digitally Detox” from FollowingJesusTogether.com

Developing a Rule of Life from FollowingJesusTogether.com

“We’re Not Wired to be this Alone” by Frank Bruni, New York Times

In this episode we discuss the practice of sabbath - where we stop from our work to rest for a full 24-hour period. Where we tend to view rest as something to earn, the biblical narrative reminds us that rest is a free gift we receive from God to enjoy Him and enjoy one another.

Questions? Email us at [email protected]

Resources:

Sabbath Keeping: Finding Freedom in the Rhythms of Rest by Lynne Babb

The Sabbath by Abraham Joshua Heschel

Every Moment Holy by Douglas Kaine McKelvey

“You Need a Sabbath” sermon from Midtown Fellowship

FollowingJesusTogether.com

In our third episode of this season, we discuss the practice of solitude. Unlike isolation, solitude seeks to intentionally remove yourself from noise and distraction to place yourself in the presence of Jesus.

"In a noise-polluted world, it is even difficult to hear ourselves think, let alone try to be still and know God. Yet it seems essential for our spiritual life to seek some silence, no matter how busy we may be. Silence is not to be shunned as empty space, but to be befriended as fertile ground for intimacy with God." - Susan Muto

Questions? Email us at [email protected]

Resources:

Mind Mapping from FollowingJesusTogether.com

Spiritual Disciplines Handbook by Adele Calhoun

Breath Prayer from FollowingJesusTogether.com

“The Restorative Power of Ritual” by Scott Berinato, Harvard Business Review

“Mental Health in the Age of Coronavirus” by David Brooks, New York Times

In our second episode of this season, we talk about creating a “rule of life” while under quarantine. Just like a trellis creates a structure for growth, so a rule of life is a built-in structure for followers of Jesus to be with Him and become more like Him.

Resources

Developing a Daily Rule of Life Under Lockdown at FollowingJesusTogether.com

Developing a Rule of Life at FollowingJesusTogether.com

Crafting a Rule of Life by Stephen Macchia

The Common Rule by Justin Early

Spiritual Disciplines Handbook by Adele Calhoun

Renovation of the Heart by Dallas Willard

Questions? Email us at [email protected]

In our first episode, we talk about the importance of spiritual disciplines in light of COVID-19. For the rest of this season, we’ll emphasize specific practices we can lean into while under quarantine.

Highlights:

[3:00] “Go sit in your cell and your cell will teach you everything” --Ronald Rolheiser

[5:10] What if (this quarantine) became a mini-habit building time? ...What if our lives looked different when all of this is done?

[8:01] “Spiritual formation is the process of being formed in the image of Christ for the sake of others” --Robert Mulholland

[10:30] Spiritual practices are pushing back against all of the other practices forming me...If I am not intentional with spiritual practices, I am being formed into a selfish, individualistic person.

[12:00] Spiritual practices...reveal who you really are when a crisis comes.

Resources:

“In Crisis We Pray: Religiosity and the COVID-19 Pandemic” from University of Copenhagen

FollowingJesusTogether.com

Personal Liturgy sermon series from Midtown Fellowship - Downtown, Two Notch, Lexington

Domestic Monastery by Ronald Rolheiser

An Invitation to a Journey: A Roadmap to Spiritual Formation by Robert Mulholland

This podcast is a companion resource to our site Following Jesus Together from Midtown Fellowship in Columbia, SC.

Questions? Email us at [email protected]

This podcast is a companion resource to our site Following Jesus Together, a resource of Midtown Fellowship in Columbia, SC.

Do you have any questions for us? Email us at [email protected]