Halfway There

Laura Flanders is the Associate Lecturer and Chair of Training and Mentoring Curriculum and one of my personal mentors. Today, we talk about mentoring, what mentoring is, and how to go about it as both a mentor and a mentee. We take questions from my friends on Facebook about mentoring, and Laura reaches to her bookshelf to share the books and resources that have shaped her ministry in mentoring.

Listen to our conversation now!

Stories we talked about:

• Her role as a mentor at Denver Seminary

Great quotes from Laura:

The way we learn changes as we age.

It’s not easy to practice being known.

Mentoring is a relational practice in which there is intentional pursuit towards growth and transformation.

Listening is a peacemaking activity.

Resources we mentioned:

• Laura’s original appearance on Halfway There

The post Laura Flanders and the Mentored Life appeared first on Eric Nevins.

Dave Ebert is a comedian and founder of Well Versed Comedy, and a fellow podcaster. Today, Dave shares the story of how he learned improv in professional wrestling, faced depression and suicidal thoughts, and found a new start in comedy. Dave is transparent about going through the dark seasons and we spend a few minutes talking about why the funniest people are sometimes the most depressed. It’s a tragedy that needn’t persist. Dave is passionate about helping those on the brink while also bringing some laughter and cheer. How the Lord brought him here is a fun story.

Listen to Dave’s story now!

Stories Dave shared:

• Growing up in Illinois and moving to Virginia

Great quotes from Dave:

We’re too afraid to get our hands dirty and find out the truth.

On the mountain there were two choices, I can take my life or I can give my life.

I’ve got quite a few of those sacred scars that I’m using through various things I’m involved in.

Take that next breath. Take that next step. Live that next hour. Live that next day. Because it’s worth it and God will use it once you’re ready to give it over to him.

Resources we mentioned:

• Dave’s website

Related episodes:

• Mike Savage and God’s Great Self-Sacrifical Love

The post Dave Ebert and A Funny Way to Overcome Depression appeared first on Eric Nevins.

Kelly Albright is a friend from long ago. We used to be coworkers and at the time, she did not know Jesus. A few months ago, she got in touch on LinkedIn and mentioned that she was now following him. Well, I couldn’t possibly miss the opportunity to learn how that happened so I invited Kelly to come on the show to share her experience.

Today, Kelly shares that she was always somewhat curious about the Lord but a little afraid. She sought a medium, had a dream about Christ’s love, and suffered spiritual attacks she after. Now, Kelly is following the Lord and growing in her faith step by step and it’s a beautiful thing.

Listen to Kelly’s story now!

Stories Kelly shared:

• Growing up in a non-Christian home, a little fascinated by the Bible but afraid of it

Great quotes from Kelly:

The one thing that stood out about me as a little kid was the number of tears I cried.

God comes after you; you’re not coming after him.

God’s love language is sacrifice.

Resources we mentioned:

• The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts by Gary Chapman

Related episodes:

• Patrick Meyers and the Kind Initiator

The post Kelly Albright was Saved in Sin City appeared first on Eric Nevins.

• How he coaches people to find their heroic potential

Great quotes from Cody:

In seeking God, I learned how to value myself.

You are infinitely valuable.

God is going to speak to you in a way that you will understand, that is meaningful to you. He may not use words; he may not use dreams; he may not use compulsion but he’s going to use something that will speak to you.

Resources we mentioned:

• Cody’s website

Related episodes:

• Chuck Malott is a Hippie Turned Saint

The post Cody Dakota Wooten and Listening & Leading appeared first on Eric Nevins.

Sarah Geringer is a blogger, speaker and author of Transforming Your Thought Life: Christian Meditation in Focus. Today, Sarah shares how the Lord helped her overcome depression, why being a child of divorce stinks, and how she invested in her dream to become a writer. Sarah’s practice of Christian meditation using Scripture is a wonderful tool that will help you focus your thoughts in productive directions. If you are struggling with run away thoughts, Sarah’s story will encourage you because victory is possible.

Listen to Sarah’s story now!

Stories Sarah shared:

• Growing up in the middle of the Bible belt

Great quotes from Sarah:

I knew his presence felt warm and comforting.

If you start with his Word then you start recognizing his voice. Then you can grow a very close an intimate relationship with him. His Word is the doorway to a deeper relationship with him.

I realized marriage is not the solution for loneliness and that was a crushing disappointment.

Become a Patron!

Resources we mentioned:

• Sarah’s website

Related episodes:

• Caroline Abbott and Coming Home to the Lord

The post Sarah Geringer and Transforming Your Thought Life appeared first on Eric Nevins.

Jeffrey Tacklind is a pastor, spiritual director, and author. Today, Jeff shares his journey from trying to be his dad to serving a congregation as Jesus intended him to. Jeff shares how he chose a small church to serve, discovered spiritual masters, and why he wrote a book on the process of transformation. We also discuss the tension between the longing for glory and the humility of submission to the Lord. Along the way, Jeff shares plenty of personal experiences and I know you will be drawn deeper into God’s heart for you as you listen.

Listen to Jeff’s story now!

Stories Jeff shared:

• Pastoring in Laguna Beach, CA

Great quotes from Jeff:

I was just this kid growing up always asking questions and would kind of make everybody uncomfortable like I was asking the question we agreed not to ask.

It’s not that I left that story behind; it’s that the story just got bigger.

People don’t need my advice right now. They need good questions. To ask the right question unlocks things for people.

Resources we mentioned:

• The Winding Path of Transformation: Finding Yourself Between Glory and Humility by Jeffrey Tacklind

Related episodes:

• Richard Jacobson and Unchurching

The post Jeff Tacklind and The Winding Path of Transformation appeared first on Eric Nevins.

Stories Karen shared:

• Growing up in Guatemala in a Roman Catholic home

Great quotes from Karen:

Migration is a really traumatic experience.

What’s morally right and the right thing to do as a Christian is often at odds with the right thing to do as a U.S. citizen.

Seminary saved my faith.

Nobody’s faith is static.

Resources we mentioned:

• The God Who Sees: Immigrants, the Bible, and the Journey to Belong

Related episodes:

The post Karen Gonzalez and the God Who Sees appeared first on Eric Nevins.

Steve Bremner is an author, sometime podcaster, and Supreme Galactic Emperor? We had a good laugh about that one! Today, Steve shares his journey from a conservative denomination to a charismatic one. You’ll hear his heart to see God and be inspired by his following the next right step even as it led him around the world. Steve currently has an online business while he serves in Peru – that’s modern tentmaking!

Listen to Steve’s story now!

Stories Steve shared:

• Working as a tentmaker in Peru helping authors publish their books

Great quotes from Steve:

God doesn’t have a box that he works in and doesn’t do things according to our expectations.

That thing to focus on helped get through the dark night of the soul.

Resources we mentioned:

• Steve’s website

Related episodes:

• Michael Woodward and Living a Significant Story

The post Steve Bremner and God Outside the Box appeared first on Eric Nevins.

Gill Bentham is an author and journaler and a nurse for over 30 years. Today, Gill shares the story of how she found life in Christ as a young woman, how the Lord was faithful through a difficult divorce, and the redemptive role of writing in her life. Gill shares with us why she wrote her latest book As If: Steering Your Life Without Strife, Navigating from Fantasy into Faith and Rising from Delusion into Destiny. As she wrote and lived alongside the canals in her town, she realized what a brilliant metaphor they are for walking with the Lord. And she shares with us how getting stuck waiting in the lock can be a good time for us even if it’s hard to wait. Gill has such a wonderful heart for helping others see themselves from the Lord’s perspective that I know you will be changed just by listening to this conversation.

Stories Gill shared:

• Growing up in a Methodist house in Northern England

Great quotes from Gill:

Learning to be at rest in the moment, in the day, and take joy in the small events and blessing is a very big lesson in the last 10 years of my life.

He loves the institution of marriage. He was really clear to me that he was saying “I love you more than the institution of marriage.”

God stands at the completion of our lives and he sees that whole golden strip across our lives even when we can’t.

Resources we mentioned:

• As If: Steering Your Life Without Strife, Navigating from Fantasy into Faith and Rising from Delusion into Destiny

Related episodes:

• Os Guinness and Carpe Diem Redeemed

The post Gill Bentham and Living in the Locks with the Lord appeared first on Eric Nevins.

Karl Forehand is an author, former pastor, and podcaster. Today, Karl shares the story of his deconstruction, an idea that has been bantered around a bit lately. But what is it? Deconstruction is simply the process of letting go of false beliefs about God, the world, and yourself and discovering the reality of all three. As Karl shares in his story, it can be painful and you can lose friends when you ask questions. But the process is also liberating and Karl found new practices, places of inspiration, and even wrote a book called Apparent Faith. This part of the journey can feel lonely and if you’re there, listen to Karl’s story and know you are not alone.

Stories Karl shared:

• His current season of deconstruction

Great quotes from Karl:

I think people underestimate me.

It makes people uneasy when you start to grow.

When I deconstructed as far as I did, Jesus was still compelling to me, the way of Christ was compelling to me. That was the part I couldn’t give up.

Resources we mentioned:

• Karl’s website

Related episodes:

• Phileena Heuertz and Christian Contemplation

The post Karl Forehand and the Experience of Deconstruction appeared first on Eric Nevins.