Halfway There

How do you know when it’s God speaking to you? And what if you misinterpret what you heard? These are critical questions of discernment as you experience life with God.

My friend Bill Brown spoke to me about learning to discern the Lord’s leading in his life. It’s one of those elusive concepts ingrained in church language but is not often taught as a matter of course in discipleship.

That’s why it’s so valuable to hear Bill’s story of praying, waiting, and responding to what God seems to be doing in his life. He generously shared about the time he probably waited too long and what he learned from the experience.

Bill is a godly man and I know his story will encourage you.

Quotes from our conversation:

“It’s in the training not the trying.” Dallas Willard

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“I think we’ll develop throughout eternity.”

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“The most valuable thing that came out of this was a greater sensitivity to that genuine peace.”

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“Who can hold you better than God?”

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“Inputs make a difference.”

That last quote is great because Bill and I have a running conversation about the influence of the media and how Christians can be savvy media consumers. He’s so serious about the topic that he created and taught a class for the middle school where he teaches.

Books Bill recommended (Amazon affiliate links):

• Richard Foster

Last Words of Wisdom from Bill:

He is intimate and personal. And grand and majestic. He hates sin more than we like to believe. But absolutely loves and forgives us more than we find it easy to believe. What more can you say? He is the meaning of life.

Did you enjoy Bill’s story? If so, be sure to stop by iTunes and subscribe. While you’re there leave a review which helps our visibility in the rankings.

The post Bill Brown and Waiting on the Lord appeared first on Eric Nevins.

Why is it that the experience of following Jesus looks so completely different in the New Testament than it does today? It’s a question many of us wrestle with. I did and it led me to study spiritual formation in seminary.

If you’ve ever wanted more of God, or whispered a late night prayer hoping God would intervene somehow in your life then this episode is for you.

Hobbled with a theology that said he was still a sinner though redeemed, my guest today faced the dual weights of success he did not feel he deserved and chronic illness. His theology couldn’t make sense of it so he began to reach out to the Lord.

Iain Bradbeer was born in Australia, raised the son of a Scottish Presbyterian pastor, and today is an author and traveling teacher. He asked God for more and shared the surprising ways God answered that prayer. Surprising, that is, only if you’ve never experienced it.

Here are a few quotes from our conversation:

What amazed me was that there would be a direct response to my prayers…The gap between my prayer and the experience of him as a reality was narrowing, you know, which was really exciting.

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I’d been living behind a theology of suffering and poverty. Then behind a theology of cessationism which says you don’t heal anymore and I’m getting ripped off.

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I don’t want to spend every 10 years living towards my next theological breakthrough. Please take me to a journey where you are the limitation.

The best place to reach Iain is on Facebook or his website.

Get the book: The Operating System of Jesus by Iain and Clare Bradbeer (Amazon affiliate link).

Did you enjoy Iain’s story? If so, be sure to stop by iTunes and subscribe. While you’re there leave a review which helps our visibility in the rankings.

The post Iain Bradbeer and God as the Architect appeared first on Eric Nevins.

Spiritual maturity is one of those elusive things that all followers of Christ hope and strive after but can sometimes be difficult to know what it is really like. After all, everyone we know is in process, right?

So how do you know a spiritually mature person when you meet them? Is it by their age or the number of decades since they made that fateful decision to follow Christ? Either sounds good until you think through all the people you know who have believed for many years and still, for one reason or another, know much about God but do not seem to know Him at all.

If you can’t tell a spiritually mature person by the number of years they have been a declared Christian, how do you tell?

Today’s guest (our first!) is a fine answer the the question. When you meet her you will be inspired by her story of coping with a difficult childhood through the church, learning about herself through parenting, suffering loss, and serving diligently in one church for over six decades. (You read that right. 60 years!) But Carolyn Schmitt’s walk with the Lord is more than just the result of passing time. It’s an intimate relationship with Him.

It’s going to sound a little but strange… I’m finding for myself that maturity in Christ is very diametrically opposite to becoming mature as a human being. As a human being we go from absolute dependence…to functioning responsibly…but I’m finding for myself that so often I come into my relationship with the Lord as a very independent person needing to mature in dependence.

Books Carolyn mentioned (Amazon affiliate links):

• Eugene PetersonEugene Peterson

The basics of walking with the Lord are still exactly what I need.

Did you enjoy hearing Carolyn’s story of growing in the Lord over time? If so, be sure to stop by iTunes and subscribe. While you’re there leave a review which helps our visibility in the rankings.

The post Carolyn Schmitt and Six Decades and Counting appeared first on Eric Nevins.

Halfway There is a podcast dedicated to sharing the stories of ordinary Christians and their experience with God.

Every Christian has a story to tell about how God entered into their lives but they don’t always get the opportunity to share it. Our discipleship suffers for lack of knowledge about how God works even today. Halfway There changes that by giving voice to ordinary Christians. Think of it as the pulpithood of all believers.

Season 1 is packed with over 300 years of experience walking with God and features people in a variety of stages in life and Christian maturity. You will find a useful gem in each episode that will help you live more faithfully.

If you like the show, please subscribe and leave a rating and review in iTunes. And tell a friend who could use some encouragement.

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