We're finishing up our mini-series about the characteristics of deep disciples by looking at Jesus as the ultimate Idea Revolutionary.

We've introduced two categories of ideas here: Ideas in the Air (in culture and creation) and Ideas in the Soil (in our hearts). Let's explore how Jesus confronted and transformed ideas of both, and how we learn and grow to do the same.

Brian, Kyle, and Doc come together to explore Episode 88, explaining and debating what it means to "suffer well." Each shares some of their journey of suffering, while stressing the need for ongoing kindness, compassion, and a long-term commitment to each other in our formative communities.

And Kyle, the king of cultural references, struggles to use one from this century.

Let's dig in!

Suffering is a universal human experience, yet it raises perhaps the most difficult questions for Christians. Why does a good God allow so much pain and suffering?

And, as we grow to become more like Jesus, can a deep disciple learn how to suffer "well?" What does that even mean?

Join Brian as he explores the reality and challenge of suffering.

Dr. Tim Boswell is back and joins Brian in the Greenhouse to break down Episode 86, which explores the concept of both individual and social transformation happening from the inside out.

Great social reformers such as Wilberforce, Moore, King, Douglass, and Mother Teresa challenged harmful systems as well as the underlying ideas that drive corrupt systems.

Tim and Brian discuss and debate how a deep disciple can learn from these powerful idea revolutionaries.

How does positive family, societal, or national change happen? Do these "systems" change as a result of working on the systems themselves, or do they change as the hearts of the individuals inside the systems change? Or both?

In a world somewhat obsessed with growth and systems, a deep disciple still functions from the reality that, most often, transformation happens from the inside out.

The journey to the somewhat elusive "peace that passes understanding" promised in Scripture involves more than quoting Bible passages and Christian euphemisms. It includes struggle, suffering, and periods of intense wrestling with God and (sometimes) ourselves. Brian and Kyle head back into the Greenhouse to further break down Episode 84 and discuss how to find rest even in the middle of inevitable tension.

As we continue our discovery of the Forgotten Kingdom, we're taking a few episodes to look at sometimes hidden qualities of a deep disciple, a kingdom-dweller.

Today we're considering what it means to be restful in the middle of inevitable tension. How can we be at peace when God allows something we don't like? Or when we come up against a Bible passage that makes us uncomfortable? Or when we question His goodness?

For a person longing to become more like Jesus, the answer may not be as simple as quoting a Bible verse or throwing up our hands in recognition of the fact God is so much bigger than us.

Kyle and Dr. Boswell jump into the studio to further explore last week's episode about the quality of a deep disciple of releasing control. Ouch.

The guys debate a current buzzword in Christianity: "deconstruction." Is there good deconstruction and bad deconstruction? What if some sort of healthy tearing down and rebuilding of elements of our faith is necessary and helpful in the quest to train our hearts to release control? Do we embrace it or do we do our best to avoid it?

Let's dig in.

As children, we take trusting God and others for granted. Then we grow up, and that trust is shattered in a million different ways. We cope with breaches of trust by intellectualizing and trying to take control, usually without even realizing it. It only makes sense - we want to protect our hearts from further hurt and harm.

In this autobiographical episode, Brian shares some of his story, and how returning to a childlike trust always involves turning inward for a while. And it involves some deconstruction - the breaking down of parts of ourselves that we once thought were good, but are obstacles to freedom and authenticity in the Kingdom.

If a characteristic of a deep disciple is releasing control, why do we struggle to do just that, especially when attempting to control so many aspects of our lives often results in anxiety, fear, or even depression?

In this raw episode, Brian and Kyle explore "control" related to mental and spiritual illness, our tendency to inhibit our healing, and the power of lament in our journey to experience trust and security in our relationship with God.