This topic may not draw you, but I think this is one of the best conversations I've had on one of the most important topics that there is.  Here is an outline of the episode with links to articles and books mentioned below:

1. Intro 

2. Why anyone should listen to a long-form discussion on spiritual practices (Boring right!?) 2:51

3. A fully human life and integrating faith with normal life 6:42

4. The petty forms of sin in daily life, the beauty of a life of love with Christ in God, and the mirror of spiritual practices 9:50

5. Is this conversation just for super-spiritual people? A history of spiritual practices 14:55

6. Does Jesus love us more if we choose more spiritual practices? Performance versus participating in the life of Christ 17:55

7. What are the spiritual practices? 21:20

8. Jazz and Christian maturity 25:00

9. Joy & “joy impaired people” 30:30

10. Thought, desire, and being human - practices shape and reveal what we love 33:00

11. Everyone already has a rule of life, but do we know what it is and where it is taking us? 40:55

12. The story of Habitus and their shared rule of life 49:20

13 - The fruit of practicing a rule of life 59:15

14 -Common objections to adopting spiritual practices 66:00

15 - Submitting to a received Rule of Life and/or individualizing your spiritual practices 76:24

16 - Final words - “Where is the good way to flourishing and rest for our souls?” 80:50

**A great article from Phil:  https://www.christiancourier.ca/a-rule-for-reconstructing/

https://www.habituscommunity.org/

https://www.philreinders.com/

https://www.amazon.ca/You-Are-What-Love-Spiritual/dp/158743380X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=29OLVDK5XBBQG&keywords=you+are+what+you+love&qid=1670815953&sprefix=you+are+what+you+lov%2Caps%2C149&sr=8-1

https://www.amazon.ca/Seeking-Gods-Face-Praying-Through/dp/1592557686/ref=sr_1_4?crid=1UIQ0UNXLYDTW&keywords=seeking+gods+face&qid=1670815969&sprefix=seeking+gods+fac%2Caps%2C164&sr=8-4

In this episode Tim dives into a question that's come up several times lately - how much (time/money/service/etc.) is enough?  How do I know what God requires of me?

Today we talk magazines, binging the gospel of Mark, and what it means to spur one another on to love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:24) and be a community full of good deeds (Titus 2:11-15).

Here is the link to the podcast Tim references in his episode:

https://www.68culture.org/episode-4-brian-mcconaghy-ratanak-international-part-1/

You can also find it on Spotify or Apple Podcasts - look for 68culture and "Ratanak International"

If you have any comments, we'd love to hear them!

Nick Mitchell is currently the Provincial Medical Director for Addictions and Mental Health, and we're grateful he was willing to do this interview.  Below is a table of contents for the interview.  If you have any feedback or there are questions you wish Tim had asked, email Tim ([email protected]) and let him know.

3:06 Who is Nick and why he’s well positioned to speak into the opioid crisis and about harm reduction in Alberta.

3:55 Introducing the opioid crisis and how it’s similar/dissimilar to “drug addiction” generally

6:00 A quick history of the opioid crisis… Tim talks addiction to pleasure

8:22 Profiles of Albertan Opioid addicts according to local data

14:09 Fatalities in Alberta from Opioids (and alcohol)

17:53 Introducing “Harm Reduction”

22:00 Comparing harm reduction and abstinence based approaches to addiction treatment

24:00 Introducing newer harm reduction practices like safe injection sites, needle exchanges, etc.

28:20 Myths about opioid use and treatment

33:40 Are we saying, “Keep on sinning?” Is substance use a moral issue? (This is picked up again later at 110:45)

37:40 What stats are you counting to evaluate harm reduction programs?

42:55 How do you determine if safe injection sites are effective?

46:55 What convinces you safe injection sites are a good idea?

50:00 What would it take to change your mind on harm reduction (needle exchange/safe injection sites)?

52:45 Why do we have to help if someone doesn’t want to get well?

57:40 Nature versus nurture

58:45 Substance dependency versus addiction

59:35 Tim get’s longwinded asking about four big issues - Is it a sin to use drugs, nature versus nurture part 2, victim mentality & is harm reduction enabling and actually helping people hurt themselves?

110:45 Is substance use sinful?

114:10 Actions steps (learning, donating, volunteering)

122:07 A few reflections from Tim after this interview - where I want to know more, am repenting, and the questions and struggles I still have

Nick is one of the smartest, most engaging, and most interesting people Tim's ever met.  He's also a practicing psychiatrist and senior administrator in the addiction and mental health department of AHS (Alberta Health Services).  Today they discuss mental health.  If there is a question you wish Tim had asked, let him know!  We'll have round #2 with Nick sometime soon.

Section 1 - Mental Health and Me

1) What are mental health and resilience? (2:20)

2) Let's talk personality (Enneagram, Myers Briggs, etc.) (5:10)

3) How can people assess how they are doing? (7:50) 

4) What are some practical steps people can take (whether they are sick or healthy) to pursue mental well-being?  (13:00)

**Aside 1 on Neurogenesis (18:50)

**Aside 2 on Parenting & Resilience (21:55)

Section 2 - Mental Health and Us

5) The news regularly reports an emerging and coming mental health crisis as we continue to wrestle with Covid 19.  Can you comment on whether that is the case and what it means? (23:00)

6) As a clinician, what do you mean when you say clinical depression or anxiety? (27:15)

7) How do I walk with someone who is struggling with mental illness? (31:30)

**Aside 3 on fixing people and our insecurities (35:30)

8) Can mental illness be cured and what hope is available to those finding the road through to be long and hard? (41:20)  

**Aside 4 - Final Comments (49:20)

Note the final comments about the risk factor of social isolation in the last two minutes!

Today Tim kicks off HFL Storytime with a story of his failure, the leading of the Holy Spirit, and a great quote from C.S. Lewis.

In this podcast, Tim interviews Doug about the formation of HFL.  Doug presents his perspective on how the church came to be, what God may have been doing, and the vision for a different kind of church that drove HFL in the early years.  

Today Tim had the pleasure of interviewing Jay Gurnett from Vision Ministries Canada.  Feel free to listen to the whole thing or jump to the question that interests you most.

Intro

1) Where are you seeing God at work in the broader Canadian church? (0:44)

2) Why is VMC encouraging it's churches to consider the Micro-Church model? (9:35)

3) What would you say to people at HFL as we continue in this experiment and move towards the cutting edge of the Canadian church world? (16:21)