The Invitation

Josh is visited by his long-time friend Brad Kilman, a worship leader and songwriter from Oklahoma City. They discuss spiritual friendship, the similarities between worship leading and spiritual direction, songwriting, their first experiences in a recording studio, spiritual listening, dealing with ego in leadership, Taizé, and the enneagram. www.bradkilman.com Also check out www.theversesproject.com to find more of Brad's music. The next interview will be with author, Sharon Garlough Brown in anticipation of a contemplative prayer retreat for church leaders she will be co-leading with Josh February 7-8. Then we will begin releasing a new five-minute retreat format that will correspond to Josh's prayer guide, "Forty Ways to Spend Five-Minutes With God." At the end of this episode you can hear a bit of a song based on Psalm 103 written by Brad and recorded in a cabin during their time in a cabin near Three Rivers, MI.

For the first Invitation Podcast interview, Josh sits down with his spiritual director, Joseph Byrd OLF. As with any conversation with Joseph, prepare yourself to hang on tight to the dynamic spiritual ‘flow’ of this conversation. Topics covered are prayer, suffering, waking to God as if from a dream, music, prison outreach, CS Lewis, Dallas Willard, Teilhard de Chardin, St. Ignatius, St. Francis of Assisi, Isaac of Nineveh, Evelyn Underhill and more. Most importantly, this discussion demonstrates the rich spiritual friendship between Josh and Joseph that spills over into their two years of going to the EC Brooks Correctional Facility in Muskegon MI to train a group of inmates to become spiritual directors. For more information on Joseph visit: zionholland.com/joseph-page Upcoming: Conversation #2 with worship leader/songwriter, Brad Kilman.

"I will come in to you to eat with you, and you with me."

How do we sit down and participate in the greater pleasures of God? This retreat slowly and carefully guides you through Scripture, quotes from great authors (Fredrick Buechner, Origen, Theophan the Recluse), and questions for you to consider, all to help you become more familiar with God in prayer.

Music:

“Save My Life” Josh Banner 1999

“Always Faithful” by Brad Kilman www.bradkilman.com

"Silence" Josh Banner and Susanna Childress 1999

Josh with Jared DeMeester (uke & upright bass)

Other sound design by Josh (rhodes w/ fx) & Josh Holicki (snare)

“Light of Jesus” Instrumental Josh Banner

This second 'retreat' of the Invitation considers what it means to search for God with your whole heart and to find him. Jeremiah 29:12-14 is read three times in the format of lectio divina. Thoughts and questions are shared throughout to guide your time of prayer.

Music:

“Save My Life” Josh Banner 1999

“Always Faithful” by Brad Kilman www.bradkilman.com

Josh with Jared DeMeester (uke & upright bass)

Other sound design by Josh (rhodes w/ fx) with Mike Reynolds (synths) & Josh Holicki (snare)

“Light of Jesus” Instrumental Josh Banner

Citation:

“God is closer to you than you are to yourself” found in a prayer by Karl Rahner. Also see: Francis de Sales’s The Love of God 10.10, trans. Vincent Kearns (Westminster: Newman Press, 1962), pp. 428-429 andAugustine, Confessions 3.6.11, trans. Henry Chadwick (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991), p. 43.

With all the lovely and encouraging feedback on episode, here is an update as we prepare episodes 2 and 3. Also, there is a brief description of the Invitation Summer Retreat 2016, "Developing a Conversational Relationship With God" that starts May 4. You are invited to participate! For more information visit www.harderwyk.com/spiritual-formation

This first episode is an introduction to spiritual formation and meditation on Matthew 11:28-30.