The Invitation

It's hard to sit still in the midst of confinement and suffering. You are not alone in your struggle. This episode is a re-release of guided prayer through Psalm 131 by Nathan Foster from 2018. We will also be posting a meditation on Psalm 19:14 he also offered in 2018 but was never released. More prayer resources to come soon!

In the midst of our current crisis, I'm re-releasing a guided meditation on Ecclesiastes chapter 3 originally released on Dec 2, 2017. One-third of the Psalms are psalms of lament, yet most of us recoil from speaking honestly with God about our questions, anger, pain, and disappointment. Surely this is a time where we especially need the sacred space of lament. We need to give ourselves and each other permission to speak to God freely and honestly. The peace of Christ to you during this crisis. Please subscribe to the Invitation so that we can keep you updated about new episodes, retreats, classes, and other events. https://www.invitationpodcast.org/subscribe

In the midst of this bizarre, unsettling spread of covid-19, we invite you to continue on your Lenten journey with this episode on chanting the Psalms. Here in episode no. 44, Josh has a discussion with Lacy Finn Borgo of Good Dirt Ministries and Renovare about how singing the Psalms can get this holy, prayer book of the Scriptures into our bodies. What a great help for us always and especially as we face our current trials, to have the vocabulary of the Psalms deep inside of us to help us speak honestly with God! Included in this episode is a recording of a Fuller Seminary, DMin in spiritual direction cohort chanting on September 27, 2017. Audio of the full-length of their chanting of Psalms 67, 25 & 26 led by Lacy is available at www.invitationpodcast.org/downloads The book Josh mentions in this episode is The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk. Also, please check out Lacy’s new book: Spiritual Conversations with Children: Listening to God Together. It is an encouraging, inspiring, and practically helpful way for us to nurture faith in our children and is sure to become a lifegiving resource to parents, aunts and uncles, grandparents, and anyone ministering to children. Thanks for listening and joining The Invitation on a journey deeper into the life and love of God. It is an honor to create with you time and space for God. Please subscribe to the Invitation and stay updated on new releases as well as the classes and retreats offered by the Invitation. www.invitationpodcast.org/subscribe

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We had intended to release an episode on chanting the Psalms next with Lacy Finn Borgo, but this liturgy led by Maple Avenue Ministries member, AJ Westendorp was too good not to sneak in and share with you. AJ is a former college football player, a Gutamala missionary and is now on staff with Escape Ministries in Holland, MI as well as employed at a local juvenile detention center. Finally, AJ also is a volunteer who joins Josh in the prison prayer practices on Saturdays in Muskegon, MI. Before offering the Lenten liturgy, Josh shares some of his conversation with AJ to help you get to know AJ and to explore the reason why spending time with and befriending “the least of these” is at the core of the Gospel and why it’s a practice we would recommend to you for you journey through Lent. "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?” (Isaiah 58:6) We also encourage you to go back and listen to episode 39, Josh’s conversation with the Rev. Dr. Denise Kingdom Grier, Josh and AJ’s pastor. By listening to bother episodes you will discover the similarities between Advent and Lent as a time of preparation with an emphasis on God’s love of the poor. The opening reading of this liturgy is from Roddy Hamilton of the Church of Scotland. The liturgy begins at 12 mins into the episode. Please consider subscribing to the invitationpodcast.org Your financial contributions help us create this spiritual formation resource for you. Please consider making a donation today at invitationpodcast.org/donations Thanks for listening!

In episode 42 David Taylor, assistant professor of theology and culture at Fuller Theological Seminary, shares from his forthcoming book, Open and Unafraid: The Psalms as a Guide to Life. David is one of the many people who have befriended and inspired Josh over the span of many years. Here Josh and David focus on praying the Psalms in a way that will get inside of our bodies, to transform and heal us to become whole.

This long-format retreat is an audio adaptation of an expanded version Invitation's prayer guide, "40 Ways to Spend 5-Minutes with God." Here just follows a lectio divina style structure using Ephesians 2 and Matthew 6 offering reflections, questions as prompts for prayer, and extended sections of original meditative music to help you explore the depths of prayer. The original prayer guide, “40 Ways to Spend 5-Minutes with God” can be found at https://www.invitationpodcast.org/downloads The expanded, short prayer book version of the prayer guide is titled Deeper Living Space and is a work in progress. The music in this episode is created by Josh and many of his former Hope College Students as well as some friends from Oklahoma City. Artwork is a creative interpretation of the Invitation logo by Samantha Kadzban. Please subscribe, share the podcast with others, and consider helping us financially: https://www.invitationpodcast.org/donations Thanks for listening!

This is the second in a new collaborative series with the Dominican Center on the role of contemplative spirituality and spiritual direction in the context of the local church. In this public conversation hosted by the Dominican Center on Nov 13, 2019, Josh is joined by Sr Diane Zerfas and Dr Chuck DeGroat. When many are reporting the decline in church attendance, should we be alarmed? How are the signs of the times inspiring a return to deeper prayer practices? What are some specific things local churches can do to help us go deeper? These questions and more are discussed with the questions and contributions of those who gathered that day. www.dominicancenter.com www.chuckdegroat.net and be sure to subscribe to the Invitation Podcast at www.invitationpodcast.org

Advent is a season many churched Christians are relatively numb to. We struggle to enter into the deeper richness of longing and waiting. In this episode, we move from the Rev. Dr. Denise Kingdom Grier's sermon on the first Sunday of Advent to a follow-up conversation on becoming poor as we wait with expectation and eagerness for the coming of our King!

This update episode is way overdue. I miss you, so I'm finally reaching out to get you caught up on all that's been happening with the Invitation. At the end of this update, I offer a brief meditation on a timely word from The Sayings of the Desert Fathers, specifically a conversation between John the Dwarf and Abba Poemen (pictured above).

It's Giving Tuesday! I would sincerely appreciate your financial support. Donatations can be made at www.invitationpodcast.org/donations

Part II of our conversation with Ruth Haley Barton is the closing Q & A session that will especially be interesting to pastors and nonprofit leaders. However, Ruth also speaks specifically to anyone who has had to go outside of her community even for a season, someone who has lost her bearings in the church not because she has lost her faith but because the Spirit is leading her to deeper surrender and freedom in the love of God. Josh offers a guided prayer after the Q & A for those discerning what is next for their organizations. Then there is also a second movement of guided meditation for those who have had to move away from the safety of their faith communities. This episode is a collaboration with the Dominican Center of Grand Rapids, MI. Please visit www.dominicancenter.com for more information, and subscribe to the Invitation Podcast at www.invitationpodcast.org