In this episode of the Sabbath Life Podcast, Peter talks with Dustin Stoll, founder of Stoll Design, about how garden design can shape spaces of rest, worship, and welcome. Dustin shares how his work at the Abbey of the Heights connects plants, seasons, soil, and community to the Christian spiritual life. They talk about practical landscape design and deeper reflections on creation, belonging, and the beauty of ordinary things. 

In this episode, you’ll hear: 
–The vision at the Abbey of the Heights behind using outdoor spaces to help people experience rest and sacredness.
–The landscape of the Abbey: the fruit and nut trees, including apples, plums, elderberries, hickories, and chestnuts.
–Appreciating nature as revealing God's beauty through even the smallest details like seed heads, frost, insects, and dormant plants.
–How nature teaches us about seasons, community, interdependence, and how spiritual life mirrors plant communities.
–How the "Body of Christ" metaphor extends to the diversity and interconnectedness of the garden.

Key themes 
–Creation and spiritual lessons from nature
–Prayer stations, spiritual parallels, and plant communities
–Belonging, hidden plants, and roles in community
–Diversity as protection and resilience in gardens and churches

Guest bio 
Dustin lives with his wife and three young boys in Tulsa, OK. He is a freelance garden designer following nine years with the Tulsa Botanic Gardens. In 2025, Dustin spearheaded a project at the Abbey, reimagining how we might best use our outdoor spaces to facilitate our guests' experience outside.

Resources and Links
Stoll Design: https://stolldesign.com/

About The Sabbath Life 
The Sabbath Life Podcast shares stories about the Abbey of the Heights, Christian contemplative traditions, and rhythms that help us become more human and friends with time. 

Connect with The Sabbath Life 
Website: thesabbathlife.com 
Retreats: thesabbathlife.com/personal-retreats
Give: thesabbathlife.com/give 

Closing thought: 
“Appreciating the beauty that God has made can be a form of worship.”

Subscribe, review, and share the podcast to help others discover a life of rest.

Music: "Joy Birds" by Eric Baird (©2020 Eric Baird), used with permission. 

In this episode of the Sabbath Life Podcast, Peter talks with Garland Tackett about the gift of silence on retreat and the power that storytelling in safe communities can have in our spiritual lives.

In this episode, you’ll hear: 
–What Garland experienced through silence while on a spiritual retreat at the Abbey of the Heights
–The gift that personal retreat can be in seasons of discernment
–How a gesture as simple as taking off a watch made a difference while on retreat
–How storytelling in a safe group fosters paying attention to God's presence
–Garland's experience with Ignatian spirituality, discernment, and listening for God's voice

Key themes 
–The journey from head knowledge to heart intimacy about Jesus
–The significance of slowing down and unplugging from routines and distractions
–The role of community and conversation in spiritual mentoring and growth
–Encouragement for church leaders desiring a culture like this

Guest bio 
Garland Tackett lives with his wife Kristi in Tulsa, OK. He is retired after a career as an engineer and later as the Spiritual Formation Pastor at Redeemer Church in Tulsa, where he and Kristi continue to lead small groups through the Journey curriculum.

Resources and Links
Redeemer Church: redeemertulsa.org
VantagePoint3: vantagepoint3.org

About The Sabbath Life 
The Sabbath Life Podcast shares stories about the Abbey of the Heights, Christian contemplative traditions, and rhythms that help us become more human and friends with time. 

Connect with The Sabbath Life 
Website: thesabbathlife.com 
Retreats: thesabbathlife.com/personal-retreats
Give: thesabbathlife.com/give 

Closing thought: 
"And generally the most common thing I hear is, 'I've never done anything like this before in church. I didn't know that this was available.' It has to do with intimacy. It's a level of knowing that, as soon as you learn someone's story, it just changes everything."

Subscribe, review, and share the podcast to help others discover a life of rest.

Music: "Joy Birds" by Eric Baird (©2020 Eric Baird), used with permission. 

In this episode of the Sabbath Life Podcast, Peter White talks with J.R. Rozko, an Anglican priest in Canton, OH, who works closely with the Order of the Common Life. J.R. shares his story of discovering the legacy of monastic communities, the deep internal work that a rule of life involves, and what belonging to the Order of the Common Life is like. 

In this episode, you’ll hear: 
–How J.R. came to be interested in the work of monastic communities 
–What the Order of the Common Life is and how it was started
–The process of belonging to the Order through postulancy, noviate, and discernment of vows 
–The differences between creating one's own rule versus receiving one from a community
–Practical steps for engaging with the Order of the Common Life
–How the witness of the Church to the world thrives because of communities like these

Key themes 
–The meaning of a rule of life and how it shapes spiritual growth
–The long history of discipleship in monastic communities
–The role of monastic orders in cultivating faithfulness and the love of God
–Learning to recognize God’s voice in everyday life 
–Discipleship as commitment versus content consumption

Guest bio 
Rev. Dr. J.R. Rozko is an Anglican priest and lives in Canton, OH, with his wife Amy and their three kiddos. Together, he and Amy curate Canton Abbey and pastor Common Life Church. He is also preparing to take his first temporary vows with the Order of the Common Life.

Resources and Links
Order of the Common Life: orderofthecommonlife.org
Canton Abbey: cantonabbey.org
Common Life Church: cantonabbey.org/clc
Luigi's in Akron: luigisrestaurant.com

About The Sabbath Life 
The Sabbath Life Podcast shares stories about the Abbey of the Heights, Christian contemplative traditions, and rhythms that help us become more human and friends with time. 

Connect with The Sabbath Life 
Website: thesabbathlife.com 
Retreats: thesabbathlife.com/personal-retreats
Give: thesabbathlife.com/give 

Closing thought: "I am thinking more and more these days about what is entailed in the difference between understanding discipleship as mainly about the consumption of content, the things that I'm trying to get in me, versus understanding discipleship through the lens of commitment." 

Subscribe, review, and share the podcast to help others discover a life of rest.

Music: "Joy Birds" by Eric Baird (©2020 Eric Baird), used with permission. 

In this episode of the Sabbath Life Podcast, Peter White talks with Deidre Franklin, Pastor of Spiritual Formation at Crossings Community Church in Oklahoma City and a recent graduate of the Sabbath Life School of Spiritual Direction. Deidre shares the story of how her church launched a new ministry of spiritual direction, what it took to build a team, and how the practice is shaping people’s lives.

In this episode, you’ll hear:
–How Deidre was invited to start a ministry of spiritual direction at a large church
–Why spiritual direction can be challenging to introduce in big-church settings
–How she gathered a team and found training for new spiritual directors
–What her cohort experience at Sabbath Life was like
–How spiritual direction deepened her understanding of listening, discernment, and attention
–The surprising ways the ministry has grown over four years
–Advice for pastors and leaders who want to begin something similar

Key themes
–Spiritual direction as deep listening
–The tension between slow, reflective formation and fast-paced church culture
–The importance of community in starting a new ministry
–Learning to recognize God’s voice in everyday life
–Training our attention toward God

Notable moments
–Deidre explains how her church leadership first approached her about spiritual direction
–She describes the challenge of introducing a largely unfamiliar practice
–She shares how her team grew from a small group into 11 spiritual directors serving 85 congregants
–She reflects on the impact of spiritual direction on church members who are receiving it
–She offers advice to leaders: start with prayer, conversation, and a team

Guest bio
Dr. Deidre Franklin is the Pastor of Spiritual Formation at Crossings Community Church in Oklahoma City. She recently completed the Sabbath Life School of Spiritual Direction and now helps lead a growing ministry of spiritual direction in her congregation.

About The Sabbath Life
The Sabbath Life Podcast shares stories about the Abbey of the Heights, Christian contemplative traditions, and rhythms that help us become more human and friends with time.

Connect with The Sabbath Life
Website: thesabbathlife.com
School of Spiritual Direction: thesabbathlife.com/school-of-spiritual-direction
Retreats: thesabbathlife.com/personal-retreats
Give: thesabbathlife.com/give

Closing thought "Spiritual direction isn’t just about listening — it’s about training our attention toward God, learning to notice what we’re noticing, and participating in an ongoing conversation with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit."

Subscribe, review, and share the podcast to help others discover a life of rest.

Music: "Joy Birds" by Eric Baird (©2020 Eric Baird), used with permission. 

In this episode, we talk with Bethany and John Arndt about their respective journeys into spiritual direction, why they think spiritual direction matters in this cultural moment, and the transforming power of open questions.

The Arndts are both trained spiritual directors and have been advocates of the Abbey of the Heights since it first opened. Their work also involves The Shepherds Collective, a resource for the soul care of ministry leaders. Bethany co-leads a ministry called Olive Tree Mediation. John is the author of Leading by Listening: How to Deepen Connection with Open Questions.

Flourish Direction
https://www.flourishdirection.com/

Olive Tree Mediation
https://www.olivetreemediation.net/

The Shepherds Collective
https://www.theshepherdscollective.org/

Leading by Listening
https://bookshop.org/a/6923/9798992252118

Plan your visit to the Abbey of the Heights in Tulsa, OK.
https://www.thesabbathlife.com/personal-retreats

Join the community that financially makes the work of The Sabbath Life possible.
https://www.thesabbathlife.com/give

Music: "Joy Birds" by Eric Baird (©2020 Eric Baird), used with permission. 

In this episode, we talk with the Rev. Dr. Tiffany Nagel Monroe about seeking out spiritual health when you serve in ministry, the importance of a rhythm of retreat for leaders, and how game-changing it is to rediscover your belovedness in God.

Tiffany has been an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church for 17 years and currently serves as the senior pastor at First United Methodist Church in Edmond, OK. She is adjunct faculty at St. Paul's Seminary. She was among the founding Board of Directors for the Sabbath Life and has served behind the scenes for the past three years. She also recently completed the School of Spiritual Direction with the Sabbath Life.

Turns out, the last book she read was Looking Up: A Birder's Guide to Hope Through Grief by Courtney Ellis.

Plan your visit to the Abbey of the Heights in Tulsa, OK.
https://www.thesabbathlife.com/personal-retreats

Learn more about the School of Spiritual Direction.
https://www.thesabbathlife.com/school-of-spiritual-direction

Join the community that financially makes the work of The Sabbath Life possible.
https://www.thesabbathlife.com/give

Music: "Joy Birds" by Eric Baird (©2020 Eric Baird), used with permission. 

In this episode, we talk with Tim & Katrina Matthews. We cover the work they put into designing and installing the prayer stations you find in the gardens at the Abbey of the Heights, what they have experienced as retreat guests at the Abbey, and how they came to be involved in the prayer ministry that they do. 

Together, they curate a prayer ministry called One River in partnership with 24-7 Prayer. Along with their 3 young kids, they happen to live just down the street from the Abbey of the Heights in Tulsa, OK.

Connect with One River on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/oneriver.community

See the prayer room they put together for She Brews Coffee in Tulsa:
https://oneriver.community/she-brews-prayer-room/

Plan your visit to the Abbey of the Heights in Tulsa, OK.
https://www.thesabbathlife.com/personal-retreats

Join the community that financially makes the work of The Sabbath Life possible.
https://www.thesabbathlife.com/give

Music: "Joy Birds" by Eric Baird (©2020 Eric Baird), used with permission. 

In this episode, we talk with Min Soo Choi. In 2024, Min produced a short documentary, sharing the story of the Abbey of the Heights and The Sabbath Life's contemplative community. We talk about the inspirations behind that documentary, the ways that stories shape our lives and our lives with God, and how storytelling can be a healing contemplative practice.

Min is a digital storyteller and filmmaker. He and his family live in Newberg, OR. He has a Doctor of Ministry in semiotics and is soon to be ordained in the Anglican Church.

See Min's filmmaking projects:
https://www.youtube.com/@storyministry

The Sabbath Life documentary produced by Min:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyKo9IhUMSQ

Contact Min:
[email protected]

Plan your visit to the Abbey of the Heights in Tulsa, OK.
https://www.thesabbathlife.com/personal-retreats

Join the community that financially makes the work of The Sabbath Life possible.
https://www.thesabbathlife.com/give

Music: "Joy Birds" by Eric Baird (©2020 Eric Baird), used with permission. 

In this episode, we talk with Justin Jones all about his story of the Abbey of the Heights, finding renewal in a season of transition, and how generosity and gifts are such a big part of our experience of connection within community.

For his day job, Justin serves as the senior philanthropy advisor for Wycliffe Bible Translators. And in his spare time, he serves on the Board of Directors for The Sabbath Life. After a season of life serving overseas as missionaries, Justin and his family now reside in Tulsa, OK.

Plan your visit to the Abbey of the Heights in Tulsa, OK.
https://www.thesabbathlife.com/personal-retreats

Join the community that financially makes the work of The Sabbath Life possible.
https://www.thesabbathlife.com/give

Music: "Joy Birds" by Eric Baird (©2020 Eric Baird), used with permission. 

In this episode, we talk with Katie Tramonte about the need for sacred spaces for spiritual growth, the design and purpose of the prayer stations at the Abbey of the Heights, and how the Abbey fosters safety and community.

Katie used to be a neighbor here in Tulsa, but in the last couple of years, she moved to Las Vegas, NV, where she now lives with her husband and 3 boys. She is the founder of Original Design Restored, and for a season, she utilized the Abbey of the Heights as a venue for her local small groups. ODR is a ministry for finding healing, wholeness, and freedom through story. You can follow along with Katie's story on Instagram.
https://www.instagram.com/seeing.inthedark
https://originaldesignrestored.org/

Schedule a time to visit the prayer stations at the Abbey.
https://www.thesabbathlife.com/contact-us

Plan your visit to the Abbey of the Heights in Tulsa, OK.
https://www.thesabbathlife.com/personal-retreats

Music: "Joy Birds" by Eric Baird (©2020 Eric Baird), used with permission.