The White Flag

"If you think the Bible is boring, it's because you're boring." This is a spicy quote from our guest today, Landon MacDonald. In today's convo, we break down why most people don't study the Bible well—why the Bible is THE greatest work of art of all time—and how to approach the Bible with a healthy posture. Let's get to it!

Social media (and all technology for that matter) will either ADD to your life or ERODE your life. In my conversation with a digital guru and church leader, Brady Shearer, we dive into this topic, and more, to help you craft a digital life by design that benefits yourself and others.

Learn more from Brady at:

Instagram: @bradyshearer

prochurchtools.com

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-pro-church-tools-show-with-brady-shearer/id848673237

As I step into the most important ministry opportunity of life, I'm making changes to how I approach the podcast and how frequently I upload new content. In this short episode, I outline what that new opportunity is, and thank all of you who have helped make this podcast what it's become today!

Most people spend all their time "finding themselves," when they're actually just settling for an "invented self..."—a version that keeps you safe in childhood, but can't ever lead to flourishing. We dive into that, and more, in PART 2 of this interview with the magnificent Chris Mosher!

In Part 1 of this interview with the co-founder of Liminal, Chris Mosher, we discuss the need for men to embrace their full selves and how to know if you need to get still or get going. Learn more at liminalwork.com.

If you're living at warp speed, you will inevitably warp your soul.

In this episode, I break down the importance of "noticing" what is going on within us, and create space for you to step into the invitation of the Holy Spirit—to notice what burdens you, what tires you, and where you need to find a real rest with Jesus.

We reached 50 episodes, so I did something a bit different—a live Q&A discussion via Instagram, where I handled YOUR questions and tried to help us all lean into Jesus. In this conversation, I cover healing from betrayal, tracking your own spiritual growth, the Christian's response to the Roe Vs Wade leak, and how to confront doubt in your friends without being a jerk.

This episode is for anyone who feels like they aren't "spiritual" because they can't seem to sit still. In this conversation, I break down the problems of modern-day gnosticism and why leveraging our physical bodies can help us breakthrough those moments where we feel spiritually stuck.

In this episode, I reverse engineer which spiritual discipline you should pursue, based on which hardship you're experiencing in life right now. Are you bored, lonely, anxious, angry, stressed, sad, or tired? Each one points to a specific practice that can help you grow with Jesus.

The 7 core emotional states we need to explore, in order to reverse engineer which spiritual disciplines we ought to lean into most? 

BOREDOM  → MEDITATION - practice doing nothing, practice the spiritual act of boredom—dealing with the emotions that arise in this team. 

LONELINESS → SOLITUDE - practice being alone WITH God. It's not just being alone, it's being alone WITH God, and inviting him in. Psalm 139 is a good starting point. 

ANGER → JOURNALING - Go through the lament of your anger and frustration. God is not just an angry God, He is also a God who has dealt with His anger. 

ANXIETY → SABBATH.  Anxiety is fear without a direct stimulus. Low level, ever-present fear and nervousness. Burnout is God’s way of forcing you into a Sabbath rest. 

STRESS → FASTING. Stress is fear with a stimulus Fast from food or something else in your life. CENTER your scattered senses back into a normal state. 

SADNESS → steady, high grade sadness with a stimulus → feasting and community. Thanksgiving. Rejoice. Connect with other people.

TIRED →  SINGING. Worship helps resolve consistent exhaustion. This goes beyond what rest can solve. You’ve rested at the end of the day and you have nothing left. Enter into times of praise. Communal songs.