James Bryan Smith’s thought from above today is, “Practice Awe-Filled Appreciation.” In this episode, James teaches us the spiritual practice of Awe-Filled Appreciation. James gives five examples of why this practice is helpful and how to do it independently.

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James Bryan Smith has a Things Above Conversation with Ian Morgan Cron about his latest book, “The Fix.”

We all suffer from a sense of spiritual homelessness–a feeling that we’re not fully at home in the world. To cope with our painful feelings and life traumas, we search for quick “fixes” that eventually become habitual, self-destructive behaviors that ultimately create more problems than they solve.

As a person in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction, Ian Cron is no stranger to these destructive habits. It wasn’t until he embraced the Twelve Steps that he found true freedom. He knows from personal experience that Twelve Step recovery is more than just a life-saving strategy for guiding substance users into sobriety. Everybody is addicted to something to numb the discomfort of living in a messed-up world, he says, but the good news is that if you committedly “work the steps,” you will eventually have a vital spiritual awakening that will give you an entirely new and radically beautiful orientation toward the life God has for you.

If you long for sustainable healing and joy amid life’s messiness, The Fix invites you to:

“My original subtitle for this book–Twelve Steps to Unscrewing Your Screwed-Up Life–was a little over the top,” Ian comments. “But anyone who has ever fallen for a quick fix (like drugs, alcohol, porn, overeating, work, religion, people-pleasing, and more) knows firsthand how our self-prescribed treatment plans derail us. They might not be as visible as empty bottles stashed inside a desk drawer, but they are just as life-complicating and soul-crushing.”

With his characteristic wit and transparent self-disclosure, Ian guides us in learning how to work each of the Twelve Steps so we will finally be given a “new pair of glasses” through which we will be able to see ourselves, others, and the world in a startlingly new way–and ultimately take hold of the freedom God has been waiting to give us all along.

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James Bryan Smith’s thought from above this week is, “Solitude is the furnace of the soul.” In this episode, James talks about temptation and how we can deal with it through the practice of solitude.

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In this episode, James Bryan Smith’s thought from above is, “quit trying, start trusting, and begin training.” Smith explains why we need to quit relying on our efforts to live a Christian life and start trusting in the grace of Jesus to help us live out our faith. Once we move from trying to trusting, we can begin training.

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James Bryan Smith has a Things Above conversation with author, Alison Cook on her latest book, Boundaries for Your Soul: How to Turn Your Overwhelming Thoughts and Feelings into Your Greatest Allies.

Boundaries for Your Soul includes relatable anecdotes, helpful exercises, an engaging quiz, and opportunities for personal reflection. Gathering the wisdom from the authors’ twenty-five years of combined advanced education, biblical studies, and clinical practice, this book will set you on a journey to become the loving, authentic, joyful person you were created to be.

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James Bryan Smith’s thought from above this week is, “We need two kinds of faith.” In this episode, Smith talks about the two kinds of faith we need to have as defined by the author C.S. Lewis.

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James Bryan Smith has a Things Above Conversation with author Michael J. Cusick about his book, Sacred Attachment. Michael will be a plenary speaker at The Apprentice Gathering 2025, register here!

Michael John Cusick voices the questions and contradictions that are inherently part of living an authentic spiritual faith. With raw honesty and vulnerability, he shares his own zigzagging path to God and reveals how brokenness and pain can become the gateway to experiencing joyful divine attachment. Because God’s love has you, you can put aside fear and loneliness—and you can rest seen, soothed, safe, and secure in God’s presence. Cusick’s gentle, trauma-informed guidance lets you reimagine life with God in a way that repairs wounds and deeply satisfies your soul.

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In this episode, James Bryan Smith’s thought from above is, “Jesus makes all things new.” To help explain his thought from above, James references the book “On the Incarnation” by Athanasius of Alexandria.

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In this episode, James Bryan Smith’s thought from above is, “Do you know your name?” James’s thought from above comes from one of the unspoken sermons by George MacDonald.

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Matt Johnson returns for part two of the conversation with James Bryan Smith. In this episode, Smith and Johnson continue their conversation about the research on spiritual growth.

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