Category: Podcast

Dear Podcast Friends:

The Sermon on The Mount is concerned with the great theological and existential question of human flourishing. 

In this series of podcasts I will be looking at the key ideas of the sermon to highlight the most fruitful reading of the words of Jesus.

This episode is centered on what I believe is the key that unlocks Jesus teaching:  Seek first (make your aim) the Kingdom of God and its righteousness (goodness) and all these things will be added to you.”  –  Matthew 6:33

Dr. Jonathan Pennington in his book: The Sermon on The Mount and Human Flourishing makes this claim:  “In short, I think the Sermon is a piece of wisdom teaching from Jesus that invites people into true human flourishing through wholeness centered on God and his coming kingdom. Jesus’ Sermon invites us to see the world in a certain way and to be in the world in a certain way that accords with God’s nature, will, and coming reign upon the earth. It is a call to faith‐based discipleship in Jesus, the Son of God.” I agree.

It’s not a job to seek the Kingdom of God, but the greatest opportunity in human life! If it sounds dreary, that’s how badly we’ve missed the point. There is joy in seeking the kingdom.

Main points of Episode:

1. Why we need to have an aim. What would be the highest aim in human life that leads to flourishing? 

You aim at what you value. We only see what we aim at. Aim high and live in the present. Who do you want to be? Who are you becoming?

The surprising controversial work of Dr. Jordan Peterson and his book 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos. 

2. Grace is not opposed to effort. There is, of course, no question of doing this purely on our own. But we must act. Grace is opposed to earning, not to effort. And it is well-directed, decisive and sustained effort that is the key to the  the kingdom and to the life of restful flourishing. Taking responsibility for the gift of grace and life.

3. The Kingdom of God, is God acting here and now. 

Dallas Willard showed me that the kingdom of God is strong and unshakable, that a life lived interactively with God never fails.

Aim Up! 

With you on the Journey,

Rob+

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Dear Podcast Friends: I am working on a new podcast series: The Sermon on The Mount and Human Flourishing. 

I share the conviction that the Sermon is Christianity’s answer to the greatest metaphysical question that humanity has always faced—How can we experience true human flourishing? What is happiness, blessedness, šālôm, and how does one obtain and sustain it?

The sermon is a piece of wisdom teaching from Jesus that invites people into true human flourishing through wholeness centered on God and his present, available, and coming reign and realm, i.e. his kingdom.

As prophet and sage, the complete and virtuous human and Son of God, Jesus is offering and inviting his hearers into the way of being in the world that will result in their true and full flourishing now and in the age to come.

Are you interested in living into this wisdom and flourishing?

Look for the first in this series which will be published this week titled:  What Is Your Aim?

With you on the Journey,

Rob+

Mark 6: 30-32 The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. He said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves.

In this podcast episode I share some thoughts about the gifts and necessity of practicing solitude. With this invitation Jesus was calling his friends out of their busyness to a place of rest beyond the demands of their engagement and action.

What about us?

Fr. Henri Nouwen claims that “without solitude it is virtually impossible to live a spiritual life.” That is because the practice of solitude centers us in our own hearts and enables us to be “securely rooted in personal intimacy with the source of life.”

Does my life naturally lean outward (without enough inward grounding), or does it naturally lean inward (without enough outward engagement)? What is one practice I could add to bring a fuller both/ and balance?

The contemplative practice of solitude brings three gifts: Clarity, Presence, and Joy. These gifts are a necessity for a more flourishing life.

Hope you enjoy!

With you on the Journey,
Rob+

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The theme of this podcast is that a human response to Jesus’s call to live in God’s Kingdom is not a one-time thing. Response to God’s invitation is in fact a lifelong task, involving various practices over time. And that takes a lot of practice—in fact, our whole life becomes one continual practice.

That is why the hallmarks of contemplative spirituality—solitude, silence, and stillness—have never been more important for our society.  Adopting contemplative practice is crucial to living into transformation and wholeness.  The Christian Contemplative Tradition is a catalyst to true human flourishing.

Until we are present to ourselves, we can never be fully present to anything. We can never hope to know the presence of God or other people until we can be with ourselves in stillness, openness, and attentiveness.

Be Still and Know That I Am God.  Ps. 46:10

In the broadest sense of the word, contemplation means creating sacred space to be still, to rest in God, to reflect, to look inward; to attend to the inner life; to simply be with God in solitude, silence and stillness. Contemplation can also be understood as Parker Palmer describes: “anything that dismantles our illusions.”

I look forward to continuing on this theme in the weeks ahead!  I hope you will subscribe to my Podcast on iTunes. Subscribe To Podcast on Apple iTunes

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Thanks for taking the time to listen! I pray and trust that in some small way my words may give you helpful spiritual direction.

With you on the Journey,

Rob+

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Welcome to my first episode: Cultivating a Flourishing Mindset!

What if the the story of God is a story that is truer, better, and more beautiful than we have ever imagined? What if the  story of Jesus is above everything else about inviting people into flourishing in God’s coming kingdom?

Our minds (not our brains) are the most important things about us. And the most important thing about our mind is what it is set upon. What you do with your mind is the most important choice you have to make every day of your life. Wherever your mind goes, the rest of your life goes with it.

In this podcast I will reflect on the following:

1. What it means to flourish.

2. The importance of your mind as the key to your life.

3. The challenge of cognitive fusion.

4. Fixed Mindset vs. Growth/Flourishing Mindset.

5. Created in the image of God we have the power to create and act for flourishing lives, ours and others.

6. The invitation to silence and the contemplative tradition of Christian spirituality as a way of healing and growing in acceptance and the openness of a flourishing mindset.

Hope you enjoy! Hope you subscribe!

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You can also find my podcast on Spotify: From Silence+Something To Say Podcast on Spotify

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