Things Above

Emily P. Freeman is back for her third Things Above Conversation! In this episode, James and Emily have a series of questions they ask each other about podcasting, spiritual formation, and life during the pandemic. Emily was able to be in the studio for this conversation because of her new teaching position at Friends University. Emily is an instructor in our Masters program for Christian Spiritual Formation and Leadership at Friends University. She has loved working in the masters program and is even more excited to be back in 2021 for The Apprentice Gathering! Don’t miss your chance to see Emily at the 2021 Apprentice Gathering September 23-25. If you are interested in registering, you can learn more here. Want to learn more about the Master of Arts in Christian Spiritual Formation and Leadership degree? Click here! Related Episodes: 1. Things Above Conversation 1 2. Conversation with Emily P. Freeman Part 2 3. Conversation with William Paul Young 4. Inside Our Room of Marvels 5. Conversation with Michael John Cusick The post Conversation with Emily P. Freeman Part 3 appeared first on Apprentice Institute.

James Bryan Smith has a Things Above conversation with Cindy Bunch about her book “Be Kind to Yourself.” During their discussion they talk about the importance of spiritual direction and the impact of social media in our lives. Do you have a favorite spiritual practice? Cindy and James give their top three spiritual practices and explain why they work so well. Cindy Bunch is associate publisher and director of editorial at InterVarsity Press, where she has worked for more than thirty years. She acquires and develops for the Formatio line of spiritual formation books. She is the author of “Be Kind to Yourself” as well as several Bible study guides in IVP’s LifeGuide® Bible Studies series. Cindy holds an MA in theological studies from Northern Seminary and completed her spiritual direction training at North Park Seminary. She and her husband live in the Chicago suburbs. Related Episodes: 1. Conversation with Tish Harrison Warren 2. Conversation with Casey Tygrett 3. Conversation with Juanita Rasmus 4. Conversation with Derwin Gray 5. Conversation with Natasha Sistrunk Robinson The post Conversation with Cindy Bunch appeared first on Apprentice Institute.

James Bryan Smith is very excited to announce the republished and expanded edition of his book “Room of Marvels.” In this episode James tells us the story of how “Room of Marvels” came to be and how it helped him deal with the death and grief in his life. He also offers this thought from above: “You are an unceasing spiritual being with an eternal destiny in Gods great universe.” In the book a Christian author goes to a retreat center to grieve his recently deceased loved ones. He had just experienced three deaths in three years. His mother. His best friend. And now, his two-year-old daughter. The new expanded edition is being published by InterVarsity Press, you can order the book here! If you are interested in more resources for “Room of Marvels” you can find them here. Related Episodes: 1. The Gift of Pain 2. Remember You Are Dust 3. God’s Joyous Being 4. God is in This 5. Conversation with William Paul Young The post Inside Our Room of Marvels appeared first on Apprentice Institute.

The thought from above this week is, “you are destined for glory.” James Bryan Smith opens the episode with a quote from the movie “Jerry Maguire” where Jerry yells, “show me the money!” Smith explains the meaning behind the quote and how it is actually a cry for authenticity and connection and not for money. He goes on to show us comparisons in the Bible that further explain his point. The first comparison comes from the book of Exodus. “Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.” (Exodus 33:18) When Moses asks this question he is asking to see the fullness of God and more importantly the mercy of God. Smith closes the episode with one of his favorite prayers. “Show me your Glory Lord.” He encourages us all to pray this prayer for ourselves and for others, because God wants to show you His glory. Related Episodes: 1. Who Am I 2. Faith shines best in Darkness 3. Conversation with Tish Harrison Warren 4. Act of Faith 5. Identity Interested in the new expanded edition of “Room of Marvels” click here! The post Destined for Glory appeared first on Apprentice Institute.

In this episode James Bryan Smith has a Things Above conversation with author and priest, Tish Harrison Warren. James and Tish discuss a multitude of topics around their books including, liturgy, spiritual formation, and more! Tish Harrison Warren is a priest in the Anglican Church in North America. She has worked in ministry settings for over a decade as a campus minister with InterVarsity Graduate and Faculty Ministries, as an associate rector, and with addicts and those in poverty through various churches and non-profit organizations. Tish is currently a Writer in Residence at Church of the Ascension in Pittsburgh, PA. She is author of Liturgy of the Ordinary: Sacred Practices in Everyday Life (IVP). Her articles and essays can be found in Christianity Today, CT Women, Art House America, Comment Magazine, The Well, Christ and Pop Culture, The Point Magazine, and elsewhere. Related episodes: 1. Conversation with Carolyn Arends 2. Conversation with Michael John Cusick 3. Conversation with Juanita Rasmus 4. Conversation with Dave Mullins 5. Conversation with Natasha Sistrunk Robinson The post Conversation with Tish Harrison Warren appeared first on Apprentice Institute.

“In difficult times you should always carry something beautiful in your mind.” – Blaise Pascal At some point in our life we ask ourselves the question, Who am I? We can spend our whole lives trying to solve this question and still never feel satisfied with the answer. In this episode, James Bryan Smith gives his answer to that question with a thought from above. The thought from above is this: We are who Jesus says we are. While studying the Bible, James came across a verse that stopped him in his tracks. The verse is 2nd Kings 17:15. “They went after false idols and became false; they followed the nations that were around them” (2 Kings. 17:15). The background of the story is that the Israelites had rejected their god, Yahweh, and in turn worshipped 5 false gods, five false idols. In committing idolatry, in worshiping false gods, the writer of 2nd Kings tells us this amazing thing: the people themselves “became false.” When Smith came across the words, “they became false,” he thought immediately of the battle we all face with our false self, and the challenge we face in becoming our true self. James then thought of Henri Nouwen’s two famous “lies” about our identity, which are: 1. “I am what I have.” 2. “I am what others say about me.” James acknowledges in his life that he has struggled mightily with these two lies, but he adds three additional lies about our identity that have plagued us all as well. The three additional lies are: 3. “I am what I do.” 4. “I am how I look.” 5. “I am what I have done (or what others have done to me).” Smith closes with a quote from Henri Nouwen to help further explain his thought from above. “Jesus’ whole message is that you are not what you have or what people say about you. That is not who you are. Jesus says to us, ‘I come to reveal to you who you truly are…you are my child. You belong to me.” Related Episodes: 1. Different but One 2. Conversation with Carolyn Arends 3. Qualifies the Called 4. Jesus with Skin 5. Identity The post Who Am I appeared first on Apprentice Institute.

James Bryan Smith opens this episode with a story about the first church he served in as a youth pastor to help explain this thought from above. We are all different but we are one. The church had just gone through a split due to a disagreement among the members. Smith asked his mentor, Dallas Willard for some advice on what to do during this time. Dallas said, “When we disagree it’s precisely not the time to divide. This is the time when we have the chance for God to do something great.” James goes on to say that, when we disagree, if we can hang together, that’s when we really need to lean into God and see how He can make something marvelous out of that. To help further explain his point he shares a quote from Barry Corey. “The gospel calls us to both truth and love, this is the way of kindness, what I call a firm center soft edges. Kindness does not mean affirming each others choices, but it does mean listening to each others voices. You don’t have to see eye to eye, to work shoulder to shoulder.” To close the episode James reiterates the thought from above. We are all different, but we are one in Christ. We can think differently, but the most important thing is that we have one thing in common, Christ, and that’s what holds us together. Related episodes: 1. Divine Destiny 2. Faith shines best in Darkness 3. Qualifies the Called 4. Indebted to Hope 5. Beauty, Goodness and Truth The post Different but One appeared first on Apprentice Institute.

In this Things Above episode, James Bryan Smith has a conversation with Carolyn Arends. Carolyn has released 12 albums and is the author of 3 critically-acclaimed books. 15 of Arends’ songs have become top 10 radio singles on the Canadian pop and US Christian charts. Arends has earned 2 Dove Awards, 3 Juno Nominations, and was recognized as the West Coast Music Awards’ Songwriter of the Year. Her prose has been recognized by The Word Guild, The Evangelical Press Association and The Canadian Church Press Awards. In addition to her busy touring and speaking schedule, Carolyn has been a regular columnist for Christianity Today, Faith Today, and CT Women, and has served as an adjunct professor at Trinity Western University, Regent College, ACTS Seminary, Pacific Life Bible College, Columbia Bible College, and Prairie Bible College. She has a degree in Psychology and English from Trinity Western University and a Master of Arts in Theological Studies from Regent College. She lives in Surrey, BC with her husband, Mark, and their young adult children Benjamin and Bethany. Carolyn is currently the Director of Education for Renovaré, a far-reaching organization that encourages and nurtures personal and spiritual renewal. She continues to be available on a select basis for speaking, retreat facilitation, concerts, worship leading, and songwriting and performance seminars. Links: 1. Seize the Day 2. New Years Day 3. Go with God Enjoyed this conversation? check out some of our favorite conversations below: 1. Conversation with Michael John Cusick 2. Conversation with Juanita Rasmus 3. Conversation with Dave Mullins 4. Conversation with William Paul Young 5. Conversation with Emily P. Freeman Part 2 The post Conversation with Carolyn Arends appeared first on Apprentice Institute.

“The vision that you glorify in your mind, the ideal that you enthrone in your heart – this you will build your life by, and this you will become.” – James Allen The thought from above for this episode is, “you are designed for a divine destiny.”  James opens up the episode talking about the recent discovery of 2,000 year old Date seeds (link to the article at the bottom of the page). Smith uses the story of the Date seeds to help us understand this weeks thought from above. The Date seeds, had within them the form of a Palm Date tree, and even after 2,000 years they still bore fruit. Smith says we are in a similar position, we were preformed and chosen to be conformed to the image of Christ and bear the fruit of the Spirit. Links: After 2,000 Years, These Seeds Have Finally Sprouted Related episodes: 1. Beauty, Goodness and Truth 2. Faith shines best in Darkness 3. Season Two Greatest Hits 4. Conversation with Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 5. Saved by His Life The post Divine Destiny appeared first on Apprentice Institute.

Our thought from above in this episode is, “faith shines best in darkness.”  James Bryan Smith tells us the story about one of his students who was struggling with her faith, just before heading off to Seminary. This student was experiencing, what Smith would call, a dark night of the soul. James goes on to explain how we all experience a dark night of the soul at some point in our lives, but it is in these nights that we grow in our faith more than we can ever understand. “In the dark night of the soul bright flows the river of God.” (St. John of the Cross) Smith uses the story of the Canaanite Woman to help further explain his point. James walks us through the passage and shows us how Jesus is chasing faith in his followers, in order that it become strong and firm. The Canaanite woman was at the end of her rope, but this only made her faith in Christ stronger. James closes the episode by explaining how our faith is a lot like moonlight. The Moon does not possess light, it reflects light from the Sun. In the same way, our faith comes from Jesus and the light of Christ is reflected from us to others. Related episodes: 1. Conversation with Michael John Cusick 2. Qualifies the Called 3. Season of Lament 4. Indebted to Hope 5. God’s Beloved The post Faith shines best in Darkness appeared first on Apprentice Institute.