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REPLAY: John Mark Comer

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The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry

Please welcome John Mark Comer to the Thriving Beyond Belief podcast this week talking about our world of HURRY and how we can eliminate it!!

Author and Former Megachurch Pastor John Mark Comer Advocates a New Practice for Your Spiritual Life: Slowing Down

Our worst moments tend to happen when we are in a hurry—late for an appointment, behind on our to-do list, cramming too much in our day. It occurs when we’re trying constantly to do more, creating a bone-deep tiredness not just in our minds or bodies but deep in our souls. In short, hurry doesn’t just make us weary. It is the great enemy of our spiritual life.

Author and pastor John Mark Comer proposes that the solution to being fully present to God, others, and our own hearts is found simply by following the unhurried way of Jesus. He explains, “Jesus invites all of us to take up the ‘easy’ yoke. He has—on offer to all—an easy way to shoulder the weight of life with his triumvirate of love, joy, and peace.”

Comer’s journey to discovering the life-changing remedy of slowing down began while he was pastoring a successful megachurch with six services each Sunday, a marathon lifestyle which left him feeling burnt out and detached from those around him. In a moment of desperation, he asked his mentor, John Ortberg, for advice. The response he received was the same as what philosopher and Christian spiritual formation teacher Dallas Willard had given to Ortberg years before: “You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life. There is nothing else.”

As Comer put this simple truth into practice in his own life, he experienced radical renewal in his mental, spiritual, and emotional well-being. The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry describes his transformation and offers hope amidst the toxicity in our fast-paced, modern world.

In a casual, conversational tone, he presents a poignant message: “This is an invitation—for all the tired, the burned out, the stressed, all those stuck in traffic and behind on their to-do list….If you want to experience the life of Jesus, you have to adopt the lifestyle of Jesus.”

John Mark Comer lives, works, and writes in the urban core of Portland, Oregon. He is the pastor for teaching and vision at Bridgetown Church. Prior to that, he was lead pastor of a suburban megachurch. He has a master’s degree from Western Seminary and is the author of Loveology, Garden City, and God Has a Name. John Mark lives in Portland with his wife, Tammy, and their three children.

 

LISTEN ON ITUNES

Highlights:

  • Relying on the teachings and example of Jesus, Comer provides four down-to-earth practices for unhurrying your life:
  • silence and solitude
  • Sabbath
  • simplicity
  • slowing

Related Links:

 

106: Ashley Abercrombie

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A willingness to be vulnerable and share a personal story takes courage. Speaker, blogger, and pastor, Ashley Abercrombie knows this first hand. In her new book, Rise of the Truth Teller: Own Your Story, Tell it Like it Is, and Live with Holy Gumption, she writes about her private journey surviving rape, abortion, dysfunctional relationships, and overcoming addictions all while maintaining her gritty, no-nonsense style.

It was in the story telling that allowed Abercrombie to find her strength and her voice. And now she wants to offer readers permission to break the silence on their own pain and shame in order to find healing, encouragement, and ultimately, the gumption to carry on.

She urges Christians to release others to do the same and in turn embrace the truth of the social injustices facing our country today, including rural poverty, race, the criminal justice system, and gender roles. Throughout the book, Abercrombie ruthlessly encourages women to rise up, embrace the truth of who they are, and not hide behind masks anymore.

“Through this book, I hope to inspire others to own their story, tell it like it is, and live with holy gumption,” she writes. “I am convinced that we are living in an unprecedented time, when we need the truth tellers to rise. We need space to be our whole selves, and then courage to create safe space for others to do the same.”

Ashley Abercrombie wore a mask more than half her life, and considers herself too old and too annoyed to ever put that thing on again. She has fought to overcome addiction, rape, abortion, perfectionism, and dysfunctional relationships to become an honest, whole, and free woman (most days) and has been in multicultural urban ministry and justice work or more than 15 years. During that time, she has taught Bible studies, classes, small groups, and workshops on reconciliation and justice, as well as Sunday services. Ashley is a content creator, and more than 200,000 people have completed her YouVersion Bible App devotional. She’s currently doing that work while serving at Liberty Church in downtown Manhattan. A blogger, writer, and speaker, Ashley lives with her husband, Cody, and their two sons in Harlem.

LISTEN ON ITUNES

Highlights:

  • Sharing your personal story takes courage!
  • Ashley ruthlessly encourages women to rise up, embrace the truth of who they are, and not hide behind masks anymore.
  • She wore a mask more than half her life, and considers herself too old and too annoyed to ever put that thing on again.

Related Links:

105: Nicole Zasowski

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As a marriage and family therapist, one of Nicole Zasowski’s greatest joys is helping her clients grow in emotional freedom. What she couldn’t see for many years is that she was living her own life outside of that freedom, clinging to behaviors like shame, performance, and control in order to feel valued and safe.

It was only when she was confronted with her own devastating pain and loss that Nicole realized her current way of life was failing her. She then discovered that sometimes God’s rescue looks like prying our fingers off what we think we want so that we can receive what we truly need. And often, on the far side of pain we don’t prefer, we find transformation we would not trade.

In From Lost to Found, Nicole shares her story as she helps us

  • name what we fear losing most,
  • identify how our reactive behaviors are failing us,
  • discover what joy we can find in letting go, and
  • move forward in the freedom God has for us.

God is writing a story of redemption in your life too. Find out for yourself that sometimes the greatest joy is found when we are drained of all misplaced hope and shallow identities. In the midst of pain or transition, discover a surprising path to healing as you lose your grip on comfort and control—and fall right into God’s transformative grace.

 

LISTEN ON ITUNES

Highlights:

  • In our culture today, we often talk about feelings as if they are the truest part of ourselves… but they aren’t
  • We talk about behaviors like performance, control, and shame.
  • We talk about what we do to protect ourselves from pain.

Related Links:

104: John Mark Comer

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The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry

Please welcome John Mark Comer to the Thriving Beyond Belief podcast this week talking about our world of HURRY and how we can eliminate it!!

Author and Former Megachurch Pastor John Mark Comer Advocates a New Practice for Your Spiritual Life: Slowing Down

Our worst moments tend to happen when we are in a hurry—late for an appointment, behind on our to-do list, cramming too much in our day. It occurs when we’re trying constantly to do more, creating a bone-deep tiredness not just in our minds or bodies but deep in our souls. In short, hurry doesn’t just make us weary. It is the great enemy of our spiritual life.

Author and pastor John Mark Comer proposes that the solution to being fully present to God, others, and our own hearts is found simply by following the unhurried way of Jesus. He explains, “Jesus invites all of us to take up the ‘easy’ yoke. He has—on offer to all—an easy way to shoulder the weight of life with his triumvirate of love, joy, and peace.”

Comer’s journey to discovering the life-changing remedy of slowing down began while he was pastoring a successful megachurch with six services each Sunday, a marathon lifestyle which left him feeling burnt out and detached from those around him. In a moment of desperation, he asked his mentor, John Ortberg, for advice. The response he received was the same as what philosopher and Christian spiritual formation teacher Dallas Willard had given to Ortberg years before: “You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life. There is nothing else.”

As Comer put this simple truth into practice in his own life, he experienced radical renewal in his mental, spiritual, and emotional well-being. The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry describes his transformation and offers hope amidst the toxicity in our fast-paced, modern world.

In a casual, conversational tone, he presents a poignant message: “This is an invitation—for all the tired, the burned out, the stressed, all those stuck in traffic and behind on their to-do list….If you want to experience the life of Jesus, you have to adopt the lifestyle of Jesus.”

John Mark Comer lives, works, and writes in the urban core of Portland, Oregon. He is the pastor for teaching and vision at Bridgetown Church. Prior to that, he was lead pastor of a suburban megachurch. He has a master’s degree from Western Seminary and is the author of Loveology, Garden City, and God Has a Name. John Mark lives in Portland with his wife, Tammy, and their three children.

 

LISTEN ON ITUNES

Highlights:

  • Relying on the teachings and example of Jesus, Comer provides four down-to-earth practices for unhurrying your life:
  • silence and solitude
  • Sabbath
  • simplicity
  • slowing

Related Links:

 

103: Niki Hardy

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Please welcome Niki Hardy to the Thriving Beyond Belief podcast this week!!

Niki Hardy is a speaker and writer whose work has appeared in Christian Today and Living by Design Ministries and on Premier Radio. After leaving corporate life in London, she trained as a teacher at Kings College, London, before studying theology at Wycliffe, Oxford. She and her husband moved their family to the United States to plant CityChurch Charlotte, NC, where they now live with their three kids and two crazy Goldendoodles. A rectal (yes, rectal) cancer survivor, pastor’s wife, tea drinker, and teller of bad jokes, she’d love to connect with you at www.nikihardy.com if she can’t hug you in person.

Niki Hardy watched her mother pass away from cancer, and then her sister a few years later. When she herself was diagnosed just six weeks later it left her reeling, questioning, and merely surviving a life that bore no resemblance to the abundant life Jesus promises in the Bible, so she set out to find it.

In her new book, Breathe Again: How to Live Well When Life Falls Apart, Hardy unpacks seven practices to thrive, not just survive, no matter what life throws at us. Full of grit, humor and unvarnished stories from her own grief and rectal cancer journey, Hardy’s story and her Thriver Manifesto will help readers claim truths such as: I believe life doesn’t have to be pain-free to be full. I’ve got this because God’s got me, and together we can do more than I could ever do alone.  I step into vulnerable spaces with God and others, aware that my strength can be my biggest weakness. I practice gratitude in all things, confident that peace and well-being will follow.

I have learned to breathe again. “We’ve bought into the myth that a painful season can’t be full,” writes Hardy, “that a time of abundance isn’t challenging—and this, dear reader, gets my goat. I just don’t think it’s true, and this is exactly what this book is about: smashing this myth and inhaling all God has for us.”

LISTEN ON ITUNES

Highlights:

  • She was determined to survive
  • 5 step plan for trusting God: Choose brave, Be vulnerable, Seek out community, Embrace your circumstance, Attitude of gratitude and Reach out!
  • 7 practical ways to grasp the full life Jesus promises
  • Vulnerability helps us breathe again

Related Links:

 

102: Shannon Stewart-Ratliff

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The first weekend in October at the Influence Her Conference 2019 near Sacramento, CA, I had the honor to speak alongside my friend Shannon Stewart Ratliff, Cheryl Broderson and Grace Broderson at Metro Calvary Church in Roseville, CA! We loved our time there and the amazing women we were able to speak into and meet!

This week on the Thriving Beyond Belief, I am playing the talk that Shannon did called  “Finding Yourself In A Selfie World.”

Her name is Shannon and she is head over heels in love with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Without Him she is nothing, but with Him, she is royalty-a King’s daughter, and she has a future and a hope. I do like cool, pretty pictures, but her desire when you visit her site is that you smell the love of Christ.

She’s a small-town girl, from Franklin, Ohio. Most of her childhood days were filled with her mom taking them to church, playing sports, traveling on vacation, and her trying to become a supermodel. Ha!

Her talk is so inspiring, encouraging, and life-giving! DO NOT MISS IT!

LISTEN ON ITUNES

Highlights:

  • Shannon wanted #1’s in her life, but God gave her #2’s
  • It was the Lord that gave Shannon:
  • Strength in weakness
  • Courage in sorrow
  • Comfort in pain
  • Truth in Loving Power!

Related Links:

 

101: Emily Vogeltanz and Daniele Flickinger

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Mentoring is something we often talk about on the podcast because we know how critical it is as we grow in Christ, but it can also feel overwhelming. Today we’re excited to talk with Shelley Giglio’s team about the FLOURISH CURRICULUM!

FLOURISH is a yearlong mentoring journey based on Scripture and created in partnership with Passion City Church. After 6 years of development and leading more than 3,500 women through this mentoring journey, Passion is excited to release this unique resource to churches worldwide. This study will help you establish strong relationships between both mentors and mentees as they dig into understanding God’s truth and love through His Word together.

Links:

  • Our team is honored to provide videos, documents, and other valuable resources (for free!) to get you started on your mentoring journey as a church, small group, or individual. Visit FlourishMentor.com today!
  • Follow the journey of The Grove at Passion City Church at passioncitychurch.com/thegrove, instagram.com/pcc_thegrove, or check out The Grove Podcast wherever you listen to yours. Search “The Grove Passion” to tune in!
  • Ready to purchase a mentor or mentee book? Visit lifeway.com/flourish!

God has a real purpose for your life. All the time, that purpose is greater than ourselves. – @shelleygiglio #MARKEDpodcast

Features:

  • Extensive leadership guidance to make your mentoring journey practical and simple.
  • Personal study segments to complete over a year
  • Beautiful design to foster daily time in God’s Word
  • Specific goals and leader tips for each session
  • Devotional journal to guide you through 6 thematic sessions over the course of a year, diving deeper into topics of God’s Word, prayer, identity, calling, kinship, and gratitude
  • Mentor website with tools, coaching videos, and resources to help you start a FLOURISH program at your church

Benefits:

  • Develop a daily practice of spending time with God.
  • Connect with a younger woman, and study God’s Word together.
  • Grapple with spiritual concepts such as identity, calling, and more.
  • Consider how the stories of individuals fit into the larger redemption story God is writing.

Find valuable tools, videos and resources to help your churches, small groups, or individuals start their own mentoring journey at flourishmentor.com!

LISTEN ON ITUNES

Highlights:

  • Four distinct words in the curriculum:
  • Rooted in God’s Word
  • Flourish where we are planted
  • Freedom in Christ
  • Shade – Give your life away

Related Links: