Potter's Inn Soul Care Conversations

SHOW NOTES In our heads, we know that being is more important than doing. But the reality of our day-to-day life is that we easily drift into a performance-based relationship with God and others. Jesus modeled a different way to live. In today's episode, we learn how Jesus lived a life that began with acceptance by his Heavenly Father and ended by achieving more than any human being ever has. He has shown us the way---living as the beloved of God.   RESOURCE The Sacred Cycle Summary – Free Download   RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE PODCAST Moment to Breathe:  Belovedness Life of the Beloved: Spiritual Living in a Secular World by Henri J.M. Nouwen Clinical Theology, a Theological And Psychiatric Basis to Clinical Pastoral Care by Frank Lake The Cycle of Grace: Living In Sacred Balance by Trevor Hudson and Jerry P Haas   Support the Podcast: Donate Here for an individual contribution or on Patreon to set up monthly support. Sign up to receive email notifications as future episodes are available: Sign Up Here

This cool breeze by the river bank. A great blue heron feeding in the shallows. The pilated woodpecker serenading the forest with its haunting song. I think I need one hundred days like this!   Slowly, ever so slowly. Here. Now. This! Bit by bit and little by little, I feel a twinge of what may be life. A steady erosion has happened in me. It's taken time to do this damage. It will take more time to regain what's been lost.     The locust have ravaged much I feel now. Sad stories, and far too many of them, have layered my heart with deep grief. I think I need one hundred days like this. But today, I just may have felt my heart again.   As I let this breeze wash over me, is this a baptism of love? And as silence does what only the deep quiet does, I sit here and stay here for a while this beautiful morn. Soaking. Marinating. Feasting . Healing.

Discernment is the process of gaining clarity on finding direction for the next step of our journey.   SHOW NOTES Today's podcast is part two of a discussion between Steve and Spiritual Director Martie McMane. Martie is a retired minister, artist, and spiritual director who used a collage process with Steve & Gwen to help them make some crucial life decisions during a period of repositioning. They continue the conversation today about how the collage process can work in each of our own lives Thank you for joining us in today's conversation!   ABOUT MARTIE MCMANE Rev. Martie McMane, MA, M.Div, is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ and was the Senior Minister of First Congregational Church in Boulder from 2000-2016.  As a certified Enneagram teacher for 25 years, Martie has reached well over 1,000 people with her in-depth knowledge of the Enneagram and how its understanding can be transformative for our lives. In retirement, she enjoys creating pastels and mixed media, using it as a way to express the connection with the Divine as witnessed in nature and what it means to be human. Martie's Website   Mentioned in the Podcast SoulCollage Evolving: An Intuitive Collage Process for Self-Discovery and Community by Seena B. Frost Discernment: Reading the Signs of Daily Life by Henri Nouwen Merton's Prayer: Finding God's Will This is the Soul Collage that Steve did in the retreat with Marty.   MUSIC USED IN PODCAST Music Break at 23:13 - A Gaelic Blessing: Meditation by John Rutter Music Break at 39:50 - There will be Rest by Frank Ticheli - performed by Kantorei   SUPPORT THE PODCAST Please consider a gift to support our ministry. We have a few ways to make it easy for you: Use our Donation Page on our Website Donate using our new App Send by mail (Potter's Inn, PO Box 35, Divide, Colorado 80814 - make sure you make note that your gift is for the podcast)   FIND US ON FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM Facebook Soul Care Conversations Group Page Potter's Inn Main FB Page Instagram CONTACT US podcast@pottersinn.com INTERESTED IN MORE SOUL CARE RESOURCES? Check out our recommended reading, books on spiritual growth, and our soul care blog. Want to experience soul care in person? Learn more about our soul care intensives and retreats. 

Discernment is the process of gaining clarity on finding direction for the next step of our journey.   SHOW NOTES Last year Steve and Gwen went through a period of repositioning: changes were on the horizon but any clarity about what to do next was clouded by the realization that they were not on the same page. They reached out to a trusted Spiritual Director for help and the result was what they called a “Discernment Retreat.”  They needed clarity. They needed discernment. Today's podcast is a discussion between Steve and the Spiritual Director they called on for help, Martie McMane. A retired minister, artist, and spiritual director, Martie used a collage process that helped Steve & Gwen in making those crucial, life decisions. Today they dive deep into the process. Thank you for joining us in today's conversation!   ABOUT MARTIE MCMANE Rev. Martie McMane, MA, M.Div, is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ and was the Senior Minister of First Congregational Church in Boulder from 2000-2016.  As a certified Enneagram teacher for 25 years, Martie has reached well over 1,000 people with her in-depth knowledge of the Enneagram and how its understanding can be transformative for our lives. In retirement, she enjoys creating pastels and mixed media, using it as a way to express the connection with the Divine as witnessed in nature and what it means to be human. Martie's Website   Mentioned in the Podcast SoulCollage Evolving: An Intuitive Collage Process for Self-Discovery and Community by Seena B. Frost Discernment: Reading the Signs of Daily Life by Henri Nouwen Merton's Prayer: Finding God's Will   This is the Soul Collage that Steve did in the retreat with Marty.     MUSIC USED IN PODCAST Music Break at 33:22 & 36:32 - Waltz for the Broken Hearted Written and performed by Jeff Wahl.   SUPPORT THE PODCAST Please consider a gift to support our ministry. We have a few ways to make it easy for you: Use our Donation Page on our Website Donate using our new App Send by mail (Potter's Inn, PO Box 35, Divide, Colorado 80814 - make sure you make note that your gift is for the podcast)   FIND US ON FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM Facebook Soul Care Conversations Group Page Potter's Inn Main FB Page Instagram CONTACT US podcast@pottersinn.com INTERESTED IN MORE SOUL CARE RESOURCES? Check out our recommended reading, books on spiritual growth, and our soul care blog. Want to experience soul care in person? Learn more about our soul care intensives and retreats. 

I am simply humbled at this stage in my career, to have the privilege to tell Walter's story and to help amplify his amazingly relevant voice. Getting to know Walter has been a healing and restorative experience for me as a former pastor and a professor deeply committed to social justice when so much of the church and society has forgotten what the biblical text says about God's care for the marginalized. — Conrad L. Kanagy   SHOW NOTES Steve's chats with Conrad Kanagy, the author of coming soon book Walter Brueggemann's Prophetic Imagination: A Theological Biography. (releases Oct 24, 2023) Steve and Conrad focus on the book and how it reveals the most complete portrait to date of this remarkable prophet, pastor, preacher, teacher, and friend. Thank you for joining us in today's conversation!   ABOUT CONRAD L. KANAGY Conrad L. Kanagy is professor of sociology at Elizabethtown College, Pennsylvania. He holds an undergraduate degree from Wheaton College (Illinois) and a PhD from Penn State. He is the author of eight books and numerous scholarly articles. His primary area of expertise is American and global Christianity. He hosts the podcast A Church Dismantled--A Kingdom Restored. Books by Conrad   MENTIONED IN THE PODCAST Walter Brueggemann's Prophetic Imagination: A Theological Biography (Releases Oct 24, 2023) Conrad's Podcast A Church Dismantled--A Kingdom Restored.   MUSIC USED IN PODCAST Music Break at 33:00 - The Feast of St Augustine Music Break at 47:28 - Kyrie Eleison with Audrey Snyder   SUPPORT THE PODCAST Please consider a gift to support our ministry. We have a few ways to make it easy for you: Use our Donation Page on our Website Donate using our new App Send by mail (Potter's Inn, PO Box 35, Divide, Colorado 80814 - make sure you make note that your gift is for the podcast)   FIND US ON FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM Facebook Soul Care Conversations Group Page Potter's Inn Main FB Page Instagram CONTACT US podcast@pottersinn.com INTERESTED IN MORE SOUL CARE RESOURCES? Check out our recommended reading, books on spiritual growth, and our soul care blog. Want to experience soul care in person? Learn more about our soul care intensives and retreats. 

I came to the conclusion that I could not stay in that role and be healthy. So I chose to be a healthy person over a megachurch pastor, and it was an incredibly hard choice. — Pete Briscoe   SHOW NOTES In today's conversation, Steve talks with Pete Briscoe about why Pete no longer calls himself an “evangelical.” You'll hear Pete's story, filled with pain and struggles, as he discovers more beautiful ways to live the Christian life. While you may not agree with his path, we think there's something here to learn in his story. Thank you for joining us in today's conversation!   ABOUT PETE BRISCOE After leading Bent Tree Bible Fellowship church for nearly three decades and preaching for Telling the Truth ministry for more than a decade, God led Pete to a new season of life. With his wife Libby, they sold their home, donated most of their stuff, and bought an RV. They drove west into the sunset, took a couple of months to catch their breath, and then started to work from the road. Pete now coaches pastors and business owners/leaders in communications and self-care. He is also the host of the podcast Kindavangelical, a podcast for folks who have spent time in the evangelical culture but it isn't working for them anymore. Learn more about Pete on his website: www.petebriscoe.org   MENTIONED IN THE PODCAST Kindavangelical Podcast The Christian Journey   MUSIC USED IN PODCAST Music Break at 31:40 - Gratitude by Scott Lamlein. Music Break at 56:05 - Luminous Night of the Soul by Ola Gjeilo. Performed by Central Washington University Chamber Choir.   SUPPORT THE PODCAST Please consider a gift to support our ministry. We have a few ways to make it easy for you: Use our Donation Page on our Website Donate using our new App Send by mail (Potter's Inn, PO Box 35, Divide, Colorado 80814 - make sure you make note that your gift is for the podcast)   FIND US ON FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM Facebook Soul Care Conversations Group Page Potter's Inn Main FB Page Instagram CONTACT US podcast@pottersinn.com INTERESTED IN MORE SOUL CARE RESOURCES? Check out our recommended reading, books on spiritual growth, and our soul care blog. Want to experience soul care in person? Learn more about our soul care intensives and retreats. 

I have learned to prize holy ignorance more highly than religious certainty and to seek companions who have arrived at the same place. We are a motley crew, distinguished not only by our inability to explain ourselves to those who are more certain of their beliefs than we are but in many cases by our distance from the centers of our faith communities as well. Like campers who have bonded over cook fires far from home, we remain grateful for the provisions that we have brought with us from those cupboards, but we also find them more delicious when we share them with one another under the stars.   —Barbara Brown Taylor _____________________________________________________ “Bible-believing religious people often miss the gospel. Just because you believe in the Bible doesn't mean you understand it. Over and over the tax collectors, prostitutes, and the amoral come to Jesus, while the religious miss who he is.” These are the words of well known and lived Tim Keller. Steve and Brandon Cook explore how our view and opinions about the Bible ought to grow and deepen as we grow and deepen! About Brandon Cook Brandon is a husband and father and passionate about family and relationships. He is also a writer, trainer, and business/personal coach.  Originally from Alabama, he attended Wheaton College (IL) and studied in Jerusalem, Israel before graduating magna cum laude from Brandeis University near Boston. He also received a Master's degree in ancient Judaism from Oxford University in the UK. After graduate school, he moved to Long Beach, California and had an incredibly rich and transformative experience for over 14 years working as a pastor, coach, and trainer. Brandon and his wife Rebecca have three amazing children and now live in Brevard, North Carolina.  Brandon's Website   MUSIC Native Tongue by David Wilcox (from Into the Mystery, 2003) Lyrics Ancient Words by Michael W. Smith (from Worship Again, 2002) Lyrics   SUPPORT THE PODCAST Please consider a gift to support our ministry. We have a few ways to make it easy for you: Use our Donation Page on our Website Donate using our new App Send by mail (Potter's Inn, PO Box 35, Divide, Colorado 80814 - make sure you make note that your gift is for the podcast)   FIND US ON FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM Facebook Soul Care Conversations Group Page Potter's Inn Main FB Page Instagram CONTACT US podcast@pottersinn.com INTERESTED IN MORE SOUL CARE RESOURCES? Check out our recommended reading, books on spiritual growth, and our soul care blog. Want to experience soul care in person? Learn more about our soul care intensives and retreats. 

Note From Steve: We are living in a day and age of distractions. We are bombarded with choices, options and desires. This podcast lays out the way to to cultivate peace and contentment. It's about practicing the daily Examen. This is an ancient practice developed by Ignatius of Loyola. He said this ONE spiritual practice would change your life for the good. It's true. My life has thoroughly changed by learning to incorporate this one spiritual practice. It's my final recommendation for the summer.   SHOW NOTES The art of reflecting on our day is almost a lost art in our busy and over-committed life. However, in this week's podcast, Steve explores an ancient spiritual exercise called The Daily Examen. In this podcast, Steve walks us through five easy steps used to reflect back upon our day, to see where God was in our midst that we might have missed because of our busyness, and to foster a heart of gratitude.   RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE PODCAST Five Steps to the Daily Examen Moment to Breathe: Matthew 11: 28-30 (MSG)   SUPPORT THE PODCAST We have two ways to make it easy for you: Use our Donation Page on our Website Donate using our new App   CONTACT US podcast@pottersinn.com INTERESTED IN MORE SOUL CARE RESOURCES? Check out our recommended reading, books on spiritual growth, and our soul care blog. Want to experience soul care in person? Learn more about our soul care intensives and retreats. 

Note From Steve: This conversation for me was like having a trusted friend do the deep excavation of my heart. There is nothing like a good question to allow one to feel safe and begin to open up. Steve Macchia and I had a lovely conversation which I commend to you this summer. There's a lot in this wide ranging conversation. I hope you'll enjoy!   SHOW NOTES I (Steve) recently sat down with Steve Macchia of Leadership Transformations to have an honest conversation and assess where we are today in light of all that has been happening. I was able to reflect backwards and think forward through Steve Macchia's thoughtful questions. I felt liberty to just open my heart; this podcast is the result. I hope you'll find the space to listen.  We want to thank Steve Macchia and Leadership Transformations, Inc (LTI) for allowing us to edit and air this episode (Season 15, Episode 3). The Discerning Leader Podcast   MENTIONED IN PODCAST The Jesus Life by Stephen W. Smith SOLO: Creating Space with God by Stephen W. Smith and Peter Ivey Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard The State of my Soul Psalm 103   MUSIC USED IN PODCAST First Music Break at 17:24: Till That Blessed Day by JOYSPRING. From the Album Quiet My Soul. With Permission from Epidemic Sound. Second Music Break at 49:31: Abide with Me (Arr. Cleobury) - Performed by Choir of King's College, Cambridge. SUPPORT THE PODCAST We have two ways to make it easy for you: Use our Donation Page on our Website Donate using our new App   CONTACT US podcast@pottersinn.com INTERESTED IN MORE SOUL CARE RESOURCES? Check out our recommended reading, books on spiritual growth, and our soul care blog. Want to experience soul care in person? Learn more about our soul care intensives and retreats. 

NOTE FROM STEVE: I love this particular podcast because it is foundational to understanding the care of the soul. In this podcast, I explain what the soul is and how we can participate in the caring for our soul.   As I've said , this message is needed because the message of soul care gets lost in our busyness and all the issues of life hitting us day by day!  I hope you'll listen and pass this along to a few friends you think could really benefit by listening to it!  Summer blessings! Steve   SHOW NOTES Join co-hosts Steve Smith and Joe Chambers as they give more definition to what soul care is and how it relates to icebergs and the Brooklyn Bridge! Steve Smith shows us the stress of living divided lives and lays out the importance of caring for all aspects of the human experience: physical, emotional, relational, vocational, and spiritual. Plus enjoy an interview with Joe Walters, head of the Soul Care Institute and learn how you can take part in a 2 year journey to better soul health.   LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE PODCAST Understanding the Soul with Icebergs: View and Download Article: Five Reasons Soul Care Matters by Stephen W. Smith: View and Download Poem: For One Who Is Exhausted by John O'Donohue. This poem is available in his book To Bless The Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings. Learn more about John O'Donohue at www.johnodonohue.com   BOOKS RECOMMENDED The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk M.D. Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander by Thomas Merton Building Below the Waterline: Shoring Up the Foundations of Leadership by Gordon MacDonald   SUPPORT THE PODCAST Donate Here for an individual contribution.   CONTACT US podcast@pottersinn.com   INTERESTED IN MORE SOUL CARE RESOURCES?  Check out our recommended reading, books on spiritual growth, and our soul care blog. Want to experience soul care in person? Learn more about our soul care intensives and retreats. 

FROM STEVE: Until we answer life's deepest questions, we will remain stuck— unable to live with freedom and vitality. This podcast is one where Gwen and I explore three core questions.  Remember this: we can never hear this message too much because living with soul and by soul is counter cultural and for many, counter intuitive!   SHOW NOTES In this episode we join Steve and Gwen for two sessions of their Soul Care 101 course recorded at the retreat center known as Potter's Inn at Aspen Ridge. Enjoy this fireside conversation with pops and crackles from the fireplace, as they examine the three core questions of every soul. In the first session they talk about:   Question 1 - Am I Loved? Every person everywhere wants to know if they are loved. Some (or all) of us may have love wounds where we either didn't get the love we needed or we looked for love in all the wrong places. Learn what it means to be beloved and how to rest in the truth of God's love for us.   Question 2 - Am I Safe? What fears do we carry with us that shape us? How do these fears affect our image of God? If we don't feel safe how does that affect how we relate to others? Also it's good to ask, am I a safe person? Do I listen to others or am I quick to judge? Question 3 - Do I Belong?    It is evident from an early age that we all want to belong to a group, a community. Where are we finding our safe community? Is it the right place? Are we able to be our true selves there or do we feel that we have to act or look a certain way? Do we change our behavior depending on where we are or who we are with?   RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE PODCAST Download a Study Guide for Question 1 and Questions 2 and 3 Soul Care 101 Course Scripture reading: Deuteronomy 7:7-9 Moment to Breathe: The Inner Voice by Henri Nouwen. Read the excerpt here. Why Am I Afraid to Tell You Who I Am? by John Powell   SUPPORT THE PODCAST Donate Here for an individual contribution. CONTACT US podcast@pottersinn.com

This is a way of praying that just helps! And help is what most of us seem to need these days. How do we find words to form in prayer when we are knotted up inside; when we are speechless? The Welcome Prayer is a prayer of letting go and holding palms up in sweet surrender. I use this prayer often and this podcast is about learning to mouth the words and find meaning each time we pray it! Enjoy!   MENTIONED IN PODCAST The Welcome Prayer by Father Thomas Keating Matthew 6:5-13 (The Message) Lectio Divina   SUPPORT THE PODCAST Donate Here for an individual contribution. CONTACT US podcast@pottersinn.com   INTERESTED IN MORE SOUL CARE RESOURCES? Check out our recommended reading, books on spiritual growth, and our soul care blog. Want to experience soul care in person? Learn more about our soul care intensives and retreats. 

FROM STEVE: I consider Belden Lane to Be among the most important voices in the 21st century. For the next two weeks listen deeply to his wisdom and insight. I relish in his books and find him to be among the most authentic voices I've ever heard! SPECIAL GUEST BELDEN C. LANE Belden and his dog Joey Belden C. Lane is a Presbyterian theologian who teaches on a Jesuit faculty at Saint Louis University. His interests include the relationship between geography and faith, wilderness backpacking in the Ozarks, the magic of storytelling, desert spirituality, exposing students to urban poverty through the Catholic Worker community, and the poetry of Rumi. He also works with men, helping to lead initiation rites through Richard Rohr's program for Men as Learners and Elders in Albuquerque. He lives with his wife Patricia, a spiritual director and retired school teacher, in Saint Louis. Drawn to sacred places around the world, his travels have involved camping in Egypt, Ireland and the Virgin Islands; hiking in Greece, Hawaii, and Australia; and study in England, Israel and Mexico. For six years I served in the pastorate, from a village parish in western New York State to the historic First Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia. Some time ago he found himself delightfully introduced as a Presbyterian minister teaching at a Roman Catholic university telling Jewish stories at the Vedanta Society. More about Belden Belden's Books: The Solace of Fierce Landscapes: Exploring Desert and Mountain Spirituality Ravished by Beauty: The Surprising Legacy of Reformed Spirituality Backpacking with the Saints: Wilderness Hiking as Spiritual Practice The Great Conversation: Nature and the Care of the Soul   MENTIONED IN PODCAST Apophatic and Cataphatic Tradition Walter Brueggemann on Psalms of Disorientation Richard Rohr's Center for Action and Contemplation Illuman - Richard Rohr Ministry for Men Paula D'Arcy - Red Bird Foundation Paula D'Arcy's book The Gift of the Red Bird   CONTACT US podcast@pottersinn.com   INTERESTED IN MORE SOUL CARE RESOURCES? Check out our recommended reading, books on spiritual growth, and our soul care blog. Want to experience soul care in person? Learn more about our soul care intensives and retreats. 

FROM STEVE: I consider Belden Lane to Be among the most important voices in the 21st century. For the next two weeks listen deeply to his wisdom and insight. I relish in his books and find him to be among the most authentic voices I've ever heard! SPECIAL GUEST BELDEN C. LANE Belden and his dog Joey Belden C. Lane is a Presbyterian theologian who teaches on a Jesuit faculty at Saint Louis University. His interests include the relationship between geography and faith, wilderness backpacking in the Ozarks, the magic of storytelling, desert spirituality, exposing students to urban poverty through the Catholic Worker community, and the poetry of Rumi. He also works with men, helping to lead initiation rites through Richard Rohr's program for Men as Learners and Elders in Albuquerque. He lives with his wife Patricia, a spiritual director and retired school teacher, in Saint Louis. Drawn to sacred places around the world, his travels have involved camping in Egypt, Ireland and the Virgin Islands; hiking in Greece, Hawaii, and Australia; and study in England, Israel and Mexico. For six years I served in the pastorate, from a village parish in western New York State to the historic First Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia. Some time ago he found himself delightfully introduced as a Presbyterian minister teaching at a Roman Catholic university telling Jewish stories at the Vedanta Society. More about Belden Belden's Books: The Solace of Fierce Landscapes: Exploring Desert and Mountain Spirituality Ravished by Beauty: The Surprising Legacy of Reformed Spirituality Backpacking with the Saints: Wilderness Hiking as Spiritual Practice The Great Conversation: Nature and the Care of the Soul   MENTIONED IN PODCAST Richard Rohr quote “from disorder to reorder to new order” - from his book The Wisdom Pattern: Order, Disorder, Reorder. Thomas Berry book on the Great Conversation - Befriending the Earth: A Theology of Reconciliation Between Humans and the Earth SNEAK PEAK: 30 Days with the Potter Devotional reading - Foundational Love of God (Text)   CONTACT US podcast@pottersinn.com   INTERESTED IN MORE SOUL CARE RESOURCES? Check out our recommended reading, books on spiritual growth, and our soul care blog. Want to experience soul care in person? Learn more about our soul care intensives and retreats. 

NOTE FROM STEVE: We all need spiritual diodes to help us find the way. I consider Trevor to be a Spiritual Master. In todays world, I am suspicious of people who are not credible-- who are too young, too inexperienced and too unbroken. The voices I trust and listen to are seasoned women and men who know the landscape of the inner journey. Trevor Hudson is one voice I trust and respect. His two podcasts are stellar and should be listened to many times. Repetition is the mother of all learning! Steve ABOUT OUR GUEST Trevor Hudson has been part of the Methodist movement for over 40 years. Serving primarily around Johannesburg, he is deeply committed to the work of spiritual formation within local congregational contexts. A significant part of his weekly work presently consists of leading people through the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius and offering spiritual direction. Besides his local commitments, Trevor travels widely, preaching and teaching. He lectures at Fuller Seminary, the Renovaré Institute, the Dallas Willard Center for Christian Spiritual Formation, and the Jesuit Institute in South Africa. He is the author of 22 books including Discovering Your Spiritual Identity (IVP) and Beyond Loneliness (Upper Room). His most recent book is Seeking God-Finding Another Kind of Life with St. Ignatius and Dallas Willard.   RESOURCES MENTIONED IN PODCASTS Episode 10: Discernment: The Journey to Discover God's Will Episode 12: Cultivating Daily Shalom: Using the Daily Examen Dallas Willard   MUSIC USED IN PODCAST PART 1 Music Break at 22:50: Mellow Celtic Style Acoustic Duet - Envato Elements Music Break at 37:49: Beautiful Choir Requiem – Blue Sky Audio PART 2 Music Break at 16:27: Gregorian Chant - Artist unknown Music Break at 32:08: Beautiful Choir Requiem – Blue Sky Audio FIND US ON FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM Facebook Soul Care Conversations Group Page Potter's Inn Main FB Page Instagram   CONTACT US podcast@pottersinn.com INTERESTED IN MORE SOUL CARE RESOURCES? Check out our recommended reading, books on spiritual growth, and our soul care blog. Want to experience soul care in person? Learn more about our soul care intensives and retreats. 

Steve's Podcast List for Summer 2023 If there is one podcast that defines my life message and legacy, surely it is this one. This has the key to unlock all the years of trying and performance to get it right. I explore why reading the “red letters of Jesus “ is so important and some thoughts to inspire us upward and onward! Could you PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW AND THEN SHARE THIS WITH FIVE OF YOUR FRIENDS WHO NEED IT? We would appreciate it!   MENTIONED IN PODCAST SOLO: Creating Space with God by Stephen W. Smith and Peter M. Ivey The Jesus Life by Stephen W. Smith Pray as you Go - APP for Lectio Divina   MUSIC USED IN PODCAST Music Break at 33:36 My Yoke Is Easy by John Michael Talbot CONTACT US podcast@pottersinn.com INTERESTED IN MORE SOUL CARE RESOURCES? Check out our recommended reading, books on spiritual growth, and our soul care blog. Want to experience soul care in person? Learn more about our soul care intensives and retreats

The trapeze artist free falls into the hands of trust and love. Jesus let go, while on the cross and surrendered his life into good hands of his Father. — Henri Nouwen SHOW NOTES It's hard work to let go. Ask Moses, Peter, Paul, Mary the mother of Jesus, or really—any character in the Scriptures. Like it or not, letting go is one of the big scholastic courses you sign up for in being born. Today we explore Letting Go—it all comes together in our May Issue of our new resource, the Soul Care Ezine. Steve talks about how the whole process of Letting Go is such an important part of your own soul journey.  This episode is the final one for this season. We will be taking a break this summer, but will be back in the Fall with more podcasts!   MENTIONED IN PODCAST Read Issue 2 of the Soul Care Ezine on Letting Go Poem read by Steve - The Welcome Prayer by Father Thomas Keating Subscribe to the Soul Care Ezine Pay it Forward - Donate to the Soul Care Ezine   MUSIC USED IN PODCAST Music Break at 38:46 - Cathedral of the Pines by Tim Janis · from Flowers in October Music Break at 45:25 - I Won't Break by Elyssa Smith   SUPPORT THE PODCAST Please consider a gift to support our ministry. We have a few ways to make it easy for you: Use our Donation Page on our Website Donate using our new App Send by mail (Potter's Inn, PO Box 35, Divide, Colorado 80814 - make sure you make note that your gift is for the podcast)   FIND US ON FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM Facebook Soul Care Conversations Group Page Potter's Inn Main FB Page Instagram CONTACT US podcast@pottersinn.com INTERESTED IN MORE SOUL CARE RESOURCES? Check out our recommended reading, books on spiritual growth, and our soul care blog. Want to experience soul care in person? Learn more about our soul care intensives and retreats. 

We carry these desires, our deepest longings, with us. It's part of what it means to be human, and they are drivers in our lives whether or not we acknowledge them. — Jeff Crosby SHOW NOTES Today's guest is Jeff Crosby, the author of the new book (releases May 23, 2023) Language of the Soul. For over fifteen years, Jeff has been searching for a language of the soul--a way to articulate our deepest longings. Through the years he gathered clues from within global music styles, from different cultures, from his own Christian tradition and its sacred texts--and from deep within himself. Jeff explores the ways in which God meets us in our deepest longings of the heart – our longing for home, friendship, forgiveness, spiritual transformation, and more – not by satisfying our every desire but by granting us what we genuinely need. SPECIAL GUEST JEFF CROSBY Jeff Crosby is the president and CEO of ECPA, the trade association of Christian publishing, and has spent nearly four decades working in the world of words as a bookseller, publisher, and author. His writing has appeared in numerous magazines and journals including CRUX, Conversations Journal, Books & Culture, Urban Faith, and Living Lutheran. He is the editor and compiler of "Days of Grace Through the Year" (a collection of writings by Lewis B. Smedes) and the author of The Language of the Soul, which is released May 23, 2023. Crosby earned an undergraduate degree in journalism and a master's degree in leadership development, where his area of special emphasis was creating mentoring cultures in organizations.  He has been married to Cindy Crosby, a writer, educator, and naturalist, for more than 40 years, and has two grown children and six grandchildren.  You can find more at JeffreyCrosby.net.   MENTIONED IN PODCAST The Language of the Soul: Meeting God in the Longings of our Heart by Jeff Crosby Jeff's Website   MUSIC USED IN PODCAST Music Break at 52:25 - Always With Me (Song for Anxiety) - IAMSON SUPPORT THE PODCAST Please consider a gift to support our ministry. We have a few ways to make it easy for you: Use our Donation Page on our Website Donate using our new App Send by mail (Potter's Inn, PO Box 35, Divide, Colorado 80814 - make sure you make note that your gift is for the podcast)     FIND US ON FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM Facebook Soul Care Conversations Group Page Potter's Inn Main FB Page Instagram CONTACT US podcast@pottersinn.com INTERESTED IN MORE SOUL CARE RESOURCES? Check out our recommended reading, books on spiritual growth, and our soul care blog. Want to experience soul care in person? Learn more about our soul care intensives and retreats. 

Be responsible, serve, and protect. — Kyle Meyaard-Schaap SHOW NOTES Have you ever looked at the effects of climate change and the apathy of so many around you and wondered, "What are we missing here?" Today's guest Kyle Meyaard-Schaap understands this feeling from personal experience. He is the author of the recently released book, Following Jesus in a Warming World, a field guide for Christian climate action. Steve and Kyle discuss the book and how climate change should not be grounded in a sense of guilt or drudgery, but in the joy of caring for creation. Thank you for joining us today! SPECIAL GUEST KYLE MEYAARD-SCHAAP   Kyle is vice-president of the Evangelical Environmental Network. Previously, he was the national organizer and spokesperson for Young Evangelicals for Climate Action, and he has been featured in news outlets such as CNN, PBS, NPR, NBC News, and U.S. News & World Report. He lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with his wife and two children. Kyle's Website (Order his new book, read more of his bio, and contact him directly) https://kylemeyaardschaap.com/   MENTIONED IN PODCAST Climate Vigil Songs from The Porter's Gate Kyle's Website Genesis 1 (MSG) Download Beauty and Nature Reader for $1   MUSIC USED IN PODCAST Music Break at 58:47 - My Father's World by Jadon Lavik · from Roots Run Deep SUPPORT THE PODCAST Please consider a gift to support our ministry. We have a few ways to make it easy for you: Use our Donation Page on our Website Donate using our new App Send by mail (Potter's Inn, PO Box 35, Divide, Colorado 80814 - make sure you make note that your gift is for the podcast)     FIND US ON FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM Facebook Soul Care Conversations Group Page Potter's Inn Main FB Page Instagram CONTACT US podcast@pottersinn.com INTERESTED IN MORE SOUL CARE RESOURCES? Check out our recommended reading, books on spiritual growth, and our soul care blog. Want to experience soul care in person? Learn more about our soul care intensives and retreats. 

“There is no house like the house of belonging.”  — David Whyte SHOW NOTES Every soul needs to belong. We look for our sense of belonging in our families, tribes, nations, and friendships Today we explore the place of our home—that place where you actually live and the role and influences that this place has on our spiritual lives. ​It all comes together in our new resource, the Soul Care Ezine. Steve shares why we decided to create the Ezine, what will be included in each issue, and how it can be a part of your own soul journey.    MENTIONED IN PODCAST Read Issue 1 of the Soul Care Ezine The House of Belonging by David Whyte Subscribe to the Soul Care Ezine Pay it Forward - Donate to the Soul Care Ezine   MUSIC USED IN PODCAST Music Break at 26:33 - Resurrexi by Juliano Ravanello · from Music of Silence: Gregorian Chants  

We are continuing the conversation today with Steve and Roger Housden. It was Roger who opened the portal for Steve to get and understand poetry. Roger is a prolific writer, poet, speaker and teacher and speaks with a grace and appreciation of self-discovery and exploration . Thank you for joining us today! Our Special Guest - Roger Housden Roger Housden is an author and has been featured many times in The Oprah Magazine, The New York Times, and the Los Angeles Times. His first book was published in the U.K. in 1990, and as of 2018, he has published twenty six books, including four travel books, a novella, Chasing Love and Revelation, and the best-selling Ten Poems series, which began in 2001 with Ten Poems to Change Your Life and ended with the publication in 2018 of Ten Poems  for Difficult Times. A native of England, he lives in Marin County, California, and teaches around the world. Roger's Website Roger's Books   Mentioned in Podcast Come Before Winter Retreat A Brief for the Defense by Jack Gilbert Sorrow everywhere. Slaughter everywhere. If babies are not starving someplace, they are starving somewhere else. With flies in their nostrils. But we enjoy our lives because that's what God wants. Otherwise the mornings before summer dawn would not be made so fine. The Bengal tiger would not be fashioned so miraculously well. The poor women at the fountain are laughing together between the suffering they have known and the awfulness in their future, smiling and laughing while somebody in the village is very sick. There is laughter every day in the terrible streets of Calcutta, and the women laugh in the cages of Bombay. If we deny our happiness, resist our satisfaction, we lessen the importance of their deprivation. We must risk delight. We can do without pleasure, but not delight. Not enjoyment. We must have the stubbornness to accept our gladness in the ruthless furnace of this world. To make injustice the only measure of our attention is to praise the Devil. If the locomotive of the Lord runs us down, we should give thanks that the end had magnitude. We must admit there will be music despite everything. We stand at the prow again of a small ship anchored late at night in the tiny port looking over to the sleeping island: the waterfront is three shuttered cafés and one naked light burning. To hear the faint sound of oars in the silence as a rowboat comes slowly out and then goes back is truly worth all the years of sorrow that are to come. ————- From Collected Poems by Jack Gilbert. Copyright © 2012.   Unholy Sonnet 11 by Mark Jarman Half asleep in prayer I said the right thing And felt a sudden pleasure come into The room or my own body. In the dark, Charged with a change of atmosphere, at first I couldn't tell my body from the room. And I was wide awake, full of this feeling, Alert as though I'd heard a doorknob twist, A drawer pulled, and instead of terror knew The intrusion of an overwhelming joy. I had said thanks and this was the response. But how I said it or what I said it for I still cannot recall and I have tried All sorts of ways all hours of the night. Once was enough to be dissatisfied. —————— From Questions for Ecclesiastes by Mark Jarman. Copyright © 1997.   MUSIC USED IN PODCAST Music Break at 47:35 - Armenian Tradition: Surb (Holy, Holy, Holy) - Performed by Harpa Dei.   SUPPORT THE PODCAST Please consider a gift to support our ministry. We have a few ways to make it easy for you: Use our Donation Page on our Website Donate using our new App Send by mail (Potter's Inn, PO Box 35, Divide, Colorado 80814 - make sure you make note that your gift is for the podcast)   FIND US ON FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM Facebook Soul Care Conversations Group Page Potter's Inn Main FB Page Instagram CONTACT US podcast@pottersinn.com INTERESTED IN MORE SOUL CARE RESOURCES? Check out our recommended reading, books on spiritual growth, and our soul care blog. Want to experience soul care in person? Learn more about our soul care intensives and retreats. 

Todays podcast has very special meaning for Steve as he had the opportunity to speak with Roger Housden. It was Roger who opened the portal for Steve to get and understand poetry. He's a prolific writer and poet and the podcast became a soul enriching experience. We pray you are enriched as well!   OUR SPECIAL GUEST - ROGER HOUSDEN Roger Housden is an author and has been featured many times in The Oprah Magazine, The New York Times, and the Los Angeles Times. His first book was published in the U.K. in 1990, and as of 2018, he has published twenty six books, including four travel books, a novella, Chasing Love and Revelation, and the best-selling Ten Poems series, which began in 2001 with Ten Poems to Change Your Life and ended with the publication in 2018 of Ten Poems  for Difficult Times. A native of England, he lives in Marin County, California, and teaches around the world. Roger's Website Roger's Books   MUSIC USED IN PODCAST Music Break at 38:13 - Minha Alma tem Sede de Deus (My soul thirsts for God) - with Juliano Ravanello. LYRICS (in English) My soul thirsts for God And longs for the living God Pilgrim and happy walking To the house of God Amid shouts, praise and joy Of the jubilant multitude Send your light your truth They will be my guide Lead me to your holy mountain To your dwelling place Then I will go to the altars of the Lord God of my joy I will sing Your praise with the sound of the harp My Lord and my God When I shall have the joy of seeing The face of God.   SUPPORT THE PODCAST Please consider a gift to support our ministry. We have a few ways to make it easy for you: Use our Donation Page on our Website Donate using our new App Send by mail (Potter's Inn, PO Box 35, Divide, Colorado 80814 - make sure you make note that your gift is for the podcast)   FIND US ON FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM Facebook Soul Care Conversations Group Page Potter's Inn Main FB Page Instagram CONTACT US podcast@pottersinn.com INTERESTED IN MORE SOUL CARE RESOURCES? Check out our recommended reading, books on spiritual growth, and our soul care blog. Want to experience soul care in person? Learn more about our soul care intensives and retreats. 

We are continuing the conversation with Steve in Part 2 of 12 Foundations to Care for your Soul. STEVE: These days, I find myself bothered by multiple voices all trying to be heard. I'm realizing that the only voices I want to, need to and trust these days are the ones who have credibility. They must have lived life; revealed a brokenness in their souls and walk with a limp to have credibility. I need to just pass on the many social influencers and newbies yelling through their posts to be heard. I find myself growing deaf to such clamor. How about you? Thank you for joining us today!   Resources Mentioned in Podcast The Jesus Life by Stephen W. Smith Soul Custody by Stephen W. Smith Inside Job by Stephen W. Smith Podcasts on Dignity Ep. 10: Exploring Dignity of the Soul Ep. 59: Dignity Matters!   MUSIC USED IN PODCAST Music Break at 21:48 - Guardai-me ó Deus - with Juliano Ravanello. LYRICS (in English) Keep me, O God, because in you I take refuge! Keep me, O God, because in you I take refuge!   O Lord, you are my inheritance and my cup My destiny is safe in your hands I always have the Lord before my eyes Because if I have you by my side, I do not hesitate   This is why my heart is in celebration My soul rejoices with joy And even my body at rest is calm For you will not leave me delivered to death Nor will your friend know corruption   You teach me your way to life Eternal delight and joy at your side Together with you unlimited happiness Eternal delight and joy at your side Bless the Lord, O my soul SUPPORT THE PODCAST Please consider a gift to support our ministry. We have a few ways to make it easy for you: Use our Donation Page on our Website Donate using our new App Send by mail (Potter's Inn, PO Box 35, Divide, Colorado 80814 - make sure you make note that your gift is for the podcast)   FIND US ON FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM Facebook Soul Care Conversations Group Page Potter's Inn Main FB Page Instagram CONTACT US podcast@pottersinn.com INTERESTED IN MORE SOUL CARE RESOURCES? Check out our recommended reading, books on spiritual growth, and our soul care blog. Want to experience soul care in person? Learn more about our soul care intensives and retreats. 

Today's podcast is with Steve, in a message that he felt could contribute to a deeper understanding of soul care. These days, I find myself bothered by multiple voices all trying to be heard. I'm realizing that the only voices I want to, need to and trust these days are the ones who have credibility. They must have lived life; revealed a brokenness in their souls and walk with a limp to have credibility. I need to just pass on the many social influencers and newbies yelling through their posts to be heard. I find myself growing deaf to such clamor. How about you? Thank you for joining us today!   RESOURCES MENTIONED IN PODCAST The Jesus Life by Stephen W. Smith Inside Job by Stephen W. Smith Podcast on Body/Health: The Body-Soul Connection, Part 1 & Part 2 Podcasts on Dignity Ep. 10: Exploring Dignity of the Soul Ep. 59: Dignity Matters!   MUSIC USED IN PODCAST Music Break at 40:21 - Lento assai, cantante e tranquillo from String Quartet No. 16 in F Major Op. 135 - Written by Ludwig Van Beethoven · Performed by Danubius Quartet SUPPORT THE PODCAST Please consider a gift to support our ministry. We have a few ways to make it easy for you: Use our Donation Page on our Website Donate using our new App Send by mail (Potter's Inn, PO Box 35, Divide, Colorado 80814 - make sure you make note that your gift is for the podcast)   FIND US ON FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM Facebook Soul Care Conversations Group Page Potter's Inn Main FB Page Instagram CONTACT US podcast@pottersinn.com INTERESTED IN MORE SOUL CARE RESOURCES? Check out our recommended reading, books on spiritual growth, and our soul care blog. Want to experience soul care in person? Learn more about our soul care intensives and retreats. 

Many of us seemed hard wired to do, do, and do more. Changing this requires a long, slow rewiring of our minds at the cellular level. It is not acquired by reading quotes, attending conferences or transferring an addiction of accomplishing more and more to the spiritual life. Steve talks with author Alan Fadling about his beautiful book, A Year of Slowing Down: Daily Devotions for Unhurried Living A year of slowing. I like it and you will also! TODAY'S GUEST - ALAN FADLING Alan is a founding partner of Unhurried Living, Inc, a non-profit that trains people to rest deeper, live fuller and lead better. Alan is a trained spiritual director and leadership consultant, and the author of the award-winning books An Unhurried Life and An Unhurried Leader, which was honored with a Christianity Today Award of Merit in spirituality. He is also coauthor (with Gem Fadling) of What Does Your Soul Love? Learn more about Alan & his books, podcast, coaching, and Unhurried Living on his website - www.unhurriedliving.com   RESOURCES MENTIONED IN PODCAST A Year of Slowing Down: Daily Devotions for Unhurried Living by Alan Fadling Unhurried Living, Inc.   MUSIC USED IN PODCAST Music Break at 33:23: Sanctus (De Angelis) - Juliano Ravanello Music Break at 50:21: Heavenly Violin - Beautiful Relaxing Violin Music SUPPORT THE PODCAST Please consider a gift to support our ministry. We have a few ways to make it easy for you: Use our Donation Page on our Website Donate using our new App Send by mail (Potter's Inn, PO Box 35, Divide, Colorado 80814 - make sure you make note that your gift is for the podcast)   FIND US ON FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM Facebook Soul Care Conversations Group Page Potter's Inn Main FB Page Instagram CONTACT US podcast@pottersinn.com INTERESTED IN MORE SOUL CARE RESOURCES? Check out our recommended reading, books on spiritual growth, and our soul care blog. Want to experience soul care in person? Learn more about our soul care intensives and retreats. 

Today we are continuing the conversation with special guest Wesley Vander Lugt and Steve, as they continue to discuss beauty as oxygen and Kinshop Plot, a mission that is all about the deep belonging, resonant relationships, and entangled identities that bring us fully alive. Thanks for joining us in today's conversation! TODAY'S GUEST - WESLEY VANDER LUGT Wes is a pastor, theologian, writer, educator, nonprofit leader, and arts advocate with a passion for beauty, slowness, cultivation, kinship, and theodramatics. ​Wes currently works as the Acting Director of the Leighton Ford Center for Theology, the Arts, and Gospel Witness and Adjunct Professor of Theology at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Charlotte. He is also the Co-Founder of Kinship Plot, a community of learning and practice who imagine and embody resonant relationships of every kind. Wes holds a PhD in Theology, Imagination, and the Arts from the University of St Andrews. His publications include Living Theodrama: Reimagining Theological Ethics, and he is currently working on a book called Beauty is Oxygen: How Buffered, Battered, and Bored Souls Can Breathe Again. Learn more about Wes on his website - www.WesleyVanderLugt.com   RESOURCES MENTIONED IN PODCAST Kinship Plot - founded by Wes and his wife Stephanie   MUSIC USED IN PODCAST Music Break at 16:05: Serse (Xerxes), HWV 40: Larghetto - from the Album Klassiska Favoriter Music Break at 33:43: Create In Me- written by Terry Talbot. SUPPORT THE PODCAST Please consider a gift to support our ministry. We have a few ways to make it easy for you: Use our Donation Page on our Website Donate using our new App Send by mail (Potter's Inn, PO Box 35, Divide, Colorado 80814 - make sure you make note that your gift is for the podcast)   FIND US ON FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM Facebook Soul Care Conversations Group Page Potter's Inn Main FB Page Instagram

Oxygen is essential to our survival. Did you ever think that Beauty might also be essential to our survival? Special guest Wesley Vander Lugt and Steve dig deep into how Beauty is not just about decoration in our lives or as an illustration of truth, but something deep in us that longs to not only enjoy beauty, but to be drawn into it and participate in it. Thanks for joining us in today's conversation. TODAY'S GUEST - WESLEY VANDER LUGT Wes is a pastor, theologian, writer, educator, nonprofit leader, and arts advocate with a passion for beauty, slowness, cultivation, kinship, and theodramatics. ​Wes currently works as the Acting Director of the Leighton Ford Center for Theology, the Arts, and Gospel Witness and Adjunct Professor of Theology at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Charlotte. He is also the Co-Founder of Kinship Plot, a community of learning and practice who imagine and embody resonant relationships of every kind. Wes holds a PhD in Theology, Imagination, and the Arts from the University of St Andrews. His publications include Living Theodrama: Reimagining Theological Ethics, and he is currently working on a book called Beauty is Oxygen: How Buffered, Battered, and Bored Souls Can Breathe Again. Learn more about Wes on his website - www.WesleyVanderLugt.com RESOURCES MENTIONED IN PODCAST Kinship Plot - founded by Wes and his wife Stephanie   MUSIC USED IN PODCAST Music Break at 20:35: Peace - Unknown Music Break at 47:32: Miserere mei - composed by Gregorio Allegri. Performed by New College Choir, Oxford. SUPPORT THE PODCAST Please consider a gift to support our ministry. We have a few ways to make it easy for you: Use our Donation Page on our Website Donate using our new App Send by mail (Potter's Inn, PO Box 35, Divide, Colorado 80814 - make sure you make note that your gift is for the podcast)   FIND US ON FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM Facebook Soul Care Conversations Group Page Potter's Inn Main FB Page Instagram

We are approaching a new season. The days will get longer now. The darkness will be more and more dispelled. The days of Lent are near. Easter is coming, but not yet. Lent is a time for self-examination and reflection - it is the 40 days leading up to Easter. In these 40 days, we are invited to look deeper and to look within. It's a time of humbling ourselves and recognizing what is most dead in us -- and with that, what needs to come alive in us! And that is why Potter's Inn and Steve has created a resource that will guide you in those 40 days of self-examination and reflection, called 40 Days, 40 Miles, 40 Questions: A Lenten Journey. On today's podcast episode, Steve explains this new resource in depth and why 40 Questions in 40 Miles for 40 Days: A Lenten Journey is a spiritual practice that engages the body, heart, mind, and soul. Thanks for joining us today! RESOURCES MENTIONED IN PODCAST 40 Days, 40 Miles, 40 Questions: A Lenten Journey by Stephen W. Smith MUSIC USED IN PODCAST Music Break at 25:50: Agnus Dei from Missa Papae Marcelli from the album Classical Music for Contemplation.   SUPPORT THE PODCAST Please consider a gift to support our ministry. We have a few ways to make it easy for you: Use our Donation Page on our Website Donate using our new App Send by mail (Potter's Inn, PO Box 35, Divide, Colorado 80814 - make sure you make note that your gift is for the podcast)   FIND US ON FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM Facebook Soul Care Conversations Group Page Potter's Inn Main FB Page Instagram CONTACT US podcast@pottersinn.com INTERESTED IN MORE SOUL CARE RESOURCES? Check out our recommended reading, books on spiritual growth, and our soul care blog. Want to experience soul care in person? Learn more about our soul care intensives and retreats. 

Aspen trees are a beautiful sight in the Western US. But did you know you will never find an aspen tree growing alone in a natural setting? Aspen trees grow in community. Their roots are intertwined under the ground, making a grove of trees into one big tree. The story of Lazarus echoes the spiritual lesson of the aspen grove: we cannot grow alone. We were never meant to remain alone as we emerge from the tomb. As we learn from Lazarus, we see that our roots intertwine with others. Jesus calls us to embrace a “grove” of people and allow a community of friends to help us change. Join us in this conversation on the importance of community in each of our lives. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN PODCAST The Lazarus Life: Spiritual Transformation for Ordinary People by Stephen W. Smith John 1:14 Luke 10:34-35 MSG Romans 15:7 John 11:43 Philippians 2:1-4 MSG I Kings 6:24-33 MUSIC USED IN PODCAST Music Break at 42:45: Bring Us, O Lord God by William Harris - performed by VOCES8.   SUPPORT THE PODCAST Please consider a gift to support our ministry. We have a few ways to make it easy for you: Use our Donation Page on our Website Donate using our new App Send by mail (Potter's Inn, PO Box 35, Divide, Colorado 80814 - make sure you make note that your gift is for the podcast)   FIND US ON FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM Facebook Soul Care Conversations Group Page Potter's Inn Main FB Page Instagram CONTACT US podcast@pottersinn.com

How do we live with difficult people and how do we live when we've been hurt in a relationship? Today Joe Chambers is reading from Steve's book “The Jesus Life” and it unpacks those very subjects. It's Steve at his most raw, honest, and vulnerable. Thank you for joining us for this challenging discussion! RESOURCES MENTIONED IN PODCAST The Jesus Life: Eight Ways to Recover Authentic Christianity by Stephen W. Smith John 2:24 NIV Mark 3:13 NIV Ps. 8:3-4 MSG Eph. 1:4 MSG John 15:15 MSG Mark 3:14 NIV Gen 2:18 NIV Luke 24:32 MSG Acts 17:27 MSG Luke 18:15-17 MSG Matt. 15:19-20 NIV John 2:23-25 NIV Psm. 133:1 NIV Romans 15:7 NIV   MUSIC USED IN PODCAST Music Break at 44:51: What A Friend We Have In Jesus - Hymns Of Comfort from the Classic Worship Series. Performed by Eric Wyse & Paul Nelson SUPPORT THE PODCAST Please consider a gift to support our ministry. We have a few ways to make it easy for you: Use our Donation Page on our Website Donate using our new App Send by mail (Potter's Inn, PO Box 35, Divide, Colorado 80814 - make sure you make note that your gift is for the podcast)   FIND US ON FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM Soul Care Conversations Group Page on FB Potter's Inn Main FB Page Instagram   CONTACT US podcast@pottersinn.com INTERESTED IN MORE SOUL CARE RESOURCES? Check out our recommended reading, books on spiritual growth, and our soul care blog. Want to experience soul care in person? Learn more about our soul care intensives and retreats. 

Today Joe Chambers joins us in reading from Steve's Book “Soul Custody.” It's a discussion about Soul Companions and how the four quadrants of the human heart offer us a picture of the four levels to friendship. Being made in the image of God--the Trinity--we are most fully ourselves when we live life together. Thank you for joining us in today's discussion!   RESOURCES MENTIONED IN PODCAST Soul Custody: Choosing to Care for the One and Only You by Stephen W. Smith Proverbs 27:19 TLB Ruth 1:16-17 MSG 2 Samuel 1:26 MSG Luke 24:32 Exodus 3:3 KJV 1 Peter 1:22 Mark 7:14-23 MSG 1 Cor. 13:4-7 MSG   MUSIC USED IN PODCAST Music Break at 52:05: Entreat Me Not To Leave You, performed by Atlanta Master Chorale   FIND US ON FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM Facebook Soul Care Conversations Group Page Potter's Inn Main FB Page Instagram   CONTACT US podcast@pottersinn.com INTERESTED IN MORE SOUL CARE RESOURCES? Check out our recommended reading, books on spiritual growth, and our soul care blog. Want to experience soul care in person? Learn more about our soul care intensives and retreats.     

SHOW NOTES Welcome to Season 9 of the Soul Care Conversations Podcast! We are beginning Season 9 with a 3-part series on Friendship, and today will be a reading from a book that Steve contributed to, The Transformation of a Man's Heart. The Chapter is written by David G. Benner and is titled “Friendships: Experiencing Others on the Journey.” This chapter has such depth and wisdom on the importance of friendship in our lives. Take some time as you listen - take notes, contemplate the friendships in your life, and meditate on the scriptures that are mentioned. It will give you a new perspective on the soul friends in your life.   RESOURCES MENTIONED IN PODCAST The Transformation of a Man's Heart - Compiled and Edited by Stephen W. Smith List of Scriptures mentioned (PDF Document)   MUSIC USED IN PODCAST Music Break at 52:15: Anam Cara, performed & written by Caitlin Grey   FIND US ON FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM Facebook Soul Care Conversations Group Page Potter's Inn Main FB Page Instagram   CONTACT US podcast@pottersinn.com INTERESTED IN MORE SOUL CARE RESOURCES? Check out our recommended reading, books on spiritual growth, and our soul care blog. Want to experience soul care in person? Learn more about our soul care intensives and retreats. 

SUPPORT THE PODCAST It takes a lot to create our podcast episodes! Please consider a gift to support this vital ministry. We have a few ways to make it easy for you: Use our Donation Page on our Website Donate using our new App Send by mail (Potter's Inn, PO Box 35, Divide, Colorado 80814 - make sure you make note that your gift is for the podcast) ________________________________________________________ SHOW NOTES On our final podcast for this season, Steve has a remarkable and soulful conversation with author, teacher, and leader Majorie Thompson. They discuss her long friendship with Henri Nouwen and her roles as an author, spiritual director, publisher, and eventual care giver to her own mother and mother in law, which shifted her role and required sacrifices and humility. It's a beautiful conversation and we look forward to you joining us for it! ABOUT OUR GUEST Marjorie J. Thompson is an ordained minister of the Presbyterian Church USA. She received her Bachelor of Arts in religious studies from Swarthmore College, and her Master of Divinity degree from McCormick Theological Seminary. Following a post-graduate pastoral internship, she became a Research Fellow at Yale Divinity School where she studied Christian spirituality with Henri Nouwen and did independent research in ecumenical traditions of prayer. She has served as director of the Pathways Center for Spiritual Leadership and as spiritual director to Companions in Christ, a program outgrowth of the Pathways initiative of The Upper Room. She is the author of Family, The Forming Center and Soul Feast: An Invitation to the Christian Spiritual Life.. She is a widely sought retreat leader, teacher, and speaker in the area of Christian spirituality. She and her husband John live in Kingston Springs, Tennessee. Courage for Caregivers: Sustenance for the Journey in Company with Henri J. M. Nouwen by Marjorie Thompson All of Marjorie's books The Great Annual Examen - An Exercise to Look Back, Look Within, and Look Forward   RESOURCES MENTIONED IN PODCAST Henri Nouwen Website A Spirituality of Caregiving by Henri Nouwen   MUSIC USED IN PODCAST Music Break at 34:52: Cathedral of the Pines by Tim Janus Music Break at 1:09:07: Be Thou My VIsion - Nathan Pacheco FIND US ON FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM Facebook Soul Care Conversations Group Page Potter's Inn Main FB Page Instagram   CONTACT US podcast@pottersinn.com INTERESTED IN MORE SOUL CARE RESOURCES? Check out our recommended reading, books on spiritual growth, and our soul care blog. Want to experience soul care in person? Learn more about our soul care intensives and retreats.     

SHOW NOTES How many times have you thought you were completely alone in this stress-filled world - financial issues, family conflicts, marital struggles, depression… the list is long and exhausting. The big question is, does God care about all that? Does he care that your kids are misbehaving and making you lose your mind? That at night you can't get your mind to shut off and goes further into depression and anxiety? That you and your spouse can barely talk to each other? The answer is so much more complex than a simple “yes.” Listen in as Steve speaks to this very question. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN PODCAST John 1:43-48 Psalm 143:8  Moment to Breathe - Thomas Merton's Prayer Text Audio Find more resources on Soul Care and our podcast on Potter's Inn Social Media channels Facebook Instagram

SUPPORT THE PODCAST It takes a lot to create our podcast episodes! Please consider a gift to support this vital ministry. We have a few ways to make it easy for you: Use our Donation Page on our Website Donate using our new App Send by mail (Potter's Inn, PO Box 35, Divide, Colorado 80814 - make sure you make note that your gift is for the podcast)   SHOW NOTES “Beauty. Some forms of beauty calm us, others excite us, but all tend to grab our attention and intrigue us enough to have an affect. Beauty of course comes in many forms beyond the human face and form. From the landscape, seascape, and skyscape to the wonders of music, art, math, and science, we're surrounded by reminders of the deeper things, the higher things, the truest things in life and beyond. Let's make sure we steep ourselves in a recognition and enjoyment of the many and varied beauties around us, small and large. Then, we'll be likelier to act in more beautiful ways, in all things.” —Tom Morris The first part of our podcast is the rest of the discussion on Beauty with Steve and Tom Morris in this inspiring and rich conversation on Beauty. The second half of the podcast is a reading and discussion of John O'Donahue's poem A New Beginning. Joe and Steve have a heartfelt talk about it's meaning for all of us. Thanks for joining the Conversation today! ABOUT OUR GUEST Tom Morris has become one of the most active public philosophers in the world due to his unusual ability to bring the greatest wisdom of the past into the challenges of the present. A native of Durham, North Carolina and a Distinguished Alumnus of Durham Academy, Tom was a Morehead-Cain Scholar at the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, which has honored him, along with Michael Jordan, as a recipient of their "Distinguished Young Alumnus Award." He holds two masters degrees as well as a joint Ph.D. in both Philosophy and Religious Studies from Yale University, as well as other, honorary doctorates in recognition of his public work of bringing practical philosophy back into the cultural mix. Tom served for fifteen years as a Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame, where he quickly became a campus legend, in many years having an eighth of the entire student body in his classes. Recent projects involve novels, nonfiction books, and a script for an immersive theatrical experience featuring AI and the robotics of five hundred years in the future. He is a firm believer that ideas rock the world. Tom is now Chairman of the Morris Institute for Human Values in Wilmington, NC. Tom's Website If Aristotle Ran General Motors by Tom Morris The Everyday Patriot by Tom Morris   RESOURCES MENTIONED IN PODCAST Beauty: The Invisible Embrace by John O'Donohue Reading & Discussion of “For a New Beginning” By John O'Donohue from To Bless the Space Between Us Previous episodes with Tom Morris: The Closing of the American Mind, Part 1 The Closing of the American Mind, Part 2   MUSIC USED IN PODCAST Music Break at 17:30: A New Beginning by Peder B. Hellend Music Break at 31:00: The King's Singers - When All Falls Silent (Geert D'hollander) FIND US ON FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM Facebook Soul Care Conversations Group Page Potter's Inn Main FB Page Instagram   CONTACT US podcast@pottersinn.com INTERESTED IN MORE SOUL CARE RESOURCES? Check out our recommended reading, books on spiritual growth, and our soul care blog. Want to experience soul care in person? Learn more about our soul care intensives and retreats.   

SUPPORT THE PODCAST It takes a lot to create our podcast episodes! Please consider a gift to support this vital ministry. We have a few ways to make it easy for you: Use our Donation Page on our Website Donate using our new App Send by mail (Potter's Inn, PO Box 35, Divide, Colorado 80814 - make sure you make note that your gift is for the podcast) ________________________________________________________ SHOW NOTES “Beauty. Some forms of beauty calm us, others excite us, but all tend to grab our attention and intrigue us enough to have an affect. Beauty of course comes in many forms beyond the human face and form. From the landscape, seascape, and skyscape to the wonders of music, art, math, and science, we're surrounded by reminders of the deeper things, the higher things, the truest things in life and beyond. Let's make sure we steep ourselves in a recognition and enjoyment of the many and varied beauties around us, small and large. Then, we'll be likelier to act in more beautiful ways, in all things.” —Tom Morris Join Steve and Tom Morris in this inspiring and rich conversation on Beauty. ABOUT OUR GUEST Tom Morris has become one of the most active public philosophers in the world due to his unusual ability to bring the greatest wisdom of the past into the challenges of the present. A native of Durham, North Carolina and a Distinguished Alumnus of Durham Academy, Tom was a Morehead-Cain Scholar at the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, which has honored him, along with Michael Jordan, as a recipient of their "Distinguished Young Alumnus Award." He holds two masters degrees as well as a joint Ph.D. in both Philosophy and Religious Studies from Yale University, as well as other, honorary doctorates in recognition of his public work of bringing practical philosophy back into the cultural mix. Tom served for fifteen years as a Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame, where he quickly became a campus legend, in many years having an eighth of the entire student body in his classes. Recent projects involve novels, nonfiction books, and a script for an immersive theatrical experience featuring AI and the robotics of five hundred years in the future. He is a firm believer that ideas rock the world. Tom is now Chairman of the Morris Institute for Human Values in Wilmington, NC. Tom's Website If Aristotle Ran General Motors by Tom Morris The Everyday Patriot by Tom Morris   RESOURCES MENTIONED IN PODCAST Illuminated Life: Monastic Wisdom for Seekers of Light by Joan Chittister Beauty: The Invisible Embrace by John O'Donohue Previous episodes with Tom Morris: The Closing of the American Mind, Part 1 The Closing of the American Mind, Part 2   MUSIC USED IN PODCAST Music Break at 14:49: Children's Choir - Composed by PinkZebra. Music Break at 39:53: Beauty – Snow Music Studio   FIND US ON FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM Facebook Soul Care Conversations Group Page Potter's Inn Main FB Page Instagram   CONTACT US podcast@pottersinn.com INTERESTED IN MORE SOUL CARE RESOURCES? Check out our recommended reading, books on spiritual growth, and our soul care blog. Want to experience soul care in person? Learn more about our soul care intensives and retreats. 

SUPPORT THE PODCAST It takes a lot to create our podcast episodes! Please consider a gift to support this vital ministry. We have a few ways to make it easy for you: Use our Donation Page on our Website Donate using our new App Send by mail (Potter's Inn, PO Box 35, Divide, Colorado 80814 - make sure you make note that your gift is for the podcast)   SHOW NOTES Jesus promised, “Seek and you will find!” Today we are continuing the conversation with Trevor Hudson on Seeking God. The conversation takes us over to the deep side of the boat where many fish are swimming. They talk about Dallas Willard, Ignatius of Loyola and the deeper journey to see God in all things! Please join us! ABOUT OUR GUEST Trevor Hudson has been part of the Methodist movement for over 40 years. Serving primarily around Johannesburg, he is deeply committed to the work of spiritual formation within local congregational contexts. A significant part of his weekly work presently consists of leading people through the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius and offering spiritual direction. Besides his local commitments, Trevor travels widely, preaching and teaching. He lectures at Fuller Seminary, the Renovaré Institute, the Dallas Willard Center for Christian Spiritual Formation, and the Jesuit Institute in South Africa. He is the author of 22 books including Discovering Your Spiritual Identity (IVP) and Beyond Loneliness (Upper Room). His most recent book is Seeking God-Finding Another Kind of Life with St. Ignatius and Dallas Willard.   RESOURCES MENTIONED IN PODCAST Episode 10: Discernment: The Journey to Discover God's Will Episode 12: Cultivating Daily Shalom: Using the Daily Examen Dallas Willard    MUSIC USED IN PODCAST Music Break at 22:50: Mellow Celtic Style Acoustic Duet - Envato Elements Music Break at 37:49: Beautiful Choir Requiem – Blue Sky Audio FIND US ON FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM Facebook Soul Care Conversations Group Page Potter's Inn Main FB Page Instagram   CONTACT US podcast@pottersinn.com INTERESTED IN MORE SOUL CARE RESOURCES? Check out our recommended reading, books on spiritual growth, and our soul care blog. Want to experience soul care in person? Learn more about our soul care intensives and retreats.   

SUPPORT THE PODCAST It takes a lot to create our podcast episodes! Please consider a gift to support this vital ministry. We have a few ways to make it easy for you: Use our Donation Page on our Website Donate using our new App Send by mail (Potter's Inn, PO Box 35, Divide, Colorado 80814 - make sure you make note that your gift is for the podcast)   SHOW NOTES Jesus promised, “Seek and you will find!” We are all seeking, but how do we move beyond insight to truly encounter the living God in your life? Join Steve and Trevor as they discuss what a seeking life looks like and how we can join in the adventure. Thank you for joining us in today's conversation!   ABOUT OUR GUEST Trevor Hudson has been part of the Methodist movement for over 40 years. Serving primarily around Johannesburg, he is deeply committed to the work of spiritual formation within local congregational contexts. A significant part of his weekly work presently consists of leading people through the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius and offering spiritual direction. Besides his local commitments, Trevor travels widely, preaching and teaching. He lectures at Fuller Seminary, the Renovaré Institute, the Dallas Willard Center for Christian Spiritual Formation, and the Jesuit Institute in South Africa. He is the author of 22 books including Discovering Your Spiritual Identity (IVP) and Beyond Loneliness (Upper Room). His most recent book is Seeking God-Finding Another Kind of Life with St. Ignatius and Dallas Willard.   RESOURCES MENTIONED IN PODCAST Dallas Willard Episode 12: Cultivating Daily Shalom: Using the Daily Examen   MUSIC USED IN PODCAST Music Break at 22:50: Mellow Celtic Style Acoustic Duet - Envato Elements Music Break at 37:49: Beautiful Choir Requiem – Blue Sky Audio FIND US ON FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM Facebook Soul Care Conversations Group Page Potter's Inn Main FB Page Instagram   CONTACT US podcast@pottersinn.com INTERESTED IN MORE SOUL CARE RESOURCES? Check out our recommended reading, books on spiritual growth, and our soul care blog. Want to experience soul care in person? Learn more about our soul care intensives and retreats.   

SUPPORT THE PODCAST It takes a lot to create our podcast episodes! Please consider a gift to support this vital ministry. We have a few ways to make it easy for you: Use our Donation Page on our Website Donate using our new App Send by mail (Potter's Inn, PO Box 35, Divide, Colorado 80814 - make sure you make note that your gift is for the podcast)   SHOW NOTES What if rest has already been created and all we have to do is find ways to participate? Listen in to Steve and Ruth as they discuss how Sabbath is more than a practice, but a way of life ordered around God's invitation to regular rhythms of work, rest, and replenishment that will sustain us for the long haul. ABOUT OUR GUEST Ruth Haley Barton (Doctor of Divinity, Northern Baptist Theological Seminary) is founder of the Transforming Center, a ministry dedicated to strengthening the souls of pastors, Christian leaders and the congregations and organizations they serve. A sought-after teacher, retreat leader, and trained spiritual director, Ruth is the author of numerous books and articles on the spiritual life. Educated at Northern Seminary, the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation and Loyola University Chicago Institute for Pastoral Studies, she has served on the pastoral staff of several churches including Willow Creek Community Church and is Professor of Spiritual Transformation at Northern Seminary. Ruth's Website (includes all her books. blog, and podcast) HER LATEST BOOK: Embracing Rhythms of Work and Rest: From Sabbath to Sabbatical and Back Again by Ruth Haley Barton   FIND US ON FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM Facebook Soul Care Conversations Group Page Potter's Inn Main FB Page Instagram   CONTACT US podcast@pottersinn.com INTERESTED IN MORE SOUL CARE RESOURCES? Check out our recommended reading, books on spiritual growth, and our soul care blog. Want to experience soul care in person? Learn more about our soul care intensives and retreats. 

***NOTE: We had some technical issues with the previously released audio file this morning - this release is the corrected file. Thank you for your patience!*** When it comes to understanding the Enneagram, it's time to consider a shift and deepening of how this tool can enhance our spiritual journey. There's been such a 'fad phase' in the past decade about the Enneagram that it has left many of us wondering... what is the real point of knowing ourselves better? Marilyn Vancil and Steve discuss this much needed shift and her new book, Beyond the Enneagram. Steve and Marilyn explore the themes of the book--a re-centering of our self orientation to a God orientation. They discuss: Moving from What I am to Who I am Moving from Reaction to Responsive From bondage to Freedom From Wounded to Whole From Shakable to unshakable And from Being burdened to rested--Steve's favorite chapter and worth the price of the book in one chapter! About Our Guest Marilyn Vancil is a certified Enneagram Professional in the Narrative Tradition through Enneagram Worldwide, a certified spiritual director, and a trained life coach through Coach Training Alliance. She has also completed coursework on the Enneagram at Loyola University and the Deep Coaching Institute. Vancil facilitates workshops and retreats on the Enneagram, focusing on how it can be used to deepen one's life with God and improve relationships. She lives in Seattle with her husband, Jeff. Marilyn's Website Beyond the Enneagram by Marilyn Vancil Self to Lose, Self to Find by Marilyn Vancil   More information on the Enneagram Podcast Episode 39 - A Deeper Understanding of the Enneagram with Adele and Doug Calhoun Podcast Episode 46 - How the Enneagram Informs us in Crisis with Adele and Doug Calhoun The Enneagram: A Self Awareness Spiritual Tool SUPPORT THE PODCAST It takes a lot to create our podcast episodes! Please consider a gift to support our ministry. We have a few ways to make it easy for you: Use our Donation Page on our Website Donate using our new App Send by mail (Potter's Inn, PO Box 35, Divide, Colorado 80814 - make sure you make note that your gift is for the podcast)   Contact Us at podcast@pottersinn.com  

SUPPORT THE PODCAST It takes a lot to create our podcast episodes! Please consider a gift to support this vital ministry. We have a few ways to make it easy for you: Use our Donation Page on our Website Donate using our new App Send by mail (Potter's Inn, PO Box 35, Divide, Colorado 80814 - make sure you make note that your gift is for the podcast) ________________________________________________________ SHOW NOTES How can we reclaim a faith that is simple— free from religious paraphernalia and church clutter? Is it even possible? In the complex times we are living in and in the new cadence of urgency and emergency, what can we do to reclaim our “first love?” This is the subject of today's Soul Care Conversation -we encourage you to join the conversation! Sign up to subscribe at HERE or get the APP. Search for “Potters Inn” wherever you get your apps!   MENTIONED IN PODCAST Pew Research Report “Modeling the Future of Religion in America” Revelations 2:2-5 (MSG) Mysteries, Yes - poem by Mary Oliver 2 Corinthians 11:3 (MSG)  Matt 6:31-33 (MSG) Seven ways to implement simplicity 1. Live with Jesus in mind and heart 2. Read the Red letters of the Bible 3. Be quiet 4. Detachment- To uncomplicate and to untangle your life to experience inner freedom. 5. Do less 6. Practice Sabbath (Practice ceasing) 7. Declutter - Marie Kondo MUSIC USED IN PODCAST Music Break at 16:00 Simple Gifts sung by Judy Collins for the February 1963 TV broadcast of Dinner with the President in Washington, D.C. Song and lyrics by Elder Joseph Brackett (1797–1882) of the Alfred, Maine Shaker community. Music Break at 25:40 Give me Jesus sung by Fernando Ortega.   FIND US ON FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM Facebook Soul Care Conversations Group Page: Potter's Inn Main FB Page Instagram

SUPPORT THE PODCAST It takes a lot to create our podcast episodes! Please consider a gift to support this vital ministry. We have a few ways to make it easy for you: Use our Donation Page on our Website Donate using our new App Send by mail (Potter's Inn, PO Box 35, Divide, Colorado 80814 - make sure you make note that your gift is for the podcast) ________________________________________________________ SHOW NOTES Welcome to Season 8 of the Soul Care Conversations podcast! Today Steve delves into Matthew 11:28-30 and the question of being ‘yoked to Jesus.‘ Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30 (ESV) Thanks for joining us in the conversation!   MENTIONED IN PODCAST SOLO: Creating Space with God by Stephen W. Smith and Peter M. Ivey The Jesus Life by Stephen W. Smith Pray as you Go - APP for Lectio Divina   MUSIC USED IN PODCAST Music Break at 33:36 My Yoke Is Easy by John Michael Talbot CONTACT US podcast@pottersinn.com INTERESTED IN MORE SOUL CARE RESOURCES? Check out our recommended reading, books on spiritual growth, and our soul care blog. Want to experience soul care in person? Learn more about our soul care intensives and retreats. 

The Soul Care Conversation is a much beloved resource across the world.  But to continue this work depends upon your support. This link takes you to a list of some of our on-going expenses and how you, your small group, church, or organization could take a “bite-size “ chunk out of our monthly costs. Take a look and help us, would you? SUPPORT THE PODCAST _________________________________________________________________ This is the last episode of our Summer 2022 Replays. We will be back in September with a brand new season! SHOW NOTES How many times have you thought you were completely alone in this stress-filled world - financial issues, family conflicts, marital struggles, depression… the list is long and exhausting. The big question is, does God care about all that? Does he care that your kids are misbehaving and making you lose your mind? That at night you can't get your mind to shut off and goes further into depression and anxiety? That you and your spouse can barely talk to each other? The answer is so much more complex than a simple “yes.” Listen in as Steve speaks to this very question. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN PODCAST John 1:43-48 Psalm 143:8  Moment to Breathe - Thomas Merton's Prayer Text Audio Find more resources on Soul Care and our podcast on Potter's Inn Social Media channels Facebook Instagram

The Soul Care Conversation is a much beloved resource across the world.  But to continue this work depends upon your support. This link takes you to a list of some of our on-going expenses and how you, your small group, church, or organization could take a “bite-size “ chunk out of our monthly costs. Take a look and help us, would you?  SUPPORT THE PODCAST  SHOW NOTES “Meanwhile, be content with obscurity, just as Christ was.” Colossians 3:4 (MSG) Isolation - something most of us are experiencing right now.  Today's podcast is about unwanted isolation - the type God uses to accomplish what only living in obscurity can do and how God uses obscurity to shape and mold us for greater things; things that we are not always aware of. Joe reads the profoundly personal chapter “Life of Hiddenness” from Steve's book “The Jesus Life.”  It's a look at Jesus' life of hiddenness, and how we can take the steps toward that same life. The last few minutes of the podcast has some ideas to seed your thinking and help spark your creativity about establishing your own ways of learning to live with obscurity as Jesus did. It is our Moment to Breathe this week and more information is listed in the Resources section below. Blessings to you all as you listen and join us in the conversation.   RESOURCES The Jesus Life: Eight Ways to Recover Authentic Christianity by Stephen W. Smith a Colossians 3:4 (MSG) Moment to Breathe - Questions for Living in Obscurity like Jesus Audio Text Creating Space for our Souls in a Critical Time - this is a new portion of the podcast where our hosts show how they are practicing soul care in the midst of chaos Today we will hear from Kaylene on how she cares for her body and keep moving during quarantine - baking! Audio Kaylene's Easy Biscuit Recipe   Find more resources on Soul Care and our podcast on Potter's Inn Social Media channels Facebook Instagram

The Soul Care Conversation is a much beloved resource across the world.  But to continue this work depends upon your support. This link takes you to a list of some of our on-going expenses and how you, your small group, church, or organization could take a “bite-size “ chunk out of our monthly costs. Take a look and help us, would you? DONATE TO PODCAST   Show Notes In this episode we join Steve and Gwen for two sessions of their Soul Care 101 course recorded at the retreat center known as Potter's Inn at Aspen Ridge. Enjoy this fireside conversation with pops and crackles from the fireplace, as they examine the three core questions of every soul.   Question 1 - Am I Loved? Every person everywhere wants to know if they are loved. Some (or all) of us may have love wounds where we either didn't get the love we needed or we looked for love in all the wrong places. Learn what it means to be beloved and how to rest in the truth of God's love for us.   Question 2 - Am I Safe? What fears do we carry with us that shape us? How do these fears affect our image of God? If we don't feel safe how does that affect how we relate to others? Also it's good to ask, am I a safe person? Do I listen to others or am I quick to judge? Question 3 - Do I Belong?    It is evident from an early age that we all want to belong to a group, a community. Where are we finding our safe community? Is it the right place? Are we able to be our true selves there or do we feel that we have to act or look a certain way? Do we change our behavior depending on where we are or who we are with?   Resources mentioned in the podcast Download a Study Guide for Question 1 and Questions 2 and 3 Soul Care 101 Course: Purchase here at the Potter's Inn Bookstore Scripture reading: Deuteronomy 7:7-9 Moment to Breathe: The Inner Voice by Henri Nouwen. Read the excerpt here. Why Am I Afraid to Tell You Who I Am? by John Powell  

Celebrate with us as we hit a BIG milestone for the podcast! Thank you all for your continued support and prayers - we are blessed! SPECIAL REQUEST: For us to continue our work on the podcast, we are asking you to help us with a one time gift, or even better a monthly donation, to help us. There are monthly obligations for all the work, all the technology, the podcast hosting, etc. Whatever you can give will be such a help - it will be a great blessing! >>DONATE HERE

“When human beings are devalued, everything in society turns sour. Women are humiliated and children despised. The sick are regarded as a nuisance, and the elderly as a burden. Ethnic minorities as discriminated against. The poor are oppressed and denied social justice…labour is exploited in the mines and factories. There is no freedom, no dignity, no carefree joy. Human life seems not worth living because it is scarcely human any longer…people matter…because every man, woman, and child has worth and significance as a human being made in the God's image and likeness.” —John Stott “The Contemporary Christian"   Understanding is the Way Forward A riot is the language of the unheard.--Dr. Martin Luther King Understanding is the way forward. Understanding will help everyone breathe. Understanding will help everyone care. Understanding will help us know what needs to change and how we can transform culture together. We will never care for our soul until we understand the soul. That was my journey--a journey of understanding of how complex I am; how unique I am; how fearfully and wonderfully made I am--and you too. This changed everything for me and will change everything for all of us as well. We will not care for anything--a plant--a dog--a hamster or a tomato plant until we understand what that living "thing" needs. The same is true of caring for a human being. We will not care until we understand. Dallas Willard said, 'Understanding is the beginning of care." I believe him on this! Until I understand human dignity I will not honor human life of any color or any age or any ethnicity. Until I understand love-- I cannot really love and I will not offer love. Until I understand the high costs of not forgiving and not being forgiven, I will not forgive. And the beginning of all understanding is listening. To listen is to love. Let me say it again, to listen is to love. I've learned that in my marriage, in my parenting, in my friendships and now I must learn this in this global pandemic disease of racism. I must listen. I must shut my mouth; not offer my opinions as a white male who was educated in great schools and just listen. Understanding is the only way forward. And when we understand one another we will finally learn to love each other. When George Floyd cried out, "I can't breathe!" What do you really understand he might have been saying? What can we listen to? What can we now understand? I felt compelled today to record a new podcast for Potter's Inn Soul Care Conversation Podcast on "Understanding Human Dignity." Spoiler alert: When I give this talk around the world, it normally results in a standing ovation... Why? Because perhaps this talks helps articulates for some of us what we might be feeling but can't yet say--what might still be pre-verbal in our watching the news these days and feeling so saddened yet so paralyzed by thinking through what can I do?   MENTIONED IN THE PODCAST Soul Care Institute

SHOW NOTES The art of reflecting on our day is almost a lost art in our busy and over-committed life. However, in this week's podcast, Steve explores an ancient spiritual exercise called The Daily Examen. In this podcast, Steve walks us through five easy steps used to reflect back upon our day, to see where God was in our midst that we might have missed because of our busyness, and to foster a heart of gratitude. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE PODCAST Five Steps to the Daily Examen Moment to Breathe: Matthew 11: 28-30 (MSG)   SEND US YOUR FEEDBACK! Leave a comment below or send our team a message at podcast@pottersinn.com   INTERESTED IN MORE SOUL CARE RESOURCES? Check out our recommended reading, books on spiritual growth, and our soul care blog. Want to experience soul care in person? Learn more about our soul care intensives and retreats.