The Presence Project Podcast

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Overcome chronic anxiety through resting in God. Simple, repeatable tools. Ancient contemplative practices. Modern brain science. Practice resting in the heart of God on the good days so you can make your way home to the Prince of Peace in the middle of

Summer Gross


    • Apr 8, 2024 LATEST EPISODE
    • every other week NEW EPISODES
    • 31m AVG DURATION
    • 73 EPISODES

    Ivy Insights

    The Presence Project Podcast is truly a divine gift. This podcast has had a profound impact on my spiritual journey, slowing me down and allowing me to experience the heart of God in a deeply transformative way. It serves as a healing balm to my soul and brings me great joy. Summer, the host of the podcast, is truly a kindred spirit in Christ, and her gentle voice and compassionate teachings have helped me hunger for a deeper connection with Jesus Christ, my first true love.

    One of the best aspects of this podcast is how it provides practical tools for deep recovery and lasting intimacy with our Creator. Summer shares her own experiences and provides teachings on brain science and simple Christian practices that can help us root and establish ourselves in God's love. The combination of lectio divina, Immanuel Journaling, stillness with God, and other practices have been invaluable in my own life and have allowed me to share them with my clients in my counseling practice. The presence of God becomes tangible through Summer's words.

    However, it must be noted that there are no significant negative aspects to this podcast. The only challenge I can think of is that some episodes may require multiple listenings to fully grasp all the teachings and integrate them into one's own life. But this is more due to the richness and depth of the content rather than any shortcomings of the podcast itself.

    In conclusion, The Presence Project Podcast is an extraordinary resource for anyone seeking deeper intimacy with God. It offers guidance, healing, and transformation through its teachings on Scripture, prayer, stillness, and connecting with the presence of Jesus. It has become one of my absolute favorite podcasts as it consistently leads me into God's beautiful, comforting, strengthening presence. I cannot recommend it enough to anyone who desires to grow closer to our Creator and experience the fullness of His love in their lives.



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    Latest episodes from The Presence Project Podcast

    Ep 72 Summer reads Ch 1 of The Emmanuel Promise

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 8, 2024 43:36


    I loved reading chapter 1 of The Emmanuel Promise for you. You can watch me read it to you over at YouTube HERE. PRE-ORDER The Emmanuel Promise: Discover the Security of a Life Held by God wherever you find your books. $11.39 and free shipping at Baker Publishing's own site HERE. At this price, you can be generous with your whole book group. Pre-Order on Amazon here. Then, get your pre-order gifts HERE, including 2 private podcasts.

    Welcome Home: The Attachment Invitation of the Prodigal Son

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 3, 2024 10:12


    This episode is DAY 1 of a private 7-Day podcast devotional called “Welcome Home,” a gift for anyone who pre-orders The Emmanuel Promise.  Pre-order from Baker Publishing for $11.39 and free shipping here! Pre-order from Amazon here After pre-ordering, get your gifts and join the launch team here. The Emmanuel Promise is an invitation to set down shame and recognize that your attachment story, your earliest relationship with your caregiver, may be what's obstructing your relationship with God. Your caregivers were human. Limited. Living with their own broken and imperfect story. God's love is lavish. He's . Compassionate. Perfect. But, since our neural pathways for relationships were created in those first three years, our brains have to be rewired to Perfect Love.  

    Our Attachment Wounds and God's Healing: A Conversation with Maggie Rhine

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 15, 2024 55:23


    The neural pathways for relationship are developed in the first three years of a person's life. This affects even our relationship with God and is at the heart of attachment theory. Therapist Maggie Rhine, the head of the Healing Care Center, tells the story of her struggle to gain a secure attachment after having multiple surgeries as an infant.  "Looking at our attachment stories is not dishonoring to our parents. So many of them did the best they could. It is not blameworthy, or shame-worthy, but it is grief-worthy and we've got to name it and bring it into the presence of God so we can heal." Maggie Rhine Order Summer's book and learn more about how your attachment story has affected your relationship with God here: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/5... or here: https://a.co/d/4g3xdRX   Find out more about the Healing Care Center where Maggie and other experts work, a place where you can do intensive work on your attachment story, here: https://www.thehealingcarecenter.org/

    Journey to Attachment with God, an honest conversation with Terry Wardle

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 1, 2024 55:41


    Attachment theory and the many obstacles to a life immersed in the Trinity's Love Honest conversation about detaching to attach in our marriages Understanding our attachment story and style in order to heal and live out of knowing you are God's beloved. The simple, but profound spiritual practices which have been a gift for Terry Experience Terry Wardle lead you into Jesus' Presence through Safe Place   Pre-order The Emmanuel Promise: Discovering the Security of a Life Held by God  with Baker for 11.49! HERE on Amazon HERE or wherever you get your books.   Check out Healing Care Ministries amazing offerings HERE   Terry Wardle has written a treasure trove of incredible books including Identity Matters and one of my favorites, Every Breath We Take, a book every Presence Project Listener will LOVE.   He also has a weekly podcast called Slingstones: Listen here.

    How Different Attachment Styles May Experience Lent

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 17, 2024 19:15


    The insecure anxious attached hope to get an "A" in Lent to try to be more worthy for God. They're afraid they have to clean themselves up before God wants to be in their presence. The insecure avoidant attached like to keep things more intellectual, reading about someone else's Lent. If they have sin in their lives, they think they have to go at it alone. The truth is that the Holy Spirit wants to be the One in charge of inviting us to new areas of increased freedom. He wants us to come to Him to become unbound. We were never meant to do this alone.  ............................................... PRE-ORDER The Emmanuel Promise: Discover the Security of a Life Held by God From Baker Publishing for $11.39 HERE From Amazon HERE Receive a mini-retreat right to your inbox based on podcast episodes by signing up HERE. I call it the Slow Weekend Starter Kit. 

    Accepting your Season of Life, An Intimate Conversation with Writer Friends: Jodi Grubbs, Kris Camealy, Bette Dickinson, Maeve Gerboth, and Julianne Clayton

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 1, 2024 66:47


    Preorder THE EMMANUEL PROMISE: Discover the Security of a Life Held by God Neuroscience. Attachment theory. The stories that shape our image of God AND the spiritual practices that invite us to experience His tender love to build attachment.  Just $11.39. Arrives April 30th   Writer  Summer Gross @revsummerjoy on Instagram The Presence Project on Patreon for monthly groups and online retreats The Presence Project on Facebook http://www.summerjoygross.com   Jodi Grubbs @jodi.grubbs on Instagram Live Slowly: A Gentle Invitation to Exhale ALSO on April 30th   Julianne Clayton: @juleclayton on Instagram Listen to the Remind{h}er podcast here.   Bette Dickinson @bette_dickinson on Instagram https://www.bettedickinson.com/ https://www.bettedickinson.com/all-art   Kris Camealy: @kriscamealy on Instagram https://www.kriscamealy.com/ An illustration of her sweet mixed media makings Kris' podcast: Refine Retreat, the podcast   Maeve Gerboth: @maeve_gerboth on Instagram Explore spiritual direction with Maeve.   Books and Resources: Kate Bowler On Being with Krista Tippett: On Having a Body https://onbeing.org/programs/kate-bowler-on-being-in-a-body/ Celtic Benedictions with J. Philip Newell Jamie Winship: Fearless Living Tanner Olson: Walking a Little Slower  David Benner: Soulful Spirituality John O'Donohue: Bless the Place Between Us  Get Summer's free resource to move through tangled emotions here.  

    FIXED! Alan Fadling and Listening to God's Pace for our New Year

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 18, 2024 33:15


    Show Notes for Episode 66 with Alan Fadling:   Pre-order The Emmanuel Promise by Summer Gross for $11.39!!! HERE Find A Year of Slowing Down: Daily Devotions for Unhurried Living by Alan Fadling HERE Pre-order Alan Fadling's newest book, A Non Anxious Life: Experiencing the Peace of God's Presence which releases February 6th. Pre-Order here. Buy Steve Macchia's accessible book on Rule of Life: Crafting a Rule of Life HERE. Get Margaret Silf's book Inner Compass with chapters on Holy Desire HERE. Join Summer's twice-monthly retreat, Table of the Beloved to work on our Rule of Life together HERE. Get Summer's newsletter to receive mini-retreats through your inbox as well as more resources for your life as His Beloved HERE

    Slowing Down and Listening to God's Desire for Your Year with Alan Fadling

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 18, 2024 33:15


    Show Notes for Episode 66 with Alan Fadling:   Pre-order The Emmanuel Promise by Summer Gross for $11.39!!! HERE Find A Year of Slowing Down: Daily Devotions for Unhurried Living by Alan Fadling HERE Pre-order Alan Fadling's newest book, A Non Anxious Life: Experiencing the Peace of God's Presence which releases February 6th. Pre-Order here. Buy Steve Macchia's accessible book on Rule of Life: Crafting a Rule of Life HERE. Get Margaret Silf's book Inner Compass with chapters on Holy Desire HERE. Join Summer's twice-monthly retreat, Table of the Beloved to work on our Rule of Life together HERE. Get Summer's newsletter to receive mini-retreats through your inbox as well as more resources for your life as His Beloved HERE

    Ep 65 Finding Joy When the Holidays are Hard

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 18, 2023 35:32


    What if we were invited to savor the holidays, the moments of delight we initiated as well as the unforeseen joys, all as gifts from our Emmanuel? For many, the holidays are full of reminders of pain and we either overschedule ourselves or numb, hoping not to pop up until after January 1st when all the painful nostalgia is over. Barb McMaster, a member of the Presence Project shares her practice of creating a delight list, the neuroscience of why it matters, and how we can experience God's joy in our joy. Episode 65 show notes: Pre-Order The Emmanuel Promise: Discovering the Security of a Life Held with God here from Baker Books. And friends, thank you. Your pre-orders are the way booksellers make decisions of what books to stock on their shelves. FREE Savoring Christmas Delight Journal: Click here to start your journey to more joy this holiday Need to know that God sees you in the middle of your heaviness this holiday? Click here for the FREE Workbook will walk you through.  Barb McMaster, who was my conversation partner this episode, and a thoughtful and articulate guide, has created a podcast here. You can join the Presence Project including the twice-monthly retreat called Table of the Beloved @ www.patreon.com/thepresenceproject 

    Ep 64. Author A.J. Sherrill's Journey Out of Performance Christianity

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 9, 2023 46:18


    How burning out from performance Christianity could actually save your life. AJ Sherrill teaches us how after burning out as a young church planter, he found a new rule of life based in contemplative prayer and discovered a depth to the Christian life he didn't know was available. And it all started with learning to slow down, and create rhythms of being with God throughout the day. Show Notes: A.J. Sherrill's website AJ's book: Being with God: The Absurdity, Necessity, and Neurobiology of Contemplative Prayer just $10 on Amazon. A wonderful resource Pre-order Summer's book: The Emmanuel Promise: Discovering the Security of a Life Held by God Get on Summer's mini-retreat newsletter list to find out about groups and resources, including the upcoming Lectio Diving journal. Receive free 21 page workbook helping you go from overwhelm to emotional resiliency by clicking here.

    Ep. 63 Lectio Divina 101

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 25, 2023 26:31


    In episode 63, I invite you fireside for a lectio divina 101 chat and together we answer Jesus' invitation in John 21:9-13 to "Come, have breakfast."   Show Notes: *Have Summer come lead at your gathering: presenceproject.ea@gmail.com *Want to find out more about All Soul's Atlanta? Click here. *Philip Yancey's article, The Death of Reading is Threatening the Soul. Read it here. *Summer's future book, The Emmanuel Promise has a chapter about lectio divina and free corresponding lectio divina videos throughout. Pre-Order Summer's upcoming April 2024 book, The Emmanuel Promise by clicking here.

    Getting to Know God's Heart through Lectio Divina

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 18, 2023 20:57


    This statement by my spiritual direction professor, Robert Woodcock, peaked my curiosity: “We sometimes forget that there are two people in this relationship, us and God. We forget that we are in a relationship with a Person with feelings and hopes and dreams for our life together.  Sometimes we are brave enough to ask God what He thinks but rarely are we brave enough to ask God how He feels.”  With lectio divina, we slow down the Scripture so we can get to know God's heart.   Show Notes: Interested in finding out more about getting a 2 year spiritual direction certificate? healingcare.org/direction Want to listen to Jesus' heart through John? Start in the sister podcast, The Slow Word Movement, here. Want to join a group doing this LIVE? Join Table of the Beloved, patreon.com/thepresenceproject Pre-order Summer's book on looking at how we've shaped our image of God through the lens of our attachment wounds here.

    Ep. 61 Becoming Good Soil for Scripture: The First Step to Lectio Divina

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 11, 2023 29:13


    We've become such a fast culture. Becoming good soil for the word takes an intentional step. Otherwise, our time in scripture feels more like coming up to the drive thru window for fast food. When I hear people say they can't "do" contemplative exercises, I wonder if they're giving their body time to ground first. Show notes: Want to sign up for the Saturday morning mini-retreat? Click here. Interested in finding more lectio divina videos over on YouTube? Click here.  

    A Prayerful Reading of Psalm 23

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 4, 2023 37:54


    1. Join the Presence Project newsletter list and receive a free mini-retreat on the weekends here. 2. Find the Renovare episode with Richard Foster I quoted from here. 3. Go from emotional overwhelm to building resiliency with this free 21 pg workbook curated by Summer. 4. Pre-order Summer's upcoming spring 2023 book with Baker Publishing,  The Emmanuel Promise: Discovering the Security of a Life Held by God here.

    Ep. 59 Retreating 101 with Lane Arnold and Summer Gross

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 27, 2023 39:31


    Let's make getting away with God on retreat Monday-morning-practical. How do you plan? What do you put in your suitcase? At its most basic, planning a retreat is creating time for unscheduled abiding with God. Let's start small. Lane Arnold, spiritual director and writing coach, has created resources for your retreat here.

    Ep. 58 Where God's Pursuit and Practical Habits Meet

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 20, 2023 37:04


    Receive weekly mini-retreat newsletter by clicking here. Free 9 page examen workbook with classic and creative practices for reflection God's invitation scriptures: Isaiah 55:1-3, Song of Songs 2:13-15, Proverbs 9:4-5, Matthew 11:28-30 in The Message, Mark 1:17, Mark 6:31-32 Untamed Christian; Unleased Church by Terry Wardle Join Table of the Beloved here for LIVE zooms and four years of teachings

    Breakup with Netflix: Create a Refreshing Evening Routine

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 13, 2023 30:19


    Episode 57, show notes: 1. Download worksheet for creating your own tray here. 2. Sign up for a weekly mini-retreat slipped into your inbox by clicking here. 3. Huberman lab podcast episode: Click here for The Science of Making and Breaking Habits: (Start at minute 24) 4. Presence Project Podcast: A Beginner's Guide to the Examen, click here. 5. Nightly Examen: a 7 1/2 minute recording. Just push play. I'll lead you through by clicking here.

    What Your Soul Needs through Transitions

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 6, 2023 24:06


    I've been noticing that what I need through transition has a pattern. Tired? Feeling overwhelmed? Disoriented? I wonder if these stages will resonate with you. Please subscribe and leave a review. This helps other people find this free resource. If you'd like to have a full retreat based on this podcast episode, join Table of the Beloved at patreon.com/thepresenceproject. We'd love to have you!

    God's Invitation During Transition

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 30, 2023 25:07


    If we take the time to Stand, Look, and Ask as God invites in Jeremiah 6:16, transition can be a place of powerful growth. There is often a great shifting in liminal spaces. As Madeleine L'Engle said, "It's a good thing to have all the props pulled out from under us occasionally. It gives us some sense of what is rock under our feet and what is sand.” It's not comfortable, but it IS an opportunity.  

    A Gentle Invitation to Advent

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 23, 2022 11:28


    Advent gives us time to remember that THIS is not the end of the story. This is not the end of your story or your child's story, your marriage's story, the church's story, or our country's story. Christ, our Beloved and our Victor, WILL return. Truthfully, it's my favorite time of the church year. After all the hard news and the heaviness of the brokenness of our world, we get to turn our eyes upon Jesus, to gaze there, to Behold our God, Join me for this 16-day audio Advent Journey to Behold our God and focus on the divinity of Christ through the scriptures and music of Handel's Messiah: https://mailchi.mp/athirstforgod.com/messiahadvent

    Bette Dickinson, Advent, and an Artist's Vocation

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 19, 2022 46:15


    Bette Dickinson tells the story of how saying "yes" to enfleshing God's message of the Magnificat became one painting, then twenty-five, and then an entire Advent devotional. She also gives us an inside view on how her inner achiever was set free from striving so the Spirit could truly flow through her.  Follow @bette_dickinson on instagram This is an Advent devotional you will return to again and again: https://www.amazon.com/Making-Room-Advent-Devotions-Season/dp/1514004836/ref=asc_df_1514004836/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=564690296844&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=3158106950605108191&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9010784&hvtargid=pla-1643843137891&psc=1

    Spiritual Direction for your God-Given Dream with Beth Booram

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 10, 2022 41:15


    We have a complicated relationship with desire and longing. Yes, our every cry is welcomed, but do we even want it to come up for daylight? Sometimes desire can feel vulnerable. Other times sharing can be a delight. What happens when we begin to recognize God has a new calling for us? In this episode I invited Beth Booram to teach us to listen to the first seeds of a God-given dream.

    Creative Ideas for Naming Emotions with Alison L. Bradley

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 2, 2022 42:27


    You've heard the phrase, "name it to tame it?" When we name our emotions, the heaviness around our feelings suddenly lifts. In this episode, Alison L. Bradley and I talk through page 5 of the workbook I created for you outlining a four-step process to emotional resiliency. In it I give multiple tools to name, ground, metabolize and then come to a place of rest in the Presence of God. These steps are validated by contemporary neurobiology and the Biblical invitation to lament. Get your free 21-page, "I'm Feeling...Choose your Own Adventure Workbook" here: https://mailchi.mp/9669bd96e860/feeling-choose-adventure  Follow Alison L. Bradley on instagram @alisonlbradley and at her enneagram themed instagram site: @9ish_andiknowit

    Building Resilience with Therapist Melody Ries

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 19, 2022 63:19


    Some of these thoughts on resilience from Melody Ries have been breakthroughs for me. Here you can learn from my mom's spiritual director and her profound story. Neuroscience and Redemption. This conversation is full of gold.

    A SIMPLE Ignatian Contemplation Prayer Practice: Blind Bartimaeus

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 12, 2022 12:43


    God never tells someone they are too needy. He never rebukes or shushes them. God moves towards us in our need. You can do this SIMPLE prayer practice as often as desired.

    Your Every Cry is Welcome

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 5, 2022 36:33


    What if you knew that every cry was welcomed? What if you knew you didn't have to weigh your need or manage expectations, just come? This is the focus of today's Presence Project Podcast episode. Want to dive deeper with us? bio.site/summerjoygross

    Healing the Inner Critic

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 28, 2022 25:21


    In this podcast episode, Summer invites us to think about our inner critic in another way. Maybe our inner critic is a part of us who needs the love and compassion of God. Also included is a prayer exercise to invite our inner critic out of the darkness of shame and into the Light of God's healing.

    Befriending our Inner Critic with Gem Fadling

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 21, 2022 36:33


    How do we become aware and discerning with the toxic thoughts which have become the fbackground noise of our life? They are stealing our joy. They are robbing us of courageous creativity. They are demanding perfection. It's time to take back stolen ground by befriending our inner critic. Surprised by this invitation? Listen in. bio.site/summerjoygross

    Creative Right Brain Prayer Tools with The Examen

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 14, 2022 36:46


    Sarah Herring, Spiritual director, therapist and former Dean of Students at Simpson, teaches us a beautiful, grace-filled way to reflect on your day and pray the Examen. This is so rich, friends. Find a beautiful video by Sarah and free 9 pg Examen workbook for a gentle reflection on your day on bio.site/summerjoygross.

    A Nightly Examen: 7 1/2 minute Recording

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 8, 2022 8:01


    We reflect to gather the manna from the day. We reflect to abide with our Abba, the Gardener. Want to know more? Listen to A Beginner's Guide to the Examen here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-beginners-guide-to-the-examen/id1462343703?i=1000578677170

    A Beginner's Guide to The Examen

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 7, 2022 27:27


    St. Ignatius invited his followers to reflect over their day and ask God where He was at work.  A beginner's guide as well as an examen recording so you can just "push play" and I'll lead you through. Interested in learning more about the Presence Project? Start here: https://bio.site/summerjoygross  

    How Curiosity Can Lead to Transformation

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 31, 2022 25:03


    We want to blame, shame, control, or escape the hard, but maybe if we linger and get curious, it can be the gateway to transformation. In this episode, a surprising twist on the flowing River of Life from one of our members became the invitation we needed to be compassionate with slow growth. **Want more joy in your life? We're learning to deepen our joy with these three practices from the free Joy and Resilience workbook here: https://mailchi.mp/athirstforgod.com/joy

    Part 2 W/ Nicole Zasowski: Where is God in our Suffering + our Joy?

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 24, 2022 36:45


    Part 2 in a conversation with Nicole Zasowski, author of What if it's Wonderful?  She shares her story of infertility and then we talk about how we can experience joy when there's an underlying story of suffering. She teaches us how the simple genius practice of savoring can rewire our brain. Then, finally, she leads us in a practice where we ask the question, "Where is God in the midst of our sorrow and where is He in the midst of our celebration?"

    Nicole Zasowski: Why our Brains Struggle to Stay in Joy

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 17, 2022 23:04


    Why is staying joy-full so dang hard? The answer WILL surprise you and of course, it's revealed in brain science. This is the first of two podcast episodes with Nicole Zasowski, author of What if It's Wonderful?: Release Your Fears, Choose Joy, & Find the Courage to Celebrate.

    Building Joy and Resilience

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 10, 2022 25:22


    August's theme over here on The Presence Project is Joy and Resilience. Why is it that we so easily forget the tables God has set in the wilderness? Instead of staying in a place of celebration after the abundance of connection or the kindness of answered prayer, we shift right back into lack. Our brains slide to scarcity like a car out of alignment. Deepen your understanding of your brain's capacity for joy here: https://mailchi.mp/athirstforgod.com/joy

    Spacious Living: A Conversation with Ashley Hales

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 2, 2022 38:10


    How do we live the unforced rhythms of grace? We say "yes" to the spaciousness of God's good limits and "no" to a life of hustle and hurry. Don't miss this conversation with Ashley Hales or an invitation to walk through Lent with her:  Walking at a Human Pace. aahales.com/shop/walking

    Ignatian Contemplation: Found by the Good Shepherd

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 23, 2022 26:25


    Encounter the Good Shepherd with this Ignatian Contemplation.   Are you wanting more? Join the Presence Project and get a mini-retreat based on contemplative spiritual practices here: https://mailchi.mp/athirstforgod.com/mini-retreat

    encounter good shepherd ignatian ignatian contemplation
    Trust in the Slow Work of God: A Gentle Beginning to the New Year

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 10, 2022 27:34


    Before we burst into this new year armed with color-coded goal charts and shouldering the weight of a personal-reno project, let's be gentle with ourselves.  Let's sit down on the seam of the year and remember who and Whose we are.  Want to read along? Find the transcript at SummerJoyGross.com

    The Lavishness of Your Shepherd's Care

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 20, 2020 11:19


    The way a shepherd tends the bummer lambs who have been abandoned by their mothers deepen our view of our Shepherd. This is your invitation In the Presence Project, we're focusing on the character of God through the scriptures and music of Handel's Messiah this Advent. In the end of a hard year, I'm regaining my equilibrium through worship. Join me? https://mailchi.mp/athirstforgod.com/messiahadvent Music from the MIT concert choir found here:  http://hebb.mit.edu/FreeMusic/MIT_Music/Handel/

    How to Rest in God this Advent

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 7, 2020 14:11


    Join the 16 day Advent Journey here.   Maybe you're like me and you feel the darkness pressing in this year. This Advent I want to spend all of my time gazing on the light of Christ. Captivated. Worshipping. Together, let's become captivated by our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Handel's Messiah along with these quiet devotionals are just what we need after 2020 to bring our gaze back to our Prince of Peace.

    Gratitude: From Duty to Delight

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 23, 2020 21:51


    And here's my embarrassing truth: Gratitude has always felt a little like a box to check off, more duty than delight. For years, I've checked off the box faithfully knowing it was vital for mental, spiritual, and emotional health, but honestly, it felt a bit like taking vitamins. But interactive gratitude, the first stage in Immanuel Journaling, has surprised me with its power. It's been like discovering a key I didn't know existed to enter into deeper delight with God. A key to a door to mutual delight. Did you read or watch Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett as a kid? Think discovering the key under hanging vines of low expectations and turning it in a rusty old lock that didn't appear promising but opening the door to security, the loveliest walled safety, to a profusion of beauty, to ongoing revelation. And could anything be more important than joy and delight in a time period perforated with a steady influx of grief and anxiety? Who couldn't handle more delight in 2020? 

    Immanuel Journaling: invitation to receiving the comfort of God

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 18, 2020 41:54


    Through the structure of Immanuel Journaling, God metabolized emotion with us so it didn't have time to metastasize into trauma. 

    Your Emotion and God's Limitless Compassion

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 4, 2020 30:54


    Our emotions are just messengers that there's something underneath that's trying to get our attention. They are an invitation to listen to the tender places of our heart. And God loves listening with us.  Summerjoygross.com patreon.com/thepresenceproject    

    When Jesus Walks through Doors: A Prayer Practice

    Play Episode Listen Later May 30, 2020 21:25


    A Pentecost gift for you. See how your fear shifts when Jesus walks through your closed doors.

    An Interview with K. J. Ramsey: How God Ministers to us in our Anxiety,

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 30, 2020 53:21


    K. J. Ramsey and Summer Gross talk life with COVID19, grief, and the brain science of anxiety, giving practical tips for our journey back to awareness of our Prince of Peace. Finally, Summer leads us through an Ignatian style scripture practice where we can walk into the gospel story of Jesus blessing the children.   

    When You Need the One who Calms Storms

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 15, 2020 26:01


    Truth is, sometimes connecting with God in the middle of chaos and anxiety can be near impossible. Anxiety disconnects our prefrontal cortex, making it difficult for us to be rational and relational.  During times like this, the world feels off-kilter. We feel off-kilter. Today I'm going to walk us through an Ignatian scripture exercise of Mark 4:35-40 using holy imagination and the senses. Why? The senses ground our anxiety and then heighten our ability to focus.

    Lecio Divina: Transformation through Fixing our Eyes on Jesus

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 4, 2020 39:42


    How the story of the transfiguration of Jesus is the key to our transformation. There are two invitations when we're walking through pain: to lament + to Worship. To pour out our lament with an empathetic listener and also to lift our eyes to the throne, fix our eyes on Jesus, and find our story within his larger story.

    How the Spirit Renews Our Love of Scripture

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 6, 2020 37:04


    But in spiritual matchmaking there's a different law at play, we cannot conjure up desire in our own strength. It also says that we can't formula our way to relationship. We can't perform our way to wonder and mystery. And that wisdom is not a currency to count before fellow church members nor is information the path to a deep rooted love. It can be a part of the path, learning the topography, learning the facts on the ground.   And sure, we can chase desire like a couple in marriage counseling positioning ourselves in the flow of first things, but we can't perform our way into connection. We can't tick off a to-do list and create communion.    God is not a destination or a list of truths to dominate. God is a Person.

    Aundi Kolber and the Try Softer way of looking at Spiritual Practices

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 11, 2020 51:11


    Aundi Kolber talks with me about attachment styles, a new view for anxiety, and looking at spiritual practices through a trauma-informed lens. What happens when spiritual practices like silence trigger you? You Try Softer.

    Drawing Near to God in the Midst of Holiday Stress

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 13, 2019 48:43


    We're headed into the holiday season, a season of feasts but also of family stress. We're all aware that joy rarely stands alone. We can be all over the  emotional map even on Christmas morning. The older I get, the more I realize we are complex, a daily mixture of pain and joy. The question is, can we invite Jesus to walk with us in our complexities. Can we sift through the fog of our internal narratives and find Him in the nativity? There is often so much joy to be found but we can be run over by stress, by to do lists, and triggers, and we miss it all. But here's the question: Can we stay awake to the Presence of Jesus?

    Trust in God Built One Gratitude after Another

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 14, 2019 20:05


    Psalm 78 confronts us with how easy it is to speak against God and ask, “Can God set a table in the wilderness?” On the hard days we struggle to remember. It's human. But, what if we kept a journal, like Ann Voskamp's 1000 gifts, and on the hard days, we perused the pages and found the goodness of God printed in our own handwriting? Or what if we used a holiday primed for this, Thanksgiving, to speak the stories of gratitude into each other's lives, to pass the goodness of God from one generation to another just like we do the mashed potatoes. This simple ritual, three kernels of corn, is our own family's way of doing just that.

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