Podcasts about adventurous faith

A luxury 24-acre estate with six houses and 22 garage parking spaces may not meet most people's definition of a parsonage. But the tax code says otherwise—this one Texas home is turning heads after being listed on realtor.com for $15 million. Located in a Houston suburb, the property is the home of Bishop I.V. Hilliard and his wife, Pastor Bridget Hilliard. It belongs to New Light Church (also known as New Light Christian Center Church), a multi-site, Word of Faith megachurch that the Hilliards founded in 1984.    The listing says the compound “boasts a lake stocked with trophy bass, a magazine worthy primary estate, five junior estates, a resort style pool with cabanas,” an office complex with a fitness center, and an owners' suite with a 25-foot high ceiling, and its own private exercise room and jacuzzi tub. Other features include two wet bars, a banquet hall, a home theater, a hair salon, and a commercial-grade kitchen. Appraised in 2023 at $7,966,887, the property would have incurred an estimated $152,168 in annual property taxes. But thanks to the parsonage tax exemption, the Hilliards and their church enjoy a tax liability most homeowners in their 28,000-member congregation can only dream of: zero. According to The Christian Post, in 2021 an attorney representing New Light Church told the Houston Chronicle the tax exemption was justified because the estate is used as a minister's retreat and conference center.  However, this is not the first time the Hilliards, who teach a form of the so-called Prosperity Gospel, have made headlines for their lavish lifestyle and use of church donations.  In 2013, Bishop Hilliard, who has an estimated net worth of $22 million, sparked criticism with a fundraiser mailing that asked supporters to donate $52 each to replace the blades of his helicopter. "I heard that still small voice of the Holy Spirit say 'tell your special partners who have special transportation needs' and their obedience will release favor for their needs and desires,” the letter read. "I believe with all my heart this message is for you and your doing something today is the key to releasing this favor on your transportation situation! Send me the transportation need or dream you have by completing the online petition when you sow a $52.00 transportation favor seed believing in 52 days or 52 weeks you will experience breakthrough favor!"  Hilliard defended the letter, stressing the importance of the helicopter for serving the church's six campuses and denying he had made any “bogus claims, prophecies or guarantees promising the donor will receive their dream mode of transportation in 52 days or 52 weeks.” But one vocal critic, Pastor Saiko Woods of the now defunct His Word, His Way Fellowship Church in Sugar Land, Texas, argued, “I've seen this man's home. I've seen where he lives. You can't tell me you don't have $50,000 you can pay out of your own pocket.” As to why the parsonage has been put on the market, no statement has been released. New Light Church Parsonage / Realtor.com In 2018, Bishop Hilliard passed the mantle of senior pastor to his daughter Irishea Hilliard, who lives across the street from him in a home valued at $4.7 million. Another daughter, Tiny Hilliard Egan, lives across the street in a house valued at about $4.15 million. A third daughter, Kermeshea Hilliard Evans, is estranged from the family and wrote a memoir, Going to Church to Catch Hell, about growing up in the ministry. According to New Light's website, Bishop Hilliard and his wife continue to be active in the church, pursuing “passion projects” including Hilliard Faith University, Love City and B's Girls. The bishop's Facebook page indicates that he continues to do frequent speaking engagements, such as the recent Adventurous Faith seminar. New Light Church was once named by Church Report magazine as one of America's 50 most influential churches.

ITS FINALLY HERE - my interview with a man, an astrophysicist, who studied the Bible to find contradictions, and instead affirmed his faith in God and science. Dr. Hugh Ross. This is the message I've been waiting for. This is the message worth sharing with your friends Astrophysicist and author Hugh Ross is founder and senior scholar of Reasons to Believe, an organization that researches and communicates how discoveries about nature harmonize with the words of the Bible. His books include: Read the Author's Work: Designed to the Core: https://amzn.to/3TWwz40 Improbable Planet: https://amzn.to/4afYmlG The Creator and the Cosmos: How the Latest Scientific Discoveries Reveal God: https://amzn.to/3IYRJIB Why the Universe Is the Way It Is (Reasons to Believe): https://amzn.to/4cETzMy Navigating Genesis: A Scientist's Journey through Genesis 1-11: https://amzn.to/3VJQAwh Always Be Ready: A Call to Adventurous Faith: https://amzn.to/3voOEyv What Does the Bible Say about the Modern Nation of Israel? : https://reasons.org/explore/blogs/todays-new-reason-to-believe/what-does-the-bible-say-about-the-modern-nation-of-israel --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/biblically-speaking-cb/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/biblically-speaking-cb/support

Speaker:  Dan Bennett Date:  April 16, 2023 Passage: MARK Part: 2

Welcome! So glad that you're here!Everything you might be looking for can be found on our Gather Page.Check it out at crossroadscolorado.com/gatherHave a great week!

                  Hebrews – A Call to Commitment:                                 “Adventurous Faith”                                    Hebrews 11:8-12             Three Requirements of Adventurous Faith:1.        Adventurous Faith Starts with Obedience Abraham: “The Father of all who have Faith.” Heb. 2:16 Faith and obedience are inseparable: Rom 1:5They were strangers; just like us.  1 Pet 2:11-12Our citizenship is not here!  Phil 3:20-21 2.        Adventurous Faith Looks Beyond this World “The old order is passing away.”  Rev. 21:1-4Preparations are underway: John 14:1-4 3.        Adventurous Faith Realizes the Impossible Both Abraham and Sarah laughed at the promise of God:  Gen 17:17; 18:11 All things are possible: Mt. 19:26The message: “God brings hope to the hopeless.” Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/AnthonyMartino66?fan_landing=true)

How can fountains and rivers help you understand the walk of faith? And what your faith walk can be like?Fountains are on a loop. The water goes nowhere. Actually, it goes right back where it came from.In contrast, rivers are always moving and changing. They never turn back, but always move ahead.In this video, Matt explains the importance of moving from comfortable to risk-taking. And how you can embrace the unknown to go farther on your own faith walk adventure.Let Matt's ministry Truth Snack guide you in your journey toward a more confident faith!For related resources, visit preparedtoanswer.org/topics/faith-and-reason/adventurous-faith-seeking-and-confident-belief-with-truth-snack Join the adventure by following Truth Snack on YouTube!Support the show (https://preparedtoanswer.org/donate/)

Today we discover how fear and faith oppose adventurous faith and, at the same time, launch us into it. A study in fundamentals with Vince Miller. BUY THE BOOK HERE: https://beresolute.org/product/fundamentals-for-men/

Introduction - The year behind: largely an unexpected adventure! - The year ahead: more of the same!     - Uncertain outcomes - Choose - cooperate with God's faith adventure - We can learn how to start in the right way by looking at how Abraham's faith adventure began --- 1. Listen to God -  Genesis 12:1-4, 7 - What is God trying to achieve?     - Not just do something nice for Abram     - Healing for creation         - Eden; murder; flood wickedness; Babel pride - sound like our world today?         - How?         - Men and women of faith         - Abram - reverse of Babel             - Makes someone great - the one who honours him - *Really* listen - he loves you     - Only has our best interests at heart  “Go forth ....And I will” (Genesis 12:1–2 NAS95)     - "Go...so that I may make you...bless you...     - Great nation     - Bless you         - 80 X Genesis ; 310 elsewhere         - 'Bless' X5 - concentrated burst     - Name great (only David)     - Be a blessing: “you will be the embodiment of blessing”; “You will be a byword of blessing”, I.e., “may you be as blessed as Abram”.         - (Matthew 5:16 NIV11)         - (1 Peter 2:12 NAS95)     - Protection: “neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:39 NIV11)     - All peoples on earth: Matt 28:18-20     - (To your offspring I will give this land" - v7) - Prioritise times of quiet with God - but to grow in them, not just have them     - Personal connection - we have Father, Jesus and Spirit within us  “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.” (John 14:23 NAS95)  “having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.” (Ephesians 1:13–14 NAS95) - He worships - altars etc.vv7, 8, ....     - Part of our character, not just something we do     - Not trying to create a people of moral conformity,         - But light in the darkness and water in the desert - In this - the pressure is off. It is not about talent, but faith.     - My greatest gift is not my abilities, but my faith. --- 2. Take God at his word - Genesis 12:4-9 - Travels North-South through the land, stopping off on the way and worshipping.     - Much like us - God adds some detail to the promises, v7 - Instinct to worship, honour God - What leaving behind?     - He left all that made him emotionally and practically secure         - Dad, brothers, extended family, livelihood, culture, food, language, ways of doing business, values     - Traditional way of doing church? - What moving towards?     - Greater use of our gifts?         - In service to one another and the world..... - TV mission  "To cooperate with the Spirit in spreading the good news across the South West of England." - Gift-use focus 2021  “For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.” (Romans 12:3–8 NAS95) - Using gifts requires faith - Take a step to discover and use gifts - in service of God --- 3. Accept God's discipline - Genesis 12:10-20 - Abraham self focused, his mind on potentially negative fate.     - Leads to fears dominating his judgement.     - Acts for self preservation.     - Not imagining how God might preserve him, but how he might preserve himself     - When we focus on our fears, God gets smaller than the problem. - Don't be surprised by your failings - they are not fatal     - There are consequences - Imagine the state of their marriage after this     - Yet God can use it - Sometimes God's discipline is severe     - It needed plagues to restore Sarah to her destiny and deportation to get Abram back to Canaan. - Spiritual highs are sometimes accompanied by spiritual lows. - Key issue here:     - This is a contest between God and the God-King.         - We are in a spiritual battle.         - We are in a one sided war already won - if we are with God --- Conclusion - Your life matters - Abraham feeling his way forward - just like all of us

Introduction - The year behind: largely an unexpected adventure! - The year ahead: more of the same! - Choose - cooperate with God's faith adventure - We can learn how to start in the right way by looking at how Abraham's faith adventure began --- 1. Listen to God -  Genesis 12:1-4, 7 - What is God trying to achieve?     - Healing for creation         - Eden; murder; flood wickedness; Babel pride - sound like our world today?         - How?         - Men and women of faith         - Abram - reverse of Babel             - Makes someone great - the one who honours him - *Really* listen - he loves you     - Only has our best interests at heart         “Go forth ....And I will” (Genesis 12:1–2 NAS95)     - "Go...so that I may make you...bless you...     - Great nation     - Bless you         - 80 X Genesis ; 310 elsewhere         - 'Bless' X5 - concentrated burst     - Name great (only David)     - Be a blessing: “you will be the embodiment of blessing”; “You will be a byword of blessing”, I.e., “may you be as blessed as Abram”.         - “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16 NIV11)         - “Keep your behaviour excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.” (1 Peter 2:12 NAS95)     - Protection: “neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:39 NIV11)     - All peoples on earth: Matt 28:18-20     - (To your offspring I will give this land" - v7) - Prioritise times of quiet with God - but to grow in them, not just have them     - Personal connection - we have Father, Jesus and Spirit within us  “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.” (John 14:23 NAS95)  “having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory.” (Ephesians 1:13–14 NAS95) - He worships - altars etc.vv7, 8, ....     - Part of our character, not just something we do     - Not trying to create a people of moral conformity,         - But light in the darkness and water in the desert - In this - the pressure is off. It is not about talent, but faith.     - My greatest gift is not my abilities, but my faith. --- 2. Take God at his word - Genesis 12:4-9 - Travels North-South through the land, stopping off on the way and worshipping. - God adds some detail to the promises, v7 - Instinct to worship, honour God - What leaving behind?     - He left all that made him emotionally and practically secure         - Dad, brothers, extended family, livelihood, culture, food, language, ways of doing business, values     - Traditional way of doing church? - What moving towards?     - Greater use of our gifts?         - In service to one another and the world..... - Watford mission  "To cooperate with the Spirit in spreading the good news across Herts, Beds & Bucks." - Using gifts requires faith - Take a step to discover and use gifts - in service of God --- 3. Accept God's discipline - Genesis 12:10-20 - Abraham self focused, his mind on potentially negative fate.     - Leads to fears dominating his judgement.     - Acts for self preservation.     - Not imagining how God might preserve him, but how he might preserve himself     - When we focus on our fears, God gets smaller than the problem. - Don't be surprised by your failings - they are not fatal     - There are consequences - Imagine the state of their marriage after this     - Yet God can use it - Sometimes God's discipline is severe     - It needed plagues to restore Sarah to her destiny and deportation to get Abram back to Canaan. - Spiritual highs are sometimes accompanied by spiritual lows.     - Post-baptism. - Key issue here:     - This is a contest between God and the God-King.         - We are in a spiritual battle.         - We are in a one sided war already won - if we are with God --- Conclusion - Your life matters - Abraham feeling his way forward - just like all of us Please add your comments on this week's topic. We learn best when we learn in community.  Do you have a question about teaching the Bible? Is it theological, technical, practical? Send me your questions or suggestions. Here's the email: [malcolm@malcolmcox.org](mailto:malcolm@malcolmcox.org).  If you'd like a copy of my free eBook on spiritual disciplines, “How God grows His people”, sign up at my website: http://[www.malcolmcox.org](http://www.malcolmcox.org/).  Please pass the link on, subscribe, leave a review.  “Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” (Psalms 100:2 NIV11)  God bless, Malcolm

Introduction - The year behind: largely an unexpected adventure! - The year ahead: more of the same! - Choose - cooperate with God's faith adventure - We can learn how to start in the right way by looking at how Abraham's faith adventure began --- 1. Listen to God -  Genesis 12:1-4, 7 - What is God trying to achieve?     - Healing for creation         - Eden; murder; flood wickedness; Babel pride - sound like our world today?         - How?         - Men and women of faith         - Abram - reverse of Babel             - Makes someone great - the one who honours him - *Really* listen - he loves you     - Only has our best interests at heart         “Go forth ....And I will” (Genesis 12:1–2 NAS95)     - "Go...so that I may make you...bless you...     - Great nation     - Bless you         - 80 X Genesis ; 310 elsewhere         - 'Bless' X5 - concentrated burst     - Name great (only David)     - Be a blessing: “you will be the embodiment of blessing”; “You will be a byword of blessing”, I.e., “may you be as blessed as Abram”.         - “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16 NIV11)         - “Keep your behaviour excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.” (1 Peter 2:12 NAS95)     - Protection: “neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:39 NIV11)     - All peoples on earth: Matt 28:18-20     - (To your offspring I will give this land" - v7) - Prioritise times of quiet with God - but to grow in them, not just have them     - Personal connection - we have Father, Jesus and Spirit within us  “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.” (John 14:23 NAS95)  “having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.” (Ephesians 1:13–14 NAS95) - He worships - altars etc.vv7, 8, ....     - Part of our character, not just something we do     - Not trying to create a people of moral conformity,         - But light in the darkness and water in the desert - In this - the pressure is off. It is not about talent, but faith.     - My greatest gift is not my abilities, but my faith. --- 2. Take God at his word - Genesis 12:4-9 - Travels North-South through the land, stopping off on the way and worshipping. - God adds some detail to the promises, v7 - Instinct to worship, honour God - What leaving behind?     - He left all that made him emotionally and practically secure         - Dad, brothers, extended family, livelihood, culture, food, language, ways of doing business, values     - Traditional way of doing church? - What moving towards?     - Greater use of our gifts?         - In service to one another and the world..... - Watford mission  "To cooperate with the Spirit in spreading the good news across Herts, Beds & Bucks." - Using gifts requires faith - Take a step to discover and use gifts - in service of God --- 3. Accept God's discipline - Genesis 12:10-20 - Abraham self focused, his mind on potentially negative fate.     - Leads to fears dominating his judgement.     - Acts for self preservation.     - Not imagining how God might preserve him, but how he might preserve himself     - When we focus on our fears, God gets smaller than the problem. - Don't be surprised by your failings - they are not fatal     - There are consequences - Imagine the state of their marriage after this     - Yet God can use it - Sometimes God's discipline is severe     - It needed plagues to restore Sarah to her destiny and deportation to get Abram back to Canaan. - Spiritual highs are sometimes accompanied by spiritual lows.     - Post-baptism. - Key issue here:     - This is a contest between God and the God-King.         - We are in a spiritual battle.         - We are in a one sided war already won - if we are with God --- Conclusion - Your life matters - Abraham feeling his way forward - just like all of us Please add your comments on this week’s topic. We learn best when we learn in community.  Do you have a question about teaching the Bible? Is it theological, technical, practical? Send me your questions or suggestions. Here’s the email: [malcolm@malcolmcox.org](mailto:malcolm@malcolmcox.org).  If you’d like a copy of my free eBook on spiritual disciplines, “How God grows His people”, sign up at my website: http://[www.malcolmcox.org](http://www.malcolmcox.org/).  Please pass the link on, subscribe, leave a review.  “Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” (Psalms 100:2 NIV11)  God bless, Malcolm

The Adventurous Faith of Abraham by Burleigh Village Church

The Adventurous Faith of Abel by Burleigh Village Church

Jesus did not call you to boredom when He called you into His kingdom. He called you to an Adventurous Faith!

We're taking a look at the values we hold that make Deep Water feel like Deep Water. This week - Adventurous Faith.

We're taking a look at the values we hold that make Deep Water feel like Deep Water. This week - Adventurous Faith.

Digital Nomad Mastery - Podcast Interview about Incorporating Faith into your Business with Ben Weaver from Adventurous Faith http://www.BenWeaver.org Thank you for watching our video. We post videos DAILY videos about fatherhood & family, online business, and world travel. Currently, we have been to over 80 countries on 6 continents and our goal is to be the FIRST FAMILY to visit every country in the word. GET EMAIL UPDATES on our website: http://www.DaddyBlogger.com LIKE us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DaddyBlogger SUBSCRIBE to us on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/tokyoricky FOLLOW us on Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest: http://www.twitter.com/tokyoricky http://www.instagram.com/tokyoricky http://www.pinterest.com/tokyoricky Also, check out our Digital Nomad Mastery business at: http://www.DigitalNomadMastery.com #DaddyBloggerWorldTour #DigitalNomadMastery

The Final Episode of Adventurous Faith...listen in. 

Many of us think risk-taking is difficult – but it’s not. It’s actually way more simple than we make it out to be. Our problem is we don’t often have the system or ideas we need in place to assess whether or not the risk we want to take is worth it. On today’s episode of Adventurous Faith, I talk about a risk I recently took in becoming a StoryBrand Certified Guide. There was a lot I learned through the process and I thought it was valuable information you needed to know in learning to take risks in your own life. On the show, we’ll talk about the three simple steps you can take that will make risk-taking look easy. I promise you, it’s not as daunting as we make it out to be. RESOURCES MENTIONED ON TODAY’S SHOW Ben’s Instagram – comment on the photo of this episode!  

Becoming a successful entrepreneur doesn’t happen overnight. It takes a large amount of time and one very special skill that most never acquire – stepping into the unknown. My guest on today’s episode of Adventurous Faith has learned this incredible skill of stepping into the unknown. William Warren is the founder of The Sketch Effect, a company that helps ideas come to life by using visual communication. On the show today, we unpack William’s life and the steps he took into the unknown that helped him become the successful artist and business owner that he is today. RESOURCES MENTIONED ON THE SHOW Ben’s Instagram Sketch Effect Instagram The Sketch Effect Website Post navigation #046: LEARNING HOW TO ADMIT WHEN YOU ARE WRONG W/ JOSH HARRIS    

When tragedy strikes our lives, we have two choices. We can choose to move forward and live. Or, we can lay over and die. My guest on today’s episode of Adventurous Faith understands that decision all too well. When John O’Leary was just a boy, he was burned in over 90% of his body. He remembers making the decision to live. That decision has affected his story, live and mission since that moment. John now lives to inspire people to live this full life now. LIVING TO INSPIRE Recently, I had an opportunity to sit down with John, a St. Louis native and capture his story and the message he uses to inspire people to this Full Life. It was such an honor getting to sit down with him. You are going to love this Story Session. RESOURCES MENTIONED ON THE SHOW John’s Book – On fire John’s Website  

Men don’t enjoy talking about the past. We are often present and future-oriented people. Even if we were interested in talking about the past, we’re pretty sure the only thing we would find there is pain. I understand this all too real for myself. Lately, I have been spending a lot of time with young men and their passion for the future. But in our time together I am sure to remind them of one important truth they need to learn about themselves – don’t forget or ignore your past. Embrace it. STOP IGNORING YOUR PAST For us to become the men we long to be, it’s important that we take a look back on our lives and embrace the events, tragedies and hurts that made us. On this episode of Adventurous Faith, we talk about the four benefits of why you should begin embracing your past. I’m confident that after listening to this episode that embracing your past won’t seem as daunting – but it will be necessary. RESOURCES MENTIONED ON THE SHOW To Be Told Find Your Why The Road Back to You  

On today’s show we will be talking to Ben Weaver, founder of the organization, Adventurous Faith. During this episode you’ll hear: What motivated Ben to train for, participate in and finish such an arduous event as the Ironman Triathlon at the age of 22. How everything in his life was “on point” at that time but it was really out of balance The “hole in his soul” and how he felt lonely, isolated and lacked confidence His experience as a youth pastor and why he ultimately quit that job to pursue his dream Why men seem to have a bigger issue with balance, isolation and confidence despite having it seemingly “all together” on the outside Several key resources for men, including coaching support and why they’d be helpful in this journey that many men face What men can do to get started on this new journey

The views we have about money were shaped when we were young. For some of us, that view is healthy – and it’s helped us to build the life we want and understand money as a powerful tool. For others of us (myself included), the relationship with money that was established when we were younger was not so healthy. In fact, it may continue to wreck your life today. HOW TO BUILD A HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP WITH MONEY. My guest on today’s episode of Adventurous Faith understands the power your relationship with money can have on you. Nick True has spent the better part of his twenties navigating that very issue in his own life. He and his wife Hanna are now in a place where they are thriving in their life because they have worked through a lot of their money issues. They now help other young people do the same with their business Mapped Out Money. RESOURCES MENTIONED ON TODAY’S SHOW Mapped Out Money YouTube Channel Mappedoutmoney.com The Financial Audit Checklist  

Dr. Hugh Ross is an astrophysicist, apologist, author, and President and Founder of Reasons to Believe, an organization dedicated to integrating scientific fact with Biblical faith. Dr. Ross is passionate about equipping followers of Jesus to engage, rather than withdraw from or attack, educated non-Christians. His most recent book is Always Be Ready: A Call to Adventurous Faith, which uses personal stories to share the thrills and challenges of sharing your faith.

Not all of us are in business, but all of us need a powerful relational network to help get us through life. We are hard-wired for relationships and made for community. RELATIONSHIPS ARE EVERYTHING On this episode of Adventurous Faith, I sit down with a good friend and mentor, Brian McCrae. By day, Brian is a mortgage broker (yes, he did the mortgage on my house) but also by day, he has built a powerful relationship network in St. Louis that helped him to launch Mastermind St. Louis, a monthly free networking and leadership development event that hundreds attend each month. It was such a privilege getting to sit down with Brian to capture a little more of his story, but also hear how he built a powerful referral network that he has. You'll enjoy this episode! RESOURCES MENTIONED ON TODAY'S SHOW Brian's Website - Mastermind St. Louis

We long to pursue and achieve great things in life. It's in our hard wiring - to experience life and adventure to the full. But most of us spin our wheels wanting more of this "full life" but never knowing how to experience it. We want God to speak to us, but we're not sure if we know how to listen. On today's episode of Adventurous Faith, we are going to talk about the ever-important practice of letting God out in front to lead your life and four straightforward but basic practices you can begin doing today to hear God's voice more clearly in this noisy world. RESOURCES MENTIONED ON TODAY'S SHOW Walking with God by John Eldredge Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day SUP Chapter 15 - Practicing Listening Prayer

2018 was an incredible beginning to the Adventurous Faith podcast. After a launch in late April, the audience kept growing and the incredible conversations kept piling up. I thought a good way to begin this new year would be to take a step back and to re-visit some of those episodes and pull out some of the great clips that make Adventurous Faith what it is. I hope you enjoy this throwback! We'll be back next week with a fresh, brand new episode of the podcast!    2019 is going to be epic.   

2018 is beginning to come to a close. This will be the last episode of my start-up story for this year. On today's episode and chapter, I wanted to take just a few minutes and talk about where we have come and where I believe God is leading us: Seek God. Pursue People. I haven't been short on telling you that this business is all about God. You have probably figured that out about now. From the very inception of this business, I have wanted God to guide and direct this entire thing. If I take control, all is lost. SEEK GOD. PURSUE PEOPLE. A couple of weeks ago I was having a conversation with my fiance, Shauna about something happening in the business. Her response caught my heart in the best way possible. "Yeah, it's Seek God, Pursue People." My heart leaped with joy. That is it. Those were the words I had been looking for that summarize why we are doing what we are doing and what it all means to us. Adventurous Faith is a business that seeks God first. We then pursue the heart of those God puts in our path through relationships. God is leading us this direction in 2019. It is going to be an epic year!  

5 LESSONS I'M LEARNING ABOUT GRATITUDE RIGHT NOW 1. Gratitude has helped me to remain present. When we learn to be thankful and cultivate a heart of gratitude, we set our minds on the present. 2. Gratitude has helped me to build stronger and healthier relationships. When I can learn to show gratitude towards those I love and care for, our relationship bond cannot be broken. 3. Gratitude has helped me to form a stronger mental fortitude. Sometimes, the name of the game is mental toughness. Expressing and showing gratitude helps me to form it. 4. Gratitude has helped me to remember what God has already done. When I can stop and think about what I am grateful for, my heart remembers what God has already done and brought me through. 5. Gratitude has helped me to remember my place in this world. God is God, and I am not. When you use gratitude as a way of life, it helps put you in your place. You begin to realize that all that has been given to you was handed to you by God. Adventurous Faith

Let's be honest - we suck at focusing anymore. Our ability to focus is terrible. Attention spans have plummetted to the floor. Distraction has become a major problem in the workforce. My guest on today's episode of Adventurous Faith knows all about it. Curt Steinhorst is the founder of FocusWise. FocusWise is an organization built to help reduce distractions and improve communication in the workplace. Curt is the author of "Can I Have Your Attention?" where he shares his thoughts on research on what it looks like to help yourself, your team and company get the focus you need to get better work done. LEARN HOW TO FOCUS This conversation with Curt was a lot of fun. There are a lot of great practical tools and application he gives in how you can help yourself get more work done. Here are some takeaways you'll get from this episode: Addressing the major problem of distraction we have in the workplace. Practical ideas and principles on learning how to focus. How to create communication compacts with your team, friends, and family so you can communicate in a more efficient way. Practical steps and ideas on how you can focus your brand and business to make the greatest impact. I even put myself on the hot seat with Curt and we walk through this together. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE SHOW Curt's Book: Can I Have Your Attention? FocusWise Curt's Website

Over the last eight months, Adventurous Faith has grown and shaped in several different ways. One of those more significant ways has been with my coaching practice. This hasn't come easy for me. When I first began coaching, I was sure if I had the skill set, knowledge, and ability to do the high-level coaching I had been dreaming of. My self-worth wasn't there yet. LET'S TALK MONEY & SELF-WORTH Over the last several months of growing this coaching practice, one of the more vital lessons I have learned is that the process I am offering men in finding a balanced life is virtually priceless. I not only have the skill set, but I have the tools, experience, and ability to coaching high-achieving men to even greater success in their businesses and personal lives. I am more convinced of this than ever. That is what this episode is all about. It's about me needing to raise my coaching rate, but more importantly, it's about me finding greater self-worth in what I am doing. The Prosperous Coach 500B6

There's a good chance that throughout your life you will hold several different jobs. There may even be a greater chance that those jobs span across several different careers, skill sets, and even passions. There is nothing wrong with these different pursuits. God may even ordain many of them. But if we are honest with ourselves, most of the changes we make in our career and life path come down to one very simple idea: meaning. Each of us in our way is searching for meaning in this life. We want our time, energy, effort and work to mean something.  HOW TO MOVE TOWARDS MEANING My guest on today's episode of Adventurous Faith knows all about the pursuit of finding meaning. Dan Cumberland is the founder of The Meaning Movement - an organization that helps people find meaningful work in their life by exploring their story and other vital areas of their lives that are often neglected. Dan is doing fantastic work, and I cannot wait for you to hear his energy behind what he is doing. It is contagious! RESOURCES MENTIONED ON THE SHOW The Meaning Movement Finding Purpose in Life: The Long Guide to Finding Your Life’s Work. Connect with Dan

Most of us can admit that we'd like to be successful. This isn't difficult. What is difficult is how you define it. Defining success in your own life and then sticking to your own guns, hell or high water is not easy. Many times through this process of finding success we lose ourselves. We forget who we are and what we originally set out to be. In the end, our version of success suffocates our own lives. My guest on today's episode, Jeff Goins, knows all about this. ON FINDING SUCCESS On this episode of Adventurous Faith, I sit down with Jeff Goins. Jeff is a best-selling author and very successful entrepreneur. Over the course of about a year, he was able to launch a successful writing business and make over six-figures. His story only goes up from there. Over the course of a couple of years, he successfully made over 7 figures while achieving all sorts of success But in the middle of his journey, he found himself lost, no longer doing what he really started out to do. There is plenty to learn from Jeff's story and I know you'll enjoy it.   RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE SHOW Jeff Goins - goinswriter.com The Art of Work Real Artists Don't Starve

A few weeks ago I was catching up with an old friend on the phone. We began talking about the new business I had launched. He decided to share some much-needed wisdom he had gained in attempting to launch out on his own. In our conversation he shared a lot of interesting thoughts about business, starting a company and reaching people with your message. But there was one piece of advice that stuck out to me that I'm not sure I'll ever forget. He told me to grow where I am planted. GROW WHERE YOU ARE PLANTED Such a novel idea isn't it? Most of us believe we should grow where we are planted but rarely live out our lives according to this great purpose. We love scaling and growing things, ideas and companies beyond our means and reach. It's a beautiful pursuit - but is it a necessary one? What might it look like for you and I to grow our ideas and businesses in the communities in which we live? Sure, there are people all over the world that need to hear our thoughts (and yes, I DO believe that). But the greatest impact you and I can make is in our own backyards. HOME IN ST. LOUIS This changes everything for Adventurous Faith. No, not the vision or even means of making business happen. But, it does change how I believe God is calling us to scale it. 2019 is shaping up to be a great year for growth. I can't wait to see the impact we get to make in The Lou!

I suppose that I have been waiting quite a while to post an episode such as this. I have wanted to find a way for Shauna and me to share our story for a while. Bringing her on the Adventurous Faith podcast was an obvious choice. You will hear us tell our story in full on this episode of the podcast! Jonathan Knepper Instagram  Andrew Knepper Instagram WATCH OUR SHORT FILM: A NEW BRANCH

Many of us wish we could spend our lives traveling the world. God knows I have thought about it from time to time. Who needs to work from home when you can choose to work from anywhere in the world? Because of the advances we have in technology, you and I can spend our 9-5's not stuck in cubicle nation. We can live abroad and pursue the life we've always wanted to live as a digital nomad. My guest on today's episode of Adventurous Faith has stopped wishing he could live abroad and started doing it. Ricky Shetty is the founder of DaddyBlogger.com and the host of Digital Nomad Mastery. DNM is a resource dedicated to people who want to want to learn how to live abroad and make a living. THRIVING AS A DIGITAL NOMAD As you'll learn on today's show, Ricky didn't always live this way. It has only been in the last couple of years that Ricky has decided to take his life on the road. Over the last few years, Ricky has learned a lot of great lessons on how to live as a digital nomad. He is now inviting others to come along the journey with him - whatever country that may lead them to. On this episode, he shares his story, practical advice, and wisdom on how to approach becoming a digital nomad. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN ON TODAY'S EPISODE The pursuit of adventure that is hard-wired in each of us. Ricky's framework for how to live as a digital nomad. How important it is to have your mind and heart in the right frame of mind as you explore living abroad. How important it is for Ricky to be living out his faith as he travels in living out The Great Commission. RESOURCES MENTIONED ON TODAY'S EPISODE DaddyBlogger.com Digital Nomad Mastery Podcast

Sometimes things happen in life that you can't help but share with the world. On October 20th, under the starry skies of St. Augustine Florida I asked my girl to spend forever with me. She said yes! So, I'm engaged! This is a major life update! MAJOR LIFE UPDATE I know that most of the Chapters of my Start-Up Story are of me talking about the business. Those are all important and real conversations to have. But most importantly, this business is all about relationships. And those relationships aren't all always just about business. They are real, raw and personal. ADVENTUROUS FAITH JUST ISN'T ABOUT BUSINESS Adventurous Faith is about planning a life with the ones you love and allowing God to take the lead. This is why talking about my engagement on the podcast is that important. My personal life and Adventurous Faith aren't two separate things. They are one and the same. I cannot wait to see the life that God has for both Shauna and I as we moved forward in our relationship and further into this business. Shauna currently plays an intimate role in the business. You will only see that grow, morph and change as we get married and God grows the business. I'm excited more than ever that she and I get to do this together. Thanks for listening. Thanks for tuning in to our story. I look forward to sharing more about us in some future episodes.  

We are called for a great purpose. Even greater, we are called to create in the world in which we live. When we are living out this calling, creating every day and living out our faith in the marketplace as an entrepreneur, God's Kingdom pushes forward. My guest on today's episode of Adventurous Faith is Jordan Raynor. Jordan is the auth of Called to Create: A Biblical Invitation to Create, Innovate and Risk. He is a serial entrepreneur, former member of The White House staff under President Bush and is currently the CEO of Threshold 360. LIVE OUR YOUR FAITH AS AN ENTREPRENEUR  Jordan's message is simple. God is the first entrepreneur and he has called us to create. Whether inside the church or in the marketplace we have a responsibility to use the gifts and talents that God has given to us. While the journey isn't easy, it's necessary as the call doesn't wain, but only pushes us forward. Jordan had a lot of wise thoughts to give about the way we view entrepreneurship in the world and how that applies to those of us that consider ourselves to be a part of the Christian Faith. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN ON TODAY'S EPISODE God as the first entrepreneur. A good, working definition of entrepreneurship. Our job doesn't matter. We are all called to create. The three important questions to ask when discerning God's call on your life. The principle of Trust, Hustle & Rest and why it's important for an entrepreneur. A call to ministry doesn't necessarily mean a call to work in a church. It can mean something more. RESOURCES MENTIONED ON TODAY'S EPISODE Jordan's Website Called to Create: A Biblical Invitation to Create, Innovate & Risk Threshold 360  

In this episode Kurt speaks with astrophyscist and apologist Hugh Ross (Reasons to Believe) on the stories of his faith and the faith of others. Ross encourages us to have an adventurous faith to share the Gospel with others.

In this episode Kurt speaks with astrophyscist and apologist Hugh Ross (Reasons to Believe) on the stories of his faith and the faith of others. Ross encourages us to have an adventurous faith to share the Gospel with others.

After I hit the stop button I knew there was something special about this interview. I thought to myself "Every man on the planet needs to listen to this episode." Why? Because I believe that if taken to heart, it can radically change the direction of every man who listens to it. Buckle Up - We're going to learn how to seek true adventure & live free. Today's guest on the Adventurous Faith podcast is John Eldredge. John is the New York Times Best Selling Author of Wild at Heart among many other books. He is the founder of Ransomed Heart, a ministry based out of Colorado. John has made it his life's mission to call the heart's of men and women back to God. He's been at it for several years and has a global following with his podcast, books, conferences, and seminars.  SEEK TRUE ADVENTURE & LIVE FREE This interview is one for the books. It encapsulates so well the mission of Adventurous Faith and the call God has on our lives. In our interview, John and I discuss what it looks like to seek true adventure and thereby come to live free. It's not an easy road, but it's the life that God has designed and rigged this world for. As you listen to this episode, I invite you to think about what this message looks like for you. It's not easy to hear, but necessary in order to become the man you long to be. What are the practical steps towards crucial and epic adventure you need to take in order to become the man God longs for you to be? WHAT YOU'LL LEARN ON TODAY'S EPISODE Inside every man, there is a battle to fight, an adventure to live and a beauty to rescue. What Biblical adventure looks like and how to seek it. The differences between casual, crucial and epic adventure. How to take steps out of the self-help world and into seeking God more. How to begin your life towards God and living free today. RESOURCES MENTIONED ON TODAY'S EPISODE Ransomed Heart Ministries Wild At Heart - John's Best Selling Book REACH OUT TO ME Facebook Instagram Twitter LinkedIn    

Every once in a while someone comes along into your life, shares stories of what got them from one place to the next and you think to yourself "I'm going to remember this one for a while." This is true of my friend, Matthew. It's a beautiful story of darkness to light. FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT Today's guest on the Adventurous Faith Podcast Story Session is Matthew Mossotti. Matthew is the founder of Planet Me Productions. Planet Me a creative company dedicated to producing media that inspires the human soul into the heavenly realms. Sounds epic, doesn't it? It is! Our paths crossed several years ago at church. Matthew's heart for God inspires me. He also has a crazy amount of creativity and loves to pursue excellence in all things. I knew he would be a valuable voice to add to the Adventurous Faith podcast. It was an honor just to sit down with Matthew to capture his incredible story of coming to Faith. Just wait until you hear it! God is writing epic into Matthew's story on a regular basis and I know you'll be inspired by listening to him share.   WHAT YOU'LL LEARN FROM MATTHEW'S STORY You can't be too far gone for God to reach you. Yes, God can use your favorite band to get ahold of you and change your life. God has called us to be people of excellence. There is a unique story and design that God has for your life. RESOURCES MENTIONED ON TODAY'S SHOW Planet Me Productions Planet Me Instagram Matthew Mossotti          

I think I've had it with the self-help movement. Over the last several months there has been something brewing in my heart that until recently I wasn't able to put to words. God has been doing a great amount of work in my heart since starting Adventurous Faith. I'm far from all the answers but I feel I am gaining some traction in becoming the man and business owner that God desires for me to become. As I have been en-route on this path there have been several issues in my heart that have come to light about the self-help movement in my own life and I've decided to start bringing those ideas out into the light. THE SEVEN REASONS WHY SELF-HELP IS STUNTING YOUR SPIRITUAL GROWTH. The Self-Help Movement helps you to believe that all of what you need in this life comes from you. "You alone are the LORD You have made the heavens, The heaven of heavens with all their host, The earth and all that is on it, The seas and all that is in them You give life to all of them And the heavenly host bows down before You. - Nehemiah 9:6 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. - John 6:68 2. The Self-Help Movement makes you believe that YOU are the driving force making the greatest version of yourself. 3. It eliminates two core practices and disciplines of the Christian Faith Process - We can have anything instantly. Why go through the process and initiation of becoming a better human by what you’ve learned and grown through the process if you don’t have to? Limits - A long-lasting belief and practice in the self-help movement are that you can become and be anyone you’d like to be. Limits do not exist there. The problem is that they do and they come from Someone greater than us. God doesn't give us limits to break us down but because He loves us and knows what's best for us. 4. It Throws the attention on what you are doing for yourself rather than what God is doing inside of you. 5. It provides a “duct tape repair” option rather than true healing. 6. It leaves you in control of your life, which is really no control at all. 7. It provides no real solution for hope in the broken world we live in. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE ADVENTUROUS FAITH START-UP GUIDE REACH OUT TO ME Facebook Instagram Twitter LinkedIn  

Last week I Interviewed John Eldredge, author of Wild at Heart for the Adventurous Faith podcast. His interview will go live on October 24th. It's an episode that you won't want to miss. I believe every man on the planet needs to listen to this episode. If time allows, I like to chat with my guests after the show. I like to get their wisdom on life or share more about what I am doing with Adventurous Faith. John had time available and was willing to chat with me. I asked him one very specific question: "If you could go back and tell 35yr old John wisdom on how to run this business and ministry, what would you share with him?" He wasn't short on advice. For the next couple of episodes of my start-up story, I want to share with you what John told me. There were two thoughts he gave to me and this young business. The first was this: CRAWL. WALK. RUN It didn't take me long to realize what he was talking about. He was telling me the speed at which I should be going. I am a go-getter. I'm not afraid to grow quickly and move fast while doing it. I love it - but I'm learning lately that it probably only serves my ego instead of those around me. John was speaking great wisdom over me when he told me - "Ben - crawl. walk. run." It may sound difficult to believe, but those words were life-giving for me. Don't get me wrong, they are not easy to hear - but they bring life to my always driving soul. SLOW IT DOWN I want to spend the rest of my life doing Adventurous Faith. This is my legacy. When you think about it, what benefit is it to me to grow this thing overnight? It will just kill me. God, teach me to first crawl. It won't be easy, but it's exactly what I need to be doing.

Young Adulthood has changed drastically over the last 20-30 years. People seem to be growing up slower which has made life in your twenties tricky. If you're like most twenty-somethings, after high school you fling yourself into college with a major that you think you want to do for the rest of your life. You then graduate from college (with loads of debt) and head into the workforce hoping to make a difference. But then, only a few years into your bustling career you wake up realizing you're not doing what you wanted to do at all. You thought you were living your calling, but all you've found is a quarter-life crisis. LEARNING TO AVOID THE QUARTER-LIFE CRISIS & FIND YOUR CALLING My guest on today's episode of Adventurous Faith knows what your story feels like. He lived it himself. Paul Sohn is the founder of QARA, an organization that exists to help twenty-somethings find their True North. He is also the author of Quarter-Life Calling. Paul is a successful speaker, author, mover & shaker in the young adult space and believes there is more to get from this young generation. Paul's passion for what he does was born out of his own story to see great change being made in the world and he believes this generation, upon finding their calling, is up to the task. In our episode, he drops some great wisdom bombs and practical wisdom and advice on how to navigate your calling so you can go out into the world and do what you were created to do. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN ON TODAY'S EPISODE Paul's Story, which is common to many. How to identify a potential quarter-life crisis and how you can avoid it. Practical steps you can take in your twenties to begin navigating your calling. What to do and what not to do when searching for your calling. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN TODAY'S EPISODE Paul's Book, Quarter-Life Calling QARA - A Publication and Resource for helping you to find your calling

The Line of Fire Radio Broadcast for 10/02/18.

Today is national ONE HIT WONDER DAY! Witness for Christ in a Post-Christian Age ... GUEST Matthew Koerber, Sr. Pastor, City Reformed Church ... (As our culture changes around us, our evangelistic approaches need to think more about how the witness of our church community forms the backdrop of our witness ... In particular, the classic call to giving an apologetic answer in I Peter 3, more closely at the surrounding context of the book) Brett Kavenaugh confirmation process. US Divorce Rate is Falling! Pittsburgh is one of top 20 coffee cities in America. Steelers "Stiff Arm Win" & Vance Mcdonald Always Be Ready: A Call to Adventurous Faith ... GUEST Astronomer and best-selling author Hugh Ross travels the globe speaking on the compatibility of advancing scientific discoveries with the timeless truths of Christianity ... His organization, Reasons to Believe, is dedicated to demonstrating, via a variety of resources and events, that science and biblical faith are allies, not enemies. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today is national ONE HIT WONDER DAY! Witness for Christ in a Post-Christian Age ... GUEST Matthew Koerber, Sr. Pastor, City Reformed Church ... (As our culture changes around us, our evangelistic approaches need to think more about how the witness of our church community forms the backdrop of our witness ... In particular, the classic call to giving an apologetic answer in I Peter 3, more closely at the surrounding context of the book) Brett Kavenaugh confirmation process. US Divorce Rate is Falling! Pittsburgh is one of top 20 coffee cities in America. Steelers "Stiff Arm Win" & Vance Mcdonald Always Be Ready: A Call to Adventurous Faith ... GUEST Astronomer and best-selling author Hugh Ross travels the globe speaking on the compatibility of advancing scientific discoveries with the timeless truths of Christianity ... His organization, Reasons to Believe, is dedicated to demonstrating, via a variety of resources and events, that science and biblical faith are allies, not enemies. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last weekend I attended a conference in Nashville, TN put on by Michael Hyatt called the Achieve Conference. It was a fantastic experience. I learned a lot about being more productive, goal setting and most of all achieving my highest potential - which I get all jazzed up about! I hope to share some of what I learned in some future episodes if it makes sense. But, the best part of this last weekend wasn't the sessions or pages and pages of notes that I took about how to run a better business and be more productive. It was an unexpected lunch I had with another entrepreneur who has become a distant mentor of mine. A few years ago I was introduced to Jeff Goins, an online business owner who helps writers find their audience called Tribe Writers. I have been a student of Jeff's for a couple of years now, and I highly recommend his course and community. It's fantastic. I met Jeff at his Tribe Conference last year, and we have just stayed in touch via social media over the previous year. AN UNEXPECTED LUNCH I learned Jeff was at Achieve before it started and I sought him out to catch up with him to see how his world was doing and share a little bit more about my new venture, Adventurous Faith. In our conversation, one thing leads to another, and I said "Hey, you want to go grab lunch? I'm buying." I knew this was an opportunity I wouldn't get a second swipe at, and I wanted to take it. He graciously accepted, and we hopped in my car and headed to this off the beaten path Greek join located near the conference. I had all sorts of questions I wanted to ask him. Not very often do I get in front of a guy who's killing it in his entrepreneurial space and get to pick his brain. I was all ears. There was a lot I learned over the course of our conversation, but more than anything I learned A LOT more about Jeff - who he is as a person and most importantly what he's been learning about himself over the last year as a businessman. It was fascinating on so many levels, but there was something Jeff continued to come back to in our conversation that resonated with me in a profound and meaningful way. GETTING OFF THE EGO TRAIN One of the earlier questions I asked him was about what was working in his business right now and what he was thinking about changing. His response surprised me. "I'm done doing things just because they work." Wait, what? Don't' you do things because they work? It was all in at this point. Our conversation continued down a path I didn't see coming, and it was all about getting off the success train. Now, what did Jeff mean by those eight simple words? So many young, driven and passionate entrepreneurs get in the game because they want to make more money. Not a wrong reason to join the fun at all! But the problem ensues when you allow your desire for more money to drive your ego and the belief that you think it will make you happier. The only problem with this belief is that it never plays out that way. You'll never get there. You'll never get to the point of greater happiness with more money. It just doesn't exist. Your net worth may grow, but your satisfaction with yourself and who you are becoming will never move an inch. It can't. Why? Because we aren't wired this way. WHAT AM I DOING TO GROW MY EGO? Jeff and I's conversation took many twists, turns and leaps but this idea kept running to the front of my mind. How much of my ego is driving what I'm doing? What am I doing that I hope will make me look like a happier, more successful person but in the end will only motivate me to work harder and achieve more? We live in a broken world that drives our broken system of success and happiness. I, too, have bought into the system full throttle. But even this early in the game I am beginning to see how it won't make me any happier. I had to re-learn the lesson over a Greek salad on a Friday afternoon, but it was worth it. From my conversation with Jeff, Here's what I'm processing right now in my start-up: What am I doing right now that is driving my ego? What do I need to be doing more of (or less of) that will help my business journey more focused on relationships and less on profit and success? How will I know when enough money or success is enough? Will I know when to stop? The struggle is real, and God's willingness to teach me this lesson so early in the game leaves me undone. Lunch with Jeff was a gift from God that I never want to take for granted. I'll remember that conversation for a very long time. REACH OUT TO ME Facebook Instagram Twitter LinkedIn  

God shapes our lives from the very beginning.  He wrote our names, purpose, plan, and story before our parents even knew our names. The story God is writing of our lives shapes us every day. On today's episode of Adventurous Faith, I sit down with a friend of mine who shares about his most recent battle with fear, persecution, and anxiety. Due to the sensitive nature of what my friend does and where he serves, you won't hear his name or location as he serves in a very difficult country. You will only hear his story. The passion in his heart will move you. ANXIETY IS A REAL THING Anxiety is a topic that comes up more and more.  More young people suffer from a form of fear, anxiety or even depression than at any other time in history. This battle crosses across all ages, backgrounds, and stories - forcing us to live lives we weren't created for. In my conversation with my friend, he tells the story of a recent story from his own life in which persecution came flooding in. From his experience, fear and anxiety began to see into his heart and soul causing him to consider what this means for his faith. It was a battle - and he wasn't afraid to go there. What you'll learn is that my friend's healing didn't come through his own means. There was a greater work at play. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN ON TODAY'S EPISODE An accurate depiction and understanding of missionary work in the Christian world. How God is using different means to draw people to himself. Handling fear and anxiety in a Christ-centered way. Understanding God's purpose is always better despite difficult times.  

Many of us believe our lives are just a series of random events that have little meaning. We live it out day by day, walking aimlessly. And yet, in the back of our hearts and minds remains this ever quiet voice saying "What if there is more? There has to be more to life than this. What on earth am I here for?" It's this voice of longing and purpose that keeps us moving. What if you weren't here on accident? What if you were here very much on purpose? God created us with great intention and hard focused purpose. Nothing was by accident. You and I were created by God with great intentionality and hard focused purpose. Our lives begin to take shape when we not only learn these truths about our lives but surrender to them every single day. YOU HAVE A GREAT PURPOSE My guest on today's episode of Adventurous Faith understands the meaning of purpose. How can I say that? Because he has spent almost his entire life watching God map it out for him in an incredible story that only God could write. Ben Malcolmson is the Special Assistance to Pete Caroll of the Seattle Seahawks. But Ben's journey to the NFL sidelines takes some crazy turns to get there. Ben's story is inspiring, funny, and full of purpose and an Amazing God who always is looking out for us. There is a lot of encouragement you will receive from our conversation. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN ON TODAY'S EPISODE You were created for a purpose. Despite all of what we have done, we are sons and daughters of God and our identity is first found in him. How God is calling us to surrender the direction of our lives to him and the great story he is calling us to. You have a story - and God continues to write it for you every single day. he is just asking you to participate in it. RESOURCES MENTIONED ON TODAY'S SHOW Walk On - Ben's New Book Ben's Instagram

Karen Buchanan talks about adventure through obedience and belief.

After being off the grid for almost two weeks, I am back to the grind. I'm all about helping to get this start-up off the ground. And yes, I am saying "helping" for a particular reason. From the very beginning and inception of this business, I knew I couldn't be a principal partner in getting Adventurous Faith off the ground. I am going to need a higher power - God. But he doesn't just "come in." He's been there the entire time working, modeling and shaping me to grow this business into what He desires it to be. A lot is happening with the business, but let me tell you quickly what I'm focusing on right now.   FOCUSING ON WHAT IS RIGHT COACHING Coaching has been and will continue to be a primary focus for my business. It puts my best skill sets to work, allowing me to pour into the lives of young men and is going to help bring quick money into the business. PODCASTING Growing the Adventurous Faith podcast is a close second to coaching. It doesn't have the potential right now to bring in near the amount of money that coaching does, but it helps get my message to get out there. This will help spread the word about the business and what I am doing. Oh, and I LOVE podcasting!  Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to stay up to date with everything Adventurous Faith and this podcast. I think it's safe to say that God is up to something incredible right now. He is working in my life and this business, and I attribute a large part of that to all of what I am focusing on right now while keeping Jesus at the center of this enter thing. 

All of us are always looking for ways to improve our lives. Whether we are working hard to get out of debt, lose weight or grow personally in any way, we want to make ourselves better. We are taught as small children to use teams and others to help us become the people we want to become. But as we get older, this wisdom doesn't often stick. The more crusty we become we feel the need to go at life on our own. THE POWER OF MASTERMINDS But there is a better way. It's not just a better way - it's an incredibly more powerful way to grow the life you are looking for. Enter the power of masterminds. Masterminding, as you here on this episode combats the ideas that our ideas are the greatest, and the best way to achieve maximum results in your life, business and performance is to gather the collective wisdom of other people. That is what masterminding is all about. On this episode of Adventurous Faith, I sit down with Anthony Witt, who has spent the majority of his professional career not just promoting the importance of masterminding but living it out every single week. He has a vast array of knowledge and wisdom when it comes to what it looks like to do life together, and if you're looking to up your performance game, this episode is for you. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE What a Mastermind is and what it isn't. The power of the collective wisdom of many people and how that can skyrocket your performance. The key elements that make up a successful mastermind group and how to achieve them. Some of the roadblocks that cause many masterminds to fail and how to avoid them. How to take the first steps in forming your mastermind. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Profit First The Adventurous Faith Start-Up Guide Follow Anthony Witt on Instagram.

What causes a soul to grow? What are the activities, practices, and discipline one needs to develop your spiritual life? We have been asking these questions and those like it for years and still the battle is difficult to fight. On this week's episode of Adventurous Faith, I sit down with Sam & Blaine Eldredge of "& Sons" and have this ever-important discussion on what it looks like for a young man to begin building and shaping the framework that is going to house his soul for the rest of his life.  THERE IS A TEMPLATE FOR THE SOUL God has given us a template for growing our soul. Through his word, the practice of spiritual disciplines and other important places of apprenticeship and initiation with older men, God has given us all we need to grow and nurture a healthy soul. So, what are those practices? In our conversation together, Sam & Blaine talk about several essential elements they have found healthy in their young lives that have helped to keep their souls in check. These elements aren't always about doing, but often about eliminating and being mindful of what is attacking your soul and how to combat them. Our conversation took some different turns, but I think you will find it valuable in how to process and put into action the spiritual growth you are looking for as a young man. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE How important it is to be pursuing and living your story and not others. The template for developing a healthy soul. The constant battle against our soul's and practical steps on how to confront and win those battles. The desert fathers and the critical role they play as mentors in our lives. You are not late or too late in developing this incredible life God has for you. You are right on time. How important it is to establish and cultivate a healthy belief system and practice out of it. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE & Sons Magazine Be Sure to Subscribe and not miss some of the great episodes coming up! Show Notes: benweaver.org/017

In a world fascinated with being uniquely you, there is a consistent struggle in comparing ourselves to other people. It's a plague that seems to find us over and over. We spend our lives wanting to match ourselves up to the latest trend, fad, following or culture. At the core of this plague is us wanting and desiring the lives of other people. We love to compare. I noticed this play out in my own life a few weeks ago. It was the middle of the day, and I found myself on Instagram, doing the typical Instagram thing of checking your profile 20 million times per day. I quickly recognized a familiar face and profile and was swept into the action. Before I even realized it, I was stacking my life up against theirs. How many followers do they have? How often do they post? They look like they travel all the time - I wish I could do that. Their family is beautiful. I wish I had a life like theirs. Boom. I found myself sucked into the vortex of comparisons and struggled to get out of it. WE COMPARE OURSELVES TO DEATH Day after day, week after week, post after post - you and I spend our lives stacking up everything we have against what others are doing...and it's killing us. So, how do we fix it? WE LONG TO BE SEEN AND HEARD Inside of each of us is a desire to be seen and heard. We didn't create this desire nor placed it there ourselves. Our Creator has hard-wired this into each of us. The battle of comparisons is won when we can fix our desire to be seen and heard by God, first. Today, on the Adventurous Faith podcast, that is the exact conversation we are going to have. What exactly is this battle of comparisons that we fight every day and how do we win it? The answer is much more straightforward than you might think. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN ON TODAY'S EPISODE Our constant battle of comparing our lives to one another and how it is affecting the men we need to become. You and I are hard-wired to be seen and heard. We cannot deny it. For us win the battle of comparing ourselves to others, we must first return to God and his view of us. We must also learn to return to healthy relationships with other people. Healthy relationships begin with encouraging and championing one another in their pursuits. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN TODAY'S EPISODE Your Call to Action: Take One Step Closer to God and take one step closer to healthy relationships.  

Sometimes, life can throw you a curveball - and it's never fun to take a swing. Jesus said that "in this world, you will have trouble, but take heart - I have overcome the world". What exactly did Jesus mean when he said those words? He was reminding you and I that we will experience difficult trials and struggles as we go through this life. But in the midst of those trials, there is hope - Jesus has overcome every little last bit of what we may be struggling with. IN SICKNESS & IN HEALTH On today's episode of Adventurous Faith, I sat down with my friend, Jim Barnard and had him share his struggle of a current and ongoing "trouble" he finds himself in: a chronic illness his wife is suffering with. Jim didn't ask for this. He didn't bargain or even want this life for himself. And yet, God has done some incredible through him and his wife, Alisha's life that Jim could have never even seen coming. God has taken what the enemy has meant for evil and destruction and turned it all around for good. A HEALTHY MARRIAGE...NO MATTER WHAT.  Jim's story is one of relentless hope, undying love to Alisha and the everyday struggle of what it looks like to navigate a life of faith while experiencing this illness day after day. I am inspired by Jim's faith. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN ON TODAY'S EPISODE How important it is to pay attention to your own life story and how God uses events in our lives to shape us. The valuable wisdom you can use when learning to deal with a loved one who has a chronic illness. How important it is to stay current, vulnerable and keep conversation light when experiencing trouble in your life or marriage. The hope we have in Jesus that does not disappoint us, but continually carries us on to greater things. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN TODAY'S EPISODE  Jim's Website - I Write To Save My Wife Jim's Facebook Page & Instagram    

Every once in a while you come across one of those conversations that sort of light a fire underneath your soul and keep your ignited to keep moving forward. This last Friday, I had one of those conversations that not only helped me to see marketing from an entirely different perspective, but it gave me a good handle on what I need to be praying for in my business moving forward. GOD LOVES MARKETING Fast forward to earlier this week. I was sitting in front of a potential client wondering if he was tracking with what I was sharing about Adventurous Faith. God nudged me - "Just go there." So, I did. And before I knew it, in full confidence in who I was and what Adventurous Faith is I was sharing with him how important Jesus is to this entire process. It was coursing through my veins, and I couldn't stop it. GOD LOVES NUDGING US God continues to work in this little start-up of mine, and this is my story, in real time of how he is doing it. Thanks for listening. REACH OUT TO ME Facebook Instagram Twitter LinkedIn

Success is a loaded term in today’s world. I feel as if I am having this conversation more than ever when it comes to how people define it. To some, success means money, fame, stuff, and achievements. To others, it means family, friends and a well-rounded life. And this isn't a wrong conversation to have - but I'm wondering if there is a better way for Christ-followers to begin re-framing the way we view what it means to be successful. WHAT DOES SUCCESS MEAN TO YOU?  Maybe an even better question is what success should mean to you?  Of all the things Jesus talked about, the word success never came up. Is it because He doesn’t want us to be successful? Not likely. It’s because there is a much better path. Today, on the Adventurous Faith podcast we’re going to talk about that path and how as different as our lives of success may seem, Jesus is calling us all to the same path leading back to him and a much more balanced life.  HOW DID JESUS VIEW SUCCESS? While Jesus spent a lot of his public ministry talking about money and even addressing those who had a lot of influence, he never talked about being successful. However, there was one idea that kept Jesus busy that you and I can take note of when we begin re-framing our minds in how we think about success, and it's this:   REMAIN IN ME Jesus, while sharing one of his final moments with his disciples, he gave them those exact instructions: Remain in me. More than anything else, Jesus wanted his disciples to know - he wanted us to know - that for us to do anything worthwhile in this life we must first, above all things, remain in Him. This question remains - how does that sit with you? How does that stack up in how you view being successful? WHAT YOU'LL LEARN ON TODAY'S EPISODE: An understanding of today's culture & its view of success. How different wealthy and very "successful" people view being successful. How Jesus views being successful. The importance of remembering that is is God who has brought you to where you are today - not someone or something else. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN TODAY'S EPISODE: Business Insider Article on how rich and powerful people view success. John 15 - Remain in Me. The Adventurous Faith Start-Up Guide - all you need to get started on your journey of Adventurous Faith and re-aligning your life.  

I shared on last weeks chapter of my start-up story that through a series of meeting certain people I was connected with a company here in St. Louis that works with helping to get start-ups off the ground. I'm being pretty vague at this point in the story about who that was not because I think it will fall through but because I want to protect them and the process that we are going through to see how this may work. I believe I'll be able to share with you in the future about what this partnership fully looks like. BIG IMPORTANT MEETING This last week I had this important meeting with this company. I had my guns loaded and I was excited to see what might come of us talking about what their needs were and how I might be able to help them. After a lot of conversation, we turned to talk about how I could help and it all took a turn. Why? Because there wasn't a deal to be made. Was it because I wasn't good enough, smart enough or didn't have the skills? Nope. It was because there wasn't the opportunity I was looking for. See, I was hoping for a contractual agreement in which I would get paid by this company to help serve their clients. This opportunity wasn't on the table. It's because God had something better in mind - way better in fact. Without getting into much of details, instead of working for this company in some capacity, I now get to meet with their clients, build a relationship with them and see if my services as a company will be a good fit. This is huge for a lot of reasons. It provides me the opportunity to meet with a good number of start-ups, assesses their needs and see if I can help. It gives me the opportunity to build a long-term relationship with them, which could help grow the business down the road. Long-term, it provides an opportunity for a greater impact in growing Adventurous Faith. PROMOTION COMES FROM GOD I'm undone. God saw something I couldn't see and clearly laid it on the table for me. Soon after this happened, I was reminded of a verse found in Psalm 75 that has become vital in me getting this business off the ground. No one from the east or the west or from the desert can exalt themselves. It is God who judges: He brings one down, he exalts another. - Psalm 75:6-7 Promotion comes from God. He provides opportunities. He promotes one and brings down another. It is God who opens doors and closes others. My girlfriend helped me to kick this idea around in my heart shortly after this meeting when she said "God gave you the best option. He sees the long-term and gave you exactly what you needed." It's true. God did exactly that. I am undone by the way he cares for me in that way.

It's been almost a month since I cut out on my own to begin this new business called Adventurous Faith. It's been quite a ride but hasn't come with exciting challenges as well. Over the last month, I am focused on getting the message of Adventurous Faith out there. I want to create a vast amount of awareness for this brand. So, where did I start? Meetings. And not just meetings. I'm talking meetings on meetings on meetings.  40 MEETINGS AND COUNTING Since firing this business up full-time, I have sat down 42 times to talk about the vision of Adventurous Faith. Some may call it accessive. I would call it being as strategic as possible.  Along the way, God and others have taught me so much about how to position myself, my business and even the small things like what sort of language to use when talking to people. It's given me a chance to hone my message in ways I could only learn by talking about it over and over. I consider all these sit downs a huge blessing.  THIS DOESN'T MAKE GROWING A BUSINESS EASY Hear me. Sitting down and having meetings doesn't make all of what I am doing easy. Grinding is hard - and I'm still navigating it in a business. I am typing this up on a Thursday evening after being in and out of conversations all day long because this message is important to me. I don't mind grinding it out. I don't like the word "hustle," so that's what I'll keep doing. What I believe that is in the hard work I am doing in putting these meetings together and pushing this business forward, God will come in and move in ways I could not have dreamed otherwise. So - for the foreseeable future. If you see me out and about, it's likely that I'm headed to my next meeting and casting the vision for what I believe is going to be a fruitful business.  

We live in a world consumed with the idea of confidence. Many other voices to us to build our lives around being self-assured - to live brashly, boldly, courageously and brazenly. We are told to live out and proclaim self-confidence - you can do anything and everything you set your mind to. But, is this the way God intended confidence? Is this the way our days were meant to be lived - formed completely out of the self-made life? CONFIDENCE ON THE MIND I've been processing the idea of confidence and the self-made man a lot lately. This is part of the reason for this episode so early in the Adventurous Faith journey. I believe part of the reason it's been so close to my heart is that the more I process Adventurous Faith, the more I realize that the call to this life that Christ has for you and I isn't about us. Sure, we "take the risk", but in the end, the goal is that it is all about Christ - with him and control. And you can't get too far down the road of losing control of your own life only to find it in Jesus without talking about confidence. THE SELF-MADE MAN I spent most of my twenties building and working on the self-made man. I lived with zero patience in building the life I really wanted. So, I took control and decided to make my self in hopes that I would become the man, in the end, that I had always longed to become. But what I learned after experiencing nothing but emptiness at my own pursuit of building my own confidence was the goodness of God. I could not have experienced this at my own hand. I had to come to Jesus. Which brings me to today's episode. On this episode of Adventurous Faith, we’re going to have a conversation of what the world views as being self-made and how God, in this Adventurous Life he is calling to, wants us to form a different life altogether. This life God is calling us to is not driven by who we are and what we do.  It is built around who God is making us into with his goodness smacked right dab in the middle. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN ON TODAY'S EPISODE How does our world understand confidence? How the root of our problem with confidence stems from a desire to want to be in control, and really our own brokenness. A refresher on Adam & Eve's birth of the self-made man in Genesis 3. There is a guiding principle we can put into play into our own lives regarding building true confidence in our lives - one that is long lasting An understanding that the work that God has done and is doing in your life is not finished. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN TODAY'S EPISODE Psalm 16 Be sure to Reach out to me on Social Media and let me know what you thought about the episode: Facebook Instagram Twitter LinkedIn Show Notes: benweaver.com/012 Don't forget to Subscribe & Leave a Rating & Review!

A couple of weeks ago I was having a conversation with Sam & Blaine Eldredge of & Son's Magazine. After recording our podcast episode, I wanted to ask them a couple of honest questions about what it means to start a business. They were very forthright in their response and they shared with me two pieces of advice that I wanted to share with you in this chapter of my Start-Up Story. THE WAY JESUS DIRECTS YOUR BUSINESS & WHAT CONVENTIONAL WISDOM MAY SAY COULD BE WILDLY DIFFERENT.  When I first got into wanting to start my own business, I thought all the voices that God would put around me to listen to (both far and up close) would give me the direction I should go. As in - if they say it, it must be the right direction I should go. But that isn't the case at all, even as I am in the infant stages of Adventurous Faith. What Sam shared with me was that sometimes what the world may say to do with its conventional wisdom, and what Jesus would say to do may look wildly different. I know what you may be thinking - well, duh, Ben. Yes, but think about it for a moment. We are so bombarded with ideas, processes, thoughts and directions that the loudest voices we let into our lives and businesses every day is what the world says we should do. Market this, push this, say this, don't say that, go go go. Now, there's nothing wrong with hustle - but there is something wrong with not paying attention to what Jesus may want to do rather than what the conventional wisdom of the world may be offering. IT'S IMPORTANT TO CONTINUALLY ASK THE QUESTION - "JESUS, WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO WITH THIS PROJECT, IDEA, ETC.?" I get it - we always think our ideas are the best. But, what if our ideas suck? I know mine often do. What if I began approaching every idea, project, or opportunity I could do to grow my business with "Jesus, what would YOU like to do with this thing?" It's a wild and crazy idea, isn't it? The creator of all things - the most creative being to have ever existed with a few awesome ideas on how to grow a business? Nonsense. The sarcasm should be palpable at this point. I want to build my business not on my thoughts, but the thoughts of Jesus. I want his ideas to overtake mine on everything. Why? Because His ways are higher than my ways and His thoughts much higher than mine. (Isaiah 55:8-9) THIS IS GOING TO BE A PROCESS I've got a way to go in letting Jesus into these two parts of my business. However, I understand more than I ever did - and for that, I'm grateful. God is up to something with this business, and I cannot wait to see what he'll do with it. Thanks for keeping up with my Start-Up Story.  

A few years back I realized something about my mornings - they were terrible. And by terrible I mean I would roll out of bed and then before I knew it or realized it I would find myself at the gym. Later in the day, I would notice how much purpose it lacked. I wasn't sure of where it went. Pretty soon I realized that if I wanted my life to go somewhere and have direction, I needed to build better days. It didn't take me long to realize that in order to build more productive days, I needed to begin with a morning routine.  A MORNING ROUTINE TO SLAY YOUR DAY, WEEK, MONTH & LIFE It took me a while to figure it out, but I began to grab some traction with my mornings. I would change it up to see what worked and chuck anything that didn't seem to fit. My mornings, over the course of time, began to take shape. It was then I noticed something pretty amazing - my days began to look radically different too. And I don't mean I had "better days" or that I felt better - although that was mostly true. My days became much more productive and meaningful. I got more done. I am learning that if you can make a good to-do list and accomplish good, purposeful work every day - you'll go places. But that is where most of us get stuck. We don't know how to get to those purposeful days because we don't' know how to get started on the right foot. And the right foot is the morning routine. In this episode of Adventurous Faith, we talk about the importance of the morning routine. When you can learn to build a morning routine for yourself, it can change your life. To be honest with you, I wouldn't be where I am today without having started to form this morning routine almost two years ago. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT IN THIS EPISODE Why a Morning Routine is so important. We think that if we can get ourselves up in the morning and start working that everything will work itself out. But that isn't necessarily the case. There's more to it. How to get started with a morning routine. It's never been a one size fits all approach. We'll talk about how you can get started and what you'll need to get started. What a morning routine should look like. While there is scientific evidence to support specific activities while avoiding others, each person's routine will look different. Ben's Morning Routine. It's not perfect, and I have changed it many times to fit my current season of life. It's working right now and producing excellent results. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE When by Daniel Pink. This book is fascinating and very practical when it comes to the scientific evidence of timing and getting stuff done. The Morning Field Guide - This is THE resource you need to get started with your morning routine. Find me on Social! - Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn 

Hey friends, welcome to another episode of the Startup Story. This is chapter one. Last week I introduced the segment series on the Adventurous Faith podcast where mainly what I want to do is just kind of tell you my story of this new business that I'm starting. If you haven't had a chance to go listen to that episode, you should go check it out. But essentially in those first few minutes, I just talk about how I feel like God has called me to quit my job and to start this business. What I just to do in these short, very simple episodes is share with you just a little bit of the struggles and the lessons that I'm learning along the way in real time. And so that brings me to today - chapter one. CHAPTER ONE Last week was sort of introduction of sorts. Today is chapter one. I actually was going to wait until next week to release another episode of the Startup Story Podcast, but I felt it really important to share this.  I wanted you to get the reality of what I'm feeling. FEAR & ANXIETY CREEPING IN Last Friday my girlfriend and I, we went for a long hike. We took my dog, and we spent the day just hiking, and it was a beautiful day. It was. It was great, but that evening I began to feel a sense of fear and anxiety roll over me. And that is nothing new. Over the last several months I've felt that in several different ways about this business and specifically how it may get off the ground. I wondered if it's going to work, and I carried that weight fear and that anxiety with me through the evening, but when I lay down my head on my pillow last Friday evening, I was determined to get up Saturday morning and to make sure that I wouldn't carry that anymore because I didn't want it to ruin my day or my weekend. Or, even specifically, get a foothold into my business. I want to read to you the journal entry I wrote on Saturday morning. There's nothing special about it, but I think will give you the little bit of the context of what I'm learning about fear about anxiety. I wrote this down. It says... This morning and late last night were difficult. I had the first wave of doubt roll through. Will this work? It's revolved explicitly around money. Do I have enough to get me through to not get a job? Should I get a job now? Anxiety and fear began to weigh down on my heart, but this morning I'm going to trust and surrender a little bit of fear is a good thing, but I will keep it at the fences. Jesus, I need your help in peace this morning. Please move in. It was just a simple prayer. Just the simple exercise of me to record down my thoughts and I just want to unpack that for you. YOU CAN'T LET FEAR OWN YOU I was feeling fear and anxiety in my heart. But one of the things that I'm sure of in this life, and I believe it because God's word says though, is that his word says that he has not given us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of a sound mind. And so I'm not going to let fear and anxiety in and wonder if I have what it takes. I'm not going to let it own me. I just refuse to. And one of the sayings that I've kind of come up with wrote down in this journal entry and that I am going to live by is learning to keep fear at the fences. FEAR CAN BE A GOOD THING To be honest, this isn't easy. What that means for me is knowing that fear is there, knowing that it's a part of my life, but keeping it at a distance. I believe a little bit of fear is a good thing. If we're not afraid to step into new seasons and new directives in our life, I think we can become very complacent and comfortable. For me, I'm learning to keep fear at the fences. But you need to know last week I became overwhelmed. I think I let it get a little too close to my life and I struggled immensely and I began to wonder. But Saturday morning I woke up, I wrote that down in my journal, and I just started to pray, asking God to take this fear, this anxiety that was tearing me down and to let go of it. When I was able to do just that - I had an incredible weekend. I did. I was able to continue doing some work and building this business. I've been able to spend this week working hard and getting some things done. And to be honest with you, God is already intervening in the places in which I feel like fear and anxiety can make its way. He's filling in the gaps there. And it's been incredible. Now, has it been easy? Absolutely not. I'm not saying that it's been easy, but I can tell you that because of all the hard work I'm putting in, I believe God is going to do HIS work. DO WHAT ONLY YOU CAN DO & GOD WILL DO WHAT ONLY HE CAN DO One of the sayings that I live by is I'm going to do what only I can do, which is waking up early, sending emails and recording podcasts. It's coaching clients. It's building this business, and all that entails. And God, I'm going to trust you for what only you can do. I'll be honest. That's not always easy because I struggle with control and wanting to do things the way that I want to do them, but I'm learning to let go. I'm learning to let God take hold of all of the pieces and parts of my heart and my life and this business and let him do that and so fears real. It's absolutely real. Maybe this is where you're at. Now, maybe you're not starting a business. Perhaps for you, it's an idea. Maybe something is going on in your mind right now, and you are wanting to take this step forward, but you are letting fear or anxiety ruin your life. I want to challenge you to put that fear to the fences of your life. It can still be there - but don't let it own you. Don't let fear own your time, mind and your heart. Because if you allow it to do that, it's going to own you then fully. This is one of the lessons I'm learning that's been on my heart literally all week, especially after last weekend. And I just wanted to take this opportunity to share that with you because I think it's important. I would love to hear what you are up against. Feel free to connect with me on the social channels listed below or send me an e-mail at ben at ben weaver dot org. Instagram Facebook Twitter Linked In E-mail What are the struggles you are up against? Where do you need to push fear to the fences of your life?

The more crap I go through in this life the more I realize I cannot do it on my own. I would simply fail time after time at trying to get things done, accomplish goals, and see good done in the world by my own hands. There’s a good chance you find yourself in the same shoes. You want to make a difference in this life you’ve been given, but sometimes you’re left wondering how in the world you’d like to go about doing it. Here’s the reality we need to remember - The vehicle for thriving in this life and making a dent in this world happens through people. If you want to succeed in life, you have to succeed in friendships.  [clickToTweet tweet="If you want to succeed in life, you have to succeed in friendships. " quote="If you want to succeed in life, you have to succeed in friendships. "] Today, on the Adventurous Faith podcast, I am joined with one of my best friends Kenny Deshields, and we are going to take a deep dive into the 5 friends that every man needs to thrive in life. If you want to be the best man possible, you need to have these 5 friends in your life.  THE FIVE FRIENDS EVERY MAN NEEDS TO THRIVE IN LIFE 1. The Truth Teller 2. The Listener 3. The Sage  4. The Merciful 5. The Risk Taker How do you get these friends?  If you’re anything like me, you may struggle to find each of these types of men in your life. But it doesn’t change your need for them. You need each of them, I promise you. Some of the guys in your life will morph and take on different roles at different times. In my own life, most of the time these are all separate men. I have identified their gifts and I seek out a friendship. I don’t always have each of these roles filled, either. But I am always seeking them out. If you want to thrive in life and make a dent in this world, it begins with relationships. It begins with these 5 types of men that will help form and shape you into the man you want to become. I wrote a blog post about the 5 friends every guy needs - check in out HERE. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT IN THIS EPISODE Kenny's Story and how God brought him to St. Louis The epic story (ok, maybe it's not epic...ha!) about how Ben & Kenny met. Each of the 5 types of friends that you need in your life and how you can begin searching for them. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE SHOW Graham Cooke on Twitter Christine Caine on Twitter FREE RESOURCE: How to Find Killer Friends

Vulnerability has become a nasty four-letter word among men today. Being vulnerable is viewed as unneeded and especially unwanted in our world. But, what if the way God designed us was different? What if being vulnerable was the key to helping us become greater men instead of lesser ones? A couple of years ago I went on a first date that changed my life forever. No, I didn't end up marrying this girl and spending the rest of my life with her. In fact, I never saw her again. But in the small amount of time we spent together, she gave me a gift I will never forget. She was humble and honest about the man she was sitting across from and spoke words about me that I needed to hear. SHE TOLD ME THAT I LACKED VULNERABILITY. Naturally, you might think I would be disgusted by her observation. But I had been searching for what was keeping me from building healthy relationships in my life and I discovered it through her honesty. On this episode of Adventurous Faith, I sit down and re-count that famous first date and have a conversation with Jeff Taylor a professional counselor and we unpack everything necessary when talking about vulnerability with men. There is an entirely new level you can gain in your relationships when you can learn to become more vulnerable people. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE ABOUT BEING VULNERABLE The importance of vulnerability in relationships of all kinds Every man has a desire to be known and how vulnerability is a key piece in becoming known. The importance of defining vulnerability on a personal level. The rise of the war on masculinity and how vulnerability is an important component in understanding God's design of man. How you can begin implementing the practice of being vulnerable in your everyday life. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE The Relationship Trail Map Subscription - If you are needing more guidance, tips, accountability or direction in getting better at relationships, this is your next step. Relationships Are Everything - My first book and some of what we discuss can be found here. You can download a FREE chapter HERE.

I don't know much about the stock market. I don't know much about investing money, where you should put it, mutual funds, 401k's or "retirement packages." All I know is that I have one and I think that it's doing pretty well. Good thing today's episode has nothing to do with money. IT DOES HAVE EVERYTHING TO DO WITH INVESTING. We live in a culture in which we have been taught to take rather than give and consume rather than invest. We do this with just about everything imaginable. For most of us, we consume so we can get ahead. We consume so we can get the life we want. And guess what - for a while, our consumption of anything and everything around us gives us precisely what we want. But if there is anything I am learning about my journey it's this - the life I want and the consuming I want to do isn't always what is best for me. What I should be doing is building the life I need. If I can learn to do that, then I know it will turn into the life I want. STOP CONSUMING PEOPLE. START INVESTING IN THEM. On today's episode of Adventurous Faith, we are going to talk about consumption and how it has made its way into how we handle our relationships. Just as we consume everything else, we have learned to consume other people. This habit has only destroyed our inability to create and foster healthy relationships in our lives. If we want to build the lives and legacies we want, we must get over this. See, the highest return you will see in this life is not in the stock market. The most significant return is in giving and investing in relationships and people. Your legacybegins and grows here. WHAT YOU'LL HEAR & LEARN IN THIS EPISODE An Understanding of how we are products of a culture that has taught us to consume everything You can buy a luxury couch and a 100 pack of toilet paper in the same building (this one is for free) The cultural epidemic of pornography and sex trafficking and how it is ruining our lives. Investing in others isn't about behavior change - it's about a condition of the human heart The importance of viewing others as Image Bearers of God The simple but overlooked steps we need to take from consuming others to investing in them The natural step you can take this week to begin investing in other people and start growing your legacy. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE  Relationships Are Everything- Some of what we are talking about is featured in my first book. #001: Welcome to Adventurous Faith- On this episode, I share my storyin full, including how I sucked at relationships. Give & Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success, Adam Grant- You have to check out this book. Worth the read. Weekly Trail Map Relationships Subscription- If you are looking for a further level of accountability, direction or tips about how to get better at relationships, this is a great place to start.

When I first realized that I sucked at relationships, there were all sorts of ideas and practices I began to learn about how to build and maintain healthy and strong relationships. But the more I dug into these principles there was always one principle and practice that kept making its way to the top of the list in what it meant to good at relationships: pain. No, I'm not talking about the physical pain you and I seek after in search of the perfect workout or body. I'm not even talking about the weird and random scars you may have from pulling whatever stunt as a kid. I'm talking about something much more profound. In fact, it's not even surface level. I'M TALKING ABOUT EMOTIONAL PAIN You and I struggle to be good at relationships because we aren't good at leaning into the un-comfort and pain that often come with interacting, caring for and loving other people. We don't like to deal with emotional pain. Why? Because we don't want to experience the hurt it may bring. ANSWER ME HONESTLY - WHERE HAS THAT GOTTEN YOU? On today's episode of Adventurous Faith, we are continuing our conversation on relationships and the ever-present speedbump that keeps us from entering into these strong relationships we want: entering into the pain and un-comfort that relationships bring. For you and I to get the life we desire, it comes by healthy relationships - and healthy relationships come by un-comfort, getting through and over awkward and being open to experiencing others and yourself, even if it hurts. HERE'S WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN TODAY'S EPISODE: Mr. T's prediction was right: Pain is in the forecast Research shows that Men are less likely to talk about pain than women. (surprise surprise) The definition of emotional pain Why do we avoid emotional pain? Why is it important that we lean into the pain and un-comfort we experience in relationships? Practical and actionable steps you can take to lean into the pain in your relationships. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE SHOW Relationships Are Everything - Pick up my first book and learn the essential principles you need to get better at relationships. Relationships Trail Map Sequence - Want to take it to the next level? Care to take steps further in growing in your relationships? Wait no longer. Sign up for this weekly e-mail service and get the tips, advice, accountability, and resources you need to get better at relationships right now. Getting better at relationships takes a journey. Start yours today. Click below to sign up

Men today are fascinated by performance. It understands us, compels us and pushes us. We go to great lengths to achieve it, no questions asked. Goals, accolades, 401k’s, Careers, Health, Fitness, Cars, Money and much much more. It’s all costing us something…but what? What is the daily grind and the pursuit of performing to the best of everything we know really costing us?     More than we think.   It is costing us our future if we continue to allow it to rule our lives.    Today on the Adventurous Faith podcast, we’re going to have a conversation about the plague of performance affecting every man and how we can begin to take steps towards healing. It may not be what we want to hear - but it’s all about what we need to hear.    Show Notes: benweaver.org/004 Resources Mentioned in the Show: Scripture: John 10:10 The Adventurous Faith Start-Up Guide

What if there was more to life than what you were living right now? What if there was a journey you could take that would take your, faith, relationships and performance in all of life to the next level….would you take it? Would you WANT to take it?   In this episode, we discuss the 3 rings of Adventurous Faith and why it is important to begin living out of the core of who you are, who Christ made you to be and where adventurous faith begins.    Faith Relationships Performance   When you and I can learn to live our lives in this order, we will become unstoppable. But, we have to be willing to take the risk of letting Jesus lead us to a life bigger than our plans. There's more to this life than you thought possible. But you have to be willing to let Jesus lead you.   Show Notes: benweaver.org/002    The Adventurous Faith Start-Up Guide: Everything you need to know about pursuing this Adventurous Life Christ is Calling you to.    Relationships Are Everything: My first book. You don't have to suck at relationships any longer. You can thrive. 

Hey guys! Welcome to the very first podcast episode of Adventurous Faith. I'm thrilled you're here! Way back before this dream became a reality I was listening to one of my favorite Podcasters, Pat Flynn, talk about how podcasting is. He said: "Imagine if 100 people decided to download an episode of your podcast. That is 100 people that have decided to sit in a room and listen to you for 25 minutes." I was blown away. You couple the potential for influence that Pat was talking about and spread of an important message like I believe Adventurous Faith is and you've got something that I believe can make a massive impact on the world. When I heard what Pat said in those few moments, I was sold on podcasting. A few months later, this little guy you see here was born.   In this first episode, I wanted to introduce you to the idea of Adventurous Faith and for you to hear my story. I wouldn't say my story is any more special than yours, but it's my story - unique and purposeful for the journey God has me on.   I believe every adventure begins with a person. And every person has a story. In this first episode, I wanted you to hear mine. I hope you enjoy. Essential Ideas in the Episode you don't want to miss: Adventurous Faith Definition: Willing to take the risk of letting Jesus lead you to a life bigger than your plans. Focusing on performance won't get you the life you want to make.  Your Story Matters. God is weaving every piece of it together, making you into the man he wants you to become.  Resources Mentioned Subscribe to the show! The Adventurous Faith Start-Up Guide To learn more, visit: benweaver.org 

  Adventurous Faith   Key Understanding: God calls us to His great andventure!   Key Principle: Faith does not focus on the strategy only the next step.   1) Faith to leave. 2) Faith to be in the world but not of the world. 3) Faith to not lean on your own understanding.   Key Question: What is the next step in your faith adventure?   If you have any questions or would like more information on the topic of this podcast, leave a comment. We would love to connect with you!

Given by Andrew McNeil on Sun 26 Mar 17.

Central Vineyard celebrates its 11th birthday, with special guests Andrew and Rosie McNeil who talk about adventurous faith.

Adventurous Faith

Adventurous Faith

Message from George Powell on April 10, 2016

Message from George Powell on April 10, 2016

Date: 20 February 2011Series: One-offsSpeaker: Bill Dyer

Date: 20 February 2011Series: One-offsSpeaker: Bill Dyer