Podcasts about hidden life

This week on From the Front Porch, Annie chats with her mom, Susie, about books for readers with PG-13 tastes. Use code SHOPMOMSELECTS at checkout online and in the store to get 10% off Susie's favorite books! To purchase the books mentioned in this episode, stop by The Bookshelf in Thomasville, visit our website (search episode 587) or download and shop on The Bookshelf's official app: The Little Bookshop by the Harbor by Jean Stone The Second Story Bookshop by Denise Hunter Jump and Find Joy by Hoda Kotb Discernment by Henry Nouwen Take Good Care of the Garden and the Dogs by Heather Lende Ordinary Time - the Paperback with new essays by Annie B. Jones Royal Spin by Omid Scobie and Robin Benway More Things in Heaven and Earth by Jeff High Each Shining Hour by Jeff High A Poem to Read Aloud Every Day of the Year Edited by Liz Ison Wisdom from the Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben A Moment of Calm a Soothing Poem for every Day of the Year Edited by Ana Sampson Homecoming Meditations by Jessica Boston From the Front Porch is a weekly podcast production of The Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in South Georgia. You can follow The Bookshelf's daily happenings on Instagram and Facebook, and all the books from today's episode can be purchased online through our store website, www.bookshelfthomasville.com.  A full transcript of today's episode can be found here. Special thanks to Dylan and his team at Studio D Podcast Production for sound and editing and for our theme music, which sets the perfect warm and friendly tone for our Thursday conversations.  This week, Annie is reading The Foursome by Christina Baker Kline. Shop Mom is reading Summer State of Mind by Kristy Woodson Harvey. If you liked what you heard in today's episode, tell us by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. You can also support us on Patreon, where you can access bonus content, monthly live Porch Visits with Annie, our monthly live Patreon Book Club with Bookshelf staffers, Conquer a Classic episodes with Hunter, and more. Just go to patreon.com/fromthefrontporch. We're so grateful for you, and we look forward to meeting back here next week. Our Executive Producers are...Ashley Ferrell, Beth, Cammy Tidwell, Gene Queens, Jammie Treadwell, Joseph Shorter IV, Kimberly, Linda Lee Drozt, Nicole Marsee, Stephanie Dean, and Wendi Jenkins.

When a Man Stops Guarding His Heartwe continue our series on the Life of David we will learn that David is not perfect and neither are we. God is not looking for a life of perfection but He is looking for a heart that is set on Him. David's son Solomon wrote a book called Proverbs. In there he says, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” -Proverbs 4:23 The greatest battle that you and I will ever face is not on the outside of us, but it is the battle that takes place in our heart. When a man stops guarding his heart we are uncertain how far from God we can wonder and what our minds will conceive. David has: Been Anointed as KingDefeated GoliathSurvived Saul Hunting HimRuled the Souther Kingdom of Judah for 7.5 yearsUnited Israel's Divided KingdomEstablished JerusalemExperienced God's Favor.This is a stunning resume. This is the resume of one who seems to be great in might and self disciplined in spirit. Yet David's Greatest battle was not against a giant, It was a battle against himself.

Nazareth and the Hidden Life Retreat Reflection I Nazareth and the Sanctification of the Ordinary Epigraph “And He went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them.” — St. Luke 2:51 “The Lord loves the humble soul that has surrendered herself to the will of God.” — Saint Silouan the Athonite ⸻ There is something deeply unsettling about Nazareth. Not because it is dramatic, but because it is not. The Gospels pass over nearly thirty years of Christ's earthly life in almost complete silence. We are told of His birth, the flight into Egypt, the finding in the Temple, and then suddenly He is standing in the Jordan before John. Between those moments lies an immense hiddenness. Decades vanish into silence. And yet the Church has always understood that nothing in the life of Christ is accidental. The hidden years are revelation. This is difficult for us because we are formed by a world that equates meaning with visibility. We instinctively imagine that what matters must be seen, accomplished, recognized, effective, influential, or extraordinary. Even our spiritual life often becomes infected with this mentality. We want transformation to be dramatic. We want clarity quickly. We want our lives to feel significant. But Christ spends the overwhelming majority of His earthly existence in obscurity. Not preaching. Not healing publicly. 1 Not raising the dead. Not confronting empires. Working. Praying. Eating meals. Walking dusty roads. Living within the repetition and hiddenness of ordinary life. The Son of God sanctified not only suffering and death. He sanctified ordinary existence itself. This is one of the great forgotten truths of Christianity. Many people secretly endure their lives as though the “real” spiritual life were elsewhere. They imagine holiness occurring in monasteries, missions, dramatic sacrifices, or extraordinary mystical experiences, while their own existence feels painfully repetitive: the dishes, the caregiving, the exhaustion, the office, the commute, the sleepless nights, the aging body, the hidden grief, the years that seem to pass without visible transformation. But Nazareth stands before the world as a contradiction to all such thinking. God chose hiddenness. Not as punishment. Not as delay. But as revelation. The hidden years reveal something about the very manner in which God acts. Divine life does not move according to the logic of spectacle. God works silently, patiently, gradually, often beneath visibility itself. Seeds germinate underground. The child grows in the womb unseen. Bread rises quietly. Prayer deepens imperceptibly. The kingdom of God arrives almost secretly. 2 And so much of the spiritual life unfolds precisely where the ego feels most deprived: in repetition, in obscurity, in waiting, in relinquishment, in the slow erosion of self-importance. This is why Nazareth becomes painful for us. Not because it lacks God. But because it threatens the fantasies through which we preserve ourselves psychologically. Most human beings carry within themselves an imagined life. We construct inward narratives about who we will become, what our lives will look like, how others will perceive us, what spiritual maturity will feel like, how our vocation will unfold. Often we do this unconsciously. The ego survives partly through anticipation and self-construction. But ordinary life slowly dismantles these fantasies. The years pass. Weaknesses remain. Relationships become difficult. Bodies age. Opportunities disappear. Recognition fades. The extraordinary fails to arrive. And many people quietly become resentful at precisely this point. Not necessarily resentful toward God explicitly. More often there emerges a subtle disappointment with reality itself. The ordinary begins to feel like failure. Hiddenness feels like abandonment. Repetition feels meaningless. The soul becomes restless, searching continually for intensity, novelty, affirmation, or escape. But the hidden years of Christ reveal something radically different: salvation unfolds within ordinary time. This is profoundly important because modern culture has become nearly incapable of remaining within ordinary life. We seek constant stimulation 3 because silence exposes our inner poverty. We seek visibility because hiddenness feels like nonexistence. We seek intensity because ordinary faithfulness feels insufficient to the ego. And yet the saints repeatedly tell us that God is found precisely in this hidden endurance. Saint Isaac the Syrian says that the man who has learned to endure himself has already approached the borders of humility. That phrase is extraordinarily deep because one of the great difficulties of ordinary life is that we cannot escape ourselves within it. The repetitions of daily existence expose our impatience, vanity, fantasies, irritability, loneliness, and hidden hunger for recognition. The monastery reveals this. Marriage reveals this. Caregiving reveals this. Aging reveals this. Silence reveals this. And modern people often flee immediately from such revelation. This is one reason our culture is saturated with distraction. Endless stimulation protects us temporarily from encountering the deeper movements of the heart. Noise allows us to avoid self-knowledge. Busyness protects us from stillness. Constant comparison protects us from accepting our actual lives. Nazareth dismantles all of this. The Son of God accepts limitation. He accepts hiddenness. He accepts gradualness. He accepts ordinary labor. He accepts being unknown. And perhaps most astonishingly, He remains. This may be one of the hardest spiritual acts for modern people. To remain. To remain in prayer when prayer feels dry. To remain in marriage when emotional intensity fades. To remain in caregiving when exhaustion deepens. 4 To remain faithful within obscurity. To remain present within ordinary life without fleeing continually toward fantasy or self-construction. The hidden years reveal that salvation often unfolds precisely through such remaining. Not glamorous remaining. Not emotionally triumphant remaining. Simply the quiet fidelity of continuing to offer oneself to God within the actual conditions of one's life. This does not mean passivity or fatalism. Nazareth is not an excuse for fear or avoidance. Christ eventually leaves Nazareth and enters public ministry. But He does so only after decades hidden within ordinary existence. The hidden life was not wasted time before the “real mission.” It was itself part of the revelation. And perhaps this is what many souls most need to hear today: your hidden life is not invisible to God. The years that seem uneventful. The labor no one notices. The prayers said distractedly but faithfully. The meals prepared. The tears shed privately. The humiliations endured quietly. The long stretches where nothing seems to happen spiritually. None of this is outside salvation. Christ has entered all of it. Indeed, He chose to spend most of His earthly life there. The fathers understood this more deeply than we often realize. The desert was never merely geographical. It was existential. The monk enters hiddenness not to become extraordinary, but to become truthful. Gradually the false self built upon recognition, performance, fantasy, and comparison begins to weaken. A different kind of life slowly emerges: simpler, poorer, more real, 5 less dependent upon being seen. This is why hiddenness feels simultaneously painful and liberating. Painful because the ego experiences obscurity as diminishment. Liberating because the soul gradually discovers it no longer needs to construct itself continually before others. Nazareth teaches us this freedom. The hidden Christ reveals the holiness of ordinary existence lived in communion with the Father. And perhaps holiness itself is far quieter than we imagine. Perhaps sanctity often looks less like dramatic accomplishment and more like: patience, presence, forgiveness, hidden prayer, remaining, and consenting slowly to the life actually given to us. Nazareth teaches us that salvation enters the world silently. And it teaches us that the ordinary moments we are most tempted to overlook may become precisely the places where Christ is forming His life within us. 6

Nazareth and the Hidden Life Retreat Reflection II Remaining in Nazareth Epigraph “And He was subject unto them.” — St. Luke 2:51 “Acquire the spirit of peace, and thousands around you will be saved.” — Saint Seraphim of Sarov ⸻ One of the most difficult words in the spiritual life is: remain. Modern people know how to begin things. We know how to pursue intensity. We know how to search, reinvent, escape, construct, perform, and anticipate. But very few of us know how to remain. This is partly because remaining exposes us. When we remain somewhere long enough—within marriage, monastic life, caregiving, prayer, ordinary labor, solitude, aging, or even our own interior life— the illusions begin to weaken. The fantasies that once sustained us no longer protect us in the same way. We begin to encounter not the imagined self, but the actual self. This is why so much of modern life is organized around movement. Not only physical movement, but psychological movement: constant distraction, 1 constant novelty, constant stimulation, constant self-reinvention. The ego survives partly through motion. But Nazareth is profoundly still. The hidden years of Christ reveal not simply obscurity, but stability. Christ remains in ordinary life for decades. He does not hurry toward visibility. He does not seek intensity. He does not construct significance through spectacle. He consents fully to the slow unfolding of hidden existence within the will of the Father. This is extraordinarily difficult for modern humanity to understand. Many people secretly endure ordinary life as though it were something standing between themselves and their “real” life. The present moment becomes merely transitional. We live psychologically elsewhere: in imagined futures, in fantasies of escape, in memories, in regret, in comparison, in endless internal narratives about what should have been. And thus we fail almost entirely to inhabit the life actually given to us. This interior refusal creates profound suffering. A person may outwardly remain faithful while inwardly resisting reality continually. One performs obligations externally while inwardly living in fantasy, resentment, disappointment, or hidden self-construction. The heart becomes divided between the actual and the imagined. The fathers understood this division deeply. They knew that the passions often sustain themselves through fantasy. A man imagines another life, another recognition, another identity, another emotional state, another spiritual condition. The mind drifts continually away from the concrete reality in which grace is actually being offered. This is one reason silence becomes painful. 2 When external stimulation diminishes, we begin to notice how rarely we are truly present. We discover how much of our inner life is spent elsewhere: rehearsing conversations, imagining futures, reliving injuries, constructing identities, seeking vindication, dreaming of escape. The modern technological world intensifies this instability constantly. The imagination becomes overstimulated through continual exposure to images of other lives, other possibilities, other identities, other pleasures. Comparison becomes ambient. Dissatisfaction deepens almost automatically. Nazareth stands against all of this. The hidden Christ remains fully within ordinary reality. This does not mean His life lacked inward depth. Quite the opposite. The silence of Nazareth is not emptiness but communion. Christ remains rooted entirely within the life of the Father. He does not need spectacle because His identity does not depend upon visibility. He does not need continual stimulation because He lives in unbroken communion. This reveals something crucial about the spiritual life: the capacity to remain peacefully within ordinary existence depends largely upon whether one's identity rests in God or in self-construction. The ego constantly seeks reinforcement: through recognition, through achievement, through intensity, through emotional experiences, through being seen, through control. But the soul gradually healed by grace becomes quieter. Simpler. Less divided. Less hungry for continual confirmation. This healing usually occurs slowly and often painfully. 3 Many people initially approach prayer hoping for spiritual experiences. But over time prayer often becomes something much humbler and more difficult: remaining before God honestly. Not dramatically. Not emotionally. Not heroically. Simply remaining. Remaining distracted yet returning. Remaining dry yet faithful. Remaining wounded yet open. Remaining ordinary. Remaining poor in spirit. Remaining within the limitations of one's actual life. This hidden fidelity gradually purifies the heart because it weakens the ego's dependence upon fantasy and self-construction. The fathers frequently speak about patience not merely as endurance of external difficulties but as the willingness to bear oneself truthfully before God. This is profoundly important. Much human restlessness arises from the inability to tolerate our own incompleteness. We seek escape because remaining confronts us with weakness, loneliness, unresolved grief, and hidden desires we would rather avoid. And yet healing often begins precisely there. A person who continually flees inwardly cannot become integrated. The fragmented self remains fragmented because it never consents fully to reality. The soul remains divided between longing for God and preserving fantasies of selfhood. Nazareth slowly dismantles this division. The hidden life of Christ reveals that holiness unfolds not through dramatic self- creation but through consent: consent to time, consent to limitation, consent to hiddenness, consent to ordinary existence, 4 consent to the will of the Father. This is why the hidden years possess such immense spiritual significance. Christ saves not only through the Cross publicly but through hidden obedience privately. The years no one notices are not spiritually empty. They become filled with communion precisely through fidelity. Modern culture rarely believes this. We imagine transformation occurring through breakthrough moments, major decisions, visible accomplishments, or emotional intensity. But most sanctification occurs almost imperceptibly through repeated acts of quiet fidelity: daily prayer, forgiveness, caregiving, showing up, remaining truthful, enduring weakness without despair, returning again after failure. The ego often despises this hidden gradualness. We want clarity quickly. We want holiness to feel dramatic. We want meaning to become obvious. But God frequently works below visibility. This is why so many people become discouraged in the spiritual life. They measure themselves according to emotional states or visible progress rather than faithfulness. When consolation fades, they assume God has withdrawn. When ordinary life continues unchanged, they imagine nothing spiritual is occurring. Nazareth contradicts this entirely. The Son of God spent decades within hidden ordinary existence, and not one moment of it was wasted. This is important especially for those carrying hidden disappointment. 5 Many souls quietly mourn the lives they imagined they would have: the vocation that never unfolded, the marriage that became difficult, the ministry that diminished, the monastery left behind, the recognition never received, the family wounds never fully healed, the years now vanished. And often beneath this grief lies another fear: that ordinary hidden life has somehow less value before God. Nazareth reveals the opposite. Indeed, Christ entered hiddenness willingly. And perhaps one of the great spiritual tasks is learning to stop resisting the life actually given to us. Not passively. Not fatalistically. But prayerfully. To stop standing continually outside our lives judging them against fantasies. To stop imagining salvation elsewhere. To stop seeking ourselves through comparison and performance. And instead to begin discovering Christ precisely here: within ordinary labor, within hidden prayer, within caregiving, within weakness, within repetition, within the quiet daily offering of oneself to God. This is not resignation. It is communion. And perhaps the beginning of peace lies not in escaping the ordinary, but in consenting at last to encounter God within it. 6

Fr Toby looks at the example of Bl Franz Jagerstatter and medieval artisans to help us contemplate what it might be like to heed the words of Jesus about what we do in secret.WORD FOR TODAY is broadcast live on Radio Maria on weekdays at 1:15pm and is rebroadcast at 12:15am and 5:15am the following day. In it our Priest Director Fr Toby offers a reflection, usually drawing from the Mass readings of the day.Please consider supporting us with a one-off or monthly donation. It is only through the generosity of our listeners that we are able to be a Christian voice by your side. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.radiomariaengland.uk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Today we come to the tragic moment of the death of mighty men. Israel is at war against the Philistines and the Philistines are pushing hard against them. The Philistines begin to win the war and Israel's men of war begin to run.Saul and his sons are in the battle and they are on the run too. The Philistines understand that if you can kill the leader the army will more than likely lose all hope.A Biblical Principle that we can learn from this is that when the Shepherd is lost the sheep will scatter.King Saul was the Shepherd, but when he was killed the men began to flee from their positions of war. When we leave a territory of our life or of our heart empty know this that the enemy will come and take that territory and claim it as his own. 

**Thank you for supporting this ministry, we lovingly refer to as "The Little Green Pasture." Click here: PayPal: http://paypal.me/JoanStahl **Please prayerfully consider becoming a ministry partner: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/joaniestahl **Contact Email: jsfieldnotes@gmail.com **Subscribe to us on Rumble: https://rumble.com/user/JoanieStahlsFieldNotesWe often tell ourselves that keeping a secret is harmless, or that it's the only way to protect our reputation. But there is a massive difference between necessary discretion and the dangerous habit of hiding the truth. The temptation to conceal our actions almost always begins small—a little compromise here, a minor omission there—until it grows into a binding habit.​Scripture warns us that the enemy thrives in darkness; the urge to hide is deeply tied to cloaking sinful behavior. The great deception of secrecy is that the very enemy who whispers, "Keep this a secret," is the same one who will eventually expose you to maximize your shame.​The truth is ironclad: there are no secrets. God sees every hidden corner of our lives. As Hebrews 4:13 reminds us, "all things are naked and exposed before His eyes," and Numbers 32:23 guarantees that "your sin will find you out." Keeping secrets is a trap that never ends well because deception lives at its core. Don't live in the shadows. Choose the freedom of a clean, simple, and pure life lived openly in the light of God. Doing so will ensure a peaceful life."A quiet conscience makes one strong." - Anne Frank

I Unlocked Her Tablet and Discovered Her Hidden Life With HimBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-cheating-wives-and-girlfriends-stories-2026-true-cheating-stories-podcast--5689182/support.

The Jealous King and the Actions of the Person in Pursuit of GodWhen Jealousy rises in the heart of a person there is no imagination as to how far that jealousy can cause a person to go. King Saul raged with Jealousy and destroyed himself, his family, and the kingdom. When a person pursues God with their whole heart there is not way that our imagination can dream of how far God could take them. We get to choose the heart we want as people of God. Choose wisely for it could cause your personal destruction or godly direction.

In this episode of TraumaTies, Bridgette Stumpf and Lindsey Silverberg explore how healing is shaped not only by what happens inside of us, but also by the environments around us. From neuroscience and trauma research to forest bathing and the hidden communication systems of trees, they unpack how nature, community, and physical spaces impact nervous system regulation and recovery.In This Episode

In this series of messages we will see how God shapes a person for the calling that God has for anyone's life. We will learn the art of patience through the process and restoration in the failures. We all have giants in our life and when we learn to run towards them and slay them in the name of the Lord there is victory over sin, self and Satan.

In this series of messages we will see how God shapes a person for the calling that God has for anyone's life. We will learn the art of patience through the process and restoration in the failures. 

In this series of messages we will see how God shapes a person for the calling that God has for anyone's life. We will learn the art of patience through the process and restoration in the failures. 

Venice is a city that moves on water.Every day, thousands of residents, workers, students and visitors step onto a vaporetto without always thinking about what happens behind that simple act of getting from one stop to another.But in Venice, public transport is not a road, a bus lane or an underground line. It is the lagoon. It is the Grand Canal. It is tides, fog, wind, night shifts, crowded landing stages, sudden changes in weather, wave motion, and the constant responsibility of moving people safely through one of the most delicate cities in the world.In this episode of Venice Talks, Monica speaks with Lorenzo Boscolo, President of the Associazione Capitani Navigazione Lagunare, and Agostino Benvegnù, Vice President of the association, to explore the world of Venice's public water transport commanders.Together, they discuss what it really means to command a vessel in the lagoon, the difference between a captain and a commander, the training and skills required for this profession, and the unique challenges of keeping Venice moving 24 hours a day.This conversation also looks at some of the most important issues facing the city today: wave motion, overtourism, respect for public transport, safety on board, and the need to understand that a vaporetto is not just a scenic ride. It is an essential service for the people who live and work in Venice.Through their words, we discover Venice from a different point of view: not from a postcard, not from a tourist map, but from the cabin of those who navigate its waters every day.Key NotesIn this episode we talk about:What the Associazione Capitani Navigazione Lagunare is and why it matters in Venice todayThe difference between a captain and a commanderThe path and training needed to become a commander in Venice's public water transport systemWhy navigating a public transport vessel in Venice requires far more than simply knowing how to steer a boatThe most delicate areas of the lagoon and the city from a navigation point of viewWhy Venice's public transport system is unlike buses, metros or trams in any other cityWhat it means to be responsible for a vessel full of passengers in a city where the “road” is made of waterThe beauty and the hidden difficulties of life as a commanderThe importance of remembering that vaporetti are an essential service for residents, workers and studentsWhat it means to guarantee public transport 24 hours a day, through fog, rain, high tides, events and tourist peaksWhy wave motion is such a serious issue for VeniceThe impact of wave motion on safety, boats, landing stages, embankments and the city itselfHow overtourism affects the daily work of commandersThe future of this profession and whether young people are interested in becoming part of itWhich tourist behaviours make the service more difficult, and which ones would help everyoneListen and SubscribeThis episode is an invitation to look at Venice differently.The next time you step onto a vaporetto, you may notice the city in another way: the movement of the water, the precision of an arrival, the patience behind a crowded stop, the responsibility carried by those who keep Venice moving every day.Listen to the full episode of Venice Talks and subscribe to the podcast to discover more stories from the people, places and voices that make Venice extraordinary.Because Venice is not only a city to visit.It is a city to understand.

Hallo zusammen! Heute besprechen wir Crime 101. Shownotes: Geschaut, gespielt, gelesen, gehört, gefühlt: Widow’s Bay, Rooster, Der phönizische Meisterstreich, The Magic Hours: The Films and Hidden Life of Terrence Malick, The Negotiator (04:30) Review – Crime 101 (49:32) Review – Crime 101 SPOILERPART (1:14:00) Wie immer sind wir dankbar für E-Mails (lichtspielcast@kinofilme.com), sowie eure Kommentare, ITunes-Bewertungen und Spotify-Abos.

A Study of Romans 12: 4-8

For much of modern history, body fat was viewed simply as stored energy, a passive reserve that expanded or shrank depending on diet and activity. Today, that understanding has shifted dramatically. Research led by scholars such as Prof. Jamie Rausch of Indiana University reveals that adipose tissue is not merely a storage site but a dynamic, hormone-producing system that influences nearly every aspect of human health. When this system becomes dysregulated, it can quietly set the stage for chronic diseases that affect millions worldwide.

In Part 2 of 2, what did the Holy Family (Jesus, Mary and Joseph) talk about and do but was not recorded in the Bible? How do we know this? Answer: from tradition and from the mystics such as Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich, Ven. Mary of Agreda, St. Bridget of Sweden and St. Elizabeth of Schonau. Join Fr. Chris as he summarizes what these mystics have said about what happened within the Holy Family during their time in Egypt, during their hidden life in Nazareth, during the death of St. Joseph, and during the public ministry of Jesus. Interesting stories are given (such as what the first words of Jesus were when he spoke) and what they did at home.

The Fire That Remains Life in the Spirit After the Collapse of the Religious Self Week IV — The Heart That Bears the World Love, Intercession, and the Hidden Life in the Spirit ⸻ Opening Invocation O Heavenly King, Comforter, Spirit of Truth, Who art everywhere present and fillest all things, Treasury of blessings and Giver of life, Come and dwell in us, Cleanse us from every impurity, And save our souls, O Good One. ⸻ I. The Return — But Nothing Is the Same At the beginning, the Spirit leads a man inward. Into exposure. Into poverty. Into silence. And it can seem as though the path is one of withdrawal. A leaving behind. A diminishing. But this is not the end. Because the same Spirit who leads a man into the desert of his own heart leads him back again. 1 Not outward in the old way. Not into activity rooted in self. But into a different kind of presence. The man returns to the world. But he does not return as he was. ⸻ II. The End of Living for Oneself Something has been broken. Quietly. Deeply. The constant reference to self. The need to interpret everything in relation to oneself. The subtle movement of: How does this affect me? What does this mean for me? Where do I stand? These begin to loosen. And with this a space opens. A freedom. Where others can begin to exist without being filtered through the self. This is the beginning of love. Not as an emotion. 2 Not as an effort. But as a way of being. “Love seeketh not her own.” (1 Corinthians 13:5) And for the first time this is not an ideal. It is something that begins to happen. ⸻ III. The Heart Enlarged by the Spirit The heart changes. Not outwardly. Not visibly. But in capacity. It begins to hold more. Not by effort. But by grace. You begin to feel: The weight of others. The pain of others. The confusion of others. Not in a way that overwhelms. But in a way that includes. The boundaries of the self soften. And the heart becomes... spacious. 3 “My heart is enlarged.” (Psalm 118/119) This is not sentimentality. It is not emotionalism. It is participation. A sharing in something greater than yourself. ⸻ IV. Intercession That Is Not Chosen Prayer changes again. Not in method. But in direction. Before, you struggled to pray. Then prayer began to live within you. Now something else happens: Others begin to appear in your prayer. Not because you decide to pray for them. But because they are given to you. A face. A name. A burden. And it remains. Quietly. Persistently. 4 You carry them. Sometimes without words. Sometimes without understanding. And this is intercession. Not as an activity. But as a participation in the love of Christ. “I could wish that myself were accursed for my brethren...” (Romans 9:3) A love that does not calculate. A love that bears. ⸻ V. The Hidden Nature of This Life And yet, outwardly, very little may change. You may still live in the same place. Do the same tasks. Speak with the same people. There is no need to appear different. No need to manifest anything. Because this life is hidden. Deep within. And this hiddenness is essential. Because the moment it becomes something seen something recognized something affirmed 5 the old self begins to stir. So the Spirit preserves this life in obscurity. In simplicity. In what appears to be ordinariness. “Your life is hid with Christ in God.” (Colossians 3:3) And this hiddenness is protection. ⸻ VI. Love Without Self-Consciousness There is a further purification. Even love becomes purified. Because at first we can become aware of loving. We notice it. We reflect on it. We take some subtle satisfaction in it. But here, even this begins to fall away. Love becomes unselfconscious. It acts without referring back to itself. It gives without knowing that it gives. It responds without constructing meaning. 6 And this is freedom. Because the self is no longer at the center even of what is good. ⸻ VII. The Bearing of Suffering As the heart expands so does its capacity to suffer. Not in a destructive way. But in a participatory way. You begin to feel more. To see more. To carry more. And yet there is no resistance. Because this suffering is no longer meaningless. It is no longer isolated. It is held within something greater. Within the life of Christ. “Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2) This is not something you choose. It is something you are drawn into. ⸻ 7 VIII. The Absence of Claims At this point something remarkable appears. Or rather something disappears. The need to claim anything. You no longer need to: Define your state. Explain your path. Assert your identity. Even inwardly. You do not need to know where you are. You do not need to measure. You do not need to conclude. You simply live. Before God. With others. And this simplicity is a great freedom. ⸻ IX. The Life That Becomes Prayer Everything begins to unify. Prayer is no longer separate from life. Life is no longer separate from prayer. 8 Silence speaks. Speech can remain rooted in silence. Action flows from stillness. There is less division. Less fragmentation. More wholeness. And this is not something you maintain. It is something given. Sustained quietly. By the Spirit. “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” (Galatians 2:20) Not as an idea. But as a mystery slowly becoming real. ⸻ X. Closing Exhortation Do not seek this. Do not attempt to become this. Do not imitate what has been described. Remain faithful to what has been given to you. Remain in poverty. Remain in prayer. Remain in truth. And the Spirit will do His work. 9 Quietly. Hidden. Beyond your understanding. And what will emerge will not be something you have made. But a life. A heart. Capable of bearing others. Because it is held within Christ. ⸻ Closing Prayer Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Thou who didst bear the sins of the world in Thy Body, grant us the grace to bear one another in love. Enlarge our hearts. Purify our love. Deliver us from ourselves. And grant that, hidden in Thee, we may become a place where others are held in Thy mercy. For Thou art the Lover of mankind. Amen. 10

The Hidden Life of a Spiritual Leader (1 Samuel 16:1-23)God's Upside-Down Kingdom: The Book of 1 SamuelMay 3rd, 2026 Jeff Bruce

In Part 1 of 2, what did the Holy Family (Jesus, Mary and Joseph) talk about and do but was not recorded in the Bible? How do we know this? Answer: from tradition and from the mystics such as Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich, Ven. Mary of Agreda, St. Bridget of Sweden and St. Elizabeth of Schonau. Join Fr. Chris as he summarizes what these mystics have said about what happened within the Holy Family during their time in Egypt, during their hidden life in Nazareth, during the death of St. Joseph, and during the public ministry of Jesus. Interesting stories are given (such as what the first words of Jesus were when he spoke) and what they did at home.

Because when you love someone… you learn how to make things make sense.You learn how to soften the hard truths.You learn how to be patient beyond what is healthy.You learn how to hold onto potential like it's a promise.And I did that.

For Earth Day on Writer's Voice, Bill McKibben on why solar may be arriving faster than we realize. Then, Anne Fadiman on frogs, pronouns, and the hidden meanings inside ordinary things.

Preacher: Jason Min Title: The Freedom of a Hidden Life Sermon Series: Life Reimagined Scripture: Matthew 6:1-8, 16-18 (NIV)

Simon Wickhamsmith is a Buddhist monk turned scholar, computer musician, and one of the only translators of Mongolian literature into English. He teaches in the Writing Program at Rutgers University and has been traveling back and forth to Mongolia since 2006. In this conversation he traces his spiritual path from Catholicism through Tibetan Buddhism and back to medieval Christian mysticism, introduces the Mongolian poet Mend-Ooyo, and takes us deep into the life and poetry of the 19th century Buddhist polymath Danzanravjaa — a figure Simon considers his primary teacher — including a live reading of the poem Twos, a stunning meditation on nonduality from the Mongolian steppe. Topics 00:00 — Introduction 00:02 — Simon's spiritual path: Catholicism, Opus Dei, the Desert Fathers, and Zen 00:04 — Discovering Tibetan Buddhism, Samye Ling monastery in Scotland, and ordaining as a monk 00:06 — The three-year retreat, his mother's illness, and returning to the world 00:07 — Returning to medieval Christian mysticism: Julian of Norwich, Meister Eckhart, The Cloud of Unknowing 00:10 — How SAND connected with Mend-Ooyo in Mongolia — and how Simon met him 00:12 — Teaching himself Mongolian by translating Danzanravjaa's complete works 00:13 — Introducing Mend-Ooyo: born 1952 into a nomadic herding family, poet and cultural guardian of Mongolia 00:16 — The underground literary group GAL (Fire) and Mend-Ooyo's role in Mongolian literary culture 00:18 — Mend-Ooyo's mission: reconnecting Mongolia to its nomadic heritage after Soviet collapse 00:19 — Mend-Ooyo's new novel The Solitary Tree: Robin Hood, shamanism, Buddhism, and falcons 00:23 — Who was Danzanravjaa? Born in the Gobi Desert, recognized as the fifth reincarnation of the Noyon Hutagt 00:26 — Danzanravjaa's approach: spontaneous, impromptu poetry as dharma teaching 00:28 — Mongolia's first traveling theater troupe and the poems as dictated teachings 00:31 — Live reading and analysis of Perfect Qualities — a love poem, a guru poem, and a poem of nonduality simultaneously 00:33 — The three levels of meaning in Danzanravjaa's poetry: outer, inner, and secret 00:38 — Bhakti yoga, Ram Dass, Maharaji, and the connection to direct transmission beyond doctrine 00:41 — Danzanravjaa and the land: the Shambhala vortex at Hamriin Hiid 00:44 — Horses, landscape, and the spiritual path in his poetry 00:45 — Simon's personal experience of the Shambhala site and animist relationship to land 00:49 — If Danzanravjaa were alive today: his anti-Manchu politics and primary focus on deepening practice 00:50 — Live reading of the poem Twos — nonduality in full 00:54 — On translation: humor, layers of meaning, and the paradox of the poem itself Resources & Links Simon Wickhamsmith Rutgers University faculty page Suncranes and Other Stories: Modern Mongolian Short Fiction — Columbia University Press, 2021 Politics and Literature in Mongolia (1921–1948) — Amsterdam University Press, 2020 The Hidden Life of the Sixth Dalai Lama — Lexington Books, 2011 Mend-Ooyo Gombojav Official website: mend-ooyo.mn Altan Ovoo (Golden Hill) — translated by Simon Wickhamsmith Gegeenten (The Holy One) — novel about Danzanravjaa The Solitary Tree — Mend-Ooyo's most recent novel, published 2025, translated by Simon Wickhamsmith Wikipedia: Mend-Ooyo Gombojav SAND Event — Nature of Mind and Mind of Nature: A Local Event with Mongolian Poet Mend-Ooyo Gombojav (2026) Danzanravjaa (referenced poems) Perfect Qualities (also known as The Five Senses / Five Offerings) Twos — read in full during the episode Mend-Ooyo's essay on Danzanravjaa: mend-ooyo.mn/content/86.html Referenced spiritual figures & texts The Cloud of Unknowing — anonymous 14th century medieval Christian mysticism text Julian of Norwich and Meister Eckhart — medieval mystics Simon returned to after Buddhism Samye Ling Tibetan Buddhist Monastery, Scotland — where Simon did his retreat Ram Dass and Maharaji — referenced in discussion of bhakti yoga and direct transmission John Cage — Simon's original entry point into Zen Buddhism Connect with more talks and films from the SAND film Series The Eternal Song Support the mission of SAND and the production of this podcast by becoming a SAND Member

Send us Fan MailToday I'm thrilled to welcome back Janyre Tromp. If her name sounds familiar, that's because she previously joined us on Episode 106, where we talked about her novel Darkness Calls the Tiger. Janyre is an award-winning, bestselling historical suspense novelist known for weaving together rich history, myth, and stories that search for beauty—even when it isn't pretty. Her newest book, The Scorpion Thief, takes readers into a Cold War political game involving a cursed Egyptian artifact, two estranged sisters on opposite sides of a dangerous heist, and a mystery that stretches from the streets of Cairo to Washington D.C. and even New Orleans. Episode Highlights:The fascinating real-life history behind the Cold War setting—and why it almost feels too wild to be fiction.How Janyre balances being a self-proclaimed “history nerd” with writing fast-paced, gripping suspense.The inspiration behind The Scorpion Thief and weaving Egyptian myth into a political thriller.Her creative process, including sketching her book covers before they're ever designed.What it looks like to make space for writing in a full and busy life.Why she describes herself as an eclectic reader and how that shapes her recommendations.Her three-word description of the book: noir, mystery, and Egyptian.Connect with Janyre:InstagramFacebookWebsiteBooks and authors mentioned in the episode:Brene Brown booksThe Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der KolkDeath Was Not on the Guest List by Jenni Walsh (publication date 06/16/26)Burning the Raven Tree by Janyre Tromp (coming 09/08/26)The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter WohllebenThe Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. LewisBeautiful Ugly by Alice FeeneyBook FlightThe Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie BostwickRebecca by Daphne du MaurierVera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto✨ Find Your Next Great Read! We just hit 175 episodes of Bookish Flights, and to celebrate, I created the Bookish Flights Roadmap — a guide to all 175 podcast episodes, sorted by genre to help you find your next great read faster.Explore it here → www.bookishflights.com/read/roadmapSupport the showBe sure to join the Bookish Flights community on social media. Happy listening!InstagramFacebookWebsite

In this episode of 2 Minute Disciple, host Nick Oyler leads a contemplative devotional through Matthew 6:14–18 — Jesus' striking teachings on forgiveness and fasting and what they reveal about the hidden life. Both practices share a common thread: they are meant to be genuine, inward, and unperformed.

Pre Order my Book: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/784324/the-tired-dad-by-jon-gustin/ This episode features a heartfelt conversation about parenting, personal growth, overcoming addiction, and the transformative power of sobriety.  Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Parenting Adventures 02:48 Finding Joy in Kids' Activities 06:04 The Challenges of Parenting Young Children 09:01 Navigating Emotional Development in Kids 11:38 Building Strong Parent-Child Relationships 14:50 The Role of Grandparents in Parenting 17:31 Nostalgia and Family Connections 19:35 Full Circle Moments: From Austin to Podcasting 24:32 Struggles with Addiction and Mental Health 32:42 The Hidden Life of an Addict 34:32 The Journey to Sobriety and Self-Discovery  

I read The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben and it totally changed my perspective on these incredible plants that surround us! Trees communicate with each other, live in families and can be thousands of years old. We've been living in harmony with them for millions of years and it's not only until recently that we understood how complex they are. My Moonshot proposal is that we need to design cities around trees. They provide incredible passive cooling, and numerous health benefits like clean air, happier people, more energy efficient cities and so much more! Not to mention our cities of the future would look insanely cool! Imagine Austin, Texas with more trees! It's already too hot there, this is the perfect solution!Hidden Life of Trees book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/177...My X:   / gfilche  HyperChange Patreon :)   / hyperchange  

Noam Deborah Cohen share God's Wake Up Call for Israel and the Church... To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.lightsource.com/donate/885/29 To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1489/29?v=20251111

Noam & Deborah Cohen share God's Wake Up Call for Israel and the Church...Would you like prayer or for someone to pray with you, if so go to sidroth.org/prayer-requestTo help support us and the content you love go to sidroth.org/give

We have arrived at another nugget day, or In Brief day, for the paragraphs on the mysteries of Christ's life. On today's “mystery nugget” day, Fr. Mike recounts the significance of Christ's obedience to the Father and our own obedience to God's will. He also emphasizes the importance of reflecting on the mysteries of Christ's life by reading and meditating on the Gospels and praying the Rosary. Today's readings from the Catechism are paragraphs 561-570. This episode has been found to be in conformity with the Catechism by the Institute on the Catechism, under the Subcommittee on the Catechism, USCCB. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/ciy Please note: The Catechism of the Catholic Church contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.

Check out this encore show from March 26, 2025 Father John Paul Erickson joins Patrick to discuss Spiritual Movies (4:06) what are the dangers of movies the spiritual life Father shares a movie which he really enjoys (13:52) Sean - The Adventures of Robinhood from 1938. It's a very Catholic movie. Had a good impression on my life. Saw it when I was 6. Greg – Nefarious outstanding movie. Certain groups played it off as a horror film. It's good vs. evil. Some have avoided it because it deals with evil. The guy who did it also did God is Not Dead. One priest said every priest should see it for giving advice for confession. Mark - Calvary...Irish Film. 10 years old. About a priest who really lays down life for his flock. (22:47) Break 1 John - Of Gods and Men...French film. About monks serving souls in north Africa. Based on a true story. Barb - The Shack...about what it's like to be God and sacrifice your son. It shows God sacrificed his son as this guy sacrificed his daughter. Bring your tissues. (29:50) Nels - The Last Supper....newly released film. Emphasis on Judas in that movie. Miriam - 7th Heaven...1930's. Star5ring Jimmy Stewart. Unlikely love story ever told. Mention of God in the movie. He's an atheist and then things happen. My favorite movie. (35:43) Break 2 Roland - Journey to Bethlehem....nativity story. Silence...the story of the Japanese Martyrs. Ignition Martyrs (39:16) Matt - Beckett, and the Cardinal. Excommunication scene in Beckett is most powerful scene. The Cardinal being more recent. Pope Benedict was advisor for this movie. Came out when V2 was written. Patrick shares some movie recommendation from listeners who write in. Roxanne - The Most Reluctant Convert...untold story of CS Lewis. Very good. (43:02) Jean - King of Kings...1925. It's a silent movie and beautiful. Eric - The Scarlet and the Black. Based off the Scarlet Pimpernel. Hides thousands of Jews during WWII. I think it's a must see. Resources - Spiritual Movies: Babette’s Feast (1987) The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) Nefarious (2023) Calvary (Irish film) (2014) Of Gods and Men (2010) The Mission (1986) Arrival (2016) The Blue Kite (Chinese) (1993) The Shack (2017) The Last Supper (2025) The Chosen (series) (2017 – present) Seventh Heaven (1937) A Hidden Life (2019) A Man for All Seasons (1966) All That Remains: Dr. Takashi Nagai (2016) Journey to Bethlehem (Christmas) ( Nativity Story (Christmas) Silence (2023) Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014) The Ten Commandments (1956) Ben Hur (1959) The Robe (1953) Becket (1964) The Cardinal (1963) Gattaca (1997) The Most Reluctant Convert: the Untold Story of C.S. Lewis (2021) The King of Kings (1927) The Scarlet and the Black (1983) The Sound of Metal (2019) Life is Beautiful (1997) The Bells of St. Mary’s (1945) The Lord of the Rings (2001-03) Groundhog Day (1993) A River Runs Through It (1992)

Fr. Mike explores the mystery of Jesus' infancy and hidden life. We first take a look at Jesus' Baptism, circumcision, and the Epiphany. Fr. Mike discusses that Jesus' circumcision shows us that salvation comes from the Jews. The Epiphany shows us that salvation does not stop there, it extends to all of us. Later, we examine Jesus' hidden life. Fr. Mike emphasizes the importance of Jesus' obedience to not just his Father in Heaven, but to his earthly father and mother as well, and how we can imitate that obedience. Today's readings are Catechism paragraphs 527-534. This episode has been found to be in conformity with the Catechism by the Institute on the Catechism, under the Subcommittee on the Catechism, USCCB. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/ciy Please note: The Catechism of the Catholic Church contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.

Craig Carton and Chris McMonigle break down the wildest calls, Evan Neal drama, and jaw-dropping Giants updates! Plus, you won't believe what they reveal about John Candy, bobsledder, babysitter, and secret polka band member?! From 30-degree temperature drops to hilarious listener fails, this segment has it all.

Welcome to the podcast! In this opening episode of our March series, Forming Leaders Before Leading Students, Brent & David invite youth leaders to slow down and look inward.Before strategy.Before programming.Before measurable growth.This week, we're talking about The Hidden Life of a Youth Leader — the character, integrity, and unseen faithfulness that shape everything students experience publicly. Because the truth is simple: you can't lead students where you're unwilling to go.In this conversation, Brent & David unpack:Why private formation matters more than public platformThe danger of performing spirituality in ministryHow Lent invites leaders into deeper integrityPractical rhythms that cultivate a sustainable inner lifeIf you're serving students, leading volunteers, or navigating your own spiritual formation, this episode is an invitation to tend to the roots — not just polish the fruit.If this episode encourages you, would you consider sharing it?Help Us Spread the WordPost this episode — or your favorite episode — on social media and tag us on Instagram or Facebook using @talkstudentmin. Your share helps other youth leaders discover the conversation and reminds them they're not leading alone.Connect with Student Ministry ConversationsInstagram: @talkstudentminFacebook: @talkstudentminYouTube: Student Ministry ConversationWebsite: www.studentministryconversations.orgConnect with the HostsBrent AikenInstagram & Facebook: @heybrentaikenDavid PruittFacebook: @dpruittInstagram: @pruacousticThanks for listening to Student Ministry Conversations. We're grateful to walk alongside you as you lead — and as God forms you in the process.

You're familiar with his books: Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, James & the Giant Peach, The BFG, Matilda. But how much do you know about the author? Greg Olear speaks with Aaron Tracy about his excellent new narrative podcast, The Secret World of Roald Dahl. They explore Dahl's fascinating life, his impact on children's literature, and the complexities of his character, including his anti-Semitism. The discussion also delves into the evolution of storytelling through podcasts, the crisis of masculinity, and the ongoing debate of separating art from the artist. Aaron Tracy is the founder of Parallax, the award-winning audio company. His debut audio drama, The Coldest Case, a thriller starring Aaron Paul, is the most successful Audible Original of all time. He teaches creative writing at Yale University. The Secret World of Roald Dahl, on iHeart Media, is his first narrative nonfiction podcast. Listen to the podcast: https://www.listentoparallax.com/shows/secretworldofpodcast Subscribe to the PREVAIL newsletter: https://gregolear.substack.com/about Make America Great Gatsby Again!https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-great-gatsby-four-sticks-press-centennial-edition/e701221776c88f86?ean=9798985931976&next=tSubscribe to The Five 8:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0BRnRwe7yDZXIaF-QZfvhACheck out ROUGH BEAST, Greg's new book:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D47CMX17ROUGH BEAST is now available as an audiobook:https://www.audible.com/pd/Rough-Beast-Audiobook/B0D8K41S3T Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Sermon on the MountToshi JamangFebruary 15th, 2025

Justine Toh is a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Public Christianity (CPX) and a writer whose work appears regularly in The Guardian. In this conversation, Will and Justine explore the crisis of attention in our digital age — what we lose when our attention is fragmented, what it costs to reclaim it, and if the concept of 'a hidden life' might help us. This conversation doesn't offer simple answers, but genuine wrestling with how to live consciously within the systems we're part of.Articles referenced:Justine Toh, "As the year begins, don't look away from the headlines, look better and deeper" — The GuardianJustine Toh, "A hidden life in the era of social media can still change history, as the story of Jesus shows" — The GuardianJustine Toh, "The world is burning. Who can convince the comfortable classes of the radical sacrifices needed?" — The GuardianBooks referenced:Johann Hari, Stolen FocusOliver Burkeman, Four Thousand WeeksJonathan Haidt, The Anxious GenerationJustine Toh, Achievement AddictionWant to reach out and let us know your thoughts or suggestions for the show? Send us a message here; we'd love to hear from you.The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguideSign up to our mailing list:https://spiritualmisfits.com.au/Join our online Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/spiritualmisfitspodcastSupport the pod:https://spiritualmisfits.com.au/support-us/View all episodes at: https://spiritualmisfits.buzzsprout.com

Singer-songwriter Jon Guerra joins Mark Labberton to explore devotional songwriting, public faith, and the tension between the kingdom of Jesus and American cultural power. Through music and reflection, Guerra considers how art can hold grief, courage, and hope together in turbulent times. "Love has a million disguises, but winning is simply not one." In this episode with Mark Labberton, Guerra reflects on songwriting as prayer, the call to love enemies, and artistic courage in moments of cultural crisis. Together they discuss devotional music, George Herbert's influence, the Beatitudes and American culture, citizenship and immigration imagery, increasing polarization, suffering and grace, and the vocation of Christian artists. Episode Highlights "Love has a million disguises, but winning is simply not one." "When Jesus says to love your enemies… he is giving us a means of survival." "This is not sentimentality… the only way to resist becoming what one hates." "My songwriting… would be a means of coming into contact with the invisible God." "Beauty puts us in contact with invisible things." About Jon Guerra Jon Guerra is a singer-songwriter based in Austin, Texas, known for devotional music that blends poetry, theology, and contemporary cultural reflection. His albums include Little Songs (2015), Keeper of Days (2020), Ordinary Ways (2023), and American Gospel. Guerra has also composed music for film, including Terrence Malick's A Hidden Life (2019). The son of immigrants from Cuba and Argentina, his work often explores themes of citizenship, prayer, justice, and the teachings of Jesus. His songwriting draws inspiration from figures like George Herbert and Howard Thurman, and seeks to connect spiritual devotion with public life. Helpful Links and Resources Jon Guerra website: https://www.jonguerramusic.com/ American Gospel album: https://jonguerra.bandcamp.com A Hidden Life film: https://www.searchlightpictures.com/ahiddenlife Jesus and the Disinherited by Howard Thurman: https://www.beacon.org/Jesus-and-the-Disinherited-P1781.aspx The Porter's Gate: https://www.portersgateworship.com/ Show Notes Devotional songwriting George Herbert influence on the pursuit of prayerful craft "Music for attending to the soul." Monday morning prayer music framing devotional practice Beauty and invisible realities in artistic experience American Gospel song introduction and cultural critique Beatitudes inversion in American culture "How do I give Christ a say in this conversation?" Love Your Enemies composition and album Jesus Howard Thurman's influence on enemy-love theology (Jesus and the Disinherited) Emotional formation through news, anger, and public life Death of ego and kingdom discipleship Kierkegaard and faith beyond ideology Worship as reordering power Kingdom of Jesus song and Pilate encounter Allegiance to a greater kingdom beyond nationalism Citizenship as foreignness imagery Immigrant family background shaping songwriting Citizens song written after 2017 inauguration "Come to you because I'm confused." Five-four musical structure expressing disorientation Groaning beauty and Romans 8 resonance Artists as "holy fools" naming reality Moltmann and theology near the cross Simone Weil: gravity and grace reflection "Love has a million disguises, but winning is simply not one." Hashtags #JonGuerra #DevotionalMusic #LoveYourEnemies #ChristianArt #AmericanGospel #PublicFaith #Jesus #Gospel #SpiritualFormation Production Credits Conversing is produced and distributed in partnership with Comment Magazine and Fuller Seminary.  

This sermon steps into Matthew 6 and takes a look at how Jesus wants us to examine our motives in order to live a life that communes with God and leads to the transformation of our hearts.

This episode explores the biblical concept of the “secret place,” emphasizing intentional solitude and prayer as the primary arena where identity as sons and daughters of God is formed, drawing from Matthew 6 and Psalms to show that true spiritual transformation does not happen in public, but in hidden communion with the Father. The speaker contrasts modern culture's fixation on noise, self‑promotion, emotional validation, and constant stimulation with God's invitation to silence, obedience, and submission, teaching that the secret place is not for self‑care or emotional relief, but for dying to self and becoming like Christ. Through personal stories, Scripture, historical Christian voices, and psychological research, the episode argues that freedom from fear, clarity of calling, and spiritual authority are birthed through faithful, disciplined time alone with God, where trust is built, idols are dismantled, and God's will takes precedence over personal feelings or ambition

This episode emphasizes that true wholeness in Christ comes through surrender, not self‑preservation, using the image of a grain of wheat that must die to produce fruit. Contrasting modern culture's focus on comfort, visibility, and control, the message calls listeners to embrace hiddenness, weakness, and obedience as the place where God brings real transformation, teaching that growth often comes not through changed circumstances but through trusting God's grace to form us as we give our lives fully to Him.

In this powerful episode, Nathan sits down with Forge Speaker Michaela Wickham to explore the hidden years of Joshua—years in which God shaped him long before he ever led Israel into the Promised Land. From battles Moses fought on the hilltop to the quiet moments in the Tent of Meeting, Joshua learned intimacy with God before he ever stepped into leadership.This conversation uncovers why intimacy is the foundation of obedience, how God forms laborers long before the spotlight, and why being “strong and courageous” starts in secret.

The guys introduce a new feature for the podcast today -- FTC Film Club! In each installment, Jared and Ronni will discuss a movie with significant spiritual themes and artistic quality. In this first entry in the Film Club conversation, they talk about Terrence Malick's A Hidden Life.

In this episode, Tim Christophersen joins us to discuss how to rebuild our relationship with nature through collective action in his latest book, Generation Restoration: How to Fix Our Relationship Crisis with Mother Nature. As a Vice President of Climate Action at Salesforce, Tim has more than 25 years of international experience across the public and private sector, including 15 years with the United Nations Environment Programme.  Drawing from his experiences as a father, farmer, diplomat, and executive, he has dedicated his entire career to achieving harmony between humanity and nature… Click play to discover: The underlying causes of today's global environmental "polycrisis." The dangers of maintaining an extraction-based relationship with nature. The ways in which wildlife has suffered at the hands of humans. How collective action, technology, and local empowerment can drive large-scale ecological restoration. Want to learn more about how Tim is inspiring others to reset their relationship with Planet Earth? Listen to this insightful conversation now! You can follow along with Tim by visiting his website. Keep up with Tim Christophersen socials here: X: https://x.com/TimChristo  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tim.christophersen/ 

Send us a textWhat both men and women do in the home is often very hidden. This can be strikingly beautiful and at times quite painful. John and Sofia reflect—with the help of a spiritual masterpiece—on what we can learn about this regular feature of homelife from the remarkable hidden life of Joseph of Nazareth.https://life-craft.org/

Fresh shirt drop at new store: https://occultsymbolism.com/On today's episode of the Occult Symbolism and Pop Culture with Isaac Weishaupt podcast we are joined with a guest that's been doing some massively deep research into Shakespeare, Francis Bacon and the impending Scientific Technocracy- it's Robert Frederick! He's the host of The Hidden Life is Best podcast and Substack and today he explains to us why Shakespeare is so important that he has a Cult! We'll catch up with his inspiration for this topic and then we get into some major concepts on how Shakespeare was burying occult concepts into his works, the Shakespeare Hoax, connections to Stanley Kubrick and David Lynch (including a story about meeting Lynch!), and Shakespeare's impact on modern pop culture. We talk about Francis Bacon's connections to use propaganda for British Empire building and hidden Rosicrucian symbolism in Shakespeare, as well as the Scientism Gnostic religion of the Technocracy and how Peter Thiel is pushing us into the digital matrix for immortality!Supporters: I run an announcement from 1:40-6:20 about new shirts and such on my new store at https://occultsymbolism.com/; you are ad-free but this is more of an announcement than an ad, my apologies if it's annoying. My shirt guy has availability if you want to print some shirts: https://www.instagram.com/bryant_prints/Links:Follow Robert Frederick for MUCH more:The Hidden Life is Best podcast: https://thehiddenlifeisbest.comThe Hidden Life is Best Substack: https://substack.com/@robertfrederickThe Hidden Life is Best Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/u28774359Show sponsors- Get discounts while you support the show and do a little self improvement!*CopyMyCrypto.com/Isaac is where you can copy James McMahon's crypto holdings- listeners get access for just $1 WANT MORE?... Check out my UNCENSORED show with my wife, Breaking Social Norms: https://breakingsocialnorms.com/GRIFTER ALLEY- get bonus content AND go commercial free + other perks:*PATREON.com/IlluminatiWatcher : ad free, HUNDREDS of bonus shows, early access AND TWO OF MY BOOKS! (The Dark Path and Kubrick's Code); you can join the conversations with hundreds of other show supporters here: Patreon.com/IlluminatiWatcher (*Patreon is also NOW enabled to connect with Spotify! https://rb.gy/hcq13)*VIP SECTION: Due to the threat of censorship, I set up a Patreon-type system through MY OWN website! IIt's even setup the same: FREE ebooks, Kubrick's Code video! Sign up at: https://illuminatiwatcher.com/members-section/*APPLE PREMIUM: If you're on the Apple Podcasts app- just click the Premium button and you're in! NO more ads, Early Access, EVERY BONUS EPISODE More from Isaac- links and special offers:*BREAKING SOCIAL NORMS podcast, Index of EVERY episode (back to 2014), Signed paperbacks, shirts, & other merch, Substack, YouTube links, appearances & more: https://allmylinks.com/isaacw *STATEMENT: This show is full of Isaac's useless opinions and presented for entertainment purposes. Audio clips used in Fair Use and taken from YouTube videos.