Things Above

In this episode, James Bryan Smith’s thought from above is, “Begin with the end in mind.” Smith explains his thought from above by talking about his two mentors John Wesley and Dallas Willard. James illustrates his thought from above with a story about a friend and his understanding of Christian spiritual formation. Interested in donating […] The post The End In Mind appeared first on Apprentice Institute.

James Bryan Smith’s thought from above this week is, “Live life with an open hand.” In this episode, Smith discusses one of his favorite prayers, “The Serenity Prayer.” James talks about the meaning behind prayer and how we can use it in our time with God. The Serenity Prayer: “God grant me the serenity To […] The post Open Hand appeared first on Apprentice Institute.

James Bryan Smith has a Things Above Conversation with author A.J. Swoboda about his book, The Gift of Thorns. Today’s follower of Jesus exists at a moment in history when our desires, longings, and wants are being weaponized against us by cultural, spiritual, and relational forces. “Follow your heart” and “You do you” has become […] The post Conversation with AJ Swoboda Part Three appeared first on Apprentice Institute.

James Bryan Smith asks, what is the greatest opportunity you have ever been given? In this episode, James explores this question and explains that our greatest opportunity is to follow Jesus. Smith explains that we have been invited to a relationship with Jesus and how it is the greatest opportunity we have been offered. Interested […] The post Our Greatest Opportunity appeared first on Apprentice Institute.

James Bryan Smith gives his second spiritual practice for 2024, called the two-minute morning. In this episode, James explains how to do this practice and why he feels it helps him set his mind on Things Above. Interested in donating to the Things Above Podcast? Donate here! Learn more about the Christian Spiritual Formation degree […] The post Two Minute Morning appeared first on Apprentice Institute.

In this episode, James Bryan Smith talks about how we can experience grieving with hope. James opens the episode by talking about what he considers to be his favorite book that he has written, Room of Marvels. Smith reads the foreword of Room of Marvels, written by Dallas Willard, to help further explain how we […] The post Grieving with Hope appeared first on Apprentice Institute.

James Bryan Smith starts the new year with an episode about a spiritual discipline he enjoys called breath prayer. In this episode, James explains what breath prayer is, and gives several examples of how to practice the soul training exercise yourself. Interested in donating to the Things Above Podcast? Donate here! Learn more about the […] The post Breath Prayer appeared first on Apprentice Institute.

James Bryan Smith’s thought from above this week is, “Jesus is God’s Glory, Grace and Truth.” This is the 4th episode of the series of episodes on the longings of our soul. In this episode, James explains the connection between beauty, goodness, and truth and how they relate to our soul. Interested in donating to […] The post Glory, Grace and Truth appeared first on Apprentice Institute.

James Bryan Smith’s thought from above this week is, “Our souls long for relationships.” Over the last three episodes, James has been discussing the longings of our souls. In this episode, Smith talks about five of the final ten longings of our soul. Interested in donating to the Things Above Podcast? Donate here! Learn more […] The post Our Soul & Relationships appeared first on Apprentice Institute.

James Bryan Smith has a Things Above conversation with author and spiritual director Casey Tygrett. James and Casey discuss Casey’s latest book, “The Gift of Restlessness.”  Casey emphasizes that restlessness is a sign that we must move up, move on, or move out. Working within the prayerful tradition of writers like Henri Nouwen and Barbara […] The post Conversation with Casey Tygrett Part Three appeared first on Apprentice Institute.

In this episode, James Bryan Smith’s thought from above is, “We all long to be loved.” Smith picks up where he left off the last episode, talking about the longings of our souls. In this episode, James talks about three more longings of our souls: the need to be wanted, the need to be loved […] The post Longing To Be Loved appeared first on Apprentice Institute.

James Bryan Smith has a Things Above conversation with author and publisher Jeff Crosby. James and Jeff discuss Jeff’s book, “The Language of the Soul: Meeting God in the Longings of Our Hearts.” For over fifteen years, writer Jeff Crosby has been searching for a language of the soul–a way to articulate our deepest longings. […] The post Conversation with Jeff Crosby appeared first on Apprentice Institute.

James Bryan Smith’s thought from above this week is, “Everything turns on the turn.” In this episode, James explains the meaning behind this thought from above, which he learned from Ann Voskamp. He talks about the three ways we turn when faced with difficult situations in life. Smith closes the episode with a spiritual practice […] The post The Turn appeared first on Apprentice Institute.

James Bryan Smith’s thought from above this week is, “Christ is your greatest treasure.” Following up on his first two episodes of season six, James continues to explain what it means to live a good life. In this episode, Smith talks about six areas of our life that he believes are essential to living a […] The post Greatest Treasure appeared first on Apprentice Institute.

James Bryan Smith has a Things Above Conversation with author Ann Voskamp about her book, “Waymaker: Finding the Way to the Life You’ve Always Dreamed Of.” Ann Voskamp is a Canadian author, blogger, and memoirist on themes of Christian women’s spirituality and the author of multiple books, including the New York Times bestseller, “One Thousand […] The post Conversation with Ann Voskamp appeared first on Apprentice Institute.

In this episode, James Bryan Smith’s thought from above is, “The good life is a deep, passionate, and emotional life.” Following up on the previous episode about the good life, Smith talks about the importance of our emotions concerning living the good life. James explains how our emotions are a crucial part of our life […] The post The Emotional Life appeared first on Apprentice Institute.

In this episode, James Bryan Smith’s thought from above is, “The good life is the obedient life.” Smith begins the episode by discussing a class he teaches at Friends University called The Good Life. In the class, he asked his students about the age-old question, what is the good life? In this episode, Smith explains […] The post The Good Life appeared first on Apprentice Institute.

James Bryan Smith has a Things Above conversation with Ruth Haley Barton. In this episode, James and Ruth discuss her book, “Embracing Rhythms of Work and Rest: From Sabbath to Sabbatical and Back Again” In her book, Ruth offers hard-won wisdom and practical steps for developing rhythms of work and rest that bring life—to us […] The post Conversation with Ruth Haley Barton appeared first on Apprentice Institute.

James Bryan Smith’s thought from above this week is, “You can have an Abba experience.” Smith opens the episode with the question, what is the one thing you think God most wants for you? He gives a few different answers to his question but ultimately says that what Jesus wants most for us is to […] The post Abba Experience appeared first on Apprentice Institute.

James Bryan Smith’s thought from above this week is, “we need the church.” In this episode, James talks about the impact of attending church and why we need it. To help illustrate his thought from above, Smith references two songs written by Rich Mullins; “Sometimes by Step” and “Creed.” Interested in donating to the Things […] The post We Need The Church appeared first on Apprentice Institute.