Around the Fire

Around the Fire is an audio companion to The Compass, my Substack publication on contemplative Christian spiritual formation. Think of it this way: the weekly essays are the miles. This is the campfire at the end of the day that offers a few minutes to sit with something we’ve been carrying, go a little deeper, and let the day’s ideas settle. Today’s episode is about two words that have come to me...

Around the Fire is an audio companion to The Compass, my Substack publication on contemplative Christian spiritual formation. Think of it this way: the weekly essays are the miles. This is the campfire at the end of the day that offers a few minutes to sit with something we’ve been carrying, go a little deeper, and let the day’s ideas settle. Today’s episode builds off of the Friday Compass “Wande...

Around the Fire is the audio companion to The Compass, my Substack publication on contemplative Christian spiritual formation. Think of it this way: the weekly essays are the miles. This is the campfire at the end of the day that offers a few minutes to sit with something we’ve been carrying, go a little deeper, and let the day’s ideas settle. Today’s episode builds off a question my wife asked ab...

Around the Fire is a new audio companion to The Compass, my Substack publication on contemplative Christian spiritual formation. Think of it this way: the weekly essays are the miles. This is the campfire at the end of the day that offers a few minutes to sit with something we’ve been carrying, go a little deeper, and let the day’s ideas settle. Today’s episode builds off this week’s Compass essay...

I don't usually post on weekends, but today asked for an exception. Lorri and I drove into Glacier today with no particular agenda—just following the road as it wound along Lake McDonald. We found ourselves at a pullout and instead of checking it off the list — been to the lake and moving on — we just... stopped and wandered along the lakeshore. It took only a few moments to discover the treasure...

Yesterday's snowstorm became an unexpected spiritual director. As I walked through heavy snow with visibility down to almost nothing, I couldn't see the mountains I know are right in front of me. And in that moment of forced present-ness, I realized how much of my life I've spent living in the future—planning, strategizing, mapping out what's ahead. But what if seasons of limited visibility aren't...

Substack writer Jeanine Joyner has a rare gift. Through her publication “Beloved, Be Loved,” she weaves storytelling and spiritual reflection in ways that invite you into the heart of what it means to be God’s beloved. A former women’s ministry leader, Jeanine now uses her writing to help readers discover their truest identity as beloved children of God. In this conversation, she shares from her o...

Listen Time: 7:35 minutes About This Episode In the wilderness, Jesus faced a fundamental test: Would he perform to meet expectations, or remain anchored in who he truly was? This Stillpoint meditation explores three moments when Jesus refused to twist himself into what others wanted—and invites you to find that same ground of unshakeable identity in the Father’s love. You don’t have to be what th...

Episode Description: Seventy-five percent of pastors report extreme stress. One in three has considered quitting in the last year. Nearly one in five has contemplated suicide. How did we get here? This podcast examines both the crisis facing pastors and its root causes—tracing how the American church’s shift from formation to attraction in the 1970s created a measuring system that guarantees most...

Theme: Quiet outside, noise inside Scripture: Luke 10:38–42; Practice: Breath prayer — “Lord Jesus / quiet my noisy heart.” One Question: Where is your inner speed exceeding the speed of your surroundings? If you’re new: I’m writing and podcasting about attention, spiritual depth, and a simpler, rooted life with God. * Subscribe to The Compass for weekly reflections. * Share this episode with some...

Show Notes In this short reflection, Gene turns to the underground life—the roots that hold when weather changes. We chase branches and fruit; Jesus starts deeper. Roots form in hidden places: quiet, Scripture that’s actually ingested , Sabbath that teaches us to receive. Depth before display. Being with God before doing for God. Subscribe Get weekly reflections and practical tools for the interio...

Show Notes In this short reflection, Gene shares a lesson he first learned from Quaker writer Elton Trueblood—what he called Quaker midnight . It’s a simple but radical reordering of time: beginning each day in rest rather than work. This rhythm of rest is more than recovery; it’s the starting point of a simpler, more centered life with God. Want to go deeper? Read Gene’s Thursday reflection on Th...

The Stillpoint A brief pause in the middle of your day to be still… and to remember that—whatever today holds—God is with you. The Stillpoint is an audio companion of The Compass, which provides resources, encouragement, and community to help you find and navigate the way to a deeper life with Jesus. Today’s Episode: A quiet pause to remember the masterclass Jesus provided in the power of listenin...

The Stillpoint A brief pause in the middle of your day to be still… and to remember that—whatever today holds—God is with you. The Stillpoint is an audio companion of The Compass, which provides resources, encouragement, and community to help you find and navigate the way to a deeper life with Jesus. Today’s Episode: A quiet four-minute pause to remember a simple truth: light is coming into the wo...

An audio podcast for The Compass Center exploring the discipleship deficit in contemporary Christianity and how to restore discipleship to where it belongs: the very center of Christian faith. This is part one of a week-long series on discipleship. Subscribe so you get every one of these conversations about the discipleship mission of the movement begun by Jesus 2,000 years ago. This is a public e...

What if worship is bigger than we imagine? What if it is larger than what we are used to experiencing? What if what we call worship is actually smaller than what worship truly is? In this episode of The Trailhead , we step into the experience of Isaiah and the witness of John Woolman to ask a deeper question: what can worship really be? The answer might surprise you. This is a public episode. If y...

This week on Substack I’m writing and thinking about scripture. I’m doing that to tether Christian spiritual formation—at least the way I view spiritual formatio—is tethered to scripture. Today’s conversation is a story, a testimony, a lament, and a blessing all in one about the beauty of taking scripture seriously — and the ways I struggle to live the words and ideas of scripture. This is a publi...

In this short, guided time of stillness, we reflect on the words of Jesus in John 10:27: “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” Long before you thought to seek God, the Shepherd was already seeking you. Today’s Presence invites you to rest in the reality that you are fully known and deeply loved — and to carry that truth with you into the rest of your day. In this episode:...

After a short break from the podcast, I’m beginning something new here on The Compass podcast feed. This new rhythm, called Presence , is a short, guided time to help you pause, listen, and renew your awareness of God’s nearness in the middle of an ordinary day. Each episode draws from the ancient Christian way of praying the Scriptures —listening deeply to God’s Word, letting it settle into your...

In today’s Formation Dig, we begin laying the foundation for next week’s series on Being the Beloved . At the center of that identity is this truth: you don’t earn belovedness—you receive it. We explore the parable of two men in the temple, a posture of humility, and the mercy that anchors us before we ever prove a thing. 🛤 If you’ve ever felt like you don’t measure up, this one’s for you. → Subsc...

In this episode, we explore joy not as a fleeting emotion but as a deep, deliberate practice. Drawing from the wisdom of Henri Nouwen, we consider his profound insight: “Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day.” What does it mean to choose joy in a world marked by pressure, grief, and noise? And how might Christian spiritual formation help us recover...

What if we’ve misunderstood joy—not just as a culture, but even as the church? What if joy isn’t the reward for a life finally in order, but the defiant practice of those choosing trust in the middle of the mess? In this short reflection, we’ll explore how joy might be less about emotion and more about formation. And why this rebel virtue might just be what our soul—and our world—needs most. 👉 If...

About This Episode: Joy isn’t something we chase—it’s something we wake up to. In this first episode of Formation Digs , we explore how spiritual practice helps us hold space for the soul to notice God —even in the middle of ordinary life. Joy often begins when we stop rushing, pay attention, and open our hearts to grace already present. This short reflection offers a simple daily practice to help...

What happens when trust stops being a spiritual concept—and starts becoming your daily lifeline? In this Formation Dig, we explore what it means to trust God when life doesn’t resolve on schedule. No tidy answers. No spiritual shortcuts. Just real life, real waiting, and real hope. Along the way, we’ll draw wisdom from the saints who’ve gone before us—Julian of Norwich, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, August...

In this short reflection, we explore 2 Corinthians 3:18 and the practice of contemplative seeing .Paul uses the word katoptrizomenoi —“to behold as in a mirror”—reminding us that spiritual transformation happens when we set our attention fully on Christ. Key Takeaways: * We become what we behold. * Transformation is not about striving harder, but gazing longer. * In Christ, the veil is removed. We...