Gravity Commons Podcast

We continue our series on how to walk through deconstruction without losing your faith by interviewing Preston Sprinkle on sexuality, gender, and the missional task of the church to navigate our increasingly complicated cultural landscape. Preston Sprinkle is a biblical scholar, international speaker and best selling author. He is the founder of The Center For […] The post Preston Sprinkle on Deco...

Tai French joins Ben and Matt in this episode to share about a journey of deconstruction in leaving a church and making a home. What we think we are searching for often doesn’t show up in the way we think it will. God knows our desires, he sees and hear us and makes a way […] The post Leaving a Church and Making a Home with Tai French appeared first on Gravity Leadership. Advertising Inquiries: ht...

The only way to grow is to fail, so let’s talk about fasting! In this episode Ben and Matt share some concepts around fasting for Lent, which starts on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 26th this year. Could it be that we need to put ourselves in the way of weakness and need so we can meet […] The post Why and How to Fast For Lent appeared first on Gravity Leadership. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.co...

In this episode, Matt and Ben respond t0 and reflect on a question submitted by a listener about how to help children understand the “allegiance gospel” we’ve talked about on the podcast before. We used to have the “Romans Road,” but are their tools for explaining a bigger gospel to kids? A few links from […] The post How to Teach Kids the Kingdom Gospel appeared first on Gravity Leadership. Adver...

If your view of the atonement and the gospel is being deconstructed, this episode is for you. We continue our series on how to walk through deconstruction without losing your faith, interviewing Mako Nagasawa (again!) to help us reconstruct atonement and the gospel on firmer ground. Mako is the founder and executive director of The […] The post Deconstructing and Reconstructing the Atonement with...

We’ve gotten all kinds of feedback from our new series on walking through deconstruction without losing your faith. Most of it has been very positive, but a little bit of push-back, too. In this (bonus) episode, we take some time to reflect on why these kinds of conversations are so difficult to have. Become a […] The post Why is it So Hard to Talk About Deconstruction appeared first on Gravity Le...

We continue our series on how to walk through deconstruction without losing your faith by talking with our friends Dave and Beth Booram about the relationship between deconstruction and spiritual direction. The Boorams operate Fall Creek Abbey, a retreat house and spiritual direction training ministry in Indianapolis. Their website is full of resources, blog posts […] The post Spiritual Direction...

We continue our series on How to Walk Through Deconstruction Without Losing Your Faith, talking with Brian Zahnd about deconstructing four big topics in the church nowadays: the Bible, Hell, Politics and Sexuality. Brian is the founder and lead pastor of Word of Life Church, a non-denominational Christian congregation in Saint Joseph, Missouri. Brian and […] The post Brian Zahnd on Deconstructing...

We continue our series on How to Walk Through Deconstruction Without Losing Your Faith, talking with Brandon O’Brien about deconstructing how we read Scripture. Brandon is the Director of Content Development and Distribution for Redeemer City to City, an organization that supports church planting in global cities. A few links from today’s episode: Get the […] The post Deconstructing How We Read Sc...

We continue our series on how to walk through deconstruction without losing your faith. Today we talk with pastors Geoff and Cyd Holsclaw about how to navigate the painful and disorienting experience of deconstruction. A few links from today’s episode: Enneagram Transformation Workshop | Carmel, IN | Jan 24-25 Parenting in Grace and Truth Workshop […] The post Navigating Deconstruction with Geoff...

We are starting a new series on how to walk through deconstruction without losing your faith. Many people are asking questions about long-held assumptions in the faith they inherited, and it’s easy to assume that this means we are “losing” our faith. But there’s another way to walk through deconstruction: one that tenaciously holds onto […] The post Skye Jethani on Reconstructing Faith After Decon...

For our final episodes of the year, we are reflecting on and re-publishing 3 of our favorite interviews from our archive of 90+ episodes (!!). Today’s “redux” is Episode 59 (April 2019), an interview with Mako Nagasawa on the history of racism and how it’s all about power (not just bias or prejudice). Mako founded […] The post Redux: Mako Nagasawa on How Power Works in Racism appeared first on Gra...

For our final episodes of the year, we are reflecting on and re-publishing 3 of our favorite interviews from our archive of 90+ episodes (!!). Today’s “redux” is Episode 19 (July 2018), an interview with Mandy Smith on vulnerability in leadership. Mandy wrote a book called The Vulnerable Pastor: How Human Limitations Empower Our Ministry, […] The post Redux: Mandy Smith on Leading in Vulnerability...

For our final episodes of the year, we are reflecting on and re-publishing 3 of our favorite interviews from our archive of 90+ episodes (!!). Today’s “redux” is Episode 35 back in October of 2018, an interview with Brad Jersak where we explore whether we can trust that God is love 100% of the time. […] The post Redux: Brad Jersak on Learning to Trust That God is Love appeared first on Gravity Lea...

We answer a listener question who, after hearing us talk about “grace and truth,” wonders if there is room for “tough love” or advocating for victims of abuse or injustice in it. We talk practically and theologically about how the love of Jesus gets worked out in real-life situations, and why our imaginations for love […] The post Is There Room For “Tough Love” in Grace and Truth? appeared first o...

We are in the midst of a mini-series on the Enneagram and how it can be helpful for spiritual formation and discipleship. Today we talk today with professor and counselor Chuck DeGroat on the ways that narcissism shows up for each Enneagram type. We typically think of narcissism manifesting itself as big, loud, overtly arrogant, […] The post Chuck DeGroat on How Narcissism Shows Up For Each Enneag...

In the midst of a mini-series on the Enneagram, today we talk with pastor and author AJ Sherrill, who leads workshops and has written on the Enneagram. The post The Enneagram and Spiritual Practices with AJ Sherrill appeared first on Gravity Leadership. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The Enneagram has become quite popular recently in Christian circles. Some people think it’s the best thing ever, and others have expressed concerns about its origins and the supposed dangers of using it. In this episode, we talk about how the Enneagram has been helpful for us in our own spiritual formation. We’ve found the […] The post How the Enneagram Can Catalyze Spiritual Formation appeared f...

For Christian leaders, the gospel is kind of a big deal. But most of us have it wrong. Matthew Bates helps us see what the gospel is, and why it matters. The post Matthew Bates on How We Get the Gospel Wrong appeared first on Gravity Leadership. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

One of our foundational axioms is that God is Always Present and At Work. If you believe this and act as if it’s true, you have a sacramental worldview, whether you’d call it that or not. Pastor and author Glenn Packiam joins us on the podcast today to talk about why this kind of sacramental […] The post Why a Sacramental Worldview Matters with Glenn Packiam appeared first on Gravity Leadership. A...

Is nonviolence an integral part of following Jesus? Or can Christians keep violence in their “back pocket” as a last resort? Ron Sider has a very compelling argument about why Christians need to leave violence behind and learn to practice active nonviolence. (And he has some great answers to all the normal objections to nonviolence.) […] The post Stoking an Imagination For Nonviolence with Ron Sid...

As a woman of color, Kathy Khang learned to find her voice and speak up, even in the midst of difficult circumstances and toxic leadership. Kathy Khang is a writer, speaker, and yoga teacher. She spent more than 20 years in parachurch ministry working with college students and training organizational and church leaders. Before that she was […] The post Finding Your Voice, Daring to Speak with Kath...

Discipleship should be simple, but often we manage to over-complicate it. Derek Vreeland helps us keep discipleship simple, practical, and transformative. The post Keeping Discipleship Simple with Derek Vreeland appeared first on Gravity Leadership. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In this BONUS episode, we interview Sylvia Keesmaat and Brian Walsh, who have written an “uncommentary” on the book of Romans, and live in community on a sustainable farm in Canada. A fun conversation about how our social locations affect how we read Scripture. Links from this episode: Pick up their book: Romans Disarmed: Resisting […] The post Resisting Empire with Sylvia Keesmaat and Brian Walsh...

We often want our ministries to move fast and grow quickly, but José Humphreys would rather see a leaders learn how to show up, be present, and stay put. The post José Humphreys on Leading By Showing Up and Staying Put appeared first on Gravity Leadership. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy