Practicing the Way with John Mark Comer

What does it look like to stay faithful to Jesus through every season of life? John Mark unpacks the concept of the "first and second halves of life"—a simple but profound framework for understanding the different stages of spiritual maturity. He explores the unique temptations and invitations of each season, showing us how transformation isn't about climbing higher but about surrender...

This is an episode from the Practicing the Way podcast. To dig deeper into the ideas from today's teaching, you can find more by searching for "Practicing the Way" wherever you get your podcasts. -- How do we change our deepest sin patterns? John Mark explores the four layers of sin we must navigate on the spiritual journey—from major sins to unconscious patterns to our deepest attachm...

What is God like? John Mark dives into Matthew 11v25-30, exploring what it means that Jesus is "gentle and humble of heart" and showing why grasping this truth is essential for finding true rest for our souls in a culture of burnout and exhaustion. Key Scripture Passages: Matthew 11v25-30; Ephesians 4v2; Colossians 3v12; 1 Peter 3v4; Philippians 2v5-8 This podcast and its episodes are paid...

How do we love well? Bethany Allen explores the final theme of Advent: love. She shows us that receiving love requires surrender, vulnerability, and trust, and challenges us to intentionally receive God's love as an active, life-changing invitation to become the people we were always meant to be. Key Scripture Passages: Micah 5v2-5a; 1 John 4v10 This podcast and its episodes are paid for by Th...

What does the arrival of Jesus have to do with joy? Ken Shigematsu explores how Christ's coming brings what Tolkien called "the sudden, joyous turn"—a miraculous shift in our story that gives us cause for deep and enduring joy, even in the midst of sorrow. Key Scripture Passages: Luke 1v26-38, 46-49; Luke 2v8-14, 19; 1 Corinthians 2v9 This podcast and its episodes are paid for by The C...

How do we experience more peace? In this Advent teaching, John Mark shares about his journey with anxiety and explores the theme of peace throughout the Scriptures. He challenges us to see that inner peace isn't just about feeling better—it's essential for becoming people of love. Key Scripture Passages: Colossians 3:15; John 14:27; John 20:19-21; 1 John 4:18 This podcast and its episodes...

What does it mean to wait with hope? Gemma Ryan explores the story of Simeon—a man who waited decades for the Messiah—and invites us into three transformative questions: What are you waiting for? Who are you becoming as you wait? And what is sustaining you in the waiting? She shows us how waiting isn't passive but active, and how our seasons of in-between can become the very places where God r...

What do we do when community gets difficult? John Mark explores the inevitable challenges that arise in deep community and introduces a six-stage cycle that all healthy relationships go through. He shares why commitment is required to stay together long enough to actually grow into people of love. Key Scripture Passages: 1 Corinthians 3v1-4; Matthew 6v15 This podcast and its episodes are paid for...

Why is authentic community so hard to find? John Mark explores the modern challenges that keep us isolated—busyness, transience, digital distraction—but then goes deeper to reveal the ancient enemy underneath it all: shame. He shows us how shame disconnects us from God and each other, and how the often-overlooked practice of confession can heal our deepest wounds and reconnect us to the love we&#3...

How do we go deep in community? John Mark explores the practice of sharing our joys and sorrows in community—following Jesus' example of both celebrating around the table and bearing his deepest pain with trusted friends. Key Scripture Passages: Mark 14v22-24, 32-34; Genesis 2v18; Galatians 6v2; Hebrews 10v24-25; John 15v11; Isaiah 53v3 This podcast and its episodes are paid for by The Circle,...

What does it mean to live as the family of God? John Mark explores how we're created for relationship and why spiritual formation can't happen in isolation. He unpacks the biblical vision of church as a "fictive kinship group" and shows us how transformation happens not just on Sunday mornings, but around the dining room table with people who become family. Key Scripture Passages:...

Can we rest our way to freedom? John Mark explores how Sabbath is far more than a wellness practice—it's an act of defiance against the relentless pace of modern life. He shows how God built a rhythm of work and rest into creation itself, and how the command to Sabbath is actually a way to resist cultural forces of busyness, consumerism, and endless accumulation. Key Scripture Passages: Genesi...

What does Jesus really teach about money? John Mark unpacks Jesus' radical teaching from Matthew 6 on treasure, generosity, and trust. He challenges the "work more, buy more, repeat" cycle that dominates Western culture and invites us into an alternative way of life marked by simplicity, generosity, and a God-centered vision. Key Scripture Passages: Matthew 6v19-34; 1 Timothy 6v6-19 Th...

How do we live focused, purposeful lives in a world of endless opportunities and demands? John Mark explores the power of saying "no" as a spiritual discipline—showing us that Jesus' ability to fulfill His calling wasn't just about what He said yes to, but also about what He said no to. He challenges us to identify our God-given vocation and then ruthlessly eliminate distractions,...

How do we work for the glory of God? John Mark unpacks Paul's vision in 1 Corinthians 10 to "do everything for the glory of God" and applies it to our everyday work, showing how we glorify God not only in what we do, but in how we do it. Key Scripture Passages: 1 Corinthians 10v25-31; Romans 1; Proverbs 22v29; Daniel 1 This podcast and its episodes are paid for by The Circle, our commu...

What does it mean to be a culture-maker? John Mark explores the cultural mandate from Genesis and argues that God commands all human beings to make culture—both corporately by building civilization and individually by discovering our unique vocations. He walks through eight practical questions to help us discern our God-given identities and callings. Key Scripture Passages: Genesis 1:26-28; Acts 9...

What is our purpose? John Mark opens a new series exploring the ideas related to work, rest, and our human condition. He challenges the sacred-secular divide and calls us to see all of life as spiritual, encouraging listeners to dream big about their God-given identity and calling. Key Scripture Passages: Genesis 1v26-28; Genesis 2v8-15; Revelation 22v1-5 This podcast and its episodes are paid for...

What does it look like to follow Jesus for your whole life? John Mark sits down with Father Ronald Rolheiser—author, priest, and spiritual writer—to talk about the stages of the spiritual journey. Drawing from decades of pastoral leadership, personal suffering, and theological study, Father Rolheiser reflects on how we struggle to get our lives together, give our lives away, and ultimately give ou...

"If you want to experience the life of Jesus, you have to adopt the lifestyle of Jesus." John Mark concludes the Vision series with a pastoral word on hurry, unpacking how hurry does violence to the soul, erodes our capacity for transformation, and why following Jesus requires us to slow down and adopt his lifestyle, not just his teachings. Key Scripture Passages: Matthew 11v28–30; Luke 10...

What does it mean to follow Jesus in a culture obsessed with self-fulfillment? John Mark explores Jesus’ words in Luke 9, where He calls His disciples to “take up your cross and follow me.” Contrasting the way of self-denial at the heart of apprenticeship to Jesus with the modern pursuit of personal satisfaction, John Mark encourages us to embrace the cruciform life that leads to our deepest satis...

What role does the Holy Spirit play in our transformation? John Mark unpacks how true transformation always requires partnership with God’s Spirit, encouraging us to rely on his presence and power to form us into the image of Jesus. Key Scripture Passages: 2 Corinthians 3v17–18; Exodus 34v29–35; John 15v5; Galatians 5v22–25 This podcast and its episodes are paid for by The Circle, our community of...

When we live in community, conflict is inevitable. But how do we handle conflict well? Alex Rettman—former Bridgetown pastor and now Lead Pastor of Saints' Hill Church in Newberg, OR—explores how conflict—when done in love—can be one of the primary ways we move from disillusionment to acceptance in our relationships, encouraging us use conflict to point one another back to Jesus. Key Scripture...

What does it really mean for a church to be a family? Bethany Allen unpacks a powerful vision of community not as an optional add-on to the Christian life, but as the very environment where transformation takes place. Bethany explores why community is both beautiful and broken, and how Jesus invites us to move through disappointment, unmet expectations, and past pain into a healing family of faith...

Can we follow Jesus alone? John Mark explores the essential—but often overlooked—role of community in spiritual formation. Drawing from the life of Jesus and the early church, he shows how transformation doesn’t happen in isolation but in the messy, beautiful tension between the ideal of community and its imperfect reality. Key Scripture Passages: Matthew 4v18-22; Matthew 9v9-13; Acts 2v42-47; Rom...

What do spiritual disciplines have to do with real transformation? John Mark double clicks on the concept of the practices of Jesus—also called the spiritual disciplines—and explains why they’re not optional for those who want to become like Him. He shows us how transformation doesn’t come through trying harder but through training wisely. Key Scripture Passages: 1 Corinthians 9v24-27; Acts 20v24;...