Practicing the Way with John Mark Comer

How do we sabbath well? John Mark highlights four common words associated with the word “shabbat”: stop, rest, delight, and worship, showing us how these four words give us clues on how to best open ourselves up to the life God offers us through this practice. Key Scripture Passages: Mark 2v23-28; Mark 3v1-6 This podcast and its episodes are paid for by The Circle, our community of monthly givers....

Do you think of Sabbath as a weapon? In a culture that is addicted to the twin drugs of accomplishment and accumulation, Sabbath is how we “fight” back against Egypt, Pharaoh, and his empire. Join us as John Mark continues his biblical theology on Sabbath with an exploration of work and rest in the story of the Exodus. Key Scripture Passages: Exodus 20v8; Deuteronomy 5v12-15; Nehemiah 13v15-22 Thi...

What makes the Sabbath different from the rest of the week? John Mark continues exploring a biblical theology of Sabbath, demonstrating how Sabbath is woven throughout creation as a rhythm for us to follow, and encouraging us to embrace the gift of this practice with delight. Key Scripture Passages: Genesis 1v31-2:3; Exodus 16v9-30; Exodus 20v1-8 This podcast and its episodes are paid for by The C...

Are you tired? In our world filled with fast-paced digital technology, what do we do to combat the restlessness that corrodes at our soul? John Mark teaches on how the practice of Sabbath can help us embody the peace of Jesus in our lives and and radically change our walk with God. Key Scripture Passages: Matthew 11v28-30; Hebrews 4v1-11 This podcast and its episodes are paid for by The Circle, ou...

What do you do when you hit a wall in your apprenticeship to Jesus? Beau Hughes, lead pastor of The Village Church, Denton, interviews John Mark and Matt Chandler, lead pastor of The Village Church, Flower Mound about their journeys of discipleship and formation. Together, John Mark and Matt encourage us to open our lives for God to bring transformation in the deepest part of our selves. This podc...

How do we become resilient disciples of Jesus? Gavin Bennett shares a vision for how a Rule of Life can shape us and our communities into people of love. He challenges us to resist the temptations to make a Rule of Life about control, busyness, duty, or enthusiasm, and instead encourages us to lean into the invitations of the Spirit and Jesus's easy yoke. Key Scripture Passage: John 15v1-5 Thi...

Why a Rule of Life? Tyler Staton explains the why and the what behind a Rule of Life, outlining the biblical, historical, and practical roots of this practice. He argues that a Rule of Life is essential for us to preserve the new wine of God's grace in this cultural moment with new wineskins. Key Scripture Passages: Matthew 9v14-17, Psalm 56v12-13, Acts 2v42-47. This podcast and its episodes a...

What does it look like to witness in our culture? Tre' Giles walks us through three ways to witness to others: spoken love, supernatural love, and sacrificial love, and challenges us to live our lives in a way that demonstrates the good news of Jesus to others. Key Scripture Passages: Acts 1v8; Colossians 1v12-14; Matthew 3v16-17; Matthew 9v9-13; Luke 23v38-43 This podcast and its episodes are...

"Sabbath rest empowers resurrection work." In a world filled with burnout, exhaustion, and shallow indulgence, Tyler Staton argues that Sabbath is a practice to reform our relationship with work and rest - helping us work with God and receive rest as a gift from him. Highlighting the scriptural foundations and formational purpose of this practice, he highlights the future hope that we live...

Are our hands so full of money that we can't receive the generosity of God? Gavin Bennett argues that how we handle money is key to our apprenticeship to Jesus. He shows us that when our generosity is rooted in God's generosity, we can more fully step into our role as stewards of the resources God's entrusted to us. Key Scripture Passages: Matthew 13v44-46; Matthew 6v24; Matthew 15v15-...

What if serving others is more rewarding than we think? Bethany Allen argues that we often only consider the costs of service, but rarely consider the deeper rewards it brings: lasting joy and fulfillment. She not only encourages us to see and sacrifice for one another in service, but also offers us five principles to guide as we serve. Key Scripture Passage: Luke 10v25-37 This podcast and its epi...

What does not eating have to do with following Jesus? Tyler Staton breaks down the "why" of fasting: how it can help us focus on what's most important, give us freedom from idols in our lives, and grow us in compassion for others. Key Scripture Passages: Romans 12v1 This podcast and its episodes are paid for by The Circle, our community of monthly givers. Special thanks for this episod...

"You can't follow Jesus alone." John Mark shows us the essential nature of community in our walk with Jesus: how God adopts us into his family and the role our brothers and sisters play in our formation. He concludes with an encouragement to be intentional in finding community, and when we do, to put down deep roots. Key Scripture Passages: Mark 1v16-20; Mark 3v13-19; Mark 3v32-35; Rom...

"When you're waiting, you're not doing nothing. You're doing the most important something there is. You're allowing your soul to grow up. If you can't wait, you can't become what God created you to be." - Unknown In a world that is full of noise and activity, solitude is deeply uncomfortable for many of us. Yet it's core to the way of Jesus. Tyler explores the i...

Why are the Scriptures so confusing? Tim Mackie and Tyler Staton discuss how our intuition about what the Bible should do - that it's supposed to tell us about what's true, good, and God's voice - are correct. But these intuitions without the right tools to read can destruct our faith more than they construct it. Together, Tyler and Tim show us how to approach the Scriptures with the r...

"Prayer is the soil where every other spiritual practice grows." Tyler teaches on the pervasiveness of prayer in every facet of our spiritual walk and its importance in our growth. He challenges us to pray like we believe that God hears and answers. Key Scripture Passage: Hebrews 5v7 This podcast and its episodes are paid for by The Circle, our community of monthly givers. Special thanks f...

What is the "yoke" of Jesus? Tyler Staton breaks down Jesus's invitation, helping us to experience the joy and life of Jesus as we follow in his ways. Key Scripture Passage: Matthew 11v28-30 This podcast and its episodes are paid for by The Circle, our community of monthly givers. Special thanks for this episode goes to: Emily from Lakewood, California; Abraham from Omaha, Nebraska; El...

Do you have hope? John Mark explores the life-changing message of Easter by showing us the hope found in the story of Jesus and his resurrection. Key Scripture Passage: 1 Corinthians 15v1-28 This podcast and its episodes are paid for by The Circle, our community of monthly givers. Special thanks for this episode goes to: Christopher from Superior, Colorado; Jonathan from Langley, BC; Kathy from Co...

"Godliness is possible, but it is not natural." John Mark discusses some of the foundational ideas from his new book: Practicing the Way: Be with Jesus, Become Like Jesus, Do as He Did. John Mark challenges us to resist the distractions that tempt us to waste our lives, and instead become people of love who live for our eulogies rather than our resumes. To pick up a copy of John Mark's...

How do we read the Bible? John Mark talks about the importance of obedience in our reading the Bible, challenging us to not only study the Bible, but meditate and digest it through slow, prayerful reading of the Scriptures. Key Scripture Passages: Luke 24v13-27, 44-48; Joshua 1v7-8; Psalm 1v1-3 This podcast and its episodes are paid for by The Circle, our community of monthly givers. Special thank...

Why read the Bible? John Mark argues that we don't just read the Scriptures to gain information or be entertained, but to be shaped: to become more like the God whose story and character are revealed to us as we read. Key Scripture Passages: 2 Timothy 3v14-18 This podcast and its episodes are paid for by The Circle, our community of monthly givers. Special thanks for this episode goes to: Jill...

What exactly is the Bible? If we misunderstand what the Bible is, we’ll turn in into something it’s not. John Mark makes the case that the Bible is a library of writings that are both divine and human, that together tell a unified story which leads us to Jesus. Key Scripture Passages: John 5v39-40 This podcast and its episodes are paid for by The Circle, our community of monthly givers. Special th...

We have a problem with the Bible. More and more followers of Jesus in the west don’t read it, don’t now how to read it, don’t even like it, and frankly, take issue with it. So why do we follow the Bible? In this episode, John Mark looks at how Jesus talked about the Bible, arguing that we believe in the Bible because of Jesus's authority, not the other way around. Key Scripture Passages: Matth...

Are you waiting on a dream from God? John Mark teaches about God's promises through the story of Joseph. He shows us that God's fulfillment of our deepest dreams and desires are often even better than we can imagine, giving us hope and endurance in the different, harder, and longer middle of the story. Key Scripture Passages: Genesis 37v2 - Genesis 45v8; Philippians 4v11-13 Resources for t...

Have you ever tried to change but couldn't make it last? As John Mark taught last week, we're constantly being shaped by our beliefs, habits, relationships, and environment. This week, he tells us how to fight back and create lasting transformation in our lives. Key Scripture Passages: Luke 6v39-40; Romans 12v2; Matthew 5-7 Discussion Guide: https://practicingthewayarchives.org/identity/pa...