Praxologie

In the final episode of the season, Sean and Tyler take on listener questions related to issues in spiritual formation such as the Spirit and failure, suffering and growth, and holistic Gospel sharing to adults. Sean also asks a bonus question about ChatGPT and spiritual formation. Is it useful or harmful for growth? As a summer send off, they conclude with a prayer for practicing Christian doctri...

Tyler takes the lead in this episode to interview Sean related to his own formation ‘in Christ’ and how both glory and suffering play a role. They talk specifics of Sean’s journey to being a missionary, the privilege of participating in God’s mission, what can be learned from invisible illnesses and how they relate to mission, and Tyler introduces a speed round, including knock-knock jokes from Ch...

Patience is a virtue that shapes the environment of a believer to have a rich life in Christ. This is the central idea that Sean and Tyler discuss around the questions: Are you patient? How can patience be cultivated as a virtue? Sources:  Alan Kreider The Patient Ferment of the Early Church Eugene Peterson A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society Zoltan Dörnyei T...

Is it possible to see suffering as a helpful and positive thing for Christian discipleship? Sean and Tyler explore reasons to affirm this question by adopting a Jewish way of thinking that engages with suffering as something to live with instead of to explain away. They conclude with an adapted vision of ‘cruciform discipleship,’ of bearing the cross and bowing down to serve others in need, while...

“After failure, it is possible to keep going—and to fail better.” Sean and Tyler discuss this quote from Slavoj Zizek as the starting point to ask how failure is not always sin and how positive aspects are actually helpful for Christian formation. Tyler reflects on Jeremiah’s successful mission entailing failure and Sean talks about the ways of Jesus in Mark 4 and 6 as learning from failures. They...

What is it like to be the “first sheep”? How does a church community grow into fullness of life with Christ? These questions and more are discussed with special guest and pastor, Roman Tousek. This interview brings out themes of bringing change to community, fostering vulnerability, and the role of habits that bring lasting change. Resources: Simon Sinek Find Your Why Scott Peck The Different Drum...

What role does various types of interpretation play in living out theology? How can we be salt and light in the world? Tyler and Sean discuss these questions and relate them, unscripted, to counter formation principles. Counter formation, or counter stories, are visions of the Gospel that help shape habits away from how the world intends to shape us. The main counter idea discussed is how to be li...

What is needed to be intentionally and spiritually formed? Tyler and Sean examine this question through discussing how an understanding of how culture generally forms us is vitally important to counter that for spiritual growth. They discuss how normal routines and daily practices can help shape knowledge and the emotional life.  Sources: James Smith How to Inhabit Time Dru Johnson Follow us on In...

The term TCK, or Third Culture Kid, is a very important term for us to understand as we raise our kids in another culture. In this episode, Sean and Tyler become the guests as Claire Patty interviews them on spiritual formation and children. Claire Patty is the TCK director for Josiah Venture Kids!  How do you pass on the faith to younger generations? Tyler and Sean respond with themes related to...

What is the difference between mindfulness and spiritual transformation? Should Christians engage with and use mindfulness principles to become more aware of ourselves? Further, how can we be formed in Christ by not thinking of our human condition too highly but, at the same time, focus on our own spirit in order to cooperate with God in transformation and formation in Christlikeness? Sean and Tyl...

In what ways is worship spiritually transformative? Hear Tyler’s perspective as Sean interviews him on his own personal spiritual formation. They discuss the effects of different denominations and experiences with worship, how he approaches doctoral work through worship and formation, and how his current local church is utilizing exciting strategies to increase congregation participation in collec...

Happy New Year! Thanks for joining us in this new year for more theological discussions.  It is beautiful when brothers and sisters get along (Psalm 133). But, what happens when they don’t? Does this mean that communication and other aspects of relationship are important to consider in spiritual formation? In this episode, Sean and Tyler argue that transformation takes place between the space of r...

Merry Christmas! Everything rests on the presence of God. To move into and enjoy God’s relational presence, join Sean and Tyler as they discuss the Incarnation from God’s presence in the Old Testament through to how it connects to Christology. How you focus on God places a trajectory of theology that either includes or biases out critical areas of connected theology. Finally, they explore Advent a...

Athletes train in sport specific ways, so what does it look like for local Christian communities to spiritually train in context specific ways? In this episode Sean and Tyler look back on their interview with Casey Yorman and his Renovare experiences, and they look at his idea of spiritual practices that are embedded and informed by local communities. They highlight the theme of relationship and c...

Description:  What’s the point of spiritual practices? In this episode, Sean and Tyler interview Casey Yorman, a current student at the Renovare Institute, founded by Richard Foster. They talk about the program and center on discussion of holistic formation that integrates individual spiritual practices. Seeking missional presence that strengthens missional action and how formation schools can ass...

How do we become more like Jesus? Deeper, more transformed living is at the heart of spiritual formation and the Renovare Institute. Sean and Tyler look at spiritual heavy weights Dallas Willard and Richard Foster to evaluate the recent history of spiritual formation and its reception being more difficult. They then launch into seeing aspects of the developed definition of spiritual formation from...

Spiritual Formation aims at character in life that is so formed by Christ that our deeds flow out of what is inside (Dallas Willard). This episodes concludes with the surprising formation lessons in Judah’s life before going into the New Testament. Ananias and Paul’s formation is discussed. Focus is on learning God’s ways of sacrifice and self-denial through seeing His character and reflecting it....

Is spiritual formation found in the Bible? Does it involve the use of theology or is it purely just spiritual exercise?  The key is focus on a full picture of God’s character. Sean and Tyler show this by interacting with a text from Diane Chandler that discuss various dimensions that are included in the realm of spiritual formation. They draw conclusions that, perhaps, several more dimensions shou...

Do you want to know the connection of community to spiritual formation? Are you curious about how Christian presence and action work within spiritual formation? In this episode, Sean and Tyler discuss the idea that Christian presence is important, as it connects participation in God through various disciplines with the God who is behind those disciplines. There is more than meets the eye with typi...

Welcome back to the Praxologie Podcast! In this season Sean and Tyler will be discussing Spiritual Formation. They will unpack this in areas like: suffering, pain, theology in spiritual formation as a practice, etc.  Join Sean and Tyler in these discussions! In this first episode Sean and Tyler are introducing themselves and what they do here in the Czech Republic with Josiah Venture. Their friend...

In this final episode before summer, Sean and Tyler conclude their secondcase study application of a biblical theology of mission. They talk about engaging with Gen Z people well in the summer.  The key topic they discuss centers around the idea of presence: being present with young people by helping them to reflect on their thoughts to achieve better practice in cooperation with the Holy Spirit....

In this first of two episodes we are giving case studies on the ideas of a biblical theology of mission previously developed. Sean and Tyler  discuss the idea of “missional evangelism” to show it is not an ironic  statement! They discuss a holistic approach that invites the presence of  God to be reflected more clearly through a believer’s own holy presence  in the world. When people speak, we lis...

In this episode, Sean and Tyler conclude the series on a biblical theology  of mission. They discuss the connection of mission and holiness, bringing  it Old and New Testament themes of mission, from Acts through  Revelation. In the New Testament, the disciples are pulled in close to  Jesus and then Jesus sends thrusts them outward. The Church becomes a  reflection of God’s holy action in the worl...

 In this episode, Tyler and Sean carry forward a theology of mission from the Old Testament and connect it with intertestamental period developments and the New  Testament. The Intertestamental Period was quiet and God did not  directly speak, but he was active in many ways. This culminates with the  coming of Jesus Christ in the Gospels. Tyler and Sean talk about the  ministry strategy of Jesus a...

This episode continues the journey through the Old Testament and moves  quickly from 1 Kings through Malachi. Tyler and Sean talk about a biblical  theology of mission in the Old Testament that centers upon  holiness that is not cut off from society. Rather, this holiness on mission is  to become the light that people are attracted to come, see, and  participate in. They also look at the idea of w...