Gravity Commons Podcast

The practice of contemplation is sometimes viewed with suspicion by Christians, but in this interview Kyle Strobel shows us how it is firmly rooted in Scripture and Christian tradition. It’s also a profoundly helpful and powerful practice for spiritual formation. Kyle is a teacher, writer and preacher. He is the associate professor of Spiritual Theology […] The post Reclaiming Contemplation as a C...

Certified Non-coronavirus Content! Ben and Matt respond to a listener question, who wonders: “If God really does care about it more than we do, then I don’t need to control outcomes or manage results. But if that’s true, how can I cast vision and do strategic planning?” Links from this episode Check out (and join!) […] The post How to Plan Strategically Without Trying to Control Outcomes appeared...

Another quick episode (that we broadcast live as a webinar) about what we’re learning about leading in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. This time it’s about the the oft-used phrase in times like these: “God is in control.” Become a patron Gravity Leadership is a community of leaders who are learning to lead like […] The post Comfort During Coronavirus: God is in Control? appeared first on Gr...

Another quick episode (that we broadcast live as a webinar) about what we’re learning about leading in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. This time it’s about the disorientation many of us feel as leaders. Become a patron Gravity Leadership is a community of leaders who are learning to lead like Jesus, live on mission, […] The post Leadership Disorientation in the Coronavirus Pandemic appeared...

Another quick episode (that we broadcast live as a webinar) about how to be the church in the time of coronavirus: what we’re learning as pastors real time! Become a patron Gravity Leadership is a community of leaders who are learning to lead like Jesus, live on mission, and make disciples in the post-Christendom world. […] The post Being the Church in the Time of Coronavirus: Imagination and Poss...

We continue our series on walking through deconstruction without losing your faith, interviewing Dr. Dennis Edwards about learning to read and understand Scripture after you've deconstructed a naïve, "magical" picture of the Bible. Dennis holds an M.Div. from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and has done post-graduate studies in Theology at Fordham University. He holds a […] The po...

A conversation for Christian leaders about what we’re (real time!) learning about how to lead faithfully in the midst of the global coronavirus/COVID pandemic. Links from the podcast Sign up for our weekly curated links Andy Crouch’s excellent guide for Christian leaders: Love in the Time of Coronavirus Lyman Stone’s guide for how to meet […] The post Leading in the Midst of the Coronavirus Pandem...

We continue our series on walking through deconstruction without losing our faith by deconstructing the “love” depicted in Shel Silverstein’s popular book The Giving Tree. Is this what the love of God revealed in Christ is like? Or does our definition of love need to be deconstructed? Links from the podcast Sign up for a […] The post Deconstructing the “Love” of the Giving Tree in the Light of Chr...

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