Peaceable And Kind

In this episode of Peaceable and Kind, Derek Vreeland sits down with pastor and author Andrew Arndt to talk about the work of the soul and the wisdom of the Desert Fathers and Mothers. Andrew shares about his own spiritual journey, from the charismatic renewal to a ministry context where charismatic spirituality has blended with liturgical and sacramental practices.  Andrew is the author of S...

In this episode of Peaceable and Kind, Derek Vreeland explores why recovery from hypocrisy cannot happen in isolation. We need the church, but we need a church honest enough to admit its own flaws and gracious enough to make room for people who are still being transformed. The church Jesus is building has always been a messy family filled with imperfect people who need a Savior.  Derek draws...

In this episode of Peaceable and Kind, Derek Vreeland brings his exploration of hypocrisy and virtue to a practical conclusion. Drawing from Fyodor Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov, Derek considers Elder Zosima’s warning to stop lying to ourselves. Hypocrisy is one form of self-deception, but Dostoevsky’s character Fyodor Pavlovich reveals another possibility: playing the buffoon so we never ha...

In this episode of Peaceable and Kind, Derek Vreeland explores the empowering work of the Holy Spirit and its relationship to spiritual transformation. The Spirit transforms our being and empowers our doing so that our lives can increasingly reflect the integrity of Jesus. These two works belong together. We need the Spirit to form our character, and we need the Spirit to empower us to live out th...

In this episode of Peaceable and Kind, Derek Vreeland continues exploring what it means to be a hybrid creature, both body and soul. While the previous episode focused on practices for the body, this episode turns inward to the soul. We are physical creatures, but what we see in the mirror is not all that we are. We are also spiritual beings with the capacity to commune wi...

In this episode of Peaceable and Kind, Derek Vreeland explores the often-overlooked role of the body in Christian spiritual formation. Because we are embodied people, following Jesus involves more than what happens in our thoughts, emotions, and souls. Rooted in the incarnation, Christian spirituality is an embodied experience. Jesus, the Word made flesh, demonstrates the goodness and im...

In this episode of Peaceable and Kind, Derek Vreeland explores the Holy Spirit’s role in transforming our character. The ancient virtue tradition gives us a valuable framework for understanding how good habits are formed, but Christian faith recognizes a deeper problem: human corruption reaches into the heart. We need more than moral education and greater effort. We need the transforming work...

In this episode of Peaceable and Kind, Derek Vreeland explores the virtue of humility and why it is essential for recovering from hypocrisy. Humility has never been particularly popular. We want to be powerful, smart, and great, yet Jesus points us toward a different kind of greatness. While Aristotle celebrated the virtue of magnanimity, or “greatness of soul,” Jesus taught his disciple...

In this episode of Peaceable and Kind, Derek Vreeland explores one of the four classic virtues: courage. While courage is often associated with soldiers, superheroes, and dramatic acts of heroism, Derek argues that the courage we need most is the quiet, everyday courage to do what is right in the face of fear.   Beginning with stories ranging from The Wizard of Oz to the h...

In this episode of Peaceable and Kind, Derek Vreeland welcomes his brother, Jeff Vreeland, for a conversation about The Peaceable Way, a nonprofit ministry dedicated to helping people cultivate a more prayerful, Scripture-shaped, and peaceable life. Together, they reflect on their shared spiritual journey, the vision behind the ministry, and the practical resources designed to help Chris...

In this episode of Peaceable and Kind, Derek Vreeland explores one of the greatest needs facing both the church and modern culture: the recovery of character. Reflecting on high-profile failures in business, politics, sports, and even the church, Derek argues that our culture has become increasingly willing to overlook a person's character so long as they achieve the desired results. Yet the...

In this episode of Peaceable and Kind, Derek Vreeland concludes the Holy Convergence series by exploring the gift of the Pentecostal tradition: reality. More than a theological system or denominational identity, Pentecostal reality is an awareness that the Holy Spirit is actively present and at work in the world today. Rooted in the Azusa Street Revival of 1906, the Pentecostal move...

In this episode of Peaceable and Kind, Derek Vreeland continues the Holy Convergence series by exploring the gift of the evangelical tradition: energy. While the word evangelical has come to carry political and cultural connotations, Derek describes historic or classic evangelicalism as a movement centered on the gospel (euangelion) of Jesus Christ...

In this episode of Peaceable and Kind, Derek Vreeland continues the Holy Convergence series by exploring peacemaking, the gift of the Anabaptist tradition. Emerging during the Radical Reformation of the sixteenth century, the Anabaptists believed that following Jesus meant more than affirming correct doctrine, it meant obeying the teachings of Jesus in every...

In this episode of Peaceable and Kind, Derek Vreeland continues the Holy Convergence series by exploring the gift of Protestantism: audacity. Audacity is the courage to challenge assumptions, confront corruption, and pursue reform when faithfulness requires it. While audacity can easily become arrogance when detached from humility and love, it has also been the driving force behind...

In this episode of Peaceable and Kind, Derek Vreeland continues the Holy Convergence series by exploring the gift of Anglican liturgy. While Anglicanism is often associated with the Church of England and its complicated break from Rome under Henry VIII, Derek argues that its deeper story is rooted in a desire to remain connected to the ancient catholic and apostolic faith while embracing the refor...

In this episode of Peaceable and Kind, Derek Vreeland continues the “Holy Convergence” series by exploring the gift the Roman Catholic tradition offers the wider church: beauty. Derek begins by reflecting on the meaning of the word catholic, which means ”universal.” He also discusses why Christians should resist the impulse to dismiss entire traditions because of personal wounds or disagreements....

In this episode of Peaceable and Kind, Derek Vreeland continues the “Holy Convergence” series by exploring the gifts of Eastern Orthodoxy.   Derek begins by tracing the historical roots of Eastern Orthodoxy through the Great Schism of 1054, when the church in the Greek-speaking East and the Latin-speaking West formally divided after centuries of growing cultural, political, and theological separat...

In this episode of Peaceable and Kind, Derek Vreeland introduces a vision he has been articulating for years—a way of understanding both his own spiritual journey and the identity of the church he serves, Word of Life Church in St. Joseph, Missouri. Derek describes it as a holy convergence: the coming together of the gifts and wisdom of multiple Christian traditions within one church centered on J...

In this episode of Peaceable and Kind, Derek Vreeland presents a positive case for Christian nonviolence as a faithful response to the teachings and example of Jesus. Building on previous critiques of Just War Theory, Derek argues that Christian nonviolence, in contrast to pacificism is not an ethical principle or social strategy. Rather it is a virtue formed through following Jesus.  Christian no...

In this episode of Peaceable and Kind, Derek Vreeland continues the journey into Tolkien’s world this time joined by longtime friend and guest Walter Rogero. Together, they explore why The Lord of the Rings and Tolkien’s broader legendarium continue to matter for Christian faith today. Walter brings both pastoral experience and deep familiarity with Tolkien’s writings, offering insight into how Mi...

In this episode of Peaceable and Kind, Derek Vreeland reflects on the ongoing reality of war and offers a thoughtful critique of Just War Theory, a framework long embraced by both Catholic and Protestant traditions. Beginning with the classical principles of Just War as articulated by Thomas Aquinas and developed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Derek acknowledges the theory’s historical r...

In this episode of Peaceable and Kind, Derek Vreeland takes a fresh look at the central theme of Jesus’ ministry, the kingdom of God. While the phrase is familiar to many Christians, it is often misunderstood, reduced, or distorted. Jesus proclaimed, taught, and demonstrated the kingdom by announcing good news, explaining its implications, and embodying its power through healing. But the kingdom i...

In this episode of Peaceable and Kind, Derek Vreeland returns to Middle-earth for one final “dip into Tolkien,” reflecting on the Elves of The Lord of the Rings—ancient, wise, and quietly powerful figures who stand at the fading edge of an age.   Though not the central heroes of the story, the Elves serve as keepers of memory, bearers of wisdom, and guardians of beauty. Derek explores how characte...

In this milestone episode, Derek reflects on the journey of Peaceable and Kind, 100 episodes exploring what it means to follow Jesus in a way marked by peace and kindness. Rather than introducing a new topic, this episode looks back at the themes, questions, and conversations that have shaped the podcast so far, from spiritual formation and Scripture to politics, reconciliation, and the life of Je...