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Here in Season 1, we're getting our feet wet in the realm of "deep discipleship" - the journey into the world of ideas and desires as we become more like Jesus. Because ideas are essential to discipleship, let's explore some of their characteristics: origin, location, formation, and awareness. Where do ideas originate? Where do we find them today? How are they formed in our hearts? How do we become aware of them? Brian closes with a powerful personal story of how Jesus kindly revealed a dark idea in his heart, and how He continues to transform it today.

Though we are often governed by ideas, most of us don’t know they’re there or how they power us. But these ideas don’t have to stay hidden! God has created our hearts in such a wonderful way, they give off “signs” that point us to our ideas and desires. Let’s explore.

There are two sets of ideas that govern us: ideas of light and ideas of darkness. Today we’ll dig into just one Core Idea (Value) and compare the light version with the dark version. Then we’ll practice Heartview to determine which Core Idea of Value is powering our own hearts.

As we explore ideas and deep discipleship, what role does the local church play in our spiritual formation?  Is it central to it, directing it, a part of it, or not related to it at all? We compare the average local church experience to other well-known formative experiences - and the conclusions we draw may be surprising. 

We love our institutions - we love starting them, feeding them, and growing them.  But how do institutions relate to our spiritual formation?  What role do local church institutions play in our deep discipleship?  We are personal, relational beings who long to be known - can institutions "know" us?  Let's take a sober-minded look at our love of large churches and institutions to determine how they do or do not help us uncover the hidden ideas in our hearts and grow to be more like Christ.

As we close out Season 1, let’s crystalize what we’ve covered so far regarding the Great Omission, deep discipleship, and the journey into the ideas in our hearts. Then we’ll turn our attention to Season 2, and preview how we’ll dig into one of the primary problems: the Discipleship Dilemma.

Welcome to Season 2! This Season is all about the Discipleship Dilemma. As we seek to become more like Jesus, we need to not only know Him but also ourselves. However, exploring our own hearts is not currently a prominent aspect of modern Christianity. Exploring how our stories (our historical relationships and experiences) impact our spiritual formation today is not normally a part of our lives. The habit of uncovering the hidden ideas in our hearts is called "Heartview."  This introduction to Season 2 lays out why Heartview is essential for the Christian life, how it differs and compliments Worldview, and how it can lead to healing and wholeness for wounded souls.  Brian references the Creation Picture visual aid again, and you can find it on the Resources tab.

How and what we think reveals some of the deepest desires and ideas in our hearts. In order to be mature disciples, it’s vital that we think about what we think about! Let’s explore our first Heartview Indicator: thoughts.

What is the role of emotions in the life of a disciple? Are we to be controlled by them, or does a mature Christian simply ignore them in favor of intellectual belief? Let’s explore Heartview Indicator #2: Our emotions.

Bonus episode! As we progress through this season looking at our eight Heartview Indicators, let’s pause to explore the human heart. Are we what we believe? Or what we think? Or perhaps what we love? What is the “bedrock” or who we are as humans? And how can we explore the deepest parts of who we are?

How may our physical, mental, and spiritual health point us to the hidden ideas and desires in our hearts? As Christians, are we even looking at “health” with biblical Ideas of Anthropology? What it really means to be human? What might our hearts be telling us through our health?

As we continue our exploration of the Discipleship Dilemma, let's talk about our behavior. What can our behaviors tell us about the ideas and desires in our hearts? As we seek to become mature disciples of Jesus, we seek to understand why we behave the way we do - and that includes more than spiritual behaviors that score us points with other Christians.   As we explore, we discover that one of the best examples of spiritual formation today isn't actually from the kingdom of light, though we can learn some lessons from it.

As we continue to learn the practice of Heartview, let's talk about our relationships! God has placed us into four relationships: with Him, with others, with ourselves, and with creation and culture.  Navigating these relationships can be tricky, but what if there is more going on in our hearts than we initially realize?  What if our origin stories have a large impact on our ability to develop and maintain healthy relationships today - including how we relate to God?  Brian explores the fascinating world of Attachment Theory and how it provides a signpost pointing back to the desires and ideas in our hearts.  

As we explore the Discipleship Dilemma, let's talk about another indicator of the hidden ideas in our hearts: our words. What do our words tell us about the secrets in our spirits?  As it turns out, they tell us plenty about the inner recesses of our roots and soil. Today we explore three facets of our words: the volume of words we use, the words we use instinctually, and the words we don't use.  Though talk is cheap, we can nonetheless dig beneath the surface with God and trusted friends to uncover our hearts by studying what we do and don't say.   If you need a great visual aid, check out the ⁠Heartview picture⁠ on the Resources tab on the site. 

How does time help us determine the hidden ideas, the desires, and the stories in our hearts? Time is a fascinating, mysterious, complex indicator.  Not only can we explore how we use and steward our own time, but we should also evaluate how others use time in the formation of our hearts.   We are creatures who are made for - and long for - intimacy and relationships.  And our longings can only be filled in the context of time, something the modern Christian struggles to embrace.  In this vulnerable episode, Brian explores how we can take a "time inventory" as a way of helping us understand what we truly love and desire. But he also explores, through one of his own childhood experiences, how others use time to form us - for our good or our destruction.  

Money! The last of our Heartview Indicators, how we treat and view money points us to the hidden ideas and desires in our hearts. When it comes to money, we tend to fall into one of two camps: Wardens and Wingers. Let’s explore both tendencies, how we determine which we are, and how our hearts may heal so that we treat money as a tool, not a tyrant.

We're wrapping up Season 2 (the Discipleship Dilemma) with these last two episodes that tie things together. Why is Heartview so vital for Christians, and why are we sometimes reluctant to engage in it? Finally, to further illustrate just how important discipleship is, we take a brief trip through the last 2,000 years of the development of Western thought.  Based on some new ground-breaking work of leading Christian thinkers, we explore just how radically different our cultural assumptions are now compared to any previous age.   These "Ideas in the Air" are driving Western culture deeper and deeper into despair, yet the ever-growing Kingdom of Light invites us to hope, life, and healing.  

Season 2 ends by asking some critical questions of modern Christianity: how has post-modernism impacted our faith and our churches? How has it impacted our discipleship? Brian digs into three primary concerns: the disproportionate elevation of the intellect, the devaluation of the individual, and the loss of an integrated view of ourselves and reality. Lastly, we discuss a potential criticism of Heartview - the habit of uncovering our hidden ideas and desires. Doesn't it focus too much on the self? Isn't it just Christian navel-gazing?

In this introduction to Season 3, we review the last two seasons and get prepped to explore the difference between genuine spiritual formation and what many Christians actually experience today.

Neuroscience! Recent studies and research on brain functioning shed light on how our hearts are genuinely formed. And there's far more to our spiritual formation than church events and Bible studies. Time, as it turns out, is a critical factor. As we might expect, what modern neuroscientists discover aligns with what Jesus and the apostles modeled over 2,000 years ago.

We're exploring the Five Key Elements of Formation and looking at the key element of time. You've been asking some great questions, and one of the most popular is: "How do we find the time to recreate these immersive cultures of formation?" We tackle your insightful question from a few different angles. I also attempt to lower our stress and tension by suggesting you've most likely already created these types of communities!

As we continue to explore the Five Key Elements of Spiritual Formation, we dig into the element of time.  A deep disciple treats time differently than some other people, including how we use time in our relationships. This episode may poke us a bit, in that it asks some probing questions about the assumptions our hearts make about time with people, time with God, and even time in church and the weekend sermon. Let's dig in!

As we finish our exploration of the first Key Element of Spiritual Formation, we further consider how a deep disciple uses and views time. Let's take a look at time in our four relationships: with God, others, self, and creation. A few surprises are waiting for us as we dig in, including the vital importance of time in our stories and how discipleship is more "caught than taught."

Let's turn our attention to the second Key Element of Formation: Habits. Spiritual disciplines and habits have been somewhat lost to history, yet they are so important to our discipleship journey. So let's start our deep dive into this essential element.

We're continuing our exploration of the key element of habits. What types of spiritual disciplines might we incorporate into our journey into deep discipleship? Let's explore a habit that is often confusing and disappointing - the habit of listening to God.

Deep disciples practice certain habits to become more like their King. And Jesus has a marvelous habit of listening to hearts, not just words. We’re taking a wild ride today, starting with some deep theology and ending up in modern sales training! All in the context of learning a habit we call “heart-listening.”

Today we'll dig into the habit of hearing our own hearts. Since the heart is the core of who we are, does the Bible give us any insight into the characteristics of the heart? And some Christians struggle to focus on themselves because it makes us feel guilty or selfish. We'll explore why that is, and why listening to our own hearts is actually a loving and formative practice.

What should a disciple’s “habit” be related to creation and culture? Though modern Christianity assumes our primary role is evangelism or missions or apologetics (all of which are very good things), do we have yet a deeper, broader, grander role to play with God? And does it involve all Seven Mountains of Culture (family, education, business, arts, media, church and even government)? We find the answers by discovering the fascinating links between the two great “co-missions” in the Bible.

Let's take a breath from our exploration of the Five Key Elements and zoom out to 30,000 feet. These next two bonus episodes will refresh our memory and expand on the Three Primary Problems using a new visual aid from the website.

In this second bonus episode, we finish up our fly by of the Three Primary Problems using a new free visual aid. Let's refresh on the Discipleship Dilemma and the Formation Gap - two major causes of the Great Omission.

As we move into the third Key Element of Formation, Community, we now reach one of the crucial challenges in modern Christianity. If specific communities are where discipleship is designed to happen, why are so many Christians lonely and friendless? If we are formed by being part of close-knit, vulnerable groups who know us, and our names, and embrace us even when we’re a mess, where do we find these types of people? We find some of the best examples of "five-element communities" in a surprising place…Hollywood.

As we continue to explore what formative communities should look like, we are faced with a pressing question: must our communities be tied into a local or national church institution? If we are formed by doing life together in tight, trusted communities, does that always describe our local church? If not, what do we do? This episode asks some hard questions about denominations, church governance, “professional” Christianity, and the difference between institutional demands and personal character. It’s a deep one!

We’re continuing to explore this new concept of the “immersive community of formation” as a solution to the Three Primary Problems currently facing our culture. But is this type of community simply another term for corporate worship, community group, small group, family, or close friendship? Or is it something different, specific, and particular to our time and circumstances? Let’s dig in.

As we finish off our exploration of the third element of formation, community, let’s talk about one of the greatest potential dangers to a healthy community - narcissists. Narcissism remains a persistent plague in the Western church, both in the congregation and in leadership. What is it? How can we recognize it? What can be done about it? If Jesus calls us to love our neighbor, and that includes the sociopathic narcissist, how might we do that?

In this special bonus episode, we zoom back out to take another look at the Three Primary Problems, but from a different angle. Let’s picture discipleship as a sandwich! The meat and cheese is our spiritual formation, the top piece of bread is the Kingdom, and the bottom is our Five-Element Communities. In our current age, holistic formation in Jesus means feasting on the entire sandwich! And we’ll tackle one or two of the ideas that can make consuming our sandwich challenging in the west. Time to eat.

Our fourth key element of spiritual formation is intimacy. Though every human longs for it, it remains elusive, particularly in Western culture and churches. We explore some surprising findings in neuroscience that suggest we may be looking at our relationships with God, ourselves, and others are separate connections, yet they aren’t so easily separated.

If our desires and our largely-unconscious ideas solidify in the bedrock of our hearts, how do these become formed to be more like the desires and ideas of Jesus? Is it simply a matter of knowing what our desires and ideas should be? Drawing from themes explored throughout the podcast series so far, Brian digs into the differences between our belief system and our genuine ideas - and how they're often far more different than we'd like to admit. If we're courageous enough to uncover our core ideas, how then can they be transformed in our discipleship journey? In what may be the deepest and most provocative episode so far, we explore just how vital healthy relational intimacy is to the shaping of our roots (hearts) and soil (ideas).

As we wrap up our exploration of intimacy as the fourth key element of formation, let’s take a look at a few of the ideas of what a mature, intimate disciple might look like: the OP Christian, the Accurate Christian, and the Placid Christian. Is our unconscious idea of a vulnerable, wisely formed person healthy and helpful, or are we trapped in an idea that may lead us down a harmful road?

As we head into our exploration of the last element of our spiritual formation, instruction, some critical questions arise. We live in an era of ubiquitous Christian teaching. We have the ability to pull up one of thousands upon thousands of sermons, teachings, or courses on our phones at any moment. Yet if many Christians are quietly wondering if there is more to the Western Christian life than what we typically experience, does this extraordinary abundance of available teaching truly help guide us into the deeper stages of our discipleship? Or do we find ourselves stuck in our journey, not sure how to dig beneath the surface to reach this "life without lack," or the "abundant life" or finally being "more than conquerors?"

We live in an age of almost infinite options and accessibility to Christian instruction. Certainly, the disconnection and confusion we sometimes sense are not related to a lack of available teaching and preaching. But do our Christian institutions provide an instructional path that is actually designed for deep discipleship - to guide us into becoming more and more like Jesus? Or is our adult Christian instructional experience more like sampling food items at Costco?

Let's get practical! After thirty-some episodes of exploring the five elements of spiritual formation, Brian lays out how it all comes together in wonderful communities called Greenhouses. After summarizing why Greenhouses are so helpful for our formation, he shares the who, what, when, where, and how to form or join one. There are two new visual aids that complement this episode. You can find them on the Resources tab.

Release the hounds! Season 4 has begun. We're launching into our riveting and slightly out-of-the-box exploration of the Kingdom of Light. As we explore what it means to become more like Jesus, we realize that the journey isn't just about assuming His characteristics. We must also understand and assume His purpose, His mission. Why did He come to Earth? Though the West has largely forgotten the Kingdom, when we allow ourselves to become immersed in it, we realize just how vital the Kingdom is to our journey into deep discipleship.

Since the Forgotten Kingdom is one of the three primary problems facing the West today, it's high time we came up with a working definition of the Kingdom of Light. Brian briefly revisits seven of its characteristics (⁠from Episode 3⁠) and then asks critical questions about whether creation (nature, humans, culture, etc.) is, in essence, "good." Our ideas and assumptions about the "goodness" of creation play a fundamental role in how we define and understand the Kingdom, so let's wrestle with it on our journey to become more like its King.

The Kingdom of God is a sometimes confusing, complicated reality that the modern Christian community struggles to teach and embrace, yet it is central to our journey to becoming more like Jesus. Perhaps it might make more sense if, instead of diving in and out of parts of the Bible like we normally do, we take a look at its Grand Narrative - the overall cosmic tale it weaves from Genesis through Revelation. So let's take a look at the Bible's "bookends" to see what we might learn about what God is doing in the universe and how the Kingdom (and our own stories) fit into it.

As we explore the Forgotten Kingdom, we turn our attention to a necessary topic that continues to challenge, divide, and confuse modern Christianity - the End Times. In many cases, the End Times has joined the growing list of topics that we no longer talk about in "polite conversation." Why is that? Is it about the positions themselves or a deeper heart reality? After introducing the four primary views of the End Times at a high level, Brian explores some reasons why this is such a difficult topic, and how we might move forward despite these differences as we journey together into deep discipleship.

As we continue to explore the often hidden ideas and assumptions in our hearts, we also explore the assumptions of complex and sometimes divisive topics, including the End Times. Though there are four major perspectives regarding how this age will wrap up, are they built on certain underlying ideas that we might explore? As we seek to better understand the Forgotten Kingdom, we realize just how intimately connected our End Times views are to what story we believe the Bible is telling, and how we view the Bible itself.

As we finish up our brief look at how our views of the End Times impact our journey into deep discipleship, we explore how the two primary groups (Splitters and Joiners) expect this current age to end. Is this "church age" winding up or down? Does this "idea of expectation" impact our everyday life? If so, how? Jump in as Brian invites us to participate in two "thought experiments" about church-age optimism and church-age pessimism. And join him in wrestling with how the two views influence one of our Core Ideas: what we're actually supposed to be doing on this third rock from the sun.

We're heading farther up and farther in as we explore the Forgotten Kingdom, so let's take a breath! In this Bonus episode, Brian backs up a bit and surveys and summarizes our journey into deep discipleship so far. He reviews and expands on the Great Omission, and adds some color to the Three Primary Problems, major obstacles to our spiritual formation and our quest to become more like Jesus. Can our culture's lack of discipleship and these three challenges be overcome? Let's find out!

We ask for the kingdom to come every time we recite the Lord's prayer. But in this episode, Brian asks a difficult question: do we really want the kingdom to come? Perhaps the kingdom has been forgotten because we want to forget it in favor of deeper ideas and desires in our hearts. Let's dig in!

As we continue to explore the Forgotten Kingdom, we start a short mini-series on the qualities and characteristics of a Kingdom-dweller. We would do well to survey the beatitudes or the fruits of the spirit to develop a list of characteristics of someone living in the kingdom. However, this is Soil and Roots...so let's dig beneath the surface to uncover some gems that don't always make the Top 10 lists. Let's start with Courageous Curiosity. God asks a lot of questions. Why? Is it because He doesn't know the answers? Or is He revealing a path towards a deeper relationship experience with Him, others, and ourselves?

Why do we find ourselves constantly taking control? We attempt to control situations, conversations, people, circumstances, and even the future. A deep disciple, a kingdom dweller, is characterized by releasing our control as we become increasingly "abandoned" to Jesus, yet so many of us find letting go incredibly difficult. Why? The answer may be hard to hear and challenging, but necessary if we want to experience the freedom, rest, and peace that await us. Let's dig into this personal, somewhat surprising episode!

As children, we take trusting God and others for granted. Then we grow up, and that trust is shattered in a million different ways. We cope with breaches of trust by intellectualizing and trying to take control, usually without even realizing it. It only makes sense - we want to protect our hearts from further hurt and harm. In this autobiographical episode, Brian shares some of his story, and how returning to a childlike trust always involves turning inward for a while. And it involves some deconstruction - the breaking down of parts of ourselves that we once thought were good, but are obstacles to freedom and authenticity in the Kingdom.

As we continue our discovery of the Forgotten Kingdom, we're taking a few episodes to look at sometimes hidden qualities of a deep disciple, a kingdom-dweller. Today we're considering what it means to be restful in the middle of inevitable tension. How can we be at peace when God allows something we don't like? Or when we come up against a Bible passage that makes us uncomfortable? Or when we question His goodness? For a person longing to become more like Jesus, the answer may not be as simple as quoting a Bible verse or throwing up our hands in recognition of the fact God is so much bigger than us.

How does positive family, societal, or national change happen? Do these "systems" change as a result of working on the systems themselves, or do they change as the hearts of the individuals inside the systems change? Or both? In a world somewhat obsessed with growth and systems, a deep disciple still functions from the reality that, most often, transformation happens from the inside out.

Suffering is a universal human experience, yet it raises perhaps the most difficult questions for Christians. Why does a good God allow so much pain and suffering? And, as we grow to become more like Jesus, can a deep disciple learn how to suffer "well?" What does that even mean? Join Brian as he explores the reality and challenge of suffering.

We're finishing up our mini-series about the characteristics of deep disciples by looking at Jesus as the ultimate Idea Revolutionary. We've introduced two categories of ideas here: Ideas in the Air (in culture and creation) and Ideas in the Soil (in our hearts). Let's explore how Jesus confronted and transformed ideas of both, and how we learn and grow to do the same.

How does the story of the Kingdom of Light wrap up? Do our "ideas" about Heaven match up with what the Bible teaches about the final consummation of the Kingdom? Will we spend eternity playing harps on clouds, or do the New Heaven and New Earth have more in common with our life right now than we assume? Let's explore our ideas of Heaven, and discuss when and how it's coming to Earth.

As we review and wrap up Season 4 (The Forgotten Kingdom), Brian explores a challenging question: what exactly are we praying for when we ask, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done?" The Lord's Prayer has been uttered countless times, though has it become such a rote habit that we haven't truly considered what we're requesting when we pray it? Let's look at the very first petition Jesus taught us to pray in light of our deep dive into the Kingdom of God. What does it mean for the kingdom to come in each of our four relationships (God, others, self, creation)?

Welcome to Season 5! We kick off this new season (called Conversations) with Brian's short introduction to the new material. Then he has a fascinating conversation with pastor, thinker, spiritual director, and innovator Adam Ormord. As we continue to wrestle with all we’ve explored in the first four seasons, Adam helps us step back and contemplate what “spiritual formation” truly is. Is it the same thing as discipleship? How does the modern church play a role in our formation? And what does this odd term “soul care” mean? What role might it play in our discipleship journey? Jump on into this fascinating, challenging, provocative conversation with one of the leaders of the modern spiritual formation effort.

Episode 97 finds the guys back in the Greenhouse to dig into Brian’s interview with Adam Ormord (⁠Episode 96⁠) regarding spiritual formation and “soul care.”  

Dr. Jim Reiter joins Brian to discuss The Critical Journey, a book we’ve discussed a few times on the podcast.

Kyle, Doc, and Brian sit down to unpack Brian’s recent conversation with Dr. Jim Reiter regarding The Critical Journey, one way of describing our spiritual adventure.

Today we celebrate 100 episodes of the podcast with you! Thanks for being a part of the Soil & Roots community. Brian carefully walks through key highlights from the last four seasons, tying together The Great Omission, the vital importance of "ideas," and how we come together to restore New Testament discipleship. Then he asks a key question: So what? What is the cost of not making deep disciples on the individual and civilization? What is the benefit to society when we do become people of spiritual depth? Let's celebrate 100 episodes with this special bonus!

What part does story play in modern Christianity? If it is vital to our spiritual formation, where do we find people and places to explore God’s story and how ours fits into His?

Over the years, we’ve mentioned how the most supple, malleable time in a person’s life is childhood. The heart is the most impressionable and formable when it’s new. So why do we hear so little about spiritual formation in children? Why does so much of the modern discipleship/spiritual formation movement focus on adults?

Spiritual Formation and Children

Brian is joined by Matt Davis, a former megachurch pastor who now heads an organization committed to helping leaders and laypeople heal and find purpose after church hurts. 

Sometimes our institutional churches provide comfort, care, instruction, and community. And sometimes not.  Much like the human person, our Christian communities are beautiful messes. 

In Season 4, we spent a few episodes exploring how our views of the End Times impact our journey to become more like Jesus today. Today, we dive back into that discussion with Dr. Darrell Bock, Senior Research Professor of New Testament Studies and Executive Director for Cultural Engagement at Dallas Theological Seminary.

How do our views of the End Times impact our understanding of the Kingdom of God?  And how does that impact our journey to become more like Jesus?

If what the world desperately needs is “deep people,” what do we mean by that?

For almost five seasons, we’ve explored the world’s desperate need for deep people and how those people are formed.  We’ve concluded that we best become more like Jesus in small, organic communities that often look and function differently from some modern church experiences. While we love and support our local and national institutions, what do we do if we conclude that we are missing these types of intimate, deeply formative communities?

Welcome to Season 6! We've mentioned numerous times that the primary purpose of following Jesus is to become more like Him. We intend to think, act, relate, and love like Him more. It's now time to explore what that really means—and it's not as simple as we might think. As usual when we start a new season, today we'll review the key points from Seasons 1-5. Then, we'll look forward and sketch the idea-transforming route we'll take in this new season. Thanks for coming along as we venture into exploring the object of our spiritual formation!