Let’s dig in! Welcome to the Soil and Roots Podcast.  In this first episode, Brian explores what Dallas Willard called “the Great Omission,” the fact that the West routinely preaches and teaches disciple-making, yet struggles to actually make them. Many people feel a disconnection, a sense that there’s more to the Christian life than what we often experience. Why? If discipleship is about becoming more like the person of Jesus, does that involve more than church attendance, Bible study, and prayer groups? In fact, it does. The substance of genuine discipleship (often called spiritual formation) is the exploration of the heart of Jesus and our own hearts, into the realm of powerful and often unconscious experienced realities called “ideas.” Join Brian as he kicks off our journey into what he calls “deep discipleship,” the path towards a deeper, richer, reconnected life with Jesus, others, and ourselves.      

We start our journey into our hearts to discover the hidden ideas that govern and power us, what we at Soil and Roots call "deep discipleship." Today we explore the Idea of the Gospel – or rather two versions of it.  What do we assume when we hear the phrase, "the Gospel?"  And why is it normally paired with "the Kingdom" in the New Testament?  Is there a difference between "the Gospel" and "the Gospel of the Kingdom?" How this idea settles into our hearts has a profound impact on our relationship with God, ourselves, others, and culture.  Make sure to refer to the visual aid, the Creation Picture, at www.soilandroots.org on the Resources page.   

As we continue our journey into deep discipleship, we’re exploring our first example of these hidden assumptions in our hearts, these ideas. Based on our initial pass last episode, we dig further into the idea of the Gospel to see if our assumptions about the Kingdom align with seven characteristics of it found in the Bible.

As we journey into deep discipleship, we continue to "practice" identifying and exploring the ideas that form us. Today we dig into an "Idea of Expectation." Is the world winding up or down?  Are we headed towards a worldwide crisis or are there other ideas to consider? Whether we know it or not, we have conscious or unconscious assumptions about the direction of the world and the Kingdom, and these ideas have tremendous influence on our thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and relationships. We explore one popular idea called "Christian fatalism," and how it relates to the Gospel of the Kingdom and the Christian church in the West.  If you haven't already done so, check out the Creation Picture for reference at www.soilandroots.org.  

What are we?  What does it mean to be “human?” When we talk about discipleship, or spiritual formation, what do we mean by “spirit” and how is it formed? We have a body, a mind, a soul, a spirit, a heart – how do these all fit together? We dig in to explore what it means to be a human being and we introduce a new category of idea: Ideas of Anthropology. Check out the “On Being Human” picture on the Resources tab at www.soilandroots.org as you listen in.

As we journey into “deep discipleship,” we continue to get our feet wet in exploring ideas, these unconscious assumptions and principles that power and govern us. Today we wrestle with a key question: Are our churches equipped and ready to help guide us into the latter stages of discipleship? Do we experience this exploration of ideas and desires through our customary Christian institutions? Does the modern Christian institution recognize that we are integrated creatures living in an integrated world? Our heart, mind, and body are intimately woven together in the context of our soul, and we are “formed” as integrated beings. Is this how the modern church approaches our humanity? We’re digging way beneath the surface today! If you’re near a computer, check out the Creation Picture and On Being Human pictures on the Resources tab at www.soilandroots.org.

As we continue our journey into deep discipleship, once in a while it's good to take a pit stop! Soil and Roots bonus episodes are designed to slow down, marinate in what we've explored so far, and provide a few hints about what lies ahead. The first half of today's episode summarizes the Great Omission, deep discipleship, and the power of ideas. The second half introduces a few of the new terms and concepts we're going to be exploring ahead: the Six Core Ideas and the Five Key Elements of Formation. Enjoy the pit stop!

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.

We’ve adopted a definition of discipleship as “the process by which our ideas of darkness are progressively transformed into ideas of light.” But we’ve also noted that we aren’t usually conscious of many of the ideas in our hearts!  Often times it takes a crisis for us to dig under the surface to uncover what’s going on.  Can we discern our hearts at other times? We answer that question, and look at some very practical “signs” in our lives that point back to our hidden ideas, desires, and assumptions.  For more info, check out the Resources tab on the Soil and Roots website. 

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. Today’s episode relies heavily on a resource called the Formation Evaluation Worksheet.  You can find it on the Resources tab at www.soilandroots.org.

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. For more resources, check out the Soil and Roots website.  

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 Soil and Roots website.

As we venture into our second primary problem, The Discipleship Dilemma, let's dive into our first Heartview Indicator: our thoughts. How do our thought patterns help us understand the true ideas and desires in our hearts?   Using a simple process of "Uncover, Determine, Immerse," we take a look at some very powerful cultural and religious ideas that have taken hold in the West over the past 700 years that deeply impact our thought patterns today. Just how much are our thoughts impacted by these "Ideas in the Air?" As it turns out, a whole lot!

God has wired us with Eight Indicators that point us back to the genuine ideas and desires in our hearts…if we're curious and courageous to explore them. Let's discuss our second Indicator: our emotions. What do we do with our emotions?  Do we chase after them, hoping they fill our heart's desires?  Or do we reject them because "mature" Christians shouldn't feel things like anger, confusion, and sadness? Let's dig into the confusing and sometimes derided world of feelings. For more information on the podcast or for free resources, check out www.soilandroots.org.  

Why do we sometimes act in ways that contradict our beliefs?  Is it true that "we are what we believe," or is there something deeper in our hearts we need to explore? What is our bedrock? Bonus Episode! As we continue our journey through the Eight Indicators, Brian takes a pause to provide some more flesh and context around the Disciple Dilemma and the practice of Heartview.   And he introduces two new visual resources!  Make sure you pull up Creation Picture 2 and Heartview, two new handouts available for free on the Resources page at www.soilandroots.org. Let's dig into the very bottom of our hearts and find out how we might mine the depths of who we truly are.

Let's dig into our third Heartview Indicator, our health! We're exploring how outward signs point to the inward realities in our hearts. When it comes to our health, as disciples it's vital that we first understand how God put us together. We are integrated beings living in an integrated world. So what does that mean when we consider the three separate, major branches of health: physical, mental, and spiritual? How do they interact with each other and impact our journey to become more like Jesus?

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.  

Heartview Indicator #8: Money! How we view and use money provides us fantastic insights into the ideas and desires in our hearts.  Back when Brian was in the financial services industry, he realized he could group people into two primary categories when it comes to money: Wardens and Wingers.  Wardens treat money as their prisoner and Wingers…well…wing it!   But are their deeper reasons why people treat money the way they do?  Let’s continue our exploration of the human heart as we uncover the bedrock reasons why money is such a powerful influence on us – and also how it’s such a powerful indicator of the condition of our spirits. 

As we wrap up Season 2 with these last two episodes, we zoom out to summarize the Soil and Roots journey so far.  What are the three primary problems in western Christianity and culture?  What are the three solutions?  Why is Heartview so vital for Christians, and why are we typically 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.   To access the free visual aids mentioned in this episode, go to the Resources tab at www.soilandroots.org.  

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? We’ve covered a ton of ground so far!  Over the first two seasons, we’ve introduced the three primary problems in the West: the loss of the Gospel of the Kingdom, the loss of genuine discipleship, and the loss of true communities of spiritual formation.  That last challenge – what we call The Formation Gap – will be the focus of Season 3.  Stay tuned! As always you can find out more about the Soil and Roots podcast by visiting www.soilandroots.org.

In this introduction to Season 3, we sum up what we’ve explored so far and prep our hearts for a deep dig into the average western church experience.   Brian reviews the Three Primary Problems: the Forgotten Kingdom, the Discipleship Dilemma, and the Formation Gap.   And then he lays the groundwork for our journey into the Formation Gap: the distance between what our hearts truly need to be formed into the likeness of Jesus versus what most western Christians actually experience.  

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.  As we might expect, what modern neuroscientists are discovering align with what Jesus and the apostles modeled over 2,000 years ago.  

We’re exploring the Five Key Elements of Discipleship and looking at the key element of time.  And you’ve been asking some great questions! One question in particular keeps popping up (and involves time), so this bonus episode addresses your question.   Your question is: How do we recreate these immersive cultures of formation?  How do we find the time?   We tackle your insightful question from a few different angles, and 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 deep into the element of time.  How does time relate to evangelism?  How does evangelism relate to discipleship?  What does it mean to be “present in time” in the context of our four relationships so that we allow discipleship to occur?

As we finish our exploration of the first Key Element of Spiritual Formation, we further consider how a disciple uses Time.  Time doing what?  And with whom?  Are we formed simply by spending more time in the traditional spiritual disciplines, or are there other relationships and activities with which we should be intentionally engaging? 

This Bonus episode introduces a brand new Soil and Roots visual aid: The Three Primary Problems.  Brian maintains these problems are at the root of the decay and isolation in western culture.  This chart breaks down the Three Primary Problems by contrasting assumptions and reductions in modern Christianity with the Biblical vision of the Kingdom, discipleship and the Church. You can find the new chart at www.soilandroots.org/resources.  Pull it up and follow along as you listen!

As we move on to explore Habits, our second Key Element of Spiritual Formation, let’s start by defining what exactly is a habit.  Then we’ll explore the age-old question: Do habits change the heart, or does a heart change result in new habits? Lastly, we’ll answer some listener questions and tie it all together with a personal story about working on a new habit that Jesus exhibited all the time. Access the visual aids for free at the Soil and Roots site.  

In yet another Bonus Episode (!), we zoom out to 100k feet and take a look at the Three Primary Problems and their impact on the western church and civilization. This episode is a companion to Ep 31, and the two together provide the high level framework for the Soil and Roots journey and the Immersive Communities of Formation we are recreating. For those of you interested in “how ICF’s are formed,” this one closes with some great framework and ideas.  

When we think about habits as a key element of formation, we normally and rightly think about “disciplines” like prayer, fasting, Bible reading, and Scripture meditation.  What about hearing personally from God?  That was certainly a habit of Jesus.  Should we not expect to hear personally from God as we grow to be more like His Son?  Let’s explore this sometimes misunderstood habit.

Disciples in Immersive Communities of Formation (ICF’s) 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.”

Immersive Communities of Formation have Five Key Elements in common. We’re exploring the second element, habits.  We’ve already looked at the habits of hearing God and hearing the hearts of others.  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 primary “co-missions” in the Bible.

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, our names, and embraces us even when we’re a mess, where do we find these types of people? We find some of the best examples of “ICF’s” in a surprising place…Hollywood.

Soil and Roots welcomes a new friend to the team this week: co-host Kyle Moody! In an effort to promote "more dialogue, less monologue," we're introducing a new type of episode: The Greenhouse, the place where our soil and roots grow in community. Every other episode will now feature Brian and Kyle digging into the previous topic in a casual conversation to engage deeper with the ideas and themes. This week, Brian and Kyle discuss ICF's as "sit-com communities." Can Christians in the west really form these types of tight, sacrificial communities? Where we can fail freely, confess openly, doubt without fear, and grow together in grace? What is the first step in forming one? What are some roadblocks as we pray through being discipled in immersive communities? Welcome to the first Greenhouse episode!

As we continue to explore what formative communities should look like, we are faced with a pressing question: must our ICF’s 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!

Kyle and Brian head back into the Greenhouse to discuss the previous episode, Let the Professionals Handle It. As we continue to explore Immersive Communities of Formation as a means of discipleship, Kyle digs into questions about the Gospel of the Kingdom, evangelism, our fears about being in vulnerable, transparent groups of fellow sojourners, and the role of church institutions. Sit in on their conversation and enjoy the journey!

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

Dallas Willard suggested that, if the modern church made genuine disciples, evangelism would mostly take care of itself. Instead, evangelical churches adopt various training programs, continually expressing frustration at the lack of participation from their congregations. Perhaps we're missing the bigger picture, both in our modern definition of "evangelism" and the deeper reasons why it may not be happening the way some think it should. Kyle and Brian head back into the Greenhouse to explore why ICFs aren't the same thing as other Christian communities, and how making genuine disciples in Kingdom-centric communities impacts our view of reality and the mission of the church, including evangelism.

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 ICF – 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?

Brian and Kyle sit down in the Greenhouse and have a casual but earnest conversation about narcissism in the church. Pulling from their respective stories and Brian's study of narcissism, they explore some key questions. 1. Why did God permit them both to experience the impact of narcissists? 2. How difficult is to identify them and relate to them? 3. How might we love and embrace a narcissist? 4. How may we care for others harmed by narcissism? 5. How should an Immersive Community of Formation handle a narcissist? Sit in and listen to a very personal dialogue filled with some hurt, confession, and hope.

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.

Kyle and Brian take a deeper dive into the three layers of The Discipleship Sandwich: Spiritual formation, the Gospel of the Kingdom, and Five-element communities. Along the way, they explore a key historical driver of Christian fatalism, the role of suffering in the growth of the Kingdom, and the challenge of prosperity in making disciples. And, somehow, they manage to throw in frogs, scorpions, and the platypus.

Our fourth key element of spiritual formation is intimacy. Though every human longs for it, it remains elusive, particularly in western culture and churches. A "loneliness epidemic" continues to plague the west, even though we have more time and opportunity to be in relationship. 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.

Back in the Greenhouse, Kyle and Brian dig into intimacy as a formative element in our journey to become more like our King. Why is it that the modern small group or community group effort often struggles between being "informative" and "formative?" How do we respond when our efforts to be transparent and intimate result in betrayal or abandonment? What role does intimacy play as we explore the difference between the "Christian image" and the reality of the brokenness of our own hearts? Join Brian and Kyle as they explore the challenges and benefits of developing appropriate intimacy in communities, even as aspects of the church and culture are working against it.

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).

Is there really a difference between the unconscious ideas that govern us and our stated beliefs? In this very personal episode, Brian asks Kyle to share parts of his own story that reveal what we all struggle with – a disconnect between our bedrock desires and ideas and the Christian beliefs we espouse. Making room in our lives to recognize these gaps, and making room in our hearts for communities to help us better integrate our ideas and beliefs is a foundational aspect of discipleship. Then the guys explore how our unconscious ideas about vulnerability impact many of our Christian behaviors, including how we approach and read the Bible. Lots to explore in this densely-packed episode as we continue to dig into the fourth key element of formation – intimacy.

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?

Brian welcomes guest Dr. Tim Boswell into the Greenhouse to finish up our exploration of intimacy. As a means of forming us to be more like Jesus, what role does intimacy play, particularly as we struggle to form long-term communities for that purpose? Tim and Brian dig deeper into the three popular "ideas" of a mature, intimate Christian introduced in Ep 52: the OP Christian, the Accurate Christian, and the Placid Christian. Does our vision of what a spiritually formed person looks like match up with biblical reality?

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?" Let's dig in!

"Instruction" is virtually ubiquitous for people desiring to grow in Christ today, but do the available materials help us in the later, deeper stages of discipleship? Are they designed to guide us, in community, when we inevitably hit "the Wall?" Brian and Kyle are back in the Greenhouse and carefully consider whether the modern church institution is even set up to help instruct us on the later stages of discipleship. If not, how do we grow to genuinely live the abundant, free life that the Bible promises?

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?

Furthering exploring Episode 56, Kyle and Brian dig into this critical question: Why do most of us not experience repetitious and increasingly complex, formative Christian education today? They discuss two out-of-the-box explanations: our assumptions about the afterlife and our assumptions about the role of a pastor. And along the way, they argue about elementary school multiplication tables. Come along for the ride!

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 at www.soiland.roots.org. If you'd like more info on Greenhouses, shoot us an email at fish@soilandroots.org.

In our last episode of Season 3, Brian and Kyle share their thoughts and perspectives on their personal spiritual formation in and through their local Greenhouse, and how the vision of Soil and Roots is to help form and support them worldwide. They also answer some common questions about these five-element communities before giving a sneak peek at Season 4.

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.

Kyle and Brian step back into the Greenhouse to debate and discuss Episode 60, which is an introduction to Season 4 and the Kingdom. An aspect of living in the Kingdom is being "awake," and the guys clarify and explore what that really means. Then they revisit the on-going conflict between ideas and darkness and light, and how our expectation of the impact and power of those ideas affects how we live and operate in the world. Deep stuff on today's episode!

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.

As we continue digging into the primary problem of the Forgotten Kingdom, Brian and Kyle further explore the answer to our first question: What is the Kingdom of Light? Despite the fact the Kingdom is a primary theme of the Bible, there isn't always a strong consensus on what it is, when it is, or what our role is in it. The guys sit down and dissect Dr. Jeremy Treat's succinct explanation ("God's reign through God's people over God's place"), and then toss around a few other potential definitions. Along the way, they wrestle with the inherent "goodness" of creation as it relates to the Kingdom, and why we often struggle to embrace the concept that God's ideas are "deeper magic" than those of the darkness. They rediscover just how important these often unconscious assumptions are in our personal journey of spiritual formation, and how they heavily impact our relationship with God, others, ourselves, and creation and culture.

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.

In this special Greenhouse episode, Brian and Kyle welcome Dr. Tim Boswell, our favorite intellectual scholar. Though the jokes and verbal barbs fly, they dig under the surface of our assumptions about the Kingdom to further explore what it actually is and how our view of it dramatically impacts our discipleship. Somehow the guys cover camping, Monty Python, and John Steinbeck while still staying relatively on topic. Enjoy!

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 this mini-series on how our End Times views impact our spiritual formation in the Kingdom, Kyle and Brian further explore and clarify the four main perspectives: premillennialism, dispensationalism, amillennialism, and postmillennialism. Along the way, they dig into why discussing "peripheral" issues may be challenging for us today, and why the challenges may have little to do with the issues themselves.

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.

Kyle, Tim, and Brian sit down to "Greenhouse" the previous episode, which explores the two primary groups of End Times views – those who hold to a "two people, two plan" storyline and those who hold to a "one people, one plan" storyline of the Bible. Acknowledging and embracing the underlying assumptions and consequences of each view allows us to better understand our differences, our impressions of the Forgotten Kingdom, and thus our individual spiritual formation. Let's dig in. Our new podcast music features LoFi artist, Fisshu, whom you can find and follow on Spotify.

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.

Kyle, Doc, and Brian head back into the Greenhouse to further explore how our End Times views impact our assumptions about the Kingdom and our spiritual formation. They dig into a few of Brian's core questions about the Joiner and Splitter perspectives and then close out by examining how each view leads to potentially different conclusions about what our purpose is in life and in the Kingdom.

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!

Back in the Greenhouse, Brian and Kyle have an in-depth and helpful discussion about the overall themes of Seasons 1 through 4 so far. What is the Great Omission and how is it solved? What does it mean to explore our hearts and stories as we become more like Jesus? Where do we find specific communities designed to help form us? And just how confusing and diverse are our views of the Gospel of the Kingdom in modern Christianity? Let's dig in!

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!

The guys engage in an animated exploration of the previous episode, asking themselves if they really want the kingdom to come. Kyle went the extra mile and polled his friends about their definitions of the kingdom, and his survey reveals the current confusion about a primary theme of the Bible. Then they banter about whether a "Stage 6" disciple is realistic or possible. Can we truly experience a life of peace, contentment, and sacrificial love?

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?

Based on Episode 76's idea that curiosity is a primary characteristic of someone journeying to become more like Jesus, the guys take a few steps even deeper. In a transparent and wide-ranging dialogue, Brian and Kyle explore obstacles to curiosity (sometimes including the church), and what it means to ask questions of God, others, and even ourselves.

Particularity – the habit of uniquely noticing someone – is a central quality of being a deep disciple and something Jesus embodied repeatedly. Since the human heart's deepest desire is to know and be known, perhaps the cure to an extraordinary epidemic of loneliness (inside and outside the church) is to slow down, breathe, and practice particularity!

Dr. Tim Boswell joins Brian and Kyle again, and they wrestle with this wonderful quality of a deep disciple: the habit of intentionally noticing the individual, or "particularity." Jesus routinely noticed and pursued individual hearts, thus restoring many from loneliness and isolation. Since the "leprosy of loneliness" is such a dire condition in our society, join the guys as they explore the cure to what may be today's deepest spiritual need – the need to be intentionally and purposefully noticed. And if Tim ever asks you to go hiking with him…just take a pass.

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!

If a characteristic of a deep disciple is releasing control, why do we struggle to do just that, especially when attempting to control so many aspects of our lives often results in anxiety, fear, or even depression? In this raw episode, Brian and Kyle explore "control" related to mental and spiritual illness, our tendency to inhibit our healing, and the power of lament in our journey to experience trust and security in our relationship with God.

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.

Kyle and Dr. Boswell jump into the studio to further explore last week’s episode about the quality of a deep disciple of releasing control. Ouch. The guys debate a current buzzword in Christianity: “deconstruction.” Is there good deconstruction and bad deconstruction? What if some sort of healthy tearing down and rebuilding of elements of our faith is necessary and helpful in the quest to train our hearts to release control? Do we embrace it or do we do our best to avoid it? Let’s dig in.

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.  

The journey to the somewhat elusive “peace that passes understanding” promised in Scripture involves more than quoting Bible passages and Christian euphemisms. It includes struggle, suffering, and periods of intense wrestling with God and (sometimes) ourselves. Brian and Kyle head back into the Greenhouse to further breakdown Episode 84 and discuss how to find rest even in the middle of inevitable tension.  

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.  

Dr. Tim Boswell is back and joins Brian in the Greenhouse to break down Episode 86, which explores the concept of both individual and social transformation happening from the inside out. Great social reformers such as Wilberforce, Moore, King, Douglass, and Mother Teresa challenged harmful systems as well as the underlying ideas that drive corrupt systems. Tim and Brian discuss and debate how a deep disciple can learn from these powerful idea revolutionaries.  

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.  

Brian, Kyle, and Doc come together to explore Episode 88, explaining and debating what it means to “suffer well.” Each shares some of their journey of suffering, while stressing the need for ongoing kindness, compassion, and a long-term commitment to each other in our formative communities. And Kyle, the king of cultural references, struggles to use one from this century. Let’s dig in!  

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.  

Kyle and Brian “Greenhouse” Episode 90, which explores how Jesus is the ultimate “Idea Revolutionary,” challenging and transforming Ideas in the Air (those in culture) and Ideas in the Soil (those in our hearts). We look at a few cultural ideas, including our assumptions about the Bible. Was the Bible written to us? Or for us? Understanding the difference impacts how we read it and how it forms us. Then Kyle invites us into his story and heart, and he explains how Jesus is slowly transforming some of his dark ideas into life-giving, joyful truths.

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.  

The guys head into the Greenhouse to explore modern ideas about Heaven versus the biblical concept of the New Heaven and the New Earth.  They share how their personal stories impacted their view of the afterlife, how those ideas have adapted and changed in recent years, and how they affect their journey to become more like Jesus. Then they wrestle with how and why Splitters and Joiners disagree on the impact of the Kingdom on creation and culture today, and what that means for the everyday follower of Jesus in everyday life.