Halfway There

Bonus: When Podcasts Collide – Phil Gauthier and Eric Nevins

When Phil asked me if I wanted to record a podcast with him I jumped at the chance because we have so much in common. We are both fascinated by the experience of God’s people as they interact with him and set out in our own ways to share it. Phil has become a friend through podcasting and Facebook but after a trip to my hometown of Des Moines, Iowa where we had lunch and shared a late night conversation about God, I can honestly say we are brothers in service of the same mission.
Get our complete conversation in iTunes, on God Watch’s website or wherever  you get your podcasts.
Find Phil on Facebook, too.
Hope you enjoy this episode.
The post When Podcasts Collide – Phil Gauthier and Eric Nevins appeared first on Eric Nevins.

066: Matt Rhodes Blends Spiritual Formation and Creativity

 
Matt Rhodes holds a master of divinity from Fuller Seminary and is a certified spiritual director. He loves to find ways to integrate his two biggest passions: creativity and spiritual formation. Matt recently partnered with author Jan Johnson to create an online course called Meeting God in Scripture: A Hands-On Guide to Scripture Meditation. Reading, traveling, creating, collaborating, teaching, and having deep conversations are the things that fill Matt’s soul. He also enjoys hiking and skiing in one of the best parts of God's creation (the Colorado Rockies) with some of God's best people (his wife, Misty, and their two kids, Madison and Tanner).
Stories Matt shared:
How he found Jesus through Young Life
Finding Spiritual formation and how that shaped him
Hearing God’s call on a beach (John 21)
Seminary and the head vs. heart issue
Rediscovering his creative heart through graphic design
Lectio divina as a spiritual formation tool and how to practice it
Hitting the wall when his father was diagnosed with terminal cancer and his church fell apart at the same time
How a spiritual director helped him unlock his creativity
Great quotes form Matt:
Realizing that God created me in that way, and is excited when I utilize that creative side was just a real gift to me.
Lectio davina helps us be with God.
Resources Matt mentioned (affiliate links):
Matt’s FREE email course for Halfway There listeners! Sign up now.
The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life In God
The Spirit of the Disciplines: Understanding How God Changes Lives
Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth by Richard Foster
Meeting God in Scripture: A Hands-On Guide to Lectio Divina
School of Spiritual Direction
Notice: JavaScript is required for this content.


The post Matt Rhodes Blends Spiritual Formation and Creativity appeared first on Eric Nevins.

065: Rob Burns and Crossing Cultures for the Gospel

Rob Burns is a pastor in Detroit at Detroit Chinese Alliance Church and has also served as a missionary in the Balkans. Today, Rob shares his story of his calling into cross-cultural ministry both overseas and in the United States. Rob and I go way back to his seminary days. At the time, I was in college and we worked together. He remembers my wife bringing us brownies. I remember him as an astute critic and observer of events and one of the best conversationalists in the world. To have a conversation with Rob means you’ll walk away smarter and with much to think about.
Hope you enjoy his story and the conversation!
Stories Rob shared:
The missions trip God used to awaken a cross-cultural calling
The clever way a neighbor shared Christ with Rob and his family
What his experience of God’s speaking to him is like
Examples of how the Spirit has led him in ministry
The cross-cultural ministries that captivated he and his wife
How Christ speaks into every culture
The ways he tends to relate to God
Why he thought of himself as Batman on the mission field
Why Rob wishes he was doing more to pass on his thoughts to the world
His best advice for people doing cross-cultural ministry
Why losing our confidence in Christianity is dangerous
Great quotes from Rob:
“God’s too big to be held in a book.” quoting Bruce Cockburn
Christ speaks to every culture and belongs to every culture.
When I’m in those [hard] moments, I respond to duty.
Don’t be bashful about following Him.
Resources mentioned by Rob:
Eric Ortlund’s blog
Surprised by the Power of the Spirit by Jack Deere (Amazon affiliate link)
Surprised by the Voice of God by Jack Deere (Amazon affiliate link)
Notice: JavaScript is required for this content.


The post Rob Burns and Crossing Cultures appeared first on Eric Nevins.

064: Sarah Koontz is Changing the World One Person at a Time

Sarah Koontz is a passionate storyteller who enjoys using illustrations to communicate deep spiritual truths. Sarah writes to inspire women of all ages to explore the beauty of God's design at SarahKoontz.com. Sarah lives on 13-acres in South Dakota with her husband, two daughters and a rowdy flock of 30 chickens. She revels in their simple, uncluttered life.
Sarah impressed me with her go-getter attitude about everything she does. As she describes that passion and how it relates to her ministry, you will be impressed and ready to hear more, too.
Stories Sarah shared:
How she stumbled on blogging and discovered her calling
Her traditional Christian family upbringing and Christian school
The mentor that changed how she thought of God’s calling in her life
Waking up to the spiritual battle through a Bible study
The water heater that nearly killed her
What she learned from having to step away from her commitments
How her husband serves her to enable her ministry
Why helping Christian understand the Bible means so much to her and how that led to creation of her first free Bible study
Her new study in Ephesians and why you should sign up right now
Great quotes from Sarah:
God sometimes sneaks up on me.
Most of the things that scare us that we don’t want people to know about us are pretty common.
There’s only one you. You are not her. You are not him. The world may not appreciate your gifts.
I don’t need to change the world. I need to change my world.
Don’t forget to sign up for Sarah’s daily Bible study in Ephesians, Worthy of the Calling  which begins October 16, 2017. And, if you sign up in the month of October 2017, Sarah has many giveaway for you!
Finally, a way to dig deeper into God's Word in those precious few moments before the kids wake up and start making demands while you are stuck in the drive-through line at school at the end of the day when you've just got enough energy to lay in bed and scroll through your phone.
And with all the free goodies packed into this study, you'll be excited to open your inbox and click on the daily e-mails.
The beautiful truths of Ephesians will teach you
How to Root your life in God's Word
How to Access your Spiritual Wealth
How God's Work Empowers your Walk
What it means to be Alive in Christ
How to Love because you are Loved
How to Pray with Perseverance
How to Foster your Spiritual Gifts
As Sarah dug into Paul's letter to the Ephesians, she discovered so many powerful truths meant to equip all Christians to walk Worthy of the Calling.
I invite you to join for this 31-day journey through the book of Ephesians. Come as you are, but expect to be transformed by the radical love of your gracious Heavenly Father.
I just signed up for the study myself so I hope to see you there.
Notice: JavaScript is required for this content.


The post Sarah Koontz is Changing the World One Person at a Time appeared first on Eric Nevins.

063: Rodney Pennington on the Mountain Top

Rodney Pennington is Vice President for Mobilization with OMF International. He has served as a pastor in Kansas, church planter in Toronto and Thailand, and mobilizer in U.S. for the unreached peoples of East Asia. He is a husband and father of four kids. Today we talk about his journey from a kid who gave up on God to missionary who could not help but go overseas to share the Gospel.
Stories Rodney shared:
The difficulty of his family life and why he gave up on God
His literal mountain top experience when he started praying to a God he didn’t even believe in
The snake that helped heal his relationship with his father
Sharing the Gospel with his father and his conversion
His daughter’s diagnosis with Turner Syndrome
God’s provision for his daughter
The trip to Cambodia that changed his heart for unreached people groups
Great quotes from Rodney:
I knew my life was changed. If this was true why wouldn’t I pour everything into it?
I can honest say there are moments when I’ve been angry with God and I didn’t understand why or what was going on or the purpose behind it all but He’s come through everytime.
What we have before is such a blessing, if we just use it the right way, we can reach the ends of the earth.
Resources Rodney mentioned:
Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret (Moody Classics)
Counter Culture: Following Christ in an Anti-Christian Age – “What is it going to take for even the concept of an unreached people group to be intolerable to the church?”
Notice: JavaScript is required for this content.


The post Rodney Pennington Shares His Mountain Tops, Rebellion, and Mission appeared first on Eric Nevins.

062: Jimmy Jones and the Value of Giving a Little Time (and Cookies)

Jimmy Jones is a youth worker to underserved children in Denver and Sheridan, CO. Today, Jimmy shares his heart and calling to serve those children. He traces his story from being one of those kids in the Five Points neighborhood of Denver, being drawn to the Gospel, giving his life to Christ at camp, and embracing his call to minister to his neighborhood. Jimmy’s life proves the value of giving a little time to share the Gospel or to disciple a new believer is time well spent.
Hope you are encouraged to offer what you’ve received through Jimmy’s story.
Stories Jimmy shared:
Growing up in the Five Points neighborhood in Denver
The big rock he sat on at Camp Frontier where he gave his life to Christ
Meeting his wife Andrea at Camp Elam
Bill Glover, the man who discipled him
Deciding to be the person who
Moving to Texas and discovering a mission
The vision that drove him to share the Gospel with kids in Dallas
The part of the process that breaks Jimmy’s heart
The success that said it was time to move back to Denver
Why cookies are better than hours
Great quotes from Jones:
I wish I had a testimony to share how my life has changed.
I believe in giving back that which you have received, it doesn’t matter what that is.
Our job is to sow the seed.
The goal was to let these kids know that they are valued.
You don’t have to be what everyone says you’re going to be.
Resources mentioned by Jimmy:
Sex in Marriage: God’s Blueprint for the Christian Family
Essential Truths of the Christian Faith
Notice: JavaScript is required for this content.


The post Jimmy Jones and the Value of Giving a Little Time (and Cookies) appeared first on Eric Nevins.

061: Shane Blackshear of Seminary Dropout Talks Faith, Naivete, and Doubt

Shane Blackshear is the host of two podcasts, Seminary Dropout and On Ramp. He is a former church planter and pastor who moved into secular work when he realized the job was done, and eventually started a blog and a podcast. He explains how he came up with the name Seminary Dropout, the amazing people he has been able to interview, and why he started a second show last year. Plus, we cover his journey as we go. Hope you enjoy!
Stories Shane shared:
Why he started a podcast about race with his friend Kerri Fisher
How he came up with the name Seminary Dropout for his interview podcast
The youth pastor whose teaching made the difference in his life
The worst reason to start a church and why Shane did it anyway
The audience he was able to reach and why he’s proud of that
How he learned that poverty is more complicated that it looks
The two points in his life when he had serious doubt
Why he left the pastorate
Why he started Seminary Dropout
Great quotes from Shane:
We see our own problems as being complex and having a lot of layers to them but other people’s problems are simplistic.
I don’t know if I can trust people who haven’t had a significant time of doubt in their life. If it’s that easy for you I kinda doubt your intellect or sincerity.
Is it better to trust God when you’ve never doubted? Or is it better to trust God through your doubt. To me, it’s more significant to say, yeah, I do doubt but I’m going to trust God anyway.
Resources mentioned by Shane:
Benefit of the Doubt: Breaking the Idol of Certainty by Greg Boyd
You can find Seminary Dropout and On Ramp in iTunes or in your favorite podcatcher. Connect with Shane on Twitter or Facebook today!
Check it out now!
Notice: JavaScript is required for this content.


The post Shane Blackshear of Seminary Dropout Talks Faith, Naivete, and Doubt appeared first on Eric Nevins.

Support Richard Jacobson’s Unchurching Comic Book on Kickstarter

Richard Jacobson of Unchurching shared the story about how unchurching became a theme in his life way back in episode 15. Now he’s creating an Unchurching comic book “to let Christians know they don’t have to go to church to be the church.”
You can be part of it by joining the Kickstarter campaign to fund the book. Hurry because the campaign ends Monday, September 11, 2017 at noon CT.
The post Support Richard Jacobson’s Unchurching Comic Book on Kickstarter appeared first on Eric Nevins.