Throughout history, God has been at work redeeming humanity. So really, your story and the story of everyone who has ever lived are all a part of God’s grand story of redemption. After we take a look at God’s grand narrative, Chris and I will take turns sharing our own stories and a few of the spiritual disciplines and tips we’ve picked up along the way that have been helpful for us in our journeys to become more like Jesus.
Episode Audio:
Chapter 1 - What Makes a Good Story?
A good story involves risk. It involves the heroes and villains battling it out until one emerges victorious. In the grand story of God's work throughout history to redeem his people, what role do you play? Are you the hero fighting to save the day? Are you the villain standing in the way of the hero? Or are you some side character who can do nothing but watch the story unfold?
Chapter 2 - The Journey from Perfectionism to Rest
There's a struggle at the core of your being: Are you going to rule your own life? It may sound like a good idea, but in reality human beings are terrible at ruling their own lives. God didn't create you to fill that role. Perfectionism is an attempt to reclaim the rule of your own life, believing you can do it better than God. Josh's story is a story of this exact struggle. But through that struggle, he's learning it's best if he doesn't rule his own life and to leave that position to the one it was created for, God himself.
Chapter 3 - The Struggle to Find Identity
What defines your identity? You answer this question all the time whether you know it or not. It can come from your parents, your spouse, your children, your career, or just about anything in your life. God created you to be his child, and everything else should flow from that. But it's difficult to allow that reality to define our identity. Chris' story is his journey from finding identity in what others expected of him to finding his identity in Christ alone.
Chapter 4 - Silence as a Cure for Perfectionism
Silence is one of those spiritual disciplines you may not often practice that can become more valuable than you could ever imagine. Perfectionism consists of trying to always do the next thing better in order to gain God's approval. Thankfully, he gave us the solution to that in Jesus Christ. Now he calls us to rest in his grace and walk as his child. Practicing silence, doing nothing at all, is the cure to the never-ending struggle to always "do" the right thing. Check out some of the tips Josh has learned as he's practiced silence as a cure for his own perfectionism.
Chapter 5 - The Power of Journaling, Prayer, and Bible Study
Journaling, prayer, and Bible study. For Chris, these three disciplines are really powerful when used together. Check out some of the tips he's learned by using these to help him rest in his identity in Christ.
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