Rule of Life

Latest Episodes:

Community 02: Family Systems and Life in Community (featuring Jay and Danielle Pathak) May 13, 2025

Show notes

Is Grandpa really in my bones? Join John Mark Comer and Shelbi Shutt as they explore the topic of Family Systems, featuring conversations with everyday people in the West, testimonials from real-life practitioners, and an interview with luminaries Jay and Danielle Pathak.

In this episode’s luminary interview, John Mark, Jay, and Danielle explore Family Systems Theory — how we carry our family dynamics into all our relationships and the impact that community can have in fostering our awareness and healing. Jay and Danielle are church planters and are both in national leadership of the Vineyard USA. Jay is the co-author of The Art of Neighboring with Dave Runyon. You can connect with them @jayrpathak and @dpathak33.

The Genogram can be a helpful next step for increasing awareness of your family origins and understanding what you may be carrying forward from your family into your present-day relationships. You can download our free Genogram Workbook at https://practicingthewayarchives.org/dealing-with-your-past/genogram-workbook.

This podcast accompanies the Community Practice, a four-session experience designed to help you cultivate community in the Way of Jesus. Learn more at practicingtheway.org/community.

Our Practices are free, thanks to the generosity of The Circle and other givers. Learn more about The Circle at practicingtheway.org/give. Run a Practice with your community and find other resources at practicingtheway.org/resources.

Community 01: Rediscovering Jesus’ Vision for Family (featuring Andy Crouch) May 06, 2025

Show notes

How can we cultivate the deep relationships Jesus invites us toward in an age of isolation, transience, and superficiality? Join John Mark Comer and Shelbi Shutt as they explore the topic of kinship groups, featuring conversations with everyday people in the West, testimonials from real-life practitioners, and an interview with luminary Andy Crouch.

In this episode’s luminary interview, John Mark and Andy explore the evolution of radically familial relationships in the Early Church community and the devolution of community in the West. Andy is a partner for theology and culture at Praxis, and author of The Life We're Looking For: Reclaiming Relationship in a Technological World. You can explore more of his work at andy-crouch.com and connect with him @ahcpix.

Table Conversations is a beautifully designed set of cards with 100 questions to help your community connect around life, faith, and formation. You can purchase your set at practicingtheway.org/tableconversations.

This podcast accompanies the Community Practice, a four-session experience designed to help you cultivate community in the Way of Jesus. Learn more at practicingtheway.org/community.

Scripture 04: Reading Scripture as a Spiritual Discipline Feb 25, 2025

Show notes

John Mark and guests Dr. Tim Mackie, Dr. Brittany Kim, and Hakeem Bradley explore what it means to read Scripture as a spiritual discipline and why, as apprentices of Jesus, reading is ultimately about following him and becoming like him.

Reading Scripture aloud in groups, a tradition rooted in early house churches, allowed for a shared, transformative encounter with Scripture — and it’s a practice we can rediscover today. Whether done privately or corporately, reading longer sections and reading aloud help us capture the literary design and thematic unity often missed in fragmented readings.

This podcast accompanies the Scripture Practice, a four-session experience designed to help your community read the Bible as apprentices of Jesus. Learn more at practicingtheway.org/scripture.

Scripture 03: Unlocking the Wisdom of Scripture Feb 18, 2025

Show notes

John Mark and BibleProject’s Dr. Tim Mackie, Dr. Brittany Kim, and Hakeem Bradley discuss what it means to approach Scripture as “wisdom literature” and “meditation literature.”

Wisdom literature encourages readers to internalize God’s values, making decisions that promote flourishing for themselves and others. Meditation literature invites readers to slow down, immerse themselves in Scripture, and allow its truths to permeate us to the extent that they transform how we interact with others.

This podcast accompanies the Scripture Practice, a four-session experience designed to help your community read the Bible as apprentices of Jesus. Learn more at practicingtheway.org/scripture.

Scripture 02: Scripture as a Cross-Cultural Experience Feb 11, 2025

Show notes

BibleProject’s Dr. Tim Mackie, Dr. Brittany Kim, and Hakeem Bradley continue a conversation with John Mark around BibleProject’s seven-part paradigm for understanding Scripture.

Episode 02 addresses common struggles with interpreting ancient texts, such as reconciling difficult laws or cultural norms with modern values, and how to approach puzzling or morally complex passages with patience and respect for their historical and cultural settings. This episode also explores the messianic theme woven throughout the library of Scripture and why scholars refer to the Bible as a unified story that points to Jesus.

This podcast accompanies the Scripture Practice, a four-session experience designed to help your community read the Bible as apprentices of Jesus. Learn more at practicingtheway.org/scripture.

Scripture 01: Three Problematic Approaches to Scripture Feb 04, 2025

Show notes

In this first episode of the Scripture season of the Rule of Life podcast, John Mark is joined by BibleProject scholars Dr. Tim Mackie, Dr. Brittany Kim, and Hakeem Bradley for a conversation on the nature of Scripture and our relationship with it.

Common traditional approaches to Scripture — such as the “reference book” approach, the “domesticated grab-bag” approach, and others — can limit our understanding and enjoyment of this complex library of texts. BibleProject is guided by a seven-part paradigm in their understanding of Scripture, and the first “pillar” is to understand the Bible as “human and divine literature.”

This podcast accompanies the Scripture Practice, a four-session experience designed to help your community read the Bible as apprentices of Jesus. Learn more at practicingtheway.org/scripture.

Generosity 06: Roundtable with John Cortines, Jimmy Mellado, Sara Miller, and Christian Huang Oct 29, 2024

Show notes

In this second roundtable on Generosity, John Mark is joined by John Cortines, co-author of God and Money; Jimmy Mellado, president of Compassion International; Sara Miller, founder of A House on Beekman and partner at Praxis Labs; and Christian Huang, president of Mobilize Love.

This wide-ranging conversation explores nuanced issues around giving and generosity, including tithing, serving the poor regardless of proximity to need, “high-touch” versus “low-touch” involvement, and how to take simple steps in the face of overwhelming inequality.

This podcast accompanies the Generosity Practice, a four-session experience designed to help integrate generosity into your community. Learn more at practicingtheway.org/generosity. Thanks to The Circle and other givers, all our resources are free. To learn more about The Circle, visit practicingtheway.org/give. To run a Practice with your church or small group, visit practicingtheway.org/resources

Generosity 05: Roundtable with Patrick Johnson and April Chapman Oct 22, 2024

Show notes

John Mark leads the first of two roundtable conversations with leaders who have devoted a significant share of their lives to advancing generosity and giving.

This episode features Patrick Johnson, founder of Generous Church; April Chapman, CEO of Generous Giving; and Reward Sibanda, Senior Advisor at World Vision.

Their conversation explores the reasons for our disordered relationship with money, misunderstandings around Matthew 5 and 6, and how vital it is to remember God’s often-overlooked trait of generosity.

Generosity Testimonial 04: Josh & Abbi Sep 19, 2024

Show notes

Josh and Abbi learned early on in marriage to live on a meager income – just enough to cover essential needs, and not much else. Today they consider it a gift, because it taught them how little they really needed. When they did make enough for a small surplus and sensed the pull of materialism, they incorporated practices into their lives to maintain radical generosity. The result has been joy and contentment, both for themselves and for their children.

Generosity 04: Be Generous to the Poor Sep 17, 2024

Show notes

The early church was marked by extravagant generosity to the poor. Followers of Jesus formed socioeconomically diverse communities that cared for each other like family, something unheard of in the 1st century Greco-Roman world.

All of this was in response to the teachings of Jesus and the Apostles, which repeatedly emphasize the call to care for those in need. John Mark Comer and Christian Dawson explore how followers of Jesus can walk in the footsteps of the early church by cultivating diverse, interdependent communities. Along the way, they address key questions such as, “Who are the poor, and who are the rich?” And, “What does it look like in my life to care for those in need?”

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