Why are the Scriptures so confusing? Tim Mackie and Tyler Staton discuss how our intuition about what the Bible should do - that it's supposed to tell us about what's true, good, and God's voice - are correct. But these intuitions without the right tools to read can destruct our faith more than they construct it. Together, Tyler and Tim show us how to approach the Scriptures with the right tools, and read it like a story: one that leads us to Jesus.

Key Scripture Passage: Psalm 1v1-3

This podcast and its episodes are paid for by The Circle, our community of monthly givers. Special thanks for this episode goes to: Amy from Fort Wayne, Indiana; Claire from Madison, Mississippi; Cheyenne from Charlotte, North Carolina; Michele from Plymouth, Minnesota; and Beth from Fort Worth, Texas.Thank you all so much!

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"Prayer is the soil where every other spiritual practice grows."

Tyler teaches on the pervasiveness of prayer in every facet of our spiritual walk and its importance in our growth. He challenges us to pray like we believe that God hears and answers.

Key Scripture Passage: Hebrews 5v7

This podcast and its episodes are paid for by The Circle, our community of monthly givers. Special thanks for this episode goes to: Gillian from Forest Hills, South Africa; Jeff from Ann Arbor, Michigan; Evan from Olympia, Washington; Christa and Jim from Goodyear, Arizona; and Andrew from Woodstock, Ontario. Thank you all so much!

If you’d like to pay it forward and contribute toward future resources, you can learn more at practicingtheway.org/give.

What is the "yoke" of Jesus? Tyler Staton breaks down Jesus's invitation, helping us to experience the joy and life of Jesus as we follow in his ways.

Key Scripture Passage: Matthew 11v28-30

This podcast and its episodes are paid for by The Circle, our community of monthly givers. Special thanks for this episode goes to: Emily from Lakewood, California; Abraham from Omaha, Nebraska; Eli from Bois D’Arc, Missouri; Steve from Portland, Oregon; and Samara from Lausanne, Switzerland. Thank you all so much!

If you’d like to pay it forward and contribute toward future resources, you can learn more at practicingtheway.org/give.

Do you have hope? John Mark explores the life-changing message of Easter by showing us the hope found in the story of Jesus and his resurrection.

Key Scripture Passage: 1 Corinthians 15v1-28

This podcast and its episodes are paid for by The Circle, our community of monthly givers. Special thanks for this episode goes to: Christopher from Superior, Colorado; Jonathan from Langley, BC; Kathy from Colorado Springs, Colorado; Kayne from Phoenix, Arizona; and Ryan from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Thank you all so much!

If you’d like to pay it forward and contribute toward future resources, you can learn more at practicingtheway.org/give.

"Godliness is possible, but it is not natural."

John Mark discusses some of the foundational ideas from his new book: Practicing the Way: Be with Jesus, Become Like Jesus, Do as He Did. John Mark challenges us to resist the distractions that tempt us to waste our lives, and instead become people of love who live for our eulogies rather than our resumes.

To pick up a copy of John Mark's new book, you can purchase it online here, or in person wherever books are sold.

This podcast and its episodes are paid for by The Circle, our community of monthly givers. Special thanks for this episode goes to: Cheyne from Vero Beach, Florida; Christina from Burbank, California; Gabriel from Portland, Oregon; Scott from Sudbury, Massachusetts; and Jennifer from Spokane, Washington. Thank you all so much!

If you’d like to pay it forward and contribute toward future resources, you can learn more at practicingtheway.org/give.

How do we read the Bible? John Mark talks about the importance of obedience in our reading the Bible, challenging us to not only study the Bible, but meditate and digest it through slow, prayerful reading of the Scriptures.

Key Scripture Passages: Luke 24v13-27, 44-48; Joshua 1v7-8; Psalm 1v1-3

This podcast and its episodes are paid for by The Circle, our community of monthly givers. Special thanks for this episode goes to: Tim from Paron, Arkansas; Michael from Kettering, Ohio; Keith from Madison, Wisconsin; Macy from Fort Collins, Colorado; and Barbara from Mesa, Arizona. Thank you all so much!

If you’d like to pay it forward and contribute toward future resources, you can learn more at practicingtheway.org/give.

Why read the Bible? John Mark argues that we don't just read the Scriptures to gain information or be entertained, but to be shaped: to become more like the God whose story and character are revealed to us as we read.

Key Scripture Passages: 2 Timothy 3v14-18

This podcast and its episodes are paid for by The Circle, our community of monthly givers. Special thanks for this episode goes to: Jill from Louisville, Ohio; Jess from Brea, California; Jacob from Austin, Texas; Kate from Fargo, North Dakota; and Mark from Tulsa, Oklahoma. Thank you all so much!

If you’d like to pay it forward and contribute toward future resources, you can learn more at practicingtheway.org/give.

What exactly is the Bible? If we misunderstand what the Bible is, we’ll turn in into something it’s not. John Mark makes the case that the Bible is a library of writings that are both divine and human, that together tell a unified story which leads us to Jesus.

Key Scripture Passages: John 5v39-40

This podcast and its episodes are paid for by The Circle, our community of monthly givers. Special thanks for this episode goes to: Natalie from Sierra Madre, California; Michelle from Nashville, Tennessee; Ethan from Columbus, Ohio; Jenna from Choteau, Montana; and Nate from Pittsboro, Indiana. Thank you all so much!

If you’d like to pay it forward and contribute toward future resources, you can learn more at practicingtheway.org/give.

We have a problem with the Bible. More and more followers of Jesus in the west don’t read it, don’t now how to read it, don’t even like it, and frankly, take issue with it. So why do we follow the Bible? In this episode, John Mark looks at how Jesus talked about the Bible, arguing that we believe in the Bible because of Jesus's authority, not the other way around.

Key Scripture Passages: Matthew 5v17-19; Mark 12v35-36; Mark 12v18-27; Matthew 28v16-18.

This podcast and its episodes are paid for by The Circle, our community of monthly givers. Special thanks for this episode goes to: John from Telford, Pennsylvania; Carter from Mount Vernon, Ohio; Clint from St Simons Island, Georgia; Taylor from St. Catharines, Ontario; and Anne from Olympia, Washington. Thank you all so much!

If you’d like to pay it forward and contribute toward future resources, you can learn more at practicingtheway.org/give.

Are you waiting on a dream from God? John Mark teaches about God's promises through the story of Joseph. He shows us that God's fulfillment of our deepest dreams and desires are often even better than we can imagine, giving us hope and endurance in the different, harder, and longer middle of the story.

Key Scripture Passages: Genesis 37v2 - Genesis 45v8; Philippians 4v11-13

Resources for this practice: https://practicingthewayarchives.org/practices/identity-and-calling

This podcast and its episodes are paid for by The Circle, our community of monthly givers. Special thanks for this episode goes to: Brandon from Indianapolis, Indiana; Julia from Auburn, Washington; Tami from Tustin, California; Nate from Denver, Colorado; and Delaney from Edmonton, Alberta. Thank you all so much!

If you’d like to pay it forward and contribute toward future resources, you can learn more at practicingtheway.org/give.

Have you ever tried to change but couldn't make it last? As John Mark taught last week, we're constantly being shaped by our beliefs, habits, relationships, and environment. This week, he tells us how to fight back and create lasting transformation in our lives.

Key Scripture Passages: Luke 6v39-40; Romans 12v2; Matthew 5-7

Discussion Guide: https://practicingthewayarchives.org/identity/part-six

Other Mentioned Resources:

Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster

The Cost of Discipleship by Diedrich Bonhoeffer

This podcast and its episodes are paid for by The Circle, our community of monthly givers. Special thanks for this episode goes to: Dwayne from Waianae, HI; Michael from Tyler, TX; Carine from Rogers, AR; Kyle from Waco, TX; and Scott from London,UK. Thank you all so much!

If you’d like to pay it forward and contribute toward future resources, you can learn more at practicingtheway.org/give.

"The question isn't, are you being formed? It's, what are you being formed into?"

John Mark talks about the various influences that shape our lives and who we become. He challenges us to be intentional with our beliefs, habits, relationships, and experiences to form us into people of love.

Key Scripture Passages: Ephesians 4v1-24; Galatians 4v19; Proverbs 4v23

Discussion Guide: https://practicingthewayarchives.org/identity/part-five

This podcast and its episodes are paid for by The Circle, our community of monthly givers. Special thanks for this episode goes to: Sam from Derby, Derbyshire; Kevin from Hamilton, Ontario; Matthew from Langley, British Columbia; Elijah from Garland, Texas; and Kendall from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Thank you all so much!

If you’d like to pay it forward and contribute toward future resources, you can learn more at practicingtheway.org/give.

"The main thing God gets out of your life is the person you become" - Dallas Willard

Our calling isn't just about what we do with our lives: it's also about who we become. John Mark talks about the inward journey: who we are called to be as believers, and how to get there.

Key Scripture Passages: Matthew 4v18-22; Matthew 9v9-13

Discussion Guide: https://practicingthewayarchives.org/identity/part-three

Other Resources:

The Road Back to You, Suzanne Collins

Invitation to a Journey, Robert Mulholland

The Road to Character, David Brooks

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This podcast and its episodes are paid for by The Circle, our community of monthly givers. Special thanks for this episode goes to: Barbara from Mesa, Arizona; David from Portland, Oregon; Josiah from Byron Center, Michigan; Renee from Cambridge , Massachusetts; and Kyle from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Thank you all so much!

If you’d like to pay it forward and contribute toward future resources, you can learn more at practicingtheway.org/give.

Who are you, really? John Mark walks us through what the Scriptures tell us about our identity in Christ, helping us step into that reality through faith -- even when our lives don't seem to live up to it.

Key Scripture passages: Matthew 3v13-17; Ephesians 1v1-15; Ephesians 4v1-3

Discussion Guide: https://practicingthewayarchives.org/identity/week-two

This podcast and its episodes are paid for by The Circle, our community of monthly givers. Special thanks for this episode goes to: Janine from Forest Grove, Oregon; Tobias from Hürth, North Rhine Westphalia; Tom from Hubbard, Oregon; Drew from Greenville, South Carolina; and Bates from Waco, Texas. Thank you all so much!

If you’d like to pay it forward and contribute toward future resources, you can learn more at practicingtheway.org/give.

Our identity and calling has ramifications for who we become and what we do with our lives. John Mark lays out a biblical framework for this journey of discovery, encouraging us to embrace this process with community and the Holy Spirit.

Key Scripture passages: Matthew 3v13-4v11; John 1v20-28; Matthew 16v13-18;

Discussion Guide: https://practicingthewayarchives.org/identity/week-one

This podcast and its episodes are paid for by The Circle, our community of monthly givers. Special thanks for this episode goes to: Shaun from Nashville, Tennessee; Michael from Clarksville, Tennessee; Kelsey from Tulsa, Oklahoma; Amanda Ann Godwin from Hillsborough, North Carolina; and Jesse from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. Thank you all so much!

If you’d like to pay it forward and contribute toward future resources, you can learn more at practicingtheway.org/give.

We've got lots of new content coming in 2024! Our new host, Strahan Coleman, gives a quick update on what's upcoming for the John Mark Comer Teachings podcast.

When was the last time you were disappointed? In our world, it's easy to put our hope in things that fail us. In contrast to the disillusionment of the world, John Mark talks about the Advent hope of Jesus's birth and second coming, showing us how putting our hope in that reality is the only hope that will never disappoint.

Key Scripture Passages: Luke 1v16-38; Luke 24v13-27

This podcast and its episodes are paid for by The Circle, our community of monthly givers. Special thanks for this episode goes to: Pat from Modesto, California; John from Minneapolis, Minnesota; Scott from Waco, Texas; Nick from Laguna Niguel, California; and Tahisha from Arlington, Virginia. Thank you all so much!

If you’d like to pay it forward and contribute toward future resources, you can learn more at practicingtheway.org/give.

Are you happy? Many of us aren't. Yet Martin Luther once said "a Christian should be happy." And Rick Howe argued that "the pursuit of joy is a moral obligation." In a world filled with sorrow and grief, John Mark shows us how the coming of Jesus gives us a path to pursue joy and how we can hold it in tandem with the pain of our lives.

Key Scripture Passages: Luke 2v1-20

This podcast and its episodes are paid for by The Circle, our community of monthly givers. Special thanks for this episode goes to: Autumn from Austin, Texas; Joshua from Shreveport, Louisiana; Hollie from Meridian, Idaho; Derrick from Portland, Oregon; and Cadyn from Sachse, Texas. Thank you all so much!

If you’d like to pay it forward and contribute toward future resources, you can learn more at practicingtheway.org/give.

How do we pray when we run out of words? John Mark talks about the practice of contemplative prayer and it's importance in our spiritual formation. He concludes with three primary obstacles to this form of prayer, offering ideas on how to move past these and embrace the depth of this path to life with God.

Key Scripture Passages: 2 Corinthians 3v7-18

This podcast and its episodes are paid for by The Circle, our community of monthly givers. Special thanks for this episode goes to: Shirley from Carnegie, Pennsylvania; Trish from Houston, Texas; Keith from Flowood, Mississippi; Chris from St. Louis Park, Minnesota; and Trevor from Damascus, Oregon. Thank you all so much!

If you’d like to pay it forward and contribute toward future resources, you can learn more at practicingtheway.org/give.

"Learning to hear God's voice is the single most important task of a disciple of Jesus."

John Mark talks about listening to God, exploring both they why and the how behind it. He challenges us to posture ourselves in surrender and obedience as we lean into a relationship with our creator.

Key Scripture Passages: John 10v1-10; Deuteronomy 6v4-5; Matthew 28v19-20

This podcast and its episodes are paid for by The Circle, our community of monthly givers. Special thanks for this episode goes to: Jo-Dee from Cookeville, Tennessee; Dustin from Portland, Oregon; Beth from Lake Zurich, Illinois; Thomas from Soldotna, Arkansas; and Kevin from Lexington, Kentucky. Thank you all so much!

If you’d like to pay it forward and contribute toward future resources, you can learn more at practicingtheway.org/give.