What are we missing by never sitting in the quiet?

Welcome to a new series of teachings on the ancient practice of solitude. Together we’ll explore how to step away from the noise of modern life and into the still, peaceful presence of God. In this teaching, John Mark explains what true solitude with God is, what it isn’t, and what might be waiting for us if we follow Jesus into the quiet place.

If you’d like to continue exploring what it means to build a life with God in solitude, we have two invitations for you. First, John Mark’s newest book, Into the Quiet, is now available for preorder at intothequietexperience.com/preorder. Second, you can join John Mark in person for the Into the Quiet Experience, coming to a city near you between now and November 12. Purchase your ticket at intothequietexperience.com.

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 Boulder, Colorado; Elizabeth from San Carlos, California; Catherine from Durham, North Carolina; Maryssa from Lake Oswego, Oregon; and Adam from Edmonds, Washington. Thank you all very much.

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

Mentioned in this teaching:

• Luke 5:15–16
• Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport
• Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster
• Invitation to Silence and Solitude by Ruth Haley Barton
• Order your copy of the Solitude Companion Guide at practicingtheway.org/solitude.

What kind of faith can actually last a lifetime? In this final conversation on Water From A Deep Well, John Mark and Dr. Sittser uncover one quality that stands out in their journey through 2,000 years of Christian history — from the lives of saints and martyrs, to missionaries and laity: the virtue of resilience.

This podcast and its episodes are paid for by The Circle, our community of monthly givers. Special thanks for this episode goes to: Neil from Lake in the Hills; Sheryll from Pensacola, Florida; Amy from Mount Carmel, Tennessee; Luke from Winscombe, Avon; and Jacob from Olathe, Kansas. Thank you all very much.

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

When was the last time you made a risk for God? In this conversation, John Mark and Dr. Sittser explore the courageous, risk-taking faith of pioneer missionaries, and how our own spirituality can be deeply formed over time by small acts of faith.

This podcast and its episodes are paid for by The Circle, our community of monthly givers. Special thanks for this episode goes to: Dee from Durham, North Carolina; Tim from Hagerstown, Maryland; Jennifer from Tell City, Indiana; Stephen from Surrey, British Columbia; and Julie from Austin, Texas. Thank you all very much.

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

What value lies beyond the church tradition you know best? In this conversation, John Mark and Dr. Sittser arrive at the spirituality many of us are most familiar with today: evangelicalism, and discuss how it came to be and how it can be harmonized with the rich, historical traditions of the Church.

This podcast and its episodes are paid for by The Circle, our community of monthly givers. Special thanks for this episode goes to: Shelby from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma; John from Asheboro, North Carolina; Heidi from Colorado Springs, Colorado; Alicia from Boyds, Maryland; and Miriam from Anderson, California. Thank you all very much.

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

When did you first get your hands on a Bible? In this conversation, John Mark and Dr. Sittser move into the Protestant Reformation to discuss how it profoundly shifted the role of the Bible, and how that connects to our experience in the life of the church today.

This podcast and its episodes are paid for by The Circle, our community of monthly givers. Special thanks for this episode goes to: Jenn from Spokane Valley, Washington; Helen from Kenosha, Wisconsin; Zach from Libertyville, Illinois; Kristi from Carthage, Tennessee; and Christina from Elk River, Minnesota. Thank you all very much.

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

Could your normal, everyday life be holy ground? In this conversation, John Mark and Dr. Sittser discuss how it came to be believed that even the most ordinary of people like you and me — not just saints, mystics or monastics — could create a deeply spiritual life with God in their everyday lives.

This podcast and its episodes are paid for by The Circle, our community of monthly givers. Special thanks for this episode goes to: Brook from Antioch, Tennessee; Chris from Burlington, Ontario; Daniel from Vancouver, Washington; Anthony from Raleigh, North Carolina; and Chris from Stone Ridge, New York. Thank you all very much.

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

What if faith is meant to be experienced, not just understood? In this conversation, John Mark and Dr. Sittser dive into the historical roots of Christian mysticism, a part of the Christian tradition that focuses on how we can know God through direct experience, not just intellectual understanding.

This podcast and its episodes are paid for by The Circle, our community of monthly givers. Special thanks for this episode goes to: Nina from Wrentham, Massachusetts; Eric from San Antonio, Texas; Beverly from Chico, California; Troy from Nashville, Tennessee; and Peter from Camas, Washington. Thank you all very much.

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

What if God is found as much in the ordinary as in the extraordinary? In this conversation, John Mark and Dr. Sittser take us into the days of the medieval church, highlighting the emphasis in that period on bridging the seen and unseen realms through architecture and the sacraments, showing how our faith can be enriched by the ordinary.

This podcast and its episodes are paid for by The Circle, our community of monthly givers. Special thanks for this episode goes to: Vilma from Vilnius, Lithuania; Danae from Temple, Texas; Eric from Fenton, Missouri; Mark from Gig Harbor, Washington; and Devin from New Braunfels, Texas. Thank you all very much.

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

How different can the church be and still be one? In this conversation, John Mark and Dr. Sittser discuss the development of Christianity in the East, highlighting its cultural diversity, historical divisions and what we can learn today despite the differences that marked that time.

This podcast and its episodes are paid for by The Circle, our community of monthly givers. Special thanks for this episode goes to: Allison from Grandville, Michigan; Savannah from San Clemente, California; Leah from Appleton, Wisconsin; Ruby from Virginia Beach, Virginia; and Hoyt from Quincy, Massachusetts. Thank you all very much.

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

How do you spend your time? In this conversation, John Mark and Dr. Sittser continue exploring the desert movement as it became more organized in monastic communities, and specifically how these communities related to one of humanity’s most valuable commodities: time.

This podcast and its episodes are paid for by The Circle, our community of monthly givers. Special thanks for this episode goes to: Aaron from Huntsville, Texas; Sheryl from Auburn, California; Jane from Oxford, Oxfordshire; Eleanor from Eugene, Oregon; and Alexandra from Atlanta, Georgia. Thank you all very much.

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

How far will we go to discover God more deeply? In this conversation, John Mark and Dr. Gerald Sittser take us into the desert movement of church history and explore how the desert fathers and mothers embraced hardship in pursuit of a deeper life with God.

This podcast and its episodes are paid for by The Circle, our community of monthly givers. Special thanks for this episode goes to: Lori from Cleves, Ohio; Karen from Tulare, California; Thomas from Bow, New Hampshire; Lillian from Sussex, Wisconsin; and Caitlin from Wake Forest, North Carolina. 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.