Apprentice Institute

The Hope of Glory

Apprentice Institute — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 16:04:16 +0000

James Bryan Smith’s thought from above this week is, “Christ in You, The Hope of Glory.” In this episode, Smith continues his three-part series on the book of Colossians.

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Recent Episodes:
1. In Christ
2. Conversation with Keas Keasler
3. Formation Writers Guild
4. Conversation with Liz Hall and Kelly Kapic
5. No Condemnation

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In Christ

Apprentice Institute — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 15:14:02 +0000

James Bryan Smith’s thought from above in this episode is, “You are in Christ wherever you are.” Smith starts a three-part series on the book of Colossians. In this episode, he focuses on the first chapter of Colossians and explains the meaning behind the phrase “In Christ.”

Interested in donating to the Things Above Podcast? Donate here!

Recent Episodes:
1. Conversation with Keas Keasler
2. Formation Writers Guild
3. Conversation with Liz Hall and Kelly Kapic
4. No Condemnation
5. Spiritual World

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Conversation with Keas Keasler

Apprentice Institute — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 18:48:31 +0000

James Bryan Smith has a Things Above conversation with Dr. Keas Keasler about his book, Kingdom Apprenticeship – Dallas Willard’s Formational Theology and Missional Vision

A Groundbreaking Analysis of Dallas Willard’s Theology of Spiritual Formation

Dallas Willard’s formational theology begins with the claim that the aim of God in human history is the formation of a community of loving persons apprenticed to Jesus—and ends with the promise that such apprenticeship prepares us to share in God’s governance of the cosmos.

This apprenticeship to Jesus is the path to human flourishing, the renewal of the church, and the healing of the world.

In Kingdom Apprenticeship, Keas Keasler offers the first comprehensive study of Willard’s theology of spiritual formation. He argues that while the three D’s of disciples, discipleship, and disciplines made Willard famous, his formational theology is much deeper than that. Willard’s unique grammar of transformation is grounded in ordinary life, for it is in our present reality that we are trained to participate in God’s eternal purposes.

Mining Willard’s philosophical works, theological writings, recorded lectures, and unpublished papers, Keasler shows:

Willard’s theology serves as a practical curriculum for spiritual growth, offering a remedy for the character crisis we see in the church and in society.
Apprenticeship to Jesus is both for growth in Christlikeness and preparation for reigning with God in the fullness of his kingdom.
Spiritual formation is not secondary or supplementary to God’s mission; it is its very strategy.

Against the drift of modern theology into abstraction, Willard calls the church back to a clinical theology—one aimed at the transformation of character through an interactive life with God. Formation and mission, contemplation and action, inner renewal and outward vocation—all are inseparably linked in Willard’s vision.

Kingdom Apprenticeship offers a fresh and urgent call: to recover apprenticeship to Jesus as the heart of the Christian life—and the hope of the world.

Interested in donating to the Things Above Podcast? Donate here!

Recent Episodes:
1. Formation Writers Guild
2. Conversation with Liz Hall and Kelly Kapic
3. No Condemnation
4. Spiritual World
5. Conversation with Dr. Kelly Flanagan

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Formation Writers Guild

Apprentice Institute — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 15:07:20 +0000

James Bryan Smith and Emily P. Freeman announce the launch of the Formation Writers Guild. The guild is a year-long guided journey for writers who sense a vocational call within the field of Christian spiritual formation and want to deepen their faith, develop their craft, and expand their reach through publication. Listen to learn all about the vision and mission behind the Formation Writers Guild and apply today!

Learn more about the Formation Writers Guild here!

Click here to apply to the Formation Writers Guild!

Interested in donating to the Things Above Podcast? Donate here!

Recent Episodes:
1. Conversation with Liz Hall and Kelly Kapic
2. No Condemnation
3. Spiritual World
4. Conversation with Dr. Kelly Flanagan
5. The Gospel Is Bigger

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Conversation with Liz Hall and Kelly Kapic

Apprentice Institute — Wed, 27 May 2026 16:25:36 +0000

James Bryan Smith has a Things Above conversation with Liz Hall and Kelly Kapic about their book, “When the Journey Hurts.”

Transform Your Suffering with Tools from Theology, Psychology, and Spiritual Formation

We don’t like pain.

So, we find creative ways to go around it. We try to ignore, minimize, or deny our suffering, but we’re still left hurting. The twisting and defiling work of sin on this world is overwhelming and shatters our assumptions about ourselves and our place in the world. And yet, the path forward is through suffering. Our afflictions present an opportunity to encounter God and allow him to redeem our suffering.

Drawing on six years of research, When the Journey Hurts untangles common misconceptions about suffering, instead helping you find meaning in it. The authors integrate theology, psychology, and spiritual formation to provide actionable steps and tools that teach you how to suffer well in relationship with God and others.

This book introduces seven key practices to help you uncover meaning in your suffering, equipping you to engage with suffering in a healthy, faithful way:

Identifying with Christ’s suffering
Lament
Surrender
Forgiveness
Gratitude
Memento mori (remembering our mortality)
Weaving our story of suffering into God’s story

Interested in donating to the Things Above Podcast? Donate here!

Recent Episodes:
1. No Condemnation
2. Spiritual World
3. Conversation with Dr. Kelly Flanagan
4. The Gospel Is Bigger
5. God Is Joyous

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No Condemnation

Apprentice Institute — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 18:46:05 +0000

James Bryan Smith’s thought from above this week is, “There is no condemnation in Christ Jesus.” In this episode, James explains his thought from above, recalling a story about trust and how we can eliminate fear when we have trust.

Interested in donating to the Things Above Podcast? Donate here!

Recent Episodes:
1. Spiritual World
2. Conversation with Dr. Kelly Flanagan
3. The Gospel Is Bigger
4. God Is Joyous
5. God is Looking for You

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Spiritual World

Apprentice Institute — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 16:09:37 +0000

James Bryan Smith’s thought from above this episode is, “We are living in a spiritual world.” This week, James explains how we are all spiritual beings living in a spiritual world. He uses his mornings to practice consonance, which helps him live out his thought from above.

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Conversation with Dr. Kelly Flanagan

Apprentice Institute — Wed, 01 Apr 2026 16:41:34 +0000

James Bryan Smith has a Things Above Conversation with author Dr. Kelly Flanagan. In this episode, James discusses Kelly’s book “The Road Less Triggered.” Learn more about Kelly’s book and order it here!

Interested in donating to the Things Above Podcast? Donate here!

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The Gospel Is Bigger

Apprentice Institute — Wed, 11 Mar 2026 19:37:19 +0000

James Bryan Smith’s thought from above this episode is, “The Gospel Is Bigger.” In this episode, Smith discusses an article from Christianity Today that led him to the thought above. Smith cites Dallas Willard, John Mark Comer, and Scot McKnight to explain his thoughts above.

James Bryan Smith’s thought from above this week is, “God is the most joyous being in the universe.” In this epiode Smith explains how and why God is joyous. He gives examples from the book of Job and The Divine Conspiracy.

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God Is Joyous

Apprentice Institute — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 19:14:59 +0000

Interested in donating to the Things Above Podcast? Donate here!

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