How often should I practice solitude? What if I don’t have a good time or the right place to practice solitude? What if solitude makes me more anxious? These are all questions that you, our audience, wanted help with! Join John Mark Comer, Bethany Allen, and Bryan Rouanzoin on this final Question and Response episode of season 4 of the Rule of Life podcast. You may just hear the question you asked. 

This podcast accompanies the Solitude Practice, developed by Practicing the Way. Thanks to the generosity of The Circle, all our resources are free. To learn more about The Circle or to run a Practice with your church, community, or small group, visit https://www.practicingtheway.org/.

In this podcast season so far, we’ve discussed two encounters that we may experience during solitude — an encounter with ourselves and an encounter with God. In this final interview of the season, John Mark Comer and Bryan Rouanzoin interview Emily P. Freeman about how solitude enables us to encounter the living God. Through this encounter, we can experience his presence, hear his voice, and witness his power personally. 

Emily P. Freeman is the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of five books, including The Next Right Thing: A Simple, Soulful Practice for Making Life Decisions. As a spiritual director, podcast host, and workshop leader, her most important work is to help create soul space and offer spiritual companionship and discernment for anyone struggling with decision fatigue. Her work has been featured in Today Parents, Christianity Today, and Patheos. Emily holds a master’s degree in spiritual formation and leadership from Friends University where she also serves as a residency lecturer. She lives in North Carolina with her family. Find her work on her website, instagram, and her Substack, The Soul Minimalist.

This podcast accompanies the Solitude Practice, developed by Practicing the Way. Thanks to the generosity of The Circle, all our resources are free. To learn more about The Circle or to run a Practice with your church, community, or small group, visit https://www.practicingtheway.org/.

In solitude, we not only encounter ourselves and who we are before God, we also encounter the voices of others. We can be met with fear, regret, and external voices that may be challenging to distinguish from God or ourselves. Is this why solitude can be so challenging? How can we tell the difference between God’s voice and the voice of the enemy? Why does solitude and silence facilitate this encounter with our enemies? 

In this conversation, John Mark Comer interviews Ken Shigematsu. Ken is the senior pastor of Tenth Church in Vancouver, BC, one of the largest and most diverse city-center churches in Canada. He is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal awarded to Canadians in recognition for their outstanding contribution to the country. Before entering pastoral ministry, he worked for the Sony Corporation in Tokyo. Ken is the author of the award-winning bestsellers God in My Everything and Survival Guide for the Soul, and his recently released book (May 2023) Now I Become Myself. Ken lives in Vancouver with his wife, Sakiko, and their son, Joey.

This podcast accompanies the Solitude Practice, developed by Practicing the Way. Thanks to the generosity of The Circle, all our resources are free. To learn more about The Circle or to run a Practice with your church, community, or small group, visit https://www.practicingtheway.org/.

Solitude is a place of encounter, where we confront the reality of who we are before God. There are so many voices, including our own false selves, that we use to curate who we are. But in solitude, we encounter our true selves — created and loved by God. And we are free to bring all of our selves before God for healing, prayer, and reflection. 

In episode 2 of the Solitude season, John Mark Comer and Bryan Rouanzoin interview Bethany Allen. Bethany Allen is the pastor of spiritual formation and leadership development at Bridgetown Church in downtown Portland. She has a deep passion to see women defined by who they were created to be: image-bearers of God. Compelled by her affection for the Scriptures and her desire to be an effective learner in order to be an effective teacher, Bethany works hard counseling women, developing curriculum, and planning alongside Bridgetown’s pastoral team. A southern belle by birth, Bethany moved to the Pacific Northwest in 2007. She earned a Master of Arts in Specialized Ministry with a focus in Pastoral Care to Women from Western Seminary in 2011.

This podcast accompanies the Solitude Practice, developed by Practicing the Way. Thanks to the generosity of The Circle, all our resources are free. To learn more about The Circle or to run a Practice with your church, community, or small group, visit practicingtheway.org.

Jesus regularly oscillated between rich time in community and beautiful time connecting with God in solitude in the eremos. The “quiet place” was an intentional space Jesus entered to be alone with God and himself. As apprentices of Jesus, we desperately need to set aside time for this too.

In episode 1 of the Solitude season, Bethany Allen and John Mark Comer interview John Ortberg. John Ortberg is a longtime pastor, speaker, and author, and the founder of an online ministry called BecomeNew.Me. He and his wife Nancy live in Northern California. Born and raised in Rockford, Illinois, John graduated from Wheaton College with a degree in psychology. He holds a Master of Divinity and a doctorate in clinical psychology from Fuller Seminary, and has done post-graduate work at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland.

This podcast accompanies the Solitude Practice, developed by Practicing the Way. Thanks to the generosity of The Circle, all our resources are free. To learn more about The Circle or to run a Practice with your church, community, or small group, visit practicingtheway.org.

Our world is noisier than it’s ever been. Between noise pollution, our phones, and the digital era we live in, it is now possible to be alone but never truly be alone. Solitude has essentially disappeared from our modern world. And yet, Jesus prioritized solitude. 

In the first episode of the Solitude season, Bethany Allen and Bryan Rouanzoin interview John Mark Comer about the practice of solitude and why it's essential for every apprentice of Jesus. 

This podcast accompanies the Solitude Practice, developed by Practicing the Way. Thanks to the generosity of The Circle, all our resources are free. To learn more about The Circle or to run a Practice with your church, community, or small group, visit practicingtheway.org.

After discussing the ancient practice of fasting — its origins, practicalities, and benefits — the questions still remain: What about those of us with a history of disordered eating? Or a medical condition that prevents us from fasting? How do I know if it is healthy for me to fast? Am I missing out if I struggle in this way? 

This final episode of the Fasting series dives into these questions alongside Dr. Alison Cook, a licensed therapist, author, and podcast host. Originally from Wyoming, Alison studied at Dartmouth College (B.A.), Denver Seminary (M.A.), and the University of Denver (Ph.D.), where she specialized in integrating psychology and theology. Alison’s doctoral dissertation centered on the relationship between religion and prejudice. She is certified in Internal Family Systems Therapy and spent many years practicing in a clinic that served individuals with eating disorders and body dysmorphia. Alison has written two books: Boundaries for Your Soul and The Best of You. Find out more at https://www.dralisoncook.com/. 

This podcast accompanies the Fasting Practice, developed by Practicing the Way. Thanks to the generosity of The Circle, all Practices are free. To learn more about The Circle or to run a Practice with your church, community, or small group, visit www.practicingtheway.org.

Does a practice like fasting matter in the face of injustice and evil in the world? Can fasting really change any of it? If so, how?

For the fourth week of our Fasting series, pastor and writer, Tyler Staton joins John Mark Comer, Yinka Dawson, and Jarin Oda to talk about three key characteristics of biblical justice, the differences between standing for and with the poor, and how fasting is a powerful way to empathize with and intercede for our neighbors in need. 

This podcast accompanies the Fasting Practice, developed by Practicing the Way. Thanks to the generosity of The Circle, all Practices are free. To learn more about The Circle or to run a Practice with your church, community, or small group, visit www.practicingtheway.org.