There’s a question at the heart of the new book “Delighting in Jesus” that caught my attention: it says, “I know I should read by Bible and pray every day, but I’m just not consistent. For many Christians, ‘daily devotions’ and ‘spiritual disciplines’ strike guilt and shame in our hearts. But what if we got it all wrong? What if our Christian experience hinges not on perfect spiritual disciplines, but on the perfect love of a Father who delights in us?”

This has been a topic I’ve been interested in for a while now: what does relationship with Jesus really mean. And now there’s a new word entering the conversation: delight. We often talk about joy or happiness, but I’m so grateful to my guest today, Asheritah Ciuciu, for focusing in on the word delight. Asheritah is the host of the Prayers of Rest Podcast and author of many books including Full, Bible & Breakfast, Walking with God, and her latest, Delighting in Jesus. In this conversation, Asheritah and I talk about why “delight” is an important word when thinking about our relationship with Jesus, why we don’t need to be afraid of being broken, how to build your joy center in your brain, and much more. I want to note too, in the show notes for episode you’ll find links to purchase Delighting in Jesus (which I highly recommend) and also a link to a devotional personality quiz that will help you understand better how God created you to feel most connected to him. I hope you enjoy both of these resources.

Doable Discipleship is a podcast produced and hosted by Jason Wieland.

Resources Related to This Episode:
https://www.asheritah.com/
https://www.delightinginjesus.com/
Devotional Personality Quiz - https://quiz.tryinteract.com/#/65654f1a7d4c35001488e815

Subscribe to the Doable Discipleship podcast at Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...) or Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/1Zc9nuw...)

Intro Music:
Royalty Free Music from Tunetank.com
Track: Escape From The Town by SHANTI
https://tunetank.com/track/267-escape...

Outro Music:
Royalty Free Music from Tunetank.com
Track: Peace by VictorWayne
https://tunetank.com/track/5040-peace/

• (00:01) - INTRO
• (01:42) - Marker 02
• (03:26) - INTERVIEW
• (06:50) - PRAYER
• (32:31) - Marker 01

“Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” - John 15:12-13

We live in a time when it has become incredibly easy to disengage. It’s easier to stay home. Easier to keep scrolling. Easier to avoid someone else’s mess. Easier to say “I’m sorry you’re going through that” than to actually enter into what they’re going through.

But easier doesn’t always mean better.

In this episode of Doable Discipleship, Jason explores an idea he calls “moving in”: intentionally choosing engagement over isolation and moving toward people rather than away from them. Scripture repeatedly calls followers of Jesus to value others, carry one another’s burdens, love our neighbors, and enter into meaningful relationship with one another.

In this episode, we explore:

-Why our culture makes isolation and disengagement increasingly easy
-What it means to intentionally “move in” toward other people
-Why meaningful friendships require choosing engagement even when it’s inconvenient
-What the Good Samaritan teaches us about compassion that actually costs something
-How technology can contribute to isolation, but doesn’t have to determine our choices
-Why carrying one another’s burdens is central to following Jesus
-How Jesus Himself modeled a life of moving toward people

In the story of the Good Samaritan, two people saw a hurting man and kept moving. The Samaritan saw the same man, felt compassion, stopped, and entered into his need. His decision cost him time, energy, resources, and money, but he chose the harder and better path.

Moving in is a choice. We can choose what is comfortable and convenient, or we can choose relationship. We can stay on the sidelines, or we can enter into someone else’s life. We can see people as interruptions, or we can see them as invitations to love.

And ultimately, we move toward others because Jesus first moved toward us. He didn’t remain distant from our brokenness. He came close, took on flesh, bore our burdens, and entered our mess. As followers of Jesus, we’re invited to reflect that same heart by loving deeply, serving generously, and building the kind of community that reflects His Kingdom.

If this episode encouraged you, consider subscribing, leaving a review, and sharing it with someone you want to intentionally “move in” toward.

Key Scripture: Philippians 2:3-4, Galatians 6:2-3, John 15:12-13, Matthew 22:39, Luke 10:25-37

Doable Discipleship is a podcast produced and hosted by Jason Wieland.

Subscribe to the Doable Discipleship podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and to the Doable Discipleship Youtube channel.

Intro Music:
Royalty Free Music from Tunetank.com
Track: Escape From The Town by SHANTI
https://tunetank.com/track/267-escape...

Outro Music:
Royalty Free Music from Tunetank.com
Track: Peace by VictorWayne
https://tunetank.com/track/5040-peace/

• (00:01) - INTRO
• (03:26) - INTERVIEW
• (06:50) - PRAYER

“All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others.” - 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NLT)

Sometimes the most loving thing you can do for someone is stop trying to fix their problem and simply be with them.

When someone we love is hurting, frustrated, grieving, or just having a bad day, our instinct can be to offer advice, find a solution, or help them see things differently. But sometimes what they really need is much simpler: our presence. A listening ear. Or maybe just a hug.

In this episode of Doable Discipleship, Jason explores what we can learn from Job’s friends, who actually got things right before they got them very, very wrong. When they first arrived, they entered into Job’s grief, sat beside him, and remained silent for seven days. It was when they started talking that things began to fall apart.

In this episode, we explore:

-Why our instinct to “fix” someone’s pain can sometimes get in the way of loving them well
-What Job’s friends teach us about the ministry of presence
-Why carrying someone’s burden doesn’t necessarily mean trying to remove it
-How understanding the ways people give and receive love can help us care for them better
-The power of a hug, a gentle touch, or simply sitting with someone who is hurting
-How the comfort we receive from God equips us to comfort others

Scripture calls us to carry one another’s burdens and to “mourn with those who mourn.” Sometimes discipleship looks less like having the right thing to say and more like being willing to sit beside someone in whatever they are carrying.

Ultimately, we love others out of the overflow of the love and comfort we have first received from God. As we abide in Christ and experience His care for us, we can learn to enter into the lives of others with a different goal: not necessarily to fix the problem, but to love the person in the way they most need to be loved.

If this episode encouraged you, consider subscribing, leaving a review, and sharing it with someone who could use a reminder of the power of simply being present.

Key Scripture: Job 1–2, Galatians 6:2, Romans 12:15, 2 Corinthians 1:3–4

Doable Discipleship is a podcast produced and hosted by Jason Wieland.

Resources Related to This Episode:
The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman

Subscribe to the Doable Discipleship podcast at Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...) or Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/1Zc9nuw...)

Intro Music:
Royalty Free Music from Tunetank.com
Track: Escape From The Town by SHANTI
https://tunetank.com/track/267-escape...

Outro Music:
Royalty Free Music from Tunetank.com
Track: Peace by VictorWayne
https://tunetank.com/track/5040-peace/

• (00:01) - INTRO
• (03:26) - INTERVIEW
• (06:50) - PRAYER