Originally Released Dec. 5, 2023

When an athlete trains and practices in his or her sport, they are achieving multiple goals at the same time. They get stronger by lifting weights. They get more agile and increase endurance by running and doing sprints. They develop muscle memory by practicing their sport and certain moves over and over and over again. All of this is in pursuit of being ready for the competition – ready for game day. As Christians, we have our own exercises – we call them spiritual practices. We grow stronger in our faith through reading Scripture. We grow more agile and increase endurance through fasting and silence and solitude. We develop muscle memory through gratitude. Today’s episode is all about spiritual practices. Host Jason Wieland is joined today by Reward Sibanda. Reward and Jason go in-depth on what spiritual practices are, what they do to and for you, and why it’s important to make spiritual practices a part of your life.

Doable Discipleship is a Saddleback Church podcast produced and hosted by Jason Wieland. It premiered in 2017 and now offers more than 400 episodes. Episodes release every Tuesday on your favorite podcast app and on the Saddleback Church YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/saddleback).

Resources Related to This Episode:
https://www.amazon.com/How-Fast-Rediscover-Unlocking-Emotional/dp/0593601351

Subscribe to the Doable Discipleship podcast at Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/doable-discipleship/id1240966935) or Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/1Zc9nuwQZOLadbFCZCmZ1V)

Related Doable Discipleship Episodes:
Living with Hope in the Midst of Struggle with Alan Noble - https://youtu.be/99Nki49V0fI
Delighting in Jesus with Asheritah Ciuciu - https://youtu.be/nHFPW4QLc9s
Embracing Brokenness with Michael John Cusick - https://youtu.be/Wzky80I2lPw
Mysteries of Faith: Prayer - https://youtu.be/9rFBmBKiNxI
Mysteries of Faith: Union with Christ - https://youtu.be/U1MkOvTKvd0
Living Hope with Phil Wickham - https://youtu.be/1U_aetP2H0M
Longing for Joy with Alastair Sterne - https://youtu.be/HNXAl4wTmIc
Navigating the Bible: Genesis - https://youtu.be/ddhjMfOoasA

In this episode of Doable Discipleship, host Jason Wieland talks about what it means to choose to move in - to engage in relationships. He talks about some of the reasons why we may want to isolate or choose something easier, but offers a different perspective on why it's important to choose to engage. He talks about what the Bible says and encourages you to move in the way Jesus did.

Doable Discipleship is a Saddleback Church podcast produced and hosted by Jason Wieland. It premiered in 2017 and now offers more than 400 episodes. Episodes release every Tuesday on your favorite podcast app and on the Saddleback Church YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/saddleback).

Subscribe to the Doable Discipleship podcast at Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/doable-discipleship/id1240966935) or Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/1Zc9nuwQZOLadbFCZCmZ1V)

Related Doable Discipleship Episodes:
Living with Hope in the Midst of Struggle with Alan Noble - https://youtu.be/99Nki49V0fI
Delighting in Jesus with Asheritah Ciuciu - https://youtu.be/nHFPW4QLc9s
Embracing Brokenness with Michael John Cusick - https://youtu.be/Wzky80I2lPw
Mysteries of Faith: Prayer - https://youtu.be/9rFBmBKiNxI
Mysteries of Faith: Union with Christ - https://youtu.be/U1MkOvTKvd0
Living Hope with Phil Wickham - https://youtu.be/1U_aetP2H0M
Longing for Joy with Alastair Sterne - https://youtu.be/HNXAl4wTmIc
Navigating the Bible: Genesis - https://youtu.be/ddhjMfOoasA

“You have captured my heart, my treasure, my bride. You hold it hostage with one glance of your eyes, with a single jewel of your necklace. Your love delights me, my treasure my bride.” Song of Songs 4:9-10

Song of Songs is the last of the Biblical wisdom literature and puts a bow on our time with Solomon. It’s a book not commonly taught from because of its intimate nature, but I was grateful to find somebody who is actually currently teaching through this book at his church. Dr. James Hamilton is Professor of Biblical Theology at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and is the Senior Pastor at Kenwood Baptist Church. In this conversation, Jim and I talk about the rich theological truths of Song of Songs, what we can learn from all of Solomon’s writings, the connection between Song of Songs and Genesis, and much more.

Doable Discipleship is a Saddleback Church podcast produced and hosted by Jason Wieland. It premiered in 2017 and now offers more than 400 episodes. Episodes release every Tuesday on your favorite podcast app and on the Saddleback Church YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/saddleback).

Resources Related to This Episode:
https://www.amazon.com/Song-Songs-Biblical-Theological-Christological-Interpretation/dp/1781915601

Subscribe to the Doable Discipleship podcast at Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/doable-discipleship/id1240966935) or Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/1Zc9nuwQZOLadbFCZCmZ1V)

Related Doable Discipleship Episodes:
Navigating the Bible: Ecclesiastes - https://youtu.be/-Wr7LCh8F9E
Navigating the Bible: Proverbs - https://youtu.be/DytRT5AsZg8
Navigating the Bible: Psalms - https://youtu.be/oZeesooAYUI
Navigating the Bible: Job - https://youtu.be/14jaf2T1eCQ
Navigating the Bible: Esther - https://youtu.be/7RZ7ATWQZuc
Navigating the Bible: Nehemiah - https://youtu.be/Gok4WDgwn5I
Navigating the Bible: Ezra - https://youtu.be/aBC0nEjYeyo
Navigating the Bible: 2 Chronicles - https://youtu.be/OG3rHTgMgEI
Navigating the Bible: 1 Chronicles - https://youtu.be/lQ_Qc4zbfgA
Navigating the Bible: 2 Kings - https://youtu.be/04q9gDhBKTk
Navigating the Bible: 1 Kings - https://youtu.be/aS-KoeQXl2k
Navigating the Bible: 2 Samuel - https://youtu.be/ZbpafGgOW7c
Navigating the Bible: 1 Samuel - https://youtu.be/lY8wPElSFMY
Navigating the Bible: Rute - https://youtu.be/YaH-t-ZzTaM
Navigating the Bible: Judges - https://youtu.be/qNGcOf2o0NU
Navigating the Bible: Joshua - https://youtu.be/hF28aThBtFs
Navigating the Bible: Deuteronomy - https://youtu.be/HzmNgPOM4zU
Navigating the Bible: Numbers - https://youtu.be/H1HO6V9HDxs
Navigating the Bible: Leviticus - https://youtu.be/08RhDCXYex4
Navigating the Bible: Exodus - https://youtu.be/NB9UTpS1F3M
Navigating the Bible: Genesis - https://youtu.be/ddhjMfOoasA

Inspiring Dreams by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/
Creative Commons CC BY 4.0
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

“What do people really get for all their hard work? I have seen the burden God has placed on us all. Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.” Ecclesiastes 3:9-11

Ecclesiastes is one of my favorite books of the Bible. I might be weird in this, I don’t know many other people who would say Ecclesiastes is their favorite. To me, it’s one of the most human books in the whole Bible. Not only does it have some of my favorite verses, but it’s such a relatable look at one man’s struggles. Ecclesiastes is another entry in the Wisdom Literature of the Bible, along with Job, Psalms and Proverbs and, even though it may not seem like wisdom literature at first glance, it becomes clear why the more you spend time in it.

To help us navigate the book of Ecclesiastes is Dr. Richard Belcher. Dick is the John and Frances Gwin Professor of Old Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary and author of the Mentor Commentary on Ecclesiastes.

Doable Discipleship is a Saddleback Church podcast produced and hosted by Jason Wieland. It premiered in 2017 and now offers more than 400 episodes. Episodes release every Tuesday on your favorite podcast app and on the Saddleback Church YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/saddleback).

Resources Related to This Episode:
https://www.amazon.com/Ecclesiastes-Commentary-Richard-Belcher-Jr/dp/1527100413

Subscribe to the Doable Discipleship podcast at Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/doable-discipleship/id1240966935) or Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/1Zc9nuwQZOLadbFCZCmZ1V)

Related Doable Discipleship Episodes:
Navigating the Bible: Proverbs - https://youtu.be/DytRT5AsZg8
Navigating the Bible: Psalms - https://youtu.be/oZeesooAYUI
Navigating the Bible: Job - https://youtu.be/14jaf2T1eCQ
Navigating the Bible: Esther - https://youtu.be/7RZ7ATWQZuc
Navigating the Bible: Nehemiah - https://youtu.be/Gok4WDgwn5I
Navigating the Bible: Ezra - https://youtu.be/aBC0nEjYeyo
Navigating the Bible: 2 Chronicles - https://youtu.be/OG3rHTgMgEI
Navigating the Bible: 1 Chronicles - https://youtu.be/lQ_Qc4zbfgA
Navigating the Bible: 2 Kings - https://youtu.be/04q9gDhBKTk
Navigating the Bible: 1 Kings - https://youtu.be/aS-KoeQXl2k
Navigating the Bible: 2 Samuel - https://youtu.be/ZbpafGgOW7c
Navigating the Bible: 1 Samuel - https://youtu.be/lY8wPElSFMY
Navigating the Bible: Rute - https://youtu.be/YaH-t-ZzTaM
Navigating the Bible: Judges - https://youtu.be/qNGcOf2o0NU
Navigating the Bible: Joshua - https://youtu.be/hF28aThBtFs
Navigating the Bible: Deuteronomy - https://youtu.be/HzmNgPOM4zU
Navigating the Bible: Numbers - https://youtu.be/H1HO6V9HDxs
Navigating the Bible: Leviticus - https://youtu.be/08RhDCXYex4
Navigating the Bible: Exodus - https://youtu.be/NB9UTpS1F3M
Navigating the Bible: Genesis - https://youtu.be/ddhjMfOoasA

Inspiring Dreams by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/
Creative Commons CC BY 4.0
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Originally published Dec. 12, 2023

Have you ever asked yourself the question: Why should I get out of bed?

In today's episode, host Jason Wieland, Content Development Pastor at Saddleback Church, talks about his favorite book of 2023. It's called On Getting Out of Bed: The Burden & Gift of Living by Alan Noble. This short, 104-page book is rich in its look at anxiety, depression, and other hardships of life. It doesn't sugarcoat the realities of suffering. For anybody who may not struggle with these issues themselves, Dr. Noble paints an important picture of what life is truly like for those in this daily fight. However, this book is truly one of hope as it reminds us of the reality of our good creation, the presence of our good Creator and the truth that your life is a testimony of that goodness - whether you are having a good day or not.

Join Jason as he dives into this impactful, important book. This episode highlights some quotes from the book as Jason discusses why he finds this book so necessary and what makes it his book of the year.

Doable Discipleship is a Saddleback Church podcast produced and hosted by Jason Wieland. It premiered in 2017 and now offers more than 400 episodes. Episodes release every Tuesday on your favorite podcast app and on the Saddleback Church YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/saddleback).

Resources Related to This Episode:
https://www.amazon.com/Getting-Out-Bed-Burden-Living/dp/1514004437

Subscribe to the Doable Discipleship podcast at Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/doable-discipleship/id1240966935) or Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/1Zc9nuwQZOLadbFCZCmZ1V)

Related Doable Discipleship Episodes:
Living with Hope in the Midst of Struggle with Alan Noble - https://youtu.be/99Nki49V0fI
Delighting in Jesus with Asheritah Ciuciu - https://youtu.be/nHFPW4QLc9s
Embracing Brokenness with Michael John Cusick - https://youtu.be/Wzky80I2lPw
Mysteries of Faith: Prayer - https://youtu.be/9rFBmBKiNxI
Mysteries of Faith: Union with Christ - https://youtu.be/U1MkOvTKvd0
Living Hope with Phil Wickham - https://youtu.be/1U_aetP2H0M
Longing for Joy with Alastair Sterne - https://youtu.be/HNXAl4wTmIc
Navigating the Bible: Genesis - https://youtu.be/ddhjMfOoasA

We’ve done many episodes of Doable Discipleship about identity, largely because it’s such an important topic in a world that constantly tries to fight for the right to control your identity, but also because there’s just so much to talk about, particularly from the Christian perspective. And today I want to add two more facets to that conversation: self-esteem and bias. The premise: who you think you are creates a bias, even an unconscious one, in how you receive input about your life and how you view other people. It affects how you handle success, failure, advice, friendships, and so much more. Christians have the opportunity to anchor their identity, and therefore their bias and self-esteem in two key biblical truths.

To talk to us about bias, self-esteem, and these biblical truths is Dr. Erin Devers, professor of psychology and Indiana Wesleyan University and author of the new book, The Unbiased Self.

Doable Discipleship is a Saddleback Church podcast produced and hosted by Jason Wieland. It premiered in 2017 and now offers more than 400 episodes. Episodes release every Tuesday on your favorite podcast app and on the Saddleback Church YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/saddleback).

Resources Related to This Episode:
https://www.amazon.com/Unbiased-Self-Psychology-Overcoming-Cognitive/dp/1514009765

Subscribe to the Doable Discipleship podcast at Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/doable-discipleship/id1240966935) or Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/1Zc9nuwQZOLadbFCZCmZ1V)

Related Doable Discipleship Episodes:
Delighting in Jesus with Asheritah Ciuciu - https://youtu.be/nHFPW4QLc9s
Embracing Brokenness with Michael John Cusick - https://youtu.be/Wzky80I2lPw
Mysteries of Faith: Salvation - https://youtu.be/0webo0ULhKk
Mysteries of Faith: Prayer - https://youtu.be/9rFBmBKiNxI
Mysteries of Faith: Union with Christ - https://youtu.be/U1MkOvTKvd0
Living Hope with Phil Wickham - https://youtu.be/1U_aetP2H0M
Longing for Joy with Alastair Sterne - https://youtu.be/HNXAl4wTmIc
Music, Story, and Experience with Luke Smallbone - https://youtu.be/6I-ayiHn7Tw
Navigating the Bible: Genesis - https://youtu.be/ddhjMfOoasA
Living Out of Overflow - https://youtu.be/aBKXbHf0X0s
Living with Hope in the Midst of Struggle - https://youtu.be/99Nki49V0fI

O LORD, I give my life to you.
2 I trust in you, my God!
Do not let me be disgraced,
or let my enemies rejoice in my defeat.
3 No one who trusts in you will ever be disgraced,
but disgrace comes to those who try to deceive others.
4 Show me the right path, O LORD;
point out the road for me to follow.
5 Lead me by your truth and teach me,
for you are the God who saves me.
All day long I put my hope in you.
6 Remember, O LORD, your compassion and unfailing love,
which you have shown from long ages past.
7 Do not remember the rebellious sins of my youth.
Remember me in the light of your unfailing love,
for you are merciful, O LORD.
Psalm 25:1-7

The Book of Psalms is without question one of the most well-known books of the Bible. You open up your Bible in the middle and you’re likely to open to a Psalm. Psalms are read at weddings and funerals, you see them written on artwork and mugs and frames. But how should we read the Psalms? What does Psalms teach us about God and about ourselves?

Today I’m grateful to have Dr. Tremper Longman navigating us through the book of Psalms. Dr. Longman is the author of How to Read the Psalms, the Tyndale Old Testament Commentary on Psalms, and was one of the lead translators for the New Living Translation or NLT.

Doable Discipleship is a Saddleback Church podcast produced and hosted by Jason Wieland. It premiered in 2017 and now offers more than 400 episodes. Episodes release every Tuesday on your favorite podcast app and on the Saddleback Church YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/saddleback).

Resources Related to This Episode:
https://www.amazon.com/How-Read-Psalms/dp/0877849412

https://www.amazon.com/Psalms-Introduction-Commentary-Testament-Commentaries/dp/0830842853

Subscribe to the Doable Discipleship podcast at Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/doable-discipleship/id1240966935) or Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/1Zc9nuwQZOLadbFCZCmZ1V)

Related Doable Discipleship Episodes:
Navigating the Bible: Job - https://youtu.be/14jaf2T1eCQ
Navigating the Bible: Esther - https://youtu.be/7RZ7ATWQZuc
Navigating the Bible: Nehemiah - https://youtu.be/Gok4WDgwn5I
Navigating the Bible: Ezra - https://youtu.be/aBC0nEjYeyo
Navigating the Bible: 2 Chronicles - https://youtu.be/OG3rHTgMgEI
Navigating the Bible: 1 Chronicles - https://youtu.be/lQ_Qc4zbfgA
Navigating the Bible: 2 Kings - https://youtu.be/04q9gDhBKTk
Navigating the Bible: 1 Kings - https://youtu.be/aS-KoeQXl2k
Navigating the Bible: 2 Samuel - https://youtu.be/ZbpafGgOW7c
Navigating the Bible: 1 Samuel - https://youtu.be/lY8wPElSFMY
Navigating the Bible: Rute - https://youtu.be/YaH-t-ZzTaM
Navigating the Bible: Judges - https://youtu.be/qNGcOf2o0NU
Navigating the Bible: Joshua - https://youtu.be/hF28aThBtFs
Navigating the Bible: Deuteronomy - https://youtu.be/HzmNgPOM4zU
Navigating the Bible: Numbers - https://youtu.be/H1HO6V9HDxs
Navigating the Bible: Leviticus - https://youtu.be/08RhDCXYex4
Navigating the Bible: Exodus - https://youtu.be/NB9UTpS1F3M
Navigating the Bible: Genesis - https://youtu.be/ddhjMfOoasA

Inspiring Dreams by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/
Creative Commons CC BY 4.0
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. I hear a loud shout from the throne, saying, ‘Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” – Revelation 21:1-4

There are many pictures of what heaven may be like. From art to poetry to film and television, many people have depicted heaven one way or another. And I completely understand why people would want to do so – heaven is something I believe everybody thinks about at some point in their life. Even an atheist has likely gone through the mental exercise of thinking, if heaven is real I wonder what it may be like. So today I want to explore the mystery of heaven: what the Bible says about heaven, how culture has depicted heaven, and seek answer some of the most common questions people have. To do so I reached out to an expert.

Dr. Alister McGrath recently retired as the Andreas Idreos Professor of Science and Religion at Oxford University where he started teaching in 1983. Dr. McGrath now serves as Senior Research Fellow at the Ian Ramsey Centre for Science and Religion at Oxford. He is the author of an immensely popular textbook, Christian Theology: An Introduction which is in its 6th edition and, most appropriate for this conversation, he’s the author of A Brief History of Heaven.

Doable Discipleship is a Saddleback Church podcast produced and hosted by Jason Wieland. It premiered in 2017 and now offers more than 400 episodes. Episodes release every Tuesday on your favorite podcast app and on the Saddleback Church YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/saddleback).

Resources Related to This Episode:
https://www.amazon.com/Brief-History-Heaven-Alister-McGrath/dp/0631233547
https://www.amazon.com/Christian-Theology-Introduction-Alister-McGrath/dp/1118869575

Subscribe to the Doable Discipleship podcast at Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/doable-discipleship/id1240966935) or Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/1Zc9nuwQZOLadbFCZCmZ1V)

Related Doable Discipleship Episodes:
Mysteries of Faith: Salvation - https://youtu.be/0webo0ULhKk
Mysteries of Faith: Prayer - https://youtu.be/9rFBmBKiNxI
Mysteries of Faith: Union with Christ - https://youtu.be/U1MkOvTKvd0
Living Hope with Phil Wickham - https://youtu.be/1U_aetP2H0M
Longing for Joy with Alastair Sterne - https://youtu.be/HNXAl4wTmIc
Music, Story, and Experience with Luke Smallbone - https://youtu.be/6I-ayiHn7Tw
Navigating the Bible: Genesis - https://youtu.be/ddhjMfOoasA
Living Out of Overflow - https://youtu.be/aBKXbHf0X0s
Living with Hope in the Midst of Struggle - https://youtu.be/99Nki49V0fI