Today my guest is Preston Sprinkle. Preston is a professor and the Vice President of the Idaho extension of Eternity Bible College. He has written on topics most people are afraid to talk about like Hell, Homosexuality, and Violence.
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Shownotes Episode 16 – Apophatic prayer explained in a conversation with Dr. Laurie Mellinger.
Laurie Mellinger, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Spiritual Formation and Christian Theology
Dean of Academic Programs
B.A. Millersville University; M.A.R. Evangelical School of Theology; Ph.D. The Catholic University of America
Get your spiffy guide to the ancient Christian prayer practice of praying using Scripture called Lectio Divina (latin for “sacred reading”). It’s the perfect go-to reference and resource to get started with the four movements of Lectio that lead us to praying without words and listening to God.
A donation of 50¢ or more will get you this essential Lectio Divina resource. Click HERE to download it now!
Encountering and examining Apophatic (contemplative) Prayer
How we are over-stimulated. Children get overstimulated and need naps which means they get silence and solitude and lack of stimulation. Silence and solitude are restorative.
37:00
The demons we encounter in solitude or in the desert.
38:30
A clean and swept room, removed of clutter makes us more aware of new things that might be wrong.
One kind of prayer isn’t better (per se), but God is forming and reform and transforms us back into the image of Christ. God must reform us. In God’s presence we will feel more loved and acceptance and he might put his finger on something to take care of.
Luke 11:24-26
24“When the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and not finding any, it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ 25“And when it comes, it finds it swept and put in order. 26“Then it goes and takes alongseven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first.”
43:30
on…The messy interior work needed to be more like Jesus.
Letting God dig around.
43:30
Helpful and practical advice for getting started with apophatic and contemplative prayer.
Practice reading the Bible and using the text to help you pray and wait. (Lectio Divina)
“That waiting (in prayer) is the entry into apophatic prayer.”
(paraphrase) “If you are still counting the steps, you aren’t dancing yet. You are still learning to dance.”
47:30
Prayer can become flow.
48:30
Union with God – The traditional understand of the goal of apophatic prayer.
50:00
God invites us corporately and individually as human beings into that (triune) relational and our participation in that relationship is what I mean by union with God.”
Sensing the presence and love of God more fully, and more and more fully. This is union with God.
51:00
Western goal in Christianity is often understand (first) as Salvation in terms of Penal Atonement and payment for sin. It is a more judicial angle compared to what Eastern Christians do. It’s much more about relationship restored.
Today is something I’m really excited to share with you:
With a provocative title like “Jesus Feminist” Sarah Bessey thought she knew what was coming. Today we will talk about the outcome of the book, the moment she understood about moving mountains in a new way, and her great advice to not save your best work. We welcome her today.
First,
I invite you to just listen, read, enjoy and then contribute something, if you can, to help it survive.
That’s all. :)
Thank you.
With Love,
-Lisa
Today’s recommendation for creators: For this episode I recommend a companion resource:
Soul Care for Creators and Communicators
This book offers a new way to see yourself and your calling. If you are someone who creates and communicates in everyday life, this is a great read you will enjoy!
WINE SEGMENT (Learn something about wine.)
What is ICE WINE?
Ice Wine is unique to northern climates (like Canada where Sarah Bessey is from).
Key takeaway: Grapes or fruit must be ripe and freeze before being picked to be ice wine.
What is ice wine like? The flavor is very fruity, very sweet, concentrated taste that tastes “icy”, and has a high alcohol content (like 25%). It should be served as a 1oz pour for a dessert or with a dessert. I recommend trying some!
Do you have questions about viticulture, wine grapes or wine? Send them to me.
18:00
Growing up in a Post-Christian context. Organic churches without denominations and an understanding of church history. Never sang a hymn until she was in her 20s.
20:07
Introduction to “church-ianity” (vs. christianity) and not a lot of comfort in her pain of loss and 4 miscarriages.
21:20
Her wilderness season. Draw toward ancient Christian traditions.
22:00
Coming back home again to happy-clappy Christians in a community center environment.
22:30
On being “ecclesiastically promiscuous”.
23:30
God laughs and says “See you can find me anywhere!”
24:00
Influence and Inspiration. Some of Sarah’s favorites.
June 10 I will air an episode where I interview Sarah Bessey (author of the provocatively titled “Jesus Feminist”…find out what it really means.) This interview has some great gems in it about the process of creation, and some of Sarah’s story that got her to move from blogger to successful author. So, look for that and the shownotes here next week!
SHOWNOTES:
Episode 11 -An interview with Daniel J. Lewis.
Today we welcome podcast expert, the creative and enterprising Daniel J. Lewis. If you are new to the show, and maybe a fan of Daniel’s, thanks for stopping by and spending some of your time with me!
Tools, strategies, and action steps to make digital, internet marketing simple and affordable. Get it free using the promo code spark while supplies last.
To be a sponsor click on the Patreon logo (left sidebar). Thousands of people are listening. Reach them and spark their muse!
Wine Segment: Today, Daniel and I talk about the impact of marriage on personal growth….so I decided since it’s “wedding season” I’d feature a wedding-related wine segment.
What Wine pairs well with wedding cake? Rule of thumb: The wine should be sweeter than the cake. Wine from green grapes goes well with lemon cake.
Bittersweet chocolate cake pairs best with an off-dry red.
Do you have questions about wine grapes or wine? Send them to me.
Today, I am very happy to interview the prolific Daniel J Lewis!
You may notice improved audio in this episode!
That’s because Daniel graciously furnished me with professional audio tracks of it and I am grateful. He’s been at podcasting for a while and I aspire his professionalism. If you like the show and want to help me upgrade my equipment and improve the quality of every show–take a gander at the plea at the bottom of the shownotes!
I was so glad to connect with Daniel because through his website I found a way to make podcasting my own show a reality.
Interview:
MINUTE 3:30
Who is Daniel J Lewis?
(I ask Daniel to tell you himself. With dozens of interviews under his belt, he’s great at this stuff.)
4:10 How Daniel got started in podcasting.
6:50 His roots of faith and his unique upbringing as an influence for a spiritually integrative creative process.
(Yes, I too was homeschooled…until 7th grade.)
9:20 on Creative slumps
Col 3:23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
10:37 On how our Worldview influences our creative process
11:50 A creative life of service to others
12:40 on creation (process) not beginning and ending with us.
13:00 Biggest surprises in his marriage
15:00 The purifying nature of the institution of marriage
15:30 The application of knowledge, not knowledge itself, is what matters
17:00 Best advice lately? Function on the assumption of love.
18:00 Long-term marriage commitment as a method for growth
19:00 Higher education and finding other options
19:30 How formal education and degrees are less important than experience (in the digital age).
19:45 The message is key to creation (and to podcasting)
20:00 “Don’t wait to be perfect before you start!”
20:20 “The Perfect is the enemy of the finished…”
21:00 On learning perseverance from messing up and moving on.
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It’s really common for creative types (musicians, writers, artists, filmmakers, etc) to get into a serious funk, especially come Autumn season. Whether it’s the chilly weather, the shorter periods of daylight, the pre-holiday blitz, or whatever else…plenty of us hit up against FUNK.
I’m not talking about catchy music (Funk as in…Soul music with a greater emphasis on beats, influences from rhythm and blues, jazz and psychedelic rock). No, I’m talking about the feeling that something is wrong in the universe.
I was all up in a funk when I read an article from Tim Ferriss. If this successful Mr Moneybags type who’s arguably America’s favorite life hacker gets hit up with a phase of Funk, why should I think it’s strange for me to splash into one. I started listening and looking around, and it turns out it’s “a thing”.
Perhaps it comes out as cynicism, annoyance, restlessness, or ennui.
en·nui
[ahn-wee, ahn-wee; French ahn-nwee]
noun
a feeling of utter weariness and discontent
resulting from satiety or lack of interest;
boredom:
The endless lecture produced an unbearable ennui.
(ennui isn’t mere boredom though, the connotation is really more of a life-weariness…a “funk”)
Maybe it’s just low-grade blah or maybe it’s full-blown depressive feelings.
Whatever it is, it’s common. You are not alone.
We have to push through. Yes, Winter will be long, but we can use the time to germinate our ideas and bloom in a few months.
If you’re feeling the onslaught of FALL FUNK let me know!
![Eps 62: The [Christian] Argument for Absolute Non Violence](https://lisadelay.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/PrestonSprinkle.jpeg)
