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Our Eden Hearts

In the series conclusion, John, Sam, and Allen address our universal longing for life to be good again—and how only God can meet that need by shepherding our Eden hearts.

40 – Our First Love – 9/22/2021

9/22/2021: Our First Love – The scriptures are the doorway to knowing Jesus. Join Stasi as together we take a closer look at our magnificent King! You can find the list of worship we used at this gathering here on Spotify.

Encountering Jesus

Living in close communion with Jesus is something we are meant to enjoy every day of our lives. Meeting with Him in the secret place of our heart is one of our deepest joys and an incredible source of strength. Join Stasi today as she talks with Cheryl Wright, a woman known for her intimacy with Jesus. SHOW NOTES: Cheryl Wright’s book: His Warrior Princess: A Girlfriend's Guide to Being Lit from Within Scripture: Revelation 3:20 (the Passion Translation): “Behold, I’m standing at the door, knocking. If your heart is open to hear my voice and you open the door within, I will come in to you and feast with you, and you will feast with me.” Isaiah 44:5 (NLT): “Some will proudly claim, ‘I belong to the Lord.’ Others will say, ‘I am a descendant of Jacob.’ Some will write the Lord’s name on their hands and will take the name of Israel as their own.” John 17:22-23 (NLT): “I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.” Quote from J.I. Packer, Knowing God pg 41-42: “What matters supremely, therefore, is not, in the last analysis, the fact that I know God, but the larger fact which underlies it—the fact that he knows me. I am graven on the palms of his hands [Isa. 49:16]. I am never out of his mind.”

Encountering Jesus

Living in close communion with Jesus is something we are meant to enjoy every day of our lives. Meeting with Him in the secret place of our heart is one of our deepest joys and an incredible source of strength. Join Stasi today as she talks with Cheryl Wright, a woman known for her intimacy with Jesus.SHOW NOTES:Cheryl Wright’s book: His Warrior Princess: A Girlfriend's Guide to Being Lit from WithinScripture:Revelation 3:20 (the Passion Translation): “Behold, I’m standing at the door, knocking. If your heart is open to hear my voice and you open the door within, I will come in to you and feast with you, and you will feast with me.”Isaiah 44:5 (NLT): “Some will proudly claim, ‘I belong to the Lord.’ Others will say, ‘I am a descendant of Jacob.’ Some will write the Lord’s name on their hands and will take the name of Israel as their own.”John 17:22-23 (NLT): “I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.” Quote from J.I. Packer, Knowing God pg 41-42: “What matters supremely, therefore, is not, in the last analysis, the fact that I know God, but the larger fact which underlies it—the fact that he knows me. I am graven on the palms of his hands [Isa. 49:16]. I am never out of his mind.”

228 | Dan Allender: Surviving Depression

In this foundational episode, Sam and Blaine are joined by trauma therapist and bestselling author Dan Allender for this candid conversation about depression and suicide. As an entry into this weighty topic, Sam shares his personal story of wrestling with depression during high school and college—and how that tied to his deep desire to be an advocate for the underdog. Just as in Sam's story, God seeks to restore what's been broken or stolen in all our lives. That hard but hopeful process begins with discovering how to name, understand, and seek help for the shame, anger, despair, depression, or even agreements with death that come against us.

Guarding Against Desolation

Desolation is a major dark force in the world today that can cause even mature believers to lose heart and faith. In part three of the series, John, Alex, and JD talk about their experiences with Desolation and how to overcome it.

227 | Breaking Up is Hard to Do

A listener recently wrote in asking for a conversation on breaks-up. He was going through a difficult season after the end of a relationship and thought this topic was one most guys could benefit from. We agree. Some of you have been broken up with. Others are in an unhealthy relationship that you need to end. But even if you're single and not currently dating or you're in a marriage you're fully committed to—there's greater healing available from understanding how past relationships have wounded and shaped you. So wherever you are in your story, here it is...the break-up podcast. Show Note: The poem Blaine referenced is "Horses at Midnight Without a Moon" by Jack Gilbert. You can search and read it in full online.

Long-Term Recovery Plan

In the second part of this series, Dan Allender joins John Eldredge to share how the desperate rush to get as much joy as we can after the past year is understandable yet incapable of filling our famished souls.

Pursuing the Heart of Jesus

Welcome to the premier episode of Captivated with Stasi Eldredge. Our time together is an invitation to pursue the heart of Jesus and awaken the desire to know him more—because the more we know him, the more we love him. The more we love him, the more he fills us and transforms our lives.

226 | Discipline Is Not Enough - Part 2

We tend to measure success by what we get from God. We think our resiliency would improve if we only had what we most wanted. But the only thing that can ever truly satisfy the soul is being with God. In the second half of this series, Sam and Blaine discuss the value and the limitations of discipline and hard work, the power of partnering with Jesus in the things that overwhelm us, and an imaginative prayer exercise to experience Jesus in the moments we feel most alone and on our own.

Why Summer Wasn't Enough

No matter how good summer was, it couldn't possibly replenish our depleted reserves. In the first of this four-part series, John and Allen discuss the need to take a long-term view of our recovery as we transition into fall. Show Note: The Wild at Heart newsletter referenced in this podcast: https://wildatheart.org/blogs/john/eden-longings

225 | Discipline Is Not Enough - Part 1

When life requires more of us, we tend to buckle down, work hard, and get things done. But discipline alone can never create the mature, transformed man that God is after. Nor can the other extreme—a life of no discipline and resignation. Whether we shut down our hearts or numb it, we miss the very moments where we could experience more of God. What if the invitation is to enter the hard times with him...to be fathered in essential lessons and strategies we could never make happen in our own strength? In the first half of this series, Sam and Blaine reveal how the gospel forever alters the story of hard work and resilience.

Captivated Trailer

Welcome to the Captivated podcast, a new podcast from Stasi Eldredge and Wild at Heart Ministries. Please subscribe to receive notifications of each new podcast, available every 2 weeks. A few upcoming episodes will cover: Encountering and intimacy with Jesus, Christ is enough, creating beauty in the ordinary, dreaming with God, meeting God in the desert… and so much more. We are so excited to bring these conversations to you, as we grow more in love with God, together.

224 | Establishing Boundaries

What are the boundaries of your life and kingdom...and how do you protect them in a world that puts no limits on its right to overrule your time, words, and decisions? In this "back to basics" conversation, Sam and Blaine remind us that we have been given a self by God and, because of that, have the fundamental right for our will to be done in our domain and kingdom. Discover the importance and limitations of boundaries, how enforcing boundaries is an act of self-care, and ways to offer healthy respect for the boundaries of others.

223 | Can I Get a Witness?

We long to share meaningful experiences with others. It's in those times that we feel most seen and heard. Yet what about when there's no one to witness our victories, struggles, and eternal moments with? In the third AndSons livestream conversation, Sam and Blaine share why these longings matter even when they can't be fully met, the importance of being known—and of knowing others, and why being a witness is one of the greatest dignities we can ever offer or receive.

222 | Story 1 or Story 2

God gives you a choice. Do you want to spend your days in Story 1 or Story 2? Unfortunately, most choose Story 1—small stories of low risk, high control and quick answers where comfort is valued more than what God's up to. You wouldn't watch a Story 1 movie but often end up living it. AndSons podcast producer Allen Arnold joins Sam and Blaine to share his desire to stay in Story 2—a costly place of wonder, mystery, risk, adventure, and intimacy...with no guarantees other than God. Choosing that path gave him his voice back in more ways than one. And he's using it to invite others into a life of Story 2. Show Note: Allen Arnold's new book, Waves of Creativity, is available on Amazon.com