Become Good Soil

God’s kingdom is like a treasure hidden in a field for years and then accidentally found by a trespasser. The finder is ecstatic—what a find!—and proceeds to sell everything he owns to raise money and buy that field. -Matthew 13:44 The post 019: A Beautiful God [Podcast] appeared first on Become Good Soil.

This episode of the Become Good Soil Podcast is a reflection I wrote after ongoing ventures in recent years through The Message paraphrase of Matthew 21:12-18, the passage commonly referred to as “The Clearing of the Temple.” The post 018: Wild Unfettered and Free [Podcast] appeared first on Become Good Soil.

Eugene Petersen, author of The Message, makes this observation: The two most difficult things to get straight in life are love and God. More often than not the mess that we make of our lives can be traced to the failure in one or both of these areas. Sages have a capacity to see our lives illuminated with a glow that can only be appreciated through the view of many decades to come. The post 017: Dismantling the Fig Leaf (Part Two of Two) [Podcast] appeared first on Become Good Soil.

I've lost the ability to bullshit. It's the me I've always wanted to be. It's one of my all-time favorite film quotes, spoken by Jerry Maguire as he sheds the Poser and becomes more and more the kind of man to whom God can entrust His kingdom. The film is a modern parable of a transformational process being made available to us every day. The post 016: Dismantling the Fig Leaf (Part One of Two) [Podcast] appeared first on Become Good Soil.

We begin by taking a deeper look at how Jesus moves fluidly with both authority and love in all three styles of relating. The post 015: Getting Naked – Styles of Relating (Part 2 of 2) [Podcast] appeared first on Become Good Soil.

How we relate with other people is one of the greatest indicators of our spiritual maturity. This was the counsel offered by an older, wiser man years ago as he helped untie the knots in my rope and my marriage. One tough conversation began the beautiful and life-changing process of understanding how... The post 014: Getting Naked – Styles of Relating (Part 1 of 2) [Podcast] appeared first on Become Good Soil.

"Deep calls unto deep..." the Scriptures suggest (Psalm 42:7). There is in every moment of every day an accessible onramp to the narrow road that leads to Life. Often the onramp is hidden in the ache and longing to ever more wholly experience life as a son.  And when we pause and let this ache rise... The post 013: Quick [podcast] appeared first on Become Good Soil.

C.S. Lewis, in The Problem of Pain, once said this, What can be more a man’s own than this new name which even in eternity remains a secret between God and him? And what shall we take this secrecy to mean? Surely, that each of the redeemed shall forever know and praise... The post 012: Your New Name [podcast] appeared first on Become Good Soil.

It is rare that we pause and pull back far enough from our daily life to observe and wonder about the who we have and have not yet become.  At Wild at Heart we produce a weekly podcast, and Craig and Allen recently invited me into the studio to reflect on how we've each changed over the last decade... The post 011: Live in the Day and Measure in the Decade [podcast] appeared first on Become Good Soil.

The soul searches for a Father. It was John Ortberg who put those words to me in a way so succinct it cut to the core. I see it in nearly every action of every day. Every reaching. Every ache. Desire reveals design.  Design reveals destiny. It is the intention of the heart of our True Father that we would become sons... That's why George MacDonald offers this invitation: The post 010: Receiving the Heart of the Father – Cherie Snyder [podcast] appeared first on Become Good Soil.

For centuries, Celtic Christians have identified a "thin place" as a location where the veil between heaven and earth becomes especially sheer; a place where the unseen reality of God’s Kingdom is made vivid to the senses; a place where the Presence of God is unmistakable as it rouses the deepest spaces within the human heart... The post 009: Nearing the End of My Beginning [podcast] appeared first on Become Good Soil.

There are few men I respect more than Dave Tolman. He is one of the giants who served as a sage and guide at the most recent Become Good Soil Intensive.  I had a rare chance to turn on the microphone and record a conversation with him that I think you'll enjoy.  Dave is a Kingdom strategist... The post 008: A Conversation with my Aussie Hero, Dave Tolman [podcast] appeared first on Become Good Soil.

A few thoughts on discipleship from Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard to begin: Who teaches you? Whose disciple are you? Honestly. One thing is sure: you are somebody’s disciple.  You are learning how to live from somebody else. There are no exceptions to this rule, for human beings are just the kind of creatures who have to learn and keep learning from others how to live... The post 007: Responding to Divine Affection—A Conversation with Adam Paulson [Podcast] appeared first on Become Good Soil.

Nearly a decade ago, I had the privilege of seeking wisdom from Craig McConnell, a man who's seen many miles, fought many wars, and conquered death more times than I can recount. It was an even greater privilege to circle back with him on another conversation, this time recorded for the benefit of other men like you... The post 006: Diving Deep – An Interview with Craig McConnell [Podcast] appeared first on Become Good Soil.

An old, wise man, Jeremiah, suggested this: Go stand at the crossroads and look around. Ask for directions to the old road, The tried-and-true road. Then take it. Discover the right route for your souls. (Jeremiah 6) There are few things in which I find more life than asking older men the hard and holy questions... The post 005: (Video/Audio) Risking Love – An Interview with Bart Hansen [Podcast] appeared first on Become Good Soil.

C.S. Lewis was right when he summed up the dilemma of modern masculinity: "We castrate the gelding and bid him be fruitful." It's painful.  And it's true. Become Good Soil is committed to helping men find an alternative path—a narrow road—that doesn't "remove the organ and demand the function." The post 004: Hello, Trouble [Podcast] appeared first on Become Good Soil.

To every relationship, to every circumstance, at every given moment, we are either bringing our question or our strength.  Our search for validation and identity as men is the root of all that we do and all that we become.  This was at the center of a great conversation I had with Allen Arnold, Director of Content... The post 003: Your Question or Your Strength? [Podcast] appeared first on Become Good Soil.

Dan Allender makes this bold suggestion regarding peer friendship in this decade: Find like-hearted kings living in the same direction. Sign treaties.  When one kingdom is at war, both are at war. Join me in a conversation with two "like-hearted kings" who have chosen to give a decade to Becoming Good Soil... The post 002: Work.Life.Play [Podcast] appeared first on Become Good Soil.

Welcome to another Kingdom experiment.  This is the first episode of the Become Good Soil Podcast.  The BGS Podcast is a combination of interviews with sages, conversations among peers, teaching and more; all aimed at providing nourishment for men choosing a decade of Becoming Good Soil. The post 001: An Invitation [Podcast] appeared first on Become Good Soil.