In this episode, we are joined by John Eldredge, author of Wild at Heart and other bestselling books, as he and Jedd explore choices that feed an adventurous soul. John shares how he finds sacred spaces in our media-dominated world, the importance of Sabbath rest and play, and enjoying refreshment in God’s creation.
In this episode, we'll explore:
- The biggest causes of burnout John sees in counseling.
- How to carve out sacred space amidst our always-on, media-dominated world.
- A one-minute pause that can reboot your day.
- Why time in nature is essential to a thriving soul.
- How to consecrate our empathy so the world’s pain won’t crush us.
- How to take back your “down time” so it actually restores.
Key Quotes
“Where in your day do you have sacred space? Most people do not have any. If you do not have sacred space, how will you draw life from God?“
“The human soul needs room to breathe: where there is no stimulus, where you’re not being marketed to, not being assaulted by media…”
“Empathy, like any other gifting, is something that needs to be consecrated to Christ.”
“Is what you call your “down time” truly restorative?”
“You can’t offer life unless you have life.”
“If we want to go the distance…to keep serving in the long, hard work of justice and mercy with calm, glad hearts…we simply can’t do it without habits and rhythms that feed the soul.“
“If we just go on with the status quo, at best we’ll keep plodding with the same feeling of dryness or anxiety or that whisper that we always need to do more.“
“These aren’t guilty pleasures we need to sneak when God’s not looking. He made the Sabbath for us. He invites us to make times of quiet and solitude and play part of our daily and weekly rhythms, just like Jesus did. He’s holding these things out to us as gifts. But we must choose them.“
Resources and Guests
John Eldredge is an author (you probably figured that out), a counselor, and a teacher. He is also president of Ransomed Heart, a ministry devoted to helping people discover the heart of God, recover their own hearts in God’s love, and learn to live in God’s Kingdom. John grew up in the suburbs of Los Angeles (which he hated) and spent his boyhood summers on his grandfather’s cattle ranch in eastern Oregon (which he loved). John met his wife, Stasi, in a high school drama class. But their romance did not begin until they each came to faith in Christ, after high school. John earned his undergraduate degree in Theater at Cal Poly and directed a theater company in Los Angeles for several years before moving to Colorado with Focus on the Family, where he taught at the Focus on the Family Institute.
John earned his master’s degree in Counseling from Colorado Christian University, under the direction of Larry Crabb and Dan Allender. He worked as a counselor in private practice before launching Ransomed Heart in 2000. John and Stasi live in Colorado Springs. They have three sons (Samuel, Blaine, and Luke), a golden retriever (Oban), and two horses (Whistle and Kokolo).
While all of this is factually true, it somehow misses describing an actual person. John loves the outdoors passionately, and all beauty, Shakespeare, bow hunting, a good cigar, anything having to do with adventure, poetry, March Madness, working in the shop, fly fishing, classic rock, the Tetons, fish tacos, George MacDonald, green tea, buffalo steaks, dark chocolate, wild and open places, horses running, and too much more to name. He also uses the expression “far out” way too much.
Jedd has seen (and experienced!) that lives are turned upside-down when Christians begin to reflect God’s heart through adoption, foster care and service to orphans worldwide. This kind of love transforms not only vulnerable children, but also those who open hearts and homes to them. Churches begin to look different, too, as the entire community pulls together for children who’ve known great hurt. Finally, the change touches even onlookers, who encounter the Gospel not only in words, but made visible before their eyes.
Desiring to spur this kind of transformation through the Church, Jedd serves as President of the Christian Alliance for Orphans.
Through CAFO, more than 225 respected organizations unite in shared initiatives, along with a wide network of churches. CAFO’s membership works in tandem to inspire and equip families, churches and organizations for effective service to vulnerable children and families — from adoption and US foster care, to aid and empowerment programs worldwide.
Prior to his this role, Jedd served in the White House as a Special Assistant to President George W. Bush, leading the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. In this post, he oversaw reform efforts across the government to make community- and faith-based groups central partners in all Federal efforts to aid the needy, from prisoner reentry to global AIDS. As described by the Harvard Political Review, these reforms “fundamentally changed the government’s strategy for improving the lives of the downtrodden…”
Previously, Jedd held a range of posts in the California State Legislature. He also helped establish the California Community Renewal Project, which strengthens nonprofits in some of the state’s most challenged communities. He has worked, studied and served in more than thirty countries, with organizations ranging from Price-Waterhouse in Moscow to Christian Life Bangladesh.
Books written by Jedd include Upended and Four Souls. He also writes articles and op-eds for publications ranging from the Wall Street Journal and Washington Post to Comment Magazine, and engages radio interviews with both faith-based and mainstream outlets, from NPR and Al Jazeera to Moody Radio. Jedd’s most recent book, Becoming Home, offers a brief-yet-rich exploration of how families and communities can embrace vulnerable children with wisdom and love through adoption, foster care, mentoring and more.
