logo
episode-header-image
Nov 2024
40m 27s

Why Contemplation Matters: A Conversatio...

Practicing the Way
About this episode

Why is there such a disconnect between who we want to be and what we actually do? In this second of two conversations with Ger Jones of Vintage Church LA, John Mark and Ger discuss the practice of contemplation. John Mark argues that we overestimate the ability of willpower and insight to change us. Instead, he offers us three doorways into the practice of contemplation and practical suggestions for integrating this practice in our lives.

You can read more in the expanded hardcover edition of John Mark’s book God Has a Name, now available wherever books are sold.


Key Scripture Passage: 2 Corinthians 3v18


This podcast and its episodes are paid for by The Circle, our community of monthly givers. Special thanks for this episode goes to: Jana from Richardson, Texas; Janet from Liberty Lake, Washington; Allysa from Nipomo, California; Ryan from Dallas, Texas; and Anita from Anchorage, Alaska. Thank you all so much!


If you’d like to pay it forward and contribute toward future resources, you can learn more at practicingtheway.org/give.

Up next
Aug 18
Community as Family (ft. Bethany Allen) | Practicing the Way Vision Series E8
What does it really mean for a church to be a family? Bethany Allen unpacks a powerful vision of community not as an optional add-on to the Christian life, but as the very environment where transformation takes place. Bethany explores why community is both beautiful and broken, a ... Show More
53m 30s
Aug 11
How We Change: Community | Practicing the Way Vision Series E7 (Re-release)
Can we follow Jesus alone? John Mark explores the essential—but often overlooked—role of community in spiritual formation. Drawing from the life of Jesus and the early church, he shows how transformation doesn’t happen in isolation but in the messy, beautiful tension between the ... Show More
44m 34s
Aug 4
How We Change: Key Thoughts on Practice | Practicing the Way Vision Series E6 (Re-release)
What do spiritual disciplines have to do with real transformation? John Mark double clicks on the concept of the practices of Jesus—also called the spiritual disciplines—and explains why they’re not optional for those who want to become like Him. He shows us how transformation do ... Show More
1h 2m
Recommended Episodes
May 2024
Christianity as a Strange Religion? (with Nijay Gupta)
What made the first Christians so different from their surrounding culture?  How did their worship differ from the way the average Roman citizen viewed the gods?  Why did the early church view themselves as a family and why is that so significant?  We’ll discuss these questions a ... Show More
29m 55s
Jul 2024
A New Earth - Chapter 4, Section 10 Role-Playing: The Many Faces of the Ego - Conscious Parenting
The Power of Now - A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment with Gilda and Barbara In this episode, we cover "A New Earth - Section 10 Role-Playing: The Many Faces of the Ego - Conscious Parenting " by Eckhart Tolle Gilda Simonet and Barbara Wainwright have been studying Eckhart Tolle& ... Show More
11m 37s
Aug 12
A New Earth - Chapter 8, Section 09 The Discovery of Inner Space - Who Is The Experiencer?
The Power of Now - A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment with Gilda and BarbaraIn this episode, we cover "A New Earth - Section 09 The Discovery of Inner Space - Who Is The Experiencer?" by Eckhart Tolle. Gilda Simonet and Barbara Wainwright have been studying Eckhart Tolle's work f ... Show More
17m 48s
Aug 2024
A New Earth - Chapter 4, Section 17 Role-Playing: The Many Faces of the Ego - Work-With And Without Ego
The Power of Now - A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment with Gilda and Barbara In this episode, we cover "A New Earth - Chapter 4, Section 17 Role-Playing: The Many Faces of the Ego - Work-With And Without Ego" by Eckhart Tolle Gilda Simonet and Barbara Wainwright have been studyin ... Show More
16m 24s
Jun 2024
A New Earth - Chapter 4, Section 09 Role-Playing: The Many Faces of the Ego - Conscious Suffering
The Power of Now - A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment with Gilda and Barbara In this episode, we cover "A New Earth - Section 09 Role-Playing: The Many Faces of the Ego - Conscious Suffering" by Eckhart Tolle Gilda Simonet and Barbara Wainwright have been studying Eckhart Tolle&# ... Show More
10m 4s
Nov 2023
A New Earth - Chapter 2, Section 5 EGO-The Current State of Humanity - Identification with Things
The Power of Now - A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment with Gilda and Barbara In this episode, we cover " A New Earth - Chapter 2, Section 5 EGO-The Current State of Humanity - Identification with Things" by Eckhart Tolle Gilda Simonet and Barbara Wainwright have been studying Eck ... Show More
11m 24s
Aug 2024
A New Earth - Chapter 4, Section 16 Role-Playing: The Many Faces of the Ego - Pathological Forms of Ego
The Power of Now - A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment with Gilda and Barbara In this episode, we cover "A New Earth - Chapter 4, Section 16 Role-Playing: The Many Faces of the Ego - Pathological Forms of Ego" by Eckhart Tolle Gilda Simonet and Barbara Wainwright have been studyin ... Show More
22m 50s
Jul 2024
The Difference Between Religion and Spirituality
Spirituality is a word that has about 8 billion definitions. So what the heck is it? How does it relate to religion? Can you have one without the other? Are they mutually exclusive or do we need both to reach our ultimate potential? In this podcast, I explore the history of relig ... Show More
29m 12s
May 10
Hannah’s Prayer for Family
Hannah is a woman in enormous pain. At the beginning of 1 Samuel, she is roaring with pain, roaring with grief. And yet, in Hannah, we have a case study of a woman at prayer, a woman who has a spiritual encounter with God. Hannah eventually becomes the mother of the prophet Samue ... Show More
39m 26s
Nov 2024
Contemplation
Adoration is a practical skill, one we need to engage in if we’re going to grow into the people God designed us to be. Psalm 27 teaches us about individual, personal, contemplative adoration. And in the center of Psalm 27, it says, “one thing I ask, one thing I seek.” What is tha ... Show More
44m 59s