1 00:00:08,257 --> 00:00:09,457 Speaker 1: Life audio. 2 00:00:11,137 --> 00:00:14,537 Speaker 2: Find inspiration as close as your phone. Download the Jesus 3 00:00:14,576 --> 00:00:17,416 Speaker 2: Calling app and get started today for free. Look for 4 00:00:17,457 --> 00:00:20,137 Speaker 2: the Jesus Calling app in both the Apple and Google 5 00:00:20,137 --> 00:00:20,736 Speaker 2: Play stores. 6 00:00:28,577 --> 00:00:33,257 Speaker 3: Welcome to Jesus Listens Stories of Prayer. I'm Susie McIntyre Eaton. 7 00:00:33,737 --> 00:00:38,617 Speaker 3: John Eldridge, the author of Wild at Heart, has joined us. 8 00:00:39,297 --> 00:00:45,257 Speaker 3: He's got a new book, Experience Jesus Really. I mean 9 00:00:45,336 --> 00:00:48,857 Speaker 3: we all think we experience Jesus. We all think that 10 00:00:48,937 --> 00:00:52,537 Speaker 3: we've got it all lined out with Jesus and we've 11 00:00:52,577 --> 00:00:55,417 Speaker 3: got our relationship with him, and we probably even go 12 00:00:55,497 --> 00:00:59,097 Speaker 3: to church or we watch it online. But what does 13 00:00:59,137 --> 00:01:05,217 Speaker 3: he mean experience Jesus? Really? I'm Susane and this is 14 00:01:05,257 --> 00:01:10,617 Speaker 3: Mark and we are in Oklahoma. Where are you, John. 15 00:01:10,657 --> 00:01:12,657 Speaker 2: I'm in Colorado, Colorado Springs. 16 00:01:12,817 --> 00:01:14,417 Speaker 3: So Mark, how do you know John? 17 00:01:15,857 --> 00:01:19,057 Speaker 4: Well? John, I don't know if we've met for sure, 18 00:01:19,937 --> 00:01:23,497 Speaker 4: but I've been around you for decades and I wanted 19 00:01:23,497 --> 00:01:28,217 Speaker 4: to show you something and it would I know you 20 00:01:28,297 --> 00:01:32,177 Speaker 4: recognize this the Sacred Romance first. 21 00:01:31,937 --> 00:01:33,937 Speaker 2: Of Oh yes. 22 00:01:34,017 --> 00:01:38,977 Speaker 4: Yeah, and mine is all marked up And I want 23 00:01:39,017 --> 00:01:41,857 Speaker 4: to tell you how much of an impact that book 24 00:01:41,977 --> 00:01:45,697 Speaker 4: had on my life in terms of changing the way 25 00:01:46,657 --> 00:01:50,777 Speaker 4: I thought about faith and about God and about relationship 26 00:01:50,977 --> 00:01:51,577 Speaker 4: with God. 27 00:01:51,817 --> 00:01:54,897 Speaker 2: I love that. I've often told couples, I've been a 28 00:01:54,897 --> 00:01:57,337 Speaker 2: therapist for a long time, and I've told couples the 29 00:01:57,337 --> 00:02:00,857 Speaker 2: best thing you can do for your spouse is develop 30 00:02:00,937 --> 00:02:03,257 Speaker 2: a really rich relationship with God. 31 00:02:03,697 --> 00:02:08,537 Speaker 3: Exactly. Those who might not know who you are and 32 00:02:08,657 --> 00:02:12,056 Speaker 3: what you've been doing for the last some odd years, 33 00:02:13,017 --> 00:02:15,257 Speaker 3: give us a little bit of background about how you 34 00:02:15,297 --> 00:02:18,577 Speaker 3: came to be a writer and a counselor. 35 00:02:19,057 --> 00:02:23,617 Speaker 2: I became a Christian therapist in the nineties, and it 36 00:02:23,697 --> 00:02:27,937 Speaker 2: was largely out of my own experience in therapy. I 37 00:02:27,937 --> 00:02:30,497 Speaker 2: grew up in an alcoholic home. I had a lot 38 00:02:30,537 --> 00:02:34,257 Speaker 2: of childhood trauma that I brought into my marriage, and 39 00:02:34,297 --> 00:02:37,776 Speaker 2: I brought into parenting three young sons, and I did 40 00:02:37,897 --> 00:02:40,697 Speaker 2: not want to hurt them the way that I had 41 00:02:40,737 --> 00:02:45,737 Speaker 2: been hurt. So I first went for therapy to a 42 00:02:45,777 --> 00:02:50,777 Speaker 2: great Christian therapist, and as a result of that, I thought, Ah, 43 00:02:50,817 --> 00:02:52,657 Speaker 2: this is what I want to do with my life. 44 00:02:52,737 --> 00:02:57,617 Speaker 2: And so became a therapist in the nineties and began 45 00:02:57,697 --> 00:03:02,137 Speaker 2: to work with people and began to write. And the 46 00:03:02,177 --> 00:03:07,177 Speaker 2: lovely thing about writing books is I can write them 47 00:03:07,697 --> 00:03:13,937 Speaker 2: like I'm your therapist, I'm your friend, I'm your spiritual mentor. 48 00:03:14,177 --> 00:03:16,377 Speaker 2: I can be right there with you wherever you are, 49 00:03:17,137 --> 00:03:21,937 Speaker 2: in your home, in carpool, at the beach and bring 50 00:03:21,937 --> 00:03:25,537 Speaker 2: to you the same kind of healing that I love 51 00:03:25,617 --> 00:03:29,417 Speaker 2: to bring people who are sitting with me in my practice. 52 00:03:29,977 --> 00:03:33,537 Speaker 4: I believe you use the idea of the art of community. 53 00:03:33,577 --> 00:03:35,137 Speaker 4: I don't want to hear you talk about that for 54 00:03:35,177 --> 00:03:35,617 Speaker 4: a minute. 55 00:03:36,617 --> 00:03:39,937 Speaker 2: Well again, it starts not with the left brain, with 56 00:03:40,017 --> 00:03:42,577 Speaker 2: the right brain. So the right brain is relational, the 57 00:03:42,697 --> 00:03:48,017 Speaker 2: right brain is connection, the right brain is storytelling. Okay. 58 00:03:48,497 --> 00:03:52,377 Speaker 2: So you want some people in your life, and it's 59 00:03:52,417 --> 00:03:54,937 Speaker 2: never going to be a whole lot. You want some 60 00:03:55,017 --> 00:03:57,737 Speaker 2: people in your life who are seeking God the way 61 00:03:57,777 --> 00:04:01,537 Speaker 2: you are. You want people who love Jesus the way 62 00:04:01,577 --> 00:04:04,937 Speaker 2: you do. Had we invited some folks in to stay 63 00:04:04,977 --> 00:04:08,257 Speaker 2: with us last huh, and we didn't know them well 64 00:04:08,337 --> 00:04:10,897 Speaker 2: at all, but we had met at a mutual function, 65 00:04:10,977 --> 00:04:14,777 Speaker 2: and I could tell, Oh, these people love Jesus. I 66 00:04:14,857 --> 00:04:17,856 Speaker 2: want to be with them. So we have no history, 67 00:04:17,897 --> 00:04:20,376 Speaker 2: we have no background. We invite them into our home. 68 00:04:20,777 --> 00:04:25,017 Speaker 2: We had one of the best evenings together that I've 69 00:04:25,097 --> 00:04:28,937 Speaker 2: had in a long time because The connection is from 70 00:04:28,936 --> 00:04:31,256 Speaker 2: the heart. You want heart to hearts. You want real 71 00:04:31,376 --> 00:04:35,576 Speaker 2: people who are not pretending, not faking it, and you 72 00:04:35,616 --> 00:04:38,976 Speaker 2: want people who love God or who are at least 73 00:04:39,017 --> 00:04:43,297 Speaker 2: seeking him. Okay, because that's what builds the real community. 74 00:04:43,496 --> 00:04:47,217 Speaker 3: It is so hard today to really connect with our 75 00:04:47,296 --> 00:04:51,376 Speaker 3: hearts and the people that are around us because we're 76 00:04:51,416 --> 00:04:52,417 Speaker 3: so distracted. 77 00:04:52,897 --> 00:04:57,216 Speaker 2: You know, here's the secret. Everybody wants to be asked, 78 00:04:57,736 --> 00:05:01,616 Speaker 2: how is your day? Everybody wants to be asked that, 79 00:05:01,697 --> 00:05:05,296 Speaker 2: how is your week? How you doing, how are you 80 00:05:05,537 --> 00:05:09,537 Speaker 2: how's it going? And then they can choose how deep 81 00:05:09,657 --> 00:05:10,456 Speaker 2: they want to share. 82 00:05:11,697 --> 00:05:15,976 Speaker 4: Let's talk about the book specifically that some more. What 83 00:05:16,176 --> 00:05:20,497 Speaker 4: do you want us the listeners of Jesus listens and 84 00:05:20,537 --> 00:05:23,976 Speaker 4: that whole network that is out there and that will 85 00:05:23,976 --> 00:05:26,296 Speaker 4: see this. What do you want them to know and 86 00:05:26,376 --> 00:05:28,857 Speaker 4: take away from the local. 87 00:05:28,856 --> 00:05:35,176 Speaker 2: There is an intimacy that is available to every human 88 00:05:35,337 --> 00:05:40,577 Speaker 2: heart with God. There is a vine and branch connection. 89 00:05:40,697 --> 00:05:43,616 Speaker 2: The vine and branch, those are so close you can't 90 00:05:43,697 --> 00:05:46,856 Speaker 2: quite tell where one ends and the other begins. It's 91 00:05:46,897 --> 00:05:52,976 Speaker 2: a shared life. It's an intertwined intimacy. And this is 92 00:05:52,976 --> 00:05:56,817 Speaker 2: what we're created for and the era of the Enlightenment 93 00:05:56,976 --> 00:05:59,136 Speaker 2: and the Internet and all that has really made it 94 00:06:00,217 --> 00:06:02,937 Speaker 2: backseat for a lot of people. It's what do you know? 95 00:06:03,056 --> 00:06:06,416 Speaker 2: Who do you know? Get the latest news? But what 96 00:06:06,496 --> 00:06:09,097 Speaker 2: we want to invite people back into is what all 97 00:06:09,137 --> 00:06:13,736 Speaker 2: the saints knew for thousands of years. You read the Psalms, 98 00:06:14,017 --> 00:06:17,377 Speaker 2: you read the New Testament, and then you read the 99 00:06:17,416 --> 00:06:22,537 Speaker 2: biographies of the saints. They actually knew God. They didn't 100 00:06:22,616 --> 00:06:27,216 Speaker 2: just know about him, and they experienced God. The Christian 101 00:06:27,257 --> 00:06:31,856 Speaker 2: faith has always meant to be deeply experiential, learning to 102 00:06:31,897 --> 00:06:37,176 Speaker 2: hear his voice, learning to receive his love, and learning 103 00:06:37,217 --> 00:06:42,296 Speaker 2: to let him into your heartaches, so that Isaiah sixty 104 00:06:42,376 --> 00:06:48,137 Speaker 2: one promise of I actually can heal your brokenness, I 105 00:06:48,176 --> 00:06:52,056 Speaker 2: can heal you comes true and then those become the 106 00:06:52,137 --> 00:06:55,456 Speaker 2: Jesus stories that we're talking about. You say, guys, I 107 00:06:55,496 --> 00:06:59,376 Speaker 2: had the most incredible conversation with Jesus today, and you 108 00:06:59,537 --> 00:07:01,816 Speaker 2: tell it to your kids, tell it to your grandkids, 109 00:07:01,856 --> 00:07:05,897 Speaker 2: because you're coming out of a deep, deep intimacy that's 110 00:07:05,936 --> 00:07:08,897 Speaker 2: available with Jesus. That's what I want folks to have. 111 00:07:10,257 --> 00:07:13,696 Speaker 4: In more of a formal conversation, we would call it 112 00:07:13,777 --> 00:07:17,737 Speaker 4: prayer time. What would that look like for you. 113 00:07:19,017 --> 00:07:22,256 Speaker 2: Well, let me first tell everybody the new idea is 114 00:07:22,417 --> 00:07:26,657 Speaker 2: where is it taking place? Where is Jesus when you're 115 00:07:26,697 --> 00:07:29,857 Speaker 2: praying to him? Is he way up in the heavens? 116 00:07:30,977 --> 00:07:33,896 Speaker 2: Is he with you? Or this is the secret of 117 00:07:33,937 --> 00:07:38,417 Speaker 2: all the saints in ages past. He is inside you, absolutely. 118 00:07:39,017 --> 00:07:42,057 Speaker 2: And the new idea for many people is learning to 119 00:07:42,297 --> 00:07:46,817 Speaker 2: listen and commune with the presence of God within them. 120 00:07:46,857 --> 00:07:50,657 Speaker 2: Ephesians three Paul says that Christ may dwell in your hearts. 121 00:07:51,937 --> 00:07:54,377 Speaker 2: And so you read the saints, you read the psalms, 122 00:07:55,657 --> 00:07:58,977 Speaker 2: and they are communing with the presence of God in 123 00:07:59,017 --> 00:08:02,016 Speaker 2: the deepest parts of their being. Deep calls onto deep. 124 00:08:02,617 --> 00:08:05,497 Speaker 2: So what it looks like for me. I don't start 125 00:08:05,657 --> 00:08:08,977 Speaker 2: with Bible study, and I don't start with a podcast. 126 00:08:10,017 --> 00:08:15,937 Speaker 2: I start with I love you, I love you Jesus, 127 00:08:16,737 --> 00:08:19,897 Speaker 2: I love you, Papa, I love you God, I love 128 00:08:19,897 --> 00:08:22,297 Speaker 2: you Lord. And then I wait for him to say 129 00:08:22,337 --> 00:08:26,497 Speaker 2: it back to me. And I love you, John, I 130 00:08:26,577 --> 00:08:31,537 Speaker 2: love you. And I'm opening my heart to the presence 131 00:08:31,617 --> 00:08:35,577 Speaker 2: of Christ. This is very biblical. He dwells within you, yes, 132 00:08:36,097 --> 00:08:42,817 Speaker 2: And I am communing with Him as I shut out 133 00:08:42,857 --> 00:08:46,817 Speaker 2: all the distraction of the world and tune into the 134 00:08:46,857 --> 00:08:49,857 Speaker 2: presence of God with me. He's able to love me, 135 00:08:50,977 --> 00:08:55,417 Speaker 2: nourish me, heal me. He comes into my childhood trauma 136 00:08:56,257 --> 00:08:59,457 Speaker 2: and heals me. It's just incredible. 137 00:09:00,057 --> 00:09:03,057 Speaker 3: Well, John, thank you so much for being with us today. 138 00:09:03,097 --> 00:09:06,297 Speaker 3: We've enjoyed our conversation and I know so many people 139 00:09:06,377 --> 00:09:08,737 Speaker 3: are going to be blessed by what you have said. 140 00:09:09,377 --> 00:09:12,937 Speaker 3: You've brought us back, You've brought us back to basic, 141 00:09:13,497 --> 00:09:18,977 Speaker 3: to basic Christianity and communion with God. And we always 142 00:09:19,297 --> 00:09:23,337 Speaker 3: end the episode with a reading, which is a prayer 143 00:09:23,777 --> 00:09:29,537 Speaker 3: from Jesus. Listens, and it's from February first. Ever Present God. 144 00:09:30,377 --> 00:09:32,737 Speaker 3: I want the light of your presence to shine on 145 00:09:32,897 --> 00:09:38,537 Speaker 3: everything I experience, enabling me to see things from your perspective. 146 00:09:39,417 --> 00:09:42,177 Speaker 3: Help me to stay mindful of you in each and 147 00:09:42,377 --> 00:09:46,897 Speaker 3: every situation I encounter. Lord, I ask you to increase 148 00:09:46,977 --> 00:09:50,377 Speaker 3: my awareness that you are with me, no matter where 149 00:09:50,377 --> 00:09:53,937 Speaker 3: I am or what is happening. Whenever I'm feeling distant 150 00:09:53,937 --> 00:09:56,537 Speaker 3: from you, please remind me that you are with me 151 00:09:56,617 --> 00:10:00,257 Speaker 3: in this place. I'm so grateful that nothing in all 152 00:10:00,337 --> 00:10:04,137 Speaker 3: creation will ever be able to separate me from your 153 00:10:04,217 --> 00:10:10,617 Speaker 3: loving presence and your most magnificent name, Jesus. Amen, Father, 154 00:10:10,697 --> 00:10:15,417 Speaker 3: we pray for John and Stacy their extended family's Lord, 155 00:10:15,497 --> 00:10:18,497 Speaker 3: I pray that today that you would just continue to 156 00:10:18,657 --> 00:10:22,937 Speaker 3: envelop them in your love, that they be the workers 157 00:10:23,097 --> 00:10:30,017 Speaker 3: and the facilitators of counseling of love towards people all over. Father, 158 00:10:30,097 --> 00:10:33,297 Speaker 3: we pray over this book. We ask you, Lord to 159 00:10:33,377 --> 00:10:35,817 Speaker 3: continue to get it in the hands that you need 160 00:10:35,857 --> 00:10:39,137 Speaker 3: it to be in. And Father, I thank you that 161 00:10:39,217 --> 00:10:42,057 Speaker 3: people will give it away to those that we love 162 00:10:42,617 --> 00:10:45,377 Speaker 3: and that we care for. We love you, Father, and 163 00:10:45,497 --> 00:10:49,737 Speaker 3: praise you in Jesus name. Amen. We're so glad you 164 00:10:49,857 --> 00:10:54,017 Speaker 3: joined us today for another episode of Jesus Listens Stories 165 00:10:54,057 --> 00:10:56,497 Speaker 3: of Prayer. I told you, I told you you would 166 00:10:56,577 --> 00:11:00,977 Speaker 3: enjoy John Eldridge. What a beautiful heart he has. We'll 167 00:11:00,977 --> 00:11:05,417 Speaker 3: be back next time with another episode and another guest. 168 00:11:05,577 --> 00:11:10,857 Speaker 3: Until then, please remember Jesus hears you, he cares for you, 169 00:11:11,417 --> 00:11:15,137 Speaker 3: and he's just a prayer way. I'm Susie McIntyre. Eaton 170 00:11:15,417 --> 00:11:17,097 Speaker 3: and we'll see you next time. 171 00:11:24,737 --> 00:11:27,577 Speaker 1: Be sure to follow us on social media and on 172 00:11:27,617 --> 00:11:30,577 Speaker 1: the Jesus Calling podcast on Apple or wherever you get 173 00:11:30,617 --> 00:11:33,097 Speaker 1: your podcasts so that you can keep up with our 174 00:11:33,097 --> 00:11:36,457 Speaker 1: weekly audio episodes in special monthly series like this one, 175 00:11:36,937 --> 00:11:39,457 Speaker 1: and be sure to subscribe to the Jesus Calling channel 176 00:11:39,497 --> 00:11:43,017 Speaker 1: on YouTube, where you'll find the video version of this interview. 177 00:11:43,417 --> 00:11:44,217 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening.