Theological Ninja : What we think about God matter

Toku shares with us what life is like in a Zen Buddhist monastery. We find out how the two years that Toku spent at the monastery has changed the way that he lives his life. We talk about way to constantly improve as a person. Toku is a coach who coaches some of the most influential people on the internet and those who aspire to be. Took is making a difference in the lives of many people through his website www.unexecutive.com.   www.theologicalninja.com

Jen Hansard is an author, speaker, art director, adventure seeker and the co-founder of Simple Green Smoothies, the #1 green smoothie resource online. She and her friend, Jadah Sellner, host the wildly popular (and free) 30-Day Green Smoothie Challenge at simplegreensmoothies.com. Their "healthy obsession" with green smoothies has become a global movement where over one million people have embraced this simple and healthy habit.Jen's passion as an entrepreneur and wellness advocate has taken her into classrooms to do green smoothie demos, leading business workshops, and going on stage to spread the green smoothie love far and wide. Jen and her husband, Ryan, live in the small country town of Brooksville, Florida with their two lil' rawkstars Jackson and Clare... and their rabbits, guinea pig and chicken. You can oder the book Simple Green Smoothies right here or go to target and pick it up! Jen is also my wife!

Are there any teenagers or kids in your life who are driving you crazy? Do you feel that all your time and energy that you are investing into them is for nothing? This episode of Theological Ninja with Jeremy Posey is to encourage you to keep investing in those teens at your church or in your neighborhood. Jeremy had a difficult childhood and in this episode he reflects on how God used a few people to invest in him even when we didn’t deserve it.    This episode is an opportunity to listen to someone else share the importance of investing in people. We don’t know the weight that many of the teens in our churches or neighborhoods are carrying. God could use us to provide some stability and comfort in an otherwise chaotic environment. If there is that teenager in your church driving you crazy don’t give up on him or her. Pray that God would use you to be a Godly influence in the life of that person. I hope that this episode encourages you to keep investing in youth. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.   Contact Jeremy at jeremy_posey@yahoo.com

Here are 10 verses that made my top 10 list. I'm interested in way your favorite Bible verses are? Email your top 10 list at ryan@theologicalninja.com. Here is my list: Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.   Genesis 1:27 God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.   Genesis 3:10 He answered, “ I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” Exodus 11:45 I am the Lord who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy. Deuteronomy 6:4-5 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. Psalm 51:1-2 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. Song of Songs 7:6-9 How beautiful you are and how pleasing, O love, with your delights! Your stature is like that of the palm and your breasts like clusters of fruit. I said, “I will climb the palm tree; I will take hold of its fruit.” May your breast be like the clusters of the vine, the fragrance of your breath like apples, and your mouth like the best wine.   Matthew 6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 27:37 Above his head they placed the written charge against him: This is Jesus, The King of the Jews. John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.   1 John 1:9 If we confess your sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. Revelation 21:3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.

Are you interested in learning to memorize scripture but you don't know where to start? This episode will give you lots of helpful ways to approach learning and memorizing Bible  verses. Timothy Moser helps people learn things and he shares some insights with us on Theological Ninja. Timothy also offered to help anyone get started with Bible memorization. If you want to get in contact with Timothy you can email him at timothy@masterofmemory.com. If you are intrested in his free course on memorizing the book of James in a month you can find it here. Timothy's websites: www.masterofmemory.com www.spanishinonemonth.com

The resurrection of Jesus gives us hope and boldness. Feel free to email me at ryan@theologicalninja.com.  www.theologicalninja.com A good N.T. Wright resource website. Suprised by Hope by N.T. Wright

If you are feeling frustrated and overwhelmed with the busyness of life this episode of Theological Ninja is for you. Join Ryan and Patrick Stanton as the talk about ways to experience God in nature. Take some time and go out side and enjoy God's creation. Find some time to unplug and connect with God through silence or the sounds of nature. God created us to enjoy and care for his creation. If you want to connect with Patrick look him up on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/patrick.stanton.9  

Have you ever thought about investing in people? This episode will help you see how you can invest in people and make a big differnce. This episode covers 8 different ways we can invest in people they are: 1. Neighbors 2. New People 3. People at Church 4. Friends 5. Family 6. Children 7. Spouse 8. Yourself   By choosing to invest in these 8 areas you will help create strong relationships that will last a lifetime. There is no better investment.

Welcoming the stranger is not something we are taught to do when we are young, but we can find Jesus in unexpected people even strangers. In this episode of Theological Ninja, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove shares about welcoming strangers, the illusion of whiteness and resources that encourage him to keep going.   Jonathan lives near Durham, NC in the Rutba House, which is a hospitality house in the tradition of Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin. At the Rutba house Jonathan and Leah, his wife, and other people live out their faith in community. They pray and eat together and focus on sharing life together. The Rutba House is located in a predominantly black neighborhood and Jonathan and I talk about how he has been on a journey of overcoming the illusion of whiteness. Listen to our conversation about the illusion of whiteness because it is really eye opening and helpful to better understand some of the racial tension America is feeling as a nation.   Jonathan also shares how the prison system is the 21st century form of racial segregation. You can check out Project TURN is see how Jonathan is helping people in prison and outside of prison come together to learn, stretch their boundaries and enlarge their imaginations.   Jonathan finds strength by being a part of the Beloved Community and singing the spirituals and freedom songs. Rhythms of prayer and scripture reading also help sustain Jonathan as he seeks to follow Jesus. Jonathan mentions commonprayer.net as a helpful resource. If you have not read any of Jonathan’s books I recommend, you start with New Monasticism, Strangers at my Door and God’s Economy.   God wants to interrupt our lives and bring us good news. Jonathan has found that this interruption often comes when welcoming the stranger. Let’s be people who are not afraid of differences but are willing to receive the gift that another person has to offer.   Shownotes: 02:05 Introduction of Jonathan and the Rutba House  03:13 Good Iraqi Story and Christian Peacemaker Team 04:25 Son of the South 05:08 The Illusion of Whiteness 10:42 Strangers at my Door 16:00 We just need to be Interrupted 21:45 Bridging Divisions 29:23 Prison-21st century for of Racial Segregation 32:00 Project TURN 34:20 Spiritual Disciplines - School for Conversion 38:17 Jonathan’s Prayer

This week we are going to feture a highlight episode. Many people have started listening recently and I know that it is difficult to go back and listen to past podcast. This episode is pack with helpful insights and tips that you can incorportate into your life. 

James shares some helpful thoughts and ideas on how to date your wife. James is really good at planning and coming up with fun and creative dates. If you are like me you can use some help in this area. This episode helps us realize that we need to put our spouses needs above our own. Here are the sections of the episode: 01:43—Get to know James! 03:03—Where to start when planning a date? 06:28—How to figure out what your partner wants to do 07:32—Don’t aim for Facebook-worthy dates 11:42—James BEST surprise date 16:46—Is “creating memories” a good goal? Not always... 19:35—This one thing can add a bunch of adventure to your dates 25:08—James’ tips + tricks to dating 30:22—Contact James @ www.jamesmtilton.com 31:33—Ryan’s recap

This episode was recorded in Guatemala on a recent mission trip that I was leading. One thing that became a focus of our conversation was humor. Humor and having fun is a great way to build team unity. I hope that you enjoy this episode.

Happy Fathers Day! In this episode John Hansard, my dad, shares some wisdom that will help you as you seek to be the parent God created you to be. Take some time to talk with your dad this week.

  It seems like I see a new article or book every week talking about how the Church is dying in America and a few other countries (though it is certainly thriving in many places). Reading this stuff can get kind of depressing and feeling hopeless, which isn’t a good thing as a pastor. The conversation that I have with Gabe Melian, a church planter in Tampa, FL, was a breath of fresh air amongst all the doom and gloom. He reminded me of something that’s so important in the midst of a culture that seems to be in the middle of constant change…   ...the Church won’t die.   I don’t mean that in an arrogant way, and I certainly am not trying to sound like I can see the future—quite the opposite, actually.   While everybody is telling me that the church is dying, I remain filled with hope because:   The Church has had plenty of chances to die in the past, and still hasn’t. We, the Church, belong to God. And, well, I just don’t believe that God’s going away anytime soon. Tell me… what’s one thing you can be hopeful about right now? MINUTE MARKERS // TIME STAMPS 00:40—Introduction 02:00—Best way to kill cockroaches + life in Brooksville 05:05—Who is the REAL Gabe Melian? 07:11—From Catholic upbringing to church planter 11:30—The ONE THING Ryan recommends to EVERYONE 12:15—How to help people understand God and the Bible in a country that’s changing 17:05—A more secularized culture gives the Church great opportunities 19:11—How can churches stay alive in the future? 28:25—Why we can have hope 29:38—One word to understand: Decentralization 31:05—The Spider and the Starfish by Ori Brafman 32:05—Books Gabe recommends reading: You Lost Me by David Kinnamen I Once Was Lost by Don Everts and Dough Schaupp The Tangible Kingdom by Hugh Halter and Matt Smay Bivo by Hugh Halter 40:48—The Church won’t die 41:42—gbrlmelian@gmail.com        

Josh Bonner is a man who cares. He is walking 1,100 miles, form Florida in Indiana to help raise funds for a missionary friend named Jason Helm. Listen to his story and be encourage to take the steps that lead you out of your comfort zone. Support Josh by donating at www.gofundme.com/nevergiveupwalk Never Give up Facebook page  Give Josh a call or text during his walk on his cell phone (352) 346-7698.

Have you ever felt God calling you to do something that you were not thrilled about? In this episode Dan Mottayaw interviews Ryan Hansard. They talk about following God when things get hard and how to be intentional with the people who are closest to you. Ryan shares how what he belives about God gives him the hope and strength to do things that he normally would not do.     1:46—Introduction 2:24—How I (Dan) met Ryan 4:00—Why Ryan and Jen downsized to one car 6:25—God calls us to hard things 10:00—A time when God asked Ryan to do something hard 19:13—A few ways Ryan plans to spend time with his kids this summer 27:25—Why trusting God is worth it 28:10—The one thing Ryan would do if he didn’t trust God 28:33—A closing thought from Ryan

When talking with Josh, I noticed that he had A LOT of positive things to say about his community group at Reality LA. Many churches have community groups—sometimes called small groups, life groups, etc.—but it’s somewhat rare to hear someone that looks forward to getting together with their group. So, I asked Josh what his group looks like, and why he finds it so valuable. Here’s a few things I discovered:   Family-style gathering once a week: Josh’s group meets on Wednesday nights in an apartment with about 12-15 people. They do a potluck dinner each week, because it helps people feel more like a family (and food is good). During these gatherings, they eat, discuss the sermon from the previous week (or some type of Biblical discussion), and pray. Do things together for their community: The leader of Josh’s group is a football coach at the school that Reality LA gathers at on Sunday mornings (a great way to give money to underfunded schools). So, their group sold concessions at the football games to help raise money for the team to purchase the equipment needed. Pray together: The group meets solely for the purpose of prayer once a month. They pray for each other, their community, and our world. Different levels of commitment: There are 4-5 leaders in Josh’s community group. They rotate leading the structured times of the gatherings on Wednesday nights (sermon/Bible discussion and prayer). There are also core members of the group that are committed to showing up weekly and owning other responsibilities. Then there are people that aren’t as committed—maybe they’re new to the group, don’t have enough time to come each week, etc.   I’ve seen many community groups in churches that do a great job of gathering together for the purpose of studying the Bible and praying, but Josh’s group seems to be pretty unique in how they do things together for their community.   If you are a part of any type of community group (or small group), what would it look like for you to do something together for your community?   Maybe you don’t have any type of structured group…   What would it look like to get together with some of your closest friends to do something positive for your community?   Josh’s community group is making a difference in LA, and I’m sure the rest of us theological ninjas can make a difference in our cities, too!   Time Stamps:   0:45—Intro 1:50—Welcoming Josh to the interview 4:07—Being a Christian in an environment that’s not 7:50—What Josh’s community group looks like at Reality LA 15:33—Being a Christian in the workplace 21:17—Josh’s advice on living out your faith in the workplace 25:29—How to contact Josh (joshtbrown@gmail.com)

Take some time and give your mother a call. In this Mother's Day episode Ryan talks with his mom, Debi Hansard. Debi is a wife, mom and business owner. She shares lots of tips that will help parents navigate those often difficult waters. When you become an adult you being to appreciate your parents even more. So take some time today and give your mom a call and tell her thanks for raising you and putting up with all your nonsense as a child/teen/20 something. Happy Mother's Day.

Living a life of prayer can be difficult. Josh Kleinfeld shares some very helpful and practical ways that we can develop a life of prayer. Josh is a youth pastor at Stillmeadow Church of the Nazarene in York, PA. Josh is married to his lovely wife Aubrey and they have 3 adorable girls. In this episode Josh shares a few things that he uses as invitations to prayer. Josh's invitations to prayer [9:00-11:20] 1. Washing the dishes - As Josh washes the dishes he prayers for purification for himself and his family. 2. Getting Dress - God clothe me with you compassion, etc. 3. Making Coffee - Wake me up to your presence today and wake me up to the needs of other people. 4. Random People -  Prayer of blessing for other people.   8 Invitations to pray with our kids 1. Everyday as you pass a certain street on the way to school you start praying. 2. Write prayers that you pray with your kids on a regular basis. 3. When we hear emergency sirens. 4. Spontaneous prayer, sometimes kids just randomly pray. 5.  Pray as a family before you eat. 6. Pray with your children before they go to bed. 7. Model a life of prayer for your kids, 8.  Pray for current events (Earthquake in Nepal and Baltimore).   Say hey to Josh: Josh on Facebook josh.kleinfeld@gmail.com   Resources Mentioned: The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence Strengths Finder Test   People Mentioned: Dr. Tom Noble Brother Lawrence   What was helpful to you from this episode? What reminds you to pray? Share in the comments section.

Do you remember what you did the first year after high school? In this episode we talk with Tristan LaBelle. Tristan graduated from high school last year and I wanted him to share some of the ways that he lived out his faith during high school and the first year of official adulthood. This is an important time in a persons' life and I know for me a time when I felt disconnected from God and the church. I thought that it would be helpful to talk with someone who is growing up and living out their faith in the real world. Enjoy the interview and send Tristan some encouragement at tristanlabelle17@gmail.com.