Episodes

  • More than a Life Hack: Spiritual Formation in a Therapeutic Age

    More than a Life Hack: Spiritual Formation in a Therapeutic Age
    Apr 4 2025
    In this episode of the Cartographers, we sit down with Kyle Strobel, professor at Talbot Seminary, to get at what spiritual formation is and isn't. It isn't a life hack or even growth. Find out more about Kyle, his substack and his courses here. The Cartographers is a production of Willowbrae Institute. Find out more at willowbrae.org. Be sure to signup for Willowbrae's newsletter and rate and review the podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    47 mins
  • Make Christianity Weird Again?

    Make Christianity Weird Again?
    Nov 20 2024
    Brad East joins us to talk about Gen Z, the rise of magic, and what it might take to make Christianity weird again in a secular age. Tune in for a fascinating, down-to-earth conversation about what faith in Christ offers the world. Brad East is a professor at Abilene Christian University and we talk about his CT article, "Make Christianity Spooky Again." His most recent book is Letters to Future Saints. The Cartographers is a production of Willowbrae Institute. Find out more at willowbrae.org. Be sure to signup for Willowbrae's newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    44 mins
  • The Worshiping Church in a Secular Age (Gordon T. Smith)

    The Worshiping Church in a Secular Age (Gordon T. Smith)
    May 14 2024
    Gordon T. Smith joins us to talk about the position of the church in a secular age. Do we stay put? Do we form a moral enclave? How does worship form us into disciples? Join us for this conversation on the words and practices that form our imaginations: liturgical and sacramental. Gordon T. Smith is currently president of Ambrose University and the author of several books. We focus the conversation on his book Wisdom from Babylon and mention Evangelical, Sacramental, and Penecostal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    45 mins
  • But do we really need the church?

    But do we really need the church?
    Apr 23 2024
    "Maybe religion, for all of its faults, works a bit like a retaining wall to hold back the destabilizing pressure of American hyper-individualism, which threatens to swell and spill over in its absence.” So writes Derek Thompson in The Atlantic. In this episode, as part of the series on worship and formation, Ashley and Bryce discuss Thompson's article, trends in churchgoing, the role of technology, and what the church is for. Resources discussed: “The True Cost of the Churchgoing Bust” By Derek Thompson in The Atlantic Kirsten Sanders' substack series, including this article, "My First Advice Column" The Cartographers is a production of Willowbrae Institute. Find out more at willowbrae.org. Be sure to signup for Willowbrae's newsletter and rate and review the podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    33 mins
  • The Formational Power of Gratitude with Cornelius Plantinga

    The Formational Power of Gratitude with Cornelius Plantinga
    Mar 25 2024
    How do things like gratitude and thanksgiving form us? In this conversation with Cornelius Plantinga on his latest book, Gratitude, we talk about the importance of gratitude, sin, confession, and growth in the worshipping life of a church. We also talk about practical next steps and what the global church has to teach North American churches. Links: Neal's book, Gratitude: Why Giving Thanks is Key to Our Well-being Not the Way it's Supposed to Be: A Breviary of Sin Special Offer: Do you want to invest in your marriage and work out some relationship kinks? For the month of March, for readers of “Beauty Leads the Way” and Cartographers listeners, we have a code for the Thrive Marriage Lab, a cohort program to get out of relational autopilot from our friends at ReStory Counseling. Use code “Hales” for $20/ off each month. Last day to sign up is April 7! The Cartographers is a production of Willowbrae Institute. Find out more at willowbrae.org. Be sure to signup for Willowbrae's newsletter and rate and review the podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    43 mins
  • Worship in the WEIRDER World with Andrew Wilson

    Worship in the WEIRDER World with Andrew Wilson
    Mar 12 2024
    Andrew Wilson, pastor and historian, writes about the context of the WEIRDER world in Remaking the World. We wanted to dig deep on the way this context affects Christian worship and practice. Listen in for helpful terms, thoughtful analysis, and how we might actually believe what we say we believe. Links: Andrew Wilson, Remaking the World: How 1776 Created the Post-Christian West Podcast, Post-Christianity? King's Church London Special Offer: Do you want to invest in your marriage and work out some relationship kinks? For the month of March, for readers of “Beauty Leads the Way” and Cartographers listeners, we have a code for the Thrive Marriage Lab, a cohort program to get out of relational autopilot from our friends at ReStory Counseling. Use code “Hales” for $20/ off each month. Last day to sign up is April 7! The Cartographers is a production of Willowbrae Institute. Find out more at willowbrae.org. Be sure to signup for Willowbrae's newsletter and rate and review the podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    59 mins
  • Technology and Worship: What's Really Forming Us?

    Technology and Worship: What's Really Forming Us?
    Feb 27 2024
    We all know technology forms us -- but how? How does technology intersect with our spiritual lives? It's tempting to just toss tech out the window, but how do we think more Christianly about the tech we use? Whether as parents or leaders, we have to reckon with the affect of technology on our affections. We end the episode with a few small, practical ways to get started thinking about formation, worship, and technology's affect on our affections. Links: Ted Gioia's Substack article, "The State of the Culture" Jon Haidt, The Anxious Generation and The Coddling of the American Mind Social Dilemma Dallas Willard on vision, intention, means. We've got a limited-time, special offer for you!: What if God has more for your marriage? We're so excited to partner with Restoration Project! They're some of our favorites and now they've started a cohort for married folks called THRIVE. With code HALES you'll get $20 off each month. Go to Restory.life/thrive for details. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    47 mins
  • Curt Thompson on the Formation of Hope through Suffering

    Curt Thompson on the Formation of Hope through Suffering
    Jan 30 2024
    How do our brains grow? What does lasting change look like? Where do things like character and pain fit? Curt Thompson brings neurobiology and the hope of the gospel together to live out a formationally-minded Christian life in this episode. We talk about how durable transformation happens often through suffering, the reasons for Christian hope, confessional communities, and how we live the life of faithful resilience when it's easier to follow "3 quick steps." Listen to the end as we've got a fun little surprise for you. Curt's newest book is The Deepest Place: Suffering and the Formation of Hope. The Cartographers is a production of Willowbrae Institute. Find out more at willowbrae.org. Be sure to signup for Willowbrae's newsletter and rate and review the podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    56 mins