What if the greatest obstacle to spiritual transformation isn't a lack of effort, but the belief that we can change ourselves if we just try harder and harder? In this bonus Narnia episode, we revisit Cousin Eustace's outrageous encounter with Aslan and discover why the deepest work of grace is the work only the Lion can do...and sometimes it hurts.

In this special episode, I share the unexpected story of how a conversation in a tattoo shop became the inspiration for the new Echo Collective logo. Along the way, we explore why a rooster standing over a skull has become a powerful reminder that the Christian story is not about perfect people, but bent and broken humans who have been redeemed, and that because of Christ, grace has the final word over failure, shame, violence, and death.

Jane Register has spent her life saying "yes" to the places and people that many people avoid. From working in the inner city to relationships with ex-convicts, refugees, and Christians who have been persecuted, her life is a reminder that following Jesus has always meant moving toward others. This conversation is about discovering that some of the deepest work God does in us happens as we move toward the people the world is most likely to overlook.

What if Sabbath is about far more than taking a day off? In this second conversation with Benji Horning, we explore the ancient practice of Sabbath as a way of resisting hurry, rediscovering trust, and creating space to hear the voice of God even in the midst of the noise of modern life. Along the way, we discuss the wisdom of the Desert Fathers, the radical vision of Jubilee, and why spiritual formation is ultimately about becoming more like Christ for the sake of others.

Jill Pole and Eustace Scrubb (and let's not forget Puddleglum the Marshwiggle) are cold, hungry, and exhausted. But their real danger begins when they hear about a place called Harfang. Drawing from The Silver Chair and Philippians 4, this reflection explores what happens when the promise of something better makes our present circumstances harder to endure, and why true contentment is found not in comfort, but in remaining faithful to a purpose and mission that is larger than ourselves.

In this Father's Day episode, Pastor Morgan "Moe" Smith reflects on growing up in Oildale, California (not Bakersfield), being raised by a praying single mom, and a rock climbing experience that left him crazy thirsty. Together, we look at Jesus' words, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness," and why that blessing may take place when we hunger and thirst (desire) a world made right by God.

The Parable of the Ten Virgins is one of Jesus' weirdest stories, and it leaves us with a bunch of questions: Why is the groom delayed? Why don't the wise women share their oil? And what do we do with the unsettling words, “I don't know you”? In this episode, we explore the cultural world behind the parable and consider the possibility that Jesus is less interested in end-times speculation and more interested in the kind of people that we are becoming while we wait.

Most of us have been taught that the parables of the mustard seed and the yeast are about small things becoming big things. That's true but that isn't the whole story. In this episode, we explore why Jesus doesn't compare God's Kingdom to a glorious cedar or a mighty oak tree, but to a plant that spreads like it has never heard of boundaries and yeast that quietly and almost sneakily transforms everything it touches. The Kingdom of God is far more disruptive and far more hopeful than we can even begin to imagine.