Paying Ridiculous Attention To Jesus

It's January and if you're like many, you woke up the day after Christmas and vowed to change your life this year. You bought a new planner, dusted off the bucket list, set a career goal, and possibly spent $500 at the local health store to start a new diet. There's something enticing about taking control of our lives...but it takes an enormous amount of discipline to reset life. To make it happen we're going to need grit. Join us for the first episode of the new year focusing on grit—aka the courage, strength, and discipline to do tough things. We'll challenge what culture says about resetting your life, pay ridiculous attention to stories where Jesus reset people, and share from Rick's new book, Spiritual Grit (releasing April 24, 2018). Have you joined the Pigs? We're a group of friends ready to go all in with Jesus--to live a life that's “free indeed” because we’re wholly dependent on him. Join us for exclusive behind-the-scenes insights, opportunities to make your voice matter, prayer support, and con

Join us for the first episode of the new year! We'll share our plans for this podcast in 2018, our hopes and dreams for you, and also a special message about how attaching ourselves to Jesus has everything to do with finding freedom this new year. We're also re-releasing our favorite new year's message where we take a dive into Acts chapter nine, exploring how Jesus likes to come into our lives and show us who we really are. P.S. Rick and I (Becky) want to wish you and your family a Happy New Year! It's our greatest joy to do this podcast with all of you and we're so grateful that you listen! Have you joined the Pigs? We're a group of friends ready to go all in with Jesus--to live a life that's “free indeed” because we’re wholly dependent on him. Join us for exclusive behind-the-scenes insights, opportunities to make your voice matter, prayer support, and connections to other Pigs inside our private Facebook group. Join Here- https://www.mylifetree.com/pratj-member-sign-up/ Related Articles and Resources

As we say goodbye to 2017, we want to look back on two of our most popular episodes this past year. The second episode in the "Best of 2017" series asks a provocative question that struck a chord with you when it was originally aired in early summer of 2017. The question was "Does everything happen for a reason?" and it was one of our most listened to and shared episodes all year. Join us as we revisit a conversation about life's unexpected twists with special guest, musician Brad Corrigan of Dispatch. Have you joined the Pigs? We're a group of friends ready to go all in with Jesus--to live a life that's “free indeed” because we’re wholly dependent on him. Join us for exclusive behind-the-scenes insights, opportunities to make your voice matter, prayer support, and connections to other Pigs inside our private Facebook group. Join Here- https://www.mylifetree.com/pratj-member-sign-up/ Related Articles and Resources: Free download bundle for starting your new year with Jesus- http://www.mylifetree.com/wp-

As we say goodbye to 2017, we want to look back on two of our most popular episodes this past year. Unsurprisingly, both episodes touch on the most universal question on Earth: "What am I here for?" The first popular episode is "What is God's will?" which we aired in Spring of 2017. In the episode we tackled the tension between God's will and our free will, and zoomed in on the story of the Roman soldier who asks Jesus to perform a miracle. This episode was one of the most listened to all year, and we hope you'll enjoy revisiting these profound questions as much as we have as we all prepare for a new year of following Jesus. Have you joined the Pigs? We're a group of friends ready to go all in with Jesus--to live a life that's “free indeed” because we’re wholly dependent on him. Join us for exclusive behind-the-scenes insights, opportunities to make your voice matter, prayer support, and connections to other Pigs inside our private Facebook group. Join Here- https://www.mylifetree.com/pratj-member-sign-u

What is Advent? Is it in the Bible? How do church traditions during Advent season relate to the calendar full of treats we open every day leading to Christmas? Join Rick and Becky this week as they look at the traditions of Advent and relate them back to the incarnation of Jesus Christ. We'll ZOOM in on the principles of Advent and help you pay ridiculous attention to Jesus this Christmas season. Have you joined the Pigs? We're a group of friends ready to go all in with Jesus--to live a life that's “free indeed” because we’re wholly dependent on him. Join us for exclusive behind-the-scenes insights, opportunities to make your voice matter, prayer support, and connections to other Pigs inside our private Facebook group. Join Here- https://www.mylifetree.com/pratj-member-sign-up/ Related Articles and Resources: Instagram Advent Challenge- https://www.mylifetree.com/instagram-advent-challenge/ Spiritual Grit- http://www.mylifetree.com/shop/spiritual-grit/ Jesus-Centered Planner 2018- https://www.mylifet

As a member of today's culture, you’ve inherited practices, beliefs, values, and purposes that shape what your everyday life looks like. Over time, this bundle of influences creates what's normal and comfortable for you. But how does your normal compare to what's normal in the Kingdom of God? Join Rick and Becky as they dive into this question, exploring the contrasts between our culture and the culture of the Kingdom of God. Specifically, they slow down and pay ridiculous attention to what Jesus says in the Parable of the ninety-nine and the one found in Matthew 18. Have you joined the Pigs? We're a group of friends ready to go all in with Jesus--to live a life that's “free indeed” because we’re wholly dependent on him. Join us for exclusive behind-the-scenes insights, opportunities to make your voice matter, prayer support, and connections to other Pigs inside our private Facebook group. Join Here- http://www.mylifetree.com/pratj-member-sign-up/ Related Articles and Resources The Lost Boys of Sudan-

Safety and security. Together, they’re quickly becoming an obsession in our culture, especially considering recent events. Who we can trust and where we can feel safe? Join Rick and special guest Craig Cable, an active member of an armed church security team and tactical trainer as they zoom in on our growing concern about security and how it contrasts with a kingdom Jesus never described as “safe.” Related Articles and Resources: Webinar: Shooting in Sutherland Springs: What can your church learn from this tragedy?- https://wwv.group.com/refresh-the-church/shooting-sutherland-springs-webinar-recording/ Contact Craig Cable at ccable@group.com Jesus-Centered Planner 2018- https://www.mylifetree.com/2018-jesus-centered-planner/ The Jesus Centered Life by Rick Lawrence- https://www.mylifetree.com/shop/the-jesus-centered-life/ The Jesus-Centered Bible- https://www.mylifetree.com/jesus-centered-bible-shop-page/

If you live in America (although we know all about our few thousand listeners in the UK) you might not have any experience with what it's like to be a subject to a King. And if you're relying on popular television shows like Game of Thrones or Downton Abbey to color your opinion on the issue, you might not feel super inclined to live in a Kingdom. Join us this week as we examine what it looked like to live in a Kingdom. How we can use cultural experiences to expand our understanding of Kingdoms and ZOOM in on places where Jesus talked specifically about Kingdoms and what he was trying to expose to you and me. Have you joined the Pigs? We're a group of friends ready to go all in with Jesus--to live a life that's “free indeed” because we’re wholly dependent on him. Join us for exclusive behind-the-scenes insights, opportunities to make your voice matter, prayer support, and connections to other Pigs inside our private Facebook group. Join Here- http://www.mylifetree.com/pratj-member-sign-up/ Related Article

How do we build and nurture a relationship with a Person we can’t see, touch, hear, smell, or taste? We’re told the goal of the Christian life is a close relationship with Jesus, but how do we do that without the benefit of our senses? In this fifth podcast in our month-long series focusing on the supernatural, we explore the mechanics of our relationship with Jesus—how we can lean into every day, natural, and normal ways of growing a mutual and deepening friendship with him. We do this by exploring seven foundational behaviors that artists must learn to grow their creativity—understanding how Jesus modeled these behaviors, with a pioneering ministry leader from the U.K., our friend Jonny Baker. Have you joined the Pigs? We're a group of friends ready to go all in with Jesus--to live a life that's “free indeed” because we’re wholly dependent on him. Join us for exclusive behind-the-scenes insights, opportunities to make your voice matter, prayer support, and connections to other Pigs inside our private Fac

Revelation is one of the most misunderstood books of the Bible. It's tantalizing reputation for offering signs that predict the future attract many people. But many others are skeptical, and even alarmed, by the images it depicts. How does this strange book apply to our lives? Is it a secret code that can accurately predict future events, or just a vision John (author of Revelation) had that only fits within the reality of ancient Rome? Rick and Becky offer insights on both as they take a high-level view of the whole book of Revelation, focusing on Jesus as the central figure to pay attention to. They also linger on one particularly relevant section that we can unquestionably apply to our modern lives--the warnings Jesus gave to each of the seven churches. These warnings are sure to encourage and also challenge each of us. This episode marks the end of our series on the supernatural. If you're just joining us check out our last three episodes: What is Supernatural? Spotting Supernatural Red Flags an

Welcome to part three of our series on the supernatural. We started off our series defining the supernatural. Then last week we tackled the ugly underbelly of the supernatural, plus how you can spot red flags. This week we examine the positive role of the supernatural and how you can experience its power in your life. Join us as we speed read through Acts Chapters 9 & 10 and look at how the early church participated in the role of the Spirit in their lives. During this conversation, we'll ask: What similarities and differences do we see from their promptings of the Holy Spirit and those of our own lives? What can we do to unlock the power within us and live a more Spirit-driven life? Most importantly, what are the positive benefits of living a life that's prompted by the Spirit within us? P.S. Becky made a mistake in this episode (she's human, and sorry). Phillip wasn't stoned--it was Stephen.

From gold dust falling from the sky to people giving a word from God without permission, encountering the supernatural can be confusing (and even hurtful) sometimes. This week we kick-off part 2 of our series on the supernatural as we examine Jesus' interactions with the supernatural, including the creepiest guy around (Satan). Based in part on our own personal experiences, we also discuss a list of red flags to watch for when dealing with supernatural events.  And we help you learn when and how to trust supernatural experiences by centering on Jesus.

Join us for this special 15 minute interview about how one woman is using the Jesus-Centered Bible to make a huge impact in her community.

Welcome to October! If you're like Becky, you might be keeping your head down as you walk through town, afraid that a creepy zombie poster will leave you with bad dreams for a week. What better time to talk about the supernatural, right? In spite of its modern-day spooky reputation, the supernatural was a natural part of Jesus’ life. And if you're spending time with him today, it’s likely that you'll start to notice supernatural events happening in your life, too. So join us this week as we unpack exactly what the supernatural is, and take a look at the culture around us that's fascinated by supernatural entertainment but resistant to having a supernatural relationship with Jesus. We'll examine the roadblocks in our life that keep us from experiencing the Holy Spirit, and Jesus' response to removing those barriers. Related Articles and Resources- -The Jesus Centered Life by Rick Lawrence - https://www.mylifetree.com/shop/the-jesus-centered-life/ -The Jesus-Centered Bible- https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nht

It's the last week of September and we're heading into the fastest time of the year—like boarding a water slide that’s about to speed us through the weeks ahead and then drop us feet-first into the new year. In addition to the rush, Rick also likes to call this the season of "overs," like overspending, over-scheduling, and over-obligating ourselves. How do we pay attention to the right things during so many “overs” and so much rush? How do we find our own balance between rest and busy (because it's not a one-size-fits-all formula)? This episode explores the answer as Rick and Becky take a look at the Jewish holiday calendar and discuss how it was specifically designed to lead people from season to season. Then they ZOOM in at how Jesus handled his schedule, obligations, and time, and how we can follow his lead by letting the Holy Spirit--not culture or the expectations of others--set our schedules. Bonus: Check out our holiday planner that's more than a planner! It's an invitation to slow down, pay ridicu

We don't know about you, but the prospect of personal and spiritual growth is encouraging. Even more encouraging is the promise of the Holy Spirit to actively help us grow. If only he didn't use change as a way to do it. At least when we get to choose the change--like accepting a new job or deciding to move--we can embrace the inevitable bumps with a sense of "well, I did ask for this" bravery. But when we don't choose the change, or when it surprises us with its difficulty, we tend to freak out a little. Okay--maybe a lot. Join Rick, Becky, and special guest, Kami, as they discuss how change--even (especially!) the painful kind--produces growth in our spirits and in our relationships. Listen in as the conversation flows from Jesus' many teachings on organic, growing things, the lessons we can learn from his metaphors, and ideas for thriving during times of change. Have you joined the Pigs? We're a group of friends ready to go all in with Jesus--to live a life that's “free indeed” because we’re wholly de

Jesus often compares living in the Kingdom of God to becoming like children. He rebuked his disciples for sending children away. He said that to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, we’d need to become like little children. But he also called people out who were being childish. So how do we tell the difference between being childlike and childish? Join us this week as we ask that question, and then ZOOM in on passages where Jesus talked about children, and what he meant when he was praising a childlike attitude. BONUS: we're using our new Friends with God Story Bible for kids (or adults like Becky who like pictures and children's stories) as we experiment with experiencing the Bible like kids do. Download a free sample of the Friends with God Story Bible. Have you joined the Pigs? We're a group of friends ready to go all in with Jesus--to live a life that's “free indeed” because we’re wholly dependent on him. Join us for exclusive behind-the-scenes insights, opportunities to make your voice matter, prayer support,

We all have baggage. Whether it's wounds caused by a friend or family member, or scars still healing from church, this baggage can become a heavy burden to lug around. Heavy, that is, until we let a friend carry it for us. Join Rick and Becky with special guest Andrea Syverson--author of the brand-new book, Alter Girl: Walking Away From Religion Into the Heart of Faith—as they celebrate this helpful friend. Of course his name is Jesus. From growing up with a Catholic background, to marrying a Protestant man, to attending and then leaving multiple churches (for different reasons), Andrea discusses the different seasons of her life that have ultimately led to a baggage-free relationship with Jesus. Her story will draw you in with its honest look at how we do "church" today, and how Jesus is the simple answer we can come back to again and again. Join Here- https://www.mylifetree.com/pratj-member-sign-up/ Related Resources and Articles Alter Girl by Andrea Syverson- https://www.mylifetree.com/alter-girl/ W

From the time we're born we begin getting feedback. "You have gorgeous eyes." "Oh- I think he's going to follow in his father's footsteps." "You're funny." "You're smart." As we begin to grow older the definitions start to change. "Doctor" "Mother" "Divorced" When people introduce us, they use these describing terms as ways to explain who we are to other people. We hear these terms so often that we adopt them more fiercely into our lives than what Jesus says about us. In this episode we meet up with Simply Jesus Gathering speaker Lina AbuJamra. In addition to being a pediatric ER doctor, Lina’s also an author, host of a very popular podcast, “spokesperson of singlehood,” and the founder of Living with Power. While she's often outwardly defined by those terms, she's strives to live a life that’s defined by Jesus alone, and wants to encourage you to do the same. [NEW FREE DOWNLOAD & CHALLENGE] This fall we want to invite you to join us as we prioritize our schedules, goals and lifestyles with Jesus. Thi

When we hear the term "rabbi," we often associate it with the Jewish equivalent of a pastor. But when we do this, we miss out on a unique and overlooked perspective that transforms how we view the Holy Spirit, and how he works in our lives. Join Rick and Becky as they dive into the role of rabbis in the Old Testament, and explore their uniquely powerful relationship with a student apprentice called a "talmid." This relationship was VERY different from what we experience with our faith leaders today, but it's very much what Jesus wants us to have with his Spirit, the Invisible Rabbi. In this episode you'll zoom in on John 15 & 16 vs Acts 1-3, and discover how Jesus removed the highly exclusive role of a talmid so that all of us can be transformed by the Rabbi within us. This conversation about our Invisible Rabbi features an exclusive sneak peek of Rick's upcoming book, Spiritual Grit (releasing April 2018), where he shares the top six practices of following the Rabbi within us PLUS an invitation to tak