March 27, 2021
I am asked quite often about how I practically weave into my own life so many of the spiritual disciplines and spiritual fitness principles that I discuss in my book Fit Soul, my Spiritual Disciplines Journal, and my weekly Sabbath Ramblings posts.
So, in this special “solosode” podcast, I describe to you in detail how I practice and practically implement four key spiritual discipline habits on a daily basis—specifically service, gratitude, purpose, and self-examination.
I then turn to listener questions about spirituality, religion, God, reincarnation, my favorite spiritual books and resources, and much more—and also include my entire Chapter 10 of my book Fit Soul for your listening pleasure.
In this special solosode, you'll hear:
-Chapter 10 of Fit Soul…7:15
-Tips for when your job is crushing your soul…44:25
- Do something that excites you, initially as a hobby or side hustle
- Look for fulfillment outside of your career
- Develop a purpose statement for your life
- Article: How to Find Your Purpose in Life
-What to do if you can't wrap your head around believing in God or religion…49:08
- Desire to be spiritual, and not participate in religious legalism
- This is the definition of “secular spirituality”
- Fulfilling own desires and manifestations
- The satisfaction and fulfillment of this is short-lived
- We all have a “God-shaped hole“
- It's a lonely practice to be “spiritual but not religious”
- Hyper-individualism forsakes fellowship, accountability
- The spirituality you develop can become moral relativism
-What happens when we die…56:50
- Isaiah 40:12 “God has calculated the dust by the measure…”
- Genesis 2:7 “Breath of life…”
- Hebrew word for “dust” is aphar: refers to clay, earth, mud, etc.
- We're moldable pieces of clay
- Oxygen is the most abundant element in the body and the earth's crust
- We're connected to the earth; reduced to dust in death
- Death is a restoration of our body to its original composition
- 1 Cor. 15:50-58
- Flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God
- We'll be raised in an imperishable state
- Sowed in dishonor, raised in glory
- Heaven by Randy Alcorn
-Is it okay to masturbate?…1:07:15
- It's the thought that counts
- “Adultery of the heart”
- Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor her ass
- Ben's articles on polyamory vs. monogamy:
- Slippery slope on acting out the desire in real life
-Pastors and authors Ben likes to listen to and read…1:12:15
- YouBible app
- John Piper's Sermon of the Day
- J. Vernon McGee
- Douglas Wilson
- Canon Press books and app
- New Hope Bible Church in Spokane, WA
- Donald Whitney
- Richard Foster
- Adele Calhoun
- Randy Alcorn
- Word On Fire Bible
- New King James Version study Bible
- Logos.com software
-How to forgive one's self for major sins of the past…1:17:10
- David Hawkins' Healing and Recovery and Letting Go: The Pathway to Surrender
- The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan
- Sin and shame are not yours to carry
- You'll want to set things right with others if you first set things right with your heart
-Ben's daily spiritual fitness practices…1:21:45
- Begin with prayer and Bible reading (the quality of which regresses as the day goes by)
- BioBalance mat
- Joovv Go 2.0
- Family breakfast around 8:30
- Abide App
- Pause App by John Eldredge
- Go through Spiritual Disciplines Journal
- Family dinner
- Sing a song at bedtime
- Evening journaling together
- Sundays are focused primarily on worship and family time
- Spiritual Disciplines Handbook by Adele Calhoun
-And much more!
Resources mentioned in this episode:
– Ben Greenfield's Books And Articles:
-Books:
- Heaven By Randy Alcorn
- Healing and Recovery By David Hawkins
- Letting Go: The Pathway to Surrender By David Hawkins
- The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan
- Word On Fire Bible
- New King James Version Study Bible
– Podcast:
– Bible Passages:
– Apps
– Devices:
– Other Resources:
- John Piper's Podcast Sermon Of The Day
- J. Vernon McGee
- Douglas Wilson
- New Hope Bible Church In Spokane, WA
- Donald Whitney
- Richard Foster
- Adele Calhoun
- Randy Alcorn
- Logos.com
Episode sponsors:
–Kion Clean Energy Bars: Satisfying, nutrient-dense, real-food energy bars with a delicious chocolate coconut flavor! BGF listeners save 10% off your first order with code BEN10.
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–Kin Euphorics: Kin Euphorics are stacked with the good stuff and none of the bad: think adaptogenic herbs and mushrooms, that help curb stress in the moment and over time.
This is not a complaint. Just some feedback. I’ll stick to Sam Harriss & the like for a more spiritual meditative guidance.
I was raised Reform Jewish but I am more ethnically Jewish, now. In the last 5 years, I have become more atheist, as the orthodox Jews have basically replaced the Reform Jews and other Jews in the Jewish world with Christians politically, monetarily & spiritually. The rest of the Jewish world might as well no longer exist, even though we are the majority of Jews in the world (thank you the Bibi & Trump for expediting this process). I do not think I’m alone in my feelings but I guess It might not be really common.
I feel betrayed by my Christian neighbors but mostly the leadership in the Jewish world. I know most of your audience will identify and connect with this mainly Christian but somewhat Judiochristian spiritual guidance. I am turned off entirely by it. I’ll stick to your physical fitness & diet advice.
Thank you.
Hey Ben! Thank you for your work first off. For a religious novice, what would be the first practical step towards religious spirituality and in particular Christianity? Much love
//Douglas
That was really good, and very encouraging. A fellow believer here, I’m excited to know there are authentic believers out there in the health and fitness world who speak the truth in love. Our world needs it!! God bless you! (And I love how much you pour into your family. What a great example.)
Hey Ben, I agree where you are saying be careful what you think about bc thoughts become actions. I’d like to explore that and take the thought a step further. We are all beings of energy. When I think of you or anyone else with intention, I can actually form a connection to you and vice versa. We need to pray and protect ourselves from people throwing unwanted connections on us. As for masturbation or porn or even the myriad of fitness models and attractive women on instagram…people are forming connections with people that are essentially the same as sexual connections although nothing physical actually happened. I think alot of these internet personalities and being a celebrity in general, alot of these people actually really thrive in a vampiric sort of way through these connections with other people who are focusing intention on them. Lot’s more to say on this but for brevity sake. Peace brudda!
I really enjoy and appreciate these sort of podcasts. And I value the fact you don’t shy away from topics like sex or polygamy.
Thank you for sharing this Ben!
You are very interesting. You seemed to have done a lot of soul searching, and found your God purpose. Thanks for delivering such an honest spiritual approach to life. God bless you and your family
Once again, just as in the last few episodes, when I try to download the episode, the downloaded file cuts out while Ben is still doing his introduction. This really shouldn’t be a hard issue to fix, and I and others have been mentioning it in the comments. Is anyone paying attention anymore?
Good post!