Knowing God With Heart and Mind

Wisdom in the Desert: The Freedom of Renunciation

This episode reflects on Matthew 6 and the warning against laying up treasures on earth, exploring the biblical term "maimon" (money/idol) and how consumer culture pulls us away from God. Drawing on the Desert Fathers, Pastor Dan invites listeners into a Lenten practice of fasting, silence, and intentional acts of resistance against materialism.

Through practical examples and a closing prayer, the message challenges us to simplify, practice generosity, and create space for God by turning off devices, resisting constant shopping, and embracing Sabbath-like solitude and charity.

Echo 43 - Kingdom Freedom: How Surrender Brings True Liberty

Pastor Dan and Adrienne unpack what it means to live free under the reign of Christ, arguing that surrender to a loving King creates true liberty rather than restrictive bondage.

Using vivid analogies and scripture, they contrast law and grace, discuss healthy boundaries, leadership, and anxiety, and offer practical signs of kingdom freedom that reshape priorities and remove the fear of failure.

Testimony and Desert Wisdom

Shiloh member, Tim Bolton, shares his powerful testimony and Pastor Dan follows with a brief message from our Desert Wisdom series. 

Echo 42-Turning Toward the Kingdom: Repentance as Soil-Tending

Pastor Dan and Adrienne explore repentance as a hopeful turning toward the kingdom, using seed and soil metaphors to explain how repentance differs from shame and guilt.

The episode walks through repentance as both a one-time turning to enter God’s kingdom and a daily, practical process of realignment—clearing old patterns, tending the heart’s soil, and growing into life with Christ. Listeners are offered gentle, practical images and spiritual practices to help maintain and renew their faith.

Wisdom in the Desert ~ Intensifying my Hunger for Holiness

In this message, "Intensifying My Hunger for Holiness," we continue our Lenten journey, "Wisdom in the Desert,"by exploring the wilderness as a spiritual mirror that strips away our modern distractions and brings us eye-to-eye with our own brokenness. Drawing on the ancient wisdom of the Desert Fathers and Mothers, we move beyond viewing sin as a mere "lapse in judgment" to recognize it as a force that "desires to have us"—a force we are empowered to rule over through the Holy Spirit.

By identifying the "Eight Thoughts"—patterns like Acedia (spiritual apathy) and Vainglory (image management)—we learn to stop "toying" with the thoughts that entangle us and instead embrace a proactive, grace-fueled pursuit of a Christ-shaped life.

The Desert as a Place of Prayerful Pursuit

"People do not drift toward holiness."

We live in a world that majors in three things: noise, hurry, and crowds. In an age where our attention spans are shrinking and our digital lives are louder than ever, how do we find the "lonely places" where Jesus met with His Father?

In this Ash Wednesday message, we kick off our Lenten series, The Desert as a Place of Prayerful Pursuit. We draw wisdom from the ancient Desert Fathers and Mothers—radical believers who fled the distractions of the 3rd-century city to find deep intimacy with God in the wilderness.

In this recording, you’ll explore:

• The Theology of Effort: Why grace isn't opposed to effort, only to earning.

• The "Proskartereō" Life: What it means to have a "steely determination" in our prayer life.

• The Parable of the Bow: How to avoid the trap of "excessive religiosity" and find the unforced rhythms of grace.

• The Identity of the Beloved: Why we go into the wilderness because we are loved, not to prove we are worthy.

Lent is not a season of passive waiting; it is an intentional journey. Whether you feel spiritually vibrant or completely parched, join us as we "shut the door" on the noise and step into the desert to reignite our passion for Jesus.

Making Jesus First: Living in the End Result

In this final message based on Frank Viola's "Hang On, Let Go: What to Do When Your Dreams Are Shattered and Life Is Falling Apart" (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale Momentum, 2021) Pastor Dan reminds us the crisis you're walking through isn't meant to destroy you—it's meant to transform you. God isn't trying to get you back to "normal." Normal is what got you here. He's the Architect of your crisis, and He's been working toward an "End Result" all along: making Jesus first in every area of your life.

Romans 8:28-30 isn't just a comfort verse—it's your roadmap. The "good" God is working toward isn't a better job or easier circumstances. It's conforming you to the image of His Son. Version 1.0 of you relied on self-control and panic. Version 2.0 reflects the character and peace of Jesus.

You can't move forward while clutching the past. Philippians 3:13-14 calls us to forget what lies behind and strain toward what's ahead. The prize isn't a problem-free life—it's Christ in you, the hope of glory. This week, ask yourself: "If Jesus is truly first in this situation, what's my very next move?"

 

Echo 40 -- Small Levers, Big Kingdom: How Tiny Choices Shift Your Soul

Pastor Dan and Adrienne continue their discussion of Frank Viola’s Insurgence nook and introduce the idea of “kingdom levers.” Using everyday analogies—light switches, train track switches, wheelbarrows, and anchors—they explain how small, faithful actions and changes in perspective gradually move us from a flesh-centered worldview into the kingdom of Christ. Practical takeaways include changing the narrative, growing in love instead of pride, and choosing faithfulness over dramatic moments as the steady way the kingdom advances.

Don't Believe Everything You Think--Focus on Mindset

Most of our "crisis" isn't what's happening to us—it's the story we're telling ourselves about what's happening. When dreams shatter and life falls apart, we become trapped in toxic narratives: "Everything is ruined." "God has abandoned me." "It's never going to work out."

But God calls us to a different posture. We must hang on to Jesus as our anchor while letting go of how we think the story should end. Stop staring at the wall you're afraid of hitting. Take every thought captive (2 Corinthians 10:5). Fix your eyes on Jesus, not the obstacle (Hebrews 12:2).

The most spiritual thing you can do in a crisis? Breathe. Exhale your panic. Inhale His peace. "Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10). You can't control the crisis, but through Christ, you can control the narrative. God is the author, and He hasn't finished the book yet.

Echo Podcast – Episode 39 - Kingdom on Tuesday

Echo Podcast – Episode 39

“What Does the Kingdom Look Like on a Tuesday?”

In this episode of Echo, Adrienne and Pastor Dan move from theology to everyday life as they continue exploring the gospel of the Kingdom. After weeks of clarifying what Jesus actually preached and lingering on the beauty of Christ Himself, the conversation turns practical: What does it mean to live under the reign of Jesus in ordinary places like work, family, and relationships?

Drawing from Luke 4 and the Sermon on the Mount, they reflect on how the Kingdom is not a religious program or checklist, but a way of seeing and responding to real life. Rather than adding new pressure, Kingdom life begins with a simple posture of attention—learning to ask, “Jesus, what would Your reign look like here today?”

This episode is an invitation to reimagine the everyday as sacred space where God is already at work. No formulas, no quick fixes—just a gentle, hopeful conversation about noticing the nearness of the Kingdom.

Different rooms. Different conversations. The same center—Jesus as King.