How do you understand the kingdom of God, Jesus’ gospel and salvation? In episode 15 of the Things Above podcast, James Bryan Smith sits down for a conversation with pastor and author Brian Zahnd who, many years ago, experienced a growing discontent wit

What can a Martin guitar, autographed by music legend Eric Clapton, teach us about God? In this episode of the Things Above podcast, James Bryan Smith continues his story about one of the greatest gifts ever given to him and the epiphanies that came throu

Is giving truly better than receiving? Most of the time, the answer is yes. But sometimes receiving can be a life-changing experience too. In this episode, James Bryan Smith tells of how the gift of a valuable, limited-edition guitar helped him understand

In Episode 12 of the Things Above podcast, James Bryan Smith offers a glorious thought on the power of forgiveness. The reason we should forgive is to be healed and the means of understanding that is that we are forgiven in Christ.

God’s love is revealed in beauty. Because of that, beauty is a large part of our spiritual journey. In episode 11 of Things Above, James Bryan Smith invites you to rethink how you understand beauty. Drawing from the wisdom of people like Thomas Aquinas,

In episode 10 of the Things Above podcast, James Bryan Smith interviews pastor and author John Ortberg about his latest book, “Eternity is Now in Session.” In addition to recalling a humorous story of their first speaking engagement together in 1988,

God is real. And God’s love for us is also real. But how do we really know God loves us? In Episode 09 of the Things Above podcast, James Bryan Smith tells us the only thing that is credible is love. Our faith is not built on an argument or logic, but b

The incarnation of God is both a mysterious and wondrous event to ponder. In Episode 08 of the Things Above podcast, James Bryan Smith gives thought to Jesus Christ, who was fully divine and fully human. Have you ever noticed how little was written about

By setting our minds on things above, we can live a Godward life and, as the Apostle Paul says, walk in the Spirit. This is a powerful way of living. If someone were to ask you about a passage in Scripture that offers the best depiction of life in the kin

Every one of us has experienced “hope” of some kind. We hope to marry the right person, we hope our kids live long and healthy lives, we hope our favorite baseball team wins the World Series. Yet there is a big difference between worldly hope and Chris...