Podcast
Daily Readings by Wild at Heart
Hosted by John Eldredge · EN
Daily Readings are a daily excerpt from books and teachings from John and Stasi Eldredge and Morgan Snyder.
147episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Famished Craving
4d ago00:03:03Tap to summarizeSomething is happening to the human heart. You need to understand what it is if you would make sense of any of this. Human beings are by nature ravenous creatures; a famished craving haunts every one of us. We were created for utter happiness, joy, and life. But ever since we lost Eden, we have never known a day of total fullness; we are never filled in any lasting way. People are like cut flowers—we appear to be well, but we are severed from the vine. We are desperate, lustful creatures. We look to a marriage (or the hope of marriage), a child, our work, food, sex, alcohol, adventure, the next dinner out, the new car — anything to touch the ache inside us. We are ravenous beings. And we have been untethered. Every institution that once provided psychological and moral stability is crumbling—families, communities, church allegiances. We don’t trust anyone or anything anymore; not our universities nor financial institutions, not religious hierarchies, and certainly not our political leaders. The breakdown adds a kind of unchecked desperation to our ravenous hunger. Then the world stands in the way of our famished craving; it constantly thwarts us. People don’t treat us as we long to be treated; we can’t find the happiness we need. Our boss is harsh, so we sabotage him. Our spouse withholds sex, so we indulge online. The ravening won’t be stopped. But boy, oh boy — when somebody gets in the way of our desperate hunger, they feel the fury of our rage. We are ready to kill. People shoot each other over traffic incidents. Parents abuse a baby who keeps them up at night. We vengefully crucify one another in social media. This is our current condition — ravenous, psychologically untethered, increasingly desperate, ready to harm anything that gets in our way. And there appears to be nothing to stop the slide into chaos. “The falcon cannot hear the falconer,” warned the poet W. B. Yeats in “The Second Coming”: Things fall apart; the center cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world. Whatever else is at play here, we have clearly lost hope. We have no confident expectation that goodness is coming to us. When my friend said, “We could sure use some hope right now,” she may have prophesied the final word over the human race.Want more? Order your copy of All Things New today
Transcribe →A Place Prepared for You
5d ago00:01:04Tap to summarizeThere is the joy of having someone save a place for us. We walk into a crowded room at church or at a dinner party and someone across the way waves us over, pointing to a chair he's held on to especially for us. For a moment we feel a sense of relief, a taste of being on the inside. Now consider Jesus' words in John 14:2 — "I am going...to prepare a place for you." Christ promises that he is saving a place in heaven especially for each of us. When we walk into the crowded excitement of the wedding feast of the Lamb, with the sound of a thousand conversations, laughter and music, the clinking of glasses, and one more time our heart leaps with the hope that we might be let into the sacred circle, we will not be disappointed. We'll be welcomed to the table by our Lover himself. No one will have to scramble to find another chair, to make room for us at the end of the table, or rustle up a place setting. There will be a seat with our name on it, held open at Jesus' command for us and no other. Want more? Order your copy of The Sacred Romance today
Transcribe →What Is Your Role in the Story?
6d ago00:03:06Tap to summarizeNow — what is your part? What is your role in the Story? In truth, the only one who can tell you that is the Author. To find our lives, we must turn to Jesus. We must yield our all to him and ask him to restore us as his own. We ask his forgiveness for our betrayal of him. We ask him to make us all he intended us to be — to tell us who we are and what we are now to do. We ask him to remove the veil from our eyes and from our hearts.The Story God is telling — like every great story that echoes it — reminds us of three eternal truths it would be good to keep in mind as we take the next step out the door.First, things are not what they seem.Where would we be if Eve had recognized the serpent for who he really was? And that carpenter from Nazareth — he’s not what he appears to be, either. There is far more going on around us than meets the eye. We live in a world with two halves, one part that we can see and another part that we cannot. We must live as though the unseen world (the rest of reality) is more weighty and more real and more dangerous than the part of reality we can see.Second, we are at war.This is a love Story, set in the midst of a life-and-death battle. Just look around you. Look at all the casualties strewn across the field. The lost souls, the broken hearts, the captives. We must take this battle seriously.Third, you have a crucial role to play.That is the third eternal truth spoken by every great story, and it happens to be the one we most desperately need if we are ever to understand our days. Frodo underestimated who he was. As did Neo. As did Wallace. As did Peter, James, and John. It is a dangerous thing to underestimate your role in the Story. You will lose heart, and you will miss your cues.This is our most desperate hour. You are needed. Want more? Order your copy of Epic today
Transcribe →Your Heart Matters
1w ago00:02:03Tap to summarizeThe devil has more temptations than an actor has costumes for the stage. And one of his all-time favorite disguises is that of a lying spirit, to abuse your tender heart with the worst news he can deliver — that you do not really love Jesus Christ and that you are only pretending, you are only deceiving yourself. (William Gurnall)Satan is called in Scripture the Father of Lies (John 8:44). His very first attack against the human race was to lie to Eve and Adam about God, and where life is to be found, and what the consequences of certain actions would and would not be. He is a master at this. He suggests to us— as he suggested to Adam and Eve — some sort of idea or inclination or impression, and what he is seeking is a sort of "agreement" on our part. He's hoping we'll buy into whatever he's saying, offering, insinuating. Our first parents bought into it, and look what disaster came of it. The Evil One is still lying to us, seeking our agreement every single day.Your heart is good. Your heart matters to God. Those are the two hardest things to hang on to. I'm serious — try it. Try to hold this up for even a day. My heart is good. My heart matters to God. You will be amazed at how much accusation you live under. You have an argument with your daughter on the way to school; as you drive off, you have a nagging sense of, Well, you really blew that one. If your heart agrees — Yeah, I really did — without taking the issue to Jesus, then the Enemy will try to go for more. You're always blowing it with her. Another agreement is made. It's true. I'm such a lousy parent. Keep this up and your whole day is tanked in about five minutes. The Enemy will take any small victory he can get. It moves from You did a bad thing to You are bad. After a while it just becomes a cloud we live under, accept as normal. Want more? Order your copy of Waking the Dead today
Transcribe →Echoes from the Past
1w ago00:01:56Tap to summarizeAren't there times in your life that if you could, you would love to return to? I grew up in Los Angeles but spent my boyhood summers in Oregon where both my mother and father's parents lived. There was a beauty and innocence and excitement to those days. Woods to explore, rivers to fish, grandparents to fuss over me. My parents were young and in love and the days were full of adventures I did not have to create or pay for but only live in and enjoy. Rafting and swimming in the Rogue River. Playing in the park. Huckleberry pie at Becky's along the road to Crater Lake. We all have places in our past when life, if only for a moment, seemed to be coming together in the way we knew in our hearts it was always meant to be.There was a time when meadow, grove, and stream, The earth, and every common sight, To me did seem Appareled in celestial light, The glory and the freshness of a dream.Heaven lies about us in our infancy; Shades of the prison-house begin to close Upon the growing boy, But he beholds the light, and whence it flows. He sees it in his joy;At length the man perceives it die away, And fade into the light of common day.Wordsworth caught a glimpse of the secret in his childhood, saw in it hints from the realm unknown. We simply must learn the lesson of these moments or we will not be able to bring our hearts along in our life's journey. For if these moments pass, never to be recovered again, then the life we prize is always fading from view, and our hearts with it. Want more? Order your copy of The Journey of Desire today
Transcribe →Three Interwoven Parts
1w ago00:02:10Tap to summarizeWe human beings are made up of three interwoven parts. As Paul says, “May God himself ... sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thess. 5:23). We are body, soul, and spirit. Each part affects the others in a mysterious interplay of life. By seeking healing through counseling, God was addressing my soul. God’s provision of antidepressants was a tremendous help to my body. I made real progress. But it was not enough. God wanted me to engage my spirit. A foul spirit of depression had its bloody claws in my life. It often works like that—the Enemy knows our weaknesses, and he preys upon them. Demons smell human brokenness like sharks smell blood in the water, and they move in to take advantage of the weakened soul. Paul warns about this in Ephesians when, writing to Christians, he warns us not to “give the devil a foothold” in our lives through unhealed and mishandled emotions (4:26–27). God had me begin to stand against it. James and Peter both exhort us to resist our Enemy (James 4:7; 1 Peter 5:8–9). Jesus said he has given us his authority to overcome the spiritual attacks against us (Luke 10:18–19). I prayed. John, as my husband, my head, prayed as well. We commanded this foul spirit to leave me by the authority given to believers in Jesus Christ. Deliverance came. Victory. Release. Healing. Restoration. It was the final key. I needed to address all three aspects — my body, soul, and spirit — in order to come more fully into healing. Far too many women will focus only on one or two aspects and not engage in the spiritual warfare that is swirling around us. But if we would be free, we must. Want more? Order your copy of Captivating today
Transcribe →Know Yourself
1w ago00:01:15Tap to summarizeThe book “Killing Lions” is a conversation between John and Sam Eldredge about the trials young men face. [John] The more you know yourself, the more this will prove an immensely helpful category. (And please, as Socrates urged, do not live an unexamined life; know yourself.) What are you historically prone to do when it comes to making decisions? If yours is a story filled with indecision, that “confusion” might have nothing to do with clarity and everything to do with fear, or shame, or a wounded heart. A young man afflicted with relational paralysis (he just couldn’t commit to the girl he was dating) came to my friend Craig for counsel. They discovered his indecision was rooted in a childhood wound. As a boy he loved music, but his father shamed him for it. He killed his dream and his desire, and for years afterward he could not discover “what to do with his life.” It had nothing to do with clarity; what was needed was healing. Are you typically driven by a desire to please others? You don’t want to choose a grad school, a career, or even a spouse just to make someone else happy. Are you ruled by insecurity? You don’t want your false self committing you to a profession simply because it’s “safe.” Don’t give your false self the keys to the car. Want more? Order your copy of Killing Lions today
Transcribe →Embracing Recovery
2w ago00:04:11Tap to summarizeAthletes will tell you that working out is not the most important part of training. Recovery is. The number one cause of athletic injuries is the lack of recovery time between training sessions.Let me repeat this because it’s so counterintuitive — recovery is more important to athletic performance than training is. Your body needs to rest and repair between periods of exertion. “By not letting each of the muscle groups rest, a person will reduce their ability to repair. Insufficient rest also slows fitness progression and increases the risk of injury.” (Jayne Leonard, How to Build Muscle with Exercise)That’s very orienting. It’s a physical expression of a reality that applies to your heart and soul as well. We could probably predict who’s going to burn out and who’s not by looking at their recovery practices.But most people don’t take their recovery seriously. They’re simply shocked and heartbroken when their soul suddenly gives out, like a camel who has walked a thousand miles and drops. How will you build recovery into your life? What’s your plan?*Healing from trauma involves naming what the trauma was, and what its effects upon us have been. This is the “story work” every good therapist helps their client through: What happened? What was it like? Tell me the story. (This “narrative approach” helps process trauma and rewires the brain.)You can’t heal trauma without grieving it. This is why the mad rush to grab some joy and the global denial insisting that “things are getting back to normal” are cruel to the soul. It’s a shared attempt to sweep it all under the rug, but the problem is a good part of your soul goes right along with it. Under the rug.I want to suggest two things:First, look back to name what these years have been like for you. Name the losses, the fears, the sources of your anger and frustration. Imagine I’m your therapist and I’ve just asked you: What’s it been like for you? What’s been hard? What made you mad? What do you wish had never happened?Put it all out there. Honor it. Grieve it.Second, pay attention in the current moment. It’s far better to do this in real time — name what the current moment feels like, what it’s demanding of you, how it’s impacting your soul. Stay current with the cost of living in an hour like this. When you have a heart for humanity, when you share Jesus’ compassion for people, communities, and creation, you’re going to experience a lot of heartache in an hour like this one. Care for your soul by putting words to what it’s like. Don’t just pretend everything is fine.By the way, this is exactly what is modeled for us in the Psalms — David and the other writers cry out to God with deeply raw descriptions of what is happening all around them, and how it makes them feel. Read Psalms 6, 13, and 42 for examples. Let them be your guide to emotional health. Want more? Order your copy of Resilient today
Transcribe →The Very Best Invitation
2w ago00:02:36Tap to summarizeWatch Jesus with "the rich young ruler":"One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." At this the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. (vv. 21–22)"Oh—one more thing..." The young man has an idol he is clutching in his heart. It must have been his secret love; we know from his reaction. Jesus knew by looking into his heart. In typical religious spirit posturing, the church in ages past seized this passage and made poverty a requisite for following Christ. But that misses the point entirely. Jesus had wealthy men and women among his disciples, such as Joseph of Arimathea and the women who supported the ministry. God warned the Jews many times against idolatry, that if any one set up an idol in their heart, God would set himself against them. But oh, how hard it is to topple a cherished idol.Here is Jesus at his very best—he yanks this man off balance, sets his entire world reeling, and in the same moment extends his hand to catch him: "Let this go. Then come, join me. I want you to join me." What an invitation.But the thought of giving his precious treasure away—his life-source, his security and status—it is too much for the earnest young man. He walks away, head cast down in sorrow. Exposed, but also captive to his false god. Again, wealth is not the point. The idol is the point. It might be anything—the attention of men, as with the woman at the well. Or self-righteousness, as with the religious. It might be position, power, family, even church. We craft idols faster than you can surf the Internet.Want more? Order your copy of Beautiful Outlaw today.
Transcribe →Bursting With Longing
2w ago00:01:52Tap to summarizeOh! Ephraim is my dear, dear son, my child in whom I take pleasure!Every time I mention his name,my heart bursts with longing for him!Everything in me cries out for him.Softly and tenderly I wait for him. (Jer. 31:20 The Message) Put your own name in this verse, in the place of “Ephraim” (a name for God’s people, and that includes you). Imagine that God’s heart bursts with longing for you. This is the message of Jesus: there is a good and loving Father who cares so deeply and passionately for you. He yearns to be your Father now. He will draw near, if you’ll let him. No matter how old we are, our true Father wants us to experience being his beloved sons, and all the joys of boyhood that go with it. But it requires opening our hearts, which will take us back into some of our deepest wounds, and the cynicism and resignation that shut our hearts down a long time ago. God does this so that he might bring his love and healing to the fatherless boy within us, the boy that still needs to know he is the beloved son. And so, to begin with, you might ask yourself, “Did I have a father with whom I felt safe?” and, “Did I know I was prized by my father?” “Was I invited to be a boy, did I get to live a boy’s life as it was meant to be?” You might even want to write out your answers to those questions, especially the follow-up question, “Why...or why not?” Tell your story, at least to yourself, and to God. Want more? Order your copy of Fathered by God today
Transcribe →