Josh has a conversation with his best friend about their 30+ years of spiritual friendship since they met at summer camp in middle school. This episode is a co-release with the Awakening, a worship/arts camp for high school students based at Hope College.
For more information about the Awakening: https://hope.edu/awakening/
Unedited audio of Josh’s conversation with Kenda Creasy Dean, the Mary D. Synnott Professor of Youth, Church, and Culture at Princeton Seminary. This content was created to support and deepen the Awakening, a summer week-long experience in the worship arts at Hope College that Josh serves as Director of Discipleship.
In this episode Josh Banner continues the Awakening’s collaboration with the Invitation Podcast as we further explore our focus question: what does a 16-year-old have to teach the church? Here, Josh borrows from a conversation he recently had with Kenda Creasy Dean, the Mary D. Synnott Professor of Youth, Church, and Culture at Princeton Seminary, to encourage parents and teens to share their true stories of faith with each other. We hope and pray especially in the midst of Covid-19 this episode #5 will help you to slow down, to be more intentionally present to your family, and to learn with and from each other.
The full unedited, un-produced conversation with Kenda is available for you to listen to.
I didn't think I'd last long as the director of discipleship for the Awakening. It's a worship arts week in the for high school students. I've been going deeper into contemplative prayer in a prison. I thought maybe I'd offer a few years at the Awakening and then focus more on the prison and the Invitation, but I've been surprised and humbled.
In fact, these teenagers have something to teach me, and to teach you.
I don't go into the prison to bring Jesus to the men there. I go to the prison as a spiritual director to join with the men to discover Jesus who is already among them. Likewise, with these high school students of the Awakening. Jesus is already vibrant within them.
This is the introductory episode in a new collaboration with The Awakening. In this episode I practice something like group spiritual direction to discern with the students how Jesus is with them by asking: what is the unique gift you have to offer us as a teenager right now, today?
The word we focused on was vulnerability.
Here in this introductory episode to a new series of collaborations with the Invitation I offer you a chance to join into our discernment and to see what the Spirit might show you.
More information about the Awakening can be found HERE.
Don’t forget our public, spiritual conversation with Ruth Haley Barton at the Dominican Center, January 23. LINK HERE.
And if you are a church leader of any kind, you are invited to join the Invitation's 3rd Annual Contemplative Prayer Retreat Feb 11 & 12 here in Holland, MI.
Be sure to subscribe to the Invitation at www.invitationpodcast.org
Love & Peace,
Josh
