Best Jeff Wattles Podcasts (2025)

1
A workshop, a reflection on truth and love, and a correction 4:30

Play Pause

15h ago4:30

4:30

I tell of working for months on a workshop on loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. I pose the question of how the most central truth of our relationships with God and human kind relate with the greatest commandment (to love). Finally, I make a correction in my new book, A Taste of Joy and Liberty: A Philosopher Encounters the Go…

1
With all our strength 7:53

2y ago7:53

7:53

I've been on a quest to live--and write about--loving God with all my heart, mind, soul, and strength. Yesterday I sent to my editor friend a revised section on strength. She discovered weaknesses in it. It didn't take long for me to realize (this is a pattern) that she had uncovered a fresh, hungry need for my growth. After sleeping on the problem…

1
Faith child 13:27

2y ago13:27

13:27

The faith of a little child not only enables us to join the kingdom family of God. It also continues to guide us as we progress. Jesus's teachings and interactions on this theme are each marked by a wonderful simplicity. And these teachings in their variety touch on several concepts that are part of the whole truth of faith.…

1
Sean finds God 9:15

2y ago9:15

9:15

A 21-year-old computer whiz liked the concept of the wonderfulness within but not the concept of the spirit of God within. He finds God through Edmund Husserl's phenomenological philosophy of religious experience.By Jeff Wattles

1
Falling across the finish line 11:30

3+ y ago11:30

11:30

After acknowledging the failure of an experiment in the last class meeting (falling across the finish line), I summarize a five-week class, "The Journey from Easter to Pentecost." Then I distinguish garden-variety spiritual experience from the taste-and-see variety.By Jeffrey Wattles

1
The Journey from Easter to Pentecost 12:57

3+ y ago12:57

12:57

In this class, I check people's driver's licence to make sure that everyone is over 75. Jesus called Lazarus to LIFE: "Lazarus, come forth!" He's calling you to share his original message, "[Your name], come forth!"By Jeffrey Wattles

1
Composting the ugly 7:21

3+ y ago7:21

7:21

Here's a six-step process for cooperating with divine transformation in recycling that which is unbeautiful in us.By Jeffrey Wattles

1
Happy Mourning! 8:37

3+ y ago8:37

8:37

"Happy mourning" sounds like a paradox. Let's probe: mourning for past, present, future, for self and others, extreme affliction and daily sensitivity and responsiveness to human need.By Jeffrey Wattles

1
A leader's legacy 11:38

3+ y ago11:38

11:38

Jesus is the model for leaders who make provision for their mission to continue after their death.By Jeffrey Wattles

1
Militant action, mission of peace 13:48

3+ y ago13:48

13:48

When Jesus entered into Jerusalem for the last time, he both communicated that he was on a mission of peace and was also militant in some of his words and deeds. How is one to make sense of this combination?By Jeffrey Wattles

1
The great can lay down their lives 8:28

3+ y ago8:28

8:28

In response to a prayer request from a Ukrainian friend, I reflect on Jesus' willingness to lay down his life, his command that his followers be willing to do the same--and how we can ascend to that height. I include a couple of personal stories.By Jeffrey Wattles

1
Lessons from the Capernaum crisis 9:46

3+ y ago9:46

9:46

After skirmishes with some religious leaders, Jesus pre-empted an attack that was brewing in Capernaum. From the crisis that broke open there come lessons for leaders and team-members today.By Jeffrey Wattles

1
Jesus leads by making the crisis explicit 14:17

3+ y ago14:17

14:17

John 6 tells the pivotal story of how the skirmishes between Jesus and his enemies became a full-blown crisis.By Jeffrey Wattles

1
Jesus, leader in skirmishes 13:57

3+ y ago13:57

13:57

As the movement that Jesus led became strong, some religious leaders became defensive and hostile. Before their opposition reached the level of a crisis, there were some early skirmishes. Here we look at three of them to observe more of Jesus' qualities as a leader.By Jeffrey Wattles

1
Jesus, well-balanced leader 10:45

3+ y ago10:45

10:45

Jesus' character was strong, well-balanced, and centered in God. How did this center shape the kind of balance that he developed?By Jeffrey Wattles

1
God as a leader 7:39

3+ y ago7:39

7:39

God chose Abraham, called Moses and some of the prophets, and sent Jesus. This suggests that it might be interesting to ask in some human situations how God may already have made--or be making--provision for leadership? In what ways can we see that God does not monopolize power and is not domineering?…

1
Jesus loves me 4:44

3+ y ago4:44

4:44

In "Loving Jesus More," Phil Ryken tells the story of a little girl who told her minister that she didn't love Jesus. He asked her to repeat as often as possible, "Jesus loves me. Jesus loves me." I invite you to follow the path that she took or to creatively adapt it to your own spiritual path.By Jeffrey Wattles

1
Struggle Beautifully 7:48

3+ y ago7:48

7:48

When an athlete or a team is doing poorly, it is common to say that they are struggling. But struggle is part of life on all levels. Here's how to do it beautifully.By Jeffrey Wattles

1
Flying Pete 8:24

4+ y ago8:24

8:24

This is a dialogue with Evan, the evangelist; Syd, the scientist; Sophia, the philosopher; mature Miguel; Nate, the nature-lover; Alicia, the artist; and Abe, the activist.By Jeffrey Wattles

1
Profound self-respect 7:36

4+ y ago7:36

7:36

Self-respect, or the lack of it, can be based on superficial things. But true self-respect can be hard for us who evolved from animals. But when we engage ideals that are divine, spiritual, and eternal, it brings a new kind of respect. And the golden rule leads us to have a profound respect for every person we meet.…

1
Want the core of strong character as a gift? 14:46

4+ y ago14:46

14:46

This is a passionate proclamation of discovery. It comes in the form of comments on two teachings, one about the supreme desire for righteousness and the other about how in liaison with God, nothing is impossible.By Jeffrey Wattles

1
Ten Rules of Fishing for Souls 2:29

5y ago2:29

2:29

This list of rules deserves to go viral. Please help creatively. The text is in the blogpost on my website. Fishing for souls means attracting people to join the universal family of God.By Kurt Cira (read by Jeffrey Wattles)

1
Let's be merciful 10:56

5y ago10:56

10:56

Politicians and partners can do it. "Be merciful as you Father is merciful." The more we discover the mercy of God, the more we want to extend that by forgiving others. Thank you for forgiving me.By Jeffrey Wattles

1
The planet and step one 9:11

5y ago9:11

9:11

Those who would spread a message of light: Be lucid about our current plunge and preserve the torch of truth for the planetary teachable moment.By Jeffrey Wattles

1
Wisdom from an African philosopher 11:55

5y ago11:55

11:55

Ethiopian philosopher Zera Yacob (1599-1692) was forced at age 27 to flee for his life from the king. He lived in a cave for two years until the death of the king; but during that time he began to piece together his philosophy. Here are excerpts and a bit of commentary. I find his thoughts very timely, and superior to what his Enlightenment contemp…

1
Loving God in simplicity 10:42

5y ago10:42

10:42

The commandment to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength has enough complexity to it to call for love in its simplicity.By Jeffrey Wattles

1
Hackathon divinity moments 11:57

5y ago11:57

11:57

A hackathon is a problem-solving event involving teams that compete in a fast-paced, high-tech "marathon." This episode describes four manifestations of divinity in the process as I experienced it.By Jeffrey Wattles

1
Jesus, the master wheelwright 8:44

5y ago8:44

8:44

Civilization is a wagon train, and Jesus is the master wheelwright. A wheelwright is a person who builds and repairs wooden wheels. This episode explains the analogy.By Jeffrey Wattles

1
Nourishment and output 9:43

5y ago9:43

9:43

How do we nourish ourselves on the bread of life? This is a string of word pictures with a thread of meaning running through.By Jeffrey Wattles

1
Tenth Leper Club 10:29

5y ago10:29

10:29

After Jesus healed ten men with leprosy, they went forth joyously, but one man turned back, and came to Jesus to give thanks and worship. This episode tells how we can break through the momentum of lazy appreciation and activate worship.By Jeffrey Wattles

1
Justice: divine, destined, established, evolving 10:33

5y ago10:33

10:33

A reflection framed by prayer distinguishes the justice of God; the justice that we look forward to in our planetary destiny when the kingdom of God will have come in its fullness; justice that is already established here and there; and justice that is evolving.By Jeffrey Wattles

1
Contrasts and blends 6:03

5y ago6:03

6:03

A reflection on the contrasting media images of response to the murder of George Floyd. An invitation to keep pondering.By Jeffrey Wattles

1
Camp Anytown dismantles stereotypes 16:03

5+ y ago16:03

16:03

70 diverse high school students are gathered for a three-day weekend at Camp Anytown (lots of details in the blogpost). After three days of organized interaction, they have confronted and exploded their prejudices and emerge as loving, mutually supportive, inspired leaders for positive social change. The last portion of the video presents comments/…

1
Two kinds of anxiety, two cures 14:40

5+ y ago14:40

14:40

The two kinds of anxiety: physical discomfort or worse; and performance anxiety. What cures would you prescribe?By Jeffrey Wattles

1
Love and commandment 11:23

5+ y ago11:23

11:23

A divine commandment expresses faith in what you can do and be, orients your life, alerts you to the fact that the rewards of following are better than the consequences of rejecting, and promises support every step of the way.By Jeffrey Wattles

1
Doctors' orders and spiritual liberation 7:43

5+ y ago7:43

7:43

Does your life seem over medicalized?By Jeffrey Wattles

1
Why is loving the neighbor like loving God? 9:20

5+ y ago9:20

9:20

An amoeba, a book on public speaking, and a question that has long awaited being raised.By Jeffrey Wattles

1
A Christian reads Lao Tzu 9:51

5+ y ago9:51

9:51

Lao Tzu: A noble man steeps himself in the Way, because he wishes to find himself in it. When he finds himself in it, he is at ease in it. When he is at ease in it, he can draw deeply upon it. When he draws deeply upon it, he finds its source wherever he turns. These phrases resonate with themes of Christian spirituality.…

1
If it's not liberating, it's not truth 7:05

5+ y ago7:05

7:05

If we believe some spiritual truth that we know is supremely important, but we're not getting the transformation, we're still on the level of ideas. Here are some paths that lead from the idea-level of belief to the liberation level of faith.By Jeffrey Wattles

1
Health, sanity, and happiness 6:52

5+ y ago6:52

6:52

The human personality system: body, mind, soul, spirit. When they are integrated and unified, the benefits are health, sanity, and happiness. Sanity means mental efficiency--so that we can use knowledge and wisdom to treat others as we want others to treat us; overcome the tendency to be invaded by fear and anxiety; cooperate responsibly with publi…