Embrace What Matters: With Author and Speaker, John Michalak

Embrace What Matters: With Author and Speaker, John Michalak

Listen to spiritual meditations, guest interviews, and sermons brought to you by bestselling author and speaker, John Michalak. With a speaking style described as both practical and engaging, John has spent over 25 years encouraging Christians and non-Christians alike from churches to the classroom, inside prisons, and at conferences and retreats. John is also the author of "365 Devotions to Embrace What Matters Most" and will be releasing his next book in 2022. Learn more at http://embracewhatmatters.com (main music themes by Jeff Taylor and Coma-Media).

Episodes

The Well-Tempered Center of Arthur Boers (encore of part II)

February 17, 2023 • 58 mins

(Note: This is an encore of John’s interview with Arthur from the previous episode, including only Arthur’s discussion of his newest book, Shattered: A Son Picks Up the Pieces of His Father's Rage.)

The word, "temper" can be understood in different ways. Our first thought is usually related to anger, or the effects of anger. But something can also be tempered when it's been ma...

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The Well-Tempered Center of Arthur Boers

October 5, 2022 • 107 mins
The word, "temper" can be understood in different ways. Our first thought is usually related to anger, or the effects of anger. But something can also be tempered when it's been made stronger or more stable by things like pressure, heat, or the passage of time. Both understandings are closely linked with the formation of writer, priest, and pastor, Arthur Boers. ...

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The Secret to Contentment

August 22, 2022 • 10 mins
(John shares his next spiritual meditation based on thoughts from his upcoming book: UNTO LIFE: Reflections on Both the Journey and the Destination.) What is the secret to contentment? This is an age-old question. Many of us have made important decisions based on our pursuit of happiness. But it so often feels like a mirage, an illusion, where our fulfillment is always just out of reach. Some have given up on careers, relationship...

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Curt Campbell and the Miracle of Transformation

July 11, 2022 • 84 mins
Spiritual growth should be the goal of every Christian. As God's children we are, like any child, supposed to grow up into maturity and take hold of this new life that has taken hold of us. But unlike physical change, spiritual growth isn't always that simple. We'll have growth spurts as Christians, but then our change may stop in its tracks or even regress. We want to be mature, but our desires and weaknesses so often get in the w...

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Your Resurrection Begins Now

June 27, 2022 • 10 mins
(John shares his next spiritual meditation based on thoughts from his upcoming book: UNTO LIFE: Reflections on Both the Journey and the Destination.) Christianity is about change. We are born again of God's Spirit as a new creation. We then, by God's grace, pursue spiritual change and transformation. But for most of us, that change feels like a monumental task. First, it's so difficult to believe we're now something different. Our...

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The Sacred Solace of Fernando Ortega

June 13, 2022 • 90 mins
In so much of life, we feel adrift. Bounced left and right by the chaos of our world, pummeled by the anxiety of just making it through the day. We need a stable shore, a place of shelter and solace to know we're safe and that there's hope for life beyond the things of earth and frail humanity. The sacred beauty in Fernando Ortega's music gives us this hope. It awakens in us a desire for something more and em...

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How Art Creates a Longing for God

May 30, 2022 • 10 mins
(John shares his next spiritual meditation based on thoughts from his upcoming book: UNTO LIFE: Reflections on Both the Journey and the Destination.) God is first-and-foremost a Creator. And as our Creator, he is also the world's first artist. As discussed in a previous meditation, the beauty we see in the natural world exists because it is a reflection of God's ...

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Father Anthony and the Patterns of Perfection

May 16, 2022 • 87 mins
In this second Unto Life Interview, John speaks with Ukrainian Orthodox priest, Father Anthony Perkins. Father Anthony has led a fascinating life, living as a political scientist, military intelligence specialist, college and seminary professor, and in his most recent years, as an Orthodox priest and pastor. On the other side of the more simple ways we can experience God, Father Anthony dives deep into the waters of theology and m...

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A Divine Nature Clearly Seen

May 2, 2022 • 9 mins
(John shares his next spiritual meditation based on thoughts from his upcoming book: UNTO LIFE: Reflections on Both the Journey and the Destination.) Romans says that "since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made." In this way, our opportunity to worship God spans far beyond the four walls of the church building. When ...

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The Mere Christianity of Andy Gullahorn

April 18, 2022 • 83 mins
The classic book Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis finds its power in showing us a simple faith. A plain faith. One that leaves an immense impact without a lot of noise and fanfare. That's one way to describe Nashville singer-songwriter, Andy Gullahorn. Andy's music and life are purposely quiet and understated, but they are no less powerful. He speaks to us as a close friend. One who helps us relax. To laugh. To feel the joy of comm...

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Eternal Life Begins Now

April 4, 2022 • 8 mins
(The podcast launches its brand-new format with John's first spiritual meditation based on thoughts from his upcoming book: UNTO LIFE: Reflections on Both the Journey and the Destination.) When does eternal life begin? When we die and go to heaven? If God is now with us and the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, eternal life begins now. (Music courtesy of Coma-Media and Dream-Protocol from Pixabay.)

*****

...
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New Podcast Format Coming!

March 21, 2022 • 4 mins
John announces a shift in format for the podcast from past sermons to new spiritual meditations and guest interviews. (music by Dream-Protocol from Pixabay)

*****

JOHN MICHALAK'S NEWSLETTER, WEBSITE, BOOK, AND OTHER WRITINGS: http://linktr.ee/johnmichalak

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No Greater Romance

March 14, 2022 • 35 mins
Part 23 of 23 in the series, "Belonging to Him." It may seem odd to imagine that we're called to have a "divine romance" with God. But the human marriage and intimacy with God have many parallels, seen especially in the Garden of Eden and in Revelation's Marriage Supper of the Lamb. In the time in-between, Jesus serves as our mediator, calling us to healing and restoration with God. And Jesus serves as our Suitor, the bridegroom wh...
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He Must Increase

March 7, 2022 • 38 mins
Part 22 of 23 in the series, "Belonging to Him." People like John-the-Baptist, Paul, and Jesus became "less" so that people could see more of God and ultimately, so they could belong to God. John modeled this in his words: "He must increase, but I must decrease." Becoming less doesn't belittle our self-worth. Rather, it's the path to finding our true self-worth and identity and genuinely sharing this quality of life with others. It...
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The Second Is Like the First

February 28, 2022 • 38 mins
Part 21 of 23 in the series, "Belonging to Him." Unconditional love feels unreachable. But not when we belong to God. God's love for us can transform how well we love one another. And the second commandment to love is like the first. Loving others affects how well we belong to him (sermon recorded in 2019).
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My Relationship with Worship

February 21, 2022 • 36 mins
Part 20 of 23 in the series, "Belonging to Him." How do I relate to worship? Is it just about making it to church each Sunday? Is it just singing songs and hymns? Is it just something you’re supposed to do, but I rarely feel connected to God when I do it? Worship should be a chief focus in nurturing divine intimacy. But if we limit it to just Sunday morning or devotional time, we can miss the power of God's presence in all areas of...
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My Relationship with Prayer

February 14, 2022 • 37 mins
Part 19 of 23 in the series, "Belonging to Him." How do I relate to prayer? Is it just a way to get what I want? Is it something I just do, but doubt it ever really works? While God desires to meet our daily needs, he also wants us to understand our ultimate need: to belong to him. Prayer should be the avenue we use to nurture connection, intimacy, and oneness with God. If that's our first and main focus, then the answers to our pr...
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My Relationship with God’s Word

February 7, 2022 • 39 mins
Part 18 of 23 in the series, "Belonging to Him." How do you relate to the Bible? Is it just a textbook or rulebook? Is it just required reading to become a good person or go to heaven? Or is it also the very essence of God himself? If the Bible is truly the "Word made flesh," then its benefits will surpass simply becoming wiser or a better person. It can be a way to relate to God in the most personal way imaginable (sermon recorded...
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Who Does He Say That I Am?

January 31, 2022 • 42 mins
Part 17 of 23 in the series, "Belonging to Him". Jesus once asked his disciples, "Who do you say that I am?" In our encounters with Jesus, we should also answer this question, but then we should ask, "Who does God say that I am?" Understanding and claiming our identity in Christ should be a foundational and constant confession of faith. Because who we are is shaped by who we're with. And who we are in Christ will define what we hav...
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The Fear of Jesus

January 24, 2022 • 43 mins
Part 16 of 23 in the series, "Belonging to Him." To "fear God" is a recurring commandment in Scripture. But does it sound strange to your ears that we're likewise called fear Jesus? This sermon takes a look at the Jesus of the Gospels and demonstrates that people didn't just encounter the gentle, humble shepherd, but also the Lord of all creation, a person who regularly incited awe, astonishment, amazement...and reverential fear. H...
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