In this special episode, co-hosts Teena and Jim kick off the new season with a unique twist: instead of interviewing a guest, they dive into a reflective exercise designed to help them—and listeners—learn to delight in the often-overlooked aspects of life. Drawing from Jim’s creative practice, they each choose something they typically resist or undervalue (for Teena, restoring order at home; for Jim, baseball) and walk through a six-step process to cultivate appreciation and gratitude.

The conversation is rich with personal stories, honest struggles, and thoughtful insights about attention, creativity, and the hidden gifts in everyday routines. Along the way, Teena and Jim explore how their perspectives have been shaped by past experiences, how they see echoes of the divine in mundane tasks, and how embracing new disciplines can lead to deeper joy and connection.

Here is the exercise for you to try out! Let us know what you choose and how it goes.

Learning to Delight in God’s World (Especially the Overlooked Parts)

There is not one blade of grass, there is no color in this world, that is not intended to make us rejoice. - John Calvin

There are many aspects of God’s world that we often overlook or even resist delighting in. But with intentionality and attentiveness, we can cultivate a deep appreciation and gratitude toward God, even for the things we typically ignore or don’t typically value.

Here are six practices to help you cultivate delight in God’s gifts and see the overlooked goodness in God’s world:

1. See it through the eyes of someone who loves it. Borrow someone else’s affection for and let their appreciation awaken your own curiosity.

2. Learn its context. Explore its history, purpose, or ecosystem. Understanding often unlocks awe.

3. Truly experience it. Don’t just observe it from afar. Step into it. Try it. Engage your senses.

4. Prayerfully Contemplate. Pay attention to the intricacies of it, who is impacted by it, and hidden brilliance within your things. Let that detail lead you into worship and thanksgiving.

5. Examine your story about it. What’s your personal narrative around this thing? Identify the ways your personal narratives prevent you from seeing the hidden goodness. Even if there are some truly broken aspects of your “thing,” God’s grace is always at work and there are likely stories of people who are resisting that evil. Or it’s merely a good aspect of God’s world that has been twisted and is not being used the way God wants it.

6. Look for the echoes of God. What does this thing reflect about God? Where is His beauty, order, or creativity, or providence hidden inside?

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