Habit Helps: Recent Episodes

Creekside Community Church

In this Podcast, Father and Son Jeff and John Bruce discuss the critical role of habits in the Christian life. Listen in as John and Jeff continue their life-long conversation on how habits build us as followers of Jesus, and how we can build better habits.

Walking the Talk (Part 2) - Luke 6:1-49

John and Kyle Driggers, Creekside’s discipleship pastor, continue with the new series based on Creekside's Sunday sermons. This week, they discuss sermons preached on May 26th (Luke 6:1-19) and June 2nd (Luke 6:20-49), and how to implement the truth found in these texts.

Walking the Talk (Part 1) - Luke 5:12-26

Jeff and John begin a new series based on Creekside's Sunday sermons. This week, they discuss sermons preached on May 5th (Luke 5:1-11) and May 12th (Luke 5:12-26), and how to implement the truth found in these texts.

Jeff and John continue their conversation on the theme of discipline in the book of Proverbs, discussing the theme of diligence. Topics include:
- Why diligence is a skill to learn.
- The difference between efficiency and effectiveness.
- Taking a long-view of life.
- Working on the right things at the right times.
...and much more.

Jeff and John continue their conversation on the theme of discipline in the book of Proverbs, and revisit the theme of sloth. Topics include:

How to know if you're a sluggard.
Defeating procrastination.
The real differences between lazy and productive people.

...and much more.

Jeff and John start a conversation on the theme of discipline in the book of Proverbs. Topics include:

The importance of saying "no" to yourself.
Why willpower is not sufficient.
Learning to love discipline

...and much more.

Smart People: What Proverbs Teaches about Building Habits (Part 12): Smart People Pursue Integrity (Part 2):
Jeff and John continue discussing the theme of integrity in Proverbs, including:
- 4 critical areas of integrity.
- The importance of honesty in "little" things.
- Picking truthful friends
...and much more.

Jeff and John discuss the theme of integrity, including:
- The difference between authenticity and integrity.
- How integrity protects and guides us.
- The challenges to building integrity.
- How to build integrity.
...and much more.

Jeff and John continue their discussion on the importance of "a good name" from Proverbs 25. Topics include,
- The relationship between self-control and honor. .
- The art of persuasion.
- Having clear convictions.
- Letting your "yes" be "yes" and your "no" be "no."
...and much more.

In the eighth installment of their series on the book of Proverbs, Jeff, and John discuss being proactive in doing good, including:

How fearing God leads to generosity.
Seeing how God views the poor.
The complex nature of poverty.
Ways to start being proactive in doing good.

...and much more.

Title: Smart People: What Proverbs Teaches about Building Habits (Part 7): Prioritize friendship (part 2)
In the seventh installment of their series on the book of Proverbs, Jeff and John discuss how to make friends, including:
- What to look for (and what to avoid) in potential friends
- Overcoming barriers to making friends
- Being a friendly versus being a friend
- Friendship as a shoulder to shoulder relationship.
...and much more

Smart People: What Proverbs Teaches about Building Habits (Part 6): Prioritize friendship (part 1)
n the sixth installment of their series on the book of Proverbs, Jeff and John discuss
- The decline of friendship
- The need for friendship
- and much more.

In the fifth installment of their series on the book of Proverbs, Jeff and John discuss:
- The importance of prioritizing marriage.
- Identifying warning signs within marriage.
- Differences between the biblical vision of marriage and cultural expectations around marriage.
- The need for a bigger mission in marriage.
- and much more.

In the fourth installment of their series on the book of Proverbs, Jeff and John discuss:

Habits of wise financial management from the book of Proverbs.
Transferring ownership of our wealth to God.
Problems with sports talk radio.
Problems with racoons.
and much more.

In the second installment of their series on the book of Proverbs, Jeff and John discuss:
- Why is fear of the Lord "the beginning of the wisdom" (Proverbs 1:7)?
- What is (and is not) the fear of the Lord?
- Why don't we fear the Lord?
- How do we grow in the fear of the Lord?
and more...

In the first installment of a new series on the book of Proverbs, Jeff and John discuss:
- Why they love the book of Proverbs.
- The nature of "wisdom" in the book of Proverbs.
- Learning to desire wisdom.
- Learning from the book of nature and the book of Scripture.
- Becoming a lifelong learner.
and more...

John and Jeff talk about sins of the tongue. Topics include:
- Why can't we tame the tongue?
- Why is the tongue so dangerous?
- How God empowers us to control our speech.
- How to speak with restraint.
- Guidelines for digital communication.
and more...

John and Jeff talk about sloth and laziness. Topics include:

What's so dangerous about being lazy?
How to tell if you're a sluggard
How to grow in diligence

and more...

John and Jeff talk about greed. Topics include:

What is greed?
How does greed relate to idolatry?
The differences between prosperity theology, poverty theology, and stewardship theology.
Diagnosing greed in our own hearts.
Disciplines for killing greed.
and more.

Title: Dirty Deeds (Part 2): Anger
John and Jeff talk about sinful anger. Topics include:
What is God's anger? What is good anger?
- The many faces of anger.
- The danger of anger.
- Channeling anger towards constructive ends.
- The necessity of forgiveness.
- and much more.

In their first installment of a new series on putting to death the "deeds of the body" (Romans 8:13), John and Jeff talk about...

The nature of sin, and how it takes up residence in our fallen bodies.
Why we must not only build good habits but put to death bad habits.
The nature of pride, and why it's the root sin.
Modern notions of self-esteem.
Manifestations of pride.
Ways to kill pride.
and much more...

In the fifth and final installment of this series, Creeksiders Deb and Dan join Jeff to talk about the challenges of navigating tech with our kids. Dan and Deb have served in campus ministry for nearly two decades, and have witnessed firsthand the impact of tech on emerging generations. In this episode, they discuss...

Changes between the average college student in 2002 and 2022.
The impact of ubiquitous tech on children and young adults.
The spiritual impact of tech.
Principles for managing our kids' use of tech.
and much more...

In the fourth installment of this series, Greg and Jeff talk about the importance of gentleness in parenting. They discuss:

The biblical definition of gentleness.
The difference between meekness and weakness.
Rejection as the opposite of gentleness, and different ways parents can reject their kids.
The difference between gentleness and permissibility.
The gentleness of Jesus.
and much more...

In the third installment of this series, Greg and Jeff talk about diligently teaching our kids to follow Jesus. In this episode they discuss:

The difference between learning in a classroom and learning as an apprentice.
The importance of internalizing the word.
Capturing teachable moments.
Ways to teach the faith to our kids.
and much more...

In the second installment of this series, Greg, John and Jeff discuss winning the hearts of our children. In this episode they discuss:

Why our kids must be won.
Avoiding both domineering and codependent styles of parenting.
Pursuing our kids the way Christ pursues us.
How to win our kids' hearts.
and much more...

In the first installment of this new series, Greg Arthur (Creekside's Pastor to Families) joins John and Jeff to discuss the habits of biblical parenting. In this episode they discuss:

The foundational importance of parents.
How God uses parents to pass on the faith.
The connection between parenting and discipleship.
and much more...

In the fourth and final installment of their series on practicing prayer, John and Jeff discuss:

What in the world is supplication?
Prayer and God's sovereignty
The importance of persistence
Praying proactively versus reactively
and much more...

In their third installment of a series on practicing prayer, John and Jeff discuss:

The difference between adoration and thanksgiving
Why thanksgiving is an essential part of genuine faith
The connection between joy and praise
Habits for growing in gratitude
and much more...

In their second installment of a series on practicing prayer, John and Jeff discuss:

Why is confession necessary, if all of our sins were forgiven at the cross?
The spiritual benefits of confession
The difference between conviction and condemnation
Why we need Scripture to guide our confession,
and much more...

Why prayer is challenging.
The different kinds of prayer in Scripture.
The importance of starting with adoration.
How to grow in the practice of adoring God.
and much more...

In the ninth installment of their series on the habits of healthy community, John and Jeff discuss Romans 12:15, and creating a culture of empathy. They discuss...

Why they aren't the best people to be having this conversation.
How Jesus models compassion.
What empathy is and is not.
The importance of not only weeping with those who weep, but rejoicing with those who rejoice.
and much more....

In the eighth installment of their series on the habits of healthy community, John and Jeff discuss Romans 12:14, and creating a culture of grace. They discuss...

What it means (and doesn't mean) to practice non-retaliation
How the command to "love your enemies" applies within the church
Different ways we can retaliate against people
What a church should look like in the face of outside hostility
and much more....31:52

In the seventh installment of their series on the habits of healthy community, John and Jeff discuss Romans 12:13, and creating a culture of generosity. They discuss...

What generosity and hospitality looked like in the early church.
Why Westerners in particular are resistant to living this way.
The link between sharing our stuff and sharing our lives
How to grow in hospitality and generosity
And more...

In the sixth installment of their series on the habits of healthy community, John and Jeff discuss Romans 12:12, and creating a culture of positivity. They discuss...

What Christian hope is (and is not) and how it shapes community.
How hope and prayer fuel endurance.
How (and how not) to encourage people who are suffering.
And more...

In the fourth installment of their series on the habits of healthy community, John and Jeff discuss Romans 12:10, and creating a culture of honor. They discuss...

The importance of family affection in Christian community.
Ways to show honor and affirmation.
The difference between affirmation and flattery.
And more...

In the third installment of their series on the habits of healthy community, John and Jeff discuss Romans 12:9, and what "genuine love" really is. They discuss...

What it means to love "authentically" vs. modern understandings of authenticity.
The relationship between love and truth.
Steps for cultivating genuine love in a community.
And more...

In the second installment of their series on the habits of healthy community, John and Jeff discuss Romans 12:6-8, and the importance of recognizing others' need for us. They talk about...

The danger of overvaluing and undervaluing your role in the body of Christ.
Consumeristic vs covenantal community.
The nature of "spiritual gifts."
The importance of "running plays" as a community.
And much more...

In their first installment of a new series on the habits of healthy community, John and Jeff discuss Romans 12:1-8, and our need for others. In this episode, they talk about...

How renewing our minds (Romans 12:2) begins with changing the way we think about God's people (Romans 12:3-8).
How individualism shapes our view of the Bible, the gospel, and the church.
The difference between wanting community and needing community.
Christian community as a spiritual discipline.
And much more...

In the final installment of their series on the Habits of a Missionary (which was supposed to be 8 parts, but ended up being 7), Jeff and John discuss chapter 8 of Sam Chan's new book, How to Talk about Jesus without Being THAT Guy: Personal Evangelism in a Skeptical World. In this episode, they discuss...

The inevitability of disagreement when sharing the gospel.
Why disagreement can be a good thing.
Letting Jesus do the heavy lifting in disagreements.
Going on the offensive in conversations
And much more...

In the fourth of an 8-part series, Jeff and John discuss chapter 5 of Sam Chan's new book, How to Talk about Jesus without Being THAT Guy: Personal Evangelism in a Skeptical World as a template. In this episode, they discuss...

Evangelism as story-telling.
Deconstructing the dominant Western story
Using stories about Jesus to share the gospel.
Connecting the gospel story to your personal story
And much more...

In the fourth of an 8-part series, Jeff and John discuss chapter 4 of Sam Chan's new book, How to Talk about Jesus without Being THAT Guy: Personal Evangelism in a Skeptical World as a template. In this episode, they discuss...

The golden rule of evangelism.
The different forms of listening.
The listening cycle.
What to listen for in conversations
And much more...

In the first of an 8-part series, Jeff and John discuss living life as a missionary, using Sam Chan's new book, How to Talk about Jesus without Being THAT Guy: Personal Evangelism in a Skeptical World as a template. In this episode, they discuss...

The connection between being a disciple-maker and being a missionary
Why evangelism is a team sport (John 13, 17)
Connecting our Christian social network with our non-Christian social network
Plausibility structures and the role of community in belief formation
Belonging before believing

And much more...

In this last episode of their 8-part series on disciple-making, John and Jeff discuss "Reproduction"; the eighth chapter in Robert Coleman's classic The Master Plan of Evangelism. They talk about...

Why disciple-making is both the most foundational and most difficult thing we are called to do.
Why disciples cannot be mass-produced.
The importance of persistence in disciple-making.
Spiritual reproduction as the acid test of Christian ministry.
Taking a long-term view of life.

And much more...

The plan Jeff shared is adapted from

https://brianhoward.com/how-to-write-a-life-plan/

If you want to build a new habit, stack it on top of an old one.
If you want to make progress, aim low.
If you want to eliminate distraction, treat tech like mental junk food.
If you want to complete projects, create a deadline before the deadline.

John and Jeff discuss "Delegation"; the sixth chapter in Robert Coleman's classic The Master Plan of Evangelism. They talk about... - How Jesus assigned work for his disciples. - The importance of beginning with the end in mind in discipleship relationships. - What we can learn from Matthew 10 and Luke 10 about delegation. - The importance of seeing disciple-making as something that happens in the world (and not simply "in the church"). and more.

Jeff and John discuss "Demonstration"; the fifth chapter in Robert Coleman's classic The Master Plan of Evangelism. They talk about... - How Jesus set an example for his disciples - The importance of learning by doing - Implications for how we make disciples

Jeff and John discuss "Impartation"; the fourth chapter in Robert Coleman's classic The Master Plan of Evangelism. They talk about... - How Jesus gave himself to his disciples - The role of the Spirit in being a disciple and making disciples. - The importance of understanding our identity in Christ. - Gospel-motivation for following Jesus. and much more.

Jeff and John discuss "Consecration"; the third chapter in Robert Coleman's classic The Master Plan of Evangelism. They talk about:

Jesus' requirement of obedience - The importance of seeing discipleship as apprenticeship - Why to focus on application in Bible study. - The relationship between invitation and challenge in making disciples, and much more.

Why it can be challenging for Christians to see themselves not only as disciples, but also disciple-makers.
Why disciple-making is essential to being a disciple of Jesus.
Seeing Jesus as our model for disciple-making.
The importance of selection (Coleman's first principle), and intentionally choosing people to invest in.
Tips and pitfalls to avoid in choosing who to invest in.

In this episode, John and Jeff talk more about the biblical habit of meditation, why meditating on Scripture is the bridge between knowledge and obedience, and how to develop a more contemplative life.

John and Jeff discuss the different kinds of prayer described in the Bible, how prayer helps us process our emotions, and using the Lord’s Prayer as a template for praying.

John and Jeff discuss the problems with Bible study resources, why prayer is hard, why prayer is crucial, and how to start cultivating a more consistent prayer life

What changes when we become Christians.
What doesn't change when we become Christians.
How this impacts our view of Christian transformation.
Whether is a "bad kind of effort' in the Christian life.
Common objections people have to building habits and structures into their lives.

How shelter-in-place reveals our need for habits and structures.
How John got "excited" about habits.
What a "habit" is
Why Christians should care about habit formation
Why information and inspiration aren't enough to change our character