Soil and Roots

Brian Fisher
  • 5.0 (15)
  • CHRISTIANITY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Soil and Roots digs beneath the surface of cultural Christianity and explores how unconscious ideas in our hearts have a profound and lasting impact on our relationship with God, ourselves, others, and the world around us. Discipleship, or spiritual formation, is far more than memorizing Bible verses and volunteering at church. It's a journey of becoming more like Someone else, from the inside out. Come join us on a guided journey into deep discipleship!

  1. 1D AGO

    Ep 136: The Prodigal Son & the Christian Mystic

    What if the abundant, with-God life Jesus describes is real… but rarely experienced? In this episode, we explore one of the most famous parables ever told — the Prodigal Son — through a different lens. What if the younger son’s transformation wasn’t primarily about repentance, but about vulnerability? What if he became what we might call a “Christian mystic” — someone formed by experiential union with the Father? Drawing on research, the Soil & Roots framework, and the six Core Ideas that shape our unconscious lives, we examine four hidden obstacles that keep us from receiving God’s love: Our need for control Our avoidance of pain Our shame and sense of unworthiness Our mistrust of God’s character Only 2–5% of Christians report living with a consistent awareness of God’s presence. Why? Maybe the barrier isn’t information. Maybe it’s vulnerability. If “deep calls to deep,” this episode is an invitation to surrender the unconscious ideas that keep us guarded — and to step into the Good Life Jesus offers. Join us online!  Web: ⁠⁠soilandroots.org⁠⁠  Substack: ⁠⁠https://substack.com/@soilandroots⁠⁠  YouTube: ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@soilandroots⁠  Facebook: ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/SoilAndRootsPodcast/⁠⁠  Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/soilandrootspodcast⁠⁠  Spotify: ⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/0kStr423THe8lYQoLwf3J3?si=c79a43c83fa84a4e⁠⁠  #SoilAndRoots #DeepDiscipleship #DiscipleshipPodcast #SpiritualFormation

    27 min

  2. FEB 9

    Ep 135: (GH) Rediscovering the Good Life

    Handsome Kyle and Doc are back! In the first Greenhouse episode of Season 7, we continue the conversation from Episode 134, Rediscovering the Good Life, and slow things down to explore what this vision means for our actual formation. Jesus speaks of a “life to the full,” yet many sincere followers experience anxiety, exhaustion, and spiritual dissonance instead of peace and freedom. Why is that? And what does the Good Life actually look like when it is lived from the inside out? Is a life of abundance, mature peace, deep attunement, and a two-way conversational, intimate life with God real? This episode is especially for those who believe the promises of Scripture but struggle to experience them in daily life. Join us online!  Web: ⁠⁠soilandroots.org⁠⁠  Substack: ⁠⁠https://substack.com/@soilandroots⁠⁠  YouTube: ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@soilandroots⁠  Facebook: ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/SoilAndRootsPodcast/⁠⁠  Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/soilandrootspodcast⁠⁠  Spotify: ⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/0kStr423THe8lYQoLwf3J3?si=c79a43c83fa84a4e⁠⁠  #SoilAndRoots #DeepDiscipleship #DiscipleshipPodcast #SpiritualFormation

    46 min

  3. JAN 27

    Ep 134 (Season 7): Rediscovering the Good Life

    Episode 134 kicks off Season 7 of the Soil & Roots podcast, Deep Calls to Deep, with a simple but unsettling question: What kind of life did Jesus actually invite us into? In this episode, Brian Fisher explores what Scripture and Christian tradition call the Good Life—what Dallas Willard famously named the with-God life. It’s a life marked by deep relational security, inner freedom, and a two-way, conversational intimacy with God. And yet, for many Christians, this life feels distant, unrealistic, or reserved for “spiritual elites.” Drawing on Scripture, Christian mystics, and everyday experience, Brian suggests that the Good Life looks surprisingly like the inner world of a healthy child—secure, present, free to love—and asks why so many of us quietly assume that kind of life isn’t actually for us. This episode sets the stage for the entire season by reframing discipleship not as more effort or better techniques, but as the risky, transformative work of receiving God’s love. If you’ve ever wondered why the New Testament promises feel richer than your lived experience, this season—and this episode—is your invitation to leave the shallows and begin the journey into depth. Web: ⁠⁠soilandroots.org⁠⁠  Substack: ⁠⁠https://substack.com/@soilandroots⁠⁠  YouTube: ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@soilandroots⁠  Facebook: ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/SoilAndRootsPodcast/⁠⁠  Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/soilandrootspodcast⁠⁠  Spotify: ⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/0kStr423THe8lYQoLwf3J3?si=c79a43c83fa84a4e⁠⁠  #SoilAndRoots #DeepDiscipleship #DiscipleshipPodcast #SpiritualFormation

    21 min

  4. 11/18/2025

    Ep 133: The Love That Surpasses Knowledge

    In the Season 6 finale of Soil & Roots, Brian takes us on a sweeping journey through the core themes we’ve explored over the past three years—The Great Omission, the tension between the head and the heart, the hidden power of ideas, and the path toward becoming a deep person shaped by divine love. If you’re new to the podcast, this may be the single best place to start; if you’ve been with us from the beginning, this episode connects and clarifies everything we’ve wrestled with so far. Together we revisit the three primary problems of story, community, and purpose, confront the Formation Gap, and rediscover the invitation to a life rooted in the love that transforms from the inside out. A perfect setup for Season 7.

    25 min

  5. 10/20/2025

    Ep 132: My Two Sons (Bonus Episode)

    In this special bonus episode, Brian invites his two young adult sons, Caleb and Zachary, on to the show to discuss spiritual formation in different generations. Caleb and Zach grew up in the church and are now involved with a church plant in their area. Both share some of their stories of apprenticing with Jesus, what they find fascinating about Him, and their perspective on discipleship and institutional churches. We hope you enjoy this fun, intimate look at three men who are all following Jesus in their own ways, and seeking the Kingdom as they continue to be wrestle with what it means to become more like Jesus in our age. If you watch this on video, be advised Zach's camera was having hissy fits! You will hear him perfectly, but his video alternatives between clear and blurry. Join us online!  Web: ⁠⁠soilandroots.org⁠⁠  Substack: ⁠⁠https://substack.com/@soilandroots⁠⁠  YouTube: ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@soilandroots⁠  Facebook: ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/SoilAndRootsPodcast/⁠⁠  Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/soilandrootspodcast⁠⁠  Spotify: ⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/0kStr423THe8lYQoLwf3J3?si=c79a43c83fa84a4e⁠⁠  #SoilAndRoots #DeepDiscipleship #DiscipleshipPodcast #SpiritualFormation

    45 min

  6. 10/02/2025

    Ep 131: (GH) Rested and Relaxed

    Brian, Doc, and Handsome Kyle engage in a lively, honest conversation about what it means to live a relaxed life, just like Jesus. Instead of the performance-driven, always-busy version of Christianity so many of us grew up with, they reflect on Jesus’ calm, centered presence—rooted in His secure attachment to the Father. From raccoons clinging to shiny distractions (yes, just like our anxieties) to the distinction between intellectual belief and heart-level trust, the three unpack how transformation flows from receiving God’s love first, then surrender, and then obedience—not the other way around. The crew also digs into where this kind of relaxed life really takes root: in small, intentional communities. Doc, Kyle, and Brian highlight how these spaces help us notice God in the ordinary—through conversations, creation, and the most mundane parts of life. The invitation is simple but profound: let go of the shiny substitutes, receive the love that makes sin less appealing and obedience more natural, and discover that being relaxed like Jesus isn’t passivity—it’s the steady freedom of knowing you’re deeply loved. Join us online!  Web: ⁠⁠soilandroots.org⁠⁠  Substack: ⁠⁠https://substack.com/@soilandroots⁠⁠  YouTube: ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@soilandroots⁠  Facebook: ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/SoilAndRootsPodcast/⁠⁠  Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/soilandrootspodcast⁠⁠  Spotify: ⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/0kStr423THe8lYQoLwf3J3?si=c79a43c83fa84a4e⁠⁠  #SoilAndRoots #DeepDiscipleship #DiscipleshipPodcast #SpiritualFormation

    42 min

  7. 09/18/2025

    Ep 130: Rested and Relaxed

    Brian explores one of Jesus’ most surprising traits—how deeply relaxed He is—and why that matters for deep discipleship. Building on this season’s portrait of Jesus (emotionally secure, living as the Beloved, relationally shrewd, just, and gentle), Brian shows how Jesus moves calmly through storms, conflict, and pressure without losing agency or love. The invitation? If we’re becoming like Jesus, we’ll grow in that same inner ease—rested, present, and at peace. Instead of rewriting the past or controlling the future, we practice living in the present, so our hearts loosen their grip and rest in God. It’s not emotionless; it’s anchored. As we receive our identity as the Beloved, we learn to relax from the inside out—even when life isn’t.

    26 min

  8. 09/02/2025

    Ep 129: (GH) Gentleness on the Brute Squad

    Most of us would never talk to a friend the way we talk to ourselves. Yet our inner “talk tracks” run all day—and they quietly shape how we relate to God, others, creation, and even our own souls. In this episode, Brian and Doc take a fresh look at self-gentleness—what it is, why it’s missing from most church conversations, and how it deepens real discipleship. (Kyle’s out this week at a very important men’s hair and beard convention—we expect him back looking sharper than ever.) We begin with the four relationships we’re made for and why “self” belongs there. Then we dive into metacognition—thinking about what we think about. What do you say to yourself when you mess up? Would Jesus say that to you? We also tackle why so many Christians struggle here: a “reductionist gospel” that emphasizes sin management and leaves little room for God’s delight in us. Along the way, we contrast Sinclair Ferguson’s “God accepts us despite who we are” with Dallas Willard’s “Jesus wants to be with the you-that-is.” Gentleness is power restrained. It’s how Jesus treats us—and how he invites us to treat ourselves. Join us online!  Web: ⁠⁠soilandroots.org⁠⁠  Substack: ⁠⁠https://substack.com/@soilandroots⁠⁠  YouTube: ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@soilandroots⁠  Facebook: ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/SoilAndRootsPodcast/⁠⁠  Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/soilandrootspodcast⁠⁠  Spotify: ⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/0kStr423THe8lYQoLwf3J3?si=c79a43c83fa84a4e⁠⁠  #SoilAndRoots #DeepDiscipleship #DiscipleshipPodcast #SpiritualFormation

    40 min
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5
out of 5
15 Ratings

About

Soil and Roots digs beneath the surface of cultural Christianity and explores how unconscious ideas in our hearts have a profound and lasting impact on our relationship with God, ourselves, others, and the world around us. Discipleship, or spiritual formation, is far more than memorizing Bible verses and volunteering at church. It's a journey of becoming more like Someone else, from the inside out. Come join us on a guided journey into deep discipleship!

Information

  • Creator
    Brian Fisher
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    136
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Brian Fisher
  • Show Website
    Soil and Roots