Soil and Roots

08/05/2025

North American spirituality is obsessed with growth, gain, and influence. We’ve turned faith into a tool for personal success.

But what if it’s actually an invitation to become more like Jesus?

Check out the latest episode of the Soil and Roots podcast on Spotify and YouTube!

Spotify: https://vist.ly/32cz2

YouTube: https://vist.ly/32c25

08/04/2025

It’s Greenhouse time! Handsome Kyle, Doc, and Brian review Ep 126, which was all about Jesus as judge.

We all make judgments every day, about people, information, events, and conversations. Yet we live in an age where we are repeatedly told not to judge one another. We should just “live and let live.”

Let’s take a look at what Jesus said about judging, and how He did or did not judge. Since we are to become more like Him over time, how should we judge or refrain from judging?

Today’s Greenhouse features the normal depth, humor, and sarcasm found in most of our conversations…Enjoy!

Check out episode 127 on Spotify and YouTube!

Spotify: https://vist.ly/32947

YouTube: https://vist.ly/32948

07/12/2025

In 𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐝, Brian Fisher highlights a painful reality: many churches are full of people, yet starved for real friendship. Quoting Mike Frost’s startling research on declining confidant counts and his own experience in a vibrant but relationally shallow church, Brian argues that the structures of modern Christianity often fail to foster the deep, committed relationships we crave. Despite all our programs and participation, many of us still feel unseen, unknown, and unsupported in our walk with Jesus.

Brian then explores how the spiritual formation movement—while rich in resources and language—often misses the mark when it comes to building actual long-term communities. Drawing on Dallas Willard and others, he calls out the core of the Formation Gap: we’ve equated discipleship with information instead of transformation. We’re formed not by sermons alone, but by doing life with others over time, through intimacy, vulnerability, and grace. It's messy and slow, but our hearts know it’s what we were made for. The ache for belonging, Brian suggests, isn’t the problem—it’s the invitation.

Read "Lonely in a Crowd" on the Soil & Roots Substack page: https://vist.ly/3n96t7n

The Desperate Need to Recreate Deep Communities

07/11/2025

In 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐍𝐚𝐦𝐞, Brian Fisher explores our deep longing for meaningful, spiritually formative community—one that looks less like a weekly meeting and more like a sitcom family that knows and accepts us as we are. Drawing from his own 30-year marriage and memories of lost friendships, Brian reflects on how our culture is rich with images of authentic belonging, from Cheers to Community, but the church often falls short of offering that same space for growth and transformation.

At the heart of this piece is a sobering yet hopeful message: real discipleship happens in the messy, vulnerable, long-term commitment of community. Brian challenges us to rethink our assumptions about church groups and discipleship, noting that most modern Christian environments inform the mind but aren’t designed to transform the heart. If we want to close the Formation Gap and truly become like Jesus, we need more than Bible studies—we need people who know our names, walk with us in our weakness, and help us grow deep together.

Read "Where Everybody Knows Your Name" in full on the Soil and Roots Substack page: https://vist.ly/3n946tn

Our Longing for a Spiritually Formative Sit-Com Community

07/10/2025

Here's a reminder that good spiritual practices can go wrong if we lose sight of grace. Discipline should help us grow, not trap us in rules. Discernment should protect, not condemn. Holiness should inspire love, not judgment. Let’s keep our hearts soft and humble.

Check out the latest episode of the Soil and Roots podcast on YouTube and Spotify:

Watch on YouTube: https://vist.ly/3n8zihj

Listen on Spotify: https://vist.ly/3n8zihh

07/09/2025

We all judge—and we all get judged. But what does it mean to judge like Jesus?

In this episode, we explore one of Christ’s lesser-discussed traits: his role as judge. We unpack the tension between “Do not judge” and “judge with righteous judgment,” examining why judgment is inescapable, how it reveals the hidden ideas and desires in our hearts, and what it looks like to remove the logs from our own eyes before helping others.

With insights from Dallas Willard, the Bible Project, and personal stories, we learn that discerning, humble judgment can become a powerful act of love—if rooted in Kingdom ideas.

Check out the latest episode of the Soil and Roots podcast on YouTube and Spotify:

Watch on YouTube: https://vist.ly/3n8xkjs

Listen on Spotify: https://vist.ly/3n8xkjp

07/01/2025

In “When In Rome,” Brian Fisher explores why so many believers intellectually affirm Christian doctrine but fail to experience the love, peace, and abundance Jesus promises. Drawing from Judith Hougen and Dallas Willard, Brian argues that this disconnect—what Willard called The Great Omission—is not a failure of belief, but of formation. We’ve prioritized right ideas in our heads, but neglected the transformative ideas rooted in our hearts—ideas often shaped by experience more than teaching. This gap explains why many Christians feel unseen, unloved, or spiritually stuck, even after years of faith.

Brian shares a poignant example of how trauma can embed destructive ideas in our hearts, ideas that override even the most accurate theology. He invites readers into the deeper, messier work of discipleship: mining for our true assumptions about God, ourselves, and others, and allowing God to replace those with truth. It’s not quick or easy, but it’s how we move from being “functional heretics” to fully-formed apprentices of Jesus. The journey begins not with better doctrine, but with brave honesty and the belief that God’s promises really are for us.

Read "When In Rome" on the Soil & Roots Substack page: https://vist.ly/3n89t5h

The Great Omission and Our Hearts' Hidden Longings

06/30/2025

In “Becoming the Beloved,” Brian Fisher reflects on the deeper work of spiritual formation—not in flower beds, but in the soul. After a few subscribers confused Soil & Roots for a gardening blog, Brian takes the opportunity to explain the metaphor behind the name and re-center readers on the mission: helping people become deeply formed disciples of Jesus. He unpacks how many of us live with a disconnect between what we intellectually believe about God and what our hearts actually experience. The solution? Learning to uncover the hidden ideas that quietly shape our lives.

Brian shares a vulnerable story from his time leading a large ministry, revealing how his heart saw God more as a demanding taskmaster than a loving Father. Using what he calls the “Eight Indicators”—things like our behaviors, emotions, words, and how we use time—he encourages readers to trace their inner assumptions back to the root. True transformation begins when we live not just as servants, but as the Beloved—not just knowing God loves us, but experiencing that love in everyday life.

Read "The Beloved" on the Soil and Roots Substack page: https://vist.ly/3n87v7y

How to Integrate our Beliefs and Ideas

06/19/2025

Discipleship isn’t just about knowing—it’s about becoming. Truth must move from our heads to our hearts, then out through our lives.

Are we following Christ or just learning about Him?

The new Soil & Roots episode is now on Spotify and YouTube!

Listen on Spotify: https://vist.ly/3n7a6mj

Watch on YouTube: https://vist.ly/3n7a6mm

06/18/2025

In this episode, Doc, Reverend Pastor Handsome Kyle, and Brian explore the relational discernment of Jesus and its significance for deep discipleship.

Jesus engaged people not as categories, but as individuals—offering personal attention, deep listening, and an unhurried presence. This stands in contrast to modern Christian culture’s tendency to prioritize systems, sermons, and superficial connections over the slower, riskier work of authentic relationships.

We wrestle with how discipleship is more about being than doing—an ongoing formation in Christlikeness that embraces complexity, welcomes grace, and prioritizes love over perfection. As Western Christianity often sidesteps the moral gray areas of real life, let’s try a Spirit-led approach rooted in empathy, discernment, and community.

Catch the new Soil & Roots episode on Spotify and YouTube!

Listen on Spotify: https://vist.ly/3n77i9j

Watch on YouTube: https://vist.ly/3n77i9m

06/12/2025

In 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲, Brian Fisher rethinks the old adage “practice makes perfect” by revealing a deeper spiritual truth: it’s not perfection we’re aiming for, but formation. He reflects on how our repeated behaviors—both intentional and unconscious—shape who we’re becoming. Whether it's how we respond to stress, engage with others, or relate to God, our daily habits are always practicing something, and those practices mold our hearts.

Rather than striving for flawless spiritual performance, Brian encourages readers to embrace the long, faithful journey of being formed over time. Growth isn’t about getting it “right” every time—it’s about becoming someone new through grace-fueled repetition. This piece is an inspiring reminder that every act, no matter how small, is an opportunity to rehearse the life of Christ.

Read the rest of "𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲" on the Soil & Roots Substack page: https://vist.ly/3n6ppxp

The Power of Uncovering Ideas in Culture and Hearts

06/11/2025

In 𝙈𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙞𝙥𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙏𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙎𝙪𝙗𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣, Brian Fisher flips conventional ministry wisdom on its head by exploring how spiritual growth often begins not with addition, but with letting go. Drawing from his own experiences in leadership and formation, Brian challenges the obsession with constant expansion—more programs, more followers, more results—and instead offers a vision where subtraction creates the space for true multiplication. It's a bold reminder that pruning isn't punishment; it's preparation for fruitfulness.

This article invites us to consider: What needs to die in our lives, ministries, or communities so that something deeper can live? Whether it's ego, unhealthy rhythms, or misaligned goals, Brian helps readers see how surrender often precedes abundance. Rooted in both Scripture and personal story, it’s a refreshing and countercultural take on how the Kingdom of God actually grows.

Read the rest of this article on the Soil & Roots Substack page: https://vist.ly/3n6m3jk

The Need to Recapture Depth Over Breadth in our Spiritual Formation