Life with God: A Renovaré Podcast
A place for honest and unhurried conversations about interactive life with God. Hosted by Nathan Foster from Renovaré, a nonprofit that offers resources, events, and learning communities to help people become more like Jesus. Learn more at renovare.org.
Audio Meditation — Only One Thing
In a new audio meditation, Nathan Foster places David's longing to “dwell in God's house all the days of my life” (Psalm 27) alongside Jesus’ invitation to live in God's kingdom here and now. To be with God and under his rule is something to seek with our whole being, ahead of all else.
Looking Back on Summer Conversations, with Vivianne Foster
On Life with God, Nathan and Vivianne Foster sit down together to reflect on the summer episodes of the podcast, taking time to notice and savor the impressions those conversations left on the two of them.
Joshua Luke Smith — This is the Main Event
Nathan talks with pastor and poet Joshua Luke Smith about practicing presence and contentment in the “leftovers” of your life, because the hard parts are holy ground.
Jonathan Bailey — The Godward Journey
Nathan talks with Jon Bailey, Renovaré Ministry Team member and new author of the book Dwelling in Christ (first book in this season's Renovaré Book Club). The two discuss how Jon came to experience and write about the never-ending journey of transformation in Christ.
Hilary Johnson — Body, Mind, and Spirit
Nate speaks with retired psychiatrist Dr. Hilary Johnson about how the indivisibility of body, mind, and spirit means that wellness is, at some level, always a spiritual endeavor—empowered by God in and through loving relationships.
Mark Buchanan — Telling the Story of Le Chambon
On Life With God, Nathan has a fascinating conversation with author Mark Buchanan about his WWII novel, What Is Left of the Night—why he wrote it, what he learned, and how it offers a vision of kingdom living we can carry into present-day crises.
Audio Meditation: A Litany of Humility
We invite you to enter a time of prayer with Nathan Foster as he works through the Litany of Humility’s three movements and expands them with his own meditations. The prayer begins, “O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, hear me.”
Ragan Sutterfield — Eyes to See
Nathan Foster talks with author and priest Ragan Sutterfield on the sacramental nature of birding and other patient pursuits which train our attention so that we can live awake to our transcendent God and the invisible realm of his kingdom.
Tim Mackie + Carla Harding — Shaped By the Word (Bonus Ep.)
In this bonus episode we share a conversation from a Renovaré webinar called Shaped by the Word. Host Carolyn Arends speaks with Tim Mackie and Carla Harding about how Scripture functions in the lives of Jesus’ disciples to form us and draw us into a living relationship with Father Son and Spirit.
Renovaré Staff — The Spiritual Fruit of Pilgrimage
Three Renovaré staff members—Carolyn Arends, Monty Harrington, and Brandan Spencer—joined Nathan on Life with God to describe the team’s pilgrimage to Montgomery to give sustained attention to injustice against Black people in the United States and celebrate the legacy of God-empowered resistance and resilience.
Grace Pouch — Slowing Down and Savoring Childhood
Nathan talks with Grace Pouch about her new book Savoring Childhood and how small steps toward a slower, simpler lifestyle create space for a deeply rooted life of love for God and others.
Grace’s book Savoring ChildhoodA few excerpts:A sample chapter from the publisher"Animal Friends""Simple Tastes""Joy is in the Waiting" on Christianity TodayGrace’s website gracepouch.comFollow along for reflections on family life, spiritual formation, and the slow work of renewal on Grace’s Substack @GrapplePie, and on Instagram @Grace.Pate.PouchRoy Searle — The Heart's Cry
On Nathan Foster’s recent trip to England, he recorded an in-person conversation with Roy Searle, board member for Renovaré Britain and Ireland and elder in the Northumbria Community, about seeking and finding God in the era of “great unravelling.”
Show Notes
Roy is a Companion in the Northumbria Community and a former Pioneer Ambassador with the Baptist Union of Great Britain. A popular speaker, writer, leadership mentor, spiritual director, retreat leader and advisor, he is passionate about encouraging people to know the transforming love of God, helping them to realize their potential and encoura...
Lori Melton — The Gift of Spiritual Giants
Lori Melton joins Nate on the Life With God podcast this week to share about the spiritual practice she writes about in her new book, Journey with a Giant.
Emily Murphy – Faithful Storytelling
Nate talks with author and Renovaré Institute alum Emily Bain Murphy about her new middle grade fiction book and the potency of stories for spiritual formation.
Keas Keasler – Dallas Willard’s Theology
Nate speaks with author and Willard scholar Keas Keasler about the enduring helpfulness of Dallas Willard’s life and work.
Tiffany Clark — Sundar Singh's God-Bathed World
Nathan Foster talks with Tiffany Clark about what the 20th century Indian Christian mystic Sundar Singh can teach us about encountering God.
Pete Greig — Normal People Hearing God
Pete Greig, author of the book How To Hear God (up next in the Renovaré Book Club), joined Nate for a wonderful conversation on the ways that God speaks and what it looks like to listen well.
Show Notes
*Join us for the second half of this year's Renovaré Book Club at a reduced rate as Pete Greig leads us through his book How to Hear God.
Pete’s book—How to Hear God: A Simple Guide for Normal People
Read an excerpt from How to Hear God.
24-7...
New Year Meditation with Vivianne Foster
Nathan and Vivianne Foster share a meditation for the New Year melding a famous quote by Francis de Sales with the words of Mary from Luke 1 in this bonus episode of Life With God.
Vivianne Foster — The Blessing of Welcome
On this week’s podcast episode, Nathan and Vivianne Foster discuss how to welcome Christ—looking to Jesus’ parents as a picture of consent, receptivity, and hospitality.
Show Notes
Vivianne's Christmas Pie Recipe
This recipe was invented as my mother and I struggled to figure out the perfect way to enjoy Christmas Day together without fussing over ten different casseroles that needed to go in and out of the oven, and magically all be ready at the same moment. Having a French Canadian heritage, meat pies — called tourtieres are a big thing for us. T...Scott Erickson — Excavating Prayer through Art
Artist, author, and speaker Scott Erickson joined Nate for a conversation about creative expression as a way to speak truth, notice God's work in our lives, and excavate prayer and adoration for Christ.
Show Notes
Scott Erickson is an artist, author, and performance speaker who mixes autobiography, mythology, and aesthetics to create symbols and moments that speak to our deepest experiences.
He is the author of five books, the creator of two touring one man shows, a spiritual director to brave women and men, and a professional dishwasher for his food blogging wife.<...
Brad East – God in the Digital Age
Brad East joined Nate on Life With God for a helpful conversation about how our use of technology must be governed by the overarching goals of spiritual formation in Christ.
Show Notes
Brad East is an associate professor of theology at Abilene Christian University. He is the author of four books: The Doctrine of Scripture (2021),The Church’s Book: Theology of Scripture in Ecclesial Context(2022), The Church: A Guide to the People of God (2024), and Letters to a Future Saint: Foundations of Faith for the Spiritually Hungry (2024). He also writes regularly on his pe...
Grace Hamman — Tried and True Paths to Holiness
Grace Hamman talks with Nathan about medieval wisdom for how to cooperate with God’s grace to set aside vices (anti-love impulses) and put on virtues (loving, Christlike impulses).
Grace Hamman, Ph.D. (Duke University) is a writer and independent scholar of late medieval poetry and contemplative writing. She is the author of Ask of Old Paths and Jesus through Medieval Eyes. Her work has been published by academic and popular outlets, including Plough Quarterly and The Journal of Medieval and Early Modern Studies. Grace hosts a podcast called Old Books with Grace which celebrates the beauty an...
Andrew Ranucci — What Pastors Need
On Life With God this week, Nathan speaks with Andrew Ranucci, a spiritual director and mentor in the Next Frontiers program, about transitioning from pastoring a congregation to pastoring pastors. (The final day to apply for the 2026 Cohort of Next Frontiers is Friday, October 31, 2025.)
Next Frontiers is a program that runs from January through November 2026, and is designed to help mid-career pastors thrive in congregational leadership during times of transition in ministry. The key features of the program include opportunities for reimagining our pastoral identity, fostering spiritual renewal and engaging in meaningful relationship with veteran ministers...
Stanley Hauerwas and Tish Warren — Theology that Makes a Difference
In episode 305 of Life With God, Nathan speaks with Stanley Hauerwas, a theologian with a wide and profound influence. Also joining the show is Tish Harrison Warren (who has written the foreword to a new book showcasing Hauerwas's core ideas) about how Stanley shaped her life and ministry.
Terry Wildman — Wisdom Keepers
Nate talks with Terry Wildman, lead translator of the First Nations Version of the Bible, about the way that cultural translation brings the beauty and meaning of scripture to the surface for people ready to hear the good news.
Trevor Hudson – What I've Learned About God's Will
Trevor Hudson joined Nathan on the Life With God podcast to discuss his latest book, In Search of God’s Will—which will be our first group-read in the Renovaré Book Club starting this Fall.
Julian Davis Reid – Becoming Folk of Rest
Musician and theologian Julian Davis Reid talks with Nate on Life With God about the invitations of Scripture and Black music to receive God’s rest—and to help others rest—while living in the tension of a world where so much is still not right.
Show Notes
The song "Nerve to be Super (For Michael)," played during the episode, is from Julian's upcoming record, Vocation, which will be out in September.
Visit juliandavisreid.com to learn more about his various offerings, to book a Notes of Rest experience, or to learn about origina...
Ted Harro — The Renew Campaign
Nathan Foster sat down with Renovaré's president, Ted Harro, to discuss bold new ministry initiatives at Renovaré that will carry the founding vision forward to a Church and a world in need of renewal.
Nathan Foster — Celebrating 300 Episodes
Producers Brian Morykon and Grace Pouch interview Nathan Foster about his role as the host of Life With God and about the podcasting medium as a place for listening and growing together.
Rebecca DeYoung — What To Do When We’re Angry
On episode 299 of Life With God (recorded live at the RēGathering conference), professor and author Rebecca DeYoung talks with Nathan about what to do when we feel angry.
Show Notes
Resources by Rebecca DeYoung
Article: “How to Practice Hope”Essay: “Why Are You Angry?”Talk: “The Seven Deadly Sins: Wrath”Scholarly publications: Available online hereOther related resources recommended by Rebecca
“Praying in the Dark” by J. Todd Billings—on lament, protest, and compassionate witness as ways to express our emotions without spiraling into despair. Listen to an interview with Charlotte vanOyen...Paola Barrera — The Gift of Immigration
Venezuelan-Canadian author Paola Barrera joins Nate on Life With God to discuss her story of immigration and how it shaped her outlook on God’s kingdom.
Bill Simmons — Letting the Land Lie Fallow
President and CEO of American Leprosy Missions (Hope Rises International) Bill Simmons speaks with Nate about burnout and the Sabbatical experience that brought deep healing to his soul.
Show Notes
Bill’s book: The Way of Interruption: Spiritual Practice for Organizational LifeRead an excerpt from The Way of InterruptionFind Bill at billsimmons.net, hoperises.org, and LinkedIn.Bill Simmons is President and CEO of American Leprosy Missions (soon to be Hope Rises International), part of his two-decade journey leading national and international organizations. Bill brings deep insight to the intersection of organizational leadership and spir...
Kathleen Norris — A Sister's Reflections on Disability
Nathan speaks with renowned author Kathleen Norris about writing about her sister in her new book, Rebecca Sue: A Sister’s Reflections on Disability, Faith, and Love.
Lisa and Mark McMinn — Invitation to Slow
The McMinn's join Nate to talk about life on their farm and finding the right pace for a flourishing life.
Audio Meditation: The Present Moment
In this audio meditation, Nathan Foster weaves together a selection of beautiful and challenging sayings by 17th-century spiritual director, Jean Pierre de Caussade that invite us to embrace God’s formation deep into our souls.
Walter Strickland II — Formed by Suffering
Nathan talks with Walter Strickland about his new book Swing Low and the way that the African American Christian experience adds crucial wisdom to living a with-God life.
Amanda Held Opelt — God, Goodness, and Grief
Amanda Opelt talks with Nathan about finding her theological assumptions challenged during a season of deep grief. The two discuss the difference between wholeness and happiness and between goodness and prosperity in this music-filled episode.
James Catford — The Present Moment
James Catford joins Nathan to talk about Jean-Pierre de Caussade's 18th century classic book on trust, Abandonment to Divine Providence — book 4 in this year's Renovaré Book Club.
Show Notes
James Catford joins Nathan to talk about Jean-Pierre de Caussade's 18th century classic book on trust, Abandonment to Divine Providence.
Join several thousand readers in the Renovaré Book Club to read Abandonment to Divine Providence (reading begins March 3, 2025).
Join the club at a reduced rate Purchase the hard copy or e-bookReward Sibanda — How to Fast
Reward Sibanda joins Nathan on the Life With God podcast to share his insights on fasting as a God-designed process of total surrender through which our bodies, minds, and spirits grow wide-awake to God.
Matthew Lewis — The Path of Longing
Matthew Lewis joins Nathan to talk about his new book Human and the beautiful way God designed for our deepest longings — when we give them our attention — to lead us home to Jesus.
Where to find Matthew
The Follower Podcast: https://wearefollower.com/podcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattlewis516/Follower Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/we_are_follower/Website: https://mattlewis.co.zaMatthew's book — Human: How our deepest longings lead us home
