<p class="button-wrapper"><a class="button primary" href="https://bit.ly/Crux-Community"><span>JOIN FOR $8/YEAR</span></a></p><div class="youtube-wrap" id="youtube2-5kp0Qd9Elr4"><div class="youtube-inner"></div></div><div class="pullquote"><p style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>The views and opinions expressed here are solely my own and do not represent those of my employer, any affiliated organization, or any institution with which I am associated.</strong></em></p></div><p>I had the opportunity to join Pastor Josh Bertram on <em>The Faith Roundtable</em> for a conversation that felt both honest and necessary. We talked about the quiet realities many of us are carrying—burnout, emotional exhaustion, spiritual fragmentation—and what it means to pursue a deeper, more grounded life with God in the midst of it all.</p><p class="button-wrapper"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kp0Qd9Elr4"><span>LISTEN HERE!</span></a></p><p>Drawing from my book <em>Beauty in Resistance</em>, we explored how spiritual rhythms, emotional honesty, Sabbath, and community can help us resist the unhealthy patterns shaping modern faith and form us into more whole people. We also named some of the pressures facing pastors, activists, and everyday Christians right now—how social media fuels reactivity, why “self-care” often falls short, and what it looks like to choose formation over constant reaction.</p><div><hr /></div><div class="digest-post-embed"></div><blockquote><p><em><strong>A NOTE ABOUT MY WORK</strong>: I am leaving my full-time job with InterVarsity USA and with that change, paid subscribers become much more important. I love to write and the DREAM would be for this to be a full-time occupation. If you’d like to make that more possible, please become a paid subscriber. My new work will be with<a href="https://bit.ly/Support-CBR-ArochaUSA"> AROCHA USA // Center for Beauty and Resistance</a>. If you <a href="https://bit.ly/Support-CBR-ArochaUSA">DONATE</a> you will be made a founding member here. Thanks for your prayers, support and generosity.</em></p><p class="button-wrapper"><a class="button primary" href="https://thecrux.substack.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p></blockquote><div><hr /></div><p>I shared some personal stories along the way—from ministry and activism to parenting, marriage, therapy, and grief—and how I’m continuing to learn what it means to live from deeper values instead of deeper wounds.</p><p>We covered a lot of ground, including:</p><ul><li><p>Burnout, anxiety, and compassion fatigue</p></li><li><p>Emotional health and spiritual formation</p></li><li><p>Justice work and Christian activism</p></li><li><p>The impact of social media on identity and outrage</p></li><li><p>Formation vs. reactionary living</p></li><li><p>The role of rest, prayer, and community</p></li><li><p>Why the work of faith requires both repair and resistance</p></li></ul><p>If you’re navigating faith in a polarized world, feeling stretched thin, or longing for a more integrated spiritual life, I think this conversation will resonate with you.</p><p>You can listen to the episode <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kp0Qd9Elr4">here</a>. </p><div><hr /></div><blockquote><p><em>Times are changing! If you value my work and desire for it to continue and even GROW, please become a paid subscriber!</em></p><p class="button-wrapper"><a class="button primary button-wrapper" href="https://thecrux.substack.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p></blockquote><div><hr /></div><p><strong>Let me know what you think! I look forward to the conversation and comments because our screens make us into lonely consumers but God made us to be a vibrant, liberative community.</strong></p><p>In Christ and for His Glory,</p><p>jonathan</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9Sao!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F18a9ddfc-62b1-4d8b-ba7f-ee2907e48450_971x1500.jpeg" target="_blank"><div class="image2-inset"><source type="image/webp" /><img alt="" class="sizing-normal" height="1500" src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9Sao!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F18a9ddfc-62b1-4d8b-ba7f-ee2907e48450_971x1500.jpeg" width="971" /><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image" tabindex="0" type="button"><svg fill="none" height="20" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" stroke-width="1.5" viewBox="0 0 20 20" width="20" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image" tabindex="0" type="button"><svg class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2" fill="none" height="20" stroke="currentColor" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" stroke-width="2" viewBox="0 0 24 24" width="20" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div>