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Are we expecting Jesus to change lives as much as the people who are desperately searching for Him?

In this episode of The Reluctant Leader Podcast, Paul reflects on the powerful story of blind Bartimaeus in Mark 10:46-52 and what it reveals about faith, desperation, and the surprising places where God is at work today.

Using the recent testimony of a former TikTok tarot reader ("Alex Reads Tarot"), who publicly gave her life to Jesus and walked away from the occult, Paul explores a challenging question:

Have those outside the church become more expectant than those inside it?

Bartimaeus couldn't see Jesus—but he believed Jesus could change everything. While the crowd tried to silence him, Jesus stopped, called him forward, and restored his sight.

What if the Church's greatest calling today isn't to quiet desperate people, but to encourage them to keep calling out to Jesus?

In this episode:

• Why Bartimaeus' story still speaks to our cultural moment
• What recent conversion stories reveal about spiritual hunger
• How disappointment can quietly erode our expectation of God's power
• Why desperate people have always been drawn to Jesus
• How followers of Jesus can become encouragers instead of gatekeepers

Key Scripture:
Mark 10:46-52
"Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, 'Son of David, have mercy on me!' Jesus stopped..."

Memorable Quote:
"Once, the church was desperate and the world was doubting. Today, it sometimes feels like the world is desperately searching while the church has quietly lowered its expectations."

Reflection Questions:
Who in your life have you quietly assumed is too far from God?
What would it look like to believe that Jesus is still stopping for people who are desperately calling His name?

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Thanks for listening to The Reluctant Leader Podcast with Paul Jenkins! Find me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and be sure to read the stuff I'm writing on my blog.

Rather watch the video? Head over to The Reluctant Leader Podcast on my YouTube channel.

Got questions or comments? Text them to me!

Dallas Willard once described Jesus with a word that feels almost impossible in today's world: relaxed.

Not careless. Not disengaged. Not indifferent.

Relaxed.

Meanwhile, many of us feel pulled in a dozen different directions at once. Responsibilities, relationships, ministry, work, finances, notifications, expectations—the pressure is real.

The Apostle Paul understood that pressure. He wrote that he faced the daily weight of concern for the churches (2 Corinthians 11:28). Yet beneath all of that responsibility was one clear focus: that Christ would be formed in God's people (Galatians 4:19).

In this episode, we explore the connection between Paul's concern for the churches, Martha's distraction in Luke 10, and the invitation to return to the love of God as our primary anchor.

Because the goal isn't to care less.

It's to stop being pulled apart by everything that competes for our attention.

When we truly believe we are loved by God, we discover the freedom to carry responsibility without being crushed by it.

In This Episode:

• Why Dallas Willard described Jesus as "relaxed"
• The hidden meaning behind Paul's "daily concern" for the churches
• How distraction literally means being pulled in different directions
• What Mary and Martha teach us about focus and formation
• Why spiritual pressure is different from spiritual purpose
• The question that may summarize the entire gospel

Memorable Quote:

"We don't overcome distraction by caring less. We overcome it by becoming anchored in the love of God."

Reflection Question:

What concern or responsibility has been pulling you in different directions lately—and what might change if you carried it from a place of being deeply loved by God rather than striving for His approval?

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Thanks for listening to The Reluctant Leader Podcast with Paul Jenkins! Find me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and be sure to read the stuff I'm writing on my blog.

Rather watch the video? Head over to The Reluctant Leader Podcast on my YouTube channel.

Got questions or comments? Text them to me!

Have you ever felt like you're constantly trying to catch up?

Behind on work. Behind on goals. Behind on expectations. Maybe even behind on life itself.

In Episode 73 of The Reluctant Leader Podcast, Paul reflects on a question that has become increasingly important in his own journey: What if God isn't rushing you?

As this episode releases, Paul is stepping away for a week with his family—a practice that doesn't come naturally for someone who loves leading, creating, building, and moving things forward. That tension becomes the backdrop for an honest conversation about hurry, attachment, spiritual formation, and the pace of Jesus.

In This Episode:

• Why our culture equates speed with success
• The difference between urgency and faithfulness
• How fear often drives our hurry more than our schedules
• What attachment theory teaches us about rest and trust
• Why Jesus consistently moved at a different pace than the people around Him
• The connection between being with Jesus and becoming like Jesus
• Why rest is not a reward for finishing everything
• How slowing down can become an act of faith

Key Scripture:

Mark 3:14 — "He appointed twelve that they might be with Him..."

Memorable Quotes:

• "Urgency and faithfulness are not the same thing."
• "Sometimes we're not running toward success. We're running away from insecurity."
• "Before there was ministry, there was relationship. Before there was mission, there was attachment. Before there was doing, there was being."
• "Rest isn't a reward for finishing everything, because you'll never finish everything."
• "The goal of spiritual formation isn't becoming more productive or more efficient. It's becoming more like Jesus."
• "Maybe the invitation of Jesus isn't to move faster. Maybe it's to walk closely enough with Him that His pace becomes your pace."

Reflection Question:

What would change this week if you truly believed that God wasn't rushing you? How would you pray differently, lead differently, parent differently, work differently... and rest differently?

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Thanks for listening to The Reluctant Leader Podcast with Paul Jenkins! Find me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and be sure to read the stuff I'm writing on my blog.

Rather watch the video? Head over to The Reluctant Leader Podcast on my YouTube channel.

Got questions or comments? Text them to me!

Why do so many of us feel guilty when we slow down?

In this episode of The Reluctant Leader Podcast, Paul explores the deeper reasons rest can feel uncomfortable — especially for leaders, helpers, pastors, and high-capacity people who have quietly tied their identity to productivity.

From ultramarathon training to the pace of Jesus, this conversation looks at how our culture rewards exhaustion while Jesus continually invited people into rest.

But real rest is harder than it sounds.

Because the moment the noise stops, we often come face to face with what distraction has been covering up.

In this episode:

• Why recovery is part of growth
• How productivity can become identity
• Why silence feels uncomfortable for many of us
• The connection between attachment and rest
• The difference between striving for God and resting with God
• Why Jesus regularly withdrew from the crowds
• How Sabbath teaches us trust

If you’ve ever struggled to slow down without feeling anxious, guilty, or unproductive, this episode is for you.

Key Scripture

• Matthew 11:28–30

Quotes from This Episode

• “Recovery is part of the training.”
• “We don’t know how to simply be with Him.”
• “When we stop producing, we often discover how much of our identity was attached to our productivity.”
• “Silence has a way of exposing what activity has been covering up.”
• “Some of us only feel valuable when we’re needed.”
• “We only know how to strive in the service of God.”
• “You are not the Messiah.”
• “The world keeps spinning even when you stop.”

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Thanks for listening to The Reluctant Leader Podcast with Paul Jenkins! Find me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and be sure to read the stuff I'm writing on my blog.

Rather watch the video? Head over to The Reluctant Leader Podcast on my YouTube channel.

Got questions or comments? Text them to me!

For this episode of The Reluctant Leader Podcast, we’re talking about something most of us wrestle with: how to measure progress in a healthy way.

In a culture obsessed with instant results, it’s easy to believe we’re failing when growth feels slow. But whether it’s physical training, spiritual formation, emotional health, or leadership development, the deepest transformation usually happens quietly over time.

Using ultra marathon training as a backdrop, Paul explores why daily measurements can be discouraging, why “invisible growth” still matters, and how God often works beneath the surface long before fruit becomes visible.

If you’ve ever felt frustrated by slow progress in your faith, leadership, healing, or personal growth, this episode is a reminder that consistency matters more than quick results — and that deep roots grow slowly.

In this episode:

• Why daily metrics can distort our perspective
• The danger of measuring our souls like social media
• What endurance training teaches us about spiritual growth
• Signs of real transformation that often go unnoticed
• How Jesus described Kingdom growth in Mark 4
• Why slow growth is still healthy growth
• The difference between becoming impressive and becoming whole

Key Quote:

Scripture Reference:

• Mark 4:26–29

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Thanks for listening to The Reluctant Leader Podcast with Paul Jenkins! Find me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and be sure to read the stuff I'm writing on my blog.

Rather watch the video? Head over to The Reluctant Leader Podcast on my YouTube channel.

Got questions or comments? Text them to me!

We live on a planet sustained by five great oceans. But what sustains the human soul?

In this episode, Paul shares how a simple morning rhythm—shaped through the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises and grounded in everyday objects—has become a pathway to deeper attachment with Christ.

A candle.
A cup of coffee.
A faithful companion named Eden.
A chair.
And above all… Christ.

These five “Cs” have become daily reminders that God’s presence still meets us in ordinary places.

If you’ve been feeling spiritually dry, emotionally tired, or mentally cluttered, this episode is a reminder that renewal often doesn’t come through dramatic breakthroughs—it comes through simple, consistent return.

In This Episode:

• Why ordinary objects can become sacred reminders
• How God’s light pushes back inner darkness
• The warmth and filling presence of God
• Jesus as the Companion who stays close
• Learning to rest your full weight in God’s care
• Why Christ is the center of every sustaining rhythm
• How to build your own daily reminders of grace

Key Scripture References:

• John 1:5
• Psalm 23:5
• Proverbs 18:24
• Matthew 11:28–30
• Colossians 1:17

Memorable Line:

Sustainable faith is rarely built in dramatic moments. It’s built in daily returning.

If this episode encouraged you, share it with someone who’s been running on empty.

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Thanks for listening to The Reluctant Leader Podcast with Paul Jenkins! Find me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and be sure to read the stuff I'm writing on my blog.

Rather watch the video? Head over to The Reluctant Leader Podcast on my YouTube channel.

Got questions or comments? Text them to me!

We live in a world built for speed—instant answers, constant connection, and endless noise. But what if all that “progress” is quietly costing us something deeper?

In this episode, Paul explores the tension between the fast-paced superhighways we’ve grown used to and the ancient paths God invites us to walk. Through a simple but powerful question—Could you go back to life without your smartphone?—we begin to uncover just how much our habits have shaped us.

Anchored in Jeremiah 6:16, this conversation doesn’t just highlight the beauty of the ancient path—it confronts the reality that most people won’t choose it. But for those who do? There’s a kind of rest waiting that no amount of speed or convenience can ever provide.

🔑 Key Takeaways

• Faster isn’t always better
  Just because something is efficient doesn’t mean it’s forming you in the right direction.
• Our habits shape our expectations
  What we’ve grown used to (speed, convenience, distraction) has rewired what feels “normal.”
• Spiritual depth requires a different pace
  Stillness, silence, and waiting aren’t setbacks—they’re pathways.
• Most people won’t choose the ancient path
  Not because they can’t—but because they won’t slow down enough to walk it.
• Rest is promised—but only on that path
  God doesn’t just offer direction… He offers restoration.

📖 Scripture Focus

• Jeremiah 6:16 – The invitation to walk the ancient paths—and the sobering reality that many refuse.

💡 Reflection Questions

• Where in your life have you traded depth for speed?
• What feels hardest about slowing down right now?
• If you’re honest, are you admiring the ancient path… or actually walking it?
• What’s one small step you could take today to choose a slower, more intentional rhythm?

🛠️ Simple Practice (Start Today)

5-Minute Reset

• Put your phone in another room
• Sit quietly with God
• Read a short passage of Scripture
• Don’t rush—just notice His presence

It might feel unfamiliar… but that’s how new (ancient) rhythms begin.

🔁 Share & Subscribe

If this episode challenged or encouraged you, share it with a friend who might be feeling the weight of a fast-paced life. And don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss future episodes.

🎙️ Closing Thought

The world will keep inviting you to move faster.
God is inviting you to walk deeper.

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Thanks for listening to The Reluctant Leader Podcast with Paul Jenkins! Find me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and be sure to read the stuff I'm writing on my blog.

Rather watch the video? Head over to The Reluctant Leader Podcast on my YouTube channel.

Got questions or comments? Text them to me!

We live in a world that rewards speed, noise, productivity, and visible results. So it makes sense that a lot of us have learned how to do things for God without really slowing down to be with God.

In this conversation, Paul talks with Angela, a fellow doctoral cohort member, counselor, and woman of deep wisdom, about what it means to move beyond a checkbox faith and into a life of presence. Angela shares her story of coming to the helping professions later in life, how she bridges faith and counseling, and why intentional time with God changes the way we show up with people.

They talk about the difference between information and transformation, the contagious nature of anxiety and peace, the tension between being and doing, and why the presence of God is not a luxury for helpers, but oxygen.

This episode is especially for pastors, leaders, counselors, and caregivers, but really, it’s for anybody who knows what it feels like to be busy, spiritually dry, and hungry for something deeper.

Key takeaways

• You can do helpful things without being deeply anchored in God, but it changes the quality of your presence.
• Being with Jesus is not wasted time. It shapes what you carry into every room.
• A non-anxious, non-pushy presence is one of the greatest gifts we can offer people.
• Spiritual practices are not meant to be dry checklists but relational spaces of encounter.
• Gratitude, walking, music, Scripture, stillness, and even imagination can all become ways of meeting with God.
• Identity must inform activity, not the other way around.
• Our culture trains us to chase information, but transformation often comes through presence.
• God is not frustrated with our slowness; He is patient, present, and inviting.

Memorable lines / pull quotes

• “You can do without being, but it’s going to affect the integrity of your doing.”
• “When I’m connected with God, I feel like I have more to give.”
• “Has the good news reached your face?”
• “God has a non-pushy presence.”
• “Their quiet time was with Him.”
• “Identity informs activity.”
• “We are so busy doing things for God that we don’t even think about what we’re bringing into those things.”
• “It’s not just the fuel for the rest of your day. Jesus is going with you for the rest of your day.”

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Thanks for listening to The Reluctant Leader Podcast with Paul Jenkins! Find me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and be sure to read the stuff I'm writing on my blog.

Rather watch the video? Head over to The Reluctant Leader Podcast on my YouTube channel.